Posted in Book Blast, romance on February 22, 2013

boysofsummer

Title: The Boys of Summer

Author: C.J. Duggan

Release date: December 17th 2012

Genre: Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Purchase:

Amazon (U.S) Digital * Amazon (U.S) Paperback * Amazon (U.K) Digital * Amazon (U.K) Paperback * Barnes and Noble * Apple iBooks * Kobo * Smashwords

Book Description:

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him … Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.

Warning: sexual references and occasional course language.

 

CJ DuganAbout the Author

C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.
The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.
For more on C.J and ‘The Summer Series’, visit her website

Author social media links:

Website * Blog *  Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Boys of Summer Facebook

 

 

 

Excerpt

“Don’t you dare.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards. His eyes darted to where my hand rested on him. I didn’t move my hand, I couldn’t physically bring myself to break the contact; all of a sudden there were no smiles, no jokes, just him and me and our space on the couch. I could only hear the music and be aware of the heat of his skin and the rapid rise and fall of my chest in this moment.

The only thing that snapped me out of my daze was Toby’s words which seemed low and raspy.

“Is Adam your boyfriend?” His gaze flicked over my face as he waited for my answer. My mouth gaped open; I couldn’t hide the fact I was dumbfounded by the question.

I blinked quickly and took my hand from his arm. I struggled to construct a legible sentence.

“Oh – um, no, we’re just friends, it’s not like that.”

His stony expression didn’t falter, didn’t reveal any kind of emotion. He was so hard to read, and I wanted to read him so badly. He gave a small nod and handed me the CD cover.

“Better go and make sure these guys aren’t cheating.” And without another word, he got up and headed towards the pool table.

 

 

Inspiration for BOYS OF SUMMER

By C. J. Dugan

It was something that has been churning in my mind since I was a little girl, even if it was something no more mapped out than a group of friends hanging lakeside over a summer. It was an idea that has manifested into an entire world and I felt that I owed it to that eleven-year-old little me to develop it into a story. I know I was eleven because I had found an old exercise book with the story plotted out in my child-like handwriting and I could seldom believe it was something that had been swimming around in my subconscious for so long. It fell perfectly in line with me doing NaNo that year (National Novel Writing Month) and that was that, in one month I smashed out the bones of ‘The Boys of Summer’ (TBoS). In writing TBoS I really wanted to capture the essence of growing up in Australia. I set it in a small fictional lake side town in the 90’s to give it a certain flavor and provide a rich setting for a coming of age story, it is an absolute labor of love.

 

 

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Posted in Book Blast, contest, Cozy, Giveaway, mystery on February 21, 2013

 

Baked Alaska by Josi S. Kilpack

An Alaskan cruise is the setting for amateur detective Sadie Hoffmillers latest adventure. Sadie plans to spend time relaxing with her two grown children, Breanna and Shawn, and her boyfriend, Pete, while enjoying the luxury and cuisine of an elegant cruise ship and helping to plan her daughters upcoming wedding. But even as the crew prepares to leave port, Sadie has suspicions about the voyage ahead and the relationship between her normally easygoing son and a mysterious female passenger he obviously knows but refuses to discuss. When the woman is discovered unconscious during the second night at sea, Sadies apprehension escalates. Over the last few years, Sadie has developed an extreme dislike for secrets and it would seem her son is keeping one from her. *Includes eight new mouthwatering recipes, tested and approved by the official bakers of Sadies Virtual Test Kitchen.
Praise for Baked Alaska

Josi Kilpack has done it again. You would think that all these events that occur in Sadie’s life wouldn’t be natural, but Josi Kilpack has a way of making you believe that it just “happens” and it is normal. I have grown to love Sadie’s character, even if she is a busybody, you can’t help but cheer for her as she attempts to solve a mystery or crime. One of my favorite series. 🙂

~Goodreads Reviewer Lacey McNeill

Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series

 

 

Author Josi S. Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack grew up hating to read until she was thirteen and her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and credits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began her first novel in 1998 and hasn’t stopped since. Her seventh novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense, and Lemon Tart, her ninth novel, was a 2009 Whitney Award Finalist. Josi was the Best in State winner in literature for 2012 and currently has two books (Banana Split and Tres Leches Cupcakes) as finalists in the 2012 Whitney awards.

Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her family.

 

Tour Schedule

Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/17/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Posted in Book Blast, contest, Giveaway, romance, Young Adult on February 18, 2013

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson 

Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.

And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.

