The Five Things I've Learnt After Publishing My First Novel...

The Five Things I've Learnt After Publishing My First Novel

Guest post by Isabelle Laflèche, author of J'adore New York

Isabelle Laflèche -whose first novel, J'adore New York-hits stores this month-admits to a life altering encounter with a psychic on the streets of Manhattan that led her to ditch her high octane legal career for a creative life of writing.

1-Living a creative life is more rewarding than simply making lots money. I once worked 14 hour days fuelled by excessive ambition but had no spare time to pursue my artistic passions. Sure, I was making lots of money but I was miserable. Then I met a psychic in New York who told me that I was missing my calling as a writer. It took me a while to take her advice seriously but I eventually resigned from my cushy job and wrote my first novel, which has been the most rewarding event in my professional life.

2-Expensive handbags don't make you happy. When I was working around the clock as a lawyer, I often compensated on weekends by buying things. Although it was fun for a while to parade around town with the season's "it" bag, it soon lost its appeal and left me feeling empty.

3-To reach new horizons, you must lose sight of the shore. I've often repeated this quote to myself over the years. Going through a major career change can be very scary but it's important to look ahead and not dwell on the past.

4-Sucess is the culmination of a series of failures. Like so many authors, when I first sent my manuscript to agents and publishers, I received countless rejection letters but I never gave up on my goal to be published no matter how discouraged I felt. Eventually, a door opened for me and it was the right one.

5-Never let anyone get in the way of your dreams. Once you decide to make a major change in your life, many people might feel intimidated or uncomfortable with your willingness to take risks and may become vocal about it. Don't let the naysayers rain on your parade, it's negative energy that you don't need at this crucial juncture in your life.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A COPY of J'adore New York???  Simply read my review and comment below.  Leave your email address in the designated field.  This ensures your privacy from spammers and my ability to contact you if you win!  US and Canada addresses only due to shipping.  The winner will be picked on 10/8/11 and chosen by random.org.  Winner notified by email.  A Cozy Reader's Corner reserves the right to end this giveaway at any time and without warning.  I am not responsible for delivery of the prizes.  Prizes are delivered by publishers/authors/publicist.

U-Printing Giveaway

I absolutely LOVE UPrinting.com, an online printing company that offers quality and convenience.  I have ordered business cards and post cards for my blog from their site and they always display great quality.  I have been given the opportunity to host this giveaway by the fine people at UPrinting.com and hope one lucky winner will find satisfaction with the company as well! 

Go to UPrinting.com

Prize Details:50 pcs Brochure printing for One (1) Winner
8.5" x 11"
100lb Paper Gloss
With Folding (Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold),
Outside and Inside Printing
2 Business Days Turnaround
*Free shipping
Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only

Want a chance to win print brochures?  Follow this blog and check out the brochure templates and tell me which one you'd want!  The winner will not be held to the design, it's just for fun. Make sure to leave your email in the space provided so I can contact you if you win.  Please consider following UPrinting on Twitter and joining their page on Facebook.  Much appreciated!  Good luck! Ends 8-28-11 at 11pm CST.



*Disclaimer: Required as per FTC Ruling
This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting and I will receive print brochures for hosting. Visit UPrinting.com for more information about brochures and available brochure templates.*

Ted Saves the World Blog Tour & Giveaway

1,000 to 1
By Bryan Cohen

Around eight months ago, I released a book that changed my life. The book was called  "Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More" and it was a collection of story starters I've compiled over previous couple of years. I put them all into one book and slowly but surely it became a reference guide for bloggers, authors and screenwriters alike. The book has not made me a millionaire or anything, but it has certainly helped to fueled the beginning of my writing career.

I've always been a man of ideas, but I haven't always been the best at fleshing them out. I've come up with some weird and wacky concepts in my time as a writer and a producer. This includes a Dungeons & Dragons comedy show, a dream-infused corporate coffee dramedy, and now, I've crafted the story of a public teenage superhero and his possessed cheerleader guardian called "Ted Saves the World."

