Amy Reece's Blog, page 10
February 15, 2016
The Politics of Writing Diversity: Guest Post by Elizabeth Roderick
Today I am thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Roderick, a colleague from Limitless Publishing, with her thoughts on some complex issues having to do with diversity. Please make her feel welcome and leave a comment.
The Politics of Writing Diversity
Note to readers: I use the term “neurodiverse” in this piece. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it refers to people generally called “mentally ill”. I prefer “neurodiverse” for reasons I will explain in the article. Thank you for reading.
Writing is a complex art. Words can be interpreted in so many different ways, depending on the background, culture, and experiences of the person interpreting them. We have to be aware of this, especially when we touch on emotional subjects such as diversity. However, if we have political concerns in the forefront of our minds—if we are walking on eggshells trying not to offend anyone—we run the risk of self-censoring, of watering down our characters and stories so that they lose their vibrancy and impact. They become soulless sermons that exist only to convey a moralizing message, and lose the beauty of art. I am going to explore how to find a balance when writing diversity.
I’ll start out by telling you about myself. My name is Elizabeth Roderick. I’m the author of many diverse books, and am myself a diverse person. I have a novel published, a racially-diverse LGBT romantic thriller titled Love or Money. I also have a series contracted, The Other Place Series, which is about a young woman trying to kick heroin and get her life together, and a young schizophrenic man attempting to make it as an artist. The first two installments of that series are set to release on May 31, 2016 and July 5, 2016.
My personal diversity is neurodiversity. I’m very high-functioning, but I have suffered from bouts of psychosis since I was a teenager, and have had a series of doctors and psychiatrists diagnose me with every letter in the alphabet.
So, now that you have some idea where I’m coming from and what my “expertise” is, let’s get to the subject at hand.
I recently had a blog reader take issue with my article on Writing Complex and “Mentally Ill” Characters. He is a disability advocate, and had a problem with some of the terminology I used and concepts I presented. It was his first time reading one of my blog posts, and so he lacked context: he didn’t know I was speaking as an insider (which is my bad: I’d gotten so tired of talking about my psychosis etc. in other blog posts, that it seemed like tedious overkill to mention it again).
Furthermore, the reader, as a person with a physical disability, was sensitive to things potentially harmful to disabled people and their cause of equality. I can relate. You can get tetchy about that sort of thing when you’re constantly dealing with the fact society is set up to exclude people like you, and will discriminate and even physically harm you just because of who you are.
I am happy to say that this man and I worked it out, and we ended up Twitter friends. But it made me examine the language we use in speaking about diversity, because of how tricky it can become. In fact, this man, in taking me to task for my language, used language in referring to neurodiverse people that insulted me. The irony made me laugh out loud at the time—which I was glad about, because I needed a laugh.
He insulted me by referring to neurodiverse people as “disabled” and “mentally ill”. I understand that these terms are valid ones in their way, and I will use them on occasion. For instance, I’ll use “disabled” when pulling the ADA card, when the police or business owners harass or otherwise discriminate against my best friend, who is schizophrenic (people who don’t know him often get nervous and think he’s dangerous and/or on drugs. He’s not). In these cases, I’ll bring up the Americans with Disabilities Act and remind them my friend is part of a protected class of people, and they could be liable to penalties and other action if they discriminate against him.
Despite occasionally making good use of the term, however, neither I nor my friend (or any of my other neurodiverse friends and family) are mentally disabled, in my opinion. We definitely have our struggles, but I feel the disability is more society’s than ours, because we’re both incredibly productive in the right environment. (For a further exploration of this difficult topic, you can read my piece On Madness and the Nature of Reality ).
At any rate, if you call either one of us disabled, we will take offense.
I also use “mentally ill” on occasion, because most people don’t know what “neurodiverse” means, but I feel it’s a misleading term to be used in general. Sure, when I’m in the midst of a psychotic break or in a deep depression, I’m certainly ill, the way my body is ill when I have the flu. The rest of the time, I’m not. I may be, as a lot of people behind my back (or occasionally to my face) have said, “a little bit off”, or “eccentric”, but that’s not a frigging illness, people. We weirdos are what make life interesting.
Notice I used the term “weirdos”. This was one of the terms the blog reader took offense to: I used the term “weird” in referring to my complex and neurodiverse characters. I used the word fairly unthinkingly, because I was raised thinking “weird” was a compliment. I like being called “weird” instead of “off”, “mentally ill” or even “neurodiverse”. I also used it because, in context, I wasn’t referring just to neurodiverse characters, but also “complex” ones, so I used a catch-all term I felt was aptly descriptive.
For the reader, though, the term wasn’t apt; he was reading it as a physically disabled person, and he feels a kinship with all those he considers disabled, which for him includes the neurodiverse. I can well imagine why the reader doesn’t want to be called “weird” for using crutches or a wheelchair, especially because he hails from a different country where the term doesn’t carry the same colors and connotations that it does for me—a grunge-era girl from Seattle.
So, should I have changed my voice and not used the term “weird”? Or should I have used it along with a convoluted caveat, thus destroying the flow of the piece? Well, in this case, I kept the term, but added a caveat at the beginning of the post to give readers context about me. When we are writing stories, however, we don’t generally have this option; most readers aren’t going to plunge into the story knowing the writer’s background and beliefs, and so might misinterpret our narrative as being ignorance, bigotry, or an outsider’s point of view. Before I get to how I deal with this problem in fiction writing, I’ll talk about another way we can touch off political angst in writing about diversity: how we present concepts relating to diverse people.
