Excerpts

Character Interview with Oisin Harrison and Trenton Fisher from Waking Oisin by Grace Kilian Delaney + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on March 6, 2018 by thebloggergirls

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Hi everyone! I’m excited to be here at The Blogger Girls celebrating my new release Waking Oisin. In Waking Oisin, both characters discover what they once held important is no longer working in their lives. As they face this realization, they struggle to find romance and their happy for now ending.

Interview with Oisin Harrison and Trenton Fisher

Grace Kilian Delany: Hi guys and thanks for answering some questions today.

Oisin Harrison: Always happy to help out.

Trent Fisher: (turns to Oisin) You’re so sweet. (To GKD) Thanks for having us here.

GKD: Oisin, first off, can you tell everyone about your unique name and how it’s pronounced?

Oisin: Sure thing. And no one says it right, so… It’s pronounced kinda like ocean, only Oh-sheen. There’s some funky accent on the second i in Gaelic, which leads to the origin of my name. It comes from the Irish myth of Oisín and the Land of Eternal Youth. Mom liked the name, but the myth? It’s really sad. I won’t spoil it for anyone who wants to read it. It’s on YouTube, too. Such a sad ending.

GKD: Good thing you got your happy ending.

Trent: I’d say he got his happy ending.

Oisin: (blushing) Rude!

GKD: You had to go there? Anyway. Let’s dive into some other questions. Now that you’ve gotten some time together, what are some issues that have come up that you hadn’t expected?

Trent: That’s easy. This man hogs all the blankets.

Oisin: I do not.

Trent: You do too. He pulls them off me and then wraps himself in them like a cocoon. And then the dog! I love Maggie, but she likes to climb in the bed so I’ve got no blanket and a big black lab curled up next to me instead of my sexy boyfriend.

GKD: Sounds like grounds for couple’s therapy. Got anything to say to that Oisin?

Oisin: Nope. Trent is perfect in every way. There’s not anything at all that I (bursts out in laughter) Okay, so that’s not true. He has this weird thing about food. The meat—and don’t get me started on the fact he eats meat—has to go at the bottom of the plate and the carbs and veggie on the top. I guess it’s not a major issue, but just something I hadn’t expected.

GKD: That leads me to my next question. Both are you are animal lovers. Trent, your sisters own a veterinary clinic in Las Vegas, and Oisin you’re an animal activist and studying to become a veterinarian. Do you have any advice for people who are looking to adopt?

Trent: Let me add a disclaimer that none of us, including this wonderful blog site, endorses any particular organization before we get into that answer.

Oisin: Always the lawyer…

Trent: According to ASPCA, over 3.6 million animals enter animal shelters every year in the US. I understand that adopting a shelter animal can be intimidating for some, and if that’s the case, turn to rescue groups. The volunteers at good rescue group will be able to give you a feel for the animal’s disposition and help you determine if you and the animal are a good match.

Oisin: And look into pet insurance when you get your pet. Or if you are having a hard time paying vet bills, there are organizations that help people do that so you can keep your baby healthy.

GKD: Thank you guys and best to the both of you! I’m sure we’ll be chatting again soon. Continue reading →

Categories: Book Promo, Character Interviews, Excerpts, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Dead Wrong by Gillian St. Kevern: Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on March 5, 2018 by thebloggergirls

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Exclusive Excerpt from Dead Wrong

by Gillian St. Kevern

“Why do these things always come in threes? You never win the lottery three times, do you?” Gunn had steeled himself for entering the yoga studio by lighting a cigarette before he went inside. The tobacco and sulfur scent mingled oddly with the herbal notes of the incense lingering in the room, but even that couldn’t mask the smell dominating the studio—death.

Kenzies snorted. “If our perp sticks to only three we’ll be lucky.” She turned to Nate. “You okay, blossom?”

