Month: November 2016

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

Posted November 24, 2016 by Jana in Personal / 1 Comment

 

It’s Thanksgiving Day here in the USA, and I love this holiday almost as much as Christmas (if you know me at all, you know that’s a LOT). I love that there’s a holiday devoted to being thankful for my many blessings. I may not have everything I want/need in my life. I’ve got struggles like everyone else does, but I have so much to be thankful for as well.

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving today, I hope it’s a wonderful day for you, filled with family, food, laughs, and reflection. I’m so thankful for you. Thank you for being a loyal reader of my blog. :)

How are you celebrating today? What are you most thankful for?


Heather Graham | 2017 Apollycon Author Spotlight Tour (+ Giveaway)

Posted November 14, 2016 by Jana in Blog Tour, Giveaway / 0 Comments

apollyconblogtour

 

Woohoo! Today I get to spotlight the amazing Heather Graham, who will be joining us at Apollycon in Orlando next year! Heather has a TON of amazing sounding romance and romantic suspense novels, several of which are on my TBR, so I’m excited to introduce you to her today! Take a look at a few of her books I’m excited to read (please keep in mind that I have Christmas on the brain) and get to know Heather a little better!


Haunted Destiny by Heather Graham
Krewe of Hunters #18
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Between the evil and the deep blue sea… 

A historic cruise ship, a haunted ship, the Celtic American Line’s Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans—with a killer on board. He’s known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint’s medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he’s doing this.

Jackson Crow—head of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators—is assigned to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the ship’s piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim’s ghost appears to her—and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent.

There are many suspects, but one by one they’re ruled out… Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.

I don’t usually gravitate towards paranormal stuff… and I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but I LOVE books that take place on cruise ships so I’m all over this!

The Last Noel by Heather Graham
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It’s Christmas Eve, and all is neither calm nor bright

With a storm paralyzing New England, the O’Boyle household becomes prey to a pair of brutal escaped killers desperate to find refuge.

Skyler O’Boyle is convinced the only way they can live through the night is by playing a daring psychological game to throw the convicts off their guard. Threatened by a pair of Smith & Wessons, she has to pray that the rest of her family will play along, buying them time. Her one hope for rescue is that the men are unaware that her daughter, Kat, has escaped into the blizzard. But as the wind and snow continue to rage with all the vehemence of a maddened banshee, her prayers that Kat can somehow find help seem fragile indeed.

When Kat stumbles on a third felon, half-frozen and delirious, her shock deepens, because she recognizes Craig Devon immediately. What is the onetime love of her life doing back in town-and in such company? With the threat of death hanging over the O’Boyles, Craig is desperate to unload a vital secret that could change their destiny. But can he trust Kat with the truth? Because one false move and everything he’s sacrificed will shatter-and this could be everyone’s final Christmas alive.

I read a LOT of Christmas novels, but most are straight up romance. I love the sound of a Christmas thriller!

The Island by Heather Graham
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On a weekend vacation Beth Anderson is unnerved when a stroll on the beach reveals what appears to be a skull. As a stranger approaches, Beth panics and covers the evidence. But when she later returns to the beach, the skull is gone.

Determined to find solid evidence to bring to the police, Beth digs deeper into the mystery of the skull–and everywhere she goes, Keith Henson, the stranger from the beach, seems to appear. He claims to be keeping an eye on her safety, but Beth senses other motives. Then a body washes ashore, and Beth begins to think she needs more help than she bargained for. Because investigating is a dangerous game, and someone wants to stop Beth from playing.

I really have a thing for island stories… lol.


About Heather Graham

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards from Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads


All 2017 Apollycon attendees are eligible to win one of these awesome prizes! Gift Cards will be distributed to the winners at Apollycon 2017 to be used within the Apollycon bookstore. The passes will allow you to skip to the front of one author’s signing line (your choice).

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Love Between the Lines: An Adult Coloring Book for Book Lovers | Coloring Book Review (+ Giveaway)

Posted November 8, 2016 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway / 0 Comments

Love Between the Lines: An Adult Coloring Book for Book Lovers | Coloring Book Review (+ Giveaway)

Love Between the Lines: An Adult Coloring Book for Book Lovers | Coloring Book Review (+ Giveaway)Love Between the Lines: An Adult Coloring Book for Book Lovers by Christina Collie
Published by Forever on November 8, 2016
Genres: Activity Book
Pages: 96
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher (Mail)
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Buy on AmazonBarnes & NobleBook Depository

Fall in love all over again with this adult coloring book featuring 45 hand-drawn illustrations inspired by romance novels from bestselling writers Colleen Hoover, Anna Todd, S.C. Stephens, Abbi Glines, K. Bromberg, Jodi Ellen Malpas and more. Sit back, grab your pens and markers, and get ready to explore LOVE BETWEEN THE LINES.

