Review: Nobody's Damsel by E.M. Tippetts

 Chloe has finished her masters degree and taken a job as a forensic scientist back in her home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, only the press will not leave her alone. They follow her to crime scenes and report on her every move, eager to show that her marriage to Hollywood A-lister, Jason Vanderholt, is on the brink of collapse. Millions of fans who dream of their own celebrity romance with him want this more than anything. This scrutiny comes at a particularly bad time as Chloe's first case is a crime against a child roughly the same age that Chloe was when she survived a homicide attempt.

Now that she sees the case from an adult's perspective, she realizes it's much harder than she ever dreamed. It's even worse for Jason, who is two steps removed from the crime. He must watch and try to support his wife as she battles with past demons and tries to keep up with a nameless suspect who evades identification and capture. Never has Jason been more frustrated with his job, its frivolities, and its lack of connection to the real world. When he storms off the set of his latest movie, the press goes wild with conjecture. Perhaps he never was anything more than a pretty face after all.

Together, Chloe and Jason must find their way past all the popping flashbulbs and through the dark maze of the criminal investigation to discover whether they can balance their professional goals with the demands of a celebrity marriage. The odds are entirely against them.

This is the sequel to Someone Else's Fairytale that I reviewed back in March.  Picking up shortly after the wedding of Chloe and Jason, we find their marriage on shaky ground as Chloe is starting her first day on the job as a forensic scientist and Jason off on location. Finding herself questioning if their marriage is solid, Chloe has to figure out how to juggle her job and marriage to a hot celebrity that cannot move without his actions being plastered all over a tabloid.  I found the continued love story of these two to be as darling as it was in the first book, clearly both of them in love and unsure of how to handle the pressure of the media and the fans that dream of having Jason for themselves.  I did feel that their relationship was the backstory of this particular book, as the crime she was part of the investigative team on took priority.  That particular story I thought was interesting and kept me eagerly turning the pages to find out how it was resolved.  There is a parallel "movie script" running along with the story, which is interesting to see how it eventually weaves into the crime investigation.

I think that the characters are absolutely charming and extremely likable.  Chloe does still carry around a lot of the emotional baggage from the first book that while frustrating, makes her the woman that Jason falls in love with and is willing to fight for. I hope that we will get a third book in this series as I'm anxious to see what the future holds for these two characters. 

**Everyone who leaves a comment on the CLP Blog Tour book page for Nobody's Damsel will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Nobody's Damsel before May 20 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**  

Author Bio:

E.M. Tippetts grew up in New Mexico and now lives in London, where she raises two boisterous toddlers, designs jewelry, and writes novels. A former attorney, she used to specialize in real estate and estate planning, specifically literary estate planning. She currently has five novels out, Time & Eternity, Paint Me True, Someone Else's Fairytale, Castles on the Sand, and Nobody's Damsel (Fairytale 2).

Connect with E.M.

www.emtippetts.com

twitter.com/emtippetts

www.facebook.com/emtippetts

www.goodreads.com/author/show/1470927.Emily_Mah_Tippetts

www.amazon.com/E.M.-Tippetts/e/B001JP3ZRK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_7?qid=1363303467&sr=8-7

Buy the Book!

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Nobodys-Damsel-Someone-Fairytale-ebook/dp/B00AWYHX22/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1366669814&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nobodys-damsel-em-tippetts/1114069654?ean=9781481147637

Kobo:

http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Nobodys-Damsel/book-RA97XdXRV0iimGgEI5zQAg/page1.html?s=pb2YYCnRV0aYXHiq7xC6ow&r=1

