Jessica Samuelsen's Blog, page 40

Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks Reaching from where you are at.

Today I am doing a presentation on blogging for writers. I always hate that part when you get to what your credentials are and you can’t help but wonder if it is enough. Today’s talk is going to be short and sweet. Where you are is enough and reach out when you can. I’ve been blogging for a year now and for me that’s not enough. Now I want to teach people what I’ve done so they can have my success and more. Are there people that are more qualified then I am yes. Should that stop me. No. Should that stop you?

Today I just want to remind you that no matter who you are reader, writer-blogger, you have something to offer. Reach where you are at.

 

 

Book Blitz – La Vie en Rose by Lydia Michaels

La Vie en Rose {Life in Pink}

Lydia Michaels

Publication date: April 12th 2016

Genres: Adult, Romance

Emma Sanders has always dreamt of being a bride, wearing fancy gowns, pretty pearls, and—of course—falling madly in love. Then life happened. Finding herself one fiancé short of her happily ever after, she leaves the fairytales behind. Some days are simply too perilous for pink gowns and pearls.

Riley Lockhart is the sort of man who can make a woman lower her gaze with only a smile. That he doesn’t realize his charm makes him all the more enchanting. Determined to save Emma the pain of her breakup, he steps in as a friend, but soon finds himself wanting more.

She was just a girl, but she somehow winds up being the strongest woman he’s ever known. Losing her is not an option and when life can’t be tied neatly in a pretty little bow, he holds tight to all that he loves—his Emma. His hero.

Sometimes the greatest scars are worn on the inside.

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Author Bio:

Lydia Michaels is the award winning author of 23 romance novels. Her novels from the darkly compelling Surrender Trilogy were iBooks Bestsellers and her work has been featured in USA Today. In 2015 she was the winner of The Best of Bucks Award and she has been nominated as Best Author in the Happenings Magazine two years running [2015 & 2016]. She is a four time nominee for the prestigious RONE Award. Her books are intellectual, emotional, haunting, always centered around love. Lydia Michaels loves to hear from readers! She can be contacted by email at Lydia@LydiaMichaelsBooks.com

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GIVEAWAY!

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Blog Tour with Review -Silenced by the Surf by Kate Dyer-Seeley

Welcome to my tour stop for Silenced in the Surf by Kate Dyer-Seeley! This is book three in the Pacific Northwest Mystery series and released March 29th, 2016.

The tour runs April 4-15 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

About the Book:

Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she’s headed for rough waters…

Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world, and Meg is stoked to cover the King of the Hook event for Portland’s Northwest Extreme magazine. Before the competition gets under way, Meg has a chance to try some windsurfing on her own. But when the current sweeps her downriver, she spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It’s soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies. As Meg dives right in to discover who wiped out the windsurfer, she’ll need to keep her balance–or she too may get blown away.

Praise For Scene Of The Climb“A splendid overview of the greater Portland and Columbia River Gorge region, perfect for travel buffs. Her protagonist shows promise with her determined attitude and moxie.” –Library Journal

“A fun, terrific adventure.” —Suspense Magazine

Includes Adventure Guides!

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In An Oyster Shell – This book is a nice change from the series. A slower pace I felt like you got to spend more quality time with the characters.

The Pearls –This is a great series and represents the Pacific Northwest perfectly. Can’t help but have a little Northwest pride after reading this series. I love that it represents the culture and the food. My favorite bit from this book is that coffee is a way of life here in the NorthWest. So True! Way to represent Dyer-Seeley!


I really liked the setting of Hood River. I haven’t spent much time there myself, but it seemed fairly accurate. I liked learning more about the windsurfing culture. It was just a fun book.



The characters just become more endearing with each book. Got to love Megs grandmother Gam. She is a hoot. The love interest Matt keeps you on your toes. There are just a great cast of characters in this series.

I reccomend it. I can’t see where it goeds there were some pretty big plot twists in this book promising the books to come will be worth the wait.

