WARNING: You are about to embark on a very dichotomous review, but I promise to explain myself along the way.
Brie works in a smoke shop and one day a very striking, mysterious man comes in and they experience an immediate connection. He leaves his card for her, which is for a submissive school he owns. Brie enters the program and the sexathon begins. Continue reading
I love my family so much and would never trade them for the world, but I HATE watching TV or movies when both my daughter and husband are in the room. They are huge talkers and love to gab through the most important and/or intense scenes. This drives me crazy. The other option we have come up with is pausing while they have their philosophical conversation, but that too kills it for me. Like when reading a book, I like to lose myself in the story and the constant starting and stopping makes it very hard for me to do so. Forget it if it’s a show they really don’t like, then the conversation floodgates are open.
In the scheme of things in creating a life together and a loving family, the above matters very little. I bring this up because NOBODY is perfect. I’m certainly not. Continue reading
Stuck in Between is now available in the US in eBook and paperback.
In other countries (paperback should be available in all the countries listed soon):
Canada: eBook
UK: eBook & Paperback
France: eBook & Paperback
Italy: eBook & Paperback
Spain: eBook
Germany: eBook & Paperback
Japan: eBook
Brazil: eBook
Mexico: eBook
Australia: eBook
Please let me know what you think of the story. I love hearing from my readers.
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Warm hugs,
Blakely
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Please give a warm welcome to Teresa X. Roberts, author of Why I Married a Murderer and How I Survived the Divorce. I first met Teresa when she bought my My Body Trilogy at art fare and we’ve remained friends ever since. Make sure to check out her memoir like I did and be swept up in a life you never imagined.
Teresa, please tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I just published my first book: Why I Married a Murderer and How I Survived the Divorce which is a memoir. It is the story of the men in my life who made me the woman I am today. It is both very sad, and also hilarious in parts; I’m sure just about anyone could relate to one part or another. A bit about myself? I married a murderer and survived the divorce. Haha. Seriously though, I have a knack for finding love in odd places. Beyond that, I think I’m a pretty awesome person and I do everything I can to promote my friends and their projects. I am currently juggling promoting my memoir, writing four books at one time as well as looking for a manufacturer to license a product I created. Did I mention I’m nuts? Continue reading
Please give a warm welcome to Suzy Turner, author of Forever Fredless.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I’m a Yorkshire lass who grew up in the Algarve where I met my husband when I was 16. We’ve been here ever since! He’s incredibly supportive. When I was made redundant a few years ago, he was behind me 100 per cent as I began the process of publishing my first book, Raven. Since then I’ve published five more in the YA urban fantasy genre and have just released my very first chick lit novel, Forever Fredless! Continue reading
Please give a warm welcome to Nicole Dunlap, author of Miss Nobody and Miss Scandalous. Please make sure to scroll all the way through to see Nicole’s cover reveal for her newest novel, Miss Perfect.
Tell us a bit about yourself, and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I’ve honorarily dubbed myself as “the gumbo genre” novelist because books shouldn’t be lightly seasoned. I write stories with drama, drizzled with suspense, seasoned with romance, and peppered with a few good laughs and an occasional cry. My stories are real, raw and edgy because they deal with dysfunctional relationships. I have a Masters Degree in Counseling from Azusa Pacific University, and I love to tell a story about the dynamics of others’ relationships. My current family saga is a series about a mother and daughter, Charlene and Raven. These women deal with ups and downs from loving themselves to the men–good or bad–in their lives. In Miss Nobody, the first of the Shaw Family Saga, Raven is a teen and dealing with depression. She also has an awful boyfriend. I chose to highlight this moment in her life because it plagues so many young women who haven’t determined their own self identity.
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
Miss Nobody is a drama with elements of romance and suspense. The series evolves while mother and daughter come to terms with themselves and the people they interact with. Raven is a sort of “hot head” which is really depicted in Miss Scandalous, giving it suspense, psychological flair. The third book, Miss Perfect, which will be released in Fall will compound on their issues and develop into more of a mystery, action novel. My brain functions within an array of frames, so even with my family saga the stories will incorporate new genres. I love just about every genre out there–except, horror is specifically for watching. I’m too afraid to simmer in that type of mentality long enough to write a story.
