Tuesday, July 29, 2014

#CoverReveal The Breathe Series by Elena Dillon



 


Breathe by Elena Dillon 
Book 1 - Breathe Series 
Young Adult Romantic Suspense
Jasmine’s life wasn’t normal for a 16 year old girl. It hadn’t been normal since the murder of her older sister, Daisy, two years ago. Her life had been changed forever. The monster that murdered Daisy was never caught. That was the reason her family decided to move away from their hometown in Southern California, to start over. Hopefully in a place where the last name Rourke wouldn’t bring on staring or judgment or morbid curiosity.

In Lafayette, Louisiana things are quite a bit different but in a good way. Good manners, Cajun accents and a whole lot of Southern Hospitality all make her think things are going in the right direction. On top of that the most gorgeous boy she has ever met is interested in her. Her new friends are better than she could have hoped for even if she is worried about what they might think when they find out who she is. Life would be perfect if odd things didn’t keep happening. Creepy phone calls, texts, and flowers in her locker start adding up quickly to something terrifying. Could the Monster have followed them to Lafayette? Was he coming after her this time? Maybe she was just worrying unnecessarily…or not.
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1l2aRBN
Purchase
Barnes & Noble:  http://bit.ly/1upgmE2
Shimmer by Elena Dillon
Book 2 - Breathe Series
Young Adult Romantic Suspense
Chandler Raines and her “dad” are on the run. Never staying in one place for very long. It’s just not safe. When they arrive in Lafayette, Louisiana, Chandler quickly realizes this is the place she wants to call home. Friends, a cute boy, and competitive cheerleading have her taking dangerous risks to have the life she always wanted. Risks she promised she wouldn’t take. When her lies catch up to her, a decision has to be made. Stay or run? Will the evil that’s chased them for the last four years catch up to them? When Chandler’s past comes screeching into the present she’ll have to sacrifice everything to keep what she loves safe. But will it be enough?

About the Author
I have had a love of books for as long as I can remember. I got in trouble as a kid for staying up too late on school nights, reading. I'm a nerdgirl and proud of it. I've been writing my whole life but only recently decided to come out in public with it.
I write Young Adult love stories because as my husband would tell you, I never matured much past fifteen. There is nothing better to me than a good romance with an amazing hero, throw in some creepy suspense and I'm in.
I write from my home office in Southern California with our English Bulldog, Brutus to keep me company. To hear about him, my writing experience and read some outtakes of my stories check out my blog at elenadillon.com.
I love to chat with other readers and writers.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Michal's Window De-Sexed and on sale for 99c #romance

Are there set standards for sensuality and heat levels in romance novels?

I don't think so. What's too hot for some may be bland as butter for others. Case in point: My first novel, Michal's Window has been called porn by reviewers. [Check out the ONE-star reviews on Amazon], whereas my latest novel, Whole Latte Love wasn't "Hot" enough for an old cougar.

Michal's Window does not name body parts or depict the sex act, whereas Whole Latte Love definitely shows more than it tells. So, what's going on here? Audience.

Michal is a character from the Bible, the first wife of King David. While they most certainly had sex during Biblical times, and King David was a very sensual man with his many wives and adulterous affair with Bathsheba, readers of Michal's Window do not expect the characters to have sex. Instead, sex has to be implied.

So, given the reader feedback, I went through Michal's Window and removed any words that could cause consternation: "impaled", "arousal", "torrid", "tented bulge", and any scenes implying masturbation or oral sex. I paged through almost 500 pages and could not find any really graphic scenes. The closest one took place after Michal rolled herself naked into a rug and had herself delivered to David's room. He decides to give it to her real good. I simply deleted two paragraphs and implied that he gave it to her good. The de-sexed version has been uploaded to Amazon, where the complaints were. However, the original is available everywhere else [Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, etc.]

Meanwhile, Whole Latte Love is billed as a New Adult romance. It is full of sexual tension from page one. But there is a story there too, and Dylan and Carina are not acting like rabbits, but more like cat and mouse. They get close, then further, then closer, and are a real tease for the reader.

The cover is playful. Nothing too erotic, and most readers enjoy the game playing and teasing interplay between the two.

What would happen if a Michal's Window reader accidentally picked up Whole Latte Love? Or my latest, Played by Love?

