Zoe Dawson's Blog, page 18

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Cover Reveal Squee!: COLLARED

When I decided to self-publish, I looked at the tons of projects that I had as undeveloped ideas. When, I choose Going to the Dogs as the project I would start my self-publishing career with, I was excited and nervous. Excited because I so loved Sex and the City and my dog books would have that vibe. Nervous because, well these were romantic comedies and I'd never written one in my life.

Now, I'm revealing the cover for the last book in the Going to the Dogs series (At least the first installment of it. More about this at the end of the cover reveal).

So, here is my Collared cover which is Harper's book. She meets her match in Caleb Shaw, an irascible cop.

Thank you so much to Julie at A Tale of Many Reviews Tours for arranging the cover reveal today. If you see it around, please comment, retweet and share so we can get the word out to everyone.

This cover was designed by the fabulous Robin at Robin Ludwig Designs, Inc
Please take a moment to add Collared to your Goodreads Shelf
Genre: Contemporary Romance, light mystery
Release Date:  October 14, 2013
Description:
Diamonds are a dog’s best friend.

Harper Sinclair discovers that her champion, award-winning standard poodle, Ch. Edgewood Sky High Blue is missing her $50,000 diamond dog collar that was given to her by Harper's eccentric, indulging grandmother along with valuable pieces of jewelry. Harper calls the robbery division of the NYPD and reports the thefts. The detective they send is surly and tough with a pair of brown eyes that make even this calm, cool socialite's lungs claw for air.

Rough and tumble Detective Caleb Shaw has better things to do than run over to the penthouse of a frigging socialite to find a frigging collar for a frigging pampered poodle---award winning or not. He has real cases to solve, but when he gets a load of the poodle's owner, his interest in the case...heats up. Satin sheets or not, he wants Harper. But there is more to this robbery than the dog collar. Has someone close to Harper pulled an inside job?

Can a lovely socialite collar a hard-boiled detective or are they worlds apart?

Now for the good news I hinted at. I will be writing another set of dog books. This time six! Their may be some mystery in these, but my theme is rich heroes and poor heroines. So it should be a lot of fun! The first book will feature Ian Lassiter, Callie's brother. Here's the overview:

Going to the Dogs 2:  The Alphas

Ian Lassiter is part of an investment group that he got into in college. One of his frat friends was a whiz at investment. Ian got in on the ground floor along with two other friends, Conner Wentworth and Jesse Malone. They pooled all their money and bought up two empty warehouses in Manhattan and flipped both into high end condos by doing almost all the work themselves. The location went trendy and they made a killing on the market. They all became partners in AlphaGroup Investments and fast friends. When Ian’s frat friend dies from an accident, shortly after Callie’s wedding, they invite Harper’s brother Aiden and Jared's brother Nate into AlphaGroup. (Wait a second! There are only five heroes mentioned here. That's right. You will have to read Collared to discover who the sixth hero is. I'm such a tease.)

First book:

Piggy Bank Blues

Ian Lassiter is living the high life in Manhattan and loving it. He's a successful artist and sculptor and has just adopted an adorable Mantle Great Dane named Ozzie from his sister, Callie. The bachelor life suits him, so he thinks until he gets a load of AlphaGroup's newest client.

Elizabeth "Lizzie" O'Reilly is trying to save her art school for the deaf where she teaches. Thinking her clever Border Collie, Georgia who paints amazing huge abstract flowers could be commercial, she reads about grants available from AlphaGroup Investments that could help out. But, the guy she deals with, Ian, is not only drop-dead gorgeous, but he's a renowned artist and touted as a confirmed bachelor. Lizzie comes from a big family and the man she gets involved with would have to embrace not only a happily ever after with her, but want kids as desperately as she does.

Ian just doesn't fit the bill, or does he?

Here are the other Going to the Dogs series books

Leashed for Callie and Owen's story (Currently free)
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itunes

Groomed for Murder for Brooke and Drew's story
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itune

Hounded for Poe and Jared's story.
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itunes 

And, here's the first book in my New Adult Romance A Perfect Secret series:

A Perfect Mess
Amazon 
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itunes

RELEASE DAY FOR A PERFECT MESS

The journey begins with the first step, but in this case it's the first word!  I'm delving into a new genre, ripe territory and I guess that makes me a virgin of sorts. When I was first encouraged to write the New Adult genre by a really good friend, I was nervous. First person male POV--young male POV. Yikes. But being a virgin is all about exploration, so I jumped in and wrote what I know. What lives and breathes inside me. Pure romance.