Review: Love In Translation by Sara Palacios

Still reeling from an unexpected breakup, Emily nurses her broken heart by spending time with her best friends and taking one-too-many vodka shots. After one long night, she takes a hard look inside herself and doesn’t like what she sees. She realizes that she has sacrificed too much in her failed relationships from the past and vows to never settle for anything less than almost-perfect again. As she picks up the pieces and regains her confidence, a sexy Spanish chef moves in across the hall and knocks her off her feet. What ensues is an unexpected and tantalizing affair that opens her eyes - and her heart - to a whole new world and leaves her feeling sexier than she has ever felt. Emily finally sees how easy love is supposed to be. Is happily-ever-after actually possible? Just when she starts to think so, she realizes that sometimes life gets more complicated before it gets easier. And complicated is an understatement when Steven (her best and oldest friend in the world) confesses his love for her. Everything spirals out of control as Emily must make a choice between love and friendship, and in doing so, possibly risk it all. LOVE IN TRANSLATION is a modern day love story about following your heart to unexpected places and taking chances in life … because sometimes you will find exactly what you are looking for.

You have to love a book that opens with your heroine "stalking" an ex-boyfriend, tailing him like a pro in her car, and ducking down to avoid being scene.  And ignoring your best friend wanting to know what in the blue blazes you are doing, of course.  That is how we meet Emily, broken-hearted after boyfriend, David, dumps her for another woman. Emily is a fun lead character to get to know.  She is charming, witty, a little naive at times, but always trying to do the right thing for everyone in her life.  I love the friendship that is displayed between her and her two best girlfriends, Deana and Sophie. And while she is blind to the obvious interest that her best male friend, Steven, has in her, there is a great vibe between them.  Add in the spicy hot new neighbor, Andres, and Emily has a busy schedule on her hands.  I love that you were never certain who Emily would pick...I definitely had my favorite and who I was rooting for (and yay, she picked him) but it was obvious that both men would do right by her.

This is the debut novel of Sara Palacios and you would never guess it.  She writes like she has been doing this professionally for years.  She knows what type of story to weave to get the reader completely invested and to hold them there until the book ends and you give a satisfied sigh of contentment. I read this book in one sitting, knowing that I would be dragging at work the next day but not caring. If you want a book full of humor, friendship, and romance, then I highly recommend taking this one for a spin.

You can purchase LOVE IN TRANSLATION here:

Amazon: Print or Kindle
Barnes and Noble: Nook




Author Bio:
 
When she isn’t busy reading or writing, Sara enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is happily married, the owner of two precious doggies and a new mom to a handsome baby boy. Sara is also an avid animal-lover, runner, yoga enthusiast, wannabe vegan, USA soccer fan, foodie and fashion blog-lover and Christian.

Bio: Sara Palacios is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a major in Advertising and a minor in English Literature. It was during her time in college that she really fell in love with the written word and ventured into writing her own stories. In addition to writing, Sara spends a majority of her time reading the works of other authors.  She reads most genres  – but thoroughly enjoys chick-lit, women’s and historical fiction.

Interview with author Sara Palacios

Most people know Sara Palacios as part of the fabulously awesome team at Chick Lit Plus, but she is also a debut author with her wonderful, LOVE IN TRANSLATION, currently out.  (Stay tuned as my review will be posted in a few minutes as well.) Sara graciously took a few minutes out of her busy day (a little guy in her life means she is one busy mommy) to do a quick interview. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.   Welcome to Michelle's Book Nook, Sara!

Have you always wanted to write?

To be honest, I haven’t always wanted to write. The itch came early on in college and I haven’t been able to contain it since.

What inspired you to write LOVE IN TRANSLATION?

 

I think a little bit of inspiration came from my relationship with my husband. He grew up speaking Spanish and learned English as a second language—although you wouldn’t know it today. I was trying to think of something unique in terms of a love story and then one day a light bulb went off and I thought, “wouldn’t it be really interesting to throw two people into a love story but have a language barrier?” And as the saying goes, the rest is history. J

Who do you most identify with out of all of your characters?

I think there is a little of me in all of them but it really is a very small portion. I actually based a bigger portion of the characters personality quirks after a few friends of mine. But, let’s keep that between us, okay? ;)

What is a typical writing day like for you?

 This is something that I have been struggling with as of late, to be honest. Before my son was born, I was diligent about my writing routine and would right every night before bed and sometimes early in the morning, but that is no longer the case. Now, I write whenever I can. I am in the process of trying to get into a routine but that is definitely easier said than done.

