AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT: REVIEW TOUR

A big thank you to Marianne and Judy from Goddess Fish for hosting me and the other authors here today. I've enjoyed the various comments and appreciate everyone who has joined us here today. I've also put quite a dent in the Amazon gift card I received for Christmas, having bought a half-dozen of the books spotlighted today (and counting).

I hope you will consider joining me during my Goddess Fish Review Tour from January 7-18, 2013, and comment during the tour for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Links to the tour stops are as follows:

January 7: DanaSquare
January 8: SnifferWalk
January 8: STOP 2 Harlie's Book Blog
January 9: Maggie's Meanderings
January 10: My Reading Obsession
January 10: STOP 2 Journey with Books
January 11: The Bunny's Review
January 14: Kate Patrick...unlock your fantasies
January 15: My Devotional Thoughts
January 16: Wicked Readings By Tawania
January 17: The Brunette Librarian

Thanks again for joining me here today and please comment before 9 p.m. EST on any of my posts for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card. I will pick the winner out of hat just after 9 p.m. EST and post the winner in the comments.
Have a wonderful week!

Away from the Spotlight Synopsis:

In the closing weeks of law school, Shannon Sutherland meets handsome and charming Englishman, Will MacKenzie. Initially swept off her feet, Shannon finds that Will has a secret that, once discovered and the consequences realized, could destroy their fledgling relationship. Will and Shannon take great pains to have a normal relationship but, ultimately, find it impossible to do so. Will the pressures of their careers and the temptations of others drive Will and Shannon apart? Can Will and Shannon live a happy life away from the spotlight?

Tamara Carlisle takes you on a romantic ride that explores the consequences of fame and a love that endures all.

Away from the Spotlight Buy Links:

Amazon   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes & Noble

My Website, Social Media and Other Useful Links:

TamaraCarlisle.com   Authorgraph   Facebook   Goodreads

Google+   Google Blogger   Pinterest   Shelfari   Twitter

Away from the Spotlight: Behind the Music

There are a number of music references in Away from the Spotlight, some are obvious and some are not-so-obvious. Being the music fanatic that I am, I got a kick out of writing them.

The obvious: The band that played at the concert at the beginning of the story may appear easy to guess, but I managed to use multiple references for this band. The two band members are brothers, with one being the lead singer and the other being the writer and guitarist. For any fan of 90's Britpop, this is obviously Oasis. If you notice the fact that I added that the bass player had been a member of another popular British band (in reality, Ride), bonus points for you. But not so fast. I was not only referencing Oasis. The last name of the brothers was O'Neill - this is in reference to the brothers from a band called That Petrol Emotion. The fact that the band members were fans of Liverpool F.C. is a reference to Liverpool band, Echo and the Bunnymen. Now why would I include a concert in my story? The point of the concert was to show that Will had friends in high places, which should have been a major clue to Shannon that Will was more than he appeared.

The not-so-obvious: I used music references in Will's movie titles. The Funeral Party is an actual name of a Cure song that I thought would make a good ensemble movie title a la The Big Chill. Maida Vale is home to Robert Smith of The Cure and I thought it would make a great name for a British period piece. In keeping with my Cure theme, I tweaked the name of a Cure song, All Cats Are Grey, so that it became All Castles Are Grey, figuring that the title would sound like a stuffy Oscar-caliber British film. Finally, Will's rival for Shannon's affections was named, "John Maher." "Maher" is the real spelling of the last name of Johnny Marr, the guitarist from The Smiths, Modest Mouse and other bands.

A lot of authors use real places, music, and movies in their stories. However, I feared that using real references ultimately would make the story seem dated. In addition, I simply had fun making up the names.

I hope you all enjoy Away from the Spotlight and keep an eye out for my next novel to be published, The Call of the Limelight.

