Latest Updates

I know it's Thursday and I usually do a Booking Through Thursday post.  But, I was sifting through all my posts and realized that I hadn't given any updates lately.  So, I will return to Booking Through Thursday next week.

So, let's start with an upcoming release from one of our authors at Cressen Books.  Awakening Iris (The Dreamcatchers Saga #1) by Jessie McClain is the debut novel of a very talented author.  Here's the cover and synopsis and the release date for this novel will be Wednesday June 12, 2013:

Dreamcatchers and dreams.  Iris has them both.  Dreamcatchers to catch her bad dreams.  And dreams of what life was, but none of what life could be.  Until her familiar Stranger engulfs her life and changes everything.  Is he a new dream of the future or destined to be a repeat of the past?  Can she allow herself to love again or will the pain from the past be too great?







So, make sure to mark your calendars!  This book will be available for Kindle and Nook and will also be available in paperback through Amazon.com.

The next bit of news - Starward (Galactic Dynasty #1) by E. M. Lohr and Wendy Lohr (co-authoring with my Muse has turned out to be a lot of fun) had to have an extra chapter added.  We had gone through all the edits and realized that it was missing something.  So, I've added that extra chapter and hopefully we'll have a chance to edit it in the next couple of days.  Then we still have to get a synopsis together and finish the cover before everything will be ready.  We're hoping to either publish this sometime in the middle of June or sometime in July.  Release dates will be announced when we get closer to figuring that out!

Other than those two major things taking shape, I've been working on edits for another author's novel that we hope to release by the end of June.  I'll highlight that more once things have progressed to the last stages.  And, I've been writing feverishly on several new ideas over the last few weeks.  I absolutely love the writing process, the flow of words across the page, coming so fast that my fingers can barely keep up with my brain!  So exhilarating!!

I think that's it for now.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Weekend and wish you all a great weekend coming up.  And Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Wallflower

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks' teaser comes from Wallflower (Old Maids' Club #1) by Catherine Gayle:

Toby was up to something. Tabitha couldn’t be certain what he was up to, but obviously he was behind this change in the way Lord Devonport was observing her. Tabitha would wager her life on it. Or at least her pin money for the Season. There was nothing else to be done for it; she would have to strike first. (p. 15)

I'm not very far into this book yet, but it's been interesting so far.  I look forward to finding out what happens next!

Have a teaser for me??

Leave me a link below and have a wonderful day!

 

Booking Through Thursday #5

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme about (mostly) books and reading.

 

This weeks' BTT is: Have your reading habits changed since you were a child? (I mean, I’m assuming you have less time to read now, but …) Did you devour and absorb books when you were 10 and only just lightly read them now? Did you re-read frequently as a child but now only read new books? How about types of books? Do you find yourself still attracted to the kinds of books you read when you were a kid?


When I was a child, I was a voracious reader.  I constantly had my nose in a book and loved escaping to new worlds.  I was a big Nancy Drew fan back then, so every month when a new Nancy Drew Case Files mystery came out, that was a definite purchase.  I also read a lot of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine (Fear Street series mainly) and L. J. Smith.  I was into paranormal/supernatural and horror then.  That was between the ages of 9-13.

Then I discovered my step-mother's ridiculously huge collection of romance novels when I was 13-ish and began reading everything from contemporary to historical, Harlequin, Silhouette, didn't matter.  My real interest became Regency period romances though and I would scour bookshelves in the local used bookstore looking for new books in this time period to read.

Around age 16, I was introduced to the world of fantasy with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and became an instant fan.  I was friends with a family that was reading all the books, so I would borrow the books from them once they were done reading and would devour them within a couple of days.  That continued on until I graduated high school.

Then the reading stopped cold turkey.  Life happened, basically, and I didn't have much time for reading. Plus, I couldn't afford it.  And the local library still sucked, unfortunately.

Over the last few years, I've rediscovered my love of reading.  And although I don't have my nose buried in a book constantly these days, I do try to set aside time each week to read.  And my interests have grown even more to incorporate murder mysteries (both serious and cozy), historical fiction, dystopian thrillers, psychological suspense, zombies, erotica, and probably a ton more genres I'm forgetting at the moment as well as continuing to read within the genres I grew up enjoying.

Do you have an answer to share about any of the questions from above?

Leave me a link or comment below!