How did you celebrate your publication day?

I went out to dinner with my husband and son. And I smiled. A lot!

Did you cast your characters in your mind or do you use vision boards/Pinterest/pictures to bring them to life?

 I usually cast them in my mind but for Andres, I had a mental image of a combination of a few men. Poor me, right? But, for the new book, I am using Pinterest and movies and songs. For me, music is really, really critical in setting the mood for a scene which is funny, because I am not really a music kind of gal. But, it works for me for right now, so I am going to run with it.

Just for the fun of it:

Dream vacation? New Zealand. Hands down. I would love to see where Lord of the Rings was filmed and I would also love to go skiing there!
Celebrity Crush? Taylor Kitsch. Texas forever, baby!

Guilty Pleasure song? Right now I am a huge fan of Give It All We Got Tonight by George Strait. My new book takes place in the country and I am really digging country music these days.

What is at the top of your bucket list? I don’t really have a bucket list. To be honest, I just want to live each day to its fullest and be the happiest me that I can be. Is that lame? It sounds lame but it’s the truth.

Sara Palacios

Author of LOVE IN TRANSLATION

Bio: Sara Palacios is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a major in Advertising and a minor in English Literature. It was during her time in college that she really fell in love with the written word and ventured into writing her own stories. In addition to writing, Sara spends a majority of her time reading the works of other authors. She reads most genres – but thoroughly enjoys chick-lit, women’s and historical fiction.

When she isn’t busy reading or writing, Sara enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is happily married, the owner of two precious doggies and a new mom to a handsome baby boy. Sara is also an avid animal-lover, runner, yoga enthusiast, wannabe vegan, USA soccer fan, foodie and fashion blog-lover and Christian. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to email her at sararpalacios@gmail.com.

Review: The Karmic Connection by Libby Mercer

What is the universe up to?

 

Guilty of nothing other than working too much – or so they say – Adam Stowe is dumped at a “wellness center” in the middle of nowhere by a couple of concerned colleagues. When he meets Lorraine, the beautiful and bewitching yoga instructor, his spirits start to lift, but once he discovers what a flighty fruitcake she is, they drop back down to subterranean levels.

 

For Lorraine Jameson, Luna Wellness Center was a beacon of solace when her life was falling apart, and she can’t stand the way Adam’s toxic energy is poisoning the peace. He embodies everything negative about the life she discarded eighteen months ago. Despite being fiercely attracted to the arrogant man, she’s determined not to let Adam Stowe anywhere near her heart.

 

Adam and Lorraine couldn’t be more unsuitable as a potential couple… so why is the universe so dead set on uniting these two?

 

The Karmic Connection is a different kind of love story with a cast of quirky characters and a mystical, magical New Age-y flavor.

 

-----------

 

Do you believe that when you meet your soulmate that karma steps in and sends the sparks flying through the roof?  Adam Stowe and Lorraine Jameson don't, but they are about to get hit full force by those sparks flying. 

 

In Libby Mercer's new novel, The Karmic Connection, she takes workaholic Adam and yogi Lorraine and puts them into one hilarious situation after another.  Adam, clearly annoyed to be forced into a vacation that was not wanted, goes out of his ways to push buttons.  Especially when he sees they are getting a rise out of Lorraine, hiding from her past and not wanting to admit to the attraction she feels for Adam.  Normally I shy away from "Ka-Pow! We are destined to be together" stories, but the author weaves such a clever tale that I couldn't put the book down.  I adored the story of Adam and Lorraine, all their quirks making them all the more appealing. Ms. Mercer gets into the head of her two lead characters, switching smoothly between the point of view of both of them in alternating chapters. She paints the picture of a woman hurt by past actions and scared to open up to the possibility of loving someone that is business driven. Then quickly turns around to show a work-aholic who doesn't know what else to do with himself until he is forced to relax by his boss. The inevitable collision of the two is a thrill ride.  The eccentric characters of Luna Wellness Center help keep Lorraine and Adam from killing each other, while providing humorous distractions along the way.  This was an absolute joy to read, I find myself loving Libby Mercer's voice more and more with each book.  She wrote a fun story full of characters that you could see yourself hanging out with, enjoying some herbal tea and a yoga class. Brava, Libby!  You have another hit on your hands!

