ESCAPING REALITY by Lisa Renee Jones-Contest and Giveaway

ESCAPING REALITY (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen) by Lisa Renee Jones-Contest and Giveaway

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Links to pre-order ESCAPING REALITY: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /

ESCAPING REALITY:  The Secret Life of Amy Bensen
by Lisa Renee Jones
Genre: New Adult
Release Date: July 22, 2013

He is rich, famous, and secretive and he will become her passion, her desire, her escape from a dark reality she so desperately craves…

At the young age of eighteen, tragedy and a dark secret force Lara to flee all she has known and loves to start a new life. Now years later, with a new identity as Amy, she’s finally dared to believe she is forgotten–even if she cannot forget. But just when she lets down her guard down, the ghost’s of her past are quick to punish her, forcing her back on the run.

On a plane, struggling to face the devastation of losing everything again and starting over, Amy meets Liam Stone, a darkly entrancing recluse billionaire, who is also a brilliant, and famous, prodigy architect. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it. And what he wants is Amy. Refusing to take “no” as an answer, he sweeps her into a passionate affair, pushing her to her erotic limits. He wants to possess her. He makes her want to be possessed. Liam demands everything from her, accepting nothing less. But what if she is too devastated by tragedy to know when he wants more than she should give? And what if there is more to Liam than meets the eyes?

Book 1: Escaping Reality

Book 2: Within the Fire

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Debt Collector Series 1-3 by Susan Kaye Quinn-Guest Post and Kindle Giveaway

Debt Collector Series 1-3 by Susan Kaye Quinn-Guest Post and Kindle Giveaway

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Guest Post by Susan Kaye Quinn


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What’s a Serial and Why Would I Read One?
by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of a new future-noir serial called The Debt Collector

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A serial is a series of episodes – or short stories – that are connected to tell a larger story.

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Serials are actually a lot like a TV series, which themselves vary a lot in type. Series like Law&Order and House are more self-contained, with only a few character storylines carrying over from episode to episode. Series like Lost or Heroes would be difficult to watch out of order because the storylines carry more strongly, sometimes with cliffhangers, sometimes not.

Some readers like the week-by-week suspense of Must Watch TV; others would rather wait until the season is done and get it from netflix so they can watch it back-to-back. Likewise, some readers enjoy the suspense of reading a serial episode-by-episode as they’re released. Others would rather wait until the entire serial is complete and read it all at once. Either is fine!

Is a Serial a New Idea?

Ebook serials are a new thing, because ebooks are a new thing – but serials have been around since Charles Dickens wrote and released Great Expectations (self-published through his own literary magazine!) in 6,000 word “installments” every week for nine months. Readers today aren’t accustomed to reading in serial format because publishing serials was restricted to magazines, which didn’t have wide circulation. Now with ebooks, the cost of transmission is low and the distribution is wide. Ebooks have revived the short story form! But for readers raised on novels, who crave longer works and more in-depth stories, serials are the next natural step.

Is a Serial a Novel Cut Into Pieces?

No. A serial is not a chopped up novel, just like a TV episode is not a chopped up movie. It’s a different way of telling stories. In a way, it’s more demanding to write than novels – you need to immediately draw the reader in, you have to reach some kind of reader-satisfaction-level by the end of the episode (even if you have a cliff-hanger), and you have to maintain that pace and storytelling arc over multiple episodes. But all that hard work on the part of the author makes it (potentially) more enjoyable for the reader.

Can You Name Some Successful Serials?

Yes!

Hugh Howey’s Wool
RaShelle Workman’sBlood and Snow
Platt &Wright’sYesterday’s Gone

These are all recent bestselling serials that drew audiences in and helped revitalize the serial form.

Why Would I Read a Serial?

