So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Giveaway: WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY by Wendy Wax

Thanks to Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting, I am giving away one copy of While We Were Watching Downton Abbey.

Book Description:

“While We Were Watching Downton Abbey is a tribute to the transformative power of female friendship, and reading Wendy Wax is like discovering a witty, wise, and wonderful new friend.” – Claire Cook, bestselling author of Must Love Dogs and Time Flies

FROM THE AUTHOR OF TEN BEACH ROAD AND OCEAN BEACH, A NEW NOVEL OF FOUR FRIENDS¾AND A SHARED PASSION THAT COULD CHANGE THEIR LIVES...

When the concierge of the Alexander, a historic Atlanta apartment building, invites his fellow residents to join him for weekly screenings of Downton Abbey, four very different people find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and¾even more unexpectedly¾with each other...

Samantha Davis married young and for the wrong reason: the security of old Atlanta money for herself and her orphaned brother and sister. She never expected her marriage to be complicated by love and compromised by a shattering family betrayal.

Claire Walker is now an empty nester and struggling author who left her home in the suburbs for the old-world charm of the Alexander, and for a new and productive life. But she soon wonders if clinging to old dreams can be more destructive than having no dreams at all.

And then there's Brooke MacKenzie, a woman in constant battle with her faithless ex-husband. She's just starting to realize that it's time to take a deep breath and come to terms with the fact that her life is not the fairy tale she thought it would be.

For Samantha, Claire, Brooke, and Edward, who arranges the weekly gatherings, it will be a season of surprises as they forge a bond that will sustain them through some of life's hardest moments¾all of it reflected in the unfolding drama, comedy, and convergent lives of Downton Abbey.

About Wendy Wax:

Wendy Wax, freely admits to her Downton Abbey addiction and the role it's played in the creation of her latest novel, WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY. As Season 2 ended, she found herself thinking about characters who were also fans of the show. "That was all well and good," she says, "but I didn't have abook for them−at least not until I let Downton Abbey itself bring them together." She adds that once she saw how the show might actually help change their lives, the story "came alive."

The mother of a toddler and an infant when she decided to change careers, Wendy admits it may not have been the best timing in terms of productivity. “I’m still not certain why I felt so compelled to write my first novel at that particular time,” she says, “but that first book took forever.” Since then she’s written eight others, including Magnolia Wednesdays, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist The Accidental Bestseller, Leave It to Cleavage and Single in Suburbia. Her novel 7 Days and 7 Nights was honored with the Virginia Romance Writers Holt Medallion Award. Her work has been sold to publishers in fifteen countries and to the Rhapsody Book Club, and her novel, Hostile Makeover, was excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine.

Wendy is currently at work on her next novel, which takes characters introduced in Ten Beach Road (St. Pete Beach) and Ocean Beach (Miami) and sets them loose in Key West. Her first e-original, a holiday novella, Christmas at the Beach, also reunites those protagonists and will be published in the fall.

When not writing, she spends much of her time speaking to writer’s groups and book clubs, enjoying time with her family, visiting relatives in St. Pete, and devouring books. She lives in Atlanta.

www.authorwendywax.com

This giveaway is open to Canada and the U. S. and ends on April 17th. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 13 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Giveaway: The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, I am giving away one copy of The Last Telegram.

Book Description:

Decades ago, as Nazi planes dominated the British sky, eighteen-year-old Lily Verner made a terrible mistake. She’s tried for decades to forget, but now an unexpected event pulls her back to the 1940s British countryside. She finds herself remembering the brilliant, lustrous colors of the silk she helped to weave at her family’s mill, the relentless pressure of the worsening war, and the kind of heartbreaking loss that stops time.

In this evocative novel of love and consequences, Lily finally confronts the disastrous decision that has haunted her all these years.

About Liz Trenow:

Liz Trenow worked for many years as a journalist for national and regional newspapers, and for BBC radio and television news, and is now freelance. The Last Telegram is her first novel, and she has begun work on her second, The Queen’s Quil. Visit Liz at www.liztrenow.com

Sorry, this giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on April 17, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 14 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Giveaway: A Dream of Daring by Gen LaGreca

Thanks to Ruth of Winged Victory Press, I am giving away 10 eBook (Kindle) copies of A Dream of Daring.

Book Description:

A novel of mystery, romance, and antebellum history

When a visionary inventor threatens the entrenched powers of the Old South, the result is murder. Protagonist Tom Edmunton, the science-minded son of a Louisiana planter, designs a prototype tractor in 1859. He foresees an age of mechanized farming that will replace the slave system. But his big ideas about uprooting their world rile the town’s planters. As Tom hears the call of the new age, he also feels the pull of two women, one at the top of society’s ladder and the other at the bottom. Rachel, a senator’s daughter, loves him, but will she take his side when the town rebukes him? Solo, a feisty mulatto slave, despises him, along with all men from the race that binds her. Rachel is free, but is her spirit chained? Solo is chained, but is her spirit free?

Tensions between Tom and the planters mount, and his invention is stolen. Then a shocking murder sets into motion inextricably linked events and revelations that will change life as they know it for Tom, Rachel, and Solo. Set at a crossroads of history, with an old epoch tumbling and the modern age gaining ground, this novel explores the power struggles and clashing visions for the future of the people caught in the turmoil. This carefully researched story of the growing conflicts in the period leading up to the Civil War is also a tribute to the Emancipation Proclamation in its 150th anniversary year and to the timeless call of freedom that sounds in every person’s heart.

A Dream of Daring is published by Chicago-based Winged Victory Press, publishing stories of unusual people doing unusual things, stories that serve as an inspiration to us. Publication date: January 2013.

Praise for A Dream of Daring:

"Old ways do not fade into the night quietly. A Dream of Daring is a novel set on the dawn of the industrial revolution. Tom Edmunton builds a proto-tractor, and tries to bring a world of change about Louisiana with his invention. But the whiplash is hard, as a loved one is killed, and his invention is stolen. [As Tom is] faced with a crossroads and the charms of multiple women, A Dream of Daring is an enticing blend of mystery and romance, much recommended reading."

—Midwest Book Review

"Throughout the narrative, LaGreca masterfully creates metaphors to explore her key themes. . . . A Dream of Daring is suspenseful. The crime at the center of the narrative will keep the reader guessing until the final revelation. . . . LaGreca's exploration of how people respond to, and sometimes reject, change and progress is relevant for all generations."

—ForeWord Reviews

"In 1859, Louisiana posed various challenges to its citizens, no matter their color, in LaGreca's thought-provoking second novel (after Noble Vision, 2005), a murder mystery set during a tumultuous period in American history. . . . [This tale] should attract readers interested in historical fiction set in the antebellum South."

—Booklist

About Gen LaGreca:

Genevieve (Gen) LaGreca is a Chicago novelist who writes stories with imaginative plots, strong romance, and heroic themes.

Prior to writing A Dream of Daring, Gen penned the award-winning breakthrough novel, Noble Vision (2005), which was a finalist in mainstream fiction in the Writer's Digest International Book Awards and in the ForeWord magazine Book of the Year Awards, two of the most prestigious contests in independent publishing. The novel also won a Midwest Book Award and placed second in the Illinois Women’s Press Association Fiction Contest.

Noble Vision garnered praise from magazine magnate Steve Forbes, the late Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, syndicated columnist Walter Williams, and other notable persons.

Gen holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia University. Aside from fiction, she also writes social commentary. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, The Orange County Register, The Gainesville Sun, The Daily Caller, Real Clear Markets, and other publications.

For more information, see www.wingedvictorypress.com.

This giveaway is open worldwide to anyone who can read Kindle books. It ends on April 11, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 8 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Giveaway: Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke

Thanks to Jessica Roth of Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc., I am giving away one copy of Swimming at Night.

Book Description:

A starred LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “In the same vein as Rosamund Lupton’s Sister, Clarke takes the reader on an exciting and mysterious trail. . . . [She] does a nice job of creating characters who make us care about them and situations that are exciting and believable. A great read for fans of smart contemporary women’s fiction as well as thriller and mystery readers.”

Katie Greene’s world is shattered by a late-night visit from police officers bearing the news that her headstrong younger sister, Mia, has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali. The authorities say that Mia’s death was a suicide.

Although their relationship had been strained since Mia and her best friend, Finn, abruptly left on an around-the-world trip six months earlier, Katie is unable to accept that her sister would have taken her own life—and desperate to believe that their final words, spoken in anger, were not what drove Mia to the edge of that cliff.

Set on discovering the truth, Katie leaves behind her orderly life in London and, with only the entries in Mia’s recovered travel journal to guide her, faithfully retraces the last few months of her sister’s life in the hopes that following Mia’s steps and words will help unravel the mystery of her death.

About Lucy Clarke:

This is an accomplished debut novel and the sisters’ journeys are rendered all the more realistic because Lucy and her husband, a professional windsurfer, spend their winters traveling the coastlines of the world and their summers at their home on the south coast of England. Lucy has traveled to all of the locales in the book (including California, Hawaii, Australia, and Indonesia) and always keeps a travel journal. http://www.lucy-clarke.com/

This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. and ends on April 10, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 19 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Giveaway Winners Galore

Thanks to everyone who entered the following giveaways! Winners, please reply to the email I sent you today within 48 hours to claim your books. After 2 days you will be disqualified and a new winner will be picked. Rafflecopter picks all winners using Random.org.

Thanks again to Tim Rowland for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:

Patti N.

Thanks again to Caroline Eisenmann of Open Road Integrated Media, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner of the eBook is:

Patty W.

Thanks again to Jessica Butler of Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:

Susan O.

Thanks again to Jessica Butler of Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:

Tina K.

Thanks again to Kelley & Hall Book Publicity, for making this giveaway Possible.

The winner is:

Rebecca G.

Thanks again to Fiona Brown From Penguin, USA for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:

Anita Y.

Thanks again to Jessica Butler of Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:

Rebecca G.

Thanks again to Margo Krasne for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:

Becca W.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:16 PM 5 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Monday, March 25, 2013

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcie at Mailbox Monday. In March, it is being hosted by Caitlan of Chaotic Compendiums.

Here's what I received last week:

This is the March/April Issue. The subscription was a gift from my dear BIL.

Watch for my review and giveaway on May 23rd!

This was a free Kobo download. It sounded like a good historical fiction.

Watch for the tour starting in mid-May. There will be chances to win it!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 1:25 PM 9 comments

Friday, March 22, 2013

Giveaway: The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor

Thanks to Deb Tobias of Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting, I am giving away one copy of The Union Street Bakery.

Book Description:

Life can turn on a dime. It’s a common cliché, and I’d heard it often enough. People die or move away. Investments go south. Affairs end. Loved ones betray us...Stuff happens.

Daisy McCrae’s life is in tatters. She’s lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and has been reduced to living in the attic above her family’s store, the Union Street Bakery, while learning the business. Unfortunately, the bakery is in serious hardship. Making things worse is the constant feeling of not being a “real” McCrae since she was adopted as a child and has a less-than-perfect relationship with her two sisters.

Then a long-standing elderly customer passes away, and for some reason bequeaths Daisy a journal dating back to the 1850s, written by a slave girl named Susie. As she reads, Daisy learns more about her family—and her own heritage—than she ever dreamed. Haunted by dreams of the young Susie, who beckons Daisy to “find her,” she is compelled to look further into the past of the town and her family.

What she finds are the answers she has longed for her entire life, and a chance to begin again with the courage and desire she thought she lost for good.

Excerpt:

I pushed open the window, closed my eyes, and inhaled the early morning air. The scent of honeysuckle laced the air. The twisting, twining vine had bloomed a month early this year, and reminded me of the day my birth mother kissed my cheek on a crowded Saturday afternoon at the bakery. She pushed a plate of butter cookies toward me and whispered, “Be a good girl. I will be back soon.”

Even though I was three, I had sat patiently nibbling my cookies, watching red sprinkles pepper my yellow skirt, waiting and expecting my mother to return. In those days, time always felt like forever but I was used to waiting for my birth mother, so I didn’t panic or cry. It was Sheila McCrae, the young hippie bakery shop owner with five- and three-year-old daughters of her own who had noticed I had sat alone and unattended for too long. She called for a search that quickly became frantic.