Nate swallowed. The victim’s eyes were open, and she stared at the ceiling. Her short hair was buzzed on one side and spilled into vibrant green-purple-indigo curls on the other, but while she’d obviously gone to a lot of effort to get the cut, she hadn’t maintained it. Her brown roots were showing.

Why am I focused on her haircut and not her death? Nate felt bile at the back of his throat. The woman was dead, the third victim in this ongoing case. She lay on her back on a runic circle that even to Nate’s untrained eyes looked exactly like those the previous victims had been found on. The two fang marks in her neck stood out against the paleness of her skin like a brand. Just like the others she had been entirely drained of blood.

With a start, Nate realized Kenzies was still waiting for an answer. “Yeah. Uh. Fine.”

“There’s something really suspicious about your reactions,” Gunn remarked conversationally. “I can taste shock, but we’ve already established you don’t know the victim. Has this convinced you that Ben’s responsible?”

Nate gulped. That was it, wasn’t it? If Ben was in Saltaire’s custody, he couldn’t have done this. I need to talk to Godfrey ASAP.

“How long has she been here?” Kenzies asked.

Clay stepped forward. He was far, far too cheerful for anyone who worked with Gunn. “The yoga studio closed at six. Sunset was at 7:02 p.m. The corpse was discovered by the cleaner at—when did you say, Tremaine?”

Tremaine looked up from her inspection of the studio’s supply cupboards. “I got the call at 8:17 p.m. I arrived here ten minutes later.”

Nate was relieved to see that she no longer looked ill. She didn’t even look tired. Having a case to work on was clearly more to her liking than crowd control.

Tremaine cocked an eyebrow at him, and Nate realized he was staring. “I see you got your uniform without problem.”

“Yeah, thanks for dropping it off.” Nate tugged the shirt straight. The new shirt didn’t adhere to his skin. “I feel much more comfortable.” He cast around for a way to change the subject. He didn’t want to remember what had followed the delivery of Nate’s new uniform. Ben snarling as he launched himself at Aki in an entirely unprovoked assault.

Am I sure that Ben isn’t guilty? He has all the killing instinct of a vampire… I have to talk to Godfrey. Nate slipped his hand into his pocket, gripping his phone, and took a step backward toward the door.

Gunn spat out smoke. “What are the odds we can’t identify this one either?”

Clay grinned. “Bad news.”

Gunn glared. “Security footage only shows victim?”

“Not even that. It’s a complete blank from the owner leaving to Tremaine arriving. Also, we had the owner in to ID the victim, and she says she’s never seen her before.”

“Do you think they’re doing this just to annoy us?”

Kenzies sniffed. “It would explain the wolfsbane.”

Nate was startled. “You can’t smell anything?”

“I can smell too much. Even despite the best efforts of him”—she jerked her head toward Gunn—“and the goddamn patchouli this place is drowning in, I can barely make out the smell of the rite. And you know how much necromancy stinks!”

Nate did not, but he filed that away for future reference. Evil equals smelly. “And the wolfsbane?”

“Overkill. Then again, the fact they used it at all is a good indication, if one were needed, that our perp is not a wolf.”

“Or a vampire. Don’t they have sensitive noses too?”

Kenzies looked sadly at Nate. Out of respect for Nate’s feelings, she referred to the killer as ‘the perp’ when Nate was in earshot, but he suspected she shared her superior’s views of Ben’s guilt. “I caught a whiff of vampire when we approached the building.”

“We gotta go,” Gunn announced. “Another night, another demonstration scheduled outside the Registry. You’d think people would have better things to do, but there you go. Kenzies, I leave the rest to you.”

Kenzies saluted. “I’m going to sniff around here. Clay, you monitor the Forensics team, and make sure they don’t accidentally set off a necromantic booby trap. Tremaine, take Nate back to the station. I want you to figure out who these victims are.”