Another thing my blog reader took issue with was the fact I said you could make readers relate to your complex and neurodiverse characters by showing they had a special skill. In my reader’s mind, this technique reinforces the stereotype of the “magical autistic person”. Autism is another form of neurodiversity that I have some personal experience with, and I completely agree with my reader that this tired “Rain Man” stereotype is aggravating. However, a large number of my neurodiverse friends and family have extraordinary talents in real life, and I don’t want to censor myself from writing about talented neurodiverse characters, because I feel they’re realistic. Also, neurodiverse people get so little respect from society in general, why should I be shy of writing about one of the things some of us are respected for?
My reader did make me second-guess myself, though. I don’t want to reinforce tired or unfounded stereotypes. In his words, he thought my piece didn’t “anticipate how clichéd a view of disability normie [this is how he refers to non-disabled, neurotypical people] writers have, how they’ll view what you wrote through misconceptions.” It made me take a second look at the schizophrenic main character in my Other Place series, and think about how people will view him.
This is something we should always do with our diverse characters, at least after we’ve written their stories: do a bit of second-guessing.
My schizophrenic character, Justin, is an incredibly talented painter, and The Other Place Series are magical realism books. Justin’s artistic career takes off way more quickly than artistic careers generally do in real life. Also, his connection with one of the other characters is close almost to the point of telepathy at times. People could definitely interpret the sort of “magical” world in my novels as me trying to say that neurodiverse people are somehow magical.
The reason I wrote the novels this way is twofold: it’s a compelling way of telling the story and presenting the concepts I’m trying to illuminate clearly. If I had written the books in a more realistic manner, readers might see only Justin’s struggles, and none of the beauty, magic, and mystery of his world. Because, and this is the other reason I wrote the books as magical realism: I think a sort of magic actually does exist in the world. I know, I know: I’m prone to psychosis, but hear me out.
These books were how I processed and explored the fact that I’ve seen some fairly bizarre shit in my life, and I believe that, at least in some cases and in some ways, neurodiverse people’s inability to relate to “mainstream” society helps them to see the world more clearly, and tap into something unexplainable. It’s an old concept, but I think I have a unique perspective, and that’s one of the reasons why I wrote these books. I just have to be sure I handle the subject with enough skill so that I don’t reinforce negative or false assumptions by non-psychotic people.
How do I keep readers from misinterpreting what I’m trying to say, though? The simple answer is, I can’t. No matter how careful I am, I’m always going to have people who don’t “get” what I’m trying to communicate. The same is true for all of us. And the more important your message, the more risk you’ll run of igniting an emotional response in your readers, positive or negative
That isn’t to say that we should throw all caution to the wind and ignore political concerns when we write, but I think having those concerns front-and-center in your writing, and self-censoring, can actually be counterproductive. Censored and overly-cautious writing sometimes isn’t very compelling, and often the only people who will read it are other advocates for the diverse community. At the very least, I don’t feel it’s the way I can best get my point across. Others will feel differently, and so I’ll leave the other methods to them.
My personal technique is to not self-censor or be concerned with political issues at all during my first draft. Since I’m never sure what my underlying message is going to be until I’m done with the book anyway, it’s not difficult for me. When the first draft is done, I’ll examine the beliefs and messages presented in the book (not the characters and concepts themselves) from many different angles, so I can anticipate people’s arguments and misinterpretations. When I’ve made sure my reasoning is sound, I’ll try to make sure my concepts are presented as clearly as possible by subtle tweaking in revisions, without censoring my characters or voice. If my opinions and viewpoints are well-reasoned and come from experience, it won’t keep the critics from hounding me, but I’ll be able to answer them with my chin high.
The long and the short of it is, we have to understand our characters and our stories, and we have to show readers their beauty and truth so they understand them, as well. We won’t always be successful, and we will likely endure criticism, but if what we have to say is important enough to us we’ll persevere anyway. That’s pretty much what making art is all about, in the first place.
Note to readers: If you are a non-diverse person thinking about writing from a diverse perspective, you might want to check out my piece Also, if you are writing a book from the point of view of a non-diverse character whose goal is to somehow “save” a diverse character from themselves or their situation, or if the main plot of the book is that non-diverse character’s “coming to terms” with another character’s diversity, I’m going to write a whole different blog post on that, and there are plenty others already written, which you should search for.
Author Bio:
ELIZABETH RODERICK is a Pacific Northwest girl who recently moved to a small cluster of houses amidst the vineyards of California’s Central Coast. She is a musician and songwriter, and has played in many bands, rocking some instruments she doesn’t even know the real names for, but mostly guitar, bass and keyboards. She graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and spent many years as a paralegal and translator.
Her romantic thriller, Love or Money, was published on 1/12/16 through Limitless Publishing. She has signed a contract for her contemporary magical realism Other Place series, the first two installments will be released on 5/31/16 and 7/5/16.
Check out Love or Money


