Safkhet Publishing ~ Summer Reads

Monday 28 October 2013

Manic Monday Update.


I’ve been running so hard trying to catch up, I was sure I’d meet myself coming back. Aaargh! I’m not sure the world is ready for two of me. So, finally, my To Do list is now up-to-date … ish. My Tbr pile is about to be tackled, before it topples and I’m found not-so beautifully pressed between books. I’ve submitted my latest MA module assignment, three scenes of a stage-play. Yay! I’m using characters from A Little Bit of Madness. I can’t wait to see it acted out by real flesh and blood actors! The characters are real flesh and blood to me, or course, the mad author. How fabulous will it be to see them climb off the page and tread the boards, though? All in all, I’ve been so busy I swear I haven’t had time to breathe. I’m not complaining, however. I might be too busy to remember to eat, but I’m doing what I want to and I’m therefore a happy (if slightly demented) bunny!

So, what’s next? Well, I’m joining some fabulous authors at the Festival of Romance in Bedford (8th – 10th Nov). I’ll be bobbing about, as I do, from the Lovehappyending Lifestyle table at the Saturday Book Fair to the Safkhet Publishing table, but I’ll be amongst talented company. For info, there’s an Audience with Katie Fforde in the same hall (the Harper Suite, Bedford Corn Exchange). You can’t get much more talented than that. I’ll be reading from one of my books (I’m not sure which yet) at The Baby Shower in the afternoon. I possibly won't be quite as fabulous as Katie, but I’ll do my very best! Full details of authors attending can be found here: Festival of Romance - Authors and the full itinerary can be found here: Festival of Romance 2013

It promises to be a fantastic event. At the conference on Sunday, publishers and industry experts discuss the burning issues for the romantic fiction industry – and writers get an opportunity to meet publishers one to one. If you haven’t got your tickets yet, what are you waiting for? Go here: Festival of Romance

Before that, on the 4th November, I’ll be one of the authors at the Safkhet Soul Virtual Tour organised by wonderful Carol Wright at Dizzy Little C’s Book Blog. We’d love to see you there. Details can be found here:

 
On the subject of tours, I’d like, once again, to thank JB Johnston of Brook Cottage Books for her sterling work in organising my fabulously successful Romantic Heroes Tour recently. Thanks to JB’s meticulous planning and fun participation, the tour was an absolute blast. Thank you, too, to all those lovely people who stopped by to comment (lots) and join in. Extra big thanks to reviewers and bloggers who gave of their precious time to read my books and post some truly lovely, humbling reviews. It’s thanks to you all I’m still here!

That’s it, pretty much … I think. I’m sure I must have forgotten something. Ooooh, yes, I’m supposed to write books, aren’t I? Whoops. Back to the keyboard it is then.

 
HAVE A LOVELY WEEK ALL!  xxx
 
 

Friday 18 October 2013

Guest Post: Caroline Fardig ~ IT'S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH!


Welcome Caroline Fardig, Author of #1 bestseller,

IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH!


 

Caroline’s here sharing with us how to find a little ‘me’ time!

Take it away, Caroline!!!


 

Hey, Life!  Get out of the way so I can write!


We all have the same problem—too much to do, and not enough time to do it.  Talking with more and more authors, though, I’ve come to the conclusion that we have it the worst.  Most of us indies aren’t at the point yet that we can call our writing a “career”, mainly because by definition a “career” puts dinner on the table.  When you’re in a slump and only selling a few books a week, it doesn’t even put a cup of coffee on the table.  That being said, we still have the burning desire to get our thoughts on paper (or screen, as it were), and that means carving out the time to sit down and do it.

Some activities that take our time are unavoidable—our day jobs, our families, the ever-present housework, sleep…  The list goes on.  So what can we do to find precious time (preferably a decent length of it) that we can use to satisfy our creativity?  Simple.  You have to get a little selfish, and learn to not feel bad about it. 

You can’t do much about the hours you spend at work—if you want to get paid, you have to put in the time.  However, nearly everyone gets a lunch break or some kind of downtime, so bring your pad and paper or laptop and spend that hour writing.  You can eat and write at the same time, right? 

Family comes first, and time with your family is precious.  However, if your kids are doing their homework, sit alongside them and do your work as well.  It seems like I spend a lot of time in my minivan, waiting on kids to get out of school or practice, so I always make sure that I have my laptop with me, should genius strike.  Even a few minutes to jot down a bit of dialogue that popped into your mind can be extremely helpful.  And don’t forget, kids have early bedtimes, so take advantage of that (if you can stay awake!) and do your writing after they go to bed and the house is quiet.

Oh, housework—the bane of my existence.  The first thing I’m getting when I become a rich and famous author is a housekeeper!  To be perfectly honest, this is what I let slide when I’m looking for writing time.  I do what I can to streamline it—getting kids or husband to do some tasks, cleaning the kitchen while I’m cooking instead of leaving a big mess to clean up at the end, keeping clean towels/underwear/socks in bins in the laundry room (kind of a self-service type thing), not actually cleaning something until it starts to look dirty, and other shortcuts that would have Martha Stewart’s starched and ironed panties in a twist.

Sleep.  Who needs it?  I can sustain (with the help of coffee) my sanity on 6 hours of sleep per night.  Maybe not the healthiest suggestion, but it works for me.  I write late at night, and then get up early in the morning to do a little marketing (tweeting, Facebooking, etc.).  And while we’re on the subject of social media and the Internet, I’m sure there is a lot of time that we all are spending—or wasting, rather—on surfing the web, watching viral videos, reading uninformational “news” stories, etc.  More than likely, there’s a good hour of time per day that you can get back just by closing your Internet browser.

But what about those days when you have the time, but just aren’t feeling writer-y?  Well, that’s a different article altogether!  Just remember to try everyday to find your “me-time” to write.  It doesn’t have to be hours on end to be productive. Take what you can get, and enjoy it and your life.  You only get one!

  

IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH

by Caroline Fardig is a #1 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble’s Humor and Women Detectives lists!  IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH will be on sale for $0.99 through October 24th.  Get your copy today!



 Available for:


 

Book blurb:
The sleepy town of Liberty hasn’t seen murder in…well…ever. Residents are stunned when the body of a young woman is found strangled, and reporters at the Liberty Chronicle are thrilled, rather disturbingly, over the biggest news story to hit town this century.

Lizzie Hart has even bigger problems. Lately, she can’t seem to concentrate on her job as copy editor at the Chronicle with the new hunky investigative reporter, Blake Morgan, swaggering around the office. How can a girl work when she’s using all of her energy combating Blake-induced hot flashes and struggling to repress the giggly inner schoolgirl that’s constantly rearing her dorky head? It’s a good thing that Blake barely knows Lizzie exists.

After an odd string of events, however, Lizzie begins to wonder if Blake is really as fabulous as she has fantasized. When Lizzie and Blake find a co-worker dead, Blake’s personality changes completely—and not in a good way. Even though the police rule the death as an accident, Lizzie immediately suspects foul play and senses a connection to the recent murder. She is determined to bring the killer to justice, but is having some trouble getting her Nancy Drew on thanks to the pesky stalker she’s picked up—Blake Morgan. Wait, didn’t she want him to follow her around and pay attention to her? Not like this. Blake has turned from cool and smooth to cold and downright scary, making Lizzie wonder if he should be next on her suspect list.

 

About the Author:


CAROLINE FARDIG was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. Her working career has been rather eclectic thus far, with occupations including schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom. Finally realizing that she wants to be a writer when she grows up, Caroline has released her debut novel, IT'S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH, now a #1 Bestseller. She is currently hard at work churning out a second novel in the LIZZIE HART MYSTERIES series. She still lives in that same small town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.

  

 
 
Social Media

Caroline's website:

Caroline's blog:

Twitter:  @carolinefardig

Facebook:
 
Media inquires:

Sunday 13 October 2013

Review ~ FALLING by Linn B Halton. Deeply affecting & beautifully written!

Falling (Angels Among Us #1)Falling by Linn B. Halton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having already read and loved some of Linn B Halton’s books, I took ‘Falling’, the first in the Angels Among Us series, away on holiday. I’m a boater and sometimes time dedicated to reading can be limited. It has to engage me immediately therefore and keep me engaged. Falling engrossed me, totally. It’s beautifully written, a clarity and calmness in the author’s voice which drew me straight into Ceri’s world, a world where she co-exists with angels. Ceri doesn’t fall over them. She more experiences them on occasion, her strong intuition telling her they are simply there to direct her to intervene in a life event, thereby averting tragedy. She’s not spooked by them, though possibly by the fact that she’s different and doesn’t – yet – understand why. Thus, her intuition is screaming at her in regard to her twin brother’s upcoming wedding. Seb’s fiancĂ©e is going to hurt him, he’s going to ‘crumble’, yet Ceri has no way of knowing how, her frustration exacerbated by the fact that she can find nothing to dislike about her brother’s intended. The tragedy that ensues (and I’m not saying a word, which would definitely be a huge spoiler) had me stopping and taking deep breaths. The emotion around events at that time, Ceri’s emotions and those of her brother, as told through Ceri, were tremendously affecting and totally believable (although I didn’t want to believe it!). My heart broke for her brother – and for Ceri, too, who obviously blames herself for not doing … something.

There is no ‘man’ in Ceri’s life. She’s tested the waters but dropping, ‘oh, by the way, I see angels’ into the conversation is a bit of a hindrance when it comes to relationships. There is, however, her co-worker Alex, whose sexuality is ambiguous. Though Ceri wonders, Alex is most definitely not the gay foil who often appears to offer counselling in single girl stories, yet he seems to have no significant other in his life. Indeed ‘any other’. He, too, is intuitive, we see that immediately. He’s easy on the eye, easy to get along with – and in love with Ceri. Deeply in love, yet acting on that love screams against his instincts. Intrigued?? Yes, so was I. I could tell you the whole story, Ceri’s and Alex’s coming together, his pulling away. His telling us why (Alex’s pov was a nice touch and perfectly timed). I think I’ve said enough though. Whether you believe in other worldly beings, have an interest in the paranormal or not, I can honestly say ‘Falling’ will draw you in and hold you right to the end, where it will leave you itching for book two. The cliffhanger on the last page is the real start of Ceri’s journey, I feel. I can’t wait to see where it takes her (and Alex).

View all my reviews

Tuesday 8 October 2013

*Newsflash!!! KEEPING SCORE now on sale!*


For this week only Keeping Score by Jami Deise ~ which has an amazing 36 FIVE STAR Amazon reviews!!! ~ is on sale for a mere £0.77!!! Grab you copy while you can!

Keeping Score back cover blurb:
When her son Sam asks to try out for a travel baseball team, divorced mom Shannon Stevens thinks it’ll be a fun and active way to spend the summer. Boy, is she wrong! From the very first practice, Shannon and Sam get sucked into a mad world of rigged try-outs, professional coaches, and personal hitting instructors. But it’s the crazy, competitive parents who really make Shannon’s life miserable. Their sons are all the second coming of Babe Ruth, and Sam isn’t fit to fetch their foul balls. Even worse, Shannon’s best friend Jennifer catches the baseball fever. She schemes behind the scenes to get her son Matthew on the town’s best baseball team, the Saints. As for Sam? Sorry, there’s no room for him! Sam winds up on the worst team in town, and every week they find new and humiliating ways to lose to the Saints.

And the action off the field is just as hot. Shannon finds herself falling for the Saints’ coach, Kevin. But how can she date a man who didn’t think her son was good enough for his team … especially when the whole baseball world is gossiping about them? Even Shannon’s ex-husband David gets pulled into the mess when a randy baseball mom goes after him. As Sam works to make friends, win games and become a better baseball player, Shannon struggles not to become one of those crazy baseball parents herself.  In this world, it’s not about whether you win, lose, or how you play the game… it’s all about

 KEEPING SCORE.

Jami’s bio:  A lifelong resident of Maryland, Jami Deise recently moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, along with her husband Tom, son Alex, and dog Lady. A baseball mom for over 10 years, “Keeping Score” is her first novel. Jami is an associate reviewer at www.chicklitcentral.com and a generalist reader for an NYC-based literary agency. Along with women’s fiction, she loves all things horror and watches too much TV.

Jami's Links:

Keeping Score on Amazon (Kindle/paperback): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GHQYM
Keeping Score on Amazon UK
Keeping Score for Nook/iPad: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/340759
Blog: www.JamiDeise.blogspot.com

Twitter: @JamiDeise 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JamiDeiseauthor