This book doesn't really pretend to be anything, not a clone, or a profound treatise on growing up.  It's about falling in love and finding the one. My characters Aubree Walker and Booker Outlaw have some growing up to do in this book as they fall into each other. I so hope if you take the chance to read this novel, that you will enjoy it and that it takes you back to the freshness of that first aching true love. You know what I'm talking about.

 Excerpt:
Booker

Aubree freaking Walker.

Yeah. She hadn’t changed one bit. Still gorgeous, still distant and buttoned up, still curvaceous. I shifted. My thoughts and my purely male biological reaction to her. They weren’t a good combination. Yeah. Heavy wood in the morning.

I turned over onto my back and glared at the goddamned ceiling fan.

And my brain took a track I’d tried very hard not to travel down for the past nine months. What had she been doing all this time at Tulane? Had she thought about me? Or had she lost herself in another guy?

Another guy inside her.

F**k

I felt awful about the way she had just taken off, and sick about both that and what had happened. I was also really angry. Disappeared without even a goodbye.

But now she was back because of her aunt’s terrible accident. Was that the only reason, or was Aubree looking for closure?

Only two times I’d been one-on-one with her, on Wild Magnolia Road and again really early this morning, and both times there had been something terrible going on. Would I ever have the chance to relate to this girl in a completely normal setting? I wasn’t some kind of knight, but I also wasn’t going to let her get hurt. Whoever had thrown that rock better watch his step.

Would she ever get it that I’d crushed on her in school? I hoped not. I knew Aubree’s sort. Forever kind of girl was how I pegged her type. Sure, I could flirt and I could tease, but getting involved with her was a bonehead move. And, if there was anything that I did well, it was looking out for myself.

She looked good, though. Really good. But I felt a pang that she had not only avoided me and Suttontowne, but her aunt, too. Poor Lottie. She was upset about Aubree’s all-too-transparent excuses not to come home, not even for the holidays.  Aubree was all Lottie had. I hoped this wasn’t about me. I would hate that. People should never abandon the ones they love. My father popped into my head, but I pushed that thought away. The old man didn’t deserve even one thought from this son.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Time to get moving. When my thoughts started down this ole tired road, it was time to find something else to occupy my mind.

In the bathroom I splashed cold water on my face, and then stood in front of the sink, forcing myself to keep my hands relaxed. No matter what my feverish little brain could come up with, wooing Aubree into bed was not going to happen. That much I knew.

After another minute of just standing there, watching the water drip off my face, it hit me. That was the only goddamned plan I was going to come up with—not sleeping with her.

I was a f**king genius.

The 2/2 at 6 Challenge

Okay, so here we are at six months into the 2/2 Challenge and I thought I would give you an update as to how I’m doing. I’m a little lighter and a little heavier. Luckily, lighter on weight and heavier on finished novels. Just where I want to be. Losing weight is still a challenge, but I’m trying to do that every day. Here’s a way to approach goals that will hopefully motivate you.

Step one: Decide what you don’t want.
Make you goals achievable and real. Wishing and hoping for things that might be out of your reach is counterproductive. So, instead of the nebulous wish of staying home and writing, I’ve created the goal of producing as many quality books as I can. That I can control.

Step two: Dream a little
Let yourself dream about your goals. There’s nothing wrong with that. I think about what it will feel like to be thinner, healthier. I envision myself in some cute outfit I used to get into that now just sits in my closet. I also dream about the future books I’m going to write and get all excited about that goal. So, just dream a little. It won’t hurt.

Step three: Backtrack.
So, now take those visions of what you want to accomplish and moved backwards.  How will this work? What will you do? What steps can you take? Then get it done.

Step four: Make a plan, make it happen.
A dream with a deadline becomes a goal.  A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan, and a plan backed up by action makes your dreams come true.  The key is to work backwards to create the reality you want.  The key is to do something, ANYTHING every single day that will get you closer to your goal.  Keep on moving forward and success won't be far behind.

