Monday, August 25, 2014

Cover Reveal: HOPE FOR HER by Syndey Aaliyah Michelle

Cover Reveal
Hope Series by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer:  © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs
Book #1
Title: Hope For Her 
Author: Sydney Aaliyah Michelle
Series: Hope Series, Book #1
Publication Date: October 1st
Hope for Her (Hope Series Book #1)
What do you hope for?
No one ever expected much from him.
Joshua Elijah Griffin, IV is on his last chance. A stint in rehab and a transfer to a new school has scared him into putting his life on track. He’s determined to live up to his family’s expectations, but on the first day of class, Josh meets a girl. He knows his father won’t approve, but in Carrington, he sees a kindred spirit. He's willing to give up everything to be with her.
No one ever thought much of her.
Carrington Olivia Butler is ready to shine. Always in the background, she goes away to college to break out of her shell. Carrington wants to feel special. Josh's attention is exactly what she craves, but their intense and sometimes volatile relationship is more than she bargained for.
As their relationship progresses, Josh’s demons return, and Carrington’s feelings fade, but they aren’t ready to give up hope. They give their love one last shot to survive, but hope, may not be enough.
**This book contains adult subject matter. Not intended for young readers.**
Pre-Order Hope For Her:

Hope For Him ( Hope Series, Book #2 ):  What do you hope for, now?
- Available December 2014
Hope For Us ( Hope Series #3 ): What do you hope for, still?
- Available February 2015
 
 About The Author
Sydney Aaliyah Michelle is a New Adult Contemporary Romance writer, a voracious reader and movie fanatic who Sydney has been blogging at sydneyaaliyah.com for three years, where she interviews people about their tattoos, discusses her favorite movie quotes, reviews books (New Adult & only the ones she loves) and journals about her writing and editing process. Hails from Texas. After surviving 5 1/2 years living in China, she had the courage to finally pursue her passion and become a writer. Sydney’s self-published debut New Adult Novel Another New Life released June 2014. An active tweeter, she is also a JuNoWriMo (2x) and NaNoWriMo (2x) winners who notes the sci-fi action flick “The Matrix” as the best representation of her life in the past. She is blessed to be awake now and doing what she loves.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hope For Her by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Hope For Her

by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Giveaway ends October 01, 2014. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Release of 42 HOURS by Bethany Lopez!


It's RELEASE DAY for 42 Hours by Author Bethany Lopez! Check out the excerpt below and don't forget to enter in the giveaway!

Title: 42 Hours (Time for Love #3)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb: 
Eight years ago, Scott and Gaby shared one very special night. Not wanting to ruin their friendship, they didn't take things further...but neither of them has forgotten.

When Scott’s friends stage an intervention to make him realize that his fiancé, Victoria, is all wrong for him, he takes time to evaluate his life. He’s earned a big promotion and just bought his dream car, but those things are just superficial. The one time he was truly happy, was with Gaby.

Gaby is in a good place in her life. She loves her job, has the best friends and family a girl could ask for, and is dating a sweet and sexy guy, but she’s never stopped thinking about that night with Scott.

Eager to find happiness again, Scott makes a plan to win Gaby’s heart during a weekend getaway, but she doesn’t want to be his rebound girl. Will 42 hours be enough to convince Gaby that it's finally their time for love?

