Tawdra Kandle's Blog, page 37

Win a spot on the Readers Talk Back Panel at Indie BookFest 2015!

Do you want to tell your favorite authors how you feel about their books? Do you want tell authors what you’re looking for in books? Then this panel is for YOU–a chance to talk back to some of the best authors around!

At Indie BookFest 2015, we’re offering a Readers Talk Back Panel. And in order to be on the panel, you must win a spot.

How?

Enter here! You must have a purchased ticket for Indie BookFest 2015 and you must have at least one night/one room reserved at the host hotel, the Caribe Royale.

Enter today!

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A Little Posse Love

It’s the Summer of Beach Lovin’ . . . and of course for me that means The Posse!

I have serious love for this book. I’d never thought about writing contemporary romance until the entire story fell into my mind one day on my drive home from the beach. And I was immediately smitten.

Since The Posse is going to be part of an amazing new box set, Hot Beach Romance: Sand, Sunshine and Sizzle, I was preparing it this weekend and skimming over the book. I got sucked back into Jude and Logan’s love story, and yes, I’ll admit there were some sniffles!

This story not only has the feels, it has some humor. I loved this scene from the morning-after Jude and Logan first, uh, connect. Enjoy your Teaser #Tuesday!

(If you haven’t read The Posse, you can buy it on iBooks/Amazon/Nook/Kobo/Google Play or get it free when you sign up for my newsletter. Or you can preorder Hot Beach Romance and read it on June 28th!)

Jude opened her eyes to bright sunshine. She groaned, covered her face, and rolled over, stopping abruptly when she ran into the hard body in bed with her.

Logan.

She sat up too fast and felt the morning-after effects of the limoncello. Dropping her head into her hands, she tried to sit very still, just until the room stopped spinning.

“Morning.”

Memories from the night before washed over Jude, and she was positive that her blush reached places she didn’t even want to consider. Logan’s hand brushed over her bare back, skimmed lower. She groaned.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard him chuckle. If it hadn’t required moving, she might have reached over to smack him.

“Your head hurt?”

Jude peeked out from one hand. “What do you think?” Her voice was thick, and her mouth felt as though like she’d eaten a bag of cotton balls.

“I think you need coffee, maybe with a little something in it.”

Jude gasped and jumped out of bed, her heart pounding. “The sun! My God, what time is it? The Tide, I’m late! People are going to be waiting…” She trailed off, abruptly aware that she was completed naked and Logan was enjoying the view.

She yanked the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her. “Would you please stop? You’re staring at me.”

“Yes, I am.” He leaned toward her, as though to snag the blanket, and Jude skirted out of reach.

“Logan, did you hear me? I’m—” She squinted at the old digital clock next to the bed. “Shit, it’s almost eight. I’m two hours late opening the Tide.”

He sat up and the sheet sagged dangerously low around his waist. Jude’s eyes ranged over his chest, the defined pecs and abs and the trail of light brown hair that trailed down—

She closed her eyes as the room swung around again. My God, I slept with Logan.

He was speaking, and she tried to focus on his words, not on his chest. “Yes, it’s almost eight. And yes, the Tide is going to open late today. But guess what, sugar? The world isn’t ending. Calm down.”

Jude perched on the edge of the bed, still clutching the blanket. “People are going to know. Your car is parked in the lot, right? And when my regulars showed up at six, expecting their breakfast, they saw my car, and they saw your car. And a locked door.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Logan found his boxers, stood and pulled them on. Jude averted her gaze as memories of the night before burned. She couldn’t think of that now. It was all too much, too confusing on top of the mess that was her life. She dropped back onto the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. On second thought, maybe hiding up here wasn’t a bad option.

She felt Logan’s finger trace her cheekbones. “Jude, take a breath. Get a shower. I’ll go down and start the coffee, turn on the grills. If anyone asks, I’ll explain you weren’t feeling well last night, slept here and called me to come over to help this morning. Okay?”

Jude nodded, not quite ready to trust her voice yet. She heard Logan moving around the room, pulling on clothes. She heard him go into the bathroom, and when he passed her a few minutes later, heading for the steps, she reached out to catch his hand.

“Logan, thank you.” She swallowed. “For this. And for last night.”

He was still for a moment, then his hand within hers and squeezed it. “Jude, I hope by now you know I’d do anything for you.”