My idea to create a book full of 1,000 ideas was a good one. I have a feeling that this idea will be likewise just as successful because I have spent time thoroughly fleshing it out. Ted Saves the World is only the beginning of a series that will show a conflict between multiple universes, with tons of characters, and lots of mythology. In addition, the characters all have a biting wit and the ability to spout rapid-fire jokes as often as they throw round-house kicks.

There is a chance that my collection of 1,000 ideas will be more successful than this one expanded upon idea. That being said, every time care for an idea and grow it to adult-size, it is a major learning experience. I'm still young and while I hope Ted Saves the World is a phenomenon, I know that the lessons I learn from creating an entertaining series will serve me in the future while I try to flesh out the other 999.

--

Description of Ted Saves the World (Available for just $0.99):
A possessed cheerleader. A cursed gang of criminals. Mysterious telekinetic powers. An angry ex-girlfriend in gym class? One second, sophomore in high school Ted endures his first breakup in his favorite place in town. The next, a mysterious blue light turns him into a worldwide superhero sensation for taking down a posse of grisly murderers. As his views on YouTube increase and his friend Dhiraj tries to capitalize on the marketing potential, his dangers increase as well when a presumed-dead cheerleader begins taking a personal interest. Can Ted survive his first week as a superhero in the public eye? This novella is the first taste in a series of full-length novels about the adventures of Ted Finley and Erica LaPlante. The book is also available on Barnes & Noble and <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/70092 ">Smashwords</a> for $0.99.

Giveaway:
Bryan Cohen is giving away four $25 Amazon gift cards, one for each week of his month long blog tour. To enter, simply comment with your e-mail address (feel free to substitute @ with (at) or other tricks to stop spammers from getting it). Bryan will draw the four names at the end of the tour, picking one entrant at random from each week’s set of blog posts. Entries will be counted through Monday, August 15th, 2011. Enter on as many sites as you want, follow the tour at <a href="http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com/blog-tour-for-ted.html%22%3EBuild Creative Writing Ideas</a>. If <i>Ted</i> reaches the Top 100 on Amazon at any point during the tour, a fifth $25 card will be added to the giveaway.

Biography:
Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written seven books including <a href="http://www.amazon.com/000-Creative-Writing-Prompts-ebook/dp/B0044DEL7C%22%3E1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More</a>. Contact Bryan through <a href="http://bryancohen.com%22%3ehis/ Ted Saves the World blog</a>, <a href="http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com%22%3ehis/ Build Creative Writing Ideas site</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/bryancohenbooks%22%3ETwitter%3C/a>.

Only Mine Bookmark Giveaway!

Welcome Rafflecopter Galley Giveaway!

Yankee Doodle Dixie: A Novel

About the Book

Lisa Patton won the hearts of readers last year, her book Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter became a sleeper-success. Building on a smashing debut, Lisa’s poised to go to the next level—because whether in Vermont snow or in Memphis heat, Dixie heroine Leelee Satterfield is never too far from misadventure, calamity...and ultimately, love.

Having watched her life turn into a nor’easter, 34-year-old Leelee Satterfield is back home in the South, ready to pick back up where she left off. But that’s a task easier said then done…Leelee’s a single mom, still dreaming of the Vermonter who stole her heart, and accompanied by her three best friends who pepper her with advice, nudging and peach daiquiris, Leelee opens another restaurant and learns she has to prove herself yet again. Filled with heart and humor, women’s fiction fans will delight in this novel.

About the Author
LISA PATTON is a Memphis, Tennessee native with more than twenty years’ experience working in the music and entertainment business.

Enter the Giveaway

Best Kept Secrets - Giveaway with Sarah Pekkanen and Amy Hatvany

BEST KEPT SECRET by Amy Hatvany

*US Addresses Only*

About the Book

Cadence didn’t sit down one night and decide that downing two bottles of wine was a brilliant idea.

Her drinking snuck up on her - as a way to sleep, to help her relax after a long day, to relieve some of the stress of the painful divorce that’s left her struggling to make ends meet with her five-year old son, Charlie.

It wasn’t always like this. Just a few years ago, Cadence seemed to have it all—a successful husband, an adorable son, and a promising career as a freelance journalist. But with the demise of her marriage, her carefully constructed life begins to spiral out of control. Suddenly she is all alone trying to juggle the demands of work and motherhood.

