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24 June 2015

Blog Tour: Dream of You by Jennifer L. Armentrout


Today I'm talking about Jennifer Armentrout's Dream of You, a Wait for You novella set between Roxy and Reece's Fall With Me and Nick and Stephanie's upcoming Forever With You. Dream of You is a story that I didn't expect to move me so deeply, but it did, and I love it so hard. Keep reading for my tear-stained review and an excerpt from the book!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23795188-dream-of-youRating: 5 stars
Pub Date: June 23, 2015
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts
Genre: adult contemporary romance*
*Even though all the other books in the series are more new adult, Dream of You really does have two fully adult protagonists who are far removed from new adulthood
Format/Souce: DRC, from the publisher
Status: Book 4.5 of the Wait For You companion series
Lins: check out my reviews of Wait for You, Be With Me, Stay With Me, and Fall With Me!


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455585-white-hot-kiss

Summary:
Abby Erickson isn't looking for a one-night stand, a relationship, or anything that involves any one-on-one time, but when she witnesses a shocking crime, she's thrust into the hands of the sexiest man she's ever seen - Colton Anders. His job is to protect her, but with every look, every touch, and every simmering kiss, she's in danger of not only losing her life but her heart also.

17 June 2015

Mary's Minute: Event Advice, Part 2

Okay. Hopefully you've read Part 1 of my event advice, which covered the question "How do I get [x author] to come to my city?" Welcome to Part 2, which is actually made up of two parts.

Part 2.1: How do I find out about events?

 The absolute WORST feeling in the world is when you find out you barely missed an author event like I did when I moved to Dallas and I found out that Michelle Hodkin was here, but I didn't know it, but discovering author events is fairly easy if you put in a little bit of effort on a regular basis.

Every few weeks I check the schedules of the bookstores and libraries whose events I've attended before. For me, being a Texan, I look at three separate Barnes & Nobles, the flagship Half Price Books store, and the Irving Public Library, all of which are located somewhere around DFW; Blue Willow Bookshop, Murder by the Books, and one Barnes & Noble in Houston; and Book People, the Book Spot, and one Barnes & Noble in Austin. I also check the websites of a couple bloggers who keep up-to-date lists of events around Texas. Also, I generally know when the big festivals and conferences like YAK Fest, TLA, NTTBF, Texas Teen, Texas Book Festival, etc. are scheduled.

I have previously looked at author's websites directly to see if/when they were coming to visit. This method helped me discover events near me with Cassandra Clare, Elizabeth Eulberg, Meg Cabot, Richelle Mead, Emily Giffin, and others. This method isn't always foolproof, though, because sometimes authors' event lists don't get updated a whole lot, but it's a good alternate.

Keeping up with social media can also be a help. Fierce Reads keeps up with their blog and has a specific website for the Fierce Reads tours. Epic Reads now keeps a list of all upcoming events for Harper authors. Bloomsbury created tumblrs for this year's Boldly Bookish tour and last year's First Loves tour. Plus, all these publishers and authors regularly post their upcoming events on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. You can also follow accounts for bookstores and libraries near you that host events.

Part 2.2: The event is scheduled, and I want to go. 
Now what?
Answer: find out as much information as possible

The first thing you NEED to do is check the event website. This is where you are going to find 90% of your information. I don't care if you're going to a one-author signing at a store or library or if you're attending ALA, BEA, RT, TLA, YALL fest, LA Book Festival, NTTBF, Texas Teen, etc: check. the damn. website.

If for some crazy reason you can't find what you need on the website, I'm gonna be brutally honest here: you are probably doing it wrong, whether you are not navigating the website correctly or (sorry) you might just be too lazy to check thoroughly. Store and library websites will give you as much info as they have. Festival and conference websites will give you everything in waves as they confirm more details, but they almost always have FAQ sections you can check. The info IS there. These places and organizations WANT you to attend their events; there is no benefit to them to hide event information.

If you're still having trouble, don't ask a friend. Either pick up the phone and CALL the store/library or EMAIL or TWEET the event organizers. Phone numbers, social media accounts, and other contact info WILL be listed on the website.


Talking to your friends, even if they are event pros, is only going to get you so far. Talk to the STAFF, and they'll be able to give you the right information for that event. It's literally their job to help you, PLUS if you are extra nice, they also might share some insider info!

Remember I mentioned the CRMs at Barnes & Noble? Great person to talk to because they're the one's who arrange author events at the store. Any manager is going to be a good choice. If it's a library event, the whole staff will know what's going on, but if you need the organizers, ask for the teen services team (for a ya event, that is). I can't tell you how many questions I've had answered just because I called a store (especially if it's an event I know will be super popular or in a city I'm unfamiliar with) or tweeted to the event, and a few weeks ago, author Kristin Rae called my library asking for info about Jenny Martin's Tracked launch!