 

 

Purchase

Amazon Kindle

Praise

“My top pick of 2012 YA… This book is just. plain. fun.”

~Jordan McCollum, author of Saints & Spies and I, Spy

“Sariah Wilson’s new book, The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back, is hilarious…What follows is a story of fun and romance with some good non-preachy life lessons thrown in.  The voice in the main character, Mattie, makes the whole thing.  I thought it was definitely a book I’d recommend to anyone with teenagers or who just want to read a good teen romance.”

~Julie Coulter Bellon, author of All Fall Down and All’s Fair

“Sariah [Wilson] has written one of the funniest stories I’ve read in such a long, long time. I literally couldn’t put it down. Yes, my poor Kindle’s battery died and I was attached to a short power cord, contorted in a very uncomfortable position while I read to the end…. Sariah Wilson captured the back-biting, insecure, hormone-driven, clique-riddled high school atmosphere so perfectly you’d think she never grew up. I dare you not to laugh as you read this witty and oh, so, romantic story.”

~Debra Erfert of Windows into Writing

“Sariah Wilson writes like the best of/most popular YA teen fiction/teen romance authors – Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Echols, Susanne Collins, Cassandra Clare.  She sucks you in and never lets you go.  I finished the ~194 novel in one night because I just couldn’t go to sleep without knowing the ending!  I hope that Sariah comes out with more novels, I know I’ll be re-reading this one all the time!  She’s extremely talented and needs to be talked about.  I highly recommend The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back! to anyone (over the age of 12) who wants a YA novel that’s a real modern-day fairy tale.”

~Hilary at Novel d’Tales

“This was such an entertaining story! I shouldn’t have started reading it so late in the evening, because I didn’t want to put it down to go to sleep…This is a book I can see myself reading several times. It’s a fast, clean read with great characters, and I highly recommend it.”

~Andrea of Literary Time Out

The book is wonderful.  It’s quirky and fun.  The story makes you laugh and you fall in love with the characters right from the beginning…This is a well-written book.  It is one that will make you smile and sigh as you remember your first love.  And it has a moral…be yourself, believe in yourself and maybe, just maybe, your fairytale will come true.  Pick up this book.”

~Ana of The Book Hookup

Author Sariah Wilson

Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back is her fourth happily ever after novel. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with three tiger barb fish, a cat named Tiger, and a recently departed hamster that is buried in the backyard (and has nothing at all to do with tigers).

Tour Schedule

 

Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/5/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Posted in Blog tour, Book Blast, romance on February 13, 2013

lennonsjinx banner

Title: Lennon’s Jinx

Author: Chris Myers

Expected release date: January 15, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

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Book Description:

LennonsJinxGW-1Sometimes, we don’t get to choose who we fall for.

Lennon spends most of his time raising his little sister Currie while trying to skate through his senior year of high school. He prefers groupies with no-strings attached but finds himself strangely attracted to Jinx, the straight-A student in his choir. Lennon’s curiosity overrules his good sense as he tries to peel away the layers to discover the reason for Jinx’s skittishness.

Jinx conceals the black truth about herself from her friends. She won’t admit to them that she screwed up big time, losing her first love and what she once held most precious.

When Lennon’s band holds auditions to replace their keyboard player, Jinx comes to tryout and almost leaves after seeing Lennon. Despite the fact she despises him, she joins the band to nurture her love of music that will hopefully ease the guilt gnawing away at her.

Like the rest of his band mates, Jinx soon witnesses Lennon battling his infamous father for the custody of Currie. While confronting his pent-up anger at his dad, Lennon exposes vulnerabilities he had no intention of letting any girl ever see, especially Jinx. Their reckless pasts may bring them together or further complicate their already messy lives.

 

About the Author

 Chris MyersChris Myers suffers from an overactive imagination. In second grade, Sister Bernice produced Chris’s first play about pumpkins mauling and eating children. Apparently, the nuns didn’t catch the underlying meaning. This instantly raised Chris to stardom amongst her peers for the several days off from schoolwork while in production. She spent her high school years writing torch songs for fantasy guys then moved onto writing thrillers and young adult. Chris lives in Colorado with her daughter, her better half, and BeBe, a rambunctious Bichon.

Chris literally has very few photos of herself, even though photography put her through college. Here she is with her sisters and daughter. Chris is the one with the vino.

