I've suspected it in the past, but now the evidence is unavoidable. I write as a means to escape. This holiday was supposed to be spent with my family, entertaining children, doing laundry, feeding the fireplace, wrapping presents. Instead, I wrote a novel I wasn't supposed to start until next week, when the holiday was over and the kids were back at school.
There's a multitude of reasons that happened. No, I don't hate my family. In fact, I love them dearly. I was procrastinating the parts of the holiday I don't like. Nope. Not gonna get specific there, just suffice it to say that I spent more time writing than I did anything else. Although I did manage to make Christmas happen, although I was not calm, cool, nor collected about the whole thing.
But I banged out the rough draft to Wrecked, which I may changed the name of...It's a shame, because I really like it, but there's about fifty other titles on Amazon with the same name. I may go for Wrecking Fall, play on Miley Cirus? Maybe not, I really don't care for Miley...
Next on my agenda: Falling for Hope. Since I just sent Gambling on Love to my editor, I've got to get Hope ready next. And due to a couple of great reviews, I've got a new marketing platform for my books...Busy days ahead...Onward and upward!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Cover Reveal - Not Another Soldier by Samantha Holt
Title: Not Another Solider
Author: Samantha Holt
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 17th January 2014
Blurb
I’ve just buried my husband. I was going to divorce him and now he’s dead.After five years as a military wife, Sienna is moving on. She’s keen to leave behind the misery of her marriage to Rob but for some reason the past won’t let her go. It doesn’t help that her closest friend, Nick, is also a soldier. Unfortunately Sienna is struggling to deny her attraction to the sexy marine, even knowing there can be no future in it. When the injured soldier admits he wants her just as badly, and has always wanted her, the fight to control her feelings becomes harder.
And now she’s learning things about her late husband that surprise even her. When the secrets of Rob’s life come to light, Sienna finds herself involved with some very nasty people and Nick is determined to protect her, no matter what.
As the danger grows to both her heart and her life, Sienna needs to decide if it was the army that was the problem or her late husband. Is Nick worth the heartache of being a military spouse again? And will he be able to protect her from the ring of drug dealers slowly closing in?
About the Author
Samantha lives in a small village in England with her gorgeous twin girls and husband who is a trained bodyguard and ex-soldier (Yes, seriously!). She traditionally writes historical romances involving chivalrous knights and hot highlanders, but occasionally dabbles in contemporary romance. When she reluctantly leaves her computer, she enjoys exploring old ruins and indulging an early midlife crisis. Adrenaline filled suggestions for the bucket list are always welcome!
Find Samantha on Facebook
Win a $10 Amazon GC
2 x ARC copies of Not Another Soldier
GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveawayRafflecopter Link
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Thursday, December 19, 2013
Cover Reveal A Tragic Wreck by TK Leigh
Book Title: A Tragic Wreck
Author: T.K. Leigh
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: February 4, 2013
How can you continue living when you’re living a lie? How can you convince your body to stop feeling, your soul to stop caring, and your heart to stop beating?
Haunted by her past, Olivia Adler flees Boston for a beach in Florida, leaving everyone behind, trying to shut the world out. Remaining a relative recluse in her self-imposed prison, she tries to turn everything off, wanting to feel nothing. But a new acquaintance won’t let that happen. After being away from Alexander for a month, his voice constantly ringing in her head, reminding her that her inability to confront her demons will not only destroy her, but also him, can she really be expected to want to feel again when it brings nothing but pain?
Back in Boston, everywhere he turns, Alexander Burnham is reminded of Olivia… His Olivia… He tries to dull the ache left in his heart the only way he knows how… in the bed of a beautiful woman. But Alexander isn’t about to lose his Olivia. After a clue comes to light regarding Olivia’s whereabouts, can he convince her to return to Boston with him? When a force that has laid dormant for months resurfaces, can Alexander still protect her from the unknown danger? And when Alexander comes face to face with a shadow of both his and Olivia’s past, will he be able to tell her the secret that is threatening to tear them apart?
A Tragic Wreck is the continuation of T.K. Leigh’s heart-breaking Beautiful Mess series.
“Well, then, what do you want from me, Olivia?” he asked loudly, watching her walk away.
She spun around abruptly and searched his eyes. “I don’t want you to always feel like you have to come and help me, Alex,” she whimpered, her throat beginning to close up again, thinking about the man who was no longer hers. “I just want you to stand by my side while I try to help myself.” Her eyes narrowed, staring at him as he remained silent on the busy Boston street. “Do you think you can do that?” She looked at him as snow continued to blanket the sidewalk, desperately wanting him to say that yes, he could do that. That he would stand by her side. That he would forget all about her running out on him. And that he would do anything he could to make sure she never did the same thing again.
But instead, Alexander just stood there and stared, not saying anything.
