HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 42
June 20, 2011
The Aftermath
I finished my deadlines last Wednesday. Since then I spent a little time with my Carina editor, Angela James, who was in town to talk with my RWA chapter, and awesome literary agent (and friend) Laura Bradford. We chatted and ate too much. Basically, it was the perfect weekend.
When not doing social stuff, I was puttering around the house. At one point I looked around and thought, "damn, I should clean" but I didn't. Instead I've been doing some fun stuff. Here's a peek:
1. Movies. The hubby and I went to see SUPER 8. It had a group of friends, a creature and explosions. Needless to say, I loved it. Also saw the HBO documentary, TOO BIG TO FAIL. It's about the financial crisis and incredibly well done. It also ticked me off and made me say profane things about investment banks and politicians. Despite the burst of anger, I recommend folks see it. On the lighter side, I finally saw THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. Again, well acted. There's a major plot point that had me scratching my head, but I enjoyed it.
2. Books. Read Shannon Stacey's YOURS TO KEEP and really enjoyed it. Love the way she writes dialogue. She took a romance fiction trope I don't love – the people pretend to be in love to make family members happy thing – and made me believe. I have two books I'm excited to read: Karina Cooper's BLOOD OF THE WICKED (not my usual fav genre but the buzz for this is huge and the excerpt at the beginning of the book is great) and Vivan Arend's RISING, FREESTYLE (met the author at RT and immediately loved her – this is a case of meeting the author, liking her and wanting to read her).
3. Yet to do… There is a movie called TITANIC 2. I'm not kidding. The premise is this:
On the 100th anniversary of the original voyage, a modern luxury liner christened "Titanic 2," follows the path of its namesake. But when a tsunami hurls an ice berg into the new ship's path, the passengers and crew must fight to avoid a similar fate.
I am going to watch it because it sounds too terrible to miss.
I also need to watch the first episode of the new season of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. I know the show is aimed at teens, but I find it oddly addictive. Pretty kids! Murder! Secrets! It's got it all. There's also this weird thing where people my age, actors I saw in stuff when I was a teen, play the parents of the teens on this show. That cracks me up for some reason.
June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!
Love you dad (and mom, who is also in the photo)!
June 16, 2011
New Cover!
I have a new cover! Love, love, love seeing new covers. This one is for the last book in my Mystery Men miniseries from Harlequin Intrigue, THE BIG GUNS:
I like it!
June 14, 2011
Next Up
I am at the end of a deadline right now but have found the book I want to read as soon as I'm done – Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. Here it is:
A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
I get all tingly just looking at the cover. I'm in!
June 13, 2011
We Have Winners!
I actually remembered last night to pick the winners of last week's contest winners. I just forgot to post them. Yeah, I'm brilliant.
Thanks to all who stopped by and to those who commented. The winners are… (imagine a drumroll here):
Jill Sorenson winner: Tammy (comment #1)
Maya Banks winner: Lisagk (comment #9)
My digital short winner#1: Pearl (comment #3)
My digital short winner #2: Judy (comment #5)
Congrats to all! Please email me so I can get those books out to you.
June 10, 2011
Digital Short Giveaway
Contest Day #3…
Today is a digital giveaway day. If you read here often, you know I'm involved in a venture with a few fabulous authors called Walk on The Wild Side Books. I'll giveaway two (2) copies (ebooks) of my sexy short story, RISQUE BUSINESS. Here's a peek:
Kari Reynolds is a human resources specialist on a short-term assignment at Coleman Engineering. It's her job to lead workshops but there's one big problem – the boss, Matt Bradford.
Being near Mr. Tall, Dark and Smoking Hot brings out Kari's naughty side. One look at him makes her forget what's appropriate in the workplace, and she's smart enough to know the heated glances he's shooting her way have nothing to do with business.
Now all she has to do is convince Matt to ignore her job title and try a little office pleasure…
This is a digital giveaway, so you need to pick a book that I can gift you through Amazon for your Kindle or through All Romance ebooks, which includes a .pdf version you can read on your computer. To enter, leave a comment about my books, short stories or any relevant thing. I will choose a winner on Sunday and post the name in a separate post with all the week's winners. Good luck!
June 9, 2011
Maya Banks Giveaway
Contest Day #2…
I enjoy reading books by Maya Banks. The writer in me is more than a little envious that she writes erotic romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and now Scottish historical romance so well. The reader in me is thrilled.
My favorite series so far is KGI, her romantic suspense series centered on the Kelly family. If you haven't read these books, now is your chance to try them. I'm giving away the first in the series, THE DARKEST HOUR. Here's a peek:
It's been one year since ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly last saw his wife Rachel alive. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt over his failures as a husband, Ethan shuts himself off from everything and everyone.
