I've been working on a book for a couple of months now. I tend to write quick so when I'm dragging on words, it makes me kind of antsy. I don't think writing quick is better than not. Every author has their own style and I'd say, with some certainty, that writing quick often leads to needing heavier edits-- at least for me. However, it is what I'm used to so I get frustrated when the words stumble over each other instead of making coherent sentences. So what do you do when something is bugging you? Walk away. Or, if you're me, write a mini short story about your favorite holiday season. Make sure that it's super full of sappy, emotional, holiday spirit and voila, you have a side project. Then, you ask the lovely and talented Tanya Baikie if she'll make you a cover. I don't know if this path will work for everyone, but it's the one I took and because of that, I'll be releasing a very short, very sweet story on November 6th from Amazon. It will be the first in a series of four shorts about the same couple. I'm very excited about this. And the best part, it got my words moving around again. More news!Mystery/Crime Jody Holford's debut DEADLY NEWS, the first in a new series featuring a woman who arrives in the sea side town of Britton Bay to take over the role of newspaper editor, ends up headlining in a major story after finding one of her not so friendly reporters dead, and gets to know the residents in town by poking around to find out who wanted the crotchety old man dead and why, to John Scognamiglio at Kensington, in a three-book deal, for publication in Fall 2018, by Frances Black of The Literary Counsel (World). I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Kensington and with Mr. Scognamiglio. I am eager for you guys to read the first in my trilogy: DEADLY NEWS. I'm working on book two right now. Speaking of books...My first book in a new series from Entangled Publishing will be out on January 29th, 2018. I love Megan and Adam. They are a quirky, opposites attract, meant-to-be couple that I think you'll enjoy. Can't wait to share the cover and more for this one. One last thing...the group I'm part of, The Romance Chicks, has been having fun on our Facebook page and we're ready to celebrate our one year anniversary. We hope you'll join us!Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo 99¢ for a limited time only! â EXCERPT: âYou havenât drowned in there, have you?â I yell to Annabel, noting that the sound of running water stopped about fifteen minutes ago. âNo, just relaxing,â she calls back. Just relaxing. Naked. In a bath. I scramble from the bed and knock gently on the door. âAnd would you like some company to help you, you know, relax?â âDid you finish?â She sounds more like a scolding teacher than the girl who ravished me last night. But this is Annabel Lee weâre talking about. Itâs all about priorities. âYes, I finished. Now, can I come in?â I ask, pulling off my shirt in anticipation. âRead it to me.â âHuh?â I ask, my shirt not completely removed from my head yet. âI want you to read it to me.â Of course she does. Why did I expect any less? I pull my shirt the rest of the way off on my walk back to get my computer. When I go to open the door, her voice halts me. âI didnât say come in. I said I wanted you to read it to me.â âAnd may I come in when Iâm done?â âOnly if itâs good,â she sings. Sheâs enjoying every bit of this torture. The lovable vixen. And so I read it to her sitting on the floor outside the bathroom door. Even I have to admit itâs good. Itâs, like, fucking fantastic. When I get to the part about us dancing up there together, the whole crowd making us feel like gods, she makes me read it again, and I smile knowing it meant as much to her as it did to me. âYou can come in now if you want,â she says, sounding a little shyer than I expected to hear. Gone is the bravado of the schoolteacher, replaced again by the girl who still doesnât know the power she has over me. How does she not realize sheâs had power over me since that first dare when she made me switch out Mrs. Petersonâs peanut butter sandwich with kitty litter? My heart starts beating a little faster, knowing whatâs waiting for me on the other side of this wall. My breath catches in my throat when I open the door and see her sitting there, staring up at me, and waiting.
GIVEAWAY!
To win her trust, he’ll have to surrender his heart.
