Release Day

RELEASE DAY and REVIEW of “Plan Bea”

October 14, 2015 2 Comments

It’s release day for “Plan Bea” by Hilary Grossman

Blurb: How well do you really know the people in your life?

Annabel O’Conner has the perfect husband, two adorable children, an amazing job, and the mother from hell! Annabel doesn’t like it but has come to terms with the fact that her relationship with her mother, Bea, deteriorated to the point of forced and strained communications. However, an unscheduled call from Bea turns her world around and makes Annabel question everything she believed about her life.

Despite the fact secrets, lies, and misplaced blame have destroyed the women’s relationship; Annabel reluctantly agrees to help Bea plan her wedding. Little does Annabel know the impact of her decision.

In this Women’s Contemporary Fiction novel, Hilary Grossman explores the complex relationship that exists between mothers and daughters in a light-hearted and relatable manner.

My Review:

When I first read the blurb of Hilary Grossman’s second novel, my interest was very piqued. After all, I enjoy her first book, “Dangled Carat,” so I knew I was going to like this one, too. Well, I ended up loving it!

I would love to be friends with Annabel, her husband, and of course, her two little ones. Hilary’s writing is so powerful that I was easily drawn to Annabel’s mother, Bea, even though she was sarcastic and witchy, at times, though, at the end, I understood why.

“Plan Bea” was an amazing book, one I will never forget. With all the twists and turns in this book, it wasn’t predictable, but rather a quick page-turner. If you’re looking for a book that will make you wonder if repairing a mother/daughter relationship is possible, I highly recommend this book. It makes you wonder what you can learn by communicating, especially when secrets and horrible events take place, only to discover that years could’ve gone by without so much pain and hurt.

While I’m blessed to have a wonderful and loving relationship with my mom, I could often relate to Annabel’s feelings, and was happy she had her loving husband and his family to lean on. **Warning, when reading this book, it’s a must that you have tissues next to you. I can’t tell you how many times I cried, and cried, and cried even more.

I give “Plan Bea” 5 stars!

**Find “Plan Bea”: Amazon US Amazon UK Barnes & Noble Goodreads

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**About the author: Hilary Grossman loves to find humor in everyday life. She has an unhealthy addiction to denim and high heel shoes. She likens life to a game of dodge ball – she tries to keep as many balls in the air before they smack her in the face. When she isn’t writing, blogging, or shoe shopping she is the CFO of a beverage alcohol importer. She lives on the beach in Long Island.

**Contact Hilary: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter

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**GIVEAWAY**

**Click HERE to enter to win a $25 Bath & Body Works Gift Card

To help celebrate Hilary’s new release, she’s put her debut novel, “Dangled Carat” on sale for $0.99, until Sunday, so click HERE to get your copy now, (US only)!

**Click HERE to see my review of “Dangled Carat”!

BOOK REVIEW: “The Final Quarter”

July 14, 2015 1 Comment

“The Final Quarter” by Anne Lange

Blurb: A quarterback facing the end of his career must come to peace with his past, and accept his present, before he can move on with his future.

Mitch Ryland accomplished what his father said he never would—he made something of himself.

When his wife suggests she’d like to start a family, Mitch is thrown for a loop. He’s never told her about his life before he ended up with his foster parents, or his plans never to become a father. So when he’s taken out of the game, his failings from the past come back to haunt him, and Mitch blames his injury on his loss of focus. He’s unprepared for his career as a professional quarterback to be over. Nor is he ready to tell his wife about why football is so important to him. He’d rather put emotional and physical distance between them and focus on getting back in the game.

Serena Ryland has dreamed of becoming a mother. But when she mentions the idea to her husband, he freezes her out and she has no idea why. She’s worried that if they don’t start talking soon, she’ll lose him forever. When he refuses to come home to mend from an injury, she takes matters into her own hands, determined to spend more time with him, hoping to reignite the romance in their relationship. But she’s unprepared for the things she learns on this trip. Her husband has been carrying a few secrets that just might change the outlook of their future.

My Review: Every now and then, I like to read short erotica, and having sports mixed in with it is even better. In this 145 page short and sexy read, “The Final Quarter” was HOT! Not only was the sex written very well, I loved that I really felt a connection between Mitch and Serena, and that they truly loved each other. While Mitch had his issues, I loved how Serena didn’t give up on him, and tried to help him through a dark period.