I remember Sheila’s husband, Frank McCrae, talking to the police, the social worker speaking to me softly, and me screaming bloody murder when they tried to lead me away. “No!” I’d shouted. “Mama!”

Sheila McCrae had pulled the social worker aside and told her I could stay at the bakery as long as I wanted. Some compromise had been struck and Mrs. McCrae had told me I could wait for my mother. Finally I stopped crying. They’d coaxed me inside, found a change of clothes for me, and fed me supper. I sat awake in bed, clutching the sheets, still hoping my mom would return. Finally, I’d drifted to sleep.

My birth mother never came back that night or the nights that followed. The police launched a search. The river had been dragged. There’d been newscasts and articles that flashed my picture and the few statistics the McCraes had coaxed from me. But no one had come forward with information on the Abandoned Bakeshop Baby.

I had only vague recollections of my birth mother: the scent of peppermints, the feel of her fingertips as she brushed hair out of my eyes, and the husky sound of her voice as she sang her one and only lullaby, “Rock-A-Bye-Baby.”

The police never found or discovered her true identity. I gave my birth mother the made-up name of Renee because it sounded very exotic. But the name Renee was as much a part of my imagination as the images of her that I had created. With no facts to anchor Renee, her story and likeness often shifted when I daydreamed. A destitute woman. A movie actress. A spy. But no matter who she was or what she looked like, she loved me, and deeply regretted leaving me behind.

Sheila and Frank McCrae, even before the Commonwealth terminated Renee’s parental rights, effortlessly wove me into their family. The McCraes formally adopted me almost a year to the day Renee left. Both of my new parents did their best to make me feel loved in their home. When Mom dispensed candy, each of her daughters got five pieces. When Christmas rolled around we each had six wrapped presents under the tree. We bought back-to-school supplies at the same time, and in elementary school we each ended up with the same style backpack and the same white Nikes.

But in my mind, I was a loose stray thread that was a little too off color and uneven to fully mesh with the delicate Irish McCrae linen.

Now as I stared at the patio, a rush of anger flooded my body. Whenever I go back to the early years with Renee, I become frustrated that I cannot remember more than cookie sprinkles on my yellow skirt.

About Mary Ellen Taylor:

Mary Ellen Taylor grew up in a southern family that embraced stories of all kinds, from a well-told anecdote to a good yarn or a tall tale. It may have been inevitable that Taylor would take her storytelling heritage to new heights, moving beyond the oral tradition to become a published author.

Taylor, who finds cooking and baking to be important creative outlets, explores some of the challenges and comforts of those pursuits in THE UNION STREET BAKERY. The novel is influenced by her life in another way as well. Both her grandmother and her daughter were adopted, and so is her protagonist, Daisy McCrae. Taylor has been active in bringing attention to issues regarding adoption, including the concerns faced by adoptees in adulthood. Recently, she and her daughter, born in Russia, spoke out on Richmond's WTTB-TV regarding that country's efforts to curb adoptions by foreigners.

Taylor was born and has spent most of her life in Richmond, but also lived in Alexandria for four years. She received her degree in English from Virginia’s Hollins University, and worked in marketing and sales before she became convinced she could write and sell one of the many stories swirling in her head. Today, nineteen of her romance and suspense novels and four novellas written as Mary Burton have been published, earning praise from readers and reviewers as well as spots on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. THE UNION STREET BAKERY is her first novel as Mary Ellen Taylor.

When not writing or appearing at conferences and book signings, Taylor continues her culinary pursuits. She's been a kitchen assistant for more than fifty culinary classes over the past seven years at Sur la Table and at the University of Richmond's Culinary Arts program, where she is currently completing her Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate. In addition to spending time with her family and her two miniature dachshunds, Buddy and Bella, Mary Ellen enjoys yoga and hiking.

This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. and ends on April 5, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 21 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Monday, March 18, 2013

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcie at Mailbox Monday. In March, it is being hosted by Caitlan of Chaotic Compendiums.

It's been over a month since I have taken part in this meme, so here is what I have received since the last time: