Rebecca Brooks's Blog, page 4

More to read… and a giveaway!

If you’ve been poking around the site, you may have noticed that when you go to “Books” and click on the link to read an excerpt from ABOVE ALL, there’s more to read than there used to be. A LOT more. I have an official excerpt that my publisher uses, and you can also read some of the opening if you go to Amazon and read the preview. But you’re an awesome reader. You’ve come to check out my website. I want to give you more!

So now you can read the first two FULL chapters of ABOVE ALL, plus a sneak-peek at the juicy opening of chapter 3. For free. Right here.

As if that’s not temptation enough, I’m running a short but sweet giveaway to celebrate. Go to the excerpt, scroll down, and enter to win a free copy of ABOVE ALL. French press and almond croissant not included.

The giveaway ends Wed. Oct 8th at midnight so don’t wait!

Update: Congrats to new twitter follower @ghostsofLA, who won the giveaway and should now buy up all the lottery tickets because she’s so lucky! Didn’t win? Check back in for more chances coming soon… :)

Review: The Smartest Girl in the Room by Deborah Nam-Krane (new adult romance)

I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nineteen-year-old Emily is a college student desperate to get her diploma and get out. But although she’s always been focused on school, the perfect night with an older student, Mitch, shows her that there’s more to life than studying. Emily might be ready to open her heart… but Mitch has his own fears to contend with before he’s ready to get serious.

Determined to forget about Mitch, Emily throws herself into school, friendships, and a new relationship with a boy who progresses from lackluster to downright despicable over the course of the book. Nam-Krane does a great job of developing his character and weaving Emily’s relationship with him into a larger plotline that ultimately serves to bring Emily and Mitch back together. There’s a lot going on besides the relationship between hero and heroine, and although at times the subplots can get a little entangled, they help drive the story at a nice pace.

The central conflict between Emily and Mitch—a perfect night with an imperfect follow-up—doesn’t seem quite earth-shattering enough for the tension that results. But I was willing to suspend disbelief because the characters remain strong and sympathetic. Emily stops at nothing to stand up for herself and her friends, and if her toughness sometimes gets her into trouble, it also makes her the kind of friend you’d want on your side. Emily’s dynamic cohort really sets the story apart. Nam-Krane succeeds in bringing together a diverse group of friends in a way that feels organic and true to life.

There were a few moments when I was confused by why some of the secondary characters behaved as they did—in particular, I didn’t get why such likeable people would hang around with a few obvious villains. But I suspect those secrets are revealed in the rest of the series, so I’ll just have to read on!

Nov. Reading at The Golden Notebook

It still feels like summer in New York but I was just in the Catskills this weekend and the first leaves are starting to turn. Perfect weather for getting outside while it’s still sunny and curling up with a good book as the evenings cool. I know the trees are going to be as colorful as the cover to Above All before long. Hopefully some will still be holding on when I’m back in the Catkills the first weekend in November to give a reading at The Golden Notebook!

The Golden Notebook is a fantastic independent bookstore in Woodstock, NY, which is basically the cutest town ever and one of several places that inspired Bonnet, NY. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, it’s worth a visit.

I’ll be reading from ABOVE ALL and answering questions on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4pm. I look forward to seeing friendly faces, outdoor enthusiasts, romance readers, book aficionados, and anyone who appreciates a good cup of coffee and a croissant!

I love that The Golden Notebook sells ebooks through Kobo. It’s a great way to buy books like ABOVE ALL while supporting independent bookstores.

 

All About Above All

Earlier this month I was lucky to be invited to participate in a blog hop. A what? A blog hop! Someone answers questions about her writing process and then tags three more writers, each of whom answers the same questions on her own website, tags three more, and so on. It’s a great way to find out what other writers are working on and to be reminded that everyone else is suffering HAVING A BLAST with their writing too.

I’m thrilled to have gotten to “meet” Dr. Harrison Solow through this hop. I’ve linked to her answers below, as well as to three more amazing writers you should definitely be checking out, doing sexy satire, memoir, and nonfiction for kids. So cool! Without further ado…

What am I working on/writing?

