Make sure you enter this awesome giveaway!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/444efb13/
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
TK Rapp Being There blog tour Giveaway
Make sure you enter this awesome giveaway!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/444efb13/
Being There by TK Rapp Blog Tour and Live Interactive Event
READING MY WAY TO PENNED CON is happy to be part of the blog tour for TK Rapp's first novel, Being There.
When Cass Howard was young, she never dreamed she would have the perfect job, living in New York, with an amazing man by her side. That’s a good thing…because none of that ever happened. Drew Alexander was the one person who knew Cass better than almost anyone, and the friendship that developed in high school carried them to college. Despite the distance, their bond grew stronger, revealing to each of them what they meant to each other. A series of fleeting moments and a string of failed relationships helped them realize that what they really wanted, what they needed, was each other. But that was five years ago, and sometimes things just don’t work out. Now twenty-five, Cass finds herself living in Houston, working at a small publishing house as an editor. By most accounts, she appears happy, however she has managed to avoid a true relationship, opting to channel all of her energy on work, despite protests from her best friend. The only thing that can drag her away is the annual girls’ weekend, which comes at the best possible time, because Cass has just learned life-altering news. With the most recent blow to her life looming overhead, will the getaway with her closest friends change her outlook on life? Or will her inability to put the past behind her stifle any chance she has of moving on? Will she ever be able to open up and let those who love her be there for her?
TK's story of heartache, heartbreak, love, healing and finding strength in oneself and those held dear a story that will stand the tests of time. A portion of all proceeds from her book sales in the month of October will go to benefit The Rose, a breast cancer support program that helps meet the needs of insured and uninsured women (and sometimes men) in the Houston area and surrounding counties. Find them online at: http://www.the-rose.org/
Please join us on Thursday, October 24th at 8:00 p.m. ET for An Evening With TK Rapp. We invite you to join us. Author T.K. Rapp will be spending two hours with us discussing her book Being There, her new work in progress and just having tons of fun with smatterings of chit chat and sprinklings of giveaways. If you have never attended one of these live events, I encourage you to do so. They are tons of fun and very interactive. You can be as involved or passive as you choose, but would love to have you there! Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/events/204858616363362
When Cass Howard was young, she never dreamed she would have the perfect job, living in New York, with an amazing man by her side. That’s a good thing…because none of that ever happened. Drew Alexander was the one person who knew Cass better than almost anyone, and the friendship that developed in high school carried them to college. Despite the distance, their bond grew stronger, revealing to each of them what they meant to each other. A series of fleeting moments and a string of failed relationships helped them realize that what they really wanted, what they needed, was each other. But that was five years ago, and sometimes things just don’t work out. Now twenty-five, Cass finds herself living in Houston, working at a small publishing house as an editor. By most accounts, she appears happy, however she has managed to avoid a true relationship, opting to channel all of her energy on work, despite protests from her best friend. The only thing that can drag her away is the annual girls’ weekend, which comes at the best possible time, because Cass has just learned life-altering news. With the most recent blow to her life looming overhead, will the getaway with her closest friends change her outlook on life? Or will her inability to put the past behind her stifle any chance she has of moving on? Will she ever be able to open up and let those who love her be there for her?
TK's story of heartache, heartbreak, love, healing and finding strength in oneself and those held dear a story that will stand the tests of time. A portion of all proceeds from her book sales in the month of October will go to benefit The Rose, a breast cancer support program that helps meet the needs of insured and uninsured women (and sometimes men) in the Houston area and surrounding counties. Find them online at: http://www.the-rose.org/
Please join us on Thursday, October 24th at 8:00 p.m. ET for An Evening With TK Rapp. We invite you to join us. Author T.K. Rapp will be spending two hours with us discussing her book Being There, her new work in progress and just having tons of fun with smatterings of chit chat and sprinklings of giveaways. If you have never attended one of these live events, I encourage you to do so. They are tons of fun and very interactive. You can be as involved or passive as you choose, but would love to have you there! Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/events/204858616363362
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Spotlight on Felicia Tatum
Felicia Tatum was born and raised in Tennessee. She always loved reading, and at the age of twelve began writing. Her passion for creating stories grew and in May 2012, she finally wrote her first novel, The White Aura.
She still lives in Tennessee with her daughter and her kitty. She loves cooking, books, and animals are some of her best friends. She watches a lot of Disney channel and often dreams up new book ideas. She's currently working on various projects, including the rest of the White Aura Series, the Scarred Hearts Series, and a novella series. Her dream is to write as many books as possible while entertaining as many people as possible.
Felicia is preparing to release the first of five novellas in the Intoxicating Passion series called Masked Intentions. It is sweet and spicy and we can't wait to read the other four in the set!
You can follow Felicia on her blog at: www.feliciatatum.com
On facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaTatumWriter
and on Goodreads at: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6592100.Felicia_Tatum
The Mourning Series by Adriane Leigh
MOURNING SERIES by Adriane Leigh
The Mourning After - Released on June 26, 2013
Light In Mourning - Released on October 16, 2013
The Mourning After and Light In Mourning are a two book series.
