Temecka from Library of Tomes' has been doing her best to host collabs and post new videos on her YouTube / BookTube channel every day of October and she was kind enough to let me join in the fun! So, the topic was Books I want to Read because of Booktube below are both our takes on this topic with our cooresponding videos, books mentioned, booktubers mentioned, & more! Enjoy! Also, subscribe to our accounts!
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Books to Go Now. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Books to Go Now. Sort by date Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
#VideoCollab with Library of Tomes / @libraryoftomes | Books I want to Read because of #Booktube [Also featuring @ReviewsMayVary & @LibriLabra]
Temecka from Library of Tomes' has been doing her best to host collabs and post new videos on her YouTube / BookTube channel every day of October and she was kind enough to let me join in the fun! So, the topic was Books I want to Read because of Booktube below are both our takes on this topic with our cooresponding videos, books mentioned, booktubers mentioned, & more! Enjoy! Also, subscribe to our accounts!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Feasted On: Toronto Collection, Book 2
- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 235; Kindle Edition - File Size: 1387 KB | Expected Release Date: November 1, 2010 | Publisher: Self-Published | Obtained: NetGalley"Go Small or Go Home" [Toronto Collection, Book 2] by Heather Wardell
Author's Book Description : Massage therapist Tess Grayson has long dreamed of turning her hobby of building intricate miniature dioramas into an art career. She's finally ready to grab for that tiny brass ring, but her potential new massage client shakes her resolve.
Forrest Williams had finally healed from the car accident that killed his fiancée, but a new injury now threatens his professional hockey career. Even allowing for everything he's suffered, the depth of the emotional and physical pain Tess senses in Forrest at their first meeting shocks her, and she puts aside her artistic aspirations for two months to help him recover.
When Forrest shows Tess's dioramas to his mother, who owns a top Toronto art gallery, she agrees to sell Tess's work but her rules and restrictions stifle Tess's creativity. Giving up the career of her dreams is unthinkable, but losing the freedom and joy she'd always found in her art is unbearable, and Tess can't seem to find a way to have both at once.
- One of Ms. Wardell's favorite reviews for "Go Small or Go Home," on I'd So Rather Be Reading: "Heather Wardell is my favorite new author. She takes the emotion of Anita Shreve, the relationship development of Jodi Picoult, and the romance of Nicholas Sparks, and puts them all together to create books that are impossible to put down." (See more reviews of this book.)
My Book Review : 4.5 out of 5 stars! Tess longs to take her hobby of creating miniature scenes and turn it into a fulltime career. However, when she goes for an interview to be Forrest's (a pro-hockey athlete who recently was injured) massage therapist she knows that it's the right decision to take the job. Forrest recently lost his fiancée in a car accident and with this new injury, he is in bad shape both physically and emotionally, and Tess believes she can be the one to help him. During their time together, they become closer and Forrest lets it slip that his mother owns a popular art gallery and he encourages Tess to meet with his mother to start her career. Yet, as things get going Tess comes to realize that doing what she loves professionally comes with more strings attached than she might be willing to deal with. As time goes on Tess' relationship with Forrest becomes extremely close but is he willing commit to a new relationship with her? Is Tess able to deal with her massage position along with putting all her efforts into her dream job? Something has to give but what out of Tess' life is she willing to put the most into, and when she does will it all work out in her favor?
This intensely complex novel reeled me with Tess' candid commentary and then hooked me with her compassion for Forrest which subtly turns into something more. I was pleasantly riveted with this novel and couldn’t be happier about it! Well, in truth, it would have been nice to read it also from Forrest’s POV but that’s the only flaw that I can recall about it. Otherwise, I loved this novel’s plot and flow. It’s steadily paced and the way the plots built themselves on top of one another was sensational.
Together Tess & Forrest are a bit of a heart wrenching pair. They made me want to root for them no matter what, yet because of Forrest past, it doesn’t always seem like it’ll be a happy ending for them. I thoroughly enjoyed their relationship. In addition, with Tess working with Forrest, the reader gets to know more about his teammates and I couldn’t help but enjoy the growing camaraderie they all get into.
I HIGHLY recommend this novel to anyone who likes hockey and/or intense contemporary romances!
Purchase This Book and/or The Other Books From It's Series Here : IndieBound (Paperback) : Planning to Live (Book 3) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo (Book 1) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Go Small or Go Home (Book 2) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Planning to Live (Book 3) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Stir Until Thoroughly Confused (Book 4) | Smashwords (e-Book) : A Life That Fits (Book 5) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Live Out Loud (Book 6) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Blank Slate Kate (Book 7) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Finding My Happy Pace (Book 8) | Smashwords (e-Book) : All At Sea (Book 9) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Good to Myself (Book 10) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Pink is a Four-Letter Word (Book 11) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Everybody's Got a Story (Book 12) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Fifty Million Reasons (Book 13) | Smashwords (e-Book) : Plan Overboard (Book 14)
Author's Novel Extras : Go Small or Go Home - Overview & Excerpt | Guide for "Go Small or Go Home" (PDF)
Go, Leafs, Go! (I keep hoping I'll see Forrest Williams but I doubt it. :)
Posted by Heather Wardell on Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Book Teaser(s) :
GO SMALL OR GO HOME by Heather Wardell -- Read my review here:...
Posted by From Me to You - Video, Photography, & Book Reviews on Wednesday, May 27, 2015
"Talk to me," I said. "Be the injury and talk to me."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. What's your name?"
"You've forgotten my name?"
"Not your name." I laid my hand gently across his right inner thigh. "Its name."
He studied me. "You're serious."
"Totally."
"A million sane massage therapists in the world and I get you."
"I know, aren't you lucky?" I said, and he laughed. Unwillingly, but still a laugh. I smiled at him. ~ within Chapter 3
"How's he doing?" Jen said as I sat down.For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Heather, then please check out her website.
"Fine. Gave him a hand rub and he's good to go."
Jen's mouth dropped almost to her knees.
"What?"
"Say that again."
"I gave him a hand rub," I said, bewildered. "Massaged both hands."
She grinned. "I heard 'job' instead of 'rub.'"
I laughed. "And then I came marching up and announced it?"
"I was surprised, I admit."
I shook my head. "You're a pervert."
"Moi?" She flashed me an innocent grin. "Here he is. Gee, Tess, he sure looks relaxed. Are you sure you didn't--"
My elbow in her ribs cut off her words but not her giggles. ~ within Chapter 7
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Feasted On: Blackberry Island Series, Book 1
- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Paperback - Pages: 360; Hardcover (Large Print) - Pages: 360; Kindle Edition - File Size: 565 KB; Audiobook - Unabridged | Expected Release Date: March 27, 2012 | Publisher: Mira Books | Obtained: NetGalley"Barefoot Season" [Blackberry Island Series, Book 1] by Susan Mallery
My Book Summary : Michelle and Carly use to be best friends. That is up until their senior year of high school when a BIG secret came between them. However, the secret made them go from best friends to okay acquaintances, so what made them bitter enemies was when Carly's fiancé decided to sleep with Michelle two days before their wedding day!
Now its ten years later and things have really changed ....
Michelle just retired from the army (for which she has been enlisted into for the past ten years) and moves back to her hometown of Blackberry Island with plans of picking back up on her civilian life easily and running her families inn. If only, she didn't have to deal with her hip injury that she receive in Afghanistan not long before she got out of the army. The one thing she never expected was to see so many terrible changes to her inn or to see Carly not only working at the inn as the manager but also living in the owner's suite! Nevertheless, it seems that the troubles keep coming once they begin since not long after Michelle checks the inn's finances she is informed by the bank that her mother overindulged greatly while leaving the inn into an almost foreclosure setup. Therefore, even though Michelle would greatly enjoy in firing Carly from the inn for the sake of the inn she keeps Carly on board in hopes they can turn it around. Will they be able to save the inn before it's too late?
For Carly, the years that Michelle has been away haven't been the greatest. Now she's a single mother and she worked at the inn with the belief that she was one day going to be made a partner only to find out, when Michelle returns, that Michelle's mother (who said she would become a partner) lied to her. She would love to leave, but she doesn't have enough saved up for her daughter and her to go anywhere good. Plus, she LOVES the inn, which has been hers to improve over the years, and she doesn't want to give it up if she doesn't have too. So, once Michelle and her agreement is made they do what they can to salvage the inn while dealing with their own feelings for each other and their turbulent past. Will they be able to become best friends again or will they both be too stubborn to let past mistakes go?
My Book Review : 4.5 out of 5 stars, this is an emotional, compelling, and entertaining novel about two women who learn to deal with their past mistakes while trying to accept their current realities and overcome their adversity with each other to become best friends again. I truly got wrapped up in this novel with its multiple twists and intriguing storylines. It made me wish that Book 2 of this series was already written so I could start reading it now! The characters were fabulous!!
About the Characters:
• Michelle: Army vet and owner of her family's inn. Tough. Has PTSD but doesn't want to go to any support group for it. She's Jared's roommate.
• Carly: Manager of the inn. Very girly. Is scared of water--swimming or getting to close to it--even though she lives on an island. She's Gabby's mother.
• Gabby: She's 10-years-old and gets along with almost everyone and everything. She's Carly's daughter.
• Damaris: The cook at the inn. Has worked at the inn and known Michelle since she was 16-years-old. Is more of a mother figure to Michelle than Michelle's own mom is to her.
• Jared: Rents out a room in his house to Michelle. Use to be a sniper but now he owns his own boat tour company on the island.
• Sam: Michelle's ex but now her full-time friend. He's interested in dating Carly.
• Ellen: Works at the bank and is in charge of making sure Michelle pays her mortgage on time. She wants revenge on Carly for something Carly did to her in high school.
I'm very curious to see where this series will be going especially in comparison with Miss Mallery's Fools Gold Series. I say that since this novel isn't written in the same way as the Fools Gold Series (meaning it's more about the female characters--Michelle and Carly--instead of any romantic entanglements they might get into) making me wonder if Michelle and Carly's story will be continuing in the next book (and if they'll still be the main characters) or if it'll be someone else on Blackberry Island. I can't wait to find out!
