Updates, New Releases, & More...

Happy Tuesday Everybody,

Status report:  Book Three, Immortal Love (of the Immortal Dreams Trilogy) is over halfway written. It's not yet as far along as

I'd like, but it's making progress, which is good. Unfortunately sinus/migraine headache issues, and some other stuff got in the way this past week of me getting much writing in, so I'm trying to do much better this week. I'm relieved to tell you my headaches are better.

Book Two of Immortal Dreams Trilogy:  Book Two, Astral Love, will release in the Fall of this year. From the schedule I received from my publisher it looks like some time in October (Ooo! Looks like a birthday present for moi. What do you all think?)

Facebook:  There is now a Facebook page for the Immortal Dreams Trilogy. If you "Like" the page you will be able to keep up with updates. Things that will be exclusively posted there! (Such as Teaser #2 is already posted there) and cameo appearances from characters Laney and Jason. Who knows? Maybe one of the Immortals will take over my keyboard and make an appearance. But you will need to "Like" the page to get those updates. I may even do a sneak-peek-before-big-reveal cover reveal there (that's something I still have to make a final decision about, but I'm giving it very serious consideration).  Click here to get to the Immortal Dreams Trilogy Facebook page.

Nationals:  I will NOT be at the 2014 RWA National Conference. I just can't swing it. However, I do know there will be MANY other great authors there, so if you're going, be sure to check them out.

Conference:  I'm waiting for registration for the NWHRWA's annual Lone Star Writer's Conference to open up. It's taking place the first Saturday in October. To check the details please click here. It looks like it's going to be another good one.

There are a TON of new books out there. If you're interested in the new books my publisher is releasing, check the SMP website here.

My talented critique partner, Tess St. John released Last Chance in June. To check it out, click here for Amazon, for Barnes & Noble, click here.

Author pal/critique-er/word-sprint partner/awesome person, Patti Korbet, released This Year's Love in June. To check this novel out, click here for Amazon, and for Barnes & Noble, click here.

Recently the oh-so-talented Marie Hall released Hood's Obsession (a novel connected to her Kingdom Series--it features The Big Bad

Wolf and Red Riding Hood's daughter!) To check it out on Amazon, click here. For Barnes & Noble, click here.

The amazing Christie Craig released a novel with two other authors called Three Southern Beaches, which looks like  fun. To check this novel out, click here for Amazon. For Barnes & Noble, click here.

I know I'm forgetting probably more than one person, so if you or another author you know had a novel released this year (that is from January to now) feel free to post about it in the comment section of this blog post!

**Please Remember:  All comments come to me for approval. Once I see them and approve them, they will be published and appear in the comment section. If you make a comment and it doesn't appear by the end of this week (Friday, July 25th) please send me an email about it. Doing comments this way has cut down on some of the issues this blog had in the past, it also cuts down on identical posts. Thank your for your patience and understanding**

Hope everyone has a Tremendously Totally Terrific Tuesday!

Guest Post & Book Sale With Joanne Guidoccio...

Happy Monday All,

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was pretty good. I've been working on getting Book Three in my Immortal Dreams Trilogy written. So while I'm working on that and you my darling readers are awaiting the release of Book Two, Astral Love, how about another kind of story while you wait?

Today I've got author Joanne Guidoccio with me and she's here to talk about her novel, Between Land And Sea, which is on sale for 99 cents on Amazon Kindle (Links can be found at the end of the blog post).

So I'm going to let Joanne tell you about writing her novel and a little bit about the novel itself...

While planning Between Land and Sea, I considered different fantasy elements.

What advantage could I bestow upon a beautiful mermaid who had

given up her tail and lost her mermaid powers?

A magic wand came to mind, but I quickly dismissed a possibility often associated with fairy godmothers and benevolent elders. In this case, there was no such elder. Her grandmother (and chief elder of the Mediterranean Kingdom) had reacted quickly and savagely to her granddaughter’s defection, aging her thirty years and adding twenty pounds to her slender frame.

I let several ideas percolate and then settled on a magic tablet with online mermaid support. For twelve months, Barbara would have access to Lisa738, a Numbers Mermaid programmed to provide basic and Specialist Skills.

Excerpt

Barbara picked up the tablet and pressed the green button.

Lisa738 appeared. “Greetings, Isa— Barbara. What can I do for you today?”

“I’m giving my first dinner party and I’m not certain—”

Lisa738 interrupted, “You need a Specialist Skills button. No problem, but I think you should know that you are only entitled to two more of these buttons during the coming year.”

Barbara made a mental note to ask Gillian for more information regarding the tablet. “Of course. What will I be able to do with this button?”

