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BOOK REVIEW: “The Last Dance”

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“The Last Dance” by Aimee Brown

Blurb:

Can you truly forgive and forget?

Ambri and Henry have been best friends forever. They’ve been through the highs and lows of life with each other by their sides. The worst? When Henry’s wife, and Ambri’s sister, died. Together, they can face it all. Until one night destroys everything.

Two years after he stepped out of it Henry walks back into Ambri’s life and she’s more than a little shocked. But as old friends fall into even older habits they need to decide whether they can forget the past and embrace their future.

My Review: After reading Aimee Brown’s first book, “The Lucky Dress,” I knew I would love “The Last Dance,” so when I was given the chance to receive an ARC I jumped at the chance.

It’s known that I’m a huge fan of friends-to-lovers romances, and this book did not disappoint. Right from the start, it was easy to see the connection Ambri and Henry shared, even with the one person who still stands between them–someone they both loved.

There were parts that were heartbreaking and made me cry, the adorable banter that made me chuckle, and the ending was exactly as I hoped it would–and in a cute way, too, (sorry, no spoilers).

As for Aimee’s writing, like with her first book, not only was I instantly drawn to the characters, but this story, too. Her books will make you lose track of time, and the characters will become your friends who you don’t want to stop spending time with.

If you’re looking for a sweet summer read, one that will give you all the feels of finally taking that leap with the one who’s been by your side the whole time, then this is the book for you.

I give “The Last Dance” 5 stars!

**Click HERE to pre-order your copy of “The Last Dance!”

BOOK FEATURE: “Frosted Sweets”

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“Frosted Sweets” by A.M. Willard

Blurb: Will it turn into sugar and spice? Or a friendship over some frosted treats?

Morgan Lewis, the owner of The Polka Dot Café & Bakery, is about to wed the man she’s spent the last four years building a life with. What she doesn’t know is, that’s all about to change. Can her life move past a wedding disaster? Can her crazy friends help her pick up the pieces? And what’s in store for this sweet baker? Along with a booming business, the Christmas holiday rush, and her friends, Morgan is really sent into a spin when Jayden Rivers moves to town.

Jayden’s focus is on his career in production, but what he wasn’t expecting was to be knocked off his feet by a woman in the park. Sparks fly, but he’s not sure if she’s truly available or taken. With a severe sweet tooth and an addiction to Morgan Lewis’s treats, he can’t seem to stay away.

A.M. Willard brings you a romantic comedy with a touch of contemporary romance and a dash of chick lit, which takes you on a journey of friendship.

Frosted Sweets is the first installment of A Taste of Love Series in which we follow the lives of Morgan and Jayden, who are discovering life is anything but what it seem.

Seductive sexy gorgeous woman wearing lingerie in bed at home. Attractive sensual young girl. Female underwear fashion.

**Buy “Frosted Sweets” now: Amazon – US   Amazon – UK   Amazon – CA   Amazon – AU   Nook   iTunes

Giant lollipop on blue pastel background

**About author A.M. Willard: A.M. is a true believer of soul mates, and happy ever afters. She enjoys reading, sailing, and of course writing contemporary romance with some saucy scenes. Releasing her first novella of the One Night Series on April 12, 2014 has sent her on a new journey in life.

A.M.’s passion for writing started at a young age, but with the love and support from her husband of eighteen years pushed her to follow her dreams. Once she hit that first publish button, she hasn’t looked back.

Publications available from A.M. Willard include the Chances Series, Love on the Screen, and everyone’s favorite, the One Night Series. She’s also had an article published in the Writer’s Monthly Review Magazine and was just accepted into the Romance Writers of America organization in May of 2015.

A.M. Willard was born and raised in the Panhandle of Florida, but resides in Savannah GA with her husband, son, two cats, one rotten dog, and her six chickens. Yes, we said chickens…

**Contact A.M.: Facebook Author Page   Twitter   Amazon Author Page   Blog – Website   Goodreads   Google Plus   Google + Author Page   Pinterest   Tumbler   LinkedIn   Etsy   Newsletter   Readers group

Children's

What We Give Up, To Get A Great Reward

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I had a hard time coming up with what to write for today’s blog, but then I saw THIS blog post, I knew I had found my topic!  Perfect!

As writers, we are fortunate to be able to be on the go-wherever, whenever, and with anyone!  This is a perk, but it’s also a challenge.  We give up so much of ourselves to be with our characters, that it’s hard to juggle fiction vs. real life.  Here are five biggest distractions that we seem to give up when our book consumes our life:

FAMILY: Spending time with my family is very important to me.  It’s something I’ve treasured for a long time, and as I age, I want to spend more time with them.  So, when NaNoWriMo hit, the same month as Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), and family came to town, I knew it was time to push it into high gear.  It was my first time to partake in NaNoWriMo, but I won.  Yes, I missed out in bonfires on the ranch and bonding with family, and watching football (go Cowboys), but when it was November 30th, at 11:59 p.m., it was over.  I had won NaNoWriMo, and I was happy!  (I must also say that I went to Orlando for a “Girl’s Only” weekend with my sister!  I wrote and she supported me!  I still have to tell her how much spending time with her helped my story).