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The Time of My Life by Nora Phoenix: Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on March 4, 2018 by thebloggergirls

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Exclusive Excerpt from The Time of My Life

by Nora Phoenix

For a week, Denver managed to stay away from Judah, as he had intended to. Sure, they interacted somewhat in the vocal coaching group, but Judah never tried to pair up with him again after that first day. Mercifully not, because Denver wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to turn him down again. The first time had been hard enough. He’d asked the first person he saw to be his partner, which turned out to be that absolute dumbass, Clark. Holy crap, the guy really had shit for brains. He had an amazing voice, though.

The vocal sessions were fun, though not exactly new to him. He knew the stuff DeeDee was teaching already, but it never hurt to brush up. The stylist had offered some interesting suggestions, wanting him to play up his cute preppy look, as she had called it. He’d tried on some of the outfits she had suggested and had to admit they looked good on him. The media trainings were when he paid attention most, because he knew how crucial it was to get that part right.

He enjoyed getting to know the others. They were all staying in the same hotel, and he’d hung out with LaVine and a few others in the evenings. Judah had joined them once. Denver wondered what he did the other evenings. Busking? There was nothing in the contract that prohibited it—Denver had looked it up to be sure—though once the blind auditions had been aired, he would have to stop. They weren’t allowed to do any promotions without the network’s permission, and the producers sure as hell wouldn’t approve busking.

What Denver appreciated most was that he hadn’t seen Cody since he left for LA. He’d contacted his case officer in New York, who had reached out to the LAPD and had set him up with a contact person there. Not that Denver was expecting much of that. Sergeant Williams, his contact on the NYPD, had gone above and beyond for Denver, fueled by a cousin of his who’d fallen prey to a stalker a few years back. She’d been raped by the guy before they had enough evidence to get him off the streets. Williams had vowed nothing would happen to Denver, and he’d done his best to live out that promise.

Of course, now that Denver was in LA, there was little Williams could do. Denver doubted a low-key stalker case like his would warrant much attention from the LAPD, not when they had dozens of celebrities with similar problems. That’s why he had been so happy he hadn’t spotted Cody. Maybe the asshole hadn’t figured out yet where Denver was? He hoped it would stay that way for a long time.

There was a knock on the door. He carefully checked the peephole. What the fuck was Judah doing at his door? Especially this late, since it was almost bedtime. He hesitated.

“Denver, please.”

That voice. Those words. Denver was transported back to that morning, the two of them in his bed. That kiss, that scorching hot, yet clumsy kiss. That thick, pulsing cock in his hand and then Judah coming all over him. Damn, just when he had been more or less successful in pushing those memories away.

He opened the door, left the security chain on. “What do you want?”

“Can I come in?”

“No. Not until you tell me what you want.”

Judah’s face fell. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slumping. “Never mind.”

He looked so forlorn, that Denver’s heart contracted painfully. Damn, he was such a softie. “What is it, Judah?” he said more kindly.

“No, you’re right. I shouldn’t have come. You warned me you wouldn’t do shit for me if I treated you like crap again.”

Denver involuntarily smiled. “If that’s supposed to be a sales pitch, it needs some work.”

Judah looked up from the floor he’d been studying. “It’s not. It’s me telling you you’re right.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Denver muttered as he slid the chain off and opened the door. “Come in already, would you? I can’t stand to see you standing there like a sad puppy.”

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Release Blitz: Promise Me We’ll Be Okay by Nell Iris + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on March 3, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Promise Me We’ll Be Okay by Nell Iris

What do you do when your past comes knocking?

Six hundred and ninety-five days. That’s how long it’s been since Jude’s fiancé broke off their engagement. With the help of his brother and his all-encompassing love for music, Jude glued the broken pieces of his heart back together, but when his ex shows up on his doorstep late one evening, Jude fears it will fall apart again.

Two years ago, Vincent made a terrible mistake. He left the love of his life for stupid, ill-advised reasons. It took a traumatic event to bring what was truly important in his life into focus. Older and wiser, he’s now ready to do whatever it takes to win Jude back.

