Featured Author - Rachael Brownell - Publication Spotlight

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm sharing my featured author's book lineup. If you missed the interview with Rachael Brownell, be sure and check it out here. I'm not gonna ramble on and on today, so grab a cup of coffee and let's get going!

Title: Holding On
Author: Rachael Brownell
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Length (print): 235 Pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle FREE  ~  Kobo FREE  ~  iBooks FREE  ~  B&N FREE

Synopsis:
For five years Becca has been struggling to hide her feelings for her best friend, Brad. Now she finally has a chance to move on. She’s in a new city, she’s attending a new school, and she’s met the first guy besides Brad who’s held her attention in a long time. Not only is Ethan attractive, he’s an amazing tennis player, and he might just be Becca’s match on and off the courts.

Brad has loved Becca for as long as he can remember. Now that Becca’s family has moved two thousand miles away, Brad may finally be ready to lay his heart on the line and do whatever it takes to hold on to Becca.

But is Brad too late? Or will Ethan’s secret drive Becca back into Brad’s arms? Torn between her love for Brad and the promise of something new and exciting with Ethan, Becca has an almost impossible choice to make, the choice between letting go or holding on.

Title: Unglued (Holding On #2)

Author: Rachael Brownell

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Length (print): 235 Pages

Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:

“Look in your heart Becca and tell me that you don’t love me and I will walk away but I need for you to say the words cuz I know that deep down you love me as much as I love you .“

Becca’s life has always been complicated when it’s come to choosing between the love of her life and her best friend. Her decision was simple in the end: she chose to keep them both in her life. That is, until Ethan is offered a job on another continent. Does Becca move on in her life with Ethan or is she unable to give up Brad once and for all? The decision is made for her but once she realizes that the wrong decision was made she attempts to right it.

Then tragedy strikes close to home. Will Becca finally realize who was meant to be standing by her side or will she come completely Unglued?

Title: Weakness: Ethan's Novella (Holding On #3)
Author: Rachael Brownell
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Length (print): 235 Pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Synopsis:
"I set her down, place my hands on her cheeks and kiss her like it's the last time I will ever be able to. I can hear our families talking in the background but I don't really care. She will be my wife soon enough. She's already carrying my children. She's my entire world. I've felt an inner strength and an emotional weakness for her since the moment I laid eyes on her." Ethan and Becca's relationship has been far from easy. In the beginning, Ethan had to fight to be with her. After Brad moved to town, he had to fight to keep her. When he walked away he was sure that he lost her. Then Natalie died and he was given a second chance to prove his love to her. Now, Becca is pregnant. With twins! Can Becca and Ethan hold on to the love that they shared? Or will the one secret that Ethan has kept from Becca be the reason their relationship falls apart... for good this time? A lie by omission is still a lie. Ethan's secret comes to light as the final chapter of their story is told through Ethan's eyes. The real question is... Will Ethan and Becca find their happily ever after?

Title: Take a Gamble

Author: Rachael Brownell

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Length (print): 235 Pages

Buy links: Amazon Kindle $1.99

Synopsis:

One summer.
One chance meeting.
One devastating phone call.

MacKenna Trist is not happy about spending a month with her family in Myrtle Beach. She would rather be at home, hanging out with her friends, before starting her senior year of high school. That is, until she meets the guy staying in the beach house next door.

Roe Gamble is speechless when he first lays eyes on Mac. Normally, pretty girls are his specialty but not this girl. From this girl, he wants more. More of everything. More than she can give him. Most importantly, more time to show her how he feels about her.

But time is working against them in more ways than one.

How much time do you really need to fall in love?

What would you gamble to hold onto it?

Title: A Secret Life
Author: Rachael Brownell
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Length (print): 235 Pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $1.99

Synopsis:
“I think you and I were meant to meet. I think all of this was supposed to happen. You are my destiny.”

She never thought that her life would be this complicated. Or this dangerous. Running from her past, Kat and her mom end up in a small Colorado town when Kat run’s directly into her future. She changes everything about herself to try and blend into the background, to go unnoticed. She pushes everyone away and erects walls around herself and her heart. As hard as she tries, though, Kat can’t seem to escape the pull that Cam has on her.

Cam has never been so intrigued by anyone. Not only is Kat the most gorgeous girl he’s ever seen but also the most mysterious. She’s hiding something and he’s hell-bent on finding out what it is. The only problem is that she’s trying to shut him out which only furthers his determination to get close to her.

