Saturday, November 9, 2013

BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Layers by Sigal Ehrlich

 

 About Layers


Author: Sigal Ehrlich
Publication date: October, 2013
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
According to Hayley love is a subject of ridicule, a myth created by hopeless romantics.

When Hayley makes a resolution to declare her loose lifestyle era R.I.P, it’s all good in theory…

That is until she meets Daniel Stark, a well-respected, mid-thirties business man who is known for his short temper, lack of steady relationships as well as his strict preserve of his private life.

Opinionated, sharp tongued Hayley accidently steps into his office leaving Daniel resolved to put Hayley in her place and have her in his bed.

Both Hayley and Daniel can’t avoid the immediate instigation of the attraction between them.

In a unanimously agreed upon verdict by Hayley and her two best friends, Ian the gay self-absorb, aspiring model and Natasha the witty, borderline neurotic soul mate, Daniel Stark is to be Hayley’s pure physical attraction, emotions aside era closure.

Will it indeed be a closure, or a beginning to something neither Hayley nor Daniel ever bargained for…

Goodreads

Click to Purchase
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939927951/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1939927951&linkCode=as2&tag=stephaniesbookshelf-20
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=tKhpP6JWAhg&subid=&offerid=239662.1&type=10&tmpid=8432&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.barnesandnoble.com%252Fw%252Flayers-sigal-ehrlich%252F1117244424%253Fean%253D9781939927958

About the Author - Sigal Ehrlich


By teen age, Sigal already lived in three different continents where she had the luck to experience and visit varied places, meet unique people, which only helped fuel her overly developed imagination. Currently, Sigal calls Estonia home where she lives with her husband and three kids.

Not exactly sure where they will end up next…

When she is not hiding in her office, writing, she enjoys music, reading and taking care of her little clan.

With a great believe in "don’t wait for things to happen - make them happen," she enjoys anything exciting life has to offer.
Connect with Author Sigal Ehrlich

Website: http://www.sigalehrlich.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sigalehrlich.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sigal_Ehrlich
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7200387.Sigal_Ehrlich

 
 

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Friday, November 8, 2013

GIVEAWAY & Book Blitz: Just Out of Reach by Belinda Stevens

 
 

About Just Out of Reach



When high school freshman Katherine Boyd meets David, her life is forever altered. Their romance experiences the turmoil of Mississippi in the sixties, family relationships that keep them apart, and political differences that threaten to destroy them. Through the death of JFK and James Meredith’s admission to Ole Miss, Katherine’s growth means being progressive in a traditional Southern family, accepting the loss of those closest to her, and learning to cope with her family’s darkest secrets. Just Out of Reach is the story of a young woman forged in desperate times and a love that changes her life forever.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615760384/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0615760384&linkCode=as2&tag=stephaniesbookshelf-20

Excerpts

I was numb from the news.  As I listened to Dr. Pierce, my mind seemed to separate from my body.  It was like my family doctor, the same doctor that had delivered my girls, was talking to someone else.  I thought I had been so careful but, obviously, not careful enough.  I was pregnant, and Tom was not the father!  I thought about my last pregnancy.  This time I knew I would not abort.  Other than that, I didn’t know what I was going to do.  As I drove home, I thought about the events that had lead to my present state; all the things Tom did wrong and the things I did wrong as well.

After Birmingham, things settled down somewhat.  For the girls’ sake, Tom stopped drinking.   But we still fought over everything from civil rights to how I raised the girls, especially Katherine.  She was her father’s favorite, and Tom felt she could do no wrong.  My youngest daughter was very independent and had a strong, stubborn streak in her.  No matter how I tried to force her to behave, she fought back.  It always led to tantrums, tears, and eventually spankings.  As my daughter grew older, the fighting between me and Katherine worsened, with Tom acting as a referee.  The fact that my husband sided with Katherine enraged me.  This, of course, widened the gulf between me and Tom.  We were like strangers living under the same roof, barely speaking to one another.  There were days and sometime weeks of silence between the two of us.  Things rocked along unchanged until the fall of 1958.

About the Author - Belinda Stevens


Belinda J. Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the
 
gateway to the Mississippi Delta, in 1948. She grew up in the turbulent sixties, and has a true appreciation for the difficulties experienced by Katherine in Just Out of Reach, which is Belinda’s first novel. She is an attorney who currently practices law in Yazoo City and resides in Brandon, Mississippi with her dog, Humprey B.