Several moments passed, the silence deafening. “That’s what I thought.” Her eyes fell as she turned and continued to walk, shivering from the snow and the last shattered pieces of her heart being stomped on.
Alexander tried to open his mouth to say something. Anything. Tell her to wait. Stop. He made a mistake. But nothing came out. He knew he had just let the only woman he would ever truly love walk out of his life. And he did nothing. He watched his entire world fall apart and he didn't do anything to stop it. All of a sudden, he felt more lonely than he had ever felt in all his thirty years.
T. K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is a producer / attorney by trade. Originally from New England, she now resides in sunny Southern California with her husband, dog and three cats, all of which she has rescued (including the husband). She always had a knack for writing, but mostly in the legal field. It wasn’t until recently that she decided to try her hand at creative writing and is now addicted to creating different characters and new and unique story lines in the Contemporary Romantic Suspense genre.
When she’s not planted in front of her computer, writing away, she can be found running and training for her next marathon (of which she has run over fifteen fulls and far too many halfs to recall). Unlike Olivia, the main character in her Beautiful Mess series, she has yet to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
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Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Thornless tour and winners from yesterday!
Yesterday's winners are:
List Randomizer
There were 4 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
- melanie m.
- kathy p.
Email me your addresses, and I'll get them to Clara for your prizes. anneconleyauthor@gmail.com
Buy Links!
** SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ BOOK ONE**
I hate him..I love him..I hate that I still love him but I do. My parents, my life, my happiness, my heart….he has officially taken all of them from me now. Yes, I am the wilting dying Rose that once belonged to Sebastian Thorne. He had given me back my life, but little did I know he was the very one who had taken it all away from me from the start. I hate him…I love him.
I never expected Lucas Drake to walk back in my life when I was at my lowest and darkest point. He promises that he will help me heal this pain, but in order to do that he says I need to get away from this town. Maybe he is right. There is nothing here for me anymore but painful memories…and Sebastian. Maybe the only way for this Rose to survive is to do the one impossible thing. I Skylar Rose… must become Thorneless.
Mia fell in love with the literary world at a very young age and began putting her active imagination to pen and paper by the age of six. Over the years, she has filled up numerous shelves with her notebooks and journals of her favorite stories. Twelve years ago, Mia began drafting The Thorne Series and through encouragement of a close friend, decided to finally take the leap of faith to bring her dream to life. She openly admits to having a hopeless infatuation with her Kindle and suffers from the one-click book addiction (No intervention required).
Mia is currently a stay at home mom who has mastered the fine art of making a PB&J sandwich in between laundry and shuttling kids to ballet and swimming. In her spare time (“What spare time?” She laughs), she enjoys photography, traveling, and having a girls night out with her pals. She enjoys the simple things in life, such as sleeping more than 3 hours per night and 10 minute showers without being interrupted by children yelling “mommy” from the other side of the bathroom door.
Mia is currently a stay at home mom who has mastered the fine art of making a PB&J sandwich in between laundry and shuttling kids to ballet and swimming. In her spare time (“What spare time?” She laughs), she enjoys photography, traveling, and having a girls night out with her pals. She enjoys the simple things in life, such as sleeping more than 3 hours per night and 10 minute showers without being interrupted by children yelling “mommy” from the other side of the bathroom door.
Mia Michelle resides in Tennessee with her soul mate and husband of 18 years and their 2 beautiful young children. She is currently working on her Masters in Counseling and drafting her new series.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Gratification (Desire Never Dies) by Clara Grace Walker
Today, I'm featuring a new (to me) author, Clara Grace Walker, who wrote Gratification (Desire Never Dies). I'm reviewing the book, so just scroll down slowly for my thoughts on it...But read through first, there's all kinds of great stuff from Clara. There's also a chance to win stuff at the end.
Blurb: Sex, drugs and money. Preston Tyler's fight to save his company from a hostile takeover is not your average business deal. Worse than the lying, scheming and back-stabbing he must deal with, however, is having to go to his company's largest shareholder, Maggie McKenize, for help; the woman who jilted him at the altar. If Preston plays his cards right, maybe he can not only save his company, but win back Maggie's heart as well.
Clara’s Playlist: This changes from time to time, but currently consists of the following:
1. Wake Me Up by Avicii
2. Brave by Sara Bareilles
3. Breathless by The Corrs
4. Linger by The Cranberries
5. What If by Five For Fighting
6. Show Me What I’m Looking For by Carolina Liar
7. Drops of Jupiter by Train
8. Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
9. Love Me Again by John Newman
10. Counting Stars by OneRepublic
11. Little Wonders by Rob Thomas
12. Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot
Tell Us About Your Book: Gratification is about Preston Tyler’s fight to save his company from a hostile takeover. Of course, this is not your average business deal, as it involves sex, drugs and murder, (and no small amount of back-stabbing). In order to save his company, Preston must also go to the largest shareholder for help; who also happens to be his ex-fiancée, Maggie McKenzie. As Preston fights to save his company, he also struggles to win back Maggie’s heart and convince her to give their love another chance.
