October 31, 2015

A December to Remember Cover Reveal




Title: A December To Remember: 
A Holiday Romance Anthology
Authors: Ella Emerson, Olivia Howe, AJ Matthews,
Joy Eileen, P. Mattern, Casey Harvell, Addison Kline,
CJ Pinard, and Cait Reynolds
Release Date: November 27th, 2015

A December To Remember: A Holiday Romance Anthology filled with seven books from seven amazing authors. All the proceeds will be going to To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), an organization which aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide while also investing directly into treatment and recovery.

Will be available on November 27th for only $0.99!


The Holiday Couple by Ella Emerson

Gavin McDermott has had a rough couple of years. He met a girl, who ended up falling for his kid brother, and then his mother died. Things were not working out quite as Gavin had hoped for his future. With the holidays approaching, he is invited back to his childhood home to spend time with his brother, the girl that got away, and his new niece.

Not wanting to appear to be a failure in love, Gavin gets the idea to bring a “fake” girlfriend home, only problem…who?

Holly Mathis is having a rough time during the holidays. Her mother and step-father are on vacation and Holly is drowning in bills. Her sexy, neighbor stops by one evening and asks her to fake being his girlfriend for the holiday. Appalled, Holly refuses, but when Gavin offers her the one thing she most desperately needs, she finally relents. Only problem is, they hate each other and have hated each other for years.

7 Days of Christmas by Olivia Howe




Alicia Hanson is a very single woman whose life revolves around her job at The National Gazette. Everyday is like a broken record on repeat… Until she meets Cole Castello—a wealthy and handsome man who tries to restore Alicia’s holiday spirit. Can he pull her away from work long enough to enjoy the Christmas agenda? Can the holiday season bring two people together who are so utterly different?




A Season of Hope by AJ Matthews

Winn blames herself for everything. Her brother’s injuries. The fact that he’s in a wheelchair for heaven-knows-how-long. And that her nephew Tyler, who has autism, has had to adjust to so many changes in the last year. Her own holiday revelry last Christmas left her unable to drive—and so her brother was at the wheel when a drunk driver collided with their car. Winn’s never been a huge fan of Christmas, but this year she downright dreads the upcoming festivities.

Leave it to her brother to relocate their family to the one place in North Carolina that goes all out for Christmas, attracting visitors from all over the southeast.

Eric loves two things: training service dogs, and celebrating the holidays, because nothing made his deceased sister happier than spreading joy, especially to children in need. Children like Tyler. And his aunt could use some Christmas cheer too. Despite the undeniable chemistry Winn and Eric share, her belief that she doesn’t deserve happiness because she’s made so many lives miserable gets in the way.

Can a cute kid and an adorable dog bring this damaged pair together, or will Winn’s guilt continue to drive her to deny her own happiness?

Ghost of Christmas Past by Joy Eileen

Esmerelda Tussaud was born with the ability to talk to spirits. 

Jake Delassixe loved her the moment he saw her sipping chocolate milk through a straw at his grandma's bar. 

Jake didn't think anything could tear them apart, especially after they endured the cruelty of high school. Esmeralda proved him wrong when she left him, on the night of their graduation after his proposal. With nothing tethering him to New Orleans, Jake moved to New York to revamp an old bar his grandma gifted to him. 

Now things are starting to happen in his bar. Things that only Esmeralda can help him with. As Esmeralda comes to Jake's rescue to rid his bar of unwanted specters, she also raises the love he thought was dead. 

Can Jake forgive her?

Will she be banished from his heart like the ghosts in his bar?

Christmas at Cross Purposes by P. Mattern




CHRISTMAS AT CROSS PURPOSES—A STAR CROSSED LOVERS ROMANCE BY P.MATTERN A FIERCE FIRE OF ATTRACTION REKINDLES FROM THE EMBERS TO HEAT UP THE HOLIDAYS.

Cami Blake and Reno Fortuno fell in love to fast and to young. Cami’s disapproving and wealthy family forced her to break off her romance with Reno and enter into an early and disastrous first marriage that ended in divorce. Four years later a chance encounter reconnects the two star crossed lovers and Cami realizes that she has never forgotten her ’first’—but can she come to terms with the fact that Reno’s successful business goes against all her strongly held religious beliefs?


Lights of Pemberley by Addison Kline


Jocelyn York is not prepared to celebrate the winter holidays. With many presents still to buy, a tree still to decorate and travel plans to make, Jocelyn's to-do list is a mile long. Add to the top the seemingly insurmountable grief from learning that her husband Grant, an infantryman for Her Majesty's Army, was killed in action just six months ago. You can safely guess that Jocelyn is not in a joyous spirit. 

