Guest Post from Emily Shaffer
Thanks to Emily Shaffer for sharing this post, courtesy of CLP Blog Tours! Visit her That Time of the Month tour page for more information and a…
Guest Post from Wendy Wax
Top 10 Reasons to Spend Time at TEN BEACH ROAD in October
TEN BEACH ROAD is hitting the shelves anew this month as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Penguin Group’s READ PINK® program.
The READ PINK® program was created by my publisher, Penguin Group (USA) to promote public awareness of breast cancer and breast cancer research and to support and recognize the contributions of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation®(BCRF) by connecting the cause to books written by, for and about women.
For the past two years, Penguin’s Read Pink donation has sponsored 500 hours of research time and I’m incredibly proud and honored to have my book on the shelves with the Read Pink Seal on the cover and information about BCRF in the back of the book.
But… it’s October! My books usually hit the stores when temperatures are rising, school is out and we’re either headed to the beach or at least daydreaming about sand, surf and sun. So this got me thinking about what makes a book a beach book, and why we should throw caution to the wind and read them all year long. After all, if some fashionista somewhere can decree that white pants are acceptable all year long, then why can’t we do the same with beach books?
Not convinced? Well, let me share my “Top 10 Reasons to Spend Time at TEN BEACH ROAD in October” list with you and see if we can get on the same page. (Pun fully intended!)
1. Since school is back in session, it’s important to set a good example for your kids by reading. If you pick up TEN BEACH ROAD, you’ll be enjoying a sweat-soaked summer with Maddie, Nicole, and Avery as they rehab a dilapidated beachfront mansion in Pass-a-Grille, Florida. Your kids will just think you are very smart and studious.
2. If you need something to warm you up, the men of TEN BEACH ROAD are hot.
3. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure why books that really take you away are necessary in the summer. What better time for a good mental escape to the beach than a cold, rainy day in October?
4. When you’re looking ahead to long cold months with the sun setting earlier and earlier each day, you can at least feel good that you have not lost everything in a Madoff-style Ponzi scheme like the women of TEN BEACH ROAD.
5. If your neighborhood is getting too cold and windy for DIY projects, you can read about Maddie, Nicole and Avery’s work on Bella Flora and just tell your hubby that you’re in the “planning stages” for next spring and summer.
6. Did I mention that there are some hot guys in TEN BEACH ROAD?
7. Reading beach books in the summer can make you feel bad about not being quite bikini ready… but in October, you can pull out a big cozy sweater and some chocolate cake and know you have months before you have to worry about that again!
8. If beach vacations are not just for summer, then beach books shouldn’t be either. October is actually a good time to head to the beaches in Florida. The crowds have thinned and the temperatures are still warm. You could leave the kids with Dad, grab your girlfriends, a few copies of TEN BEACH ROAD and call it a book club weekend!
9. Friendships are timeless, and so are troubles. TEN BEACH ROAD is the story of three women who are thrown together when they lose everything. It could be set in Aspen in March, Boston in December or Dubuque in May. The story is about the women, their lives, and their bond. So reading it in October wherever you live will work. I promise.
10. I think I have mentioned that there are some hot guys in the book, but it bears repeating! If you’re looking for a way to warm up, there’s nothing better than picturing Joe Giraldi running shirtless on the beach. (Not sure who Joe is? Pick up the READ PINK® edition of TEN BEACH ROAD to find out)!
So, show the world the kind of woman you really are: brave, fearless, and bold. Wear white pants after Labor Day, drink a Piña Colada in December and proudly show off your copy of TEN BEACH ROAD in October. You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood, and you can be proud knowing you’re supporting a great cause!
In My Mailbox: Week of October 21
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Whispers in Autumn
Author: Trisha Leigh
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.
Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.
The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes.
Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.
It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.
And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.
Title: Happily Ever Madder
Author: Stephanie McAfee
Received: From Penguin Group
Synopsis: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl’s plus-sized spitfire Graciela “Ace” Jones returns in a hilarious new adventure from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie McAfee.
Ace has left the tiny Mississippi town of Bugtussle for the palm fronds and mojitos of Pelican Cove, Florida. She’s finally opening her long-dreamed-of art gallery, is kick-starting a life with her fiancé, Mason, and has vowed to leave her straight-talking, sassy ways behind her. From now on, she’s going to be as sweet as sugar. Unfortunately, something comes along to sour her plans.
That something is Mrs. Lenore Kennashaw and her coterie of crones. They’re a bunch of snippy, snarky, and just plain mean ’ol ladies who aren’t quite as smart or rich as they’d like to think they are. But that doesn’t stop them from treating everyone else like second-class citizens. And when Ace inadvertently takes some of the steam from Mrs. Kennashaw’s stride, she becomes their #1 enemy. But with the support of a new group of fabulous friends, as well as her friends from Bugtussle—and her always-faithful chiweenie Buster Loo—Ace will find a way to make it, even if she has to throw some weight around…
Title: Dating Da Vinci
Author: Malena Lott
Received: Unsolicited
Synopsis: A gorgeous young Italian, with nowhere to go . . .
His name just happens to be Leonardo da Vinci. When he walks into Ramona Elise’s English class, he’s a twenty-five-year-old immigrant, struggling to forge a new life in America – but he’s lonely, has nowhere to live, and barely speaks English . . .
She knows she shouldn’t take him home . . .
Picking up the pieces of her life after the death of her beloved husband, linguist and teacher Ramona Elise can’t help but be charmed by her gorgeous new student. And when he calls her “Mona Lisa” she just about loses her heart . . .
In Sara’s Mailbox:
Title: Pursuing the Times
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Received: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Synopsis: All that popular Chick-Lit author Mercury Lauren wants is to have one of her books reviewed by the New York Times Book Review – just one – and she’ll do almost anything to get it. In this contemporary romantic comedy, with a nod toward Pride and Prejudice she crosses swords and hearts with the Editor-in-Chief of the NYTBR in a madcap adventure that takes her from her home in Westport to a yoga retreat to a golf course in Florida. Will she get what she wants and will she finally be happy if she does? Only one thing’s for certain: nothing will stop her from Pursuing the Times.
Title: Kismetology
Author: Jaimie Admans
Received: Jaimie Admans
Synopsis: Finding the perfect man isn’t easy. Especially when it’s for your mother…
Mothers. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them, can’t live three doors down the road without them interfering in every aspect of your life.
Mackenzie Atkinson’s mother has meddled in her love life once too often and something has to be done. Mackenzie decides to turn the tables and find love for her lonely mother.
Her lonely and very fussy mother.
Surely finding an older gentleman looking for love won’t be that hard, right?
Wrong.
If you’ve ever thought that boys grow up, here’s the problem: They don’t. Ever.
And Mackenzie is about to learn that the hard way.
Faced with a useless boyfriend, dressed up dogs, men who wear welly boots on dates, men who shouldn’t be seen outside in daylight, and men who make reptiles seem like attractive company – will she ever find the perfect man for her neurotic mother?
Guest Post and Excerpt: Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs by Elissa …
Elissa Ambrose is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours and Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs. Please enjoy a guest post from Elissa and an…
Author Profile: Elizabeth Marx
Author Name: Elizabeth Marx Website: http://www.elizabethmarxbooks.com/ Bio: Windy City writer Elizabeth Marx brings cosmopolitan flair to her fiction, which is a blend of romance and…
My First Wedding Post!
Okay – I’ve decided to try something new on CLP – video blogs! I’ve noticed these popping up more around the blogging world so I…
Author Profile: Kat Jorgensen
Author Name: Kat Jorgensen
Website: http://katjorgensen.com/Home_Page.html
Bio: A notorious daydreamer, Kat knew it was only a matter of time before she became a writer. She learned to read by age four and had her first library card before her fifth birthday. To this day, she can lose herself for hours among the books at her local library or neighborhood bookstore. Ebooks and online ordering have made it really easy for her to keep her To Be Read pile from ever going down. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Kat is married with children and has a cranky tuxedo cat named Ben.
