Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Winter wrap up!

Ok, seriously, how is it the end of 2015? How? I could have sworn I just sat down and started planning all of the things that I was going to accomplish in 2015!

And to be honest, it went by so quickly that I feel like I worked my butt off and didn't accomplish anything. In both my personal life and my author life. I know that's not true, but whew, time needs to slooooow down just a titch so I can jump back on this treadmill and not feel like I'm going to go flying off the end all "gym blooper" style.

So come take a journey back in time with me, so I can reflect on the things I DID accomplish in 2015, and then we'll make a plan for next year.

2015 started with a bang, both good and bad. I learned that not only do I have a thyroid problem, I also have a circulatory problem which, after an ultrasound and a CT scan (with contrast. Have you ever had dye injected into your veins? It feels really weird!) I was officially diagnosed as "hypersensitive to stress". Aka, despite the best efforts of my amazing doctor and several top notch cardiologists, there is no other explanation for how I went from very serious narrowing of arteries to completely normal in 3 weeks. What can I say, I like being a challenge.

I also started a new job in January, in a completely different field than before. It was a huge adjustment, but I am still so excited that I made the switch. I think the hardest part has been figuring out the work, author work, life balance with the new schedule, which requires me working more hours and no more Summers/Christmas/Spring Break time off to work on my books. I'll get there, just be patient with me.

Angela Stevens, Lynn Strang, and me

Cascade's  Library invited me back, and I was able to meet some new (to me) authors and really enjoy spending time hanging out with them. There was a good crowd this year and it was a blast talking to people so interested in reading and publishing. While I did miss having my table to sprawl (I took the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach in 2015 lol), it really forced me to interact with the people around me instead of hiding behind my books/in my phone.



In April I was able to be at my second Battle of the Books finale along with author Valerie Muller. Our books were featured in the 2014-2015 battle and it was so much fun seeing some of the students and staff of my old school who were attending the battle. Once again, I was amazed by the knowledge the students were able to retain and impressed by the questions the judges created for The Lady of Steinbrekka.

May and June brought a new face to old favorites, as I worked with Elizabeth Sharp to re-do the Kaldalangra series covers (what, a series that looks like a series? No way!). They are absolutely gorgeous and she was fantastic to work with (as always)




That's me on the right,
ignoring the big glass
elevator high in the air


June I really stepped out of my box, when I drove (all by myself, eek!) to Nashville Tennessee to UtopiaCon 2015. It was an absolutely amazing, fantastic, eye-opening time and I am so glad that I went. It was the longest solo road trip I've taken (oh, what's that, check engine light coming on at the halfway point? yay!) and also my first really big convention. I met so many amazing authors, bloggers, and readers and can't wait to do it again in 2016.




Things slowed down a little after that, with me writing here and there, blogging here and there, and generally struggling through health issues again. It was like a little mini emotional hibernation, but like all hibernations, soon I'll emerge from the den. The ideas are still swirling around in my head, but the energy needed to get them out is tapped out. It's coming back though, day by day, ever so slowly, and when it does ...

Bring on 2016!!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Winter Showcase - Marilyn Almodovar


Today I'm excited to bring you Marilyn Almodovar! Keep her name in your head, because December 25th her next novel, Alternate, is going to be available for purchase!

1) What is your favorite part of winter/the holidays?
I used to love winter because of the cold weather. Since moving to Florida I miss the snow terribly. Even though London wasn’t really covered in snow that often. However, I still love the holidays because I get to spend time with my family and friends. We sing, we decorate the tree, we get our menorah out, and we celebrate Chrismukkah. It’s nice to tell my kids about our Ancestors and how they ended up in Puerto Rico from different parts in Europe.

2) What is your least favorite part of the winter/holidays?
Cleaning after big meals. Though I have to admit I get my best ideas whilst doing the dishes. That’s how I started to think about Declan, one of the characters in Chronicles of the Interred. I was bored, hot, as it was in the 80s on Christmas day, and I was daydreaming about snow. And he just popped into my mind.

3) Name one great book you've read this year.
The book’s not out yet. Always room for cupcakes by Bethany Lopez, I beta read for her and fell in love with the characters.
(Again with this book!)

