Tawdra Kandle's Blog, page 46

Jingle Bell Hop!

 

 

Welcome to the Jingle Bell Book Hop! I’m thrilled to be joining with some fabulous fellow authors to share some holiday fun.
I’m excited to share some Perfect Dishes with you. These are definitely not the type of Dishes you serve on your Christmas dinner table. . .though they are definitely smoking hot. (And if tables are your thing, go for it!) The men of the Perfect Dish Novels are the kind you’d like to find wrapped under your tree. . .unwrapping could be fun.
The first book in the series, BEST SERVED COLD, is ***free*** on all venues right now.
Grab it up.
I’m offering you a chance to win the second book, JUST DESSERTS, just in time for the release of
I CHOOSE YOU, the Perfect Dish Wedding Book (releasing on Sunday, 12/21!!)
All you need to do is comment below, telling me about your favorite Christmas tradition, and on Sunday night, we’ll choose three commenters at random to win JUST DESSERTS in the ebook format of choice.
And ONE lucky winner will win signed paperbacks of all three books. Don’t forget to hop around to all the other authors and see what fun they’re cooking up!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And Happy New Reads.

 

 

 

 

 

Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Free Book and A New Pre-Order

 

 

The Perfect Dish: A guy with both sizzle. . .and heart.

 

It’s almost time for the much-anticipated release of
I CHOOSE YOU
the Perfect Dish novels Wedding Book.
Are you ready to catch up with Julia, Jesse, Ava and Liam?
For a limited time, the first book in the series is FREE.
That’s right. . .BEST SERVED COLD
is up for grabs on all venues, abso-tively free.
So your assignment?
Go grab BEST SERVED COLD, and while you’re there,
pick up JUST DESSERTS
and pre-order I CHOOSE YOU.
Of course, what’s a wedding without a bridal shower?
Join us here tonight at 8 PM EST on Facebook and Twitter (#ICYShower)
as we play games, give prizes and talk about I CHOOSE YOU.
Don’t forget to bring your virtual gift. . .every couple needs a toaster!

 

 

 

Julia worked for weeks planning the perfect surprise birthday party for her boyfriend, Liam, but that night, she was the one who got the biggest shock. He broke up with her in front of all their friends, humiliating her in the process.
Clearly revenge was in order.
The plan is simple. Make him jealous, win him back, and then crush his heart. Fair is fair. However, there is one little hiccup, and he has curly brown hair and dimples.
Jesse is everything she wants. With him, she could almost forget her bruised heart. Almost. Julia has one choice: let Liam walk away after everything he did, or lose a chance at love in pursuit of payback.


 Amazon/iBooks/BN





When her friend Julia needed help forming a revenge plan against her ex-boyfriend, Ava was happy to lend a hand. She never expected that in the course of making Liam pay, she’d be the one to fall hard. . .for the one person who was absolutely off-limits. Crushing on the guy who humiliated her best friend is definitely against the girl code.
Besides, Ava has goals. Her life is all about graduating with honors and landing the perfect job. And Liam Bailey—sweet-talking, complicated son of a well-known local politician—isn’t part of those plans.
But Liam doesn’t give up easily. And he doesn’t intend to let their friends’ opinions, his parents’ disapproval or Ava’s past get in the way of what he wants–Ava’s heart.
Amazon/iBooks/BN









The path of true love was a bumpy one for Ava and Liam. He was her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, son of a local politician and the campus playboy. She was a hard-working, single-minded scholarship student with no time for romance. They were the couple least likely to succeed.
But almost two years later, love is better than ever. Liam’s pursuing his dream of being a college professor, and Ava’s the rising star at a local ad agency. But Liam still has one more goal: marrying the girl who changed his life.
Neither of them realizes that making it to the big day might be their greatest challenge yet. Between his parents’ acrimonious divorce and her family’s ideas of how to plan the perfect wedding, it’ll take the strength of their love—and a little help from their friends–to see them through to happily-ever-after.

Amazon/iBooks/BN

 

 

 

#Thursday Thoughts: A Chat With Vincent

So this happened yesterday, while I was writing I CHOOSE YOU, the third (and what is supposed to be the FINAL) book in the Perfect Dish series. (Yes, it started out as the Perfect Dish Duo. Now it’s a trilogy. But hold onto your hats. . .)

If you read JUST DESSERTS, you might vaguely remember Vincent, Ava’s brother. He’s not the one who got married in that book; he’s the brother who was single. Since I CHOOSE YOU is written from Ava and Liam’s points of view and is mostly about their wedding, Vincent shows up there, too.

