Time Travel – If you could travel back in time… what era would you like to visit?
Since A Shadow in the Past is a time travel novel, it’s only fitting that the theme for my e-book launch splash on August 4th is what era would you most like to visit if you could travel back through time.
A Shadow in the Past is on these lists at Goodreads:
Stop by and cast your vote in one or all of the lists mentioned above and launch A Shadow in the Past to the #1 slot – create even more buzz for e-launch day.
So put your thinking caps on and be ready to reveal your answers in the comments here on launch day. You could win book swag:
“Keyes very cleverly ensures the book is unputdownable by reeling in the reader within the first few opening pages.”- BestChickLit.com
“This was a wonderfully written Young Adult Paranormal Romance. The world and characters are phenomenally crafted.” The BookMaven
“Stephanie Keyes is a wonderful voice for a new generation of YA readers. She has skilfully blended mythology and faerie-tale into an original and enthralling story. Pure magick! I’m looking forward to more. – Helen Hart, author, The Black Banner
Now, this tour of mine is called the “Blowing my own Trombone Book Launch Blog Tour”. We have had The Muppets and Cabaret and today – it’s Edelweiss from The Sound of Music – I’ll leave you to be the judges of that…
The ‘Love in a Hopeless Place Collection‘ is a set of five of my stand-alone titles amalgamated into one. A bargain way for you to get your hands on my gritty tales-with-a-twist. Initially available for e-books (Kindle, iPad, Android, iPhone, Mac, PC etc on Amazon), the paperback will follow and an audiobook is in production. The titles in the collection are all novelettes or short stories. They stand alone in their own right but are linked by a common theme: the universal quest for survival, love, passion and respect against the gritty backdrop of working class life.
The title of one of the books and also the complete collection, “Love in a Hopeless Place”, comes from the song by Rihanna “We Found Love (in a Hopeless Place)”, which played on the radio at a pivotal point in this individual tale, but also really expresses the flavour of the collection as a whole.
Here is a small excerpt:
‘To want is easy. To be wanted is a delicious warm bath but with someone else’s hand on the hot tap. Once you’ve jumped the fall takes no courage or talent. I did a parachute jump once for a hospice charity. If you look up where you’ve come from it’s speeding away from you and you can never go back. It’s better to look at the ground because that’s where you’re headed and it’s an obtainable certainty. I knew by inviting her I’d crossed a frontier and as yet the guards hadn’t opened fire.’
I am pleased to be able to tell you that during July and August ‘ANGELA‘ the short story from the collection is FREE – so you can even try one before you buy the set!
I would like to thank Melanie for having me on her blog as part of my ‘Blowing My Own Trombone Book Launch Blog Tour’. If you want to read more excerpts from all the other titles in the collection – or would just like to hear me blow another tune, come along to the other blogs on my tour over the next 10 days:
Emma Calin was born in London in 1962. She currently lives part of the year in the UK and spends the rest in France. She has been writing since childhood and has won numerous local, national and international prizes for poetry and short stories.
Emma enjoys writing love stories firmly rooted in social realism. She blogs about the contrasts in life on both sides of the English Channel, which she likes to explore on her tandem whenever weather and fitness coincide. She is a Lifestyle Contributor on Loveahappyending Lifestyle.
She defines herself as woman eternally pedaling between Peckham and Pigalle, in search of passion and enduring romance.
London-based independent publisher Safkhet Publishing and romance author Sheryl Browne of Droitwich, Worcestershire, England, announce the publication of the poignant romance thriller, Learning to Love, a look at love, life and relationships, on 22 July 2013.
Learning to Love—“chosen for publication in the Birmingham City University School of English Anthology”
Synopsis:
Widower, Dr David Adams, has recently moved to the village—where no one knows him, ergo there’s no fuel for neighborhood gossip—to start afresh with his ten year old son, if only he can get to a place where his son wants to speak to him. Angry and withdrawn, Jake blames his dad for the death of his mother, and David doesn’t know how to reach him.