Their chemistry is as explosive as ever, but will they be able to work through the real issues? Can trust once broken be rebuilt?

Available at: Amazon

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Room For Recovery by DJ Jamison: Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on March 2, 2018 by thebloggergirls

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Exclusive Excerpt from Room For Recovery

by DJ Jamison

Beau stared at the notification he’d just received about Wade Ritter: You are now connected on Messenger.

Wade must have added him on Facebook. Beau fully believed that would never happen. Even with their moms encouraging them to connect back when Wade didn’t know anyone in town, he’d ignored Beau’s friend request.

So, what did it mean that he accepted it now?

Wade remained distant at school. Beau had been embarrassed when he’d walked right by without even acknowledging him the week before. Ker had been so pissed she told Beau he should ask out Miles. He’d been chatting with Miles more in class, and he’d joined Beau and his friends for lunch a couple of times. Beau wasn’t confident he was reading him right, but Ker was all for Beau testing the waters.

She knew, just as well as Beau did, that his crush on Wade was unhealthy. He wasn’t sure asking out Miles would make it disappear. It had taken root, even when he didn’t know Wade, and now that they were talking to each other, it grew stronger every day.

When he first met Wade three years ago, he wasn’t immediately a jerk. He was withdrawn. If they were in a room full of people, Wade would be in the farthest corner from everyone else. He didn’t smile or laugh. He wore headphones and stared out the window mostly.

Beau’s little fifteen-year-old heart had been smitten immediately. It had yearned to break through the melancholy that hung over Wade. Maggie, too, had been taken with him. Wade was a cute kid, with shiny blond hair and blue eyes. Neither one of them stood a chance.

But while Beau hung back, watching and waiting after Wade had brushed off his first few attempts at friendship, Maggie charged ahead. She pestered Wade in that way little sisters seem to master at a young age. She asked him questions, and when he shrugged, she asked him more. She ignored his indifference, offering to show him the television, to play a board game, to take him out to the tire swing.

Finally, one day, Wade wasn’t quiet anymore.

“Leave me alone!” he’d exclaimed after she’d followed him onto the back porch, and Beau had watched from a distance. “I’m never going to like you; do you get that? You’re just a stupid little girl who doesn’t know crap about the world. So, let me make it simple for you: I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you. So, go play with your dolls or whatever it is you do.”

Maggie had burst into tears and never spoken to him again. Unlike Beau, she was not a glutton for punishment.

Even as Beau walked into that room and stood up to Wade for the first time, he’d been unable to let go of a small sliver of hope that they’d one day be friends.

“You don’t have to be mean,” he’d said.

“Obviously I do. You guys won’t leave me alone. I don’t want to be friends, you know? Not with her and not with you. Not with anybody.”

Beau squashed the disappointment, not wanting Wade to see how the rejection hurt. He’d shrugged. “Your loss.”

All these years later, staring at the friendship Wade had extended via social media, he wasn’t sure that statement had been true. He’d felt the loss keenly, though it was for something he never had. He felt the loss of what might have been. The friendship he could have formed with that beautiful but sad boy.

He clicked Wade’s name on messenger and tapped out a message.

I knew you liked me.

He watched with bated breath, regretting the tease once he’d hit send. What if Wade took it too seriously? What if he thought Beau meant like as in … like? Ugh. So stupid. He should just put his phone away and forget about it.

The phone chimed.

It only took me three years. You must be charming.

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Hard to Let Go by Jaclyn Quinn: Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on March 1, 2018 by thebloggergirls

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Exclusive Excerpt from Hard to Let Go

by Jaclyn Quinn

“Do you always put chocolate chips in your blueberry muffins?”

He looked down at the bowl then up at Leslie. He’d been fucking up all morning and it pissed him off to know it was because of that asshole. “Shit. Guess today’s special has been decided, chocolate chip blueberry muffins.”

