Tuesday, October 8, 2013

2013 LDS Authors Giveaway Hop (results)

Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway! The two winners of an autographed copy of Unexpected are DEBRA and ERIN!!

Want a chance to win a free book (or other cool stuff) from some of your favorite LDS authors? Come and hop along with me, then! Join the LDS Authors Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and American Night Writers Association.
From October 8th to 15th, you can hop to any (or all) of the blogs listed below and sign up for their giveaways. It's the easiest kind of hopping you can do—and not nearly as tiring, either! Last year I participated in the Giveaway Hop and it was a lot of fun!  This year I'll be randomly selecting TWO winners of my latest novel, Unexpected!
My giveaway:
All you have to do, for a chance to win an autographed copy of my novel Unexpected, is:
1) sign up to follow this blog on Google Friend Connect or by email, and
2) fill out the form below so I can contact you if you win.  (I will not share any email information with an outside source, but to be Internet safe (because I'm a mom) only enter if you are 13 years old or older, please. 
To find out what the story is all about, check out this blog post, titled Unexpected (difficult as this will be to believe).
For an additional chance to win, repeat the process at my other blog: A Tuft Act to FollowAnd you can follow me on Facebook, too!

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Unexpected


My latest novel, Unexpected, is now available! 


Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

Eleven years ago, Ross McConnell was devastated by the betrayal of the woman of his dreams. Time does not heal all wounds, and after more than a decade, Ross is no closer to finding love. When his well-meaning family attempts to play match maker, he concedes by creating an unrealistic list detailing his perfect mate. Perhaps he'll give love another try, if such perfection exists. . . 

Natalie Forrester is no stranger to heartache. After two failed marriages, the single mother of three is determined to make it on her own. Without a college degree, she starts at the bottom: working as a housekeeper may not be glamorous, but it's her first big step toward independence. And Natalie's most recent cleaning job is ideal--the guy is always out of town, and the pay will go a long way toward supporting her missionary son. 

And then Ross and Natalie meet . . . and meet again. And following a series of awkward encounters, Ross is shocked by his growing attraction for this woman. Natalie couldn't be further from his ideal woman, and she is firm in her determination to keep her heart closed to love. But as their tenuous friendship develops and deepens, will the unlikely pair have the courage to set aside the disappointments of the past to catch hold of a bright new future?

Writing Unexpected was a lot of fun. I asked my cute, artistic sister-in-law if I could loosely base my main female character after her, and she replied, "Why not? My life is stranger than fiction!" (Too true, that.)

I'll be posting another blog soon to describe what elements I borrowed from her, and what she is doing to help me launch Unexpected! In the meantime, you can find Unexpected at Deseret Book and Seagull Book, and Amazon, for starters. 

Happy reading! And go have some cookies and hot chocolate, while you're at it!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Reluctant Bachelorette Blog Tour - Guest Author Post

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer



I'm thrilled to be included in the blog tour for Rachael Anderson's latest novel The Reluctant Bachelorettehosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. I'm a big romance fan, and am always on the lookout for a fun, clean romance! (Not to mention a chance for free stuff!) I love the premise of this book!



I asked Rachael to share some quick thoughts on the overused and frequently maligned term "Happily Ever After." Here is what she said (and by the way, I completely agree with her):

Happily Ever After--Fact or Fiction? 

Happily Ever After is a phrase typically associated with fairy tales and romance novels. Why? Because it implies a future of perpetual bliss, where nothing ever bad happens to people once they finally fall in love or get married. And since troubles and and sadness and frustration befall even the happiest of couples, that must mean there's no such thing as a happily ever after. Right?

I love Ann Romney's speech from the National Republican Convention, particularly the part where she said:

"I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a "storybook marriage." Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer.

A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage."


Based on this, do you think they've had a happily ever after? I do. Because for me, that phrase doesn't mean perpetual bliss. It means commitment and forgiveness and the knowledge that what you have with someone is worth fighting for. It's the kind of happiness that is earned--not given. The kind that takes massive amounts of work, and then pays off big-time. 