Andrea Kelly has too many balls in the air. With three children and a “nuts” mother to care for, her fiancé can’t fathom why she wants to throw something else into the mix and change her career. Surely she already has too much on her plate? Because her plates are skew-whiff and her balls are dropping off all over the place, Andrea points out. She needs to make changes. Still her fiancé, who has a hidden agenda, is dead-set against it.
When Andrea’s house burns mysteriously to the ground and Andrea and her entourage are forced to move in with the enigmatic Dr Adams, however, the village drums soon start beating, fuel aplenty when it turns out someone does know him—the woman carrying his baby.
About the Author:
Sheryl Browne grew up in Birmingham, UK, where she studied Art & Design. She wears many hats: a partner in her own business, a mother, and a foster parent to disabled dogs. Creative in spirit, Sheryl has always had a passion for writing. She has previously been published in the US and writes Rom Com because, as she puts it, “life is just too short to be miserable.” Sheryl is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. For more information, connect with Sheryl Browne on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SherylBrowne.Author) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/SherylBrowne) or visit her blog page at http://www.sherylbrowne.com/.
Learning to Love (ISBN: 9781908208835) will be available for purchase as an eBook worldwide on Amazon, Kobo, the Apple iStore and all other major retailers. For more information, please visit http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/
Visit the other blogs taking part in the Learning to Love promo blitz:
COVER REVEAL FOR SOPHIE’S ENCORE PLUS EXCERPT AND GIVEAWAY!!!
Hooray! Nicky Wells is here today to celebrate the cover reveal for her third book, Sophie’s Encore. Read on for:
The BLURB
The COVER
The EXCERPT
The GIVEAWAY
Here’s your chance to win an advance review copy of Sophie’s Encore or Rock Star Romance SWAG!
*****
Sophie’s Encore
Her rock star is waiting in the wings, but will he get a second chance?
It’s all change for Sophie Jones—only this time, there is more at stake than just her happiness.
Rock star extraordinaire, Dan Hunter, has been her patient and caring friend through the highs and lows since her wedding day, but now he figures it is time for her to start over. By stealth, the rock singer draws Sophie into the behind-the-scenes work for his band’s latest album. Through the days and weeks spent together at the mixing desk, Sophie discovers whole new horizons for her life, yet before she can even begin to explore them, she faces the very real threat of losing her rock star for good.
Join Sophie and Dan in Sophie’s Encore to find out how their journey will end…
Whoa! What do you make of this? And to intrigue you further, Nicky has shared this excerpt of Sophie’s Encore:
Sophie’s Encore: Excerpt
My bedroom door opened slowly and Dan crept in. All thought of sleep forgotten, I flicked the light back on and was met by an astonishing sight. There was Dan, the rock star, legend for his antics on and off stage, clad in a demure pair of checked pajamas with a button-up top and a mismatched, stripy dressing gown. His feet were stuffed into fluffy slippers, and he clutched a bottle and two glasses in his hands.
“Come on,” he whispered. “Dinner is served.”
I giggled and left my bed, grabbing my own stripy dressing gown and a pair of thick socks.
“What are you doing?” I breathed into his ear, but he simply took my hand and pulled me down the dark corridor toward the open-plan lounge.
“Have a seat,” he invited me and gestured at the dining table, which was once again laid, although only for two, complete with candles and napkins.
He set down the bottle and glasses and scurried off to shut the lounge door. While he busied himself in the kitchen, I basked in the heat from the fire which Dan had re-stoked, and observed my rock star with some degree of amusement.
Within a few minutes, he brought a dish of smoked salmon bites to the table, followed by olive bread, a cheese board, various cold meats, olives, pickled anchovies, and prawns with some sort of aioli dip. He popped the cork on the bottle of champagne, poured two glasses, and sat down, satisfied at last.
“Now we can eat,” he announced. “Tapas. What do you think?”