Readers tell me that they’re enjoying the short episodes – they can read them quickly over lunch or in an evening and get a full “story” worth of entertainment. The fast pacing means there’s a lot of story packed into a short number of words. Readers also say they enjoy the anticipation of finding out “what will happen next” much like a TV series where you get invested in the characters. Think about how a favorite TV series will sometimes focus one episode on one character or another, diving into their backstory. As a writer, I like that I can go in-depth a little more in each “episode” than I could in a novel, giving a richness to the story and characters that might be more difficult to do in a novel format.

All serials eventually come to an end, just like a “season” of your favorite TV series. Whether you enjoy reading serials as they release, or want to wait until the complete season is out so you can read the episodes back-to-back, serials are a fast-paced, exciting way to enjoy a story.

As a writer, I find serials are the hardest writing I’ve ever loved.


About The Author Black and White

Susan Kaye Quinn

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA SF Mindjack series. Her new Debt Collector serial is her more grown-up SF. Her steampunk fantasy romance is temporarily on hold while she madly writes episodes to keep Lirium (the titular Debt Collector) happy.

Plus she needs to leave time to play on Facebook. Susan has a lot of degrees in engineering, which come in handy when dreaming up dangerous mind powers, future dystopias, and slightly plausible steampunk inventions. Mostly she sits around in her pajamas in awe that she gets make stuff up full-time. You can find her at www.susankayequinn.com

Author Links:

 

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The Debt Collector Book 1-3 by Susan Kaye Quinn
Delirium (Debt Collector #1)
by Susan K. Quinn
Release Date:  March 20, 2013

Order Now: .99cents or less  Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble/ KOBO

Delirium
What’s your life worth on the open market? 
A debt collector can tell you precisely.Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.Contains mature content and themes.

 

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Agony (Debt Collector #2)
by Susan Kaye Quinn
Release Date:  March 25, 2013

Order Now .99cents of less:  Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

AgonyWhat’s your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.Lirium tries to forget Apple Girl, but a rough collection finds him spiraling deeper into the abyss. He faces a one-way ticket to The Retirement Home for debt collectors, until his psych officer offers a way out.Agony is approximately 11,000 words or 44 pages, and is the second of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com

 

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Ecstasy (Debt Collector #3)
By Susan Kaye Quinn
Release Date:  April 1, 2013

Order Now .99cents of less: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

Ecstasy

 

Lirium’s attempts to find Ophelia take him to the last place he wants to be.

Ecstasy is approximately 15,000 words or 60 pages, and is the third of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. For more about the Debt Collector serial, see DebtCollectorSeries.com

 

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The Debt Collector Box Set

By Susan Kaye Quinn

Debt Collector Box set

Order today: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

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Broken (Debt Collector #4)
by Susan Kaye Quinn
Release Date: April 17, 2013

Broken

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

What’s your life worth on the open market?
A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium tries to free himself and Ophelia from the Kolek mob, but Valac has other plans for him.

Broken is approximately 15,000 words or 60 pages, and is the fourth of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. Episode 5, Driven, releases 5/1/13

 

 

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Susan is offering an ecopy of the first book in the Debt Collector series-DELIRIUM to one lucky reader at each of the tour stops including The Reading Cafe.

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. To obtain a BONUS entry, sign up for Susan’s newsletter HERE and let us know in the comment section

3. Giveaway is OPEN internationally

4. Giveaway runs from May 1 to May 13, 2013.

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GRAND PRIZE Giveaway: Susan is offering a KINDLE and the Debt Collector 1-3 ebook set to ONE lucky reader. Open to US residents only.

NOTE:  The Rafflecopter Giveaway is NOT the responsibility of The Reading Cafe.  If you have any questions, please contact the author or the tour promoter.

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Katee Robert-Chasing Mrs. Right Guest Post and Book Tour

Katee Robert-Chasing Mrs. Right Guest Post and Book Tour

 

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by Katee Robert

I’ll be the first to admit that when ereaders started showing up, I was screaming from the mountains that they could take my paper books from my cold, dead hands. I’m not particularly proud of that sentiment, but what can I say? I’m not good with change.

