Welcome to My Author Blog
Streamline turns one-year-old next week! We’re celebrating with a giveaway of one signed print copy and three ebooks. You can enter at any participating blog, starting Monday March 25th:
Woo hoo! I’m stoked to have so many lovely party hosts, and now we need YOU to be our guest. Stop back next week for the party that runs all week long. *Major hangover predicted*
And now it’s time to bounce with Omnific Publishing. For details, visit HERE.
Happy March to you! It’s still cold in Ohio, but I’m hoping the spring thaw happens soon. I planted some bulbs in the front of my condo last fall and I’m curious if they’ll appear. (My thumb isn’t exactly green.)
Now to share a few happy events in my writing career:
1) I’m under contract for my fourth novel with Omnific Publishing! On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3) will be the third and final novel in my romantic suspense trilogy, which tracks the journey of two ex-cons falling in love and running from the Mafia. It feels wonderful to finish a series.
I can almost visualize the cover for On Best Behavior, and I can’t wait to see what my publisher creates. If you want to add On Best Behavior to your Goodreads TBR shelf, go HERE.
2) I’ll be a featured author at the New Adult Sleepover Weekend. One of my sisters lives near Hilton Head, so the Savannah, Georgia location is perfect for me.
This gathering of authors and readers will take place 12/6/13, hosted by Stella Price and Damaris from Good Choice Reading. Check HERE for more info.
I look forward to discussing my mature YA/NA novel Streamline with readers.
3) Streamline‘s turning one year old. Stay tuned next week for the Book Birthday Bash, with over 20 blogs signed up March 25-29. Details are HERE.
Finally, I meet with my tax preparer today. Gathering bundles of paperwork crap isn’t so happy, but getting a return will be! Have you done your taxes yet?
Today I welcome JUSTINE DELL to the blog. She’s author of two romance novels: Recaptured Dreams and All-American Girl. Here’s my review of Recaptured Dreams, and stick around for an interview with Justine!
Recaptured Dreams by Justine Dell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Past Love Recaptured
Justine Dell’s debut contemporary romance has a regal, formal air about it, making the novel feel not so contemporary. It’s a romance between the lovely English lass Sophia and the dashing fashion designer Xavier.
Most of the story occurs “across the pond” in England’s upper-class circles, where Sophia Montel lives with her mother. Sophia is twenty-seven and lives a somewhat aimless existence following a horrible car crash that stole her memories ten years ago. Her mother refuses to tell her about her past, which greatly frustrates Sophia (as well as me!) Sophia’s good friend Anne Marie takes her to a fashion show featuring Sophia’s favorite designer.
American Xavier Cain has ascended from humble roots to worldwide success with his “XS” fashion line. Yet his life is incomplete without the woman he fell in love with at age seventeen who has since gone missing. When he spots Sophia at the show, his mission to find his lost love is now complete! There she is!
The bad news: Sophia doesn’t remember him.
The good news: Sophia feels a strange attraction to him.
Sophia and Xavier slowly rekindle their love despite obstacles thrown their way by her mother and snooty grandmother. Then the lovers manage to get in their own way by running off or acting incomprehensibly.
When Anne Marie talks to Sophia about why she isn’t directly asking Xavier about their past, I cheered when she asked “Here’s a thought, darling; why don’t you ask him about it?” Why, indeed?
The reason for the mystery and misunderstanding later reveals itself, which blew me away and helped dissolve my frustration.
I really enjoyed the character of Xavier and his fashion creations (reminding me of a favorite TV show . . . Project Runway!) I believe that earlier revelations may have drawn me into Sophia’s struggle more deeply. Without understanding her motivation at times, I grew frustrated by her choices. I still haven’t decided how I feel about Sophia’s mother. I’m not sure I buy her explanation for why she acted the way she did.
With a flow of melancholy, Recaptured Dreams is a well-written story about recapturing lost love.
Justine lives in the Midwest, happily catering to her family, which consists of a horse-obsessed teenage daughter, four dogs, and a husband who is too good to be true. She’s never moved from her hometown, but hopes to grow old in a much warmer climate.
