YA Extravaganza

It's Friday... the last one of March. Wow, time sure does fly when you are having fun.

Speaking of fun, you are invited to a party this weekend, starting at 2:00pm CST today (3/27), on Facebook.

It's the YA Extravaganza.

This is a YA ONLY event. In order to get some of the best YA Authors out there in one place to meet other YA authors and the wonderful people who love to read that genre. Also to help find books that you and your kids can enjoy, read & chat together about! 

Here's the lineup...

Friday 27th 
4-5pm - Tia Silverthorne Bach
5-6pm - Marica Vance Author
6-7pm - Kelly A Risser
7-7:30 - Alexia Purdy
7:30-8pm - M.R. Polish 
8-9pm - YA Author Susan Stielow
9-10pm - Kristyn Eudes
10-10:30 - Veronica Williams (host) closing the night post in for Rachel M Raithby Author

Saturday 28th 

12noon- 1pm - Janae Mitchell, Author
1-2pm - H.G. Lynch
2-3pm - Sabrina Bradley Archer
3-4pm - Kelly Anne
4-5pm - JP Barry
5-6pm - Amanda Porter
6-7pm- Jennifer Melzer
7-8pm - Carrigan Richards
8-9pm - Heather Dowell
9-10pm - Author AS Oren

Sunday 29th

3-4pm - Denice Garrou
4-5pm - Kyra Dune
5-6pm - Theresa Kay, Author
6-7pm - Tina Bell (PA posting)
7-8pm - Author Brooklyn Taylor
8-9pm - Daniele Lanzarotta
9-10pm - Nicole Neace-Rickman

I'll be kicking off the party, so please stop by between 4-5:00pm CST. I'm giving away some fun prizes, including ebooks of Chasing Shadows and Fractured Glass. Oh, and I might even give away a copy of Chasing Forgiveness (debuting April 14, 2015).

Hope to see you there!

A Ghost & A Signing

June was a blur. A wonderful, glorious blur.

With three kids, the end of school is the mom's version of a horror tale. Around every corner is a sinister shadow (last minute projects, grades teetering on the edge). Funny how I find school so much more stressful as a parent than I ever did as a child.

School ended on a Thursday (and included a slew of activities for my daughter who promoted to high school -- eek!), and I left for UtopYA the following Wednesday. Since my husband's family is in Nashville, I brought my three kids along for the ride. From there, we continued on to North Carolina to see my family.

Last year, I met the amazing Devyn Dawson while attending a writer's conference near my parent's home. She was quick to share all her indie knowledge with me, and she hooked me up with several writing communities. This led me to signing up for UtopYA. To say I'm grateful to have her in my life is an understatement. 

I was thrilled to find out I'd see her in Nashville. While there, where I got to also meet her super-cool daughter (an editor and cover model), she asked if I wanted to do a book signing with her in New Bern, North Carolina while I was home. Um, yes!

Not only did I get to pick Devyn's brain, a veritable plethora of information, for two and a half hours, but I also met her sweet Light Tamer cover model and some of her readers. Heck, I even sold some books on a very rainy evening.

Toward the end, a couple walked in. The husband asked if I'd seen a ghost. He then mentioned that the building was on the New Bern ghost tour. I found the following information on the website:

It is said that Miss Fanny was the youngest daughter of Isaac Taylor. She was due to be married, but a week before her wedding, her fiancé went for a walk, collapsed in the street and died. Miss Fanny was heartbroken and vowed to never leave her house again. It is said if you walk by the house, you can see her sitting in the first level front window, waiting for her fiancé to come home.

What a great story that would make. Hmmmm.

Do you believe in ghosts?

TTYL by Bethany Lopez -- Release Day Blitz & Giveaway

Title: TTYL (Stories About Melissa #4)

Series: Stories About Melissa

Author: Bethany Lopez

 

About TTYL (Stories About Melissa #4)

 

The last few months have been a rough road for Melissa. Her grades have slipped, her parents treat her like a prisoner, and her closest friends are too involved in their own lives to spend time with her. Desperate to escape her depressing funk, she starts spending more time with Layla, who introduces her to a new crowd...the wrong crowd. When Melissa starts to go down a dangerous path, can anyone get through to her before she does something she'll regret?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18403655-ttyl

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Stories-about-Melissa-Bethany-Lopez-ebook/dp/B00GKNFZVU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384219881&sr=8-1&keywords=ttyl+bethany

Barnes and Noble Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ttyl-bethany-lopez/1117236898?ean=2940148928010

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Bethany

Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.

Connect with Bethany:

IAN

Webpage

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

My Books

*****

I can't say enough kind things about Bethany. She has one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen, a light-the-room-up kind of smile, and she is always giving back--promoting indies and serving our country.

