Guest Blog: Misa Ramirez (Bare Naked Lola)

Sometimes characters do little things that characterize them so perfectly.  The curmudgeonly man who rescues a dog from the pound.  The cyclist who frees a trapped goat from a barbed wire fence.  The teenager on a skateboard who stops to pick up spilled groceries for a neighbor.

When Lola Cruz was forming in my head, one thing I knew for sure was that there was a gray area in the lines she’d cross for her job.  How she got to that gray area was the interesting part.  Which led to me to the love of her life, Jack Callaghan.  He’s the catalyst for quite a bit of Lola’s character formation.  It’s because of him that she became a private investigator. 

Read on:

When I was fourteen years old, I snapped pictures of Jack Callaghan doing the horizontal salsa in the back seat of a car with Greta Pritchard. That’s when I knew for sure I’d grow up to be a private eye.”
That’s my favorite line in any of the Lola Cruz mystery books.  It so succinctly shows everyone who Lola is, and that she’s quite willing to cross a few lines in the name of…whatever it is she’s after.


Her career choice might have been inspired by newspaper man Jack Callaghan, but her drive and determination are all hers. She works for a small PI firm in Sacramento and is assigned to be the lead investigator on a missing person case.
Lola battles office politics, the reappearance of Jack Callaghan, her family’s cultural and gender expectations, and her own passion for crime-solving, never losing sight of her own values and who she is as a person. One theme that will run through each book in the series is just how far Lola is willing to go for her job. In Living the Vida Lola, one of the questions she faces is will she or won’t she get a belly button piercing or a tattoo?--all in the name of information- gathering.  In Bare-Naked Lola, the question is, will she or won’t she strip down to nothing at a nudist resort, all to catch a killer?
Other continuing themes are the cultural and gender expectations she faces. Lola is an American--born and raised in Sacramento. But she’s also Mexican and lives her family’s culture and all that embodies. How she is true to both sides of herself and is her own person makes her a three-dimensional character. I love her! I like to think that she is my alter-ego...if I were a little younger, sexier, Latina, and a detective.

I want to hear from you!  Should Lola go nude, or should she stay prude?  You’ll have to find out what she chooses by reading Bare-Naked Lola, but what do YOU think?!

~Melissa

About Sacrifice of Passion

Texas rancher, Vic Vargas, finds himself facing more than his stubbornly silent son when the chupacabra, a supposedly mythical blood‐sucking beast, starts killing his livestock—and stalking Delaney West, the town’s newly returned veterinary assistant, the sensual woman who ran from the altar and broke his heart twelve years earlier.

Reluctantly, he seeks her help to get to the bottom of the disturbing animal mutilations, only to have her break through to his sullen son...and rekindle the love he’d thought was lost forever. But her refusal to share a terrible secret sends her running straight into the lair of the chupacabra, plunging her back into her worst nightmare, and forcing them both to confront the wrongs of the past—in order to stay alive for the future they desperately want.

Get your copy of Sacrifice of Passion at

  

Also available from Melissa Bourbon Ramirez: Bare Naked Lola

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps….

Get your copy of Bare Naked Lola at:

 


About Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Melissa Bourbon, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, gave up teaching middle and high school kids in Northern California to write full-time amidst horses and Longhorns in North Texas.  She fantasizes about spending summers writing in quaint, cozy locales, has a love/hate relationship with yoga and chocolate, is devoted to her family, and can’t believe she’s lucky enough to be living the life of her dreams.

She is the marketing director at Entangled Publishing, is the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series with St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL, and is the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox and two romantic suspense titles.

Visit Melissa at her website | Twitter Page | Facebook Home | Goodreads | and Books on the House, a website bringing books and readers together!

Guest Blog: Sara Grant (Dark Parties) + Giveaway

Hi Crystal! Thanks for inviting me on My Reading Room and giving me the chance to talk about the books I’ve treasured over the years. I didn’t read a huge variety of books when I was young. I tended to read a book that I loved over and over.

For five year olds…I’d recommend The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and Good Night Little Bear by Patsy Scarry. The Giving Tree is about unconditional love. I loved Shel Silverstein – especially his collection of poems – Where the Sidewalk Ends. I’d recommend that too! Good Night Little Bear was my most loved picture book when I was growing up. I begged my parents to read that book over and over.

