Enjoy!
Iris Blobel
Repost - Interview with Sigrid Macdonald, Author of D'amour Road
Enjoy!
Interview with M.M. Smith - Author of "Boris & Patricia"
I had the pleasure to interview M.M. Smith, Author of "Boris & Patricia" on Community VoicesFM yesterday. I very much enjoyed it, especially as I usually do the German Program and this was a challenge for me. AND I thank Melanie very much to take some time off to take part!
Vanessa Amorosi Tribute Video to QLD Floods
She's not only got a beautiful voice, but she's very generous as well! This is a great video and shows the terrible situation QLD was in during the last few weeks!
PS - AND YES, Victoria was affected as well. I KNOW, because the water was right in front of my door, but new better than to come in - :-)
PS - AND YES, Victoria was affected as well. I KNOW, because the water was right in front of my door, but new better than to come in - :-)
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest
The 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest
Amazon.com, along with Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace, is pleased to announce the fourth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, the international competition seeking the next popular novel. The competition will once again award two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.
The Breakthrough Novel Award Contest brings together talented writers, reviewers, and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction. If you're an author with an unpublished or previously self-published novel waiting to be discovered, visit CreateSpace to sign up for regular contest updates. Open submissions for manuscripts will begin on January 24, 2011 and run through February 6, 2011.
See the official contest rules for more information on how to enter.
Good luck everyone !
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Amazon.com, along with Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace, is pleased to announce the fourth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, the international competition seeking the next popular novel. The competition will once again award two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.
The Breakthrough Novel Award Contest brings together talented writers, reviewers, and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction. If you're an author with an unpublished or previously self-published novel waiting to be discovered, visit CreateSpace to sign up for regular contest updates. Open submissions for manuscripts will begin on January 24, 2011 and run through February 6, 2011.
See the official contest rules for more information on how to enter.
Good luck everyone !
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Astraea Press - Open call for Submissions
from the website:
Astraea was formed in 2010 when two friends saw the need for a non-erotic e-publisher that offers wholesome reads but still maintains the quality of mainstream romance. The first titles for Astraea will be launched in February 2011.
With over six years experience in the publishing industry and avid readers, owners Stephanie and Jane look forward to working with their authors, having fun, and bringing you the best books available.
Astraea is a royalty paying publisher, NOT a vanity press.
OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
We're looking specifically for Valentine's Day romances for our February launch.
Help us spread the word!
Click here for more details!
Astraea was formed in 2010 when two friends saw the need for a non-erotic e-publisher that offers wholesome reads but still maintains the quality of mainstream romance. The first titles for Astraea will be launched in February 2011.
With over six years experience in the publishing industry and avid readers, owners Stephanie and Jane look forward to working with their authors, having fun, and bringing you the best books available.
Astraea is a royalty paying publisher, NOT a vanity press.
OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
We're looking specifically for Valentine's Day romances for our February launch.
Help us spread the word!
Click here for more details!
Sigrid's Writing Tips
Be Your Own Editor
Ah, commas. How can something so small and seemingly benign make a grown man cry? Seriously, commas can be confusing, but there are some rules of thumb that can be useful.
The Chicago Manual of Style recommends using a comma after every coordinating conjunction (words like and, but, or), but not everyone agrees. Standard Deviants’ Grammar Pitfalls suggests using a comma in a sentence that has more than two conjunctions. Here's an example --
Chicago version: I wonder if anyone is reading my writing tips, and I sometimes feel like swearing like a truck driver to test my theory, but I have faith in my readership.
Deviants' version: I wonder if anyone is reading my writing tips and I sometimes feel like swearing like a truck driver to test my theory, but I have faith in my readership.
Unless you're writing for a newspaper, you can choose the comma style that you like best. The only important thing to remember is consistency. Don't insert commas randomly; make sure that you have a system and stick with it.
Sigrid Macdonald is the author of Be Your Own Editor, available on Amazon.com in print and on Kindle (http://tinyurl.com/4v249th).
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Ah, commas. How can something so small and seemingly benign make a grown man cry? Seriously, commas can be confusing, but there are some rules of thumb that can be useful.
The Chicago Manual of Style recommends using a comma after every coordinating conjunction (words like and, but, or), but not everyone agrees. Standard Deviants’ Grammar Pitfalls suggests using a comma in a sentence that has more than two conjunctions. Here's an example --
Chicago version: I wonder if anyone is reading my writing tips, and I sometimes feel like swearing like a truck driver to test my theory, but I have faith in my readership.
Deviants' version: I wonder if anyone is reading my writing tips and I sometimes feel like swearing like a truck driver to test my theory, but I have faith in my readership.
Unless you're writing for a newspaper, you can choose the comma style that you like best. The only important thing to remember is consistency. Don't insert commas randomly; make sure that you have a system and stick with it.
Sigrid Macdonald is the author of Be Your Own Editor, available on Amazon.com in print and on Kindle (http://tinyurl.com/4v249th).