Image of Belinda Stevens 
 
Connect with Belinda Stevens

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Author Belinda Stevens will be giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate to one random commenter during the tour. Be sure to post a comment below to enter. You can visit other stops on the tour for more chances to win! You can find the complete tour at: Goddess Fish Promotions
 
 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Giveaway & Guest Post: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Becoming a Published Author - By Author J. L. Lawson

Today, author J. L. Lawson joins us with a guest post as part of the virtual book tour for his latest book, Just a Curtain.  He is also giving away an ecopy of the book to one lucky reader of today's post so be sure to leave a comment.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Becoming a Published Author


By Author J. L. Lawson
When I was in my late twenties, in between contracts in California, and only had an old Remington typewriter, loads of copy paper---borrowed from a previous employer---and my local Boulder Creek Library as my tools for writing---there wasn't a world-wide web or extensive internet yet---my first forays into putting together entertaining, evocative narratives based more on fact than fictions was tedious to say the least. There followed a lot of just plain life for many years before I finally, actually, started writing as a vocation. That was by then rather late in life, relatively speaking. By that time, well after the advent of the internet, POD, social media and other such marvels of industry, getting published had become a relatively simple matter of formatting one's materials properly, choosing a reliable and efficient printer and bam, you've got a book published. But that's not the end of it by any stretch---unless one is content to merely have one's own shelves populated with one's own books and have no exposure or audience beyond that.

TEN: Do your research. No matter if you're writing about totally imaginary worlds devoid of seemingly any touch with reality, in order to connect with an audience you're going to have to get your facts straight. Even if you are making them up as you go along, everything needs to be at least internally consistent. Most fiction and all non-fiction, however, requires a more constant reality check. In my youth it was the library that stood as the bastion of facts and data, history and general information. With a laptop and the web, constant trips to the local branch aren't the impediment to sound research any longer. But you must still check and cross-check your data. Just because there's a lot available out there doesn't mean it's all valid, even correct.

NINE: Make sure you say what you really want to say. That may sound obvious, but unless your thoughts are clear in your own mind, what comes across to the reader will be a fog of notions. Take the time to hash out your ideas, opinions and most importantly: storyline, so that there are no loose ends, no internal inconsistencies, no circular logic sabotaging your best efforts to bring your story to an expectant audience. See my blog: Preparing for Interviews, How Writing is Therapy... section.

EIGHT: You gotta have style. You can put one word after another in a convincing manner, but would the average reader recognize your writing from, say, their own or some other writer's hand? I will not encourage anyone to adopt the bon ton paradigm of the day: the overpopulation of crude language, steamy and out-right explicit sexuality or the omni-present tone of disdainful cynicism that appears to pervade the marginalia-made-book-form of some contemporary 'literature'---Unless that's actually your chosen genre! What you must attempt to cultivate in any event is your own voice. Your writing style will follow as surely as night follows the day.

SEVEN: Nothing new under the sun. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but whatever astonishing new idea you have for your best-seller has very probably, most very likely been written... many times before... to death. Cold facts. But here's the kicker: Shakespeare didn't come up with anything new either! His plots were already old and moldy before he picked them up. What breathed new life into that staleness was: HOW he filled them out; WHO his characters really were; with WHAT cleverness, depth and flow he imbued their dialogues and soliloquies. So take heart. Even Boy-Meets-Girl can come to new life in your hands---just make it your own.

SIX: So you have your narrative. Your friends and family grudgingly read through it and are pleasantly surprised that it doesn't stink. Then the other foot falls: you need some editing---not just proofreading for typos and the odd transposed word or out of place homonym---seriously cut, move stuff around Editing. If you're brave (or masochistic), you can post it on your blog and open it up to readers' comments. Probably better however, and less demeaning, is to have a professional dispassionately make your work shine as it was intended. It may cost a bit, but what's the price of avoiding Professional Embarrassment?

FIVE: Judging a book by its cover. That little phrase is still with us because it's more than a splinter of truth in this business---it's axiomatic. I assure you that I have built my own covers, was pleased at how they appealed to my eye, but set them up next to others in their genre and they were the red-headed step-children. Sad, disheartening, but true. Look at what's catching the eyes of Bookstore customers---brick-and-mortar stores or the on-line variety---there's always a Here's what others are looking at... section to be inspected. What catches your eye as you look at those shelves? That should be a clue.

