Jane Litte's Blog, page 886

Friday News: Harlequin Revenues Down; YA revenues up; Mike Shatzkin frustrated by rest of us failing to recognize publishing’s uniqueness

Watch the Stunt Double for Roger Moore almost get eaten alive by crocodiles!

Hardcover Children’s & YA Revenues Up Nearly 30% – Mass market books have plummeted yet another 20.4% in the month of July per the report of the Association of American Publishers. If you recall, the Fifty Shades books and their ilk are trade paperbacks which saw an 11.4% increase. YA has seen the biggest growth with Hardcover YA up 29.7% and ebook sales up 222.0%. I wonder if the increase in YA books is due to B&N re...

Daily Deals: Contempories, historical, and Bestselling PNR for $1.99 each

[image error] Planning for Love by Christi Barth. $ 1.99

From the Jacket Copy:

Hopeless romantic Ivy Rhodes

and

anti-Cupid Bennett Westcott

request the pleasure of your company for

their disaster of a courtship

Wedding planner Ivy Rhodes is the best in the business, and she’s not about to let a personal problem stop her from getting ahead. So when she’s asked to star in the reality TV show Planning for Love, it doesn’t matter that the show’s videographer happens to be a recent—and heartbreaking—one-night stand.

B...

GIVEAWAY: THE COWBOY UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE –Kickin’ Boot

Avon’s publicity department contacted me and wondered if I would be interested in giving away a gift certificate for cowboy boots in conjunction with promotingLori Wilde’s A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS, which was on sale October 29, 2012 . Heck, yeah, I replied. This is actually the perfect time for you to read a book, all full of Halloween candy. (I think I may have a candy hangover this morning. On to the giveaway sponsored by Avon.

****

There are those of us with a passion for cowboy boots – and th...

REVIEW: Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry

Dear Ms. Mayberry:

Immediately after reading your latest,Suddenly You, I knew exactly what my review of it should say:

“Yet another well-done book by Ms. Mayberry with appealing characters and a sweet love story.”

However, DA readers expect a bit more. And while their time would be better spent reading your prose than mine, here goes.

[image error]The hero of Ms. Mayberry’s latest contemporary romance is Harry Porter whom readers may have met in All They Need. I hadn’t read All They Need prior to reading Sudd...

REVIEW: The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

Dear Ms. Williams:

SPOILERS FOR THE SHADOW READER are contained in this review.

Here’s the thing I don’t understand. If fantasy books are supposed to be so hardcore, why are the female characters often depicted without agency? And if they aren’t considered romances, why is the primary conflict which hot guy to pick?

[image error]McKenzie Lewis was introduced to readers in The Shadow Reader. McKenzie is a shadow reader which means she can read the location of fae when they “frissure” or trace from one locatio...

Thursday News: The male contraceptive; Hospital power failure leads to research loss; More on the history of prosthetics

The Durham County Library is hosting a romance reader festival. If you live in the Triangle area of North Carolina, check it out.

Male Contraceptive Pill One Step Closer – New Method to Stop Sperm from Reaching The Ovule Discovered – Honestly I can’t wait for the male pill. Not because I would trust a guy to regularly take one but because of the story lines it will create. He won’t need to know if she is on the pill. He’ll only need a promise that she is clean. Doctor Tipster

“According to prec...

Daily Deals: All romances, $1.99 and under

Samhain is offering 30% off all the horror titles. Use TRICK12 at the checkout. Sale ends at midnight EST.
Harlequin is offering 31% on everything. Use HALLOW3112 at the checkout. Sale ends at midnight EST.

[image error] My One and Only by Kristan Higgins. $ 1.99

From the Jacket Copy:

Divorce attorney Harper James can’t catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister’s destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she’s being forced to make a cross-country road trip wit...

REVIEW: Where Angels Rest by Kate Brady

Dear Ms. Brady:

Romantic suspense reviews are very hard for me to write. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot. Most of the time I either like them or I don’t. Often there is little character development because the story is so plot driven. There’s little left to discuss. I envy those mystery reviewers that can handle that delicate balance between reviewing the text and not giving anything away!

[image error]Erin Sims brother was imprisoned for the murder of the daughter of a Senator Her belief in...

REVIEW: The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year by Annameekee Hesik

“Abbey Brooks, Gila High freshman-to-be, never thought a hellish day of shopping at the mall with her best friend, Kate, could change her life. But when she orders French fries from the flirtatious Hot Dog on a Stick Chick, she gets more than deep-fried potatoes. Abbey tries to ignore the weird, happy feeling in her gut, but that proves to be as impossible as avoiding the very insistent (and—rumor has it—very lesbian) players on Gila High’s girls’ basketball team. They want freakishly long-le...

Wednesday News: How to help the Sandy victims; Amazing Sandy pics; Indies cry foul over Amazon review deletion

Disaster Relief, CPR Certification, Donate Blood – Hurricane Sandy has devastated communities from Haiti (that had not yet recovered from the earthquake) to Canada, but much of its devastation was on the eastern seaboard.

The RedCross is asking for monetary donations and has indicated that its blood bank is low. You can text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation or visit your local RedCross to make a blood bank donation.

CNN has an additional list of charities for children and anim...