I was just minding my own business. . .writing away, like a good author. . .and in strolled Vincent. Our convo went like this:

Vincent: Yo.

Me: Hey, Vincent. (continues typing)

Vincent: So another book about my sister.

Me (glancing at him distractedly): Yes. This is about Ava and Liam’s wedding.

Vincent: Why do they get another book? I thought the last book was theirs.

Me: Well, it was. But then people wanted to read more about them. . .listen, I don’t have to explain myself to you. I’m busy.

Vincent: But if you’re keeping track, Julia got Jesse. Ava got Liam. Even Giff got Jeff. My brother Carl got Angela. What about me?

Me: Yeah, what about you, Vincent?

Vincent: Why’m I still flying solo?

Me: Because, Vincent, you’re a side character. You’re not the main focus. You’re just there because Ava needed another brother to balance things out.

Vincent: But I don’t want to be left out in the cold.

Me (sighing, rolling my eyes and finally turning from the computer screen): Okay, Vincent. You want me to hook you up in this book? Fine. You can meet a bridesmaid or someone and get together with her. There you go.

Vincent (shaking his head): Nope. I want my own book.

Me (throwing up my hands): Vincent! I have no time for another book in this series. Honestly. Do you know how many series I’m juggling? Ongoing ones? Four. Four! And then there’s the non-series books I committed to write next year. Remember the historical romance set in Gettysburg? Does that ring a bell? And the stand-alone New Adult, and the middle grade book, and the big apocalyptic book that the kids’ve been begging me to finally get around to writing for them. . .oh, and the anthology for the King Series people. They’ve been waiting a long time.

Vincent: You can fit me in. I have faith in you.

Me (grumbling): Sure you do. Come back and talk to me in 2018.

Vincent (crossing his arms over his broad chest): Nope. It’s gotta be sooner.

Me: Even if I could fit you in somewhere, I have no idea who’d you end up with. There aren’t any more unattached females in these books.

Vincent (nodding smugly): Yes, there is.

Me: Oh, yeah? Who?

Vincent (leaning closer): I’ll whisper it in your ear. (proceeds to do just that)

Me: Really? Really? Wow, I never thought. . .but what about. . .hmmmm. Hmmmmm. . .

Vincent: Is that a good hmmmm?

Me (as my head hits the keyboard): It means you’re getting your own book, you big doofus. Now go away and leave me alone so  I can finish your sister’s book, okay?

Vincent: Sure. But what’s the book going to be called?

Me: I have no idea.

Vincent: It should be something cooking-related since I’m a pastry chef. Hot and Sweet? Rolling Boil? Simmer This?

Me: You’re not very good at picking out titles. Just saying.

Vincent: Hey! I got it. Just Roll With It. Get it? Roll with it? Like a rolling pin?

Me: Hmmm. It’s got potential. I’ll think about it. Now please go away and let me finish this book.

Vincent: Okay, I’m going. But I’ll be back.

Me: I’ll just bet you will be.

Wednesday #Meme: What I’m Reading Now

It’s Wednesday; do you know what you’re reading?

This week, I have the pleasure to read a book that’s not available to the rest of you. It’s THIS SPELLS TROUBLE by the ever-talented Olivia Hardin. The book will be out next month. . .but I get a sneak peek. It’s good to be me!

If you haven’t read the previous Lynlee books, check them out here. The story begins with Trolling for Trouble and continues with Tangled Up in Trouble.

Want to see what others are reading? Check it out here at Literary Addicts.

Same People, New Story: When Series Expand

 

 

I’m working on a book right now that will be released toward the end of December. It’s not a book I planned to write, but it’s one that begged to be written.

When I wrote BEST SERVED COLD last year, I still labored under the delusion that I was capable of writing one-off books. Ah, silly, silly me. . .no. Before that story was finished, I knew it had another connected to it, and that’s why JUST DESSERTS came out this past summer. These two books were supposed to be a duo. A duo is two. I know that. You know that.

Clearly the characters and some readers did not want to accept that.

Because as soon as Ava and Liam’s story came out, I had messages and emails from readers asking me to please consider giving them more of this couple. I totally understood, because I loved these two crazy kids, too. But how to do this? Hmmm. . .

And then right around the time I was pondering this conundrum, Sarah Bareilles, one of my all-time favorite singers, released a single from her new album, and it was called I Choose You. The words were so perfect for Ava and Liam, and it dawned on me. . .of course. Ava and Liam needed a wedding book.

It’s been fun to play with where these two are two years after the end of their book. They’ve graduated from college, and we see that their relationship has grown stronger and flourished in that time. Since they had such a winding road to each other, it’s been gratifying to see what happened once everything came together for them.