4) What is your favorite character from another author's book?
This is hard. I’ll name my top three favorites in no particular order, Harry Potter, Ponyboy , and John Thornton.

5) What is your favorite character from one of your own books?
I don’t like to play favorites but I have a soft spot for Aaron.

6) What do you enjoy doing other than writing?
Spending time with my family, reading, watching TV, and listening to music.

7) You have just received 1 million dollars, but you have to spend it in 24 hours. What do you do?
I would move the family back to England, buy houses for my mother and my auntie and my family so we can live nearby. I would also donate money to a few charities that I support.

8) What is your favorite genre to read (and why)?
I don’t have a favorite genre. Usually I pick up a book and if the blurb intrigues me, I buy the book.

9) What is your favorite genre to write (and why)? 
Young Adult. It’s a great age range, characters are having their first kisses, first time falling in love, first time driving, etc. It’s always fresh, and there are so many different ways to tell those stories, I find it fascinating.

10) If you couldn't be a writer, what would you be?
I would go back to Theater, to acting.  That was my first love for a long time, and it’s actually the subject I majored in, Theater, and also French.




Author Bio
Born in Arizona, Marilyn became a voracious reader at an early age. Since then you can always find her with her head stuck behind a book. She’s also a keen gamer and all around geek, so watch out if you enjoy Supernatural, Sherlock, or Doctor Who, she’ll probably won’t shut up.

Marilyn Almodóvar is the YA Author of the Time Traveling series, Chronicles of the Interred. Interred (2013), Fissure (2014) Alternate (2015). She’s also written a Romance book about bullfighting in Spanish under the name FP Alamo, in honor of her grandparents, Felipa & Pedro, called Corazón, Muleta y Estoque.

You can find Marilyn on Facebook or Twitter @LynAlmodovar!



Time has never been an issue for Baxter Jacobs, but then she never knew she had the ability to Bend it. 

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Baxter inherits a pendant that will change her life. Connected to the pendant is a dark and mysterious young man named Declan Ashdown. Trapped in a Time loop for the past 122 years, Declan needs Baxter’s help to escape. The only problem is, she has no idea how to do it. 

To acquire the power she needs to free him, she’ll become one of the Interred, those whose Magical abilities emerge as they come of age. When she does, she’ll discover that Declan isn’t the only one interested in the fact that she’s a Time Bender. 

As the Interment arrives, Baxter knows this will be no Sweet Sixteen. A vengeful relative and the ruthless Council are determined to control her. Declan’s powerful and charming descendant, Jack Ashdown, claims he can save her. She’ll soon have to decide who she can trust, and how to master her new abilities before Time runs out.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Adios release day!!

~ RELEASE DAY ~


Title: Adios
Series: Stories about Melissa, book 6
Author: Bethany Lopez
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Cover Design: Makeready Designs



Junior year is halfway over and Melissa is thrilled to be going with Jess, Jimmy, and Brian to Cabo San Lucas for Spring Break. Things at home haven't been great, and she could use the break that the sun and sand of Mexico is sure to bring. But things don't go as planned and the perfect vacation changes things for Melissa and her friends. Will the damage done be permanent and will life at home ever get back to the way it used to be?


Special Release Week Price - $.99

Kobo 



Excerpt:



Unable to keep it to myself any longer, I’d told Megan, hoping she’d talk it out with me and maybe keep an eye on things with them while I was gone.

Boy, was I wrong.

“That’s nice,” she’d replied when I told her. She didn’t even look away from her Kindle to acknowledge that I’d spoken.

“Yeah, Megan, I hope so. This is our parents I’m talking about. Can you at least look at me?”

I stood over her bed, looking down as I waited for her response, and … nothing.

She just kept on reading.

“You’re turning into a real jerk, you know that?”

“Takes one to know one,” was her witty response.

“You know what, I’m not going to let you do it. You aren’t making me mad so that I jump on top of you and start a fight … Nuh uh, I’m not messing up this trip for anything. So you can go ahead and sit there, with your greasy head, stuck in your stupid book, and forget I said anything. And make sure you don’t touch any of my stuff while I’m gone.”

With all of that said, I’d whirled around and stomped down the stairs.

When I heard her yell out, “Whatever,” I bit back the scream of frustration in my throat.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you haven't read the other books in this YA series, now's the perfect time to get caught up!


