Thursday, January 30, 2014

On Tour: The Agent’s Daughter by Ron Corriveau. Guest Post and a Couple of Giveaways!


The Agent's Daughter


The Agent’s Daughter by Ron Corriveau
Publication date: May 18th 2013
Genres: Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

Melina has been preparing for a future career as a spy.

She just doesn't know it.

Legendary spy Evan Roberts always knew that his fifteen-year-old daughter Melina also possessed the absolute lack of fear required of an agent. Without telling her his real profession or his intention, he began to guide her toward an eventual career as a spy. However, Melina’s world is shattered after her mom is involved in an accident that leaves her mysteriously unhurt but unresponsive. Her father’s plans on hold, Melina settles into life at a suburban high school, immersing herself in a world of schoolwork, her friends and a budding romance with Alex, the cute new guy in her class.

When Melina and her father uncover shocking new information about her mother’s accident, Melina is pulled deep into her father’s shadowy world. With Alex desperately trying to find her and only hours to go before it will be too late to save her mother, Melina and her father work together using their combined skills to find a way to reach her.



Welcome to The Book Bag, Ron! I have a question I like to ask authors and I just love reading their answers. Thanks for letting us see a little bit about how your mind works.
I have heard other authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me. 
When some people hear voices, we get them medical attention, others end up becoming writers. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?

It’s funny. I don’t think of myself as a writer either. I am an electrical engineer and I design integrated circuits for a large telecommunications company. It is not as though I have written many books and have a certain way of doing things. This is the only book I have written. Nonetheless, if one were to ask me how I came to write this book, I can trace it to the exact moment.

I was sitting on the couch playing a game on the Wii with my then seven-year-old son Travis. This was our usual as we had spent the better part of several hours a day playing various games throughout the entire summer. Toward the end of the night, my ten-year-old daughter Melina entered the room to tell me that she was going to bed. I realized that, as of late, I had not spent any time with her. She had been spending time working on a book review blog of her own called Reading Vacation, so I didn’t seem to see her much. It was sad. She was getting older, and she was spending way more time with her mother, just like I was spending way more time with our son. Then it hit me. I would write a book where I could describe the feelings that I had about my daughter getting older. I could tell about the fierce protectiveness that fathers have as well as the joy that we have but might not show at having a daughter. I could even weave some anecdotes of events in her life into the story. (There is a scene in the book where a young Melina jumps off a boat in a store. That whole scene actually happened word for word.)

Having decided to write a book, I needed a plot. The main characters had to be a dad and a daughter. I also wanted to showcase women in roles that traditionally were thought of as being done by men. I rolled it around in my head and came up with the spy genre. Finally, the dad and daughter had to spend time together so they could talk as well as work together to solve a problem. I can’t say any more without revealing the story, but I was very happy with what I came up with.

It took me a little over two and one-half years to write the book. Other than a general idea of how the book would arc, I wrote it from start to finish as I went along. I would write only in the evening for about an hour a day, and I generally could write at most a page in that time. The slow pace was on purpose as I found that if I tried to write more, it was not as good. I found myself getting ahead of the story. I liked to think about the story during the day and mull over the many directions the story could take. I worked on the book as an engineer would work. Completely focused on a small part a little at a time until a larger whole emerged.

As for the characters telling the story, in some ways, that literally happened. The daughter character is named Melina and I created a little brother character named Travis. Almost every character in the book is named after a friend or family member. I even remembered that my daughter once said that all good young adult books have a romance in them, so I made sure that there was a boy as an integral part of the story. I can’t say that I heard voices while I was writing. That certainly would have made it easier. However, I listened to my feelings, and I hope that I wrote a story that you will enjoy.

About the author


Ron Corriveau is an electrical engineer and works designing custom integrated circuits. He started writing to prove to himself that he actually does have a right side to his brain. Originally from Southern California, he currently lives outside of Dallas with his lovely wife and two awesome kids. He has only recently come to terms with the fact that he is a geek, although he would like to stress that he doesn't hold any kind of leadership role in the organization.

Connect with Ron



You'll find more reviews, excerpts, giveaways, etc.!

Giveaway Time!!

Prize: 1 e-book copy of
The Agent's Daughter (INT)


Tour Wide Giveaway!!

Prize: 3x paperback copies of
The Agent's Daughter (INT)



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!


Free! Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington and a Chance to Win $25


Kiss of Fire
Book #1 in The Imdalind Series

Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn't know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn't want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won't let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to. 
The scar is the reason she is being hunted.

If only she knew that she was.

If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.

Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.


HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

You could win a $25 Gift Card!

Kiss of Fire by author Rebecca Ethington is FREE on Amazon! If you haven’t read KISS OF FIRE yet, trust me, you WANT to snag a copy!


Praise for KISS OF FIRE…
“KISS OF FIRE reminded me some of THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series and a few other books mixed together. It was absolutely great to read and hard to put down.” I READ INDIE

The way the story unfolds is expertly written. The introduction of the magic and magical characters is written so well that the story flows without any hiccups.” – Literary R&R

“I just loved this book! In Kiss of Fire, I immediately fell in love with Ryland and Joclyn, got completely sucked in the story and loved it till the end. The concept of this story is amazing. The twists thrilling. And, the romance so perfect and bittersweet.” – Shortie Says…
How can you help spread the word? Easy!

Just copy and paste the pre-made tweet below and share! Make sure to use the hashtag #KISSOFFIRE. Author Rebecca Ethington is giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky tweeter. Good Choice Reading will be picking a winner from the hashtag and sending them a tweet. :) 

This giveaway is open international! 

TWEET:

#KissofFire by Rebecca Ethington is FREE on Amazon! Over 350 FIVE star reviews! #YALit http://amzn.to/MwrMSP

Good luck everyone!





Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

WWW Wednesdays January 29, 2014


WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Clicking on the book covers will take you to Goodreads for more information about the books listed below.

What are you currently reading?

Hard Hats and Doormats by Laura Chapman
Lovin' it! My stop on it's tour is February 4th. 

Under the Dome by Stephen King 

What did you recently finish reading?

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow
Great start to a series. Can't wait for more!

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman
Wonderful! My thoughts will be posted soon. 

What do you think you will read next?

I have no idea!

I have a little bit of time before I have a 'deadline' book, so I am just going to go stand in front of my bookshelves/flip through my Kindle to see what appeals to me. I love when that happens!

What's on your WWW this week?

Leave me a comment and
I'll stop by to check out your reads.



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

On Tour: Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje


Twelve Houses 


Twelve Houses by Olga Soaje
Release date: November 28th, 2013
Genre: Women’s Literature
Tour: Irresistible Reads Book Tours

Can anything good follow the best thing that ever happened to you?

Amelia Weiss loved her husband of thirty-five years very much, but now he’s left her a widow. Without him, she is unable to work in her sculpture studio without crying. She no longer has a bridge to her estranged daughter. And she can’t seem to keep her mind in the present.

But when her daughter reaches out asking for her help and her agent threatens a lawsuit if Amelia doesn’t deliver for an upcoming exhibit, she’s forced to make a choice. Will she reengage with her life and the people in it—allowing room for things to be different than they were before? Or, will she remain stuck in the past, choosing her memories over real-life relationships?

Thrust fully into the present, Amelia stumbles into a surprising journey of self-discovery.


Short Excerpt


To this day it amazes me that unbeknown to most people, that secret self-portrait of my own flawed self not only helped me cope but also allowed me to become whole again.

About the Author

In my novel Twelve Houses, I tell the story of a widow who discovers that her life story is far from over. Amelia is a brave woman who struggles to find her true place in the world and at the same time to create a life that holds spiritual meaning and purpose. 

Though my first book, Borrowing My Mother’s Saints, was a comedy set in New York, I think both books describe a similar spiritual journey. I always consider the spiritual aspects of a character’s story as I write.

I love to hear from my readers.



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!


Monday, January 27, 2014

Book Spotlight and a Giveaway: Severine by Jaden Sinclair


Severine 


Severine by Jaden Sinclair
Series: Severine #1
Print Length: 157 pages
Publisher: Beau Coup Publishing (January 22, 2014)

The year is 9045 and the Nations control almost everything in the universe. They have brought order to many planets and cultivated others, but behind closed doors they've raided and pillaged the planet’s resources for their own gain.

She is one of the many children who have been ripped from their home for their selfish cause. Trained at a young age, she was developed into just what the Nations hoped to accomplish. A perfect weapon. But when control is lost and the weapon goes rogue, the Nations learn firsthand just what they've created and just what their weapon will do for her freedom and for a family she can never forget.

He is sent to find her. Another trained and burned by the Nations, Byron Suthland is hired to find the weapon, only he doesn't want to find her for them. He wants to find her for himself and bring back a woman, not a weapon. Knowing she can kill him instantly means nothing, but caring about her means everything.

Severine!

Content Warning: Intended for 18+ Audience, may contain explicit details or scenes


Connect with Jaden


Giveaway Time!! 



