Is the Book Dying? by Margaret Daley

I wrote this blog below almost five years ago and I'm still wondering the question: is the book dying? A lot has changed in that short time. Kindle has evolved into the Kindle Fire. We have the Nook and iPad now, too. We have tablets and iPhones to read books on. Best of all, the price for these devices has come down to where it is affordable for a lot of people. Writers now have a choice of going with a traditional publisher or self-publishing. The ebook share of books being sold is growing in the past few years rapidly. So what is the answer to the last question at the end of the blog?

Is the Book (Paperbacks, Hardbacks, Trade) Dying?

By Margaret Daley

For years we have been hearing people predicting that the book was dying—on its way out the door. In the future people will read books on the computer or some kind of handheld device like the new Kindle at Amazon (which I do think is neat but way too expensive). I do think those devices will gain in popularity, but at least for the near future the book is alive and well—holding its own.

I read an article in an airline magazine on my way to Fort Lauderdale about a project that Microsoft was involved in.  It's the high school of the future. The library doesn't have books that you can hold in your hand. Everything is on the computer and all the students have their own laptops. They don't have textbooks.

For the most part things are going along okay, but the students and teachers are complaining there are no books around. They must research on the Internet. Teachers go home and spends hours adapting work from the Internet to present to their students. They miss not having textbooks to supplement their teaching.

Now I don't know about you but I can't sit at the computer all day and especially read on top of that a story on my computer. I think my eyes get tired from the light on the computer. Don't get me wrong. I love my computer and what it can do, but I also love a good old-fashioned book to hold at the beach. So I'm hoping there is a place for both in the future.

What do you see happening in the next ten or twenty years?

Check out Margaret's interview at The Romance Reviews!

Character Study - Buttercup, from Sonata by Blair McDowell

I can't begin writing any new book without first writing background character studies of the people who will inhabit my story. Somehow, in my mind, my stories always begin with place, and, after place, with characters. My stories evolve from the settings and the people.

But even I had to laugh at my preoccupation with character studies when I found myself writing one for a dog.  Of course Buttercup is not just any dog. She's Vancouver Police Detective, Michael Donovan's dog, and she plays an important role in Sonata.

What she's like and how Michael came to have her are vital elements in the story.

Below is the first draft of my character study for Buttercup. Initially, as you will see, I made Buttercup a male, but somewhere during the writing of this novel she told me she was female. My characters have a way of changing on me sometimes—although not usually gender.

Buttercup—Michael Donovan's dog.  

Michael rescued the dog when a drug bust went bad. He found the dog, only a puppy at the time, malnourished and shivering with fright under the bed after its owner had been killed. Michael took him to a vet and then home. Fed him up and ended up with a dog who would gladly give his life for Michael if it seemed needed. Physical description— Malamute and St. Bernard cross, but somewhere in his lineage is a wolf—(other indeterminate ancestors as well). This is one BIG, fierce-looking animal, with a sugar sweet disposition.

The odd name? I haven't figured that out yet, but it is his name. Maybe because of a bright yellow patch under his chin.  Brown and white fur, soft and thick.  Face, white with brown freckles from the top of his head to his nose. One blue eye and one brown eye. Buttercup is a real coward, afraid of his own shadow. Hides under the bed when anyone new comes into the apartment. He stands high enough to eat off the dining table without any effort.

…………………………………………………………..

The following excerpt from Sonata shows something of the relationship between man and dog:

Michael fitted his key into the lock of his apartment door and swung it wide. A huge fuzzy mass leapt at him and the two, man and dog, rolled over and over on the carpet.

"Okay. Down, Buttercup." Immediately the beast backed off and sat expectantly on its haunches, tongue lolling, tail thumping on the floor.

"Buttercup, this is Sayuri. Sayuri, Buttercup." The dog lifted a paw the size of a small ham and Sayuri, after hesitating only a moment, shook it.

"How do you do, Buttercup," she said, gravely. Then she turned to Michael in total disbelief. "Buttercup?"

"It's a long story. I'll have to take her out to the park for a quick run before I start dinner. Just make yourself comfortable. There's wine in the fridge. Pour us both a glass. Be right back." With that, man and dog disappeared out the door.