Away from the Spotlight Synopsis:

In the closing weeks of law school, Shannon Sutherland meets handsome and charming Englishman, Will MacKenzie. Initially swept off her feet, Shannon finds that Will has a secret that, once discovered and the consequences realized, could destroy their fledgling relationship. Will and Shannon take great pains to have a normal relationship but, ultimately, find it impossible to do so. Will the pressures of their careers and the temptations of others drive Will and Shannon apart? Can Will and Shannon live a happy life away from the spotlight?

Tamara Carlisle takes you on a romantic ride that explores the consequences of fame and a love that endures all.

Comment here or on any of my other posts today for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card (separate from the Goddess Fish giveaway).

Away from the Spotlight Buy Links:

Amazon   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes & Noble

My Website, Social Media and Other Useful Links:

TamaraCarlisle.com   Authorgraph   Facebook   Goodreads
Google+   Google Blogger   Pinterest   Shelfari   Twitter

Tamara Carlisle: Sneak Peek - The Call of the Limelight

My upcoming novel (to be published in early 2013) tells the story of the romance between a young Irish musician, Niall Robertson, and a somewhat older businesswoman, Kate Maxwell, from Los Angeles. They meet in Glasgow, Scotland, when she is on vacation with her then-fiancé.

Niall and Kate spend a romantic, but fairly platonic, evening together. They exchange contact information, but do not remain in contact. While they remain out of contact, Kate breaks it off with her fiancé and Niall’s band is signed. Kate contacts Niall after hearing his band on the radio. They meet again when Niall’s band is in concert in Los Angeles. The story then detail’s the couple’s struggle to maintain the relationship between the increasingly famous and itinerant musician and the woman looking to settle down and start a family.

Here's an excerpt:

The very next morning, I had a text waiting for me, apparently sent not long after I had sent mine. I smiled excitedly as I opened the message, supposing that, if Niall hadn’t remembered me, he wouldn’t have replied. “On the road. It’s one big blur & I couldn’t tell u where I am right now. I made arrangements & will have a ticket for u at will-call in Los Angeles. It will be wonderful to see u again, Kate. – Niall.”

I noted his use of the singular, “ticket.” Clearly, he wasn’t inviting Alan or perhaps he did note the use of my maiden name. Confirming that I would be there, I replied, “I’ll see you in 2 months. It will be wonderful to see you again too. Take care of yourself on the road. And, remember, no supermodel girlfriend at dinner, please. ;-) – Kate,”

In light of the fact that he was on tour, I didn’t expect to hear from Niall again. Nevertheless, he replied almost immediately. “So you really think I’m living the cliché? No supermodel girlfriend. I told u – I am rubbish with women. A hit record hasn’t changed anything. – Niall.”

I couldn’t help but reply, “I do believe that a hit record hasn’t changed u, but I don’t agree with your opinion of yourself with women. U were good with me & I’m a woman – at least I appear to have all the right parts. Let me check . . . Yep, they’re all there. C u soon. – Kate.”

Sure enough, I received a reply again almost immediately, “I nearly choked when I read your text. I am quite well aware of your girl parts. No need to remind me. But you must be a married woman by now & I should not be thinking about them. I do have some scruples. Okay, so I’m a musician & I don’t have many, but I do have some. – Niall.”

I replied again, enjoying the banter, “Alan & I broke up months ago. Not married. Barely dating, if u could call it that. Maybe it’s me who is crap with men? – Kate.”

Again, I received a reply almost immediately. “U should see the smile on my face right now. I need to talk to u, to hear your voice. When can I ring u? I’m in your American South right now so, with the time difference and my promotional commitments, it means I’ll have to plan it. Have to run now. Let me know when & I’ll phone. And you are in no way crap with men. I speak from experience. – Niall.”

I sat there for a moment, holding my phone in stunned silence. I couldn’t believe that I had meant anything to Niall. In fact, I had wondered if he even would remember me. With the passage of a year and a half after one mostly platonic evening together and with the events surrounding The Breakthrough’s rise to fame, I couldn’t imagine that the memory of me wouldn’t have been locked away somewhere as unimportant and promptly forgotten. . . .