See my 4 star review for Your Eight O’clock is Dead
Visit Kat’s tour page!
Guest Post and Excerpt: Sugarfiend by Caroline Burau
Thanks to Caroline Burau for stopping by with a guest post on her cover for Sugarfiend and an excerpt from the book! Please check out…
In My Mailbox: Week of October 14
In Samantha’s Mailbox:
Title: Sparkle
Author: Cara Leyba
Received: Via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: As women, we have become professional self-critics. We’ve become so convinced by society that we need to attain a level of perfection that just isn’t real. Whether it’s trying to get skinnier, look younger, get that promotion, please our parents, get fuller lips or rid ourselves of cellulite — we’re on a never-ending mission to change and it always winds up making us feel like crap. Instead, why not focus on all the fabulous qualities we already possess? There is so much to celebrate when we look at all our accomplishments. In this straight-up girlfriend’s guide, lifestylist and wellness coach Cara Alwill Leyba encourages women to discover what makes them sparkle so that they can design the lives they desire and deserve. So raise your glass and toast yourself. You’re about to start shimmering, shining and dazzling every day! Because isn’t everything better when it sparkles?
Title: Sad Desk Salad
Author: Jessica Grose
Received: From HarperCollins
Synopsis: As a writer for Chick Habit, an increasingly popular women’s website, Alex Lyons gets paid to be a bitch. She’s churning out several posts a day, and she saves her juiciest ones for blog prime time, when working women eat their sad desk salads in their offices. Alex tells herself she’s fulfilling her dream of being a professional writer; so what if it means being glued to her couch and her laptop from six a.m. to six p.m., scouring the web in search of the next big celebrity scandal? Since Chick Habit’s parent company keeps close tabs on page views, Alex knows her job is always at risk.
So when an anonymous tipster sends her the year’s most salacious story—a politico’s squeaky-clean Ivy League daughter caught in a very R-rated activity—it’s a no-brainer. But is Alex really willing to ruin the girl’s life by igniting the next Internet feeding frenzy? And what she doesn’t yet realize is how this big scoop is about to send her own life spiraling out of control.
Title: A Very Accidental Love Story
Author: Claudia Carroll
Received: From Avon Books, Unsolicited
Synopsis: Eloise Elliot is one of the youngest newspaper editors in the country. Respected and revered by her peers, she’s at the top of her game.
But, on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, finding herself surrounded by some pathetic looking balloons and mangy sandwiches in The Daily Post’s conference room, Eloise is hit but a long sharp pang of loneliness.
Suddenly, and with dazzling clarity, she realises what she wants to make her life more complete. A baby.
One successful trip to the sperm bank and almost three years later and she is the adoring mother of a gorgeous little girl, Lily. Juggling a high-powered job with motherhood is not easy and when she finds herself without childcare she sends an SOS to her sister Helen. Yet it’s when Lily starts asking about her ‘daddy’ that Eloise really starts to panic. What will she tell her?
In Sara’s Mailbox:
Title: The Girl, the Gold Tooth and Everything
Author: Francine LaSala
Received: Francine LaSala
Synopsis: Mina Clark is losing her mind—or maybe it’s already gone. She isn’t quite sure. Feeling displaced in her over-priced McMansion-dotted suburban world, she is grappling not only with deep debt, a mostly absent husband, and her playground-terrorizer 3-year old Emma, but also with a significant amnesia she can’t shake—a “temporary” condition now going on several years, brought on by a traumatic event she cannot remember, and which everyone around her feels is best forgotten. A routine trip to the dentist changes everything for Mina, and suddenly she’s not sure if what’s happening is real, of if she’s just now fully losing her mind… especially when she realizes the only person she thought she could trust is the one she fears the most.
This latest novel by Francine LaSala (Rita Hayworth’s Shoes) is a fast-paced, richly layered, and darkly humorous satire filled with quirky characters and unforgettable moments of humanity.
