Love Is...Anthology Is Out Today!

Love to read romance? How about lots of romance in one place?

It is very exciting to announce that the Love Is...charity Anthology, containing 40 short stories of love and romance from 40 authors, is celebrating its book birthday today! The anthology includes a short story in the A Touch of Darkness universe by Tina Moss and myself, called Embracing Darkness. We hope you enjoy!

All proceeds from the anthology go toward a wonderful literacy charity called Reach out and Read (an early literacy program by medical providers). Hurry to get your copy today for the low price of $0.99!

Available at the following eBook locations:

Amazon

Nook

Kobo

iBooks

Fade In by M. Mabie - Excerpt & Giveaway

Fade In by M. Mabie

Synopsis:

Tatum Elliot is a successful writer on a hit television show, lives in an Upper East Side apartment and loves her life. She wouldn’t change a thing. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a choice. She's losing her sight. Tripping over her tongue and her heels, Tatum all too quickly realizes that the things which appeared so important before are slowly slipping away leaving room for what really matters. With the support of her best friends, family and colleagues, she begins to see that there’s much more to life… and herself. When Ben Harris enters her life as her new personal assistant, she can’t tell if it’s his good looks and charm that are working on her libido, or his kind and helpful nature working on her heart? Whatever it is, neither one of them can resist it. As her vision fades out, a world of love and happiness just might…Fade In. Fade In is a contemporary-romance novel about laughing through your tears and telling life to, quite frankly, “Suck it.” This novel contains sexual situations that the author may or may not have tried at home… for your safety, of course. Research is research.

Excerpt

"Ben?"

"Tatum."  Hearing my name cross his lips in that sultry voice is more of a turn-on than I could have ever imagined and I need to shut it down.  "You looked really pretty this morning."

"I did?"

"Yep.  And I bet you look even better right now in bed." 

My pulse races.  How does he know I'm in bed?

He yawns, and that makes me yawn too, even though now I'm wide awake. 

"Thanks.  You weren't that bad to look at yourself.  What makes you think I'm in bed?"

"I don't know.  I was just guessing.  It is the middle of the night."  He pauses before adding, "And that's where I've been picturing you."

I blush.  "You're picturing me?  What am I wearing?"  I laugh to myself, thinking that the cliché question is suppose to be "What are you wearing?"  But we're in his imagination and I'm eager to know what he keeps there.

He makes a humming sound that vibrates all the way through me.  "You really want to know?"

"Yes."  My one-word answer comes out slowly and wavers in and out, sounding like a question.

I hear the air hiss through his teeth before he says, "It isn't much.  Sleep well.  I'll see you in the morning."  Then he's gone before I even say goodnight or talk him further into a pay-by-the-minute type of conversation.

I won't bore you with the details, but my faithful device, Mr. Right, just didn't cut it tonight.   Maybe it's time for a new one.

Or new lots of things.

Author Bio:

M. Mabie lives in Illinois, NOT Chicago, with her rock-star husband. (True story.) She loves writing for Fifty5Cents Book Blog, which she owns and operates- at the moment quite poorly. She's a proud member of the Indie Author Romance Author Chicks writing group where she maintains a high standard of professionalism and lady-like maturity- or not. She cares about politics, but won’t discuss them in public. She uses the same fork at every meal, watches Wayne’s World while cleaning, and lets her dog sleep on her head. M. Mabie has never been accused of being tight lipped or shy. She’s THAT girl. (She doesn't usually speak in third-person, but surprisingly does when weirded-out about writing her bio.)

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eJXyIA

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1fB0TDq

iTunes: http://bit.ly/NzILmI

Other Links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMMabie

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorMMabie

Goodreads Author profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7420449.M_Mabie

Goodreads Fade In page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18911978-fade-in

Website: http://www.MMabie.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/M.-Mabie/e/B00JG5A6D6

Signup for the M. Mabie New Letter: http://eepurl.com/RTbLP

Playlist:

https://play.spotify.com/user/12120286539/playlist/6YwvLM9tsgQm6Y81gV4zVF

Giveaway:

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Quote of the Day

The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; and, after an era of darkness, new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again, and yet live on, still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead.

~ Clarence Shepard Day

Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington - Trailer Reveal and Giveaway!

Kiss of Fire

by Rebecca Ethington

Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn't know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn't want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won't let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to. The scar is the reason she is being hunted.

