Izz "Pingle" Bookish Place

Save My Soul by Elley Arden Blog Tour + Guest Post

Save My Soul

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: 3/25/12

Psychotherapist Maggie Collins has always been a little off the proverbial wall, but now

she’s also knee deep in a delayed quarter-life crisis. With her meager paychecks devoured by

student loan debt, a car payment and rent for office space, living at home with a flighty, folksinging mother seemed like a good idea…at first. Now Maggie’s not so sure. She wants space

to sort things out and launch a life of her own, but she needs a cushion of cash to get there.

When an unexpected phone call brings an offer Maggie can’t refuse, she’s one deal with the

devil away from moving out of her mother’s house.

The devil of contract negotiations, baseball agent Jordon Kemmons, has a problem the

usual experts can’t fix…his star pitcher is too depressed to throw strikes. Even worse,

Jordon’s post-divorce grudge against women is turning him into a raging mess. If desperate

times call for desperate measures, then cynical Jordon has made the most desperate move

of all. He’s hoping sexy psychotherapist Maggie Collins is the answer to all his rusty prayers.

Soon Maggie and Jordon are fighting an attraction that threatens everything they’ve ever

believed. If it’s not just physical attraction…if it’s something more, maybe two wrongs can

make a right.

LINKS TO BUY:

~ Amazon ~ iTuens ~ Barnes and Noble

Guest Post

10 Things I Didn’t Know About Becoming a Published Author

When I started on this path to publication, I simply wanted to share my words with readers. But I quickly learned there was nothing simple about it. Here are 10 things I didn’t know and didn’t expect about becoming a published author:

1. I have to work just as hard after the book is published. Finding readers isn’t easy. The market is saturated, and it’s up to the writer to really be seen. Staying relevant—especially after the initial excitement of release week—is harder than writing the book in the first place.

2. Watching rankings is addictive and hazard to my mental health. I have dozens of screenshots detailing my book’s rise and fall in the Amazon ranks. My moods rose and plummeted along with those numbers. I try—really hard—not to look now.

3. Published doesn’t mean rejection-proof. I have received two rejections since Save My Soul was published.

4. People are interested in me, not just my books. As a fairly private person, this one scared me a little, and I’ve had to push outside my comfort zone to left perfect strangers in.

5. My family and friends are more excited than I am. They send supportive emails, leave comments on my site and never fail to ask how the book is doing, what I’m writing now and if they can help in any way.

6. Self-doubt still creeps in. At least once a day I think everyone is wrong and I’m the worst writer ever to open a Word document.

7. A published book is still sometimes not good enough. For powerhouse reviewers. For viral trending. For bestseller lists. There are so many levels of success. Just when I think I’ve reached the point where I wanted to be, I see something shiny ahead, and where I am isn’t good enough.

8. Some things are out of my control. Not everyone will like what I write. (See No. 3. Rejection can come from many sources, from other publishers and agents to reviewers and readers.)

9. Social media is my best friend and worst nightmare. I love connecting with readers and writers. It helps me feel less alone during the day. But I have words to write, and they often don’t get written when I’m hanging out on Twitter and Facebook all day.

10. I love every minute of it. Even the less-than happy parts, like rejection, bad reviews, and self-doubt. I love those parts, because the mere fact I’m dealing with them means I’m a published author, and that is a dream come true.

Author Bio

Elley Arden is a born and bred Pennsylvanian who has lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. She drinks wine like it’s water (a slight exaggeration), prefers a night at the ballpark to a night on the town, and believes almond English toffee is the key to happiness.

Elley has been reading romance novels since she was a sixteen-year-old babysitter, sneaking Judith McNaught and Danielle Steele novels off the bookshelves of the women who employed her. She started her first manuscript when she was twenty-five, writing during babies’ naps. A total of three children and ten years later, the manuscript was complete. Little did she know, her journey to publication was only beginning…

Elley writes provocative contemporary romances for Crimson Romance.

elleyarden.com

Twitter - @ElleyWrites

Facebook

Follow Along With This Tour!