I recommend this novel and series to anyone who's a fan of Susan Mallery or to whoever enjoys dramatic novels that have great female leads that has some romance included.
My Previous Review(s) for this Author : Tempting | Accidentally Yours | Falling For Gracie | Chasing Perfect | Having Her Boss's Baby | Only Mine | Only Yours | Only His | Only Us: A Fool’s Gold Holiday
Author's Series Extras : Blackberry Recipes | About Blackberry Island
Author's Book Trailer :
Book Teaser(s) :
Teaser #1
"You don't know how I feel."
"I know you've never once even tried to kiss me. While you are quite the gentleman, at some point, shouldn't passion have taken over?"
He twisted the shop rag he had in his hands. "I wanted to give you time."
"Ten years?"
Some of the tension seemed to fade away and he sighed. "Okay, yeah. That's a long time. For a while I thought we'd, you know, go that way, but then it never happened."
"For a reason. I think we're great friends. I want that. I want you around. But go on a date. Get laid. It's time."
The corner of his mouth turned up. "Interesting advice coming from you."
"The virgin slut? Yes, I know." ~ within Chapter 13
"It was me."For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Susan, then please check out her website. To find out more about the town of Blackberry Island then click here.
"I'd wondered who'd massacred the garden."
"I was pissed and I hate the daisies."
"They can be annoying."
Michelle sighed. "This is where you tell me I'm crazy."
"You're not. Is that disappointing to hear?"
Michelle considered the question. "I can't decide." ~ within Chapter 24
---
While researching the book, Susan Mallery was incredibly moved by the bravery, heroism, and strong sense of service displayed by the veterans and active duty troops she interviewed. Here are links to three organizations where you can say thank you!
- Hire a Hero: www.hireahero.org
- Soldiers’ Angels: www.soldiersangels.org
- Stripes Military Moms: http://militarymoms.stripes.com
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
BBAW 2012 :: Interview with SuziQoregon from Whimpulsive
Today I'm pleased to share my Interview with SuziQoregon blogger of Whimpulsive as a part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week![Click here to check out the interview she gave me!!]
My Q&A with SuziQoregon :
Jess : Can you tell us a bit about yourself & your blog?
SuziQoregon : I live outside of Portland Oregon with The Hubster and two very spoiled cats. No kids - The Hubster says he's the child in our family and he’s right. My blog really didn't start out to be a book blog. Like many of my fellow bloggers of the "class of 2006" I started my blog as an online reading journal. I didn't know that such a thing as a book blog existed until I started getting comments and browsing other bloggers blogrolls. It initially started out as only about the books I read but over the years I have branched out into other things with my photos and my knitting and crochet projects. That's what prompted the name change back in 2009 to Whimpulsive because it just fit better. It's still primarily about books but as my tagline says Whimpulsive describes both my reading and blogging habits.Jess : What books did you enjoy reading while growing up?
SuziQoregon : The ones with words. I read anything I could get my hands on. I read books, comic books, cereal boxes, the back of my mom's hairspray can if I forgot to take my book to the bathroom with me. You name it, I read it. As a kid my favorite days were the Saturdays I took the bus to the library (this was ages ago when folks didn't think twice about letting kids do such things). I'd spend hours browsing the shelves and taking out as many books as I was allowed. I would scan the shelves and seek out the fat books because otherwise I'd be done too soon. I wanted more pages to make the reading experience last longer. I'd read my favorites over and over again.
Jess : Out of the books you’ve read thus far in 2012, which characters would you most & least like to invite to dinner, from which book and why?
SuziQoregon : The character I'd most like to invite to dinner from my 2012 books is Armand Gamache from Louise Penny's series that features him. I've had a literary crush on him from the very first book. I could chat with him for hours.As for the character I'd least like to invite to dinner, well that would probably be Amy from Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl." I won't say why but if you've read the book, I'm pretty sure you'll understand.
Jess : You post some great photos, are you a photographer or an enthusiast? What type of camera do you use?
SuziQoregon : Oh I'm totally a wannabe when it comes to photography. I just play and hope for the best. I love digital photography because I can take a gazillion shots and be completely surprised at how interesting some of them are once I get them downloaded. I'm lucky to live in a beautiful area and never get tired of taking photos. I have a Canon Powershot G11 that I just love that is my real camera. I also use my iPhone for many of my photos. The Photo-A-Day project hosted by FatMumSlim has made me use my phone camera and editing apps more and more. I've been taking daily photos since mid-March for this and I like the way it makes me look for ways to interpret the daily photo prompts. I’ve been promoting this every month on my blog since I started because it’s fun and fun to share with friends.
Jess : Do you have a favorite place you like to read?
SuziQoregon : My favorite place to read is a comfy chair within sight of moving water (river or ocean) with a nice glass of wine or cold beer. That's also my requirements for any and all vacation destinations.
Jess : Do you have a proudest blogging moment? If so, can you tell us about it?
SuziQoregon : I'm not sure I really have a proudest blogging moment. It's been fun for over 6 years now and full of great moments. I'd say the highlights have been comments from authors, and the friends I may have inspired to start their own blogs.
Jess : What are your top 3 favorite genres to read? Any reasons why?
SuziQoregon : Mysteries, Thrillers, and light stuff that makes me smile. I like to jump around in genres just for the ever changing mood and pace but I read far more mysteries than anything else.
Jess : How many books have you reviewed? Do you have a favorite review of yours that you’d like to share a piece of or have me link too?
SuziQoregon : Oh jeez - I've read nearly 500 books since I started my blog and while the first year they were more quick thoughts and nothing close to a review I have at least talked about nearly all of them on the blog. Picking a favorite would be hard but three years later and I'm still trying to get everyone I know to read "Eli the Good" by Silas House.[Click here to check out her review!!]
Jess : What book out in 2013 are you most looking forward to reading?
SuziQoregon : I'm probably not a good person to answer this question because I honestly have not paid any attention to what books might be out in 2013. I’m kind of gradually drifting away from reviewing new releases because they’re so thoroughly covered in today’s book blogging world. I'd have to say that 'the next book in any of my current series' will have to suffice for an answer to this question.
Jess : If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
SuziQoregon : "Slightly Off Kilter and Seeking Balance"
Jess : List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?
SuziQoregon : I'm going to go with the three from 2012 that I rated 5 stars:
- "Before the Poison" by Peter Robinson
- "The Buddha in the Attic" by Julie Otsuka
- "A Good American" by Alex George
About the Blogger :I am (alphabetically) a beersnob, blogger, booklover, duck football fan, evil genius trainee, oregonian, photographer-wannabe, wine-enjoyer, & zucchini-hater.
Find SuziQoregon :
Thursday, November 28, 2019
The Books I'm Thankful For (so far) in 2019
It is Thanksgiving Day (the USA version of it at least) today! The tradition on my blog is to post a list of ALL the books I've read thus far this year that I've given my highest ratings to (5 out of 5 stars) today, which means I'm VERY Thankful for finding/reading them! Be forewarned though ... like the past two years' lists ALL of the novels listed below do not have their official book reviews from me posted and promoted yet because life has been very busy. 🙂 But as I post more of my book reviews this list will be updated so stay tuned!➡️ So what are you getting out of this blog post you say? Well ... you are getting a glimpse of what my 5 star reads have been in 2019 thus far (as even though their book reviews haven't been posted the first drafts of their reviews HAVE been written), some of my book reviews of these novels/novellas (if the FULL book reviews have officially been posted than they'll be linked), links for you to check out these novels/novellas for yourself on Amazon, AND for the SECOND year running I have a We Are Thankful For Books collab video (at the bottom of this post) for you. In the video you'll see 9 Booktubers (including myself) talk about the books they are thankful for reading this year. Enjoy! 📚🥧
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Guest Post :: Self-Publishing – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Jenna Bennett | Small Business Saturday
In honor of Small Business Saturday (today--November 30th) I'm hosting guest posts from authors who were interested in helping out! So, here is a post by Jenna Bennett, author of "Tall, Dark, and Divine" & "Fortune's Hero," about what it's like to be a self-published author!!
Self-Publishing – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Once upon a time, in the dark ages of 2006, when I’d just written THE END on the last page of my first completed manuscript and had to decide what to do with it, there was really only one option open to me: Query, find an agent, and if you’re lucky, sell it to a publisher.
If you’re unlucky, write another and repeat the process.
At that point, self-publishing was for the people who hadn’t been able to snag the attention of an agent and/or an editor.
If you were good enough, the wisdom went, you’d get a traditional publishing contract. If you weren’t... well, only people who weren’t good enough, self-published.
By 2011, when I got the rights to that first book back, the publishing landscape had changed. Self-publishing was no longer only for the rejected, the down at heel. It was the ‘in’ thing. Everyone was doing it, and people were getting filthy rich, which made more people want to do it. Suddenly, self-pub had gone from being the anti-Christ to the second coming.
So I gave it a try. I had a book that had been published, where the publisher had returned the rights to me after declining to publish the rest of the series. I had three books written and edited, one book written but not edited, and another halfway done. Over the course of six or eight months that year, I published all of them.
And sat back and waited for the money to start rolling in.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Believe it or not, the money didn’t roll in. It trickled, though. Slowly. Three years later, I still haven’t sold a million copies of my books, although I’ve published more of them since. And I’m making a living, which is a big deal to many writers.
Turns out, self-publishing is just another way to get content to readers. It’s neither the anti-Christ nor the second coming. It isn’t a miracle cure or a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s just another aspect of the publishing game. And the things that work in traditional publishing, tend to work in self-publishing as well, now that things have settled down into a more steady groove.
The more books you have available, the more money you’ll make.
Put out a professional product, and people will buy it.
Cream does rise to the top.
I’m a hybrid author these days. I do some traditional publishing and some self-publishing. There’s more self-pub, but only because it’s faster to get the books out when I can do it myself. There’s no one else’s production time to take into account. When you publish with a publishing house, there’s the editor’s time, and the copy-editor’s time, and the proof-reader’s time, and the cover designer’s time, and the sales team’s time to consider in addition to your own. When you’re all of those, you’re doing all the work, but you control the timing. So for every trad book I put out, I manage two, maybe even three, self-published books.