If you’re looking for a quick, sexy erotica, then this is definitely a book for you. This was my first book by Anne Lange, and it won’t be my last!

I give “The Final Quarter” 5 stars!

**Note: It’s release day, so click HERE to pick you up your copy of “The Final Quarter” now!

The Marrying Type

February 24, 2015 1 Comment

“The Marrying Type” by Laura Chapman

About “The Marrying Type”: Always the wedding planner, never a bride, Elliot Lynch is famous for orchestrating the splashiest weddings in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father’s sloppy management practices leave them on the brink of bankruptcy, Elliot will do whatever it takes to save the family business. When asked to appear on “The Marrying Type,” a reality TV show about the people behind the scenes as couples exchange I dos, she says yes to the invasion of privacy (and the hefty paycheck that comes with it).

With a camera crew capturing every detail of her life, Elliot faces her most challenging contract yet: planning a wedding where her ex is involved in every part of the process. Add in a lazy assistant, liquor-loving bridesmaid, and rival planner encroaching on her turf, and Elliot’s wedding season goes from high-end to high-stress.

Forced to confront her past, Elliot must live out her troubled present on national TV if she has any hope of saving her future.

**Buy “The Marrying Type”: Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo Marching Ink

**Other book links for “The Marrying Type”: Goodreads YouTube

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GUEST POST

“Second Times a Charm?” by Laura Chapman

Like dating, each new book you write offers valuable experience that you can use the next time around.

When I wrote my first novel, Hard Hats and Doormats, I’d toyed with the idea of telling the story of a young human resources manager trying to fit into a very grownup world while still trying to understand what adulthood meant. When November 1, 2010, rolled around, and I saw friends posting updates on Facebook about how they were participating in National Novel Writing Month, I decided I might as well give it a try. I’ve always a little too competitive for my own good. I spent that evening creating a rough outline of the book and went to work. Progress was slow, because like my main character, I too was traveling a lot for work and not quite sure what being 24 meant. I still felt like a college student a lot of the time, but my student loan, mounting bills, and professional responsibilities begged to differ.

I was well behind reaching the 50,000-word goal when I decided to take off a few days from work the week of Thanksgiving. I had a little bit of vacation time I had to use or lose, and it seemed like this was as good of a time as any. During the last week and a half of NaNoWriMo, I wrote between 4,000 and 5,000 words a day, determined to reach my goal on November 30. When I did, with just a few hours to spare, I cried. It was such an exciting and overwhelming experience to realize I could and did write 50,000 words in a month. It took me a few more months to finish the first draft of the book and years to revise.

Writing my second book was a vastly different experience. I knew a month before November 1, 2011, that I was going to write The Marrying Type. Figuring I was an old veteran by this point, I carefully outlined my novel and had a game plan for crossing the 50,000-word mark by November 30. Working alongside a couple of local friends who were also participating in NaNoWriMo, I met my goal two days early. Now I really felt like a pro.

But once again, it took me a couple of months to finish that first draft. And while I was happy just like the first time, I wasn’t as excited. This time, I understood a little bit better just how much work was going to be involved if I wanted to publish this book. Even then, I still didn’t have a full clue of just what the next few years would entail.

While writing the first draft of my second book was a faster experience than the first time around, and I better understood had to build tension and tell a story, I still had a lot to learn. Like with book one, book two went through round after round of edits and drafts before becoming the book it is today.

Perhaps the greatest lesson book two taught me was that no matter how many times you set out to write a novel, it is always going to take a lot of work. It isn’t going to be as easy as you might imagine. You’re almost always going to have to part with a scene or character you liked to make your story stronger. And no matter how hard you try, you will always have to go back and fix typos or change plot elements.

The ups and downs of writing my first two novels ultimately paid off. While they took more time than I’d ever imagined, I was able to produce two novelettes with relative ease after going through this experience. And though I struggled to write the first draft of my third novel, the experiences of books one and two taught me that it was okay to basically scrap everything and start over. Which is what I ended up doing, and my last attempt at the first draft took record time. I’m currently editing that book, and I’m happy to say that it is in much better shape than my first two books at this stage in the game. It’s not perfect, but I can see my growth as a writer, which is a great reward.