Chris started out as an art major, then moved to bio-chem, hoping to play Victor Frankenstein as a genetic engineer or messing with people’s minds as a psychiatrist. Just as she was about to graduate, she decided being broke for another four to ten years wouldn’t work out for her adventurous spirit and traveling. She ended up with an electrical engineering degree then a masters. As it turns out, she should’ve finished her first novel twenty-five years ago and stuck in the make-believe world where she is happiest.

 

Chris Myers | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

Giveaway: US/International: 8 eCopies of Lennon’s JINX: ePub or mobi only

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Posted in Book Blast, contest, Giveaway on February 12, 2013

 

Phantom by Laura DeLuca

The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.

Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

Excerpt


The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso, and Justyn stood
ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance he began. Beside
her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to
silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened
to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the
high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger on
the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched him in all his
dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of his song. And
she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have been when the
masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In
that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.
“Let the music touch your soul.
Let the darkness make you whole.
                                                 Do not fear what is
unknown.
Your true path has now been shown.
Listen to the words I sing.
                                                 Embrace the peace that night will
bring.”
     As he continued
to sing in his deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t
tear her eyes away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat
faster.  She truly felt the arms of night
wrapping her in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom
glide along her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It
possessed her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for
more.
     She was gawking
so obviously, it was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and
steadily met her gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe,
and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a
smile. He never took his eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her
cheeks flush to the point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t
embarrassment but excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning
in so many directions.
      When the song
was over, and Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t
help but burst into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined
in, including Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only
Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as
Rebecca did.
      “That was
amazing, Justyn!” the teacher gushed.
      “Lord Justyn,”
he corrected as he stepped down from the stage.
      A few others
complimented him as well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious
expression never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost
bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and
words of encouragement.
     But not everyone
in the crowd was pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his
dark garments that he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King
might have been excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being
limited for many years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared
at him as he passed them by.  Jay sneered
and tossed a balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was
quick, and caught it in his hand without missing a beat.
    “I think you
dropped something,” he said.
    His speaking voice
was no less melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made
Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as
coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch
it.
     “Hey vampire,”
Tom called when Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the
competition?”
     Justyn smiled, a
cool, sarcastic half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”
     Miss King didn’t
notice the short confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as
quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very
real tension between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them
to start off the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead
to trouble. The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt.  The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do
whatever it took to avoid.

 

 
Purchase
Amazon * Smashwords * Barnes & Noble

Author Laura DeLuca

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.

 

BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Posted in Book Blast, contest, Fantasy, Giveaway, Science Fiction, Young Adult on February 12, 2013

Red Madrassa by Terah Edun
A magical accident threw them together. But when Fate holds all the cards, it can be impossible to tell the difference between pure chance and Destiny…

The Madrassa, a magical school for mage practitioners, is the stuff of legend. With selective entrance exams and quotas for only the most advanced of mage children, it’s almost impossible to attend.

When Allorna, a guardian trainee for the royal family, ends up on the doorstep of the citadel on the eve of the final day of a recruitment ceremony, she decides it must be fate.

She was sure she knew the path her life would take before she enrolled. But sometimes life has a way of throwing in magical curveballs and strange friends, just to see if you’ll trip up.

Oh, and one of those friends is a mage accused of murder, another is a slightly psychotic dragon, the third a healer facing an existential crisis, and the last is a female storm-caller with more hidden secrets than a thief lord.

Do they all belong at the new school they call home?

 

Amazon * Amazon Kindle

Author Terah Edun
Terah Edun is a young adult  fantasy writer born and raised in the Atlanta metropolitan area, who transplanted to the Northeast region for college, and now lives in South Sudan. She writes the stories that she always loved to read as a young girl.

She prefers tales of adventure, magic, fellowship and courtship – in other words high fantasy. But she’s not adverse to the occasional contemporary fantasy coming her way. Sometimes you’ll see cloaks, daggers, independent and strong girls, independent and strong guys, sweet and soft spoken girls, sweet and soft spoken guys, markets, cute guys, sparkly magic and irritatingly know-it-all boys. The book she’s currently working on is SWORN TO RAISE,  the first in the Courtlight series.

Outside of writing, she’s a international development professional with a penchant for Starbucks.

 

Website * Goodreads * Facebook
Tour Schedule



Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/28/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Posted in Book Blast, women, Young Adult on February 11, 2013

Sweetest_Taboo_ebook

 

Title: Sweetest Taboo

Author: Eva Marquez

Release date: October 1, 2012

Genre and Age Group: *Mature* YA Adult Contemporary Romance/Ages 16+/Females

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Links: Website * Amazon * B&N * Goodreads * Facebook

 

Book Description:

Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart. This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.