I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve added a book for 7 year olds…The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. When I started to read on my own, I checked this book  out of my local library multiple times. I can still see its faded cover, worn spine, and the black line drawings that graced the inside pages and also recall the adventures of the orphaned Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny.

I’d recommend The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett to eleven year old readers. I loved the feisty main character and the allure of a secret place for my childhood adventure. I recently purchased a beautiful 100^th anniversary copy, illustrated by Lauren Child. I can’t wait to read it again.

For 16-year-old readers who also long to be writers, you can’t go wrong with Jennifer Donnelly’s A Gathering Light. It’s a story within a story. The main character is a writer-in-waiting and a lover of words. It’s jam-packed with so many plots, themes and ideas.....

For 20-year-olds, To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. I only read it a few years ago and wish I hadn’t waited so long. It’s a book that lingers with you long after you’ve read the final page. 

And finally, I’d give teen girls a copy of Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens. It was published last year. The book is wild and imaginative and layered. It also celebrates the feminine in all its unique and beautiful forms. Young girls can find themselves as well as sisters and friends in the pages of that novel. I think I would have felt a little less alone if I’d read Beauty Queens when I was a teenager.

Happy reading!

About Sara and Dark Parties

Dark Parties

Sixteen-year-old Neva was born and raised in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. Hundreds of years ago, her country constructed an electrified dome to protect itself from the outside world. What once might have protected, now imprisons. Her country is decaying and its citizens are dying.

Neva and her friends dream of freedom.

A forbidden party leads to complications. Suddenly Neva’s falling for her best friend's boyfriend, uncovering secrets that threaten to destroy her friends, her family and her country -- and discovering the horrifying truth about what happens to The Missing. . .

 

Bio

Sara Grant was born and raised in Washington, Indiana. She graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, with degrees in journalism and psychology, and later she earned a master’s degree in creative and life writing Goldsmiths College, University of London. 

Sara is senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, a London-based company creating series fiction for children. She has worked on ten different series and edited more than 75 books. 

Dark Parties is her first young adult novel.

Contact Details

Email: sara@sara-grant.com

Twitter

Web site

Giveaway

I've been allowed to hold a giveaway for this great book related necklace open to US only, and it will run for 7 days.  Enter using Rafflecopter, mandatory entry is a free entry, all others are optional.  Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Guest Blog: M.J. Rose talks about fragrance Parera- Gong

M.J. Rose:  I've been fascinated with lost fragrances since long before I started writing The Book of Lost Fragrances... since I found a bottle of perfume on my great grandmother's dresser that had belonged to her mother in Russia. Here is one of those lost fragrances that stirs the senses and the imagination... (reasearched and described  with the help of the perfume writer  Dimitrios Dimitriadis)

PARERA - GONG

Parera Perfumeria emerged from Barcelona, Spain in the early 20th century and launched a handful of perfumes (perhaps the most controversial of which was named 'Cocaine en Flor'). But in the 1930s, when perfume took on new themes as travel became popular again, Parera turned to the orient for inspiration. The 1936 release GONG offered a means to "travel with the senses". The Far East seemed so much more within reach with this blend of sunny florals and exotic spices. This perfume has both oriental and chypre characteristics - a bittersweet drydown lingers on the skin just as fond memories of a holiday linger in the mind. Alas, GONG swiftly drifted from recollection, and remains a mystery - much like the Orient itself - to this day.

About The Book of Lost Fragrances:
 
A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra--and lost for 2,000 years.

Jac L'Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances--and of her mother's suicide--she moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it's financial problems. But when her Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing--leaving a dead body in his wake--Jac is plunged into a world she thought she'd left behind.

Back in Paris to investigate her brother's disappearance, Jac becomes haunted by the legend the House of L'Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation - or is it just another dream infused perfume?

The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra's Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet's battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac's quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past.

About the Author: 

M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her next novel THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES (Atria/S&S) will be published in March 2012.  Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio.  Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com.  The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype.  She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.

Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.

For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook.