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**About author, Laura Chapman:

Laura Chapman is the author of The Marrying Type, Hard Hats and Doormats and the Autumn and Tuck series, which appear in Merry & Bright and A Kind of Mad Courage. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Until she fulfills her dream of landing a British husband or becoming a Disney princess, you can find her in a bar penning her next novel.

**Contact Laura:

Website Blog Facebook Goodreads Instagram Twitter

How Do You Know?

December 2, 2014 2 Comments

“How Do You Know?” by Meredith Schorr

Description:

What if you were approaching the end of your thirties and all of the life milestones you took for granted in your youth suddenly seemed out of reach? On the eve of her 39th birthday, Maggie Piper doesn’t look, act, or feel much different than she did at 29, but with her 40th birthday speeding towards her like a freight train, she wonders if she should. The fear of a slowing metabolism, wrinkling of her skin, and the ticking of her biological clock leaves Maggie torn between a desire to settle down like most of her similarly-aged peers and concern that all is not perfect in her existing relationship. When a spontaneous request for a temporary “break” from her live-in boyfriend results in a “break-up”, Maggie finds herself single once again and only twelve months from the big 4.0. In the profound yet bumpy year that follows, Maggie will learn, sometimes painfully, that life doesn’t always happen on a schedule, there are no deadlines in love, and age really is just a number.

Meredith Schorr, best-selling author of light women’s fiction digs deep in her newest novel and raises the age old issue of the ‘proverbial clock’ that haunts many women in a way that is refreshing and sassy no matter your age or relationship status.

My Review:

After reading “Blogger Girl” I became an instant fan of Meredith Schorr. So, when I was asked to read and review “How Do You Know?” I happily and eagerly accepted.

Where do I begin on how to express how much I enjoyed this book? From the first sentence to the last, the storyline and Maggie’s adventure on finding herself, captured my full attention. Though I don’t relate to Maggie (I can’t wait until I’m the big 4-0,), I really liked her character. Her struggle with aging and relationships (I couldn’t decide who I liked her with the best, but in the end, Maggie ended up with the right one) were quite humorous, and at times, had me laughing out loud. With a great support system of friends and family, I was cheering for Maggie the whole time, as she meandered her way through one eventful year, which taught her a lot about herself. “How Do You Know?” will easily be on my top five reads of 2014!

Though this is only the second book by Meredith Schorr, I am already waiting for another to come out. She’s a brilliant writer who creates stories you want to be part of, along with characters you want to be friends with. If you’re a fan of Emily Giffin, I highly recommend you pick up anything by Meredith Schorr!

I give “How Do You Know?” 5 stars!

**Buy Links: Amazon – US Amazon – UK

“Let’s Move On” Release Day Blast

September 29, 2014 1 Comment

Book Four: Let’s Move On by Deborah Nam-Krane

Blurb: Zainab has spent years keeping Emily from going over the edge, giving Miranda a shoulder to cry on and nursing Jessie back to health. They’ll be the first to agree that she deserves whatever makes her happy, especially after the drama Richard put her through. But did she have to choose the guy who threw everyone’s lives into the shredder?

Richard knows he screwed up and he’d do anything to get Zainab back, but first he needs to make sure his company—and his loyal employees—don’t go under. (Who knew kicking your primary investor to the curb would have consequences?) Good thing his family has such deep pockets; too bad he doesn’t want to take a cent from them. Why should Zainab take him back if he can’t get out of his own way?

Maybe Zainab can eat her cake and have it too—that is, until she’s given an ultimatum. The choice isn’t Lover A or B; it’s protecting her friends or letting them fend for themselves. With that hanging over her head, what’s it going to take to make sure she and everyone else can finally move on?

**Book Links: GOODREADS | AMAZON | ITUNES | BARNES AND NOBLE | SMASHWORDS

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EXCERPT

Zainab was laughing a few hours later as she stretched out in bed. “You continue to be full of surprises.”

Robert rested his head on the pillow and took some deep breaths. “Come on, that wasn’t really a surprise, was it?”

“I don’t usually get that dressed up just to go to bed.” She flipped over and smiled. “Or is that sort of a Catch-22? Would we not have ended up in bed if I hadn’t been so dressed up?”