FOUR: Knock on the biggest door. Unfortunately, major publishing houses, almost without exception, do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. You'll need an agent to go there in your stead. What? Not enough budget for hiring and retaining an agent? How about a publicist, a marketing analyst, a distribution agency? No? Don't give up just yet. How about utilizing an indie press and taking on the marketing, sales and distribution with your own sweat and tears? It has been done successfully. In fact, that's likely why you're reading this right now---you ARE using the available means at your disposal and spending as little as possible to make your title a household word.

THREE: Location, location, location. It's the marketing of published work that creates the greatest challenges and forces the most attention and creativity an author can muster. There are now an over-abundance of resources and advice out there. Let me offer a shamelessly promotional example: I am writing this now, because I am part of Orangeberry Book Tours because Pandora Poikilos has connections and know-how I don't. I have contracted with Substance Books for other branding and marketing efforts for the long haul because Hajni Blasko has the experience and expertise I don't have.

I work at Voyager Press who utilizes: KDP, iBooks, Bowker, CreateSpace, for print and eBook production, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, GreatReads and many other outlets for distribution---including their own online VPDirect Store. For Industry exposure they contract with the Jenkins Group and Combined Book Exhibit, as well as those firms affiliates. The gist of this note is that networking with those who have the know-how, the connections and talent is how to put together a winning team.

TWO: Which brings us to the penultimate Need-To-Know item in Publishing: It takes a Village!

Just like raising children or getting a mom-and-pop store out of the red, getting a book into the hands of potential readership takes all the talent, experience and relationships you can garner and gather around yourself from the very beginning. Anyone who thinks they can go it alone in this most highly interconnected world village of today is either fabulously wealthy already and can buy their way into a reader's hands, or is, as was suggested at the outset of this article: ...content to merely have one's own shelves populated with one's own books and have no exposure or audience beyond that.

ONE: Simply put: In the end, a writer has to make informed decisions and never let loose of her/his pursestrings all too easily for un-researched, un-validated, un-verified printing, editing, developing or marketing avenues constantly bombarding email portals with wildly fantastic claims for success. Keep it Simple---Read, Research, Review, Write, Re-write, Request---those are the new R's of publishing success in this day and age. But be prepared: Change is always a day away---it wasn't long ago there was no interweb...

About Just a Curtain

Curtain coverGenre: Literary Fiction, Adventure, Coming of Age

“If you had virtually unlimited resources and a pristinely practicable imagination, and a knack for turning air into butter, what do you suppose you’d do next?”
 —Tera Elphinstone, Drummond Group Director


Just A Curtain is the remarkable, fast-paced gateway to both The Elf series and the grander epic recorded in J. L. Lawson’s other works: The Donkey and The Wall trilogy and The Curious Voyages of the Anna Virginia Saga.

Just A Curtain chronicles the remarkable life and achievements of Dashiel Drummond and the capable group of people he gathers around him to make a change for the better in the world in which he finds himself. A coming of age story, orphaned at sixteen, he rises through the angst of adolescence to the challenge of fulfilling the promise of his potential—from ranch hand and welder to the pre-eminent global entrepreneur and builder of starships.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/148188929X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=148188929X&linkCode=as2&tag=stephaniesbookshelf-20

About Author J. L. James


I am a father, a grandfather and a “Came-to-Writing-Professionally-Late-in-Life” kinda guy. After rewarding careers as a Land Planner, Standards Engineer, Technical Writer/Graphic Designer, and as an Educator (High School and College Literature/Composition) I settled down at the laptop and began storytelling for a living. My wife and I live in the Cross-timbers country of North Texas and spend as much time seeing this amazing country, its National Parks and Forests, as we can manage.

My own journey has taken me both far afield and deep within. It is a journey, no doubt, similar in nature to many seekers’ travels who have come before me. However, an unconditional commitment to the work is the trait of only a handful of those who set their aim very high indeed, and then to find a guide who knows the way through this rarely known land, is without question what all others have equally sought. Some gave up the search, some became distracted by the lure of other interests, many became satisfied with the knowledge they had already gleaned from their initial searches. There is, in the end, only so much gold.


justacurtain
 




Don't forget to leave a comment on this post to enter to win an ecopy (mobi) of Just a Curtain by Author J. L. Lawson!

