COVER REVEAL: My Super Sweet 16th Birthday (by Rachel Harris)

It seems like I've been waiting for this book for SUCH A LONG TIME already! And although I know I still have to wait (until September)...it helps that we now have a COVER!

I love the hollywood historical chic look!

Blurb:

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

My Super Sweet 16th Century, by Rachel Harris is available for pre-order on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Be sure to add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads!  

Be sure to connect with Rachel at:
www.RachelHarrisWrites.com
www.twitter.com/@RachelHarrisYA
www.facebook.com/RachelHarrisYA
www.goodreads.com/RachelHarris
 
Excerpt:  

I hear their muffled whispers and understand every Italian word. Every witty comment made at my expense.

It’s like my brain is automatically translating.

I bunch the soft fabric of the dress in my hand and then reach up to feel the ribbon in my hair. I lightly skim my fingers over my chin and feel my lack of zit. I take in the costumes of the crowd, the stench of the animals, and the Italian I can now speak and understand. And suddenly it hits me.

Reyna must have pulled some kind of gypsy mojo.

Maybe this is one of those nifty “change your life” magic scenarios like in the movies. I mean, mostly I’m still expecting to blink and be right back in the midst of overpriced, gaudy tourism, but for now, the gypsy-time-warp explanation is infinitely better than thinking I’ve lost my mind. As I decide to go with that option, I feel my frantic tension melt away.

The growing crowd seems to notice my change in demeanor and begins shooting one another amused looks, but I don’t care anymore. A smile stretches across my face. Evidently, I was wrong earlier; Reyna is a psychic mind reader, because if this is her special brand of bibbity-bobbity-boo, then she made my exact daydream from earlier in the courtyard come to life.

The long red gown, the braided hair, the Italian merchant’s daughter, the time period. I am in Renaissance Florence.

I stare dumbly at the ground, the words and reality sinking in.

I’m in Renaissance Florence!

Domestic Bliss

My days are pretty boring ("What?" you say?) Well, sorry but when I'm not at the day job I have a 9 year old son, a puppy and a husband...all of whom seem to want things from me. Clean clothes, food on the table...ridiculous stuff like that.

But I get to a point (like right now) when if I have to look at another dirty sock, or hear "MOMMY!" I will absolutely scream.

And I have to go hide. It usually means I take off to Starbucks for a while.

Where do you go to get away?

COVER REVEAL! Pretty Amy (by Lisa Burstein)

Please clap your hands (both real and virtual) for the FANTASTIC cover for Lisa Burstein's PRETTY AMY!

 

Blurb:

 

Amy is fine living in the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer. Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has nothing—like she is nothing.

 

Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

 

PRETTY AMY Links:

 

Goodreads

 

Amazonpre-order 

 

Barnesand Noble pre-order  

 

Excerpt 

I was just about to put out my cigarette and go back inside when I heard a skateboard coming down the street. It sounded like waves, like a conch shell against your ear. That full, empty sound.

Maybe it was Aaron. I conjured up my stupid daydream, the one I used to fill my head when I couldn’t deal with any of the other stuff in there—that he would find me, that he would apologize, that he would tell me that prom night hadn’t been his fault.

The difference this time was that when I looked toward the sound, he really was there.

It was him.

Aaron.

He was skateboarding down the sidewalk like it was made of water, wearing the same loose, worn jeans from his Facebook picture. He carried a backpack, like he might have been coming from the library, but I doubted he ever went to the library.

I lit another cigarette with the end of my last one; any excuse to stay put. Then I remembered I was wearing a suit.

“You got another one of those?” he asked. His eyes were blue. I hadn’t noticed that in his picture.

My hands shook as I gave him a cigarette. He brought a silver-and-black Zippo to his mouth, flipped it open with one hand, lit his cigarette, and slapped it shut. The whole thing took seconds, but it felt like he was doing it in slow motion. “Thanks,” he said.