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Carly Phillips - Lucky Streak
ISBN-13: 9780373773756
My rating: 2/5
Long ago, as revenge on a Corwin who stole her son’s fiancee, a witch proclaimed an eternal curse that every Corwin male who married for love would be destined to lose his love and his fortune …
The good news is that Mike, a police officer, awakens after some hard partying in Vegas $100,000 richer and married to Amber, the gorgeous woman he met the night before. The bad news: His last name is Corwin. The really bad news is that Amber’s a consummate con who took his money and ran. Seems the family curse has finally hit him.
But to Amber, Mike isn’t business as usual. Something about her new husband softens her steely heart, even as she betrays him. And Mike, first hell-bent on divorce, welcomes a second chance to defy the curse… and turn his run of bad fortune into a lucky streak (http://www.carlyphillips.com/)
My thougths
I finished this book a few days back and I still don't really know what to think. I think I'm going with: Yeah .... NO!
This was one of the books when I should've stopped reading when my "eye rolling" didn't stop. Gist is: Girl (Amber) living in Las Vegas meets Cop (Mike) from Boston who's in town for his friend's wedding, they win big time and get married - AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN DRUNK! Next morning she's gone and so is the money. But Amber follows him to Boston to make this marriage work.
I just couldn't get into the story, which was in itself a good idea, but in my humble opinion lacked depth. There's a lot of repetition - I got annoyed after a while how often I had to read about Amber's thoughts to make this marriage work and how important it was to her life; as well as the constant (and I mean constant!) reminder of the curse, no matter how important it is to the story.
All in all - not my cup of tea! Sorry, Carly.
Writers Auction 4 Queensland Flood Appeal
Please check out this Facebook page !!!!
The page is administrated by Australian authors Fleur McDonald, Kate Gordon, Katrina Germein and Emily Gale.
All of the donations pledged on the FB page, or through email, will be collated before the auction begins and listed on a central site (still under construction). Following the conclusion of the auction authors will be asked to mail their donation to the winning bidder or contact them about a mentorship etc.
We encourage authors to be creative with their donations - author talks, phone calls to aspiring writers etc.
Thanks to everyone for their interest and support.
Email: kgermein@gmail.com, katesgordon@gmail.com, fleur@fleurmcdonald.com, em@emilygale.co.uk
Please show your support by donating - Queensland, and in fact all of Australia will be grateful! And so will I.
The page is administrated by Australian authors Fleur McDonald, Kate Gordon, Katrina Germein and Emily Gale.
All of the donations pledged on the FB page, or through email, will be collated before the auction begins and listed on a central site (still under construction). Following the conclusion of the auction authors will be asked to mail their donation to the winning bidder or contact them about a mentorship etc.
We encourage authors to be creative with their donations - author talks, phone calls to aspiring writers etc.
Thanks to everyone for their interest and support.
Email: kgermein@gmail.com, katesgordon@gmail.com, fleur@fleurmcdonald.com, em@emilygale.co.uk
Please show your support by donating - Queensland, and in fact all of Australia will be grateful! And so will I.
Jill Shalvis - Simply Irresistible
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978 0 446 57161 6
My rating: 4 / 5
Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.
In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother - a ramshackle in nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.
starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career - if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.
The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes - and mouth - are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor. (from the back of the book)
My thoughts
This book arrived during the holidays and for the sake of having nothing better to do I unpacked it and started to read - and literally didn't stop until it was finished.
This was my first book by Jill Shalvis and I’m glad I bought it. It’s the first book in a trilogy about three women inheriting an inn on the Washington coast – inherited from a mother the main character, Maddie, hardly knew.
I liked Maddie straight away – with her little flaws, the love for chips, tick to have her food not touching on the plate and the way she just blurts out what comes to mind. I liked her even more once I found out her history and what had brought her to this place. I liked her the way she slowly fell in love with Jax, though only taking tiny steps and here and there big steps back. Shalvis did a great job with Maddie, she’s real!
Jax ... well who would not like Jax! He is sexy, helpful, literally a man of many trades, yet also dealing with a few issues from the past. I really liked the way he supported and helped Maddie. Though in all fairness, I’ve got to admit, towards the end he did come across as a bit of an “über-guy” ...
I won’t comment on the sisters quite yet. I liked Chloe, but I suppose Jill will tell her story in one of the next books.
Favourite Quote:
With a sigh, she picked up her knitting instead of inhaling any more food and continued where she'd left off last night. "In, wrap around," she said to herself. "Pull out."
"You know." Chloe said, licking some batter off her thumb. "The way you knit always sounds a little dirty. I bet if you knitted in earshot of a guy, you'd get laid for sure."
Rachel Gibson - True Confessions
ISBN: 9780739419212
My rating: 3/5
Welcome to Gospel, Idaho where everyone knows that there are two universal truths. First, God did His best work when He created the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. Second, every sin known to heaven and earth -- from the hole in the ozone to alien abductions -- is all California's fault. This is the story of what happened when a Californian came to visit...