Guest Blog: Gatekeepers and Validators by Mark Chisnell

Today I welcome March Chisnell, author of The Defector which I reviewed a week ago.  Today he's sharing with us a guest blog on ebook self-publishing.  He also has a free book he's sharing with everyone today.  Information for obtaining the free ebook is at the bottom of this post.  Enjoy the guest blog and enjoy your free ebook.  Gatekeepers and Validators

by Mark Chisnell

The USA has brought many new things to the world – rock and roll, cable tv and franchise hamburgers spring to mind. One of the latest is the eReader and eBooks, currently sweeping through a country near you – particularly if you live in Europe.  If you live in the US, the transition from print has been underway for a while and although I was a little slow to that game, in Britain I count as an early adopter.

So just before Christmas, a writer’s group in the English south coast city of Portsmouth kindly invited me to talk to them about my experiences with the self- or indie-publishing programs, Kindle Direct and Smashwords.com.

There were a couple of traditionally published authors in the audience, and one of  the topics in a lively Q&A discussion was the loss of the publisher in this straight-to-the-reader process. The point was that it’s all very well to self- or indie-publish a novel, but how does the potential reader then know if it’s any good? After all, if the writer hasn’t been permitted to pass into the hallowed, sunlight uplands of publication by an editor-cum-gatekeeper, then isn’t it just vanity publishing? And if it’s vanity publishing then it can’t be any good.

It was an argument that I had a lot of sympathy for until very recently. My first two novels (The Defector and The Wrecking Crew) were published by Random House and HarperCollins. The endorsement meant a lot to me at the time - as did the fancy Soho lunches with my editor - but all that is quickly being eroded by the simple fact that those two books have subsequently sold much better as self-published titles.

This vanishing sense of the importance of the gatekeepers is matched by plenty of evidence that ‘vanity-published’ books are every bit as good as what’s coming out of the major London and New York publishing houses. Recent news from the indie scene includes Joe Konrath (if he keeps up his January rate of sales) on target to make over a million dollars ‘vanity-publishing’ in 2012. While Darcie Chan - author of vanity-published The Mill River Recluse - hit number one in the Apple store early in the New Year.

It seems that while endorsement by a major publishing house still matters to some writers, many readers are long past caring. So what’s going on here, why were we all so wrong, for so long, about vanity publishing?

John Locke, one of the original self-published Kindle superstars has an interesting take on the notion of vanity publishing in his book, ‘How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!’ Here’s a little of what he has to say:

'What they’re saying [is that] when an author believes in his abilities to the extent he’s willing to invest his own money to publish a novel, he’s writing purely for his vanity!'

‘I have to give credit to the geniuses that came up with this hogwash, because publishing is the only business in the world that has managed to make such a ridiculous notion seem plausible.'

‘When I invested my own money to start my insurance agency no one accused me of making a vanity investment.... When Bill Gates and Paul Allen invested their time and money into developing code for the Altair computer, no one accused them of writing vanity code.’

Locke’s argument is that the notion of vanity publishing is just a means of controlling access to the market. It was just smart business for the publishers to convince writers and readers that the only route from one to the other was through them. Follow the money.

And when you look at the money, it’s easy to see that the business model of the author is way out of kilter with the publishers. How many books a year does a big New York publisher put into the shops? And how many of those need to be a success for them to have a profitable year? I don’t know the answers, but I do know that it’s a lot less than a hundred percent.

I finish maybe one book every year or two, and if it doesn’t succeed you can stick a fork in me. I’m done.

No one needs a book to succeed anywhere near as badly as its author. And yet, once the book is written and delivered to a traditional publisher, all control over every aspect of the subsequent process is taken over by the people who have the least stake in its success.

Make any sense to you?

It’s because this traditional business model didn’t make any sense to the writers that the coming of Kindle-Direct, Smashwords and PubIt led to such a complete revolution and the rise of indie publishing. Many authors could see the system was broken from their point of view, and when they were offered an alternative they grabbed it. The people with the biggest stake in a book were back in control of its destiny.