May 4 - My Reading Addiction - Review

May 5 - Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - Interview/PROMO

May 8 - Queen of the Night - Review/Guest Post

May 9 - Texas Book Nook - Review

May 10 - Up All Night Reviews - Guest Post/PROMO

May 11A Life Through Books - Review

May 12 - In Love with Romance- PROMO

May 13 - The Serial Reader - Review/Guest Post

May 15 - My Pathway to Books - Review

May 17 - Illustrious Illusions - Review/Guest Post

May 18 - Flirting with Romance - Guest Post/PROMO

May 19 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review

May 20 - Izz Bookish Place - Guest PostPROMO

May 22 - Taking it One Page at a Time - Review

May 23 - My Cozie Corner- Review

May 24 - LovLivLife Reviews - PROMO

May 25 - Busy Mom book Reviews - Review

May 25 - Book Referees - Guest Post/PROMO

May 28 - Bunny's Reviews - Review/interview

May 29 - Faerie Tale Books - Review/Guest Post

May 30 - The Canon - Review

May 31 - RABT Reviews - Review

Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible Blog Tour + Interview & Giveaway

Gadget Girl:

The Art of Being Invisible

by Suzanne Kamata

Publication: May 17th 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary

Synopsis:

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS meets STONER AND SPAZ

Aiko Cassidy is fourteen and lives with her sculptor mother in a small Midwestern town. For most of her young life Aiko, who has cerebral palsy, has been her mother's muse. But now, she no longer wants to pose for the sculptures that have made her mother famous and have put food on the table. Aiko works hard on her own dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity. When Aiko's mother invites her to Paris for a major exhibition of her work, Aiko at first resists. She'd much rather go to Japan, Manga Capital of the World, where she might be able to finally meet her father, the indigo farmer. When she gets to France, however, a hot waiter with a passion for manga and an interest in Aiko makes her wonder if being invisible is such a great thing after all. And a side trip to Lourdes, ridiculous as it seems to her, might just change her life.

Gadget Girl began as a novella published in Cicada. The story won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award in Fiction and was included in an anthology of the best stories published in Cicada over the past ten years.

~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~

Interview:

Hi Suzanne, welcome to my blog! Could you tell us about yourself, where do you live and why your surname sounds like Japanese?

Hi! Thanks so much for having me! I’m an American, born and raised in Michigan, but I came to Japan after college to teach English for a couple of years. I met a Japanese guy, married him, and wound up staying. We now have two kids. I still teach English, including creative writing. I live in Tokushima, which is famous for Awa Odori, the biggest summer festival in Japan (think Mardi Gras with summer kimono!). Tokushima also has an annual anime/manga event, where fans dress up as their favorite characters, and lots of anime movies are shown.

What is your passion in your life besides writing?

I love to travel. My most recent trip was this past March. I took my daughter to Paris, which is sort of a case of life imitating fiction.

How many books have you written so far?

I’ve written three other books – a novel and a short story collection for adults, and a picture book for kids. I’ve also edited three anthologies.

What is the reason that you write Young Adult, why not write other genre(s)?

I do write other genres! I write all kinds of things! Over the years. a lot of my characters have been teen-agers or young women. I used to think I was writing coming-of-age stories for adults, but I realized that maybe these stories were supposed to be for young adults.

How did you come out with the title Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible for this book?

The Art of Being Invisible was my original title for this book. I liked the way it combined different themes of the book like not wanting to stand out, and art. But there are a lot of The Art of… books on the market right now. My publisher let me keep my title as a subtitle, but she wanted to go with a title that was a bit more unusual. Gadget Girl refers to the manga character created by the main character, Aiko, but it can also refer to the various gadgets and devices and adaptive tools that people with disabilities sometimes use.

Who did the design for Gadget Girl cover?

My publisher hired the designer. All I know is that her name is Suzanne, same as mine. J Her company is called Night & Day Design.

The heroine in this book has cerebral palsy, can you tell us about her condition and what gave you the idea about this?

The idea came from my daughter, who also has cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a form of brain injury typically caused by a shortage of oxygen to the brain, often at birth. This covers a wide range of disabilities, depending on the extent of the injury. In some people, it’s barely noticeable. Others are barely functional. Like my daughter, Aiko can use the right side of her body better than the left side. She has problems with things that require two hands, but she can draw well with her right hand (like my daughter!). She also walks with a limp.

Aiko, the heroine has a dream of becoming a great manga artist with a secret identity and being invisible, have you had an experience like this?

Sometimes I wish I were invisible. As a big white person in Japan, I stand out, and sometimes I’d like to blend in. I’m not good at drawing, so I’ve never attempted to draw manga, and I’d rather have people know that I’m the one who wrote my books. At the same time, because I write in English, most of my neighbors and the people around me don’t know that I’m a writer. I’m just the weird foreigner who goes out to the get the newspaper in her robot pajamas! In that respect, I guess I sort of do have a secret identity.

What are the messages you want your readers to convey through Gadget Girl?

Art is empowering! Travel is liberating! Your dreams can come true! Also, I’d like for readers to understand that girls like my daughter have various abilities, common interests and rich inner lives. Having a disability is not all doom and gloom.

Have you experienced a writer’s block and how did you handle it?

When I’m feeling stuck, I use writing prompts. I’m a big believer in prompts! There are many sites and books available which offer ideas for writing, but I sometimes make up my own. One idea is to take a sentence from someone else’s book and continue writing, Or put your characters in a strange situation – in a boat in the middle of a lake, for example – and see what happens. Or retell a well-known or obscure folktale from a different point of view, or set it in a different time or place. I’ve also started collecting headlines from the Internet, like “Princess a suspect” or “Cows help rescue lost dog.” Now wouldn’t that be a fun story?

AUTHOR BIO

Five-time Pushcart Prize nominee Suzanne Kamata is the author of the novels Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible(GemmaMedia, 2013) and Losing Kei (Leapfrog Press, 2008), and editor of three anthologies - The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan, Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs, and Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2009). Her short fiction and essays have appeared widely. She is the Fiction Co-editor of literarymama.com.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.suzannekamata.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/303669.Suzanne_Kamata

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shikokusue

Follow the tour!

May 15th

-Lisa's Gadget 'N Book World >> Review

-Wintry Words >> Excerpt

-Bookwyrming Thoughts >> Guest Post

May 16th

-Izz "Pingle" Bookish Place >> Interview

-Sab The Book Eater >> Review

-Must Read Faster >> Review

-Bookmarks, Spoilers and Happily Ever After >> Excerpt

May 17th

-Lola's Reviews >> Review

-Carti nemuritoare >> Review

-Books and Insomnia >> Excerpt

-Alexa Loves Books >> Review

May 20th

-Cherie Reads >> Review

-Words and Tea Bottles >> Review

-Bookworm's Multiverse >> Interview

-Stephanie Parent YA Author >> Review

-Moosubi Reviews! >> Excerpt

May 21st

-JennReneeRead >> Review

-Mythical Books >> Excerpt

-Word Spelunking >> Review + Interview

-Alice Marvels >> Review

May 22nd

-Reader Girls >> Review + Interview

-lilybloombooks >> Review

May 23rd

-Actin' Up with Books >> Review

-Curling Up With A Good Book >> Guest Post

-She's Got Book on Her Mind >> Review

-ReadingToTheStarsAndBack >> Review

May 24th

-Tumbling In Books >> Review

-Nazish Reads >> Review

-Total Book Geek >> Review

-Mother/Gamer/Writer >> Review

-Froggarita's Bookcase >> Interview

May 27th

-Book Adoration >> Review

-Reviewing Shelf >> Review

-Teen Blurb >> Review + Guest Post

GIVEAWAY

Win 5 paperback copies

Open internationally

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Afterlife Academy Blog Tour + Giveaway!

Even being dead isn’t enough to get you out of maths class. Dying wasn't on sixteen-year-old Riley Richardson's to-do list. And now, not only is she dead, but she's stuck in a perpetual high school nightmare. Worse still, she's stuck there with the geekiest, most annoying boy in the history of the world, ever. In a school where the geeks are popular and just about everything is wrong, Riley has become an outcast. She begins a desperate quest to get back home, but her once-perfect life starts to unravel into something not nearly as great as she thought it was. And maybe death isn’t really that bad after all... Welcome to Afterlife Academy, where horns are the norm, the microwave is more intelligent than the teachers, and the pumpkins have a taste for blood. Afterlife Academy is a Young Adult paranormal romantic comedy, suitable for approximately ages 14 and up.

Excerpt

I have always been a good girl. I’ve always been a girl who never gets into trouble. In fact, the one and only time that I do something even vaguely wrong, do you know what happens? I die. At least, that seems like the most logical explanation, given the circumstances. I remember impact. And then nothing. I open my eyes and look around. I am standing in front of the school gate. Of all places. It’s freezing. Something feels wrong. I’m just pulling my jacket further around myself when I hear a voice to my left. “You,” it says angrily. It startles me and I spin around to see Anthony. Of all people. Somehow I have gone from being in the car with Wade to standing in front of the school gate with the geekiest, most boring, weirdest nerd boy from my form. “You,” I snarl back at him. I look around and realise something is really wrong with this place. “What’s with all the mist?” Anthony asks. “Like I’m gonna know.” I shrug. “Maybe there’s been some kind of nuclear explosion. What’s the last thing you remember?” “I don’t…” I trail off as I think. “You,” I say suddenly. “You… In the car… Wade… He…” Memories flood my mind and make me shudder. “What do you remember?” I ask as I try to shake the cold feeling that has crept down my spine. He shrugs. “I was on my way home. You and that idiot boyfriend of yours were speeding around in some car that obviously didn’t belong to either of you. I yelled at him to slow down, there’s a nursery school just down the road, he could have killed someone…” The cold feeling intensifies. I think he did.

Author bio

Jaimie is a 28-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps. She has been writing for years but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people. Afterlife Academy is her third novel and she hopes you enjoy it. There are plenty more on the way! http://www.jaimieadmans.com/
http://twitter.com/be_the_spark
http://facebook.com/jaimieadmansbooks

Giveaway

Win 2 Afterlife Academy notebook, pen, magnet, and signed postcard swag set

Open internationally

Ends 31st May

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May Kindle Fire Giveaway: Win Kindle Fire HD or $199 Amazon GC / PP Cash!

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER SPONSORED GIVEAWAY!

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). Ends 5/31/13 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 http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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The Tale of Mally Biddle Book Blast + Win $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!

Tour Schedule

The Tale of Mally Biddle by M.L. LeGette

When Mally Biddle agreed to spy upon the King of Lenzar and his overbearing knights she knew she was heading into danger. She didn't know she'd find a family unlike any other. Posing as a servant in Bosc Castle, Mally serves tea and tends fires for the most dangerous men in the kingdom. Her goal is to learn the truth of what happened sixteen years ago, when the infant princess met her death ... a death that is surrounded by more questions than answers. Along her search for the truth, Mally meets the energized Lita Stump, the strict and matriarchal Meriyal Boyd, and the opinionated Archibald Diggleby. Then of course there are the knights: Leon Gibbs who is slicker than a greased hog, Adrian Bayard, hot tempered and violent, and the worst of the lot: Sir Illius Molick, Captain of the Knights. And then there is Maud, a mysterious woman who just might know everything...

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Amazon Kindle

Praise

"To say I loved this book is an understatement. Mally is a wonderful character and she encounters so many quirky folks on her assignment. Very well written and engaging story! And an added bonus of a love triangle! I enjoyed it from beginning to end!! I will definitely be looking for more from this author!" ~April
Holgate

Author Melissa LeGette

Melissa LeGette lives in Georgia where she helps run a family farm, so her nails are a fright. The Tale of Mally Biddle is her second novel.

Blog * Facebook

Pinterest * Twitter

Book Blast Giveaway

Win $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 6/2/13

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David's Song Blog Tour: Tens List + $25 Amazon GC or Paypal Cash Giveaway!

Tour Schedule

David's Song

Taken from the book cover: Annie only ever really loved two men in her life. One broke her heart, the other married her. Four children and fifteen years later, Annie’s marriage is in jeopardy. Money is tight and her husband questions the very foundation of their relationship. When Annie is unexpectedly given the opportunity to see the young man who broke her heart — a man who is now a megastar in the music industry — Annie is faced with choices. Choices that will determine what is of more value — a second chance at lost love and unfulfilled dreams or commitment, trust, and love built on years of experience. A psychologically subtle, yet compelling tale about how the instinct and need for love overcomes self-doubt and personal inadequacy.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

~ Author's Ten Favorite Songs ~

I have to limit this to ten!?!?!?

Okay...here's the list as of April 2013, and these are in no particular order.

1. Superman Tonight - Bon Jovi

2 . Why - Rascal Flatts

3. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood

4. Yes - Chad Brock

5. Crisitori's Dream - David Lanz

6. Breathe - Faith Hill

7. Tonight I Wanna Cry - Keith Urban

8. So She Dances - Josh Groban

9. As You Turn Away - Lady Antebellum

10. Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg

Author A.R. Talley

April R Talley was born and raised in the Rubber City, Akron, Ohio in 1959. She is the youngest of six children. She attended Brigham Young University for a time, but withdrew to work fulltime for Osmond Productions in Orem, Utah as a member of The Osmond production staff. After a brief stint working in television, she returned to Akron to finish her education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media Communications in 1981. April later worked as vice president and part owner of a dance and sportswear boutique. Married in 1982, she is the proud mother of seven children and is deeply involved in volunteer work for her church. April spends her time working on future projects, caring for home and family, and traveling. David’s Song is her debut novel and the first of a trilogy.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads

Praise from reviews on Goodreads.com

"Not just your typical romance novel" - Tracy Williams

"David's Song is great read that leaves you thinking about the story and pondering your own relationships". - Anna Pavkov

"Sucked me in from the 1st page" - Jill Walker

"Loved this book . . . could not put it down!" - Dana Vieira