“You will be able to whip up any dish in any cuisine. You will also have an extensive knowledge of the ingredients and nutritional value of any meal you create.”

“Like Martha Stewart?”

Lisa738 laughed. “Martha Stewart. Rachel Ray. Nigella Lawson. You will be able to hold your own with any of them.” She pointed to the new button that appeared below the screen.

Barbara picked up the button, peeled off the coating, applied it to her left temple, and waited for the unsettling sensation. This time, the experience was more intense. Barbara lost her balance and had to hold on to a nearby chair for support.

Lisa738 winced. “I forgot to warn you about the power of the Specialist Skills buttons. You may need to lie down for an hour or so. Are you planning a large dinner party?”

It must be very lonely for Lisa738 in the underwater kingdom. Barbara recalled her few interactions with other Numbers mermaids. She knew that they spent long hours in front of terminals and did not socialize with the other mermaids. She decided to be kind. “No, it will just be Graham and me.”

Lisa738 nodded in approval. “How is that progressing?”

“We’ve been going out for almost two months now. Our relationship is a comfortable one.”

“Is that enough for you? In spite of all that has happened, you are still a Bella. You need and deserve passion.”

Blurb

 After giving up her tail for an international banker, Isabella of the Mediterranean kingdom is aged beyond recognition. The horrified banker abandons her on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England, leaving her to face a difficult human journey

as a plain and practically destitute fifty-three-year-old woman.

With the help of a magic tablet and online mermaid support, Isabella evolves into the persona of Barbara Davies. Along the way, she encounters a cast of unforgettable characters, among them former mermaids, supportive and not-so-supportive women, deserving and undeserving men, and several New Agers.

You can find Joanne at the follow links:

Website: http://joanneguidoccio.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BetweenLandandSeaJG
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jguidoccio/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Between-Land-Sea-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B00F9U5Q50
 YouTube (Trailer #1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xipZ6quZDOs
YouTube (Trailer #2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfiKOQe_yuU

BETWEEN LAND AND SEA

ONSALE FOR 99 CENTS!

JULY 20 TO JULY 27

**PLEASE NOTE:  If you leave a comment on this blog, it comes to me first for moderation and then once I approve it, it gets posted. If you post a comment and you don't see it by the end of this week (July 25th) then you can email me and let me know. Thank you for your patience. **

Hope everyone has a Marvelously Merry Monday!

Blog Swapping & Spotlighting Author Katie Hamstead!

Happy Tuesday Everybody,

Today I'm delighted to blog swap with author Katie Hamstead! I'm on her blog giving a behind-the-scenes look at writing a novel with Greek Mythology and she's appearing on here to talk about her novel (released by Soul Mate Publishing) Branded, a Teen/Romantic Suspense novel that looks intriguing.

So without further ado, take it away, Katie!

Branded: Set in Australia 

by Katie Hamstead

Branded is set in the Sydney area, mostly the western suburbs and Blue Mountains. I set most of my contemporary books around there simply for the fact that it is where I grew up.

I heard somewhere once that you should write what you know. So when it comes to things that involve high school, university etc I set my stories in the schooling system I am familiar with. My time as a foreign exchange student and the few years I have lived in the USA have taught me the basics of the American school system, but I don’t know it the way I do the Aussie one.

For Branded, the concept also originated when I lived in Australia still. I came up with the concept in 11^th grade English, and wove ideas together while staring out at the bush on hiking and road trips. The bush is a place that has this ancient spirit to it, it’s hard to explain, but I am completely in love with it. So Branded has some beautiful settings that I wanted to showcase.

Knowing the bush like that, I know how easy it is to disappear. So with a map for my characters to go by, it was the perfect place to provide refuge to the people who escaped the carnage of the “invasion”.

Plus, not many books are set in Australia, so why not? J

Branded released on the 5^th of February. 

(Note from Bethany:  That's February 5 of THIS year, folks! This means the novel is available for your reading pleasure). :-) 

Blurb for Branded: 

Terrorists have invaded Sydney, and Allison King barely escapes her brother’s wedding reception alive. She and her siblings flee, but their parents are killed by firing squad. 

Now Ali’s on the run and terrified. While searching for other survivors, she is captured by the General who leads the invasion. He’s smitten by Ali, and when she refuses to submit to his whims, he brands her for death. In a wild act of defiance, she snatches the branding rod and sears the mark onto his face. Marking not only him but also sealing her fate. Ali manages to escape and flees into the bush once more where she finds a group in hiding. Even with the scars left by the General, Ali learns to love and falls in love with the young man who found her—Damien Rogers. 

