Authors Morgan and Jennifer Locklear have reached nearly 2,000 Likes on Facebook, and they want to spoil their readers with a fabulous giveaway! If you haven't already been "exposed" to it, these two co-authored a highly entertaining novel of Hollywood scandal--the adult contemporary romance Exposure.
This book is a rich and witty world of the poshness and pitfalls of stardom, and I loved all the clever pop cultural references. The conflict surrounding the celebrity characters’ personal lives and how they strategize to portray such to the public is fascinating as well, and there’s interesting insight into the art of cinematography itself. I personally can't wait for more from these two, either together or individually--and I happen to know that Jennifer Locklear does indeed have a new manuscript up her sleeve. Keep posted for that one, folks.
But until then, 16 amazing authors (yeah, okay, I include myself in there ;)) have offered up signed paperbacks or ebooks. Yours truly is giving away a signed paperback copy of Seven for a Secret, which I'm happy to ship anywhere in the world.
Cheers to Morgan and Jennifer for this awesome opportunity, for readers and authors alike. And if you're joining in the book binge, good luck to you and HAPPY READING!
I'm still a new kitten in Crooked Cat's cradle--with my next novel to be released next year--but in the meantime, you can find great savings on other Crooked Cat titles tomorrow! (I highly recommend Shani Struthers' Psychic Surveys series if you'd like to put a little haunt in your holidays.)
But should old acquaintance be forgot? I think not! So I'm having a little holiday sale of my own soon for my first novel, Seven for a Secret--on sale soon for only 99 cents! Just in time for a happy New Year, to follow what I hope for you is a very, very happy Thanksgiving today. Cheers!
In Seven for a Secret, Kate's dating history was largely inspired by the author's real-life experiences.
Watch the new BOOK TRAILER as you think it over...
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Answer: Sad, but TRUE...
Last time, I made it clear that Dexter was in no way based on a particular ex-boyfriend of mine who worked at the Adler Planetarium. But that isn't to say he (and other male characters) weren't loosely based on other "romantic" encounters in my life. For the most part, Dexter is his own man. I really did not base him on anyone I know outside of the "break" he takes with Kate. The break itself didn't happen, but I'm ashamed to admit I once laid out the "inclusive" terms that Kate does. The guy and I had already been broken up for a while, however, and though I earnestly wanted to get back together with him, I also wanted to have my cake and eat it, too (which, to be fair, is an expression I've never understood as being a bad thing. I mean, what's the point of having cake if you're NOT going eat it??). I'd been enjoying seeing other people so wanted that to continue, too. Which might've worked if the feeling were mutual, but it unfortunately wasn't; he dated no one else while I went out once with another guy, and that was enough for things between us to deteriorate fast. I'll always feel bad about instigating getting back together with such unrealistic and unfair expectations, and I wanted Kate to learn that lesson, too.
In any case, some of Dex's mannerisms in that scene are reminiscent of breakup discussions I've had (none of which, FYI, EVER happened directly after such an intimate moment of passion!), and the ones he doesn't display (but Kate reflects on) are my husband's:
"She wondered how many others besides her were able to notice such microscopic differences in him; who else had learned the little traits he had like scraping his fingers against his thumbs when he was indecisive or how his body jerked in brief spasms whenever he first fell asleep?"
Beyond Dex, though, the other inspirations were pretty straightforward:
"A chatty yet friendly accountant she’d met at Fado’s invited her and another gal she worked with to Smith & Wollensky with his buddy. It had been an evening of good steak, martinis, and hilarious company, and she was excited about giving the gentleman her number. Until the waiter toured them through the kitchen and her date suctioned to her from behind, his hands roving her body under the pretense of keeping her warm inside the meat locker.