Logically, Cadence knows that she is drinking too much, and every day begins with renewed promises to herself that she will stop. But within a few hours, driven by something she doesn’t understand, she is reaching for the bottle - even when it means not playing with her son because she is too tired, or dropping him off at preschool late, again. And even when one calamitous night it means leaving him alone to pick up more wine at the grocery store. It’s only when her ex-husband shows up at her door to take Charlie away that Cadence realizes her best kept secret has been discovered….

Heartbreaking, haunting, and ultimately life-affirming, Best Kept Secret is more than just the story of Cadence—it’s a story of how the secrets we hold closest are the ones that can most tear us apart.

Giveaway

1 copy of this title is available to anyone with a US address.  Simply leave a comment below with an email address so I can contact you if you win.  The winner will be chosen by random.org on Wednesday.  This giveaway will only be up for 24 hours!  Tuesday @ 12am EST - Wenesday @ 12am EST.

If you get a chance enter my other giveaways on the top right hand corner of my blog!  If you enjoy my blog follow along!  You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook via the connect icons!

A huge thank you to Sarah and Amy for making this giveaway possible!!

Let the commenting begin!!

A Pug's Tale: Giveaway from Sarah Pekkanen

Have you seen this book yet??

A Pug's Tale (releases June 2011) is being described as a "Warm and witty page turner"

Synopsis:

Hope McNeill has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for years, but this is the first time she's been able to bring along her pug, Max.

The occasion: a special "Pug Night" party in honor of a deep-pocketed donor.  Max and his friends are having a ball stalking the hors D'oeuvres and getting rambunctious--making Hope wonder if this is also the last time she gets to bring Max to the Museum.

But when a valuable painting goes missing, the Met needs Hope's and Max's help.  In her quest for the culprit, Hope is aided by an enigmatic detective, a larger-than-life society heiress, a lady with a shih tzu in a stroller, and her arguably intuitive canine.  With luck, she'll find some inspiration on her trips to Pug Hill before the investigation starts going downhill......

Giveaway: 

2 copies of this book are up for grabs, courtesy of Sarah!  In addition, 10 people will win a set of bookmarks for you and a friend from me!!  Want to enter???  All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post!  Make sure to leave an email address so we can contact you.  The catch??  You only have 24 hours to comment!  A winner will be picked at 12 am EST on Sunday.  (Saturday 12am EST - Sunday 12am EST)  The winners will be notified by email and announced here and on Sarah's Facebook fan page!

What are you waiting for??  Join Sarah and I in our reading of A Pug's Tale!  If you don't win, the title is available for pre-order on Amazon via this link: A Pug's Tale.  P.S.  If you enjoy my blog, follow along!  You can join via GFC, Twitter, Facebook or subscribtion to keep up with my reviews and giveaway!  Happy Commenting!!

xoxo

Sarah & Tiffany

Across Eternity Giveaway

Author: Aris Whittier
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B004RVB2EG
Lending: Enabled for this title
Price: $2.99 on Amazon!

Across Eternity, which was just released in e-format, is a beautiful love story that tells of love that transcends time. The characters are complex and their emotions are profound. Across Eternity pushes the boundary of reality delving into past lives as well as future lives. This is an inspirational love story. There are no cuss words and the love scenes are very minimal and not graphic.

SYNOPSIS:

Born a genius; education, wealth, and prestige came easy to Logan Richards. Actually, there wasn’t much that Logan couldn’t learn or acquire. However, he knew there was more to life than money and power. Logan was determined to find the woman who he'd dreamed of his entire life and know what it was like to love her before he died.

Amber Lewis, a waitress for a five-star restaurant in, Dana Point, California, was overworked, stressed, and wary of life since her sister, Heather, had passed away. Then, one evening while working she fell hopelessly in love with Logan Richards, a chivalrous man who felt deeply familiar.

For Amber, it was the beginning of a voyage of self-discovery and renewal. For Logan, it was the completion of life. For each of them it was the deepest sort of love.