To win her trust, he’ll have to surrender his heart. Trusting Tanner is a sexy new adult romance coming May 8th from Entangled Embrace. Check out the cover! About Trusting Tanner: The Collins Brothers #1 Tanner Collins is the embodiment of perfection—tall, dark, sinfully sexy—and completely out of Juliana Shea’s league. Knowing she’d never survive a repeat of her last disastrous relationship, she parks Tanner firmly in the friend zone. But man, he’s hard to resist. Juliana is exactly what Tanner wants, and he’s determined to win her over with his kindness and humor… But one night—a night he can’t even remember—threatens to take it all away. With the flick of a “send” button, their hope for a future together is shattered. But Tanner isn’t the type to give up on what he wants—and he wants Juliana. About Lexi Lawton: Born and raised in Central New York, Lexi Lawton is an only child who found companionship in books. When she was old enough to put pen to paper, she began writing her own stories of love, suspense, and heartbreak. She hasn't stopped since. Represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency, Lexi is actively pursuing her dreams of publication. Today, Lexi lives in Michigan with her husband, four kids, three pit bulls, and two cats. When she's not writing, she enjoys going to the gym, spending time with her family and friends, and obsessively listening to anything by Luke Bryan.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Courtesy of the author, we are giving away a $15 Amazon Gift Card! Enter below & good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Who's Who with USA Today Bestselling Author Cindi MadsenWhat you write: I write YA, NA, & adult romance, all with laughter, witty banter, and happily ever after. Influences: Sophie Kinsella, Elizabeth George Speare, Lucy Maude Montgomery, Mary Shelley Favorite writing snack and beverage: Chocolate & Diet Mountain Dew Hardest thing about writing: When you’re not feeling it & you have to sit down and work anyway. What you’re working on now: I just finished proofreads on the last book in my sports romance series, Confessions of a Former Puck Bunny. Next up I’ll be working to get my next romcom, 13 Ways to Avoid a Heartbreak nice and shiny so I can send it to my editor. Thanks for joining me for Who's Who, Cindi. If you'd like to connect with Cindi, you can do that here: |
This lovely lady is Kat Colmer. I'm pretty excited to be introducing her. I met her quite recently and it was one of those very cool kismet sort of things.It seemed like no matter what one of us said, the other said, "Really? Me too!" I mean, not everything. She talked about how busy they were with cricket while we were busy with basketball season and of course, she lamented the hot weather while we were getting snow. I've told Kat she is my Australian counterpart. We have so many things in common from books, to families, to our habit of over-thinking a few things. I've also told her that she's good for me because when I worry, she can tell me with absolute authority that things turn out okay-- because she's in the future! We often chat near my bedtime, which is funny because it's into the next work day for her. Anyway, she's a pretty cool lady and a fellow Entangled author. She's also a librarian, which makes her instantly awesome. You can find out more about Kat on her website or follow her on twitter. |
Welcome to my blog Kat. Thanks for coming by.
I write upper young adult and sweet new adult fiction, both speculative and contemporary.
Influences:
This is a tricky one to narrow down, but if you held my block of milk hazelnut Lindt chocolate hostage until I gave you an answer, I’d have to say Melina Marchetta and Cath Crowley (for contemporary YA), Paula Weston and Rachael Craw (for speculative YA), Lauren Layne (for sassy New Adult) and Oscar Wilde’s ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’ as well as Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’ as my classics influences.
Favorite writing snack and beverage:
When I’m feeling healthy: fruit and nuts, plus a cup of herbal tea or water
When I can’t spell ‘healthy’: chocolate and a double shot cappuccino and chocolate. Also, there’s chocolate. Did I mention chocolate? Seventy percent cocoa is borderline healthy, right?
Hardest thing about writing:
Words. On. Page. Here’s the thing, the story ALWAYS plays out quickly and crisply in the movie cinema tucked inside my head, but when it comes to transferring this onto the page, the words don’t always want to be found. Which makes the writing process sooooooo painfully sloooooow.
It doesn’t help that my internal editor seems to have discovered the secret to immortality. No matter how many times I try to kill the intrusive little bugger, he forces his way between the words on my page, pointing his accusing knobbly finger at all the things I could be doing better.
What you’re working on now:
Right now I’m working on the sequel to my YA paranormal romance due out with Entangled Teen sometime later this year / start of 2018. Both stories are about an Old Testament love curse that goes horribly wrong. Picture a hero who’s on the hit list of some ancient and very ticked off demons because of something he’s done in book 1 (I’m not telling. You’ll have to read it to find out). Things get worse for him when he indirectly causes the heroine’s brother to be kidnapped by the very hellhounds who are after him, and he reluctantly agrees to help her execute a rescue.