Andrew Barrington has been honorably discharged from the army and is re-entering civilian life for the first time in seventeen years after a serious injury has left him unfit for active duty. Coming home with a promise from his best friend who was killed in action, Andrew has one final mission he must compete: Return Grant York's dog tags to his widow, Jocelyn, along with a final letter. Andrew considers this his final tribute to his friend; a duty he must fulfill. The last thing he expects to happen is to fall for his best friend's widow. 

As these two broken souls collide under the lights of Pemberley, their hearts must decide if their common bond will bring them together or tear them apart.


Rocking Around The Christmas Tree 
by Casey Harvell

When Becca drags Felicity to the top of a mountain to celebrate Christmas, Felicity humors her.

 When Becca and her boyfriend Will include his pal Eric in the plans, Felicity still promises to make the best of it. Who would’ve figured that Felicity would meet somebody who’s actually kind of okay while there? Definitely not her.

Is Felicity really ready to let someone in?

Unwrapped by CJ Pinard

Being the center of attention isn’t exactly my favorite thing in the world. Being the center of attention at this holiday awards party, when the guy who royally screwed me over this past summer is in the room watching me ranks even lower than that.

My ideal month-long holiday break will be spent trying to avoid eye contact with the infuriatingly still-sexy Landon and all his pompous ass friends, while I instead seek out Finn. He seems nice, normal, and cute, and his parents own the best ski lodge around.

These are my intentions, but sometimes the best-laid plans become unraveled, and while I will try not to become too tangled up in drama on what is supposed to be a relaxing Christmas break, I just may end up unwrapped.


Gifted by Cait Reynolds

When you have love, what's left on the Christmas wish list for an immortal?

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October 30, 2015

Thanks to the Lovelies & Interview Links

I wanted to thank all of the amazing Utopia Lovelies who appeared on my blog during my Meet Some UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) series. Please check out some of these great interviews.

July 29 -- Snowa Fox
July 31 -- Mindy Ruiz
Aug. 7 -- Ethan Gregory
Aug. 12 -- PM Hernandez
Aug. 14 -- Eva Pohler
Aug. 19 -- Morgan Wylie
Aug. 21 -- Laura Howard
Aug. 26 -- CJ Pinard
Aug. 28 -- Ashley Bodette
Sept. 4 -- Christina Marie
Sept. 9 -- Desiree Williams
Sept. 11 -- Misty Provencher
Sept. 16 -- ER Arroyo
Sept. 18 -- Ginny Gallagher
Sept. 23 -- Michelle Miller
Sept. 25 -- Kristen Bauer
Sept. 30 -- Delphina Henley
Oct. 2 -- Felicia Tatum
Oct. 9 -- Kelly Martin
Oct. 14 -- Tricia Copeland

And don't forget to buy your tickets to the 2016 Utopia conference here. Tickets sell out fast, and you don't want to miss it. This year's theme is #fightforyourwrite. For more details on this year's theme, go here

Here's the pretty new banner...


Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and plenty of Halloween fun!

October 28, 2015

Chasing Destiny Release Date & Giveaway

I'm so excited to announce that Chasing Destiny (Tala Prophecy Book 3) finally has a publication date... Thursday, November 12. To celebrate, I plan to share an excerpt from Chapter One exclusively with my newsletter subscribers. 

In addition, I will give away a signed paperback of Chasing Destiny (US only) to a newsletter subscriber, to be mailed on the release date.

Don't want to miss out?

If I reach 150 subscribers by 11/6/2015, I will also give away a $25 Amazon gift card. Everyone who is a subscriber on that date will receive an entry.

Oh, and lean in close for a little secret... if I reach 200 subscribers, I'll sweeten the pot. 

If you tag me on Facebook or Twitter and share about my newsletter promotion, I'll add your name in for an extra entry. 

The link to sign up for my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bif19P

Thanks in advance for helping me!

October 23, 2015

Word Hippo

Have you heard of Word Hippo?

It's a nifty word tool for writers. 

If you are like me, you sometimes sit staring into space looking for that perfect word. Then, to keep the words flowing, you'll even put in a "save the place" word, but you know it's not the word.

Word Hippo to the rescue.

Before I found out about this site, I used a thesaurus. What makes Word Hippo better? There are so many more options. Take a look at this screenshot...


One tool I particularly like is WORD FORMS. When you click it, the drop down menu has...

Plural
Singular 
Past Tense
Present Tense
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Noun

Ooh, and even more fun... NAMES

Here, the drop down menus gives you...

Meaning of the Name
Origin of the Name
Names Meaning
Names Starting With
Names of Origin

When I looked up the meaning of the name Reagan (the main character in my Tala Prophecy series), it meant wise. 

So, the next time you are stuck, give this website a whirl. I'm going to keep track of the ways I use it and do a follow up post soon with examples. 

Have you ever heard of this site? Do you have other word sites you'd recommend?

October 14, 2015

Meet Some UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) : Tricia Copeland


Please welcome the final guest in my Meet Some UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) series. I’ve known Tricia for seven years. We both moved to Colorado at the same time and our kids are close in age. I’ve since moved twice, but we’ve stayed dear friends.

A couple of years ago, she decided to write a book. I saw very early versions and encouraged her to keep going. Then, I edited her debut through Indie Books Gone Wild. I’m so proud of her!

Welcome, my friend.

TC: Thank you, Tia. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to meet your blog readers!

When did you know you wanted to write a book?

TC: In 2008, I began writing Is This Me? It was the year of my 20th high school reunion and I was in a reflective mood. I wanted to bestow upon my daughter all the knowledge that I had gained.

High school reunions can do that! So, give us your elevator pitch for Is This Me?, a clean new adult contemporary novel?

TC: Is This Me? is a about a college co-ed named Amanda. The story is told from Amanda’s perspective and gives a raw and uncensored view into her life at a very pivotal point. Amanda has her future all mapped out but quickly learns she is in control of very little.


 How much of your personal experiences did you use when writing your debut novel? How much is the main character, Amanda, like you?

TC: My husband just started reading the book. The first thing he said was: “I know why she has small feet!” Unlike Amanda, I have large feet. Like Amanda, I had my major, classes, job--my whole life--all planned out at eighteen.

Me, too! If I Could Fly, book two in the Being Me series, will be released later this fall. Can you give us a sneak peek?

TC: Yes, I am so excited for the release of If I Could Fly on Nov. 16 with preorders available Nov. 2! In this book, Amanda’s challenge is centered around dealing with how her mom and dad react to her choices. As a young adult she is trying to create an identity and shape her future. Unfortunately, many of her ideas aren’t popular with her parents.

I'm so excited for the release. It really builds on the emotions in your first book. Since we’ve been friends, we ran our first half marathon together and are now both published authors. What should our next adventure be?

TC: That is a great question! I think we should make a movie!

A movie! Wow. Guess we better get on that. So, I've been asking all the lovelies... what is your favorite inspirational quote? Why?

TC: I was so moved by the UtopYA 2015keynote speech by Kim Holden, author of Bright Side. Her Bright Side motto is “do epic” which means to just do the best you can each and every day.

In a business master mind group one morning, I was asked at what point I would give up or stop publishing the four novels of the “Being Me” series. Of course from a business perspective, it would make sense to stop if the books aren’t profitable. The question really caught me off guard, though. My first thought was never, because the books have to be written and published for me to feel complete. No matter the success of them, it’s what I feel I should be doing.

The journey that I started in 2008 has led me to acquire so many talents and make so many connections that I wouldn’t have made otherwise. After hearing Kim Holden’s talk at UtopYA 2015 in June, I revised her motto to fit my vision. This motto is “Being me, doing epic” which reminds me to be brave enough to follow my passion.

What do you think makes UtopYA, renamed Utopia for its fifth year in 2016, so special?

TC: UtopYA 2015 is the first writer’s conference I attended. What made it special for me, and I think for others, is that it brings together a group of writers who really are already an on-line community. It was great to meet in person people like Jo Michaels, who formatted my book, but I had only corresponded with via phone or email.

A favorite photo from UtopYA2015 (at the awesome movie premiere night).

Tricia with Kelly Martin & me

✮ Quick Answers  

Last Movie you Saw: Ant Man
Comedy, Romance, Drama, or Horror? Comedy, preferably romantic comedy
Last Book you Read: A Shade of Blood, Book 2 of the Shade of Forrest series by Bella Forrest
First Job: cashier at a fast food restaurant
Gift cards or Cash? Gift cards
Favorite Vacation Spot: Maui

More about Tricia

Tricia Copeland grew up and attended college in Georgia. After graduating from a master’s program, she moved to Pennsylvania where she worked as a research scientist. After nine years, she and her husband moved their family—one daughter, twin boys, and dog Jake—to Colorado. Her first published title, Is This Me?, was released in May 2015 and is available in paperback or Kindle formats through Amazon. 

The second book of the Being Me series, If I Could Fly, will be available November 16. If she’s not on a trail, you can find Tricia at www.triciacopeland.com, on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, or Twitter.


Follow this link to buy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YIABVKG



Please visit often for more UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) interviews, 
and check out the announcement post to see
the schedule and links to past interviews.

October 9, 2015

Meet Some UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) : Kelly Martin


Please welcome my next guest in my Meet Some UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) series. I met Kelly online when we were both taking Janet Wallace’s amazing class: StandUP. StandOUT. RakeItIn.

We connected right away, and became Happy Buddies. Our goal: to encourage and lift one another, especially when fears creep up. I couldn’t wait to finally meet her at UtopYA. Her smile lights up a room, and she has some wicked dance moves.

Thanks for hanging out with me on the blog today.

KM: Thank you for having me! I'm excited to get started... excited and scared. Very... very scared ;)

You are such an inspiration to me, because you are not shy to be you. I love your YouTube channel (subscribe here if you don’t – every video brings a smile to my face). Why did you decide to do video?

KM: Awwww. I'm so totally shy. You have no idea. As long as I have a backspace (or an edit button), I'm fine. BUT I'm working on it. I like doing videos because I think sometimes it is easier to get your point across on video. Plus, I love youtube and I wanted to be a part of it.

Youtube scares me, which means I really need to try it, too! You are quite prolific. Where do you get your story ideas? Do you have a favorite genre to write so far?

KM: Yeah. My 15th book comes out this month. That's just insane to me. My story ideas either come from a 'what if' question that pops in my head or a scene that I want to know how the people got there-- or just a random elevator ride (the book I'm working on now started on the elevator ride from the 10th to the 1st floor at utopya this year :) ).

15 books. Oh my. That's awesome. Tell me about your latest novel, The Fall


KM: It came out July 28th. It is the third book in the Sloan series. Sloan has had it rough. She was attacked in her house in the first book and doesn't know by who. You know by now (if you've read the books) but I won't spoil it if you haven't. There are also two brothers: Aaron and Ray. Aaron is the Dean Winchester type. Which is strange to me since I'd never watched Supernatural when I wrote it. Ray is the sweet, loveable sensible one. Most people are #teamAaron (he's so cute!). I'm one of the few #teamRay people. We shall see who wins Sloan's heart? (and you will find out in The Fall).

We have so much in common, including both having three beautiful daughters. What is your greatest dream for them?
 
KM: My biggest dream for them is to be happy and to have supportive people in their lives (even when I'm not around).
 
When your kids are old enough, what’s the first ‘80s movie—since I know we both love this decade—you are going to show them? I showed my daughter Footloose first, because I knew she’d love it.

KM: Back to the Future :) And Gremlins--- because I think it would be fun. Well, maybe Gremlins 2. I liked that one better. ;)
 
My youngest loves Gremlins. We really are separated at birth. So, I've been asking all the lovelies... what's your favorite inspirational quote? Why?

KM: She thought she could, so she did.-- I don't know who said it, but I see it on pinterest a lot :)
 
What do you think makes UtopYA, renamed Utopia for its fifth year in 2016, so special?
 
KM: I think that it's lasted so long is special. The fact that it'll be my 4th time there is special for me. It is just a really cool experience, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Kelly shared this awesome picture from the hotel lobby at UtopYA. Guess she can find her beloved Sam (from Supernatural) anywhere. 


Her lovely sister joined her for the festivities. Loved meeting her, too.


✮ Quick Answers  

Last Movie you Saw: Friday the 13th (2009 version)
Comedy, Romance, Drama, or Horror? Horror
Last Book you Read: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (I love it!)
First Job: Daycare worker
Gift cards or cash? Cash
Favorite Vacation Spot: Myrtle Beach

More about Kelly

Kelly Martin is a bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and YA romance. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she's not writing, she loves watching horror gamers on YouTube-- even though she's a huge wimp-- and drinking white chocolate mochas. She's a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to a certain British boy band (shhhh). Her favorite characters are the 'bad guys'-- especially those who, in their mind, are the heroes of the story. She loves helping her characters fight for their ever after. 

If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to email her at kellymartin215 @ yahoo . com ♥ You can follow her writing adventure at Kelly Martin Books

Please visit often for more UtopYA2015 Lovelies (Unofficial) interviews, 
and check out the announcement post to see
the schedule and links to past interviews.