Reviews via  Amazon  & Goodreads

About the Author:

Aris Whittier is a romance writer. She writes suspense, contemporary, and commercial woman's fiction. Her debut novel, Fatal Embrace is a romantic suspense that was featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine as a Red-Hot Read. Foolish Notions is a contemporary romance that has just a touch a mystery too. Across Eternity is a beautiful love story that transcends time.
Visit Aris Whittier at: http://awhittier.blogspot.com/

Aris's Titles: Fatal Embrace, Foolish Notions & The Truth About Being A Bass Fisherman's Wife and Across Eternity.

Giveaway Rules

• Open to followers or subscribers of this blog
• International - Kindle Gift Delivery
• Read a review and tell me what people are saying about this book by commenting on this post. (links to reviews on Amazon & Goodreads above)
• 1 extra entry is given for those who share on Twitter or Facebook
• Fill out the form below and your entered!

The Mermaid Garden - Interview & Giveaway

Author: Santa Montefiore
ISBN: 978-1451624304
Publisher: Touchstone
Pages: 432
Purchase Link: The Mermaid Garden: A Novel
Amazon Reviews
Goodreads Reviews




Interview with Santa Montefiore:

Please tell me 5 things about you.

I adore chocolate
I’m crazy about skiing
I love nature and the out-doors
I’m very sentimental
I’m psychic

What are 3 unique aspects about The Mermaid Garden?
One of the characters is a cross between my father and Derek, the decorator in our village! I based the hotel Polzanze on Endsleigh, a stunning country house hotel in Devon owned by a great friend of mine, Olga Polizzi, and the hero, Rafael, is the kind of man I would like to have met when I lived in Argentina as a 20 year old…I might never have come back!

Name 5 things you wished you knew about publishing?
I think I know all I need to know….

Name 3 things on your bucket list.
What is a bucket list? Must be an American term!

What are your top 5 favorite books?
Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Like water for Chocolate – Laura Esquival
An Enchanted April – Elizabeth von Arnim
House of Spirits – Isabel Allende
The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas

If you could invite and 5 authors on a cruise who would you invite?
Simon Sebag-Montefiore (my husband)
Alain de Botton
Andrew Roberts
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Philippa Gregory

Name 3 things that help you gain inspiration for writing.
Nature, love, life

What's the most embarrassing author moment you've had?
Turning up to an event in Waterstones in San Francisco where I was to speak to a huge room full of people to find NO ONE had come…

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?
...So, I spot a man sitting in the back row reading a book. I fall on him like a drowning woman onto a piece of driftwood and gush “You are my only fan!” to which he replies, a little bewildered: “Actually, I’m waiting for my wife and kids to finish shopping.”

If you were stranded on an island and could magically name 2 people, 3 things and 1 book you could have to have with you who/what would they be?
My children Lily and Sasha, Tolstoy’s War & Peace (because I’ve never managed to finish it) chocolate, French bread and white wine, preferably Burgendy!

Do you have another title in the works?
Yes, but I haven’t thought of the title. It’s based in the English countryside and Swiss mountains and is a mystery/love story in the present day.

What has been your best author experience so far?
Getting my first book published. Nothing will ever beat that!

What is the least thrilling/attractive part of being an author for you?
Going into a book shop and finding that mine is stuffed in some dark corner at the back!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Write from the heart, with integrity and love and you will succeed.

What is the last book you read?
My husband’s Jerusalem on holiday in Mauritius a week ago – (Simon Sebag-Montefiore)

What are you currently reading?
Louis de Bernieres The War of Don Emanuel’s Nether Parts

Name an author who inspires you and how?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez because he is such a sensual writer, I live and breath every moment of his stories!

About the Book:
From the internationally bestselling author of The French Gardener comes a complex and irresistibly compelling story spanning four decades and set in Tuscan Italy and the coast of Devon, England. As the threads of two stories intertwine with elements of mystery, romance, family drama, and humor, THE MERMAID GARDEN by Santa Montefiore reveals a unique, sensuous tale of love, forgiveness, and the past revealed.

In Italy, ten year old Floriana, is captivated by the beauty of the Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea from just outside her village. When Dante, the son of the villa’s owner, invites her inside and Floriana lays eyes on the enchanting Mermaid Garden, she knows that her destiny is in that garden, with Dante. But as the two grow up they cross an unseen line, jeopardizing everything they hold most dear.

