Nicki Elson's Blog, page 10

Jennifer Lane has ACED it! #CoverReveal #Giveaway

I'm thrilled to take part in the cover reveal for the second book in the BLOCKED series by Jennifer Lane. Jennifer is my crit partner extraordinaire, which means I've gotten a sneak peek at the draft version of this story. 
Jealous? You should be, because as I've told Jennifer many times, she has such a great way of pulling me into her stories and making me feel like I'm right there alongside her characters. She also does an excellent job at covering potentially explosive issues with a steady, even hand.
But we'er not here to talk about the story quite yet. We're here to look at hot abs ... uh, I mean the fabulous new cover for ACED!  
ACED (Blocked #2) Cover Reveal

Title:  AcedSeries:  Blocked #2Author:  Jennifer LaneGenre:  New Adult Sports RomanceCover Design:  Coreen Montagna (coreenm@gmail.com)Release Date:  December 2, 2015

Blurb
Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in Jennifer Lane’s Blocked series, it could be her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love.

Medical student Alejandro’s hot Latin looks get him plenty of attention, but his deep faith and admiration for his father keep him on a righteous path, with no time for something as frivolous as love. He strives to do the right thing—study diligently, take care of his siblings, represent the family well—so why does he feel so unfulfilled?

Enter Lucia’s friend and teammate Maddie Brooks, who shines at blocking the ball and acing the serve. Too bad this graduating senior isn’t so confident about her life off the court. Her longtime boyfriend has just bailed on her, and med school applications loom large. Oh, and a nerve-wracking tryout for Team USA also approaches.

Maddie meets Alejandro when he visits Lucia at school, and she’s soon drawn to his sharp mind. Alejandro is similarly intrigued by Maddie’s talent and strength. But will personal biases and family politics smother the slow burn of their attraction? Unless Maddie can learn to believe in herself, and Alejandro can become his own man, their kindling romance hardly stands a chance.

Will either of them be bold enough to try something new? Find out in this emotion-rich story that refuses to shy away from life’s hardest questions. Because love is worth the risk.


ADD TO GOODREADS


Book one BLOCKED on SALE for a limited time!




Excerpt from Aced
I’d only seen Alejandro on TV, but his presence seemed magnified in real life. He was Jaylon’s height but probably weighed thirty pounds less. He moved like a panther, sleek and long in a black suit “dressed down” with no tie. His short black hair shone in the arena lights, and he appeared freshly shaven. Hot damn! He sure looked more suave than any college boy I’d encountered. Was that the typical dress for medical school at Johns Hopkins? Probably not. Something told me Alex did things his own way.

As Alejandro approached, Lucia stood to hug him, shaking her head. “Hey, what’re you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

He smiled. “Could we go somewhere to talk?”

She glanced at me. “I don’t want to leave Maddie. I dragged her here, so it’d be rude to abandon her.”

“So this is the famous Maddie.” When Alejandro reached across to shake my hand, his dark eyes burned into me. “I’ve seen you play, but it’s good to finally meet. I’ve heard great things about you.” His handshake was firm, but his hand was soft and warm, zinging a surprising thrill right through me. I realized that for at least a few moments, I hadn’t thought about Jaylon. Alejandro let go all too quickly.

His expression sobered as he looked back at Lucia. “I want to talk to you about something in private.”

She folded her arms across her chest as they both sat. “I already said no, thank you. I can’t right now.”

He frowned and squared his shoulders. Then he leaned in to Lucia’s ear and spoke to her in Spanish. She bristled next to me.

“How dare you?” she hissed.

I leaned back. What had just changed my sweet Rez into a pissy hellcat?


Sign up for ACED Review Tour HERE .
Author Bio
Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she’s a therapist, and by night she’s a writer. She can’t decide which is more fun.

Jen adores creating sporty heroines and hot heroes in her college sport romances. Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in the Blocked series, it’s her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love. Aced launches in December 2015.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen writes swimming-based romances as well: Streamline, a military mystery, and the free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic-suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior.

Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and visiting her sisters in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Author Links
WEBSITE NEWSLETTER AMAZON FACEBOOK TWITTER PINTEREST INSTAGRAM

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zexy and zilly with a zide of #Zombie at the Spooktacular #Giveaway Hop

I hope to have a brand new Twisted Fairy Tale novella to share with you at next year's Spooktacular Giveaway Hop (the beastie has been playing in my head and will soon be ready to put into words) but this year, it's all about Hans & Greta. Take a gander & spread the word - one of you word-spreaders will win a $10 Amazon gift card!



a Rafflecopter giveawayThank you for stopping by. Visit the I Am a Reader blog for the full list of giveaway participants. Hope you win bunches! 

Insecure Writers Support Group: Separation Anxiety #IWSG

I'm soon to take off on an excellent adventure - my senior-in-high-school son and I are flying across the pond to visit my sister in Londooon!  99.5% of me is nothing but excited, but the remaining teensy .5% is wondering what it's going to be like to live without my laptop for a full week.

I've never left it behind before. It's not like I ever end up having any time to spend on it, but it's like Linus' security blanket to me. I just like knowing it's near, just in case. I'd probably cave and lug it along this time, too, but li'l Lappy is having issues. She's working fine, but she's literally cracking up. See?


For her sake, I can't take her anywhere (hrm, maybe what I should be insecure about is that I'm okay with writing on junk). And so, I leave behind my unfinished manuscripts, my notes, my bookmarked reference sites, my collection of inspiring images, and the only sized keyboard I can comfortably type on. I know I'll be well compensated by hanging out in Dickens' old haunts, attending theater on the West End, rooming with my favorite writer in the whole wide world, etcetera, etcetera, but please tell me at least some of you have felt this kind of separation anxiety before. Please?




)
This post is part of the monthly blog hop/therapy session known as Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavanaugh. Did you hear that IWSG is holding a SHORT STORY CONTEST?  Stop by insecurewriterssupportgroup.com for details. The deadline is coming up soon.

Survivor! #MesoAwarenessDay

Hey, kiddos, it's a quick one from me today because I have other places to send you. As you're all aware (I'm sure), tonight is the big premier of SURVIVOR Season 31 -- YES, this most excellent of social experiments has 30 seasons under its belt and is going stronger than ever. So it's very fitting that I'm here today to tell you about another survivor who's going stronger than ever.

Meet  super cool mother and wife Heather Von St. James.  She was told ten years ago that she only had months to live. Please visit this blog post to read about her amazing story. She was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, survived it, and is now spreading awareness about it on #MesoAwarenessDay, this Saturday, September 26. Please visit this page and scroll down to the social media icons for super easy ways to participate in spreading the awareness on your social networks.

Here's a graphic Heather made with some quick educational points on the disease. Visit mesothelioma.com to learn more.



Sometime between now & Saturday, please click on the image & then scroll down to share Tweet etc. using #MesoAwarenessDay. Thank you!

I leave you with a final tidbit about the other Survivor. It's a proud day in a mamma's life when her daughter draws this on the memo board of her college dorm room. I imagine this is exactly how Yoda must've felt when Luke became strong with the Force.

Insecure Writers Support Group: On Feeling Muzzled #IWSG

For this month's meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group, I have more of a frustration than an insecurity.

We writers have lots to say, right? Thus all the writing. And yet, it seems  that outside of our works, we're expected to zip it when it comes to opinions that might not be socially popular. And heaven forbid we ever have the audacity to publicly call out a jerk for being a jerk. Everyone says to be ourselves on the social networks, but really, all an author is allowed to share publicly without backlash is rainbows and marshmallows. 
I'm all for staying positive, but I'm not exactly a rainbowy & marshmallowy type of person. I'm sarcastic and irreverent, and I get mad when people are jerks. I'm extremely lucky to have a small circle of trustworthy writer friends I can vent to privately, and it's not that I even want to vent publicly, but sometimes it might be nice to be able to share my grievances with a wider group. 
You see, the thing I'd really like to discuss this month is something I know I'd get slapped on the wrist for discussing. I'm supposed to pretend I'm cool with the ugly new thing on my sidebar---which I was never given a chance to give input on and which is the polar opposite of the direction discussed. So, I guess I won't say anything about that and will let it roll off my shoulder and move on like a good little author is expected to do...
How about you - does the muzzle ever chafe you? 

