CLP Review: In Search of a Love Story

CLP Blog Tour: Excerpt of Vivid by Andrea Murray

Yesterday I reviewed Vivid you can read my review here. Today I would like to share an excerpt from the book. Thanks Andrea for providing me with this!

EXCERPT:

“Hey, look,” our tormentor teases, rising and looking around at everyone.  “She’s so fat she probably broke her wrist by sitting on it!  Little piggy, I think I might just smack you around for the hell of it!”
When she bends back down and grabs Abby’s shoulder, I grab her forearm.  I feel my strength.  I look down at my arm.  My whole body is covered in goose bumps, and the tiny hairs on my neck are standing up.  If I were to look in a mirror right now, I know my eyes would be losing their usual gray color, becoming completely colorless around the black pupils, and glowing a soft white light. This girl is a good seven or eight inches taller than me and has biceps a linebacker would envy, but at this moment, none of that matters.

Her look of amusement flashes to one of anger then confusion.  I release Abby and slowly stand, maintaining my hold on the girl.  Gripping her arm hard, I push her back several steps.  Just like a scene from one of those cheesy 80s high school movies, silence descends in a wave across the cafeteria.

But this girl doesn’t realize yet that she should give up this fight she’s about to lose.  “You little bitch!  I’m gonna—hey!  What are you doin’ to my arm?!”  She wraps her free hand over my own that is still clutching her arm like a vise.  Her whole body starts to shake, and she falls to her knees gripping my hand and trying to pry my fingers off.  I can feel her short, jagged nails raking my hand and forearm, but I know nothing can break the contact.  My mind is screaming to let go while there is still time to salvage this situation, to keep anyone from seeing my eyes, to keep this girl from being seriously hurt, and to keep from appearing as anything other than a typical student in this school.  But my body, my hand, refuse to listen. 


ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Vivian Cartwright was five years old, she witnessed her mother’s death. Now, sixteen-year-old Vivian only wants a normal life—hard to accomplish when you possess the power to control energy. Her entire life she has feared her power and its connection to her mother’s murder. She has kept her ability a secret from everyone except her guardian, Charlotte, who has hidden Vivian from the man responsible for her mother’s murder. Her secret is safe until Vivian subconsciously defends herself at school using her power. After this first use of her gift in many years, Vivian’s power seems to take on a mind of its own, increasing in strength and demanding to be used. This increase in power also brings dreams of her mother’s death and the mysterious man connected with it. When she is assigned to tutor the would-be boyfriend of Trista Parmer (a.k.a. the biggest diva in school), Vivian cannot deny the electrifying connection that she feels for the boy, Easton Garrett. In her desire to get Easton away from Vivian, Trista doubles her efforts to humiliate Vivian, forcing Vivian to use her supernatural gift over and over. With each use, Vivian fears she is losing control and discovers her powers are growing—maybe too much—bringing her unknowingly closer to the man who murdered her mother.

You can find the book at the following locations Amazon, Barnes & Nobles.


The next stop on Andrea's blog tour is All Things Books. Don't forget to stop by and check it out.

CLP Blog Tour: Review of Vivid by Andrea Murray

When Vivian Cartwright was five years old, she witnessed her mother’s death. Now, sixteen-year-old Vivian only wants a normal life—hard to accomplish when you possess the power to control energy. Her entire life she has feared her power and its connection to her mother’s murder. She has kept her ability a secret from everyone except her guardian, Charlotte, who has hidden Vivian from the man responsible for her mother’s murder. Her secret is safe until Vivian subconsciously defends herself at school using her power. After this first use of her gift in many years, Vivian’s power seems to take on a mind of its own, increasing in strength and demanding to be used. This increase in power also brings dreams of her mother’s death and the mysterious man connected with it. When she is assigned to tutor the would-be boyfriend of Trista Parmer (a.k.a. the biggest diva in school), Vivian cannot deny the electrifying connection that she feels for the boy, Easton Garrett. In her desire to get Easton away from Vivian, Trista doubles her efforts to humiliate Vivian, forcing Vivian to use her supernatural gift over and over. With each use, Vivian fears she is losing control and discovers her powers are growing—maybe too much—bringing her unknowingly closer to the man who murdered her mother.~Goodreads

Vivid by Andrea Murray
Published: December 2011
Source: I received this book from the author via CLP Blog Tour in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble




MY THOUGHTS:

First, I have to say don’t let the cover fool you; if you’re like me I tend to judge reading a book by the cover which is totally ridiculous but true. I would have completely missed out on a great story if I didn’t stop to read the synopsis. I really wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book, this book was definitely one of those books that you pick up to read and it totally surprises you. I was definitely hooked within the first few chapters.

