Jennifer Griffith's Blog, page 6

Two Amazing Giveaways for the Read-a-Holics Out There

If you love to read, here are two amazing giveaways you should know about. One is a collection of books that are free to read on Kindle Unlimited. But if you’re not in KU, what should you do? You should ENTER TO WIN both a new Kindle AND six free months of KU. That’s a big ol’ prize! I love KU, and if you’re a reading fanatic like I am, it’s seriously the way to get books. It’s kind of like Netflix streaming but for books. Anyway, the contest is only going on for a few more days, so enter fast! Oh, and a second prize is a $50 Amazon gift card. Seriously! More books!

Second, there’s a great Instafreebie giveaway going for clean romance. The girl who organized it says, “All the Romance, Without the Steam.” Fans of Hallmark Movies will want to check this out, right? By the way, how many Hallmark Christmas movies have you watched so far this season. I think I’m up to ten. #sigh

 

Day 6 of the 12 Days of Clean Romance for Christmas

Big thanks to Kathy at IAmAReader for putting together this fun promo!

 

My Fair Aussie by Jennifer Griffith

There’s more to this Aussie cowboy than meets the eye.

Former grad student Eliza works as a nanny for a self-absorbed trophy wife looking to trade up for a new husband and ditch her child. Eliza will do anything to protect the little girl and open her boss’s eyes. Even if it requires an elaborate hoax.

Then fate hits Eliza with Henry, a bewildered, dirty guy at the bus station. He’s got amazing teeth, cowboy swagger, and an accent to swoon for. Everything is falling into place for a rags-to-riches-style bait and switch. But will it deliver a slice of humble pie to Eliza’s boss—or get Eliza fired?

Worse, refining him might mean losing her heart.

 

 

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Praise for My Fair Aussie

My Fair Aussie is the perfect retelling of a classic tale with a delicious twist—and an Australian cowboy to boot. It’s the ideal combination of humor and romance. Totally swoon-worthy. Highly recommended! – CJ Anaya, USA Today bestselling author

“How does she do it? Griffith once again makes me laugh out loud and thoroughly enjoy a good book. Love her cute characters.” Amazon Reviewer ‘grimm

 

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Excerpt 1

“So you’re saying we find our very own Eliza Doolittle, but a guy, ‘deliciously dirty,’ as you say—”

“He has to be deliciously dirty.”

“Right. We do a quick ritzy makeover on him and try to pass him off as one of the type of guys Monique-Noelle and her army of vacuous gold-diggers are looking for.”

“Even better, we set things up so Mo-No could actually totally fall for him. And when she does, we whisk him away and then let her find out the truth.” Polly wasn’t the type to get giddy, but she did have a light in her eye.

And maybe, with that, Mo-No realizes she should appreciate the man who was the father of her beautiful daughter and quit trying to trade up. Or down. Or sideways.

Or for more hair.

“And where do we get someone deliciously dirty who also isn’t a drug dealer or user or, you know, dangerous?”

“I didn’t say this plan was without risks. But we’ll be careful.” Polly’s eyes danced. “I’m a good judge of character.”

Yeah. Everyone thought that about themselves. Skepticism crept up in me. There was no way we could pull off something of this magnitude. We shouldn’t even be considering it.

Excerpt 2

“Are you okay, sir?” I couldn’t help asking. He looked so forlorn.

“Actually, an international phone. That’s what I really need.” As he said the word need, I caught a glimpse of his teeth.

Okay, I might have a thing about teeth. An obsession, Polly calls it. A very good set of teeth can completely blind me to myriad other characteristics that would make a person otherwise unappealing.

And these teeth happened to be the best, most dazzling teeth I’d ever seen. My heart may have skipped a beat.

Maybe it was because they contrasted so starkly against his sunburnt face, or played so nicely off his extremely messy blond hair, but suddenly, I was entranced and ignoring everything else that I should be paying attention to—like the fact he was a homeless man who lived at the bus station and was asking to borrow, or possibly steal, my phone.

“I’ve got to get an international phone.” He said it again, and this time I picked apart the accent more. My mind was like one of those police phone traces when a hostage-taker called. Keep ’em on the line just a few more seconds—we’re pinpointing. He had to talk more for me to place it. Not American, not quite British. South African, maybe? Kiwi?

…

Polly took him by the shoulders and spun him around. “Nice build. That, plus the teeth. You’ll do.”

Excerpt 3

“That’s nice and all,” Henry said, his dazzling teeth outshining his grime, “but I really do need access to an international phone. This place only has a pay phone that calls locally, and I need to make an overseas call, and—”

“How about this, Henry?” Polly rubbed her chin as if she were an old man stroking his beard in thought. “We need someone to do a project with us for two weeks.”

Two weeks! I spluttered beside her, not knowing how to stop this fast-moving freight train. Did she even know what she was saying?