 

Don’t miss out on the first two books, Scene of the Climb and Slayed on the Slopes!

About the Author:

Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing. The first book in the series, Scene of the Climb, features the rugged landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge and a young journalist who bills herself as an intrepidadventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme.

Her work has appeared in a variety of regional and international publications including: The Columbian, The Vancouver Voice, Seattle Backpacker, Portland Family Magazine, and Climbing Magazine.

Kate lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three.

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GIVEAWAY:
Signed copies of Scene of the Climb, Slayed on the Slopes and Silenced in the Surf, pink water bottle, Organic Clif bars, Sunscreen, Chapstick, Pink sunglasses & Gourmet lemonade.
Open to US addresses only.
Ends April 20, 2016

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ARC Review Her Secret, His Surprise by Paula Altenburg

Her Secret, His Surprise by Paula Altenburg
Published by Entangled Publishing on July 14th 2014
Pages: 166
Source: Entangled Publishing

I received this book for free from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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***This is a Red-Hot Bliss Title! As such, it contains sexual content***

Conflict of interest is an understatement…

Since being disowned by her strict father, Cass Stone has spent her adulthood trying to prove him wrong. Her drive has led to more success than her family ever thought she’d achieve, and life is looking great. Not even an incredible and mysterious one night stand that leaves her a single mom can trip her up...until the father of her baby stumbles back into her life, as sexy and unreliable as ever.

Logan Alexander hasn’t forgotten the night he spent with Cass two years ago, but he never expects to end up undercover as her assistant. His job saves lives—like it should have saved his brother—and he can’t afford complications. It’s difficult enough to maintain his cover as a carefree wanderer when he realizes his attraction to Cass hasn’t faded...and then he meets Cass’s daughter.

Cass Stone wants the night to celebrate so she picks up Logan Alexandar for a night. Neither of them could predict the faulty contraception. Two years later Logan runs into Cass again and is surprised that she has a daughter. Unable to share his real identity he has to figure out her secret and still get his job done.

In an Oyster Shell –  A fun love story, this is not a unique concept and there are a few stories out there like it. It was a bit underwhelming.

The Pearls – The characters were really fun. I don’t usually empathize with Type A characters,  but Cass was relatable enough. Logan was a great love interest. I loved the toddler Olivia. Authors don’t always think to develop children characters but this one did.

I loved the setting I have a geological crush on Canada for some reason. It’s nice to travel in a story and never leave your house.

Even though it wasn’t unique, I did like the romance. The blurb says there are sex scenes but they were not that bad. They were tasteful.

The Sand –  It was a nice enough love story, very similar to a few I have read.

Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks – Series you wait forever for.

Happy Friday Peeps! I am drinking the usual, fresh roasted coffee topped with heavy cream. It feels like forever since I’ve been able to just sit down and blog. I have been out of town off and on for the last three weeks. I am glad to be back.

I don’t know about you but in the midst of my ginormous TBR I have a few series that I am keeping up with. What sparked this discussion is the fourth book of the Water Keepers a series I started years ago came out. I am so thrilled. It was a good series and I’ve been bummed to have to wait as long. Honestly, it’s been so long I forgot about it and I got an email saying the next book was coming out! It’s like Christmas.

That happening made me think about how many series that I am in wait for. I can’t tell you how many. I don’t even keep track I just see the book around and think “Oh Yeah, I’m reading that series.” I guess I have commitment issues when it comes to books. I am a book player! The only series I was like a scavenger for was the Lunar Chronicles.

It’s hard to keep up with series when can be published so sporadically. How do you keep up with your series?