I hope you’ll come along on their journey with me. We’ll be revealing the cover shortly–it’s gorgeous!–and I’ll have pre-order links for you. I can’t wait!

#Wednesday Meme: What Am I Reading? What am I Writing?

“Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know.”

Alberto Manguel, A Reading Diary: A Passionate Reader’s Reflections on a Year of Books

 

It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time to talk about what I’m reading and what I’m writing. Because nothing happens in a vacuum, least of all writing.

What I’m reading now: Blood Magick by Nora Roberts. It’s the third book in her latest trilogy. Once upon a time, Nora released these types of books more often, sometimes within a few months of each other. Her last few, though, have come out over a long stretch of time, and I find that difficult. I read so many books between-times that I have a hard time remembering what happened in the first two.

This particular trilogy has been a little more difficult for me, too. I love setting–Ireland–and the premise: three witches, two siblings and one cousin–who come together at the right time to fight against a particularly dark evil that has attacked their family over generations. For me, it’s the characters who are falling just a little flat. Don’t get me wrong: I’m enjoying it, just perhaps not quite as much as I have some of Nora’s other trilogies. Still, reading Nora is always a pleasure, and since she does release less often these days, I’m savoring every word.

I do have to say that I just finished Cora Carmack’s latest release All Broke Down, a Rusk University novel. I’d enjoyed the first one so much that I couldn’t wait for this new book–and I wasn’t disappointed. As a matter of fact, I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first. If you like New Adult romance, you’ll love this one. Especially if you also like football. . .and football players.

What I’m writing now: I’m working on I Choose You, the third book in the Perfect Dish Duo. Yes, I know: a third book in a duo is clearly messed up. But I Choose You is a sort of bonus book: it’s the story of two weddings involving the characters in the first two books, Best Served Cold and Just Desserts. I’m having a blast spending more time with these characters. The book releases December 21st, just in time for Christmas.

See what other people are reading by checking out the links on Literary Addicts here. Happy reading!

 

 

#Tuesday Tunes

MUSIC is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom . If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your
horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.
–Charlie Parker

 

I love the quotation above because it is so true. Music is one of those transcending experiences for me. When I’m sad or mad or frustrated or stuck, music makes the difference. It can change a day, tell me what happens next in a story, or give me hope.

In every book I’ve written, there’s been a playlist that inspires me and/or relates to the characters. The King Series tended toward angsty songs, because let’s face it, teenagers often bathe in angst. The most pivotal song was Come Back Down by Lifehouse, which told me what was going to happen in Restless, which is arguably the most controversial of the four books. (I still get reviews of people yelling at poor Tasmyn.) That song was one hundred percent what Michael was feeling, what he was going through. Finding that song changed how I looked at music with my books.

The Posse had a play list of all ’80’s songs, because those are what Jude listened to. They defined her generation and her character. In Best Served Cold, all the music was revenge-oriented. Just Desserts was 100% Frank Sinatra music, since he was Ava’s favorite artist. And in The One Trilogy, it’s country music, all the way.

What’s exciting about the book I’m writing now–I Choose You–is that it’s all wedding music. All the best marriage-centric tunes! I’m having a blast listening to it while I write.

I’d love to know what wedding/marriage/proposal song is your favorite.

 

#Monday Blogging: A Day in the Life

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway

 

That’s one of the most popular quotations floating around social media boards frequented by writers. And it’s true. Writing is only as hard as the author’s ability to be open, to lay herself naked to a world of readers.

Uncle Ernest had it easy. He lived in the days before the internet.

In so many ways, today’s authors are very fortunate. We can interact with our readers instantly; we don’t have piles of letters to answer, and we can share new information right away. But at the same time, that accessibility is a curse, because it can be a very big drain on our limit time and strength.

Let me show you what I mean. I wake up in the morning, and immediately I’m given a report on yesterday’s sales. That can be good news or bad news, but I know it, right away. And I usually wake up to messages and emails from readers (especially those around the world, whose time zone is different than ours), from promoters, from fellow authors and from other people in the industry.  I respond to the ones requiring immediate answers and flag those I’ll handle later.

Each day, I chat with readers. That’s the part of the job I love. I follow up on the commitments I’ve made to bloggers and other on-line personalities. And then there’s the event work.

I’m committed to attend six events next year. Each event requires me to spend time promoting it to readers, building up ticket purchases and hotel reservations. I love to share the information with my readers, and because I care about the events and the people making them happen, it’s a privilege to do this. But it does take time. “Just five minutes” here and there turns into an hour.