Book Blitz: Tragic Love by M.S. Brannon

Tragic Love by M.S. Brannon
(Sulfur Heights #2)
Publication date: November 6th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
“From the moment I locked eyes with hers, we’ve had this undeniable connection that was and will always be wicked. A love that would literally kill me if it didn’t survive, but lately, could kill me if it did.” ~Drake Evans.
For Drake and Presley, life has handed them more challenges than any one person should ever face in a lifetime. Together, they’ve survived Presley’s captivity from her deranged uncle, but now they must learn how to live with the events that surrounded her time spent with him, while keeping the details of her rescue a secret.

For Presley Quinn, living the last two years has been practically unbearable, constantly drowning in nightmares put there by a man responsible for the violent images continually playing in her mind. She keeps moving forward, but is barely clinging onto the edge when she’s faced with another obstacle from her past that is so unavoidable, so tragic, it threatens to break her apart—herself.

Drake will do anything to protect Presley from ever feeling pain again. His love is irrefutable. He walks side by side with her, vowing he will never let anyone harm her again. However, when an unexpected event turns Presley against everyone she’s ever loved, Drake is faced with trying to save the only woman he’s ever loved or severing the only lifeline she’s ever had—himself.

**Mature Content Warning** 17 years and older for language and sexual content.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1492188123/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1492188123&linkCode=as2&tag=stephaniesbookshelf-20http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/m.s.-brannon
 
 

About the Author

 
M.S. Brannon was born and raised in the Midwest. She still resides there today with her wonderful husband and son. When she is not writing or reading, M.S. Brannon spends time with her family, watching movies, and discovering new music. She writes romance because she believes love and heartache is the rawest emotion one can experience.

Twitter: https:/twitter.com/MSBrannonAuthor
 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

GIVEAWAY: The Seacrest by Aaron Paul Lazar

 
Welcome to the book blast & giveaway for
The Seacrest
By Aaron Paul Lazar
 
Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below!
 

About The Seacrest

 
 

They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Finn McGraw disagrees.

He was just seventeen when he had a torrid summer affair with the girl who stole his heart—and then inexplicably turned on him. Finn may have moved on with his life, but he’s never forgotten her.

Now, ten years later, he’s got more than his lost love to worry about. A horrific accident turns his life upside down, resurrecting the ghosts of his long-dead family and taking the lives of the few people he has left.

Finn always believed his estranged brother was responsible for the fire that killed their family—but an unexpected inheritance with a mystery attached throws everything he knows into doubt.

And on top of that, the beguiling daughter of his wealthy employer has secrets of her own. But the closer he gets, the harder she pushes him away.

The Seacrest is a story of intrigue and betrayal, of secrets and second chances—and above all, of a love that never dies.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G1TDBRI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00G1TDBRI&linkCode=as2&tag=stephaniesbookshelf-20

Excerpt

 
July 2, 1997
I’ll never forget the day I fell in love with her.
 
There she stood, all tall and lanky, dark hair blowing in the breeze as if it loved caressing her face.
She held a beach ball and faced the sea.
She was sixteen.
That’s all it took. That one salty, sandy, sunshiny day—forever staked in my memory.
Her father had claimed a spot on Paines Creek Beach, right next to ours. They laid out a red-and-white striped blanket and matching umbrella with beach chairs, a cooler filled with watermelon and soda, and white paper bags that smelled of fries and burgers.
I’d settled on a beach towel next to my grandfather, Dex McGraw, surreptitiously watching them.  
 
Gramps sat beside me, drinking from a cold thermos of gin and ice, his favorite. He sat with his shirt off and long legs stretched out, his head back and shaggy silver-blond hair glinting in the sun. He always told me his time was “before the hippies,” but I had a feeling he would have made a good one. He was one helluva rebel. And he always stood up for what was right, no matter what.
He saw me watching the girl and casually appraised her, gray eyes slit and his head nodding in approval. With a low whisper, he turned to me. “Pretty girl.”
I know I blushed, because at sixteen that’s all I seemed to do when girls were involved. “Yeah. I guess.” I traced circles in the sand with my forefinger. The sun burned the skin on my back and shoulders, although I’d slathered plenty of sunscreen on earlier at my mother’s insistence.
 