When Kat learns that her past is catching up with her again she has to run, leaving Cam, and her broken heart, behind.

Title: Secrets & Lies

Author: Rachael Brownell

Genre: Young Adult Romance

Length (print): 235 Pages

Buy links: Amazon Kindle $0.99

Synopsis:

Secrets & Lies is a companion novella to A Secret Life. It is recommended to read A Secret Life first.

Magdelyn Becker lost her entire family when she was seventeen. Ever since, she’s avoided relationships at all costs: personal, physical, emotional. She doesn’t trust anyone and won’t allow herself to get close enough to create a connection. It’s the way she is. Take it or leave it. Her new job as an FBI agent has her letting her guard down, and letting the wrong person into her life, her mind and her heart.

Taylor Donovan is tall, sexy and powerful. He doesn’t show emotion and he can spot an agent a mile away. Being an FBI agent is the farthest thing from his mind when he lays eyes on Maggie Becker. She’s beautiful, sweet and honest and honesty is not something that Taylor is used to in his business. It’s her beauty that blinds him, though, and it might be what costs him everything, including his heart.

No one can be honest 100% of the time, not even Maggie. It’s her job to lie to Taylor. It’s her job to break him down then bring him down. The only problem is she has to do it without Taylor realizing it’s happening. After all, Taylor Donovan is supposed to be dead. The FBI shouldn’t be looking for him.

I do hope you'll take a moment and check out a couple of Rachael's books!

See anything you like up there?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Junkie: Not-So-Anonymous and Kim Holden Q&A - utopYA Con 2015

Happy Friday! Wow, it's the weekend already. How awesome is that? Following along with my usual Friday meme from now on, I'm bringing you all a snippet and link to the official utopYA Con post of the week. This time, it's from Ashley Bodette over at Book Junkie: Not-So-Anonymous. Let's get going!

From Book Junkie:

I am so excited for this year's keynote speakers for #utopYA2015!  Not only will we get to hear their amazing keynote addresses, but each of the keynote speakers will also be answering 10 questions in a blog post interview on utopYA's webpage! 

And I'm super excited to let you all know that EIGHT of those ten questions will come from readers like YOU!  This week, I am accepting questions for Kim Holden here on my blog.  That means you have eight chances...

See the rest here!

If you missed the other posts from the official bloggers, check them out:

Jo Michaels Blog - Marissa Meyer Interview
A Book Vacation - Heather Hildenbrand Guest Post
Paisley Reader - Denise Grover Swank and Lauren Miller Q&A

Now quit staring at your screen and get going to ask those questions!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Submission to Publishers? A List of Eleven

Happy Thursday, everyone! I know how difficult it is sometimes to take the leap to traditional publishing and/or finding that perfect agent. Many of the folks I know are Indie and love it. They wouldn't change a thing. However, if you're interested in finding a publisher, here are ten that are taking submissions now (and aren't Author Solutions). As always, remember to read over ANY contract offered to you. When in doubt, CONSULT AN ATTORNEY. With those things in the back of your mind, let's get to the list!

I'm not putting my stamp of approval on any of these publishers because I don't know them from a hole in the ground. This is only meant to be a list for your perusal. As always, keep your babies (books) safe from predators.

You do NOT need an agent to submit to these houses right now.

Winter Solstice - Solstice Publishing
They're taking New Adult (and all sub-genres) submissions.
See the guidelines here.

Ichthus Publications
They want Christian fiction only.
Guidelines (their website) here.

Harper Collins Christian
Theology, biblical studies, and so forth.
See the whole list here.

Crossbooks
Another seeking Christian fiction, biblical studies, and children's bible stories.
Check it out here.

Tinder Press
Fiction. Seems like all genres. Must not be published.
Guidelines can be found here.

Forest Avenue Press
Looking to publish two literary fiction novels (no short story collections).
Submit by following these guidelines.

JMS Books
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, all of that (LGBT). These fiction genres: romance, YA (must be over 10k words), erotica, erotic romance.
See their guidelines here.

Leap Books
They want novellas for their SHINE line! Commercial YA with romantic elements.
Guidelines are here.

Bibliomotion
Trade business novels with high commercial appeal. Yeah, that means non-fiction.
Submit using guides here.

Vinspire Publishing
Ethnic Romance, Historical Romance, Amish Romance, Romantic Suspense. That's the whole list.
See their guide for submission here.

Sinful Press
You have very limited time here. Erotic novels 60-100k words in length.
Check it out here.

There you have it! If you're gonna take the leap, good luck!

