random jendsmit: August 2012

Interview | Jessie Lane

Ok so I just finished this awesome book called The Burning Star... my review will be up tomorrow... in the mean time I have a little something for you from the author Jessie Lane!

First: Here is a little info about the awesome book I finished yesterday.

Goodreads Description:

Can she reach her destiny before tragedy strikes?

The doctors have told Kay that she will die before she reaches her eighteenth birthday. Her mother’s determination to save her life leads them to a move outside of Asheville, NC to a new set of cancer specialists in the hopes to help her. But it’s not what Kay and her Mom find in the doctor’s offices in Asheville that lead them on the journey to save her before time runs out. It’s what Kay finds in the woods outside of Asheville, and an inhumanly gorgeous guy named Ryan, instead.

Myths and fairy tales come to life before Kay’s eyes, bringing her closer to the ultimate cure if she can stay alive long enough to get there. And if the cancer doesn’t kill her before she finds the cure the secrets her mother has hidden from her may be the beginning of the end.

You can get your copy of The Burning Star - which I totally recommend you pick up - at these awesome places!

eBooks:

Buy it in print:

Second: Here's a little bio on the amazing duo that makes up author Jessie Lane

Jessie Lane is the writing team of Crystal Leo and Melissa Pahl. The two sister-in-laws share a great love of breathtaking romance, cliff hanging suspense, and out-of-this-world characters that demand your attention or threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them. Because really, it is ALL about the characters. (They’re kind of megalomaniacs)

When not losing themselves in a story, they remember they have real lives. Crystal lives in Kentucky with her husband and two little girls who plot daily the many ways they can drive their poor mother crazy. At the end of the day, Crystal calls Melissa and threatens to ship her two nieces to their favorite Aunt with lots of air holes punched through their box. Melissa answers Crystal’s crazed calls in Washington state where she lives with her husband and big furry baby of a Rottweiler named Yuffie, and reminds her that children are not shippable.

This is their first novel, but they are all geared up and excited to be releasing other projects soon!

Now little kittens, come stalk around cyber space with me!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

and now - my favorite part (today) - The Interview!!!!

here's a color code {just in case you get lost}

random jendsmit Question

Jessie Lane (Crystal)'s Answer

random comments from me

I never remember to Thank the authors I interview while doing the interviewing... That is horrible but true! I'm going to work on that! But - for today - I would like to ask Crystal to please forgive my rudeness and to say Thank You So Much for answering all my questions & for stopping by today to talk with us and for sharing so much!!!

Hi Jennifer! Thank you for having me (being Crystal) and my co-author Melissa here today for an interview! Unfortunately, you’re stuck with half of the team that makes ‘Jessie Lane’ today because Melissa has been hard at work all week. But I assure everyone, as the politicians say around election time, everything is a “Melissa approved message”, lol.

Where do you find your inspiration for your stories? Do you base your characters on people you know or do your characters just show up in your head?

The inspiration for my stories comes from many different sources. For instance, The Burning Star was inspired by a crazy dream I had a few years ago. However, the story ideas that I had for the two novels that we are currently writing came from ideas that randomly popped into my head. I’ve had a story idea pop into my head from just seeing my neighbors in their yards while walking down the street. See, totally random. As for my characters, sometimes they are based on individuals that I know. Kay, the main character in The Burning Star, is based on a combination of traits from my two daughters. Annabelle Smith, the heroine in my upcoming novel Secret Maneuvers, is based loosely on a friend of mine. However, many of my characters are entirely fictional, and pop into my head to demand my attention all on their own. They’re also often megalomaniacs, so they can be quite pushy.

Do you have a specific or special place that you write?

No special place per se, because I am currently confined to my desktop in my bedroom. However, one day my husband will surprise me with a laptop (hint, hint hubby), and then the members of my family will more than likely find me with it on the porch writing. I love sitting on my front porch. It’s ahhhhh-mazingly relaxing.

I love porches... is that weird? I don't know - I live in the middle of nowhere... so I like the quiet and just hanging out on a porch - shoot me - I like it! I wish I had a bigger porch and could fit like a couch or some giant chair out there - I would so do it! I'll be the crazy old lady on the porch watching everything my neighbors do ALL THE TIME - fair warning ;) LOL!!

While you write, do you listen to music? Do you have playlists you play on repeat while you write?

Music is a HUGE inspiration for me. Depending on my characters or the scene, it’s about a 50/50 shot on whether I have music playing. Or what I’m playing. Certain books or characters can be inspired by a singer or a song and I often repeat it while writing. Mayday Parade was behind The Burning Star. They have a few songs such as, The Memory, The Silence, and Save Your Heart became anthems for the book. Taylor Swift’s song, Sparks Fly, is a main song behind the upcoming book Secret Maneuvers. Breaking Benjamin’s songs, Breath and I Will Not Bow have become repeats while I write on the also upcoming Big Bad Bite. I’m eclectic.While I can’t tell you what’s on Melissa’s playlists, I can tell you that music is a factor in her inspiration while writing, as well.