Decades later, a beautiful country house hotel in Devon has fallen on hard times after the crash of 2008. Its owner, Mariana, hires an artist-in-residence to stay for the summer and teach the guests to paint. This mysterious Argentinean artist pacifies the discord in her family and transforms the fortunes of the hotel, but who is he really? It seems that he comes with his own hidden agenda… is it to destroy, seduce, or to heal?

The Buzz:
“Santa Montefiore is a superb storyteller….Her plots are sensual, sensitive and complex: her characters are unforgettable life forces: her love stories are desperate yet uplifting . One laughs as much as one cries.” --Plum Sykes, author of The Debutante Divorcee

“Epic in scope and emotion, but also brilliantly observant and truthful…surprising, moving, and skillful.” --Elizabeth Buchan, author of Separate Beds

"The Mermaid Garden has it all: secrets, mystery, passionate love affairs fueled by drama and determined by fate, and the grace notes of fairytales- evil stepmothers, cranky stepdaughters, and redemption in the wake of understanding in the hands of the great painter Rafa Santoro. Santa Montefiore is a wonder, you will not be able to put this novel down. Unforgettable!" --Adriana Trigiani, author of Brava, Valentine

“An absorbing plot.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Two stories, two generations, and two beautiful European locales are neatly gift-wrapped into one sumptuous tale of love, loss, and redemption. . . . Luxurious and romantic depictions of scenic Tuscany and the beautiful English coast.” -- Publishers Weekly

“Montefiore has written another lovely fairy tale for grown-ups. . . . Fans of women’s fiction will be moved by the characters and eager to find out what happens to them. Lush descriptions of gardens in Tuscany and Devon add to the novel’s charm.” --Library Journal

Want to win it??  Maybe for mom??  This book is a wonderful title for the mom in your life!  Birth, Step, Grand or Adopted Mothers will all enjoy the gift of a great and relaxing read!!

To enter:  Be a follower or subscriber to this blog.  Have a US or Canada Address and leave a comment telling me something great about the mom in your life!!  Share this giveaway via Twitter/Facebook/Blog for an extra entry!! Deadline 5/14. Fill out the form below to enter!

Interview with Paula Wiseman & Giveaway

Please tell me 5 things about you.

1. I am totally left-handed.
2. I am a nerd through and through.
3. I hate bananas. (I'm pretty sure that's the fruit from the Garden of Eden. They are obviously cursed.)
4. I am afraid of spiders.
5. I love football and basketball- especially my Kentucky Wildcats

What are 3 unique aspects about Contingency?

1. First of all, the couple stays together after infidelity and works to save the marriage. Most books seem to pick up after the split.
2. Rather than having a clear-cut protagonist and antagonist, it's structured more as a parallel her story/his story. The audiobook used dual narrators to highlight that.
3. My heroine, Bobbi, is a huge fan of international coffees. I don't drink coffee- never have.

Name 5 things you wished you knew about publishing.

1. How to proofread and edit. My editing is improving. My proofreading, not so much. (See embarrassing moment below.)
2. Better marketing skills. Definitely not my strength.
3. How to balance seizing opportunities with patience.
4. How to resist define success by an abstract number.
5. How to explain it in just a few words. :-)

Name 3 things on your bucket list.

1. Traveling to Australia
2. Standing beside my husband when he meets Ravi Zacharias
3. Running a 5M or a 10K race

What are your top 5 favorite books?
Gosh... what 5 did I most recently read? That's a bad answer, but here's what I've read recently that I really liked. (Not counting the Bible...)

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
3. Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White
4. Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan (I told you I was a nerd)
5. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

Name 3 things that help you gain inspiration for writing.

1. I get great inspiration from Scripture, and from the people in the Biblical stories.
2. I have a great friend who listens to me bounce ideas her way and she bats them right back at me.
3. I also enjoy reading non-fiction about how people respond to life's challenges.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?

The news reported on a major award winner and my teenage daughter commented, "Why did he win? All he did was write a book! Any idiot can write a book!" Then we made eye contact.

What's the most embarrassing author moment you've had?