“At the end of two weeks, if you can accomplish what we need you to do—all of it being totally legal and above-board, I promise—I’ll make sure you get an international phone.”

“Two weeks…” Henry frowned. He didn’t have the confused look of earlier, but he didn’t seem to be rejecting it. “What exactly are we talking about?”

“Oh, it will be fun. Lots of fun.” Polly would not be stopped. “You’ll get to dress in nice clothes, meet wealthy people, go to at least one nice party.”

I’d rather work for Mo-No forever than hurt this guy who was worrying about the helicopters and the water in the river and his fanciful realm of reality-forged-of-imagination. For as wacked as it was, his crazy worldview definitely did seem harmless, sweet almost. And his Australian accent, now that it quit plaguing me as I tried to decipher it, was totally engaging.

We could not set him up.

However, Henry didn’t look appalled; he looked intrigued, if that was possible, through the grime. “My Fair Lady. I get it. But in this case, I’m the lady.”

Excerpt 4

“Let’s have my story be—” he stroked my index finger “—I’m an Australian.” He caressed my thumb. “I run a huge cattle operation in the high country.” He followed along with each of my other fingers while I blinked. “I’m here in the States exploring top-secret business opportunities.”

I heard the words. They went into my ear canals, but I didn’t process them at all. His fingertips were now sliding along the back of my hand, and then across my palm and my fingers again, and the only one of my five senses I could compute was touch, it was so engrossing. Showers of tingles filled every cell and molecule of me.

After a bit of my stunned silence, he said, “How does that sound, Eliza?” He said my name, with the Elizer accent again, and my sense of hearing kicked back in. “Cattle baron?”

“Right.” I gulped once, and then again. “Cattle baron.” That would explain any lack of polish, as well as the cowboy walk, and the great tan for this time of year. Wasn’t it the dead of summer there right now, while we were leading up to Christmas here in the northern hemisphere?

Perfect.

“Perfect,” I breathed.

“Perfect,” he said, lifting my hand and giving it a kiss, and turning my insides from mere tingling sparklers to the full-on Fourth of July. “A cattle baron might win any girl’s heart. Even a nanny’s.”

 

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Also by Jennifer Griffith

 

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Author Jennifer Griffith

Jennifer Griffith writes light, sweet romances she calls Cotton Candy for the Soul. Her Legally in Love Collection stems from the fact she fell in love with a handsome law school student who now serves as a judge—as well as her muse. She also writes the Billionaire Makeover Romances, billionaires and makeovers being some things with which she has less experience.

Jennifer loves old cars, landscape paintings, fresh bread with raspberry jam, and reading. She lived in Japan during college, where she once ate a cricket on a dare. She also traveled through Europe, where she slept a night in a castle on the Rhine. Jennifer worked summers in a cookie factory, and she spent a few years working for the U.S. Congress before becoming a wife, a mom and an author.

 

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More great books by Jennifer Griffith

 

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Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 12/22/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Book: An Extraordinary Few by Pam Eaton

Hey, guys! My friend Pam has a new book! I read an early draft, and it’s amazing!! If you like YA fantasy/sci-fi, you’re in for a treat.

 

Synopsis

 

To be extraordinary is rare, but to be unique is downright dangerous .

Rebecca Hunter thought senior year would be all about hockey games, parties, dances, and college applications. When Becca’s absentee mom dies, things take a drastic turn. She just inherited a super power, but has no idea what it is. And now instead of worrying about homework, she’s got a secret group from the FBI at her door looking to recruit her.

 

Her days of being an ordinary seventeen year old are over, because she’s one of a hundred people left in the world with superpowers. This covert group, Project Lightning, offers to train her, but soon they discover she doesn’t just have her mom’s power, she has more. And that’s never been seen before.

 

As they try to help her manipulate this new power, agents from Project Lightning go missing, and a few turn up dead. They’re being hunted. And when two men almost kidnap her, she realizes she’s being hunted too. What was supposed to be an amazing senior year has turned into brutal training to find the lost, protect those she loves, and harnessing this new power.

 

 

Buy the Book

Amazon

 

About Pam Eaton

 

Pam Eaton lives in the deserts of Arizona, but she’ll always consider herself a New Englander at heart. She graduated from Arizona State University with degrees involving education and history. While she loves history, it’ll always take a backseat to the fictional world she stumbled into as a young girl

She lives with her husband, two kids (with one on the way), and two crazy, but lovable labs. It’s a chaotic life, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Especially since they let her read an insane amount of books, and watch way too many Food Network shows.

Facebook – Website – Twitter

 

My Fair Aussie–What’s in a Name?

Now available! My Fair Aussie releases today!

So far it’s getting some rave reviews, but I’m just relieved it’s finally going out so I can breathe again.

 

 

There’s more to this Aussie cowboy than meets the eye.