February 6, 2016
Release Blitz & Review! Chameleon Soul by Mia Hoddell

Title: Chameleon Soul
Series: Chequered Flag #1
Author: Mia Hoddell
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing

After one fateful night, Raine Wilkins’ life has never been the same…
Two years into a relationship with Formula 1 driver Teo Coates, Raine walks out of his life without offering an explanation. To shield him from horrifying events that are best kept secret, Raine breaks her own heart and the heart of the man she loves. And left with no choice, Teo is forced to abandon Raine to finish his race season.
However, Teo always wins, and losing Raine’s heart has only made him more determined to reclaim it…
Now, a year later, he’s back, and she’s his only goal. But Raine is no longer the same girl he left behind; she’s broken by the past and struggling to cope with each day. Unbearable memories have her nights plagued with fear, while her days are spent deliberately hiding away to avoid triggering full-blown panic attacks. Therefore, when Teo returns as England’s favourite driver, and demands answers, all of Raine’s careful planning is destroyed.
She is thrown into the one place she never wants to be—the spotlight.
Her newfound fame as Teo’s public girlfriend raises old dangers, and exposes her to a group who will stop at nothing to tear them apart. If Raine and Teo are to be together, they must confront their past. However, only Raine knows the truth behind what happened during that sinister night, and revealing her secrets may cause Teo to leave for good.









“Raine, wait!”
Footsteps thundered behind me, forcing me to run faster as my vision began tunnelling. Bouncing off the walls as I rounded corners, I attempted to trace my steps back to the exit through the labyrinth of hallways.
I could hear the footsteps growing louder, as if Nadine was right on my heels, but I couldn’t look without losing my rhythm.
Abruptly, I was jerked to a stop by a hand on my wrist. I spun at the touch, flinging my back against the wall with a scream. My movements were too fast to take anything in.
“What the f*** are you doing here?” The voice that snarled the words was not Nadine’s. Even full of malice I could never forget his tone. Despite that, my brain was no longer thinking logically.
I raised my hands instinctively to shield my face, the line between reality and my memories blurring. The brightly lit corridor was too tight and darkness encroached from every corner.
I was back in the alley. The rough bricks bit into my spine as I cowered into the building praying I could make myself invisible.
“No, not again,” I whimpered, my hands shaking. “Please, not again.”
In my mind they were coming at me, closing the distance.
No matter how tiny I made myself they could still see me.
“Don’t hurt me. Let me go!” White-hot panic rose in my chest, consuming me and fuelling the memory. Everything felt so similar, I wasn’t even seeing what was really in front of me.