June Is Bustin’ Out All Over

Happy June! Are you ready for summer? When I was a kid, I lived for June. It meant the end of school (in the northeast, we didn’t finish until about mid-June)–and the best part of school, really, since we had half-days, movies and more fun than work. Plus, in my family it meant we returned to our trailer at the shore on weekends, going to the beach and the boardwalk. And two of my favorite holidays were Flag Day (June 14) and Independence Day (okay, that’s July, but so close to the end of June. . .)

Music was huge in the summer. We listened to tapes as we drove to the shore or hung out by the pool. And my parents, as always, shared their favorites with us, including cute stories about the memories the songs prompted.

I always think of my mother when I hear this one. She used to sing it to us, and then laugh as she shared how her siblings would say, “Here comes Jeannie in her polka dot bikini!”

Such a sweet, innocent song from 1960 . . . this poor little girl who was afraid to come out the locker room!

I hope your summer is filled with chances to wear bikinis–or enjoy the view of them. Oooh la la!

 

 

Five From Emily Cyr

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!
Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers
from some of my favorite author friends.
I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.
Quickies from Emily Cyr

 

I met Emily last year at Indie BookFest, where she attended as a reader. Since that time, she’s published several books and I’ve been fortunate to run into her at a few other book events. She stopped by today to share a few quickies!

Q: Your fairy godmother appears and grants you a day to do whatever you want—no kids, no responsibility, no writing. What will that day look like?

A: I would put Queen on and dance. After my dance party I would likely go paint something. Besides writing I enjoy painting as a creative outlet. I don’t often have time for it though. 

Q: You win a trip to eat dinner at any city in the United States. Where will you go?

A: Wow, that’s a tough one. I think something rustic with lots of snow. Maybe Colorado. I live at the beach so something completely different would be awesome. 

Q: You’re being sent into outer space for the next twenty years. You’re permitted to bring 3 books. What will they be?

A: This isn’t a fair question! Only three?  Through the Looking Glass would have to be one. A Hunger Like No Other By Kresly Cole; Got to get a little sexy Scotsmen up in there. Last, Shadow Fever By Karen Moning. I could never leave Barrnons behind. 

Q: Chris Hemsworth approaches you in a bar and offers to buy you a drink. What adult beverage will you ask him to order?

A: Amaretto sour and my hotel key. Now, I’m not sure if that last bit is a drink or not but I could make it one! 

Q: Since our theme this summer is Beach Lovin’, tell us about your favorite beach in the world!

A: I have always lived near a beach. But, it would have to be Tybee island. It’s my home. 

***

Lightning Prophecy

Delaney Hagen’s power to control lightning is unique, even among witches. That uniqueness has caused her to run and hide from her kind – and the other supernatural beings in the world. Finally, after years of running, she feels safe enough to settle down. But her life’s calm is completely destroyed when her best friend is murdered. Delaney teams up with the mysterious and sexy Reid Jamison to figure out just what is going down in her world. Delaney will have to make a choice between her life and love. Will she be the product of a prophecy or will her fate be changed?Reid Jamison knew this case wouldn’t be easy. But, with the money the Coven was throwing at him, how could he say no? When he met Delaney Hagen, his whole world began to unravel. Faced with a prophecy, murders, love and betrayal, will Reid be able to hang on to this new world? Or will it slip away?

Amazon FREE ON KU

Emily Cyr is a stay-at-home mom turned writer. She holds a degree in middle grades education with certification in English and social science. She has always had a love of all things paranormal and fantasy, but it wasn’t until Emily’s husband said the words, “Why not?” that she considered putting her thoughts and ideas into writing. Writing has turned into a passion for Emily. Emily has always been an avid reader. Through reading came her love of writing. The more she read, the more she knew she wanted to create her own world. Many of her first works were fan fiction. Emily and her family currently reside in Jacksonville, Florida. She has an incredibly supportive husband who is also an officer in the United Sates Air Force. They have two sons, ages 2 and 3. Somehow, even with the demands of being a parent to two little boys, she finds time to escape to her fantasies and write them down.

Follow Emily here: Facebook/Twitter

I’m Reading the One Week Girlfriend Series by Monica Murphy

You know my latest reading trend has been New Adult sports romances . . . I tore through Cora’s Rusk University books, Sarina’s Ivy Years, Kristen Callihan’s Off Campus books. . . and my next logical step was Monica Murphy’s series.

To be honest, as I always am with you, it took me a while to get into book 1. I didn’t feel like I could relate to either character until about halfway through the book. I’m happy to say I persevered and was glad to see improvement in all areas in the subsequent books.

