Book Review: Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Publisher: Summerside Press

Publish Date:October 1, 2011

Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN: 978-1609362157
Fiction, Romance, Historical, Christian, Christmas

My Review:
I love novels set in the time after World War II.  The United States is just settling back into a normal world again.  Families are healing and families are still hurting.  Some are able to move on and some aren't.  This is the way it is for Dottie, whose son died in the war.  She's stuck in a holding pattern and can't seem to move on.  But this Christmas will be different and not because she wants it to be.  No, it seems God has a different plan that involves a library worker she works with, the man next store and a man who is a complete stranger to all of them, but knows Violet better than she realizes.

Baby, It's Cold Outside is one of those wonderful heartfelt Christmas reads that is great for a cool late fall/early winter night to put you in the mood for the holiday season.  I loved getting to know each of the four main characters and the pain they carry with them and the hope each has even if it's just a tiny ray of hope.  It's a sweet story that I enjoyed watching unfold from the first page until the last page.  And I can see pulling this out from year-to-year as a Christmas read to enjoy during the season.

Ms. Warren seems to have a way with characters.  I truly felt I got to know each one of them as if I was in the house with them during the storm and I think Dottie, Violet, Jake and Gordy will stick with me for some time to come.

If you enjoy heartfelt romance and Christmas books, definitely give Baby, It's Cold Outside a Try.  Grab it, a warm blanket and curl up beside a nice warm fire one evening and you will definitely have an enjoyable evening spent in the past with four characters who will feel like old friends by the end of the book.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:

Hope finds the hopeless when a storm hits.

It's Christmas weekend 1949, and despite the threat of a storm, the townspeople of Frost are determined to continue their holiday traditions, if only as a means to forget the war that they had all just suffered through. But the suffering hasn't ended for Dottie Morgan who lost her only son in the war. She's preparing to wallow in her isolation for the weekend, when Violet, nearly a spinster at age 29, dares to make a request that will force Dottie to publicly revive the memory of her dead son.

When a storm traps the two women at home with a strange young man who has an unbelievable confession and a neighbor with more to do with Violet's past than she would like, no one can predict how this Christmas will give them all a second chance.

About the Author: 
Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at:www.susanmaywarren.com.

FTC Information: I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Group for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Tour: Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Publisher: Summerside Press

Publish Date:October 1, 2011

Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN: 978-1609362157

Check out the information on the book and how you can win a Kindle Fire and stay tuned for my review which will be posted later today

Find the rest of the Litfuse tour schedule here.

About the Book:

Hope finds the hopeless when a storm hits.

It's Christmas weekend 1949, and despite the threat of a storm, the townspeople of Frost are determined to continue their holiday traditions, if only as a means to forget the war that they had all just suffered through. But the suffering hasn't ended for Dottie Morgan who lost her only son in the war. She's preparing to wallow in her isolation for the weekend, when Violet, nearly a spinster at age 29, dares to make a request that will force Dottie to publicly revive the memory of her dead son.

When a storm traps the two women at home with a strange young man who has an unbelievable confession and a neighbor with more to do with Violet's past than she would like, no one can predict how this Christmas will give them all a second chance.

Read an excerpt here and find out the story behind the novel.
About the Author:

Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at:www.susanmaywarren.com.

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1609362152/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=sprightly-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1609362152&adid=1W6V46X88E4D79FGRNE1

Win a Kindle Fire From Susan



Warm up to Chrismtas early this year with Susan May Warren's Baby, It's Cold Outside! To celebrate the release of her new Christmas book with Summerside Press, she and the publisher are giving away a Kindle Fire and hosting an early Christmas Party on Facebook!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One festive winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle Fire
• Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. Giveaway ends on 10/26!

But, wait there’s more! Join Susan May Warren on 10/27 for merriment and a few early Christmas presents at her Baby, It's Cold Outside Christmas party! Grab your Christmas sweaters, socks and pj’s and join Susan and a few friends for a fireside chat about her recent books (Heiress & Baby, It’s Cold Outside), holiday traditions, favorite Christmas recipes, a trivia contest and more! Invite your friends and don’t miss the fun!

RSVP here and we'll see you on October 27th at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST!

Author Interview: LeAnn Burke (Deadly Secrets)

Today I welcome LeeAnn Burke, author of Deadly Secrets to the blog for her interview as part of the Sizzling PR tour.  So welcome LeeAnn, thanks for joining us today!



What did you do to celebrate when you found out you would be published?

It was very late so I made one phone call to my parents. Then I bought myself a special tea the day after.

Describe the area you write in.

I don’t have a particular area. I write where inspiration hits me. I used to have a pen and paper for that
purpose. I don’t any more.

What's your favorite season?

I love winter.

What is your favorite snack food?

Cookies, any kind of them. My nickname growing up was cookie monster.

What is your favorite TV show and why?

I love Castle because I love the mystery aspect, Gilmore Girls love the dialogue and Being Erica.



Crystal: I haven't watched Castle but have heard wonderful things about it and I agree about the dialog in Gilmore Girls - it really can't be beat!