We’ve all seen how books now flow into the hands of readers in a way that was unimaginable five years ago. The gatekeepers are gone and the doors have been blown wide open - the slush-pile has moved from the in-tray of editors and agents, got itself a cover and a blurb and is now available online for the princely sum of 99c a pop. Or it’s free.

Unfortunately, even if the notion of validation by the traditional gatekeepers was just smart business by big corporations, it still leaves us with the original problem. How do we decide what’s worth reading? It was hard enough when there was just the books laid out for us on the front tables of the big stores by the big publishers, but who validates our choices now...?

The new validators are the people who should have had the job in the first place – the readers. Perhaps that’s why we are all fast ceasing to care about books getting the imprimatur of a publisher’s imprint. An endorsement of quality no longer needs to come from an editor in New York or London; it can come from five stars on My Reading Room. It can come when a complete stranger living several thousand miles away takes the trouble to write and post a four paragraph, five star review of your book on Amazon or B&N.com.

Personally, I’m very comfortable with that shift. I’m no longer looking for approval from New York or London. However, after the talk in Portsmouth, I have to recognise that some writers still feel it’s important. The beauty of the current situation is that writers and readers have a choice – validation? Find it where you look for it.

Mark Chisnell is the author of the Kindle chart-topping thrillers - The Defector and The Wrecking Crew - as well as award-winning works of non-fiction. He's a sometime professional racing sailor and also works as a broadcaster and journalist, writing for some of the world’s leading magazines and newspapers, including Esquire and the Guardian.

Free ebook - Today only
Mark is giving away his newest book, The Fulcrum Files for free today.  Here is more information on the book:

The young Ben Clayton was one of Britain’s brightest boxing prospects, until the day he slammed a left hook into a fragile chin. Sickened by the consequences he turned away from the ring, found solace in the arms of the beautiful Lucy Kirk and looked for new challenges.

On the 7th March 1936, after almost two decades of peace in Europe, Hitler ordered the German Army back into the Rhineland. It was a direct challenge to Britain and France. Still unnerved by the toll of the Great War, the politicians dithered. The French Army stayed in its barracks, while the aristocratic British elite looked on from their country retreats.

History teetered on a knife edge, but the spymasters were busy.

Just one man could make the difference between war and peace, victory or defeat. And that man was Ben Clayton. Thrown into the maelstrom of plot and counter-plot, Ben must battle not just to survive, but to protect all that he loves and holds most dear.

Mark Chisnell’s thrillers include The Defector - a top download in the UK Kindle free eBook chart for over two weeks, subsequently charting in the Top 100 paid list. The Wrecking Crew was the sequel, and both books are regulars in the UK Spy Thriller charts.

Find it today on Amazon for free:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Fulcrum-Files-ebook/dp/B0074HGO4S/

Guest Blog: Using Personal Stories in Writing: Do or Don't by Nelle Davy

Today I welcome Nelle Davy, author of The Legacy of Eden which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago.  It's an excellent family saga and today the author is sharing a very interesting topic in light of reading The Legacy of Eden.  Read this great post and make sure you check out the book as well.  

Using personal stories in writing: do or don’t? 

by Nelle Davy

Of course it is a do. One of my favourite books is Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson which is a reworking of her own childhood within a fictional format as opposed to an outright memoir. What matters is that you are true to the kind of story you wish to tell, regardless of what is the inspiration. I would also say that no writer works in a vacuum as if their books are ‘ex nihilo.’ Whether you mean to or not, you write the kind of story you are either interested in, or have been through in some way. It is all inspired by your personal past and you rework it, sometimes even try to ignore it, but then press it down and reshape it so that it can become unrecognizable from truth but it still has seeds in it. There are some stories I love to read but would never be able to write because I would never be inspired to write them because they come from a different sort of experience to the one I have had. But novels should be about trying to tell some kind of truth – either the one you wish was real or the one that is.  And sometimes I think the novels that have impressed me the most and the ones that have really stayed with me as visceral works of honest art are the one that you discover had some grounding in the author’s past. You do look at them in a new light and they seem so much more informed. But this novel is not based on my own personal story in any other way than it is about the interrogation and destruction of the family unit.

