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Future Tour: Love at 11 by Mari Mancusi

Mari will be on tour February 4-25 with her chick lit novel Love at 11. When Maddy graduated from Columbia University, she was ready to…

Guest Post by Libby Mercer

STRADDLING THE LINE

Chick lit has always been my first love. For many years, I wrote light-hearted fiction, never abandoning the ultimate dream of having my own books published someday – and clothed in candy colored book jackets, naturally. But it wasn’t always easy to hang onto this dream, considering the number of rejections that continuously flooded my mailbox and my inbox.

On the bright side, many of my rejections were encouraging. Some of these rejections came later in the process (after an agent had requested a partial or a full) and I was happy to have made it past the first phase, but truth be told, I was getting nowhere. I decided it was time to work on altering my strategy.

I felt it was just too hard to break into the industry with chick lit, which has a bad rep in the literary world – an unfair fact I’m sure many of you are aware of. On the other hand, I knew romance novels as a whole sold consistently well, and were actually gaining in popularity. After brainstorming and researching and weighing the options, I came up with a new plan: I would become a romance novelist!

Easier said than done. I spent a year or so reading romance novels nonstop, and found that I enjoyed them immensely. I took notes. I studied everything from how the hero and heroine described each other’s appearances to the preferred usage of dialogue tags.

I was so stoked to begin writing my own romance, and although the story flowed freely, I kept having to go back and delete chick-litty things. Were my heroine and her girlfriend chatting about something that had nothing to do with the hero? Delete. Was I getting too descriptive about some of the fabulous fashions? Delete. Was my heroine too quirky? Too sassy? Too goofy? Delete, delete, delete. At one point, I realized I was deleting all of the fun stuff, not to mention that I was fighting against every creative instinct I had in order to write a story that would fit in the category romance box.

Why, I wondered, couldn’t I write a chick lit/romance hybrid? What if I crafted a love story that embraced all those elements I find so entertaining, rather than rejected them? I decided to go for it, and a few months later, I’d completed the manuscript for Fashioning a Romance. It was published in May, and while it hasn’t quite set the world on fire, the response has been positive across the board.

With cautious optimism, I started another chick lit/romance hybrid, this time leaning a bit more towards chick lit by implementing the first person point of view. I’m talking about Unmasking Maya, of course, which is my second novel, released just last Friday.

I know my unconventional hybrid story model may not appeal to everyone. The fact that the plot focuses so heavily on the romance may irk chick lit fans. And the fact that I spend a fair amount of time with the secondary characters and wrote the whole thing in first person may annoy romance fans. That said, I’m hoping Unmasking Maya will find its audience in chick lit readers who don’t mind a little extra sweetness, and in romance fans who don’t mind a quirky little edge. I’ve done my best to pick and choose what I consider to be the best elements of both genres, and to blend them together into one cohesive story. I can’t wait to see if this soufflé rises!

Here’s my author bio:

Born and raised in the Midwest, Libby Mercer’s adventurous spirit kicked in after graduating from high school, and she’s since lived in Boston, NYC and London. San Francisco is the city she currently calls home. For several years, Libby worked in fashion – first as a journalist and then as a shopkeeper. She also dabbled in design for a while. Even through the crazy fashion years, Libby never let go of her dream of being a published author, and has since developed her signature writing style, crafting quirky chick lit/romance hybrids. Fashioning a Romance was her first published novel, and Unmasking Maya will be her second. Libby has a third novel, The Karmic Connection, scheduled for release in 2013.

Links:

Blog: http://libby-mercer.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16147861-unmasking-maya

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LibbyMercer1

Facebook; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Libby-Mercer-Author/184901528274900

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Libby-Mercer/e/B0084US5S2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 (This links to my Amazon author page. Unfortunately, I won’t have a page for Unmasking Maya until it goes live on Amazon. If you’d prefer, I’ll post the link to my first book also) http://www.amazon.com/Fashioning-a-Romance-ebook/dp/B0084FGX36/ref=dp_return_1?ie=UTF8&n=133140011&s=digital-text

Unmasking Maya by Libby Mercer

I was provided a copy of Unmasking Maya by Libby Mercer in exchange for an honest review.