Not because they’re of inferior quality, though. Coming from a traditional publishing background is a real bonus in the self-publishing game. When you’ve been through the process a few times, and you see just how much goes into a publisher’s putting out a professional and polished product, and how many eyes are on that manuscript before it’s deemed polished enough, you realize just how much work you have to do to put out a comparable product on your own.
And that’s what you have to do. Because if self-publishing is just another way to get content to readers, then your self-published book is going to have to compete in the same marketplace as the traditionally published books from Random Penguin, and Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins, and Harlequin. And while you may feel that the traditionally published books out there are not up to the snuff they ought to be, they’re usually professionally edited, copy-edited, proof-read and packaged. However you may feel about the writing or the story, the product – with a very few exceptions – is a professional one.
So while signing with a publisher will get you an editor who works with you on story structure and characterization and sometimes grammar, and a copy-editor who checks all your facts and figures and makes sure you’re not messing up your history, and a proof-reader who makes sure (after you do) that you haven’t left any errors, and a cover artist, and a cover designer, and an interior designer and formatter, all of whom make sure your book looks as lovely as it can possibly look, not to mention a sales and/or marketing department whose job it is to get your book into the public eye, where it can be seen and bought – because nobody can buy it if they don’t know it’s there... when you’re self-publishing, you have to do all those things yourself, or hire someone to do them for you.
It isn’t for the faint of heart.
If you don’t get off on the control, it’s probably not for you.
If your heart doesn’t beat a little faster at the thought of being the master of your own fate, you’re probably better off with a publisher.
And if you just want to write, and you don’t want to deal with the cover design, or the marketing, or the whole career-building bit, do yourself a favor and go the traditional route.
You’ll be happier, trust me.
It isn’t for everyone.
And that’s fine. Not being a self-publisher doesn’t make you a failure, any more than not being able to sell a book to traditional publishing ten years ago made you a failure. It made you not a good fit. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Because if self-pub is just another way of getting product to market, it’s not better or worse than any other way of getting product to market.
It’s neither the anti-Christ nor the second coming. It’s a direction you can choose to take your career, if you think it’s something you’ll enjoy. Or it’s a direction you can choose to ignore, if you think you won’t. Trad publishing isn’t going anywhere, in spite of what the first wave of self-publishers claimed five years ago. 70% of all books sold in the U.S. every year are still print books, and getting print books into stores is something you still can’t do on your own. Whether seeing your book on the self at Barnes & Noble or your local indie bookstore is important to you, is something only you can answer for yourself.
There’s good and bad in every aspect of publishing. There’s even a little bit of ugly once in a while. And we all have to choose for ourselves what our priorities are, and where we fit in the scheme of things.
It’s a great time to be a writer. The opportunities are practically endless. And that’s a very good thing!
About the Author :
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. For more information. please visit her website, www.jennabennett.com.
My Previous Interview(s) with this Author : August 2012
My Previous Guest Post(s) by this Author : Mysteries and More - November 2012
My Previous Review(s) for this Author : Tall, Dark, and Divine | Fortune's Hero
My Previous Mention(s) of this Author's Books/Characters : Teaser Tuesdays: Tall, Dark, and Divine | Best Book Couples -- Happy Valentine's Day 2013 | Blog Tour - Covet Promo Reveal Blast Materials
Find Jenna Bennett :
The Giveaways!! :
This giveaway ends December 7, 2013 at midnight.
[Click the book titles to find out info about them or to read my review about them]
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Once upon a time, in the dark ages of 2006, when I’d just written THE END on the last page of my first completed manuscript and had to decide what to do with it, there was really only one option open to me: Query, find an agent, and if you’re lucky, sell it to a publisher.
If you’re unlucky, write another and repeat the process.
At that point, self-publishing was for the people who hadn’t been able to snag the attention of an agent and/or an editor.
If you were good enough, the wisdom went, you’d get a traditional publishing contract. If you weren’t... well, only people who weren’t good enough, self-published.
By 2011, when I got the rights to that first book back, the publishing landscape had changed. Self-publishing was no longer only for the rejected, the down at heel. It was the ‘in’ thing. Everyone was doing it, and people were getting filthy rich, which made more people want to do it. Suddenly, self-pub had gone from being the anti-Christ to the second coming.
So I gave it a try. I had a book that had been published, where the publisher had returned the rights to me after declining to publish the rest of the series. I had three books written and edited, one book written but not edited, and another halfway done. Over the course of six or eight months that year, I published all of them.
And sat back and waited for the money to start rolling in.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Believe it or not, the money didn’t roll in. It trickled, though. Slowly. Three years later, I still haven’t sold a million copies of my books, although I’ve published more of them since. And I’m making a living, which is a big deal to many writers.
Turns out, self-publishing is just another way to get content to readers. It’s neither the anti-Christ nor the second coming. It isn’t a miracle cure or a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s just another aspect of the publishing game. And the things that work in traditional publishing, tend to work in self-publishing as well, now that things have settled down into a more steady groove.
The more books you have available, the more money you’ll make.
Put out a professional product, and people will buy it.
Cream does rise to the top.
I’m a hybrid author these days. I do some traditional publishing and some self-publishing. There’s more self-pub, but only because it’s faster to get the books out when I can do it myself. There’s no one else’s production time to take into account. When you publish with a publishing house, there’s the editor’s time, and the copy-editor’s time, and the proof-reader’s time, and the cover designer’s time, and the sales team’s time to consider in addition to your own. When you’re all of those, you’re doing all the work, but you control the timing. So for every trad book I put out, I manage two, maybe even three, self-published books.
Not because they’re of inferior quality, though. Coming from a traditional publishing background is a real bonus in the self-publishing game. When you’ve been through the process a few times, and you see just how much goes into a publisher’s putting out a professional and polished product, and how many eyes are on that manuscript before it’s deemed polished enough, you realize just how much work you have to do to put out a comparable product on your own.
And that’s what you have to do. Because if self-publishing is just another way to get content to readers, then your self-published book is going to have to compete in the same marketplace as the traditionally published books from Random Penguin, and Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins, and Harlequin. And while you may feel that the traditionally published books out there are not up to the snuff they ought to be, they’re usually professionally edited, copy-edited, proof-read and packaged. However you may feel about the writing or the story, the product – with a very few exceptions – is a professional one.
So while signing with a publisher will get you an editor who works with you on story structure and characterization and sometimes grammar, and a copy-editor who checks all your facts and figures and makes sure you’re not messing up your history, and a proof-reader who makes sure (after you do) that you haven’t left any errors, and a cover artist, and a cover designer, and an interior designer and formatter, all of whom make sure your book looks as lovely as it can possibly look, not to mention a sales and/or marketing department whose job it is to get your book into the public eye, where it can be seen and bought – because nobody can buy it if they don’t know it’s there... when you’re self-publishing, you have to do all those things yourself, or hire someone to do them for you.
It isn’t for the faint of heart.
If you don’t get off on the control, it’s probably not for you.
If your heart doesn’t beat a little faster at the thought of being the master of your own fate, you’re probably better off with a publisher.
And if you just want to write, and you don’t want to deal with the cover design, or the marketing, or the whole career-building bit, do yourself a favor and go the traditional route.
You’ll be happier, trust me.
It isn’t for everyone.
And that’s fine. Not being a self-publisher doesn’t make you a failure, any more than not being able to sell a book to traditional publishing ten years ago made you a failure. It made you not a good fit. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Because if self-pub is just another way of getting product to market, it’s not better or worse than any other way of getting product to market.
It’s neither the anti-Christ nor the second coming. It’s a direction you can choose to take your career, if you think it’s something you’ll enjoy. Or it’s a direction you can choose to ignore, if you think you won’t. Trad publishing isn’t going anywhere, in spite of what the first wave of self-publishers claimed five years ago. 70% of all books sold in the U.S. every year are still print books, and getting print books into stores is something you still can’t do on your own. Whether seeing your book on the self at Barnes & Noble or your local indie bookstore is important to you, is something only you can answer for yourself.
There’s good and bad in every aspect of publishing. There’s even a little bit of ugly once in a while. And we all have to choose for ourselves what our priorities are, and where we fit in the scheme of things.
It’s a great time to be a writer. The opportunities are practically endless. And that’s a very good thing!
About the Author :New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett (Jennie Bentley) writes the Do It Yourself home renovation mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime and the Cutthroat Business mysteries for her own gratification. She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace. For more information. please visit her website, www.jennabennett.com.
My Previous Interview(s) with this Author : August 2012
My Previous Guest Post(s) by this Author : Mysteries and More - November 2012
My Previous Review(s) for this Author : Tall, Dark, and Divine | Fortune's Hero
My Previous Mention(s) of this Author's Books/Characters : Teaser Tuesdays: Tall, Dark, and Divine | Best Book Couples -- Happy Valentine's Day 2013 | Blog Tour - Covet Promo Reveal Blast Materials
Find Jenna Bennett :
The Giveaways!! :
This giveaway ends December 7, 2013 at midnight.
[Click the book titles to find out info about them or to read my review about them]
- A Smashwords ebook copy of "Picture Perfect" by Ella Fox to two randomly drawn people from Rafflecopter
- An Ebook copy--winner's choice from Jodi Redford's backlist to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Catching the Bad Guy" by Marie Astor to three randomly drawn people from Rafflecopter
- "The North Poe" Christmas Boxed Cards from Jenna Bennett to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- Winner's Choice :: two books (total) from Kristine Cayne and/or Dana Delamar or 10% off any service from By Your Side Self-Publishing from Kristine Cayne & Dana Delamar to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Every Night Forever" by R. E. Butler to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Playing Games" by Jessica Clare to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Indelible" by Bethany Lopez to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Battlescars" by Sophie Monroe to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Drive Me Crazy" by Marquita Valentine to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Desire By Blood" by Melissa Schroeder to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
- A Kindle ebook copy of "Darkness Awakened" by Katie Reus to one randomly drawn person from Rafflecopter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Friday, May 4, 2012
Blog Tour - Made the Grade: Darkest Wolf by Rebecca Royce | Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway
Today I'm turning my blog over to Rebecca Royce, who is talking about her biggest challenges while writing!ALSO -- Be sure to comment on this post to be able to sign up for this tour's GIVEAWAYs (listed below)!! [Blog Tour will run from April 16 - May 11, 2012]
What is the hardest challenge when writing a werewolf/paranormal romance novel?? :
I think that people have a lot of expectations when it comes to their werewolves. I didn’t invent the genre, but I stepped into it. Readers have expectations for their werewolves. In general, they want Alpha males with strong, mission driven stories that are hot and loving. But, I don’t want to write exactly what I’ve written in the past and I don’t want to do what other writers have done.