)
This post is part of the monthly blog hop/therapy session known as Insecure Writers Support Group, founded by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavanaugh. Did you hear that IWSG is holding a SHORT STORY CONTEST??  Stop by insecurewriterssupportgroup.com for details. 

Congrats to @AriaGlazki - Mortal Musings is Here!

Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon CAN • Smashwords • Barnes & Noble • Book Depository
Congrats to Aria Glazki on the release of Mortal Musings! Since the story centers on a writer struggling with his muse, I thought it would be fun for you to get a peek inside the head of the writer of this novel. Here are...
6 Things You Didn't Know About Mortal Musings
Take it away, Aria...

1:  I started writing the first version of this book as a high school senior. I was taking an independent study creative writing class, and my very patient advisor was waiting on pages, despite the fact that I had no idea what to write about. I still remember sitting in our school library, staring at the blank page of the computer, contemplating what inspiration is and how to get it. And then I made a character wonder the same thing, and that is how  Mortal Musings  began.
2: I gave up on that false start ever becoming a book, especially after feedback from the Creative Writing instructors at my University. They all hated it. 
But then, as I came to learn, they generally disapproved of all genre fiction.
Sometimes the pros are right; sometimes they aren't.
It takes time and experience to recognize which advice falls under which category. This is why you shouldn't throw any of your writing away!
3: After I finished  Mending Heartstrings  and sent it out on submission, I decided it was time to look at that false start again. Oh, the hindsight of maturity and experience. It was a mess.
But the basic concept was good, some scenes were solid (despite lots of head-hopping), and I wanted to finally finish (read: rewrite what I had, and then finish) this story. I'm so glad that all these many years later, this finished product exists!
4:  Mortal Musings  received several traditional publication offers.
Many people (including ones who should know better) have insinuated that I'm publishing this book on my own because I haven't received the "industry approval" of a traditional deal. That simply isn't true. For a variety of reasons, the offers I received weren't a good match for this book. Publishing independently is a lot of work, but it was the right call for this project, and what I really care about is getting my books into readers' (aka your) hands!
Every project needs to find its own way, and I encourage everyone not to rule out an option just because some people may look down upon it. Do your research, and then do what's right for you
5: When lining up for one of our graduation ceremonies, a girl from my class asked me to name a character in this book after her. Even all these many years later, I did.The character didn't exist yet in the high school version, but that request made naming her a no-brainer. That's also why Erika's name is spelled with a k

6: The summer after I graduated high school, I met someone who shared my main character's name (Brett). He was the first Brett I had ever met, and remains the only one to this day. Life's funny that way.
But besides the name and being great guys, the two Bretts really don't have anything in common.
Do you have questions about  Mortal Musings  or how I write? Ask them in the comments!

Enter the GIVEAWAY here.

Top 5 Places for a First Date in #Chicago @Libertyfallsdwn

Today I'm over at Liberty Falls Down talking about dating in the Windy City. C'mon over and I'll buy you a drink ... or at least let you in on great places to get one.

TOP 5 PLACES FOR A FIRST DATE IN CHICAGO

Insecure Writers Support Group: Identity Crisis #IWSG

Quick & simple: I'm not sure I'm writing in the right genre for me.

I enjoy what I write, and telling love stories is what drew me to write fiction in the first place, but I know the single most important thing for any writer when it comes to marketing is to know your audience. I'm not sure that I do.

I  look at what tops the charts in my categories, and I'm sure they're great stories - they obviously speak to a large number of readers - but  very few of them carry any appeal to me personally. They're jut not the kind of stories I'm interested in reading. I'm often mystified by tropes that consistently play well with romance readers.

This makes me feel like an outsider in my own genre. I've enjoyed reading lots of romance novels, rarely ones on the bestseller lists, but then I pick up the Fellowship of the Ring and I get all tingly. Outside of Autsten, romance novels don't usually make me tingly. So what the hell am I doing writing them?


This post is part of the monthly blog hop/therapy session known as Insecure Writers Support Group<, founded by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavanaugh.