Maybe he had just stopped to get a cigarette. Maybe it had nothing to do with me.

It probably had nothing to do with me.

“I know you,” he said. “Where do I know you from?”

I couldn’t tell him. Telling him that he’d stood me up for my own prom would have been way too embarrassing. It would tell him that I still cared enough to remember.

“I’m friends with Lila and Cassie,” I said, wishing that my hair wasn’t pulled back in a headband like I was a nun.

“What are you all dressed up for?” he asked.

Of course he didn’t know me. If he had, he would have known that I’d just come from court and that I was trying to do everything I could to forget it.

“I work here,” I said, thinking fast. “I’m supposed to be a librarian.”

“You don’t have to lie,” he said, laughing. “I’m Aaron.”

“Amy,” I said, waving hello with the cigarette in my hand.

He smiled. “Though you do make a cute librarian.”

I tried to keep myself from coughing. “This suit sucks,” I said. It seemed cooler than saying thank you. It seemed cooler than getting all squishy over what he said, even though that was how I felt.

I looked at his skateboard. “You wanna try it out?” he asked.

The deck had a mural of blue sky and white-capped mountains hand-painted on it. The wheels were covered with stop-motion birds, so that when they spun it must have looked like the birds were flying.

There was more to this boy. More that I wanted to know.

“I guess I could,” I said, but then I remembered my mother. She would come looking for me soon.

I shook my head. “I should go.”

          “You got a cell phone?” he asked.

 “Not that I’m allowed to use anymore.”

“Parents,” he said. He pulled a sketchbook from his backpack. Maybe he had painted that beautiful mural. He ripped out a piece of paper, wrote something down, and handed it to me.

It was his phone number.

I tried not to act surprised, tried to act like boys gave me their numbers all the time, especially when I hadn’t asked for them.

“See you around, Amy,” he said. He dropped the skateboard next to him. It landed perfectly on its wheels like a cat would on its legs.

As he skated away, I looked at his number; the paper was as soft as fabric. I folded it smaller and smaller and hid it in my bra. Maybe he hadn’t said what I wanted him to say, but he had found me.

He had found me.

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous.

 

 She was a lot like Amy when she was in high school.

 

 She is still a lot like Amy.

 

Links to Lisa’s pages:

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#%21/LisaBurstein

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaBursteinAuthor

Website: http://www.lisaburstein.com

 

Awake

Did anyone else see the premiere for this show yesterday? I love the premise -- a man lives alternate realities after a car accident. In on, he's lost his son...but in the other, he's lost his wife.

The first show was amazing. I know this is something I'm going to have to keep watching, even though it will no doubt rip my heart out. I can't wait.

LUMINOSITY (Book #1) by Stephanie Thomas (November 13, 2012)

I`m very excited to bring you the new cover reveal this week!! Isn't it fantastic? I love the ghostly quality and the wings on her eyes. And the description has me fairly chomping at the bit! This is going to be one helluva book! 

Burb:

"My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was
immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At
the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings.
And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t
been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the
Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from
everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us
all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling
in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I
think I’ve already helped them win."

Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Luminosity-Stephanie-Thomas/dp/1620611279/ref=lh_ni_t

Add to your Goodreads TBR:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425149-luminosity

I swoon...

Who else has the hots for Alcide from True Blood?

OMG he's made season 3 my favourite so far.

Inbetween (Kissed by Death, #1) by Tara Fuller (August 7, 2012)

I'm so lucky to be able to share in the cover reveal for another amazing YA coming this summer. And the cover is so fabulous!

Blurb:

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option.

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.

Paperback Available for Pre-Order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Inbetween-Tara-Fuller/dp/1620610833/ref=lh_ni_t

Add to your Goodreads TBR:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13055677-inbetween

GRAVITY by Melissa West (October 2012)

OMG Everyone!! I'm so pleased to be a part of Melissa's cover reveal for GRAVITY! This book is going to be the most awesome YA of the summer and you've got to put it on your TBR!!