The last few years have brought a whole lot in the way of change, though, so I’ve learned to adapt. And guess what? I love my Nook like a love song. I’ll never give up my bookshelves full of the series I fangirl over, but ebooks have opened up an entirely new plane of opportunity.

You see, now new authors are only a button push away. Impulse purchasing is at an all-time high (for me, at least), which is really great. I’ve found countless authors now because I can justify spending $5 or under on a book that I might not like. It’s a whole different game from ordering a paperback book or doing to the bookstore to pick up one.

So are paper books going the way of the dodo bird? I don’t think so. There are far too many people out there like me who are incredibly OCD about their series. I don’t think ebooks cut into that, either—they enhance it. Because if I buy a new author on ebook and love their book? I’ll go buy the paperback as well so it can have a place on my shelf.

All in all, I think it’s safe to say that ebooks are here to stay, and I’m pretty happy about it.

Chasing Mrs. Right
by Katee Robert
Release Date: March 25, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Chasing Mrs. Right

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Roxanne Stokes doesn’t believe in love. She does, however, believe in the sexy-as-sin stranger who literally knocks her off her feet in front of a nightclub. The chemistry sparking between them takes her breath away, and she’ll do anything to ease the pain in his eyes…until she realizes the handsome stranger is her best friend’s older brother who’s just come home from war.

Ian Walser had no idea the gorgeous woman he slept with the night of his homecoming party was his little sister’s best friend—or that she’d be gone before morning. Roxanne’s touch soothes him in a way nothing else can, and he’s not ready to walk away from that yet. Not when spending time with her gave Ian a glimpse of everything he’s ever wanted.

When his sister unwittingly pushes them together, he sees his chance. But convincing a woman who doesn’t believe in love that she’s his Mrs. Right might be harder than any mission Ian’s undertaken. Good thing this soldier likes a challenge…

Read the first chapter here!

About The Author Gold and Purple

Katee Roberts

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Katee Robert, learned to tell stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her favorites then were the rather epic adventures of The Three Bears, but at age twelve she discovered romance novels and never looked back.

Though she dabbled in writing, life got in the way—as it often does—and she spent a few years traveling, living in both Philadelphia and Germany. In between traveling and raising her two wee ones, she had the crazy idea that she’d like to write a book and try to get published.

Her first novel was an epic fantasy that, God willing, will never see the light of day. From there, she dabbled in YA and horror, before finally finding speculative romance. Because, really, who wouldn’t want to write entire books about the smoking-hot relationships between two people?

She now spends her time—when not lost in Far Reach worlds—playing imaginary games with her wee ones, writing, ogling men, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

FOLLOW Katee:  Website / Twitter / Facebook / The Rabble Page

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4/8/2013              Love To Read For Fun

4/9/2013              The Brunette Librarian

4/10/2013           Reading Between The Wines

4/11/2013           Ashley’s Book Nook

4/12/2013           Cocktails and Books

4/13/2013           Harlequin Junkie

4/15/2013           Ex Libris

4/16/2013           RhiReading

4/17/2013           Shortie Says

4/18/2013           The Reading Cafe

4/19/2013           Caribbean Accent Book Reviews

4/19/2013           Fic Talk

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Katee Robert and Entangled Publishing are offering an ecopy of CHASING MRS. RIGHT to one lucky commenter at every blog tour stop including The Reading Cafe.

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment as twitter, google does not account for email information.

3. E-book giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY

4. Giveaway runs from April 8 to April 20, 2013

 

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NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter or the author.

RAFFLECOPTER giveaway is open to USA only.

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Down and Dirty Blog Tour with Christine Bell

Down and Dirty Blog Tour with Christine Bell

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About The Author

Christine BellChristine Bell is a romance author and also writes erotic romance as Chloe Cole. She and her handsome hubby currently reside in Pennsylvania with a four-pack of teenage boys. If she gets time off from her duties as maid, chef, chauffeur, or therapist, she can be found reading just about anything she can get her hands on, from Young Adult novels to books on poker theory.