Perhaps my writing is getting hotter and hotter. Because seriously, I'm not affected by any of the scenes I either read or write. My latest novella, Playing the Rookie, has 3-1/2 sex scenes, 2 make out scenes, 1 self-pleasure scene (almost), bungee jumping, a BFF and a b*tchy ex-fiancee, all packed in 20,000 words. [This novella won't be released until later this year. Sorry to make you wait!]

Anywho... Michal's Window is now on sale at Amazon for 99c. Only Amazon has the de-sexed version. Ebook at:  Amazon US INDIA UK DE FR ES IT Japan Canada Brazil Mexico Australia

The original is also on sale for 99c from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and other online retailers. Pick yourself a copy today and see what all the hoo-ha is about. And if you want something sexier, I have plenty of heat for you in my other books.


#CharacterInterview INCANTATION PARADOX by Annamaria Bazzi #magic #fantasy


Hello Readers! Today I'm interviewing Dolores Reynard from Annamaria Bazzi's newest book, Incantation Paradox. It seems that after an accident, middle-aged Dolores wakes up and finds herself in a strange bedroom--not just that, her body is now that of a teenager (Mona), and everyone at the house believes she IS Mona. Imagine this happening to you! Well, I got a chance to ask Dolores how she coped with this strange phenomenon.


What were your first thoughts when you realized you couldn't get back to your family?
Dolores – I really thought I’d go out of my mind, but I realized early on I needed to be very careful because my life was in danger. If I wanted to get back to my daughters I had to be cunning.

Did you enjoy being in Mona's young body or were you too worried about not being recognized by your own family?
Dolores – Who would be crazy enough not to enjoy the look and feel of a young body! Even in my worry, trying to figure out how to get back to my daughters, the elasticity of Mona’s body was quite pleasant. But they were thoughts and feelings kept in the background because my first priority was to discover how such a thing could ever happen. In books anything is possible, but in real life…

When did you get suspicious of Eric?
Dolores – This is a hard question due to Mona’s feelings always coming to the surface, fogging my thinking. Even though she had problems with the scoundrel, her puppy love feelings would drown me at times. Eric was tricky and I never really trusted him, but when he started to babble nonsense, my suspicions surfaced.

Did you wish you could expose him?
I did wish to expose him, but when Jason stepped in everything changed.

When you started falling in love with Jason, did you wish you could stay in your new life/body and never see Ethan again?
Never seeing Ethan again always sounded good after he slapped me with divorce papers. Although I didn’t want to leave Jason, I still wanted to go home to my girls. Besides, the young body felt great, but, in Mona’s body I looked like Jason’s daughter and that would have been awkward. No matter what my feelings were for him, I still wanted to go home.

Obviously you're a good mother and wanted to go back for Ella and Chloe. If and when you were to see them again, what would you say to them now that you've spent time as a teenager again?
It’s not so much what I’d say, but how I would deal with them and their problems. The living example is always worth so much more than words. When teens act out it’s because they are asserting who they are as individuals in a world they are still trying to comprehend. In the past, there have been times when I’ve overlooked this fact, forgetting their inexperience and in many cases their innocence.

Thanks, Dolores, for dropping by. I'm sure there's a happy ending to your story, but I don't want to give it away. The journey, of course, is worth the telling. I'm sure you agree.

Book Description:

Magic is an illusion. It doesn’t really exist. Or does it?

A horrible car accident destroys Dolores Reynard’s life. But instead of waking up in a hospital bed, she awakens in a teenager’s body. Soon, she discovers she is at the heart of the murderous mystery surrounding the death of Mona, the young girl whose body she occupies. Caught between an evil greater than she ever imagined and a wizard who heals her tattered heart, she is forced to play a dangerous game of intrigue in the hopes of finding a way to return to her previous life.

Will magic be her ally, or will it lead to her demise once and for all.


Incantation Paradox is available from:

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She attended Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Computers with a minor in Spanish.
Annamaria spent twenty years programming systems for large corporations, creating innovative solution, and addressing customer problems. During those years, she raised four daughters and one husband. Annamaria lives in Richmond Virginia with her small family where she now dedicates a good part of her day writing.
You can visit Annamaria at:
blog http://annamariabazzi.com
website http://www.annamariasbooks.com
Check in on Kendíka’s facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kendika.burkeshire

Two digital copies of Incantation Paradox is up for grabs! Be sure to enter and find out what happens to Dolores and all the strange things she encounters.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, July 26, 2014

#RomanceInAMonth #AuthorInterview Chantel Rhondeau on Happy Endings #romance #writing


Chantel Rhondeau is a romance/romantic suspense author who joined my inaugural Romance In A Month class. She completed her first draft within a month of writing and is busy revising and editing. Here's a sneak peak of her story, Happy Endings.