If you're not a talk-on-the-phone person, again, feel free to utilize social media to interact with the store/festival/library/conference. Below are some examples of questions I had for this year's TLA conference. Even though this was my third year, I still had questions about the specific organization and I wanted to make sure my information wasn't outdated.



Please note, I always always always always always say thank you! Politeness will get you everywhere!

What kind of information do you need? 
Aside from the who, what, where, and when, the kinds of questions you need to be asking are:

1. Is this a registered event?
→If no, is there a ticket required to join the signing line? See question 2.
→If yes, does registration cost anything? If yes, are there any applicable discounts? Are there any "extra" events not included in registration that require additional purchases (ie the Texas Tea at TLA)?

2. How do I obtain a ticket/wristband/number for the signing line? When will tickets be available?
→sub-question: If I am unable to pick up my ticket in advance, can I preorder one to pick up at the event?
(^this is particularly helpful for events that are out of town!)
OR
Can I send someone to pick up my ticket for me?

3. Do I need to purchase a book to attend? I'm gonna go ahead an answer this with another pro tip.
Pro tip: You may not need to purchase a book to attend the event (meaning the panel/q&a/reading part), but the purchase of at least one book may be required for the signing line. Also, it's a courtesy to the author for visiting AND the venue for hosting to at least purchase the front list title (aka the book being promoted). Event book attendance and sales are one of those ways publishers figure interest in an author. More attendees + more book sales = better chance [x author] will return to that store/library/city/state/region!

4. Is there a book limit? Is that limit per person (ie 3 books per person, period) or per book purchased (ie 2 books from home for every book purchased at the event)? Is there a limit to the number of books I can get personalized?
*I'm going to talk about this question in more detail in part three.

5. Are pictures allowed? Will they be posed (meaning attendees can go behind the signing table) or "on the fly"?

6. Where will I be able to park?

7. Do you anticipate a big crowd?
This is helpful if the venue holds many events, and the staff is experienced. They may be able to give you advice about how early you should arrive to get a seat or a ticket if they pass those out at the event itself.

TL/DR: Find out as much info as possible, and find it using PROFESSIONAL sources!

Stay tuned for Part 3! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know!

16 June 2015

Scorched Release Day Blitz


Today I'm helping Ink Slinger PR launch Jennifer L. Armentrout's newest novel Scorched, the companion to 2013's Frigid! Frigid was the first of Jen's novels that I ever read, and I have been waiting impatiently for Scorched ever since! Keep reading to learn more about Andrea and Tanner's (in my head I totally call them Tandrea :P) story and enter a giveaway from Jen, Ink Slinger, and Spencer Hill!

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pub Date: June 16, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill
Genre: new adult contemporary romance, realistic fiction
Status: book 2 of the Frigid companion duology
Summary: Sometimes life leaves a mark…

Most days, Andrea doesn’t know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he’s a major player, and they can’t get along for more than a handful of minutes. Until now.

Tanner knows he and Andrea have had an epic love/hate relationship for as long as he can remember, but he wants more love than hate from her. He wants her. Now. Tomorrow. But the more he gets to know her, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She’s teetering on the edge and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers.

Andrea’s life is spiraling out of control, and it doesn’t matter that Tanner wants to save her, because when everything falls apart and she’s speeding toward rock bottom, only she can save herself.

Sometimes life makes you work for that happily ever after…


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17455585-white-hot-kiss




Purchase Links:
 photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg  photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg  photo B1426D4C-9EEC-4C0B-A1FB-90524B03C0CA-1855-000001A1E82B3B3E_zps17d98f4d.jpg

Excerpt:
 Tanner
Aw, shit.

I watched Andrea walk into the living room, the normal twitch of her hips absent. No one swayed ass like Andrea, and seeing it gone from her step was answer enough. Our normal whatever-the-fuck-it-was between us had gone further than I intended. No doubt what I’d said had cut her, but shit, it was no different than any other day.

My hand tightened on the neck of the bottle. For the life of me, I had no idea what the hell Andrea Walters’s problem was. Honestly. No fucking clue. One minute, sweet and sugary words parted those pouty pink lips of hers. Next second, she was a fire-breathing dragon from hell—a hot, fire-breathing dragon, but still. Her moods flipped more quickly than cups did during a game of flip cup.

Maybe it was because she was a redhead?

I smirked.

