Krista Ames's Blog, page 79

Blitz: Being Grateful, Being Thankful by Sarah Butland

Blurb:
Gratitude is all around us and being verbally thankful and aware changes our lives tremendously for the better. Too often people complain about the little things or are silent when those little things don't cause problems.

Be Grateful: Appreciate Everything to Be Happy is an easy to read collection of aspects of your life important for you to consider and think about in a new light. With the Law of Attraction being so evident in the world and people continuously reading all the motivational books, it's easy to forget the true essence of this law and our own lives.

Be Grateful: Appreciate Everything to Be Happy brings that back, shifting your perspective so more good will appear in your life as you deserve.  


Buy Link:    Amazon 




   Excerpt of Being Grateful:
Wherever you are in life, wherever you are right at this moment you have much to be thankful.
You likely hear the words “Thank you” as much as you say and hear the words “I'm sorry” in a day, but it's important to listen to it and say it with meaning. To truly be grateful is to appreciate where you are and where you've been, so that you can know where you will be going and as well as how to get there.
With the Law of Attraction being on everyone's mind, it seems the world still finds it challenging to think in the positive and be appreciative of where they are and what they have. If you struggle with this, or if you don't really, this book is for you.
Not every chapter may be relevant to you at the time you read it, I encourage you to read it. You may read the chapters in any order you choose; I do encourage you to read them all for greatest effect.
Why? Let's say, for instance, you don't currently have your drivers license, so at first you think it silly to be thankful for that. Take a moment and wonder if you would ever like to have your license. To have that independence and freedom to grab the keys and go when you're ready and not when you can afford a cab or at the whim of another driver. Reading this chapter now will send your intention to your future so it understands how wonderful you will feel when you have your license.
Life is about feeling- something science nor religion can ever truly explain. When you experience gratitude, even in just a small dose, your vibrations are on alert and you smile a little. Standing a little bit taller, you suddenly feel proud and good, no matter who you are, and in doing so reflect this genuine feeling back to others around you.
What would happen if everyone appreciated everything for their experience and what it had to teach them? Quite literally, the world is already filled with energy, so this would work to amplify that magnificence to eventually heal the world.
We all think we want more time in our day. Envy the younger generation for their ability to wake up playing and continue to play all day, if we'd let them. Many of us say we'd be able to play if only we didn't have to drain ourselves to pay the bills
This attitude stops now. 




Author Bio:              

Sarah Butland was born in Ontario, the year was 1982. She was moved to New Brunswick for over 15 years and now resides at home in Nova Scotia, Canada. Butland has been married to her high school sweetheart and has a superstar son named William, and a cat named Russ who all make her house a home.Butland started creating while still learning to walk and in years to follow was able to put a writing utensil to paper to document her creations before they were completely lost. Of course, her first manuscripts were in dire need of editing but she didn’t seem to mind nor did her readers.
The first “big break” for Butland came when she was still a teenager feeling like she was unlike every other teenager she knew. She heard from a poetry contest that her poem “Wrong Shell” would be published in their anthology; would she kindly send them thousands of dollars to continue on in the finals. Butland’s parents refused. So began the struggle of discovering which awards were actually earned not bought.Limiting herself to contest submissions from then on, Sarah Butland realized her career of writing would be a difficult struggle no matter the talent she held inside or was forced out. Many stories, attempts at novels and thousands of ideas later, Butland created BananaBoy and the Adventures of Sammy was born with Sending You Sammy[image error], her first published children’s book. Then came Brain Tales – Volume One[image error], a collection of short stories and finally Arm Farm[image error], her current literary pride and joy.
Butland’s next accomplishment planned to be winning the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award which would then be mentioned among her most joyous literary accomplishments. Unfortunately she didn’t win the 2011 award but is now working on new and greater things like Blood Day – The Novel (tentative title) to be released as soon as possible. Completing it through JANO – January Novel Writing Month is a challenge she accepted!
Social Links:
http://www.SarahButland.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Butland/56913374578?ref=bookmarkshttps://twitter.com/sarahbutland_co

Cover Reveal: Spanked by the Bad Boy by London Saint James

Spanked by the Bad BoyBad Boy Fever Series, Book 1London Saint James~ Decadent Publishing ~ Contemporary Erotic Romance (Spanking)
Spanked by the Bad Boy Official Long Blurb
As the personal assistant to the owner of one of the top engineering firms in Denver, Tiffany Brooks has worked hard at maintaining a professional façade, intent on ridding herself of terrible habits—like her attraction to bad boys. But when the owner of DC Construction enters her world two years after their one-time anonymous sexual encounter, everything turns upside down.
Declan Cage is the type of guy who makes a lasting impression, especially with women, yet the gorgeous assistant at Stoub Engineering never remembers his name—or does she? Intrigued by her game, her sexier than sin body, and an infuriating prissy attitude, Ms. Brooks is begging to be taken into hand, and he’s the man to do it.
Armed with the knowledge Declan doesn’t recognize her, will Tiffany give in to her desire for him yet again, or will her past come back to haunt them both and ruin their chance at something real?

