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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

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?

Kaira Rouda Holiday Giveaway

Are you feeling Naughty or Nice? Doesn’t matter, with this giveaway, you could win a prize to make both sides happy! To have a little…

Author Profile: EL Sarnoff

Author Name: EL Sarnoff
Website: http://www.elsarnoff.com/
Bio: Ellen Levy-Sarnoff, writing under the name E. L. Sarnoff, has enjoyed a prolific career in the entertainment industry, creating, writing, and producing television series, including the original Power Rangers. She lives in Los Angeles with her Prince Charming-ish husband, twin princesses, and a bevy of pets. She’s also a not-too-evil stepmother. When she’s not writing in her PJ’s, she likes to dress up and pretend she’s Hollywood royalty.
See my 5 star review for Dewitched!
Visit EL’s tour page!

Connect with EL Sarnoff!
http://www.elsarnoff.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ElSarnoff
https://twitter.com/elsarnoff
elsarnoff@gmail.com

Seasons Readings Promotion!

In the spirit of coming together for the holidays, eight popular Chick Lit authors are “partying it up” with a shared promotion for book lovers!…

Author & Novel Spotlight: Falling For You by Heather Thurmeier

Heather Thurmeier is on tour now with Falling For You. Please visit her tour page at CLP Blog Tours for more information and a giveaway!…

The Green Ticket – Now On Sale!

I am very excited that it is release day for my second novel THE GREEN TICKET! It took me just under one year to plan, write and edit the book, and I am so happy that it is released to the world today. I am so grateful for all the support and encouragement I receive through this website, and I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to do what I love. Below is some information on myself, THE GREEN TICKET, and how to support me and grab your copy. Thank you so much – I’m off to celebrate some more!

Blurb:
College junior Alex Abrams scores her dream job at the ripe age of twenty – manager to a successful salon and spa. Thrilled to finally have a real adult job, Alex enthusiastically jumps into the world of schedules, conference calls, and getting a massage when interviewing prospective employees. What she doesn’t expect are the very grown-up issues that comes with a demanding boss. Kevin Dohlman quickly becomes Alex’s worse nightmare – covering up his affairs, dealing with his enormous ego, and trying to protect her female staff from him becomes a full-time job in its own right. Alex has also befriended Kevin’s wife and co-owner, Dani, and is trying to keep Kevin’s secrets hidden from her. The situation only worsens when Kevin starts paying Alex off to make sure she keeps her insider knowledge to herself.
While struggling to keep her wits and stay happy with her new grown-up job, Alex is juggling college courses, a new love interest, and keeping up with her close group of girlfriends. When her roommate and best friend Lila gets offered an opportunity to move to Los Angeles and sign with an agent, Alex realizes her life truly is changing, and everyone around her – including herself – is is growing up. Knowing she is faced with some hard decisions ahead, Alex struggles with keeping her job at Blissful. But does she really want to throw away what she dreamed of as a career – or will the secret-keeping for Kevin become too much to handle? The Green Ticket is a story about morals versus money, and how one young woman navigates the shaky line between the two.

Samantha March Bio:

Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and her debut novel Destined to Fail. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

Connect with Samantha!

http://www.samanthamarch.com/
Facebook
Twitter
GoodReads

Buy the Book!
Amazon: Print or eBook

Barnes and Noble: eBook
Kobo: eBook
Marching Ink: Print

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