Book Blast: Fortune Cookie by Josi S. Kilpack - $50 Amazon GC Giveaway

Fortune Cookie

Josi S. Kilpack

Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder. The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

Amazon * Deseret Book * Barnes & Noble

Culinary Mystery Series

Tour Schedule

Author Josi S. Kilpack
Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

 Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Raining Romance Books Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Raining Romance Books Giveaway Hop, hosted by Stuck in Books. I am giving away two prizes. The first prize is a Kindle copy of the Romance through the Ages anthology set. This includes seven novels - over 2000 pages of romance. The second prize is an ebook copy of my fantasy romance, Shadow Fire, in your choice of formats. After entering my giveaway, be sure to hop to the other blogs for some great prizes!

Romance through the Ages

From Goodreads:
USA TODAY BESTSELLING BOX SET: Romance through the Ages brings you SEVEN NOVELS from 7 bestselling authors, including New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers. Join us for this fabulous, limited-availability collection. Over 800 combined 4-5 star reviews!

*7 Romance Novels, 7 Bestselling Authors, 1 Amazing Price*

Running Barefoot by NY Times & USA Today bestselling author Amy Harmon!— Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings.

Masquerade by Janette Rallison, who has sold more than 1 million books!— It's hard for a woman to keep up the masquerade when her boss is as handsome as Slade Jacobson and the job takes her to Hawaii with him. In between handling his whirlwind four-year-old daughter and dealing with a whole cast of Hollywood personalities, Clarissa has to keep a tight hold on her heart.

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson, Amazon Bestseller!—Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town's charity event, Shelter’s Bachelorette, Taycee Emerson is in for the ride of her life. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers—not her—to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Pride and Precipitation by Heather Horrocks, Amazon Bestseller!— Breezy Jones is crazy about the weather, rain or shine, which makes her job as the local television station’s meteorologist perfect. That’s before she meets the attractive new general manager, Noah Drake, who is determined to repackage everything—including Breezy’s down-home delivery.

My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White, Amazon Bestseller!— Lizzie falls hard for Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy character and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. When she meets two men, Chad—a science teacher, and Matt Dawson—who looks and acts like Mr. Darcy, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.

She Owns the Knight by Diane Darcy, Amazon Bestseller!— Why does Gillian Corbett have to travel seven hundred years through time to find a decent guy?... Why can't Sir Kellen Marshall find a lady who is obedient, submissive... or at least not trying to kill him?

Heart of the Ocean by Heather B. Moore, Amazon Bestseller!— A dark secret . . . a grieving ghost . . . a handsome stranger . . . What more could Eliza Robinson want? Except for maybe her life. When Eliza discovers that Jonathan Porter’s dark secrets may be the link between the dead woman who haunts her and her aunt’s murderer, Eliza realizes that Jonathan is the one man she should never trust.

Shadow Fire by Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Ashlyn – a free-spirited teenager whose peaceful life is shattered when the village elders honor her with a perilous quest to recover a stolen relic.

Zane – a jaded mercenary, torn by his undeniable desire for Ashlyn and the dark secret that could make her hate him forever.

Delistaire – a malevolent sorcerer driven by an insatiable lust for power.

All three are bound together by an ancient relic supposedly infused with the power of a Goddess.

Shadow Fire – adventure, passion, secrets, and betrayal

As Ashlyn and Zane race to stay one step ahead of the evil lurking in the shadows, their passions are ignited and their bond strengthens. But will they find the relic before Delistaire? Or has their entire quest been orchestrated from the very beginning by a madman in pursuit of ultimate power?

Each installment of the Light Chronicles is a standalone story.

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Blog Tour: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin - Review & Giveaway

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Silver Linings

Kaylee Baldwin

Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go. Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she have to sell her house to pay for her mother’s medical expenses, but she also had to drop out of school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Assisted Living. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Silver Linings is the second novella in the Ripple Effect romance series, and it's every bit as enjoyable as Home Matters. Remember poor, disillusioned Drew from the cafe toward the end of Home Matters? Well, he has a staring role in Silver Linings. It's Drew minus the family wealth, prestige, and trust fund. Some people have to go to great lengths to find happiness, and fortunately for Drew, it's waiting for him in tiny Bridger, CO.

Eden is far and away one of the sweetest characters I've read about. She's given up so much for others, and always puts them ahead of herself. I fell in love with her, desperately wanting her to find happiness. She is one of those people you admire while wondering if you'd step up to the plate like she has. Drew is the same way. I admired the drive he had to find something important and worthwhile in his life. He was raised in the lap of luxury, yet was out in the early winter morning scraping the ice from Eden's doorstep so she wouldn't fall.

Eden's boyfriend, Jace, is another fantastic character. You know it won't work out with them, or there wouldn't be a romance between Drew and Eden. Yet, I really liked him so much. I'm quite excited that the next book tells Jace's story. Hands down, the best parts of this novel revolve around the characters and their interactions. The crew at Silver Linings was always fun even though their appearances were brief. If you like your romance sweet and your endings happy enough to make you cry, then you'll really like Silver Linings.

Author Kaylee Baldwin When Kaylee Baldwin isn’t writing, she’s usually chasing after her four children, checking her email, trying to get motivated to train for that race she shouldn’t have signed up for, hanging out with her pretty awesome husband, and reading whatever good book she can find. She graduated from Arizona State with degree in English Lit. Her published books are Meg’s Melody, Six Days of Christmas (part of the All I Want collection) and Silver Linings.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series

Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors. "Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford 

Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin

Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson

Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White

Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver

Book 6: Immersed by Jennifer Griffith

Tour Giveaway

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Feature & Follow Blog Hop

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? The goal is to increase blog followers and make friends. First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools — keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code at the end of the Linky and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Pranks...

It's been a while since I pulled any pranks. But when I was in high school and college it was a different story. I had a friend/acquaintance in high school. She was an opinionated loud-mouth and made fun of anything paranormal. It wasn't nice because another girl in our group thought her house was haunted and she was genuinely scared. After nasty girl made fun of her in front of the entire cafeteria, my BFFs and I hatched a plan. A sleepover with a seance as the main event. We went all out... hidden people making creaks and groans, candles that extinguish themselves, and the coup de grace was the rigged table. It worked, actually scared her so much I ended up feeling guilty. My parents weren't pleased with the stunt either. I was grounded for three weeks. I think she learned a lesson, though. She was much less vocal in her criticisms from then on.

Melodramatic Musings: The Dreaded (and Inevitable) Negative Review

Negative reviews. I've been thinking about this topic for quite a while now with all the buzz flying around about negativity toward authors. My writer half is writing this while keeping my reviewer half quiet. She's more of the "can't we all just get along?" type while my writer side is much more realistic and sarcastic.

Personal Taste

I want everyone to read those two words and embrace them. Everyone doesn't like the same things. That's what makes the world interesting. Seriously, how many times have you read something people were raving about and had it fall flat? For months my entire neighborhood, coworkers, the girl at the checkout in Target, etc. were abuzz about how fantastic Fifty Shades of Grey was. I know lots of people loved it. I didn't get it beyond housewives finally getting a taste of the porn their spouses have been reading for years. Go look at the ranking stats on Goodreads. I've never seen a novel so evenly distributed among 1-5 stars. My point here isn't to pick on Fifty Shades of Grey. It's to remind you that what Sally next door likes isn't necessarily what you like. To expect nothing but glowing or even good reviews is unrealistic.

Star Ratings

After listening to some fellow authors cry about their 1 or 2 star rankings on Goodreads, I felt it necessary to point out the obvious. 1 star on Goodreads means 'I didn't like it'. Not 'it was awful' or 'the author is terrible'. If you have a hard time with this concept, return to personal taste. Amazon is a bit crueler with 1 star meaning 'I hate it'. Of course with Amazon, you can't rank something without a written review. I've noticed people rank books on Goodreads as 1 or 2 but don't leave a review. You won't have that problem on Amazon. I can't help but wonder, of the 73,000+ people who left a 1 star ranking for our example book, how many actually read it.

Negative Reviews

Statements like: "I didn't connect with the characters", "Started so slow I couldn't read past the first few chapters", "There were so many grammatical issues, it pulled me from the plot."— these are par for the course. If you get reviews like this time and again, learn from them. If they're solitary incidents, suck it up and forget it. Yeah, not easy, I know. Can someone explain how we can gloss over the glowing reviews to focus on the few negatives? They stick in the brain like little parasites, gnawing away at our sanity bit by bit until we're reduced to mindless mush playing with gifs.

The Two Types of Negative Reviews

1) Personal Taste Review: I didn't like this book and here's why. Constructive, about the book itself. Advice- It's over and done. Deal with it however you can, but put it behind you. Only let this one affect you if you're seeing the same complaint over and over again. That's a red flag that you may need to change something in your next novel.

2) Author Bashing Review: I didn't like the book, and the author should be drawn and quartered for writing such drivel. This author sucks and I hate her along with that stupid dog in her author photo. I mean who does she think she's fooling... you get the drift. Advice- I sure hope these don't happen often. Do Not Engage Reviewer. Feel the need to respond? Don't. You'll end up in a war you can't win. People like this are looking for attention, so don't play into their hands. Seriously, you don't need to say anything. The review speaks for itself. It's nasty and distasteful. Be the bigger person and ignore it.

I know all negative reviews don't fall into these categories. I've read a few recently where an industry novice (reader only) presented his/her opinion as irrefutable fact in the review. This is problematic on so many levels since most people reading the reviews aren't going to check the reviewer's profile to see if they're qualified to make such statements.

I really don't think most people write negative reviews for any reason other than to get their opinion out there. Think about it. It's well-known that people tend to write reviews when they love or hate something. How often do you write an ambivalent review?

There's also advice floating around the web to ignore the reviews for your book. I don't know about you, but I can't do that. I'll read every review. Love the good ones. Linger on the bad for months. Try not to let them destroy my self-esteem or affect my writing.

And lastly... Does it bother me when a reviewer doesn't use their real name? NO. Why should it? Lots of authors use pen names so why can't reviewers? Sure people hide behind the anonymity of the internet; they always have and will find a way around any rules you put in place to reveal them. If you don't engage these hate-mongers, they'll go find someone who does. So, no, I didn't sign the petition emailed to me numerous times about Amazon requiring real names for reviewers. I understand both sides of the argument and I chose mine.

How do you deal with negative reviews? If you're a reviewer, do you write negative reviews?

Book Blast: Honor Among Orcs by Amalia Dillin - Excerpt & Giveaway

Beauty must save the BEAST...

Honor Among Orcs

by Amalia Dillin  

Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Series: Orc Saga, Book One
Genre: New Adult Fantasy/ Romantic Fantasy 

After nearly a decade as the king’s whipping-girl, Princess Arianna has no intention of going quietly into marriage to some treasonous noble, or serving obediently as the king’s spy until her death is more convenient. When she discovers a handsome orc, chained and trapped inside a magic mirror, Arianna cannot help but see a lasting freedom from her father's abuse.

Left to rot inside a mirror by the king, Bolthorn never imagined his prayers would be answered by a princess. Nor did he ever expect to meet so worthy a woman after knowing her father’s cruelty. He needs her help to escape the mirror before the king marches against the orcs, but all he can offer Arianna is ice and darkness in exchange for her aid. 

If Arianna can free the monster behind the glass, perhaps she might free herself, as well. But once they cross the mountain, there will be no return, and the deadly winter is the least of what threatens them on the other side. Romance blossoms in this gripping fantasy adventure.

Available on
Amazon  |  B&N  |  Goodreads

About the Author

Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats--to pull her chariot through the sky, of course. 

Amalia is the author of the Fate of the Gods trilogy from World Weaver Press, and the soon to be released Orc Saga, coming April 1, 2014. You can learn more about her work at www.amaliadillin.com

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Book Blitz: Black Cats and Ballet Slippers by Iva Valentino - Excerpt & Giveaway

Black Cats and Ballet Slippers - Week Blitz

By Iva Valentino

Middle Grade Humor

Date Published: March 7, 2014

Gemma Mayfield feels like middle school is a lot to bite off and chew. School, ballet classes, and planning on how to get Trevor Davis to ask her to the Halloween Dance are a tough balancing act. On top of that, Gemma is convinced that her science teacher, Ms. Pruett, is a witch.

When things start getting fishy at school, Gemma knows that Ms. Pruett is behind it all! Students are getting spells placed on them and start to go missing. Gemma and her best friend, Izzie, vow to stop Ms. Pruett from doing any more damage. Will they be able to save Middleton Middle School from witchcraft?

EXCERPT

Okay, so something REALLY strange is going on. Boys are from a different planet, but right now a few of them at Middleton are acting like they’re from a different universe. (Wait. Does this make sense? Is there more than one universe? Ugh. Maybe I should have paid more attention last year in Astronomy.)

So, by the time I got to Ms. Pruett’s class, I had already worked myself into a super version of “I Don’t Wanna Go To Class Because I’m Creeped Out!” mode. I walked into the Science Laboratory, and I swear I felt the cold of Building 400 smack me right in the face. I’m not kidding.

Of course Ms. Pruett was at the door, acting like her sweet old lady self (ha ha, I know better), and was welcoming all the kids into the classroom. I just kept my head down and muttered a hello as I passed. Staying below the radar was the goal. Then I sat down at my lab table and shivered a bit.

Joey sat down at the table just a second later. Normally he is really loud and obnoxious, cracking jokes, and calling to the other Soccer Jocks across the room. Today he was quiet.

“Hey,” I said, trying to be friendly. I thought maybe we could commiserate on us both having spells cast on us. Joey responded with a “hey” but didn’t say much else. Hello? Was this the Joey I knew?

“So, Joey, are you feeling okay?” I asked. “You know, after yesterday…”

Joey didn’t say anything, but began writing on a piece of paper. He folded up the piece of paper and passed it to me. I gave him a questioning look. He gave me a weird look back that I couldn’t decipher. The note was as follows:

     Hey Gemma,

     Sorry I gave you a hard time yesterday about the “Cute Boy” list. It was kind of rude of me.

     Joey

That’s when it hit me that Joey hadn’t recovered from Ms. Pruett’s spell. For me it was just temporary, like a few minutes. But Joey was acting weird. It had to be the spell.

“Um, thanks,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.” I then started taking out all my school stuff so that I could look busy and not have any more awkward moments with Joey until he felt better. He was taking longer to recuperate.

After class I headed straight down toward the lunchroom. On the way there, I saw Trevor going in the opposite direction past me. Our conversation went like this:

            Me: “Hi Trevor!” (with a big smile and enthusiasm)

            Trevor: “Oh, hi Gemma.” (with zombie-like attitude)

            Me: “Okay, have a good lunch!”

            Trevor: “Okay, thanks. Bye.”

            I wondered where he was going, in the opposite direction from the lunch room when it was lunchtime. It took me another couple of moments to realize that the ONLY classroom in that part of campus was Ms. Pruett’s room. He was headed back toward Building 400!

            Yikes! I turned myself around in mid-stride and turned back the way I came. I knew there was no way possible that Trevor would be going to Ms. Pruett’s. Why would anyone in their right mind be going there by themselves?

            I didn’t want Trevor to think I was stalking him, because of course I would never do that. But just in case that’s what it appeared to be, I used as much stealth as possible. I walked in the shadows and stopped to peek out behind bushes and building walls. I saw him up ahead…just before he ENTERED MS. PRUETT’S CLASSROOM.

            My mouth fell open, and I just sort of stared at the door for a while.

            Weird things are going on here at Middleton. And I think Ms. Pruett’s behind it all!

Iva Valentino

Iva Valentino lives in Arizona with her husband and their dog, Lupo. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Education. She thinks visiting cold places is fun, but she loves living year-round in the warm desert.

Iva spent many years as a middle school teacher, where she enjoyed doing cool science experiments with her students. She currently works as a science editor at an educational publishing company. She loves travel, yoga, and photography. There is nothing that brings her more happiness than a good dance class!

Author Links

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Buy Link

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | MuseIt Up Publishing

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