At the start of The Mourning After, Georgia Montgomery has just made a life changing decision. Without consulting her long time boyfriend Kyle Collins, an up and coming attorney in D.C., she has purchased a beach house on the North Carolina shore. Feeling neglected as a result of Kyle’s long hours at the firm, she decides to take the summer off to renovate the beach house into an income generating summer rental.
In order to do this, she reaches out to her two best friends, Drew and Silas. Drew has been Georgia’s friend since college and works as the accountant for her father’s construction business in Jacksonville. Silas, also a friend from college works as little as possible living off income from an inheritance. Begging them to join her for the summer she agrees to allow Drew to bring her new boyfriend Gavin along.
The beach house situation gets complicated when Gavin’s friend Tristan tags along for the visit. His arrival at the beach house is unexpected and his charm and good looks disarm Georgia. Tristan, however, takes advantage of Georgia’s hospitality and when the frequency of his female overnight guests pushes her to her breaking point, she asks him to stop marching the slut parade through her house.
Nightmares begin to plague Georgia as she deals with her emotions in regards to her past and the distance between her and Kyle. Tristan tries to comfort her through these difficult times and she struggles with her emerging feelings for him. So when a hurricane threatens the coast, the housemates have to evacuate and head to their respective homes.
In Light In Mourning Tristan has returned to North Carolina to retrieve his boat left at the marina near Georgia’s beach house. He feels such a loss with the departure of his new friend and becomes despondent falling into reckless behaviors.
His business partner Gavin. becomes worried about Tristan's decision to live on his boat and try to work remotely with a new customer. Tristan admits he is only going through the motions. When he decides to adopt a dog from a local shelter, he starts to return to his more normal self, without the parade of sluts he enjoyed earlier in the summer.
Meanwhile, Georgia is struggling to readjust to life back in D.C. with Kyle. His long hours at work and her confliction with her decision to leave Tristan behind have the nightmares coming more frequently and vividly. Nothing she tries seems to be able to lessen the frequency or effect of these terrible dreams.
When Georgia receives an expected yet disturbing letter, she has to make some difficult decisions that will affect her for the rest of her life.
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to read these books back to back. Having to wait in between the two would have been brutal as it is very easy to become addicted to both Georgia and Tristan.
Adriane shared some insights on how she took up writing and in the writing of the Mourning series in our interview here.
RMWTPC – How did you decide to pursue a degree in literature? Was it with the idea of becoming an author or were you preparing for a different career?
Adriane Leigh – Writing was the only thing I was ever interested in doing, and I love to read, so it made sense to me to study the classics to learn to write well.
RMWTPC – As a Michigan girl, did you use any of your experiences living near the dunes as inspiration in writing the beautiful beach scenes in these books?
Adriane Leigh – Absolutely! I feel so lucky to have grown up on the Great Lakes. We’ve got the best beaches in the world! No salt and no deadly sea creatures!
RMWTPC – Was your original intent to make Georgia and Tristan’s a two book series or did the story just carry into it?
Adriane Leigh – About halfway through writing The Mourning After I realized that Georgia and Tristan needed a book two. While the first book ended in a good place, I felt like readers would need reassurance that Georgia and Tristan could make it after the turbulence surrounding the beginning of their relationship.
I also wanted to show vulnerability in Tristan- he seemed so confident in book one, but I knew he had insecurities and being in a healthy relationship would be something he would have to work at.
RMWTPC – What can you tell us about your next book Wild, scheduled to be released in December?
Adriane Leigh – Wild has been wild to write to say the least! It takes place on the coast of Maine, which is a place I love and have visited often, and the main character’s name is Lane Wild. He’s a sexy, demanding alpha-male who knows what he wants in life and takes it. The heroine is Kat Kennedy, she’s new to town and is sassy and independent and not interested in being tied down. Chemistry pulses between them, along with irritation, flirtation and friendship; it’s all there and is making for one amusing story!
To enter to win one of three copies of this new release, message us on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PennedConHereICome
Code: Penned Con Rocks
Contest ends on 10/18/13 at 10 p.m.
You can follow Adriane on her blog at: www.adrianeleigh.com
On facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/LaceSeries
And you can purchase her books on:
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Adriane-Leigh/e/B00APTEYIU
Barnes & Noble at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/adriane-leigh
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AdrianeLeigh
Monday, October 14, 2013
Kimberly Stedronsky offers ROAM Series as a Boxed Set!
We have big news to share about an AMAZING DEAL and a FLASH GIVEAWAY!
Kimberly Stedronsky, author of the incredible ROAM series has put the 6+1 books into a boxed set. And as if that weren't incredible enough, the entire set is on sale for only $5.99!
I have been reading this series and can tell you from personal experience that her stories are amazing and should be on your TBR list!
Here is the link to purchase the boxed set: http://amzn.to/GNWjbb
And you can check out our recap of ROAM at: http://pennedconhereicome.blogspot.com/2013/08/roam-by-kimberly-stedronsky.html
RMWTPC wants to share this wonderful series with one lucky follower. So please go to our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PennedConHereICome
and like or comment on the announcement post to be in the running to win a kindle copy of the entire boxed set. A winner will be chosen around 8 P.M. ET.
Kimberly Stedronsky, author of the incredible ROAM series has put the 6+1 books into a boxed set. And as if that weren't incredible enough, the entire set is on sale for only $5.99!
