New & Upcoming Releases For Your Summer Reading Enjoyment...

Happy Thursday Everyone,

Thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts for offspring and I. Offspring is doing better--and I'm working on getting better.

There's been several new releases lately and I've been utterly remiss in posting about them, so here we go:

In no particular order:

Author pal of mine, Wareeze Woodson's debut novel, a Historical Romance, Conduct Unbecoming A Gentleman was recently released. You can find it on Amazon. 

I did announce when C.C. Hunter's YA Paranormal final book in Kylie's Shadow Falls series, Chosen At Nightfall. I did a short review of this one.

Teri Thackston put out a Paranormal Romance, Wait Until Moonrise, available in E-Reader format. 

J.D. Faver has a new Romance, The Reluctant Rancher available through Amazon. 

Contemporary Fantasy Author, Shanna Swendson has her newest Enchanted Inc. book available in print (I don't know if it's available on E-Reader yet. Last I saw it was going to be coming soon). Book 7, Kiss And Spell is now available through Amazon. 

I recently got into Kiera Cass's YA series, which includes a novella called The Prince, but the first full-length novel in that series is called The Selection. The newest release is The Elite. Very fun series. (And yes, I've read all 3 stories--interested to see what comes next!)

Author pal of mine, Will Graham, has another Thriller, One Minute After Midnight is available through Amazon for your E-reading pleasure. 

In no particular order (aside from what month):

Shauna Allen's matchmaking angel will return soon in The Halo Effect. (May 2013) (Paranormal Romance).

Josephine Angelini's YA Paranormal Starcrossed Book 3, Goddess. (May 2013).

Author pal of mine, Jenn Langston will have her debut novel, a Historical Romance, His Perfect Bride, coming out in June 2013. 

Of course, there's my debut Romance (Fantasy & Paranormal elements), All's Fair In Love & Lion coming out on July 10, 2013. But y'all already knew that. :-)

Lesley Livingston has her second book in her Starling series, Descendant, coming out late August 2013. (YA Paranormal).

There's an author pal of mine who I believe has her debut Romance coming out in August 2013. I'll double-check details and have to get back to you all on that. (It's not listed on her site or Facebook page, so I'll have to ask her).

What other novels are coming out in May, June, July, and August that you're looking forward to? Please share that information in the comment section. Thank you!

Side note:  For anyone new to commenting on my blog:  All comments come to me FIRST for review. Once I see them, I publish them, and then they show up in the comment section. I know this seems a little tedious, but after some problems I had in previous years, this seems to work best. It also cuts down on duplicate comments, since I can eliminate any extra same posts when I review them.

Have A Tantalizingly Thrilling Thursday!

Thrills, Chills, & Mermaids

Happy Tuesday All,

I'm re-reading Beth Fantasky's Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side and gearing up to work on Conjure A Man (my WIP--Work In Progress).

The other night I finished reading Tracy Deebs' Tempest Rising. I ended up really liking it. I realize since it was published last year, it's not exactly a new YA novel, but it was new to me because I hadn't known about it or read it. It's chalk full of sea mythical creatures. There's a big battle with a blood-sucking octopus type creature, a power-hungry sea witch, and a mermaid who wants to stick to her human side. I found it a fun read and plan to read the sequel, Tempest Unleashed, which is out.

I'm doing all this while I wait for August 15th to arrive. Why August 15th? Well, aside from some real-life things going on, that's the day Shanna Swendson's Much Ado About Magic will be released. I've been waiting at least 2 years or more for this book! It's book 5 in her Enchanted Inc. series. I can't wait to read it. In fact, the moment I found out book 5 was coming out I was totally thrilled! I just went completely bonkers I was so happy.

Speaking of thrills, a chapter mate of mine, and a talented writer, Will Simon is being interviewed on Kiss And Thrill Blog. It's a cool interview; so even if Thrillers aren't your cup of tea, please go check it out. Also, be sure to read the comment section to see other tidbits Will shares about his writing.

What's up on your end?

Have A Thrilling Tuesday!

Have You Caught The New Releases?

Happy Tuesday Everybody,

Well, I have discovered the importance of coffee in my life--although I knew it already, I was reminded again this morning...especially when I was trying to type in passwords on email and Twitter before I finished my first cup of coffee. Not smart.

Today is a release day! The Humorous Vampire Queen, Kerrelyn Sparks, and the Cool As Can Be, Will Graham, both have new books out today!



Kerrelyn Sparks has her brand new adult Vampire Romance, Love At Stake novel featuring my favorite character, Gregori out. You can find Sexiest Vampire Alive in paperback at Amazon or at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon Kindle, or if you don't have a Kindle on Barnes & Noble Nook.

Will Graham has his new adult Romantic Thriller novel, Spider's Dance is now available through Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. I've heard a lot about this novel and it looks like it'll be quite a ride!

Currently, I'm way behind on my reading because I've been prepping for the NWHRWA Lone Star Conference, but I hope to catch up sometime after the conference.

Are there any releases I've missed? I know I don't always catch them all (and that's not on purpose, either).

Have A Thrilling Tuesday!

SURPRISE!

Happy Wednesday Everybody,

Wow, it's Wednesday already? Time flies when you're having fun.

Or dealing with surprises...

That's me. Dealing with surprises. In writing, that is. Some of my writing (and a current project) has taken me in a direction I didn't see myself going. But there are times writing will do that. And for now, it's helping me create and figure out what I'm doing with this project and the others I have going.

Some authors start out writing one thing and branch out to two or three other areas. Like the Adult-novel writer who ends up writing YA or Mid-Grade...or all 3--adult, YA and Mid-grade.

Or the person who starts out in Romance and finds themselves with a Thriller on their hands.

Perhaps you began your writing with Contemporary and got lost in the fields of Fantasy. Maybe while you were shaking hands with a vampire then a cyborg jumped into your living room.

Writing isn't always predictable, which if it was, would probably bore the authors. At least it would more than likely bore me. I enjoy that spark of inspiration--the feeling of the imagination running wild with ideas--ideas that are new for me. It's even possible you could start off with one idea that is something you don't usually write and it morphs back to something you normally would write--but you had to write it differently for everything to click into place.

The point is, wherever your writing journey takes you, enjoy the ride. Explore, discover, and create. There's so many ways a writer can go--so many options--all  you have to do is figure out which options you're taking.

So what surprises have you encountered in your writing?

Have A Wondrous Wednesday!

What The Genre?

Happy Friday All,

Sorry about not posting on Thursday. I was exhausted Wednesday evening, so I decided to just go to bed--then I was busy today, so I took the day off.

I thought I'd cover age genre types and what they mean. Some people have asked me about genres. One question I got was, "What's YA?"

So, I'll start with the youngest age group and work my way up (as a Romance author I'm going to talk a lot about that when I get to the adult section):

Children's Books:  These are anything from infant to 7 years old. (Some bookstores will have a section that says:  "3-5 Year Olds") Typically you'll find board books and easy-to-reads. There's a lot of Disney books available in this section. Titles like Brown Bear What Do You See? Caps For Sale, Splat The Cat, Berenstin Bears, Thomas The Tank Engine, I've found a lot of Dr. Seuss books in this section as well.

Mid-Grade:  Most of these books are geared toward kids between children and young adult (generally 7-12 year olds). You'll find the Percy Jackson, Heroes Of Olympus, Kane Chronicles (by Rick Riordan) in this section. Several Gail Carson Levine books can be found there, as well (of Ella Enchanted fame).  This is where I found the re-prints of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books as well. Beverly Cleary books (Ramona ). There's several other books, of course those are just a few examples. (I've found Noel Streatfield reprints there, too. She wrote all the "shoe" books:  Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Theater Shoes, Ice Skating Shoes). Also this would be the section you'd find the Maud Hart Lovelace Betsy-Tacy books I've mentioned on here. 

Young Adult (YA):  These are generally geared towards 13 through high schoolers (although I'd say a lot of these books are more high school aged books than younger than that--but that's my personal opinion). This is where you'll find the Twilight books (Stephenie Meyer), Tera Lynn Childs (I did a review of one of her books called Forgive My Fins--look in the right hand margin of this book, arrow down until you get to the part that says "Book Reviews By Bethany"). (Note:  MaryJanice Davidson, who writes several adult novels has a series out with her husband, Anthony Alongi that's a YA series entitled:  Jennifer Scales--there's several out and I think on the bottom of the cover will say:  A Jennifer Scales Novel).