Recently, I finished one of her novels, and I can't wait to share my thoughts (thanks to NaNo, I'm quite behind on posting reviews). Suffice it to say, I loved it. I can't wait to read more from her.

Please share this release throughout your social media. I know Bethany would greatly appreciate it. Happy Tuesday!

Great $0.99 Bundle & ROW80 Update

It's Wednesday, and the first ROW80 update for this round. But before I get to that, I wanted to share this great boxed set.

*****

7--Yes! SEVEN BESTSELLING AUTHORS illuminate the dark, dangerous choices people make when everything that matters is on the line… 

7 Bestselling full-length novels all for $.99--Yes! NINETY-NINE CENTS!

SEVEN FULL-LENGTH NOVELS  in one collection, DESPERATE ACTS:

CJ Lyons, MJ Rose, Melissa Foster, Russell Blake, Kathleen Shoop, Jenna Bennett, and Katia Lief give you thrilling tales, erotic confessions, spine-tingling twists, smothering fog, family secrets, and unexpected loss that all lead to DESPERATE ACTS. 

BUY NOW AT THESE RETAILERS:
AMAZON, B&N, APPLE

*****

A Round of Words in 80 Days Update

* Write 1,000 words a day Monday through Thursday through October 31. Then, I plan to join NaNoWriMo. I did NaNo last year, and I found it focused me to keep writing first in my to do list. For that challenge, I need to complete 50,000 words in the month of November.

I averaged 1,000 words yesterday and today. So I'm going to amend my goal... Average 1,000 words a day Monday through Friday. Added a day, but being a bit more flexible with the average.

* I will attend #ROW80 word sprints (2:00pm EST on Twitter) at least three days a week. More if I can. This supports my writing goal.

So far, I've been there Tuesday & today, so I'm on schedule.

* Finish 25 books to meet my GoodReads reading goal of 100 books this year.

Finished one this week so far and about to finish another.

I'm going to keep the main goals simple. But if my reading and writing goals are met for each day:

* Perform my ROW80 sponsorship duties. ✓
* Visit blogs and be social on Twitter and Facebook. ✓
* Write reviews and share book news here and on Mom in Love with Fiction. ✓
* Put Depression Cookies on Smashwords (it's ready, I'm behind).
* Get my author website up and running (in process).
* Editing. ✓ (3 hours so far this week)

Check out the other ROW80 authors here. Hope everyone is kicking off Round 4 with lots of checkmarks.

The Gift of a Good Book: Shades of Gray, Alan Holloman

Today I'm passing on the gift of a good book and a great deal. As a mom, this book was particularly haunting, because it made me consider how far I would go for one of my children. It's a strong and believable motivator.

I hope you enjoy the review and book event information.

Happy Holidays!

*****

From Amazon:  How far would you go to save your child's life? Could you break the law? What if your travel business was suddenly in danger of going under because of 9/11? A single father decides to partner up with woman from the opposite side of the tracks. Can their partnership deliver the cash they BOTH desperately need? Could they fall in love? And will they survive to see the Summer of 2002?

Shades of Gray, the debut novel from Andy Holloman, examines the depths of a father’s love and the ramifications of desperate choices. John Manning and his daughter, Lucy, are driving home from a nice evening out when their car’s brakes malfunction. What initially seems like bad luck turns into a much darker story.

John hasn’t had it easy. When his wife leaves, his whole world revolves around Lucy. His successful business, a travel agency, is hit hard by the events of September 11, 2001. Then, he finds out his daughter has a rare kidney disease and will need a kidney transplant.

Desperation and fear drive John to extreme limits to save his daughter, especially after a fateful meeting with a former client, Wanda. Wanda loves her daughter and has found a way out of her own personal hell, a way paved with good intentions but criminal actions.

Every action draws the pair deeper into an intricate web of deceit and danger. The reader is compelled to turn each page, but not just to find out what happens next. There’s also an emotional connection to the characters. The twists and turns lead to an unexpected and heartbreaking conclusion.

Shades of a Gray is a must read for anyone who enjoys a captivating thrill ride with emotional investment.

Fun note: I’m from North Carolina, so I thoroughly enjoyed the North Carolina references throughout.

Rating: A very enthusiastic 5 stars.

For more information, please visit the author’swebsite.

Disclaimer: I received this novel as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. A good review was not guaranteed or asked for. My opinions are my own.

*****

What’s even better than a 5-star book? A 5-star book for 99 cents. December 13 through December 15, the WoMen’s Literary Café is hosting a Mystery & Christian Fiction Book Launch and 99 Cent Book Event featuring this novel and many others.  

For more information, please click the picture below.