I write contemporary erotic romance about strong, independent women who take the risk to embark on a new journey in their lives. My debut novel Above All was published by Ellora’s Cave on July 18th, so right now I’m basking in the post-publication glow and enjoying all the amazing pics and tidbits readers are sending me with croissants and cafés and beautiful mountain views to celebrate. [Oh, you want croissants and cafés and beautiful mountain views too?? Dig in! Amazon | Ellora's Cave | B&N | Kobo | All Romance]

I’ve got a second romance in the works called How to Fall, about a Chicago teacher and an Australian television star who get together on a whirlwind adventure across southern Brazil. It’s got a lot of food and nature and definitely some scandal—if you’re going to be running from your past, why not do it in one of the most beautiful places on Earth? I’m really excited about it so hopefully there will be more news to share soon.

How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?

The response to Above All since publication has been amazing. Readers and reviewers keep pointing to the same thing, talking about how the novel is incredibly hot but also has a strong story at its core. Some people sound surprised that a novel can incorporate both of those elements, as though a romance that sizzles must be lacking in plot. But it doesn’t have to be that way! I’d describe my work as erotica meets women’s fiction or adult contemporary. Above All has all the heat of an erotic romance with the story and engagement of a character-driven narrative. In my opinion, that’s the best of both worlds.

Why do I write what I do?

Some authors get hooked on romance when they’re young, but I came to it in graduate school. I was writing my dissertation on the romance plot in feminist utopian and dystopian literature and figured I should probably read some romance as part of my “research.” I found Anne Calhoun, Victoria Dahl, Megan Hart, and others, and these were not the helpless maidens desperate for a man that I’d been expecting. These books were challenging genre, convention, and male-dominated literature in much more creative, daring, and inventive ways than almost anything else I’d ever read. I’ve traveled extensively, love the outdoors, and have always been drawn to richly imagined fictional worlds. Romance lets me combine all these passions in ways that are creative and fun. I can’t imagine writing anything else!

How does my writing process work?

When I’m writing a first draft, I make sure to write every day. Even when it’s hard to find time, I try to keep that momentum going. I don’t have a specific time of day that I have to write, or a location, or any rituals surrounding it. I just get my butt in front of the computer and do it.

Once the first draft is done, I read through it and take notes on the big-picture issues. I type up a document of changes to make—not sentence-level edits, although I might deal with some of that while I’m rereading—but things like structure, scene changes, problems with characters, etc.

But I don’t actually make any of these changes. I close out the files and step away. I go work on something else, I take a break, I clear my head. I’m still too close to the story to see it as though for the first time.

A month or two later, I reread the manuscript and the list of changes. Sometimes I’ll agree with my impressions from that first read-through. Sometimes I won’t see the issues I thought were there. Sometimes I’ll see something glaring that I hadn’t even noticed before. I make a new list of edits and that’s the one I follow. After time away from the manuscript, I’m ready to dive back in.

I do a round of edits based on my notes, read through it again, rinse and repeat, until I’m ready to send to a small number of amazing beta readers I really trust. I collect their responses and, again, sit with their notes before I make any changes. If I’m going to be performing major surgery on my manuscript, I want to work out the problems in my mind and see if in a few days or weeks I still think the change is a good idea.

I think the most important thing with any process, though, is to do what works! Each book is different and I try to check in with myself and adjust along the way. As long as I’m getting words on the page, I’m happy.

You can see Dr. Harrison Solow’s answers at https://www.facebook.com/drharrisonsolow/posts/274856112698883.

Now I’m tagging three more!

G.G. Andrew writes sexy satire—romantic comedy that’s sharp and steamy. She is the author of SCREWING MR. MELTY, a tale of ice cream, awkward sex, and the world’s worst love triangle, and the horror geek short story CRAZY, SEXY, GHOULISH, which will be published in Wyrd Romance’s I HEART GEEKS anthology in early 2015.

On her website, www.ggandrew.com, she also hosts the popular Writers Who Read interview series, which features a writer each week geeking out over books and reading. G.G. herself is an obsessive reader, a compulsive writer, and a disordered housekeeper. She loves experiencing romance in books, movies, and television, and also has a strange affinity for the following: black licorice, British comedy, kindie rock, frozen concoctions, neon pink, devil humor, and your dad.