Former grad student Eliza works as a nanny for a self-absorbed trophy wife looking to trade up for a new husband and ditch her child. Eliza will do anything to protect the little girl and open her boss’s eyes. Even if it requires an elaborate hoax.

Then fate hits Eliza with Henry, a bewildered, dirty guy at the bus station. He’s got amazing teeth, cowboy swagger, and an accent to swoon for. Everything is falling into place for a rags-to-riches-style bait and switch. But will it deliver a slice of humble pie to Eliza’s boss—or get Eliza fired?

Worse, refining him might mean losing her heart.

 

SNEAK PEEK/BACK STORY:

Books titles don’t always materialize in their final form. This book had two other titles before it ended with its reference to My Fair Lady. For a while it spent time as Talk Aussie to Me, which reminded me a little too much of an ’80s rock song that didn’t fit with my theme of clean romance.

However, in its very first incarnation, it was Talk Australian to Me. Here’s why–

A few years ago, one of my husband’s five sisters had a Hugh Jackman problem. “Talk Australian to me,” she’d say, with a little swoon after watching him in any of his movies.

Informal research reveals that she wasn’t the only American girl with a thing for that Aussie accent. (Evidence: The number of times I watched The Man from Snowy River, and Strictly Ballroom.)

It’s still titled its original title in my computer’s document and pictures folders, and the other day I called it the wrong thing at my critique group. Old habits die hard.

One of these days I’ll share with you where I found the cover model for the book. He’s cute, right?

$100 Giveaway (No, seriously.)

* $100 Kick-Off Giveaway *
12 Days of Clean Romance!

This promotion is hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader and features 12 of her favorite authors whose books you can trust to be clean, fun and 100% worth reading!

Just look at this great list of Participating Authors!!

12 Days of Clean Romance Schedule

Jennifer Peel – December 4th

Taylor Hart – December 5th

Rachael Anderson – December 6th

Josi S. Kilpack – December 7th

Janette Rallison – December 8th

Jennifer Griffith – December 9th

Taylor Dean – December 11th

Sheralyn Pratt – December 12th

Heather B. Moore – December 13th

Annette K. Larsen – December 14th

Lucy McConnell – December 15th

Cami Checketts – December 16th

In total $500 will be given away as part of this promotion so be sure to sign up for email updates so you don’t miss any of these giveaways!

If you have a blog and want to help promote these authors for the chance to win additional gift cards you can sign up here.

 

Now on to what you are here for
The $100 Giveaway!!

 

Giveaway Details

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 12/17/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do You Remember The Man From Snowy River?

Okay, what girl who grew up in the 1980s didn’t fall at least a little in love with The Man from Snowy River. I’m pretty sure most of my friends spent at least a few hours on the piano trying to learn to play “Jessica’s Theme” and possibly more hours pining for Jim Craig and his Australian cowboy swooniness. Remember when he broke the colt? Ahhh. What was your favorite part?

Picture used from Rotten Tomatoes

Well, this week, I was talking with a writer from Australia. She was giving my new book, My Fair Aussie, a quick read-through to help me make sure I hadn’t put in any stupid usages of Australian slang. (Bless her heart, right? How awesome of her is it? Thank you, Lara!) (I’ll be telling you about her clean rock star romance one of these soon days.)

Lara said the book reminded her of The Man from Snowy River (and her own crush on The Man.) Woot! Mission accomplished. I really wanted to elicit that feel, to some extent.

However, she also asked me a question–had I read the poem? What poem, I asked. The poem called “The Man from Snowy River,” by Banjo Paterson, upon which the movie’s plot was based. AND she sent me the link.

Oh, my goodness! If you were a fan of that movie, or if you’re just a fan of beautiful, exciting, evocative poetry, just read it. It made my heart soar.

Meanwhile, when I had Dillon design the cover of the paperback for this book, I asked him if he’d throw in a visual reference to the movie. We were able to locate the coolest thing: a stock photo of the movie set of Jim Craig’s cabin. >Imagine my giddy clapping here.<

It’s slightly less dramatic on the cover, but the original had a gorgeous pink sunset over the Victorian Alps north of Melbourne.

There are more stories (more dramatic) about how this cover came into existence. I’ll tell them to you soon. Meanwhile, go read that poem! It’s so good!

Cover Reveal: My Fair Aussie

I’m excited to reveal the cover of the third book in my Millionaire Makeover Romances.

My Fair Aussie
There’s more to this Aussie cowboy than meets the eye.

Former grad student Eliza works as a nanny for a self-absorbed trophy wife looking to trade up for a new husband and ditch her child. Eliza will do anything to protect the little girl and open her boss’s eyes. Even if it requires an elaborate hoax.

Then fate hits Eliza with Henry, a bewildered, dirty guy at the bus station. He’s got amazing teeth, cowboy swagger, and an accent to swoon for. Everything is falling into place for a rags-to-riches-style bait and switch. But will it deliver a slice of humble pie to Eliza’s boss—or get Eliza fired?