My advice: Spend time with family as much as you can, but make each moment count!

FRIENDS:  I am thankful for my friends.  My true friends have been there from the moment I wanted to be a writer, and have supported me throughout this journey.  I love spending time with them, whether it’s going to Vino 100 for a night out on the town or staying home to play Settlers of Catan, I feel at “home” with my friends-my true friends!  Though, there comes a time when saying, “No, I can’t go out tonight,” can change your life.  Deciding to stay home on a few occasions in November helped add to the MS, word by word, and chapter by chapter.

My advice:  Surround yourself with friends that support you!  You’ll be glad you did!

EXERCISE:  Taking care of your self by exercising is very important.  It doesn’t matter if you’re under or overweight, exercise is (and should be) a factor in your life.  Often when I’m writing my MS and I get struck with writer’s block, going for a walk (thirty minutes at the most) can help jumpstart my writing.  It gets me back on track, and helps me reevaluate where I am and why my characters are doing and/or saying something.

My advice:  Doing something physical for thirty minutes a day can help you not only improve your health, but it might give you inspiration for you MS.

HOLIDAYS:  I’ve already mentioned how writing can be stressful during the holidays, but from January to December, doesn’t it always seem like there’s a holiday coming up.  Can this add more stress to you “career” as a writer?  Yes!

My advice:  Celebrate the holidays, but don’t stress about your writing.  Think of the holiday as a vacation, just for that day specifically, and know that you’ll get back to it the next day!  Most of all, don’t worry about anything, and have a wonderful day off-you deserve it!

LIFE:  Before you were a writer, you were a person.  Go out, and have fun.  (By doing this, it give you a chance to come up with more story ideas).  Find new hobbies, meet new friends, go to a sporting event or concert!  Live life breath by breath, because if you don’t you’re going to miss it!

My advice:  Do NOT let your book(s) consume your life!  There is more to life than writing.  Enjoy it!

My biggest message to you is that as writers we give up so much, but it’s okay to not make it your entire lie.  You can have both!  Just use your time wisely!

How Twitter Can Help Writers

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I’ve been really into the Twitter world for about three weeks now.  I can’t say that I didn’t like it, I just didn’t quite understand why most everyone that I know “tweets.”  I’m still learning all the signs, but so far it has helped me along in my writing journey.

As an unpublished Chick Lit (not a dying genre like some think) writer, I have been graciously welcomed into a whole new way of communicating and publicizing myself and my work.

  • By tweeting about your WIP or your blogs, it can help get the word out about you.  This can create more “Likes” to your Facebook page, more hits on your website and more fans over time.
  • By “Following” people, blogs or companies, they will often tweet advice, tips or quotes that can help you along the way, no matter what stage you are at on your journey.
  • Since a lot of writers seem to be tweeting, it’s easy to communicate with people.  It’s a quick way of sharing a quick message or a to give a “congratulations.”  Often times they will reciprocate when you’ve accomplished something.  It’s also nice to have a cheerleader in your corner on your side when you need a little pick me up.
  • While only 140 characters are allowed, I think it makes the writer in all of us try to sum up what we’re saying and learn how to only use words that are necessary.  This can also make for a quick read for your reader.
I encourage you to at least give it a shot.  What’s the harm in trying something that might help your career?

Follow me on Twitter @ ILA121209

Fun Friday

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When I was a kid I loved to play games, especially board games.  Now when you think of board games, you would usually think of Monopoly, Sorry, Scrabble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Mouse Trap, right?  But it’s 2011 and since late last year, my husband and I have started to have games nights and quite often.  I have refound my love for playing board games!

Of all the games we’ve played, Settlers of Catan is my absolute favorite game, even over Scrabble, the famous word game.  When the guys suggested that I play this game with them, I thought they were crazy.  I looked through the instruction manual and was shocked to see that it was over ten pages!  Ten pages of instructions for a game?  No thank you!  Why on earth would I play this game?  The first night I played with my husband, brother and our friend Wade.  The game is about trading and having a good hand, consisting of resources (bricks, sheep, stone and wood), in order to build roads, settlements and cities.  I know some people don’t find any of this interesting, but I once felt the same way.  I was soon obsessed with this game and begged my husband to play it with me, even the boring two player version.  He laughed and staggered himself to the bookshelf, pulled out the game and began to set it up.  (I was one happy wife).  A few nights later, we played this with another friend who hasn’t yet played this game, “Oh yay, we get to play Catan!”  That night the friend became so obsessed with this game, that we played five games that night.  Finally, someone was loving the game as much as I did.  After playing about twenty, yes twenty games, I still hadn’t won and was beginning to get very frustrated.  Evan the first time we taught my brother, he won that night!  Really?  Now I was really getting mad.  Finally after playing for about four months, I finally won, though it was only against my husband who knows strategies and has really good luck, I felt that it was still damn awesome!

Weeks later, I’m still in love with the game and have even had dreams about bricks, sheep, stone and wood; it’s obvious that I play the game a lot.  There are expansion packages you can get to add to the game.  HERE they are.