Robert sighed. “I think you’re just trying to get me to admit that I had this planned.”

“I know you’re intrusive, I don’t think you’re manipulative.”

“What about your friends?”

“No, they’re not manipulative either, although at least one of them is intrusive at any given point—”

“I meant, what do they think of me?”

“You know exactly what they think of you, and I’d say it shouldn’t be something that should concern you.”

“It doesn’t, except that I don’t like the idea of you leaving and then going to a house full of people who can’t stop telling you how wrong I am for you.”

“First of all,” she said, playing with his chin, “you’re getting really sloppy. Jessie isn’t living with me—”

“But she’s around enough—and no, I have not been driving by your house.”

“Second of all, they have no idea.”

“Really?” Robert said, smiling as he looked her over. “Because Emily is pretty sharp. Annoying, but sharp. Miranda could maybe use a little more time at school—”

“Miranda isn’t stupid.”

“She just has lousy taste.”

“Don’t we all?”

“If you think that, then why are you here?”

“Why shouldn’t I be, Robert?”

He smiled. “Because of Jessie. Because of everyone else. Because of Richard. Because to the untrained eye it might look like I broke you up on purpose—”

“I know that’s not what happened.”

“So am I forgiven?”

“It’s not an issue.”

“Why don’t you care?”

“What do you want? You want me to be really mad so you can have an excuse to feel bad? Do you think you should feel bad?”

“Let’s just say I don’t usually conduct my investigations that way.”

Zainab raised her eyebrow. “I know you were here with Jessie.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“How bothered would you like me to be?”

“I don’t want you to be bothered, but I want you to care.”

“Why? Do you care about Richard?”

“No, but I do think he can’t be nearly as smart as he thinks he is to let you go.”

“He didn’t let me do anything—I left on my own. I was with him by choice.”

He kissed her. “And now you’re with me. By choice.”

“Now you’re getting the hang of it.”

“So why did you choose me?”

“Because I like you, Robert. But why do we need to look at it so closely?”

He rolled on top of her. “True, when there are so many better things we could do with our time.”

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Click HERE to watch the book trailer of “Let’s Move On”

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About the author: Deborah Nam-Krane is a writer living in Boston proper who has been storytelling since she was a little girl and writing those stories down since she was eight. Any given day will find her reading, writing, reviewing, editing and, just for fun, homeschooling her children.

Let’s Move On is the fourth installment of the New Pioneers series, the sequel to The Smartest Girl in the Room (March 2013), The Family You Choose (September 2013), An Engagement: A New Pioneers Short Story (March 2014) and The China Doll (March 2014). Deborah is currently editing Book Five, The Golden Boy Returns. That book will be set in the world of Boston and Massachusetts politics, and her job will be to tone down the true stories she’s heard so they seem believable. And because she just can’t stay away from her characters, she’s already started working on the To Be Titled Book Six, a Romantic Suspense.

**Contact Deb: WRITTEN BY DEB (BLOG) | NEWSLETTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TWITTER

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GIVEAWAY

**Click HERE to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

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Book One: The Smartest Girl in the Room

Nineteen year old Emily wants her college diploma fast, and she’s going to get it. But when the perfect night with perfect Mitch leads her to a broken heart, Emily is blind to her vulnerability. When the person she cares about the most is hurt as a result, Emily’s ambition gives way to more than a little ruthlessness. She’s going to use her smarts to take care of herself and protect the people she loves, and everyone else had better stay out of her way. But shouldn’t the smartest girl everyone knows realize that the ones she’d cross the line for would do the same for her

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | SMASHWORDS | KOBO

Book Two: The Family You Choose

Miranda Harel has been in love with her guardian Alex Sheldon since she was five years old, and Michael Abbot has despised them both for just as long. When Miranda finds out why she wants both men out of her life for good and questions everything she believed about where and who she came from. Finding out the truth will break her heart. Without family or true love, will her friends be enough to bring her back

Book Two and a Half: An Engagement: A New Pioneers Short Story

Annabelle Hendrickson always knew Alex Sheldon couldn’t be trusted, but even she couldn’t have guessed how far he was willing to go to get what he wanted.