If only she knew that she was.

If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.

Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.

Are you ready to witness the awesomeness of this book trailer?

CHECK IT OUT!

ADD TO GoodReads

DOWNLOAD KISS OF FIRE FREE 

Amazon † Barnes &Noble

For a limited time only get book two and three for 99¢

Eyes of Ember on Amazon

Scorched Treachery on Amazon

Also available on Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo Books. 

Book three was just recently released on February 17th 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IHHLDIQ

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IHHLDIQ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/soul-of-flame/id795258318?mt=11

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-of-flame-rebecca-ethington/1118140766?ean=2940045561600

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/soul-of-flame

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I'm Grateful For...

 

 In honor of Thanksgiving, here's what I'm grateful for this year...

1. Having an amazing, kind, generous, loving, creative, supportive (should I go on?) hubby! He is my best friend and I'm really lucky to have him.

2. My family - I couldn't be who I am without them. And I couldn't continue to be who I am without them.

3. Buying a house! This was finally the year and I couldn't be happier with it. I love how cozy and beautiful it is. And decorating it for various holidays makes me excited.

4. The Dojo. Our karate school's continuing presence in my life gives me support, stability and focus. We have built an amazing community of students and parents and I'm grateful for it every day.

5. Reading. It is forever my outlet for relaxation, getting away from the stress of the everyday life and a constant source of inspiration. Reading is my favorite hobby and I'm grateful to be able to buy books and to have any time to read during the day.

6. And, of course, my writing. Writing continues to be my passion, my creative outlet and I will forever be grateful to be able to write. Of course, this year my co-authored urban fantasy, A Touch of Darkness, came out and I am so grateful for the unbelievable support of the writing community and everyone who helped Tina Moss and I on this special journey. And to each and every reader who ever picks up and reads our novel - thank you!

What are you grateful for this year?

Excitement for the Release of A Touch of Darkness & Other Updates

 The release of A Touch of Darkness, an urban fantasy written by Tina Moss and yours truly, is getting close, and we are getting super excited! At this point, we are working on scheduling the blog tour stops, and other publicity, including a couple of vlogs and radio blog shows. I'm going to put up a post with the schedule in a couple of weeks, as everything gets finalized. Tina already has the calendar posted on her blog's side bar with some of the events. Check it out HERE.

The blog hiatus will be ending next week, and I'm looking forward to posting weekly content again!

Quote of the Day

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.

  ~ J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World - Week of July 29th

Yep, that's how I feel. But since we have to...here's to a great working week. And don't forget to check out these awesome giveaways and contests!

Rockstar romance? Now that's exciting! Book Whore is hosting a Rockstar Romance Giveaway with lots of prize packages of cool books!

Check out The Best of 2012 YA Giveaway from Anna Silver and win a Super Swag Pack!

DB Ayers, AKA Dakota Banks, AKA Shirley Kennett is blogging about pen names on the Supernatural Underground today, and giving away a $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card!

Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Reviews is reviewing Dragonwitch by Anne Elizabeth Stengl as part of the Dragonwitch Blog Tour hosted by I'm a Reader Not a Writer. Enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.

5 Days left to enter the 2013 Weta Nichols Writing Contest. Hurry to submit your Contemporary, Historical, Fantasy or Sci/fi or YA romance unpublished manuscript.

Get ready to submit your YA, NA and MG pitches in the August Pitch+250 contest! Authors, agents and editors will score your pitches+250 in three rounds of judging. Get all the details right here.

*As always, please contact me for the inclusion of your contests/giveaways into the Monday Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World posts.

Have fun and good luck! 

Also, don't forget to become a follower of this blog to make sure you catch giveaways coming soon!

Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World - Week of July 15th

It's a heatwave week here, and there's no better way to spend it than by the beach with a book. For the rest of us ;) here's to a great working week. And don't forget to check out these awesome giveaways and contests!

Check out the Cover Reveal of Wings by Elizabeth Richards (a gorgeous cover, I might add) on Good Choice Reading. This is a Black City #3 novel. Enter to win the first two books in the series.
Stop by Reader Girls as part of the By Referral Only Blog Tour. Win By Referral Only, a New Adult contemporary romance, and other books by Lyla Payne, as well as a $25 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N!

 

Jessabella Reads is running a July New Release Giveaway - enter to win one of the 12 new releases - and they all look great!