But the General is hunting her. When he discovers their location, and finds her with another man—Damien—his wrath is kindled and his obsession is inflamed. Ali must put herself on the line or the General could kill her family, those who help her, and most significantly, the man she loves.

You can purchase Branded on Amazon, by clicking here. 

Add it to your TBR (To Be Read) Pile on Goodreads by clicking on here.

Author Katie Hamstead's bio:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.

After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.

She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.

Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. 

She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

You can find Katie at...

Blog: http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Hamsteads-Stories/247238178656484

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatieTeller1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585259.Katie_Hamstead

Katie, thank you for coming by and telling us about Branded! It sounds like a fun read. Best wishes to you. :-)

**PLEASE NOTE:

All comments go through me before being posted. In the past commenters have had problems posting comments on my blog. This has helped that problem and eliminated SPAM posts. If you don't see your comment to this post up on here by the end of the week, contact me via email. Thank you for your patience and understanding. **

Hope Everyone Has A Tremendously Terrific Tuesday!

Blog Swap With Author Larynn Ford...

Happy Monday All,

How was everyone's 4th of July? Mine was interesting. It rained here, but it let up enough that there were fireworks around. I turned on PBS and watched a little of the Capitol Hill celebration.

Today it's my pleasure to introduce to you all fellow Soul Mate Publishing author, Larynn Ford.

Larynn was kind enough to agree to a "blog swap" with me. Over the weekend she featured me on her blog and I agreed to do the same for her (I just try not to post on the weekends--especially since I was trying to get some writing in. I did get some in--not as much as I wanted, but I got some).

 Larynn Ford began reading romance in her early teens and became interested in writing in high school. She’s a daydreamer and a romantic who is intrigued by the paranormal and loves to let her mind wander, always searching for a happily ever after ending to her dreams.

She began reading with a renewed passion in 2006, fell in love with romance all over again, and began thinking how much fun it would be to create a fantasy world all her own.

In 2009, she began writing down some ideas that actually blossomed to book length and in 2010 joined Romance Writers of America. She is a member of Southern Magic Chapter in Birmingham, Alabama.

To her delight and constant amazement, her first book, IN MY WILDEST DREAMS was released April 16, 2013. Her desire for more grows constantly. She's going to continue writing, dreaming, and searching for those happy endings.

Larynn has a new novel coming out, that's due to release on July 16th of this year. She's graciously agreed to share the blurb and a teaser quote from her upcoming release, Rescued as well as her intriguing cover:

Fiercely independent and determined to be taken seriously in a man's world, PI Rose Baxter will do whatever it takes to find the

kids that are disappearing from the streets and home safe, even teaming up with PI Marty Brown, a man hot enough to burn whatever part of her gets too close -- her fingers, her sheets, her life, and her other nature's whiskers.

But her other nature knows whiskers grow back and will accept nothing less than this man as her mate for life, a plan Marty's all in on. Sparks fly when she refuses to be the little woman. Besides those kids need her, and their time's running out. But, thrown together 24/7 can she fight it?

And here's a little taste for all of you to enjoy:

Without flinching, she purred, “I’m not little, I’m nobody’s lady, and I don’t need your help.” She slammed the butt end of the cue stick into his ribs, and with the same smooth motion came back to make a perfect shot and win her third game of the night. She straightened from the table with a satisfied grin.

You can find Larynn Ford on her website (click here), on Facebook

(click here), Twitter (click here) on Amazon (click here) on the Soul Mate Publishing website (click here)

I think it sounds like Larynn has an interesting take on the shape-shifting Paranormal genre. Mark your calendars for July 16th for when Rescued is released!

Have A Magnificently Merry Monday!

**PLEASE NOTE:  Remember, all comments come to me to be posted before they show up on this blog. This was because of some problems people had in the past with commenting. If you don't see your comment by the end of the week, send me an email to let me know. Thank you for your understanding and patience.**

Updates, IMMORTAL DREAMS Trilogy, & More...

Happy Wednesday All,

Whew! Life has been busy. First, those 2 weeks where we were dealing with illness in the family (thank you, God, that we're well, now!) then came Immortal Dreams Book One: Divine Love's release. After that, my husband took a weekend trip up to Arkansas to visit some family and see his mother's grave (she died last year), and while he was out-of-town, the offspring and I stayed at my parents' house. And part of this week, husband has off. So my real life has been one thing after another.


Thank you to everybody who has already purchased Divine Love. I truly appreciate your support. Please, if you can, leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Also, if you enjoy it, feel free to drop me a line at this email address. I'm always glad to hear from my readers. Y'all rock!