 

Teaser Tuesday: Spanish Intrigue

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks' teaser comes from my first novel in The L & L Mysteries series, Spanish Intrigue:

He stared at her in disbelief, not saying anything for a moment, and Leyla was starting to regret having said anything to him.  Then he started chuckling, completely catching her off guard.  Narrowing her eyes, she whispered angrily, "What's so funny?"
His violet eyes sparkled as he replied mischievously, "If I didn't know better, I would think you were jealous right now, Leyla." (p. 83)

This is one of many humorous interactions between Leyla and her really good friend and mystery-solving partner, Lucien.  I truly enjoyed writing this scene (which is actually much longer but this is supposed to only be a teaser), as this kind of sets the tone for future books of the type of friendship that develops between these two characters.

This mystery series is written for ages 10+, mainly for middle grade.  If you know of any kids who love to read, have them check out my publishers website: Cressen Books LLC.  They'll find all four books in the series as well as links for purchase and the first chapter for each book.

Have a teaser for me?

Leave a link below and have a wonderful week!

 

Booking Through Thursday #4

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme about (mostly) books and reading.

 

This weeks' BTT is: What book(s) do you find yourself going back to? Beloved children’s classics? Favorites from college? Something that touched you and just makes you long to visit?

The first time I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, I was sixteen.  I had recently discovered a love for historical/regency romances and came across a copy of this book in the local used bookstore I loved to haunt.  I began reading it when I got home and wasn't able to put it down until I had finished the very last word on the very last page!  Since then, I've purchased the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice (I love Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) and I've re-read the book at least once a year. So I guess that makes it about 17 times I've re-read it?  Give or take a few times. :)  It's the book I turn to if I want a true comfort read and it's the only book I have that I own at least 3 different bindings of, if not more.  But, I always find myself going back to read the particular version that I'd purchased at that used bookstore.

Do you have a book that you return to occasionally?

Leave me a link or comment below!



Teaser Tuesday: Game of Thrones final

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin:

 



"Take his horse," Dany commanded Ser Jorah. Viserys gaped at her. He could not believe what he was hearing; nor could Dany quite believe what she was saying. Yet the words came. "Let my brother walk behind us back to the khalasar." Among the Dothraki, the man who does not ride was no man at all, the lowest of the low, without honor or pride. "Let everyone see him as he is." (p. 231)

 

For anyone who has visited my last couple of teasers, you'll know that I've been working my way through A Game of Thrones.  It's been a slow progress as I don't have as much time as I would like to devote to reading, but I've been enjoying the book so far and seeing how well the HBO series mirrors it. 

 

For this last teaser from this book (I'm determined to have a different book to tease from next week), I wanted to quote Daenerys Stormborn, a character that I have truly fallen in love with and admire.  She has probably impressed me the most out of all the amazing characters George R. R. Martin has created in this epic world.  And I love this particular passage because it's the first time that she willingly and openly defies her brother, discovering that there truly is nothing to fear of him.  And this, I feel, is the turning point for her becoming the strong woman she grows into.

 

Have a teaser for me? 

Leave a link below and have a wonderful Tuesday!

 

Booking Through Thursday #3

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme about (mostly) books and reading.

 

This weeks' BTT is: My brother-in-law turns 50 this weekend. So, in his honor, please pick up your nearest book or whatever book you’re currently reading, and turn to page 50 and then share the first 50 words with the rest of us.   (Do feel free to round this off, to stop and start with complete sentences, though.)

I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  Here's the excerpt of 50 words from page 50:

Down here on the benches, there was no one to stop Jon drinking as much as he had a thirst for.  And he was finding that he had a man's thirst, to the raucous delight of the youths around him, who urged him on every time he drained a glass.

lol...I couldn't have planned a better passage to celebrate someone's birthday with and it's exactly 50 words!  So cheers and happy birthday to BTT's brother-in-law!

Teaser Tuesday: Game of Thrones continued

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

 

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

This weeks' teaser comes from A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin:



Fat Tom used to call her "Arya Underfoot," because he said that was where she always was. She'd liked that a lot better than "Arya Horseface." (pp. 217-218)

 

I know my last teaser was from the same book, but in my defense, this book is freakin' huge at 800+ pages.  And it's really not meant to be read in just a couple of sittings.  Anyway, so since I am still reading this book and I shared a quote from Tyrion last time (he's my favorite male character), I decided to go with one of my favorite female characters this time and quoted from Arya's perspective.

 

If you have a teaser to share, please leave me a link below!