You can find out more about G.G. on her website or where she’s skulking on Twitter as @writerggandrew.

Kate McCahill is a writer and teacher whose essays and poems have been published in The Lowestoft Chronicle, Best Women’s Travel Writing, and the Santa Fe Literary Review. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Katie Ellison has an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Idaho. She is an author of childrens nonfiction at Penguin books and her essays can be found at Shenandoah, 5×5, 34thParallel, and others. She is the recipient of the Jacqueline Award for Prose from her alma mater, Wellesley College.

All of September: The Romance Review “Fall into Love” Party

 

 

From September 1-30, fall into love at The Romance Review with books, giveaways, author q&a, games, prizes, giftcards, and more.  I’m happy to be part of the fun and looking forward to checking out all of the participating authors. After all, I’m always on the prowl for more books!

 

 

Giveaway, August 25-29!

I’ve got a new guest post up over at Long and Short Reviews, about climbing Mt. Washington, sticking with things that are hard, and finding the inspiration for the indefatigable Casey Webb. The post is part of LASR’s 7th Anniversary Bash, and to celebrate they’re giving away all sorts of prizes, including $100 gift cards to Amazon and B&N. In addition, if you leave a comment on my guest post you’ll be automatically entered to win a free copy of ABOVE ALL.

Lots of authors have guest posts up on the site and are giving away prizes, so check it out!

Story + Sex = Yes

Very nice review of Above All over on Globug and Hootie Need a Book. What I love is how Amanda (“Hootie”) really got Above All and what the book is aiming for. She writes, “Above All sounded like a wonderful story about healing from a broken heart and finding something better along with the added bonus of some steamy romance to come. It was everything I had hoped but this wasn’t just your typical erotic romance.”

What’s not typical about it? Well, she goes on to explain that  “Above All is classified as erotica and from my experience with the genre it’s mostly sex, sex, sex and very little story. That wasn’t the case with Above All. There was a plethora of story with some hot sex mixed in and I love that in my books.”

Cue happy dance. Hootie points exactly to the kind of genre blurring I dig: in this case, an adult contemporary that’s also erotic. See, I really wanted to write a book that was story AND sizzle, that used the characters and their situation to add to the passion and chemistry they share so that the two pieces become inextricable. I didn’t want sex scenes with a thin story linking them together (yawn), but I also didn’t want a rich story with some sex thrown in—let’s not shortchange the good stuff! The two components had to work together, so that each component felt absolutely necessary. I’m really glad that Hootie loved Ben and Casey as much as I do. I’m also really glad that a story about one woman’s growing into herself can also be hot enough to be called “SEXellent!”

If you haven’t checked out Globug and Hootie’s reviews, it’s a great way to find that next book to read (as though you don’t have enough already on your list!). What do you think? When you’re in the mood for an erotic book do you just want sex, or do you like a story to draw you in?

Guest posts galore

I’ve been lucky enough to write a few guest posts for some very fine bloggers and wanted to share all the links in one place. So here goes!

“The Big Reveal” on All The Things Inbetween, about finally telling my mom I was writing romance.

“In Defense of Stupidity” on G.G. Andrew’s blog, about an … interesting … question I was asked, and our (perhaps unrealistic) expectations for romance heroes and heroines.

“Writing As Art, or why not to draw the perfect nose” on Avian30.com. This post is particularly dear to me, remembering lessons from an artist who’s influenced me quite a lot.

Check back in for more updates soon!

Above All now available on Amazon

I’m very happy to report that ABOVE ALL is now available on Amazon.com. It continues to be available for kindle, nook, ipad, and other ereaders from Ellora’s Cave. Happy reading, everyone!!

ABOVE ALL Giveaway!

From July 18 2014 to August 18 2014, enter to win one of two FREE copies of ABOVE ALL or a $5 Amazon gift card!

To enter, follow me @BeccaBooks on Twitter, become a Facebook fan, and/or tweet to @BeccaBooks about the release of ABOVE ALL using hashtag #aboveall. You’ll be automatically entered into the drawing. Winners will be selected at random and announced via email after the drawing has closed.

Don’t forget: if you can’t trust fate to win you a copy, you can also get your own: Amazon | Ellora’s Cave | B&N | Kobo | Goodreads

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