Blog Tour and Book Review – Uneven Exchange by S.K. Derban

Uneven Exchange by S.K. Derban
Published by Limitless Publishing on August 26th 2015
Pages: 344
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Like fire and ice, Alexandra Callet's life runs hot and cold. At the age of thirty-three, Alexandra owns a stunning home and a successful interior design company. But she is in love with her business partner, Jake Taylor, and he doesn't even seem to realize she's a woman. She should be on top of the world, but instead she feels dragged down by the void in her heart. Hoping for answers, she decides a trip to Mexico might soothe her soul. Jake Taylor only pretends to be a confirmed bachelor. Jake has been entranced by Alexandra's determination and exotic beauty since the moment they met, but she has no idea how he feels. He considers confessing his love, but fears jeopardizing their friendship and business. He's caught in a web of pretending he doesn't care, and doesn't see a way out of it. Alexandra is recruited for a dangerous mission. Following her trip to Mexico, her resemblance to a member of an assassin's family leads Alexandra to be recruited by the DEA. Her training leaves her distracted, and her business begins to suffer. Jake notices her sudden change, and feels her slipping both personally and professionally beyond his reach. Should he finally take the chance...before it's too late? After all, he has nothing to lose. However, when Alexandra returns to Mexico for her mission, things go terribly wrong. Will she be able find the strength to fight and escape the peaceful haven that has now become her prison? Or will Jake lose Alexandra forever...

Alexandra Callet almost has it all. She has a successful business with two beautiful homes. She’s in love with her partner Jake but he doesn’t know it and that seems to be the only thing that is missing. In a strange culmination of circumstances Alexandra is asked by the DEA to pose as a Mexican hitman’s sister to bring him into custody. She is a striking resemblance, could be mistaken as an Identical twin. She agrees and sets upon a dangerous adventure. In the meantime Jake starts to realize what he is missing. Will he get to her before it is too late?

In an Oyster Shell – An easy read with action and spirituality that will leave the reader feeling hopeful.

The Pearls – The premise of this story was interesting. I thought having to women that look like each other to be advantageous to the DEA’s interest was imaginative. The execution of this premise was well done and made for an interesting tale.

The main character Alexandra was intriguing. She is a woman who has it all but then risks it to help out the government. She was very surprising and a driving force behind the story.

The setting of southern California and Mexico was beautiful and well described.

The Sand – The action of the book was not consistent and severely lagged in the end.

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About S.K. Derban

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, S.K. Derban moved to London within the first three months, and remained in England until the age of five. Her father, an American citizen, was a decorated veteran of the second world war. Derban’s mother, born and raised in the United Kingdom, was involved with the London Royal Ballet Company, and a great fan of the arts. Even after returning to the United States, Derban’s life was filled with a love of the theatre and a passion for British murder mysteries. S.K. Derban has always remained passionate about writing, and is thrilled to finally share her work with others.

Her personal travel and missionary adventures also help to transport readers virtually across the globe. When writing, S.K. Derban relies on all aspects of her life, from her faith in the Lord, to her love and knowledge of the arts. ​

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Review Love Me Never by Sara Wolf

Love Me Never by Sara Wolf
Series: Lovely Vicious #1
on April 5th 2016
Genres: YA, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: Mobi
Source: Entangled Publishing

I received this book for free from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Read the book that Kirkus Reviews called: "A complex, witty page-turner, ideal for YA fans of scandal and romance."

Don’t love your enemy. Declare war on him.

Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she’s lost eighty-five pounds, gotten four streaks of purple in her hair, and moved to Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, to help her mom escape a bad relationship.

All the girls in her new school want one thing—Jack Hunter, the Ice Prince of East Summit High. Hot as an Armani ad, smart enough to get into Yale, and colder than the Arctic, Jack Hunter's never gone out with anyone. Sure, people have seen him downtown with beautiful women, but he's never given high school girls the time of day. Until Isis punches him in the face.

Jack’s met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.

The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.The game board: East Summit High.The reward: Something neither of them expected.

Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments.

Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in over three years. She wants to keep it that way. Isis attends a new school in Ohio hoping to put the past behind her. She has a run-in with Jack Hunter who she deems the Ice Prince. She declares war on him after he his mean to one of her new friends. She keeps track that she doesn’t fall in love because when you do people can get hurt.