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and that you’ll continue to check my website (www.tamaracarlisle.com) for updates regarding the publication date. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my currently-published novel, Away from the Spotlight.

In the comments below, tell me what you think! Be sure to comment on this post or on my earlier post (click on link here) for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card (in addition to the Goddess Fish Amazon gift card giveaway).

Away from the Spotlight Buy Links:

Amazon   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes & Noble

My Website, Social Media and Other Useful Links:

TamaraCarlisle.com   Authorgraph   Facebook   Goodreads
Google+   Google Blogger   Pinterest   Shelfari   Twitter

Away from the Spotlight: (Giveaway and) It’s All in the Details

Good morning!   Thank you for joining us here at the Goddess Fish Party Pavilion!  I am excited to be back to kick off my Goddess Fish Review Tour for Away from the Spotlight here at the Monthly Release Party!

I thought I’d start off this morning by talking a little bit about the plot of Away from the Spotlight.

As fans of the romance genre, we all know that the plots of stand-alone romance novels generally are designed in the same relative structure:

(1) Boy meets girl (or boy and girl meet again after a significant period of time has passed);

(2) Boy and girl fall in love (even if one or both don’t realize it immediately);

(3) An issue exists that prevents boy and girl from continuing or progressing in their relationship (either internal to one or both of the characters or an external roadblock);

(4) Boy and girl overcome issue; and

(5) Boy and girl start their happily ever after.

Even the issues tend to be similar from novel-to-novel:

(1) Family or community objections;

(2) Misunderstandings;

(3) Ongoing trauma or hang-ups from earlier experiences;

(4) Personal tragedies;

(5) Temptations of others; or

(6) Work-related issues.

In light of this long-used formula and these commonly utilized issues, how did I try to keep things fresh and surprising for the readers of Away from the Spotlight?  It’s all in the details.  For a few hundred pages, the reader steps into the shoes of my heroine and lives her experiences as a law student and, later, a lawyer as she engages in a relationship with someone she later finds out is a world-famous actor.  The reader becomes part of a story that is just enough of a fairy tale to be different from the reader’s life experience, but is grounded in enough reality to make it seem as if it really could happen.

What else did I do to differentiate Away from the Spotlight from other romance novels?  My hero and heroine do get their happily ever after, but certainly not as would be expected.

Thank you again for joining me here at the Goddess Fish Party Pavilion and please check out Away from the Spotlight on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Please comment below (and include your e-mail address) for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.  This is separate from the Goddess Fish giveaway.  Let me know what it is that interests you in selecting a particular novel to read – is it the genre, the heroine, the hero or something else?  I will randomly select a winner at 9 p.m. EST and post the winner’s name in the comments below.

Away from the Spotlight Synopsis:

In the closing weeks of law school, Shannon Sutherland meets handsome and charming Englishman, Will MacKenzie. Initially swept off her feet, Shannon finds that Will has a secret that, once discovered and the consequences realized, could destroy their fledgling relationship. Will and Shannon take great pains to have a normal relationship but, ultimately, find it impossible to do so. Will the pressures of their careers and the temptations of others drive Will and Shannon apart? Can Will and Shannon live a happy life away from the spotlight?

Tamara Carlisle takes you on a romantic ride that explores the consequences of fame and a love that endures all.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Amazon.co.uk

Barrnes & Noble

My Website, Social Media and Other Useful Links:

TamaraCarlisle.com

Authorgraph

Facebook

Goodreads

Google+

Google Blogger

Pinterest

Shelfari

Twitter

So You Learn a Little About Me

I've been telling you all about my book the "The Unwilling Widow."

Thought you might also want to learn a little about me.

No, I am not a widow. The thought of it freeze my heart and I just want to cry. I've been married to my wonderful husband for twenty-five years and have two wonderful boys, who are in college.

My husband works in the logistic industry and has been the CFO for a number of small transportation company. Yes, I'm sorta of a part of the Executive Wives Club.

