Give FATE a Helping Hand for the Holiday!

Books 1-3 of FATE WITH A HELPING HAND series by Lisa Mondello are available for Kindle and Nook readers!





All I Want for Christmas is You (book 1)


FREE at Amazon.com http://amzn.com/B005KDG236


$.99 at BN.com http://tinyurl.com/d9hjk9p









The Marriage Contract (book 2)




$2.99 at Amazon http://amzn.com/B005LSCKD6


$2.99 at BN.com http://tinyurl.com/cwto2yc








The Knight and Maggie's Baby (book 3)

$2.99 at Amazon http://amzn.com/B005K0ECFY


$2.99 at BN.com http://tinyurl.com/6shmkb8











Also available at Amazon.co.uk and Smashwords.com for International readers.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Whether you live in the United States or not, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving Day filled with love and enjoyed with family and friends. 

~Lisa~

Guest Blogger: Interview with UK Author Shaun Allan

It is my pleasure today to introduce you to UK author Shaun Allan and his stories.  You never know who you're going to find on Twitter and the blogosphere and I was happy to connect with Shaun and learn about his creative writing.

Shaun is giving away a copy of his ebook, SIN, to one lucky poster today.  So don't be shy.  Join the conversation for a chance to win!

Here's a little bit of info about Shaun:

A writer of many prize winning short stories and poems, Shaun Allan has written for more years than he would perhaps care to remember. Having once run an online poetry and prose magazine, he has appeared on Sky television to debate, against a major literary agent, the pros and cons of internet publishing as opposed to the more traditional method. Many of his personal experiences and memories are woven into Sin’s point of view and sense of humour although he can’t, at this point, teleport.

Shaun lives with his one partner, two daughters, three cats and four fish!

Blurb for Sin:

Dead, dead, dead.  Say it enough times and it becomes just another word.


What would you do? Could you kill a killer? Does the death of one appease the deaths of a hundred? What about that hundred against a thousand?

What if you had no choice?

Meet Sin. No, not that sort of sin, but Sin, crazy as a loon (you ask Sister Moon), and proud of it. Sin locks himself away in an asylum and, every so often, gets violent. That’s only so they’ll give him those nice drugs, though.

The ones that help him forget.

It’s a pity they don’t work.

Sin, you see, has a serious problem. Well, it’s not so much his problem, as ours – yours, mine and everyone else’s. People die around Sin.  He doesn't like it and there's nothing he can do about it.  But someone else knows, and Sin has to stop them... and himself...

Flip and catch...

Interview with Shaun:

Lisa: If you weren't a writer, what would you do and why?

Shaun: Well, I would love to be a pilot. I love flying. Unfortunately, I’m not a full time writer, and I do have a ‘day job’ as senior inspection assistant for an oil refinery.

Lisa: What is a typical writing day like? How do you approach your writing?

Shaun: I don’t really have a typical writing day, to be honest. I work full time and have a busy family life, so writing is fitted in. Lunch times, evenings and so on. I’d love to be able to do more, but it’s just not possible. While on holiday in Egypt last year, I actually wrote 15,000 words for Sin. Chances like that don’t come buy too often!
Lisa: Do you develop your ideas for your stories fully before writing? Or do you let the story come to you as you write?

Shaun: Sometimes I think I should do, but I can’t. Each story writes itself, and I’m as surprised as I hope the reader hopefully is when something happens. Sometimes I just have a character name and don’t know where it will go. In the case of Sin’s blog entries, which are written from his point of view, in most cases all I have is the first sentence!
Lisa: What was it like to see your first book published?

Shaun: Amazing. Wonderful. Sin has taken 10 years to write, so it was fantastic to see it finally published. And when I received reviews saying it was ‘an incredible read’ and ‘a masterpiece’, I was overwhelmed!
Lisa: Do you have plans for more books? What are they?

Shaun: I have a sequel to Sin started already. I also have 40,000 words written on a children’s book. I’ve recently finished two short stories – one (where Rudolph saves Christmas) will be in a book soon along with some poems in the vein of my Zits’n’Bits collection. Sin, in fact, started as a short story! 
____

Fantastic.  Thanks for sharing all of that with us today, Shaun!  I'll admit, I'm in vacation-envy.  Would love to go to Egypt.  Maybe one day! 