 

About the Author

Eva Marquez_Image

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, daughter of European immigrants, Eva Márquez has spent most of her life outside of her home country. At the age of five, Eva accompanied her parents to the United States, where the family settled permanently. After graduating from university, she went on to complete graduate studies in International Relations in Spain. Eva received her Master of International Studies degree from the University of Sydney and went on to work in the global health field in Sub Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Eva currently resides in Southern Africa.

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Visit Eva’s Amazon Author Central Page

 

Dear Reader,

My story begins in the early 90s, when a young girl started her high school career.  She may have been any girl – young, impressionable, and fresh into the wide world of older boys, harder classes, and more choices. She may have been quite beautiful, well developed for her age, and smarter than most of the other students in her class. She may have been destined for the same high school career as anyone else – honors courses, braces, a few high school crushes, photography classes, a first kiss, and then a straight shot into the college of her choice, and her future as a doctor, or teacher, or architect.

Instead, she fell in love with her swim coach, one of the most popular teachers in the school, and became romantically involved with him.

I don’t believe that I have to tell you how dangerous this would have been. She was a young girl of 15, 16, 17 and he an adult man in his late 30s, old enough to be her father. Although this type of relationship would have passed as acceptable and even normal in Medieval England, the modern world frowns on such dalliances, and prosecutes the men – and women – who take advantage of adolescent students in this way. The two of them, then, would have been facing the threat of discovery, tarnishing of reputation, and even time behind bars; throwing their relationship in the face of society, if you will, but doing so quietly, in order to avoid detection.

Have you guessed, yet, that the story I’m telling you is true? Have you guessed that it’s more than just a rhetorical question, more than an idea that developed in my head one day?

The girl in the story is my mother, Isabel Cruz. She never told her story to the world, though she could have, because she didn’t want her love and relationship to be tainted by society’s judgments. This was a story of an illicit – and illegal – love. It was a story of lying, cheating, and misleading the authorities. My mother’s love for this older man was forbidden, and would have been highly scandalous to the world at large. She might have lost privileges, opportunities, and even her family, had they found out. And for him … his future and very life would have been put in jeopardy if the nature of their relationship were revealed, regardless of whether my mother sought to prosecute him or not. Even when she was older, my mother feared that the truth about their relationship might bring a backlash to the man she had loved so dearly. She fought against that with all her might, with the ongoing wish to keep him from any risk or pain. She never lost her love for him, scandalous as it may have seemed to others.

She is older, now, and the man in the story is long gone. When I happened across her diary from that time and asked her permission to write the story, she acquiesced. It was time that the world knew, she said, so it could see that this type of love – though it may be frowned upon, and even prosecuted – isn’t always what it seems. Sometimes, regardless of the ages of the participants, it is just that. Love. True and pure as it can be between two people, and strong enough to last through the years. It was time, she said, for our family to know its past, and its future.

I have just closed her diary, having squeezed every word from it, and written my own last words, which means that the book is done and her story has been told. I must pass it to you now, Reader, and trust you to hold it dear and keep it safe. I must trust you to see the love that shines through, rather than the social mores of the situation. I must trust you to care for my mother and her past, as I have during the writing of this book.

This, then, is my mother’s story. It starts when she was very young, only 15 …

~ Claire Stevens

 

Giveaway:  (1) KindleGraphed eBook copy of SWEETEST TABOO. Open Internationally. Books will be gifted from Amazon only.

Winner will be chosen on February 28, 2013

 

 

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Posted in Blog tour, Book Blast, contest, Giveaway on February 8, 2013

 

Prize-Winning Pacific Stories 

(Special Edition Boxed Set Vol. I-III)

House Of Skin, Cannibal Nights, Opium Dreams
Bestselling author, Kiana Davenport (The Spy Lover, Shark Dialogues) is pleased to offer a Special Edition Boxed Set, featuring the first three volumes of her Prize-Winning Pacific stories, many of which have appeared in the O.Henry Awards, the Pushcart Prizes, and The Best American Short Stories. Set across the Pacific, in islands where the author has traveled and lived, the stories comprise tales of love, lust, racism, family, murder, rape, the search for identity, and the universal search for human dignity.
BOOK DESCRIPTION

Volume l, HOUSE OF SKIN, comprises stories set in Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Fiji, Vanuatu.