Adult:  Almost all Romance out there is adult (MaryJanice Davidson's Undead, Mermaid, Royal series are all adult Romance....Kerrelyn Sparks, Christie Craig, and a slew of other authors).  There's Thriller/Horror (I think of Stephen King whenever I think of those genres--although someone who's read more of his work will know more which genre it fits in), there's a lot of genres in adult fiction.

When it comes to the Romance genre there's not many authors who write for anyone younger than adults.


There might be some books in the General Fiction sections in bookstores that maybe okay for younger than adults but it's important that readers realize that there are age groups that an author has in mind when they write their novels. Unless it's found in the mid-grade/YA section chances are it's for adults. There are exceptions of course, but this is a general rule of thumb.

In each age group genre type you can also find a variety of genres everything from fantasy, contemparary, there's paranormal (even mid-grade sometimes has some paranormal), thriller, horror, contemporary, women's fiction, literary, westerns, general fiction (I think that's usually where literary is put), historicals, sports, science, art, reference. Some YA has romance, as well, but there is a difference between YA romance and adult romance. (Generally adult romance is more sensual than YA).

When in doubt, you can always ask a bookstore worker. They know quite a bit about what's out and what genre and what age group. They know what's hot and what's available. Use their knowledge. You can even search by age group and genre online.

I'm sure some of my other readers who are in the business of writing and publishing can add their input. If you have any questions you can certainly put them in the comment section.

Have A Fabulous Friday And Happy Reading!

June Doesn't Just Mean Summer...

Happy Friday All,

Well, she's done it again! Melissa Ohnoutka has another story coming out. This is a suspense/thriller (not romance). Shattered Souls Of Innocence is on Kindle and she plans to make it available on Nook soon. This is a short story that's a teaser to link between Faithful Deceptions and the next novel.

What else is out this June? Well, let's take a look:

I found out about Janet Evanovich's Smokin' Seventeen from Write By Bethany Blog follower, Tonette. (Thank you for the heads up, Tonette!)  Smokin' Seventeen will be available on June 21st. I don't know much about her series, so I can't offer many details (but if you click on her name it'll take you to her website).

The rest of these I found on my web travels...

Author Ann Brashares of the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants recently released a brand new book in the series, Sisterhood Everlasting.

James Patterson is putting out a book for kids called Middle School The Worst Years Of My Life and a book for adults, a thriller called Now You See Her. Both coming out June 27th.

Earlier this month an author named Ann Patchett (who has several other titles out) released a book called State Of Wonder.

Also earlier this month, bloggers Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan put out a novel called Spoiled. Because I can't seem to find anywhere on their blog that mentions anything about their novel (maybe I missed it, but I looked), so here's 3 places you can find it:   Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Borders

That's what I know of June releases for now...however, given that I am not perfect at keeping up with who's releasing what, I'd ask that you, my dear readers, please give me a hand. If there's any June releases you want to let me know are out (that I didn't mention here) please feel free to add them to the comment section.

So what releases (whether for this month or later this year) are you looking forward to?

Have A Fantastic Friday!

Blogger, Suspense, And Whoo-Hoo!

Happy Friday All, Correction--I'm so embarrassed, I only realized I had put Thursday instead of Friday at around 9:30 p.m.! This was supposed to have been Thursday's post, but it didn't happen due Blogger being down, as of 11:08 p.m.

For about 2 days blogger was down for maintenance reasons. I was unable to sign in or update. I just now found out it's up and running and so I can finally get back to my Monday through Friday posting.

The other day I got an email in my inbox from a friend of mine saying he had put out on Kindle and Smashwords his new novel, Street Heat.

Will Graham has been a fabulous person to know for the last 2 years. I interviewed him last year (under the name Will Simon) where I talked about some of his other works.

He also was the one waiting not far outside the door after my first in-person pitch with an agent, offerring me encouragement and support. (Everyone I know who knows him thinks he's awesome, so it's not just me).

He gave a very educational talk last year on Hollywood and reality of cop/detective type shows with personality profiles and enough things to keep you up at night (you can see a little description of the talk if you arrow down the margins on the NWHRWA site).

In any case, he's a great writer and wonderful friend, and I hope any of you who like Thriller/Suspense will go check him out. I believe you'll find yourself wrapped up in a story that you'll be glad you read!

So whoo-hoo goes to Will and his new release! I wish him all the best.

Have A Fabulous Friday! <--Correction as per my edits in the beginning of the post as of 11:08 p.m.