To check out Shaun's work, you can visit him at the following places:

 
UK Readers can get SIN at Amazon.co.uk at this link:
 
Or buy directly from the publisher at:

Twitter: @singularityspnt
Blog – diary of a madman: http://singularityspoint.blogspot.com

And you can buy his book, Sin, by clicking the link below.

Kate Kelly gives us "A Day in the Life"

It is my pleasure to introduce you today to romance author Kate Kelly.  Kelly writes for Harlequin Superromance but also has stepped into the world of Indie publishing with her new titles, SHATTERED, SLEIGHT OF HAND, and THE ART OF DECEPTION. 

You may remember a few weeks ago I visited the Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writers and talked about the Glamorous Life of a Writer.  (If you missed it, here's the link: http://pinkfuzzyslipperwriters.blogspot.com/2011/10/lisa-mondello-is-in-house.html)

Well, today it's Kate Kelly's turn!  She's going to give us a sneak peek into a day in her life!  One lucky commenter will receive a copy of one of Kate Kelly's book.  So don't be shy.  Post a comment and let us know what you think!  Here's Kate:


A Day In The Life Of A Writer


  1.       Wake up thinking, omigod, I have to rewrite that scene from the hero’s point of view, not the heroine’s.
2.       Stumble out of bed, pull on some clothes and make tea. If I drink enough cups of green tea, I get a small caffeine buzz and still get to feel virtuous.
3.       Make appropriate sounds to husband while munching cereal, but really cussing myself out for not writing that scene in the right POV yesterday.

4.       Rush through necessary ablution to convince people I’m not crazy. Just a minute, have to check if I brushed my hair.

5.       Hair is passable.

6.       Fire up laptop and virtuously open Word file of WIP. (work-in-progress)

7.       Look out window, realize it’s a gorgeous fall day and maybe I should go for a walk. 

8.       Read last paragraph written yesterday, delete it, then remember the email sent last night posing serious question: Is it absolutely necessary to wear heels with a formal dress?

9.       Dash over to email. No, not necessary, but what’s the point of dressing up if you’re not going to do it right? Not the answer I was looking for. Email second friend with same query.

10.   Have five new twitter friends. Must go say hello to all my new peeps!

11.    How did it get to be lunch time already? I haven’t even gone for my walk yet!

12.   Troll through refrigerator and find tasty left-overs. Seriously, curried veggies and chick peas. Yum!

13.   Nap time. No explanation necessary.

14.   Okay, time to get to work. Delete entire scene and start rewriting from hero’s POV.

15.   Hmmm, maybe that isn’t the problem with scene. Must think about this. Need chocolate because it’s too early for wine. Isn’t it?

16.   Look out window while contemplating scene problem and realize walking will help me think.

17.   An hour later, burst into the house, pumped with energy and the solution to my problem.

18.   Delete scene entirely.

19.   Make sketchy notes about scene I will write tomorrow. It’s going to be fantastic!

20.   Rummage in kitchen for glass of wine to celebrate a productive day.

________

I'm tired just reading that.  I'm amazed at your day, Kate!  Since I spend most of the day home alone, I never even consider whether or not my hair is passable if I'm writing.  I simple pull it back in a barrette and forget about it.

Tell us what your day is like!  Post a comment for a chance to win a FREE copy of one of Kate Kelly's books!  Lisa

You can order her books at Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover in the slide show below.



Her books are also available at Smashwords at these links.

SHATTERED: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/86539

SLEIGHT OF HAND: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/86774

THE ART OF DECEPTION: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/86781

Speed Racer - My first romance hero...

Speed Racer
I admit it.  The very first boy I ever had a crush on was Speed Racer.  I thought he was the ultimate in romance heroes.  I wanted to marry him from the moment I set eyes on him. Love at first sight.

Okay, so I was 4 at the time.  And aside from the obvious conflict of marrying an animated figure (unless you live in an A-ha video - Anyone born after 1978 click this link http://tinyurl.com/27998or)  Speed Racer definitely had it all.  There was the car, of course.  The Mach 5 is definitely cool!  Helps when your drive is cool.  I may have been pre-kindergarten age at the time but I definitely noticed the car before the boy.  Then there was the hot older brother, Racer X, a.k.a. Rex Racer, the tall, dark and mysterious racer who always looked out for Speed.