Coming Soon From Decadent Publishing

Spanked by the Bad Boy ExcerptTiffany Brooks heard the familiar tocato-tocato-tocato sound of a purring motor. She swiveled in her office chair to look out the window and saw him park his custom chopper next to her car on the paved lot of Stoub Engineering.Straddling his chrome bike wearing chunky leather work boots, jeans, and a simple white T-shirt, Declan Cage set her heart to pitter-pat.She touched her chest and groused, “You’re not attracted to him, Tiffany.”Tucking a piece of sable brown hair behind her ear, she straightened her shoulders and put on her toothy-white smile.“Good morning,” she said when he entered the building.“Morning, Ms. Brooks.”She observed him coming toward her desk and willed her face to look pleasant, yet restrained. She needed to keep her gaze particularly uninterested in him although the smug politeness she plastered across her features was hard to accomplish. Declan had a swagger that made her want to gawk at him.“How are you today?” he asked.“I’m fine,” she said. “And you?”“Fabulous.”Her response was a blank-faced, “I’m sorry. I’m not good with names.”He crinkled his brow, and the muscle in his jaw flexed. Yeah. There it was. The look. She’d definitely gotten under his skin.“I’m Declan.” He turned slightly to show her his back and gestured over his shoulder toward the logo. The silver skull ring he wore on his thumb gleamed. “From DC Construction,” he said. She couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles bulged beneath the shirt.“Oh yes.” She waved her hand about.She knew who he was and had immediately recognized him the first time he sauntered into the office over a month ago. She’d played it cool then, and she’d play it cool now. Besides, revealing her little secret would be nothing but detrimental. Yet even if it were a dangerous game, she loved bugging the hell out of him with her “I’m bad with names” thing, especially since she imagined he wasn’t used to a woman forgetting him.Continuing with the “I’m a busy professional who’s not impressed by you” farce, she casually glanced at her laptop, flipped the lid closed, then looked back up at him. “How may I help you today?” “Matthew called me this morning. He said he left some plans here, and I should come by to pick them up.”“Plans for the Cherry Hills project, right?”Declan smiled, and his dimples made an appearance through the brownish stubble on his face. Tiffany shook her legs beneath her desk a couple of times then stopped the nervous movement, glad he couldn’t see them.“Yes,” he said. “For the parking garage.”She rolled her chair back and stood, sliding her hands down the sides of her hips, hoping to smooth out any wrinkles in her skirt and secretly wishing to bring attention to her curves. She removed her sweater so the silk and lace tank top hidden beneath could be seen. When she flopped the garment over the back of her chair, she straightened her spine and pressed her ample breasts out.“Follow me,” she said, tugging at the bottom hem of her shirt.Satisfied she’d given him a fairly good view of her hourglass figure, she glanced up. Declan stood beside her, and even though she wore four-inch heels, he towered above her. His height sort of intimidated her, but her body didn’t seem to impress him.Crap.He pulled a cell phone from the leather holder hooked to his jeans and stared at the screen. “Sorry,” he said in a bored tone. “I forgot to send a text.” His fingers tapped. He put the phone away in a lackadaisical manner. “Lead on.”Unwilling to let his lack of interest faze her, she gave Declan her back and walked. “The plans are in Mr. Stoub’s office.”“Super,” he said.She sashayed across the room with her chin held high, stopping at the marble counter across from the conference room and pointed toward the fancy coffee maker. “There’s fresh coffee. Can I get you some?”“No. I’m fine. But thanks for offering,” he said.“Mm.” She continued toward the office, Declan following behind her. “Well.…” After walking in, she eyed several elongated white tubes sitting on top of the oversized desk and gestured toward one wingback chair. “Have a seat. It will take me a second or two to find the right drawings.” She walked around the office furniture as Declan sat on the edge of the chair. Picking up one tube, she read the label. “Sawyer,” she said and set it down in too much of a rush. Her hand accidently hit the other containers. They jostled and started to roll. She tried to stop their momentum, but several of the cylinders went over the side and hit the ground. “Geez Louise.” Tiffany sidestepped and bent to get them.Declan had already jumped up to help her.“Here, let me,” he said, coming to her side and squatting next to her.When he reached for the mess, his right arm brushed against the top portion of her left shoulder. She sucked in a breath at the contact and thought her heart would stop from the frisson of energy snapping over her skin. Every part of her body became aware of him. He was potent. And virile. A rough, intoxicating man in his prime.Refusing to be reduced to a quivering weakling, she reminded herself he was only a man, akin to any other, and turned to see his face. “Thank you.”He met her gaze. “Anytime.”Those eyes. The color of the sea. Deep, blue-green, and fathomless.Who was she trying to kid? Declan Cage wasn’t just any man. She looked away and focused on something else.Tiffany fixed her attention on the clutter she’d created, but she was still watching him—staring at his large hands while he gathered up the blueprint holders. She licked her lips and pictured those hands on her body, fondling her.“I think this is what you’re here for,” she said and tugged one tube out of his grip. “Cherry Hills.” She turned the container around so the label faced him. He nodded. “I’ll trade you.” She switched her lone cylinder with his three, tucking one up against her side before she straightened and went to the desk. “I’ve tried to get Mr. Stoub to put these plans away and not keep them on his desk.”Carefully, Tiffany placed each blueprint tube alongside the others on the desktop and watched to make sure she wasn’t going to have any runaways. When she was satisfied they were going to stay in place, she glanced up.Declan had already taken the plans out and unrolled them, eyeing the specs where he stood.“This is exactly what I need,” he said.“Great.”He slightly turned the large parchment. The cords in his tanned forearms worked, jumping beneath the light smattering of crisp sun-bronzed hair. His biceps flexed. She focused on the tattoo. The tatt wandered up his right arm and kept going—the end hidden beneath the material of his T-shirt. She made a fist, trying to stop the itch to trace the colorful artwork imprinted on him, and studied the width of his shoulders and breadth of his chest instead. Compelled, her gaze lowered to his jeans. Oh, my. The denim was worn white in all the right places.

 Coming Soon From Decadent Publishing

About the Author:London Saint James has lived in many places, but never felt “at home” until she met the real-life man of her dreams and settled down in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. London lives with her husband and their fat cat who thinks he owns them. As an award-winning, bestselling, multi-published author, London is living her childhood dream. She knew all the scribbling she did, that big imagination of hers, and all those clamoring characters running around in her head would pay off someday.
London’s Links:Web: http://www.londonsaintjames.comBlog: http://londonsj.blogspot.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/LSJRomanceFacebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-Saint-James/154331444626603Facebook Personal Page: http://www.facebook.com/LSaintJamesRomanceBad Boy Fever FB Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/badboyfeverGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LSJRomance