About the Author ~ Aaron Paul Lazar

 
Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys.
 
Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, SANCTUARY (2014), and VIRTUOSO (2014).

Connect with Author Aaron Paul Lazar

 
Author’s website:  www.lazarbooks.com
Author’s collaborative writing blog: www.murderby4.blogspot.com
Author’s personal blog: www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com
 
 
 
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Follow the rest of the tour at
Goddess Fish Promotions for more chances to win!

The Billionaire’s Will ~ Mystery Romance Novel by Marti Talbott

The Billionaire’s Will Virtual Book Tour
A Mystery Romance Novel
By Marti Talbott

 

About The Billionaire's Will

  The Harlan Detective Agency was the best there was when it came to finding missing people. They were also the most expensive, so it was no coincidence that they were hired to find the heir to a fortune totaling over 1.6 billion dollars.

   Nicholas Gladstone left everything to a granddaughter he didn't know he had until a week before he died, but which one was it - the maid secretly working in the parent's home, an office worker, or the young woman tragically killed in a car accident?

 
 
 
 

The Billionaire's Will is available at:

 


About the Author ~ Marti Talbott

  
   Marti Talbott lives in Seattle and has written 26 novels, including The Billionaire's Will, Seattle Quake 9.2, The Promise, and Broken Pledge. She began writing the Highlander Series in August of 2009. The first five books are a collection of 20 short stories followed by nine full length novels. Her Marblestone Mansion Series follows the MacGreagor Clan into Colorado's early 20th century.

Connect with Mart Talbott

 
 

  Find out more about author Marti Talbott & The Billionaire's Will by following the rest of the tour via the tour banner below. 

http://beyondwordsbooktours.com/the-billionaire-s-will
 

beyondwordsbooktours.com
 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

FREE Kindle eBook + GIVEAWAY: Return to Audubon Springs by RoseAnn DeFranco ~ Contemporary Romance





Welcome to the
Return to Audubon Springs Book Blast!

Today I am featuring Audubon Springs, a contemporary romance by RoseAnn DeFranco. The book currently holds 5 prestigious stars on both Amazon and Goodreads! To add to the fun, the author is also hosting a giveaway which, you can find below!

Best of all-- You can get it for FREE right now on Amazon 
during this book tour!
  Be sure to add it to your device now,
 so that you can read it later.

About Return to Audubon Springs

Return to Audubon Springs by RoseAnn DeFranco
When Emma Grant returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young daughter, she has no choice.

Rafe Iuliano has other plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of Emma and the house.

Their ridiculous and steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?


Excerpt


“This is your fault!” Emma shouted.

“My fault?” Rafe blinked through the thick coat of flour. “You’re the one who started this.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you—Miss Macrobiotic Princess!” They used the barstools for support, and pulled themselves up from the slippery floor. “You’re immovable just like your mother.”

“And you’ve got about as much depth as a toenail. For the life of me, I can’t remember why I was ever with you.”

With a predatory look in his eyes and gait, Rafe advanced. In two long strides he pinned her to the counter, his hands grasping her hips. “Don’t!” His voice, low and dangerous, and his near proximity overwhelmed, charging her body with a jolt of electricity rendering breathing impossible. His gaze locked on hers for an eternity, then without warning, he dipped his head and licked lavishly at the syrup on her chest and neck.

Need and heat consumed her at his touch, fraying what was left of her nerves. She dropped her head back, shivered, and her knees buckled. He held her steady, fully pinned against the counter and continued to feast on her neck. Then with a shake as if waking from a dream, he stepped away, taking his heat with him.

Emma swayed and gripped the counter. Goose bumps rose on her flesh at the storm brewing in his eyes.

“Say or do anything you want to push me out of this house, but don’t ever say you don’t remember.”

About the Author: RoseAnn DeFranco


RoseAnn DeFrancoRoseAnn DeFranco grew up in upstate NY with her nose in a book and a song in her heart. Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, she turned her creative energy to writing romance. RoseAnn blogs about her writing experiences with her critique partners at www.the violetfemmes.com. A NJ shore transplant, she enjoys time spent at the beach with her family. She would love to one day live in a quaint shore town like the fictional town Audubon Springs from her BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS series.  More information about these Contemporary Romantic Comedies can be found at www.radefranco.com.




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