BLURB:
In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don't. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed - arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she's been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she's falling for him. But Ari isn't just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention.  She¹s a military legacy who¹s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know - especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Pre-order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Gravity-Melissa-West/dp/1620610914/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Add to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12844575-gravity

Keeping the Romance Alive

Join me at the Here Be Magic blog for my post about my hubby's romantic non-Valentine's Day gesture :)

Meet Blue!!

I just had to share some pics of my sweet new puppy. She's a cross between a golden retriever and a Blue Heeler. She's got gorgeous eyes and she looks up at me with so much love. We're totally made for each other!!

Review: Straight to the Heart by Samantha Hunter

So Sam sent me her recent release from Blaze to do a review. I have to admit, I've kept it by my bedside for about two months, but I had been so busy finishing the edits on my own book that I couldn't get to this. When I finally handed in my MS to my editor this weekend, the first thing I did was devour STRAIGHT TO THE HEART.

I loved the idea of a gorgeous, strong and completely capable US Marshal. Yep, that's Joanna. Our HEROINE! Woot woot! But hey, the hero is no slouch either. Ben is a former Navy Seal turned uber-sexy bar owner with a wicked shot and a knack for ramping up the heat.

What else is there to say, really? This book rocked! The characters tugged at my heart and the action scenario kept me turning pages until the very end. I highly recommend it.

Eyes on, hands off. Easier said than done.

US Marshal Joanna Wyatt has to make her witness protection detail work even though the witness doesn't know he's being protected. Posing as a down-on-her-luck waitress at Ben Callahan's Texas roadhouse, she'll be able to keep a close eye on the man, which is no hardship. It's not falling into bed with the insanely sexy ex-Navy SEAL with the rodeo swagger and whiskey-colored eyes that's the problem. The problem is he doesn't believe he's a target!

Ben's been in plenty of dicey situations before, so he's not worried. What does worry him, however, is the sexy waitress he can't seem to keep his hands off of. He knows it's not the right time to get involved. Still, the heat between them is irresistible, inevitable...

But as their guards go down, danger draws closer...

Amazon/Kindle Barnes & Noble/Nook

Plodding Along

I've been editing for ... a while. I can't quite remember when I started. I'm not really sure how much longer it's going to take.

I do know that I still like this book. Actually, I like it quite a bit more now than I did before. I think that the changes I'm making are really enhancing character and depth, and it's exciting.

The other thing keeping me going is the awesome cover I got to peek at. It's not official, and I have been warned it's going to change, but I still like it, so I have it as my wallpaper on the laptop and I check it out every once in a while.

Oh, and I think we have a release date for Greta. December 2012. It seems so long, but with all the work I have to do on this, and book 2 ... and the other books on my plate for this year ... I'm sure it will be here in no time.

As soon as the edit is done, I'll post a snippet or two!

Talk soon!

And a Happy New Year

I haven't been very bloggery for a long time. You know how stuff piles up and the amount of free time you have in any given moment is never enough to do anything substantial? I could tweet for a few minutes, put a load of laundry in, or write a blog post. Well, guess what I always seem to pick?

Now that the craziness of the holidays is over, I'm only now getting to make some new year's resolutions (even though I hate those) and one of them is to be more regular with the blogging.

So this is it! Let's make 2012 awesome!

Jasper and Callie's Holiday Gift

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Please enjoy this special scene between Jasper and Callie from FAR FROM BROKEN and I'll see you in the new year!

Callie finds Jasper in the salon early one afternoon. “What are you doing?”

He steps aside, revealing a neat little metal square on the floor, about the size of a large gift box. “A present? From who?”

“It came express. I think it might be from the general.” He frowns. “Which means it might not be entirely safe to open.”

She chuckles. “There’s only one way to find out, I suppose.” Stepping closer, she kneels down in front of it. It’s plain. Just an ugly gray metal box. “How does it open? It looks seamless.”