Vivian has always known she was different and has had to hide all of the things she could do, she lives with her Aunt Charlotte since he witnessed her mother’s murder at the age of five.  She’s a good student, good niece and tries to stay out of trouble. But, she finds that she is the prime target of bullying by the “queen of the popular kids” Trista and over the years it has made it hard to control her powers since certain emotions tend to trigger her power.  Her only comfort at school is her best friend
Abby who is ridiculed as much as Vivian is.

Vivian has to deal with the popular group who seriously go out of their way to bully Vivian and Abby. I really felt bad for her; I mean I seriously don’t ever remember school being that divided and if so I don’t remember popular kids tormenting anyone. The characters in this book took bullying to a
whole other level.

I really enjoyed Vivian as the protagonist; does she get bullied around a lot? Yes, but at the end of the day Vivian always tries to stand up for herself when every else just deals with what’s dished out at them.So for that I love her. I think her best friend has an interesting personality,she’s not afraid to stand up for herself but at the same time she’s insecure and sometimes I had no clue what she would do. She was totally random in her actions.  Easton was a character that started growing on me by the end of the book, but I’m not sure I bought the romance;it was just way too fast for me.

I think what grabbed me most in the story was the fact that your taking this journey with Vivian, she’s not sure about all of her abilities and she’s learning what her strengths and weaknesses are along with the reader.I liked the mystery factor of the story surrounding the murder of her mother.

This story definitely left me wanting more, I still have so many unanswered questions, and I just realized book two has been released so I will definitely be grabbing a copy of it. Overall this story definitely was good it was slightly slow starting up for me but then out of nowhere things start happening and it really picked up towards the end, definitely had me wanting more. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a change from the typical paranormal books out there.

4 out of 5 stars

About The Author:

Andrea Murray has been teaching English for longer than most of her students have been alive. She has taught everything from junior high language arts to concurrent credit freshman composition. She lives in a very small town in Arkansas with her precocious daughter, energetic son, and racecar-driving husband. When she isn't writing or reading novels for her students, she's probably watching reality television or cheesy science fiction movies. In addition to Vivid, Andrea has also written Vicious, the sequel to her first novel.

CLP BLog Tour: Interview & Giveaway with Forged in Fire author Trish McCallan

Beth Brown doesn’t believe in premonitions until she dreams a sexy stranger is gunned down during the brutal hijacking of a commercial airliner. When events in her dream start coming true, she heads to the flight’s departure gate. To her shock, she recognizes the man she’d watched die the night before.

Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters comes from a bloodline of elite warriors with psychic abilities. When Zane and two of his platoon buddies arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, he has a vision of his teammates’ corpses. Then she arrives—a leggy blonde who sets off a different kind of alarm.

As Beth teams up with Zane, they discover the hijacking is the first step in a secret cartel’s deadly global agenda and that key personnel within the FBI are compromised. To survive the forces mobilizing against them, Beth will need to open herself to a psychic connection with the sexy SEAL who claims to be her soul mate

Today I am happy to be able to interview Trish McCallan author of Forged in Fire. If you haven't read my review you should check it out here.

CLP BLog Tour: Review Forged in Fire by Trish McCallan

Beth Brown doesn’t believe in premonitions until she dreams a sexy stranger is gunned down during the brutal hijacking of a commercial airliner. When events in her dream start coming true, she heads to the flight’s departure gate. To her shock, she recognizes the man she’d watched die the night before.

Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters comes from a bloodline of elite warriors with psychic abilities. When Zane and two of his platoon buddies arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, he has a vision of his teammates’ corpses. Then she arrives—a leggy blonde who sets off a different kind of alarm.

As Beth teams up with Zane, they discover the hijacking is the first step in a secret cartel’s deadly global agenda and that key personnel within the FBI are compromised. To survive the forces mobilizing against them, Beth will need to open herself to a psychic connection with the sexy SEAL who claims to be her soul mate

CLP Blog Tour: Interview with Author Denise Grover Swank

Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn't know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Wills overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it's too late. ~ Goodreads

Thanks Denise for taking the time out of your busy day to stop by the blog. I am definitely going to check out the Chosen playlist. Denise's books are pretty awesome and I'm a huge fan, check out my review of Chosen here and Twenty-Eight and a Half-Wishes here.
Now on to the Interview:


Since I love twitter, I think it would be fun to see how you would describe your book Twitter-style. How would you describe it in 140 characters or less?
Fast paced thriller about a mother protecting her son with the help of a reluctant mercenary. All are CHOSEN for a supernatural purpose.