Do any of these appeal to you? Are you planning to submit? Tell me about it.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - 8 Weeks

Wow. Happy Wednesday, everyone! Here we are again with another book review. I know you're all super excited to hear about this one. Let me tell you, it was one heck of a story. I'll also be posting the link to the review on the Time 4 Books 2015 Review Team page. If you haven't seen that, you gotta check it out. So many awesome books on there already. We're certainly paying it forward for the Indie author community. If you'd like to do your part, pop on over to the signup page and join us. No rules, just reading! It's so much fun! Anyway, let's get to the information about the book up for review today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on.

Title: 8 Weeks (Time for Love #1)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length (print):
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle (on sale) $0.99

Synopsis:
Is eight weeks enough time to earn back the love of someone you've betrayed...the only one you've ever loved?

Shelly has been in love with Cal since they started dating in eleventh grade. Despite everyone saying that the odds were against them, they got married after graduation and built a life together. Now, six years later, she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Devastated, her first instinct is to call it quits…

After a drunken binge at his best friends’ bachelor party, Cal betrays the one person who has always been there for him, his wife, Shelly. Terrified and realizing she might divorce him, Cal must come up with a way to prove to her that his love is true…

Cal asks Shelly for eight weeks. Eight weeks to convince her that their marriage is worth the fight. Will Shelly be able to trust him again, or will their marriage end the way many others do when faced with opposition… In divorce?

This story is meant for readers 18 and older. 

***WILL NOT APPEAR IN REVIEW ELSEWHERE.  I think the cover tones/imagery/typeface all fit the genre and storyline on the pages. It's emotional. There's branding of a series at its finest going on here, too. I love how all the covers match. Makes for an easy recognition across books.***

Let's get to the yum.

I grabbed a sample of 8 Weeks during my 12 Days of Review Requests event when the author pitched the novel to me. I was captivated from page one. It grabbed my emotional side and refused to let me go. I could see the turmoil coming, knew how it would transpire, and still cried. Needless to say, I had to have the rest of the story. I bought it and dove right back in. Anyway, let's get going on the story part and why I rated it the way I did.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I know people like the main characters so I felt every moment of their stress. A group of people who've been friends forever, who suddenly have a spike wedged through their relationships. Yeah, some of them are a bit cliche, but those stereotypes exist for a reason (because they're real people). It's tough when you're in a group of people and two of them have a falling out. Who do you side with? How do you get over it? Betrayal of one is like a betrayal to all. But, at the center is the conflict between Cal and Shelly. I have to say, I loved them both so much. Yes, Shelly has her moments of childishness. But, she married the only boy she ever slept with, and I condone her for demanding she be treated with the highest level of respect. I think I might have thrown more than one fit in her situation. I give her props for even trying to save her marriage. Cal is so sweet and in love with his wife. I don't see many guys putting forth the kind of effort he did. Plot was great, and the author treated the incident in Vegas exactly as she should have. I won't tell you more, I'll just say the situation was handled precisely as it should've been to show the connection between the couple at the highest level. Pacing was also spot on. You get two POVs: Cal and Shelly. While I understand why the author did it, I think an unreliable narrator is fun sometimes--leaves the reader wondering. But not anything to ding the rating for.

Even though this is a book in a series, it's also a standalone.

From an Editor's Perspective:
"This hurts more then I remember..." Should be: "than" I remember. Usually, they guys were hounding... Should be: "the" guys. There were a few of those kinds of errors, but nothing that kept me up at night, wondering about who the editor could've been and why those were missed. Overall, well written and edited.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me great characters all around
1 Star for making the story believable
1 Star for pacing
1 Star for a heart-twisting plot
1 Star for editing
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars! Recommended if you enjoy books with emotion, a super tense central conflict people will either love or hate, and cool characters with verve.

As I always do when I come upon a five star read, I'm giving a couple of copies away! Enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

What do you think? Gonna check it out?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Collaborating on Google Drive

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! I promised you this post last week and ended up not doing anything at all. Eeeeew. What can I say? I have my off days, too! *grin* But, as promised, it's a Tuesday and you're getting all the deets. Now, I'm not going into all the things Google Drive can do, because that's a vast amount of information, but I'll explain how it can be used to co-edit a document and a cool feature that's available once you're on the inside. Ready? Cool. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Once you click on the drive icon from Gmail, you'll see something like this:

You'll want to click the New button (in red) on the top, left-hand side for this exercise. Here:

Now, you'll have a choice to make. Please choose Google Docs like this:

Drive will magically take you here:

Click on the words Untitled Document in the top left:

Type in the name of your new doc in the popup box:

I'm not going into all the menu options today, that's a whole other blog post. But, as you can see, you have a ton of ways to format your document (and it auto-saves your progress):

Now, you need to look on the top right and find the share button:

Once you click it, you get a popup like this:

Start typing a name. If you have them in your Google address book, you'll get a dropdown:

Choose one. Click on the dropdown on the right that says Can edit:

 

These are the options you get:

Be sure Can edit is chosen (it's the default, but...). Now, you've chosen your collaborator, so let's go look at advanced options. Click the button:

You'll see a screen like this:

Pretty self-explanatory, no? Make your choices and send it on. I'm inviting the awesome Casey L. Bond to join us for this tutorial.

Here's where the magic happens! Once your collaborators access the document, they'll have a little icon (based on their Google Drive photo) in the top right, next to your name (Casey's is the cover of her novel, Reap, mine would be my logo):

As they type, their name shows next to the text (this works for each person typing):

They can change options just like you can:

Now, see the little icon next to Casey's?

Click it and select launch chat. This pops up:

It gives you a way to discuss what's being typed in the document as others are editing it without making changes. How cool is that?

Add to the coolness, this document is automatically saved in the main menu of your Drive. You can pop it into a folder, or leave it with all the other stuff you have stored there. The sky's the limit!

I hope this little walkthrough taught you something you didn't know. The power of Google Drive is awesome, and I hope to hear about you guys using it in the future!

Did you learn something? Ever used that feature before? Tell me about it!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview - Rachael Brownell

Happy, happy Monday, everyone! Today I have another unofficial utopYA Con 2015 author interview for you. This time, we're meeting author Rachael Brownell. I think you'll love this little lady! She's got a lot going on, and has a ton of cool information for you. If you're new to the blog and wondering what utopYA Con is, click here to find out and get your tickets at the early-bird price! You only have a couple weeks left. Don't be the sad girl (or guy) left out in the cold! Okay, I'll shut up and get to the interview now. Grab a cup of coffee and let's get going!

Jo: Hiya, Rachael! Welcome to the blog. So good to have you here! Any friend of Casey L. Bond is a friend of mine. I hope you’re ready for all the junk I managed to dig up. Got your fingers ready and your nerves steeled? *grin*

Rachael: Thanks so much for having me. I’m really excited to be here!

Jo: You say that now... *wags eyebrows* So, I know you’re an author who writes for the love of the craft and the readers. Tell me, at what point did you decide not to go with the traditional publisher that picked up the first two books in the Holding On series? Do you look back and wish you had?

Rachael: Actually I have never looked back since leaving my publisher. There was so much that I didn’t agree with and had no control over that I will never go back unless I have more control.


Jo: I hear that from a lot of authors. Excitement that fades to black after just a few weeks or months. I may go digging around on that topic. *grin* Okay, I have to ask you if you still have a snip of something you wrote in high school. Would you share it with us? If not, tell me what writing did for you (on a personal level) back then.

Rachael: Writing was my outlet back then. I would love to share a snippet of that with everyone but the only thing left I’ve already shared. Holding On is the product of the one very long, not so great, book that I wrote when I was 17. I put my heart and soul into that book to make it what it is today.

Jo: I understand. I lost most of my early writings, too. So, what made you decide to change your book covers for the Holding On series? How many options did you go through?

Rachael: I wasn’t considering changing the cover, really. I liked the covers that I had but I was browsing Marisa’s website after looking at one of her posts and fell in love with a pre-made set that she had. It just felt right. I knew the second I saw them that I wanted them to represent the series. The rest is history.

Jo: Well, they certainly are beautiful. During my stalking research, I found another author with your name. Are you ever confused with that Rachael Brownell? Has it ever made for a super awkward situation?

Rachael: Ummm... yeah. About her. Let me just say for the record that I don’t know her, I’m not related to her and no, I didn’t write a book about getting sober. When I realized that someone else was already published under my real name, spelled the same and everything, I contemplated using a pen name but decided against it.

Jo: I can't imagine the comments. *face/palm* Time for rapid fire questions! Yellow or blue?

Rachael: blue

Jo: Niiiiice! Over the roll or under the roll (this is referring to the way the toilet paper comes off the roll on the holder)?

Rachael: under

Jo: B.J. Sheldon, did you hear that? *giggles* Fantasy or fact?