#1 Amazon bestselling author Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder, Not Enough, and Bet On Me.
Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.








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Blog Tour & Review: Chameleon Soul

Title: Chameleon Soul
Series: Chequered Flag #1
Author: Mia Hoddell
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
REVIEW:
4.5 Stars
The author’s ability to draw you into the story and keep you asking questions is what really shines in this novel. From the first line, “I was broken…” you are frantically turning pages to find out why Raine is broken. The characters are wonderful and real-life—people you can easily relate to and the friendships are deep. We should all be so lucky to have such great people in our lives!
This is such a British book, and seemed wonderfully exotic to my American mind. I loved all the hints of life in London and the British racing circuit. Such fun!
I’ve discovered a wonderful new author and look forward to the rest of the series. I highly recommend this book!
I received an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

After one fateful night, Raine Wilkins’ life has never been the same…
Two years into a relationship with Formula 1 driver Teo Coates, Raine walks out of his life without offering an explanation. To shield him from horrifying events that are best kept secret, Raine breaks her own heart and the heart of the man she loves. And left with no choice, Teo is forced to abandon Raine to finish his race season.
However, Teo always wins, and losing Raine’s heart has only made him more determined to reclaim it…
Now, a year later, he’s back, and she’s his only goal. But Raine is no longer the same girl he left behind; she’s broken by the past and struggling to cope with each day. Unbearable memories have her nights plagued with fear, while her days are spent deliberately hiding away to avoid triggering full-blown panic attacks. Therefore, when Teo returns as England’s favourite driver, and demands answers, all of Raine’s careful planning is destroyed.
She is thrown into the one place she never wants to be—the spotlight.
Her newfound fame as Teo’s public girlfriend raises old dangers, and exposes her to a group who will stop at nothing to tear them apart. If Raine and Teo are to be together, they must confront their past. However, only Raine knows the truth behind what happened during that sinister night, and revealing her secrets may cause Teo to leave for good.









“Raine, wait!”
Footsteps thundered behind me, forcing me to run faster as my vision began tunnelling. Bouncing off the walls as I rounded corners, I attempted to trace my steps back to the exit through the labyrinth of hallways.
I could hear the footsteps growing louder, as if Nadine was right on my heels, but I couldn’t look without losing my rhythm.
Abruptly, I was jerked to a stop by a hand on my wrist. I spun at the touch, flinging my back against the wall with a scream. My movements were too fast to take anything in.
“What the f*** are you doing here?” The voice that snarled the words was not Nadine’s. Even full of malice I could never forget his tone. Despite that, my brain was no longer thinking logically.
I raised my hands instinctively to shield my face, the line between reality and my memories blurring. The brightly lit corridor was too tight and darkness encroached from every corner.
I was back in the alley. The rough bricks bit into my spine as I cowered into the building praying I could make myself invisible.
“No, not again,” I whimpered, my hands shaking. “Please, not again.”
In my mind they were coming at me, closing the distance.
No matter how tiny I made myself they could still see me.
“Don’t hurt me. Let me go!” White-hot panic rose in my chest, consuming me and fuelling the memory. Everything felt so similar, I wasn’t even seeing what was really in front of me.






#1 Amazon bestselling author Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading, loves anything romantic, and has an overactive imagination that keeps her up until the early hours of the morning.
Mia has written over ten titles including her Seasons of Change series, the Chequered Flag series, the Elemental Killers series, and her standalone novels False Finder, Not Enough, and Bet On Me.
Her favourite genres are contemporary romance or romantic suspense, and with an ever growing list of ideas she is trying to keep up with the speed at which her imagination generates them. She also designs book covers on her website M Designs.








