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New Release: Four Somethings & A Sixpence by @RumerHaven

Jennifer Lane

FOUR SOMETHINGS & A SIXPENCE
by Rumer Haven
Adult Contemporary Romance
Available February 3, 2015 
from Battered Suitcase Press
(an imprint of Vagabondage Press)

SUMMARY: One wedding. Six participants. Be they sitting in the pews or standing at the altar, bearing witness in person or only in spirit, each of them knows something about the unsmiling bride. Go ahead—offer them a sixpence for their thoughts, and they’ll make you these vows:

  • One would love to declare this woman his “awfully wedded wife.”
  • One fears what she already has and will have to hold—if not from this day forward, then soon.
  • One takes her to be richer, not poorer.
  • One is better for what she told him this morning, worse for betraying a friend to get to this point.
  • One worries whether today finds her in sickness or in health.
  • And only one already knows that not even in death will they part.

Whether they speak now or forever hold their peace, they all give the bride a little something she didn’t register for. One wedding. Six participants. With romance, resentment, faith, fear, mystery, and the mystical, Four Somethings & A Sixpence is a loaded yet light read just in time for Valentine’s Day! 

Add it to Goodreads. 
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and batteredsuitcasepress.com. 

RAFFLECOPTER: In celebration, Rumer is giving away 4 free ebooks of this 9,000-word novelette, and a lucky 5th winner will receive the ebook PLUS an authentic silver sixpence coin struck by the Royal Mint in London! RSVP at the Rafflecopter for your chance to win (runs from 2/3 – 2/14). 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway 
AUTHOR BIO: 
Rumer Haven is probably the most social recluse you could ever meet. When she’s not babbling her fool head off among friends and family, she’s pacified with a good story that she’s reading, writing, or revising—or binge-watching something on Netflix. A former teacher hailing from Chicago, she presently lives in London with her husband. She made her authorial debut in 2014 with the novel Seven for a Secret, where historical fiction meets contemporary rom-com. Rumer has always had a penchant for the past and paranormal, which inspires her writing to explore dimensions of time, love, and the soul.

Author Links: 
Website: http://www.rumerhaven.com 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8379833.Rumer_Haven  
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rumer-Haven/e/B00MU2NXXW/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RumerHaven (@RumerHaven) 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rumerhaven

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VIBRIZZIO by @NickiElson3D #Cover #Reveal

Jennifer Lane

I’m bursting with excitement for the release of Nicki Elson‘s new novel Vibrizzio! I was lucky to be a pre-reader and I LOVED this hilarious story–see my review HERE.

Vibrizzio by Nicki Elson 

Published by: Swoon Romance

Publication date: April 21st 2015

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Lyssa Bates doesn’t need a man. Not when the world is fully-stocked with double A batteries and a wide array of options in Amazon’s health and sexual wellness category. After yet another failed relationship, the twenty-six-year-old investment analyst is convinced that real guys aren’t ever going to live up to her expectations—so why should she bother with them? She’s determined to keep her dating life purely electronic…though she occasionally fantasizes about Hayden King, the delicious new associate she just got partnered with at work.

While Lyssa manages her romantic risks by deleting men from of the equation, the ever-charming Hayden protects his heart by diversifying his love life across multiple women. As the two young professionals travel together around the country for business, their flirty working relationship develops into a close friendship that hurtles toward something more. Between hot tub confessions in Baltimore, an accidental kiss in Dallas, and an all-nighter in Chicago, Hayden proves himself to be better than any fantasy.

Add to Goodreads

AUTHOR BIO:

Writing wasn’t something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she realized writing reports was by far her favorite part of her investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves her creative writing time in with the other activities of her busy life with her family in the Chicago suburbs.

Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Watch for her new title Vibrizzio, coming in 2015 from Swoon Romance. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and Hans & Greta: a Twisted Fairy Tale Novella. Her published short stories include “Sway” (available as a single), “I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day” (part of A Valentine Anthology), and “Impressionism 101” (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire

Author Links:


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Dreaming of #Books #Giveaway Hop

Jennifer Lane

Thanks to Kathy from I Am A Reader for hosting…


Ah, books. Most of us love ’em so much we dream about them.