In the pages of this book you will find:
· Designs to help you relax and reduce stress
· Hidden images and book quotes
· Each design printed on a separate page
· Elaborate drawings s as well as quickie pages for when you just have a few minutes to color

Illustrations inspired by the works of:

Anna Todd, Jodi Ellen Malpas, Colleen Hoover, S.C. Stephens, Abbi Glines, K. Bromberg, Claire Contreras, Jillian Dodd, Amy Harmon, Tiffany King, R.K. Lilley, Molly McAdams, Tara Sivec, Alessandra Torre, Mia Sheridan, J. Sterling, Katy Evans, Emma Chase, S.L. Jennings, K.A. Linde, Beth Ehemann, Tarryn Fisher, Karina Halle, Helena Hunting, Leisa Rayven, Madeline Sheehan, and K. A. Tucker

I really love coloring books, and have a pretty sizable collection of my own. I’ve done a lot of research on coloring books, always on the lookout for ones I think I’ll love. While I love the idea of Love Between the Lines, it’s not my favorite. Perhaps if I had read any of the books that these pages are inspired by I’d feel differently, but I was hoping for something more bookish. There’s a huge variety of things to color, though, and that’s a lot of fun. I think it would be hard to get bored coloring in this. Many of the pages remind me of pages in an I Spy book. You know, lots of hidden images all centered around a central theme. There’s so many little details and the pages are nice and big, so it’s not hard to stay in the lines. My markers did bleed through onto the next page, though, so be careful.

I’d certainly recommend this coloring book to lovers of romance novels, especially if you’ve read and loved books by the authors that inspired these illustrations. I find coloring to be incredibly relaxing, and this book has a little something for everyone. Here are a couple os the coloring pages:

love-me-with-lies

 

thoughtless


About Christina Collie

Christina Collie is a twenty-eight-year-old Tennessee native who began doodling images inspired by her favorite books almost four years ago before launching Doodles by Christina. Since then she has doodled over 50 images and has sold prints around the globe. Outside of being a huge bookworm, she enjoys watching LSU football, playing with her dog Nola, and hanging out on her best friend’s farm. This is her first coloring book.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Enter to win a copy of your own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Cristin Terrill | 2017 Apollycon Author Spotlight Tour

Posted November 7, 2016 by Jana in Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Spotlight / 2 Comments

Cristin Terrill | 2017 Apollycon Author Spotlight Tour

Woohoo! Today I get to spotlight the amazing Cristin Terrill, who will be joining us at Apollycon in Orlando next year! Cristin’s book, All Our Yesterdays, is one of my FAVORITE books ever (so sad about no sequels!). I reviewed it on my blog many moons ago, and here’s some of the highlights of that review:

“Your mind will be blown, and your eyes will get huge, and your brain will try to comprehend it but it’s really wacky. And amazing.”

“I loved the sweet relationships between Marina and James. To me, it kind of felt like Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World.”

“Romance blooms, romance fades, new feelings grow, old feelings are explored. People flip flop. Lots happens. In the midst of all of it, the characters learn a lot about themselves.”

Yeah. I loved this book. So I’m super excited to feature Cristin today!


The Fast Five Q&A with Cristin

Thing you’re most excited about for Apollycon 2017:
Getting to hang out with all the other authors and readers!

Last book you read:
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle. Just a bit of research for something I’m toying with at the moment (and an interesting examination of Jane Grey’s less famous sisters).

Best moment as an author:
Probably my first real book signing at BEA a couple of months before ALL OUR YESTERDAYS released. It’s all a bit of a haze but I think that was when I really realized that my book was going to be published and people were going to read it and my life was going to change.

Last thing you treated yourself to:
A chocolate frozen custard for surviving a miserable day without hurting anyone.

Last thing that made you laugh:
While typing my previous answer, my cat jumped for a bookcase and totally missed and I evil cackled. Maybe not very nice, but true.

Cristin Terrill is a young adult author and aspiring grown-up. She grew up semi-nomadic and graduated from Vassar College with a degree in drama. After getting her masters in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, she lived in London, Austin, Boston, and Washington, DC while working as a theatrical stage manager. Now she writes and leads creative writing workshops for DC-area kids and teens. All Our Yesterdays is her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


All Our Yesterdays

What would you change?

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it… at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Add to Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository


All 2017 Apollycon attendees are eligible to win one of these awesome prizes! Gift Cards will be distributed to the winners at Apollycon 2017 to be used within the Apollycon bookstore. The passes will allow you to skip to the front of one author’s signing line (your choice).

a Rafflecopter giveaway