****

As they went down in the elevator and across to the park, Michael spoke to the dog, "So far so good. We've got her in my apartment. I expect your full cooperation tonight. Whatever happens you are not to climb on the bed, should I get so lucky, or slobber all over Sayuri. If there's any slobbering to be done, I'll do it. Got it, buddy?"

Buttercup wagged her tail furiously, nearly knocking over a passing pedestrian.

"Sorry, ma'am."

Michael thought about how Sayuri had looked when she answered the door. So cool and composed. Delectable. Good enough to eat. Down boy, he reminded himself. Don't blow it now. You've got her this far.

Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Keep it cool." Then he looked at his dog. "Okay, Buttercup, do your thing so we can get back up there."

Check out Blair's interview at The Romance Reviews!

Character Study - Sayuri McAllister by Blair McDowell

Yesterday as he was drilling away at me left eye tooth, my dentist asked “When you’re writing, which comes first, characters or plot?” There was no way I could answer him with a rubber dam in my mouth, but the answer would have been, “Characters, always characters.”

I may have the germ of a story idea in my mind, but it doesn’t take form until I know my characters.  Before I write the first line of any book, I write detailed character studies. I do this even for the less important characters. Only in that way will they behave in a consistent way as I get them into and out if trouble in my story. 

Below is the study I wrote for my heroine in Sonata. As I wrote the story I made some minor changes, but for the most part, here she is. Please meet Sayuri McAllister.

Sayuri McAllister—heroine.  Sayuri is twenty-nine when the story begins. She comes from a wealthy family. Her father, Sean, is a Canadian tech tycoon. Her mother, a Japanese woman he met through a business colleague when on a trip to Japan. It was a love match, not well accepted by either family. 

Sayuri shows signs of musical talent early. She attends the local public school and, after school each day, the Vancouver Academy of Music for classes in music theory and history. She studies with the first chair cellist of the Vancouver Symphony. While still in high school, she plays with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. After graduating from high school, she majors in cello performance at McGill. Her life to this point has been made up of nothing but classes and lessons and long hours of practice. She has had little time for anything else.

As the story opens Sayuri is returning from Paris where she has spent two years studying with the famous cellist, Cecile Dubois and then another three years on the concert circuit through-out Europe. She has played both solo recitals and as a soloist with orchestras. She is now an accomplished performer, planning to audition for the first chair cellist’s position in the Vancouver Symphony and preparing for a solo recital at the Chan Centre. She is fluently bilingual, English- French and speaks Japanese as well.

Sayuri is a strong young woman, self-reliant and secure emotionally. She is very much her own woman. She’s had some sexual experience but not much, not a virgin but she does not give of herself casually. **note: I changed this and made her a virgin.

Physically, she’s tall and long legged. She has straight silky dark hair worn back and caught at the nape of her neck. Soft, doe-like, almond shaped brown eyes. Oval face. Creamy complexion. Wears no make-up except lip gloss. Graceful as a dancer. Likes to wear casual clothes, low heeled shoes, slacks and sweaters, vortex jackets— not really into jeans. Never wears hats or carries an umbrella. Doesn’t mind getting wet. Has a wardrobe of formal professional clothes for performances. Most prized possession—her Guarneri cello. 

Sayuri is a one hundred percent modern Canadian woman, independent and self-sufficient. She’s focused on building her own life and career. She has kept in touch with her Japanese grandparents, and when she visits them, to please them she observes the customs of that country. She knew her Canadian grandparents only briefly. They objected strongly to their son’s marriage and she was in her teens before she ever met them. They died soon after, leaving her independent financially.

She has had a series of casual boyfriends over the years at McGill (Montreal) and in Paris, but none she was serious about. She hasn’t time in her life for serious relationships. She was in love with Michael Donovan when she was in high school—but cut him out of her life when he strayed once.

On meeting Michael as an adult, she is once again attracted to him and she is prepared to be a bit more tolerant of his past indiscretions, if she can just get him to make a move in the present. Trouble is, he’s now a detective with the Vancouver Police, and is investigating a major robbery at her father’s house—and he suspects that her father may have been involved. 

Blair McDowell, Author

Website:  http://www.blairmcdowell.com/
Blog:       http://blairmcdowellauthor.blogspot.ca/  
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5807790.Blair_McDowell

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What's a Regency Romance Anyway?

The word "regency" is not uncommon—a new hospital in my area is called "Regency" and when I google the word, I get a beauty institute, a concert hall, a real estate company, a furniture company, a shopping center, and of course, the famous hotel chain. There are, in fact, 111,000,000 results, only a few of which refer to the Regency period in England that so many devotees of historical romances fancy as a setting for their favorite stories.

Yet I've found few people outside of die-hard Regency fans who know what the word means…and even some of them don't know that much about it, just that during that period, the heir to the British throne, Prince George (or Prinny) was called "Regent."

It appears to me that many business owners looking for a name that sounds rather upper-class settle on "regency" for no real reason. Which is fine. I 'd rather people do that than come up with some "cutesy" name like "Kozy Korner Kreations." [Shudder]

What does "Regency" refer to?

But frankly, only one or two guests at yesterday's Release Party for my Regency short story Treasuring Theresa actually knew what the word "regency" means.

My online dictionary defines a "regent" as:

1. a person who exercises the ruling power in a kingdom during the minority, absence, or disability of the sovereign.
2. a ruler or governor

Of course, there are such things as "regents" of universities and colleges and so on, but essentially we will deal with #1 and #2 here.

If a ruler dies when his heir is too young to take his place, generally someone will be appointed his guardian and rule in his place until he comes of legal age. That person is called a Regent. It could be his mother or some other prominent person at court. But in the early nineteenth century, it was the heir to the throne, Prince George, who eventually became George IV.

George III, the "Mad King"

Yes, it was that King George who fought the rebelling colonists in the Revolutionary War. But he wasn't really a bad guy…just sort of wrong-headed, according to those of us who consider ourselves patriotic Americans. He just thought it was something he should do, and he would have succeeded if it weren't for his enemies, the French, who helped the colonists more because they hated the British than for any other reason. We owe them, folks. Seriously. Although it might be cool to speak with a British accent, I still like our flag better.

Anyway, a decade or so later, King George began to behave erratically, showing symptoms that many attribute to the hereditary disease of porphyria, which can result in a sort of "madness." Parliament debated the establishment of a Regency at that time, but while the issue was being discussed, the ailing monarch recovered. However, in 1810, when Treasuring Theresa takes place, he had a relapse, and since he was unable to fulfill his duties, Parliament—under the Prime Minister Spencer Perceval—was obligated to consider the matter again. On February 5, 1811, the Regency was created, with the heir to the throne, Prince George, being made Prince Regent, or the "Reigning Prince" of the Kingdom, a position he held until he became King George IV in 1820 at the death of his father.

Why is the Regency period such a popular setting for historical romances?

Ah, the question of the hour! One reason is undoubtedly because during Prince George's reign as Regent, society became less reserved and pious and more frivolous and ostentatious, in accordance with the tastes and character of the Prince Regent himself. A great lover of the arts and architecture, he spent large sums of money on his homes—Carlton House and the Brighton Pavilion, to name two—as well as public works. This, in addition to lavish personal spending on entertainments and luxuries, obliged him to regularly dip into the Treasury to pay his bills, which was a major source of concern to the government, which had to scramble to find ways to pay its own bills, including an ongoing war with Napoleon.

But other than brief mentions of battles and heroes, and a mention or two of a wounded soldier (i.e., tortured hero) returning to his family, in most Regency novels, you wouldn't know there was a war going on at all. Aristocratic gentlemen gambled and drank to excess, while their wives shopped until they dropped and gossiped at balls and teas and worried more about keeping up appearances than the bloody toll of the war, and the increasing misery of the lower classes. Sound familiar?

But the Regency was also a time of elegant manners, fabulous balls, and glittering aristocratic lifestyles. The traditional Regency romance, à la Georgette Heyer, involves dashing heroes, spunky heroines, witty dialogue, and an unexpected, "sweet" romance. A traditional Regency romance involves no physical contact other than kissing, although the more "modern" Regencies range from spicy to steamy hot, more "erotic" stories.

