Black Friday Extravaganza with Four Chances to Win!

Kick start your holiday shopping with gift cards from your favorite authors! There are four $50 Amazon Gift Cards up for grabs and, as if that wasn't enough, on November 29th, hop over to the Facebook party and you just might win one of the many e-books being given away.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feature Friday: Kelly from Kindle and Me

Welcome to Feature Friday. A meme dedicated to meeting the people behind the wonderful book blogs we love to follow. 

Today I have Kelly from Kindle and Me here. If you haven't checked out this blog, you really should!

Cherie: How did you get started in blogging about books?

Kindle and me: Kelly joined Anjana the beginning of this year.  Anjana has been blogging for several years. Anjana ran an ad on the blog looking for help. So I, Kelly, replied. I do most of the posts currently.  Anjana is a busy beaver working and going to grad school. She needs an Assistant. Anyone know of one??

Cherie: How did you come up with the name for your blog?

Kelly: Anjana got a new kindle and went with that. Although she says it should have been Me and My Kindle.

Cherie: What’s your favorite part about blogging?

Kelly: Getting word out to others on all that’s out there!! I also like it when someone wins a giveaway and you can feel their excitement in their comments!

Cherie: And we appreciate it! Do you have any pet peeves that make you want to put down the book your reading?

Kelly: Sex at the beginning of a book! Next up are F bombs. I am not a fan, never was!

Cherie: What type of books do you enjoy?

Kelly: Give me a romance any day! I am a fiction person, I want to escape reality.

Cherie: Me too! Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, or retellings?

Kelly: Nope, not at all. I like reading the different versions! I have read a lot of Pride and Prejudice retellings lately! I own them all too!

Cherie: Do you like when your favorite books are made into movies, and why?

Kelly: I used to. But my mind plays it differently than the directors mind. I like mine better.

Cherie: If you could choose to be any character from a book, who would it be and why?

Kelly: I can’t think of her name and it is only a side character anyway from The Vampire Academy but she is one of the Dhampir Instructors at the academy who is still  in great shape and kicks butt.  I always wanted to be her and still do. She is kicking butt in the 40 and 50’s!

Cherie: Okay, try to answer the next set of questions in five words or less. If you start a book that isn’t grabbing your attention, how far into the book will you read before you put it down? 40 pages or pure frustration

Secret crush? (He or she can be anyone real or fictional.) err, uh, my husband!

You're a lucky girl to have married your secret crush! Do you believe in love at first sight? It can happen, but rarely.

Have you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone feeling yourself? Nope

Are you drawn to the good guy or the bad guy? good guy (Darn it)

Ha! That made me smile! What’s the first thing you notice about a guy? His face

If you had all the money and time in the world, where would your dream vacation be? New Zealand

Are you a morning person or an evening person? I work nights, nuff said!

Favorite author? I plead the 5th! TOO MANY

Favorite place to read? On the beach!

I’m jealous! There’s no beach near me. Favorite classic? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What book are you the most excited to read? Next I am waiting for Richelle Mead’s The Fiery Heart

Are there any types of books you don’t read? Not Erotica.

Do you have any hobbies? Reading, Reading and traveling

What book would make a great movie? Blackmoore A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson

What’s the worst cover to a book that you loved? Somewhere to Dream by Genevieve Graham

It’s your birthday, and your friends got you a giant cake. What character do you hope pops out of your cake and what book is he/her from? Dimitri from Vampire Academy

Kelly, thanks so much for being here today!

Connect with Kelly and Anjana from Kindle and Me!

Kindle and Me Blog | Facebook | Goodreads

Kelly on Twitter | Arajana on Twitter

NaNoWriMo Progress, How are you doing?

Less than two weeks left in November. Wow! Where did the time go?