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Book Spotlight and a Giveaway! Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan


Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman
The Two Mrs. Lloyd #1


Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan
Paperback, 368 pages
Published December 30th 2003 by Penguin Books

Get ready to cheer for Rose Lloyd, a woman of young middle-age who proves that starting over doesn't have an age limit. After twenty-five years spent juggling husband, career, and kids with admirable success, Rose suddenly finds both her marriage and her career in unexpected ruin. Forced to begin a new life, she is at first terrified, then energized, by her newfound freedom—it’s amazing what prolonged reflection, a little weight loss, a new slant on independence, and some Parisian lingerie will do for the psyche!

Witty, insightful, and emotionally resonant, Buchan’s novel will strike a chord with anyone who has ever wondered what Middle Age would look like from the other side of the looking glass (answer: much better than you could ever expect).


About the author


Elizabeth Buchan was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, the daughter of Eleanor Mary Peters and Major Peter Oakleigh-Walker. She obtained for a double degree in English and History at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Elizabeth married with Benjamin William Alastair Buchan, grandson of the also writer John Buchan, they had one son, Adam Peter Alastair Buchan (b. 1980), and a daughter, Eleanor Rose Buchan (b. 1983).

She began her career as a blurb writer for Penguin Books, this was excellent training for an infant writer as it necessitated reading widely through the Penguin list – fiction and non-fiction, in order to encapsulate what a book was about. She later became a fiction editor at Random House, in her spare time she had co-authored an adventure game book for children and also written a children’s biography of Beatrix Potter, but decided after a couple of years that she should do what she wished to do: write

In 1994, she became a full-time writer. Her novel Consider the Lily won the 1994 Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association, and she was elected its eighteenth Chairman (1995-1997). She has sat on the committee for the Society of Authors and was Chairman of the judges for the 1997 Betty Trask Award and a judge for the 1997 Whitbread Awards. She also writes reviews for the main national newspapers of Great Britain, including The Times and the Mail on Sunday. Her bestselling novel Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman has been made into a television film for CBS. She lives in London.

Connect with Elizabeth


Giveaway Time!!



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!


Friday, January 24, 2014

Cover Reveal: Elevated by Elana Johnson


Elevated by Elana Johnson
Kindle Edition, 300 pages
Expected publication: February 18th 2014

The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she's been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.


Purchase Elevated 


Praise for Elevated

"Elevated will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love."
~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

"Poignant, raw, and intense, Elevated is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page."
~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

About the author


Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.

Connect with Elana


People can enter to win $15 Paypal cash by helping to spread the word about ELEVATED. 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

On Tour: Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber and a Giveaway!


Blossom Street Brides
Blossom Street #10 


Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber
Series: Blossom Street #10
Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: April 8th, 2014 by Ballantine Books

#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber has won the hearts of millions of readers with her moving and inspiring stories. Now wedding bells are ringing in the tight-knit community that gathers around A Good Yarn, a store in a pretty Seattle neighborhood. Knitters come to the store to buy yarn and patterns but somehow they leave richer in friendship and love.

Lauren Elliott has waited years for her long-term boyfriend, Todd, to propose, yet he seems more focused on his career than their relationship. When Lauren learns that her younger sister is pregnant before she herself even has an engagement ring, she feels overjoyed yet disheartened. Knowing she can’t put her future on hold, Lauren prepares to make a bold choice—one that leads her to a man she never dreamed she’d meet.

Newly married to her second husband, Max, Bethanne Scranton is blissfully in love. But with Max’s job in California and Bethanne’s in Seattle, their long-distance marriage is becoming difficult to maintain. To complicate matters, Bethanne’s cunning ex will do anything to win her back.

Lydia Goetz, too, is wonderfully happy with her husband, Brad, though lately she worries about the future of A Good Yarn. As she considers how to bring in business, she discovers that someone has beaten her to the punch. Baskets of yarn are mysteriously popping up all over town, with instructions to knit a scarf for charity and bring it into Lydia’s store. Never before has her shop received so much attention, but who hatched this brilliant plan?

As three women’s lives intersect in unexpected ways, Lydia, Lauren, and Bethanne realize that love heals every heart, and the best surprises still lay ahead.

My thoughts about Blossom Street Brides ~~ 

Blossom Street Brides is the 10th book in the Blossom Street series. I want to know how I have missed the other 9 books?? Seriously, I just read my very first Debbie Macomber book in October. It was a Christmas story, Starry Night: a Christmas Novel. I fell in love with the characters and the story-line, and loved how easy it was to read and get lost in it all.