Worse, refining him might mean losing her heart.

If you were a fan of My Fair Lady, the plot of My Fair Aussie will ring a bell. It will be available Tuesday, December 5th. Lots of early readers are telling me it has made them laugh out loud, so…that’s a win, right?)

(By the way, if you’re wondering what the heck the other books are in the Millionaire Makeover Romances, they’re Immersed and The Lost Art. Each is a standalone, so they don’t need to be read in order. They’re just fun, with the theme of girl-meets-millionaire/billionaire. A makeover of some kind is involved. I do love a makeover. And love.)

Free Short Novel: The Cheerleader & The Ghost

Hiya. If you’re wanting to see whether you’ll like my brand of clean romantic comedy, right now I’m offering a

free short novel: The Cheerleader & The Ghost.

It’s an autumn theme, and it’s young adult romance–with a ghost. Sure, it’s not what I usually write (clean contemporary adult romance), but it’s still my tone and voice and humor. I hope you like it. Once upon a time, it was published as “School Spirit” in the anthology Strange and Lovely. Grab it and enjoy!

You’ll be added to my email list, where you’ll be sent early views of cover reveals, special notice of sales, and some great info/deals on other books in the genre. You can unsubscribe at any time–no hurt feelings.

I really like the work Dillon McGaughey of CMI did on the cover. Spooky fun, right?

Quick Way to Design Covers, Ads, Post Graphics

For a while now I have been wondering how all these people made memes and got these cute graphics to put on their social media posts. When I’d ask, people told me about Canva. I’d tried it last year and got distracted, but I came back to it a month or so ago and saw how it’s actually really easy to use.

It’s a drag-and-drop site that’s free and you can make all kinds of fun posts and ads. In fact, in just an hour or so I made the cover for that Halloween short story installment in the Legally in Love collection, Assumption of the Risk. It’s not super duper great, but I think it fits the romantic suspense tone I was aiming for.

There’s a paid version of Canva, if you want to use some of their more-awesome-looking graphics, but if you just want to design using some of their templates and stock images, you’re still good to go. Once you have your item all set, you can just hit download or share and you’re golden.

Here’s one I made today for this post. Enjoy this fun site!

 

Never Look Back

The mantra that has guided my 2017, as I said before, has been a quote from Brad Bird’s brilliant movie, The Incredibles: “I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”

Much as it has helped me, it can’t be applied in every situation. Sometimes, we have to look back, in order to go forward.

Case in point: I’m in the process of adding books to series I started writing several years ago. The problem with this, as every creative person who is trying to improve knows, is that today’s skill set and style are sometimes quite different from the what we were doing…whenever. Before.

I stopped by the graphics shop this morning to see my super-talented friend, and lamented this fact. He said, “Are you looking at something you did more than two years ago? Because if so, I totally get you. I can’t look back at that stuff of mine. It makes me wonder why I was even employable.”

At least I’m not alone.

But it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got to make a decision: should I break my mantra for this year, look back at my old work, revisit it and try to bring it up to speed so that it more closely matches what I’m doing today, so as not to alienate readers who find it in the series with today’s work? Or…do I just cut my losses and try to make a new series with the next book?

What I don’t want to do is leave it as it is and add something with today’s style/skills to something old that I’m just a little puzzled by now.

I have some author friends who have gone to their backlists and refreshed (or rewritten) books. I know others who take the “never look back” tack.

What’s not clear is whether a reader can forgive “early work” as such, or whether a glance back for them will end up creating a situation where the reader no longer trusts an author’s brand.

>drums fingers on the tabletop<

This is the dithering I’ve been laboring under all morning.

Then, when I met my husband for lunch (I love him for SO many reasons, his logic and wisdom being only one of them), he said, “Analyze the time. How long would it take you to fix Old Novel?” Probably a full week of writing, I said with a wince. “How long would it take you to create something new to fill its slot, start to finish.” Oh. Right. That would likely take six months. “There you have your answer.”

He’s right. (As usual. It’s great being married to someone who can be right without gloating.) And he walked me through it to get to the answer.

Naturally, it wasn’t the answer I *truly* wanted. The answer I truly wanted was that I could pay some magical fairy to sprinkle sparkly Book Perfect dust onto the manuscript and mend all its flaws. Alas.

One good thing about being an indie author, is that I get to make these decisions as I go. If I don’t like a book anymore, I can gut it and return it shiny and new to the reading world. I’m doing that with a book in the Legally in Love Collection already, just about finished with it and hoping to return it to the Kindle shelves before the end of 2017.

By then, I’ll only get to look back on 2017 and all the words I wrote this year, and I’ll be staring straight into the jaws of 2018 and all the words I’m planning to write then.

(I’d better get back to work!)