What inspired the concept for Chosen?
My son's girl friend told me that my then four year old son could count to five, but only if he touched her fingers. I said, "Maybe he needs to touch you, then he can see the numbers in your head." The concept changed a lot-- Jake could see the future-- but it all stemmed from Cody's remark. I can honestly say that I never would have come up with Chosen if she hadn't said that.

Which character from your book did you find you could relate to the most?
I related to Emma the most. When I started the book, I really tried to put myself in her head. How would *I* feel if someone was after my child? What lengths would I go to to protect him or her? The hardest scene of the book for me to write was in the middle. I can't say what it was, because it's a major spoiler, but I originally wrote it from Emma's point of view. I literally locked myself in my closet to write it and sobbed my eyes out. (I don't typically write in my closet, but my kids were home and I was trying to minimize the interruptions.)
What was the hardest part of the writing process?
The hardest part of writing for me is the editing, editing, editing. After so many passes you begin to think it's the stupidest thing ever written. But my first drafts are messy affairs. I write them as though I'm in a sprint. That means that I often have to rework many of the sentences not to mention fixing plot and character development. Still, I love editing because that's where I can take a good story and make it great. (At least, I hope readers think they're great!) I'm forever amazed how the additions of a few sentences here and there can make a huge difference.


Can you tell us a little bit about your writing environment and/or and rituals you go through before sitting down to write?
I used to write on a laptop and was a writing gypsy. Lately, I've tethered myself to my office with a desk top computer with a 22' monitor. And for the record, my office is my dining room. I bought an office chair, took out half the dining room chairs, turned the table at an angle, stuck a lamp and a desk top computer on my dining room table and called it good. I find that I write most of my words at night after I put the kids to bed. But I tend to get distracted easily so it takes me about a half an hour of playing around on the internet (Twitter and Facebook, anyone???) before I can settle down and get to work. But once I'm focused, I'm hyper focused and can usually write a lot of words. My first drafts always have completion date goals and I know the amount of words I have to write each day to achieve that goal. I always strive to go over, to bank up words for the days I slack. ;) My usual daily word goal is around 2500 words.


Do you listen to music while you write, if so what’s on your playlist?
Music is a MUST for me! Partly to block out the background noise in my house when my kids are up and about. My four year old is watching Peppa Pig on my iPad at this very moment, demonstrating the need for headphones.
Every book I write has a playlist, with the exception of my humorous southern mystery, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes. I did create one, but not during the writing process. (I was a woman possessed writing that book.) The playlist usually has themes that work for the book and/or scenes. Chosen has a lot of Linkin Park and hard driving songs. In fact, "Papercut" is the song that I relate to the first chapter, In the bridge-- The sun goes down, I feel the light betray me-- I ALWAYS see Emma driving down the two lane country lane, racing from the men after her, the windows of her car down and her hair flying around her face. And it gives me chills. (Yes, I just admitted that I'm a dork.)


The book has a theme song, which applies to Emma, Jake and Will, but I most attribute to Will. "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters. You can see the complete play list here.


What is your favorite Book or Series?
Wow. That's really hard. The book I'm most excited to read when it comes out is the third book in the Hex Hall series, Spell Bound, by Rachel Hawkins. It's a YA paranormal.

If there was one thought or feeling you would want readers to take away from reading Chosen what would it be?
It's my hope that the characters worm their way into your heart and mind so that days later you're still thinking about them. I think that makes me narcissistic. LOL




You can find the author at the following places: 
 Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website

You can purchase Chosen on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Review: Chosen by Denise Grover Swank- CLP Blog Tour

Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase she moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five year old son who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma’s never needed help before. And even though she’s learned to trust her son, it doesn’t mean she trusts Will.

Mercenary Will Davenport lives in the moment. Hauling Emma to South Dakota should have been an easy job, but his employer neglected to tell him about Emma’s freaky son and the gunmen hot on her trail. Instinct tells him this job is trouble, but nothing can prepare him for Jake’s proclamation that Will is The Chosen One, who must protect Emma from the men hunting her power. A power she doesn't know she has.

Will protects Emma and Jake on a cross-country chase from the men pursuing them, while struggling with memories from his past, his apprehension of Jake, and his growing attraction to Emma. Wills overwhelming urge to protect Emma surprises him, especially since it has nothing to do with his paycheck and possibly everything to do with the tattoo Jake branded on his arm. Rich and powerful men are desperate to capture Emma, and Will must discover why before it's too late. ~ Goodreads

Chosen (The Chosen #1)
Published: September 13, 2011
Source: I received this book from the author/CLP Book Tour in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles


My Thoughts:


I have been a fan of Ms. Grover’s books since I read Twenty-Eight and a Half-wishes. So when I was given the opportunity to read her new paranormal book Chosen I was ecstatic.

