Sarina Bowen's Blog, page 42
December 6, 2015
Teaser Excerpt from a New Vermont Series
Random teaser excerpt time! This is from something I'm working on, a new series set in Vermont. The working title for the series is True North, and it will be populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that populate this place. (Beards are optional but encouraged.)
The first book features Griffin, a grumpy bear of an orchardist vs. Polly, a cute but luckless chef:
“Now let’s get your shiny new car out of the ditch, shall we?” Griff glowered at me. For real. Before today I’d never seen anyone actually glower. It was a word found only in books, and on Griff Shipley’s ridiculously handsome yet ornery face.
“It’s a rental,” I said in my own defense. “I can just call for roadside service.”
Glowering Griff gave a weary sigh. “I’ll be rid of you sooner if I do it myself.” He raised two big fingers to his mouth and blew an ear-piercing whistle. Then he waited, while I tried not to think of those fingers, and the things they’d once done to me…
“Got a problem, Han?” a voice called from the meadow beyond the trees that lined this road. A few seconds later an attractive blond dude slipped between the trees to join us.
“Yeah, we do, Chewy. We have to pull the princess here out of the ditch and change her tire. Then warp speed her ass back to Boston so she can report that the rebels are mutinying.”
“Jesus, I’d forgotten about your Star Wars obsession.” That just slipped out of my mouth. But as soon as I said it, the other guy’s eyes opened wide, and the look on Griff’s face made it clear that any further references to our tiny sliver of a past together weren’t going to be tolerated.
Though *tiny sliver* isn’t good terminology for the boinking we’d done, because nothing on that man’s body was tiny.
Moving on...
Stay tuned for more news of the True North series, coming in 2016.
December 4, 2015
My Favorite Smart Male/Male Novels of 2015
These recent gems are all as brainy as they are sexy. I enjoyed them all during 2015.
For Real by Alexis Hall. For me, it's always the writing. Even though May/December romances don't usually beckon, and I'm not interested in BDSM novels, this book was one of my favorites of the year. It's that good.
Unmasking Zach by Edie Danford. This one had me at: sex in a Vermont yurt. Thoughtful college boys in a terrific New England setting? Where do I sign! Loved this gorgeous standalone. My favorite from this author.
Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins. I think this is my favorite of the Bend or Break series, not that it's easy to choose. I had to put it down a couple of times because the claustrophobic small town setting pushed a few of my buttons in the best possible way. Gorgeous writing, of course.
Playing for Keeps by Avery Cockburn. I didn't know I wanted to read about Scottish sectarian politics until I picked up this book. It's fabulous.
The Mating of Michael by Eli Easton. Everything about this book (except maybe its title) is awesome. The characters are unique and well-drawn, an odd trope is handled beautifully and there are excerpts from an inventive sci-fi book-within-a-book. Read it.
In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish is one of those books that everyone was reading. So I put it off a little while, because sometimes I'm stubborn like that. But this book is so smart and appealing that I shouldn't have waited. Fabulous characters and gorgeous storytelling. Don't miss it.
December 2, 2015
6 Romantic YA Favorites
It's been a while since I wrote about my favorite reads, so today I want to tell you which YA books I'd take with me to a desert island. Some of these were big hits and some and underdogs but they're ALL FABULOUS! In each case the incredible writing drew me in. And--bonus--they're all romantic.
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. This Australian gem won award after award in Australia but is underappreciated in the states. It's artsy and romantic and just plain great.
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. This one was on all the "best of" lists for 2014, so I read it early this year. And...wow! So good. The writing is just killer. I could just roll around in this book's prose.
Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick. Gah, Tim! You scene-stealer from the last book! I love you. And how does Ms. Fitzpatrick put young children into these books without every stepping over the too-cute-for-believability line? She's genius.
What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton. This is such a powerful book about a scary thing, but it's so, so well done. And with a swoony romance as the B story. I loved it.
The Fix by Natasha Sinel. This one is new, and awesome. The author just nails the voice and a tough subject, too. It's one of the best YA books I read in 2015.
All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry. This is an achingly good historical novel by someone who understands yearning on a soul-deep level. Even if historical is not your thing, don't miss it.
November 6, 2015
HIM is nominated for an award!
This is so exciting! There are two days left to vote for HIM in the Goodreads CHOICE AWARDS for 2015! Elle Kennedy and I could not be more excited. We'd love to have your vote. If HIM makes it to Round II, we're going to make a special announcement about what's new for our boys. :)
Vote for the Romance Category at Goodreads
October 30, 2015
Authors' Tools I Use Every Day
Stealthy. Like a ninja.
As my backlist has really taken off, I'm basically running a medium-sized business in my kitchen these days. Designing promo art, running ads, keeping up with my blogger friends. It's a lot of work. I get a lot of questions about what tools I use to steer the ship. In case you're curious, here goes!
