Saturday, August 11, 2012

Dog Days of Summer 99 cents Sale #dogdays99c

Dog Days of Summer Sale

Need some relief from the Dog Days of Summer? We have the answer with a three day eBook sale - three authors, three eBooks, for only three bucks.

Rachel Thompson (Mancode Exposed), Terri Guiliano-Long (In Leah's Wake), and Ann Charles (Nearly Departed in Deadwood) are putting their eBooks on sale for $.99 each.

There is also a $50 Amazon Gift Card open to everyone with easy ways to follow.  Just click on the rafflecopter link and follow the choices to get entries to win! 

Book Blurbs, Author Bios and Amazon link:


I write about men, women, sex, & chocolate. My experiences, my truth, my martinis. If you're looking for satire, love and romance, and sex depicted with humor, buy this book!

You can find Rachel most days on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, providing social media tips on her own interactive Twitter stream and popular blog, consulting with social media clients (See BadRedhead Media), or promoting her books A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, both Kindle bestsellers!





"The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass."--Violet Parker

Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota, and Violet Parker's daughter could be next. She's desperate to find the monster behind the abductions. But if she's not careful, Violet just might end up as one of Deadwood's dearly departed.

Once upon a time, I thought my crush on Deadwood, South Dakota was going to be just a summer fling. Boy, was I wrong. I had fallen head-over-heels. Deadwood had gotten under my skin. Its golden history filled my mind with daydreams; its promising future spurred tales that needed to be told.

Nearly Departed in Deadwood is a contemporary mystery full of colorful characters that have been taking root inside of my noggin for almost three decades. The seed was planted when I was a young teenager sitting on the bench outside of the old Prospector Gift Shop on Main Street, waiting for my mom to get off work. Over the years, the seed sprouted as I hiked all over town, strolling around Wild Bill Hickok's and Seth Bullock's gravestones at Mount Moriah Cemetery, sitting on the steps outside the Deadwood Public Library, walking up and down Main Street, perusing the tourist shops.

As times changed, so did Deadwood. The drugstore where I used to buy candy, the clothing store where I bought my favorite Levi's, and the Prospector Gift Shop are all gone now. At first I was sad to see them go, but then I realized that Deadwood had to transform and grow in order to survive. Just like I did.

A couple of years ago, I was driving down Strawberry Hill on my way into Deadwood when an idea hit me. It was a "what if" moment that sparked the fire of a story in my head. This time, the "what if" involved a single mom, living in Deadwood, struggling to make ends meet with two kids--twins--for whom she had to provide. I had one young child and another on the way at the time, so taking care of kids was front and center in my mind (and my body).

As I drove through Deadwood that day, memories ran rampant in my mind, and the story you hold in your hands began to take shape. I could see it clearly. I'd name the heroine Violet, an old-fashioned name. I could hear her voice; see her in her favorite purple cowboy boots. I knew exactly the location of the realty office where Violet would work, the street she'd live on, and how I'd pull Deadwood's past into the story and intermingle it with the present.

Over the following month, I plotted this story. My poor husband was forced to listen to my ideas morning, noon, and night; there was no shutting me up. Then he caught the Deadwood bug, too, and he joined me in brainstorming and planning. Before I even wrote the first line, I knew that one book was not going to be enough to tell this story, but I had to start somewhere. Finally, after months of writing, I reached "The End" of Nearly Departed in Deadwood, the first book in a series, with much hooting and hollering in celebration.

Now, after several rounds of editing and a lot of polishing, I want to share Violet's story with you. If you have half as much fun reading it as I had writing it, you'll close the book when you're finished with a big grin on your face--especially since you know there is more fun to come.

Thank you for joining me in this adventure. Hold on to your hat!

Welcome to Deadwood.




The Tylers have a perfect life--beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest daughter, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine, more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years, just wants her sister's approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly together kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life...until Leah meets Todd, a high school dropout and former roadie for a rock band.

As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family-leaving her to question whether anyone loves her and if God even knows she exists. Can this family survive in Leah's wake? What happens when love just isn't enough?
 
Terri Giuliano Long has written marketing pieces for print and online media, edited technical articles, and written news and feature stories for numerous publications, including the Huffington Post. She lives with her family on the East Coast and teaches at Boston College. In Leah's Wake is her debut novel.

Please visit her website: www.tglong.com Or connect on her blog (www.terriglong.com/blog), Facebook (www.facebook.com/tglongwrites) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/tglong).

Friday, August 3, 2012

New Review - Fifty Shames of Earl Grey: A Parody by Fanny Merkin a.k.a. Andrew Shaffer

I have to admit, I started this novel with a great deal of apprehension.  After reading the entire Fifty Shades trilogy, I must confess, I was underwhelmed and mad at the same time.  I had lost countless hours reading it, hours in my life I can never get back.  When I received this book from my Net Galley request, I was wary but I was so glad to discover I was wrong and it was worth the read.

The main characters are Ana Steal, a naive college student and Walmart cashier who meets Earl Grey, a young billionaire with his own secrets or his "Fifty Shames" among them being his man-crush on Tom Cruise and his love for shopping in Walmart.  From the beginning, hilarity ensues.  The novel parallels many of the main highlights of the original novel but with amusing twists.

The author did an excellent job of skewing the themes of the original book but taking them and creating new scenarios.  I laughed throughout most of the book especially when names from the original "Twilight" and "Fifty Shades" were tossed in the story, reminding you that this was meant to be a joke.  There are also many cultural references that add to the humor and most readers will recognize the movies or songs that get mentioned along the way.

The novel was very enjoyable and while reading the "Fifty Shades" trilogy might increase your enjoyment, I don't feel it was necessary to really enjoy this book.  For a good laugh, I would definitely recommend "Fifty Shames".