I have been reading this series and can tell you from personal experience that her stories are amazing and should be on your TBR list!
Here is the link to purchase the boxed set: http://amzn.to/GNWjbb
And you can check out our recap of ROAM at: http://pennedconhereicome.blogspot.com/2013/08/roam-by-kimberly-stedronsky.html
RMWTPC wants to share this wonderful series with one lucky follower. So please go to our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PennedConHereICome
and like or comment on the announcement post to be in the running to win a kindle copy of the entire boxed set. A winner will be chosen around 8 P.M. ET.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Great Giveaway from Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover is hosting a huge giveaway on her blog. Follow this link to enter:
http://colleenhoover.com/2013/10/13/free-stuff-like-that-word-come-here-then/
And you can preorder the free download of her novella Finding Cinderella on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Cinderella-Novella-Colleen-Hoover-ebook/dp/B00FNWRSCI
The happiest days are when......ARCs arrive! Thank you Felicia Tatum!
Some people look forward to the holidays, birthdays or anniversaries as joyful events. And while those are all well and good, for bloggers, the happiest days are when ARCs arrive. What is an ARC you ask? ARC stands for advance reading copy and they are sent to booksellers, journalists and bloggers to help with promoting the book release or in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Today, Masked Encounters Book #1 of the Intoxicating Passion series of novellas arrived from Felicia Tatum.
With an anticipated release date of October 25th, Masked Encounters is the first of five in this series.
Korah Daniels has been through a lot in her nineteen years. Broken hearts, abusive relationships, and horrid dates have caused her to doubt love. When her friend talks her into attending the local frat house’s Halloween party, will she find the one person who can change her outlook on life?
Dane Davidson is the worst kind of playboy. The ultimate frat boy, drinking and ending up with a different girl every night. When his frat house throws a masked Halloween party, a certain angel catches his attention and may just turn his life upside down.
Please visit this link to add Masked Encounters to you To Be Read list on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18515723-masked-encounters
New Release! Supernova by Elizabeth Sharp
On Cleo’s first day at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Academy, things get pretty weird pretty fast.
After being confronted by a strangely hostile boy, she meets two girls and instantly
bonds with them. Before long danger threatens the entire student body, in the form of
a soul eating possessor fae. When her brother is savagely beaten and left coma, the girls
decide to use their fae powers to become superheroes and stop the possessions.
They quickly learn things are a lot more complicated than they had ever imagined.
A government plot that had begun when they were infants endangers them all, and a
demented former soldier bent on revenge is after them. The line between friend and
foe has become so blurry, Cleo has no idea who she can trust. Will their superhero
plot help them save the day, or just get them killed?
About the Author:
Elizabeth has a near crippling Facebook addiction, dwarfed
only by her need for Dr. Pepper. A self-proclaimed techno geek,
she loves cell phones, computers, tablets and all
things technological. The internet has to be the greatest invention since
wheel, in her opinion. She lives in a quiet subdivision with her husband,
one-year-old son, three cats, and far too many electronics. It’s quite
possible
she has some raccoon in her DNA, because she loves glitter and anything
sparkles. She enjoys making jewelry and costumes. Halloween is her
favorite
holiday since it’s the one day of the year that you can be whatever you
want.
But her first love will always be writing. Otherwise, hearing voices in her
head would make her feel schizophrenic.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Full Series Cover Reveal of the Intoxicating Passion by Felicia Tatum
Full Series Cover Reveal
Intoxicating Passion
by
Felicia Tatum
Masked Encounters Book #1
Korah Daniels has been through a lot in her nineteen years. Broken hearts, abusive relationships, and horrid dates have caused her to doubt love. When her friend talks her into attending the local frat house’s Halloween party, will she find the one person who can change her outlook on life?
Dane Davidson is the worst kind of playboy. The ultimate frat boy, drinking and ending up with a different girl every night. When his frat house throws a masked Halloween party, a certain angel catches his attention and may just turn his life upside down.
Masked Encounters is the first in a five part novelette series.
Releasing: October 25, 2013
Unveiled Ties Book #2
Dane has been haunted by the mysterious and sexy angel from his fraternity’s Halloween party. He sees her in every store, every class, on every corner. How long will he fight his feelings?
Korah is consumed with guilt over her vulnerability at the ball, vowing to never go to a party again. Leela and Windi desperately try to pull her out of her funk. The start of new semester should bring new beginnings…right?
The spring semester is now underway for Korah and Dane. When the pair ends up becoming biology partners, will Dane reveal his true identity
Tentative Release Date: January 10, 2014
Daring Dane Book #3
Korah and Dane have taken their attraction to the next level, causing both to guard their hearts closely. After a frightening encounter with Korah’s ex-boyfriend, she desperately seeks Dane’s comfort, but can’t find him.
What will happen when both decide to date other people? Will their true feelings prevail? Can Dane change his playboy ways when Korah dares him to be a better man?
Tentative Release Date: February 14, 2014
Pursuing Korah Book#4
Dane confesses his feelings and his intentions, but to his dismay, Korah isn’t buying it. He regrets letting her kick him out after the trauma she endures hours later.
Korah wants Dane more than anything, but can’t trust him with her heart. After a brutal run in with her ex, she ends up finding the comfort she seeks from a very distraught Dane.
