Future Tour: Our Eyes Met Over Cantaloupe by Anne McAneny
Anne will be on tour October 17- November 7 with her novel Our Eyes Met Over Cantaloupe A wedding order at The Secret Lives of…
In My Mailbox: Week of August 28
In My Mailbox: Week of August 28, 2011
Title: Until Again
Author: Lou Aronica
Received: From Lou Aronica
Synopsis: Reviewers have called Lou Aronica’s novel BLUE “compelling,” “beautifully written,” “a story to remember and cherish,” and “one of those books that everyone should find a moment to read.” Readers have said it was “a great inspiration,” “I’ve never been more moved or inspired,” and “one of the best books I’ve read.” Now comes this prequel novella, a short work that provides the essential story behind the story. UNTIL AGAIN tells of a decidedly real-world event: the final weekend in the breakup of a marriage. For Chris Astor, the divorce is not something he wants, primarily because of the distance it will put between his ten-year-old daughter Becky and himself. Juxtaposed against this is a critical event in Tamarisk, the bedtime-story fantasy world that Chris and Becky created when Becky was much younger. Miea, the university-age princess of Tamarisk fears that her world has become a terribly dangerous place…but she could not possibly have imagined where that danger will lead her and the people she loves. These parallel stories converge, in a most unusual way, in a tale of change and new tomorrows. A powerful revelation for those who have read BLUE, and an emotionally charged introduction to these deeply relatable characters for those who haven’t, UNTIL AGAIN is a warm, engaging, and bittersweet work that promises to speak to your heart.
Title: The Divorce Club
Author: Jayde Scott
Received: From Jayde Scott
Synopsis: The Divorce Club’s personalized battle plan designed to suit your individual needs:
Put on weight and don’t shave your legs, or armpits, or any part of your body for that matter.
Don’t wash his clothes and cook rotten meals, preferably ones that’ll give him constant diarrhea.
Wear a thong with a mini dress and bend over in front of his friends, but only after gaining weight.
Don’t forget: if you’re moving, we’ll help you pack and unload. If he’s the one moving, we’ll help you throw his belongings out the window.
A bitter divorce from a two-timing husband leaves Sarah with no money to fend for her daughter, but she won’t be beaten, so she opens The Divorce Club, a meeting place for women who want to divorce their cheating husbands, but don’t know how.
Soon things start to go seriously wrong. A fake client and her rising interest in him isn’t Sarah’s only worry; there’s also the moody teenager, a stalker, and the club’s personalized battle plans that start to involve more than flashing a confident smile and running a 24/7 hotline.
When Sarah’s ex-husband moves in without her permission in the hope to patch things up, chaos seems complete.
Title: J’Adore New York
Author: Isabelle LaFleche
Received: From Book Sparks PR
Synopsis: Offered the chance to transfer to her law firm’s New York City office, stylish Parisian lawyer Catherine Lambert jumps at the opportunity—a fashion devotee with her finger on the pulse of style, she sets her sights on conquering Manhattan’s high-flying worlds of glamour, law, and love tout de suite. But soon, the non-stop New York minute filled with monster bosses, lecherous clients, and vindictive secretaries begins to take its toll. That is, until one handsome and powerful client begins to change her world for the better…only to throw it all into jeopardy with one surprising request. Perfect for fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Devil Wears Prada, and Sex in the City, Isabelle Lafleche’s breakout novel J’adore New York is a rollercoaster of struggle and romance from the city where dreams come true.
Merciless by Diana Palmer
I had a really difficult time getting into Merciless by Diana Palmer. The first two chapters sat well with me, but then it really went downhill from there. The two main characters, FBI agent Jon and single mom Joceline, are seemingly in love with one another but neither will admit it. When their lives are threatened and they are forced to hide out together, the two finally decide to be with one another and Joceline spills a big secret that is really pretty obvious from page one. The dialogue in the book really got me. The characters would constantly state the most obvious things, and the historical facts made it sound like they were reading out of a book. When the dialogue is discussing someone’s pregnancy and then the dialogue tag reads “she said, alluding to her pregnancy,” well, that is a little unnecessary. And maybe it’s just because I’m younger, but the old fashioned views that were constantly talked about seemed a bit overboard. In every chapter it’s mentioned that Joceline has a child out of wedlock and what a horrible person she is because of it. After the first few chapters I had trouble staying with the book, but the kicker was when (SPOILER-ISH ALERT) Joceline confides to Jon that Markie is his son. This happens right after Jon’s mother is shot and killed. What is the appropriate response? To have sex and really leave it at that. I was completely baffled. I can’t say I would recommend Merciless, but I have heard that Diana Palmer’s earlier works are said to be better.