Volume ll, CANNIBAL NIGHTS, comprises stories set in Hawaii, Tonga, Easter island, Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Australia.

Volume lll, OPIUM DREAMS, comprises stories set in Western Samoa, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Honolulu, Georgia, and the title story, a novella set in Kohala, Hawaii.

READER REVIEWS FOR THE PACIFIC STORIES

(5 Stars) “BRUTALLY BEAUTIFUL…Tales of tragedy, triumph, murder, of rape, lust and love. Important literature for the 21st century.” — Robert Carraher

(5 Stars) “FLAWLESS PROSE…Rivetting characters. A must-read for anyone who wants to delve into the dark side of Paradise.” — Honi Aumiller

(5 Stars) “EXTRAORDINARY!…Absolutely stunning. She has introduced me to a world I might never have known.” — Scott Fitzgerald Gray

(5 Stars) “GORGEOUS. BRILLIANT…Recommended to anyone who loves

beautiful writing.” — Violette Vane

 

Purchase

 

Author Kiana Davenport

KIANA DAVENPORT is descended from a full-blooded Native Hawaiian mother, and a Caucasian father from Talladega, Alabama. Her father, Braxton Bragg Davenport, was a sailor in the U.S. Navy, stationed at Pearl Harbor, when he fell in love with her mother, Emma Kealoha Awaawa Kanoho Houghtailing. On her mother’s side, Kiana traces her ancestry back to the first Polynesian settlers to the Hawaiian Islands who arrived almost two thousand years ago from Tahiti and the Tuamotu’s. On her father’s side, she traces her ancestry to John Davenport, the puritan clergyman who co-founded the American colony of New Haven, Connecticut in 1638.

Kiana is the author of the internationally best-selling novels, SHARK DIALOGUES, SONG OF THE EXILE, HOUSE OF MANY GODS, and a new novel, THE SPY LOVER, now available in paperback and on Kindle. She is also the author of the collections, HOUSE OF SKIN PRIZE-WINNING STORIES, CANNIBAL NIGHTS, PACIFIC STORIES Volume II, and OPIUM DREAMS, PACIFIC STORIES, VOLUME III. All three collections have been Kindle bestsellers. She has also been a guest blogger on Huffington Post.

A graduate of the University of Hawaii, Kiana has been a Bunting Fellow at Harvard University, a Visiting Writer at Wesleyan University, and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Her short stories have won numerous O. Henry Awards, Pushcart Prizes, and the Best American Short Story Award, 2000. Her novels and short stories have been translated into twenty-one languages. She lives in Hawaii and New York City.

 

PRAISE FOR KIANA DAVENPORT

“She exhibits the character great writers must have. You can’t read Kiana Davenport without being transformed.”

— Alice Walker

“Reading Davenport is an overwhelming experience. Her prose is sharp and shining as a sword.”

— Isabel Allende

“Her writing has an intensity of feeling, a dedication to a level of writing few bestsellers possess.”

— Norman Mailer

“Writing that’s timeless, magical! A powerful moving experience.”

— The Washington Post

“Davenport’s imagination and her vision will haunt you for a long time.”

— The Chicago Tribune

BookBlast $50 Giveaway

Ends 3/21/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Posted in Blog tour, Book Blast, contest, Giveaway on February 6, 2013
Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She’s sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she’s mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

 

Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series

Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious… Helen Smith is a master story-teller.

~Socrates Book Reviews

It grips you from the very beginning.

~Babs Books Bistro

Bright, colorful and full of surprises.

~Amazon Vine Reviewer

Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.

~Eva’s Sanctuary
Praise for Helen Smith

Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.

~The Booklist

 

Purchase

 

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She’s the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

 

Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog
Tour Schedule

BookBlast $50 Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Posted in Blog tour, Book Blast, contest, Giveaway, romance, women on February 6, 2013

caramelandmagnoliascoverNEW

 

Title:  Caramel and Magnolias

Author: Tess Thompson

Release date: February 1, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction; Contemporary Romance

Age Group: Adult

Buy Links: Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes 

Book Description:

Bestselling author Tess Thompson, whose debut novel Riversong touched the hearts of readers worldwide, delivers a captivating and suspenseful tale of the possibilities that await us in life and in love – if we can find the courage to get off the sidelines.

Crushed by a broken heart, ten years ago Cleo Tanner walked away from her acting dreams and now leads a quiet, secluded life in Seattle.  Sylvia, her best friend from college, is trapped in a loveless marriage, distraught by her desire to have a child – until an adoption agency owner in relentless pursuit of Cleo offers to help.