Has a dream every inspired any of your stories?
Oh my God, this is the greatest and worst question. Yes, I’ve had so many dreams that have inspired me. I kid you not, I dreamt one of Bruce Willis’ movies even before he stared in it. I can only shake my head at myself for not writing it down. Different parts of my saga have come from dreams, such as the ending of number two. If I’m indecisive on a scene and a think about it all night, I can dream up a good enough conclusion.
What does your writing space look like?
A laptop and my hairy, sometimes clean shaven, legs. Hehehehe. All I need is my computer, a quiet living room, and I can type the morning away.
What has been your best moment as a writer?
The physical book. There is nothing like touching a fully completed manuscript. It’s your baby, you nurtured– and hopefully molded by way of editing etc–it into the best bits of yourself that you can possibly present to the world. It’s like graduating college. You finally made it.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career?
One, stop being so shy! I have to chant that to myself all the time. Writing is highly a introverted task, where I bask in my invisible dome and interact with cool characters that I will never meet. But, I have to remind myself that this –though the fun part – is only the beginning and networking will be the key to success. Two, take the criticism and run with it. Miss Nobody and Miss Scandalous have an average 4.7 on Amazon, but not all 4s or 5s. I read reviews. I gush over the good ones, and go into a self-induced pity party over the bad ones. I’m cutting down the self depression for the 3 star reviews as of recent and learning that not everyone will love my stories. To me, everything I’ve written is off the rickety scale, but to others…eh. When I get criticism with substance, I take note.
Is there a message in your book(s) that you want readers to grasp?
My stories are riddled with messages. Miss Nobody teaches that others’ can talk about you, hate you, bully you, but only you can determine the path you will take. Another take away is “what are the lengths that you will go for love?” In Miss Scandalous while Raven is taking revenge for being abandoned by Charlene and her child hood best friend/boyfriend, the message is the depth of such vindication. Oftentimes, concentrating on hatred so profoundly is more problematic for the person pulling the trigger.
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
I have lots of villains in my stories. Usually it’s fun to be bad–am I right or am I right? I have this one stand alone story where everyone is busting each other up’ side the head, blood and gore, the whole nine yards. But with my family saga, Roy Timmons the truck driving rapist was difficult to write. I channeled him well, but him being a racist and hating black women, I had to really purge myself of all feelings when he appeared in Miss Nobody and Miss Scandalous. On the end of the spectrum, there is Raven who has been through so much; I also had challenges of writing her depression. I’ve dealt with depression myself, so getting into her character is easy, stepping out is the ultimate challenge.
What do you do to stay sane as a writer?
Writing. No joke. It’s marketing the book and reading reviews that take my breath away. Even when I go on Goodreads and see that I have another 5 star. My heart skips a beat as I click on the link and actually read what the person has to say. So writing a good story is my escape from life. I’ve been through a lot, my home caught fire and I lost everything I owned. I had a boyfriend about as awful as Raven’s in Miss Nobody. I was a teen mom and working on a bachelor degree while dealing with an idiot. So I write. If my fingers get tired there’s always Billy Blank’s Taebo, date night with the hubby, or Disney movies with my daughters. And, heck, if I have Macy’s coupons or there are sales going on, you can believe that I’m catching a deal.
A big hug, cheek kisses and a thank you to Blakely for having me! A total pleasure for me. I highly enjoyed reading your responses.
Please find Nicole at the social media links below:
Website
Amazon
Goodreads
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
Pinterest
Google Plus
Nicole recommends you check out Beth Winokur, a fellow author.
Click on the covers to buy Nicole’s books!
Miss Perfect: Shaw Family Saga, Book 3
BOOK BLURB:
Their desire for perfection will be… shattered
Charlene Shaw embodies perfection as a highly-acclaimed actress. Within her gilded walls of beauty, she is scrambling to save her daughter, Raven, from sins she can’t even fathom. This is her self-imposed curse for abandoning Raven as a child.