A disturbing dream inspired my current novel, Twin Sacrifice.

How much do you enjoy books with a dreamlike quality? Not so much dreamy in a romantic way, but more like you can’t tell if the plot is a dream or reality. I don’t like to feel confused when I read. So I’m hesitant to read Never, Never even though I lurve Colleen Hoover.

It would be a dream for you to win a $10 gift card! I’m also giving away an ebook of my college volleyball romance Blocked. Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And don’t forget to enter two giveaways on the sidebar of my blog *points right*.

Now take a bunny hop over to these blogs to win cool crap!

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Release Day Launch: It’s a Date by J. Epps & S. Brümmer

Jennifer Lane
It's A Date
CoverIt's A Date Front Cover FINAL!!! 
Book Info

Title: It’s A Date

Authors: J. Epps & S. Brümmer

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Designer: Judi Perkins

Release Date: January 15th 2015

add-to-goodreads-button

Cover JacketIt's A Date FINAL COVER JACKET!!SynopsisWorlds are realigned on one winter’s night.

“The thunderous storm that he is intensifies and I’m about to beg him for this.”

The BallerinaI’ve had plenty of practice being graceful, but he has my heart tripping over my pointe shoes. I’ve conditioned myself to rely on nobody else and I won’t start now. I’ll push back as hard as I can. However, he seems to be determined on pulling down the wall I use to separate myself from others. Removing myself from his vise grip just became excruciatingly difficult. The storm that follows this man—no, the storm that is this man—has given me more than what I’ve bargained for.

The StormThe primal need I have for her is deeper than any I’ve experienced before. My world has shifted in more ways than one, and I’m not going to stand around and be held hostage where I don’t belong. The next move I make won’t be for anyone else but myself, and if it happens to bring my world to a screeching halt, then I’m not going to fight it. I’m determined. I want her.

TeasersBuy LinksAmazonUS | AmazonUK | AmazonAU | AmazonCAMeet The AuthorsJess & Sasha –JSAuthors. The co-authors come as a package deal with extravagant ribbons laced on top. Their combined enthusiasm is seen as a pink sunrise, uniquely captivating. They share a love for writing, fictional romance, passion-fruit tea lemonade, sweetened and shaken on ice, as well as the color pink. Their combined efforts to share their internal monologues, since they share a brain, can be found in The Date Series.J. Epps

J. Epps

Jess is a registered dental hygienist by day and a contemporary romance author by night. She currently resides in the Greater St. Louis area with her husband of over a year. When Jess isn’t writing (meaning her characters aren’t demanding her undivided attention), she enjoys reading books, scouring Pinterest, collecting fountain pens, and traveling with her husband.

S. Brümmer

S. Brümmer

A self-published author by night and all around busybody by day, Sasha is an international baby, born in gorgeous South Africa. Her cultured lifestyle is one that many don’t get to experience. Four countries, and a co-author later, she has published her first book of The Date Series. When she’s not preoccupied with her imposing owl fixation, she’s hashing out new ways to translate a titillating and libidinous scene onto a page.

Stalk The Authors

Facebook | Twitter | TSU | Website GoodreadsJESS | GoodreadsSASHA | Newsletter

Awesome Giveaway

Enter in a giveaway to win a touchscreen display KINDLE!Good Luck!

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#IWSG: Tighten Your Writing

Jennifer Lane


Time for 2015’s first Insecure Writer’s Support Group, a chance to share our hopes and fears, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh.


Since starting as a writer eight years ago, I’ve grown. (I’ve gained about twenty pounds, but that’s for another post.) The kind of growth I’ll discuss today is writing skill development. While I still have so much to learn, one area I’ve improved is tighter writing.

Be gone, verbal diarrhea!

So I want to share this excellent post, 25 Ways to Tighten Your Writing by Betsy Mikel with YOU.

A few of those tips that resonate with me:

1) Stop the adverb abuse. (I was a big offender). Dump the adverbs and choose more descriptive verbs. Instead of “I moved slowly”, try “I trudged.”

2) Knock out the highfalutin’ vocabulary. When I first started writing, I wanted to impress everyone with my intelligence by using words like avocation, prescient, and anathema. Then I learned NOBODY CARES how smart I am. Readers just want a good story with compelling characters, and bigass words might interrupt the flow.

3) Use contractions, which help dialogue sound more realistic. I can’t believe how long I’d write without contractions.

The article provides a link to 200 Common Redundancies. My critique partner Nicki Elson and I felt overwhelmed by reading that list!

In 2015, may your writing be loose and your editing tight, writer friends.

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Cover Reveal: Something Wicked by @CarolOates @OmnificPub

Jennifer Lane

Check out this AMAZING cover!

From Omnific Publishing 


New Adult
Historical/Contemporary Supernatural

Releasing January 20, 2015

Infected by the vampire virus on the streets of Dublin in 1886, the search for a cure brought Henry Clayton to London and to the brink of madness. Salvation and friendship arrived in the form of Dougal, an immortal Highlander with a devilish sense of humor and a love of life.

Amidst turmoil in vampire society, Henry returns to modern day Dublin. The Circle, a cult determined to awaken their Celtic blood god, the first vampire, is once again active.

When Henry meets a young American woman who sees past his human pretense, he fears exposure. However, his fear is overshadowed by curiosity. What is the source of the strange energy between them? Why are vampires stalking her? Determined to find answers, Henry takes Ari into his home and under his protection.

As their connection grows, Henry begins to suspect Ari isn’t what she claims to be. Their shared history may hold the answers to his uncontrollable bouts of rage and thirst. Perhaps, even a cure for his wicked blood.


Add it to Goodreads 


About the Author 

Carol Oates came into the world on Christmas morning, in an elevator. Raised just across the street from the childhood home of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, it was only a matter of time before Carol’s love of all things supernatural would emerge. 

She began experimenting with fiction at school and keeps the notebook containing her first unpublished novel in her desk drawer. Over three decades later, all her stories still begin life scrawled on paper. 

When not writing, Carol can be found exploring history, old buildings, castles, and tombs. 

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Happy Holidays from @JenLaneBooks #Giveaway

Jennifer Lane

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Readers, Authors, Friends!



(Some of us had a little too much to drink at a recent holiday party.) 

Here are the Peanut Butter Cup Christmas trees I made.

(Using white chocolate “glue”, layer a small pb cup, large pb cup, small pb cup, and a Hershey’s kiss!)




And here’s my friend Jason the Christmas dunce. (Isn’t he cute?)









Jason and another friend gifted me this T-shirt:


Rude! I may be single, but my characters Dane and Lucia from college volleyball romance Blocked might not be single for long. *winks*

Blocked’s sales have been great! Thank you so much, readers. I’m hosting two Blocked giveaways for the holidays, listed below and on the right sidebar:

1) Enter to win a signed print copy on Goodreads HERE (open internationally).

2) Enter to win a $25 gift card and more HERE if you review Blocked on Amazon.

Both giveaways run until early February.

And my critique partner Nicki Elson has an Amazon gift card giveaway until the end of the year HERE.

Happy holidays!
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Cover Reveal: Defenseless by @ElisaDane (The Diamond Girls #3)

Jennifer Lane

Defenseless (Diamond Girls #3)


Release Date: 01/17/15

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

High school senior Claire Reilly’s world revolves around All-Star cheerleading. The Diamond Girls are gearing up for a major competition, which, if they win will allow them to compete at Worlds for the first time. But the unimaginable happens, and both Claire and her team are rocked by a devastating loss. Determined to get to Worlds any way she can, Claire finds help from the last person she imagined would give it—up and coming UFC fighter and notorious bad boy, Ryker Vaughn.

Fouled out of the octagon by a dirty opponent and a vicious kick to the head, Ryker loses control when he learns he may never fight again. Angry over the loss of his mother, an unsupportive family, and the world in general, he gives up, gives in, and unleashes his rage—destroying part of his cousin’s cheer gym in the process. Things go from bad to worse when Ryker is given an ultimatum: help the Diamond Girls compete for a bid to Worlds, or go to jail.

Overwhelmed with anger, sadness, and grief, the unlikely pair learn that what you see is not always what you get, and that the most difficult losses sometimes open the door to a frightening, yet amazing new future.


Companion books in this series:
(covers linked to Goodreads)



About the Author: Elisa Dane


I’m a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!

I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it’s my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you’ll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.

Author Links:


Cover Reveal Organized by:

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Seven for a Secret by @RumerHaven #Review #Interview #Giveaway

Jennifer Lane


Today I’m psyched to have author Rumer Haven to the blog! I loved her ghostly historical romance Seven for a Secret. After my review, stick around for the interview and giveaway.

Seven For A SecretSeven For A Secret by Rumer Haven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Secret Lives, Secret Deaths

“There’s souls not at rest here. It’s a troubled place, this.”

A historical romance set in Chicago, one of my favorite cities? Sign me up! The classy cover also drew me in.

In the year 2000, 25-year-old Kate moves into Camden Court, an apartment complex that used to be a 1920’s hotel. She meets a cast of quirky elderly neighbors who report they didn’t find the former tenant Olive in Kate’s apartment until three days after her death. *shudders* Then Kate gets locked in her bathroom, and it feels like she’s not alone. Eek!

Kate works at a museum with her boyfriend Dexter. While Dexter is sweet, he’s no Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles. (The 80s and 90s references made me happy.) Kate also feels intrigued by her hottie neighbor and wants to take a “break” from her relationship with Dex. (Anyone who knows the Ross/Rachel saga from Friends worries this won’t turn out well.)

As Kate gets to know spunky Vera and kind-hearted Leo from the geriatric crowd, they tell her more about the ghostly Olive and her older sister Eva from the well-to-do 1920’s Hughes family. The story then travels back through time to the scene of a decadent house party, full of flappers and moonshine. Bachelor Lon meanders through the crowd with cynical distaste, until he comes upon an “exquisite nymph” of a woman, Eva.

Lon first notices Eva’s eyes:

They burned with a jade green he’d once seen in a great bonfire, the hottest of flames devouring all they came into contact with.

A bit of foreshadowing, perhaps? Sadly, Eva is betrothed to a man from another of Chicago’s socially elite families. But Lon won’t give up easily.

The historical romances in the 20s and 00s gradually pulled me in deeper to the point that it felt like I lived in Camden Court myself. The descriptive writing style authentically captures the proper debauchery and impending sense of doom from the twenties. This is a long novel, which allows both stories to unfold at their own pace (unlike my dissatisfaction with jamming two stories into one in Ugly Love).

One story has a happy ending and the other ends on a tragic note, but a common thread woven throughout is the search for love with the right partner, no matter how tangled the threads (or bonds) of life become. Kate’s friend Blair tells it so well:

“Kate, trust me. When a guy’s genuinely into you, the rules don’t apply. Real love isn’t a game, and that’s how you’ll know it when you see it. You’ll recognize The One when you aren’t overanalyzing him. You’ll just … be, and it’ll play out organically.”

And Kate responds:

“Why do I always feel like Enya should be playing in the background of your advice? I can almost smell herbal incense spraying out of my phone.” Hehe.

View all my reviews

~*~


And now I interview Rumer:

Jennifer Lane (JL): Welcome to the blog, Rumer. I loved the uniqueness of Seven for a Secret. What sparked the story for you?


 Rumer Haven (RH): Thanks for inviting me over, Jennifer! I’m so delighted that you enjoyed Seven for a Secret and am honored to be at your blog. 

While there were an assortment of inspirations along the way, I suppose the real foundation for this story was a quite literal brick-and-mortar one. I modeled Camden Court after the Hampden Court apartment building in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, where I lived a decade ago. I loved the atmosphere of its vintage interior and exterior, enchanted by the idea that so many different lives had dwelled within those same walls for almost a century, and how so many separate lives continued to coexist in the building—the crowded isolation of people living within feet of each other, vertically and horizontally, hearing each other through walls or seeing each other through windows, yet rarely actually meeting in person…the idea of being both alone and surrounded by people…and the bizarre circumstances it might take for these otherwise parallel lives to intersect. Oh, say, like getting trapped in a bathroom and having to call for help out the window (that happened to me) and an old woman dying in her apartment, which freed the unit for another tenant, whose cat then pawed at the empty air inside it (that happened, too). That last bit was all the encouragement I needed to make this a ghost story. But in general, I gravitate toward stories with a strong sense of setting, so Hampden Court became Camden Court, which in turn became my big ol’ cauldron to fill with characters and bring to a boil.

JL: I also love Chicago! What made you choose the Windy City for the setting?


RH: After relocating from Chicago to London and first writing a manuscript set in the UK, my imagination itched to return home. Without question, Seven for a Secret is my Valentine to Chicago. Not just the 1920s but my twenties there—living in Lincoln Park, working downtown, volunteering at the Adler Planetarium. In addition to its sentimental value to me, its amazing history and architecture provided an ideal framework. So many iconic establishments from the Capone era still stand and serve one function or another, so the city couldn’t have been more perfect for a dual-time-period story. Like London, Chicago is living, thriving history. The past so strongly coexists with the present there, and I couldn’t help but write about it.

JL: You’re an editor and an author. Which started first? What is your favorite thing about both?


 RH: I started writing first and became an editor on the heels of completing my first novel-length manuscript. Working on both sides of the publication fence has certainly been interesting in many respects, but I’d say my favorite thing about editing is working with other authors and being a part of their creative process. I used to be an English teacher, and while there’s so much I miss about the classroom, I still get to instruct as an editor—not only with regard to writing but in recognizing people’s potential and helping them reach it. That is hugely satisfying and provides an important balance, I think. Because while my favorite thing about writing is losing myself to another place, time, and situation—basically, my favorite thing about reading, too—it’s a solitary practice that can make me overly introverted. So though it can admittedly get frustrating whenever more of my time and creative energy goes to someone else’s manuscript and leaves me depleted for my own, I’m grateful for that push to get outside of myself and help other writers realize their dreams. I don’t have to do both; I choose to and feel like the luckiest gal in the world that I even have that choice.

JL: What is one thing about publishing that has surprised you?


RH: How much authors have to market their own books! So much momentum goes into writing a book, revising it, then releasing it, and then all of a sudden, it’s like…Okay, now what? It’s out there, but how do I get people to know that?? With social media, there are so many ways to interact with readers, which is awesome and fun. I can be social. But I’m not particularly skilled at marketing, nor keen on self-promotion, so when lovely folks like yourself take the time to not only read my book but review it and share it with others, I am genuinely appreciative and content knowing that someone other than me (and my mom, who’s obligated) has enjoyed it.

JL: What are you working on now?


RH: I’m revisiting my first manuscript. It’s similar to Seven for a Secret in certain ways but with a much stronger paranormal element and London setting. It shifts between two time periods, too (present day and Victorian era), but takes place mostly in the present and is somewhat darker, more psychological. A ghost story with a philosophical twist. 

I’m also outlining a new story set in one house over the course of one night, which I’ve always wanted to try, though it’ll be a challenge for sure to keep that interesting! A rom-com dinner party with a little Agatha Christie and Ghost Hunters thrown in the mix. But aside from crazy chicken scratchings all over the pages of my notebook, I’ve only written a chapter for that one so far.

*****GIVEAWAY*****

Rumer and Omnific Publishing offer an ebook of Seven for a Secret to a lucky winner. To enter, leave a comment. You can choose to answer this question: Would you rather live in the 1920s or 2000s?
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Best of 2014 Giveaway Hop

Jennifer Lane


Thanks to Mary from Bookhounds and Kathy from I Am a Reader for hosting!


Wow, I read many wonderful books this year, but my favorite has to be Making Faces by Amy Harmon. See my review HERE.

Making Faces is a New Adult romance that made me sob. We’re talking raccoon mascara eyes here. The story has a beautiful message: it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

(Banner from Aestas Book Blog)


If you’re in the US, I’ll buy you a paperback copy of Making Faces or a similarly priced book. If you’re outside the US, I’ll buy you an ebook of Making Faces or a similarly priced book.

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Now hustle over to these blogs to discover their favorite reads: