Quick Poll - Reader Survey

Happy Thursday, everyone! *dances around the room* It's allllmost the weeeeeekend! So! Yesterday, I was having a discussion about the general reader audience. We want all the information! As you all know, I'll share the results here on the blog once everything is said and done. I just need you to click buttons, if you don't mind. *grin*

I'm thinking I'll keep this totally anonymous poll open for one week.

Let's find out some stuff about your reading habits, shall we?


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Are you eager to see the results? I know I am!

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

Jo

Thunderclap Me - Emancipation

Happy Wednesday, everyone!! I don't know about you, but my week has been kinda crazy. Do this here, do that there... I'm so happy it's hump day! Today, I have a wee little request for a smidgen of help. Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

As you all may know, Emancipation goes live March 22, 2016. We're doing a Thunderclap to help spread the word.

If you'd be so kind as to help support it, I'd be ever so grateful.

Just click here. Then, enjoy a teaser! *grin*

For a little fun, I'm giving away an awesome wall clock in the event on Facebook. You can check it out and enter here.

I'm also giving away an advance hardcover copy of Emancipation on my Facebook page here. That link will take you directly to the post.

Don't forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway, too! Two signed copies up for grabs!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Emancipation

by Jo Michaels

Giveaway ends March 22, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Thank you ahead of time for all the things you do to help a sister out!

How excited are you for this book?

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

Jo

The Heatstroke Line by Edward Rubin

Happy Tuesday! Today, I have a new author for you all to check out. I got an email from Mr. Rubin's PA, and I agreed to share with my lovely subscribers all the details about this new novel. So, grab your cup of Jo and let's get rocking and rolling!

About Edward Rubin:
Edward Rubin is University Professor of Law and Political Science at Vanderbilt University. He’s been a science fiction fan since fifth grade and currently teaches a course at Vanderbilt entitled “Visions of the Future in Science Fiction.” In addition, he was one of the organizers of a science fiction reading group at the Law School. Rubin has spoken about administrative law and legal theory at numerous academic conferences and workshops and has served as a consultant on administrative law to the People’s Republic of China.

Visit his website here.

Now, a little about Mr. Rubin's latest book.

Title: The Heatstroke Line
Author: Edward Rubin
Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Length (print): 229 pages
Buy Links: Paperback $14.95 Kindle $2.99
 

Blurb:
Edward Rubin explores an America ravaged by the disastrous effects of climate change. Coastal cities have become uninhabitable, sweltering heat devastates the interior and an ensuing civil war has broken the nation into smaller successor states and dozens of tiny principalities. Canada, where the climate remains tolerable, dominates the fractured remnants of the former United States.

Amid the chaos, scientist Daniel Danten ventures into the region below the Heatstroke Line (the former Southern states) to investigate the source of flesh-eating insects that afflict the remaining population there and threaten to invade the remainder of the country. The bizarre and brutal people he encounters when he is taken prisoner reveal the real horror that this environmental disaster has produced.

“We need to realize that climate change will have catastrophic effects on our own country,” said Rubin. “It’s not a remote problem, in either space or time.”

“The Heatstroke Line” stands apart from other global warming “cli-fi” novels by depicting an imaginable future, where modern homes, governments, schools and political conflicts still exist. The intent is to avoid the usual tropes of post-apocalyptic fiction, and confront the reality of climate change in a manner that will motivate believers to action and persuade climate change deniers to rethink their position.

Rubin was inspired to write the novel after a conversation with a colleague who shared his frustration with the apathy and opposition regarding climate change. The goal of his new book is to provide an engaging and entertaining story that induces people to think seriously about the impending disaster.

This is a novel that shows what climate change will do to the United States. It is intended as a warning. Many Americans are willing to deny the reality of climate change because they think that it will only affect tropical countries and oceanic islands that are far away from us. The Heatstroke Line depicts a United States that with its coastal cities flooded and its remaining land sweltering under debilitating heat. It has broken into smaller units that are in conflict with each other and it is dominated by more northerly nations, such as Canada, that now have temperate climates.

What do you think? Gonna check it out?

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

Jo

Cover Reveal - Bitter Bonds by Heather Osborne

Happy Monday! Hope you all got excellent rest over the weekend and are ready to kill it this week. I know I am. Today, I have another cover reveal for you all. So sit back, relax, grab a cup of Jo, and let's get to looking at the pretty.

First, some details about le book.

Title: Bitter Bonds
Author: Heather Osborne
Genre: Historical Romance
Expected publication: April 2016
Cover Design by: Christian Havran

From bestselling and award-winning author, Heather Osborne, comes a new historical romance of unrequited love and devious plots.

Blurb:
Brutally torn between duty and his heart, Henri Du Cormier never expected to be completely enraptured with Adrienne Beaumont, the sister of his betrothed. As the new owner of St. Esprit, Henri knows he must work his way into a tight-knit society, and spurning his fiancée will do the complete opposite. However, there are hidden secrets, black magic, and voodoo entwined like poisonous vines into the Louisiana plantation. Will Henri end up cursing himself in life and love?

Adrienne Beaumont is anything but ordinary in a world of demure, Southern belles. Desiring little more than to be rid of a vengeful older sister, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the mysterious Henri Du Cormier. As their lives grow increasingly entangled, will Adrienne give in to the burgeoning attraction, or will fate play another card?


Visit Heather's Facebook page, and find the book on Goodreads.

Ready for that cover? Me, too! Here ya go:

What do you think? Like it? Love it? Other? Tell me!

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

Jo

Cover Reveal - Unsocial by Nicole Dykes

Happy Friday! Wow, what a CRAZY week, huh? Where the hell did it go? I'm pretty sure yesterday was Monday. Anywhooooo!! Today, we have a cover reveal. Yeahhhhhh!! Here are the deets:

Title: Unsocial
Author: Nicole Dykes
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Blurb:
Dylan
I’m living the dream. A successful business owner of a custom car and motorcycle shop in Oklahoma and master of my own destiny. Other than my best friend and business partner my life is my own, and I answer to no one. Then my life changes with a single phone call and I’m back in Kansas fighting for guardianship of my four younger siblings. Now I answer to her, Brooke Porter.

Brooke
I’ve devoted myself for the past six years to my dream of being a social worker. My very first case are the Monroes, and professional and personal boundaries blur as I become closer to them. Now my dreams are of Dylan. The attraction Dylan and I have is heading us straight to unsocial behavior.

What will we be risking if we give in?

*Unsocial is a contemporary romance novel that contains mature content and is not suitable for anyone under 18.

You ready for that cover? I bet you are. Okay, okay. Here you go!

What do you think? Like? Love? Don't like? Gimmie the deets!

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

Jo

The Bound Series Omnibus by Stormy Smith

There’s a good chance you’ve seen posts about the Bound series before. It’s clean, new adult fantasy and series that’s been downloaded more than 100,000 times since the first book came out in July of 2014!

For the first time, Stormy Smith is offering the Bound series in a boxed set! You can get three full-length novels plus her bonus holiday novella for just $6.99! That’s a STEAL!

“These books are chock full of fabulous, complex characters and a beautifully-detailed world of magic like you've never read before.” – Reviewer

Bound by Duty, book one in the Bound series:

Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder, but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control, but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and doesn't even know his name. 

Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky southern girl, or fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is, not what she will become. 

As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head win the battle, or her heart?

Continue Amelia’s story in Bound by Spells and Bound by Prophecy. Then, enjoy the bonus novella, Bound Together.

“Each book keeps you guessing and will blow your mind with new revelations and twists you didn't see coming. A fantastic group of characters that are three-dimensional and grow as people throughout the series.” -- Reviewer

Here’s where to get your copy:

Amazon

iBooks

Nook

Kobo

What have reviewers said?

“This is definitely a series that needs to be on your TBR pile! These books are chock full of fabulous and complex characters and a beautifully detailed world of magic like you've never read before.” – Lenore

“With love, magic and a little bit of mayhem you will not be able to put these books down! They are definitely a 'one-sitting' read!!! You will love to hate the villians...they are truly the worst of the worst. Even the secondary characters will manage to steal your heart!” – MissPhyre

“I highly recommend the Bound series. Smith delivers a unique twist on the usual magic and shapeshifter tale. There’s suspense, romance, action, and intrigue. The plot is great and will definitely give you a book hangover. But, it is so worth the trip!” – Amazon Customer

About the author

A word nerd from the very beginning, Stormy Smith has always had her nose in a book or a pen in her hand. From a journalism degree to a public relations career, manipulating words has always been her forte. She never expected her love of stories to translate into writing them, but one day the words were there and couldn’t be stopped.

Stormy lives in Iowa’s capital with her husband and two crazy cats. When she isn’t working on, or thinking about, her books, Stormy’s favorite places include bar patios, live music shows, her yoga mat or anywhere she can relax with her husband or girlfriends.

Website: www.stormysmith.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorstormysmith

Twitter: @stormysmith

GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/stormysmith

Go get it and enjoy! :)

What do you think? Awesome?

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

Jo

UTOPiAcon 2016 - Nashville, TN, June 22-26 - Hot Venues, Food, and Celebrity Sightings

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today, we're touching on some of the amazing places you can visit in Nashville, and a couple of celebrity type topics. Ready? Let's get going!

First off, if you don't have tickets to the event, what are you waiting for? Get them here. Right now. Here's a little infographic that'll tell you what you get!

So, as you may know, Nashville is home to some big stars (like Blake Shelton, for example), but it's also home to some rather amazing food and some pretty cool star owned venues. I'm going to highlight one such venue, and tell you a little bit about the amazing food I had while I was at Utopia last year.

Let's start with pop star Tiffany. Y'all remember her from the 80s, right? Well, it just so happens she has a little clothing store in Nashville called Tiffany's Boutique. You can find it on Facebook here.

They're located at 1106 Fatherland Street, Nashville, TN (which is about 11 minutes from the Millennium Maxwell House hotel), and you can check out all the new stuff on their website here. Yes, it's very BoHo, but it's also pretty cool!

Now, as far as food goes, I'm sure you've all seen the commercials lately about KFC's Nashville Hot Chicken, right? Well, there's a place called Hattie B's, and Reagan Claire (a Nashville native) took me over there for some amazing food the day I arrived. A few other people joined the party (you don't go anywhere alone when you're at Utopia), and we had a fantastic time! Here's a photo of us being goofy and one of the sign.

We did have to drive there! But, as an alternative, if you're not a huge fan of hot chicken (experience it IN Nashville just once, I beg of you), and you don't have a car or a ride, the hotel shuttle will take you downtown to the strip. From the stop there, you can walk around a corner and have darn near any kind of food you want (and go Honkey-Tonking if you choose to do so). Well, the Fractured Glass ladies and I had a dinner date, so we hopped into a shuttle and moseyed on over. Of course, several people joined the party! It was amazing! Here's a couple of pictures from Jimmy Buffet's.

What's that you say? You want more about celebrities? Okay!

Just a couple of miles down Rosa Parks Blvd. (five minutes from the hotel), there's a place that does tours of Nashville called NashTrash Tours. You can find their website here, and I hear they have an uncanny knack of finding celebrities around the city. They ask that you book a few weeks out, so if you wanna do it, be sure you plan ahead.

If you'd like to hit a couple of hot spots on your own, here's a short list of celebrities and places they might be seen:
Nicole Kidman likes the Starbucks at 5 points in Franklin, along with the Country Boy restaurant in Liepers Fork, and she and Keith have been seen at J. Alexanders on the West end, and they like the Green Hills area on Sunday mornings.
Racecar driver Darrell Waltrip can be found at Famous Dave’s BBQ and at J. Alexanders.
Layla R'ul (weekend nights - guaranteed sightings of several celebrities).

If you want more, the other bloggers will be highlighting hot-spots, too! Be sure and pay them all a visit this month!
Week 1: Jo Michaels and Maria Pease
Week 2: Shana Benedict and Delphina Miyares
Week 3: Toni Lesatz and Ren Reidy
Week 4: Ashley Bodette and Kathryn Grimes