Her writing style is compelling and has a way of submerging you completely into the story. Chosen was no exception; it was everything I could hope for plus more. It was action packed and full of suspense. The first few pages give way to an explosive start that will have you holding on to the edge of your seat.

The pace of the story was perfect; every time I thought that I might have figured something out in the story the author threw me through a loop. The twist and turns in the story line only added to my anticipation to know what would happen next. I couldn’t put the book down.

The paranormal aspect of this book wasn’t overwhelming, it was subtle and it added to the mystery of the story.

As the story developed so did the characters and I actually spent the perfect amount of time with each of them to become attached. I loved that I was able to see the story from both Will and Emma’s perspective. They were complicated and unique characters that I could relate to, and I must say this for being only five, Jake completely freaked me out at times.

This was a totally mind-blowing beginning to a trilogy. I am dying to read book 2 which I just found out will be released on Tuesday, November 22nd. (Super excited because I hate to wait ).

This is one book you definitely don’t want to miss out on.




You can find the author at the following places: 
 Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website

Review: The Last Page By Lacy Camey

Norah Johnson is at a crossroads and is in desperate need to heal after a highly publicized breakup from her major league baseball player boyfriend. To escape, she moves to her summer home at the beach with her sister and best friend where she journals, attends therapy and works on her pending clothing line. When a gorgeous stranger finds her lost journal, he seeks to find the author and make her fall in love with him. But is Norah ready to love again?

The Last Page by Lacy Camey
Published: August 3, 2011
Source: I received this book from the author/CLP Book Tour in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles


MY THOUGHTS:

It’s bad enough to go through a break up and dealing with the grief and pain of a broken heart let alone have it publicized on national TV and tabloids but, yet this was what Norah had to endure. Norah’s ex-boyfriend, Truett was a famous major league baseball player, think A-Rod, Derek Jeter and the breakup made her a target for the paparazzi.

After that horrid day, Norah’s life had completely fallen apart and she dealt with the break up in a self destructive way. She does nothing as her life and career falls apart and basically sits on the couch for weeks at a time drowning in her sorrows. Her family has finally had enough and they ship her to the family summer home with her sister for a few weeks where she seeks help from a therapist. In the summer home surrounded by her best friend and sister is where Norah finally learns to overcome all of the obstacles that she was dealt, and starts to slowly see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What I love about the story is that the characters were so relatable. I could totally understand everything that Norah was going through and I loved that she had such a supporting family and best friend. Ms. Camey did a great job of making me feel everything that Norah was going through at the time. Norah was a great character although there were times when I felt like smacking her and telling her that the truth is right there open your eyes.

The only issue I really had with the book is I felt that the storyline with her sister and boyfriend wasn’t really needed, or maybe it wasn’t developed enough for me. It didn’t take away from the story though; it just kind of felt like it was thrown in.

I truly enjoyed this story and although it’s not happy go lucky from the get go, it was what made it more realistic, and had me completely hooked.



You can find Lacy at the following places:

Twitter
Website
Facebook

CLP Blog Tour: Guest Post/Interview with Author Lacey Camey

Norah Johnson is at a crossroads and is in desperate need to heal after a highly publicized breakup from her major league baseball player boyfriend. To escape, she moves to her summer home at the beach with her sister and best friend where she journals, attends therapy and works on her pending clothing line. When a gorgeous stranger finds her lost journal, he seeks to find the author and make her fall in love with him. But is Norah ready to love again?

Thanks Lacy for taking the time out of your busy day to stop by the blog. Some of the movies listed below were my favorites.

Lacy's book The Last Page was a light, easy, romantic read. Check out my review here.


Now on to the Guest Post and Interview:



GUEST POST:


Recently, it dawned on me that out of my top favorite five movies, three of my favorite feature female protagonists who are writers.

These movies are “Little Women”, “Something’s Gotta Give” and “Anne of Green Gables”. These three movies also give me such a cozy feeling and I often find inspiration just by watching them from the beautiful settings to also character traits I admire.

From Little Women, I admire Jo’s bravery. Jo went against the status quo of her time (settling down, getting married) and sought adventure in New York and sought to be published. She also cut off her hair to earn money so their ill sister could see their mother in her time of need.

From Anne of Green Gables, I’m inspired by Anne’s uniqueness. Anne is always set on being set apart and different with all of her introductions as always, “I’m Anne with an E”. She also seems to have a strong strength about her. She doesn’t care what others think about her and her uniqueness.