Treasuring Theresa: A Traditional "Sweet" Regency Story

Lady Theresa is an earl's daughter who has grown up on her father's country estate. She despises the superficial values of London society, and especially that fribble Damian Ashby, who will one day inherit her father's estate.

When Damian meets "Cousin Theresa," he dismisses her as a mannerless country chit. (Well, it's true that at the time her behavior was decidedly out of character.)

But Damian is more than a London swell, and Theresa far from a brainless twit, which they both discover when they are obliged to spend time together. But he's still a city boy and she a country lady, so a match between them would be a disaster. Wouldn't it?

Treasuring Theresa is set in 1810 just months prior to the official Regency period, but the epilogue—which can be found as a free read on my web site—takes place in February 1811, at the same time as the establishment of the Regency Act. If you enjoy Treasuring Theresa, you'll surely want to find out what happens afterward!

Note: You can also find brief character sketches of both Damian and Theresa, and a sort of "prequel" to the story, "Lady Theresa's Trials." Enjoy!

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

To celebrate the release of Treasuring Theresa,I am hosting a series of contests on my web site for the month of January. Winners will be chosen on January 9, 16, 23, and 31.

I love to chat with readers!

Please friend me on Facebook (susana.ellis.5) and follow me on Twitter (@susanaauthor) and send me your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Reviews and likes are also welcome!

Happy 2013!

Susana Ellis

http://www.susanaellis.com

susanaellisauthor@gmail.com

Romance Madness Hop

Love Romance?

Join the hop!

The Romance Reviews is hosting a Romance Madness Hop from January 25 to 29, 2013!

Check out the details here!

GIVEAWAY: Confessions of an Avon Addict!

Welcome to The Romance Reviews first post-Apocalyptic post!

I, for one, can’t say I’m complaining.  Because I was realizing today as I heard everyone cracking jokes about The End Times that there were still things to do!  People to meet!  And, honestly, I think we can all agree—more books to read!  Especially now.  Because a few months back, I had the insane good fortune to be named an Avon Addict. 

What, precisely, is an Avon Addict?  Well, the official line is:

A special program designed for die-hard romantics, who are treated to a monthly package of reading-related happiness: book swag, author goodies and most importantly, copies of some of Avon’s great books and upcoming releases.  There’s also an unspoken law that states that the packages always seem to appear on rainy, grumpy days, and immediately make everything right again. 

In truth, it also means that I have met some of the smartest, most supportive and most enthusiastic readers I could have hoped to encounter.  A group of ladies who refer to characters as if they were family, and whose energy and insight make this program so much more than about the books.  I’m having a blast during my tenure as an Addict, and part of this blog hop is to share that fun with you!

Thus, with these sensational new books arriving, I have a whole new list of reasons for the world to go on spinning.  I’d love to hear what is one everyone else’s Reading List for 2013, Post-Apocalypse Vacation, or otherwise.  Here’s mine!

One Good Earl Deserves Another, Sarah MacLean

Sarah MacLean has been a favorite author of mine for years (ever since I found out we are alumni of the same college, which I share at every occasion), and her first Rule of Scoundrels Book, A Rogue By Any Other Name was one of my very favorite reads of 2012.  Now, we have the treat of reading about Penelope’s younger sister, Philippa, a brilliant young woman who is about to settle into a quiet, complacent and thoroughly respectable marriage…but before that she is going to spend the next two weeks to experience all the life she will be missing, and with none other than the secretive and seductive Cross, creating a touching romance, and a chemistry that is utterly incendiary.

Wild About You, Kerrelyn Sparks

I have no good excuse for why I haven’t read Kerrelyn Sparks’ works until now.  On the one hand, I am realizing now that I’ve been deprived of a wonderfully funny, charming voice in the world of romance, but on the other, it’s such a treat to begin here, with the story of the shapeshifter Howard and his utterly adoration of Elsa, the star of a home-improvement show whose skill with a sledgehammer is unparalleled.  Sparks has a rare talent for making swoon-worthy romance and giggle-out-loud sarcasm go hand in hand, and this book has made me an eager, if somewhat belated, fan of the Love at Stake books—and with twelve other books in the series before this one, I’m rather pleased by the amount of catching-up I get to do.

Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman, J.B. Lynn

This is one of the terrific perks of being an Addict.  I don’t think I would ever have picked up J.B. Lynn’s series by myself, but when this book, and the second in the series, Further Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman arrived in my package, I realized I was missing out on an author with genuine talent and imagination.  Anyone who thinks their family is a little crazy needs to meet Maggie Lee and her more than memorable aunts; add to that her ability to hear her pets speak and her under-the-table job as a hitwoman to help her orphaned niece, and you have the perfect recipe for combating the winter doldrums.   

Hope you find some inspiration in these titles, and be sure to share yours, as well!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

There are books available to two lucky commenters:

A Holiday Package:

A Cowboy for Christmas by Lori Wilde &  A Season of Angels by Debbie Macomber.  

A Steampunk Package:

Tarnished and Gilded by Karina Cooper 

Mechanics:

1. You must be a follower at this blog.

2. Post a book (or books!) you are looking forward to reading in the coming year.

Contest Deadline: December 31, 2012

Winners Selected and Contacted: January 1, 2013

Two winners will be selected via Randomizer.org.

Happiest of New Years to every one!

AVON ADDICTS BLOG HOP:
Avon Addict Blog Hop Stops:
12/1 – Pure Textuality
12/2 – Toot's Book Reviews
12/3 – Deborah Brent
12/4 – Save Your Money for Books
12/5 – SOS Aloha
12/6 – Ramblings of Kristibug
12/7 – Alpha Heroes
12/8 – Tempting Reades
12/9 – Books Like Breathing
12/10 – The Book Cellar
12/11 – TBQ's Book Palace
12/12 – Romancebookworm's Reviews
12/13 – Romancing the Readers
12/14 – Welcome to My World
12/15 – Poisoned by Rationality
12/16 – Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More
12/17 – Unwrapping Romance
12/18 – Seduced by a Book
12/19 – Starry Skies Romance
12/20 – Mom on the Edge
12/21 – The Book Vixen
12/22 – The Romance Reviews (That's us!)
12/23 – Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess
12/24 – Blithely Bookish

Congrats to our winners, May and Donnas!  Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year!

The Best Laid Plans by Margaret Ethridge

The best laid plans…

I'm a planner at heart. Not only do I like to make a plan, but I also like to announce my plans so I can't back out of doing whatever it was I said I'd do. But we all know life doesn't always unfold as planned. When I was younger, I thought I had my life all laid out. School, work, etc. It all seemed so easy. On paper.

Here are a some examples of my plans and how they worked out, uh, not on paper:

The plan: Marry somewhere around twenty-five, first kid by twenty-eight, done having kids by my early thirties.

The reality: At the age of thirty-two, I married a man with two children from his previous marriage and raised them as my own.

The plan: To become super-business-woman like Tess McGill in Working Girl and live the big city dream with Harrison Ford.

The reality: I stumbled into a career I didn't even know existed when I was in my twenties and married a small-town guy from the south who bears a striking resemblance to Sherriff Woody from Toy Story.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. At. All. Although my life has taken a different path than the one I envisioned when I was a young adult, I have no regrets. So far, it's been pretty darn awesome. That realization got me thinking about how lucky I was to have the nerve to jump out of line.

By letting go of 'The Plan', I lived my life instead of programming it.

The conflict between dreams and reality is a central theme in most of my novels. In Contentment, Tracy Sullivan almost flushes her idyllic life down the toilet because she can't let go of her old dreams. Commitment was the story of Maggie McCann, a woman who discovers unanticipated happiness in a change of plan. Spring Chickens focuses on a couple brave enough to take a chance on a second chance at happiness. Even my paranormal romances, Paramour and its sequel Inamorata, feature characters who must learn to let go of the past in order to move forward.

Was it my plan to weave a common theme through every novel I've written thus far?

*snort* Not at all.

As a matter of fact, I didn't even realize that I had until I was explaining the premise of one of the books to an acquaintance. How cool is that?

Tell me, what plans have you changed when the prospect for something different came along?  