More than that, Speed was a guy with passion.  He loved what he did, got himself into terrifying situations and always got himself out.  Let's face it, he would definitely be cool to hang around with too.  He was always off on some adventure somewhere around the globe.  Tell me you wouldn't want to tag along for a little bit of that fun?  I would!

When I was 21 and living in Boston one of the TV channels started showing reruns of Speed Racer.  It brought me back to when I was a kid and had this collosal crush on Speed.  I ended up being late for work as I watched The Mammouth Car episode.  After that I decided to grow up and let go of my Speed Racer crush.  (It was around that time I moved on to cowboys.  But that's another post.)

I know Speed Racer has been remade into a movie.  But I've never seen it and never will.   (Perish the thought!  Some things you just don't mess with!) But there is definitely a lesson to be learned in why Speed Racer has held a place in my heart all these years.  Whether it was the car, the adventure or the guy, I still think Speed is really cool!

EXCERPT MONDAY - Nothing But Trouble


You gotta love a cowboy!  I sure do.  I love writing about cowboys and rodeo and Nothing But Trouble has a sexy bull rider I just couldn't resist writing about.  It also features a spunky heroine who is not going to allow her medical condition to keep her from living the life she wants to lead.  Throw in the beautiful Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and you have a recipe from romance...and disaster!  Well, maybe. You decide.

Most excerpts you see are ones that are taken from the beginning of a book.  I wanted to get you right into the juicy part of the story.  So the excerpt from Nothing But Trouble is from later in the book.  I hope you enjoy it and want to read all about how Stoney Buxton and Melanie Summers make their way through the wildness as they fall in love.

I'm giving away a copy of Nothing But Trouble to one lucky commenter.  So don't be shy.  Leave a comment.  I'd love to hear from you.  Lisa~

NOTHING BUT TROUBLE:

Melanie Summers, a feisty zoologist with big dreams, has just made a deal with her father. She has to spend a full month in the Wyoming wilderness and show her father she can handle being in a remote area while managing her Type 1 diabetes before he’ll agree to fund an expedition for her to go to Africa. She knows he’s convinced she’ll fail.

But she’s not about to let any man underestimate what she can do. Especially not the sexy rodeo cowboy she’s hired to help get her through the month in the wilderness.

Stoney Buxton needs to raise cash fast to save the family ranch after a barn fire injuried his father and left the family finances in ruin. Re-entering the rodeo circuit seems like the best way to get the money he needs. That is until Melanie Summers shows up at his ranch flashing easy money. To everyone else, her offer seems like the answer to all his prayers. But one look at her long legs and pouting lips and Stoney know this high society gal is going to be nothing but trouble for his cowboy heart.

_______________________

EXCERPT:

Melanie couldn’t help but think of how her hands felt so small in Stoney's larger, more powerful hands. It was if nothing could hurt her if she was with him. She hadn’t expected to feel the way she did. Over the past few days, it had been easy to forget the reason they were here at all. She recalled Stoney’s warning after he’d kissed her the other night. Let’s not forget the reason we’re here.


She had forgotten. She’d fallen in love with the big Wyoming Sky and the Wind River Mountains. Out here, she wasn’t different or special. She could just be herself.

But that wasn’t all, she realized. She’d fallen in love with Stoney. Somehow he’d crept into her heart when she wasn’t looking and claimed it for his own. When she was with him, she felt whole. It was something she’d never known before.

“Let's get some sleep,” he finally said.

The burden of tears weighed heavy behind her eyelids and she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She held his hand tight. It was now or never. She couldn’t keep this secret from him any longer.

“Tell me what is wrong,” he said, looking at her for the first time with concern.

Melanie drew in a deep breath and worried her bottom lip.

“You’re not having second thoughts about last night, are you?”

She snapped her gaze up to his face. “No, no. I don’t. Do you?”

He shook his head, but his worried look remained. Bending his head, he kissed her forehead. “Never.” He finally gave her a half grin. “Now that we've settled that, why don't we crawl into those sleeping bags and generate a little heat.”

He tossed her a deep-dimpled grin. It was that sexy happy-go-lucky grin that drove her crazy so often.