My days are filled with writing and surfing the internet. You can probably tell that by the number of places you can find me.

Home - www.tinagayle.net

Blog - www.tinagayle.blogspot.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle

Goodread - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle

Google + - https://plus.google.com
Linkin - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Come visit me any time,

Tina Gayle

The Cost of Halloween?

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $5.8bn (£3.6bn) on Halloween last year. In times of spending cuts and job insecurity that is a staggering amount of money.

In some instances, according to a survey by market research firm Mintel, preparations begin weeks before the event and discovered 23% of Americans would buy special decorations for their home, the second largest proportion for any holiday, after Christmas.
Welcome to the world of the "home haunters", enthusiasts who dedicate months every year putting together awesome Halloween displays in their front gardens.

For most there is no commercial element. They do it because they can and they enjoy both the preparation and the reactions of the legions of parents and young trick-or-treaters who turn up at suburban front gardens to see how far a hobby can go.

In some instances fame spread so far and wide arrangement had to be put in place to control the sight-seers such as closing off roads.  In some cases home owners have had to move if they wanted to maintain their annual displays, while others raise funds for charity.

For some, their love of Halloween has created businesses.  Such as for the man who spends most of his year carving custom ordered tombstones!

Lesley Bannatyne, author of Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History, explains that while it originated in the UK, Halloween started took on an important, communal element in the early 20th Century when it was something that could be celebrated by a range of immigrant communities. Although the UK is taking Halloween more seriously it has to compete with Bonfire Night just a few days later. But it would be hard to argue that the UK even comes close to matching the US in the sheer visible exuberance of Halloween.

You can find out about Romance author Sherry Gloag at her website

http://www.sherryglog.com

or visit her blog at

http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/

You'll find reviews for all her books

Duty Calls   The Brat  and The Wrong Target

Click HERE to read the Blurb for

From Now Until Forever

Welcome to the party!

 Hello everyone, and let me do a short introduction. I'll be back and forth today for our lovely release party today at the Goddess Fish pavilion. I hope you're all having a great summer. I hope everyone's staying cool!

Me? I'm currently typing to you from Iqaluit, Canada. For those who don't know where that is, think Greenland, and then travel west to the small island beside it, known as Baffin Island. I don't have to worry about staying cool, that's for sure. Which at this time of year, might be something to be envied, but trust me, after the brutal winter I just endured, I deserve it. It was still snowing in June.

For those who don't know me, I'm L.K. Below. I write erotic romance and, as of this October, urban fantasy. Under my full name, Lindsay Below, I just released my very first young adult novel, Lurkers in print and ebook.

But I'm not here to talk about Lurkers. Today I'm wearing my L.K. Below hat and talking about my newest romantic release, Never a Princess, Always a Frog. I'll tell you more about that a bit later, but now let me suffice it to say that this book is a hot, contemporary retelling of "The Princess and the Frog."

For now, let's sit back and relax. How is everyone this fine Sunday? Tell me a bit about yourselves -- where do you hail from?

L.K. Below

Website | Blog | Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Never a Princess, Always a Frog

Good Morning! Rie McGaha is in the house!

Author Rie McGaha

Hello everyone. I want to first say thank you to Judy & Marianne for hosting the Goddess Fish Release Party, and for inviting me to be here. I hope everyone has a great day, and now let me introduce myself.

I'm Rie McGaha, and I write romance across all genres, sometimes in the same story. I've never been one to pay much attention to rules, and I write what I like to read and hope someone else will want to read it as well.

I live in SE Oklahoma in the Kiamichi Mountains. I love the trees, mountains, lakes and rivers here, as well as the sparse population. This is my idea of paradise and I can't imagine living anywhere else.

I'm the mother of 7 girls and 5 boys, and I have 34 grandchildren, with #35 due any day, and #36 coming in September.

My latest book, Calen is the first in the My Soul To Keep Trilogy from Silver Publishing. It's due to release on May 14, 2011. Along with Stormy Glenn & GA Hauser, I have a huge contest planned for that day. You can get all the details at Blog Blast 2011. Following my links is the cover art and blurb.