Visit me at: http://www.margaretethridge.com/

Contact me at: mkethridge1@gmail.com

--
Margaret Ethridge
www.margaretethridge.com -  Facebook - Twitter
Paramour - Contentment - Commitment - Inamorata - Turquoise Morning Press Spring Chickens - The Wild Rose Press

Death Blow by Jianne Carlo

My name is Jianne Carlo and I write erotic romance in a variety of genres - contemporary, military, paranormal, suspense, time-travel, and historical. I relish mixing genres and my latest release, Death Blow, Viking Vengeance II, is a Viking, paranormal suspense.

The history and culture of the Vikings have fascinated me forever, or so it seems. I became obsessed with Erikk the Red and Leif the lucky around the age of nine when I watched a BBC documentary on the two men. We had a Britannia encyclopedia set at the time and I immediately began researching the two warrior-adventurers.

What I love most about the culture of the Norse is the amazing almost-equality of their females. A wife could actually divorce her own husband. She could own lands. Compared to other cultures during the period the Vikings ruled the seaways, the rights of Norse women were vast indeed. With the exception of Iceland, the main privilege women didn't have was that of voting in Viking law gatherings.

It seems obvious to me this near equality between males and females seeped into the culture via Norse mythology. Think of one small part of the legends – the jötunn goddess, female giantesses who were incredibly strong physically and powerful in their own rights. One tale particularly intrigued me - that of the Rán, consort of the sea-god Aegir, who used her net to capture mortal men for her own pleasure.

In Death Blow, Viking Vengeance II, the heroine Nyssa is a half-immortal, the daughter of the King of Moray and Rán. 

                                                     

Death Blow Blurb:

Can a mere Viking break the curse of a sea god?

Cursed by the sea-god Ægir to be burned at the stake, Lady Nyssa seeks the one man who can save her--the warrior who bears the mark of the Saracen. When she finds a Viking warrior wounded and senseless on a beach, she knows he is her savior. But Ægir's wrath extends to others in her life as well. He's killed her father and stepmother, turned her stepbrother into a mountain lion, and imprisoned her people. And worse, he's cursed any man who lays with her to have his manparts wither and die.

Konáll has traded coin a-plenty to gain a wife with lands, the daughter of the King of Moray. He expects a refined, comely, trainable damsel, not a doomed warrior princess with the strength of a giantess who cannot bear the touch of a man. But once he learns more about this woman who speaks to talking mountain cats and hides as a peasant among the rabble, he cannot deny his feelings. There's more than one way to breech a maidenhead, and if teaching her the ways of a woman's pleasure with a carved ivory dildo is what it takes to make her his, then he's more than happy to challenge the wrath of a god…

Here's an excerpt from Death Blow:

Once again he picked her up, turned her around, and brought them face to face. His eyes glittered like chips of frozen loch ice, deep blue and fathomless, and his lips thinned to a stubborn, grim line. "Lie to me and you will regret every breath you take for the rest of your life. I ask again, who are you?"

She lifted her chin and met his stare. "I am the lady Nyssa, heiress to Castle Carleah, daughter of Rán and Rurari. Do not test me, Viking, for not only am I of warrior size, I have the strength of my jötunn mother."

His gaze flickered from her shorn hair to the coarse garb 'borrowed' from a sleeping priest, to the tattered leggings, and her shoddy boots. "Though you be tall, you have naught the height for the daughter of a giantess."

Nyssa sneered. "How many jötunn goddesses know you?"

His jaw worked back and forth. He tightened his grip on her arms and she bit back a protest. "You will cease answering a question with a question."

She did not bother to hide her grin. "Pray tell, what question did you ask?"

"By Odin, you are insolent," he murmured so softly she had to strain to hear him. All at once the fierce frown he wore lifted and his lips curved.

Dread slithered across her nape.

"I have heard of a mark stamped on the lady Nyssa."

Her throat and face heated. "I have such a mark."

I will see it." He carried her to the cave's wall and pushed her back against the cold stone.

"Nay." She could barely think for the shame scalding her flesh and the musk-laden male scent of him filling her nose. "′Tis not your right to view."

"If you are who you say you are, then you are my betrothed, and I have such a right. Show me the mark. I tell you this once and once only." He dropped his hold on her and crossed his arms.

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt.