Then there was Thursday night when a group of her college friends had subjected her to karaoke therapy at Trader Todd’s, the cheesy tropical-themed bar where the guy who’d played Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds always hung out. But neither spotting Ogre in a Hawaiian shirt nor her inexpert renditions of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and 'I’ve Had the Time of My Life' had been enough to work magic on Kate’s mood. However, another piña colada had gotten her to finally flirt back with the lanky redhead who’d been commanding her attention all night. He’d even chased out in the rain after her when she’d tried to bail while he was in the bathroom. The gesture had all the makings of life imitating rom-com art, yet Kate had only reluctantly given him her number."
Yep and yep. Except I met the first guy at Rock Bottom Brewery, not Fado Irish Pub, I don't remember his profession, and I was never--at any point--excited about giving him my number. But he did make himself cozy inside that meat locker, and though I never sang karaoke at Trader Todd's (just subjected my ears to others), that lanky redhead did chase after me in the rain. And in both cases, I was too nice to not give them my number but mean enough to never answer or return their calls--just like Kate.
And then there's David... Kate mentions meeting a guy at Gamekeepers sports bar, which is where I met the guy who in part inspired Hot Neighbor--except the guy I dated was not hot. He was tall with a handsome face and five years older, which I really liked; his 27 years of age seemed so mature to my 22, and he just seemed like so much more of a man than the guys my age. But he wasn't built like David and didn't have that beautiful head of hair (actually, he's probably bald by now). Like David, though, he was a lawyer and had the same personality, let's just say (I don't want to spoil too much if you haven't read the book). Yet while the kiss at Geja's Cafe did happen with him, the "Big Scooch" did not...
That's all I'm going to say about that.
Needless to say, my perspectives about love and dating were very much like Kate's when I was in my early twenties. I thought I had all the time in the world--and definitely an idealized (deluded) sense of romance that was originally warped by the Molly Ringwald movies I watched growing up as an '80s child. (In fact, a conversation with a friend about this inspired his Tribecca Film Festival award-winning screenplay, John Hughes Ruined My Life, which is in development now as a future web series! You can follow @JohnHughesRML on Twitter.) As Kate reflects:
"The guys had definitely gotten better over the years as she honed her selection process into a science.
Yet whenever she was just about to get more practical about it all—write up her lists of pros and cons and see how Dex or any other guy weighed in on paper—Kate would get this vision of herself standing in the doorway of a church, a bridesmaid bouquet in her hand. As she’d look down forlornly, in her peripheral vision she’d notice guests’ cars driving away, only to look up and see Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles in his sweater vest, his button-down shirt rolled to his elbows. He’d be leaning against his red sports car, smiling and waving at...her?
Me?
And then she’d meet him halfway as he jogged across the street to her. Fuck, Kate thought as Vera’s gritty voice dulled into background noise. John Hughes, you’ve ruined me for all men."
To make matters worse, I was even a bridesmaid in my sister's wedding when I was fifteen. No red sports car waited for me outside the church that day. Or any day. Just a used silver Buick when I finally did find the man who'd say, Yeah, you. :)
Week Two: Ghosty Goodness Win Books by Sarah Glover Rumer Haven
SHRIEK! It’s Week Two of our month-long Halloween takeover to celebrate Love At The End of Days by Tera Shanley, and this week we have books to win with hot rockers, 1920s razzle dazzle, and of course, GHOSTS! Check out the Rafflecopter and enter to win!
If you could be haunted by a ghost from any era, what would it be? 1940s? Renaissance times? A modern ghost who haunts your texts?
In the spirit of Halloween, I'm giving up the ghost...or giving it away, rather, in the form of two signed copies at Goodreads for the entire month of October. Enter to win and see if Olive's BOO! is bigger than her bite. ;)
I feel like I'm late to my own party for first posting this now, but the buildup to release day (a.k.a., TODAY!) has been such a weird and wonderful experience to savor. I'm so grateful to everyone who's been participating in the SEVEN FOR A SECRET promos and offering me support in general. I've been contacted by a lot of friends who have already downloaded their copy and started reading, so at this point, I'm just trying not to soil my knickers awaiting their reaction and the book reviews of kind strangers giving it a chance.