SERIES SALE ~ LAST CHANCE ~ ENDS TODAY~


The Stories about Melissa series is a coming of age series that follows Melissa, her family, and her friends. Similar to Sweet Valley High, each book is novella length. There will be eight books in the series.


Stories about Melissa reading order:



Ta Ta for Now! (Book 1, FREE)





xoxoxo (Book 2, 99cents)




Ciao (Book 3, 99cents)







TTYL (Book 4, 99cents)






With Love (Book 5, 99cents)




Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Winter Showcase - Bethany Lopez





1) What is your favorite part of winter/the holidays?
My favorite part is that magical feeling you get. It starts when you're a kid, and luckily, it still happens when your an adult. I love the crisp air, the way lights twinkle in the dark, and the time that's spent with family.

2) What is your least favorite part of the winter/holidays?
I'm from Michigan, but I haven't lived there since I joined the Air Force in 1996. I've been lucky enough not to be stationed anywhere where it snows like it does there (knock on wood), and I'm happy about that. I can remember being at college and having to step out into the freezing wind, bundled up so that only my eyes showed, and how miserable I felt. *shudders*

3) Name one great book you've read this year.
Hmmmm, that's a toughy. Since it's the most recent and most on my mind, I'll have to say Walk Through Fire by Kristen Ashley. It made me laugh, cry, and fall in love, all of the qualities I love in a good book!

4) What is your favorite character from another author's book?
I really love the female characters in Penny Reid's Knitting in the City series. They are so funny, quirky, and smart. I wish I could write characters like that.

5) What is your favorite character from one of your own books?
I know it's not fair to pick someone whose book isn't even out yet, but she's from one of the books I've recently finished. Delilah "Lila" Horton from what is tentatively titled, Always Room for Cupcakes. She's a riot. Always getting into mischief working as an Investigative Photographer, she's one of the most fun characters I've ever written.  

(TOTALLY NOT FAIR! Stay tuned for more information on this book!)

6) What do you enjoy doing other than writing?
Reading, Movies, Travel, Going to Theme Parks with the Family. 

7) You have just received 1 million dollars, but you have to spend it in 24 hours. What do you do?
Put a nice chunk of money down on a house in California, and buy a place for my dad in Tennessee.

8) What is your favorite genre to read (and why)?
I mostly read Romance. Whether it's Contemporary, Rom Com, Paranormal, or Historical, I love to fall in love. 

9) What is your favorite genre to write (and why)? 
Contemporary Romance is what I have the most written in, but I've recently written a Women's Fiction and what would probably a Rom Com/Suspense, and I had a blast with both.

10) If you couldn't be a writer, what would you be?
I was a cook in the Air Force and I've been a Restaurant Manager as a civilian. I would probably work towards becoming a chef or open my own restaurant. 




Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. She's a lover of all things romance: books, movies, music, and life, and she incorporates that into the books she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible. Some of her favorite things are: Kristen Ashley Books, coffee in the morning, and In N Out burgers.                                                                                                                                              Bethany Lopez is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.


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Monday, December 7, 2015

Adios cover reveal!

~ COVER REVEAL ~


Title: Adios
Series: Stories about Melissa, book 6
Author: Bethany Lopez
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Cover Design: Makeready Designs
Release Date: Dec 16, 2015


Junior year is halfway over and Melissa is thrilled to be going with Jess, Jimmy, and Brian to Cabo San Lucas for Spring Break. Things at home haven't been great, and she could use the break that the sun and sand of Mexico is sure to bring. But things don't go as planned and the perfect vacation changes things for Melissa and her friends. Will the damage done be permanent and will life at home ever get back to the way it used to be?


Special Pre-order Price - $.99

Kobo 


If you haven't read the other books in this YA series, now's the perfect time to get caught up!


SERIES SALE ~


The Stories about Melissa series is a coming of age series that follows Melissa, her family, and her friends. Similar to Sweet Valley High, each book is novella length. There will be eight books in the series.


Stories about Melissa reading order:

Ta Ta for Now! (Book 1, FREE)


xoxoxo (Book 2, 99cents)

Ciao (Book 3, 99cents)



TTYL (Book 4, 99cents)



With Love (Book 5, 99cents)