“Sounds yummy if you ask me, but then, I pretty much like chocolate in everything.” Leslie laughed and tossed some chocolate chips in her mouth.

Owen shook his head and said, “Yeah, I know you do. If you eat one more chocolate croissant, I’m docking your pay.” He bumped her with his hip to move her out of the way as he reached for the muffin pan.

“Like hell you will. It’s called quality control. How else are you gonna know if this stuff is good enough to sell? You’re welcome,” she deadpanned, shrugging her shoulders. “Besides, if you being distracted gets us more chocolate in your baked goods, I don’t see a problem.” Leslie winked at him and tucked a red curl that had fallen out of her hair tie back with the rest of them on top of her head. They each had pale skin, but with Owen’s dark chocolate brown hair and her red curls, they didn’t even look related.

“Who says I’m distracted?” he asked defensively. He was totally fucking distracted. Man, he really needed to get his mind off of the shit-storm that barreled into town this morning. Luckily, all of the mistakes he’d made were ones he could salvage…so far.

Owen’s mind had been going back to the close call that morning over and over again. He knew he was being immature blaming Brody for anything that happened. Owen’s the one who almost caused the accident by running the stop sign. He was just so damned pissed at himself, because before he recognized Brody, he’d let his eyes wander over his well-developed body. The perfect fit of his jeans, the plaid shirt that clung to a broad chest, the goatee that made him look rugged and mysterious, and the brown hair just long enough to tuck behind his ears. That was not even close to the clean cut, all-star athlete that used to make Owen’s life a living hell.

Without his high school jacket or him hiding behind the ring leader, Chuck, no one would know it was Brody Walker. Except it was him. He was one of Chuck’s lackeys, always there, taunting Owen and egging Chuck on. The fact that Owen had let his eyes wander over his perfectly sculpted—no…shit, Owen—over that piece of shit—yeah that’s better—disgusted him. Proof positive he just needed to get laid. Continue reading →

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Honorary Blogger Annabella Michaels: Where I Find Inspiration

Posted on February 27, 2018 by thebloggergirls

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Where I Find Inspiration

by Annabella Michaels

People often ask authors where they find the inspiration for their books. For me, the answer is many, many places. Sometimes it can be as simple as a commercial I see on TV or a person I see on the street. Other times, it’s something more personal which brings about the first inklings of a storyline.

My first book, Feeding the Soul, was inspired by my nephew who as a young, gay man believes in true love and wants nothing more than to find his HEA. Caleb Greene’s sweet nature, his loyalty to his family and his courage to be exactly who he was meant to be were all inspired by this incredible young man.

The inspiration for Zane’s location in FOUND is based on one of my favorite places in the world, a place where I spent nearly every summer growing up. I won’t give it away in case there are people who haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but everything about his location was inspired by the memories I have of that very special place.

Recently, I woke up with a full story in my mind. I’m not sure if I’d been dreaming it or not, but I could see everything clearly, as if I were watching a movie. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and jotted everything down in my notes before I could forget. That was the first time that has ever happened to me and while I may never know what inspired it, I thought it was a really cool experience.

Music is also a great inspiration for me. Most of my ideas come when I’m driving alone in my car with the radio turned up. Occasionally, it’s whole book ideas, but most of the time it inspires the mood for certain scenes or feelings for the theme of the book or a particular character.

My advice for anyone wanting to write would be to open your ears, your eyes and your mind to all the possibilities around you. Inspiration is lurking in every corner and can come from the smallest of things. Continue reading →

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Honorary Blogger Beth Bolden: The Best & Worst + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Nikyta

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The Best & Worst

by Beth Bolden

People who create things get their influences from so many different sources. I watch a lot of TV—well, not a lot, working a full time job and then trying to write and release a book every three months cuts down on a lot of my binge-watching—but it’s something my husband and I like to do together and he needs attention too, every once in awhile.