Happy Endings (McCallister's Paradise - 1)
Coming Early 2015
Contemporary Romance

Handsome, wealthy Quinn McCallister is the most eligible bachelor on McCallister’s Paradise. Making his family's island resort a success is all that matters to this workaholic. Everything changes when he meets the beautiful new massage therapist...

Larissa Benner may have survived cancer, but its aftermath left plenty of problems besides the ever-looming fear of relapse. Her family nearly went bankrupt paying for her previous treatment. She desperately needs the full-time therapist position on the island and the benefits that come with it. The last thing she wants is problems with her boss, or a complicated office romance.

It’s hard for her to resist Quinn’s charms—or his passionate side. However, Quinn is married to his job. The choice between love and work is tough for him to juggle and has Larissa scared. If the cancer recurs, would he leave her to face it alone?

Chantel's here to tell us about her new book and also her experiences in the #RomanceInAMonth class.

Tell us about your writing. What types of stories do you like to write? 
I have mostly written romantic suspense, but after taking this class, I’m really enjoying contemporary romance without the mystery line!

What stimulates you to write? How do you motivate yourself on days you don’t feel like writing? 
It’s tough. Having deadlines is the most effective way to get me to write. That’s what I liked about the class. I basically had a deadline every day so that I could tell everyone what I did.

Before Romance in a Month, how involved were you with other authors? How long did it take you to write a first draft? 
I have some friends I talk to regularly, but nothing like this. First drafts were taking me from 3-5 months. My fastest before this was 2 months.

What made you sign up for Romance in a Month? What did you learn and enjoy the most about the class? 
Well, I signed up because Rachelle is the bomb! LOL I learned a lot about archetypes and tropes and I most enjoyed interacting with all the other writers throughout the class.

Tell us about the story you wrote for the class. Was it something you would never have written without the class? What about the class made your story different from how you would usually write? 
I had planned on something like Happy Endings for a while, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. I knew the setting and that my heroine was a massage therapist. Through the class, I learned a lot more about the McCallister family and was able to streamline the story and keep on target. I have been nervous about writing contemporary romance, sure it would end up being boring, but I’m really pleased with Happy Endings. I think it is a great novel.

What do you do differently now that you’ve written a story with the class? What was something you liked most about the class? 
The daily questions were a big help to me, getting my brain thinking outside the box about things I might not normally know about my characters. In a few cases, this lead to new scenes I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I think in-depth interviewing of your characters is a great idea. You don’t have to write about everything you find out, but it is good information to know so that if you ever get stuck, you have some material to work with.

Do you think it is possible to continue writing a romance in a month consistently now that you have taken the class? 
It gives me great confidence knowing this is possible. One of the reasons I’m not releasing Happy Endings until early next year isn’t because it’s not ready (I could release it anytime), but because it is a series and I want to have the next two books written and released at the same time. I’m also writing a book for another series that is due in October and so I have a lot to get done!

Fortunately, I know it is possible now. Happy writing, everyone! I’m excited to participate in the next class!

Chantel, thanks for the kind words and for doing this interview. I've read Happy Endings and it is a great story and makes me want to meet more of the McCallister family.

I hope we’ll meet many more classmates for the next #RomanceInAMonth class.

From Sept 1 to Oct 15, 2014, we're opening up the Romance In A Month group. There is no cost for the class. If you're interested in writing along with a group of friendly, fun, and slightly crazy romance authors, please contact me (Rachelle) at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RachelleAyalaWriter.

The Romance In A Month textbook is available now on Amazon. It contains all of the lessons and slides [in bullet form], as well as resources for brainstorming, and a reading list. I hope you'll join us and share our adventure in writing a Romance In a Month [and every month after that].

Watch my blog for more author interviews and exciting news from the RomanceInAMonth authors or RIAMers - because writing romances are addictive.