You can read the summary at my website or Goodreads. I suppose at this point, I should also divulge the deetz of where you can find this little sucker:
In the meantime, I'm having a ball over at the SEVEN FOR A SECRET Facebook party! So join me and other authors over there to answer some trivia and become eligible to WIN giveaways galore! The event runs until 6pm EST today.
With only a week left to go before the release, I am truly grateful for the support already given by so many kind folks. Now that this book is all dolled up, let's hope she has someplace to go. :)
It won't be wearing its pretty new outfit until the cover reveal on AUGUST 5th, and the official book release isn't until AUGUST 12th, but in the meantime, you can check out the book summary at Goodreads, and if you fancy the sound of it, please add it to your "TO READ" shelf!
Well, folks, so far all is running according to sheh-jule...
(*fingers crossed*)
SEVEN FOR A SECRET is through its copy edit and pending the proofread, but the ARC is ready, the cover reveal is August 5th, and, if all goes to plan, the release date should be August 12th.
In the meantime, my publicist has put the call out for book bloggers to participate in the BLOG TOUR!
(click above for sign-up)
I know I keep saying it, but, man, things are gettin' real, yo. I am so grateful for all the support I've already received on this novel and thank everyone who's given a lil' unknown schmo like me the time of day. I do hope you enjoy the book if you read it. :)
Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books division has entered into a co-publishing agreement with Omnific Publishing in a deal that will see Gallery and Pocket Books co-publish a “select” number of titles with Omnific, while S&S will also take over all distribution.
Founded in 2009 in Los Angeles, Omnific is a romance publisher whose titles are aimed at the “modern sensibilities of today’s readers.” Areas it publishes in include contemporary, historical, paranormal, suspense, and erotic romance.
“Omnific have been innovators in both their editorial approach to romantic fiction, and in their publishing and business philosophy,” said Gallery president and publisher Louise Burke. “We have been greatly impressed with the high-quality and market success of many of their books, and look forward to a partnership that can take readership for their authors to new levels.”
I now officially understand why most publishers do not include authors in the cover art decision. Even the most chill of us will become divas in the end, trying to dictate every detail when the simple fact is, we are not the marketers. We might fancy a pretty picture and think we know what is best for representing the story, but though we all think we have good taste, the basic truth is that we ALL cannot possibly. That doesn't stop me from assuming that I do, of course, and to be fair, my marketing team did like the input I provided; it's in keeping with house style, so they did everything to give this lil' Veruca Salt what she wanted.
But in the end, I was still torn between what I'd handpicked myself and what they'd originally offered me. My publicist said, "they are both striking. [...] I think you can't go wrong with either one." My editor likewise said, "I honestly don't know which I'd pick. :-/" And in a small poll among friends and family, the opinions were divided evenly.
Long story short: This was a bitch of a decision. Truly spoiled for choice. But as of this week, I did give Regis my final answer.
In the spirit of the book's title, I shall keep the cover a secret until its reveal. ;)
I've learned this from the process, though: In these modern days of Amazon and e-readers, how a cover looks as a thumbnail is critical to its marketing. Regardless of how gorgeous it may look on a full-sized book in your hands, even those buying print copies online will first view it as a thumbnail image. So as I tried to make up my mind between two stellar options, I was not only enlarging the images to appreciate their details but shrinking them as well to see what they'd look like online.
In the meantime, am just trying to process that this chosen cover will be appearing on Amazon.com, BN.com, and Omnific Publishing's website soon. I really don't think I know what I'm getting into here. But it's awfully exciting, and I'm just going to try to enjoy the wild ride.
I have to ask you all out of curiosity, though:
When it comes to book covers, do you think less is more--i.e., a design that's catchy but simple and leaves you guessing what the story is about? Or do you prefer more detailed imagery that sets specific expectations?