Step five: Remember the Law of GOYA .
Yes, keep in mind the Law of Attraction and all 7 Universal Laws.  It's exciting to think about co-co-creating with the Universe.  But don't leave it totally up to the universe, remember part of setting a goal is working towards it, so Get Off Your @$$ (GOYA)! Want your dream life to become a reality? Get to work.  Want it to show up faster? Work harder.  This won't happen overnight, but it will happen over many overnights. Time equals change equals your vision of what you want.

Don’t fall into the misconception that your happiness and success is under anyone's control but yours. Your future has been and will always be smack dab under your control. Whatever you dream and work towards is possible. You can create what you want to be or do by working toward that life everyday. Part of this whole process is trusting that the powers that be know what you need even better than you do. So, trust in that, throw away the fear and allow change to become part of your journey to what you want to accomplish. Keep moving forward. I know I will.

COVER REVEAL SQUEE!: A PERFECT MESS

The journey begins with the first step, but in this case it's the first word!  I'm delving into a new genre, ripe territory and I guess that makes me a virgin of sorts. When I was first encouraged to write the New Adult genre by a really good friend, I was nervous. First person male POV--young male POV. Yikes. But being a virgin is all about exploration, so I jumped in and wrote what I know. What lives and breathes inside me. Pure romance.

This book doesn't really pretend to be anything, not a clone, or a profound treatise on growing up.  It's about falling in love and finding the one. My characters Aubree Walker and Booker Outlaw have some growing up to do in this book as they fall into each other. I so hope if you take the chance to read this novel, that you will enjoy it and that it takes you back to the freshness of that first aching true love. You know what I'm talking about.

I’ve been so excited to show you this cover. I think it’s soooo, if you'll excuse my pun, perfect! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Thank you so much to Julie at A Tale of Many Reviews Tours for arranging the cover reveal today. If you see it around, please comment, retweet and share so we can get the word out to everyone.

  This cover was designed by the fabulous Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations.
Please take a moment to add A Perfect Mess to your Goodreads Shelf!
Genre:  New Adult Mystery
Release Date:  August 12, 2013
Description:
A Perfect Secret Series: Three perfect girls, three perfect secrets, one unholy trinity

A Perfect Mess

I know what you did last summer.

Aubree Walker, the perfect girl most likely to succeed, is sure there’s only one person who knows what she did.

Booker Outlaw, one of the three Outlaw brothers—all identical, all gorgeous, all from the wrong side of the tracks, and all pure bad boys. He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big self-publishing horror novels on the internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw.

Then a year later, in the middle of the night, she receives a phone call at Tulane. Her aunt, who took her in after her mother’s death, is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. Now she has to face that one person who knows all about what she did that summer—sexy Booker.

Returning to Hope Parish to be with her aunt, stirs up all those ugly memories. When Aubree starts getting threats, she can’t help but wonder if what she did last summer was tied to her aunt’s “accident.” Afraid, she turns to the only person who knows the truth and Booker doesn’t hesitate to offer his broad shoulder for her to lean on. But Booker has a secret of his own that could crush their fledgling relationship.

As the hot, sultry summer days move on, she finds that even a perfectly smart girl can lose her heart to a perfectly bad boy. What is she going to do when someone starts asking questions Aubree doesn’t want to answer? She’s knee deep into a terribly dangerous, wholly life changing, who-can-she-really-depend-on perfect mess.

Here are teasers for the rest of the series!

A Perfect Mistake, Book #2 – A preacher’s daughter, a reckless Outlaw, and a secret that will change her life forever.

A Perfect Dilemma, Book #3 – The town’s poor little rich girl, a sweet-talking Outlaw, and a secret that will ruin all that she holds dear

For other books I've written check out my Going to the Dogs series

Leashed for Callie and Owen's story (Currently free)
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itunes

Groomed for Murder for Brooke and Drew's story
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itune

Hounded for Poe and Jared's story.
Amazon
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords
itunes 

Thank you for stopping by and happy reading!

COVER REVEAL SQUEE!: ONLY FOR YOU

Title: Only For You (Boys of the South ~ Book 2)

Author: Marquita Valentine

Expected release: September 2, 2013

Genre: Contemporary

Age Group:  New Adult

Cover designed by: Marquita Valentine

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description:

Loose ends left loose for too long tend to strangle.

Cole and Violet knew it wouldn’t be easy. They knew their relationship would take work. But when the press finds out about Violet Lynn’s newest boyfriend, they start digging.  And when his past come to light, exposing all of his family’s secrets, their relationship begins to fray.