Unmasking Maya by Libby Mercer follows New York fashion it-girl, Maya Kirkwood. Fresh from a career-killing scandal, Maya takes a hiatus and heads to San Francisco to refresh and reinvent herself. So, when she is offered the opportunity of a life time to create an installation at a new hot tech company, she jumps at the chance. Well, things don’t turn out so well. Derek Whitley, the CEO of the company, quickly becomes her nemesis. Sure, he is smoldering hot but inside, he is colder than ice. But, why does she still feel an odd sense of attraction to him? As the two of them spend more and more time together, it becomes obvious that there is something more then what meets the eye. Sparks fly and presumptions and old resentments come tumbling down, but after one last secret is revealed, will it bring them closer together? Or further apart?

Unmasking Maya is a fun, quick and witty ride and I loved every second of it. I think Libby does a fantastic job at constructing her characters and making them seem real. Right off the bat I was intrigued by Derek and I really like the fact that although he is physically appealing, there is definitely more than what meets the eye with him. And Maya, she is such a hoot and I definitely enjoyed her character as well. Overall, this book is real light and fun and definitely enjoyable. And if you like mystery and intrigue, you will definitely enjoy the secret aspect of this book.

[Rating: 4/5]

Holiday Giveaway: Under Her Spell by Eliza Daly

Holiday Giveaway: 10 E-books & An Autographed Print Book!
Under Her Spell by Eliza Daly!

Eliza Daly is giving away 10 e-copies of her chick lit romantic comedy Under Her Spell in exchange for reviews on Amazon or Barnes & Noble! Just leave a comment about the book to be entered in the giveaway. One winner will also receive an autographed print copy of Under Her Spell, available in January. The winners will be announced Friday, December 21. Each winner must agree to post a review by January 20, 2013. Books will only be available in Kindle or Nook format and will need to be downloaded by December 28 or an alternate winner will be chosen. Thank you so much for participating in Eliza’s holiday giveaway!

Book Blurb

When a series of failed relationships and business ventures have Monica Jackson doubting her self-worth, she turns to spell casting to attract positive energy and the opportunities needed to achieve her goals. But can Monica’s belief in spells restore her belief in herself?

Monica creates a spell to find her soul mate, and one to ensure the success of her new romantic event planning company, Enhance Your Romance. Monica is confident she has found her niche until divorce lawyer Reed Walker opens a practice next door to her office. The anti-marriage slogan plastered on his office window, and his down-on-love clients, quickly prove detrimental to Monica’s business. When his arrival appears to trigger a string of bad luck, Monica fears one of her spells sent negative energy into the universe and it has returned to her threefold. Although Reed is beyond sexy, and she admires his self-confidence, she’ll do whatever it takes to get the universe back on her side, and Reed out of her life. No way is she losing another business.

Reed finds himself attracted to Monica’s beauty and her optimism. His job and his parents’ divorce have made him a pessimist, especially when it comes to love. However, he soon finds that Monica’s pro-love attitude is rubbing off on him, causing him to lose his edge. If Reed doesn’t distance himself from Monica, he’ll likely destroy his reputation as a pit bull divorce lawyer.

Can Monica and Reed look past what they might be losing to realize the love they have found?

Under Her Spell is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and eBooks.com.