If you're interested in joining us for the September-October class, please contact me at my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/rachelleayalawriter

Friday, July 25, 2014

Summer Sales Slump or #KindleUnlimited? A New Publishing Strategy #selfpublishing

It's Summer!

On July 18, Amazon unleashed KindleUnlimited, a brand new service for readers. For $9.99 a month, readers can borrow and read as many ebooks as they want, provided they are IN the Kindle Unlimited program.

Unfortunately, books can only be in the Kindle Unlimited program if they are also in KDP Select, which means they cannot be published anywhere else. On July 18th, my books were not in KDP Select and I saw an immediate drop in sales. My best selling book, Chance for Love: Boxed Set of Dangerous Romance went from selling 20-30 copies a day at 99c to single digits.


Darn! There went my steady sales going on four months straight. Incidentally, I have a blog tour going for Whole Latte Love and have had ZERO sales since July 18th. Before that, I was selling 1-3 a day, not big, but not bad either for a new book. My books were not exclusive to Amazon and I was unable to take advantage of all the readers on their 30-day free trial of Kindle Unlimited.

I immediately set about finding a Kindle Unlimited strategy that would work for me. My backlist is spread out on Amazon, Barnes & Nobo, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords, Scribd, Oyster, and other places. There was no way I could yank all those titles [ten in all] from the other platforms and leave my readers hanging.

So, I released two new books into Kindle Unlimited and pulled a naughty erotica title I had under a pseudonym onto KU on July 21. The results showed an immediate sales jump and borrows started trickling in. Of course, it's too soon to tell, and I complicated matters with a 99c promo of a non Select title, Knowing Vera, which has been pretty disappointing (sold 21 on July 22 while promoted by a big name promo site). I'll post the results next week, but either the book sucks, it's the summer slump, or Kindle Unlimited has sucked all the oxygen or book buying attention away from non Kindle Unlimited books.


So, if you're interested, here are my Kindle Unlimited Titles. Yes, I'm outing myself on the erotica title, but since my sales have dried up on my non Kindle Unlimited books, every little bit helps.

Played by Love (New Adult Romance) by Rachelle Ayala
Romance In A Month: Guide to Writing a Romance in 30 days by Rachelle Ayala
Under the Maestro's Hand (Erotica) by Lady Amati

Can I survive on sales of three books out of eleven? I don't know, but I'll be writing more novellas and shorter works more frequently and putting out these shorter works on Kindle Unlimited. My full-length books will continue to be placed at all vendors because I don't want to leave my readers high and dry, but for now, that's my Kindle Unlimited Strategy.

What's yours? Has Kindle Unlimited affected your sales? Or is this just the regular summer sales slump? [Update: I posted a thread to Kindleboards to see if other authors will share their results and what they're going to do about it. Read it here: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,190607.0.html ]

If you're a reader, how does Kindle Unlimited compare to Scribd and Oyster? Are you more likely to read shorter novellas and serials on Kindle Unlimited as opposed to buying?


#NewRelease LOST AVALON by K. S. Thomas #newadult #romance

lostavalonEBOOK


A New Contemporary Romance by K.S. Thomas

Fame, fortune and a future paved with rock and roll gold. Blaise Nolan has it all. With his brooding good looks, haunting voice and troubled lyrics of a soul gone lost, it's no wonder Finding Nolan has been climbing the music charts with back to back hits. Only Blaise didn't wind up brooding, haunted and lost by accident...

Avalon Jennison has been the girl next door since she was five. The best friend since she was eight. The band manager since she was sixteen and the keeper of his secrets always. Ava's been there every step of the way, helping him live his dreams and keeping his nightmares at bay. But the years of putting Blaise's needs above her own are about to be over.

However, Blaise has one secret even Ava doesn't know..and it could be the thing that breaks her heart completely, or finally puts it back together.

**CONTENT WARNING ~ ADULT LANGUAGE**

Note from Rachelle: I'm currently reading Lost Avalon and I'm telling you, it's really good. There's so much angst and drama, and I'm really pulling for Blaise and Ava to get their act together.