L.A. based tabloid reporter Hope Spencer has come to Gospel hoping for inspiration. Well, she gets inspiration...Hope has never met anyone quite like the resident of Gospel. From the Dean sisters with their color-coordinated hair to the toilet-tossing sportsmen...to the murder victim whose body had been found in her house years before. She discovers that reality is stranger than fiction -- even tabloid fiction!
And then there is local sheriff Dylan Taber. He is no made-up character from one of her stories. Dylan is all too real...and soon Hope is forced to face the awful truth -- she's been too long without a man. But once she gets wind of a Hollywood actress somehow mixed up Dylan's life, Hope realizes that if they are to have a furture together, he has some true confessing to do. (http://www.rachelgibson.com/)
My thoughts:
Another Rachel Gibson book. I didn’t think she’d turn into one of my favourite authors (the graphic love scenes can be a tad much sometimes for old fashioned me), but after reading “Daisy’s back in town” I grabbed a few of her other books .... one of them “True Confessions”.
It’s more or less the same recipe – woman (Hope Spencer) is moving forward fromher past meets man (Dylan Taber) who is equally having to deal with some “issues”.
Hope moves to Gospel, Idaho, for six months to kick start her talent as a writer for The Weekly News of the Universe, but she finds more than just ideas for a series of new articles – a friend in Shelly her new neighbour as well as love in Dylan, or has she?
The book is full of witty dialogues, the heroine is intelligent and very much someone the reader could identify with, Dylan Taber is the sheriff in Gospel, sexy as all of Gibson’s heroes, but also a single parent to seven year old Adam.
All in all a nice light reading, nothing sensational, a few misunderstandings to keep the story going and the usual “canoodling” afterwards in true Gibson style.
Sigrid's Writing Tips ....
Click here to read the original post.
Have a happy holiday. That's an easy sentence to conjugate. We all know that the article to use before the word happy is “a.” It would be unusual to see someone write, "have an happy holiday" and your spell-check is likely to pick that up.
What becomes complicated is when we talk about words like historical or Hispanic. Some people use “an” before historical – “It was an historical occasion” -- and other people don't. What's the deal? According to The Chicago Manual of Style, if your word begins with a silent “h,” you should use the article “an.” If the word begins with a hard ‘h,” use “a.”
Consequently, an historical occasion is only correct if you don't pronounce the “h” in historical. This seems easier to work out verbally because some of us say “herb” and others say “erb.” But to be on the safe side, have a system or use a style guide. I use the Chicago rule even though I know that some people will prefer “an historical holiday” to “a historical holiday.”
To learn how this differs for Americans and Brits, or for people of different age groups, read Tina Blue’s “article on articles” at http://grammartips.homestead.com/historical.html.
Sigrid Macdonald is the author of three books including Be Your Own Editor, available in print on Amazon or as an e-book on Smashwords.com.
Have a happy holiday. That's an easy sentence to conjugate. We all know that the article to use before the word happy is “a.” It would be unusual to see someone write, "have an happy holiday" and your spell-check is likely to pick that up.
What becomes complicated is when we talk about words like historical or Hispanic. Some people use “an” before historical – “It was an historical occasion” -- and other people don't. What's the deal? According to The Chicago Manual of Style, if your word begins with a silent “h,” you should use the article “an.” If the word begins with a hard ‘h,” use “a.”
Consequently, an historical occasion is only correct if you don't pronounce the “h” in historical. This seems easier to work out verbally because some of us say “herb” and others say “erb.” But to be on the safe side, have a system or use a style guide. I use the Chicago rule even though I know that some people will prefer “an historical holiday” to “a historical holiday.”
To learn how this differs for Americans and Brits, or for people of different age groups, read Tina Blue’s “article on articles” at http://grammartips.homestead.com/historical.html.
Sigrid Macdonald is the author of three books including Be Your Own Editor, available in print on Amazon or as an e-book on Smashwords.com.
NEWS ! Janet Evanovich - Smokin' Seventeen
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Now this year is already starting out good .... have a look what I found in my mail box today:
June 21 is the publication date for Smokin' Seventeen. We'll start posting chapter one on the site in March. Can't wait that long, and want a hint as to what it's about? Here's a little teaser from the publisher's catalog. If you don't want to know anything about Seventeen, skip the following paragraph...
"Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton...Break out a cold drink and slap on some sunscreen, this summer is sure to be a scorcher with Smokin' Seventeen."
CAN'T WAIT !!!!
Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel
Now this year is already starting out good .... have a look what I found in my mail box today:
June 21 is the publication date for Smokin' Seventeen. We'll start posting chapter one on the site in March. Can't wait that long, and want a hint as to what it's about? Here's a little teaser from the publisher's catalog. If you don't want to know anything about Seventeen, skip the following paragraph...
"Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton...Break out a cold drink and slap on some sunscreen, this summer is sure to be a scorcher with Smokin' Seventeen."
CAN'T WAIT !!!!
Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel
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