Armchair BEA Day 1: Introductions First

 Wecome to Armchair BEA Day #1.  This is introduction day for all of us who are staying at home while this wonderful book convention is going on in New York City.  One year I plan on going, but this isn't the year.  So I plan on participating in Armchair BEA all week and I'm even helping host a Twitter party on Thursday night starting at 8pm, so stay tuned for that.  But until then enjoy the daily postings.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?  My name is Crystal, I'm a Mom, a Wife, and an avid reader and therefore a blogger.  I also work in Marine Sciences and really enjoy my job.  I have been blogging for a little over 3 years now and I got started with the simple plan to help keep up with the books I read and how I felt out about each book I read.  In it's simplest form, it was suppposed to be reviews of my library books and books on my TBR piles.  It has quickly morphed from books I owned or checked out to books from publicists/authors and others in the buisiness.  I also have expanded past just book reviews, though I am lagging a bit at the moment.  I am hoping Armchair BEA will give me the spark I need back.
2. What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?  I'm currently reading Guilty Wives by James Patterson adn David Ellis.  James Patterson is still one of my guilty pleasures.  I know a lot of people don't necessarily like him and I don't enjoy all of his new books, but this one has been good and different so far.
3. What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?  I am really starting to enjoy author interviews.  I am getting better at questions to ask and feel like I am coming into my own with these.  Plus I love the chance to interact  with authors and learn something personal and professional about them at the same time.
4. If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?  I think I would choose Stephen King because he is honestly the one who bridged my love of reading from childhood to adult reading when I was a teenager (not so much YA back then).  I read It and was in love so I would love a chance to talk to him and just sit and listen to him for an hour.
5. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?  Yes they have in a way. I'm coming full-circle at the moment.  I came in reading suspense and romance, then the blogging world introduced me to the world of young adult and the many variations out there in this genre/age group of literature.  But now I'm kind of coming back to the adult books I read to begin with.  I am falling in love with romance again and suspense again and really enjoying it.  I still read YA too, but not to the full exclusion of books I use to read.  I am also tackling my tbr pile that has been neglected as well.  I am looking at it less like a job and more like an enjoyment again.

Author Interview + Giveaway: Diane Alberts (Divinely Ruined: Book One in the Divine Temptations Trilogy)

Today I get to welcome the lovely Diane Alberts back to my blog.  You may recall she visited a few weeks ago touring with On One Condition which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Today she is stopping by for an interview and giveaway for Divinely Ruined which is Book 1 in the Divine Temptations Trilogy.  I am in the middle of this one and it is really great so far, it got me through a grueling bike ride at the gym last night with pleasure so that says a lot.  So grab you your favorite beverage and enjoy the interview, learn about Divinely Ruined and enter to win at the bottom of the post.



Welcome back Diane, to My Reading Room!

Thank you for having me here today! I’m so excited to be back to talk about Divinely Ruined, the first in the Divine Temptations Trilogy.

When you were a child what is the one thing you really remember wanting to be?

Ironically enough…an author! Ever since I was a little girl, I was writing stories and entering contests. I even remember winning one, and getting to attend a Young Author’s Convention of some sort, but the details are foggy. All I can remember is sitting there, talking to authors and thinking—this is what I want to be.

How amazing, I've heard of some authors that it really was like that.  I think I wanted to be an astronaut, but writer passed through my brain at one time or another.  I sure am glad you wanted to be a writer!

What is your favorite snack food?

Ooooh…Cheetos. I only get them at parties because if I buy them, I’ll sit and eat the whole bag. They’re addicting and so, so bad for you.

My second favorite snack would be peanut butter cups. Especially when they melt a tiny bit and get all ooey-and soft. Mmm….

Yummy snack foods and I can eat peanut butter cups, now I need to go see if I have any . . . 

I remember that you have four children, where is your favorite place that you have taken them?

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I love, love, love going there. We go twice a year with the in-laws—once in May and once in October. It’s so laid-back, gorgeous, and fun there. I even wrote a book that takes place there, I love it so much.