From Something’s Gotta Give, I admire Erica Berry’s humor. She sure suffered heartache from Jack Nicholson’s character, but she turned her heartache into success by penning an award winning play.

Each movie inspires me aesthetically, as well. I’ll take the simpler life we see in Little Women any day from the hustle and bustle from the city of Houston I live. Their beautiful home in Massachusetts is also gorgeous.

In Anne of Green Gables, I’ve always adored Prince Edward Island. It’s always been a dream of mine to visit Prince Edward Island because it’s so gorg! (gorgeous).

In Something’s Gotta Give, OMG! - HER HAMPTON HOUSE – I love it. The interior design is so incredible. I love the décor and have often referred back to the movie for inspiration for my own personal style. Not to mention the incredible beach-The Hamptons. The beach is one of my favorite places on earth. Now on to memorable quotes because we love quoting movies, right? (or is that just my husband and me? :) )

In Little Women, Jo is told, “There is more to you than this if you have the courage to write it.”

As writers, we have to have courage. There will always be fear waiting to be invited into our mind- fear of opinions, fear of reviews, fear of ranking, but what a horrible way to live. People will always have their opinions. At the end of the day, courage is a must for every writer. Fear has to leave and courage has to take its’ place. The courage to write. It’s just the way it has to be.

From Anne of Green Gables my favorite quote is, “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive-it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half as interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for the imagination then, would there?”

Even though it’s been said, “nothing new is under the sun”, our world is still a very interesting world. No one knows everything. As writers, we get to explore such an exciting world and bring fresh, new perspectives. That’s incredibly fun.

My favorite line from Something’s Gotta Give is where Erica Berry is at dinner and is discussing with everyone about her play she’s writing: Erica Berry: [on her play] It’s about a divorced woman, a writer. She’s this high-strung, overamped, controlling, know-it-all neurotic. [Everyone stares at her]

Erica Berry: …who’s incredibly cute and loveable.

That’s one of my favorite “laugh out loud” moments, for sure. As writers, we can’t help at times but interject a little bit of ourselves into the character, but of course we make them cute and loveable, fluffy and cuddly, right?

Funny again, how my favorite quotes revolve around writing :)

Analyzing my latest release, “The Last Page”, because that’s what writers do, we look for any tiny holes to thread a link, attaching ideas together- I see how three of my favorite things from the movies tie in for my main protag, Norah. She had the courage to create in a peaceful serene environment, at a simpler pace of life. She let her unique business idea create a new opportunity for her. And out of chaos, her greatest opportunity presented itself (like Something’s Gotta Give). Beauty was created out of her ashes and she arose happier than ever before (Little Women).


INTERVIEW:

Since I love twitter, I think it would be fun to see how you would describe your book Twitter-style. How would you describe it in 140 characters or less?

Oh fun! A great marketing strategy for sure that I’ll use. Here’s my 140 characters. : What’s a girl 2 do when her world crumbles apart? She gets back up again in style & goes on the ride of her life #thelastpage norah’s story


When did you know you wanted to become a writer or have you always known?

I’ve always been a dreamer. I’ve always imagined stories and ideas. As most people, my earliest memories of life are limited quite a bit. But besides remembering being in kindergarten and crying because I didn’t want the “sandman” to come and put sand in my eyes (like the teacher said would happen), falling out of my desk in the first grade, and also gluing my hands together and one day being the line leader and being extremely excited, there are a few memories in my earlier years that stood out to me and made me fall in love with writing. I remember 2nd grade. I remember we had to describe a scarecrow’s picture for a writing prompt and I really enjoyed that. I also remember writing scripts with my neighbor and wanting to “put on shows”, like little comedy acts that you see on Saturday Night Live. But at that age, I wasn’t watching SNL, I watched Nickelodeon’s “RoundHouse” and I loved the skits and thought skits were fun to write. Then, there’s 5tth grade. 5th grade is the moment that really stands out forever in my memory and seems like that pivotal moment in my life where I had that epiphany of , ”Aha, I want to be a writer.” I wrote and illustrated a story about a kitten in the snow and titled the book appropriately, “The Snow Kitten.” I drew and wrote it on notebook paper and put it in a three-leaf folder with the illustrated cover taped neatly on top. Then I wrote a book about two sisters who escape their evil stepmother and venture out into the Australian outback. They have to cross a distressed wooden bridge and face all sorts of things-snakes, scary animals, etc. My favorite teacher in the whole world, Mrs. Jetters (3rd grade teacher) let me come back to her class and read my book to her students. That moment made an impression in me and I think that was one defining moment in my life when I knew I wanted to write stories for others to hear. Also, I was obsessed with reading and reading competitions when I was younger. I also alphabetized all my books, which were held in three white wooden shelves in my closet. I had “dreams” of one day having a huge library in my own home,-the kind that “Belle” in Beauty and the Beast would go and visit and borrow books. Books have always been a part of my life. I would write stories on scraps of paper and my favorite were notebook legal pads. After writing a few pages, I remember at night before I drifted off to sleep, I would dream about going on, “Regis and Kathie Lee” (at that time Kathie Lee was hosting, not Kelly Ripa) and promoting my book. I’d dream of them saying, “Wow, you’re so young and accomplished for a young girl to write such a book!” So I was always a dreamer J I went into my undergraduate studies knowing that I wanted to be a writer. That’s why I majored in English Literature. The University that I went to did not have a creative writing program or I would have majored in that. I loved English Lit though. I loved reading and analyzing and giving my point of view. The writing stories continued all throughout college and I’d often pretend I was taking notes but really I would be penning a story in my notebook. I’ve always written, always journaled, (I have about 30) and have always romanticized books. I guess I have always had it in me to be writer.

What was the hardest part of the writing process?

The hardest part of the writing process for me is the temptation to want to spend more time studying the craft than actually writing. There is “this way to write, and that way”, and it’s very easy to put off writing in effort to study the craft more in hopes and effort to become “an expert”. Because let’s face it, there are a lot of great writers out there who have perfect form, dialogue, character arches etc., but I can’t let my love of learning keep me from “putting off” writing. The only way to be a better writer of books is to write more books. It’s like public speaking. The only way to excel in public speaking is to speak in public. You can read books all day until you’re blue in the face, but until applied knowledge takes place, that knowledge is just knowledge. Writing is like a skill. It’s like a surgeon who has to apply what he or she is learning into practice.


What inspired the concept for The Last Page?

I took a script writing class my senior year of college. We had to write one act of a screenplay for our final. This was five years ago. That’s why Norah’s story was created. Yet, Norah at the time was named, “Regan” J The story changed a little bit, and I think as I grew up, I found more of my voice as a writer. But overall the concept was there-the journal, heartbreak, moving on, healing, therapist, beach home, handsome stranger… :)

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing environment and/or and rituals you go through before sitting down to write?

Yes! Besides usually having hot tea to drink, which currently I am drinking Roobius white truffle and it’s delicious, or having coffee, I always begin the writing process in my mind. I tell myself that I have what it takes and it’s going to be a good day of writing. Then I imagine how it will feel after I have written the copy for the day. As far as environment, I’ll take writing outside any day! Yet I live in Houston and we get pretty hot days in the summer (and oh yeah, in the fall…and okay… in the spring.,…ok, so it’s hot pretty much all year minus 4 months or so). I like to write usually at a table of some sorts. I’m one of those writers that can write basically anywhere. I also free hand at times and enjoy doing that. I really like writing on airplanes, too, for some reason.

What is your favorite Book or Series?

My favorite book is “Redeeming Love” by Francis Rivers, although, I haven’t read it since I was 18. So my tastes may have changed a bit since I’m approaching my 28th birthday. Actually, I know my tastes have changed. But that book captured my attention in such a way, that for 48 hours my freshman year of college, I skipped classes, ate all my meals in my dorm, and did nothing but read until I finished the entire book. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before with any other book.

If you could be a character from one of your favorite books, who would you be?

I know this sounds funny, but I think it would be fun to be Samantha Sweeny from “The Undomestic Goddess” by Sophia Kinsella. She was a lawyer who was desperate to escape a situation at work so she got a on a train and rode it to a house in the country, outside of London. Somehow, she ends up getting a job as a housekeeper and has no idea how to sew, cook, clean, or anything. I think the reason why it would be fun to be her is because she’s in the country and she learns how to be domestic. Who wants to be a maid? Right? Well, I think the countryside would be so lovely and romantic. I think I’m a country girl at heart and would LOVE to have a garden and even a farm! So, I liked the environment Samantha was thrown into.

Do you listen to music while you write, if so what’s on your playlist?