I use MailChimp because their free-for-the-first-2000-members sucked me in, like it does everyone else. But now I stick with this tool because they've integrated it with all my other services. So I have no plans to leave even though I'm paying for it. And the interface is clean and easy. Also? The other decent emailers aren't much cheaper. My number one tool is Squarespace! In fact, I now design websites for other authors in Squarespace because I've created some very special tools that make an author's life easier. The ecommerce features rock, and the 24/7 customer service is a lifesaver.For art I use three tools, depending on what I'm doing. I keep the paid version of PicMonkey because I really like their filters. They're intuitive. I hate the fact that you can't store works in progress there, so I'd like to cut the cord. But... ooh, pretty!I've gotten over my issues with Canva simply because I like the way I can go back and edit stuff. For any repetitive art-making, it's handy. I have a version of Photoshop Elements which set me back only $60 and is invaluable for putting text on art that really matters. Like book covers!I use Insightly CRM software to keep track of which bloggers have worked with me in the past. To be honest, I don't love Insightly. The syncing and mail functions are just meh. But Google contacts is just not robust enough to track relationships, so I needed something better.Booktrakr sends me an email every morning telling me how many copies I sold the previous day at Amazon, B&N, Kobo and iBooks. It doesn't handle D2D, unfortunately. And there are bugs, but it's still a free Beta so I expect that.My ebooks are formatted in the new version of Vellum, which I love. I don't expect to regret paying for the full version.My works in progress are in Scrivener, which I could not live without.Because Facebook Messenger's TOS offends me, I use a buggy third-party app called Friendly.I love Tweetdeck as a chrome plugin. I use Hootsuite to schedule posts to groups and Latergram.me to schedule Instagram posts.That's a lot of tools! Yikes. What are your faves?
October 13, 2015
It's live! The Fifteenth Minute (Ivy Years #5)
I'm so excited to bring you The Fifteenth Minute. Lianne was a really fun character to write, and there's a lot of humor (and a dose of heartbreak) in this book. Thank you, readers, for all the kind words and early reviews! I feel so lucky today.
Sincerely,
Sarina
September 29, 2015
It's #TeaserTuesday!
September 25, 2015
Exclusive Teaser! The Fifteenth Minute
Here's an excerpt, just to tide you over:
From Chapter One
He smiles at me, and I’m staring. Who knew I was sucker for dimples? “That’s right,” he says, and I try to remember what we were talking about. “There are some nineties hits that would never see airtime if it weren’t for hockey games.”
Focus, Lianne! “Really? Name one.”
“‘Ice Ice Baby,’ by—”
“Vanilla Ice,” I finish. “Yeah, okay. I can see that.”
“‘Cold as Ice,’ by Foreigner,” he adds.
“That’s not a nineties tune,” I argue. “It’s 1977.”
DJ tips his head back and laughs. “Your knowledge of seventies hits is—”
“Impressive.” I finish. “‘Cold as Ice’ was B-sided originally before it was released as its own single.”
His eyes widen. “Marry me,” he says after a beat.
I giggle like a schoolgirl. (Footnote: I was never a schoolgirl. But if Hollywood scripts are to be believed, they giggle plenty.)
“Are you, like, a Foreigner fan girl?” he asks. “Or do you have encyclopedic knowledge of all seventies music?”
With a shrug, I just shake my head. The truth is that my father was friends with Lou Gramm. In fact—one of the reasons I know so much about music is that my father loved to talk about it. He’s gone now. But when I listen to my iPod, I feel closer to him.
I don’t mention any of this to DJ for two reasons. It’s name dropping, which I loathe. But also—so many Harkness students assume I’m stupid. I don’t mind at all if DJ thinks I’m smart. It’s a nice change. “What other songs are kept alive by hockey?”
He starts talking again, and I do my best to listen. But I’m distracted by the way his full lips move when he talks and by the five o’clock shadow roughening his jaw. He’s wearing a flannel shirt that looks soft to the touch. And there’s a V of skin exposed at his chest that teases me. I get just a glimpse of a dusting of dark hair against olive skin.
I have to work hard not to stare, wondering what he’d look like without that shirt on.
So this is what people mean by attraction. He is the magnet, and I feel the pull. It tingles in my belly. It resonates in my chest whenever he laughs. Hopefully I’m nodding and agreeing at all the right junctures in this conversation. Because whenever he smiles I experience a loss of executive function. Last time beer was the culprit. Tonight it’s just him.
The loudspeaker crackles to life. “Pie thirty-seven! Thirty-eight! Forty!”
DJ cocks a thumb over his shoulder. “I gotta get that. Be right back.”
When he walks away, I return my attention to the jukebox. My heart is pounding and my palms are sweaty. Talking to him is exhilarating and terrifying.
If there’s another nineteen-year-old in the world with less game than I have, I pity her.
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September 19, 2015
Cover Reveal! Yay! Ivy Years #5 is up for Pre-Order
Guys, meet Daniel "DJ" Trevi: hockey stud, music buff, excellent kisser. Can't wait to bring you this book on Oct 13! In the meantime, there are pre-order links for Amazon and Kobo. More vendors coming soon.
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Just because she's famous doesn't mean she's happy.
Freshman Lianne Challice is known to millions of fans as Princess Vindi. But sometimes a silver screen sorceress just wants to hang up her wand, tell her manager to shove it, and become a normal college student. Too bad that’s harder than it looks.
She’s never lived a normal life. She hasn’t been to school since kindergarten. And getting close to anyone is just too risky — the last boy she kissed sold the story to a British tabloid.
But she can’t resist trying to get close to Daniel "DJ" Trevi, the hot, broody guy who spins tunes for hockey games in the arena. Something's haunting his dark eyes, and she needs to know more.
DJ's genius is for expressing the mood of the crowd with a ten second song snippet. With just a click and a fade, he can spread hope, pathos or elation among six thousand screaming fans.
Too bad his college career is about to experience the same quick fade-out as one of his songs. He can't get close to Lianne, and he can't tell her why. And the fact that she seems to like him at all? Incredible.
September 17, 2015
Who will you see again in The Fifteenth Minute?
Thanks for all the awesome questions about old friends in The Ivy Years! Here's a hint about who you'll see again in THE FIFTEENTH MINUTE.