What Role Does Music Play In Your Writing? Music influences my writing in many ways. It inspires me in terms of mood and theme, and also informs me about my characters. I know, for example, that Preston’s character in Gratification would hear the song If You’re Gone by Matchbox Twenty and think of his lost love, Maggie. I also know that Rod liked using music as a tool to keep his female conquests a little off-balance. We see this when he takes Taralynn to the punk rock bar called The Dungeon. In his personal life, however, as shown in Gossip, Rod prefers 80s pop music. It’s not only what music a character likes, but also what they pretend to like, that reveals something about them. Patrice McKenzie, for example, loves attending the opera and the symphony. Not, however, because she has any real appreciation for the music. With Patrice, it’s all about appearances. In this way, Patrice exemplifies Gratification’s theme of deceiving appearances.
What do you like to read when you are not writing? I love reading women’s fiction, suspense and fantasy/sci-fi. I read a pretty diverse group of authors. Everyone from Sidney Sheldon to Elmore Leonard to James Patterson, with fantasy/sci-fi classics like Tolkein, Douglas Addams and George RR Martin thrown in for good measure. And I love Hemingway!
Which aspect of writing do you struggle with the most? I find the first draft of a book the most difficult to write, getting out the bare bones of the story. Editing comes much easier to me; fleshing out the details and tweaking the plot. It always feels less daunting to me once I feel like I have something to work with.
Which character do you have the most in common with? In Gratification, that would have to be Maggie. I share her stubbornness, her love of children and her desire to help victims of domestic abuse. In terms of characters from all of my works, collectively, however, the answer would have to be Nick Beck. We are both ambitious, charge-right-in, do-what-we-want types who love grammar!
What advice would you give an aspiring author? Write. Re-write. Re-write some more. Listen objectively to criticism and be gracious in receiving it. Read the things you truly love several times, highlighting passages that speak to you so you can analyze how the author achieved that effect. Learn your craft; spelling, grammar, the whole nine yards. The best editing advice I ever received was this: When in doubt, leave it out. Most of all, never give up.
What do you have planned for the future? I will be releasing Gossip, book 2 of the Desire Never Dies trilogy on December 15, 2013. Look for it as an e-book on Amazon. Redemption, Book 3, the final installment of the trilogy, will be released in the Spring of 2014. After that, I will be starting an, as yet unnamed, series, which will consist of 4 novels: Exploits, Whispers, Delicious and Sanctuary. I plan on keeping busy with my writing for as long as my fingers can still strike the keyboard! J
Ways to Connect with Clara Grace Walker:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaraGraceWalker?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorClaraGW
Website: http://www.claragracewalker.com/home.html
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7266560.Clara_Grace_Walker
Blog: http://claragracewalker.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00F5Y3RVK
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AuthorClaraGW/
Buy Links:
My Review:
I gotta say, I really liked this book. There was so much about it that was great: tight writing style, epic struggles, well-drawn out characters (both primary and secondary), great dialogue, and gripping story. While the romance Gratification is almost secondary to the soap opera around the main characters, the relationships between everyone was very real. I got so mad at Maggie for being so freaking stubborn because I fell in love with Preston. I felt for these characters who, at the beginning of the story, seemed a little unoriginal, but grew on me. The secondary characters, who were almost all horrible people, were so well done, and deliciously evil. I even began to pity a couple of them towards the end. I had two problems with the book. 1.) Maggie was soooo stubborn. She couldn't see past her own issues, even when they were pointed out to her, and she was so quick to judge Preston, a couple of times even calling him judgemental. 2.) The bad guys were so bad. I know that sounds weird, but (and this is incredibly difficult to do, I think I point it out because it's an issue I have with my own writing) a great bad guy needs to have something to like about him, or the reader can't relate to his motivations. A great example of this is Crimson Sky. Anyway, that's a common problem I find in books, and I'm pretty sure I'm constantly finding it, because I struggle with it myself. Overall, I found this book gripping, and I can totally see James Patterson's influence in Ms. Walker's writing, as it was incredibly suspenseful, with lots of twists and turns before getting to the inevitable happy ending for Preston and Maggie. Great job!
She just released Gossip, and I'm looking forward to reading that one, especially if it's like Gratification.
She just released Gossip, and I'm looking forward to reading that one, especially if it's like Gratification.
Clara Grace Walker is giving away stuff!
For your chance to win an autographed 10 x 12 book cover and a $10 Amazon gift card, all you have to do is comment on this post with your favorite bad guy from a book or movie. Be sure to follow my blog to see other spotlights and posts from other great authors (as well as myself). I will choose the winner tomorrow morning (24 hours from now) via randomizer.org.
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