No one was as decent as her brother Jim, but Stephen Abbot had a kind soul behind his mischief. She could accept his reprobate father- he’d be dead soon anyway- but she would never accept his longtime friendship with Alex, her father Gerald’s ambitious employee. Annabelle knew it was just a matter of time before he stepped on someone she cared about.

What a pity she didn’t realize who that person would be—and who was going to give him the opportunity.

What happened to Michael Abbot and Richard Hendrickson’s parents in 1980 is going to affect everyone three decades later.

ONLY 99 CENTS — GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | SMASHWORDS | ITUNES

Book Three: The China Doll

Hypocrisy, half truths and lies…

Sick of being treated like she’s going to break, Jessie Bartolome is back to her old ways and calling everyone on their hypocrisy. Sheesh! One little breakdown and even easygoing Martin Shepard thinks she’s too fragile to handle their age difference. Good thing her older and equally yummy teaching assistant Robert Lester thinks otherwise…right?

After spending so long cleaning up after everyone else, Jessie’s cousin Richard has never had the time to start a life of his own. However had he managed to find his girlfriend Zainab? So what is Richard going to do now that everyone else has grown up? Marry Zainab and start a family? Things have never been that easy for a Hendrickson…just ask his cousin Michael.

Richard’s mother, Lucy, is one of the most powerful women in Boston… so when is she going to put a stop to the blackmail ruthless Alex Sheldon has been holding over her for years? And if Richard knows more than he’s letting on, why hasn’t he gone after Alex himself? The question is, how much does he- or anyone else- really know?

Welcome to the Bartolome/Hendrickson family.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | ITUNES | BARNES AND NOBLE | SMASHWORDS

The Key To My Heart

July 14, 2014 1 Comment

“The Key to My Heart” by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Blurb:

One dream fails, a passion burnt out…

With no set plan and a desire to find a passion, Blaine Grant hightailed it out of Harmony’s Echo a year out of high school to find herself. Finding a passion didn’t come as easily to her as it did for others she knew. Now, Blaine has come home for good with mistakes she’d like to forget, but the past doesn’t want to forget her. Everyone thought she’d been selfish to not come back when she was needed the most, but Blaine never let anyone know the emotional hell she went through.

Another dream is just beginning to see the light…

Randy Hughes has always been the shy guy until he discovered his love of music. It wasn’t until joining the band that he grew out of his shyness. The oldest sibling and the only boy, he’s pressured by family expectations to set a good example. He’s the one who takes everyone in when they need it, and he’s the one whose own dreams are ignored. Now that big things are happening for the Baby Stetson band, Randy has to decide how to handle his family when his dreams are on the line…

A friendship is changing.

One spur of the moment, impulsive move leads Randy and Blaine into a dire situation that may bring them together, or pull them apart, just when he’s finally able to gather the courage to tell Blaine how he’s felt about her all these years…

Revisit the characters you’ve come to know in small town Harmony’s Echo, as more changes settle upon them.

Excerpt of “The Key To My Heart”

They still set the Ferris wheel in the perfect position. From the top you could see the whole town of Harmony’s Echo.

As soon as they were secure, their hands connected once again. Neither said a word, just exchanged a smile. For a split second, Blaine wondered what was up with her. She felt like … Hell, she felt like a teenager. Young, carefree, finding that one guy to make her heart flutter. The one guy she never, ever expected to feel that way about. Changes were in the air, and now those changes included new feelings for Randy.

Slowly, they were lifted in the air, coming to a jerky stop here and there to let other passengers on.

“I’ve always loved the view up here,” Blaine mused softly as they went higher. “I used to be afraid of how high we were. Every little squeak made me think we were going to fall. But then I looked over, saw the whole town and I forgot everything else.”

“Blaine Grant, actually afraid?” Randy teased. “I always thought you were a bit fearless.”

She faced him. “Me, fearless? You’re kidding, right?”

He shook his head. “Nope. I really did.”

“You’re crazier than I thought,” she blurted. Fearless. Ha. Funny. One of the biggest fears she had was never finding her place in the world. Silly, maybe. Stupid, possibly. It was one she’d never really expressed to anyone, which was why she pushed to hard to find something she was good at and could turn into a passion. Surrounded by family and friends who knew what they wanted early, like Jameson and Avery with their music, Blaine felt a little left out.