Since we're at the latter half of the month, I decided to take a good look out what I've accomplished so far this month. My goal was to finish the first draft of book three in the Embrace Series. I started with 32,500-words and added 20,000-words to the total word count. That puts me about three-fourth of the way done. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

As much as I wanted to push through and finish the first draft before I went back and revised, I just couldn't do it. I had one too many plot threads and a character who started out with a minor role that turned into a key player. I decided it would be easier to fix what needed to be fixed now, and then write the last section of the book. I've since revised 10,000-words. I've pretty much matched the number of words I've deleted to the number I've added, and I'm happy with the changes. With any luck, I'll still finish the first draft by end of month. Worst case, I'll have revised what I have written, smoothed out the bumps, and be ready to tackle the climax scene and ending.

How's your writing coming this month?

Feature Friday: Latoya from Little Library Muse

I have Latoya Hudson from Little Library Muse with me today. I really enjoy her blog, and absolution love her banner.

Please help me welcome Latoya.

Cherie: How did you get started in blogging about books?

Latoya: I began this blog as an assignment for my Information Technologies class and decided to keep it going after taking a Young Adult services class, where we had to review books. And I've been reviewing every since then.

Cherie: Those sound like fun classes! How did you come up with the name for your blog?

Latoya:  I was sitting at my computer in class racking my brain because I knew I liked mythology and fairies but I wanted it to be library related…it seriously just popped in my head. I am in essence a muse; I’m good at encouraging people.

Cherie: It’s a great name for a book blog. What’s your favorite part about blogging?

Latoya: Getting to connect with readers and authors but my favorite thing is doing character interviews.  

 Cherie: Do you have any pet peeves that make you want to put down the book your reading?

Latoya:  If it’s too slow or the character is unbearably dense, however I have yet to not finish a book that drives me crazy.

Cherie: What type of books do you enjoy?

Latoya: Paranormal, fantasy, thrillers, historical romance, romance…pretty much anything fiction. I also love audiobooks!

Cherie: If you start a book that isn’t grabbing your attention, how far into the book will you read before you put it down? 

Latoya:  Perhaps I need to learn this putting the book down when it’s not holding my attention. Baby steps.

Cherie: I think it’s great that you keep reading. I try, but if I’m not hooked by the plot or characters somewhere between fifty and a hundred pages, I move on to a new book. Who’s your favorite book mom?

Latoya:  I would have to choose Harry Potter's mom, Lily, because she is the only one I can think of. Most of the books I've read, the parents seem to be MIA.

Cherie: Secret crush? (It can be anyone real or fictional.)

Latoya:  Pritkin from Hunt the Moon and about every single male character in Beverly Jenkins romance novels.

Cherie: Do you believe in love at first sight?

Latoya:  Yes and no.

Cherie:  Have you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone feeling yourself?

Latoya:  I have maybe once in my life.

Cherie: Are you drawn to the good guy or the bad guy?

Latoya:  I like a little bad in my good guy.

Cherie: What’s the first thing you notice about a guy?

Latoya:  His teeth.

Cherie:  If you had all the money and time in the world, where would your dream vacation be?

Latoya:  Tahiti or Greece.

Cherie: Are you a morning person or an evening person?

Latoya:  Evening

Cherie: Favorite author?

Latoya:  Karen Chance & Marissa Meyer

Cherie: Do you like when your favorite books are made into movies, and why?

Latoya:  It depends, the Harry Potter, Memoirs of a Geisha and Lord of the Rings movies are good adaptations to me. Sometimes, the key elements that make the book special can get lost in the translation and I would like to keep the images I have in my mind. I wish Hollywood would leave some books alone, yet I’m conflicted on this topic.

Cherie: Favorite place to read?

Latoya:  In bed or a comfy chair

Cherie: Favorite classic?

Latoya:  Pride and Prejudice

Cherie: What book are you the most excited to read?  

Latoya:  Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Cherie: Are there any types of books you don’t read?

Latoya:  Non-fiction with the exception of cookbooks, crafts and photography books

Cherie: Do you have any hobbies?

Latoya:  Photography, writing (though not in a long while), music and whatever craft I have my mind set on learning (currently crocheting, which isn’t going very well) and making jewelry and bookmarks.

Cherie: What movie would make a great book?  