[Rating: 2]
Heather Hummel Blog Tour Sign Up
Whispers: The heart’s way of speaking…
Madison Ragnar is a high school English teacher determined to connect with her students, to finish the next running race with a respectable time, and to avoid ever falling in love again.
But life has other plans for Madison. A man named Michael shows himself in the most unexpected places, raising questions from her best friend, Olivia, and issues around Madison’s last relationship.
In the classroom, the death of a student prompts her grieving ninth graders to depend on her for answers. They turn to journal writing as a form of understanding the weight of what’s happened in the walls of their teenage existence.
When Madison meets Phil, who throws a wrench in her declaration to not fall in love, it seems that her escape through miles of running is the only real footing she has in life.
Will fate determine Madison’s life? Or will she have a say in its outcome?
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
I have mixed feelings about The American Heiress, the debut novel from Daisy Goodwin. While I really enjoyed the writing, the author can clearly write in the 19th century setting, and most of the characters were well developed and thought-provoking, there were a few lacking elements that kept sneaking up on me. The story is set in the 1890’s and follows an American heiress, Cora Cash, and her journey with love, money, and prestige. Though Cora has fallen for a “normal” man, her mother insists that she can only marry someone with a title. The dreadful Mrs. Cash brings Cora to England in search of the perfect royal candidate. Cora is quickly engaged and married to Ivo, the Duke of Wareham, and quickly finds that perhaps the royal life isn’t what she expected. Her husband becomes withdrawn and secretive, often leaving for extended periods of time, even once Cora finds herself pregnant with his child, her close friends are not to be trusted, and the suspicions of affairs reeks in every home. Cora tries to stay positive, but becomes increasingly aware that money and titles do not equal happiness.
Why did I have mixed feelings? I already mentioned the writing was great, Goodwin is a terrific storyteller, but there were just a few oddities mixed in that would snag my attention. Right from the beginning, Mrs. Cash somehow gets lit on fire and half of her face is scarred. Seems like a big deal, but after Cora wonders if she is dead, the scene is over and I was left wildly confused as to what was going on. There were little scenes like these that were thrown in but didn’t really seem to have a place in the story. I think this might be because there was an overabundance of characters. I kept wondering if some of the smaller characters would make a bigger impact, but it didn’t seem to happen. They could have been cut out and the story could have been shorter and more to the point. There were times where the plot seemed to drag on, but then others where I didn’t want to put it down. The ending did leave me pretty unsettled though, because it seemed Cora was finally going to stand up for herself and there was a big build up around it and then…she settled. And then the story was abruptly over. So you can see my confusion with this book. I was going to give it three stars, but decided to add that half star because of the gorgeous cover, and the fact that were a few sporadic moments where I didn’t want to put the book down. I’m curious to know if others have read The American Heiress and what your thoughts were.
[Rating: 3.5]
Interview with Susan Mallery
Tell us about ONLY MINE.
Each book in the Fool’s Gold series is a standalone novel, meaning that you won’t get lost if you read them out of order. Fool’s Gold is a town facing a serious (and seriously funny) problem – the 2010 census revealed that the town is suffering from a man shortage. Fool’s Gold has become the punch line of countless jokes on TV talk shows, which makes the strong, independent women in town pretty darn crabby… and which attracts the attention of a sleazy TV producer.
In ONLY MINE, it’s Dakota Hendrix’s job to interview potential contestants. After she recommends two handsome young twins for the show, the twins’ gorgeous, stern older brother demands that she declare them unfit. Finn Anderson wants his brothers to return to college. Finn has raised the boys since their parents died, and he won’t consider his duty done until they graduate. While Finn does everything he can to strong-arm or coerce his brothers back to Alaska, Dakota is struggling with a problem of her own, a problem so big that it will change the course of her life.
You can read free excerpts at www.foolsgoldca.com. You’ll find lots of freebies and fun bonus content there, too!
How did you come up with your Fool’s Gold series?
I knew I wanted to create a series based on a place. In the past, I’d written series based on a family, so once I ran out of siblings, I ran out of stories. Readers kept asking me for more in every series. They loved that sense of connection, and they wanted it to go on. Debbie Macomber was the one who suggested I stop writing about families and start writing about a place. With a place, the story possibilities are infinite. (Debbie Macomber is like my Mayor Marsha – I never say no to Debbie! She’s a genius.)