Can the two learn to trust in order to be together? Will Dane’s angry reaction to her trauma warm or harden her heart?
Tentative Release Date: March 14, 2014
Unexpected Consequences Book#5
Korah is working hard to learn to trust and let go of her past. Her feelings for Dane continue to grow, surprising everyone around her.
Dane knows he has to change and finally finds a way to win Korah’s heart. No one is as shocked by his admittance as he is.
What will happen when unexpected consequences arise from their feelings?
Tentative Release Date: April 11, 2014
About the author:
Felicia Tatum was born and raised in Tennessee. She always loved reading, and at the age of twelve began writing. Her passion for creating stories grew and in May 2012, she finally wrote her first novel, The White Aura.
She still lives in Tennessee with her daughter and her kitty. She loves cooking, books, and animals are some of her best friends. She watches a lot of Disney channel and often dreams up new book ideas. She's currently working on various projects, including the rest of the White Aura Series, the Scarred Hearts Series, and a novella series. Her dream is to write as many books as possible while entertaining as many people as possible.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Only One and The Only Exception by Magan Vernon
THE ONLY EXCEPTION and THE ONLY ONE - Companion Novels by Magan Vernon
The Only Exception - Released on April 3, 2013
The Only One - Released on October 9, 2013
These books are stand alone stories that happen to have intersecting characters. In The Only Exception, we are introduced to the Monica Remy and Trey Chapman.
The Only Exception begins with Monica arriving at Central College as a transfer student from Taylor College. As an incoming sophomore, she is undertaking a double major of Political Science and Women’s Studies. She considers her political views to lean more toward liberal than conservative and is not afraid to be outspoken about what she believes. What she would prefer, though, is to fly under the radar as far as student life is concerned. That preference is immediately threatened when she begins moving into her off campus housing and is gruffly greeted by a stoic member of what she believes is housing security.
Enter Trey Chapman. When Monica first encounters Trey, dressed crisply in a dress shirt and dress pants, she assumes he is the building manager, a very cute building manager. When he makes a formal introduction, however, she immediately realizes how wrong she is. She is moving in next door to the son of the ultra conservative current governor. The very governor who had signed legislation that deeply impacted some of Monica’s strongest political views. Views which definitely did not match those of the current administration.
What begins as a polite interchange between the two, immediately becomes harsh when Monica begins to share her distaste with his father’s political views and conservative agenda.
Trey on the other hand is drawn to Monica. While they may not share the same political ideology, Monica is informed, impassioned, and not the least bit impressed with his money and connections. Not something he has encountered within the female population on campus.
When they end up in having a couple of impromptu encounters, Monica begins to feel completely polarized by Trey and his beliefs. But when they end up in the same Political Science class and begin a heated discussion over public policy, their professor pairs them up to complete a debate assignment. The debate topic is the very one that Monica vehemently opposes Trey and his father’s stance on.
The assignment forces the two of them to spend time together and after a bit, their mutual attraction begins to outweigh their political differences and they become linked romantically. Except Monica struggles to open up to Trey completely, and the reason for her transfer from Taylor is threatened to be revealed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Only One fast forwards us to two weeks later. Melanie, Monica’s friend accompanies her to a Halloween party hosted by Trey’s fraternity. Trey’s fraternity big brother John Walden, aka John Boy accidently bumps into Melanie causing her to spill her drink on her costume.
When John Boy rather inappropriately offers to take her upstairs to his room to dry off, Monica and Trey step in to shield Melanie from the advances from the resident manwhore. After changing into one of John’s shirts with an equally inappropriate logo, Melanie leaves the party with her friend.
Melanie can’t get John Boy out of her mind. The way he looked at the party wearing only a loincloth has awakened stirring in her she has not felt for quite some time. Mel, was hurt deeply by her previous boyfriend Robby and his cheating ways. But now she begins to think that maybe the best way to get over Robby is to get under John Boy. So, when John’s persistent flirting starts to crack her resolve, and a physical encounter has her beginning to think she can go through with casual intimacy, she takes herself to the campus health clinic.
Expecting nothing more than a routine exam and a prescription for contraceptives, Melanie leaves the clinic feeling liberated to begin repairing her broken heart and working out some sexual tensions with the ever present John Boy.
When Melanie and John Boy’s progressing cuddle session is interrupted by a series of persistent phone calls to Melanie’s cell phone, the mood is destroyed by the news Melanie receives when she answers the call.
Magan tackles some very difficult subject matter in both of these books. She does an outstanding job depicting very real situations that occur on college campuses across the country. Her stories provided us with ample opportunity to formulate questions to ask her and here are her responses.
RMWTPC – In The Only Exception, Monica finds herself angered over a past situation at her previous school in which she was denied specific medical treatment due to legislation passed by the conservative leadership in her state. How real do you feel this situation is on college campuses across the country?
Magan Vernon – I’ll get a little personal here. I had female problems and at 14 my doctor put me on birth control. Every single month we had to get a written form from my doctor saying it was for medical reasons and my insurance wouldn’t cover it. We had to do that until I was in college when IL law passed that contraceptives would be covered by insurance no matter what the reason. Recently that was actually repealed by the IL government (I believe 2011) and that’s what got me thinking about it. The more research I did the more I found that the bill I mentioned in The Only Exception is very real and passed in an abundance of states. This isn’t just about Plan B but about regular birth control. It affects college women, teenagers and even grown women.