This puts a lot of pressure on each book to be different, engaging, and well written. Fortunately, I love it. I’m so glad readers seem to love it too.
About the Author :
As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.
She's in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In Rebecca Royce's world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Kindle Edition - File Size: 243 KB | Expected Release Date: March 2012 | Publisher: Liquid Silver Books | Obtained: Goddess Fish Promotions"Darkest Wolf" [The Westervelt Wolves Series, Book 7] by Rebecca Royce
My Book Summary : Randolph (Rex) is the youngest of the Kane brothers and was recently branded a traitor (again) by his pack. Now the only way Tristan (his oldest brother and his pack Alpha) will believe him to not be a traitor is to leave the pack and bring back a witch, even if she doesn't want to cooperate with him. However, he never expected to come across his mate along the way. He especially wasn't planning that his mate would be a witch!
Elizabeth (Liz) has been cursed years ago to look horrid by the woman who took over her coven. So, when Rex kidnaps Liz from the twin-witches that she's been serving and informs her that she is his mate, Liz believes that Rex is fooling her. However, it's nice that he looks her in the eye, which is something others haven't done since the curse was put on her (not even her friends and family), and says she's beautiful as he can see her true looks.
Nevertheless, they both have grown up to believe that the other is a natural enemy. Therefore, will they be able to overcome their initial dislike for the other and work together so they can get rid of Liz's curse and then she can help Rex's family? Or will they work against each other and unintentionally hurt the other by not following their own growing feelings??
My Book Review : 3 out of 5 stars! Follow this world win romance between two characters (Rex and Liz) that seem to have a poor view of their selves and learn with them what they are willing to do for those they care about. This novel has twists in the plot that I never saw coming but they enhanced the plot and this series in ways that make me VERY curious as to what will happen in the next book!! What I also enjoyed was Rex and Liz, how they showed their vulnerabilities without even meaning too and how they got to know each other by slowly proving themselves to each other. It was all very sweet to read about.
I recommend this novel to anyone who already enjoys this series and to those who like paranormal romance novels!
My Previous Interview(s) with this Author or the Author's Characters : February 2012 | April 2012
My Previous Review(s) for this Author : Love Beyond Loyalty | Love Beyond Sight
Author's Series Extras : Lets Talk About Westervelt
Book Teaser(s) :
“Tell me about them.”For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Rebecca, then please check out her website.
“The twins? What’s to tell? They are spoiled and bratty. It’s weird to talk about them that way since they are grown women, but dealing with them is like dealing with children. They want what they want. Their mother makes sure they get it.”
He nodded. “And when things go askew they punish you by using their magic since your own was suppressed thanks to the curse.”
“You’ve nailed it.”
She didn’t tell him about the beatings and the emotional abuse. Those were her secrets. The shame she hadn’t been able to protect herself from anything ever would stay with her for the rest of her life. For some reason, it felt pivotal to her Rex never knew that side of her.
Luck was never on her side but maybe, just maybe, this time she’d get to keep her secret shame her own and not have to share it with the world for their ridicule. Of course, given he was Rex, he could probably smell she wasn’t telling him something.
“We’ll stop them, witch. I promise.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate that you call me witch. Change one letter and it’s a completely hurtful word.”
He laughed, which made her want to deck him. ~ within Chapter 6
Book Excerpt :
The smells of human overindulgence wafted through his nose, making him want to turn on his heel and go out the way he’d gone in.
Rex Kane observed the scene before him with a strange amount of detachment, considering he was currently seeing his mate for the very first time. Two women—no, witches, he corrected—lay in strangely positioned forms frozen on the floor. Twins, he would guess them to be. Possibly even identical. He sniffed the air. Yep, they had matching scents. They were the very rare, but absolutely possible oddity, of identical twins. He would never be able to tell them apart, not by smell anyway.
His gaze moved slowly over the diner’s kitchen. At the moment, the twin witches offered no threat to him. They’d been frozen. He had no idea how long they’d stay immobile and, truth was, he didn’t particularly care. Witches didn’t frighten him. They annoyed the piss out of him—there was a difference.
The unconscious man, who, unless his nose was completely off, would wake up again shortly, also didn’t bother him. No, the elderly gentleman seemed to be temporarily stunned. He was also human. Not a threat.
But Rex did feel nervous and, considering how rarely anxiety bothered him, he was willing to acknowledge the sensation for a few brief seconds before he would deny it had ever happened completely. He raised an eyebrow and forced his attention to stay on the source of his temporary anxiety: his mate.
You’re sure she’s mine? He had to ask his wolf again. Maybe there’d been some kind of mistake. The universe couldn’t be this cruel to him.
Ours. His wolf bristled at the question. His canine half had never liked being questioned over anything.
She’s not even a wolf. Rex crossed his hands over his chest. She’s not even latent. She possesses no wolf blood whatsoever. Wouldn’t you like to make a different choice for us?
Fate has chosen and she is perfect. In another second his inner-canine might start growling at him. Rex couldn’t remember the last time he and his other half had been so at odds with one another. It had been decades at least.
He sighed. She’s a witch.
And therein lay the problem. Rex hated witches. As far as he was concerned, witches were the bane of humanity. All witches should be put to death before they were allowed to cause any more trouble. In fact, he’d been sent out by his brother to find a witch and bring her back—willing or not—to Westervelt in order to help them with a problem they faced because of other witches.
Hell, this sucks.
His wolf made a sound somewhere between a harrumph and a sigh, which seemed a little odd for a canine. Your opinion is noted.
“Witch.” Rex spoke to the woman who would be with him for eternity. “What exactly is going on in this room?”
The little woman glared at him. Her hair fell somewhere between the shades of brown and blonde, hanging low past her shoulders. He had no idea what to call the unusual color but he felt certain she would know how she wanted it referred. Women were particular when it came to their own presentation. She’d either think of herself as being blonde or brunette, and he better not make the mistake of calling it something else or she might turn him into a frog.
Her blue eyes flared with anger and another emotion he didn’t know how to define. She stood up, and even then she barely reached his midsection. His mate was also small.
Wonderful. She’s also breakable. How fantastic.
Sarcasm is beneath you, Randolph. Only his wolf ever used his full name. He hated it.
“Wolf,” she snapped back at him. “What does it look like? They’re frozen, he’s out cold, and I’m going to be dead, dead, dead before the day is over.”
“No you will not.” He scoffed at the idea. No one would harm her. Whatever this—situation—entailed, he would handle it like he did everything else: with just enough violence to ensure it never happened again.
“Oh yes? You’re some kind of prophet? You can read the future?” She fisted her hands, and he had to suppress the smile threatening to take charge of his face. Whoever this witch turned out to be, she had a spine of steel. Confidence seemed incredibly important as a quality for his mate. Things tended to go to hell quickly for his pack.
“Who are you anyway, and what are you doing here? I’ve had enough wolves today to last me a lifetime.”
“Oh yes? Been consorting with a lot of wolves lately?” He sniffed the air. Yes, the witch was correct. There had been wolves here. A female, if he wasn’t mistaken. He didn’t know her but she had a familiar scent to her like a distant memory he couldn’t make surface. The other wolf—male—he knew, and he almost gasped at the familiarity. Parker Lewis. He hadn’t seen or heard from him in almost forty years. He’d vanished right after the world had nearly ended for his pack. They’d thought he’d died with his parents.
What the hell had he been doing in this truck stop diner in New Jersey?
No matter. Both Parker and the she-wolf were gone now. He’d have to inform Tristan and move on. He had an agenda and it didn’t include finding Parker and the mysterious female wolf, at least, not yet.
The unknown human man on the floor groaned. Rex watched him silently for a second before growing bored. He extended his hand to the witch. “Come on. We need to leave.”
She looked at his outstretched offering as if he’d handed her the sharp end of a sword to hold. “You need to leave. I need to decide how the hell I’m getting out of trouble and I need to decide fast. Skedaddle. I can’t deal with you now. Go do whatever wolves do, whoever you are.”
“My name is Rex Kane.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh great. A Kane. Today just became more complete for me. Out on one of your witch-killing expeditions?”
“It is polite when someone gives you their name to give them one back.” He didn’t want to tell her his true mission wasn’t to kill a witch but to kidnap one. His stop at the diner had been fateful. He’d been filling his car up with gas when he’d scented them inside.
“You want to talk to me about manners?” She stomped forward. “I don’t deal with murderers. I certainly don’t give them my name.”
Nodding, he looked around the room. “As far as I can tell, you have two choices. You can stay here with this motley crew.” He pointed to the still frozen witch-sisters. “Or you can come with me and let me fix whatever problem you are having.” Why did no one ever see the simple solutions he did? Why did everyone have to make life so complicated? Things were never nearly as difficult as they first seemed to be.
“Simple, huh?” She shook her head. “Seems like it’s out of the frying pan and into the flame.”
He shook his head. “Are your words some kind of expression I should be familiar with?” Humans and their idiocy...
“You might know it if you ever left your strange island but you wolves don’t travel much, do you? You prefer to stay there and fester in between killing witches everywhere you go.”
Seems like she doesn’t like wolves.
Was his wolf just now paying attention? “Let me be clear.” He stepped toward her. Over the stink of grease and fatty foods he could smell her personal aroma. He’d always loved citrus. It made everything seem clean and pure. His mate—whoever she was—smelled like oranges right off the tree. His mouth watered. For the first time ever he had the inclination to grab another being and kiss them—hard—with or without their consent. I crave her.
His wolf sighed. I know. Restrain yourself, won’t you?