The place itself needed to have a strong identity. As I was brainstorming the series, I heard a story about the then-upcoming 2010 census, about everything a town can discover about itself from census results. I wondered, “What if there was a man shortage?”
So Fool’s Gold was born… the town with the man shortage. But instead of making the women eager to get more men to town, I tweaked reader expectations and made the women strong, self-sufficient, and kind of crabby that anyone would think they need more men. They can run the town just fine without men. Which means that any men who do move to Fool’s Gold have to earn the right to live there . . . and they have to earn the hearts of the women they love.
www.FoolsGoldCA.com is my gift to readers who have been so loyal to me. I wanted to create an experience for readers that goes beyond the books. On FoolsGoldCA.com, readers will find amazing bonus content such as between-the-books updates, stories and pictures from the characters’ weddings, Fool’s Gold magazines, a map of town, and funny ads from local businesses… I could keep going, but the truth is, you have to see it to get it. Fool’s Gold is the Land of Happy Endings!
What draws Dakota and Finn to each other?
At their core, Finn and Dakota both value their families more than anything. Finn thinks he wants to be done with his familial duty. He wants to get his brothers through college so he can return to his days as a carefree bachelor, but he will learn that he’s not that guy anymore. Somewhere along
the way, he grew up. At heart, he’s a family man.
You love to write about families, such as the Hendrix triplets. Why?
I was an only child, so I love writing about the big, boisterous family that I never had. Triplets are an extension of that – three sisters who have been together since birth. Each of the triplets has her own personality, but the experiences these three women have shared throughout their lives make them as close as it’s possible to be.
You’re known for both the depth of your characters and for your humor. Do both come naturally to you?
I think men and women falling in love with each other is inherently hysterical. Who came up with that bright idea?! Men do everything they can to avoid emotion, and yet they’re irresistibly drawn to women, who overflow with emotion. When I get teary-eyed over a commercial, my husband looks at me like I’m completely nuts. There’s this constant push-pull between men and women that never really goes away, and it will always be funny to me.
Most of my storylines are not funny in and of themselves. My characters deal with some very serious issues in their lives, but their ability to find the humor says a lot about their resilience. I like people in real life who can laugh at themselves, and I like that in characters, too.
Do you plot your books before writing?
I do a lot of plotting in advance, which means I can write the story quickly, which further means that I don’t lose interest. For me, the creative rush is highest during the plotting process, and the actual writing of the book is more about getting the story down on paper. I’ve tried
writing without a plot, and it just doesn’t work for me. I enjoy the aspect of surprise, but I dread revisions. Even when a book is thoroughly plotted, though, the characters can sometimes surprise me. I was sweetly surprised by a secondary romance in ONLY MINE.
How many more Fool’s Gold books will you write?
There will be at least seven more books after this year’s. In 2012, three delicious cowboy brothers and their younger sister will move to Fool’s Gold. And in 2013, I think I’m going to establish a bodyguard academy on the edge of town. After that, who knows? If readers clamor for more from Fool’s Gold, anything’s possible. (You can let me know you want more by writing to me at
www.facebook.com/susanmallery, www.twitter.com/susanmallery, or www.goodreads.com/susanmallery.)
Are you working on anything new outside of Fool’s Gold?
BAREFOOT SEASON, my next women’s fiction novel, will be out in April 2012 and will launch a new series set on quaint Blackberry Island. The story is about two former best friends who form a turbulent truce to save the inn they both love.
The recent Buzz has been that you have your own team of Cheerleaders for the release of Only Mine and the books to follow. How did the idea come about? What is their purpose? How did you choose the squad?
Often, I hear from excited fans who discovered me because someone put one of my books in their hands and said, “You have to read this!” It moves me. And this year, it inspired me to create the Fool’s Gold Varsity Cheerleading Squad. I decided to form a team of avid readers to share with the world their love of Fool’s Gold, the Land of Happy Endings. (Fool’s Gold is the setting of my ongoing series of romance novels. It’s a quirky small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Fool’s Gold is dealing with a man shortage. This year’s stories center around the Hendrix triplets. They are ONLY MINE, ONLY YOURS, and ONLY HIS.) The cheerleaders will earn lots of prizes along the way for doing what they love – talking about books – and I will dedicate a book next year to the grand prize winner.