“I need to tell you something.” She felt the weight of her predicament on her shoulders. She took a deep breath and stared at him, trying to push the words past her fear. “I’m in trouble, Stoney.”

He searched her expression. She saw a thousand emotions pass through his features before she finally saw bewilderment.

She continued. “We have to go back. Right now.”

He stood up straight, his eyebrows knitting together. “No, you’re doing great. Look at the way you crossed that river without any help from me. Before we started, I thought you couldn’t hack it, but I have to admit you’re doing better than I thought a pretty little city gal would do out here. Give yourself some credit.”

Her heart ached with his compliment, however left-handed. She’d deceived him, and now that deception was coming back to haunt her. He assumed she was having doubts about her ability to make it the whole month. After all they’d been through these past couple of days, he believed in her.

She should have told him about her diabetes. She knew that now. He had a right to know. But hindsight was a luxury she hadn’t put faith in.

“I’m sick, Stoney. I’m really sick.”

______________________________

Order NOTHING BUT TROULBE from these online retailers...

AMAZON: http://amzn.com/B005O549IA

BARNES AND NOBLE: http://alturl.com/hvcr4

SMASHWORDS: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/89531 
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/nothing-but-trouble/id470138736?mt=11

For more books by Lisa Mondello, click on the carousel of books at the top of the page.

Welcome Catina Sinches to Conversations to discuss...Full Figure Monologues

I'm always excited to discover new authors.  Catina Sinches has written a book that is near and dear to my heart.  Not all woman are Project Runway thin.  In fact, I'm the opposite.  I'm not tall or thin.  So where does that leave me and most of the woman in this population.  I love that Catina Sinches has tackled this in her new book Full Figure Monologues.  Here's a little bit about Catina...

Catina Sinches has always had a love for writing. Short stories and poems served as her foundation. A new chapter in her life has begun as she pursues her dream of becoming an author. Coupled with women she knew and her own life experiences motivated her to write Full Figure Monologues. ” I wanted to create something on a personal level that was not centered around losing weight nor what was going on in the fashion industry.” She hopes to inspire and encourage women through writing.

Catina currently resides in Texas. She earned her degree from Texas Southern University and she is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

About the writing of Full Figure Monologues:

Q-How did you come up with the title Full Figure Monologues?

Catina: I honestly think the title chose me. For a long time, we were not always afforded a platform to express the way we feel as women without focusing on our size. I felt as if no one truly heard what we had to say. I wanted a title that would encourage dialogue for full-figured women. In the book, I wanted readers to feel that if they heard just one story, they would be able to see themselves or someone they know in the book. We have the same issues just as anyone else. With that, I thought the title was appropriate.

Q-Why are you passionate about writing for full-figured women?

Catina: I have been full-figured all my life and I had to face challenges because of my size. By me writing this book, I wanted to give women a sense that they are not alone.



Now It Begins


No one can truly understand what it is to be a full figured woman until you have worn the outfit and walked in our beautiful shoes. For many, the outfit has been our armor – a shield of unparallel strength that we have worn since we were cute chubby little girls. Teasing was a cruel reality that we had to continually endure . The teasing had many faces as it came from our own family members, friends, kids at school as well as strangers. Our pretty faces were often covered in tears and were a source of comfort to reveal our pain as we were too young to truly understand why people were being so mean to us. The arms of a loving adult or older sibling was also our refuge as they wiped our tears because we could not understand why they called us names.

Now take a step back and look at what you have endured and the blessing that you are still here standing tall. Despite the bumps and bruises during our journey, we had the strength to carry on. We can’t change the past but we can take control of the present and begin enjoying life right now and the many years to come. I know for myself that I can never be mistaken for anything else, other than a courageous woman. It is with a sincere heart that I hope you wake up everyday to the sun rays caressing your beautiful face and start living. When you take the first step and use your heart as your guide, you will have the courage and strength to stand against anything.

_____

You can follow Catina Sinches on Twitter, Facebook and visit her on her website to find out about new stories she's writing.

Facebook: Author Catina Sinches or Catina Sinches

Website: http://www.catinasinches.com/
Twitter: @CatinaSinches

Order your copy of Full Figure Monologues at Amazon.com

PAPERBACK


KINDLE EDITION
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