 

Excerpt: A Good Kind of Knowing by Kathy Lynn Harris

In January I did a review of Kathy Lynn Harris' new book, "A Good Kind of Knowing". This is such a heartwarming and heartbreaking book and I'm excited to offer you an excerpt here today.

Imagine if Maeve Binchy grew up in Texas and wrote an old-school Larry McMurtry novel. Think Hope Floats meets High Fidelity. That’s how critics are describing A Good Kind of Knowing—from the author of the highly acclaimed and number-one Amazon bestseller, Blue Straggler. A Good Kind of Knowing is a novel about the power of music and friendship, the relationship two-steps that go on in old Texas dancehalls, and the secret to finding just a little bit of common ground in a world full of distrust. Sera Taylor's store is the one place in Lakeville, Texas, where individuals from all walks of life share a universal love for music and a respect for the gypsy-like woman behind the antique glass counter. Readers get a taste of the unorthodox connection between Sera and Mack, a young local cowboy and musician, and Sera’s previously untested devotion to her husband Bill. They learn of her relationship with Ruby D., the vibrant but misguided mother of five; with Louie, the shy high school band director; with Beverly, the religious, upper-class socialite; with Antonio, a local bar owner striving to make a life for himself; with Tommy Lee, a rich and directionless gigolo; and with Wes, the only out-of-the closet gay man for miles. As Sera battles a serious illness, the characters must overcome long-held stereotypes to save Sera’s store, and in the end, large parts of themselves.

 Chapter 1

Morning clouds hung heavy and low, holding in for as long as they could the hint of relief the night air had offered. Before long, the white rays that seemed so benign behind the gray clouds would turn bright as fire and wrap all who dared to step outside in their unforgiving heat. It was summer, it was Texas—and not even Willie Nelson’s Christmas album would help today.

  Sera popped Willie from her cassette player and flipped through the pile of tapes on the front seat of her mint-condition, 1958 Cadillac Eldorado. She hummed and rolled down her windows, waiting for the renovated air conditioning to kick in and cool her sweat-dampened forehead. A wave of aching nausea crept up on her, another one of many hitting without warning these days. Must be this God-awful heat, she thought. Or a stomach virus she just couldn’t shake. Either that or a post-hysterectomy birth fit for the tabloids was on the horizon.   
    
     “Monday ... Wednesday ... Sunday ... There you are.”       

 Sera pulled a homemade tape from the heap. The title scribbled in purple ink read “Friday - Aretha.” She slid in the tape and turned up the volume as she backed out of her narrow driveway. Aretha’s commentary on chains of fools floated out into the humid air, greeting a neighbor—the school teacher from one street over—as he walked his Dalmatian past Sera and Bill’s small blue house. Sera waved. The dog tugged on the leash toward a thick patch of grass.

 With one hand lifting her unruly auburn hair off her neck, Sera turned the Caddy onto Lincoln Avenue, easing through an intersection with only a trace of a yield, much less a stop. She felt better. 

 It was early for most businesses in town. The streetlights still buzzed and the neon beer signs glowed in the windows of the Circle H convenience store.            

So empty, this town in the mornings, Sera thought. Empty, and always the same. Lincoln was the town’s most traveled street, the one with three traffic lights in a row, and it was deserted except for a police car patrolling the first hours of the day shift. On down by the elementary school, a few walkers in Liz Claiborne pastel short sets peppered the city’s only park—three entire blocks of faded wooden seesaws, swingsets with squeaking chains and a lopsided, nowhere-near-safety-code merry-go-round. In the center of it all, a red brick pavilion had been built for hosting school picnics and birthday parties. And on either side of the pavilion, each equal distance from the middle of the park, stood two sets of drinking fountains—relics left over from a past no one bothered to forget in this Central Texas town.