Even though this is book #10, and the first in the series that I have read, I didn't feel like I was missing something. Debbie wrote such a beautiful, flowing story that I immediately felt right at home with the place and the characters. I have no idea if the characters in this story are regulars in her series or not. I am thinking they probably are, but it didn't really matter. There was enough depth to the character development to keep me satisfied.

Debbie's stories have such a gentle feel to them. It's hard for me to explain what I mean by that but I found myself just wanting to stay in that world and hoping that Lydia, Lauren, and Bethanne would want to be my friend too. I am definitely going to be talking another stroll down Blossom Street and I am excited to meet the other people that call that street home.

About the author


Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 170 million copies of her books in print worldwide. Macomber brings to life the compelling relationships that embrace family, community and enduring friendships, filling her readers with a sense of love and hope.

Macomber is the author of more than 100 novels, most recently the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Starting Now, and The Inn at Rose Harbor; two bestselling cookbooks; numerous inspirational and nonfiction works; two acclaimed children’s books and the Mrs. Miracle Christmas novels. She is also the author of beloved and bestselling series of novels set in Cedar Cove, Washington (such as 16 Lighthouse Road, 204 Rosewood Lane, 311 Pelican Court) on which Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, Hallmark Channel’s first dramatic scripted television series, is based. She is the recipient of a RITA® award; an RT Book Reviews Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a multiple winner of both the Holt Medallion and the B. Dalton Award. In 2010, the Romance Writers of America presented Macomber with their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Her next novel to be published will be Rose Harbor in Bloom (August 13, 2013).

In addition to her bestselling novels, Macomber owns her own tea room, Victorian Rose Tea Room & yarn store, A Good Yarn, named after the shop featured in her popular Blossom Street novels. She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she was recently named World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative.

A devoted grandmother, Debbie and her husband Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington State (the town on which her Cedar Cove novels are based) and winter in Florida.

Connect with Debbie


Book Tour Schedule for 
Blossom Street Brides

January 20th - Melina's Book Blog

January 21st - My Recent Favorite Books

January 22nd - Creative Madness Mama

January 23rd - The Book Bag

January 24th - Jax's Book Magic

January 25th - Shelley's Book Case

January 26th - Tidbits of Experience

January 27th - Griperang's Bookmarks

January 28th - Deco My Heart

January 30th - A Book Lover's Retreat

Giveaway Time!! 

I have 3 'Special Early Editions' (ARC) of Blossom Street Brides for 3 lucky winners!



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Cover Reveal: From the Embers by Candace Knoebel


From the Embers 
Born in Flames Trilogy #3

From the Embers by Candace Knoebel
Series: Born in Flames Trilogy #3
Release date: January 29, 2014
Format: ebook and paperback
Published by 48fourteen

I am the Progeny. The one deemed to carry this weight. The weight of knowing too much. Of knowing there is a darkness in me. Of knowing that even The Fates can screw things up.

Aurora Megalos knew becoming the Progeny meant great sacrifice, but what she wasn't prepared for was sacrificing herself. Since the day of her birth, she has been set on a path she couldn't control; a path conceived by The Fates. And after discovering she is mortally connected to her Arch Enemy Zordon-a son of a Fate, Aurora is now left with a path that seems hopeless.

Until she discovers a revelation in the prophecy.

With war on the horizon, she must now find a way to defeat the one who threatens to take everything and everyone she has ever loved from her, without destroying herself. The barrier between both realms is broken, The Fates have been overrun by Zordon, and his darkness now spreads throughout the lands. The odds are stacked against her. Will Aurora and Fenn find a way to undo the work of The Fates in time to save the realms from complete destruction?


Available from


The Born in Flames Trilogy Sale


Grab your copy of Born in Flames & Embracing the Flames today, January 22 to prepare for the mail-biting ending we've all been waiting for in the final installment of the Born in Flames Trilogy

 About the author


Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames - a young adult fantasy trilogy.

Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. Embracing the Flames, the second in the trilogy, was released in the summer of 2013.

Candace Knoebel discovered through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.

Connect with Candace



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

WWW Wednesdays January 22, 2014


WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Clicking on the book covers will take you to Goodreads for more information about the books listed below.

What are you currently reading?

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman
This is the second book of Laura's that I've read. I think I'm a fan! Great story! 

Under the Dome by Stephen King 

What did you recently finish reading?

The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell
Great story even though it was rather strange. It will be interesting to see what book group thinks of it. 

What do you think you will read next?

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow
This sounds so good! 

What's on your WWW this week?

Leave me a comment and
I'll stop by to check out your reads.



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...