Latoya:  The Best Man

Cherie: What’s the worst cover to a book that you loved?

Latoya:  I can't think of any at the moment like that.

Cherie: It’s your birthday, and your friends got you a giant cake. What character do you hope pops out of your cake and what book is he/her from?

Latoya:  Alex or Jean Lafitte from Elysian Fields

Cherie: If you could choose to be any character from a book, who would it be and why?

Latoya:  Cassie Palmer from the Karen Chance series, she's tough and persistent plus she has some pretty hot guys on her side or DJ from Elysian Fields for the same reason. 

Thanks, Latoya, for being here today! It’s great to get to know you better.

Connect with Latoya

Little Library Muse Blog

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Careful What Your Wish For: Hold Tight Excerpt

Hi everyone! I'm over at Crossroad Reviews as part of their Author Fest 2013. I hope you'll stop by to check out the post and enter the giveaway. There's three sets of eBooks for three lucky winners, plus awesome swag to be won. 

I thought it would be fun to share an excerpt from Hold Tight, book two in the series.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Careful What You Wish For

I figured if I got caught with the little ironclad book, I’d ask him for forgiveness. Really, in the whole scheme of the universe, what was one little spell?

My six-year-old brother and I were home alone, and he was in the family room, engrossed in his favorite cartoon. Dad was stuck at work, again, but tonight that would be to my advantage because I needed privacy to cast the spell.

I grabbed a cereal bowl from the cabinet next to the refrigerator, filled it with a bottle of spring water, and dropped in three acorns and three dried rose petals. One last glance at the incantation, and I was ready. With my hands held palms-up in front of me, I spoke in a low whisper so as not to attract Chase’s attention:

From here to there and nowhere neverwhere

Through Come time and space and ethereal

I call to thee Sanctus majestic

Reedsnap, [Dellis, Rhoswen]

A faint crackle like the crunch of dried leaves under dainty feet seemed to enter the kitchen through the open window. A weak pop-pop-swish slithered by me thereafter, and the sweet aroma of honeydew filled my nostrils. I spun around, expecting to see a bright-eyed faerie with sparkling cheeks and pointy

little ears near the stove, but I was alone. I continued to read:

I beckon thee, come forth!

A soft swish-hum had me glancing around the kitchen again. A cool breeze

stirred the curtains and rippled the water in the bowl. I hurried and closed

the window, but then a quiet buzz traveled around the kitchen like an angry

fly. For a moment, I could have sworn I smelled fresh-cut orchids, but when

I inhaled, the air chilled my lungs, causing me to cough. No matter which

direction I looked, no one was there.

“Finish it,” a disembodied voice whispered eagerly. It was hard to tell if it

was female or male. I swallowed the trepidation that built inside me.

“Finish it,” dared the haunting voice.

When an icy chill clawed its way into my bones, I slammed the book shut.

“I changed my mind,” I whispered. “Go away.”


You can get Hold Tight on Kindle, Kindle UK, and Nook for only $2.99, or Embrace Kindle, Kindle UK, or Nook for .99 cents while the sale lasts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting back on track, an IWSG Post

Hi everyone. It's close to the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for IWSG. If you're not familiar with this meme, it was started by Alex Cavanaugh. It's a group of writers who share their insecurities, encouraging words, and support with each other and our followers. After all, we all become insecure every now and then. If you'd like to join us, great! Click here for more information. 

This isn't really an insecurity. It's more of a promise to myself to spend my writing time increasing the word count on my current project. Lately I've been busy planning writing events and workshops, writing guest posts, participating in blog hops, researching ways to get the word out about my books, and trying to keep in touch with the wonderful people I've met over the blog-sphere that my work-in-progress is suffering from actually having any progress made to it. Last month I decided that I'd unofficially participate in NaNoWriMo. I spent October trying to get ahead on the things I listed. This month I'm going to focus on finishing the first draft of book three in my series. I've already added a cool word count widget to my sidebar. If I'm on target, I should have 7500 words written by the time this post goes live.