“What would a beautiful, headstrong, confident woman like you have to fear?” Randy squeezed her hand. Was it her imagination, or did he scoot even closer to her?

She licked her lips, all too aware of how her body reacted to him.

Her mouth worked against her brain, and once again, she blurted out another truth she never wanted to admit to anyone. “Not finding where I belong.”

The words hung in the air. Randy blinked, but for what felt like an eternity didn’t say anything. The wheel moved again, taking them higher. Breaking the tension, she stared down, wondering how many more cars were left to fill with riders before this thing went into full swing. The people walking below were so tiny, they reminded her of ants scurrying around in an ant farm.

“Where do you want to belong?” Randy finally asked.

“What’s with the philosophical responses?” Blaine shot back, totally caught off-guard by what he’d asked. What got her the most was how she didn’t know the answer.

Randy shrugged. Thankfully he didn’t seem offended. “I’m the oldest of a bunch of sisters. I tend to ask a lot of those kinds of questions.”

“And they still go to you for advice?” She cracked a smile.

“Maybe I trap them. Kind of like how you’re all the way up here with me and no way out, and now you have that question in your mind.” Randy reached across and brushed her hair away from her face.

“When did you become so evil?” Her voice came out hoarse. Blood rushed to her ears. All she could think about were his lips. So sexy. So … Oh God, what was happening to her? Was she starting to fall for Randy Hughes?

“Apparently the same time you’ve not been fearless. We’re seeing sides of the other we haven’t before.”

Wasn’t that the truth?

“We’re totally missing the view.” But she never took her eyes off Randy’s face.

“We could always ride again.”

Yeah. They could. And right now, she could lean over and…

Holy hell. Randy beat her to it. His lips crashed over hers. Blaine’s sigh caught in her throat as she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around Randy’s neck and kissed him back.

“The Key To My Heart” is a standalone novel set in the series, but you’ll learn about the other characters featured in this story as well. “Baby Stetson” is book one, featuring Avery and Lucas, and book 2 is “The Melody In My Head,” which is Jameson and Melody’s story.

“Baby Stetson” is currently part of the Pasisonate Kisses boxed set with nine other authors and available for 99 cents. “The Melody In My Head” is currently $1.99!

**Buy “The Key To My Heart”: Amazon Barnes & Noble

**About Nikki Lynn Barrett: I’m an avid lover of books. I’ve been writing as far back as I can remember, completing my first “book” by fifth grade in one of those one subject spiral notebooks. I have a passion for music, photography, jewelry and all things creative. I live in Arizona with my husband and son, but dream of being somewhere much colder and stormier. For now, I’ll have to live that life through my characters and stick it out with the summer heat.

**Contact Nikki: Email Website Facebook Facebook Chat Group – Nikki’s Book Nook Nikki’s Book Stormers – Street Team Goodreads Twitter

It’s Publish Day for Merry & Bright!

November 14, 2013 6 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…literally!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered what it would feel like to write this post. There are so many things spinning my head and I’m trying to make it all clear, and make myself realize that today is the day I’ve waited for so long. That’s right, family, friends, and followers — my short story in the Christmas Anthology, “Merry & Bright”, has been published! This is my first publication, so I’m beyond excited, and though the excitement of being an author hasn’t hit me yet, it brings me great joy to be sharing the cover with five other extraordinary authors.

MMUTM

Blurb of “Merry & Bright”: Sip your eggnog, linger under the mistletoe, and make a Christmas wish. Merry & Bright brings you six tales of Christmas cheer, featuring stories of budding romances, Southern charm, lost loves, heaps of humor, and lots of pie by authors Isabella Louise Anderson, Cindy Arora, Laura Chapman, Lauren Clark, Libby Mercer, and Nancy Scrofano. From sunny Los Angeles to the Rocky Mountains to the Deep South, Merry & Bright will take you on a heartwarming adventure you’ll love to visit again and again. Wrap yourself in holiday mirth and prepare to be swept off your feet.

**Buy “Merry & Bright”: Amazon Barnes & Noble

Note: iTunes and Kobo — Coming Soon!

