BOOK SIGNING - JULY 1, 2011 - 5-8 PM

Pacific Northwest Writers Assoc. is hosting a book signing for local authors (us included!) at its Writers' Cottage. This is in conjunction with Issaquah's Art Walk, held on the first Friday of each month from May thru September. Come join in the fun! There's live music and entertainment, and a free shuttle will take you from historic downtown Issaquah to Gilman Village. Hope to see you there!


When: Friday, July 1, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Gilman Village, Issaquah, Washington
Who: Seattle Area Authors (click here for a complete list)
Why: Because local authors appreciate your support

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY - June 26

This week we're continuing with our character June from I.O.U. SEX, the novel where three women search for their high school boyfriends. This week, June is recalling the scene where she broke it off with her overbearing ex-husband. 

  With each step June took away from Stan, she felt stronger.

            Asshole, creep, SOB.

            All the names she’d called Stan in her head over the years surfaced and raced across her brain, like a thesaurus of profanity. She pulled her suitcase from the closet and slammed it onto the bed. When she turned, Stan stood blocking the doorway with his arms over his chest.

            Narcissist, douche bag, prick.

6 Sentence Sunday is the creation of Sara Brookes. To read contributions from other writers or to join in the fun, click on this link: Six Sentence Sunday


As of June 11, I.O.U. SEX is available in paperback from CreateSpace, as well as in eBook format from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords , etc. See the "Buy I.O.U. Sex" tab above for details.

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Photo by Michael Marcol

We're thrilled to announce that lucky lady June M. is the winner of a copy of I.O.U. SEX in our "Party 'Til Your Heels Fly Off" contest. 


Our drawing for the winner was completely random, so it was really a surprise that our winner's name turned out to be June -- the name of one of the main characters in I.O.U. SEX! Plus the contest took place in the month of June. What are the chances of that happening?


A bit of trivia. We tossed horseshoes during our blog tour barbeque picnic, and horseshoes are supposed to bring good luck. But that only works if you hang them with the ends pointing upward. That way, they catch and hold any good luck that may be floating by. I guess June's horseshoes did their job! And in case you're wondering, June's favorite picnic food is raw veggies.

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY - June 19

In honor of the month of June, we're posting a Six Sentence snippet about one of our three main characters from I.O.U. SEX ... and the character's name is June! Reading her high school diary is what inspired the three friends to find their old boyfriends to make amends for vetoing sex when they were teenagers. (No, this book isn't a fantasy. They were teens in Texas during the 1960s.) Divorced from Stan for about a year, in this scene June is getting dressed for her first meeting with Denny, her high school steady.

She added silver hoops to her ears and straightened her shoulders for a last look in the mirror. She turned sideways, patting her not-so-flat stomach, frowning at her not-so-perky breasts.
     Stan's criticisms nagged: Is that cellulite on the back of your thighs?

      Now she answered him in words she'd never spoken aloud. "Shut up, Shithead, and get out of my mind. I may not be perfect, but for a woman my age, I look pretty damned good."


I.O.U. SEX is now available in paperback as well as eBook format. Click on the "Buy I.O.U. Sex" tab above for details. 


6 Sentence Sunday is the creation of Sara Brookes. To read contributions from other writers or to join in the fun, click on this link: Six Sentence Sunday

Party 'Til Your Heels Fly Off - Mega Author Blog Tour

PICK A RIB!!!

Y'all are invited to a down home Texas barbeque, complete with ribs on the grill, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and watermelon. We might even get crazy and have home-churned peach ice cream for dessert. And, of course, we'll fill a No. 2 washtub with ice and stock it with plenty of beer and Coca-Cola. There'll even be a big jug of sweet tea for the ladies.

For entertainment, we'll toss horseshoes, have water gun fights, and play hide 'n seek among the bluebonnets 'til our heels fly off. Our music will be the wind in the trees and the sweet hum of friendly conversation.

So, douse yourself in insect repellent, put on something washable (there's no way you can eat ribs without messin' up your clothes), and prepare to dig in.


Can't make it to Dallas? Then join a couple of characters in the pages of I.O.U. SEX for barbeque and champagne. They're celebrating their wedding with a finger licking ribs-and-fries feast in the back of a stretch limo. Much more fun than a stuffy reception, don't ya think? Information about ordering the book can be found by clicking on the "Buy IOU Sex" tab above. Now it's available in paperback as well as eBook format.

Giveaway: One lucky visitor to our blog will receive a free download of I.O.U. SEX from Smashwords. Just post a comment below telling us your favorite picnic food and include your email address (in case you win!) and we'll put your name in the pot.