This is what happens when you frustrate your muse. COVER REVEAL Mortal Musings by @AriaGlazki #amreading #amwriting

Today I'm excited to take part in a cover reveal with IndieSage PR. I'm extra excited because it's for an author I've recently gotten to know through the interwebs. She's a wonderful combination of really cool chick and font of knowledge. I speak of Aria Glazki and her upcoming novel, MORTAL MUSINGS. Before  I show you the cover, here's the blurb -- which I think ALL writers will find interesting... 
Mortal Musingsby Aria Glazki Publication Date: 25 August 2015Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Muse Alexandra has had it with the arrogant, ungrateful humans she is obligated to inspire. When the internal ranting of her latest charge pushes her past reason, she disregards the rules and forces her own words through his fingers, and is instantly entrapped in mortal form. With no magic, no identity, and no resources, Allie has no alternative but to navigate the mortal realm, depending entirely on her reluctant host while discerning what exactly caused her transformation — and how to reverse it.

Brett doesn’t have a chance to consider the words that mysteriously showed up on his screen; he’s too distracted by the stunning woman who appeared in his office out of nowhere. Before his brain can catch up, Brett’s uninvited guest becomes enmeshed in his everyday life. Her artless innocence gradually lessens his suspicions. Most importantly, the writer’s block that’s been plaguing him dissolves under the fantasies the naively beguiling Alexandra inspires.

All too soon, the forced proximity sparks a confounding awareness neither writer nor muse are able to resist.


Ready for the awesome cover??Here


it


is!


*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*Isn't it so fun and pretty?
Congrats, Aria. 
About Aria Glazki: Aria’s writing story started when her seventh-grade English teacher encouraged her to submit a class assignment for publication. That piece was printed, and let’s just say, she was hooked! Since then, Aria has run a literary magazine, earned her degree in Creative Writing (as well as in French and Russian literatures), and been published in a few collections. Though her first kiss technically came from a bear cub, and no fairytale transformation followed, Aria still believes magic can happen when the right people come together – if they don’t get in their own way, that is.

Other than all things literary, Aria loves spending time with her family, including her two unbearably adorable nieces. She also dabbles in painting, dancing, playing violin, and, given the opportunity, Epicureanism.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is what happens when you frustrate your muse. COVER REVEAL Mortal Musings by @AriaGlazki #amreadiing #amwriting

Today I'm excited to take part in a cover reveal with IndieSage PR. I'm extra excited because it's for an author I've recently gotten to know through the interwebs. She's a wonderful combination of really cool chick and font of knowledge. I speak of Aria Glazki and her upcoming novel, MORTAL MUSINGS. Before  I show you the cover, here's the blurb -- which I think ALL writers will find interesting... 
Mortal Musingsby Aria Glazki Publication Date: 25 August 2015Genres: Paranormal, Romance
Muse Alexandra has had it with the arrogant, ungrateful humans she is obligated to inspire. When the internal ranting of her latest charge pushes her past reason, she disregards the rules and forces her own words through his fingers, and is instantly entrapped in mortal form. With no magic, no identity, and no resources, Allie has no alternative but to navigate the mortal realm, depending entirely on her reluctant host while discerning what exactly caused her transformation — and how to reverse it.

Brett doesn’t have a chance to consider the words that mysteriously showed up on his screen; he’s too distracted by the stunning woman who appeared in his office out of nowhere. Before his brain can catch up, Brett’s uninvited guest becomes enmeshed in his everyday life. Her artless innocence gradually lessens his suspicions. Most importantly, the writer’s block that’s been plaguing him dissolves under the fantasies the naively beguiling Alexandra inspires.

All too soon, the forced proximity sparks a confounding awareness neither writer nor muse are able to resist.


Ready for the awesome cover??
Here


it


is!


*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*Isn't it so fun and pretty?
Congrats, Aria. 
About Aria Glazki: Aria’s writing story started when her seventh-grade English teacher encouraged her to submit a class assignment for publication. That piece was printed, and let’s just say, she was hooked! Since then, Aria has run a literary magazine, earned her degree in Creative Writing (as well as in French and Russian literatures), and been published in a few collections. Though her first kiss technically came from a bear cub, and no fairytale transformation followed, Aria still believes magic can happen when the right people come together – if they don’t get in their own way, that is.

Other than all things literary, Aria loves spending time with her family, including her two unbearably adorable nieces. She also dabbles in painting, dancing, playing violin, and, given the opportunity, Epicureanism.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway