Category: Books & Authors

TBR Pile Gems, Featuring Alesia Holliday

You know how it is. You win a free book at a conference drawing, think, “Cool, I have to read this.” Then it goes into your To Be Read pile for months…or sometimes years. You really want to read the author, but you’re not too sure the story line appeals to you. You feel guilty because she signed the book for you and you know her on-line. She’s great. Surely, her books will be great. But for some reason the book you won keeps stagnating in your TBR pile. You notice the author has a new release, so you buy that one. Now you have two of her books in your TBR pile. You read the purchased one first. You love it. You adore it. You wish there was a sequel.

Months pass. You finally decide to read the book you won. You’re on the fence, because you’re still not certain the story line appeals. You start reading it. You realize you’re an idiot. You love it. You adore it. You wish she was still writing under the same name and the same style of books—fun chick lit and quirky mysteries—because you enjoy them so much. But she’s moved on to greener pastures and now publishes action-adventure romances as Alyssa Day.

I’m talking about Alesia Holliday, a talented author I wish I’d discovered sooner. Or, um, released from my TBR pile sooner.

Which books am I pimping? Blondes Have More Felons and American Idle. holliday_idleThe latter I won during an RWA conference workshop drawing presented by Alicia, other authors, and an agent (or two, I can’t recall). That’s the book that unfortunately sat in my TBR pile for years. Sorry, Alesia. I didn’t think the reality TV singing show setting would appeal to me. Boy, was I wrong.

If you like, or even if you abhor, American Idol, you’ll appreciate this fun look into the behind-the-scenes life of production assistant Jules Vernon. Alesia employs a lot of laugh-out-loud humor—the kind of writing I love. Humor is very tricky to write. What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. But Alesia’s humor works for me. I’m just sorry she didn’t get a chance to write more Alesia Holliday books.

holliday_felonsBlondes Have More Felons is her foray into funny mysteries, featuring former corporate attorney, December Vaughn. I wish I could include the back cover copy from the books, but Alesia no longer maintains a website for her Holliday books and I’m too lazy busy with my own writing to type out the descriptions from my copies. But check out all the great reviews for both books on Amazon. If they sound like your thing, give them a chance. And don’t let them waste their funny lives away in your TBR pile, too.

Discovered any gems in your TBR pile lately? Let me know. If it’s in my pile, it’ll inspire me to dig it out. Or buy a copy to add to the ever-growing pile.

Agents Who Write

I accidentally found out while surfing the web a few months ago that agent Lucienne Diver is also a writer (in case you’re wondering, the link leads to her writer’s website, not her agenting website). (Want her agenting website, too? Sheesh! Okay, okay!). She’s represented by Kristin Nelson, has a couple of short stories and a novel with Five Star published under the name, Kit Daniels. Her first novel as Lucienne Diver, VAMPED, releases this year.

I already knew that agent Roberta Brown publishes as Kate Angell, and Deidre Knight publishes as, well, herself. I know there are other agents out there who are also published writers, but their names escape me at the moment.

Some authors are dead-set against having an agent who writes. I confess I used to think that way, too. Now, my concern is much more along the lines of how would OUR author/agent relationship work and thrive regardless of whether the agent is also a writer or not? Personally, I would not discount an agent who writes, but I know there’s another viewpoint. If anyone cares to extoll the pros of NOT signing with an agent who writes, I’m all ears. Is having an agent who writes an advantage, a disadvantage, or…it depends?

Lovely RITA, Meter Maid

Or, should I say, contest.

I have a lot of reading to do over the next few weeks, because I received my RITA books yesterday. This is the first year I’ve volunteered to judge the RITA contest. Last year and previous years, I judged the Golden Heart. Considering this is the second year I’ve entered the RITA myself (last year as Cindy and Penny, this year just as Penny), I decided the time had come to volunteer to judge. As much as I yearned to continue judging the Golden Heart, I confess I don’t have it in me to judge two contests at one time, so I had to choose.

I received 8 or 9 books—yikes! All but one are in one category, and then there’s a lone baby from a second category. It’s interesting, when you receive all but one book from one category, to note the publishers within that category. However, I can’t go into my observations here, so as not to ID authors and publishers. I’ll have to discuss it with Elle Muse. She’s very discreet.

Before I get to the RITA entries, I’m still reading a wonderful book by Bronwyn Parry, an Australian writer who won the Golden Heart in 2007. Bronwyn’s romantic suspense with a mainstream feel, AS DARKNESS FALLS, was published by Hachette Australia this year. I’d love to include a link to Amazon for everyone, but unfortunately the book isn’t distributed in North America. So if you search on Amazon, I think it’s listed as out of print or something. But it IS in print—just in Australia.

How did I finagle a copy, you ask? Hachette had a contest for five people to win copies of Bronwyn’s book, I happened to enter (because I really wanted to read it), and I happened to get chosen as one of the lucky winners. Yay for me.

Oh, and before I forget, today is the last day you can comment to enter to win a copy of SECRETS, VOLUME 26: BOUND BY PASSION, including the novella, Exes & Ahhs, by Kate St. James, who is the author of the week at Candy Ready’s Red Hots. Excerpts from Exes & Ahhs went up yesterday and today—so hop over and check ’em out. Yes, you have to comment (there, not here) to enter for a chance to win, but the winner is getting chosen tomorrow, so if you want this last chance to enter, take advantage of it now. NOW, I tell ya!!

Tina Ferraro Blogging Tomorrow!

Make sure to drop by tomorrow to welcome Young Adult author Tina Ferraro to my blog! Author of  THE ABC’S OF KISSING BOYS (which just released today—yay, Tina), Tina is blogging about how she came up with the idea for her new book, and she’s also giving away a copy!

Back Cover blurb for THE ABC’S OF KISSING BOYS:

Parker Stanhope has played soccer practically since she could walk. And now that she’s a high school junior, everything she’s worked for is finally coming together. She’s paid her dues on the field, and as an upperclassman, she’s a shoo-in for the varsity team. But that’s not what happens.

This year, Coach Hartley moved up every JV player but two—and one of those two was Parker. Now, she’s stuck with the freshmen, her friends are cutting her loose, and her love of the game is seriously beginning to fail. But Parker is determined to get her life back. She has to get on the varsity team, and she has the perfect plan. All she needs now is the right kind of coach.

Leave a comment or question for Tina tomorrow until midnight Pacific Standard Time to enter for your chance to win. 

About Tina:ferraro_pic

Tina Ferraro has been writing stories since she could hold a pencil. But while her creative writing skills have seen improvement, she’s still hoping to master penmanship. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, their three kids and a cat who bites. She’s written three books for Delacorte Press:  The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, How to Hook a Hottie, and Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress.

To view a trailer for THE ABC’S OF KISSING BOYS or to learn more about Tina and her books, please visit her website.

Win A Copy of Secrets 26!

exes_and_ahhs_lgMy buddy, my friend, my life-long pal, erotic romance author Kate St. James, is the Godiva of the week ALL WEEK at Candy Ready’s blog. That’s from now until Friday, folks. Visit today and tomorrow to read Candy’s two-part interview with Kate, and drop by again Wednesday and Thursday to read excerpts from Exes & Ahhs, Kate’s latest novella featured in Secrets 26: BOUND BY PASSION.

Every time you leave a comment, you’ll enter to win a free autographed copy of Secrets 26. And, what’s even more wonderful, you can enter up to 5 times. That’s five—count ’em—five, chances to win Secrets 26!

The winner will be announced Friday—not here, but on Candy Ready’s blog. So don’t leave a comment here to win Secrets 26—you have to leave the comments there. Well, you can leave a comment here if you want, telling Kate how wonderful she is, and I will make sure to pass it on to her (not difficult, sometimes I swear she’s living in my head). But comments posted here will not enter you in the contest for the free copy of Secrets 26. Only the comments entered at Candy’s Ready’s blog from Monday to Thursday, January 12th-15th will. Winner chosen Friday, January 16th.

Phew.

Sorry to clarify to the extreme, but after receiving several pitches in the comments section of my recent post about the BookEnds pitch critiques, I figured I’d better.

Kate St. James Chatting Tonight!

That’s right, my friend, my buddy, my life-long pal (well, my pal of the last two or three years), Secrets erotic romance author, Kate St. James, is chatting tonight at 9 p.m. EST (that’s 6 p.m. PST and some other p.m. in some other ST) at Romance Reviews Today. <— Just click on the link and then, when you’re on the RomRevToday site, just click on the RRT Chat button to the left. If you’re then offered a selection of chat rooms, please select Secrets or Red Sage Publishing or some variation thereof.

Kate isn’t the only Red Sage author chatting at RomRevToday tonight, but as for who else is dropping by—that’s a mystery. Kate assures me that she herself doesn’t even know!

Why is Kate chatting? Because her latest release, Exes & Ahhs in Secrets Volume 26: BOUND BY PASSION is now available! Whoot-whoot!! Way to go, Kate!

You know what this also means? Kate has updated her website! And it’s a snazzy web update, let me tell you. How do I know? Because I’m her web designer. Please visit Kate’s website to read an excerpt and reviews of Exes & Ahhs.

Kate also has a trailer for Secrets 26, designed by her anthology mate, Rachel Carrington. Here it is, for your viewing pleasure, fresh from YouTube (hint, Kate’s is the third story featured):