Author, author... Spotlight on A Model Hero by Sara Daniel

Spotlight on A Model Heroby Sara Daniel
It’s a new month! Time to pull out your Calendar Men calendars. While you’re doing that, I’ll give you some background on how they came into existence…
Leonidas Russo is a former US Marine-turned-fashion model. He uses his connections in the fashion world to put a call out for models to be featured in a charity calendar he's put together to honor the memory of his brother, an Army soldier who died in the Afghan war. Proceeds for the calendar in the stories will benefit The Fallen Warriors Family Fund, a charity that gives scholarships and assistance to the families left behind.
All together now, flip the calendar page up and gaze in adoration and unabashed lust at the ripped physique and chiseled face of Mr. September. This is his story…
A Model Hero Gretchen Meyers is a full-figured woman living in a model thin world. Desperate to end her mother's constant, nagging stream of dieting and fashion “advice,” Gretchen tackles the challenge of reviving her mother’s faltering modeling agency. All she needs is to woo back Kyle Ramsey, once the hottest model in the country.
Making the preemptive choice to turn his back on his career seemed Kyle’s only option until Gretchen comes calling. He doesn’t care what she wants to offer him, the answer is no. Still, he’s intrigued by her refreshing personality and all her lovely, lush curves.
When tragedy strikes, Kyle finds comfort and healing in Gretchen’s arms. But he can’t trust her with his career-ending secret and she doesn’t believe their relationship will survive the long term. He’s perfect and she’s not even close. Can the fragile ties holding them together survive Kyle’s opportunity to become a true model hero?


Excerpt:
The restaurant scene, then, had done its job. Gretchen would have to send Jamie flowers. No, she’d send a box of fattening chocolates instead. “Did you enjoy your evening after I left?”
Kyle’s gaze narrowed, he pushed himself out of the chair. “Did you arrange with Jamie to drop by our table?”
“How could I, when I had no idea where we were going for dinner until we were there?” Not to mention, she’d have preferred to sever essential body parts than ask Jamie Feldman for anything. But her irrational possessiveness was her own problem. “The important thing is you had a good time, and you’re ready to make up for everything you’ve been missing over the past year.”
“Those things aren’t important at all.” He advanced on her slowly.
She took a step back and came up against the door she’d closed a moment before.Kyle flashed a predatory smile. He took her purse and briefcase from her shoulder, setting them aside. Then he rested his forearms on either side of her head and stared into her eyes, his lips a scant inch from hers as he spoke. “I’m here for you. Our date deserves another shot.”
Her heart thundered. The thick eyelashes framing his gray-green eyes mesmerized her. He stood too near for her to formulate a coherent response. This much physical perfection and sex appeal should be outlawed. Her mind was not equipped to handle it.
“What do you say?” he asked.
Yes, take me. “I say, why me?” Her voice rose with an embarrassing squeak as she struggled to compose a rational argument and remind herself she was in her office, just feet away from her employees who’d never seen her anything less than one hundred percent professional. “I get why you went out with me on Saturday. You’d shut yourself away from the world, and I was the first woman to find you. But you’ve been reminded you can have Jamie or anyone else you crook your finger for. Why do you still want me?”
His gaze softened with a tenderness that pierced her heart. He brushed his thumb along her cheek. “How could I not want you, Gretchen? You’re smart and funny and beautiful and not afraid to let a guy who has no idea what you like order for you on a first date.”


Buy Links:Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Model-Hero-Calendar-Men-ebook/dp/B00MYJPP5A/Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-model-heroiTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-model-hero/id911835986?mt=11Decadent Publishing http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=980&osCsid=ikh5q70apmn539c8aasam1tp61


Sara Daniel writes what she loves—irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. She lives her own happily-ever-after romance with her hero husband. Connect with her online at:Subscribe to Sara’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/rx_ALWebsite: http://www.SaraDaniel.comFacebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SaraDanielSaraShaferTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/SSaraDanielBlog: http://saradanielromance.blogspot.comPinterest: http://pinterest.com/ssaradaniel/



To celebrate A Model Hero ’s release, I’m giving away a $20 Amazon gift card. Fill out the Rafflecopter form here or on my Facebook page to enter. http://tinyurl.com/nn757av



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It's All About the Author: My Viking Vampire by @KrystalShannan

Please welcome an interview with Krystal Shannan !!


1)     Please tell us 5 interesting facts about yourself that readers might not know about you …
#1 - I’ve been married 11 years. #2 - I am six feet tall. #3 - I have a daughter with special needs. #4 - I love apocalypse movies! #5 - I am an Apple product fanatic!  
2)     What do you like to do in your spare time?
Read, watch TV (when my daughter will let me), cook, but most of the time I try to sleep. I’m always so busy, that spare time is usually stolen moments of rest. If you’ve had children who were 4 yrs old recently, you know why I’m tired, LOL.

3)     Is there one book that you love to read over and over again?  If so, what is it and what is  it that keeps you coming back to it?
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I can laugh, and cry, get mad, be excited, and just feel such a sense of completion with the journey that happens with those characters.

4)     How did you get started writing and have you always wanted to be an author? It was always a dream of mine. I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid. The stories just grew with me as I aged. When I hit high school, I found romance books and it was “off to the races” from there. I never looked back. With the introduction of self-publishing, I felt like I’d found myself. It was the perfect fit.

5)     If you for some reason couldn’t be an author, what would your other choice be? An english teacher.



6)     Did you like school?  Were you a good student? Loved school! I was a good student. Probably what most people would refer to as an over-achiever.

7)       When you write, is there a specific way you have to write, ie:  certain room, noise or quiet, computer or paper etc… My laptop makes me happy.

8)      If you could write a collaboration with another author, do you have one in mind and what would you write? Oh wow. I’ve never considered writing a specific book with someone else. But myself and four other ladies are working on a continuity series where we have created our own little town, characters,  drama, and those things cross-over throughout our separate books. It’s been so much fun. I really look  forward to that new series launching.

9)       How do you come up with your story ideas?  Usually they come to me through artwork, paintings, sometimes songs, and occasionally a TV show or movie will spark and idea.

10) Do titles stump you or do they come easy?  When do you pick a title, before the story is written or when it’s done? Titles are usually pretty easy. I normally have the title before I start writing or by the time the first chapter is done.

11) Do you keep a notebook near you for when new ideas pop into your head? I’ve tried to do this. But I’m more successful with just inputting it into the Notes app on my phone. I have a tendency to lose papers and notebooks.

12) If you write a series, do you re-read your previous books before you begin the new one? Yes.

13) How does your family feel about your writing? They are very supportive. My mom wishes I would write historicals. I keep telling her maybe one day. My husband most of all is great. He supports me completely and I know he is so proud of me.
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My Viking VampireSanctuary, TexasbyKrystal Shannan
Backed into a corner and desperate to escape, she does something she swore wouldn’t ever be possible again –trusting a man. And he’s a vampire.
Protection via the sexy vampire Erick Thorson may prove to be a little more than she bargained for. Sparks fly between them and she finds herself agreeing to more than just protection. Though he has promised not to let anyone harm her, the small west Texas town is more than it seems and he may not be able to make good on his vow no matter how hard he tries.
Will Sanctuary be the home Bailey longs for or will she have to die to find out?
Out Now!
Amazon : Goodreads : iBooks : Kobo  Barnes and Noble Full links:
Amazon: http://mybook.to/MyVikingVampire
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22831236-my-viking-vampire?from_search=true
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1zSiaEU
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/my-viking-vampire

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-vi...
 
Sanctuary, Texas Pinterest Board: http://www.pinterest.com/krystalshannan/sanctuary-texas-series/ My Viking Vampire Facebook Release Party - come join us for fun, games, and lots of prizes! https://www.facebook.com/events/555291657926555/


Meet the Author:
Krystal Shannan goes to sleep every night dreaming of mythical realms with werewolves, vampires, fae, and dragons. Occasional a fabulous, completely human story slips into the mix, but powers and abilities usually crop up without fail, twisting reality into whatever her mind can conceive.
As a child, her parents encouraged her interests in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology and all things historical and magickal. As an adult the interests only grew. She is a child of Neverland and refuses to ever stop believing in fairies.
She is guilty of indulging and being a Buffy the Vampire Slayer groupie as well as an Angel fan. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of Joss Whedon, you are missing out! She also makes sure to watch as many action and adventure movies as possible. The more exciting the better. Yippee-Ki-Yay..... If you don't know the end of that phrase, then you probably don't like the same movies.
She writes stories full of action, snark, magick, and heart-felt emotion. If you are looking for leisurely paced sweet romance, her books are probably not for you. But, for those looking for a magical ride, filled with adventure, passion, and just a hint of humor. Welcome home.
Krystal ShannanPutting Magick in Romance one Soul Mate at a Time.___________________________________~ NEWSLETTER ~  Sign up for newsletter to hear about new releases and giveaways!www.krystalshannan.comwww.theromancetroupe.comFacebook Friend & Fan | Newsletter | BlogTwitter | GoodReads | Amazon


Grand Prize Winner:  Coach cross body bag and swag  -  (US & INT)

Second Place:  3 Belgian chocolate specialty bars (US, CA & UK only)  


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Author, author... A Second Glance by @VickiBallante

... read all about it !!





At Second GlanceVicki Ballante



 Four years after her divorce, Merryn decides she’s ready to find someone. Joining an online singles site, she connects with the perfect guy. Funny, sexy, sensitive. When he suggests they meet, excitement compels her to say yes.

Kirk pines for his ex-wife, but realizes he must move forward. After several stimulating online chats, he believes she might be the one for him. Smart, sexy, willing to experiment and learn. But when he happens across his ex, all his plans fly out the window.

Will Merryn learn to relax and have fun without giving her heart? Can Kirk forget the past and become the man he longs to be?







Excerpt  (Semi Erotic – Only for 18+)
Panda: I have no idea what you look like. Are you as prickly as your profile pic?Her user name was Hedge, short for hedgehog, her favorite animal. She had downloaded a cute pic of a hedgehog from an online free photos website. The little pokey nose and eyes took up the bulk of the picture, but the prickles were still visible.Hedge: Are you as cuddly as yours?His panda bear thumbnail showed one patched eye and a nose.Panda: Will you ever know? Tell me, I’m curious to know what you’ve learned in your research.Hedge: Not much actually. I read erotic romance novels. I’ve read up about all sorts of things that I was never willing to try before.Panda: I gather you were in a relationship before?Hedge: Let’s not go there.She took in a shaky sigh. She didn’t want to dump all of her hurt onto a complete stranger, even though she would never see him.Panda: I’ve had several of those.Hedge: There. You’re a modern guy.Panda: That’s why I’m trying to be a bit more old-fashioned. Maybe I should research on chivalry. I’m learning that for women it’s not all about the sexual act. There needs to be a build-up, some stroking and loving first.The room felt hot. She fanned her face with her hands. This guy sounded dreamy, sexy. So far, their chat had been very platonic. Now suddenly, it had changed direction.Hedge: You are a guy, right?Panda: You insult me. I know some guys just want to rush things to climax and are only interested in the sex part. I’m different. I want to build a relationship, too.Hedge: Yeah, but that can get in the way of having some fun.Panda: You are a woman, right?She laughed out loud and peered at the door to ensure Dr. Seer didn’t come with another sample. All the romance novels implied women nowadays were crazy about sex. When she’d first starting reading the genre, she’d hated them and deleted a whole lot from her e-reader. Curious again, she’d downloaded a couple more. She got hooked. Maybe they had something she didn’t have and she could learn from them. When Fifty Shades of Grey came out, she’d already read all the stuff. But if she were faced with a real relationship again, would she be like she was with her ex-husband Kirk, stiff and unsure of herself?


Author Bio:
Vicki writes erotic and fantasy romance. She loves taking her characters into an alternate world where strange and sexy things happen. She lives with her patient husband and three noisy kids in South Africa. In between being a busy stay-at-home Mom who hates housework and spends half her life cooking everything from scratch, she runs several blogs, writes under another name, and buries herself in the delightful world of her characters. When growing up, her school friends asked her if she wanted to be a nun. She always said “no.” Wonder whether they’d agree if they read her books.
Buy Links:    ARe    Decadent Publishing     Amazon   Barnes and Noble    Smashwords


Online Links for Vicki:
Blog: http://www.vballante.blogspot.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicki-Ballante-Sugar-and-Spice/517893148283488Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBallantePinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vballante/

It's All About the Book: My Summer Roommate by Bridie Hall + great #giveaway

It’s All About the Book…

 Please tell us about your current or upcoming release. 

  My Summer Roommate is about Chloe who needs a place to crash for the summer before college. When Chris offers, she moves in with him. It’s just for two months, no biggie. But soon she realizes she may have made a mistake. He is too perfect; a former snowboarder, laid-back and kind to boot, and he’s smitten with her. But she’s got trust issues and a relationship feels daunting. When he keeps trying to win her over, the temptation becomes overwhelming.

Just as she gives in and decides it’s not worth fighting their emotions anymore, Chris reveals he’s made a stupid mistake which might ruin Chloe’s trust in him and tear them apart.





Buy Links:   Evernight Teen     Amazon     Smashwords
ARe     Bookstrand

*  *  *  *  *


What is this book’s genre?  Is this the genre you usually write in?  Are there any genres you haven’t written that you’d like to try?
My Summer Roommate is a young adult contemporary romance. It’s my second one, and I’m currently working on my third. As for genres I’d like to write - I’ve always admired mystery and crime story writers because those stories are so complex. Since I’m not much of a plotter, I doubt I could ever write anything that complicated, but I’d like to try.

 
What inspired you to write this book?
Chloe was a side character in my first novel, Letting Go. She was such a compelling individual that I had to write her story. I also wanted to challenge the romance novel stereotype that it’s the boys who are afraid of commitment. Those two sources of inspiration then joined together to form this novel.



How did you pick its title?  Did it come first or did you have to write the story first?
Ah, titles are the worst! This novel was initially titled A Pretty Big Love. During the editing process, the editor and I together decided it needed a different title. It was then that it became My Summer Roommate. So, thank you, JC Chute!


 How did you create your characters?  Did you use any real life people in their making?
Like I said, Chloe appeared first in Letting Go. I wrote her as a sort of contrast to Isabelle, the protagonist. More than emulating any real person, I was trying to base both Isabelle’s and Chloe’s characters on how people might respond to having too many responsibilities early on in their lives. So I created a pair of friends, basically coming from a similar family background, but reacting differently to it. They were sort of my guinea pigs. But no real animals or people got hurt during my experiments. ;-)


Who is your favorite character of this book and why?
Very difficult to choose, because I love Chris, too. But Chloe is the heroine, she’s the one who has to go through a big transformation between the point we meet her and the ending of the novel. She’s gutsy and positive; she wants to be a better person, which I think is very important.


What is your favorite part of this book?  Can you share an excerpt from that part?
My favorite part of the book is the first half when Chloe and Chris are getting to know each other and it very quickly becomes obvious that Chris is quite smitten with her while she fights his every attempt at winning her. Here’s a short excerpt from the scene where they’re cleaning the apartment they share (told from Chris’s perspective):
“Can we at least have a break? Something to eat and catch our breath?”“Now?” She looks around for a clock, then digs her phone out of her pocket and checks the time. “It’s barely eleven.” She says it in a ‘why the fuck would you want a break after only two hours of cleaning’ way.I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to look like a douche, like I want her to do all the work while I rest. But this is my place, so …“How about we have a drink?” she says, and smiles. All that frowning and seriousness is gone, and I think if she smiled at me like that and asked me to run up and down the stairs with one of those heavy-ass boxes on my back, I’d do it. Cause that smile does weird things to me. I mean, I’ve always known she was hot, like in a real woman sort of hot, not the simpering femme fatale wannabes hot. Which is not hot, at all. I mean … You know what I mean? She’s like curl-your-toes, let-me-be-your-slave sort of hot.But yeah … I think she expects me to answer her and be a normally functioning human being so I should stop having those thoughts.


What was the hardest part of this book to write? Can you share an excerpt from that part?
The hardest part was certainly the angsty part towards the end. That was the most emotionally intense part and that’s always difficult to write. 
It’s been thirteen days, and I count them like a lovesick idiot. Which is, I guess, what I am. But still, you know … It’s humiliating. It’s distracting me at work. Salvo’s given me a dressing-down twice this week. I messed up four deliveries. Needless to say, I didn’t get any tips for that.Every morning, Sal’s trying to convince me to take a box of croissants to Izzy’s and try to talk to Chloe. I think my love life is beginning to substitute for his soap operas, which is just tragic. I’m not convinced his idea is a good one. I think trying to talk to her when she obviously doesn’t want to talk to me would only make it worse. I can avoid her, but there’s nothing I can do to stop feeling like this. Nothing I can do to stop thinking about her the way I imagine alcoholics think about their next drink, even dream about it.I fucked up. What pisses me off is that it wasn’t even deliberate. That bet was an act of total idiocy. My only excuse is that I made it when I still thought I didn’t have the slightest chance with Chloe. I would never have done it otherwise. I don’t sleep with girls for bets, for chrissakes. Especially not with Chloe. She wasn’t even just a girl. She was different. She was supposed to be my girl.
Did you have any special rhythm or quirks while writing this?
Not really, no. I don’t have any special routines or quirks. Every time I sit down to write, it’s different. I improvise.


Is this a stand-alone book or is it part of a series?  If so, we want to hear about it and what’s next in the series.  If not a series, what comes next to be released?
This is a companion book to Letting Go. That one was Isabelle’s story, while My Summer Roommate is Chloe’s story. I don’t plan any other books in this series. But I’m working on my next YA. This one, however, doesn’t focus so much on romance, but on the main character’s attempts to fix her relationship with her mother.I’d like to thank you for hosting me today. It’s been fun. J

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Author Bio:
Bridie Hall sold her first story at fourteen. Since then, she has written dozens more, translated books, studied writing, and started writing novels. Her days revolve around stories and words, her sleepless nights involve plotting and inventing fascinating new characters. The only activity that takes up more of her time than writing, is reading.
Website: http://bridiehallauthor.com


Giveaway:  $50 Amazon GC, $25 Evernight Teen GC, 5 ecopies of Letting Go

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Author, author... CHASING THE DOLLAR by Ellie Ashe + #giveaway

...read all about it !!