LISTEN TO 'COME BACK TO ME' HERE 

**AN ORIGINAL SONG BY BRANDON MARRS AS PERFORMED BY BLAISE IN LOST AVALON** 


293524290
Royce and I just stood there staring at the closed door. Then we heard the water go on in the shower and realized she wasn’t coming back out anytime soon. “What are you going to do when you’re sober?” Royce was looking way too satisfied with himself. 
 “What do you mean?” 
 “I mean, what are you going to do when there’s no more reason to play pretend? Are you hoping she just gets so used to acting like your girlfriend that she’ll forget that she’s not?” 
 He wasn’t blocking the f*cking door anymore, so I was free to make my exit. Which I did. 
 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
 “Sure you don’t.” Royce was following me out of the room and back into the kitchen. 
 “Look. I don’t expect you to understand my relationship with Ava.” 
 Royce shrugged. “What’s to understand? You’re in love with her.” 
 “This is what I’m talking about. Why do people always assume that when a guy and a girl are close friends, it means that one of them has to be in love with the other?” 
 Royce went to get the cup of coffee he had abandoned before shit got heated. “I don’t assume that.” He took a sip, made a face and stuck the coffee in the microwave. “I would have no problem believing that the two of you were best friends who had a completely platonic relationship…if I didn’t know for a fact that it was complete and utter bullshit.” His coffee was done and he took another drink, this time with better results. “If it makes you feel any better, she’s clearly in love with you, too. Although, unlike you, I don’t think she’s aware of it.” Then he took his cup and left to go out onto the terrace. 
 Unlike me? Where was he coming up with this…this ridiculous…truth. It was true. I was in love with Ava. And she felt the same way about me. Thing Royce in all his smugness had failed to see was that I’d made damn sure she stayed unaware of it.



Be sure to add it to your list on Goodreads and to get the behind the scenes pics be sure to check it out on Pinterest too!!



Thursday, July 24, 2014

How Many Writers Are Writing a Romance In A Month #writing #romance


Do you wish you knew ...

How to crack the code of a modern, contemporary single plotline romance?

How successful authors write consistently and put out high quality work at regular intervals?

How a supportive group of writers can motivate each other to write faster and better?

How to keep your motivation going, book after book, and publish on a regular basis?

That's exactly what a group of romance writers set out to do this past spring. From May 15 to June 15, about twenty writers joined Rachelle Ayala's Romance In A Month Facebook group and started writing. [we actually have 40 people in the group].

We committed to writing on a daily basis and cheering each other on. Unlike other writing groups, we had ZERO focus on word count. Instead, our group went for storytelling as the main activity.

Each author had their own thread where they would post their story updates. This kept everyone motivated to write an update and comment on each others' stories.

I'm happy to say that this daily interaction resulted in eight authors crossing the finish line with first drafts written in a month or a little more. The sense of accomplishment was wondrous and many felt they could not have finished if not for the camaraderie and friendship of their fellow authors.

The authors finishing are: Ey Wade, Rachelle Ayala, K.S. Thomas, Lyssa Layne, Chantel Rhondeau, Michele Shriver, P.C. Zick, and Toshia Slade.

So... we decided to do it again! From Sept 1 to Oct 15, 2014, we're opening up the Romance In A Month group. There is no cost for the class. If you're interested in writing along with a group of friendly, fun, and slightly crazy romance authors, please contact me (Rachelle) at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RachelleAyalaWriter.

The Romance In A Month textbook is also available now on Amazon. It contains all of the lessons and slides [in bullet form], as well as resources for brainstorming and a reading list. So, hope you'll join us and share our adventure in writing a Romance In a Month [and every month after that].

Hope you'll join us!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

#NewRelease PLAYED BY LOVE - when soccer and cosplay meet #comiccon #romance

The World Cup is over, but Comic-Con is coming up!!! If you've ever wondered what happens when a soccer goalie meets a cosplay girl, check out Jaden Sloup and Ella Kennedy in Rachelle Ayala's newest book, Played by Love.

Description:
Soccer goalkeeper, Jaden Sloup, has his eye on Ella Kennedy, a woman who won’t date jocks or frat boys. He dons a pair of nerd glasses and hugs a laptop to convince her he’s a techno geek, and she agrees to go to Las Vegas with him for a cosplay convention where his team’s playoff game happens to be.

Jaden must juggle sizzling in the sheets with Ella against a soccer match and hanging with his frat brother teammates. When a bully harasses Ella and challenges Jaden to a fight, he proves that even a goalie can score.