Excerpt
Gaby stood up and walked slowly toward me, her long gray skirt swishing around her legs, and the bracelets on her arms clinking together as she moved. Her long blonde hair was loose and flowed around her shoulders. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and her expression was somber, but she looked as beautiful as ever.
She held her hand out to me, and when I took it, she led me toward an overstuffed chair and indicated that I should sit, before going back to her place next to Sasha on the couch and facing me once more. “Scott,” she began in her soft, sweet voice, “we’re all here today because we love you.”
My head swiveled as I took them all in, curious, but unsure of what Gaby was doing.
“Scott.” She took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly before she said, “This is an intervention. We’ve tried talking to you individually, letting you know our concerns, and although it looked like you were on the right path for a while, for some reason, you took a U-turn and headed right back down the wrong road.”
My eyes scrunched up and my head began to pound as I tried to decipher what she was saying. “What the hell are you talking about, Gaby? U-turns and wrong paths … Just say what you mean.”
“Victoria, Scott,” Cal piped in. “She’s talking about your relationship with Victoria.”
I closed my eyes briefly as blood rushed to my head.
“You can’t marry her, Scott,” I heard Gaby say quietly from my right.
I opened my eyes again and looked Cal in the eye.
“We’ve already discussed this,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Yeah.” Cal ran his hands through his hair, indicating his frustration. “We did talk about it, and you said that you were going to break it off with her … Then, out of nowhere, the wedding was back on. What the hell, Scott?”
“You know she’s wrong for you, brother,” TJ said, his hand clasping Sasha’s in his, as if he was her anchor.
“We want you to be happy, Scott, and you know as well as we do, that she will only make you miserable,” Sasha added, twisting the knife that my friends had metaphorically placed in my gut.
“Look,” I began, trying to keep control of my anger. “I know there is no love lost between you guys and Victoria, but you don’t know her the way I do.”
“Are you saying behind closed doors she’s a sweet, caring, and giving woman?” Shelly asked, her eyes sad as she rested her head on Cal’s shoulder. “Because that’s what you deserve.”
I didn’t respond to that. No, they knew as well as I did that Victoria didn’t care for anything as much as she cared for herself, but I was so deep into this relationship, I didn’t know how to get out of it without hurting her, and my mother, in the process.
“I get what you guys are saying,” I admitted. “And, yes, I did try to call off the wedding at one point, but Victoria was devastated, you guys. She cried and begged me to take her back. She promised to be a wonderful wife, and to try harder to get along with you guys.”
“I’m sure she was upset, Scott, and I’m sorry for that,” Gaby said, pulling my attention back to her. “But Victoria isn’t our concern … you are. If you stay with her, you will end up in a cold and loveless marriage, just like your parents had. Is that the way you want to live? Is that how you want to raise children?”
“You told TJ and I, at your house the night we were playing cards, that you were having second thoughts about marrying her. You asked us to ‘tell you the truth before you ruined your fucking life’ … Well, we’re telling you now, Scott,” Cal pleaded. He stood up and walked toward me, laying his hand on my shoulder and looking me dead in the eyes. “We’re begging you … Don’t do it.”
I closed my eyes and stood, unable to look into the faces of the most important people in my life. “I have to go.”
“Scott,” Gaby pleaded, coming toward me.
“Gaby.” I looked down into her worried eyes. “I hear you, okay? I hear you all.” I looked each of them in the eye before turning on my heel. “I have to think,” I said over my shoulder as I hurried back out the way that I’d come. I tried to avoid their gazes, but the look on Gaby’s face was imprinted on my mind, and as I started up my car and pulled away, I couldn’t shake the image.






Don't forget to check out the first two books in the series!


Title: 8 Weeks (Time for Love #1)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | iTunes

Title: 21 Days (Time for Love #2)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA/Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Giveaway:
A signed Trust in Me tote, a Whiskey Heat T-shirt (LG), and Whiskey Heat coozie


About the Author:
Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Depression: The Silent Killer

The internet will surely be on fire today with discussions on depression after the shocking and beyond tragic death of Robin Williams. It feels strange to mourn the death of someone we never met in person, but who was with so many of us from the very beginning of our childhood. One of the first shows I remember watching as a kid was Mork & Mindy. Robin was one of those actors who could make just anyone laugh, whether in a child's cartoon or with one of his raunchy stand-up comedy bits.