Some big things are in the works:

I'm planning a couple of giveaways with author Patti Korbet. We're working on setting up one giveaway with other authors, which would include a Kindle copy of All's Fair In Love & Lion. Then, my hope is to do a smaller giveaway where Divine Love is the prize. I'll let you know if and when we set those up. :-)

I've got some other ideas coming up and we'll see where it all leads.

What else is going on? It's July, which means summer, but it also means that part of the Summer is already over (yeah, I know, all of you on Summer vacation do NOT want to hear that, but as a writer, I'm always having to look at what comes next) and next on the agenda is Book Two in the Trilogy, Astral Love.

Astral Love will continue the story begun in Divine Love, but it also has a closer look at Jason Magnus's past. How does he feel about what the Fates have in store for him? All that and more will be explored in Astral Love.

I'm also working on finishing Book Three, Immortal Love, which will wrap up the Trilogy, and give the deciding factor on the fate of the two worlds. New creatures will be introduced, new dangers, and more...

But if you don't read Divine Love and Astral Love, you'll be lost when Book Three comes out because each story in the Trilogy continues the tale.

The other thing I'm doing is working on figuring out when to schedule a cover reveal for Astral Love. Oh, darling readers, I love it! Okay, I love all my covers, this is true. Each one is unique and makes me happy for different reasons. What makes me smile about the cover of Astral Love? Well, I can't tell you that right now!

Meanwhile, I hope you'll hang around for the rest of the ride. I have

some things in the works and some other stuff percolating! Hang on and fasten your seat belts...this ride is far from over. :-)

Have A Wonderfully Winsome Wednesday!

Celebrating New Release: IMMORTAL DREAMS BOOK ONE: DIVINE LOVE!

Happy Thursday Everybody,

Wow! It feels like ages since I updated my blog. I have been swamped, darling readers! For 2 weeks I was dealing with health issues--mine and family's, and edits, and real life. But me and the family are now well, and the edits got in, and while real life is still busy, I have some space to finally post a new blog post...and what a perfect reason!

Today I am overjoyed to announce my New Adult (NA) Paranormal Romance (first in a trilogy),  Immortal Dreams Book One: Divine Love is now available for your reading pleasure on Amazon Kindle!!

To say I'm happy is an understatement. *Insert huge smile and giddy feelings here*

Below you can read the blurb:

Laney Alberts should be enjoying her senior year of high school. Instead, she’s mourning the death of her beloved father—her hero. Even after a year without him, she still feels directionless. 

Things take a complete one-eighty when she literally walks into Jason Magnus, the hot, new guy at school. He’s different from anyone she has ever met, and intrigues her in ways she never guessed possible. 

But, there’s more to Jason than Laney realizes. Before she knows what’s happening, she’s thrown into the world of Immortals. To prevent a goddess bent on world domination from destroying both the human and Immortal worlds, Laney and Jason must embrace the Fates’ destiny for them. 

Human and Immortal collide in this, the first of the Immortal Dreams Trilogy. 

I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Click here to find it on Amazon Kindle.  To add it to your To Be Read pile on Goodreads click here.

Hope everyone has a Thrillingly Terrific Thursday!

Upcoming Event, News, & More...

Happy Monday All,

Mark your calendars those of you who will be in Houston on Saturday June 21, 2014, because I will be joining fellow author, Dana Wright, and some others for an event at a Barnes & Noble. You can read about the details here. I plan to bring All's Fair In Love & Lion bookmarks, so if you want a signed bookmark, and to meet me and some other authors--ask questions and such, come on out. (I don't know about Immortal Dreams Trilogy bookmarks, that's something I'm working on some details, so I can't be sure if I will or not).

Saturday I went to my chapter's monthly meeting. Author Will

Graham talked about Jack the Ripper. He really did a great job. For anyone who doesn't know, Will is a very talented author, and I've been lucky enough to be able to chat with him about writing, publishing, and different things like that. He's been supportive of my career over the years. I'm very grateful for it.

My critique partner, Tess St. John has been busily working on another novel. I don't know exactly when it'll be released, but I know she's been hard at work. Stay tuned to her website and blog for further information (I don't think any is posted just yet, but I imagine it will be once the new novel is released or closer to the release date).

Author Marie Hall is offering volume 1 of her Kingdom Chronicles (books 1-3) for free on Nook, Smashwords, and  Kobo. I know she plans to have it available for free on Amazon Kindle. I've mentioned how much I love her work, and here's a chance for you to get three novels for free. That's Her Mad Hatter, Gerard's Beauty, and Red And Her Wolf all for free.

I hope all of you had a great weekend! I enjoyed mine.

Have A Merrily Magical Monday!