You can find Eliza on the web at Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Prologue
Monica Jackson was raising a bowl of sea salt, preparing to cast a spell circle on her bedroom floor when the door flew open. She nearly dropped the bowl as her cousin Hope stormed in, covered with flour and cake batter — the Unhappy Homemaker from Hell.
“No way is he getting the BMW,” Hope said, shaking a wooden spoon in her hand and sending batter flying across the room.
The night before, Hope had caught her scumbag husband Kyle in bed with another woman. Not wanting to impose on her happily married friends, she’d showed up at Monica’s door, even though they weren’t exactly close. Hope made a Stepford Wife look like a total slacker, and the only thing she and Monica had in common were their Italian features: dark hair and brown eyes. A wedding cake decorator, Hope was coping with Kyle’s infidelity by baking like a mad woman. Forget the cake. Monica would shove Kyle in the oven and roast him on high.
“What are you doing?” Hope’s gaze narrowed on the small wooden table in front of Monica, where her ingredients for the soul mate spell sat on top of a red tablecloth: a red candle, lavender incense, jasmine oil, cinnamon, and a love letter to her as yet unidentified true love.
“Casting a spell to help find my soul mate.”
“A spell? Does that really work?”
“Hopefully.”
Monica’s psychic friend Jordan had convinced her that spell casting was a viable alternative to Milwaukeemates.com and speed dating in general. Neither of which Monica had time for, since establishing her new business was top priority. Her company, Enhance Your Romance, planned unique romantic events and was sure to succeed, unlike her other dozen failed business plans. Society was obsessed with being in love.
“A spell … ” Hope mused, then her face lit up. “If there’s a spell to attract a man to a woman, there must be one to repel women from a man. Right?”
“Spells shouldn’t involve negative energy. Sending out negative energy can cause it to return threefold. They aren’t intended to harm someone or make them do something against their will.” Jordan had drilled this into her head.
“I wouldn’t be making Kyle do anything against his will. I’d be warning women to stay away from him.”
Sounded borderline.
“Please,” Hope whined, picking a clump of batter from her long, wavy hair.
Monica let out a defeated groan. “All right.” Hope would never actually cast the spell anyway. When they were young, Hope refused to wear a Casper costume for Halloween because she didn’t believe in ghosts. She was closed-minded when it came to paranormal or New Age beliefs. And you had to truly believe in a spell for it to work.
Monica set down the bowl of salt and grabbed a pencil and pad of paper off her desk and handed them to Hope. “Write this down. It’s called,” she tapped a hot pink nail against her lip, “the dirtbag spell.”
“Like it already.” Hope jotted down the title as she perched on the edge of the bed’s purple floral comforter.
“Take one of Kyle’s socks, fill it with dirt, and add a photo of him. It’s critical you aren’t in the photo.” Monica paced, tightening the sash on her lavender silk robe. “Include something of his like … ”
“His new Rolex?”
Personally, Monica would list the watch on eBay and pray for a bidding war. But Hope, no matter how ticked off, was too timid to sell Kyle’s precious watch, and too frugal to risk damaging it by mixing it with dirt.
“That’s fine. Sew up the sock and bury it in your front yard. It’ll warn all women he’s a dirtbag.”
Hope poised the pencil against her lower lip, reviewing the spell. “Don’t I have to say something when I bury it, like a chant?”
What happened to being spell ignorant?
“Bury it in the moonlight while saying … ” Monica scrambled for a few rhyming lines, “moonlight, glowing bright, warn all women in your sight, the man who lives in this house, is a dirtbag and a total louse.”
“Perfect.” Hope sprang from the bed, looking inspired. “Kyle’s at work. I’m going over to the house right now to bury that sock.” She turned and marched out, a woman on a mission.
Monica nibbled nervously on her fingernail. Hope wouldn’t seriously go through with casting the spell, would she? A big part of spell casting was psychological, focusing all your energy on making something happen. Monica had never seen Hope look so determined, or vindictive. Hopefully, if she did cast the spell the negative energy didn’t return threefold.
What was the worst that could happen?