Rachael: fantasy


Jo: Great answer! Not that I expected anything less. Now I get to ask a cool question! *grin* Since the theme of utopYA Con 2015 is time travel, I’m going bananas with these little inserts. In the future, how many books do you think you’ll have published total, and what kind of impact do you see your stories having on the world?

Rachael: I hope to have at least 3 more out this year. The rest is yet to be determined. I try not to look too far into the future, I don’t want to let myself or anyone else down. As far as an impact on readers, if I am able to make one person love one of my books, one of my characters, or just one cover, it will all be worth it.

Jo: Well, one baby step at a time! *grin* I know you’re embroiled in a super-secret project with author Casey L. Bond—and it’s super-duper secret—but would you share a tiny tidbit (like a genre) with my readers? What made you two decide to write together?

Rachael: We’ve been talking about writing something together for a while. We’ve only shared a few fun facts with our street teams so I’ll share those with all of you as well…

1. It's a serial series.
2. It's dark, twisted and unlike anything we've ever written as individuals.
3. It's very unique--in a good way!
4. Here's the tag line of book one: HE'S NEVER LOST A GAME...

Jo: Eep! Sounds like it'll be amazing. I can't wait to read it! Do you see your writing career as something you’d like to eventually do full time, or do you think you’ll always be an off-time keybanger? Why/why not?

Rachael: I would love to do this all day every day but I also have a passion for my day job that will probably always keep me from giving it up.

Jo: Isn't it nice to love what you do? A huge thumbs-up for you, lady! Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had? Any little secrets hiding in your repertoire you’d like to share? *grin*

Rachael: If I gave away all my secrets there would be no mystery :)

Jo: True! Thought I had you for a second there. LOL! *wiggles brows* Sadly, that’s all the time I have for today. Thanks so much for being an awesome guest, Rachael! I’m looking forward to meeting you at utopYA in June!

Now, it’s time to tell you all about the featured book of the week!

Title: Holding On
Author: Rachael Brownell
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Length (print): 235 Pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle FREE  ~  Kobo FREE  ~  iBooks FREE  ~  B&N FREE



Synopsis:
For five years Becca has been struggling to hide her feelings for her best friend, Brad. Now she finally has a chance to move on. She’s in a new city, she’s attending a new school, and she’s met the first guy besides Brad who’s held her attention in a long time. Not only is Ethan attractive, he’s an amazing tennis player, and he might just be Becca’s match on and off the courts.

Brad has loved Becca for as long as he can remember. Now that Becca’s family has moved two thousand miles away, Brad may finally be ready to lay his heart on the line and do whatever it takes to hold on to Becca.

But is Brad too late? Or will Ethan’s secret drive Becca back into Brad’s arms? Torn between her love for Brad and the promise of something new and exciting with Ethan, Becca has an almost impossible choice to make, the choice between letting go or holding on.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give this lovely lady a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews (plus some)?

Facebook: Author Rachael Brownell
Twitter: @HoldingOn2013
Goodreads: Rachael Brownell
Website: Author Rachael Brownell
Amazon Author Page: Rachael Brownell on Amazon

Rachael has honored us with a giveaway! Get your clickin' fingers goin!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions, pop them into the comments below. Rachael will be around to answer and/or respond!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Paisley Reader, Lauren Miller, and Denise Grover Swank - utopYA Con 2015

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! This week, over on The Paisley Reader, there's a huge opportunity for you. I'll give you a snippet of Maria's (she's the blog owner) post and give you a link so you can go check it out. Without further ado...

From The Paisley Reader:

Now back to this fantastic opportunity.

Each of these amazing authors, in addition to their keynote addresses, will be answering 10 questions in a blog post interview on utopYA’s webpage.

Guess what? Eight of these questions in each interview will come from you! That’s right, EIGHT! This is your opportunity to ask your burning questions of these authors.

This week, I am accepting questions for Denise Grover Swank and Lauren Miller. That means you have sixteen...

Yeah, you're dying to know more, huh? Well, get on over to this post and check it out!

Week one was an interview I did with Marissa Meyer. If you didn't catch that, you should certainly do so. It can be found at this link.

If you missed the post from A Book Vacation where Shana had the awesomesauce that's Heather Hildenbrand bring you a guest post, be sure and pay the post a visit here.

Next week, Ashley (Book Junkie: Not so Anonymous) will give you the chance to ask Kim Holden a question or two.

How exciting is this?

What are you waiting for? Get over to Maria's blog and get those questions rolling!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo