Category Archives: LAHE Lifestyle

Countdown to e-launch of A Shadow in the Past is on!

Countdown to E-launch day for A SHADOW IN THE PAST


The party takes place on August 4th!

You’re probably tired of my wittering on about A Shadow in the Past being available as an e-book now and I apologize for that, but… a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to get the name out there.

ebook cover on readerIsn’t that a beautiful cover gracing this e-reader?

Blurb:

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages; powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

I know you’re all just dying to download your very own copy of A Shadow in the Past, but I would really appreciate it if you waited until the launch party on August 4th. There is a method to my madness. I haven’t gone completely off my nut (although there are probably some who would disagree). The idea behind my asking you to wait is this… If everyone buys on the same day, A Shadow in the Past will skyrocket up the charts and will get better rankings from amazon, Barnes and Noble, kobobooks, etc.

I’ve got a fun-filled party planned for August 4th so I hope you’ll drop by for some virtual food and drink and listen to some Scottish music.

Where to buy links:


amazon.com logo
amazon.co.uk logo


Riddles… the big reveal is today.

Riddles… the big reveal is today

Was this one of those riddles that has driven you mad trying to come up with solution? Or are you a riddles aficionado  and able to figure it out right away?

Are you ready for the solution? I’ll go over the clues one last time.

 Clue #1

James Allan [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The building pictured above is the Rannes Hall in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Clue #2

a shadow in the past cover 500x773of course you recognize my book cover…

and finally…

Clue #3

Aug 2013 calendar page

Take a really close look at the heading on the calendar page… August 2013. It’s in the future. It’s not here yet. Okay, my book is a time-travel but that’s not it.

So without any further ado, may I have a drum roll, please…

drummer

Are you ready for the answer? Should I make you stew any longer? No. I won’t do that. I couldn’t be that mean to my loyal blog followers.

I will be in Scotland in August 2013 and on the 17th, I’ll be hosting a book launch for A Shadow in the Past at the Rannes Hall in Kennethmont!

Isn’t that brilliant? I can hardly wait for my feet to touch good old Scottish terra firma. It’s been way too long since I was last there.

BOOK REVIEW – How To PARTY Online by Janice Horton

How To PARTY Online

I loved this book! But before I give you my full book review, I’ll share some ‘party’ background first.

How to Party Cover Lge“Janice has made it her business to get stuck into the whole self-publishing malarkey. Savvy enough to realise it’s not enough to simply write, she’s studied social media marketing until it could be her specialist subject on Mastermind. She can plan a book launch, maximise publicity, keep the momentum going after the first initial flush, and perhaps most of all, she knows how to make the whole thing fun, which is no mean feat”. DG Life Magazine.

How To PARTY Online:

• Online parties are a fun way to launch your book or introduce your product and engage with your target audience.
• Social media applications are perfect forums for parties – the venue capacity is infinite, the guest list is global, and the fun and games can lead to bestselling success!
• This aim of this book is to show you how you can produce measurable results from your very first online party and while you are still working towards building up your social network.
• The purpose of this book is to walk and talk you through each step of the planning and implementation of four very different online promotional parties.
• Together we will look at how much work and effort is involved in implementing each step and we will experience the party format, explore the outcomes, and quantify all the successes.
• I’ll show you how to make it lots of fun!

Comments about Janice Horton’s online parties from the party peeps themselves:

“I loved the parties because of the amazing fun and laughs we had – even if some of us ended up in twitter jail!”
“I liked the ways in which you involved others during these parties. They were great fun.”
“Absolutely LOVE your blog parties!”
“The idea of having us post photos was brilliant in that it set up a series of interactions between lots of the different people who came – some of whom I’d never ‘met’ before.”
“Love how you come up with such innovative ideas for each one.”
“Great fun!”
“The party was a blast! I loved it.”
“It was great being a part of something that involved so many different blogs. It was very unique and totally engaging!”
“I took part in the online party. What I enjoyed about it was reading all the other blogs that took part – everyone had something different.”
“You have held some really fun and fab parties Janice. All have been great to join in!
“I’ve been to all of them and it would be difficult to pick out a favourite.”
“What I think worked was that they were all different and each had an element of surprise.”
“Asking ‘guests’ to do something specific ensured personal involvement – key to the success of any ‘virtual’ event.”
“I enjoyed all your parties, Janice.”
“The (party) was a lesson in how it should be done.”
“A book of hints and tips is a great idea. Good luck with it!”

My thoughts on HOW TO PARTY ONLINE

This book is a MUST for anyone planning an online launch, especially those who are heading down the online launch trail for the first time. Janice details the lead time required for each type of launch – Facebook, Twitter or blog but keeps everything light so that when the “big” day comes, it’s FUN and hopefully, stress-free.

I’ve attended Janice’s online parties and know the amount of work that went in to each one, but when you arrive at the venue, everything seems seamless and effortless. Trust me, it isn’t.

So my rating? ☆☆☆☆☆

About the Author

Janice Launch Portrait Janice Horton escaped a city-chic lifestyle and a career in corporate brand placement to live in a remote cottage on the side of a hillside in Scotland. Previously traditionally published and now writing as an Indie, Janice writes fiction with humour, heart, and a hint of tartan. When not writing novels, Janice writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national and international magazines. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland’s ‘Write Here Write Now’ incentive. Janice is a regular blogger and you’ll often find her partying on Facebook and Twitter. She is a contributing editor with her Scottish Country Lifestyle feature and the editor of the twice monthly Bookshelf Reviews at Loveahappyending Lifestyle magazine.

You can buy How to PARTY Online at

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Amazon.ca

What do you use Ordnance Survey Maps for?

That was the subject of my first article for Loveahappyending Lifestyle magazine (formerly loveahappyending.com). Without sounding too cliche (well at least I hope I’m not), I think Ordnance Survey Maps are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but it gives you an idea how enthusiastic I am when it comes to using these.

You can read the article at Loveahappyending Lifestyle magazine.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

I’ve received the Sunshine Award!

sunshine-award

This award couldn’t have come at a better time after yesterday. If you read my blog post from then, you’ll see what I mean.

So, I have to answer a few random questions, then nominate twelve blogs that I love to visit. Easy-peasy, right? Well, maybe not quite.

Okay the random questions and answers:

Favorite Color: Blue – light, blue, dark blue, royal blue, navy blue, sky blue…
Favorite Animal: Horse. They are so beautiful but since my dog will likely get his nose out of joint and eat one of my big stuffed animals in revenge, I best nominate him – Jake – aka the Jakemeister.
Favorite Number: I don’t think I have one but since I have to choose I would say 7 since it was on the 7th of June that my hubby and I were married.
Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Coffee.
Facebook or Twitter: I’m not the most creative with 140 characters so I would have to say Facebook, but even that changes everytime someone sneezes it seems.
Your Passion: Scotland and my Scottish heritage. Get me on that subject and you’ll never get me off it.
Giving or getting presents: I like to get but it’s more fun and rewarding to see the look on someone’s face when they open a gift that you’ve carefully chosen for that person.
Favorite Day: Since I work Monday to Friday, my choice would be Saturday. It’s the first morning that the alarm clock doesn’t go off before six o’clock. Mind you, the aforementioned dog usually scratches on the bedroom door about the same time. He doesn’t believe in lie-ins. Drat!
Favorite Flowers: Lilacs. I love the smell and have a number of bushes in my back yard.

And now I nominate 12 author bloggers whom I love to visit:

Suzy Turner http://suzyturner.blogspot.com
Ali Bacon http://alibacon.com/blog
Carol E Wyer http://facing50withhumour.com
Brian Henry (Quick Brown Fox) http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.com
Mandy Baggot http://www.mandybaggot.com/apps/blog
Lou Graham http://lougrahamiiblog.wordpress.com
Jo Lambert http://jolambertwriter.wordpress.com
Susan Livingston http://lotsocats100-fascinatingbooks.blogspot.com
Kathryn Brown http://crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com
Michelle Betham http://michellebethamwriter.blogspot.com
Jontybabe http://jontybabe.blogspot.com
Carol Wright http://dizzycslittlebookblog.blogspot.com

 

SECURITY by LAHE Lifestyle author, Mandy Baggot

Today I’m hosting fellow Loveahappyending Lifestyle author, Mandy Baggot and her new romantic suspense novel, Security, brought to you by Sapphire Star Publishing!

MandyBaggotSecurity_600

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*****
Autumn Raine is a pop vocalist at the very top of her game. She’s a style icon, the paparazzi’s darling and everyone wants to be her friend. But when her safety is threatened, her whole life starts to unravel.

AutumnEnter Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier who is assigned to protect her. He’s a good man doing bad things but what drives him? Passion? Madness? Or grief? Demons from his past are threatening to consume him. Can he win the fight alone or will he have to admit he needs help?

NathanAs the threat deepens, Autumn starts to find out who she really needs in her life. Is there still room for personal assistant Janey or rapper boyfriend Rockweiler? When everyone around her is feeding her lies, how does she work out the truth? Does her record producer know more than he’s letting on? What is her mother, the British Foreign Secretary’s involvement in the situation? And can Autumn put her faith in a forty-something Jamaican woman who handles an automatic weapon as expertly as she cooks?