Apart from demons, there’s sword fighting and taekwondo (because the demons and sword fighting alone weren’t quite edgy enough). And kissing. There might be some kissing. Okay, there’s definitely kissing. Because who doesn’t like kissing? It’s kinda like chocolate only healthy!
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Kat.
1. How insanely cool is it that I am "too busy" with writing and editing and galley proofing and connecting online?
2. In Mindy Kaling's book, she talks about how it's a generational thing-- that her parents never complained about being 'too busy' even though they worked crazy hours, had insane commutes, and raised their kids.
So, I try to be grateful that I'm busy, even when it feels overwhelming, because I'm busy doing something I love.
What have I been working on? I have been making sure that both THE BAD BOY NEXT DOOR (Kendrick Place Series #2) and CAUGHT LOOKING are ready for you to read in March and April respectively.
I've been working on book 3, the final book in the Kendrick Place Series. I've also been working on the first book in my new series coming from Entangled in Fall 2017; the "For You" series.
What's everyone else been up to? How's your January?
Since those releases, I signed a three book deal for the Kendrick Place Series with Entangled. I've gotten to work with my wonderful editors, Stacy and Alexa, on two of those books now. The first, as you may know, More than Friends, released this month. Through that release, I met my publicist, (I just really like to say that) Lisa, who is beyond fabulous. In total, including Falling for Kate, I've released four books this year. Next year there'll be three more releases for sure.
Another highlight of 2016, I MET my agent. In real life. She was adorable and completely "New York", which I loved. I queried Fran for the first time in 2013. And now we're on this journey together. A journey which may include some more good news for readers, but we'll save that post for the new year.
I wrote another book. I won a couple contests. I started a NEW book. I met a bunch of truly awesome people online and started The Romance Chicks with my pals Christina, Dylann, and Renee.
Believe it or not, I have a life outside of writing. It's a good one, too. I'm very lucky to be surrounded by so many people that are kind and funny and supportive. My family and I are really enjoying the holidays. My husband and I are both teachers which means we get all of the same vacations. Being paid to stay home and snuggle my girls while watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel is one of my favorite things ever.
We've also managed some festive outings, including a beautiful light maze in Vancouver. We found all nine reindeer, in case you were wondering. The rest of the holidays include writing, more movies, family time, lots of food, and seeing friends.
I'm one of those people who absolutely loves the holidays, but it also makes me a little weepy. It's a reminder that life goes so fast and the years seem to be skipping by. I both love looking forward to things to come and hate saying goodbye to anything that is over. It's a strange contradiction and Christmas/New Year's kind of highlights that bittersweet feeling. I have so much to be grateful for and I never take that for granted.
I hope that you and your families have a magical holiday season. I know that it isn't magical for everyone and for some, it's not even a favorite time of year. But still, I wish everyone a safe and happy rest of December. Thought I'd share some of my photos from our holidays so far. Merry Christmas everyone.
Join me tomorrow for a Blissfully Sweet Event over at Ramblings with This Chick.
On Wednesday, you can join me and fourteen other authors for a Romancing the Holidays Hop!
If you've already read my most recent holiday stories, Falling for Kate or More than Friends, head over to Amazon and pick up one of my other Christmas reads.
I am so excited to share the Release Day love for AJ Pine's latest novel, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!
Look no further for the perfect friends-to-lovers romance! Jamie and Brynn are sure to brighten your day and give you all the feels. Read on for all of the details, and be sure to grab your copy!
About THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY:
Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler's best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they've had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on. But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he's ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he's been by her side all along.Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes |Kobo
***
About AJ Pine:
AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. As an English teacher and a librarian, AJ has always surrounded herself with books. All her favorites have one big commonality–romance. Naturally, the books she writes have the same. When she’s not writing, she’s of course reading. Then there’s online shopping (everything from groceries to shoes). And a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopath detective. You’ll also find her hanging with her family in the Chicago ‘burbs.Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter
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