On Dublin Street Tour and Giveaway!

Four years ago, Jocelyn Butler left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Edinburgh. Burying the grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without any real attachments has worked well for her so far but when Joss moves into a fantastic apartment on Dublin Street, her carefully guarded world is shaken to its core by her new roommate’s sexy older brother.

Braden Carmichael is a man who always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Jocelyn in his bed. Knowing how skittish Joss is concerning any kind of relationship, Braden proposes a sexual arrangement that should satisfy the intense attraction between them without it developing into anything ‘more’. An intrigued Jocelyn agrees, completely unprepared for the Scotsman and his single-minded determination to strip the stubborn young woman bare…to the very soul

When Life Hands You Lemons, Self-Publish with Kendall Grey

Kendall Grey is the author of Inhale- released May 1, Exhale- released June 1 and the soon to be released Just Breathe.

I have to tell you- I think this is my best interview yet! I hardly made any mistakes, and despite the fact that the video aspect didn't record Kendall and I had a great time!

Things we talked about:

• Writing a full length novel, how many words are enough/too much?
• Pulling your passions together to create a great story- in Kendall's case Whales and Science, Australian Folklore, and Sexy Australian Rock Stars :)
• The correct way to say Gloucester
• Kendall's roller coaster ride of Querying and Submitting
• Her ultimate decision to "Choose Herself" and Self-Publish
• Delegating cover design and editing
• How sales have been since her release
• Coming up with a Marketing Plan
• Paying for reviews, Google ads and Goodreads ads
• Building a back list and a LONG TAIL
• The cause Kendall supports- a group that teaches kids about whales

I highly encourage you to follow Kendall on Twitter, she's a hoot! Also, check out her Facebook page, fair warning: You Will Be Entertained! 

Laiden's Daughter by Suzan Tisdale

Laiden's Daughter by Suzan Tisdale

I just finished Laiden's Daughter last night, and I can't stop thinking about the characters today. For the first half of the book, I found myself wanting to strangle the protagonist Aishlinn, she was a tad too self-deprecating for my taste. But, luckily for her she was redeemed in the end.

I have a special place in my heart for the Scottish Highlands, so when I saw that this book featured fierce Highland warrior Duncan and his clan- I knew I had to read it. There's something irresistible about a burly Scotsman!

Aishlinn suffers endless tortures before being taken in by the MacDougall clan. She has been beaten to near death when they find her, and her spirit is near broken. Through time and love, she is able to regain a strength she didn't even knew she possessed.

Of course, my favorite part was seeing the transformation through the eyes of her champion, Duncan. He is honorable and gives her time and space to heal, all the while falling deeper and deeper in love with her.

Their love story is sweet and slow to unfurl, which is just the way I like it. When they finally come together, it's like a double hot fudge sundae, all rich and sweet and you never want it to end!

Summer Reading List

One of the brilliant aspects of social media is that you can interact with authors in a way you never could before. I've gotten to be friends with some writers, both published and not, and many of them I look forward to speaking with weekly or even daily.

In celebration of some of my new author friends, my friend Allie and I have decided to dub our summer reading lists My Indie Summer! We are dedicating our summers to some of the up and coming writers who are breaking the stigma laid on self-published authors for centuries now. These authors have gone through rigorous editing, formatting and design to bring truly gorgeous books to the table.

We'd like to celebrate Independent authors and their willingness to be open and generous to us as newbies in the publishing world. Whether it's offering advice or friendship, we totally appreciate them and hope to be able to do the same for others who come after us.

Allie has a lovely line up listed at her blog, be sure to check them out before we officially kick off the summer next Friday. We'll be talking about what we read on Twitter with the hashtag #myindiesummer  There are no rules. Just good reads by great authors. If you have some Indies on your TBR list, why not pick it up and chat with us?

Here's my tentative list:

Laiden's Daughter by Suzan Tisdale

Becoming by Raine Thomas

Inhale by Kendall Grey

 Hybrid by Vanessa Wester

 Twixt by Diane Reed

  Central by Raine Thomas

 The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss

 Molly Hacker is Too Picky by Lisette Brodey

Pentecost by JF Penn

 Blood Orchids by Toby Neal

 Witch Song by Amber Argyle

Angelfall by Susan Ee

 Foretold by Raine Thomas

Allie and I are open to ideas- if you have something super special in mind leave a comment and we'll see what magic we can conjure up. And, of course we'll keep you posted with any new developments.

B is also for Bookplate

I am just browsing the web on this lovely Sunday and I found this article on Squidoo that features printable bookplates available on various sites on the web. I am so in love with the cute ones here. I know I'll be printing up a bunch on the books I lend out! I'm always happy to loan a friend a book, but let's be honest- it can be annoying when our friends forget where they came from... Lol

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Take Me Away
Throwbacks can be:
a book you've read and loved, or a book you've always wanted to read
a book that brings back memories for you
from as far back as your childhood, or just from last year
a classic or a hidden gem
My choice is my all time Favorite Book from my childhood:
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
I first read this book for a summer reading list when I was about 10 years old.  Even at such a young age, I had visions of being swept away by a fine, young sailor named Nat.  But, seriously this book was unforgettable!  It's about a young, free-spirited girl named Kit who was raised by  her grandfather in Barbados.  When he dies, she is sent to live with her religious aunt in America.  When she arrives,she seems to always do the wrong thing, causing suspicion and fear.  She finds a friend in the local outcast Hannah and before long   people are suspecting that her impulsive ways are those of a "witch".  This book introduced me to reading and I think inspired me to be a life-long reader! 
 
What was your favorite book as a child/teenager?  Leave a comment and let me know!