I raised my glass. “Cheers,” I giggled. “So that’s what you meant earlier. I think it’s amazing. It’s like a midnight feast. I’m just waiting for matron to discover us and give us detention. Why all the secrecy?”
Dan speared a prawn and pointed it at me. “Well, for one, as you say, matron will certainly come and give us detention. Peter is very strict on my sleep regimen, you see.” He dipped the prawn into the aioli before popping it into his mouth. The beatific look on his face and his scrunched up eyes suggested he was enjoying this humble treat far more than was warranted.
He swallowed and cleared his throat. “And for another, I’m on a strict diet. Every last bit of cheese gets weighed, the carbohydrates counted, the sugar added up. It’s really tedious.” He grimaced.
I helped myself to some bread and salmon. “Tedious indeed, I can see that. But why? I thought you were supposed to eat lots and get better.” I chewed greedily, my tummy having given an impressive rumble.
Dan speared another prawn and added a mountain of cheese and bread to his place. “Bliss,” he murmured before explaining further. “I’m supposed to eat healthy, not lots. So Peter has taken it upon himself to reform the bad eating habits of a lifetime. Bless him, it’s what he’s paid to do. I’ve been going along with it, and I have to admit, I’m feeling pretty good. But…”
He grinned his school-boy grin, took a big mouthful of food, washed it down with a large gulp of champagne, and finished his thought. “Well, it gets boring. And I wanted to do something special with you. On my own.”
I burst out laughing, but quieted down when I saw the alarm on Dan’s face.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“Peter’s bedroom is right next door there,” Dan whispered back. “And he’s a light sleeper.” He pointed his finger, and we sat in silence for a minute, straining to hear.
“I think we’re okay,” Dan finally concluded and resumed eating.
I giggled softly. “Naughty, naughty, us.”
“Ha, we’re not naughty yet,” Dan shot back, speaking softly as well. “I was working up to that part.”
He winked, and my heart skipped and jumped. He didn’t mean—he couldn’t mean what I thought he meant?
“What do you mean?” I bumbled, hoping for clarification, but Dan was enjoying himself.
“All in good time,” he teased. “Let’s finish our meal first.”
The Giveaway
Nicky wants to share her excitement about this cover reveal and upcoming release with you! She’s offering a giveaway — Enter for your chance to win:
One of TWO Sophie’s ENCORE Advance Review e-Copies
or
One Sophie’s RUN Mug
or
One Rock Star Romance Trilogy SWAG Pack featuring postcards and bookmarks
The small print! Entrants must be aged 18 or over. Giveaway is open internationally. Winners will be drawn via Rafflecopter.
GOOD LUCK!
****STOP PRESS: Nicky’s just told me that her first two books, Sophie’s Turn and Sophie’s Run, are now available for only $0.99 (or equivalent) each to celebrate the cover reveal! Hurry ~ limited time only!! Book details below!!!*****
SOPHIE’S ENCORE: coming your way in e-book and paperback editions on 5 SEPTEMBER 2013!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About Nicky Wells
Nicky Wells is your ultimate rock chick author. Signed to US Publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, Nicky writes Romance That Rocks Your World, featuring the rock star and the girl next door. Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous contemporary romance with a rock theme ~ imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill!
Like Sophie, her leading lady, Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor to The Midweek Drive show on Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!
I loved this book! But before I give you my full book review, I’ll share some ‘party’ background first.
“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 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 regularbloggerand 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.
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.
Never heard of it before? Well, believe it or not, there is a quirky holiday for every day of the year. Hallmark had an ultimate holiday site which has now closed but they’ve kindly listed some other links where you can discover what the holiday of the day is.
To celebrate Tell A Story Day, I’ll be a guest at fellow loveahappyending lifestyle contributor and author, Anneli Purchase at her blog Anneli’s Place.
Okay, so here’s my story… in keeping with the day.
Blurb:
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.
Now isn’t that a great story? I think so, but then I’m biased.
or a 2014 A Shadow in the Past wall calendar:
Good luck to everyone who enters!
“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.
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 