Yes! I absolutely love the soundtrack of “Something’s Gotta Give”. It’s super French, Brazilian and Jazz. Lots of fun. Also, SGG is one of my favorite movies. I probably listen to the soundtrack every day because it really makes me feel “just happy”. I that feeling when I write. When I was writing “The Last Page” I listened to “Shut up and Let me Go” by The Ting Tings because I felt like that really portrayed Norah at the beginning of the book. The song, to me, exudes confidence (and Norah really needed to be confident at that moment). She was so bold to approach Truett and was pretty awesome. When The Last Page is made into a movie J, I would love for that song to be played as Norah exits the bathroom! Now that I’m writing book 2, my song for Chloe is by Kelly Clarkson-“Mr Know it All”. Chloe has always been prejudged her whole life because of her family and money. I feel like the lyrics to this song are perfect for her and her situation. Other than that, I love a good Coldplay mix, as well as Damien Rice Pandora playlist (his happy folk songs, not melancholy songs). I definitely listen to a lot of music that makes me happy- “Benny and the Jets” “Bitter Sweet Symphony”-the Verve, U2…etc. I do listen to Henry Purcell playlist at times when I need to really concentrate. It’s relaxing and I feel like it makes me more creative, or smarter. (Or is it that what studies tell us and therefore, I think I’m smarter and more creative because of the study?)


If there was one thought or feeling you would want readers to take away from reading The Last Page, what would it be?

Honestly, I would just love my readers to have fun, feel good, and when they are through with the book, feel like they went on a momentary vacation. And to just enjoy life for a moment. You know how you watch those certain movies, and there is something about those movies that make you “feel good? For me it’s “Something’s Gotta Give”…”Little Women”…”Confessions of a Shopaholic”. I just really would love for readers to feel that way when they read a book by me. Thanks for having me! :)

You can purchase a copy of The Last Page at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

CLP Blog Tour: Guest Post with Author Denise Grover Swank

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty secrets of his own.

Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

Today I was lucky enough to have Denise Grover Swank stop by my blog with a guest post. I absolutely adored her book you can find my review here.

Thanks Denise for taking time out of your busy day to stop by.



Now on to the Guest Post:



In my novel, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, my main character Rose lived her entire life under her Momma’s iron clad rules. When she sees a vision of herself dead on Momma’s sofa (Rose sees visions, just usually nothing very bad) she realizes she’s been frittering her life away and decides to do something about it. Her first option is to never sit on her Momma’s sofa again, but her second is to create a list of the things she always wanted to do but never thought she could, or dared to try, under her Momma’s watchful eye.

In truth, I think most people have their own Wish Lists, or Bucket Lists as some people call them. Maybe they don’t actually write them down but they rattle around in our heads, popping up every so often to grab our attention.

I’ve never made a list but there’s plenty of things I’d like to do before I die. One is travel all over the world, particularly Italy. (Rose wants to do this, too.) I’ve been fortunate to see some amazing places including China and Vietnam while adopting three of my children. Another “wish” was to complete and publish a novel. Check. :)

But hello, everybody has these kind of “normal” entries on their lists. What about the more unique? Come on. You can admit them. Surely, I’m not the only one with odd things on their list. Or maybe I am.

The one that’s been on my list the longest is I want to be in a parade. I have no idea why. I don’t even like parades. What will I do in this parade? Beats me. Let’s hope it doesn’t involve juggling, baton twirling or fire. Or any combination of the three or I might make YouTube. And nobody wants that.

Years ago, I learned how to decorate cakes. I took the Wilton classes at Jo Ann Fabrics and had a lot of fun learning to make daisies and roses. I had the bright idea of making cakes for other people. And it was fun, for the first two or three cakes. Then I realized that the decorating was only a small part of the cake making. I still had to make all the frosting. And color it. And then clean all that greasy mess up.
But in spite of all the mess, I still had it in my head I wanted to make a tiered cake. I finally did for my first husband’s parents wedding anniversary. I decorated three layers with white frosting and pink roses. I set it up on white pillar columns and it was gorgeous, if I do say so myself. That night at the party as someone was admiring it, they asked how difficult it was to put the dowel rods supports inside the cakes.
What dowel rods? Thankfully, the cake didn’t topple over.

For the longest time I wanted to be on The Amazing Race. Seriously, how could it get any better? Travel combined with good old fashioned racing. That was my idea of heaven. The problem was who in the world would I take? I told my husband he was out. When he was stressed he’d yell. No way was I letting him chew me out on international television.

I briefly considered Survivor as a substitute. Pros: Travel, game playing, effective weight loss system. Cons: Bug bites and the potential to eat the bugs that bit you.

In the meantime, my oldest son turned twenty-one and became eligible to enter TAR, as we fanatics call it. We discussed how to make our interview tape which demonstrated how we worked together as a team. Which basically boiled down to:

Me: Trace, I said to go right.
Trace: No Mom. You said left.
Me: I KNOW I SAID RIGHT!!!
Trace: *throwing hands into air* Oh, Mom.
Okay, forget The Amazing Race.

In the end, I don’t think it matters what our list is or even if we complete all of them (some of mine dropped off, like TAR). What’s important is that we’re living life. And we’re enjoying it.


Thanks again for stopping by.

You can purchase a copy of Twenty Eight and a Half Wishes at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.





You can find the author on her website, twitter, or facebook.

Review: Twenty-Eight and a half wishes by Denise Grover Swank

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty secrets of his own.

Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank
Published: June 29, 2011
Source: I received this book from the author/CLP Book Tour in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles


My Thoughts:


Rose Gardner has visions of things that would be considered useless, she can’t control them they just happen in the presence of the person who will be affected. But, this time she sees a vision of herself murdered on her mother’s sofa.

Rose decides that she needs to take life into her own hands, she finally stands up to her mother who is  ruthless and controls everything about Rose’s life. Rose decides to make a wish list or bucket list of sorts with things that she would love to accomplish before she dies, twenty eight and a half wishes. You can’t imagine the things that she puts on her list; this girl has not lived at all.

I loved Rose, yes she was kind of naïve and had no clue about the simplest things but that was part of what endeared me to her. She has lived such a rough life and endured so much. When she finally finds her voice and decides that she will stop being a doormat for everyone she finds herself as the prime suspect in her mother’s murder.

The story is nonstop action from here as Rose unravels hidden secrets of her past, tries to live each moment of her life as her last, and figure out who really murdered her mother.

The writing was engaging; the plot had a few twists that I wasn’t expecting although there were others that I figured out early on. This book was definitely a page turner as I wanted to know what would happen next. I loved the story and it had everything that I could want in a book. A strong main character, mystery, and romance.

This is definitely a book you should check out and I look forward to the next book in The Rose Gardner Mystery series.

CLP Blog Tours: Guest Post Author Britney Bronte

The True Confessions of a TV Psychic!

A sparkling romcom based on the true life adventures of Britney Bronte, hapless wannabe celebrity psychic.

Meet Britney, a girl with a pack of cards and almost no ambition, who finds herself jetset to stardom on psychic Television. Will she find fame? Inner meaning? True love?

Crazies and conmen, angels and aliens, predictions and porn, they're all to be found in this whistleblowing romp through the New Age. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll howl... but whatever you do, remember please, DO NOT LICK THE PHONES!

Today I have a the fabulous guest post by the author of Do Not Lick The Phones, Britney Bronte with me. Thanks Britney for stopping by!

Can Guys Write Chicklit?

Course they can. There, that was a short guest blog! More seriously, the requirements for a chicklit author have nothing to do with gender. It’s about personality. If there was a questionnaire entitled What Kind Of Novelist Are You it would only need one question; ‘What do you like to read?’ That’s the kind of stuff you should try to write, even if it’s just once in your whole life.When the Bronte sisters got their books published, they had to use male pseudonyms. Take Emily Bronte’s classic, Wuthering Heights. How would you define it? A gothic novel? A psychological horror? A family drama? Most would agree that it’s some kind of romance. But at the time, it was considered so brutal, so shocking, that a woman couldn’t possibly have written it.

Things have changed; now we must wrestle a perception that women can’t write anything else, that boys write the action stuff, girls write the weepies. Female writers have already put the boot into that idea in the fields of crime writing and murder mysteries, children’s fiction and fantasy, though perhaps we are still struggling against a popular sense of women writing ‘soft’ science fiction while anything with technical description comes down to men; boys with toys and all that. Anyone remember a comic called Misty? It was full of tingly spooky stories for girls…but they weren’t written by girls. The guys who wrote them went on to write for comics like 2000AD, all ray guns and axes.

Wherever stories come from is a strange place inside each of us, hard to define. Pink for girls and blue for boys has nothing to do with it. In Do Not Lick The Phones, my heroine will tell you that the book she detests most is John Grey’s best seller; Men are from Mars Women are from Venus. This book could almost be treated like a chicklit manual if you’re looking for easy clichés: Woman loves shoes and chocolates, Man can’t bear to ask for directions, that kind of thing. Like any stereotype, it can be funny, but it’s not real, so don’t let it limit your story. Whether you’re a member of the Women’s Institute/the Froufrou Club/the League of Crazy Catwomen , if you want to write a western or hard scifi or whatever, go for it. And guys, join the legions of men out there already writing chick lit and romance. Anybody, everybody, if it’s what you love, it’s the story you were meant to create. Write it and be proud.


You can find Britney on Twitter, Facebook, or on her website.


You can purchase her book on Amazon.

**All proceeds for Do Not Lick the Phones will be donated to helping the London communities get back on their feet.**