She doesn’t like root beer, clowns or bugs (except ladybugs, on account of their cute outfits), but lurrves chocolate, going to the movies, the New York Giants and playing Texas Hold ‘Em. Writing is her passion, but if she had to pick another occupation, she would be a pirate…or, like, a ninja maybe. She loves writing steamy romance stories, but also hopes to one day publish something her dad can read without wanting to dig his eyes out with a rusty spoon. Christine loves to hear from readers, so please contact her through her website.

Follow Christine: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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DOWN AND DIRTY (Dare Me #2)
by Christine Bell
Release Date: February 23, 2013

Link to our review: DOWN AND DIRTY

Order Links:  Amazon / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

Down and Dirty

He was a dare she’d never been able to resist…

Cat Thomas has never been the kind of girl to stick. A self-professed infatuation junky, she latches on the newest, hottest guy on the block, then finds a reason—real or imagined—to dump him. When she accepts a dare to rekindle her high school flame and jump in bed with her brother’s best friend, Shane Decker, she knows she’s in trouble. She can’t resist the man, even after all these years apart, and that just won’t do.

Shane has come back to town for a couple reasons. The biggest one? He’s tired of living away from those he loves, including Cat. But now she’s spooked and will do anything to drive a wedge between them, including trying to fix him up with other women through an online dating service.

What does he have to do to make her see that settling down doesn’t mean settling, and he’s ready to spend a lifetime proving it?

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DOWN FOR THE COUNT (Dare Me #1)
by Christine Bell
Release Date: October 1, 2012

Link to our review: Down for the Count

Order Links:  Amazon / Barnes and Noble / KOBO

Down for the Count

Truth or dare…

When Lacey Garrity finds her groom in flagrante delicto in the reception hall closet with her bridesmaid, she’s saved by her best friend’s older brother—childhood tormentor, crush, and boxing bad boy Galen Thomas. Galen’s solution is both exciting and dangerous. What better way to forget the mess of her life than go on her honeymoon with a hot guy who can’t promise anything beyond today?

…or TKO?

Galen had been counting on Lacey’s wedding to put her out of reach—and out of his mind—once and for all, but their steamy Puerto Rican escape is testing all his boundaries. Now that Lacey’s embracing her inner bad girl, Galen is tempted to throw in the towel and claim her for himself. But with the biggest fight of his career on the line and an important business merger threatening to derail Lacey’s resolve, their romance might be down for the count before it even begins.

 

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Remember The Stars by Natalie-Nicole Bates-Book Tour and Giveaway

Remember The Stars by Natalie-Nicole Bates Book Tour and Giveaway

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Remember The Stars
by Natalie-Nicole Bates
Release Date: January 19, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance

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Available from:  Amazon

For Leah Rhodes life as she knows it has just changed forever.

Waking in a gutter in the dark surroundings of her distant past, a familiar man stands out in her confusion. But Remy Moreland has been dead for years.

It soon becomes apparent to Leah that both she and Remy are trapped in a hell of their own making. Can one night together not only lead to the way out, but to love as well?

About The Author

Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.

Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.

She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.

FOLLOW Natalie : Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Blog Tour Schedule-yellow

4/07 – The Reading Cafe
4/08 – Close Encounters With The Night Kind
4/09 – Book Monster Reviews and LITERAL ADDICTION
4/09 – Books, Books and More Books
4/10 – Jocelyn Dex
4/11 – Salacious Reads
4/12 – Darker Passions
4/12 – Book Lovin’ Mamas
4/13 – Over the Edge
4/14 – Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Reviews

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The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the Rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter or the author.

Natalie-Nicole Bates is offering a $25 Amazon Gift card to one lucky winner and 3(three) runners-up ecopies of Remember the Stars

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