Last night I made it to Four Years Later. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but wow! It was my favorite yet, and I just fell totally and absolutely in love with Owen and Chelsea. I couldn’t put it down.

Owen is a flawed character for sure–the younger brother of the female lead from One Week Girlfriend. Owen’s messing with drugs, drinking too much, letting his grades slip and getting suspended from the football team–and lying to his big sister about their no-good mother showing up again in his life. Still, we know Owen cares; he’s struggling to do the right thing, even when it feels way too hard.

As I’ve said here before–girls in college, if you want to get yourself a hot athlete boyfriend, be a tutor. Because once again, that’s how uptight and super-smart Chelsea–a girl with secrets of her own–meets Owen. She knows he’s not what she needs, but that doesn’t matter–because he’s what she wants.

They go through the typical ups and downs, but as always in these books, there’s a healthy realism. Chelsea and Owen struggle with their demons, but ultimately, they realize that they’re stronger together. (Everyone now, say it: awwwwwww . . .)

Now I did discover there is a follow-up book to their story, called Five Days Til You. I’m not sure I can handle it–I don’t like more angst for my people after they’ve made it to their happily-ever-after. But you know I’ll read it anyway.

If you haven’t delved into any of these series, I encourage you to check them out–great writing, awesome stories and amazing characters. What more can you ask?

A Little Emma Magic

 

You may know we have a special relationship with erotica writer Emma Fallon . . . so I figured today for Teaser #Tuesday we’d celebrate the upcoming release of the fourth and final installment in Emma’s Small Town Swingers serial!

You can find all her books here:

iBooks/Amazon/Nook

And you can preorder the last book here:

iBooks/Amazon/Nook

All the books are short, sweet and sexy . . . so if you pick them up today (the first one is free!), you’ll be ready for Sunday’s release when we find out #WhoIsMrEnigma?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial Day Monday

Today is the unofficial start of summer, and as such, it’s the official kick-off of the summer music season (I have deemed it so!).

Summer’s always been a time when we listen to more music than ever: driving to the beach, sitting in the sand, hanging out at the pool, barbecuing in the backyard . . . summertime fun and awesome tunes go together like hotdogs and mustard.

Since 2015 is the Summer of Beach Lovin’, each Monday of this summer I’ll be posting a different summer-themed song and talking about it. I’d love to hear YOUR favorite summer jam: which song absolutely means summer and beach to you? Comment here or on my Facebook page, and I’ll feature it in an upcoming post.

We’ll start with what is to me one of the most-often identified favorite summer songs: Surfin’ USA by the aptly-named Beach Boys (1963). I’ve loved this song since I was a kid–it named so many places in the US that were familiar to me, and my sister and I got a kick out of the lines:

You’d seem ’em wearing their baggies

Huarachi sandals too

A bushy bushy blonde hairdo

Surfin’ U. S. A.

Because no matter where we all live, whether in the middle of Manhattan, a wheat field in Kansas or on the shores of Lake Michigan, during the summer, don’t we all want to be going on a surfin’ safari?

Happy Memorial Day! Bring on the summer.

Five From Ruth Cardello

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!
Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers
from some of my favorite author friends.
I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.
Quickies from Ruth Cardello

 

Q:We’re on the cusp of summer. Where is your preferred vacation spot this time of year–beach or mountains?

A:I love to be near water. There is an island near Rhode Island where my family tries to spend a week or two each year. We also love to drive down to the ocean as soon as the weather is warm enough. There is something so peaceful about walking barefoot down a beach and listening to the sounds of the waves crashing.

Q:It’s the time of year for big backyard barbecues! So what’s your favorite–hamburgers or hotdogs? And bonus–favorite side dish at a cookout?

A:Hamburgers and Dynamites. Dynamites are a Rhode Island spicy version of a sloppy Joe. Okay, it’s really much better than it sounds. You’ll have to come here and try one. Every family has their own recipe. {Note from Tawdra–YES, I’d love to try dynamites!}

Q:A mysterious benefactor offers to gift you the first edition of any book you choose. Which will be taking the place of honor on your shelf?

A:Jane Eyre. It’s one of my old favorites.

Q:Confession time: do you make your bed every morning?

A:My husband does it for me. He’s a retired Marine. He can’t go to sleep unless it was made nicely. I, on the other hand, could sleep just fine either way.

Q:You’re on an airplane, in first class, about to take off on a trans-Atlantic flight, and the flight attendant is here to take your drink order. What will you enjoy as you fly over the ocean?