His brothers have tried to bring Ethan into the KGI fold, tried to break through the barriers he's built around himself, but Ethan refuses to respond… until he receives anonymous information claiming Rachel is alive.
To save her, Ethan will have to dodge bullets, cross a jungle, and risk falling captive to a deadly drug cartel that threatens his own demise. And even if he succeeds, he'll have to force Rachel to recover memories she can't and doesn't want to relive—the minute by minute terror of her darkest hour—for their love, and their lives, may depend on it.
I am giving away a print copy of the book. To enter, leave a comment about Maya, her books, romantic suspense or any relevant thing. I will choose a winner on Sunday and post the name in a separate post with all the week's winners. Good luck!
June 8, 2011
Jill Sorenson Giveaway
I am in the final days before a deadline – before two deadlines, actually – so this seems like the perfect time to do a few contests. I'll give away a few of my books and a few books by other people. To kick off, let's start with Jill Sorenson…
Jill writes amazing romantic suspense. They're gritty with strong atmosphere, but what I like most is how she doesn't take the easy road. Her characters are pretty flawed. Some have done some bad things. But somehow she pulls it off. And, disclosure time, Jill and I live near each other. I get to see her a few times a year and she is really nice. So, I like her and her writing – it's a win/win!
Today I'm giving away her newest single title, THE EDGE OF NIGHT. Here's a peek:
To support her small daughter, April Ortiz does what she has to do—which means waiting tables in a skimpy outfit at a popular nightclub in the gang-infested area of Chula Vista. When one of her co-workers is found raped and murdered, April does what she knows she shouldn't—she defies the neighborhood code by giving the police a hardcore gang member's name.
Clean-cut cop Noah Young wants a shot at breaking this case more than anything in the world—that is, until he meets the unforgettable April Ortiz. When April gives Noah the tip, a spark ignites. As the fire between them threatens to blaze out of control, the two are dragged down further into the dark mysteries of the graffiti-lined streets, taunted by a crazed killer who could strike again at any time. .
I am giving away a print copy of the book. To enter, leave a comment about Jill, her books, romantic suspense or any relevant thing. I will choose a winner on Sunday and post the name in a separate post with all the week's winners. Good luck!
June 7, 2011
Gift Idea
If anyone is looking to buy me a cool gift, let me help you…
What is that, you ask? It's a Kindle cover. I have a cool apple green cover that I love, but I found these out of print book covers and other artsy covers. You can get them for the Kindle, Nook and iPad. I mean, come on, how cool is this?
You can check out the covers HERE.
June 6, 2011
Start Reading Early
A article in the The Wall Street Journal this weekend about young adult (YA) fiction caused quite a stir. The tagline goes like this:
Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea?
And the article went downhill from there.
I totally agree that parents should know what their kids are reading. It is a parent's responsibility, not a library or a school board, to help guide their kids' reading choices. But I disagree with almost everything else in this article. See, to me the love of reading is the best gift I ever received from my mom. Books have always been a huge part of my life, even before I started writing. My mom read to me while I was in the womb. While I was growing up, I watched her buy books for herself, for others and for me. Even now she has a library that is packed floor to ceiling with books.
Never in all those times she was buying me books did she try to censor what I read. I didn't read romance then, but I read a lot of horror that scared the crap out of me. I ran through the classics then powed through mysteries and thrillers all while skipping many of the YA books then available. I thought those YA books were too childish, so I always read well above my grade. I would have wept with joy to have the YA reading choices young readers have today.
My mom bought me every single Judy Blume book even though her books were so controversial back then, a fact that now seems ridiculous. The point is I knew if I wanted to read something, I could. There were no restrictions. Mom bought the books and dad never balked at the cost. In fact, when I was a teen he bought me a collection of hardcover classics, 100 in all and delivered one book per month, just because I asked.
My open access to books didn't harm me. On the contrary, it opened my world. I grew up mostly in Lancaster County, PA. It was a good place to live but my experiences were limited and my life was somewhat sheltered. I used books to escape, to inform, to understand, to not feel alone and to figure out that I would somehow survive my teen years just fine. Junior High sucked and books made it better.
So, I would ask those parents who read comments like the one above and agree, or read the article and get scared so they limit their kids' reading choices, to reconsider. Books don't make kids go out and have sex or drink or cut themselves or anything else. Books inform and save. The subjects of today's YA novels may be dark, but life can be pretty dark. I'm sorry, but its true. Having realistic voices delivered on the pages of a book can give hope to lives that feel hopeless. That's the gift.