“You can come with me willingly or I will take you without your consent. Your choice. Make it, nameless-one.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Why are you even concerning yourself with this? I’m no one to you. Move on.”
“I’m afraid I can’t.” Since he’d found her, he’d have to deal with her regardless of predilection for the dark arts. Was it possible to stop being a witch or was it something where once you started you could never stop?
“Why, by the goddess, can you not?” She covered her mouth. “Now I’m sounding like you. Did anyone ever teach you how to speak so you’d sound more normal?”
“Yes.” He extended his hand again. “I would prefer to have this conversation elsewhere.”
“Why? What conversation are we having?”
He growled at her defiance. His mate defined stubbornness with her pert chin she held high in the air. “You are my mate, witch, and you will come with me wherever I go from now on.”
Silence filled the room. The sound of diners’ complaints from the main restaurant travelled through the double doors to make up the only sound in the area except for the occasional hiss of the fry grill, which he suspected needed to be fiddled with or turned off. The witch had yet to react to his announcement. She stared at him, openmouthed like a landed fish.
“Rex Kane.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “I am not your mate. I could never, would never be a mate to a creature like you. Go find one of your own abominations to play with.”
He’d had enough. With a growl he hadn’t planned and couldn’t control, he picked the tiny woman up over his shoulder. She shrieked and kicked her feet. “Put me down this very instant or I will make you sorry you ever touched me.”
“Try it and I will make you repent.” His sisters-in-law had temporarily warded him from witches. It wouldn’t last forever. Hence the reason why they needed a witch—they could never permanently protect themselves from the evil ministrations of his father’s pet coven.
He couldn’t take her out through the diner. In this day and age, humans had rules about abduction and, if she wanted to, the witch could make his life miserably harder than it need be. He would still get her out of there but he could do without the scene she would cause.
Instead, he carted her out the back door of the kitchen. The smell of restaurant garbage made him want to gag as he hurried with the screaming woman still perched over his shoulder toward his van. “Witch, you will listen.”
She snarled, an impressive sound considering she was not a canine. “Wolf, you will put me down.”
“I will.” He nodded. “Inside my van. I can either tie you up and stick you in the back, or you can behave like a well brought up woman and sit up front with me.”
“You have no idea how I was brought up.”
“I will have your choice.”
She cursed. “The back of the van.”
Fine. So far Rex’s mating was not going the way he might have hoped. None of his brothers had this much trouble with their soul mates. His brother Tristan had been trapped as a wolf, his brother Theo had accidentally managed to take part of the soul of a demon inside of him, Az’s mate had herself been stuck as a wolf, and Michael had mated a latent wolf-shifter who had been horribly abused. And, yet, none of them had found a mate as bad-tempered as his. Hell, he still didn’t know this witch’s name.
Thumping her down on the inside of the van, he grabbed some rope he kept stored there. Also collected were lots of tools and assorted weaponry he might need whenever he left the island. All of his equipment would have to be moved up front because even tied up he suspected his mate-slash-witch would find a way to wound him if she could.
She was going to have to go up front with him whether she liked it or not. He grabbed the rope and tied her wrists. “I really don’t want to do this to you. I have no interest in tying you up.”
Her eyes flared with anger. “I thought you wolves were into all kinds of kinky stuff.”
Rex rolled his eyes. The woman would say anything to get a rise out of him at the moment. “When I have your hands on me sexually, I won’t want you tied.” She gulped, the muscles on her neck stretching slightly. He wondered if he’d made her mouth go dry. “Nothing to say?”
With her wrists fully secured, he heaved her over his shoulder again. “Stop. Right now. I don’t like how you’re holding me. It makes me feel like you’re going to drop me on the ground.”
“Witch, if you weighed twice what you do, I wouldn’t drop you. I’m a wolf-shifter. I can carry three times my own body weight.”
“Good to know.” She kicked again, this time landing a blow on his chest. It stung but he wouldn’t rub it, not in front of her. In their power struggle, he would come up on top. This witch would not be allowed to see him weak, even if she were his mate.
She is.
He wanted to slam his wolf. Shut up. “I would think you would be pleased. You said they were going to kill you. I’ve removed you from the situation, witch.”
“Would you please stop calling me witch?” Her eyes flared as he placed her in the front passenger side of his blue van, bending over to buckle her in like she was a child who needed help.
“What else should I call you since you won’t tell me your name?” He closed the door and used his key remote to lock her in while he walked to the driver’s side. If she managed to escape and run away, he would catch her with no trouble. But the time he spent doing it could be better spent getting back to Maine. If he rushed, he would be there in seven hours.
In an irony not lost on him, this wasn’t his first time in New Jersey picking up a mate he needed to bring back to Maine. The only difference was the first time Tristan had been with him, stuck in wolf form, and Tristan’s mate Ashlee had at least accepted she was mated to Tristan.
Also, it hadn’t been his fate and soul on the line. Which seemed, he rapidly discovered, to make all the difference. Was he doomed to spar with this woman’s attitude for the rest of eternity?
Not the rest. You will start to age as soon as you take care of the sexual part of mating. Then you’ll live a normal and happy life like the rest of your family.
Only if I can avoid getting murdered by my father. His wolf had left the troubling part out of the happily-ever-after scenario.
Yes, if you can manage to not get killed.
He opened the car door and slipped inside, keys in hand. The witch stared at him through hooded eyes. He didn’t like her quietness, not one bit. Sniffing the air, he tried to get a sense of what her emotions were based on her smell. Most of his brothers couldn’t decipher as well as he could. It had been his gift—and burden—since childhood. Having a really sensitive nose made it impossible to do certain things. Before he’d learned to control it, the faintest aromas could make him physically ill. If something was about to go bad in the refrigerator, he might be sick for days.
The other side of his scent issues was he could easily discern things other wolf-shifters could not: like the moods of those around him. Right now, his orange-scented mate smelled ... perturbed. She wasn’t really angry nor was she confused. The witch radiated a feeling somewhere in between.
“If I tell you my name, will you let me go?”
“No.” He didn’t like her feeling any anger at all. In her position, he might too be annoyed. Still, something inside of him he didn’t want to particularly examine churned at the thought she had displeasure with him.
“I didn’t think so.” She sank down in her seat. “I don’t know why I’m surprised I’m being kidnapped by a psychotic witch-killing wolf. These sorts of things happen to me all the time.”
Really? He started the car and pulled it into traffic, watching where he went to make sure he did so in a safe manner. He wouldn’t risk her by being careless. “It does?”
“Sure. I’m cursed, after all, which doesn’t happen if you have great luck.”
“You’re cursed?” He nearly stuttered on the word. Rex knew something about curses. They’d all lived with one for thirty years until Ashlee had come and the pack had thrown it out. Most of the pack had died because of the blasted thing. “But you’re a witch.”
She shook her head. “Look, Kane.”
He really wished she wouldn’t use his last name to address him. It reminded him too much of his father. But he had no desire to interrupt her when she talked. Her voice had a lyrical, soothing quality he wanted to listen to for a while.
“I wasn’t born this ugly. In my normal form I’m not gorgeous, but I’m not grotesque either. People can look at me without wincing. I appreciate you’ve chosen not to flinch or look away. You’re the second wolf today to do so, which is, actually, incredibly kind considering what you all are. But don’t you want to abduct a better-looking person? Surely, there can’t be much fun in this.”
Rex felt dumbfounded. He’d always prided himself on being a smart man. But he couldn’t make head or tails of what she’d just said to him. “Let me see if I can understand what you are saying.”
She shifted in her seat, and he wished he could trust her so he could untie her wrists. “Okay.”
“People can’t look at you without flinching?”
“Correct.” She motioned to her face. “Can you blame them?”
He ignored her question. “Why is this?”
“Because of the sores, the puss, the misshapen nose, the way my eyes are narrowed, my stringy hair and the other ways in which I now resemble a stereotypical crone.” She swung her head around to look out the window into the sunset. “And by the way, I take it back. You’re an asshole for making me list all the things wrong with me when you can see them perfectly for yourself.”
“Witch, I cannot see any of what you described. Do you need what the humans call a psychiatrist? Are you unwell?” He sniffed at the air. She didn’t smell of mental illness.
Her head turned around, the eyes he could now see had as much gray in them as they did blue stared back at him. “Are you serious or just playing some kind of a game? Because I know the wolf earlier could see how horrendous I looked.”
“You are of petite stature. Your breasts are round and look like they would fill up my hands.” She sucked in her breath as he said his words but he wasn’t done. “You have brownish-blondish hair. I will call it whatever color you would like me to call it. Your eyes are ... beautiful. Blue, gray. Your nose is not askew. By contrast, I would call it pert. Your chin is stubborn. All in all, if you were not a witch, I would call you a pixie.”
She was silent for two seconds before tears slid down her face. Silent, she did not wipe them away. Neither did she slip into hysterics. “I used to look as you described me.”
“It’s how you look to me.”
“How?” She shook her head.
“I’m your mate. I see you as you are, witch.”
“My name is Liz. Stop calling me witch.”
He felt a smile twitch at his mouth. He’d gotten the name. Already, he’d made progress. If only it would be as easy to get her to save his pack.
Rex Kane observed the scene before him with a strange amount of detachment, considering he was currently seeing his mate for the very first time. Two women—no, witches, he corrected—lay in strangely positioned forms frozen on the floor. Twins, he would guess them to be. Possibly even identical. He sniffed the air. Yep, they had matching scents. They were the very rare, but absolutely possible oddity, of identical twins. He would never be able to tell them apart, not by smell anyway.
His gaze moved slowly over the diner’s kitchen. At the moment, the twin witches offered no threat to him. They’d been frozen. He had no idea how long they’d stay immobile and, truth was, he didn’t particularly care. Witches didn’t frighten him. They annoyed the piss out of him—there was a difference.
The unconscious man, who, unless his nose was completely off, would wake up again shortly, also didn’t bother him. No, the elderly gentleman seemed to be temporarily stunned. He was also human. Not a threat.
But Rex did feel nervous and, considering how rarely anxiety bothered him, he was willing to acknowledge the sensation for a few brief seconds before he would deny it had ever happened completely. He raised an eyebrow and forced his attention to stay on the source of his temporary anxiety: his mate.