I feel an inherent need to address the disease on a personal level. I've touched the subjects of suicide and depression in several of my books. In What I've Done, the book starts with Lily's attempted suicide. In Adam's List, Jewels is battling with depression, though not well (using "booze and sarcasm"). This was not my way of capitalizing on a scary disease, it was my way of putting real life out there as I've battled with depression on and off for decades.

I made the decision a few years back to go off medication as it was completely numbing my creative side. It was scary to put myself out there without a parachute so to speak, and I definitely wouldn't recommend anyone try this without consulting their doctor first. I don't know that I would still be clinically depressed by definition, but there are still days when I'm so down it's like I'm in a dark tunnel, all alone. Still, I'm always able to put on a good show when I'm down so a lot of people don't know how hard I'm struggling. I think this is true for a lot of people dealing with depression. You never know who is struggling with inner demons. Look at Robin Williams—he was one of the most hilarious people on the planet.

I recently saw a friend post something online that seemed to be a subtle cry for help. I think most people took the post as either sarcasm or some kind of inside thing, and ignored it. I honestly had to look twice before it rang danger bells. Another friend emailed me, asking if we say something about the post. In the end we both decided that we'd rather do something about it than sit on our hands and discover our friend had committed suicide in the night. While I was talking online to the friend in pain, waiting for their family to check in on them in person, they mentioned I was "the only one who cared" because no one else had said anything. I told them that was total crap and most likely his friends and family weren't online at the time. But it really made me think. We've become so dependent on social media that we have nearly forgotten how to interact in real life. This friend was sitting in their dark tunnel, reaching out to anyone who may have been online, when the people who cared the most about them were probably away from their phones and computers, oblivious to the cry for help.

Life is hard. Everyone constantly has to deal with change and death and obstacles and disappointments and failure. It's a never-ending roller-coaster of emotions, and we're just expected to swallow them and carry on. If someone you know seems a little "off" and you're not sure just how much they're hurting, REACH OUT TO THEM. Let them know you care. Even if it's a complete stranger on the internet. You never know who's hurting and secretly hiding their pain.

For more information on the warning signs, or what you should do if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-TALK.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Protective Instinct Tour & Giveaway

Gliterary Girl Book Tours presents the blog tour for the release of PROTECTIVE INSTINCT, Book #4 in the Time After Time Saga, by Authors Lynette Endicott and Tami Dee.

Protective Instinct
 
ProtectiveInstinctCoverArt72dpi__94617.1402191584.1280.1280Sabrina Bridges clings to her birthright as a Heartmark woman, convinced she will overcome the time-traveling enemy that plagues the women of her family. She is certain she will obtain true love with the man she gives her heart to. But how will her trusting heart survive when she learns that very man has deceived her since the moment they met?
Nicolas Mitchell's loyalty to family and country are tested by the woman who may lead him to one who threatens all he holds dear. Nick must steel his heart against her, and deny his protective instinct for the woman who speaks of an ancient family legend and her belief that together he and she will forge a love that will last forever. Will Nick be able to complete his last mission as a spy for the Crown or will he betray his country for the sake of love?
   



Excerpt for PROTECTIVE INSTINCT

Nick shook his head and patted the horse’s neck. “This is Mr. Simmons.”

Sabrina beamed that smile at him, a ray of sunshine not dimmed by the battled condition of her face. She took a step away from the horse, tilting her head from side to side as she looked over his companion.

Nick studied her, looking past the scrapes and bruises he could see, and those he couldn't. He knew that there were many more of the like hidden beneath her torn clothing and a surge of rage at the men who’d harmed her momentarily turned his vision red. His cloak sat half on, half off her slim shoulders, the brooch pressing into the delicate line of her neck.

Her hair hung in a copper rope down her back, its silken strands askew with small leaves still captured within them.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the small mark just beneath the outer side of her right eye.

A freckle? Mole? Birthmark?

She brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear, giving him an unobstructed view, and he was surprised to see that the tiny mark was in the shape of a heart. Flush with her smooth skin, it could not be a mole, so a freckle then, or birthmark.

He fisted his hands at his sides, the desire to touch the mark almost too strong to ignore.

Something bumped his feet.

Nick looked down as the little calico cat that had been with Sabrina in the shed twisted its lithe body between his legs. The cat looked up at Nick with eyes that seemed to see way too much. Nick gritted his teeth. He already had a horse that seemed to see right into his soul. He surely did not need a cat doing the same thing.

Nick raked a hand through his hair. Horses and cats looking into his soul? Maybe it was not the girl that was daft, but him!

“Look,” he said with a bit more abruptness than he’d intended, “it’s likely to start snowing again at any time. We need to find shelter.”

Her hand stilled on Mr. Simmons’s nose and those wide, thick lashed eyes met his. “You’ll accept the dagger?”

He looked at the dagger in his hand. He’d forgotten he even held it, and let out a resigned sigh. “Aye, I’ll accept your gift,” he conceded, “but I’ll also show you how to use it, should the need arise again.”

Which it surely would, when he set out to slay her.

Nick puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. What a bloody mess.

She smiled so wide, the cut on her lip began to bleed, a crimson trickle against snow white skin. Nick took his handkerchief from his inner pocket and dabbed at the wound.

Her breath hitched and the pupils of her eyes widened. Emotion he refused to acknowledge darkened the blue of her eyes.

If the ache in his heart and the tremor of his hand were any indication, he was in trouble.

A lot of trouble.


BUY NOW AT:

ABOUT Lynette Endicott
Lynette Endicott grew up in Illinois, met her husband in Western Nebraska, lived 25 years in Kansas where their daughter was born, and has been in Fresno, California since 2000. She has a son-in-law (who lives with her daughter nearby), and has rescued a dog, a bird and three cats. She and Ollie, her terrier mix, volunteer as a team at the local library, where children read to the dog.
At a youth camp when she was 14 the editor and teacher of a writing class challenged her to submit something to his youth magazine. She did and it was the first of 10 articles and stories accepted by the publication over the next few years.
Lynette EndicottNothing like front end success to keep her writing! Lynette enjoys reading contemporary romance and speculative fiction and writes both. Her debut book, Starting Over Book One: More Than A Job, and two more books in that series, The Return of Joy and Finding Her Voice are available now. The first three of the Time After Time Saga with Tami Dee are available now, including Animal Instinct, Survival Instinct and Pioneer Instinct. The fourth in the series of six, Protective Instinct, will release in August 2014.
Because she didn't have pets until after her 50th birthday the animals she enjoys find their way into all her books. Usually you will also find a character with a disability as part of the day-to-day fabric of the story. In More Than A Job, Paige works in services to people with disabilities until she loses her job and starts over. In The Return of Joy, Atlas, the yellow lab, becomes a Therapy Dog. In the Time After Time series animal helpers assist the hero and heroine in all six of the books in the series.
Lynette loves hearing from her fans! Please connect with her on:

ABOUT Tami Dee
Becoming an author was a dream I never really thought would come true for me. I have dyslexia, yet, despite the struggle, I adore weaving stories for others to enjoy.
I am a member of Romance Writers of America, Desert Breeze connections, RWA San Francisco Area Romance Writers, RWA Scriptscence, and RWA Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.
You can connect with Tami on:

To celebrate the release of PROTECTIVE INSTINCT, Lynette and Tami will be giving away a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card to one grand prize winner, a $10.00 Gift Card to either Starbucks or Teavana to the second runner up and an ecopy of PROTECTIVE INSTINCT to the third runner up. Enter the giveaway every day for more chances to win. All entries must be received by August 18th before midnight.
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Monday, August 4, 2014

Introducing Erik Murphy

In book #2 of the NYC LOVE series (Kelly's Quest, coming in October), Kelly is torn between Theo—the incredibly hot, former Marine who became friends with Jewels and Adam in Adam's List—and Erik—Adam's irritatingly seductive, spoiled brother who has a dark past.