RMWTPC – You did an excellent job writing both sides of the contraception issue. How did you go about researching the topic so you could provide the balanced ongoing debate between Monica and Trey?
Magan Vernon – I actually had the same debate class that they take in college and that’s what my paper was on. I used some of that research and some of my own personal experience in it.
RMWTPC – When Monica and Trey bathe together, he demonstrates his lack of experience with the opposite sex. Was this a difficult scene to write?
Magan Vernon – I have to thank my alpha reader for this one. She came up with the idea that he shouldn’t exactly be able to glide into sex that easily. I had a few other scenes in which they were interrupted so this one kind of just segued into it and wasn’t too hard to write, more like I had to stop laughing.
RMWTPC – In The Only One, John Boy’s character is described as a manwhore. Do you think fraternities foster a culture of casual sex and that co-eds are more easily drawn to those in fraternities than the general student population?
Magan Vernon – I actually dated a fraternity guy for almost two years in college. John Boy had a lot of his characteristics. I wanted a character that had a stereotype attached and show a heart of gold, instead of perpetuating that stereotype of the casual sex co-ed.
RMWTPC – In The Only One, Melanie contacts her ex-boyfriend about her situation. Why did you not feel it necessary for Melanie to push him to come clean about his connection to the issue and also to determine if he put anyone else in the same danger?
Magan Vernon – Here’s my bare my soul moment, I was in the same situation as Melanie in college. I found out that the guy I was dating was cheating on me and thus, that happened. I wanted girls to know that it does happen. That even if you think you’ve only been with one guy and you’re safe. It’s not always like that.
RMWTPC – What is next for you and when can we expect your book?
Magan Vernon – My next book is One Wild Night, it’s a serialized series in which one 50 page book will be released every six weeks. It focuses on Valerie from The Only One and her waking up married to a male stripper in Vegas. The first book comes out December 5th.
You can follow Magan on her blog at: www.maganvernon.com
On facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Magan-Vernon/215620155165079
On Goodreads at: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5237606.Magan_Vernon
And you can purchase her books on:
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Magan-Vernon/e/B006ID6UA2
Barnes & Noble at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/magan-vernon
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Magan
THE ONLY EXCEPTION and THE ONLY ONE - Companion Novels by Magan Vernon
The Only Exception - Released on April 3, 2013
The Only One - Released on October 9, 2013
These books are stand alone stories that happen to have intersecting characters. In The Only Exception, we are introduced to the Monica Remy and Trey Chapman.
The Only Exception begins with Monica arriving at Central College as a transfer student from Taylor College. As an incoming sophomore, she is undertaking a double major of Political Science and Women’s Studies. She considers her political views to lean more toward liberal than conservative and is not afraid to be outspoken about what she believes. What she would prefer, though, is to fly under the radar as far as student life is concerned. That preference is immediately threatened when she begins moving into her off campus housing and is gruffly greeted by a stoic member of what she believes is housing security.
Enter Trey Chapman. When Monica first encounters Trey, dressed crisply in a dress shirt and dress pants, she assumes he is the building manager, a very cute building manager. When he makes a formal introduction, however, she immediately realizes how wrong she is. She is moving in next door to the son of the ultra conservative current governor. The very governor who had signed legislation that deeply impacted some of Monica’s strongest political views. Views which definitely did not match those of the current administration.
What begins as a polite interchange between the two, immediately becomes harsh when Monica begins to share her distaste with his father’s political views and conservative agenda.
Trey on the other hand is drawn to Monica. While they may not share the same political ideology, Monica is informed, impassioned, and not the least bit impressed with his money and connections. Not something he has encountered within the female population on campus.
When they end up in having a couple of impromptu encounters, Monica begins to feel completely polarized by Trey and his beliefs. But when they end up in the same Political Science class and begin a heated discussion over public policy, their professor pairs them up to complete a debate assignment. The debate topic is the very one that Monica vehemently opposes Trey and his father’s stance on.
The assignment forces the two of them to spend time together and after a bit, their mutual attraction begins to outweigh their political differences and they become linked romantically. Except Monica struggles to open up to Trey completely, and the reason for her transfer from Taylor is threatened to be revealed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Only One fast forwards us to two weeks later. Melanie, Monica’s friend accompanies her to a Halloween party hosted by Trey’s fraternity. Trey’s fraternity big brother John Walden, aka John Boy accidently bumps into Melanie causing her to spill her drink on her costume.
When John Boy rather inappropriately offers to take her upstairs to his room to dry off, Monica and Trey step in to shield Melanie from the advances of the resident manwhore. After changing into one of John’s shirts with an equally inappropriate logo, Melanie leaves the party with her friend.
Melanie can’t get John Boy out of her mind. The way he looked at the party wearing only a loincloth has awakened stirring in her she has not felt for quite some time. Mel, was hurt deeply by her previous boyfriend Robby and his cheating ways. But now she begins to think that maybe the best way to get over Robby is to get under John Boy. So, when John’s persistent flirting starts to crack her resolve, and a physical encounter has her beginning to think she can go through with casual intimacy, she takes herself to the campus health clinic.