OMG - I think I just fell in love with you Crystal! I looked up these Mayday Parade songs on Rhapsody.com and WOW - I love them! I have just found a new fav band! Yep!! Also, side note, I love Breaking Benjamin - they are fantastic!! Check them out!

What’s on your current playlist?

Current Partial Playlist for Big Bad Bite:Breaking Benjamin: Breath, I Will Not Bow, Give Me A Sign, Blow Me Away, FollowHalestorm: Love Bites, I Miss The Misery, Freak Like Me, Hello It’s Mz Hyde,

Current Partial Playlist for Secret Maneuvers:Taylor Swift: Sparks Fly, The Story of Us, Back to December, Ella Mae Bowen: Holding Out For A Hero (Ex Ops Series Theme Song)Miranda Lambert: Over YouJason Aldean: She’s CountryJason Aldean: Kelly Clarkson – Don’t You Wanna Stay

Now I don't know about you kittens but WOW - I can't wait to read Big Bad Bite & that's souly because I love the bands on the playlist!

Secret maneuvers - I want to read - two reasons: 1. I love the name, 2. Hello?! Look at the playlist!!!

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Dreaming everything up! My imagination can be quite vivid, so picturing everything happening in my head is like watching a movie with short scenes. My second favorite part would have to be sharing my ideas with my co-author Melissa. We have so much fun bouncing ideas off each other. It’s one of the reasons we work so well together.

I think it would be so awesome to be part of a writing team - don't you?!

I absolutely love book covers, they tell so much about the book, the characters, everything!! So I have to ask, how do you choose your book covers?

Since I am an indie author, I design my own book covers. I love doing this! It lets my creative streak out, and it’s fun! So the first thing I do is to try and find a picture that represents the character accurately. With The Burning Star, I was extremely lucky because the picture ended up being a replica of how I imagined Kay’s appearance to be. Add some graphics and script and I was in cover lust with my own book cover! Is it wrong to lust after your own cover?

I love this cover - I love it so much more after I read the book =)

and NO it is not wrong to lust after your own cover Crystal!! So not wrong when it looks like yours!!

Who are your favorite authors? What are you reading right now that you love?

I just finished reading several books in the past few weeks: Stygian’s Honor by Lora Leigh, One Night Rodeo by Lorelei James, Breathe and Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley, Seducing Cinderella by Gina Maxwell and Hell On Wheels by Julie Ann Walker. All of these books were enjoyable, and I would highly recommend them! As for my favorite authors, well I have many. Some of the authors I enjoy the most are Jill Shalvis, Shelly Laurenston/G.A.Aiken, Jeaniene Frost, Karen Marie Moning, Gena Showalter, Cassandra Clare, Melissa Marr, Stephanie Meyer, Lorelei James, Kristen Ashley and Patricia Briggs. That’s just a short list to start. Trust me when I say that I could go on forever!

a girl after my own heart - I will be checking out these books and authors - you should too!!

Now because I love you all so much & Crystal is awesome; I get to share an excerpt with you today!

Don't forget to go get your copy of The Burning Star!! don't make me be mean to you

I stood there frozen knowing that I would probably die because of this wretched creature when all of a sudden I saw the quick movement of an arm bringing down the point of the knife slicing down towards the large creature’s skull. The animal’s enraged screams ripped through the woods surrounding us. My brain tried to analyze what was happening before me as I stood as still as a statue and watched as the monster started to crumble away. That’s right, I said crumble. Like something that had been burnt from the inside out and then fell apart, it just was disintegrating into nothing.
This can’t be real.I looked up from the ashes into the face of an angel.
No, he’s not an angel, he’s just a guy. Right?He was staring at me as if he had just seen me sprout a second head. I was staring back at him like he was somehow related to those alien birds outside of my window. My mouth flapped open to scream again but before a sound could escape the world faded to black, and I fainted.
At least I didn’t scream again, right?When I opened my eyes, two ethereal blue eyes were staring back at me. My head was throbbing like the big drum in a marching band, and it felt like my head might split in two from the pounding headache.
“Are you okay?” His strong but sweet voice whispered.
Before I could stop my mouth from saying anything ridiculous I replied, “Are you an angel? Did I finally die and go to heaven?”
He bellowed a laugh while I blushed a shade that was more than likely lobster red.
I really just didn’t say that did I? Stupid, stupid, stupid Kay. I smacked myself in the forehead and tried to hide my face behind my hand. That’s a brilliant way to make a first impression to an extremely hot guy. Let’s just faint like an air headed girl, which I am not, and then wake up asking stupid questions. And then that’s when it hit me. The past few moments of events flooded my brain again and I started to panic.
“Wait, wait a minute! What was that thing and how in the world did it just, just…”“The dog? I’m sorry to tell you, but I had to cut it with my knife to scare it away. It wasn’t a mortal wound though. He took off through the woods to escape. Sorry if you’re one of those animal lovers, but I was afraid it might kill one of us.”I shook my head to try to clear it.
“No, no, no, no. That was no dog. Well I mean, it was at first, but then it became something else. It was black, and huge and had those red eyes…”
And before I finished my sentence I looked up at him to see complete shock and amazement on his face. I had never seen anyone look so bewildered. “Don’t look at me like that! I know what I saw! Now what was that thing and what happened to it at the end. It didn’t run off, I saw you kill it. And I would point to the body to prove it, but it; well it fell apart or something.”And in just a split second the shock had disappeared from his handsome face and was replaced by something more masked and calculating. “I’m sorry. You’re quite mistaken. I didn’t kill it. I only wounded it. And it was a dog.” “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head or something? I’m afraid you might be having some kind of hallucinations of some kind.” Somehow, when he said it, it didn’t seem as scary or grotesque as it did when I played what I thought I saw back in my head.

Now a little inside info for you | Jessie Lane is going to be giving away free ebook copies of The Burning Star through B&N, Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance/OMNI Lit starting tomorrow!

This giveaway is effective 9/1/12 to 9/10/12. So get your copy or wait until the 11th and pay the original price of $1.99. Which is a bargain if I do say so myself

Either way {get it free between 9/1 and 9/10, or pay the 2 bucks} JUST GET A COPY!

bye,
@jendsmit

random music videos | Post #1 | The Maine

Here are some of my favorite The Maine music videos courtesy of YouTube! Check 'em out =)

click here for their website (which is also the source for this photo)

I <3 John, but hey they are all great - to each their own >:)

my favorite song is on Pioneer & is featured in this trailer - check it out - then go check out The Maine and their music!! You'll thank me later ;)

bye,

@jendsmit

Review | Tall, Dark, and Divine by Jenna Bennett

Blurb:

Eros, the Greek god of love, swore off the useless emotion after his ex ran off with some Viking godling. He's lost all interest in his matchmaking business, Made in Heaven, until he spots the sweet baker who works across the street. Before she stirs his sullen heart, he'll match her and get back to his ambrosia-laced wine in no time.

Lonely baker Annie Landon has given up on finding Mr. Right. What she needs is Mr. Right Here, Right Now, and this so-called “Greek God” she’s heard is on the rebound sounds exactly like the perfect kind of distraction. But picking up the bitter, workaholic is easier said than done…especially when he seems unreasonably determined to match her with someone else.

Can a woman looking for love—and the matchmaking god who wants her to find it with someone else—have a shot at a happy ending? May the best god—or mortal—win.

Edition Info:

eBook, 123 pages

Published July 20th 2012 by Entangled Publishing: Covet

ISBN13 9781622669530

Source:

Review copy given by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In a nut shell:

Laugh-Out-Loud Funny | Romantic | Good Fun

My Rating:

4 stars

Details:

I really enjoyed this book! I was laughing out loud the entire time. Annie is just hysterical – her witty dialogue had me from the very first word. Eros – Ross – is exactly as I would have hoped. He is fun, brooding, and sexy. I love that this is set in modern NYC! I love love love the Sex in the City 2 reference Annie pulls in the Office. It was PERFECT!

This book is a Rom-Com that will totally play out in your head! I loved it! You definitely need to check it out.

I loved how Jenna was able to bring all these mythical gods and demi-gods into the world of today and make it work – serious – it totally worked! I loved the play between them all – loved the back and forth between Dion and Ari. Totally loved Brita missing the attention at the end and volunteering and helping with the plan.

I just really really liked it – I love the cover on this book too, btw! =) as you know I am a self-proclaimed Cover Whore {verbiage stolen from Bookish Brunette} and I often judge before reading the blurbs on books… just saying – stating a fact … sorry!

This cover – I love that Ross is shown with some scruff on his face and the look – SHIT – I love it! Annie is perfect – I LOVE the red lips on the cover – and the chemistry shown on the cover is totally exactly what you feel in the book.

Ok that’s all I have for now – go get your copy RIGHT NOW!!

And in case you missed it – check out my interview with Jenna | click here |

Until Next Time,

@jendsmit

Interview | Jenna Bennett

Hi all!! Today I have Jenna Bennett author of Tall, Dark & Divine talking with me! Eep!! So exciting - I love author interviews!!!! <3 I am reading this book now and IT'S GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

So before I start pestering Jenna with questions - here's a little about her and Tall, Dark, & Divine!

About this author (from Goodreads Author Page)
Jenna Bennett

aka Jennie Bentley and Bente Gallagher

is New York Times bestselling author of the Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, featuring designer and amateur sleuth Avery Baker and her boyfriend, handyman Derek Ellis, who renovate houses in Waterfield, Maine.

As Jenna Bennett, she writes and publishes the Cutthroat Business mysteries featuring Southern Belle and new-minted real estate agent Savannah Martin in Nashville, Tennessee.
Starting in the summer of 2012, she'll also be writing a series of futuristic romances for Entangled Publishing - high concept pitch: "Firefly with sex" - about the crew of a smuggling ship called the Good Fortune. Book 1, tentatively titled Fortune's Hero, is scheduled for release in August 2011.

website | twitter | facebook | goodreads

Goodreads Blurb:

Can a woman looking for love—and the matchmaking god who wants her to find it with someone else—have a shot at a happy ending? May the best god—or mortal—win.

Let's get this interview started!!