If all goes well, and because I like to step away from a project for a few weeks before I dive into revisions, I might use December to write the first draft of something new--maybe the YA novel I've been thinking about or the NA novel I started last spring but never finished. I might just finish revising my middle grade fantasy that has been years in the works. Whatever gets my focus, I want it to be one of my novels and not all the other things that has been eating up my writing time.

How about you? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? Did you sign up or are you like me and doing it for yourself?

P.S.: There's still time to enter my Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of Embrace. Click the link on the sidebar to enter. 

Feature Friday: Lisa from Bookworm Lisa

With me today is Lisa from Bookworm Lisa. If you're in need of something new to read, you should stop by her blog. Her insightful reviews will help you to find the perfect book for you.

Please help me welcome Lisa!

Cherie: How did you get started in blogging about books?  

Lisa: It all started when  a friend invited me to Goodreads. I have always been a reader, this just became the logical extension of what I was already doing.  I used to think that I would never have a blog.  My friends blogged, but I didn’t see the point, or think that I would have the time.  Now I enjoy it.  Funny how life turns out sometimes.

Cherie: How did you come up with the name for your blog?  

Lisa: My blog name came about because my kids always called me a bookworm.  They say I love to read, but I don’t like water.  I’m like a worm on a hook when it comes to a good book, I can’t put it down.  I really do have a phobia about deep water, it’s kind of sad.

Cherie:  Bookworm Lisa is catchy and easy to remember, too. What’s your favorite part about blogging? 

Lisa: My favorite part is all of the people who I am now acquainted with.  We have never met, but have things in common.  It’s cool to know there are other book nerds around like me.  I also can usually tell if I will like a book based on who is reading it.

Cherie: That's so true! Do you have any pet peeves that make you want to put down the book your reading? 

Lisa: The “F” word.  Sometimes it is appropriate for the setting, sometimes it seems to be thrown in for no reason at all other than to increase the minimum age of the reader.

Cherie: What type of books do you enjoy?  

Lisa: I enjoy any book that has a good plot and setting. 

Cherie: Two important elements. =)  If you start a book that isn't grabbing your attention, how far into the book will you read before you put it down? 

Lisa: About half way.

Cherie: Who’s your favorite book mom? 

Lisa: Esme Cullen

Cherie: Secret crush? (It can be anyone real or fictional.) 

Lisa: The young Rick Springfield.

Cherie: Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Lisa: Love -no, infatuation- yes!

Cherie: Have you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone feeling yourself? 

Lisa: Yes, I  married him. J

Cherie: Are you drawn to the good guy or the bad guy? 

Lisa: Usually the good guy.

Cherie: What’s the first thing you notice about a guy? 

Lisa: His nose.

Cherie: If you had all the money and time in the world, where would your dream vacation be? 

Lisa: Hawaii.

Cherie: Are you a morning person or an evening person? 

Lisa: neither

Cherie: Favorite author? 

Lisa: Jane Austen

Cherie: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, or retellings?

 Lisa: I love retellings.  If a concept it good, why not keep it going.

Cherie: Do you like when your favorite books are made into movies, and why?

Lisa: No, I hate it.  A movie can never be as good as the book.

Cherie: Favorite place to read? 

Lisa: Cuddled on my bed.

Cherie: Me too! Favorite classic? 

Lisa: Pride and Prejudice

Cherie: What book are you the most excited to read? 

Lisa: Too many for a favorite.

Cherie: Are there any types of books you don’t read? 

Lisa: Erotica

Cherie: Do you have any hobbies? 

Lisa: I play the violin.

Cherie: What movie would make a great book? 

Lisa: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Cherie: It’s your birthday, and your friends got you a giant cake. What character do you hope pops out of your cake and what book is he/her from? 

Lisa: Puck from The Iron King.

Cherie: If you could choose to be any character from a book, who would it be and why?

Lisa: Elizabeth Bennett would be my choice.  It’s my favorite classic and I think it would be fun to experience that time period and meet Mr. Darcy!

Great choice! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Follow Lisa's reviews

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