Country Music’s Golden Boy, Jaxon Hunter, has it all, except the girl that got away. What she saw, she really didn’t. What she thought happened, he allowed her to believe for reasons so insane that no one would ever have believed him if he had confessed. But now that everything’s out in the open, he’s going to do his damndest to convince her that he’s the only one for her.

Now Violet must choose between Jaxon— her first love and the guy she thought had cheated on her—and Cole—the guy who helped her heal and love again.

Or will one of them make the decision for her?

About the Author

New York Times Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine, writes sexy heroes that make you swoon and sassy heroines that make you laugh. She’s the author of the bestselling contemporary romance series, Holland Springs, and the new adult romance series, Boys of the South.

Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man—and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.

Author social media links:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

NAmazing Adventure

Welcome to my stop on the NAmazing Adventure, a blog hop featuring over 60 New Adult authors, and prize packs that include ARCs, signed books, gift cards, swag, and more! If you're not sure what the NAmazing Adventure is, please click HERE to start from the beginning and read the complete rules on the NA Alley website. Now let's get this journey on the road!

I might be your last stop, but I am featuring a couple of firsts here. A Perfect Mess is both the first book in my A Perfect Secret Series and my first novel in the new adult genre. Writing this book has been a magical experience for me. I felt like I was writing on a tilted axis. I loved bringing Booker Outlaw, Aubree Walker and all the cast of characters in this novel to life. Add it to your Goodreads shelf! It’s out August 12, 2013! The cover reveal for A Perfect Mess is on Tuesday, July 30th. You can go HERE if you have a blog and would like to promote it. Just scroll down until you see my sign-up.



A Perfect Mess

I know what you did last summer.

Aubree Walker, the perfect girl most likely to succeed, is sure there’s only one person who knows what she did.

Booker Outlaw, one of the three Outlaw brothers—all identical, all gorgeous, all from the wrong side of the tracks, and all pure bad boys. He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big self-publishing novels on the internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw.

Then a year later, in the middle of the night, she receives a phone call at Tulane. Her aunt, who took her in after her mother’s death, is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. Now she has to face that one person who knows all about what she did that summer—sexy Booker.

Returning to Hope Parish, Louisiana to be with her aunt, stirs up all those ugly memories. When Aubree starts getting threats, she can’t help but wonder if what she did last summer was tied to her aunt’s “accident.” Afraid, she turns to the only person who knows the truth and Booker doesn’t hesitate to offer his broad shoulder for her to lean on. But Booker has a secret of his own that could crush their fledgling relationship.

As the hot, sultry summer days move on, she finds that even a perfectly smart girl can lose her heart to a perfectly bad boy. What is she going to do when someone starts asking questions Aubree doesn’t want to answer? She’s knee deep into a terribly dangerous, wholly life changing, who-can-she-really-depend-on perfect mess.

A Perfect Series: Three perfect girls, three perfect secrets, one unholy trinity

A Perfect Mess, Book #1 – the girl most likely to succeed, an unpredictable Outlaw, and a dangerous secret that could be the death of her.

A Perfect Mistake, Book #2 – A preacher’s daughter, a reckless Outlaw, and a secret that will change her life forever.

A Perfect Dilemma, Book #3 – The town’s poor little rich girl, a sweet-talking Outlaw, and a secret that will ruin all that she holds dear. 

Teaser

Quiz Question and Finishing!
The quiz question is: Where is A Perfect Mess set? The answer is above in my description. Got it?  You’ll need it for the quiz at the end of this quest! And remember, you must complete ALL SIX quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack.

But wait! You have a chance right here and now to win Hounded , the third book in my Going to the Dogs series, a cool t-shirt and an exclusive look at my unreleased cover for A Perfect Mess.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, check out the other contest HERE I have running on my blog/Pinterest! More great prizes!

Thanks for stopping by. Ready to move on?
You're almost finished! Just take the quiz HERE and you'll have completed this quest!

Special Announcement!

Going to the Dogs 2:  The Alphas

Ian Lassiter is part of an investment group that he got into in college.  One of his frat friends was a whiz at investment.  Ian got in on the ground floor along with Conner and Jesse.  They pooled all their money and bought up two empty warehouses in Manhattan and flipped both into high end condos by doing almost all the work themselves.  The location went trendy and they made a killing on the market.  They all became partners in AlphaGroup Investments and fast friends.  When Ian’s frat friend dies from a parachuting accident, shortly after Callie’s wedding, they invite Harper’s brother Aiden into AlphaGroup.