Please welcome Ellie Ashe with a guest post !Inspiration—the Story Behind Chasing the Dollar
            As a complete news junkie, I read a lot of newspapers, magazines, online blogs, books, etc. to keep up with current events. It’s a side effect of working as a reporter for seven years. I loved that one of my first duties every day when I arrived at the newsroom was to “read in”—that is, read the wire and see what was going on everywhere in the world. It was heaven.             Though I’m no longer in journalism, my morning routine still involves a long trawl through many various news sites and liberal use of Instapaper (link: www.instapaper.com). One morning last year, I was read a lengthy and fascinating story about financial fraud. (http://www.salon.com/2012/12/02/better_than_bourne_who_really_killed_nick_deak/) There was one paragraph that really stuck in my mind.
            As Kuhlmann traveled the world trying to repair relationships, trace lost assets and solve the mystery of Deak’s murder, he descended ever deeper into a rabbit hole. One of his stops was in Macau, where Deak’s office manager vanished without a trace after the collapse. Kuhlmann entered the paper-strewn offices to find the manager’s girlfriend sitting at her boyfriend’s old desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out a photo she’d found there: a grainy black-and-white snapshot of Nicholas Deak, lying bleeding on his office floor, just minutes from death.
I could not stop thinking about that woman in the office, her missing boyfriend, and the mysterious photograph. The what-ifs kept running through my mind. What happened next? Where had the office manager gone? What happened to the woman? Did she ever find her missing boyfriend? The image of the ransacked office stayed with me throughout the next few months, until I started answering those questions in notes jotted down in my ever-present notebook. The final results had little in common with that article, other than the location of the second act in Macau and a scene set in an abandoned corporate office. But it was enough to get my mind racing off into this new adventure!
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Chasing the DollarEllie AsheGemma Halliday PublishingRomantic Mystery @75k
Miranda Vaughn has spent the last year and a half fighting for her freedom. Arrested for a fraud scheme involving her supervisors, she's lost her job at a prestigious investment firm, her fiancé, and her reputation. She walks out of the courtroom a free woman, only to find that life has a few more curve balls to throw her way. The jury may have found her not guilty, but Miranda is broke, in debt to her beloved aunt, and can't find a job because of the cloud of suspicion still swirling around her.

She can't move forward with her life until she finds out who set her up. Buried in the evidence against her, Miranda finds a larger scheme, one involving far more money than the $37 million her boss fleeced from unsuspecting investors. Determined to uncover the truth, Miranda begins her own investigation—leading her to Macau and Belize, and into the arms of one sexy FBI agent, who has his own agenda. When the danger heats up, Miranda finds herself in a race against time to find the person behind it all. Before he finds her... 

Buy Links:   Kobo   Nook   iBook   Smashwords   Amazon

Excerpt
Looking over her shoulder, my gaze met that of a man sitting alone at the bar, a plate of food in front of him. He had a funny half-smile on his face, seeming amused by my encounter with the Mexican food. Sarah followed my gaze and turned to look at him. She turned back and gave me a huge drunken smile. “Go for it, Miranda. He’s hot.” My tequila-addled brain scrambled to keep up with the rush of hormones that the man had triggered. He was good looking—broad shoulders, wavy dark brown hair and intense dark eyes. He was still watching me, but now he was watching me study him. I gave him a smile and turned my attention back to my dinner. I declined another margarita. It was only a three-block walk home, but any more alcohol and I’d probably head in the wrong direction. Sarah leaned back after polishing off her plate and one of my tacos. She ate like a linebacker. Damn her metabolism. When the check came, Sarah grabbed it out of my hands and slapped a credit card down. “My treat,” she said, putting the folder in the waitress’s hands. “We never got a chance to celebrate our win. Plus, I’ll probably throw up later, and you’ll end up holding my hair. So we’ll be even.” I knew better than to fight with her, so I thanked her and glanced again toward the man at the bar. He was still there, lingering over a drink. He was watching me in the mirror behind the bar now, and I caught his eye again. This time, his expression was serious instead of flirty, and my brain woke from its boozy slumber and started sorting through memories trying to place him. My smile faltered as the recognition clicked into place. His hair was shorter then, and he had been wearing a dark blue windbreaker with FBI emblazoned on the back. His strong hands grabbed mine, pulled them behind me, and snapped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists. Later, in a tiny room at the federal building downtown, he sat quietly taking notes while another man, the lead investigator, questioned me about the Sahara Fund. “Miranda? Are you okay?”I snapped back to see Sarah, leaning toward me, concerned. My throat closed, and the blood drained from my head. I stood quickly, knocking the table with my leg. Sarah caught it and stood, too, grabbing her purse off the back of her chair. “Let’s go,” I said. Sarah waved toward the waitress and retrieved the check to sign the credit card receipt. I mumbled something about waiting outside and wobbled toward the door. Leaning against the stucco wall, I gulped down the still-warm evening air. My heart thundered and my hands shook. “What’s wrong? Is it the tequila?” Sarah said, joining me outside and putting her hand on my arm. I looked at her, then past her as a shadow passed over the screen door and paused, the tall outline of the FBI agent silhouetted against the bright lights of the kitchen behind him. “I’m fine. Let’s go,” I said, turning abruptly. Well, it was nice being normal while it lasted. 



About the Author:  Ellie Ashe has always been drawn to jobs where she can tell stories—journalist, lawyer, and now writer. Writing quirky romantic mysteries is how she gets the "happily ever after" that so often is lacking in her day job. 
When not writing, you can find her with her nose in a good book, watching far too much TV, or trying out new recipes on unsuspecting friends and family. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two cats, all of whom worry when she starts browsing the puppy listings on petfinder.com.
Contact Info:Ellieashe.comTwitter.com/ellieashehttps://www.facebook.com/EllieAsheBooksnewsletter sign-up:http://ellieashe.us3.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=6372537adad1ca5d89fcfbea8&id=1c896b0e0e





Giveaway:      5 Print copies of Chasing the Dollar

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Release Day Blitz: IMPACTED by Alyne Roberts

 
Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) by Alyne RobertsGenre: Contemporary Romance/New AdultReleasing September 23, 2014     



When a meteor hits the ground, it leaves a crater. The earth is forever impacted from the collision. 