Expecting nothing more than a routine exam and a prescription for contraceptives, Melanie leaves the clinic feeling liberated to begin repairing her broken heart and working out some sexual tensions with the ever present John Boy.
When Melanie and John Boy’s progressing cuddle session is interrupted by a series of persistent phone calls to Melanie’s cell phone, the mood is destroyed by the news Melanie receives when she answers the call.
Magan tackles some very difficult subject matter in both of these books. She does an outstanding job depicting very real situations that occur on college campuses across the country. Her stories provided us with ample opportunity to formulate questions to ask her.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Megan, these questions are a bit on the vague side so as not to create spoilers. If you wish them to be more to the point, please let me know.
RMWTPC – In The Only Exception, Monica finds herself angered over a past situation at her previous school in which she was denied specific medical treatment due to legislation passed by the conservative leadership in her state. How real do you feel this situation is on college campuses across the country?
Magan Vernon – I’ll get a little personal here. I had female problems and at 14 my doctor put me on birth control. Every single month we had to get a written form from my doctor saying it was for medical reasons and my insurance wouldn’t cover it. We had to do that until I was in college when IL law passed that contraceptives would be covered by insurance no matter what the reason. Recently that was actually repealed by the IL government (I believe 2011) and that’s what got me thinking about it. The more research I did the more I found that the bill I mentioned in The Only Exception is very real and passed in an abundance of states. This isn’t just about Plan B but about regular birth control. It affects college women, teenagers and even grown women.
RMWTPC – You did an excellent job writing both sides of the contraception issue. How did you go about researching the topic so you could provide the balanced ongoing debate between Monica and Trey?
Magan Vernon – I actually had the same debate class that they take in college and that’s what my paper was on. I used some of that research and some of my own personal experience in it.
RMWTPC – When Monica and Trey bathe together, he demonstrates his lack of experience with the opposite sex. Was this a difficult scene to write?
Magan Vernon – I have to thank my alpha reader for this one. She came up with the idea that he shouldn’t exactly be able to glide into sex that easily. I had a few other scenes in which they were interrupted so this one kind of just segued into it and wasn’t too hard to write, more like I had to stop laughing.
RMWTPC – In The Only One, John Boy’s character is described as a manwhore. Do you think fraternities foster a culture of casual sex and that co-eds are more easily drawn to those in fraternities than the general student population?
Magan Vernon – I actually dated a fraternity guy for almost two years in college. John Boy had a lot of his characteristics. I wanted a character that had a stereotype attached and show a heart of gold, instead of perpetuating that stereotype of the casual sex co-ed.
RMWTPC – In The Only One, Melanie contacts her ex-boyfriend about her situation. Why did you not feel it necessary for Melanie to push him to come clean about his connection to the issue and also to determine if he put anyone else in the same danger?
Magan Vernon – Here’s my bare my soul moment, I was in the same situation as Melanie in college. I found out that the guy I was dating was cheating on me and thus, that happened. I wanted girls to know that it does happen. That even if you think you’ve only been with one guy and you’re safe. It’s not always like that.
RMWTPC – What is next for you and when can we expect your book?
Magan Vernon – My next book is One Wild Night, it’s a serialized series in which one 50 page book will be released every six weeks. It focuses on Valerie from The Only One and her waking up married to a male stripper in Vegas. The first book comes out December 5th.
You can follow Magan on her blog at: www.maganvernon.com
On facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Magan-Vernon/215620155165079
On Goodreads at: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5237606.Magan_Vernon
And you can purchase her books on:
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Magan-Vernon/e/B006ID6UA2
Barnes & Noble at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/magan-vernon
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Magan
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
THE ONLY ONE by Magan Vernon Rafflecopter Giveaway
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20fa9e10/
To celebrate the upcoming release of Magan Vernon's new book THE ONLY ONE, enter to win the kindle ebook.
Honor student, manager at the campus coffee shop, owner of an impressive sweater collection – Melanie Wilder has it all together. Then John “John Boy” Walden strolls into her life wearing nothing more than an impish grin and all-too-revealing loin cloth.
Soon, make-out sessions replace homework, lust triumphs over work. And to further crumble her perfect world, an unexpected phone call threatens to take away everything she’s worked for.
Now, as Melanie struggles to pick up the pieces, she realizes that John may be the only one to put her life back together…unless he shatters it first.
To celebrate the upcoming release of Magan Vernon's new book THE ONLY ONE, enter to win the kindle ebook.
Honor student, manager at the campus coffee shop, owner of an impressive sweater collection – Melanie Wilder has it all together. Then John “John Boy” Walden strolls into her life wearing nothing more than an impish grin and all-too-revealing loin cloth.
Soon, make-out sessions replace homework, lust triumphs over work. And to further crumble her perfect world, an unexpected phone call threatens to take away everything she’s worked for.
Now, as Melanie struggles to pick up the pieces, she realizes that John may be the only one to put her life back together…unless he shatters it first.
