Monday, October 31, 2011

No Tricks, Just Treats!

I spent the weekend at the Emerald City Writer's Conference and had a blast hanging out with three of the Naughty Nine - Kelly Jamieson, Erin Nicholas, and PG Forte. Erin posted a little wrap-up on the Naughty blog, if you'd like to see what trouble we got up to! (Hint: I did not live up to my costume.)

Also, the Kelly Jamieson Shoe Challenge netted a total of 20 books to give away, and last time I looked we had fewer than 20 entries, so your chances are excellent that you'll get one! Stop by this post to comment to win!

And finally, Samhain is giving a 30% discount today only - enter SPHW11 in your "treat bag" and get 30% off your entire order! (I recommend Ritual Love - my Halloween-set Scottish time travel romance. )

Have a fabulous, fun-filled day!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Book BIN Tuesday - One Wicked Night

Ooh, Kelly Jamieson has a new book out!

The boys are back in town…


Ten years ago, Kaelin Daume spent a steamy summer home from college secretly hanging out with town bad boy Tyler Wirth and his best friend Nick Kernsted. The connection was warm, complicated, and came to a crashing end when she walked in on her two forbidden friends with another woman. The shocking scene of sex and bondage has haunted her boring, oh-so-vanilla life ever since.

The fallout from that night tore Tyler’s life apart. He left Mapleglen, disowned and disgraced, to build a successful advertising career and a unique relationship with Nick. Nothing could bring him back except his sister’s wedding, and he plans to hightail it back to Chicago as soon as it’s over. At least one good thing hasn’t changed: Kaelin is as sweet as ever. Except she doesn’t seem too thrilled to hear it.

As tensions run high, Kaelin can’t resist the temptation to commit one crazy act of rebellion. Once the web of secrets, sins and lies starts to unravel, though, their lives will never be the same…
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Product Warnings


This book contains a nice girl who gets her naughty on with two hot men. M/M/F and M/M scenes may cause an increase in body temperature, pulse rate and respiration. Read with caution! For adult use only.
 
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Sounds hawt, doesn't it? So why not head on over to Samhain and Buy It Now?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Book BIN Tuesday - Shine by Lauren Myracle

Last week, the National Book Awards Young Readers shortlist was announced, and SHINE by Lauren Myracle was on the list.

Then another book, CHIME, was added. And the people in charge of the award admitted that someone had mis-heard the title, including the wrong book (SHINE) instead of the actual one chosen by the panel (CHIME). But both books would remain on the shortlist! Everything was fine, other than the fact that they'd announced to the world that Lauren SHINE really hadn't earned the nomination!

Fast-forward to Monday, when Ms. Myracle withdrew her book from consideration after being asked to do so by the NBA. To "preserve the integrity of the award".

Maybe it's just me, but dragging an author's name and book through the proverbial mud because YOU made a mistake doesn't do much for the integrity of the award, either.

Anyway, in an effort to boost the signal on what appears to be a great, important, relevant YA novel, I'm featuring SHINE as today's Book BIN offering. (My kids also adore her other books, so that's a plus.) Let's show the author some support by picking up a copy! Here are the deets:

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.

Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

So what are you waiting for? Go on out and Buy It Now!

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Monday Movie Musings - Incontheivable!

So fellow Naughty Nine-er Erin Nicholas sent me a link on twitter to a video of a Princess Bride reunion today.  Setting aside the fact that I was shocked and appalled that this movie is now OVER TWENTY YEARS OLD, it was lovely to be reminded of how much I love The Princess Bride.

The dialogue is crackling, the characters well-drawn, the humor abundant, and the romance, well, romantic. It was one of my favorites from my college years, and I think it holds up well today.

How about you? When you think of favorite movies from your younger days, what comes to mind?   video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Diva, Please! My Thoughts On Last Night's GLEE

So last night I watched Glee with my kids. We loved the Mike Chang storyline, grooved on Brittany's girl power number, awwww-ed over the sweet (but short) Klaine moments, and adored the Dreamgirls piece. I may have shrieked a little when Emma's ginger supremacist parents showed up (RALPH MALPH!), even though my kids thought I was a little nuts.

(All I can say is thank goodness for Twitter, where I found other Happy Days fans to squee with.)

But the Mercedes/Rachel diva-off left a seriously bad taste in my mouth.

Don't get me wrong, Rachel is The Character Most Likely To Irritate Me On A Regular Basis. I went into the episode predisposed to support Mercedes' side of the situation. But her sense of entitlement, lack of willingness to put in the effort necessary to succeed, and overall arrogance made it impossible for me to support her decision.

First, a callback is NOT an insult. It's a normal part of theater practice. Asking both of them to sing again was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances.

Second, double-casting is ALSO not unheard of in theater circles. Again, it's not an insult - it's an attempt to give the spotlight to two talented actors, especially in a significant role like Maria. And for once, Rachel suppressed her inner diva long enough to congratulate Mercedes, to swallow down her disappointment and give props to her friend and rival. (Of course, she also assumed she'd get the best performance slots and Mercedes would get the less-attended ones, but that's minor compared to Mercedes' full-on diva meltdown.)

So Mercedes tells the directors to shove it - and why? What in her behavior and attitude indicated that she was done wrong? (In this situation, of course. Like I said, I was predisposed to be on her side, since I do think that in the past she HAS been shunted aside and ignored in favor of Rachel.)

She blew off dance practice and whined about it (and she wants to play the lead in a musical? Honey, you can't make it through a few dance moves, you'll never survive a full-on production). She complained non-stop about how she deserved to shine - but what did she do to EARN it?

Okay, the episode clearly pushed some buttons for this former actor/drama teacher/playwright.

And then Rachel went and blew my newly-earned sympathy by shafting Kurt in the Class President race. Ugh. You're back on my bad side, kid.

Never mind me. I'll just be rolling around in the awesomesauce that is Mike Chang, Brittany, and Klaine. At least until the hiatus is over!