I invited my fans to “try out” for the team by sharing three creative ideas for spreading the word about Fool’s Gold. I was overwhelmed by the response! More than 500 fans tried out in the first few days, with some pretty amazing ideas. As I read through their applications, their enthusiasm brought a lump to my throat. I wish I could have accepted every one of them and had a cheerleading battalion that could take over the country. Unfortunately, I
only had 25 advanced copies of ONLY MINE to give away. Selecting the final 25 was a daunting task. I wanted to get a good mixture of people who emphasized online ideas and those who emphasized in-person ideas, such as standing in front of a bookstore on release day, wearing a sandwich board, ringing a bell like the Salvation Army. (Yes, she got picked. Hi, Stacey!) I also wanted cheerleaders from all across the U.S., so geography played a
role.
I don’t know if it was pure luck or my discerning genius, but I am thrilled with the cheerleaders who made the team! They’ve handed out bookmarks, talked to people at the bookstore, called long distance friends. And now they’re doing a blog tour to tell the world how much they love Fool’s Gold!
Where can readers meet the squad?
The cheerleaders are pictured on my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/SusanMallery?closeTheater=1. You can also join my Goodreads fan page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8716.Susan_Mallery and my goodreads group to discover other readers who love my books! (Including
the cheerleaders!) (http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/49998.We_love_Susan_Mallery_)
Will your squad answer some questions?
They would love too!! Readers please meet the squad…
Why did you try out for the squad?
Atmac: Honestly? Because I thought it would be fun. I LOVE Susan’s books… I’ve been a fan of hers for years. I’ve met some really great people through FB author pages and knew I’d enjoy meeting and working with a crew who enjoyed her books. It’s hasn’t really felt like a competition…. more like a group of women with similar interests. Already, I’ve met more people than I imagined and it’s only been going on for a week!
Marilyn: Because I missed the last try out!
What is your favorite Fool’s Gold title?
Kelly: Sister of the Bride, which was part of the Summer Brides anthology. I could relate to Kate being a complete tomboy and sportswriter myself.
What’s your favorite book by Susan?
Beccie: My favorite book of Susan’s would have to be from her Buchanan Family series, “Sizzling”. I love Reid’s character and how he falls in love with the smart and understated Lori. I guess I see myself in Lori and that’s why I love it.
Marilyn: Accidentally Yours and Sunset Bay
How did you discover Susan for the 1st time?
Stacey: I am an avid reader of the Harlequin Desire line and found Susan that way. Her “Millionaire” series was my favorite.
Jen: My Aunt had given me a stack of books & Susan’s was included…I can’t remember the title now (of course), but it was with the ex football player & a bakery.
What made you an avid fan of Susan’s books?
Heidi: Susan’s writing made me an avid fan! I love the way her writing can pull me into a story, make me feel part of a small town, and fall in love with the characters. As I began to research her list of back-list, trying to find more to read, I found that Susan is a very fun and out-going person. The creativity behind Fool’s Gold website is brilliant and has me wanting more and more from this small community of people. I love how Susan tries to connect with her readers through her website and blog…the videos, yummy recipes, and I love the fun stories and pictures of her dog, NIKKI.
Jennifer: Her writing is humorous with a great story…she is a one of a kind author.
What’s it like to be on the squad?
Charlotte: To be on the Varsity Cheerleading squad with the 24 other women who love Susan as I do is AWESOME, we all share a love for Susan and her novels. We sit and wait with baited breath for the next installment.
Marilyn: Fantastic
Have you read only mine yet? What do you think?
Atmac: Yes! LOL… and I loved it!! My daughter adopted a child just this year. She has 2 children, but we nearly lost both of them with her second child. Her husband refused to let her bear any more children, so they decided to adopt. The months and months of filling out paperwork, and it happened just as suddenly for her as it did for Dakota. I really liked how strong Dakota was–she never whined or complained about the hand that Life dealt her. Finn was a hero who was easy to respect. Even though he comes off strong in the beginning, you know WHY he’s the way he is. He’s like the parent, but not. And so close to feeling like he could do “his” thing.
Why should readers buy this book?
Kelly: Because it will make you smile. This is the perfect escape from reality with some wonderful characters read.
Marilyn: Why not?
Any favorite quotes from the book?
Atmac: “You’re not funny,” her mother snapped. “If you think this is humorous, you’re wrong. I’m in crisis here. A really, really big crisis. I feel sick to my stomach, my head hurts, I’m retaining enough water to sink a battleship. I’m a woman on the edge. You need to respect that.”
Charlotte: “Mom I’m pregnant!” bhahahah I would have been killed but her mom embraced her and wanted to share in her love.
Be honest… What’s Susan really like?
Jennifer: She is humble and an absolute doll!!
Jen: She’s amazing! I never thought she would be as involved with our squad as she has been. Everyone and I feel I need to keep up & stay on top of those.
Tiffany: Supportive, Caring, Giving, Friendly, Creative, and a great author! She is someone you would want as a friend in good times and bad. She really has been so kind and supportive of all of us even when it has nothing to do with her or her books! She just cares.
Kathleen Kole Blog Tour Sign Up
Kathleen Kole will be on tour with Dollars to Donuts in November, and I am signing up bloggers to participate! The book will be available…
Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank
Denise Grover Swank is on tour with CLP Blog Tours, and I am sure glad she is! I could not put down Twenty-Eight and a…
Interview with Meredith Schorr
How do you know being an author is the right choice for you?
I honestly do not know if it is the right choice for me forever. I hope so, but we’ll see if I can keep coming up with book ideas! I never thought about being an author until I started writing Just Friends With Benefits on a whim and loved every minute of it. And I’ve enjoyed writing my second novel just as much. As long as writing novels continues to make me happy, I assume I will keep doing it.
I read that you were interested once in writing books for children. Do you still have an interest for this?
Not at all. After dabbling in children’s stories, I realized it wasn’t for me. I’ve often thought about writing a Young Adult novel, but teenagers are so different now than they were back in my day. (Yikes that made me sound REALLY old.) I was a pretty innocent kid and don’t know if what I would write would appeal to a more sophisticated generation of teenagers.
Is any part of Just Friends With Benefits is based on your life?
Yes and no. Stephanie is a lot like me and most of the other characters are inspired by people I’ve known. That being said, the story itself is completely fictictious. While some events/conversations might have actually taken place, they were used completely out of context.
I see that you are currently in the revision stage for your second novel. Can you tell us what this story will be about?
I’ve actually begun the tortorous process of drafting my query letter and pitch! Here’s what I have so-far. It will be tweaked: “Exactly 365 days after breaking up with her high school sweetheart of nine years, 26 year-old Jane Frank is ready to fall in love again. Although the plan is to be in a committed relationship by the time she starts law school the following year, Jane discovers that finding and maintaining a boyfriend in high school circa 1999 is entirely different than dating in NYC post-millenium. When Jane finds herself on the receiving end of the silent ‘fadeaway’ three times too often, she is determined to take back control, but risks losing her friends, family and a little bit of her sanity in the process.” The working title is “Taking Back The Fadeaway”.
Do you have a certain writing routine?-
Actually I don’t. I work full-time and have a lot of other things going on that make it impossible for me to write every day. I do belong to a writer’s group that meets every week. And I try to write on lunch hours, while commuting, and often while waiting my turn for a hair or doctor’s appointment, and even online at the grocery store. I do a lot of writing remotely on my phone.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
As far as the writing itself, I struggle the most with description. I usually write the first draft pretty sparingly and then flesh it out during revisions.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
EXTREMELY important. Especially for e-published writers like myself whose books cannot be bought at brick & mortar stores. There is definitely less chance of an impulse sale so getting yourself out there using social media is very helpful.
What are some of your pet peeves?
People who stop at the bottom of an escalator and just stand there. Similarly, people who stop in the middle of a NYC city street to look up at a building or billboard without any thought to the fact that people are directly behind them. People walking on the streets who don’t move to the side to send texts. I think I have a lot of issues with commuters in NYC!!
What are a few things on your bucket list?
I would like to see one of my books in an airport book store. Observing someone buy it would be even better! I’m going to get a little corny here and say that I’d really like to fall in mutual love with the right person. The right person is key as there have been a few wrong ones. Oh, and the “mutual” part is key too! Running a marathon is a possibility but I’m going to reserve judgement until I complete my first half marathon in September.
What is your advice to aspiring writers?
I believe writers should write the story they want to write and not only what they think will sell. Also, writers should learn to take construction criticism and learn from it, but also be able to trust their own instincts. There is a fine line between editing blindly based on someone else’s comments and being so stubborn (and foolish) that you aren’t able to see changes that could really improve your story. Finally, I think aspiring writers should not be afraid to explore new options of publishing. It’s a changing industry and there are a lot of different ways to publish.
Where would be your dream vacation?
I have so many dream vacations and they run the gamut in type. But common to all are good company, delicious food and drinks “a-plenty”!
