Fitness Review: Abdominal Sweatbands
Contributor: Samantha I’m a big fitness fanatic, and I’m always on board for trying something new when it comes to working out. From workout DVDs…
Excerpt and Giveaway: The Last Savanna by Mike Bond
Excerpted from the book THE LAST SAVANNA by Mike Bond. Copyright © 2013 by Mike Bond. Reprinted with permission of Mandevilla Press. All rights reserved…
Cover Reveal: The Right Design by Isabella Louise Anderson
I’m so happy to share the cover today of The Right Design, the debut novel from Isabella Louise Anderson. Isabella runs the popular website Chick Lit Goddess,…
Guest Blog: Cindy Arora
Be You
By Cindy Arora
People ask me all the time how I finished a book. I was a new mom, had a full-time job and plenty of personal shenanigans going on in my life to keep me busy. But there I was every night, elbow deep in character profiles, dialogue, and researching petit fours.
While writing Heartbreak Cake, I had one simple mantra that kept me going, even when I wanted to go lay down on my couch and eat cake while watching Sex and the City reruns.
“Get her done.” Simple, succinct and exactly what I needed to hear on a daily basis.
You see, you can’t write a book unless you finish it. So before you can even start judging yourself on how terrible the dialogue is, how silly the characters are, or how much better (insert author’s name here) book is, you really just have to finish it.
So, in the meantime, while writing your rough draft, just be you. Have fun, stretch your writing legs, get out of your own way, and just do what you love. Write.
My Favorite Writing Quotes
1. “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” Anne Lamott
2. “If I waited for perfection, I’d never write a word.” Margaret Atwood
3. “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach
4. “If I waited until I felt like writing, I’d never write at all.” Anne Tyler
Heartbreak Cake by Cindy Arora
Business is sweet for pastry chef Indira Aguilar. Her indie bakery, Cake Pan, is fast becoming the talk of the wedding circuit for its unique take on cakes and homespun creations for the modern bride, garnering national recognition and drawing in celebrity clients. But while her professional life is blossoming, her personal life is crumbling. Indira may have a talent for blending buttercream into bliss, but when it comes to relationships, she’s got a lot to learn. Considering that the love of her life, Josh Oliver, is not only married, but also runs the award-winning pastry department of her fiercest competition, Crystal Cove Resort, Indira puts much more at stake than just her heart when she ends her affair with him. Rumors begin to fly as the small seaside community of Long Beach learns of her secret relationship, and Indira must defend not only her actions, but her wedding business and her reputation while trying to maneuver the choppy heartbreak waters of starting over, finding new love, and facing her past. With the support of friends and family, a fondness for butter, and a determined spirit, Indira may just bake her way back to happiness and possibly into the heart of Crystal Cove’s dishy new chef, Noah. But one thing is certain. Where there’s heartbreak, there must be cake.
Add Heartbreak Cake to your Goodreads shelf! Follow along with the Heartbreak Cake Blog Tour via Fictionella! Visit publisher Simon & Fig for more information about the book, and connect with Cindy at cindyarora.com!
In My Mailbox: Week of January 12
Title: Bloodgifted
Author: Tima Maria Lacoba
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: How does a young woman live a normal life when she carries a rare genetic mutation?
Descended from a cursed Roman soldier, Laura Dantonville has inherited the ability to delay ageing, but much of her past is unknown to her. That includes knowledge of her true parentage and the fact her unique blood is coveted by the secret society of vampires who reside in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
She later learns it’s her blood alone that provides these creatures with the ability to tolerate daylight. As such, she is the epicentre of a power struggle between two rival vampire groups who want to claim her.
The oldest and most powerful of these factions is led by Alec Munro, whose position as leader, or Princeps, gives him sole claim to Laura.
Has she any other choice but to accept her destiny?
Title: The Brim Reaper
Author: Diane Vallere
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: When an over-the-top collection of vintage Hollywood costumes comes to Samantha Kidd’s hometown, it brings a hat box full of hype. Close friend Eddie is in charge of the exhibit but when hype turns to homicide, he turns to Samantha for help. Brimming with good intentions, she loops in the cops, but after one too many cloche calls, she’s soon in over her head. If she can tear the lid off the investigation, it might mean a feather in her fedora. And if she can’t? She might get capped.
Title: Limoncello Yellow
Author: Traci Andrighetti
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: From debut author, Traci Andrighetti, comes a tale of murder, mayhem, and meddling Sicilian grandmas…
Francesca “Franki” Amato is a tough-talking rookie cop in Austin, Texas—until an unfortunate 911 call involving her boyfriend, Vince, and a German female wrestler convinces her once and for all that she just isn’t cut out for a life on the police force. So Franki makes the snap decision to move to New Orleans to work at her friend Veronica’s detective agency, Private Chicks, Inc. But Franki’s hopes for a more stable life are soon dashed when Private Chicks is hired by the prime suspect in a murder case to find out what really happened to a beautiful young boutique manager who was found strangled to death with a cheap yellow scarf. When she’s not investigating, Franki is hoping to seduce handsome bank executive Bradley Hartmann, but most of her time is spent dodging date offers from a string of “good Italian boys”—make that not-so-good aging Italian men—that her meddlesome Sicilian grandma has recruited as marriage candidates. As Mardi Gras approaches and the mystery of the murdered shop girl gets more complicated, Franki must decipher the odd ramblings of a Voodoo priestess to solve both the murder and the mystery of her own love life.