Raven Shaw is captivatingly gorgeous but burdened by a closet of skeletons. After a rough childhood, she is finally living life. Jon, her best friend and the only man she’s ever loved, has returned. Yet, a stalker looms just out of reach, blackmailing her for Jon’s fortune. She’d do anything to keep this man–even if it means turning to another… Mysterious, handsome Tyriq may have the key to erase her deepest, darkest secrets forever. Yet, this savior might threaten her mind’s rationale of “happily ever after” with Jon.
In this intense third installment of the Shaw Family Saga there will be blood, murder, and a beloved …will be shattered.
Join the Paperback book Giveaway
1. Add Miss Perfect on your Goodreads list
2. Like facebook.com/authornicoledunlap (if you have already, you’re in the clear)
3. Wait til September 12, book launch day. Winner will be contacted through Goodreads within seven days. Good luck!
Please give a warm welcome to Judith Barrow, author of Changing Patterns. Make sure to check the bottom of the page for a giveaway.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
My name is Judith Barrow, and I feel that, finally, I can say I am an author. A lifelong ambition. I grew up in a small village in the Pennines, North West England and for the last thirty four years, have lived with my husband, David, and my family in Wales. Currently I am promoting Changing Patterns, the sequel to my first book, Pattern of Shadow.
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
Pattern of Shadows and Changing Patterns (which came out earlier this month) could be described as sagas, the life stories of my characters. But, because they’re written during WW2 and in the fifties I think of them as Historical fiction as well. And there again there’s also touches of romance and crime … so, in the end I leave it to the reader to decide.
I have also written a book that is fictional but based on fact. Silent Trauma is a story of four women affected in different ways by a drug. Stilboestrol is an artificial oestrogen prescribed to women between the decades of the nineteen forties and seventies, ostensibly to prevent miscarriages. Not only was it ultimately proved to be ineffectual it also caused drastic and tragic damage to the daughters of the women. I learned about the charity (DES Action) some years ago through a relative and became involved.
Your next question – “Who or what inspires you?” – could be covered by the reason I wrote Silent Trauma. I was inspired after I wrote an article for the annual newsletter and the mothers and daughters, affected by the drug, began to contact me. The characters in the book are a mixture of all the women I have spoken to.
Do you have an agent and/or publisher or are you self-published? If self-published, do you use a professional editor? If traditionally published, who is your publisher?
I don’t have an agent. I did but we had different ideas on what would work for me so I decided to go it alone. It’s worked out well. Honno, a small independent publisher took me on for Pattern of Shadows and Changing Patterns and it’s working well. I self -published Silent Trauma because I’d been trying traditional publishers for years and they were wary of what they called “an issue-led novel”. I donate ten per cent of the royalties to the charity.
What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
Join a writing group or class if you can (I run one or two in Pembrokeshire where I live and it always amazes me how much untapped and unrecognized talent there is) The main thing I would advise is to listen to feedback, take it on board, and then use as you wish, always remembering opinion is subjective.
What does your writing space look like?
Now our children are grown and flown, I’m lucky enough to have my own study. It’s an L-shaped room with one end for my writing and the other for my painting (purely a hobby). The ceiling slopes and has two Velux windows to give me as much light as possible. I have units and shelves for all my files and folders of material for teaching creative writing and a lovely big desk. I am very lucky to have my own space. From my window I look out over the roofs of a couple of houses and then over fields filled with tree and a few grazing horse. I know that just beyond the horizon there is the sea. I can’t see it but I know it’s there.
What are your three favorite books including the authors?
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou. And anything by Pat Barker, which also answers your next question “ Who is your favorite author and why?” I think her writing is so complex; she mixes absolutely exquisite description with dialogue that is so believable the reader lives within the internal lives of each of her characters. I am, and have been for a long time, a real fan of her work.
What project are you currently working on?
I’ve just finished a novella, The Memory, the story of a woman living with her mother who has dementia. Something I have personal experience of. It started out as a memoir/ short story and finished up as a thirty-four thousand novella. I’ve never written one before. I’m now starting the outline of the third book that will follow Pattern of Shadows and Changing Patterns.
Is being an author your dream job? If so, how long have you been chasing the dream?
Yes. And too many years to mention.
What has been your best moment as a writer?
Holding Pattern of Shadows before my first reading in front of an audience. Feeling sick with nerves – yet ecstatic at the same time.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career?