Moving on to the book now, what made you choose using an angel who isn’t so angelic as a main character in Divinely Ruined? (which by the way, I love the concept)

I really wanted to write an angel book that is like no other angel book. All of the angel books I’ve read tend to have a common theme—but I wanted to write one that showed the human side of angels. I also wanted to show what, in my world, angels had to do to earn their wings.

There is strenuous testing, real life trials, and the hardship of not being tempted by their human emotions. Rebecca has a particularly hard time with that last one.

Tell us about Divinely Ruined in 120 characters or less?

Rebecca doesn't want love or a family. Yet Tony tempts her to give it all up for a chance at just that--even if it means losing her wings.

Dish, who was your favorite character?

Oh, I loved Rebecca. She’s just so much fun with her constant battle between doing what she knows she should do—and denying that she wants to do the complete opposite of that. And her temper is extremely amusing, especially when she is cursing out Tony.

What do you have up next for us impatient readers?

I actually just had a new release come out the other day. It’s also with Entangled Publishing, and it’s called Try Me (Take a Chance #1). Look at those smoking abs:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/try-me-diane-alberts/1111098286

Besides that, the next Divine Temptations Trilogy book will be out soon!

Very, very nice abs Diane, I'll definitely have to Try Him, I mean read Try Me . . . 

Thanks Diane!

Thanks so much for inviting me back! It’s been great visiting again!

Blurb:

She finally meets a decent man–after she’s oath-bound never to touch men again!

Rebecca’s life sucked before she became an angel. Crappy apartment, awful jobs, abusive boyfriends–it was no wonder she jumped at the chance to escape it all and become a real live angel. The problem is Rebecca’s not very angelic, and she’ll have to do more to earn her wings than end her love affair with the word f–er, frick.

Especially when she’s assigned to save single father Tony Weis, whose less-than-pure thoughts wreak hell on a telepathic angel’s nerves. It’s all Rebecca can do to keep her hands off him…but when she loses her memory injuring herself to save Tony’s daughter, now it’s Tony’s turn to be her angel and care for her. But will Tony’s devotion tempt her from her angelic path, even if it means being human again?

Author info:

Diane Alberts current contracted works with Entangled Publishing are:  ON ONE CONDITION (February 2012, Ever After line), and DIVINELY RUINED (April 2012, Ever After line). Her current works with Decadent Publishing are: KILL ME TOMORROW (October 2011, 1NightStand series),  RECLAIMED (December 2011), ABSOLUTION (March 2012, Honor Guard series), BROKEN (March 2012, 1NightStand series), and ESCAPE TO ME (TBA, 1NightStand series).

Diane Alberts has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author.  Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another.

She is a multi-published, bestselling author with Entangled Publishing and Decadent Publishing. She is repped by her fabulous agent, Lauren Hammond of ADA Management. She has, as of this date, two books with Entangled Publishing, and five books with Decadent Publishing. Her February release with Entangled Publishing, ON ONE CONDITION, hit #18 on the Barnes and Noble Bestseller List. She has a lot of projects currently being shopped around by her fabulous agent, and her goal is to write so many fantastic books that even a non-romance book fan will know her name.

Buy links:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Books on Board

Read first chapter free:

Entangled Publishing

Find Diane on the web:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads 

Giveaway:
Want to win Divinely Ruined by Diane Alberts?  Well you can, Entangled Pub is giving away one ebook copy to a lucky winner and that winner can be international.  All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below and the main entry is a freebie.  All others are optional.  It runs through June 6th and I'll send out the announcement to the winner by the 8th.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Friday Love (1)

I just found this meme but it looks like a lot of fun, especially today's question.  It fit well for what I am reading this week.  My Friday Love is hosted by Bewitched Bookworms so head over there to link up and see everyone's answers.  So this week's question is:

Which Guy did you meet this week in literature that is swoon worthy??

It's been a slow reading week due to being busy so I have mainly been with one guy ;)  And his name is Nick Gautier.  Yes I am reading:

Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the third book in the Chronicles of Nick and I am really enjoying this series.  I loved Nick in the Dark Hunters series (which I am woefully behind on now) so it is really cool to see his back story now. 