You’re sure she’s mine? He had to ask his wolf again. Maybe there’d been some kind of mistake. The universe couldn’t be this cruel to him.
Ours. His wolf bristled at the question. His canine half had never liked being questioned over anything.
She’s not even a wolf. Rex crossed his hands over his chest. She’s not even latent. She possesses no wolf blood whatsoever. Wouldn’t you like to make a different choice for us?
Fate has chosen and she is perfect. In another second his inner-canine might start growling at him. Rex couldn’t remember the last time he and his other half had been so at odds with one another. It had been decades at least.
He sighed. She’s a witch.
And therein lay the problem. Rex hated witches. As far as he was concerned, witches were the bane of humanity. All witches should be put to death before they were allowed to cause any more trouble. In fact, he’d been sent out by his brother to find a witch and bring her back—willing or not—to Westervelt in order to help them with a problem they faced because of other witches.
Hell, this sucks.
His wolf made a sound somewhere between a harrumph and a sigh, which seemed a little odd for a canine. Your opinion is noted.
“Witch.” Rex spoke to the woman who would be with him for eternity. “What exactly is going on in this room?”
The little woman glared at him. Her hair fell somewhere between the shades of brown and blonde, hanging low past her shoulders. He had no idea what to call the unusual color but he felt certain she would know how she wanted it referred. Women were particular when it came to their own presentation. She’d either think of herself as being blonde or brunette, and he better not make the mistake of calling it something else or she might turn him into a frog.
Her blue eyes flared with anger and another emotion he didn’t know how to define. She stood up, and even then she barely reached his midsection. His mate was also small.
Wonderful. She’s also breakable. How fantastic.
Sarcasm is beneath you, Randolph. Only his wolf ever used his full name. He hated it.
“Wolf,” she snapped back at him. “What does it look like? They’re frozen, he’s out cold, and I’m going to be dead, dead, dead before the day is over.”
“No you will not.” He scoffed at the idea. No one would harm her. Whatever this—situation—entailed, he would handle it like he did everything else: with just enough violence to ensure it never happened again.
“Oh yes? You’re some kind of prophet? You can read the future?” She fisted her hands, and he had to suppress the smile threatening to take charge of his face. Whoever this witch turned out to be, she had a spine of steel. Confidence seemed incredibly important as a quality for his mate. Things tended to go to hell quickly for his pack.
“Who are you anyway, and what are you doing here? I’ve had enough wolves today to last me a lifetime.”
“Oh yes? Been consorting with a lot of wolves lately?” He sniffed the air. Yes, the witch was correct. There had been wolves here. A female, if he wasn’t mistaken. He didn’t know her but she had a familiar scent to her like a distant memory he couldn’t make surface. The other wolf—male—he knew, and he almost gasped at the familiarity. Parker Lewis. He hadn’t seen or heard from him in almost forty years. He’d vanished right after the world had nearly ended for his pack. They’d thought he’d died with his parents.
What the hell had he been doing in this truck stop diner in New Jersey?
No matter. Both Parker and the she-wolf were gone now. He’d have to inform Tristan and move on. He had an agenda and it didn’t include finding Parker and the mysterious female wolf, at least, not yet.
The unknown human man on the floor groaned. Rex watched him silently for a second before growing bored. He extended his hand to the witch. “Come on. We need to leave.”
She looked at his outstretched offering as if he’d handed her the sharp end of a sword to hold. “You need to leave. I need to decide how the hell I’m getting out of trouble and I need to decide fast. Skedaddle. I can’t deal with you now. Go do whatever wolves do, whoever you are.”
“My name is Rex Kane.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh great. A Kane. Today just became more complete for me. Out on one of your witch-killing expeditions?”
“It is polite when someone gives you their name to give them one back.” He didn’t want to tell her his true mission wasn’t to kill a witch but to kidnap one. His stop at the diner had been fateful. He’d been filling his car up with gas when he’d scented them inside.
“You want to talk to me about manners?” She stomped forward. “I don’t deal with murderers. I certainly don’t give them my name.”
Nodding, he looked around the room. “As far as I can tell, you have two choices. You can stay here with this motley crew.” He pointed to the still frozen witch-sisters. “Or you can come with me and let me fix whatever problem you are having.” Why did no one ever see the simple solutions he did? Why did everyone have to make life so complicated? Things were never nearly as difficult as they first seemed to be.
“Simple, huh?” She shook her head. “Seems like it’s out of the frying pan and into the flame.”
He shook his head. “Are your words some kind of expression I should be familiar with?” Humans and their idiocy...
“You might know it if you ever left your strange island but you wolves don’t travel much, do you? You prefer to stay there and fester in between killing witches everywhere you go.”
Seems like she doesn’t like wolves.
Was his wolf just now paying attention? “Let me be clear.” He stepped toward her. Over the stink of grease and fatty foods he could smell her personal aroma. He’d always loved citrus. It made everything seem clean and pure. His mate—whoever she was—smelled like oranges right off the tree. His mouth watered. For the first time ever he had the inclination to grab another being and kiss them—hard—with or without their consent. I crave her.
His wolf sighed. I know. Restrain yourself, won’t you?
“You can come with me willingly or I will take you without your consent. Your choice. Make it, nameless-one.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Why are you even concerning yourself with this? I’m no one to you. Move on.”
“I’m afraid I can’t.” Since he’d found her, he’d have to deal with her regardless of predilection for the dark arts. Was it possible to stop being a witch or was it something where once you started you could never stop?
“Why, by the goddess, can you not?” She covered her mouth. “Now I’m sounding like you. Did anyone ever teach you how to speak so you’d sound more normal?”
“Yes.” He extended his hand again. “I would prefer to have this conversation elsewhere.”
“Why? What conversation are we having?”
He growled at her defiance. His mate defined stubbornness with her pert chin she held high in the air. “You are my mate, witch, and you will come with me wherever I go from now on.”
Silence filled the room. The sound of diners’ complaints from the main restaurant travelled through the double doors to make up the only sound in the area except for the occasional hiss of the fry grill, which he suspected needed to be fiddled with or turned off. The witch had yet to react to his announcement. She stared at him, openmouthed like a landed fish.
“Rex Kane.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “I am not your mate. I could never, would never be a mate to a creature like you. Go find one of your own abominations to play with.”
He’d had enough. With a growl he hadn’t planned and couldn’t control, he picked the tiny woman up over his shoulder. She shrieked and kicked her feet. “Put me down this very instant or I will make you sorry you ever touched me.”
“Try it and I will make you repent.” His sisters-in-law had temporarily warded him from witches. It wouldn’t last forever. Hence the reason why they needed a witch—they could never permanently protect themselves from the evil ministrations of his father’s pet coven.
He couldn’t take her out through the diner. In this day and age, humans had rules about abduction and, if she wanted to, the witch could make his life miserably harder than it need be. He would still get her out of there but he could do without the scene she would cause.
Instead, he carted her out the back door of the kitchen. The smell of restaurant garbage made him want to gag as he hurried with the screaming woman still perched over his shoulder toward his van. “Witch, you will listen.”
She snarled, an impressive sound considering she was not a canine. “Wolf, you will put me down.”
“I will.” He nodded. “Inside my van. I can either tie you up and stick you in the back, or you can behave like a well brought up woman and sit up front with me.”
“You have no idea how I was brought up.”
“I will have your choice.”
She cursed. “The back of the van.”
Fine. So far Rex’s mating was not going the way he might have hoped. None of his brothers had this much trouble with their soul mates. His brother Tristan had been trapped as a wolf, his brother Theo had accidentally managed to take part of the soul of a demon inside of him, Az’s mate had herself been stuck as a wolf, and Michael had mated a latent wolf-shifter who had been horribly abused. And, yet, none of them had found a mate as bad-tempered as his. Hell, he still didn’t know this witch’s name.
Thumping her down on the inside of the van, he grabbed some rope he kept stored there. Also collected were lots of tools and assorted weaponry he might need whenever he left the island. All of his equipment would have to be moved up front because even tied up he suspected his mate-slash-witch would find a way to wound him if she could.
She was going to have to go up front with him whether she liked it or not. He grabbed the rope and tied her wrists. “I really don’t want to do this to you. I have no interest in tying you up.”
Her eyes flared with anger. “I thought you wolves were into all kinds of kinky stuff.”
Rex rolled his eyes. The woman would say anything to get a rise out of him at the moment. “When I have your hands on me sexually, I won’t want you tied.” She gulped, the muscles on her neck stretching slightly. He wondered if he’d made her mouth go dry. “Nothing to say?”
With her wrists fully secured, he heaved her over his shoulder again. “Stop. Right now. I don’t like how you’re holding me. It makes me feel like you’re going to drop me on the ground.”
“Witch, if you weighed twice what you do, I wouldn’t drop you. I’m a wolf-shifter. I can carry three times my own body weight.”
“Good to know.” She kicked again, this time landing a blow on his chest. It stung but he wouldn’t rub it, not in front of her. In their power struggle, he would come up on top. This witch would not be allowed to see him weak, even if she were his mate.
She is.
He wanted to slam his wolf. Shut up. “I would think you would be pleased. You said they were going to kill you. I’ve removed you from the situation, witch.”
“Would you please stop calling me witch?” Her eyes flared as he placed her in the front passenger side of his blue van, bending over to buckle her in like she was a child who needed help.
“What else should I call you since you won’t tell me your name?” He closed the door and used his key remote to lock her in while he walked to the driver’s side. If she managed to escape and run away, he would catch her with no trouble. But the time he spent doing it could be better spent getting back to Maine. If he rushed, he would be there in seven hours.
In an irony not lost on him, this wasn’t his first time in New Jersey picking up a mate he needed to bring back to Maine. The only difference was the first time Tristan had been with him, stuck in wolf form, and Tristan’s mate Ashlee had at least accepted she was mated to Tristan.
Also, it hadn’t been his fate and soul on the line. Which seemed, he rapidly discovered, to make all the difference. Was he doomed to spar with this woman’s attitude for the rest of eternity?
Not the rest. You will start to age as soon as you take care of the sexual part of mating. Then you’ll live a normal and happy life like the rest of your family.