From the Author:
Played by Love is the first in a series of exciting sports novellas in my new #Played Series. They are fast, flirty, and sexy, a quick read at the beach or poolside, or in between running errands. I hope you enjoy Jaden and Ella's story because there's more to come. Look for Playing the Rookie heating up Spring Training in Arizona, and more.

WARNING: must be over 18 to read, so fasten your seatbelts, because sporty men and enthusiastic women make the very best lovers.

Played by Love is available from Amazon only and available through Amazon's #KindleUnlimited plan! Pick up your copy before Comic-con and see what fabulous costumes Ella comes up with.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

#BookChat GO AWAY HOME by Carol Bodensteiner #womensfiction #historical


Book Description

Go Away Home is the story of a young woman's quest for independence and the right to decide her own future. A family scandal closely followed by tragedy ties Liddie Treadway ever more tightly to the family farm she yearns to escape. When she is finally free of her old life, she seems for a moment to have it all - the opportunity for global travel, unlimited adventures, and new passions. But the reappearance of an old friend leads her to question her choices and her future. Set in pre-World War One Iowa, Go Away Home is the timeless story of the fragility of what seems secure and stable and the discover of what a woman's heart truly wants.

Why I wrote Go Away Home
The idea that became Go Away Home has been in my head since I learned as a child that my grandfather died of the Spanish Flu in 1918. Throughout my life, I’ve been intrigued by my connection to this major world event. Of course I never knew my grandfather and even though my grandmother lived until I was well into my 20s, I never asked her a single question about him or their lives together. And she was not the type to share.

So, this story is based on a few facts, but it’s entirely fiction. In a way, the book creates a life for the man I never knew and for the grandmother I only knew as a stern old woman.
I hope readers will be touched by the characters and the story. That would mean they felt the story was well told, which was my goal. I hope readers will empathize with the challenges the main character Liddie faces in making choices and perhaps go further to consider their own choices. Are we happy with our choices? What regrets do we have? Finally, I hope readers come away from the book knowing more about rural life in the early 20th century.

Reader Reactions:
“Go Away Home is  … a tale of choices, dreams realized and rejected, and how values evolve … gently compelling and highly believable.” –Midwest Book Review
 “Excellent characters and an extremely realistic plot … Go Away Home is the perfect story of coming home.” –Readers’ Favorite
“… a heart-warming and heart-wrenching tale … a story that promises to fulfill what it is to be alive when one chooses the life one wants to live, despite the consequences” – Paulette Mahurin, author
“Go Away Home is a coming of age novel that is well-written, compelling, and endearing … a strong sense of place, excellent character development, and an engaging plot line.” – Kara Logsden, Iowa City Public Library 
“Every life is a story, no matter how mundane it may appear on the surface, but it takes a writer like Carol Bodensteiner to draw a reader in and keep them turning the pages.  Bodensteiner … writes characters with depth … she’s captured the era … with meticulous historical detail. – J. P. Lane, author
“… a poignant, romantic tale … Bodensteiner creates characters that tug at your heart strings.” – David Lawlor, author

Behind the Scenes
Research to write Go Away Home yielded fascinating facts about the early 20th century. For instance, Iowa had the (dubious) destination of being the only state to make it illegal to speak any language but English in public. The term “Buy American” was in use before World War One. We smile in photographs as a result of a Kodak marketing campaign; prior to that, people didn’t smile in photos for a variety of reasons: it was considered low class, it revealed poor oral hygiene, and it was difficult to maintain a smile for the time it took to expose a photo.

Carol Bodensteiner – Bio
Carol Bodensteiner is a writer who finds inspiration in the places, people, culture and history of the Midwest. After a successful career in public relations consulting, she turned to creative writing. She blogs about writing, her prairie, gardening, and whatever in life interests her at the moment. She published her memoir Growing Up Country in 2008. Go Away Home is her debut novel.



You can buy Carol's books from Amazon:

Friday, July 18, 2014

#BookChat THE EXIT MAN by Greg Levin #thriller



SYNOPSIS

Suicide should come with a warning label: “Do not try this alone.” 

If you truly need out and want the job done right, you should consider using an outside expert. 

Like Eli. 

Eli Edelmann never intended on making a living through mercy killing. After reluctantly taking over his family’s party supply store following his father’s death, he is approached by a terminally ill family friend who’s had enough. The friend, a retired policeman, has an intricate plan involving something Eli has ready access to – helium. Eli is initially shocked and repulsed by the proposal, but soon begins to soften his stance and, after much deliberation, eventually agrees to lend a hand. 