The witty and wonderful Nicki Elson has tagged me to answer the following four questions about writing. Nicki herself has recently contracted her third novel (the first in a new series, it seems!) to follow her provoking paranormal romance, DIVINE TEMPTATION, and her comedic collegiate romance debut, THREE DAVES.
You can read Nicki's responses to these same questions over at her Not-So-Deep Thoughts blog, and without further ado, here are mine:
* What am I working on? *
As mentioned in my last post, I'm on the cusp of receiving SEVEN FOR A SECRET back from my editor for first-round revisions. The novel is scheduled for an August release, so I'm expecting to spend the next month in my cave curled up with that. But although this is my "debut" novel, it's the second manuscript I've written, so as I wait on edits for manuscript #2 (a ghostly romance set in modern/1920s Chicago), I've been channeling nervous energy into revising manuscript #1 for querying (a "ghost" story with a twist set in modern/Victorian London). And manuscript #3 is slowly but surely unfolding as chicken-scratchings on notebook paper. I've got the setting, characters, and general premise in mind for a romantic mystery of sorts (with a 1940s flair), but I'm attempting a rather complicated structure, so there's a whole lotta' planning necessary before I can actually start writing it.
* How does my writing differ from others of its genre? *
I like to think every story I write bears my personal stamp of weirdness, and I suppose my concept of romance might also vary from the norm. My stories have their saucy bits, but only to the extent that it moves the story forward in a meaningful and realistic way (well, that's the goal, anyway; whether I achieve it remains to be seen). You could say I prefer the slow burn of love to an explosion of lust. I've never been in a heated argument with my husband one second then thrown myself into his arms for a passionate make-out session the next, so it's hard for me to convince my characters to do it. But when my fella' wants to hug me in apology first thing in the morning, when I'm an unshowered, untoothbrushed hag? Swoon! So maybe I'm not so much about the romance as the love. At least in my contemporary tales. Somehow romance comes to me more naturally when writing against a historical backdrop; I tend to be very self-deprecating and pragmatic about the present because it's the reality I know, but outside of that frame of reference, I enjoy more escapism.
* Why do I write what I do? *
I write what I like to read, and my entire life I've loved curling up to a good Gothic/ghost story. And having lived in historic buildings, I can't help but think of all the lives that occupy the same spaces over the decades and centuries. So the nature of time and the soul just fascinates me and can be explored through so many dimensions; I don't know if I could ever exhaust (or be exhausted by) all the different ways to approach it.
* How does my writing process work? *
As a previous blog post ("Madness to the Method") relates, I start with literal pen and paper. I don't even try to be organized about it--as soon as I have the bud of an idea, I just go balls-out brainstorming any and every thought that comes to mind so I can eventually look at it from a birds-eye view and begin connecting the dots. This evolves into a rough back-of-the-envelope outline, which I abide by as I officially begin writing at the computer, but I allow the pathway between points A and B to emerge organically as well. I know it's different for everyone, but I personally wouldn't enjoy the writing process as much if I plotted everything meticulously in advance. I like the freedom of the yet-unknown and letting my characters whisper the next scenes in my ear. But I've also tried writing with no outline, and that's just a disaster. And so, following the happy medium of structure-vs-spontaneity, I write a first draft, step away, revise, step away, revise, and continue to lather, rinse, repeat as necessary. I wish I could say I write every day, but I don't. I don't just sit and wait around for inspiration either, but the process does ebb and flow depending on other obligations and whether the story's talking to me or not. At those times when I'm feeling too tapped out to create, then I read. I perceive every book I read as an investment in my own writing, so that pleasure could never be a guilty one for me. :)
Okay, so now for the task of tagging four more people to ask these questions. I'm going to run with a few Omnific-riffic authors:
No worries, tagged Authoresses--you all have new books coming out soon and are feverishly writin' s'more, so I know time is scarce. There shall be no slap on the wrist if you don't accept this challenge. I encourage everyone else to still check out their sites and books, though (linked above), and lose yourself in some crazy good imagination and writing. Read-&-Write on!