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson
Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

You can find out more about Rachael by visiting:


Ebook Buy Link:

Be sure to enter your name for the prize giveaway below! Scroll down for more blogs and reviews of The Reluctant Bachelorette, plus additional chances to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

October 2012

October 1st
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Tour Kick Off

October 2nd
Multiple Blogs - Book Blast - $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
Rats & More, Gobs & Gobs of Books, The Secret Writer, Strange Daze Indeed, Doodle Bug Reviews, Live to Read, Simple Wyrding, The Young Folks, Ice Fairy's Treasure Chest, Lovely Reads, Confessions of a Frugal Mind, Stacy Juba, Julia Crane, Libby's Library, Literary Winner, Mallery's Deals, Celticlady's Review, My Little Review Corner, Country Mouse City Mouse, Romanceaholic, The Jolly Blogger, My Photopage, A Dream within a Dream, The Solitary Bookworm, Minding Spot and lots more....

October 3rd
Murphy's Library - Review*
Wordpaintings Unlimited - Review*
Peace from Pieces - Interview*
Reviewing Shelf - Review*

October 4th
Getting Your Read - Review*
A Book a Day - Review*
Aobibliosphere - Excerpt*

October 5th
WTF Are You Reading - Review*
Author M.R. Buttars - Book Spotlight + Excerpt*
YA Between the Lines - Interview*
Froze8's Blog - Guest Post*

October 6th
Older Mommy Still Yummy - Excerpt*
PARAFANTASY - Review & Interview*
Cuzinlogic - Guest Post*
Author A.D. Duling - Excerpt*

October 7th
Day by Day in Our World - Review & Guest Post*
Books & Needlepoint - Review*
SweepingMe - Guest Post*

October 8th
The Lucky Ladybug - Review & Guest Post*
That Artsy Girl - Review & Guest Post*
Jenni Reviews - Guest Post*
Books Are Magical - Guest Post*

October 9th
Acting Balanced - Review & Interview*
Lena Sledge - Guest Post*
Karey White - Review & Interview*
Four Sisters & a Book - Review*

October 10th
Me & Reading - Guest Post & Review*
Home Maid Simple - Review*
Read This Instead - Review*
These Words Tell a Story - Guest Post*
The READioactive Book Blog - Review & Guest Post*
Up All Night Reviews - Review*

October 11th
Cupcake's Book Cupboard - Review*
Ever & Ever Sight - Review*
Bibliophile Please - Guest Post*

October 12th
Book Readers - Excerpt*
Walking on Bookshelves - Review & Excerpt*
A Casual Reader's Corner - Review*
Where Fantasy & Love Take Flight - Guest Post*

October 13th
Imaginary Reads - Review & Guest Post*
Kaisy Daisy's Corner - Review*
Mommy Adventures with Ravina - Review*
Lori's Reading Corner - Guest Post*

October 14th
The Book Belles - Review*
Lisa's World of Books - Review & Interview*
My Devotional Thoughts - Review*

October 15th
Rowell Reviews - Review*
The Reading Nook - Review*
Caroline Clemmons - Excerpt* & Interview*
Clean Romance Reviews - Interview*

October 16th
Literary Time Out - Review*
Book Munchies - Review*
Books Down My Pillow - Review*

October 17th
My Guilty Obsession - Review & Guest Post*
Parsimonious Pash - Review*
At Random - Review & Guest Post*
Lyrics without the Chord Changes - Guest Post*
Rachelle's Writing Spot - Review & Interview*

October 18th
Bookworm Lisa - Review*
MK McClintock - Interview*
Clean Teen Fiction - Review*
Every Free Chance - Review*
What to Read - Review*

October 19th
Bookhounds - Review*
Books Beside My Bedside - Review*
LivLovLifeReviews - Review*

October 20th
Why Not? Because I Said So - Review & Guest Post*
From the TBR Pile - Review*
Promiscuous Diva - Excerpt*

October 21st
Young Readers at Home - Review & Excerpt*
Sweeping the USA - Excerpt*

October 22nd
Krazy Book Lady - Guest Post*
Crafty Zoo with Monkeys - Guest Post*
Tifferz Book Review - Review*

October 23rd
Martha's Bookshelf - Review & Guest Post*
Books R Us - Guest Post*
The Book Bug - Review & Interview*

October 24th
Romance Bookie - Review*
Wall to Wall Books - Review*
A Purrfect Read - Promo Post

October 25th
whoopeeyoo! - Review*
Going Crazy Wanna Go? - Guest Post*
Laurie Here - Review*

October 26th
Love. Without You - Guest Post*
The Housework Can Wait - Review & Guest Post*

October 27th
The Busy Bibliophile - Interview & Review*
What's Beyond Forks - Interview & Review*

October 28th
The Bookish Mama - Review*
Monique Morgan - Guest Post* & Excerpt*
Jean Book Nerd - Guest Post*