Upcoming Release from Sarah J. Pepper - Death of the Mad Hatter
Penned Con author Sarah J. Pepper will be releasing a new novel, "Death of the Mad Hatter" on Nov 29th. RMWTPC will be spotlighting Sarah in November and recapping her book on release day. Until then, here is a teaser for you!
If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.
Heads would Roll…
Hearts would Break…
In the end, would it matter who Reigned?
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Follow us on Pinterest
You can follow our progress with RMWTPC on pinterest.
http://www.pinterest.com/krappa1/1-reading-my-way-to-penned-con-2014/
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Spotlight on Adriane Leigh
So excited to be spotlighting an author that lives in my neck of the woods. We will be reading Adriane's books The Mourning After and her soon to be released book Light In Mourning which is due out very very soon.
Adriane Leigh was born and raised in a snowbank in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now lives amongst the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan lakeshore.
She graduated with a Literature degree but never particularly enjoyed reading Shakespeare or Chaucer.
Adriane is married to a tall, dark and handsome guy, plays mama to two sweet baby girls, and is a voracious reader and knitter.
You can follow Adriane on the following websites:
facebook.com/laceseries
twitter.com/adrianeleigh
goodreads.com/adriane_leigh
adrianeleigh.com
info@adrianeleigh.com
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Cover Reveal for LU Ann's new book Destructive Choices
Be sure to add this to your Goodreads list!
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18033094-destructive-choices
If the decisions you make don’t define you, what price would you pay to change them?
“Close your eyes. This is the darkness I see, I feel, I live because of my choices."
I spent my life running. Running from my past. A past that changed my life, robbed me of my childhood, and bound me for a life of silence. Silence protected me from further hurt. When I couldn't control my life, I found reprieve in my silence. Dark, cold silence. I’m trapped, trying to find my way out, trying to make a stand, trying to finally live; but is it too late?
Lacey Edwards fought emotional turmoil most of her life. She made choices that unknowingly put her through more painstaking heartache. She found bits and pieces of happiness in all the wrong areas except for one. This one gave her hope for a fresh new life full of promises. Could she hold onto it, or would it slip through her fingertips?
***Warning*** Mature content. Not appropriate for audiences 17 years and under. This novel contains explicit language, sexual situations, abuse and social issues that some might find offensive.
Spotlight on Magan Vernon
Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. When not writing you can find her on various social media outlets, talking about fake boyfriends.
We will be reading her books, The Only Exception released on April 9, 2013 and The Only One, scheduled to release on October 10, 2013
You can find her online at: www.maganvernon.com
On Twitter at: https://twitter.com/MaganVernon
On Goodreads at: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5237606.Magan_Vernon
and posting randomness on her facebook fanpage at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Magan-Vernon/215620155165079
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Penny Reid's KNITTING IN THE CITY Series Books One and Two
KNITTING IN THE CITY SERIES by Penny Reid
Neanderthal Seeks Human (#1) - Released on March 14, 2013
Friends Without Benefits - Released on October 1, 2013
The Knitting In The City series is expected to contain several books, plus potentially a much requested sequel to Janie and Quinn’s story from book #1.
The stories based in Chicago, revolve around the members of a weekly knitting group. All smart, hardworking, educated, accomplished women that come together to share time, spirits and the love of all things yarn.
In Neanderthal Seeks Human, we are introduced to Janie, the only non-knitter of the group, who is content attending the weekly gatherings more for the camaraderie and snacks than the creative outlet the others find in the clicking of needles.
The story begins with Janie, who has had a disastrous day. Finding herself surrounded by her knitting pals, they all begin to dispense advice on how she needs to proceed with her new and unexpected situation. A situation that includes a very attractive security guard the group has dubbed Sir Handsome McHotpants.
Janie Morris through a series of unfortunate events, finds herself homeless, jobless and without prospects. Lacking some basic social graces, she compensates with vast amounts of knowledge on just about every topic imaginable.
Dr. Elizabeth Finney is Janie’s best friend and college roommate. An ER resident, who works tons of hours, takes Janie in as she tries to put back the pieces of her life.
Jon Holsome, is Janie’s ex, who even though he did the unthinkable, still loves her madly and wants her back desperately.
Quinn Sullivan is a security guard in the building that Janie worked in, where she had been secretly admiring from behind potted plants.
Jem Morris is Janie’s younger sister. While they are separated in age by a few years, the resemblance between the sisters is strong. And while Janie took the high road and went to college to become an architect, Jem took the low road directly to the seedy underworld of crime.
Janie is not your typical woman. Though highly intelligent, she comes off as naive, aloof, or oblivious. She has a penchant for comic books, vodka, being an endless vessel of obscure and trivial information.
The adventure begins when Quinn, aka McHotpants, runs into Janie and Elizabeth at a nightclub and provides Janie with a potential job lead at the security firm where he works. Her interview goes swimmingly and she is hired as a Senior Fiscal Project Coordinator. As the two begin working together she finds herself comfortable with Quinn in ways she never felt with her ex.
But when her sister Jem, reaches out to her wanting to visit, Janie’s life takes some unexpected turns and when she needs them most, her knitting crew are there to help her in any way they can. Let’s just say that Bitches with knitting needles be crazy! The Knitting series shows that smart is the new sexy!