Yikes- it just happened! I found a typo in my latest book after my author copy was on its way. The sad thing is that I put it in there during my final review after the proofreaders and editors had been through it.

Do you write based on past experiences or inspired thoughts?

I don't overtly write from past experience, so I guess that leaves inspired thoughts. Generally, I write from a plot overview kind of outline which leaves plenty of room for inspiration. I love it when scenes fall into place in ways I didn't anticipate.

If you were stranded on an island and could magically name 2 people, 3 things and 1 book you could have to have with you who/what would they be?

I am not one for being stranded, so I would want the people and items necessary to get me off said island in the quickest, easiest fashion. So violating the spirit of the question, I would want my husband, so he couldn't tease me later about getting into that situation, and and skilled sea captain. We would need a nice, fast sailing vessel, and radio, plus a digital camera so I could post the photos later. Finally, while I would only be there long enough to read my current book, it would be useless, because I would be seasick.

Do you have another title in the works?

Always. Indemnity and Precedent are the follow-up stories for Contingency. Then post-Bobbi & Chuck, I have several directions I'm testing.

What is your favorite season?

Fall. I love the cooler weather, the bright sunshine and blue skies... and football.

Your dream vacation would be?

I'd like to go back to Hawaii. We honeymooned there, but I'd like to share it with my kids.

Best childhood memory?

We lived at the city pool in the summers when I was growing up. Even now, when I hear songs from those years, I can smell chlorine.

If you were given the chance to do any one thing over again, what would you do over?

I wouldn't have put off getting married for so long. If I knew then what I knew now, we'd have been at the courthouse the day after my husband asked me to marry him.

If you were given the chance to re-live any one moment, what would it be?

The most precious moment (so far) has been looking in my newborn's face the first time.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

A break from school. My oldest is homeschooled, and I'm anxious to read books from MY stack instead of the school stack.



About Paula Wiseman:

After working several years as research chemist, Paula Wiseman was blessed with the opportunity to stay home with her children and follow the writer’s path. She has been published in several Cup of Comfort devotional books and in Life Savors for Women. Contingency: Book One: Covenant of Trust Series, her debut novel, spent time on the Amazon.com Christian Fiction bestsellers list, and was also the #1 Hot New Release in Christian Fiction. Indemnity is her second novel. Paula blogs on matters of life and faith at http://www.paulawiseman.com/.

Buy the Book: Contingency: Book One: Covenant of Trust Series

Enter the Giveaway!
US/Can Addresses Only
Must follow this blog via GFC or Subscription
Extra Entry for leaving a comment on this post
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Fill out the form below and good luck!

Cozy Reader's Giveaway Extravaganza - Recap & Wrap Up

I am amazed at the wonderful response to my giveaway extravaganza!  I appreciate each and every follower and subscriber of this blog.  YOU have made this a success.  It is because of you that I am able to secure giveaway copies for my readers and followers.  Thank you!  I enjoy making someones day by telling them they won a free book!!   I also am very thankful for each and every author, publicist, publisher and PR firm who has graciously donated a copy or multiple copies of books for my extravaganza!  I am also thankful those who supply books for my regular daily post and giveaways!!  You are all truly wonderful and I have enjoyed getting to know you more with each new title!  Thanks to everyone for being so kind and wonderful!  It makes me happy to know others are enjoying my blog!  My main goal is to help others find their next great read!  I hope I have helped you accomplish that!

All 25 titles have been posted!!!  I will end the giveaway Wednesday, March 23rd at 11:59pm CST.  As soon as it has ended I will work on posting the winners!  This is a huge giveaway and I am currently in the process of moving so please hang in there!  I will have everything announced by April 2nd at the latest!  To make sure you haven't missed a title, I have posted all the links below!  Thank you to everyone who has shared the giveaway or left comments on the titles!  Those who have donated really appreciate reading comments on their books post!  Thank You!!!

The Mountains Bow Down

$45 Gift Card to CSN Stores

A Dream Unfolding

Along Came Ziro (Kids)

The Dark Side of Innocence

The Bird House (A Novel)

Wear This, Toss That!