Just as Sylvia begins to experience a love so profound that only a mother can feel, a detective approaches Cleo with disturbing questions about the adoption agency.   Determined to protect her friend, Cleo jumps into a dangerous investigation that forces her to confront the ghosts of her past.

A toast to friendship, motherhood, mended hearts and new beginnings, Caramel and Magnolias reminds us it’s never too late to reawaken the heart.

 

About the Author

Tess Thompson author photo

 Tess Thompson is a novelist and playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. In 2011, she released her first novel, Riversong, which subsequently became a bestseller.

 Like her main character in Caramel and Magnolias, Tess is from a small town in Southern Oregon. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella, and their puppy Patches. She is inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office window.

 Author social media links:  Website * Twitter * Facebook

 

Guest Post

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. ~Henry David Thoreau

The end. I love to type those words. The first draft of novel writing is a high. Everyone has a unique process. Mine begins with the characters. Once they’re firmly cemented in my mind, they tell me the story. I am merely the delivery vessel. Tell their story is taped to my computer screen.

I do not think about theme or genre during the first draft. But after I type the words, the end, the themes become apparent to me. Ah, so this is what I was writing about.

The last several years have yielded a tremendous amount of work, primarily two projects. One is Caramel and Magnolias (a romantic suspense, released February 1 by Booktrope Editions). The other is historical fiction set in the 1930’s in the American south (released later this year as a trilogy).

Caramel and Magnolias is about four people living on the outskirts of their own lives, or as I describe in the book, “the sidelines”. They’ve accepted their lives of quiet desperation. They cope with their loneliness and isolation by immersing themselves in their work.

It wasn’t until I read through the first draft that I realized I’d been writing about myself.

For years I’d been unhappy in my marriage. But I felt trapped. I couldn’t imagine a way out. I was worried about my children, primarily. And I felt responsible for his happiness. I couldn’t hurt him by telling the truth. I want out.

So I accepted my fate. I had my two beautiful daughters. I had my work. Surely this was more than most people had?

And I never uttered the truth to a living soul. Not my best friends. Not my mother. I was good at pretending everything was fine. I convinced myself it didn’t matter that I was slowly dying or that I was utterly alone despite being married. 

I had a mantra. I am a good wife. I am a good mother. I can be happy. I will be happy. Just try a little harder.

Every night I asked God, please make me a better wife and mother tomorrow than I was today. And please let me love him as I should.

But then something happened that changed everything. I started being seen and heard. Riversong climbed the bestseller charts. My blog, Inspiration for Ordinary Life, developed a loyal following. I was something more than what the outside saw – good mother, loyal wife, caring daughter. I was an artist who had something to say that mattered.

Many readers wrote to me that I’d inspired them or moved them with one of my blog pieces. And it was always the pieces I hesitated to write, the ones I thought might expose too much of my soul that received the most response.

The more truthful I was, the more readers responded.

And the more readers responded, the more truthful I became.

I understood, as I never had before, that to create art one must tell the truth. How could I be a real artist, I asked myself, if I can’t admit the truth to myself? I dread the rest of my life.

But still I stifled it. Be grateful for what you have, I told myself over and over. I immersed myself further in my work. And then something amazing happened. A friend actually asked me the question no one had ever asked before.

Are you happy?

And I did something amazing. I answered with the truth.

No. But I’m trapped.

I knew it.

What was this? Someone saw the truth despite my skills at deception. Only one. But it was enough. Because telling the truth unleashed something I couldn’t take back. I was jarred awake. I knew I had to get out or I would slowly die.

In the months that followed I made big and necessary changes in my life. It was painful in every way – telling him, telling my daughters, telling my parents. There were many dark days I wondered how I would get through.

But I did. I am on the other side now. I am free. I am happy. Yes, I’m terrified some days, no question. However, in the midst of the fear, I am also hopeful and excited for the rest of my life. Like my characters in Caramel and Magnolias, I am choosing to live instead of walking around half-dead. I am no longer quietly desperate. I am living with purpose. I am living with passion and dreams and faith.

And my work? All the better for it.

The truth does indeed set you free.

 

 

Giveaway:  (1) eBook copy of CARAMEL AND MAGNOLIAS.  Books will be sent from the publisher.  All ebook formats available (mobi, epub, pdf). Open Internationally. Winner will be chosen on February 21st.

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