 Sera looked forward to Fridays at her shop, not only because of the receipts, which were good, but because it signaled the weekend’s beginning. It was, after all, the day just about everyone in Lakeville got paid and the day customers came from across a three-county area.   

She grinned as she drove into the parking lot in front of the white, wood-framed store, avoiding potholes just off the city street. Mack’s rusting brown truck with square bales of hay piled in the back was parked by the front door, pulled across several faded parking lines. His black Labrador Retriever paced on top of the bales, and chunks of crusty, dried mud clung to the back fenders. Hank Williams’s voice streamed from the cab.

Crumbling gravel crunched under her tires as Sera pulled the Caddy in beside him. Mack leaned against the truck door.            

That young man is nothing but legs, she thought.

 His faded jeans and worn work boots looked out of place among the vivid yellow roses stubbornly growing where the parking lot ended. Mack no doubt had a gig tonight at a local dance hall or beer joint, probably at the Elks Lodge or over at the VFW hall. And he probably needed strings or picks or some other last-minute necessity.            

He came around to open the Cadillac door, which let out its usual groan. “Morning, Sera. Need some help?”           

She admired Mack’s manners. It was nice to be treated like a lady every now and then. Not that Bill didn’t open doors, carry in groceries, those husbandly sorts of things. But with Mack, it was different. Throw in intense eyes the color of a crisp blue sky and that slow drawl, and you’ve got a pretty damn good mix for a Lakeville boy. If she didn't know better, she'd swear he was an offspring of Robert Redford. He had this quiet, charming air about him. Sera chided him regularly about why some young groupie hadn’t snatched him up yet. Lord knows there were always plenty hanging out after his shows. Mack, of course, denied it all—just wasn’t his style to discuss such things.


Author Bio:

Kathy Lynn Harris is the author of two novels: Blue Straggler, a former Amazon #1 bestseller in three categories, and the award-winning A Good Kind of Knowing. In addition, Kathy has written magazine and newspaper articles, an online column on mountain living, short fiction, essays and really bad poetry. Her work has also appeared in numerous published anthologies. In April 2013, Kathy will release her third children’s book, Higgenbloom and the Dancing Grandmas. Kathy grew up in a South Texas ranching family, but made the move from Texas to the Colorado Rockies in 2001 to focus on her writing and soak up All Things Mountain. Kathy’s blog, You Can Take the Girl Out of Texas, But …, can be found on her website, kathylynnharris.com. She lives west of Denver in a haunted (she’s sure of it!) 1920s cabin with her husband, son and two fairly untrainable golden retriever mixes. 


 Connect with Kathy!


Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Buy the Book!


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009V3G93O 

Review: Someone Else's Fairytale by EM Tippetts

Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood's hottest actor, falls head over heels for everygirl, Chloe Winters, who hasn't gotten around to watching most of his movies. She becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn't her fairytale.

Who hasn't dreamed of a chance meeting with that hot Hollywood actor and having him fall head over heels in love with you?  This girl definitely has!  Chloe Winters has not!  And the meeting with Hollywood's newest "it boy", Jason Vanderholt, on the set of his latest movie did not sweep Chloe off of her feet. In fact, quite the opposite, she tends to shy away from his attention.  This intrigues Jason all the more as he tries everything to get to know Chloe.  Along the way to their inevitable romance, we learn about Chloe's horrific past with a crazy half brother, a rather childish mother, and more family secrets than one person should have to deal with.

This book was such a delightful read. It is a very sweet love story with two likable characters that just have to get past their differences to get together. The supporting characters make you cheer for and gnash your teeth over their behavior as much as you root for Chloe to learn that fairytales do exist and that this IS her fairytale.  EM Tippetts has a great voice and as soon as I tore through this book, I dove right into the sequel, NOBODY'S DAMSEL. (Review to come!)  I hope that there is more chick lit coming our way soon from this talented lady.