The Solution

Almost Human Trilogy (Signed)

Turned

High Tide

Saturday (Kids)

Tales from the Yoga Studio

Zero Day

The Promises She Keeps

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough

Too Tall Alice (kids)

The World of Ivy

Rebel in Petticoats

Rock Bottom

Midnights With the Mystic

Harvest Moon (signed)

An Engagement in Seattle (signed)

A Hellion in Her Bed (Signed)

I also have a few titles up for grabs that were posted during the extravaganza but not in conjunction with it!  Make sure to check them out also!! (See post for end date)

Letters From Home

Dark Goddess (3/18)

The Vampire Journals: Book 1

Fifo "50 States"

Outlander

Miss Scarlets School of Patternless Sewing & Waking up in the Land of Glitter

Good Luck!!!

Cozy Reader's Giveaway Extravaganza - A Hellion in Her Bed

A Hellion in Her Bed

(US/CAN only) - Signed Copy

Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Publisher: Pocket Star
ISBN: 978-1439167540
Purchase Link: A Hellion in Her Bed (Hellions of Halstead Hall)
Author Website: http://www.sabrinajeffries.com/

About the Book:
Furious at his grandmother’s ultimatum to marry or lose his inheritance, Lord Jarret Sharpe wagers his luck—and his heart—at the card table against a most unlikely opponent.

Mired in scandal after his parents’ mysterious deaths, notorious gambler Lord Jarret Sharpe agrees to tamely run the family brewery for a year if his Machiavellian grandmother rescinds her ultimatum that he marry. But the gambler in him can’t resist when beguiling Annabel Lake proposes a wager. If she wins their card game, he must help save her family’s foundering brewery. But if he wins, she must spend a night in his bed. The outcome sets off a chain of events that threatens to destroy all his plans . . . and unveils the secret Annabel has held for so long. When Jarret discovers the darker reason behind her wager, he forces her into another one—and this time he intends to win not just her body, but her heart.

Read Reviews: Amazon, Goodreads

About the Author:

In the last 11 years, New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries has penned 20 Regency romances, three novellas and three short stories — becoming a regular on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and winning more than a dozen industry awards in the process. New Orleans-born, Thailand-reared, Jeffries attributes her success to listening to what peers, her publisher and her own common sense told her she should be writing: “I write what I enjoy reading: lighter, sexier historical romances, with more dialogue and more sensuality.” Writing about 19th-century English life comes naturally for Jeffries. Not only is she a lifelong Jane Austen fan, but she has a doctorate in English lit from Tulane and a specialty in Early Modern British literature. Yet the impetus for her stories, Jeffries says, is always “what if” — not what if her hero likes this or that, but what if this happened and this happened ... what would it do to a person?

And she writes, she says, because “I can't not write . . . I have stories in my head, and I have to get them out.” Today, the novelist has more than 5 million Sabrina Jeffries books in print. She writes at her home in Cary, N.C., where she lives with husband, Rene, and their son, Nick. When not answering e-mails as she logs miles on her treadmill or doing jigsaw puzzles (“my reward for finishing a book”), Jeffries can be found championing the cause of autistic children in the name of her son.

Giveaway:  1 SIGNED Copy!  US/CAN Address only.  Must follow this blog via GFC or Subscription to enter.  Extra entry available for sharing the giveaway via Twitter, Facebook or Blog.  You can also obtain an extra entry by visiting the author's website and telling me what other title of hers you want to read or would recommend.  Make sure to let me know if its part of her Hellions, Heiresses or The Regency book line.  Ready to enter??  Use the form below!!

Why Your Blog is Important for Book Promotion

by Hayley Rose, Author of Fifo "50 States"

You’ve just put a considerable amount of time researching and writing your book and your days are now spent promoting it. While there are numerous online and offline vehicles you can use to promote your book, having a blog is possibly one of the most important.

For those with static websites, meaning your content doesn’t change frequently, your blog is the one component that provides fresh content. Search engines love new and relevant content and if you’re spending even an ounce of your time promoting your book online through various social media channels, your blog can be the driving factor between being found or lost in cyberspace.

Reasons Why Your Blog is a Critical Tool

Your Blog Content
The content you provide on your blog not only builds online awareness of your book, but it establishes your social media credibility. There’s a direct correlation between your relevant content and the traffic that’s funneled to your site. The more blog posts you provide, the higher your website will rank.

The Information You Provide
Internet users are constantly looking for information and your blog is well-suited to provide them with the information they are looking to get. Your visitors may be future authors or want to know about your upcoming book-signing events. They may want to know more about your niche or where to purchase your book. Whatever people are looking for, you can engage your visitors with the information they seek.

Your Blog is Interactive
Your blog provides a platform for people to interact with you by commenting on your blog posts. It’s easy to sit behind your computer screen and blast out information about your book, but online marketing is still about forming relationships. Encouraging your blog visitors to comment on your posts aides in establishing relationships between you and your fans.

Your Blog Can Be Universal
Cyberspace is global and your blog can be accessed by people in all corners of the world. You’re no longer limited to local awareness in cyberspace. Your blog can open up new channels for your book promotion.

Your Blog is Your Link to Your Social Media Efforts
Promoting your blog via social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook can be linked back to your blog and relaying information your blog visitors are seeking . Social media isn’t about creating useless noise, but quenching your visitor’s thirst for your knowledge.

So blog and blog often. Think of what your targeted audience might want to know and read and provide them with that content.

About the Author:

Hayley Rose grew up in the beach side town of Pacific Palisades, California, to a family of visual artists. In the early 90's she traveled the U.S. with her band Crush Violet. In 1994, after a family reunion, she was inspired to write a children's book. Her first book, Fifo “When I Grow Up” was published in 2002. Fifo “50 States” is the second book in the Fifo series. Along with writing children’s books, Hayley has been working in entertainment business management for the past 15 years specializing in concert touring. She has worked with many “A list” musicians including, Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart and Candlebox, and hopes to one day soon release an album of children’s songs. She is a currently member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can read more at www.fifothebear.com. or join the Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/fifothebearbooks.

Giveaway:  1 copy of this title is available for those with a US or Canada address!  Fill out the form below to enter!  Good Luck!!
Contest ends March 26, 2011 at 11:59pm

Cozy Reader's Giveaway Extravaganza - Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon

(US/CAN only) - Signed Copy!

Author: Robyn Carr

ISBN: 978-0778329428

Publisher: Mira

Purchase Link: Harvest Moon (Virgin River)

Authors Website: http://www.robyncarr.com/

About the Book:

Rising sous-chef Kelly Matlock's sudden collapse at work is a wake-up call. Disillusioned and burned out, she's retreated to her sister Jillian's house in Virgin River to rest and reevaluate.

Puttering in Jill's garden and cooking with her heirloom vegetables is wonderful, but Virgin River is a far cry from San Francisco. Kelly's starting to feel a little too unmotivated…until she meets Lief Holbrook. The handsome widower looks more like a lumberjack than a sophisticated screenwriter—a combination Kelly finds irresistible. But less appealing is Lief's rebellious stepdaughter, Courtney. She's the reason they moved from L.A., but Courtney's finding plenty of trouble even in Virgin River.

Kelly's never fallen for a guy with such serious baggage, but some things are worth fighting for. Besides, a bratty teenager can't be any worse than a histrionic chef…right?

Read the Excerpt HERE

About the Author:
After more than 20 years penning screenplays, historical romances and even a psychological thriller, New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr found her genre — some would say her calling — writing a particular kind of women’s fiction.

In 2011 Robyn’s publishing schedule includes a new Virgin River trilogy—Promise Canyon (January), Wild Man Creek (February) and Harvest Moon (March), and a Virgin River holiday gift hardcover to be published in October. In January Robyn and her Virgin River series were highlighted in a USA Today feature that explored the popularity of military-themed books and TV series.

Robyn and her husband, Jim, make their home in Las Vegas. She makes the occasional foray into Humboldt County in nearby California, where the Virgin River series is set. She enjoys interacting with her readers via Facebook and her free Robyn Carr mobile phone app.

Learn more about Robyn by visiting her website: http://www.robyncarr.com/ or connect with her on Facebook.

Giveaway: 1 SIGNED copy is available!  Must follow via GFC or Subscription to be entered.  1 extra entry available for sharing the news of this giveaway!  Use the form below and GOOD LUCK!