Thanks Nelle for stopping by today.
You can check out the rest of this blog tour here:  http://booktrib.com/?page_id=152294&preview=true

  About The Legacy of Eden

For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway's dream to elevate the family name - no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways - and the once prosperous farm.

Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died - alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land, or the memories.

Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia's youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name. Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family... and her own part in their mottled history. 

Guest Blog: This or That with Hannah L. Clark

Today I welcome Hannah L. Clark, author of Cobbogoth, the first book in a new series.  She's here to answer my This or That questions.  So please welcome Hannah and be sure to check out the rest of her tour stops for more interesting guest blogs, interviews, reviews and giveaways (I have a review and giveaway coming up March 29th).



*****
Breakfast or Brunch? Brunch.  This is such a boring answer, but most breakfast foods just don’t do it for me.  For whatever reason, I usually feel queasy in the morning—been that way since high school—but by brunch time, my stomach has usually settled down enough to eat.  I also think the foods that are served at brunches are much tastier.

Lemonade or Pink Lemonade? Either. I honestly can’t taste the difference, and I don’t really care so much about the color of my drinks as I do the carbonation—I hate soda!
Sedan or Sports Car? My husband would say “sports car,” but I’m much more practical when it comes to cars, so Sedan.

Laptop or Ipad? I love my iPad, but I’m going to go with the laptop, because I can get a whole lot more done.  My iPad is really more of a toy to me.

High Heels or Flip Flops? I have long, ski-like feet, with a very long “speed-toe” (second from the big toe) and I’m a runner, which means my feet get beat up a lot.  So it’s high heels for me—but not too high. 
Trip around the world or trip to the moon? Around the world…the moon is just a bunch of dust and moon rocks and stuff, but the world has all kinds of different people that have and are living on it, leaving their mark.  To me, people are what make places interesting.

M&Ms: Peanut or Plain? I love, love, love peanut m&m’s but have had to wean myself off of them, because my little tyke has a VERY severe peanut allergy.  It’s a real bummer.

Hair: Short or Long? Short.  Always short.  Otherwise I look like Ms. Triangle-head.

Necklace or Bracelet? Depends on whichever goes better with my outfit. But never both. 

Take a walk or go to the gym? Take a walk.  Nature really inspires me, and so I spend a lot of time either driving or walking through it.

Write at home or write somewhere else? I can write pretty much anywhere.  I prefer to write at home, but if you give me a solid chunk of time, I can get lost in the story and don’t even register where I am until I come back up for air…or food.

Spring or Fall? Oh, Fall…definitely Fall.  I love sweater weather and the anticipation of the holidays.  I also love the colors and how it’s foggy most of the time in the mountains behind my house.  

Fairies or Vampires? Um…fairies.  I’m not big into “creatures of the night.”  But fairies, now, there are a million different possibilities when you bring fairies into the picture.  Good. Bad. Impish. Playful. Mysterious. Ominous. Ancient. Etc.

Thanks for joining us today Hannah! 

To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle's brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself.

Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did--including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley--she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all.

If she succeeds, she'll gain the one thing she's always longed for.

But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.

Guest Blog: 7 Things I've Learned On Writing by Toby Neal (+ Giveaway)

7 things I’ve learned on writing by Toby Neal

1. Notice everything. The world is filled with sounds, smells, textures, and fabulous stories
unfolding all around you. Take the time to notice, and keep something handy to jot down new
thoughts/ways to describe that sensory input as it comes to you. Sometimes, when I really let
myself experience any given moment in time, I’m overwhelmed by all that’s going on. Life is a
series of amazing moments.

2. Write what interests you. I ended up writing “crime/suspense mysteries with a romantic twist”
which I never expected to do in my younger, more literary-ambitious days. I started no less than
5 novels before I finally finished one in a genre that kept my own interest long enough to write
350 pages of it. (I also LOVE reading these kinds of books, but honestly never thought I could
write them. Shows what I know!)

3. Write about themes that touch something deep inside. I became a therapist for a lot of reasons,
not least of which is my desire to help others heal—but there’s another side to me that wants to
kick some abuser ass, and it’s that part of me that Lei, my crime-fighting detective, “actualizes”
as we say in the biz. Course, it took me three books with her for me to really understand WHY I
was drawn to the themes I was, and to really own them, shucking off cognitive dissonance.

4. Write whatever interests you. I know I already said this, but this time I mean don’t try to write
something only for it to sell. Write poetry, essays, novellas, series, flashfiction, fanfiction,
bumper stickers… it’s all practice and part of the body of your work, and you never know what
piece will lead to something else.

5. Be brave when you write. Think of it as “touching universal themes”—write about pain,
pleasure, rage, and joy from the depth of your experience. FEEL the experience as you write
about it. There’s no getting away from exposing yourself when you’re a writer. Course it doesn’t
all have to be agony and ecstasy; a good description of that niggling, drafty suspicion that your
pants have burst a seam is also universal.

6. Persevere. I had no idea how really, truly difficult it is to get published. I could way more easily
have done a doctoral degree—that also requires a lot of study and writing, but at the end when
you’ve fulfilled all the requirements, they HAVE to give you the little paper with “doctor” on
it. At the end of every considerable, unpaid, and even paid-for-professional-editor effort you
can still get, “Thanks for letting me have a look at this. However, it’s not right for our list at this
time” (a nicely worded rejection. Many are less kindly worded.) What’s my advice? Cry. Rant
to friends about the obtuseness of everyone not getting your obvious genius. Then, get back
in front of the computer and revise, rewrite, and never stop learning how you can improve.
Humble out. You don’t know everything even when you think you do. Oh, and nothing is ever
actually finished until it’s in print.

7. Make room in your life for writing. Most people have at least toyed with the idea of writing a
book. If you’re going to be a “professional” writer (and don’t give up your day job just yet) you
need to have actual time behind the computer built into your life. Study what works for you to
produce words on the page—spurts of productivity with a deadline, daily goals, an outline, a
laptop at Starbucks—figure it out and plan it in. For me it’s setting goals for myself, scheduling
time (I work six days a week, so NOBODY gets to whine to me about not having time) and then

DO IT. I get most done on what I call “retreats”—stretches of time when I step out of my regular
life and into the world of my characters. A writing day for me is akin to a spa day—a wily tactic
for luring the muse out to play. On the other hand, the dearth of time I have creates an urgency
that people with more may not feel. If so, fake yourself out. No excuses, this is your life you’re
spending.

Now stop reading blogs and get out there and create!

 Blood Orchids by Toby Neal

Blood Orchids follows police woman Lei Texeira, whose life starts to unravel after discovering a gruesome murder scene on the shores of beautiful Hawaii. A scene that also begins to expose Texeira’s dark buried past. After an impulsive mistake she is sent to mandatory counseling to help deal with the escalating violence and how it triggers her. Meanwhile she gains the attention of a killer, and the lead detective on the case, Michael Stevens. Even deeper conspiracies develop the story, originating with her father, a convicted drug dealer. Haunted by a persistent stalker, the shadow of her past looms over the growing relationship with Stevens, Texeira, with the help of her loyal Rottweiler, battles the monsters of her past and present, reaching out toward a loving future.

Giveaway:
BookSparks PR is offering 1 copy of Blood Orchids to a winner in the US.  Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.  Only your email address is required for entry, and if you are signed in through Facebook, just simply hit the enter button.  Ends 2/28/2012.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Blog: "Best of" Liz Reinhardt's Favorite Books

Today I welcome Liz Reinhardt, author of Double Clutch who is currently touring with Teen Book Scene.  Today at My Reading Room she is sharing about some of her favorite books, some she would find in her library.  So please welcome Liz and make sure you check out her other tour stops on the schedule.

***

There are so many books I really treasure and love, so I know I’m going to make this list, then think, “Oh, man, I should have mentioned that one!” or “I can’t believe I didn’t mention this one!” So I’ll make a few “Best Of” references, and just let everyone know that there are so many that I’m missing.

Best Keep-You-Up-All-Night Don’t-Start-This-Book-If-You-Have-Somewhere-You-Need-To-Be Book:

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Maguire

I found this book through an Amazon recommend. It had a lot of really passionate reviews. Almost everyone loved it. Some people hated it! I had to find out for myself. I stayed up until 2 AM reading it. I told my sister to get it. She texted me at 3 AM to yell at me…and thank me. We sent it to our sis-in-law, she stayed up all night. It’s a really addictive love story, and the thing I love is how passionate and rebellious it is. It breaks a lot of the unspoken ‘rules’ about how a romance should be, and it’s just fearless. This book, after I read it, made me want to publish Double Clutch, so huge thanks to Ms. Maguire!!

The Fictional Guy I Would Run Away With If He Came To Life Book

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty is the first of five books that follow the ups and downs of Jessica Darling and her romantic interest, Marcus Flutie. Um, excuse me.

MARCUS, I LOVE YOU!!!!

Thank you. Marcus is a rebel and a brainiac. A tortured musician who loves his parents. A sexy, sexy guy who can write a poem that will knock you over! Jess and Marcus travel a long road (from 10^th grade to post college), and it’s amazing. Read these books and fall in love!

The Book That Made Me Want to Run Away and Live Somewhere Else…Right NOW!

Over in Samoa and New Zealand, Lani Wendt Young is ripping up all the YA charts with her epic book about a young girl who finds out she’s a Samoan volcano goddess. Telesa is one of those books where I felt like I moved in with the characters! It was wild, gorgeous, lush, and very, very romantic. Leila and Daniel have serious sparks, and I felt like I went on this huge, crazy journey with them.

If you love tropical destinations, paranormal craziness, romance, family stories…this one has it all!

The Book that Made Me Weep Until My Eyes Were Red and Puffy, But Was Also So Uplifting and Amazing

If you haven’t picked up Jandy Nelson’s The Sky is Everywhere, please, please do it now. Especially if you have a sister. Disclaimer: you may hate me for that last bit. I have a sister I love very much, and reading TSIE felt a little like jabbing a knife in my heart over and over. But it was also intensely beautiful. And romantic. And amazing. I can’t say enough good stuff about this book! Please check it out!

The Book That Made Me Feel Like I Was An Amazing Dancer, Even Though I Have Two Left Feet

My sister and I love to have Bring It On movie marathons where we sit on the couch and eat cheesy/buttery/chocolaty/delicious snacks and wonder how people actually have the strength and coordination to do all the jumps and twists and leaps that you see onscreen. I read Angie Stanton’s Dream Chaser, and now I know!

They work their tails off.

I admit, a book about a cheerleader/dancer sounded like it might be a little fluffy. Um, no way. Willow is a strong, determined young woman who has a nasty fall as the flyer on her cheer squad. She has this frenetic energy she needs to keep up with, and she trades her cheer career to go back to her roots; dance. I will tell you, I felt exhausted just reading about her grueling practices…but also elated when she got it all down, and the performances? Amazing! If you want to feel like you got a chance to dance/cheer/perform while still eating your delicious snacks on the couch, check this one out!

Thanks Liz - I have some of these books, but now I know I need to get reading them!

About Double Clutch:
What happens when you fall in love with the perfect guy...twice...in one day?

Brenna Blixen spent her freshman year homeschooling in Denmark; now that she's back in the States, she's determined to make her sophomore year unforgettable. And by unforgettable, she imagined awesome classes, fun friendships, and maybe a little romance.

What she got was a whole lot of romance, and all at once.

The same day that dark, brooding Saxon Maclean charmed her with his killer good looks and whip-smart wit, Jake Kelly stole her breath away with his heart-wrenching smile and intelligent, thoughtful focus.

But Saxon is a proud player who makes it clear that he doesn't know why he can't get Brenna off of his mind and out of his system, and Jake's sweet and humble attitude hides a secret past life that might be more darker and more complex than Brenna's willing to handle.

Complicating the matter is the fact that Saxon and Jake were once best friends and are now arch-enemies...and the more Brenna finds out about their connection to each other, the more intrigued and worried she becomes.

Between keeping the peace with her lovingly over-protective parents, designing t-shirts for her high school's rising punk band, keeping up her grades in both academic and technical high school, and running the track like a maniac, Brenna has enough to worry about with out juggling two guys who make her heart thud and drive her crazy all at once.

She has to make a choice. But how can she when giving her heart to one of them might mean breaking the other's?