Title: The Dr. Pepper Prophecies
Author: Jennifer Gilby Roberts
Received: Jennifer Gilby Roberts
Synopsis: 25-year-old Mel Parker has a few tiny problems:
* Her job is terrible
* She’s been dumped yet again
* Her ex is now her boss
* Her parents think she’s a loser compared to her perfect younger sister
* All her efforts to improve her life seem doomed to failure
* There just isn’t enough chocolate in the world to make up for the above.
The one good thing in her life has always been her best friend Will, who has seen her through every crisis from lost toys to pregnancy scares. But his girlfriend (who’s prettier, better-dressed, more successful and secretly evil) is determined to replace Mel as the woman in his life and how is Mel supposed to compete?
So what do you do when you’ve pretty much given up on your own life? Help others, of course!
After all, what’s the worst that can happen?
Title: Souls Adrift in the Windy City
Author: JoAnn Hornak
Received: JoAnn Hornak
Synopsis: Soul mates, Zeke Nomad and Inez Paris, meet on a magical summer night at Grant Park in Chicago. They dance, share their hopes and dreams for the future, and just as Zeke is about to kiss Inez, a torrential thunderstorm breaks out. They go their separate ways, but are destined to meet again, a few years later, fall in love, and marry. But that never happens because Zeke and Inez ignore what their hearts are urging them to do. They each make choices for their lives that lead them on different paths than the ones they were meant to follow.
It is now thirteen years later, and there are just six earth days left for wise, old soul, Herodius, a matchmaker in many past lives, and young soul, Serena, a famous romance writer in her most recent life, to guide Zeke and Inez to a second meeting. The matchmakers certainly have their work cut out for them. On Saturday, Inez is set to marry her faithful fiancé, Howard, when the unexpected arrival of two people from Inez’s past, throws her life into chaos and threatens to derail her wedding plans. Zeke is focused on whether his eight years of dedicated service, at his Chicago Loop, silk-stocking law firm, will be rewarded with the brass ring of partnership—a decision to be made on Friday. But, complications arise in Zeke’s life that not only put his career in jeopardy, but also his family, his love life, and his future. Meanwhile, Serena and Herodius are doing everything they can to bring Zeke and Inez together, but these two strong-willed individuals thwart their efforts, at every turn.
Will Zeke and Inez come together, once again, before it is too late for this lifetime?
Title: Love on the Back Burner
Author: Barbara Oliverio
Received: Barbara Oliverio
Synopsis: Readers’ Favorite Award™-Winning Love on the Back Burner spins the story of sassy Alexandria D’Agostino. She is youngest in a tight-knit Italian-American family with a successful marketing career and a passion for cooking, yet her romantic life is less than 4-star. For years, she has tried cooking her way into men’s hearts by flaunting her old world culinary skills, but now, she’s changing the menu. She dishes up childhood favorites to a succession of first dates (recipes included). The book features an engaging cast of characters including a rock-star-turned- priest brother, a no-nonsense Italian immigrant grandmother, and a crew of friends who are always up for a good meal. With a dollop of persistence and a dash of laughter, will Alexandria discover the recipe for happiness — and perhaps love?
My Workout Routine: December 2013
I’ve been doing the same fitness routine for about 2 years now, and I’ve decided to switch it up. No, I’m not doing the same…
January 2014 New Releases
Contributor: Allie January is the month of resolutions and new beginnings. For me, it’s also a month of hibernation with bowl games, NFL playoff games,…
Cover Reveal: A Questionable Friendship by Samantha March
A Questionable Friendship
By Samantha March
Pub Date: February 2014
Cover Design by Scarlett Rugers
Brynne Ropert and Portland Dolish have been best friends since being paired as roommates in college. Seven years later they are now twenty-five, married, and living in Maine–– but the two women couldn’t be more different. Brynne finds fulfillment in her life as a wife, mother and owner of a small café and bookshop, but is struggling to expand her family. Portland is still coping with her mother’s death during her childhood, and her marriage is unraveling before her eyes. Portland envies her friend’s seemingly stable and easy life while Brynne doesn’t understand the growing distance between them and cannot begin to guess what secret Portland is hiding about her husband and crumbling marriage. While one woman feels shut out, the other enters into a web of lies to protect herself.
A Questionable Friendship explores what really makes someone a true friend, a support system, a sister. How much trust goes into a friendship and when is being a friend not enough? Brynne and Portland’s story will attempt to answer those questions, and show that happily ever after isn’t in the cards for everyone.
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 has three published novels – Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket and A Questionable Friendship. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.
Connect with Samantha!
http://www.samanthamarch.com/
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CLP Blog Tours Novel Spotlight: The Holdout by Laurel Osterkamp
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