How I Balance Science Fiction and Chick Lit Writing by E.M. Tippetts

How I Balance Science Fiction and Chick Lit Writing

I’ll begin with a note of honesty and admit that I don’t balance them all that well. Last year I wrote and sold exactly one science fiction story while I did two chick lit/YA novels, but I get that this question focuses on the general. How do I be a science fiction writer, for which I use the name Emily Mah, and a chick lit writer, for which I use the name E.M. Tippetts.

To start with, a brief history of how this happened. Emily Mah is my maiden name and I always wanted to be a science fiction and fantasy author. That’s where I did my training, at the Clarion West Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy and in the Critical Mass Writer’s Group. That’s the genre in which all my stories fit. I grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico; what other people consider science fiction is just normal life for me, and I’ve always loved a good fantasy book. All of my sales in this genre have been short stories.

But when I turned thirty, I decided I wanted to publish one novel somewhere, so I chose the LDS market. There is a small group of publishers and bookstores in Utah and the mountain west who cater to Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and because it’s a smaller market, it’s much easier to be published there. I used my married name, Tippetts, and abbreviated my first two names to initials because I liked the sound of it: E.M. Tippetts. Using this name I wrote a chick lit novel which sold to the second publisher I sent it to, and a year later I was a published novelist, but I ended up in so many contract bickerings with the publisher that we parted ways and I called that all good. I’d go back to being Emily Mah and move on with my writing.

Still, chick lit novels kept itching at my awareness, so I wrote a couple and just left them on my hard drive while I began to sell science fiction short stories to some of the bigger, more prestigious markets. And then my Clarion West classmate, Susan Ee, decided to indie publish her novel, Angelfall, and I couldn’t help but notice that this looked like a ton of fun, being your own boss as a novelist. I didn’t want to go indie as Emily Mah, though, because traditional publishing still can look down on the self published. I wanted to preserve my good name, so to speak, so I thought instead I’d indie publish my chick lit novels.

I turned this into an exercise for myself, to learn marketing. Without any publisher or publicist, it was all up to me, so I decided to see if I could do enough on my own to sell books. The answer appears to be yes, as I made a lot more money as E.M. Tippetts last year than I ever have as Emily Mah.

This is the situation you find me in now. It’s been a year since my crazy experiment to try indie publishing and I’m loving the process. That’s what keeps me writing as E.M. Tippetts. But in my heart, I’ll always be a geek and love science fiction. Science fiction stories still ask to be told, so what I plan to do is take time between each novel to work on at least one. How well will this work? I have no idea. This is still very much the beginning for me. Later on this year or early next, I may dust of my last science fiction novel and submit it around to agents too, but only once I feel like I’m in a good rhythm with my chick lit writing.

Let me say this to any aspiring writers, though: give a lot of thought to names. Do you write one kind of story, or do you have a clear line of demarcation? If so, take on a second name. This is a branding issue. You might have no trouble hopping from one genre to another when you write, but it’s surprising how conservative readers can be. Many don’t stray very far from one genre they love, so don’t ever put one in the situation of thinking they’ll get one genre when they pick up a book and ending up reading another. I’ve spoken to several authors who wish they’d taken on a pen name for a different venture. It isn’t always necessary, if you always write romance and have a fantasy element in a romance novel, that doesn’t require differentiation, but if you write a hard science fiction with robots and a big space battle, you’ll probably want to use a different name for that one. The names don’t have to be all that different, either. Iain Banks/Iain M. Banks is a good example there. You can still be you, just give your fans a clear signpost.

Author Bio:

E.M. Tippetts grew up in New Mexico and now lives in London, where she raises two boisterous toddlers, designs jewelry, and writes novels. A former attorney, she used to specialize in real estate and estate planning, specifically literary estate planning. She currently has five novels out, Time & Eternity, Paint Me True, Someone Else's Fairytale, Castles on the Sand, and Nobody's Damsel (Fairytale 2).

Connect with E.M.

www.emtippetts.com

twitter.com/emtippetts

www.facebook.com/emtippetts

www.goodreads.com/author/show/1470927.Emily_Mah_Tippetts

www.amazon.com/E.M.-Tippetts/e/B001JP3ZRK/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_7?qid=1363303467&sr=8-7