Release Day: The Drake Equation

October 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

TheDrakeEquationCoverPic

Book Blurb of “The Drake Equation”:

She’s a Democrat, he’s a Republican. She spends her days fighting global warming at an environmental non-profit, he makes his living doing PR for Bell Motors and their fleet of SUVs. But as soon as they meet, Emily Crossley and Robert Drake realize they have encountered their intellectual match. You’re never challenged, he tells her. You’ve surrounded yourself in a cocoon of people who think exactly the same way you do. She hurls the same accusation back at him, and the fiery debates begin.

Despite both of their attempts to derail it, there is no denying that they are falling in love. But their relationship is threatened by political differences, Robert’s excessive work hours, and Emily’s fear of losing her identity as she falls deeper in love.

Can their love survive? The Drake Equation is a tale of modern love and all its complexities.

Chapter 1 tease

She noticed him first for his clothes. He was the only one in khakis and a polo shirt—or not wearing sneakers, for that matter. She had seen him watching her during the interview. Now he was scanning the crowd, and because he was tall, it seemed like a natural movement for him, the way someone else might casually scratch their nose. Emily was not impressed. He struck her as one of those people who felt they were deigning to even stand among hoi polloi. If there was one thing she could not tolerate, it was arrogance.

But she noticed him next for his eyes. She had never seen eyes like his. They were brown, which of course was nothing novel to her. Just about everyone in North Prospect had brown eyes, except for the few blue-eyed blondes who traded Most-Attractive yearbook ratings and queen-of-the-dance crowns. But his were huge, these sunken-in eyes that seemed to cut a swath across his face.

While her eyes were not as remarkable as his, Emily had always considered them her best feature. There was nothing particularly unattractive about her other features —she had her mother’s long, elegant nose and her father’s wide mouth. But her eyes were hazel, and she loved the way she could manipulate their color. It was a parlor trick: watch, she would say. Hold something green or blue against my neck and my eyes will turn green. And sure enough, the flecks of brown would draw back as the green and yellows came forward, as if summoned.

She was purposely looking away, but she could tell he was coming to her.

“SUVs are the leading—” Emily said.

“You’re Emily Crossley,” he said.

“Yes.”

“You’re almost famous.”

“I am?”

“Sure. You and your rally are in the almost real newspapers. That makes you almost famous.”

“Carson, I think he’s making fun of our pre-coverage spread in the Gazette.”

“Why would anyone do that?” Carson said.

“Should I bring Joe back here? He could provide us with the impressive stats of his paper: two sections, one purely grocery store ads,” Emily said.

He smiled. “I’m Robert.”

He extended his hand, but Emily reached over and picked up a pamphlet. She pressed it into his palm.

“Well Robert, have a pamphlet on why you should give up your SUV for preferably more than a day.”

“All right then. I think I’ll take one for my boss too.”

There was something lodged there in his sentence. Emily could smell the bait, but she wasn’t certain if she should take it.

“Why, who’s your boss?” Carson said.

“I don’t think you’ll like my answer.”

“Well, tell us anyway,” Emily said.

“Some overpaid executive at Bell Motors.”

Carson held up his hands. He slowly extended his two index fingers and then crossed one over the other.

“I’m going to have to agree. If I had any holy water, I’d throw it in your direction,” Emily said. She tried to sound insouciant to mask just how much his answer had knocked her off guard.

“I warned you.”

“Why does your company continue to churn out a half a million Foragers a year, a vehicle that gets an irresponsible 16 miles to the gallon? You’re the only car company in Connecticut, in all of New England even, and you’re doing nothing but letting us down,” Emily said.

“Actually, the Forager has one of the highest miles-per-gallon ratings out of all of the sport utility vehicles its size. And that 16 is only city driving.”

“I know it’s city,” she said quickly. “That’s still way under the passenger car average. Or look at your Journey, getting 12 miles to the gallon. It’s monstrous, its emissions are a disgrace.”

“Bell Motors is one of the first auto makers to begin working on reducing emissions and increasing gas mileage within the next seven years.”

“What are you, their PR guy or something?” Carson said.

“Actually, I am. Or one of them, at least.”

“Seven years is too long,” Emily said quietly.

“It takes time. You can’t just change an enormous, well-established system overnight.”

Emily had to admit he did sound slightly intelligent. You never knew with these arrogant types—sometimes it took a while to pinpoint exactly where their conceit stemmed from.