A:  You know, I’ve never flown first class. When I fly I’m always with a group–my husband, our kids, my assistant.  It would probably be a very unexciting glass of water   But I’d be just as happy. Flying in coach with everyone I love trumps flying in first class any day–no matter what beverage they serve.

***

Somewhere Along the Way (The Andrades, Book 4)

Luke Andrade: Wealthy, talented, fiercely loyal. He’s the glue that holds his family together, but every man has a breaking point. When he heads to Ohio to attend a funeral, he does so with the intention of taking time off to clear his head. The very last thing he expects to do is meet a woman.

Cassie Daiver: Scarred, but not broken. She’s recreating herself in a small town far away from her painful childhood.

He’s angry with the world and himself. She finally has something she’s afraid to lose. They couldn’t have met at a worse time.

Luke and Cassie are about to discover love often happens somewhere along the way, and usually, when one least expects it.

Preorder on Amazon!

Ruth Cardello is a New York Times and USA today bestselling author. She was born the youngest of eleven children in a small city in northern Rhode Island. She lived in Boston, Paris, Orlando, and New York before coming full circle and moving back to Rhode Island, where she lives with her husband and three children. Before turning her attention to writing, Ruth was an educator for twenty years, eleven of which she spent as a kindergarten teacher. She writes primarily about rich, alpha men and the strong women who tame them. She also dabbles in cowboy romances. 

Follow Ruth here:

Website/Facebook/Facebook/Twitter

 

Writers: A Higher Standard?

{This post originally appeared here three years ago. It’s a rerun because this week, this author is on vacation! That’s right, folks, I actually have a life. So enjoy a little blast from the recent past. It holds true even for today. See you next week!}

These days, I spend a good deal of time with other writers on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.  It’s wonderful to interact with these creative minds, and most of the time, I really enjoy it.

But every now and then, I see a tweet or post pop up. . something along these lines:  “This is how my book got it’s title!”  Or “My characters love there story.”

Cringe worthy grammar issues make me. . well, cringe.

Am I too picky?  Maybe.  After all, these are just a few lines tossed out into cyberspace; it’s not the Great American Novel.

True. . .but shouldn’t authors, people who have chosen to embrace the written word as their vocation or avocation, be held to a higher standard? At the very least, shouldn’t we use the basics correctly?

My own personal biases are the least of the reasons to watch our grammar. As indie writers, we are already fighting preconceived notions that we just weren’t good enough to make it in the world of traditional publishing. I’ve encountered some traditionally-published writers who sniff (in their tweets of 140 characters or less!) that indie books are poorly written, poorly edited, amteurish imitations of ‘real’ books.  Why should we give them reinforcement for that argument?

You can be a writer even if you don’t know all the basic grammar rules, but you’ll be a better writer if you make the effort to understand them. Learn how to use there, their and they’re as well as its and it’s.  Study sentence structure.  And then pay attention to every tweet and post.  Yes, we’re all going to make mistakes here and there. That just means we need to proofread all the more vigilantly.

Writing well truly is its own reward. . .and the best revenge!

I’m Reading All Played Out by Cora Carmack

I’ve been waiting for this book for freakin’ ever, so it had major expectations to meet. And it did. Oh, baby, did it.

Nell is Dylan’s roommate (Dylan, female lead of All Broke Down). And anyone reading these books knows that Mateo Torres is the house clown–the one about whom everyone laughs and shakes their heads. He’s also a bit of a manwhore.

Nell on the other hand is focused and driven–school and her career are it for her. After a bad bout of the lonelies, she decides to experiment and try out ‘real’ college life before she graduates. To that end, she makes a list and sets about to check off the items.

Accomplishing this task puts our girl squarely in the path of sexy Torres. . .and he falls hard. How he wins her skittish and reluctant heart is spun sweetly and with earnest realism; we see Nell yearning and pulling back while Torres exercises admirable patience and depth as yet unseen in his character.

I love when an author takes a side character we assume we knew–whom we had stereotyped–and brings him out, makes him 3-D and deep. It’s a good reminder that when we pigeonhole people, we’re doing them and ourselves a disservice.

My one and only complaint about this book is that Stella’s story, which I’ve been waiting impatiently to read, isn’t up for preorder yet. EARLY 2016!!! Gah, I’ll wither away and die before then. (Not really. At least, I hope not.)

If you haven’t read The Rusk University books, RUN and get them all. Right now. Go on, shoo. And read them, and then come back and thank me. ‘Cause I know you will.