 Everyone has a past. Everyone has a future. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The aftermath can leave you impacted. Forever changed. Ryder and Kallie's story continues as they struggle to overcome the consequences of the choices they've made. 


  



Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MT4CDDCiBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/impacted/id910760336?ls=1&mt=11Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/468764B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jolted-alyne-roberts/1119618673?ean=2940045966122Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/jolted




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Alyne lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat. Working full time in an office all day, she spends her nights reading, writing or watching TV marathons. She loves coffee, animals and country music.
Author Central Amazon amazon.com/author/alyneroberts Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7866185.Alyne_Roberts Blog http://alyneroberts.blogspot.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlyneRoberts Twitter http://www.twitter.com/AlyneRoberts


TOUR HOST~

Cover Reveal: DESTINY'S WISH by Marissa Dobson

   

Hope's Toy Chest, the first book in the Cedar Grove Medical series, is now out for pre-order. The pre-order price is discounted to only $0.99.  

Blurb: At thirty-one, Kingsley Mathews has been named the head of the pediatric oncology department at one of the best children’s hospitals in the country—Ceder Grove Children’s Hospital. His life is dedicated to his patients—until one Christmas when he learns there’s more than his work. Chelsea Waters lost her daughter two years ago on Christmas Day to a rare form of childhood cancer. Her career was over, then her marriage. Now all she has left is Hope’s Toy Chest. The toy drive she started in the memory of her daughter has become her everything. When she ends up flat on her back in a pile of snow, she begins to wonder if there’s room in her heart for anything more. Could the doctor who worked so feverishly to save her daughter bring the meaning of Christmas back into her heart? 


Buy Links:
Sunshine Press ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Smashwords ~ All Romance Ebooks ~ Kobo Print: Sunshine Press ~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble 

Cover Reveal: Destiny's Wish - Book Two 

Single mother Nora Horton has the weight of the world on her shoulders. After her husband died while serving his country, she was left alone to raise their beautiful daughter, Destiny. She was able to pick up the pieces and move on for her daughter, but when Destiny’s cancer returns, Nora isn’t sure she can handle it any longer. She’s not certain she can be strong for her daughter when she’s falling apart inside. Doctor Brian West is a pediatric cardiologist at Cedar Grove Children’s Hospital and has seen many sick children during his years there. He’s always been able to do his job without letting it get to him because he knows that if he’s distracted for even a minute, someone could die because of him. When he stumbles upon Nora, the recognition is instant and he can’t distance himself from her or her sick little girl, especially not when the little girl tells him her wish. A sick child’s dying wish isn’t meant for her mother’s ears this time...because she wants her mother to have someone to love. 

 Release Date: February 3, 2015

 

Release Blitz: Chasing the Dollar by Ellie Ashe #giveaway

Chasing the DollarEllie AsheGemma Halliday PublishingRomantic Mystery @75k


Miranda Vaughn has spent the last year and a half fighting for her freedom. Arrested for a fraud scheme involving her supervisors, she's lost her job at a prestigious investment firm, her fiancé, and her reputation. She walks out of the courtroom a free woman, only to find that life has a few more curve balls to throw her way. The jury may have found her not guilty, but Miranda is broke, in debt to her beloved aunt, and can't find a job because of the cloud of suspicion still swirling around her.

She can't move forward with her life until she finds out who set her up. Buried in the evidence against her, Miranda finds a larger scheme, one involving far more money than the $37 million her boss fleeced from unsuspecting investors. Determined to uncover the truth, Miranda begins her own investigation—leading her to Macau and Belize, and into the arms of one sexy FBI agent, who has his own agenda. When the danger heats up, Miranda finds herself in a race against time to find the person behind it all. Before he finds her... 