Only if I can avoid getting murdered by my father. His wolf had left the troubling part out of the happily-ever-after scenario.
Yes, if you can manage to not get killed.
He opened the car door and slipped inside, keys in hand. The witch stared at him through hooded eyes. He didn’t like her quietness, not one bit. Sniffing the air, he tried to get a sense of what her emotions were based on her smell. Most of his brothers couldn’t decipher as well as he could. It had been his gift—and burden—since childhood. Having a really sensitive nose made it impossible to do certain things. Before he’d learned to control it, the faintest aromas could make him physically ill. If something was about to go bad in the refrigerator, he might be sick for days.
The other side of his scent issues was he could easily discern things other wolf-shifters could not: like the moods of those around him. Right now, his orange-scented mate smelled ... perturbed. She wasn’t really angry nor was she confused. The witch radiated a feeling somewhere in between.
“If I tell you my name, will you let me go?”
“No.” He didn’t like her feeling any anger at all. In her position, he might too be annoyed. Still, something inside of him he didn’t want to particularly examine churned at the thought she had displeasure with him.
“I didn’t think so.” She sank down in her seat. “I don’t know why I’m surprised I’m being kidnapped by a psychotic witch-killing wolf. These sorts of things happen to me all the time.”
Really? He started the car and pulled it into traffic, watching where he went to make sure he did so in a safe manner. He wouldn’t risk her by being careless. “It does?”
“Sure. I’m cursed, after all, which doesn’t happen if you have great luck.”
“You’re cursed?” He nearly stuttered on the word. Rex knew something about curses. They’d all lived with one for thirty years until Ashlee had come and the pack had thrown it out. Most of the pack had died because of the blasted thing. “But you’re a witch.”
She shook her head. “Look, Kane.”
He really wished she wouldn’t use his last name to address him. It reminded him too much of his father. But he had no desire to interrupt her when she talked. Her voice had a lyrical, soothing quality he wanted to listen to for a while.
“I wasn’t born this ugly. In my normal form I’m not gorgeous, but I’m not grotesque either. People can look at me without wincing. I appreciate you’ve chosen not to flinch or look away. You’re the second wolf today to do so, which is, actually, incredibly kind considering what you all are. But don’t you want to abduct a better-looking person? Surely, there can’t be much fun in this.”
Rex felt dumbfounded. He’d always prided himself on being a smart man. But he couldn’t make head or tails of what she’d just said to him. “Let me see if I can understand what you are saying.”
She shifted in her seat, and he wished he could trust her so he could untie her wrists. “Okay.”
“People can’t look at you without flinching?”
“Correct.” She motioned to her face. “Can you blame them?”
He ignored her question. “Why is this?”
“Because of the sores, the puss, the misshapen nose, the way my eyes are narrowed, my stringy hair and the other ways in which I now resemble a stereotypical crone.” She swung her head around to look out the window into the sunset. “And by the way, I take it back. You’re an asshole for making me list all the things wrong with me when you can see them perfectly for yourself.”
“Witch, I cannot see any of what you described. Do you need what the humans call a psychiatrist? Are you unwell?” He sniffed at the air. She didn’t smell of mental illness.
Her head turned around, the eyes he could now see had as much gray in them as they did blue stared back at him. “Are you serious or just playing some kind of a game? Because I know the wolf earlier could see how horrendous I looked.”
“You are of petite stature. Your breasts are round and look like they would fill up my hands.” She sucked in her breath as he said his words but he wasn’t done. “You have brownish-blondish hair. I will call it whatever color you would like me to call it. Your eyes are ... beautiful. Blue, gray. Your nose is not askew. By contrast, I would call it pert. Your chin is stubborn. All in all, if you were not a witch, I would call you a pixie.”
She was silent for two seconds before tears slid down her face. Silent, she did not wipe them away. Neither did she slip into hysterics. “I used to look as you described me.”
“It’s how you look to me.”
“How?” She shook her head.
“I’m your mate. I see you as you are, witch.”
“My name is Liz. Stop calling me witch.”
He felt a smile twitch at his mouth. He’d gotten the name. Already, he’d made progress. If only it would be as easy to get her to save his pack.
Giveaway!! :
- A $50 Amazon Gift Card to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour
To Enter : Please leave a comment on this post, with a valid email address included at the end of it.
Soo .... COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT on this post!! And you could WIN!! =0)
ALSO -- Be sure to follow the tour around the other blog sites! Commenting on the other stops on the tour will also increase your chance of winning!
Find Rebecca Royce :
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Liebster Blog Award - 2013
Well .... recently one of my newest blog followers nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!! It's very sweet and I'm glad she (and others who've complimented over the years) like my blog's layout. =0)
So, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to Deidra from Simply Books (again) for the nomination and becoming a follower!!The Rules :
- Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.
- Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.
- Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
- Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
Questions from Deidra :
- If you could choose to live in one book, what book would it be?
- I'm not sure when this will change but I still am a huge fan of Ms. Neill's Chicagoland Vampires Series! Technically I'd like to be one of Merit's best friends and living in the Cadogan House. **I know good luck with that one, but everyone can dream sometimes.**
- You are on a deserted island, and you can choose ONE book. What book do you take?
Oh lordy. I have no idea .... hmmmmm ... well if I had to choose a book that I've read within the past year, and if it could be found in a paperback version anytime soon, then I'd read "Feral Sins" [The Phoenix Pack Series, Book 1] by Suzanne Wright. It has a great mix of intrigue, passion, and suspense that I could read that novel over and over.
- Why did you decide to start a book blog?
- This blog started because I decided (at that time--in 2008) was going to open a side business for my photography & videos. However, I didn't put much effort into the business so I only tried for a year. Yet I didn't want to give up this blog so I included/started book reviews to the blog as well and now it covers my three hobbies... creating videos, taking photos, and reading/reviewing books!!
- Moment of truth: Do you judge a book by its cover?
- Sad to say but ... YES. Well ... I should say not always but definitely most of the time. Especially when I'm avoiding the books that I already have piled up in my TBR and just want a quick read, so I scan Amazon.com to see what they recommend and by that time I usually go by what the cover looks like first.
- Your favorite book is about to be made into a movie. How do you feel about that?
- It just depends on if they did justice to the book series or not ... I mean I LOVED the Harry Potter movies, especially the last one (both parts 1 & 2) because they based the movie straight from the novel. Also, I surprisingly loved the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie even though they changed the heroine's life a bit by location and the movie basically mushed book 1 & 2 from Ms. Kinsella's series into one movie. However, since they don't always do that I'm always leery when seeing a new movie that's based off of a book.
- Where is your favorite place to buy books?
- It's a toss up. Mostly it depends on how much money I have at the time and when I want to read the novel (right away or am I willing to wait). But it's usually between Amazon.com, Page After Page Bookstore, or The Recycled Reader -- Used Bookstore.
- Who are your favorite book boyfriends?
- Oh my well ... they usually change on whatever book I'm reading at the time and if I like that book or not. So, to give you an idea on previous "book boyfriends" I've had crushes on please check out my Best Book Couples List that I made in 2012!!
- Which character would you love to slap and why? *We all have those moments*
The last character I felt the urge to slap was Lucy (& sometimes Tarq) from "Stud" [The Cat Star Chronicles, Book 8] by Cheryl Brooks because she kept thinking bad things about herself, after a while it was very annoying.
- What was your favorite book that you had to read for school?
- I didn't have a favorite since I hating reading when I was in school. Therefore, I didn't enjoy or finish reading most of the books that I read in school, CliffsNotes versions were my friend. =0)
- What is your favorite thing about blogging?
- Putting my views and/or my creations out there so I can see what others think of it.
- Which author are you dying to meet?
- Any from the long list that I've read from--click here to see--yet most don't head my way. Maybe some day though. =0)
All About ME :
- Blue is my favorite color ... not sure why but I can't get enough of it.
- My daughter is almost two years old (in less then 4 months) and is already testing out her terrible 2s.
- Even though I have a degree in Travel & Tourism Management, at both of my part-time jobs I am their Website Coordinator (I taught myself yet I'm always learning).
- I love to bake but I really am not a fan of everyday cooking.
- I have two dogs -- Paige & Surka -- Paige is my 7 year old pug and Surka is my 6 year old doberman.
- This year (2013) I'm supposed to be having my 10 year high school reunion. **Hopefully I'll be able to go**
- I love country music but I typically can listen to and enjoy about anything.
- I'm a HUGE fan of The Voice, and I always seem to find a new reality show to DVR (much to my hubby's dismay).
- Right now I'm in the middle of reading "A SEAL's Secret Baby" [Operation Family Series, Book 1] by Laura Marie Altom, so far it's really cute.
- Thinking about making some tacos for supper tonight. =0P
- Doesn't really enjoy talking about herself this much. =0P =0)
My Nominees :
- **Okay I know there are less then the 11 requested nominees listed below but these are blogs that I follow who just happen to have less then 200 followers right now and have posted something within the past month! Plus they all happen to be some wonderful authors so please check them out!!**
- Kenya @ Two Fantasy Floozies
- Courtney @ Courtney Rene's Blog
- Cheryl @ Cheryl Brooks Erotic Blogspot
- April & Danielle @ Fifer Hylton's Blah... Blah... Blog
- What books did you enjoy reading while growing up?
- What is one of your quirky habits?
- Out of the books you’ve read in 2012, which characters would you most & least like to invite to dinner, from which book and why?
- Do you have a favorite place you like to read?
- Moment of truth: Do you judge a book by its cover?
- What are your top 3 favorite genres to read? Any reasons why?
- What book out in 2013 are you most looking forward to reading? Or have you already read it?
- Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it?
- What is your favorite thing about blogging?