It was supposed to be a one-time thing. How could Eli have known euthanasia was his true calling? And how long can he keep his daring underground "exit" operation going before the police or his volatile new girlfriend get wise?


PURCHASE THE EXIT MAN



About The Author

Greg's Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Having spent much of his life weaving intricate tales to get out of things like gym class and jury duty, Greg Levin is no stranger to fiction. Greg’s debut novel, Notes on an Orange Burial was published in November 2011 by Elixirist (now 48fourteen) and has sold over 11 copies to his immediate family. Greg's second book, The Exit Man (available Spring 2014), is already being hailed as one of the top two novels he has ever written.

Greg has been getting paid to put words together since 1994, working as a professional business journalist,
freelance writer and ghostwriter. He has written hundreds of feature articles, case studies and satire pieces, as well as a critically acclaimed business ebook.

When not busy writing, Greg enjoys thinking about writing, and spending time with his wife and daughter. He also enjoys cooking, traveling and exercising, as well as freestyle rapping for his friends even when they don’t do anything to deserve such mistreatment.

Greg was born in Huntington, New York in 1969, and then moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his family when he was six. He attended the University of New Hampshire and graduated summa cum laude in 1991 with a BA in Communication and a special concentration in Creative Writing.

Greg currently resides in Austin, Texas, where he is one of just 17 people who don’t play a musical instrument or write songs. He is currently wanted by Austin authorities for refusing to eat pork ribs or dance the two-step.

Follow the rest of The Exit Man Tour HERE
* This tour is brought to you by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours *

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Summer Beach Reading Party #summerreading


Your invited to our Summer Beach Reading Party!
Come on over,  pour yourself a drink, relax and enjoy these great Summer reads

After a hard day at work, caring for children, or gardening, you deserve a night of pleasure! 
Open your Kindle or turn the pages of these great books for summer. 
Whether you're enjoying the sun on the beach reading or simply curled up in your favorite chair - let us tempt you with these awesome summer reads... 

 beach ball
Young Adult Summer Reads

fledgling
(FLEDGLING IS CURRENTLY FREE)
into the light  the girl who swam to atlantis  entertaining angels  


dolphin
Hot Summer Romance Books

Sisters in Love  Lovers at Heart  
(SISTERS IN LOVE / LOVERS AT HEART ARE CURRENTLY FREE)

whole latte love  home again  the curvy girls club  Game of Love  Taken By Love


surfing
Thriller / Adventure Beach Reads

the collector of dying breaths  the stream


These awesome authors have come together to offer 
a super combined giveaway

summer beach reading

Check out the prize packs you could win below the Rafflecopter Form
Ending on Friday 1st August at 11.59pm EST

Enter Below and Good Luck !!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1st Prize
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton
The Stream by A. R. Silverberry
The Curvy Girls Club by Michele Gorman
The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose
Return to Love by Kathleen shoop
Taming Romeo by Rachelle Ayala
Into the Light by Amy Manemann
Game of Love by Melissa Foster
Taken by Love by Melissa Foster
Entertaining Angels by Emerald Barnes
Prodigy by Natasha Brown (book 2 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)
Emergent by Natasha Brown (book 3 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)

2nd Prize
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton
The Stream by A. R. Silverberry
The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose
Return to Love by Kathleen shoop
Taming Romeo by Rachelle Ayala
Into the Light by Amy Manemann
Game of Love by Melissa Foster
Taken by Love by Melissa Foster
Entertaining Angels by Emerald Barnes
Prodigy by Natasha Brown (book 2 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)
Emergent by Natasha Brown (book 3 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)

3rd Prize
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton
The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose
Return to Love by Kathleen shoop
Taming Romeo by Rachelle Ayala
Game of Love by Melissa Foster
Taken by Love by Melissa Foster
Prodigy by Natasha Brown (book 2 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)
Emergent by Natasha Brown (book 3 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)

4th & 5th Prize
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton
Prodigy by Natasha Brown (book 2 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)
Emergent by Natasha Brown (book 3 of the Shapeshifter chronicles)

6th - 10th Prize
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton


Enjoy your reads !!