Buy Links:   Kobo   Nook   iBook   Smashwords   Amazon



Excerpt: (Chapter 1)"Not guilty." The two words sliced through the thick atmosphere in the courtroom, and my heart leapt. The boa constrictor of stress that had been wound around my body for the last year and a half eased a tiny bit. Next to me, my attorney, Robert Fogg, tensed. We weren't remotely done, his body language warned. "As to Count Two, wire fraud, the jury finds the defendant—" A pause. Why was the clerk pausing? "Not guilty." The breath escaped my lungs, but Rob put a cautious hand on my arm warning me not to get too excited yet. He'd spent much of the last fourteen months explaining the odds, explaining the process that I'd face if I insisted on going to trial, comparing the risk I'd face with the known quantity of the plea offer—a mere four years in prison if I agreed to a plea deal and admitted to defrauding clients of the investment bank where I'd been an analyst, compared to ten years or more I risked if I was convicted at trial. And I'd almost certainly be convicted, Rob had assured me. Even if the witnesses against me were convicted felons, liars, conmen who would say anything to get a break on their own prison sentences. The documents were undeniable, incontrovertible evidence of my guilt. "As to Count Three, wire fraud, the jury finds the defendant—" Damn her, why the dramatic pause? "Not guilty," she finished. This time I glanced over at the jury and made eye contact with several of them, my heart still in my throat. Instead of the impassive expressions they'd worn in the last two weeks, they looked relaxed. Friendlier. Less scary. And they were looking at me. That was one of the signs Rob told me might signal a favorable verdict. If the jury walked in and wouldn't look at me, they probably had convicted me. When they had filed in with their completed verdict forms, I was too nervous to look in their direction. "As to Count Four, wire fraud, the jury finds the defendant not guilty." No waiting this time. The clerk flipped the page to the next form and continued reading, her pace picking up. She must have realized that if she kept pausing before the big reveal on each charge, we'd be here until dark. "As to Count Five, wire fraud, the jury finds the defendant not guilty." I couldn't relax yet, not quite yet. There were still ten more opportunities to hear I was going to prison. Fifteen fraud charges. Fifteen chances to hear the clerk announce that the jury had believed my former boss, his former boss, and the government's accountants and investigators who had testified that I, Miranda Vaughn, participated in a conspiracy to defraud banks and investors. That I, with my business degree from a state school still freshly inked, managed to find a way to outwit regulators for the entire six years I worked at Patterson Tinker Investment Strategies to reap huge profits at the expense of the most established investment advisors in the industry.Rob's hand gripped my arm, and I realized that the clerk was done reading the verdicts. The room was blurry, and I felt the wet tears running down my cheeks for the first time. The stress of holding those tears back in the last year had caused me to lose sleep, lose hair, and develop a nasty habit of grinding my teeth when I finally managed to close my eyes at night. But I knew that if I had let loose those emotions, I'd never be able to rein them back in and would have ended up in a stark white room with no interior door knobs where I'd spend my days rocking back and forth and waiting for my next round of pills. "We did it, Miranda," Rob whispered, putting an arm around me in an awkward hug. I looked up to see the judge watching me. Instead of the stern glare I had grown accustomed to, he was almost smiling at me. I blinked. It must have been the tears in the way. But when I wiped my eyes, there it was—Judge Smith's softening expression, looking like someone's granddad instead of the dour arbiter of my fate. The judge addressed the jury, thanked them for their service, directed them to the jury commissioner's office to turn in their parking passes, and then looked back at me. "The bond is exonerated. You're free to go, Ms. Vaughn. Court is recessed." He stood, and everyone in the room followed suit. The jurors filed back into their room off the side of the courtroom to collect their belongings. Several of them smiled at me, and I smiled back but could feel my lips start to tremble. I swallowed hard and tried to pull myself together. Rob began gathering the legal pads that littered the defense counsel table. I stood next to the table, still stunned and unsure what I was supposed to do now. Part of me expected to be found guilty, even knowing that I hadn't done what the prosecutor accused me of. I had prepared myself for that. Studied the post-conviction proceedings, the deadline for filing a notice of appeal, researched sentencing procedures and even federal prisons. I hadn't planned what would happen if I were acquitted of all the charges, and I was at a loss as to what to do now. Turning to the nearly empty courtroom, I saw my lone supporter. The entirety of my cheering section was blowing her nose noisily into a hankie. She came toward me, pulling me into a warm hug over the low railing that separated the gallery from the attorneys and defendants. "Aunt Marie, when did you get here?" She gripped me harder. "Somewhere around count seven," she said. "Rob sent me a text when the jury came back. I hot-footed it right down here." I relaxed into her embrace. The familiar scent of Chanel and baked goods that always permeated her clothing soothed me and took me back to the safety of my childhood. She had come straight from work because she was still wearing her apron with the Sugar Plum Bakery logo. "Miranda, I'll take care of the bond paperwork," Rob said, interrupting our family reunion. I pulled away from Aunt Marie and nodded. Rob's face was flushed, and he looked two decades younger than his sixty-three years. He seemed incapable of suppressing the huge grin on his face. Suddenly I felt awkward, unsure how to tell him how grateful I was. "I don't know what to say," I said. "Thank you, Rob. Thank you so much."The words were inadequate. During the fourteen months since my arrest, I always felt that he believed I was guilty of something, but despite that, he had done an admirable job defending me. He gave me a crooked smile. "You're welcome," he said. "We'll talk soon. I'm going to see if I can catch a few of the jurors and talk to them. Come by the office later. We'll celebrate." He leaned across the railing to shake Aunt Marie's hand and was pulled into a tight embrace. When she finally released him, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled as he gently wiped a tear from her face. Then he turned back to the counsel table and continued clearing it of folders and notepads and his laptop computer, sliding the whole mess into the large black case that he'd been wheeling into court every day of the trial. He zipped the case, gave me another quick hug, and walked over to the other counsel table. I turned to see how the prosecutors were handling the news. My tormentors—an older, brittle veteran prosecuting attorney named Donna Grayson and Matthew Reese, her younger co-counsel, a clean-cut young man who looked like he was my age. Neither of them would look at me, and their expressions were grim as they shook Rob's hand. Finally, Matthew Reese made eye contact with me and gave me a nod. "Good luck to you, Ms. Vaughn," he said. I almost believed his words were sincere, but then I remembered three days earlier when he called me a thief in his closing argument. I returned the nod without a word, not trusting myself to hold back if I spoke to him—something I'd been forbidden to do for well over a year. I slipped through the low swinging gate and took Aunt Marie's arm, leading her out of the dark courtroom into the bright, wide and empty hallway. When I had been arraigned on the fraud charges in this courthouse, the hallway had been packed with reporters clamoring for a comment. But since then, they had lost interest. The prosecutor's office wouldn't be putting out a press release on the loss, and I wondered if anyone would even care that I had won. That the woman the government had called "a slick con artist and one of the masterminds of the greatest financial fraud ever seen in this state" was walking out of court and not heading to prison. I was free to go. No longer facing a decade in prison. Not under a cloud of allegations that had cost me my career, my good name, and my peace of mind. That had driven off friends. Led to the break-up of a five-year relationship. Cost me every last dime of savings and most of Aunt Marie's retirement as well. I walked up to the wall of windows and looked down on the city, the busy intersection by the federal courthouse, the people jaywalking to get to the Starbucks across the street. A normal day, with everyone bustling about in the bright afternoon sunlight, enjoying a typical California summer day.I was free to go. Free. To go where?

About the Author:  Ellie Ashe has always been drawn to jobs where she can tell stories—journalist, lawyer, and now writer. Writing quirky romantic mysteries is how she gets the "happily ever after" that so often is lacking in her day job. 
When not writing, you can find her with her nose in a good book, watching far too much TV, or trying out new recipes on unsuspecting friends and family. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two cats, all of whom worry when she starts browsing the puppy listings on petfinder.com.
Contact Info:
Ellieashe.com
Twitter.com/ellieashe
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Giveaway:      5 signed Print copies of Chasing the Dollar
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