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February 1, 2016
$250 Cash Giveaway! Romance is in the Air!!!
I’ve joined with some blogger & author friends to bring you this amazing giveaway for February! Go to the Rafflecopter link below to enter!
Romance is in the Air $250 Giveaway
February 1st to 14th
An Awesome Group of Authors & Bloggers have joined with me to bring you 1 fabulous prize!!
We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash! Or alternately you can choose a $250 Amazon.com eGift Code!
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I Am A Reader
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Room With Books
{ A Leisure Moment }
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Glistering Bs Blog
Simple Wyrdings
J.L. Campbell
Jade Kerrion–Life Shocks Romances
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Why Not? Because I Said So!(Sheila Staley)
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CBY Book Club
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Min Reads and Reviews
Laurie Here – Cont Fiction and More
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January 28, 2016
Guarded Secrets by Sara Schoen

||| GUARDED SECRETS SERIES by Sara Schoen |||
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Genre: Thriller | Suspense
Suicide Mission – Book 1
Covert Operations – Book 2
Left for Dead – Book 3 ~ NEW RELEASE!


– SYNOPSIS –
Sara Night lost her family three years ago in a car crash…
She tried to continue living a normal life, going to school, spending time with friends, and even trying to be a part of the family that took her in. She had almost gotten the hang of it, and moved past the suicide attempt.
Almost.
Then she was torn away from her new family, her old life, and thrown into a world of guns, knifes, criminals, and where every mistake could get her killed. She was needed for what seems like an easy in-then-out mission.
That was until she got caught.
Sara then had to form an uneasy alliance with a cartel member to escape, which reveals her family’s car crash wasn’t an accident after all.
Is her new life worth more to her than revenge?
Or will she die trying to figure out why her family was targeted?
– PURCHASE –
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1SvjgCg
PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/1n8vq6R


COVERT OPERATIONS – BOOK TWO
– SYNOPSIS –
CIRA agent Jackson Reeves won’t be denied his revenge…
He’s hunted down and killed the men responsible for his family’s fatal “accident”—all except the mastermind, Ash Crest. The problem is someone beat him to it, and Jackson won’t rest until he finds out who, and why. His search is complicated, because he’s several years into an undercover operation to take down the Cardoza Cartel and can’t risk blowing his cover.
Jackson’s sister Danielle is in danger from the very organization he has to pretend to support…
Camden Cardoza intends to take over the Cartel from his father, but to do so he needs a wife, and he has his sights on Danielle. Jackson knows he has to bring down the Cardozas before they claim his sister.
CIRA sends in more agents, including the beautiful and mysterious Night Stripe, whose task is to befriend Danielle and infiltrate the Cartel. Jackson struggles to find a way to communicate without giving both of them away…and falls for her in the process.
Jackson and Night Stripe walk the thin line between their mutual attraction, conflicting missions, and the danger of discovery, as Jackson’s objectives threaten to overwhelm him, putting those he loves in danger.
Can Jackson defeat the Cartel, save his sister, find Ash Crest’s killer, and complete his revenge—without losing his heart, mind, or life in the process?
– PURCHASE –
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1Svk4qW
PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/1Svk8qr


– SYNOPSIS –
Katya Petrov is supposed to be dead…
When Ash Crest can’t finish the job, Katya is targeted by her own father, Volodya Petrov. He decides to take matters into his own hands by killing Katya himself.
He never expected Night Stripe to interfere.
When Night Stripe killed Ash and shredded the files from his office, she hoped his hit list would die with him and the survivors would be able to live without fear.
She was wrong.
Renegade had been undercover with the Russian mafia. It was a dark, dangerous, and deadly mission, especially for those unfortunate enough to be in his way. Disbanding the Cardoza mafia took time. But now, with Renegade’s cover blown and other CIRA agents under protection, it’s only a matter of time before Night Stripe is exposed.
Leaving one man alive was his only mistake.
The goal is to remove Volodya from power and save Katya, but Night Stripe didn’t plan on going back to save her teammate—and being captured in the process.
She’s alone, trapped, and fighting to survive. Can Night Stripe save herself, protect Katya, and finish the mission she started so many years ago? Or will she be left for dead?
– PURCHASE –
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1JWWW1L
PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/1JWWX5G


||| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |||

Sara Schoen began writing in middle school, but did not officially dedicate herself to writing until high school when encouraged by her writing partner. Before then, Sara had not thought about trying to publish her works because it seemed unlikely that anyone would take a chance on someone so young. Despite her previous thoughts, she published her first book, Amber Alert, at the age of nineteen, and began rewriting and editing a spy series that she spent years writing when she was younger. With a lot of hard work and determination, now that same series, which is close to her heart, is a bestseller.
Sara is a Biology Major with a minor in Environmental Science and a minor in Spanish at James Madison University, and spends her time writing, studying, and ghost hunting. While writing is a great hobby that turned into a passion to share with others, school is her priority.
Throughout her publishing journey, Sara has had an amazing support system from her family, friends, and significant other, who were with her every step of the way. She hopes to continue to write, and wants to inspire others to reach for their dreams no matter how far they may seem. She truly believes that dreams can come true at any age, if you put in effort and chase after what you want.
Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/sara-schoen/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraSchoen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraNSchoen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/36172080-sara-schoen



Twitter for Writers—Eight Ways to Nuke Your Brand
I love reblogging Kristen’s stuff! Lot’s to think about here and apply. Twitter can be fairly confusing sometimes and I think I checked off most of the items on the list :(
Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commins via Per Gosche
I’ve been an advocate of writers using social media since 2004, before social media was really a thang. In the early days of Gather and MySpace it occurred to me that we were seeing a fundamental shift in how humans would 1) be communicating 2) forging relationships and 3) finding/discovering entertainment.
Digital Age Writers? You have…no…idea.
Back in my day *wags cane* we were fighting the Russians and there were NUKES pointed at us for twenty years. We had to get our moms to drive us to a library to research for a paper using the Dewey decimal system. There was no Google.
If you wanted a popular book and didn’t save enough babysitting money to preorder the next David Eddings book in the Pawn of Prophecy series? In hardback? You waited.
Your turn. Like behind fifty other people.
View original post 1,823 more words


January 25, 2016
New Release: Sweet on You by Marianne Rice

Series: The Wilde Sisters #1
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
|| SYNOPSIS ||
An extravagant cake design brings small town baker Trent Kipson to fame…
After gaining social media exposure of his culinary art, Trent’s cake design goes viral. Soon he’s contacted by the Cooking Network to host a new show in California. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for the owner of a modest shop in Portland, Maine, and the financial freedom the network offers could be the answer to all of his monetary problems.
Fitness instructor Rayne Wilde wants the life every small-town girl dreams of…
Rayne wishes for a future full of romance and the pitter-patter of little feet. She wants it all, including a white picket fence and a dog named Spot—which is exactly why she refuses to sleep with Trent, the sexy man who attends her Zumba classes. After a series of dead-end relationships, this time she really is in love. Trent is special, and the fear of letting him slip through her fingers keeps her advances at bay.
Life is waiting—all it takes is a leap of faith…
As their friendship grows and skeletons creep out of their closets, their relationship is put to the test. Stakes get higher, and the spark between them burns hotter than ever before.
Can they handle the heat when life-changing secrets are exposed, or will the fear of being burned send them on two different paths?
||| PURCHASE |||
Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1WnPCxT
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WnR6bA

|| ABOUT THE AUTHOR ||

Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, cuddling with her husband, a drink in one hand, a romance book in the other.
Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/marianne-rice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneRiceaut
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariannericeaut
Website: http://www.mariannerice.com/



Why Writing Isn’t Enough—The Savvy Writer’s Guide to Success
I love sharing Kristen’s words of wisdom! Thanks for another great blog post!
Image via Drew Coffman courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
Today, we’re going to do something a little different. You want to know one thing I love probably more than anything in the world? Spotting great talent and getting to share it. Thus, today I would like to introduce you to one of my followers who snagged my attention over the holidays and I asked her to come and share her wisdom today because I think we can all gain something from her (even me because am always learning BAY-BEE!).
I would like to introduce, Britt Skrabanek!
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Indie Author Britt Skrabanek
A lot of you may be wondering how I ended up on Kristen’s blog in the first place. She’s pretty big-time, an influencer—she’s worked her tail off to build her brand presence. Many of us look to her for writing tips we can actually use, knowing some esoteric BS like…
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January 19, 2016
Cover Reveal: Nine Lives by Erin Lee