In an Oyster-Shell- An amazing story with a shocking end that will have you counting the days down to the next release.

The Pearls – Holy mother of cliff hangers batman. I was not sure if this book was a part of a series or not and about had an aneurysm at the end. I was in literary shock until I jumped on Goodreads and was assured this is a series. That was close!

The storytelling was just fantastic. This author tells a really good story. She uses great character development with laugh out loud humor to tell a tale that will keep you turning the pages.

The point of view from Jack on occasion really made the story come together. Jack’s a tough character and the only way to understand him is get inside his head. Jack Hunter is one of the better developed characters I’ve come across in a long time.

The Sand – The author needs to tighten up her writing craft. The prose was a bit on the wordy side and could stand to be condensed.


About Sara Wolf

Sara Wolf is a twenty-something author who adores baking, screaming at her cats, and screaming at herself while she types hilarious things. When she was a kid, she was too busy eating dirt to write her first terrible book. Twenty years later, she picked up a keyboard and started mashing her fists on it and created the monster known as the Lovely Vicious series. She lives in San Diego with two cats, a crippling-yet-refreshing sense of self-doubt, and not enough fruit tarts ever.

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ARC Review – Romancing the Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Romancing the Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
Series: ,
on April 5th 2016
Genres: YA, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Mobi
Source: Entangled Publishing

I received this book for free from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

Dan Garrett has become exactly what he hates—popular. Until recently, he was just another live-action role-playing (LARP) geek on the lowest run of the social ladder. Cue a massive growth spurt and an uncanny skill at taking three-point shots in basketball and voila…Mr. Popular. It’s definitely weird.And the biggest drawback? Going from high school zero to basketball hero cost Dan the secret girl-of-his-dorky dreams.A tuba-playing nerd with an eclectic fashion sense, Zelda Potts’s “Coolness” stat is about minus forty-two. Dan turning his back on her and the rest of nerd-dom was brutal enough, but when he humiliates her at school, Zelda decides it’s time for a little revenge—dork style. Nevermind that she used to have a crush on him. Nevermind that her plan could backfire big time.It’s time to roll the dice…and hope like freakin’ hell she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.

Zelda Potts used to be friends with Dan Garett who became everything they both used to hate overnight. Dan is popular seemingly overnight as he joins the basketball team. Zelda takes it personally when Dan misses a LARP night to go to a party, she sure she has lost him to the dark side for sure. Zelda doesn’t forgive easily and comes up with a plan to get revenge on Dan. Will things go right or will it blow up in her face risking everything she didn’t know she cared about.

In an Oyster Shell- This was a charming YA romance that had it’s hiccups in the beginnings and won me over in the end.

The Pearls- I found the concept of the book very interesting and endearing. I am a nerd at heart so this was the perfect story for me. The concept was well executed. The story reminded me vaguely of the 80’s movie can’t buy me love. Where the nerd wins over the popular one. This story has more of a twist than that.

I enjoyed the POV from both the main characters. I liked seeing how the character’s saw each other and also get a glimpse to what was going on in their heads. It brought clarity to the story and really had you feeling empathetic for both characters in the end.

I found the plot delightfully unexpected. It’s called romancing the nerd but I felt it proposed that there might be a little nerd in everyone. I like how the popular guy was not what he seemed and that the nerdy girl had some developing to do. Develop Zelda did I really appreciated that about her, I was losing hope at first. Overall this was a cheery, charming, read that I hope finds its way onto your TBR.

The Sand – I found Zelda to be infuriating – at times and more of jerk than she was projecting Dan to be. Eventually, she grew and became empathetic but I almost couldn’t finish the story because she was so disjointed as a character. I am glad it was resolved in the end.

4 Pearls!


About Leah Rae Miller

Mother, wife, and YA author living on a windy hill in Natchitoches, Louisiana. I love fuzzy socks, comic books, cherry coke, and brand new office supplies. THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD coming Summer 2013 from Entangled Teen. Stay cool! Contact me at leahraewrites(at)gmail(dot)com

For questions about ARCs, blog tours, interviews, etc. please contact my publicist, Heather Riccio heatherriccio (at) entangledpublishing (dot) com

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Raining Romance Giveaway

Thank you, Valerie, from Stuck in Books for hosting.