“Do you realize how much damage they can do in seven years? And how do we even know you’ll keep that empty promise? There’s no law to hold you to it. Not yet, at least,” she said, trying to sound as menacing as possible.

“I’m curious. Did you write in any of these pamphlets that older or malfunctioning cars emit almost half of all vehicle emissions? That’s what you should be targeting.”“Well on your way out of town, why don’t you stop by the parking lot of Stop & Shop and count old cars versus new SUVs? Old cars are a dying breed, with all the 0% financing schemes out there. Your company and friends are just saturating the market with SUVs. 50% of all vehicles sold—”

“Yes, I know that statistic.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you.”

“And you,” he said, without any sign of agitation.

“But I have to get back.”

“All right.”

“Tell your boss we think his company is the equivalent of Satan,” Carson said.

“I’ll let him know.”

As soon as Robert was out of earshot, Carson grunted.

“Who does he think he is coming here?” he said.

“I hope his boss actually does read the pamphlets. Not that I think he would do anything with the information.”

“Still, the nerve of him, to tell you who he was like that. He must be here to spy on us. Too bad he wasn’t fat and awkward so we could make fun of him.”

“Stop it.”

“Oh, it’s almost my turn to sit in the dunk tank.” He looked over there, smiling.

Emily was grateful for the distraction. She was still castigating herself for allowing Robert to affect her composure like that. She had fallen for his bait, and he had sat there as calmly as a wizened old fisherman might, surveying the frantic movements on his line.

**Contact author, Heather Walsh:

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Excerpt of Stained by Elizabeth Marx

August 20, 2013 1 Comment

Today is the release day of “Stained,” written by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Marx! With great pleasure, I’m sharing an excerpt of the book.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

“Is that why you were living in the same city as me and you never came to see me?” I asked a little bit more accusatorially than I meant to. “Why didn’t Mandy call me or come to see me?”

His jaw seemed to harden as he looked over the top of his sunglasses. “Do you want to know about me or Mandy?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Maybe I was just admiring you from afar as I always have.” Revell merged onto the highway in the direction of Crossroads.

I snorted. “What’s Mandy’s excuse?”

Revell took one hand off the steering wheel and rubbed the back of his neck. “She took Daddy’s death hard and she’s been busy with school there.”

“So for some reason, which you won’t explain to me, one of few people I consider a true and loyal friend came to live in my home town and she didn’t even want to see me?”

Revell sighed. “Since you didn’t come here when Daddy died, maybe she thought your friendship was over.”

“Is that what you thought? That our friendship was over?”

“We weren’t friends, Scarlett, don’t fool yourself into believing that!”

“Then I’d like to know what we were?” I countered angrily.

He wouldn’t look at me, and his voice was rough and tense when he spoke. “You knew I’ve wanted you in every way a man can want a woman since you were fifteen.”

“Friendship is better than nothing, especially when what you wanted to happen between us was completely inappropriate.”
“It was only wrong if it was one sided or if I’d acted on it when you were under age.”

“The summer I was fifteen and Mamaw found us in the deer stand you came pretty close to you going to jail.”

“The age of consent in Alabama is bit lower than it is up North.”

“You were twenty, it was a crush on an older man on my part. What was it on your part?”

Revell paused, turned, and looked me up and down. “It was I’m going to rot in hell because I want a minor or I’m going to die a slow death because I don’t believe I can live without her.”

I grumbled in disbelief, “And yet here you are perfectly healthy and happy.”

“You were the one who just said that I don’t smile the way I used to.”

I moved away from his ire closer to the door. “Are you blaming me?”

“I’m not blaming anyone, I’m just trying to tell you how I feel because you wouldn’t let me tell you back then, and you never came back to let me explain how it was.” Revell sighed. “Why didn’t you come when I wrote you?”
“I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”

“Couldn’t, Revell, couldn’t.”

Buy Stained on SMASHWORDS.

Add Stained to your GOODREADS want to read list!

About the Author: Windy City writer, Elizabeth Marx, brings cosmopolitan life alive in her fiction—a blend of romance, fast-paced Chicago living, and a sprinkle of magical realism. Elizabeth resides with her husband, girls, and two cats who’ve spelled everyone into believing they’re really dogs. She grew up in the city, has traveled extensively, and still says there’s no town like Chi-Town.

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