Standalone Novel
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Cover Designer: Wicked by Design
|| SYNOPSIS ||
Three teenage sisters didn’t mean to destroy their family…
Sisters Laina, Faith, and Sadie Nelson know they are to blame. There was no way to predict how their lives would shatter with just a few lies—but they did, and now they fear the pieces are too many to pick up.
Had their parents let them leave, their father wouldn’t be behind bars…
The girls just wanted to escape from their hyper-strict home and start lives of their own. If he’d just allowed them to spread their wings, their father wouldn’t be serving thirty years for a crime he didn’t commit.
Sometimes you have to be creative to get your way, but creativity’s not always what it’s cracked up to be…
With the lives of nine siblings hanging in the balance, what will it take for the girls to admit their deceit and recant their tales of abuse? And if they do, will there be any room for forgiveness?
Family and friends are left to question everything they know about the legal system, social services, marriage, and family.
Can anyone really be trusted?
Can a family heal in the wake of false allegations, broken promises, and betrayal?
Or is it too late…

|| MEET THE AUTHOR ||

Erin Lee is freelance writer and therapist from Southern, NH. Lee’s work has appeared in journals and magazines since 1995. She’s received numerous awards from the New England Press Association for her work as a journalist. “Wave to Papa” is her second novel. Currently, Lee is publishing “Crazy Like Me” with Savant Books and Publications, LLC, to be released in summer 2015. She has a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and works with children and families in crisis.
More of her work can be seen at www.authorerinlee.com.
LIMITLESS PUBLISHING: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/erin-lee/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13994843.Erin_Lee
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gonecrazytalksoon
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CrazyLikeMe2015



January 17, 2016
Cover Reveal: The Dangerous Gift by Jane Hunt

THE DANGEROUS GIFT by Jane Hunt
Release Date: February 9, 2016
COVER DESIGNER: TOJ Publishing Services
= SYNOPSIS =
After
a tragic plane crash kills Jennie Taylor’s guardians, she returns to her
childhood home—and her first love, Jared Stewart.
At just eighteen years old, Jennie had left the Unicorn Ranch
in Texas to seek a life in the outside world. But she wasn’t just running
toward independence. Heartbroken and confused, Jennie fled her home after Jared
harshly rejected her on the eve of her birthday.
Now she must choose between making a new life on the ranch
she has grown to love, or returning to her simple but empty life in England.
The choice seems obvious at first, but nothing in life is simple…
Jared
is forced to share control of his beloved ranch with the woman he wants but
can’t have.
When Jennie receives an anonymous note, she goes
to Jared for support. But what she finds is more than she was prepared for,
driving the two further apart than ever. When an old friend is murdered and suspicious
accidents escalate, endangering Jennie’s safety, Jared becomes her reluctant
protector.
Jennie knows Jared is hiding something, but does he really
want her gone from the ranch? And if so, could he be the one behind the ominous
threats?
Determined
to prove Jared isn’t involved, Jennie turns detective. Can she succeed in her
courageous but reckless investigation…or is the truth a dangerous gift she
won’t survive?

= = JANE HUNT = =

‘Writing has touched my life in every decade. At fifty, I took a risk and made writing my career, fulfilling a lifetime ambition.’
I enjoy writing blogs, book reviews and especially stories. Vivid imagery, atmospheric settings, strong females and sensual males are essential for my stories. Everyday life and ordinary people inspire me. How would someone react, if faced with something extraordinary? A thread of romance runs through my all my books, whether they be suspense, fantasy or historical.
I want to let my readers escape their lives for a while, experience new places, new people and most importantly, new emotional lows and highs My favorite parts of the writing process are; finding a person, event or place that makes me want to write a story about it and the writing itself; when your fingers cannot type fast enough, to transcribe your thoughts.
Family is very important to me. My two children are my greatest achievement to date.
I am an animal welfare supporter and regularly use social media to promote animal welfare issues.
Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/jane-hunt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jane.hunt.509511
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jolliffe03
Website: http://jolliffe01.com/
Blog: http://jolliffe01.com/blog/