In the second book, Friends Without Benefits, the story focuses on Dr. Elizabeth Finney. Elizabeth is crazy about boy bands, is a fierce knitter and suffers from severe sarcastic syndrome. Preparing for her high school reunion back in Iowa, she finds herself facing a part of her past she wishes she could leave there.
Nico The Face Moretti (Manganiello), host of the television show Talking with the Face, is sitting in a consultation room in the hospital with his mother and niece. Visiting to learn more about a clinical research trial, Elizabeth must speak to this blast from her childhood, a blast that she did not particularly like. Dubbed Skinny Finney by Nico, she felt like a double dose of teenage girl fail at the hands of her tormentor.
When Janie is unable to head to Iowa with her, Sandra (another member of the knitting group) offers to be her friendscort to the event. Sandra a psychiatry resident, capitalizes on the confined space during the drive to analyze Elizabeth and what her motivation is to attend the reunion. Based upon the fact that Elizabeth shared she did not have friends or a true connection to those she attended school with, it was more of an opportunity to say “Look at me now!” more than anything else.
When an unexpected guest appears at the reunion, Elizabeth is both thrown off kilter and does the unimaginable when she shouts a most inappropriate comment to a room full of people.
Dr. Elizabeth Finney is an emergency room resident working on a research clinical trial that is having great success with improving pulmonary impairments.
Nico Manganiello is a television star that grew up in Elizabeth’s hometown. Talk, dark and devastatingly handsome, Nico is an Italian Adonis.
Sandra is a psychiatry resident at the hospital where Elizabeth works and a fellow member of the knitting club.
Rose is Nico’s mother and Elizabeth’s late mother’s best friend. She dispenses advice and wisdom with hearty helpings of manicotti and red sauce.
This series of romantic comedies proves to be just what the doctor ordered as the cure for its angst ridden counterparts.
We really enjoyed getting to know Penny through messages back and forth during the reading process. Here is our interview:
RMWTPC – These stories were a joy to read and refreshing in that the characters were almost too smart for their own good. How did you develop such well rounded and grounded group of fictional individuals?
Penny Reid – Oh jeeze. That’s really nice of you to say/type/write/infer/imply! Thank you. One thing I do before I start writing is think about how the character moves, how they (physically) display happiness, nervousness, amusement. I also really try to create flawed characters (because people are flawed). A combination of their flaws and strengths (their anxieties and areas of confidence) ultimately dictates how they will react to any given situation. Also, I have a confession (about the knitting group): they are all based on real people (albeit, some are a closer likeness than others). Therefore, a lot of the dialogue has been lifted from actual conversations.
RMWTPC – How much and what types of research were involved in creating Janie’s many tangents of verbose yet obscure conversation fillers?
Penny Reid – I am ashamed to admit that most of it came from my head based on my own random research over the past 10 years (of topics that are of interest to me). Obviously, after I wrote each scene I would go back and fact check. Sadly, I am an accumulator of useless facts.
RMWTPC – While writing is a part time gig for you, your pay the bills profession is in medical research. Is Angelica’s condition in the book something you are currently doing biotech work on?
Penny Reid – Not currently Cystic Fibrosis (some years ago we were involved in several CF clinical trials); but rather a close relative of that disease (and even more rare) called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (or PCD for short). I debated using PCD as Angelica’s disease but, ultimately, decided against it. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is much more recognizable and there are several (current) clinical trials for CF. PCD is very rare and there are no treatment options currently endorsed by the FDA for children with this disease.
RMWTPC - You mentioned in a previous conversation that you were going to offer this story for free for a brief period. Then when it went back to a pay format you planned to take a portion of the proceeds and donate them to research foundations. Please share in greater detail your plans for this generous support of your profession and how your readers can help spread the word.
Penny Reid – Sure! I'll be picking 12 foundations over the next year (1 a month) and highlighting the foundation on my blog. I'll donate a percentage of the profits to the highlighted foundation for that month. Some likely candidates: Angelman Syndrome and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD).
There are two main ways to help:
1) Link to and share my blog posts about the rare diseases research foundations. Share/link on blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. In this way readers can help raise awareness of the diseases and the foundations.
2) It would be FANTASTIC, if a person enjoys the story, for that person to recommend the book to blogs/bloggers that she/he follows as well as her/his friends and family.
RMWTPC – How many books do you plan for the Knitting in the City series?
Penny Reid – I have a total of seven books planned (one for each of the ladies) plus a much requested sequel for Janie and Quinn. I hope to release at least 2 books a year until the series is complete.
Thank you, Lisa, for being so kind, generous, and all around sweetly amazing! <3 RMWTPC – Thank you Penny for writing these amazing books!
You can follow Penny on her blog at: http://reidromance.blogspot.com/
On facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReidRomance
And you can purchase her books on:
Amazon at:
Friends Without Benefits: http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Without-Benefits-Knitting-ebook/dp/B00FJJN0WC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Neanderthal Seeks Human: http://www.amazon.com/Neanderthal-Seeks-Human-Knitting-ebook/dp/B00BUWA58E/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380595598&sr=1-2
Barnes & Noble at: Neanderthal Seeks Human: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/neanderthal-seeks-human-penny-reid/1116351661?ean=2940045193061
Smashwords: Neanderthal Seeks Human: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/327102
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)