- If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
- List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Entangled Lovestruck Ring Toss Booth at Entangled Publishing's Summer Carnival | Blog Tour, Guest Post, Spreading the Word & Special Lovestruck Surprise Giveaway
Step right up to the Entangled Summer Carnival Soda Ring Toss Booth! A bottle of soda pop is great but let’s get real for as hard as that game could be there are a lot of other things we would love to win. The Entangled Lovestruck authors are sharing what (or who!) they would love to win with a lucky toss of the ring. Let us know what/who you would want to win at the ring toss booth? So be sure to leave a comment, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below! [Blog Tour will run from August 9 – 14, 2016 & Giveaway will run until August 15, 2016]
Heather Thurmeier :- Message in a bottle :
- Gone are the days of hoping to win the giant pink panda, hanging from the rafters of the carnival game vendor. Now I want bigger and better! If I’m spending money and tossing a ring onto a soda pop bottle, I’m not looking to score a sugary drink or another stuffed animal. I have a house full of those already thanks to my little one’s Beanie Boo obsession. I’d much rather toss a ring and find a message inside the bottle—like a voucher for an all-inclusive, weeklong vacation on a private tropical island for my hubby and me!! That would be a prize worth tossing a few dozen rings for! I can almost feel the sand between my toes…the icy drink in my hand...
- Hula Hoop toss :
- This would be a fun twist on the traditional soda pop toss. Instead of rings, I’m going to use hula hoops and instead of bottles, I’m lassoing people to join me and hubs on our private island vacation! And since I’m making the rules, I can win more than once. LOL. First up, Josh Holloway is snagged. Mmm. Do I need to tell you why? No, of course I don’t. Just look at him. (happy sigh). My second win is Giada De Laurentiis for hubs. I’m nice like that. Not only is she super hot and one of his favorites, but she can cook us some super yummy food while we lounge on the beach drinking margaritas and watching Josh surf shirtless! Does life get better than that? You betcha, ‘cause I’m not done winning yet! My last hoop actually snags 3 heads at once. Elon Musk, JK Rowling, and Jim Gaffigan are all coming with us because they are interesting, inspiring, and hilarious. Sounds like a great trip to me! Who would you hope to snag in a hula hoop toss?
Sarah Ballance :If I get to toss a ring on someone, it's GOT to be my husband. Granted, sometimes that ring needs to go around his neck (after over 20 years together, that feeling is probably mutual) but they also make lovely rings for, um, other very specific regions. Granted, they're not so very much for tossing, but if I had ninja moves I could probably make it happen. Or injure him. Which brings us back to that ring he'd probably like to put around *my* neck...which could be freaking HOT with a fistful of hair. (I have a feeling I've gone off track, but now you're all left with a deeper understanding of my books, so there is that.)
Jennie Marts :I grew up in a small town and one of the things we looked forward to every summer was the County Fair with the 4H livestock, the quilting displays, the scent of corn dogs and funnel cakes in the air, and the carnival. The midway had thrill rides and games and offered a chance to laugh with your friends or hope that special someone took you on a ride or tried to win you a stuffed animal.
The Soda Pop Ring Toss was always a favorite, but you usually missed the bottle, and if you made one, the best you could hope to win was a flimsy plastic toy or a cheap stuffed animal. Not that I’m older and wiser, I would have different choices for the prizes at the Ring Toss game. If I was at the carnival now and could choose what (or whom) I would love to toss a ring over and win, then I would have to choose Red Jamie from Outlander. I would then choose for him to lift me astride his trusty steed and wrap me in his muscular arms as he whisked me away to gallop along the Scottish Highlands while whispering lovely Gaelic words in my ear.
Is that too much to ask for? Okay, I’ll rein it in a little and choose to toss my ring to win a night with Iron Man…er…I mean Robert Downey Jr. I just love that ridiculously cute smile of his. Wait, my current crush is Chris Pratt, so I mean I would probably have to choose him. Seriously, did you see that scene with him and the motorcycle in Jurassic Park, I could die, his grin is so hunky. Wait, maybe I should choose Thor, or Hugh Jackman. Yes, definitely Hugh Jackman…is it getting warm in here? Aw heck, I usually missed the ring anyway.
Who would you choose?
Kira Archer :Okay, Jennie. We may have a problem here because that handsome hunk of Scottish manliness was my first choice for the ring toss. I mean, who wouldn’t want to win Red Jamie (aka Sam Heughan)? Aside from his obvious ruggedly, devastatingly handsome sexiness, the man is loyal, protective, brave to a fault, honorable, and loves with a passion that has me melting from 200 years away!
I’m afraid I just can’t give him up that easily. We’re going to have to have a Toss Off. Winner gets the Highlander! We’ll toss rings at his…um…well…maybe we’ll let him pick an appendage *ahem* Best 3 out of 5!!
Just on the very off chance I do not win my darling Jamie, my second choice of Ring Toss prizes would be Jason Momoa (and only by a very small margin…I mean really if I’m being honest I’d really love to just claim both of them. Can I do that? Am I making the rules for this game? I declare it approved!!) Have you seen the trailer for the Justice League? Jason as Aquaman? O.O
Give me a handful of rings – I’ll aim right for his…trident :-D And I’m going to win too. Jason and Jamie/Sam. Yes, I’m taking both. Because I’m greedy like that. And an excellent ring tosser ;-)
LOL. Anyone else duking it out to try and snag Jamie? Let us know what/who you would want to win at the ring toss booth?
[Hoax Series, Book 3] by Heather Thurmeier
Author's Book Description :
- Leaving was hard, but staying away might be impossible.
Tessa Cutter escaped her tiny hometown and chased her artistic dreams straight to Manhattan. Now she’s home for a camping trip with her family. To keep them off her back, she makes up the perfect pretend boyfriend—successful, important, and most of all, permanently located in New York.
Logan Ridley lost everything when his Manhattan-based personal training studio shut down. Luckily, a friend got him a position as a gym teacher in the small town of Cutter’s Creek. He’s heard a lot about the infamous Tessa, but she’s even better than he imagined. Except, she seems to hate everything about the small town he’s growing to love.
The chemistry sparking between them is impossible to ignore, but falling for Logan will trap Tessa in the small town she worked so hard to escape. If they have any hope of a future together, he’ll have to convince her that everything she wants has been in Cutter’s Creek all along…
This book is available to order on :
** Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads & LibraryThing! **
[Chase Brothers Series, Book 3] by Sarah Ballance
Author's Book Description :
- With him, there’s no faking anything…
Ethan Chase isn’t interested in dating. After losing the woman he loved more than life itself, he’d much rather ride solo, but his family is dead set on fixing him up. To get them off his back, he hooks up with ultra-adventurous, ultra-temporary adventure photographer, Rue Campbell. All he has to do is survive three weeks in her orbit and he’ll be single again, only without the pitying looks and pressure to move on.
Rue is literally counting the days until her plane leaves New York City. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but being Ethan’s pretend girlfriend can’t hurt, right? Wrong. With Ethan, there’s no faking anything—in or out of the bedroom. With the sheets burning hot and the clock ticking on their arrangement, Rue realizes she’s falling for a man guaranteed to derail her goals…and break her heart.
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[Cotton Creek Series, Book 1] by Jennie Marts
Author's Book Description :
- She’s getting out of the city and into his heart…
Reese Hudson meant to destroy mementos from her last failed relationship, not burn down an outhouse and incur the wrath of a sexy park ranger. When the judge rejects her offer to pay for the structure and sentences her to rebuild it—with the hot ranger supervising—she embraces the challenge to take control of her life.
Park ranger Wade Baker wants nothing to do with the rich city girl, no matter how tempting he finds her lush curves. She’s too much like his ex-fiancée, and if he’s learned anything, it’s that women like Reese don’t fit into his world. And he sure as hell wants no part of her big city life.
Reese may not know a hammer from a screwdriver, but she’s working hard to prove she’s not just some pampered princess to be toyed with. And damn it if Wade doesn’t admire her tenacious spirit. If only they got along half as well outside the bedroom as they do in it, there might be a chance for them after all…
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[Sweet Love Series, Book 1] by Kira Archer (aka Michelle McLean)
Author's Book Description :
- Sugar and spice and love that’s oh-so nice…
An inherited parking spot. That’s all it took to make Natalie Moran’s food truck dreams come true. But her dream space is attached to a bakery inherited by someone else—drop dead gorgeous Eric Schneider, a financial consultant who wouldn’t know a cupcake from a cannoli. And he wants to buy Nat out, no matter what she has to say about it. Eric’s determined to build his own business, but he needs the super cute klutz with the cupcake truck to help. If Nat will teach him the basics of running a bakery, he’ll give her free kitchen time. Except…neither expects the heat burning between them or the possibility that their arrangement might become permanent. When it all blows up, Nat is convinced his actions mean betrayal. It’s up to Eric to regain her trust and show her he’s a man who is truly, madly in love with her, before she disappears from his life forever.
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About the Authors :
Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders and a reality TV junkie. Born and raised in the Canadian prairies, she now lives in New York with her husband and kids where she's become some kind of odd Canuck-Yankee hybrid. When she's not busy taking care of the kids and pets, Heather's writing her next romance, which will probably be filled with sassy heroines, sexy heroes that make your heart pound, laugh out loud moments and always a happily ever after.
Sarah Ballance and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores sexy contemporary romance, Sarah writes in many genres including historical and ghostly supernatural romance and romantic suspense.
Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship and intrigue. She is a USA TODAY Best-selling author and writes for Entangled Publishing. Reviewers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and full of great characters that are “endearing and relatable.”She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, two dogs and a parakeet that loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.
Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/ cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, and her latest series about hot hockey players, the Bannister Brothers Books.
Kira Archer resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kiddos, and far too many animals in the house. She tends to laugh at inappropriate moments, break all the rules she gives her kids (but only when they aren't looking), and would rather be reading a book than doing almost anything else. She has odd, eclectic tastes in just about everything and often lets her imagination run away with her. She loves her romances a little playful, a lot sexy, and always with a happily ever after.My Previous Mention(s) of Kira Archer's Books/Characters : Blog Tour - Entangled is turning 5 and we are celebrating! | Spreading the Word & Gift Card Giveaway
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Find Heather Thurmeier :
- Heather Thurmeier - Website & Blog
- Goodreads
- LibraryThing
- Amazon.com Page
Find Sarah Ballance :
- Sarah Ballance - Website
- Sarah Ballance - Blog
- Goodreads
- LibraryThing
- Amazon.com Page
Find Jennie Marts :
Find Kira Archer :
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