Totlandia: The Onesies by Josie Brown

I received a copy of Totlandia: The Onesies in exchange for an honest review. I am a big fan of Josie Brown, so of course I was excited to break into her new novella series. I am also getting ready to start The Twosies here shortly, and can’t wait to pick back up! The Onesies introduces readers to the The Pacific Heights Moms & Tots Club, which is the most exclusive children’s playgroup in San Fran. It has come time to select new members for the group, but not just everyone is considered. Only mothers are considered, no single parents will be looked at, and working moms…yeah right. But the six possible new members competing for the final four spots all hold some sort of secret that will ultimately break the rules of PHM&T…if they can survive the challenges and become a member!
Loved it! This is a short book with a lot of characters getting their own voice, but I didn’t feel rushed or confused or frustrated at any point. Brown does a slam-dunk job at writing a witty novella with a lot of heart, laughs, and WTF moments! I may not be a mother yet, but I was hooked from the beginning and I am so glad I have book # 2 ready to go in my Kindle, because the cliffhanger had me practically panting. 5 stars!
[Rating: 5]

The Rock Island Line: Conversations Over Chicken and Dumplings by …

The Rock Island Line by Michelle Dobbs follows Lilly Moore and her life in a small town. The town is very small and is the first link along a railroad line that connects the Wild West to Chicago and then eventually all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Lilly tells the tale of her family, a story that is a historically rooted African American saga, and goes into great detail about her life in the town of Rock Island, Illinois and the impact that the rail has on her personally and on five generations of her family. Lilly and her family share the unique responsibilities to keep the family legacy alive and she goes to great lengths to help her family do so.

I really enjoyed reading The Rock Island. I felt transported to the little town almost instantly and I loved how personal Michelle was with her characters and their lives. Throughout the story, Lilly deals with many trials and tribulations and I really enjoyed watching her grow as a character. Often times, she is overwhelmed by what her city brings forth and it is really interesting watching her come to terms with it all and eventually find piece within herself. Overall, this story is fairly enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well written story with thought provoking dialogue. I also loved going back into time and watching things take place between five generations. A really wonderful read.

[Rating: 4.5/5]

Book Review: A Girl’s Guide to Fairy Tales by …

I received a copy of A Girl’s Guide to Fairy Tales by Laurey Buckland in exchange for an honest review. I am sucker for all things fairy tales, I love Disney princesses, so even though the book wasn’t quite in that realm, the title and cover still sparked my appeal. The novel follows four friends – daydreamer Maddie, obsessive compulsive Clare, over dramatic Isobel, and happy-go-lucky Sophie. I know everyone thinks Sex and the City when you hear about four girlfriends, but I really didn’t think that for a second while reading. I thought the plot and the characters were very unique, as well as the author’s voice. I liked each individual character and that she got her own time in the spotlight. I found myself leaning on Sophie more because she had a lot of drama with her live-in boyfriend that I thought was really intriguing. I do wish there would have been some sort of heading when the POV’s changed, because it took me a while to get in the sync of things and that would have helped me out personally. But overall, a cute chick lit read from a new author that I very much enjoyed.
[Rating: 4]

Future Tour: Next Year I’ll Be Perfect by Laura …

Laura will be on tour February 4-18 with her chick lit novel Next Year I’ll Be Perfect Sarah always thought her life was on track,…

Blog Tour Sign Up: When Girlfriends Step Up by Savannah …

A novel about love and support, and learning that with enduring friendships, no woman is ever alone.

Robin Sinclair is young, determined, and has a promising career at a small publishing house in Seattle. Even though she considers herself unlucky in love, Robin still dreams of eventually meeting Mr. Right and having a happily-ever-after kind of life. And at twenty-five, the world of opportunity is wide. But it’s been a difficult year filled with trials…and it’s only just begun.

While long-time friendships are finally on the mend, and things are starting to look up again, Robin is faced with her biggest challenge yet. She’s single and pregnant.

Uncertain now of her future and scared of being alone, Robin must re-examine her life and choices, and summon the courage to step up.

With the love and support of her best girlfriends from college, especially her best friend and roommate, Lara, Robin will learn that when the going gets tough, the best of friends become family. And, perhaps, with their encouragement, Robin can mature and gain the confidence needed to become a single mother. And, who knows about being unlucky in love. Things are suddenly getting interesting with Robin’s attractive co-worker, Bobby.

This is an endearing story about maturity and perseverance. It’s a story about friends coming together as family, about finding the strength within and around, and about writing your own happily-ever-after. About what happens when girlfriends step up.