Then, if you're a real party animal, check out the next celebration on the party circuit:

Tricia Schneider's Witch Party

Visit as many blogs as you can. The more you visit, the more chances you have to win prizes. So strap on your party shoes and show a bunch of authors some love.

TOUR RULES:

1)  HAVE FUN!!!

2)  INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3)  THIS TOUR STARTS:  Monday, June 13, at Midnight (Arizona Time)

      THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, June 20, at Midnight (Arizona Time)

      Winners will be drawn and posted June 21st! *** 

4)  MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS! EXPERIENCE A NEW PARTY DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!!

5)  PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW EVERY AUTHOR SOME LOVE!

6)  DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN?  WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!

***Authors have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of  win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***

WE'RE JUMPING FOR JOY !!!

I.O.U. SEX IN PAPERBACK

HOORAH!!! I.O.U. Sex is now available in paperback as well as ebook format. 
You can order your copy from CreateSpace here:
I.O.U. Sex in Paperback

Details on how to order the book in various other formats (including Kindle and Nook) can be found by clicking on the "Buy I.O.U. Sex" tab above.

See why we're jumping for joy??

BOOK REVIEW: Off Season

Briefly, Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons is the story of Lilly who returns to her family's cottage on the Maine shore after the death of her husband. Alone, she revisits her memories of summers spent there as a child and young adolescent and reevaluates her life.

This book is a beautiful read. By that, I mean that in addition to believable characters and a compelling plot that kept me entertained, the book contains beautiful, almost poetic descriptions throughout. For example:

Summer bicycle rides: "We rode everywhere. We spent hours on the twisting dirt tracks off Reach Road toward the west, most of which ended in ramshackle, unpainted, falling-down houses with high-piled firewood and corpses of long-dead cars and abandoned lobster traps and buoys. Only occasionally did we see anyone around them, and the ones we did see were dark and almost feral looking, not offering the one-lifted-finger wave that is the traditional acknowledgement of another in Maine. We did not linger around these houses."

First impression of a girl nicknamed Peaches: "The first thing you noticed was her hair. It looked like a fire on her head, a conflagration of strawberry blond—dark gold in the morning sun."

Setting: "We got to Edgewater after dark, just as the huge blind eye of the Harvest Moon slid from behind Mr. Carl Forshee's towering promontory and flooded the bay and surrounding islands with molten silver, as far out as Great Owls Head Island. It was as if someone had thrown a switch and turned the world on; …."

I've enjoyed other novels by Siddons, all of them set in the South, but I believe this novel is my favorite. In it the author explores a girl's coming of age, first love, the effects of illness and death on families, and marriage. All in all, this was a satisfying book and one I'd definitely recommend.

SIGNS OF SPRING

     For years I've been told that the robin is the official sign of spring. And that may be true in some places. Other people have said that when crocus push up through the mulch, winter is over.

     But here in the Pacific Northwest, the first sure indicator that winter has lost its grip has got to be the emergence of toes.

     I discovered that little known fact at lunch today. I put on my usual socks and shoes—after all, the temperature was in the fifties—but my friend Nan wore sandals. She said she just couldn't wait any longer. So now I'm positive that spring has officially arrived at last – on June 8th - with Nan's toes. 

[Photo from Wikipedia]

TEASER TUESDAY - June 7

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB and anyone can play. Just take two sentences from your current read, post them, and share the link here: Teaser Tuesday


Another Teaser from Lace and Shadows, a paranormal romance by Lisa Wanttaja. This one is at 23% on my Kindle.

If ever Jessamyn had doubted that Bret was the man of her prophecy, she doubted no longer. She had looked into those eyes before, in another century, another lifetime. Did he feel it, too?

Book Synopsis:

Jessamyn Radcliffe, a headstrong Southern belle, has waited more than a century for the true love foretold to her on the day she died. Now the house she haunts has been sold to handsome history professor Bret Tyler. One look at Bret, and Jessamyn is certain he's the man she's waited for all these years.

But Bret has bought rundown Bonnie Doon plantation for his fiancée, Carla Stewart. How can the man of Jessamyn's prophecy be promised to another? She makes up her mind to win Bret for herself.

Practical Carla can't sense Jessamyn, but soon realizes that another entity dwells at Bonnie Doon. Though she refuses to believe in ghosts, Carla fears Bret has become obsessed with Bonnie Doon's former occupant and might give up his own life to be with her. To save him, Carla must find the reason for Jessamyn's haunting, a mystery tied to a fortune in Civil War gold.