Eluding kidnap and trying to stay alive, can Autumn find the strength to be the person she longs to be? And can two people, poles apart, forge something strong enough to survive anything?

SECURITY can be purchased from:

Amazon UK Kindle http://www.amazon.co.uk/Security-ebook/dp/B00C5QOWXS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364975367&sr=1-1

Amazon US Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Security-ebook/dp/B00C5QOWXS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364975673&sr=1-1&keywords=Mandy+Baggot+Security

Amazon US paperback http://www.amazon.com/Security-Mandy-Baggot/dp/1938404521/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364975673&sr=1-2&keywords=Mandy+Baggot+Security

You can find out more about Mandy at these links:

http://www.mandybaggot.com/

http://www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/mandybaggot

LAHE LIFESTYLE

Today, Mandy and I are asking, what makes you feel safe/comfortable/secure?

Me, I feel secure when I’m cuddled up next to my husband.

To be in with a chance to win an e-copy of Security, leave a comment and your email address and let me know what makes you feel secure? Could it be knowing you have that secret stash of chocolate hidden away or perhaps you have a favourite piece of music that wraps you up like a blanket! Get commenting to win! Closing date 30 April 2013.

Mandy is also giving away a £25/$40 Amazon Gift Certificate to anyone who posts a review at amazon between now and 31 May 2013. You’ll automatically be entered into a Rafflecopter draw to win.

Rafflecopter

 

 

COVER REVEAL – The Red Effect by Harvey Black

“Today, West German imperialism is United States’ chief ally in Europe in aggravating world tension. West Germany is increasingly becoming the seat of the war danger, where revenge-seeking passions are running high… The policy pursued by the Federal Republic of Germany is being increasingly determined by the same monopolies that brought Hitler to power.
The Rhineland politicians fancy that once they get the atomic bomb, frontier posts will topple and they will be able to achieve their cherished desire of carving up the map of Europe again and taking revenge for defeat in the second world war.
One of the most ominous factors endangering peace is the bilateral military alliance that is taking shape between the ruling circles of the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. This factor remains an objective of unflagging attention.”

Leonid Brezhnev
23rd Party Congress
March 1966

Cover Reveal 079

The Cold War and Nitroglycerin had one thing in common, both were stable when circumstances allowed. But, when something rocks the boat, or events are overtaken by Incidents that get out of control, the status quo is lost. The consequence is an eruption that is both violent and lethal.

Cold War 5 030

The Cold War trilogy will trace the Cold War as it simmers, overheats and eventually turns East against West. The outcome? Start with ‘The Red Effect’ out in April, followed by ‘The Black Effect’ and ‘The Blue Effect’.

RedEffect72dpi

The Red Effect

1983: The Cold War has been in existence since the end of World War Two. Although tensions have always been fraught between the Western nations and the members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, common sense prevailed.

Until, as a consequence of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the shooting down of a Korean passenger aircraft in 1983, and the relentless build up of Soviet military strength, everything is about to change.

In a panoramic novel, readers travel from centres of power to the front lines – a war is brewing and events are happening at every angle. Is the Cold War about to turn hot? Can NATO forces endure a mass strike by thousands of Soviet tanks? Can the West survive?

Cold-War-9-Harvey-Black-039.jpgFollow the series of gripping events that culminated in ‘The Red Effect’, in the first installment of Harvey Black’s Cold War trilogy.

 

 

 

 

4 DAYS, 11 HOURS AND COUNTING…

Until my Goodreads giveaway for 2 signed copies of A Shadow in the Past ends!

a shadow in the past cover 500x773Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages; powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

If you don’t win, you can always purchase a copy from my publisher 4RV Publishing, amazon.com, .ca, and .co.uk, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Coles and some bricks and mortar stores, too.

Good luck to everyone who entered!

It’s Read an E-Book Week!

I have to admit being late to the “party”. I didn’t even know it was Read an E-book week! And to be honest – I didn’t even know such a week existed, but I am glad it does.

Coincidentally (or not) since I’m a book lover, I started reading the ebook Voodoo Wedding by Scottish author (and my friend), Janice Horton.

With the number of devices available, we’re spoiled for choice. Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony, and iPad, e-book retailers, amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, the Sony Store, Diesel, iBooks, and more, not to mention direct from the publishers’ websites in many cases.

But what titles to put on your device? Why not check out the authors over at Loveahappyending Lifestyle, traditionally published, self-published in e-book and print. The group Famous Five Plus are primarily indie authors, although they did invite me to join them. Both of these groups cover a wide range of genres including Young Adult, Chick-lit, Mystery, Romance, Paranormal, Memoirs, Crime.

What are you reading?
What device do you have? If more than one, which one do you prefer?
And finally, print or e-book – what’s your preference?