Reaching out, she picks it up. It’s heavy, but Jasper kneels with her and together they tip it over. “There,” he says, pointing. “A button.”

Looking into one another’s eyes, they share a spark of childlike excitement. Callie smiles. “Who gets to push it?”

“Shall we shoot for it?”

She’s been practicing with his Tesla gun, but knows she’s still no match for Jasper. Shaking her head, she holds out her gloved hand. “Arm wrestle?”

He breaks out into laughter, knowing there’s no contest in that. Her mechanical hand has the strength of ten men. “Why don’t we just push the button together then?”

He reaches out, but Callie stops him by leaning in for a kiss.

It starts sweet and soft, but soon becomes hot and deep, and he’s lost himself in her.

She breaks away suddenly, leaving him breathless and reaching out to pull her close again, but then he catches the glimmer of mischief in her eye, and the grin that curls her swollen lips. “Don’t you dare—”

But she’s already pushed the button, laughing joyfully. He shakes his head, but inside he’s pleased. Every day she grants him a smile is a gift, but when she actually laughs aloud he thanks God for miracles.

The box starts to rumble, and they both turn their attention to it. It shakes across the floor. Standing, he pulls Callie up and they step a few feet back. The box is unfolding itself. As it opens, they see that inside is a kaleidoscope of greens and reds, silver and gold.

“Goodness,” she says. “It’s so beautiful!”

“But what is it?” He peers closer. The box is no longer a box. As it continues to shift, he’s still not quite able to pinpoint what it is.

She grabs his arm, and looks up at him with stars of wonder in her eyes. He’s completely captivated. “A tree! Jasper, it’s a tree. Complete with Christmas decorations. Look!”

And then he recognizes it too. The box has indeed transformed into a kind of tree. Made of metal tubes shooting every which way, it’s both the oddest looking and most unique Christmas tree he’s ever seen. On its limbs there are small rings, and each ring holds a pretty little ornament. Some are gold, some silver, and some red.

Once it’s fully formed, the room falls silent. They stand together. He takes her hand, and she leans into him. “It’s lovely,” she whispers.

He agrees. “Whoever put this together is a genius. I wonder if—” He reaches out to touch it, and as soon as he makes contact, the whole tree lights up. Light shoots out the ends of each of the metal tubes until it is completely enveloped in a golden glow.

“Oh, Jasper.”

He turns to his wife. The woman who held his heart and warmed his soul. “Merry Christmas, my darling.”

She looks up at him with a teasing grin. “It’s no sprig of mistletoe, but I still think you should kiss me.”

He smiles. “I think after this, the response should be more than just a kiss, don’t you?”

© JK Coi 2011

FAR FROM BROKEN now available from Carina Press

Soldier. Spymaster. Husband.

Colonel Jasper Carlisle was defined by his work until he met his wife. When the prima ballerina swept into his life with her affection, bright laughter and graceful movements, he knew that she was the reason for his existence, and that their love would be forever.

But their world is shattered when Callie is kidnapped and brutally tortured by the foes Jasper has been hunting. Mechanical parts have replaced her legs, her hand, her eye...and possibly her heart. Though she survived, her anger at Jasper consumes her, while Jasper's guilt drives him from the woman he loves. He longs for the chance to show her their love can withstand anything...including her new clockwork parts.

As the holiday season approaches, Jasper realizes he must fight not just for his wife's love and forgiveness...but also her life, as his enemy once again attempts to tear them apart.

Blog Hop

I'm still hopping around all over the place.

Visit Books-N-Kisses and join in her Christmas Countdown to win prizes, and check out my post about favourite treats of the holiday season.

I'm also visiting Urban Fantasy Reviews on December 15, to talk about FALLING HARD and offer a copy of the book, as well as a set of Romance Trading Cards. They've also done a really lovely review here, so check it out!

On December 19, I'm blogging at Manic Readers and sharing a favourite cookie recipe, and on December 21, the Clockwork Christmas authors will be there to talk about steampunk gadgets their characters would love to have for the holidays.

On December 22, please visit me at Deborah Cooke's blog for my guest post about writing a holiday-themed story.

But don't forget to come back here to the blog before Christmas for a very special holiday treat from Jasper and Callie, the hero and heroine of Far From Broken!

Winner! and Friday Fun!

Congratulations to Cristal Ryder who was randomly chosen to win a print copy of AGONY/ECSTASY!

Thanks so much for the support, everyone! I hope you love the stories in this great anthology!

_______________________________

And now for some Friday fun stuff. When I saw this on Facebook, I just had to smile. It's awesome (and makes me want to go buy Buble's new Christmas Album :)

Oh, the Agony!

It's release day for Agony/Ecstasy - a fantastic anthology published by Berkley Heat and edited by Jane Litte of Dear Author. To celebrate I want to give away a PRINT copy, so leave me a comment with the name of one of the authors included in this fantastic compilation of stories.

RELEASE DAY!!

TODAY is release day for FAR FROM BROKEN and A Clockwork Christmas!!! And tomorrow the Agony/Ecstasy anthology releases, which has my story CAGED.

We’re all so excited, so you’ll find Jenny, PG, Stacy and me all over the net pimping these fantastic holiday novellas—and giving copies away!

All week you’ll be able to find us at Long And Short Reviews – we’re in the SPOTLIGHT with Clockwork Christmas!

We're also being featured at Books On Board. There will be stockings hung by the fire, hot chocolate and other treats, and be sure to check out the Author Q&As! 

Today I’m visiting the ladies at the Romance Writers Revenge to talk about Far From Broken, the Agony/Ecstasy anthology, and some of my other new and upcoming releases. I always love visiting the pirate ship.

Tuesday all the Clockwork Christmas authors are blogging about the stories on the Carina Press blog, and Maggie Robinson and I are talking about the Agony/Ecstasy anthology on the Vixens blog. This was a fantastic anthology to be a part of, and I especially enjoyed Maggie’s story (I ALWAYS love Maggie’s stories, OMG)

Then on Thursday I’ll be at Steamed! with a blog about what I’ve learned (and still have to learn) about writing steampunk.  

But that’s not all….the party continues next week too!

Crime Wave in a Corset

When I finally got my hands on all the novellas for A Clockwork Christmas, CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET was the first that I read, and that was because I’d gotten to know Stacy online and I loved her vibrant enthusiasm. I was certain that energy would translate into her work…and I was right. In my opinion, her story was the most Christmas-like of them all. There was a definite holiday feel with an old-style holiday lesson to be learned by each of the characters. Not to mention, it was sweet and sexy (very sexy). I loved the idea of a Lady-thief who steals from the stodgy professor and finds that she’s not as bad as she thinks she is, and he discovers he’s not as proper as he tries to be.

You’re going to love CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET, and I would love to give away some more trading cards, so tell me…what is your favourite holiday movie? The one you watch every single year, and Christmas can’t be over if you haven’t seen it yet? For me, it’s White Christmas. Ah, Bing. I love Bing.

Blurb:

Roderick Coddington is on a mission to make Cornelia Peabody pay. After identifying her as the thief who stole a priceless Fabergé egg from his dying sister, he finds her and shackles a deadly timepiece to her arm. If she doesn't return the egg by Christmas morning, she will die.

Normally seven days is more than enough time for Cornelia to carry out the perfect crime, but Roderick's intrusion into her life is beyond distracting. He challenges her mind, and ignites her body with desire she's never felt before. But worst of all, he threatens the independence she values above all else...

As Roderick spends time with Cornelia, he realizes there's a lonely soul hidden beneath her beautiful but criminal veneer. Falling for a thief wasn't part of Roderick's plan, but plans can change and he has no intention of letting another priceless treasure get away from him.