Just in time for the holidays, I have a Kindle Fire contest running at my website – do drop by and enter! Here's the link: http://www.jiannecarlo.com/Contest.aspx

In addition, I'll be giving away a copy of Death Blow to a lucky commenter. All you have to do is:

Leave a comment with your email address

Like Death Blow on Amazon – here is the link:  Amazon-Death Blow 

Jianne Carlo's Contact Info:

Email - Jianne@jiannecarlo.com

URL& Blog - http://www.jiannecarlo.com

Facebook - My Facebook Author Page

Twitter - Follow Me on Twitter

Amazon - My Amazon Author Page

Pinterest - My Pinterest Author Page

Goodreads - My Goodreads Page

The Romance Reviews – My TRR Page

Enjoy the holiday season!

Cheers,

Jianne Carlo

Have YOU Heard About the Sourcebooks 25 Days of Christmas eBook Spectacular?!

Sourcebooks is feeling the spirit of the holiday season and we want to share it with you! We’re running our biggest promotion yet: daily discounts on our most popular ebooks, starting December 1 and lasting through December 25! When you sign up, you’ll be notified every morning of which book is going on sale that day. And, when you sign up to receive our daily email notifications, you’ll automatically be entered to win two ereaders: one for you, and one for a friend or family member.

In addition, we’ll also be giving away more fun prizes every single week, from candy, to gift baskets, to books. Sign up today! You’ll be able to see the featured books once you’ve signed up.

Double your chances: Each time one of your friends sign up, it doubles your chances of winning, so make sure to forward your emails to all of your nearest and dearest, encouraging them to sign up, too!

Sign up today for the Sourcebooks Christmas eBook Spectacular  on our ebook promo page (http://books.sourcebooks.com/promos/), for the chance to get great books and great prices, and to win ebooks, candy, print books, and an eReader for you – and one for a friend or family member!

Please feel free to share this information with your readers! Be sure to check out the @sourcebooks and @sourcebookscasa Twitter accounts for daily updates and links each day, as well as the Sourcebooks Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/sourcebooks.

And don’t think we haven’t thought about something to keep the Christmas Cheer going after 12/25…

From Karen Rose Smith

Every writer is facing the "new" world of publishing which includes the e-reader world. I've often had readers   ask me for copies of my first novels, but I couldn't provide them when they were out of print. With the books  that rights have reverted, I now can. Suddenly writers and readers have been thrust into a digitalized world and there is a huge demand for ebooks.

When I set out to e-publish my re-releases, I thought I'd just have to learn about reformatting, nuclear pption, the style requirements of each digital publisher and finding an artist to develop a new cover. But after I uploaded my first two published novels whose plots revolved largely around a non-tech world (1992-93), I  started reading the rest with a different eye. I decided to update them. The basic plots were still universal and, to my surprise, timely! But, of course, the technological advances were missing. When I wrote these books, cell phones weren't common. We were listening to tapes not CD's. We watched videotapes not DVD's. So I went through my reverted backlist titles with an eye to making those changes­ along with a few others I found along the way. A former English teacher can never stop editing.

ABIGAIL AND MISTLETOE

This book has always been special to me for many reasons. The subject matter, a trauma make-up artist helping clients, was important to me. This novel takes place over the Christmas holidays which evokes emotion­rich memories. Besides all that, this book that I believed in so completely had several lives.

ABIGAIL AND MISTLETOE was originally bought by Meteor/Kismet and scheduled to be published. It was one of those books that turned me inside out when I was writing it. But Meteor never had the chance to publish it, although they bought it. The company folded. When I learned what was happening, I bought my rights back. I believed in this book that much. A few months later, Silhouette bought it to publish as a Special Edition. Years after it was published, readers would comment on or remember this book. So when I had the opportunity to get my rights reverted from Harlequin, I jumped on it. I indie-published all the other books with rights that reverted to me. But ABIGAIL was special so I decided to do something different with it. I sent it to Samhain to see if it would be accepted for their Retro Romance program. They liked the book and contracted for it.

I will be as excited to see it published again as I was the first time. I wanted to share its story with you because many of my readers might remember it. I wanted to share its story with you because this is one of those books that just keeps on giving...to me and to my readers.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/AiH7pI9UdWo  and  http://youtu.be/AiH7pI9UdWo


Check out the review and interview at The Romance Reviews for a chance to win awesome giveaways!