Too many to mention – but mainly my own lack of confidence and belief that I could actually write.
How much time a day do you spend on social media?
It varies. Initially not a lot. Nowadays I find myself drawn in. I want to read everybody’s blog and look at all the websites and answer all the posts on Facebook and Twitter. Not long ago I was ‘Unfriended’ on Facebook by a ‘real life’ friend because of all the shares I was putting on my Timeline. She said I was doing too much; it cluttered up her page. It threw me for a while – perhaps there is a balance I’ve yet to find.
Do you read your reviews and if so, how do you cope with a bad one?
Yes. And take it on the chin. Evaluate it. If I think it’s warranted I bear it in mind for the next WIP.
I have found the writer’s community to be very supportive and welcoming. Please share three writers that you recommend for us to check out.
Please be sure to friend Judith Barrow on Facebook, follow on Twitter and check out her website. Honno Press has a fabulous Facebook giveaway for both wonderful WWII novels by Judith Barrow! Like and/or share Honno Press FB page for a chance to win.
Click on the cover to buy Changing Patterns.
My husband turned me onto The Nu Project website where women from all over North and South American have submitted their nude photos in support of the endeavor to show what real women look like. That’s not to say models are not real women, however they are so far in the minority that to base our societies standards on their physiques is to set up a culture where the majority of women feel dissatisfied with their bodies. This project celebrates all types of women’s shapes and curves. I, for one, think it’s fabulous.
As someone who has often compared herself to women twenty years younger than I, I love to see all shapes and size represented. In the My Body Trilogy, my characters are fit and lean mostly because that’s what I find appealing although I plan to write other novels with all types of characters represented. Lauren Dane, in one of her Chase Brothers series novels, has a full-figured main female character which I very much enjoyed.
I’m considered an average size woman now but in my early adulthood I was definitely full-figured and struggled with my own self-image. As a practicing nudist, one of the most liberating aspects is to see all shapes and sizes of men and women and their comfort level with their own bodies. Each and every body is unique and loving my own body, makes me even more inclined to take great care of it.
My husband and I just watched Monique Marvez: Not Skinny Not Blonde comedy show on Showtime. I highly recommend that you check it out. We laughed our asses off but it also enlightened me to a very important fact of life. Something I probably unconsciously knew but never spent much time thinking about. She said that how women see themselves, us being our own worst critics, is very different than how men see us, most especially the men who love us. I believe this to be true so from now on I plan to see myself through my husband’s eyes instead of my own because he has such a positive attitude toward how I look. 🙂
I’m excited to share The Nu Project with you and help promote any endeavor that shines a positive light on a culture based on reality instead of an ideal. Hopefully the project will expand to include men as well.
Check it out and let me know what you think. As always, I love to read your comments.
I hope everyone had a wonderful week. The blog tour is going well and the official release of My Body-His (Marcello) happened on Friday which is very exciting. Looking forward to reading your reviews.
Warm hugs,
Blakely
Please feel free to friend me on Facebook by clicking here.
And follow the My Body Trilogy Facebook page by clicking here.
Find My Body-His (book one) for sale on Amazon here.
Find My Body-His Marcello (book two) on Amazon here.
Today is a day I will not soon forget. I’m so excited to announce that My Body-His is available for pre-sale on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/My-Body-His-Blakely-Bennett/dp/1603815236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349278898&sr=8-1&keywords=My+Body-His
Each step in the process is bringing me closer and closer to fulfilling a long standing dream. I remember writing stories and poetry in my early 20s and dreaming of having my novel chosen for Oprah’s book club. Gone is Oprah’s show but the dream has never faded. I still hope to get on a talk show, do book signings, and see my novels on the New York Best Seller’s Lists. My daughter’s pick is for me to get on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Still a long way for me to go, I know, but so much closer than I have ever been. 🙂
I feel emotional and elated today. People have told me they pre-ordered the book and it’s made me tear up. My husband and daughters are so excited as well.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me in becoming a published author. Words of encouragement go a long way. Thank you!
Warm hugs,
Blakely
http://www.amazon.com/Blakely-Bennett/e/B009LB3420
http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Body-His-series/359307324147300