Kicked some #amediting butt today, but I'm already up to 99 comments. @RumerHaven is going to kill me...
— Sarah Allan (@Sarah_Allan) May 7, 2014
LLLet's get ready to RUMMBLLLLLE!!!
This is it, folks. Edits on SEVEN FOR A SECRET are officially underway, and I'm bouncing in my corner of the ring, prepping for my turn to duke it out with my raw manuscript once my editor is done doling the first punches.
While our writerly insecurities hate to admit it, no can write in a vacuum. No other eyes but mine saw my manuscript until I queried it--no crit group, no trusted beta reader, family member, friend, or spouse (though I'd like to think a ghost peeked at it, the nosy thang)--so I'd be seriously deluded to think that just because it got accepted, it was perfect in its original form. Could it ever be "perfect"? Hell no. And what was its "original" form anyway? It already evolved through so many drafts at my hands and will continue to do so under my editing team's multiple pairs of eyes that see what I can't. It's humbling yet thrilling that others are willing to work so hard alongside me to shape this story into a real contender.
So no, I won't be killing my editor. With her in my corner, we'll knock out the weaknesses in my story instead. And now, as time and anticipation squirt water into my mouth and towel off my face, I await my share of Round One and pray for no sucker punches...DING!
But you'll have to drink more than noodle juice to achieve today's final installment of 1920s slang. Pick up your panther piss or other giggle water of choice and gulp down that quilt in hearty quantity to go from an edge to positively ossified.
~*~ ZOZZLED ~*~
Meaning: Drunk
"Ladies, I don't know about you, but it's a hot day, these are cool bottles, and after twenty-six days of the A to Z Challenge, I'm getting good and zozzled."
And to the story that inspired my A to Z theme this year, cheers, SEVEN FOR A SECRET! I wish you well, my debut book baby, as you prepare to enter the world this summer. I promise I wasn't zozzled when you were conceived...well, not the entire time.
Condescending to join me again for the A to Z Challenge? Thank you, daaahhlings, for not turning your sophisticated noses up at my vulgar language.
The spirit of this month's theme stems from my debut novel, SEVEN FOR A SECRET, due for release by Omnific Publishing this summer. It's a half-contemporary, half-historical romance in which a Jazz Age tragedy haunts a modern woman's love life. So to shape you into the right attitude for the haughty high hats and floozy flappers of Al Capone's Chicago, let's recommence our elocution lessons with some new 1920s vocabulary, dears...
~*~ UPSTAGE ~*~
Meaning: Snobby, arrogant.
"Everything jake? Wanna come back inside?" "Aw, those women are so upstage, I'll never live down this run in my stocking."
The manufacture and sale of alcohol might've been outlawed under Prohibition, but drinking it sure wasn't. While you could procure proper liquor through illegal channels, another option lay closer to home--as in right in the bathtub, if not by other moonshine means that gave you a real (boot)leg up on the law.
Forget the cat's meow; today's slang put the ROAR in "Roaring Twenties." And it's what my character Lon Ashby guzzles from a hollowed-out cane in SEVEN FOR A SECRET, learning the hard way that this kitten's got claws!
~*~ PANTHER PISS ~*~
Also, PANTHER SWEAT
Meaning: Homemade whiskey.
"And now a splash of fusel oil to give our panther piss a good kick."
Bring out the biscuits, cream, and fine bone china...the scones, the silver, and a saucer of slang.
It's A-to-Z time, darlings!
Do you take your cup-o-Twenties terminology with one lump or two?
Now let's raise our postures and pinkies and stir up some fun. For whilst the ladies of Downton sip sweetly as Grantham walks his pooch, the flappers of Downtown spike this drink with two-parts hip-flask hooch.
~*~ NOODLE JUICE ~*~
Meaning: Tea.
"I'm ready to chase this noodle juice with something stronger."