You can find me all over the internet but my website & links are:

Rie McGaha's Links:

Website: www.riemcgaha.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rie_McGaha

My Space: http://www.myspace.com/novelsbyrie

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/NovelsByRieMcGaha

Biker Or Not: http://www.bikerornot.com/natenrie

Manic Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/RieMcGaha/

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews: 

http://thepaganandthepenbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Man Of The Month: http://spotlightauthor.blogspot.com/

Blogs:

http://anauthorstale.blogspot.com/

http://sizzlingreleases.blogspot.com/

http://riemcgaha.wordpress.com/

Causes:

http://authorofferings.blogspot.com/

http://lovefurbabies.chipin.com/rescued-animals

                                                          BUY HERE

Blurb:

When Calen MacLeod begins having dreams of an ethereal beauty who beckons to him, he passes it off as just having an itch he hasn't scratched in a long time. But when he leaves on a journey to find her, following the directions she's given him in his dreams, he begins to doubt his sanity. And when he finds himself high in the Mackinaw Mountains in a secret fortress with unicorns and a pink and white castle, surrounded by women, each one more beautiful than the next, it's a fantasy no man would want to wake up from. But Arianna is the only woman for Calen.

The women of the Fortress have lived in peace, hidden away from the humans who tried to annihilate them all. But now a 500-year-old demon is out to destroy the women's matriarch, Ariella, and he'll stop at nothing to complete his mission. When Calen MacLeod shows up, he throws a wrench into Damon's plans. Never let it be said Damon isn't ready for anything, but when he kidnaps Arianna and takes her to modern day San Francisco, is he ready to meet Calen, who will stop at nothing to save his ladylove?

Sherry Gloag asks 'Do you remember your first kiss?'

Do you remember your first kiss? 

On January 10^th 2011 The Guardian.co.uk posted an article asking that question.

They say that according to Sheril Kirshenbaum, a scientist at the University of Texas, a first kiss is likely to be one of your most vivid memories.

Sadly I must be an exception, or else the kiss was so unmemorable it never rated even the vaguest memory! As an author of romance that’s a shameful admission, <grin> but true.

   

As an author of romance I wish I’d written Judy Garland’s line of 1939 "Twas not my lips you kissed, but my soul." This so represents what I search for when writing.

In my short Valentine novella, The Wrong Target, published by eTreasures as part of the Cupid’s Gone Wild anthology  available at http://www.etreasurespublishing.com/  and http://tinyurl.com/6ys4h6a there is explosive emotion between Tina and Ryan but their first kiss does not come until near the end of the story. 

It may have resulted from a challenge from my heroine to my hero, but indeed, that kiss reached their souls and sealed their future.

BLURB:

Headmistress Tina Blackberry and business tycoon Ryan Thomas can't control events after Ryan's daughter steals his coveted golden arrow and takes it to school, But put Cupid on the job and nothing can go wrong, or can it?

Excerpt:

“Goddamit,” he exploded, “Can’t you stand still for one second? I have something to say, but I can’t while you’re jogging round the room.”

She halted toe to toe in front of him. “You have me dismissed from a job I loved, because I upheld the safety of my pupils, and still have the audacity to stalk me to my holiday destination and demand I listen to you because you have something to say?” Flapping her hands at her sides, she spun away and back again, planting her hands on the chair arms, she pinned him in his place and snarled, “Let me tell you something. I’ve come here to enjoy myself and your presence isn’t part of my plan.”

“What is your plan?” he demanded.

“To get laid!”  Astonishment pushed her away from the chair, her eyes wide, her lips curved up in a defiant sneer. “I intend to find myself a man and screw the living daylights out of him. And,” she paused deliberately, “I don’t need you for that.”

You can find more information about Sherry's other books at  her website: www.sherrygloag.com and

her blog: http://tinyurl.com/68oomm6