Read all about a new archaeological adventures from popular suspense Writer Don Hoesel on Sarah Ballance's blog and enter for your chance to win a $50 Gift Card to Amazon or Paypal Cash from Book Blasts and Blog Tours!

An exciting writing contest for writers of YA, NA and MG. Submission will be accepted from July 31 through August 3rd. To enter, you will need to send in a pitch of no more than 100 words, and the first 250 words of your completed manuscript. The top 10 submissions will receive a critique from one of the judges. All 50 entrants will receive scorecards from each round of judging they participate in. For more details, check out Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing!

Another great writing contest - the 2013 Weta Nichols Fiction Writing Contest! Hurry, only 18 more days left to enter! The following categories are accepted for submission: Historical, Contemporary, Paranormal/Sci-Fi, and Young Adult. You can find all the details here.

Writing Flash Fiction? There's one more day to enter the Literacy Center of West Michigan's Flash Ficiton Writing Contest. You can win up to $150. Submit an unpublished work of up to 500 words. Find the details here.

NA Alley is kicking off its NAmazing Adventure Blog Hop! This one is really an adventure - you have to go on Quests and complete Quizes. The winners will be chosen from those who answered the most questions correct.

*As always, please contact me for the inclusion of your contests/giveaways into the Monday Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World posts.

Have fun and good luck! 

Also, don't forget to become a follower of this blog to make sure you catch giveaways coming soon!

Cover and Synopsis Reveal - Watermark by Kriss Dallas

Today, we interrupt the usual programming for the exciting reveal of the cover and plot synopsis of Watermark by the wonderful Krissi Dallas!

Watermark, the fourth installment of the YA fantasy Phantom Island series by Krissi Dallas is finally releasing this fall! If you haven’t jumped on board this island adventure full of magic, mystery, and romance, now is your chance. Enter to win an autographed Phantom Island trilogy pack, an autographed copy of Watermark when it releases, a tribal t-shirt, or an autographed copy of The Collector by debut author Victoria Scott! The giveaway will be open for entries until Friday, June 14. See information below.

And now for Watermark… the dramatic conclusion to the first half of the Phantom Island series…

Excerpt:

I stared at her in frustration. “What is with you?!” I exploded. She was not acting like my best friend. Like my Morgan. “You’ve been so different this summer, and I don’t get it!”
“Well, you’ve been different too! People change, you know,” she snapped back.
“If I’ve changed, fine. But at least I’m still honest with you. You, however, have turned into a liar! If we don’t have trust between us, then what do we have, Morgan?”

Plot Synopsis:

Relationships on the White Island are volatile and Whitnee, Morgan, and Caleb aren’t sure who they can trust—even each other. Politicians are lying, history is being rewritten, and motives are questionable. Whitnee sets out with Gabriel and a band of rebel spies to take back the enemy's biggest weapon—Whitnee's father. However, a shocking turn of events proves once again that the Island's secrets have the power to destroy more than just the truth. Separated from her friends, Whitnee battles her own fears in order to survive and protect the ones she loves. But when Morgan's illness finally comes to light, Whitnee faces a decision that could alter her future—and Morgan’s—forever. And whether she ultimately stays on the Island or leaves might not be her choice, after all.

 “…[An] earnest tale of magic and romance that deals with the great distance between pain and recovery.” –Kirkus Reviews (Windchaser, Phantom Island Book 1)

 If you haven't read  the first three books, hurry to pick them up right now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or White Island Shoppe!
  
And for some extra fun, take this quiz to see which tribe you belong to.

Meet the Author:

Krissi Dallas loves pop music, mismatched socks, and fried chicken. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her youth minister husband, Sam, and their two wicked Yorkies, Elphie and Luna. Krissi enjoys hanging out with her quirky middle school students and building the dramatic, magical, and mysterious world that makes up the Phantom Island series. Be sure to check out Windchaser, Windfall, and Watercrossing. Krissi loves connecting with teens, as well as readers and writers of all ages! You can stalk her online at www.KrissiDallas.com.

Don't forget to enter! The giveaway is open to US residents only.

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Quote of the Day

We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading.

 

B. F. Skinner

Plans for Post-surgery Recuperation Time

As some of you may have heard, I need to go for a knee surgery in a couple of weeks. I injured my knee (that was already bad to begin with) during training. This is also going on as we're trying to move into our new house.

So what's the silver lining?? Well, reading and writing time, of course!

My plans for the knee-surgery recuperation time:

1) Work on 2, but possibly 3 (yes, 3!) WIPs

2) Catch up on a lot of reading from the TBR pile!

I will update you on how that plan is working out! ;)

Quote of the Day

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
  ~ Sun Tzu

Contests & Giveaways in the Writing World - Week of March 25th

Happy Monday and here are some great Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World to make your week  

great!

Check out Lindsay Cummings blog for the giveaway of ARCs of some of the upcoming YA books! What an awesome way to start your week. 5 Days to go to enter!

Candace's Book Blog is reviewing and giving away Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare (the cover is gorgeous!). There will be two winners!

Love Blog Hops? Don't miss this one! Love Is In The Air is hosted by Emma Shortt. Many great giveaways.

Do you enjoy Historical Fiction? Check out Christy English blog for the Q & A with J.A. Coffey the author of HETAERA: Daughter of the Gods. Enter the giveaway to win not only a copy of the novel, but also a gorgeous bronze beaded collar necklace.

Nomi's Paranormal Palace has a guest post by D.N. Simmons, author of urban fantasy series Knights of the Darkness, and an amazing Giveaway of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Lori's Reading Corner is hosting a guest post/virtual tour stop and Giveaway by Morrie Richfield, author of Mr. Breeze series, which is inspiration fantasy. The prizes are a $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash!


Sparkles and a Stove, a blog by Kathy Penney, is open for April Kindle Giveaway sign up. This one is for writers who blog. Here are the details from Kathy: "I will be taking sign ups from March 24, 2013 through April 3, 2013 and the giveaway will go live on April 12, 2013 and run for 2 weeks. Buy in is $10 for any 3 links except Facebook. Any excess collected beyond the Kindle's value will be used toward offering a second or third gift card prize to make the giveaway even bigger. A great prize to offer your readers!"
Hurry to sign up if interested!

*As always, please contact me for the inclusion of your contests/giveaways into the Monday Contests and Giveaways in the Writing World posts.

Have fun and good luck! 

Also, don't forget to become a follower of this blog to make sure you catch giveaways coming soon!

A Happy News Announcement

Today, I wanted to share with you all a happy announcement. My husband and I have closed on our first house last Friday! We are very excited and looking forward to moving in a few weeks, once all the minor renovations are completed.

Things I'm looking to the most when living in the new house:

1. Peace and quiet when coming home after work. Although I'll still be going to the Dojo a few nights a week to teach and train, the nights that I will be going straight home will be super special.

2. A writing nook. I'm really looking forward to making a writing space for myself, although I'm sure I'll end up writing all over the house, including the living room couch and outside on the deck when it gets warmer.

3. Hosting parties and having friends over for dinner, coffee, girls' nights and anything in between. It's been a long while since we could do that. I'm looking forward to cooking for our family and friends and enjoying their company.

4. While the commute to work is going to be a little bit longer for me, it should be a much more pleasant commute, and I'll always get a seat - which means more reading time!

5. In the immediate future, I'm looking forward to picking out paint colors and deciding on furniture and decorations for all the rooms. And that in itself is a fun little adventure! :)

The Dragon Empire Blog Tour

Today we're celebrating the release of Heather McCorkle's fantasy novel, The Dragon Empire! For today's stop Heather is answering the following question:

What was the hardest part about writing this novel?

Heather: The main character has been bullied his entire life and lives in constant fear of beatings that are getting so bad, they may one day kill him. At twenty years old, that's a long time to put up with such abuse and it has severely damaged his self-esteem and confidence. Writing that was hard, and heartbreaking in many ways.

B&N / Amazon / Goodreads

Here is a bit about it:

On Yacrana dragons are the advanced species. But advanced doesn't always mean civilized...

There's trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist.

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see. The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however, but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind.

While The Dragon Empire is for ages young adult and up, it does contain mild violence and some difficult subject matter. 

 Heather is an author of fantasy, in all its many sub-genres. Helping other writers and supporting fabulous authors is one of her many passions. When she's not writing or surfing her social networking sites, she can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or on horseback. As a native Oregonian, she enjoy the outdoors almost as much as the worlds she creates on the pages. No need to travel to the Great Northwest though, you can find her on her personal blog four days a week, on the IS Foundation's Environment page once a month, and Monday night's on Twitter where she co-moderates the #WritersRoad chat.

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