Hounded Release Day!

Pain exploded through Poe Madigan’s right cheek and eye. She slammed into the concrete wall, crying out when her shoulder hit with more vibrating agony, everything fragmenting into multi-colored pieces with layers of disconnection and disorientation. Shock coursed through her in a surreal I-feel-like-I’m-watching-from-a-distance way as she crumpled face down.

What the hell…?

A man. Above her. Masked? Had he punched her in the face? Where had he come from?

Edgar, the larger of her two Jack Russells, went crazy. He leapt at the man’s face and latched onto the mask concealing her attacker’s identity, the weight of the small dog dragging at the man’s torso. Allan’s ferocious barking peppered with mixed growls indicated he’d joined the fray. The signal to Poe’s brain to get up and fight short-circuited. Dazed and immobile from the blow, she could only watch helplessly.

A muzzy thought drifted along the edges of her awareness. Could this have something to do with that awful note someone had shoved under her door?

The man swung his arm and dislodged Edgar. Her dog cried out with a sharp yelp, and she tried again to get up. Edgar was hurt. She needed to help him. The man put his foot into the middle of her back and trapped her against the dirty pavement. He yanked at her purse, which was fortunately partially jammed underneath her. No way! He couldn’t have her too-cool zombie bag. Much too trendy for this lowlife scum. As he reached for the straps and tried to jerk her off the purse, Allan snapped at his hand, slashing it with his teeth.

Her attacker backed off, cursing and swatting at Allan, but the dog was too quick. Allan went for the man’s pant legs, shredding the fabric with his sharp little teeth while Edgar launched himself at him again. Someone shouted, but Poe couldn’t make out the words over the ringing in her ears. The sounds of her dogs attacking receded. Then someone touched her, making her flinch—no, wait, this was a helping touch, trying to find out if she was okay. She finally let go and drifted toward sooty blackness.

She jerked awake. One of the EMTs was talking to her in low, soothing tones as they loaded her into an ambulance, the glare of the blue revolving light making her head hurt. She thought she’d answered his questions, and he seemed satisfied.  Suddenly her throat closed up and lucidity rushed at her, tightening her chest. Where were her boys?

“Wait,” she cried out, trying to rise, but the doors closed with finality.

One More Day!

The rows of different apples made her feel like a demented Snow White. She was sure Snow never wore razor blade earrings and a red leather, spiked dog collar, though.

“In that apple dress and those kick-ass heels, you look like a lethal Betty Boop. Makes a man want to know if one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”

Pi woof. One big, infinite woof!

She focused on his lips, and he stepped closer, smelling earthy and musky. She really liked cerebral guys, she told herself to stave off more tingles, but it was like trying to stop a raging flood with a bucket. No barrier at all. And all that testosterone was going to be releasing in her apartment every day for three weeks.  She hoped she could keep her hands off him.

“I should get my shower,” he said absently, now looking at her lips.

She nodded and waited a heartbeat too long for him to move first. He didn’t.

So they were officially staring at each other now. The sudden silence of the Y, devoid of the raucous sounds of men grunting and sweating, made the cavernous gym seem intimate. There was nothing but silence until the next pick-up game.

A silence that swelled in a way that boosted the potency in the very air between them. Heat radiated off his moist skin.
“Later, Taylor!”

Jared jerked and turned around and waved as Poe took a step back.

“Shower,” he grunted, pointing towards the locker room as if words were beyond his ability right now.

She nodded.

And she plopped down onto the bench because her wobbly knees just couldn’t hold her upright any longer.

Would it be immature and totally geeky if she bolted right now? Wait, no, she couldn’t. The whole reason she was here was to help her mom. That was her mission and should be the only thing she was focusing on. So no more touching clavicles—or anything else for that matter—even if they were a fine specimen of a horizontal bone.

Oh shit! She was doing it again. Shaking herself, she spent five minutes trying to eradicate the effect Jared had on her. Then bam, Jared came though the locker room door and all her composure went flying out the proverbial window.

Seeing him with his hair wet, his gym bag slung over his shoulder and the biceps on that arm pronounced, it took her a full minute to move. But she shook it off like a fighter with a near-miss KO and did her best to look nonchalant and cool as she walked toward him.