During the day she works a normal job with college students who try their best to keep her young. They’ve done a good job thus far. At night, said teenage daughter and her horse require mounds of love and attention. The weekends belong solely to her and her writing. That’s when she morphs into a sticky bug, unable to leave the confines of her computer chair.
She started writing four years ago after seeing a movie that set off a chain reaction she couldn’t have stopped if she’d wanted. It’s not a hobby for her; it’s an obsession. One she loves and one she loves to share.
Today for the Insecure Writers Support Group, I’m supporting an author friend from Omnific Publishing.
I love an emotional read, and my pub sister Debra Anastasia has written a story that will make you howl with laughter and tears!
Poughkeepsie is a New Adult story about a psychology graduate student falling in love with a kind, sensitive homeless man. It’s about growing up in a harsh world when love and friendship are the only things to keep you going.
Following my review is an interview with the kooky authoress and a giveaway!
Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Deeply Touching
I’ve been wanting to read this story for some time due to the many elements that appeal to me: healing, redemption, crime, a psychology graduate student character (Livia), a homeless character (Blake), and a story full of emotion. Wow! I got all that and more.
Livia is one of the kindest people around. She smiles at everyone, including the quiet homeless man who frequents the shadows of the Poughkeepsie train station. One morning when some thugs threaten the man Livia’s come to known as “Green Eyes”, Livia stands up for him. Their first words are adorable:
“You might want to find another place to sit,” Livia said. “Those idiots could cook up a plan for revenge.”
Instead of being the friendly advice Livia intended, her words seem to slice into him.
Why is he in such pain?
“I can’t leave.” Green Eyes took a huge breath. “This is the only place where I get to see you.”
I fell for the sensitive soul Blake from the start, especially after learning that he counts each of Livia’s smiles. His foster brother Cole explains:
“He counts. You’ve smiled at him four hundred and forty-six times as of a few minutes ago.”
How cute is that?
Blake might have a chance with Livia because her boyfriend Chris is a total CAD. I mean, he calls psychology “the study of psychos”! Grr.
There are fantastic secondary characters in this novel:
* Livia’s younger sister Kyle. What a potty mouth! Blake says “Pretty sure Kyle lacks any kind of editing mechanism”. Their mother took off shortly after Kyle was born, and Kyle blames herself for not being worthy enough to make their mother stay. Kyle’s low self-worth leads her to promiscuity. But perhaps she can find a love match in one of Blake’s foster bros?
* Cole is Blake’s foster brother who’s studying to be a priest. He has a violent past he’s running from.
* Beckett is a wildly colorful foster brother who aged out of the system before Cole and Blake, determined to pave the road for his brothers by committing all sorts of sins so they wouldn’t have to. He’s pretty much become a crime boss, with a muscled assistant named Mouse. Kyle refers to Beckett as “the human steroid.” He doesn’t believe in following rules, like parking in between the lines:
“I’m telling you, Cole, that’s how it all gets started. The government’s beating us down, and it all begins with those goddamn lines in the parking lot. Set yourself free, my brother. If you see a line, ignore it.
Eve and Mouse were also wonderful characters, along with Livia and Kyle’s police officer father.
The flashbacks to the boys getting beaten by their foster dad, and the intensity between Beckett and Eve made me cry so hard.
There are also so many freaking funny lines in the story, but I won’t share all the off-color words here ha ha. But one chapter title “My Penis Rules the World” gives you a good flavor! And this excerpt when Kyle berates Livia and Blake at a religious ceremony is priceless (naughty language alert!)
“Will you get your asses up here? People are waiting. I mean Beckett here has maybe a few hours before he’s bent over a metal toilet getting it up the ass from a guy named Bubba. Do you want him to have fun now or not?”
The streetlight illuminated Beckett as he appeared next to Kyle. “Why would I be the bitch? I don’t think that’s a fair f*cking assumption.”
Kyle refused to look at him and crossed her arms. “Of course you’d be the bitch. You have dimples. Bitches have dimples. And I bet your ass is soft like two pillows.”
Debra, I love your screwballs sense of humor 😉 And I love even more that your story made me laugh and cry. An EXCELLENT read!
And now onto the interview!
How do you feel about exercise? Love it? Hate it? Obviously, exercise is great for our physical health . . . but did you know that exercise can work even better than medication for reducing anxiety and depression?
I’m one of those strange people that actually enjoys exercise. (If only I enjoyed eating right.) And the main reason I love exercise is the stress relief. Exercise makes me a happy camper.
Today, Ken Myers — President of Morningside Nannies — is here to tell us more!
1. Blood Flow – First, exercising in any form gets your blood pumping throughout your body. As your brain requires a continuous flow of oxygen, getting the blood moving faster will help it function on a higher level. This movement of blood increases a wide variety of mental operations, which can prevent depression. Some speculate that exercising benefits mental capacities because the blood moves nutrients faster to the brain in order to boost productivity.
2. Self-Confidence – As the source of a great amount of anxiety, stress, and depression, your dislike of your physical appearance can be detrimental to your mental health. All too often people look at themselves in the mirror and feel disgust by what they see. Exercising regularly can help people feel stronger, and focus on what their bodies can do instead of how they look. If people are happy with themselves, then confidence will be sure to follow.
3. Release of Negative Emotion – There are many people that harbor feelings such as anger, frustration, or anxiety on a regular basis, and stuffing these feelings down can be harmful. Regular exercise is a way to help reduce these feelings as your energy is spent on other tasks. It is a common belief that pushing yourself to exercise while you’re angry or frustrated helps reduce these feelings as you become too tired to feel anything else by the time you’re done. Because exercise helps decrease these negative feelings, some believe that exercise creates a happier you.
4. Not Just Your Muscles – Exercise does far more for your body than simply building muscle. When you focus on the task at hand, working your mind and body in concert, you strengthen your brain too. In fact, activities like Yoga and martial arts have been known to alter brain structures due to the deep breathing, meditation, and coordinated movement. Exercise can bolster the mind-body connection.
Though it’s a challenge to squeeze in a workout in your busy schedule, exercise is definitely worth it. Not only will you impress others with how ‘ripped’ your body is getting, but they will also notice a change in your attitude and emotional state. Keep your body and your mind fit and a better lifestyle will be yours.
I love my pub sister Nicki Elson. She’s joining Suz and M Pax to host this fun blog hop!
We’re heading to the year 2023, back from the future style:
Have you heard of the NEW ADULT genre? It’s all the rage–books about characters age 18-25.
Thanks to Talk Supe for hosting this event. Some of my favorite NA reads include Slammed, Point of Retreat, Where She Went, Easy, Flat Out Love…and Poughkeepsie.
My pub sister Debra Anastasia has written one humdinger of a New Adult book…Poughkeepsie!
Poughkeepsie is a beautiful love story about truly seeing people with all their sparkles and flaws.
Read my 5 star review HERE.
Along with giving away an ebook of my Mature YA / New Adult novel Streamline, I’m giving away an ebook of Poughkeepsie.
See the post below to sign up for Streamline‘s book birthday, March 25-29, when there will be more giveaways.
To enter the Crazy Stupid Love giveaway, simply complete the Rafflecopter form.
Hop over to more participating blogs! document.write(”);
I’m hosting a Book Birthday Bash the week of March 25th, and I’d love for YOU to be my guest.
How can you attend?
1. Bloggers can post one of several options the week of March 25th (please complete the form below).
2. Visit participating blogs that week for GIVEAWAYS!
I’m giving away one print copy in the US and 4 ebooks of Streamline internationally.
Interested bloggers, please fill out this form:
Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Singles Awareness Day! Omnific Publishing is giving away THREE LOADED KINDLES to celebrate their three-year anniversary this Valentine’s Day.
One of my books will be available on each of the three Kindles (With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and Streamline).
And I’m also happy today because it’s my birthday. Presents abound!
Jennifer Lane Books 