I talk with new or about-to-be-new authors, giving them information and advice. I try to calm nerves and encourage.

I love what I do. Writing is a joy, and sharing it with others is beyond the telling of it amazing. Every part is something I enjoy doing. . .it’s just that when you put them together, they add up to a more than full time job. I’ve known authors who get so wrapped up in the extras, they lose sight of the reason they’re doing this. It’s important not to do that.

And now I’ve got to get back to it. To the pure writing part. . .which is the point of all of this, right?

 

 

 

The day of #DEATH. . .Fricassee, that is!

Want a recipe for disaster? Take one thirty-something food columnist, living the high life as the youngest resident of a Florida retirement community in the house she inherited from her grandmother. Sprinkle with early-bird specials and nights of bingo.
Add one college professor-turned-novelist, seasoned heavily with deep, dark secrets sprung from a night of drunken fun that left him changed in ways he doesn’t understand.
Toss in a dash of murder that rocks a quiet community.
And heat until neither one can deny their growing attraction to each other.
Best served hot with a side of wicked humor and a glass of Pinot Grigio.
Bon Appetit!

 

Death Fricassee is Book One in the brand-new Recipe for Death series. This is
adult paramystery: supernatural, a little lighter, a little more fun. Still lots of heat
and of course, just enough romance to keep it interesting!

 

Buy the book: iBooks/Amazon/BN/Kobo/Smashwords

 

Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books run from YA paranormal romance (THE KING SERIES), through NA paranormal and contemporary romance (THE SERENDIPITY DUET, PERFECT DISH DUO, THE ONE TRILOGY) to adult contemporary and paramystery romance (CRYSTAL COVE BOOKS and RECIPE FOR DEATH SERIES). She lives in central Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks purple hair. 

 

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What the heck is #Paramystery?

Tomorrow the first book in my new series releases. It’s called DEATH FRICASSEE, and I’ve said its genre is paramystery.
What does that mean? Well, these books are paranormal. Their world includes vampires, death brokers, advocates to both light and dark. . .witches, necroloquitors, psychics. . .but there’s also an element of mystery in each book that may or may not have anything to do with the paranormal element.
These books are not deep, dark or tragic. They’re lighter. A little more fun.
They’re also not books about teenagers or young adults, or even new adults. Jackie and Lucas are both in their thirties. Love and romance look a little different at that age, but never fear, there’s just as much passion.
DEATH FRICASSEE may leave you with a few questions. It’s not a cliff hanger, but not everything is revealed. Some of the mysteries will unfold over several books. . .so stay tuned.
Here’s a sneak peek of Jackie and Lucas. . .

“So what do you write? Jackie O’Brien. . .I don’t know your

name off the top of my head. Or do you use a pseudonym?”

“No, I don’t. And I haven’t actually published a book. Not

yet. I’m a columnist for Food International.”

“Oh.” Understanding dawned on his face. “So the cooking.

. .” He pointed down to the basket. “The writing and the cooking

go together for you?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of my thing. I review cookbooks by making

a few of the recipes in them, and then I talk about how easy or

difficult it is for the average cook to translate the meals in their 

own kitchens.” I grinned. “Full disclosure: your meal tonight is

going to show up on the magazine’s web page next week. You

know, two birds, one stone.”

“One chicken, in this case.” Lucas smiled, too, and I had

to get a grip on myself to keep from melting into a puddle right

there on his front porch. I struggled for something witty to say.

“Sorry about my dog this morning. He’s never taken off like

that. At least, not first thing in the morning. I usually keep him

on a leash if we’re outside, but I’m not used to anyone being

over here. No one has lived here for a while.”

He nodded. “No big deal. I like dogs. Just glad he didn’t get

run over by the moving men.”

“Nah, only crushed by their derision.” I smirked when Lucas

tilted his head. “You know, they said he wasn’t much of a

dog.”

“Oh, did they? Well, those two weren’t exactly the Westminster

Kennel Club. Hell, they weren’t even the greatest movers.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You 

should

see how much broken crap I have now, thanks to them.”

“Moving sucks.” Standing on the stoop was getting awkward,

and I shifted to lean against the railing that ran along the

edge of the porch. Lucas started to say something, but before

I could hear him, the wrought iron creaked and gave way. My

balance gave way with it, and for one moment that would be

burned into my mind forever, I struggled to keep from falling,

arms wind-milling in what must have been a cartoon-like fashion.

I lost the battle and tumbled ass-first into one of the overgrown

bushes that surrounded the porch.