I have the perfect book for this giveaway. In The Context of Love by Linda K. Sienkiewicz  check out the review here.  It was fantastic and I hope you get to read it.

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Happy Birthday Writing Pearls! Guest Post by Jennifer Peel

by Jennifer Peel

Hey everybody! Happy Birthday – Writing Pearls! I thought we would celebrate with this month’s discussion being guest posts from people that Writing Pearls loves and appreciates. This week it’s from Jennifer Peel –

First of all, I would like to wish a Happy Anniversary to Writing Pearls! I have appreciated all of the support Jessica and her blog have given me over the year by reviewing my books. I’m honored to have been asked to write a guest post for the occasion.

Jessica suggested that I write about finding your voice. As someone who writes from the first person point of view, it is crucial to my stories that I nail that in each novel. I won’t claim to be an expert on this subject, but I’m honored to share some small insights about how I get to know and write my characters.

When I first start a novel, I spend a lot of time thinking about my main characters. Sometimes I will even lie on my bed and think about these people for an hour or more. I’ll even think about the conversations they have between each other. Some of those conversations get written down in the character journal I keep. From there, I begin to formulate key scenes. I also write an outline of those scenes, sometimes hand-written, sometimes typed, so I can reference it later. I think about what makes this character tick. What do I know about them that maybe even the reader won’t ever know? If I can, I physically visit the locations where some of these key scenes take place If I can’t, I’ll study them online. I also research everything I can about their profession. Sometimes, if possible, I will interview people that have that particular job. I’ve interviewed individuals in professions from teachers to political figures. Anything I can do to make these characters authentic.

When I begin to write, I remind myself this is their journey, not mine. Yes, I can use my life experience and I even imagine what it would be like to be them, but at the same time, I have to remember they are not me. I’ve written characters that have driven me crazy, and some I even hate, but that’s okay, because they have their own life. For example:

In my most recently released novel, my protagonist Kenadie was a hard sell on love, but Jason, her love interest, was seriously the best suitor ever. However, Kenadie couldn’t even see that Jason was interested in her. As the author, it drove me crazy. I so desperately wanted her to see it, because I was so in love with Jason myself. But again, it was her journey, not mine. I even knew, as I was writing her, that people were going to have an issue with her repeatedly rebuffing him and being clueless to how he felt, but that was okay. Again, it was Kenadie’s story, not mine. We shouldn’t be afraid to write characters that aren’t perfect, because newsflash, no one is.

It is okay in my opinion to let your character make their journey. We all want the satisfying end, but we can’t rush it. I’m not saying not to be cognizant of what the reader wants, but don’t sacrifice the story. Not everything has to be tied up in a perfect bow at the end, even in happy endings–and I’m a huge believer in happy endings, by the way.

It is very important to remember that you won’t please everyone. You can’t. So don’t even try. Sometimes I’m flabbergasted at what rubs people the wrong way, but I remind myself that their life experience is different than mine, and that’s okay. If you try to write your stories and characters based on what your critics have said or might say, it will stifle the process. I know this from experience.

My last piece of advice is to show as much as you can. Let your characters talk to each other. You can tell so much of the story through their conversations.

In the end, all I can say is, be true to yourself and your characters. And don’t be afraid to not only write, but delete, if and when necessary.

Happy Anniversary, Writing Pearls!

About Jennifer Peel

Jennifer Peel is the mother of three amazing kiddos. Wife to her one and only for the past twenty-one years. Lover of late night talks, beach vacations, mountains, pink bubble gum ice cream, tours of model homes, and southern living. She can frequently be found with her laptop on, fingers typing away, indulging in chocolate milk, and writing out the stories that are constantly swirling through her head.

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