She’d always been this way with me, and the most fucked-up think about it, there was a part of me that actually looked forward to whatever was going to come out of her mouth. Twisted as fuck. It was like a game between us, to see who could hit the hardest without lifting a finger. If nothing else, it was damn entertaining—or at least, it had been until now. Now, I wasn’t too sure about it.

Those pretty doe eyes of hers had looked suspiciously damp right before she’d looked away, and yeah…that didn’t sit right with me.

Kyler shot me a look as he walked past me and grabbed a beer out of the fridge, but I watched Andrea sit on the edge of the couch, her posture unnaturally rigid.

Sydney leaned against the arm. “We’re thinking about leaving early in the morning, around six.”

My gaze flicked to Andrea, expecting her to make some kind of crack about not getting up that early, but she was abnormally quiet. My spine stiffened.

“That should put us at the cabin between nine and ten in the morning, depending on traffic.” Kyler stood beside me as he screwed off the cap. “Then we’ll be heading back the following Monday.”

“Sounds good to me.” I didn’t take my eyes off Andrea as she fiddled with a strap on her sandals, slipping them onto her feet.

Sydney glanced at me, smiling softly. “You’re definitely off from the fire department?”

I nodded. Kyler had mentioned weeks ago about wanting to hit up the cabin before everyone headed back to class, and I’d requested the time off then. Which had meant I’d pulled a lot of doubles, but I hadn’t minded it. Wasn’t too different from the twelve-hour shifts we worked in the first place, and I’d only be there until February of next year, and then I was off to the academy. Not that I was in any hurry to leave the fire department, but being a cop was in my blood. Except I wanted to be a good cop. I’d probably still volunteer at the fire hall once I knew what kind of schedule I was looking at on the force.

“It makes sense if we drive up together.” Sydney toyed with a strand of her hair. “Kyler and I can pick you two up.”

Andrea had twisted toward Sydney and started to protest the whole idea of taking one car. I zoned out, staring at her as the bottle of beer dangled from the tips of my fingers.

Damn…she was a cute girl. Nah, she was more than cute, and it wasn’t like this was the first time I’d noticed that. From the first time I’d seen her at the bar with Sydney, she’d done more than just poke my interest. Hell, anyone with eyes knew she was a very pretty girl. Lush lips. Freckled cheeks and thick, dark eyelashes. Come to think of it, she reminded me of a girl I’d had a crush on in middle school. Hell, couldn’t remember that chick’s name, but she’d had freckles and red hair. I think I used to pull on her braids or some annoying shit like that. My lips tipped up in a small grin as I lifted the bottle to my mouth. Andrea was a motherfucking firecracker, though, not the kind of girl who was easily tamed.

Hell, not the kind of girl you even wanted to tame.



Check out Sydney & Kyler's story in Frigid!
Pub Date: July 15, 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill
Genre: new adult contemporary romance & thriller
Summary: For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.


Available from:
   



About the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Author Links:
  


Giveaway:
$50 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble
3 winners
US/Canada only

a Rafflecopter giveaway



http://www.inkslingerpr.com/

10 June 2015

Cover Reveal: The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Today I have a new pretty to share with you: the cover of Jennifer Armentrout's The Power, the second book in her Titan series*. And when I say pretty, I mean PRETTY. Seriously, just check out those eyes! I did some serious swooning when this baby popped up in my inbox! Keep reading to learn more about the series AND find out how you have an opportunity to meet the man behind the cover and the woman behind the book!

*Titan is a new adult paranormal series. It is a spinoff of Jen's Covenant series, which is a young adult series if that is more your style.



The Power
Titan #2
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
February 23, 2016
Spencer Hill Press

 

"You don't know what I'm capable of."

Official description coming soon!


Check out The Return, the first book in the Titan series!
Pub Date: February 16, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Genre: new adult paranormal
Summary: The Fates are cackling their bony asses off…

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody–which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Book 1 in the new adult paranormal
Titan series, spin-off to the best selling Covenant series.


Available from:
 photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg  photo 111AD205-AA04-4F9E-A0F4-C1264C4E9F30-1855-000001A1E8CEB6D7_zps9b730b94.jpg  photo B1426D4C-9EEC-4C0B-A1FB-90524B03C0CA-1855-000001A1E82B3B3E_zps17d98f4d.jpg

News Alert:
If you love Jen's books and you especially love the covers of The Power and The Return, then I have some good news for you! Jen is one of the organizers for the annual Apollycon signing event at which several authors get together to do a special signing for their fans. Apollycon 2016 is being held in Savannah, GA, on February 27, 2016, and The Return/The Power cover model Drew Leighty aka Seth will be attending as a special guest! Click here for more details!

About the Author
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Author Links:
  


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