So I am swooning over sarcastic yet witty Nick this week.  Sure there are hunkier guys that make their appearances, Kyrian and Ash being two of them, but I am a sucker for a sarcastic witty guy.  And to top it off, Nick would do anything to please his Momma.  What a boy.  I love Nick as a character, but it's more like love of a son here.  But he's still swoon-worthy because how he is in these books is how I hope my sons will turn out (okay minus some of the sarcasm).  He is trying to get through that awkward teenager phase, do the right thing, and he has to do it while dealing with all these crazy things coming after him at the same time.  Poor guy.  I'm just glad he has some good friends and protectors around to help him.

So if you've read the Dark Hunters, you should check out this series, yes it's YA, but it's fun to see Nick.  If you haven't read the Dark Hunters series, this is a great way to start, it doesn't give anything away and it's a great intro and you get to meet Nick.

Who are you swooning over this week?  And make sure you enter my Splash into Summer giveaway, click on the graphic on my sidebar for a $10 Amazon GC.

Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop

It's time for another giveaway hop and what better way to bring in the unofficial start to summer than with the Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop hopted by  I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Page Turners Blog.

I'm keeping this super simple.  You have a book you want?  I'm giving away a $10 Amazon GC this time.  I've been all about the Amazon GC lately because I can buy books for my Kindle like crazy.  So you can buy what you want.  Open internationally.  Thanks for stopping by!

What will I be doing to kick off the summer?  Hopefully going out in the boat and heading to gorgeous Cape Lookout (you can see it below) to hang out with friends and families we know, enjoy some beverages of choice :) and read on some good books and of course work on my tan!  Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Announcement: 4th Annual U.S. Military Wives Contest - Open for Entries

4th Annual U.S. Military Wives Contest—Open for Entries!

For the past couple of years, as a special thank you to our service members and their families, I have held a contest just for Military Wives. It turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. I had the privilege of meeting several incredible women and their beautiful families. It's so easy to forget that there are real people who are deeply affected by the conflicts overseas. Hearing the personal stories of these families helped me remember that our troops are husbands, fathers, brothers and sons who are immensely loved and sorely missed.

This contest will run from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend but start sending those entries in now!

Who is eligible? Wives of any U.S. military service member may enter. Retired or active-duty.

How do you enter? Send an email to info@novelromance.net with a picture of you and your family member in uniform. Tell us a bit about what branch he serves in, where you've been stationed, challenges and so forth. We want to hear your story! Please put "4th Annual Military Families Contest" in the subject line.

Once a week, beginning Memorial Day weekend, I will pick one entrant to be highlighted on my blog. These weekly entrants are semi-finalists. Labor Day weekend I will select three winners.

Second Prize: A $25 Amazon Gift Card, Signed copies of Unleashed and Untouched

First Prize: A $50 Amazon Gift Card, and signed copies of Unleashed and Untouched

Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon Gift card and signed copies of Unleashed and Untouched

For more information about the contest and Sara Humphreys, please visit http://sarahumphreys.com/ and follow Sara on Twitter, @AuthorSara.

Check out the Huffington Post Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-taney-humphreys/military-families-_b_1533949.html?ref=tw

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sara Humphreys has been attracted to the fantasies of science fiction, paranormal, and romance since her adolescence when she had a mad crush on Captain Kirk. An actress and public speaker, Sara lives in Bronxville, New York with her husband, who is very considerate of her double life, and four amazing boys. For more information about the contest and Sara Humphreys, please visit http://sarahumphreys.com/

 

***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.  ***

Waiting On Wednesday (25)

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

I follow Rachel Vincent's blog because I love her YA Soul Screamer's series, but I have heard enough about her adult titles (which is also a series, but can be read as stand alone) that I am dying to read them and I'm in luck, it's time for a new one today!  Of course I want to read the first in the series as well which is Blood Bound.

Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent

Release Date:  May 22, 2012

If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light…

KORI DANIELS is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she’s ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if that means taking it from someone else…

The job? Recruit Ian Holt—or kill him.

Ian’s ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he’s on a mission of his own.

Ian has come to kill Tower’s top Binder: Kori’s little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they’ll have to choose between love and liberty….

Pre-order links (no affiliation for me):

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.  ***