If you could have any car what would it be and what color would it be?

I’ll be honest I don’t know anything about cars. As long as it runs and gets me where I want or need to
go then I’m good.

What is a typical day like in your life?

Presently during the day I go to work and at night I along with partners I run Lachesis Publishing with
three amazing partners. I try and get some writing in there whenever and where I can find time.

What made you pursue the romantic suspense genre?

I tried writing a few different genres but I kept killing off characters in all of them. That’s how I found
romantic suspense was for me.

Tell us a little bit about Deadly Secrets.

Deadly Secrets is my first published book. Here is the blurb,

Philippe Lafrance is a well known reclusive writer whose life is suddenly thrown upside down when the grandfather he never knew existed, dies. He investigates the reason and learns that his family has kept secrets from him. Deep, ugly secrets. Worse, a killer is murdering the men in his family. He discovers that his father, then his grandfather, were murdered by someone desperate to keep secrets buried.

Bereft, Roxanne St-Clair is left to manage a restaurant when the only person who ever mattered to her, her foster parent and mentor, is murdered. She puts her life on hold to find his killer and bring him to justice.

Thrown together by circumstance and a mutual goal, Philippe and Roxanne fight their attraction and team up to find the killer, bring him to justice and unearth the truth. To stay alive, they must keep one step ahead of the assassin in order to prevent him from killing his next target, Philippe.

Will they succeed in bringing to justice this killer before Philippe becomes his next victim? Will they be able to deal with the truth behind the deadly secrets?

Was there any character or part in Deadly Secrets that was difficult to write?
Not a character per say, but there were situations that were hard to write.

Was there any character or part in Deadly Secrets that was really easy to write?

Roxanne was fun and easy to write about.

What are you working on now?

I am working on the sequel to Deadly Secrets. In this one I have a serial killer.

Anything else you would like to share?

In honor of Breast Cancer Month my publisher is discounting the ebook for DEADLY SECRETS
to $2.99 and will donate an extra $1 for each book sold. I am hoping they get to write a huge
check at the end of the month. If your readers want to help they can pick up a copy here, http://lachesispublishing.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DeadlySecrets

That is an awesome cause that is near and dear to my heart since my mom is a 15-year Breast Cancer survivor, so come on readers and let's help LeAnn write that big check for this worthwhile cause!

Thanks for joining us today LeAnn!

About LeAnn Burke
At the age of 12 Leeann put pen to paper and created stories. She finished her first and only short story within weeks. She kept on writing through high school, university and her first few dead end jobs. To this day she still has a pen and paper handy.

After 22 years of writing she finally got “the call”. The owner of LBF Books called to let me know she wanted to purchase DEADLY SECRETS. Her dream was finally coming true.  She decided to give her dream more purpose by donating funds to the American Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) and to a Canadian organization that does Breast Cancer Research. DEADLY SECRETS is also a proud sponsor for ABCF.

Website

Guest Blog: Mary O'Connell's Ten Thoughts & Questions relating to the plot of The Sharp Time

Today I welcome Mary O'Connell, author of the amazing book, The Sharp Time.  She is on tour with The Teen Book Scene and today her tour stop is a Tens list.  So take it away Mary  . . .

These are ten thoughts and questions I had, in general, and relating specifically to the plot, while I was writing The Sharp Time.


1. What does the world look like to a grieving teenage girl on a lonely winter day?

2. What are the most beautiful clothes I have ever found at a vintage clothing store?

3. How illumination brings compassion…

4. The redemptive, healing power of friendship…

5. Can you really walk on icy sidewalks in platform shoes?

6. What time does the sun rise on a typical January morning in Kansas City?

7. Keeping grief and humor braided into every chapter…

8. What is the feeling of sledding down an icy hill at night?

9. What is the true nature of a happy ending?

10. I know I’ll miss my main character, Sandinista Jones, the moment I write the last sentence. I’m writing about a very hard time in her life, but I have complete faith in her future. So: Goodbye

Thank you so much Crystal!


Thank you Mary for joining us today and after reading The Sharp Time this tens list means a lot and if you are reading this tens list and your curiosity is piqued I will say you must go out and get this book. The Sharp Time is excellent and I know exactly what Mary means by #10 - I miss Sandinista too!

Giveaway
Mary is giving away one signed copy of The Sharp Time.  The giveaway is open to the US only, ends 11/1.  All that is required is your name and email in the Rafflecopter below, all other entries are optional. 

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I loved Michael Crichton and will greatly miss his additions to the book world so I was happy to hear about this one coming out, it sounds really great.

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
Publish Date: 11/22/2011

Three men are found dead in the locked second-floor office of a Honolulu building, with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye.

In the lush forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting. Trillions of microorganisms, tens of thousands of bacteria species, are being discovered; they are feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up. Nanigen MicroTechnologies dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii, where they are promised access to tools that will open a whole new scientific frontier.

But once in the Oahu rain forest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power. To survive, they must harness the inherent forces of nature itself.

So what are you waiting on this week?