If a show messes up on their essential plotline or even worse, the romantic plotline, I get really annoyed. Because of how much I’ve learned about plotting and character development and arcs and beats, etcetera, failure on this drives me insane. But nothing makes me more frustrated and more likely to quit watching a show than when they mess up a romantic subplot.

In fact, even though sometimes the book I’m in the middle of writing has nothing to do with the shows we’re watching, I find that tiny little things will slip in and influence the book, even when I have zero intention of them actually happening.

Let’s talk about the best (and worst) developed romantic subplots on TV. (Warning for spoilers ahead!)

THE WORST

  1. The Blacklist. While this show has a fantastic plots, their main romantic plotline has been total garbage slop. Liz’s stupid husband Tom, who isn’t actually Tom but is actually (unfortunately) her husband, has made me want to pull my hair out from the beginning. It’s risky for a show to make an argument that love exists after so many lies, and one partner holding the other HOSTAGE on an abandoned ship accompanied by TORTURE. I mean, I could go on and on. But I don’t find it star-crossed or romantic. I just find Tom incredibly annoying, and Liz only annoying when she intersects with him. I was hoping (AM STILL HOPING, showrunners), that she would end up with Ressler, but I have a feeling that will never happen. What is the book lesson from this garbage dump of a love story? If one of your love interests is going to lie to the other one, and you want the other love interest to forgive him, fine. Don’t make the lie too extreme, and then don’t have them doomed to rinse and repeat this action over and over again. It’ll eventually make one character look like a douchenozzle and the other one look stupid and overly trusting. Love isn’t a blanket that forgives everything. What is the only thing that saves this show, from a romantic subplot angle? The wonderful, seasons-long, pining between Aram and Sarar. Samar is a little bitter and been there, done that, and Aram is a little naïve. And they are so god damn soft with each other. It almost, almost, salvages the ugliness that is Tom and Liz.
  2. Grey’s Anatomy. I have one problem here. Do not establish epic love stories and then kill one or both of the characters off, and then expect that the audience will be able to move on. Downtown Abbey had this problem for me. When they killed off Matthew, I was so angry, I wished I hadn’t wasted three seasons of time, begging for them to get together, and then stay together. If you put your characters and the audience through the wringer, do not expect them to be happy if it ends unhappily. Basically, do not kill McSteamy, McDreamy, etc etc. That’s bad. Don’t do it. And the other relationships you attempt to establish afterwards will always feel weak and like poor replacements for the original. You’ll never be able to get your audience re-invested again, because they don’t trust you anymore. AND THEY SHOULDN’T. I will never forgive Shonda Rhimes for breaking up Meredith and McDreamy, or killing Lexie and McSteamy, or especially, FOREVER, for breaking up Cristina and Burke, and then somehow, miraculously investing me again in Cristina and Owen, and then ruining that one too. Just don’t do it. Not being able to write people who are in relatively happy, functional relationships for the long-term is just lazy. There’s lots of places to go after two characters fall in love and agree to try that relationship thing (see Aimee Nicole Walker’s Curl up and Dye series, which is a fantastic example of writing a relationship that extends long past the initial HEA).
  3. Bones/The X-Files/Castle. This is somewhat a reiteration of my problem with Grey’s but these shows don’t kill off one of the characters to prevent writing a long-term relationship, they just taken FOREVER to get there. Lots of push and pull. Too much push and pull. Too many excuses. Too many interruptions. Too many lame love interests that you know will not last because they are a pale imitation of the couple you really want to happen. We are in the middle of binge-watching Castle currently, and yes, that particular couple did eventually get together, but for the love of god, it took way too long. Same with Bones. I actually got bored with all the shit they threw at Bones and Booth to keep them apart, and by the time they actually got together, I was done and had actually stopped watching. Do not get me started on The X-Files. I’m still too raw from this season’s revelations to think or talk about it. Some enemies to lovers books can feel like this—just because that’s the main gist of the trope: they don’t like each other. As soon as they do like each other, all the tension is out of your story, unless you can miraculously find a second well of tension to draw from. NOT EASY. No, I could not possibly be speaking from personal experience or what it was like to write Bite Me).

THE BEST

  1. The Vampire Diaries/The Originals. Is this great television? Hell no. It’s not even good television, for long stretches. And I’m not including these two inter-connected shows because of the whole Elena/Damon/Stefan love triangle because as far as I’m concerned, if I’m writing about that, it should be in the upper section, because you cannot expect anyone to best Ian Somerhalder when it comes to pure, raw charisma. Especially that guy who plays Stefan. No way. Never gonna happen. So that was a serious miscalculation on the writers—don’t make that mistake, authors. Love triangles are usually death, and should be avoided. HOWEVER, these two shows were totally, unexpectedly saved. Yes. I am talking about Klaus. (Sort of Elijah too, but mostly Klaus). Klaus is a big bad, but is he really a big bad? That, not who Elena is going to chose, because we all know who she is going to chose, it’s not even remotely a mystery, is the real question of the series. It was such a good question, that it prompted a whole other show. Klaus is so bad, he’s good. He’s so old, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all, he’s bored as fuck, while also being the most stubborn creature on the whole planet (not even an exaggeration). So who better to pair him with than Caroline, who not only is a brand new vampire, but is basically a high school teenager who prior to this, had not been shown to have much substance? Except she does, and her interactions with Klaus give them both a dimension they did not have before. Opposites attract, but are they opposites? This is a relationship and a connection that asks more questions than it ever answers, and it’s shockingly deftly done. And that is the sort of occasional brilliance that makes these shows addictive. NOW, I was going to actually stick this in the “bad” column, because you do not tempt with a relationship like this, and then never see it to fruition, because. . .that is a crime, worse than any that Klaus has committed over his very long lifetime. But the rumor (and the trailer for the final season of The Originals) heavily hint that they will be revisiting this relationship. The jury is still out, but I’m intrigued. The best romance novels take two characters who should not be together, and you would NEVER expect them to be together without possibly killing each other, and make it work. There’s a historical romance called Lord of Scoundrels, where the female MC literally shoots the male MC near the beginning of the story. AND THEY FALL IN LOVE AFTER. There’s a lot of other fantastic PNR books where one or both of the MCs could be bad, in fact, they are almost definitely bad, but they are “saved” or “redeemed,” etc etc. The key to this is not making them a different person. Klaus is still a petulant, stubborn hybrid who likes to kill things. He doesn’t magically become better. He just becomes more nuanced.
  2. New Girl. This is a hard show to watch a lot of. It can be really irredeemably silly. Sometimes I get severe secondhand embarrassment and I have to turn it off. But, at the heart of it, is two fantastic romance arcs that are sort of brilliantly done. While I love Schmidt and Cece, I’m going to focus on Nick and Jess, because that is best hookup/breakup/reunion cycle that I have seen recently. First, the showrunners were not afraid to go for it and go for it pretty early on (mid-second season, I believe, is when they kiss for the first time, and what a kiss it is). Second, they were smart enough to know that one character was not really ready for a serious, steady relationship. They had done a good job establishing that. So the breakup felt very organic. As did the subsequent moving on/growing up parts and then the beautiful reunion at the end of last season. As someone who has written a reunited lovers romance, this whole arc is not easy to pull off, and a lot of others in movies, television, and books, fail. The breakup feels forced. The reunion feels even more forced. The problems that forced them to breakup the first time are never fixed, just magically sort of disappear. A beautiful trope, if well done, but it needs to be executed well.

I have a sort of annoyingly analytical brain and I can’t turn it off, even to enjoy something as mindless as a TV show. But I’ve also learned a lot about what to do (and what not to do) from watching shows I’ve enjoyed and watching shows make epic mistakes in their romantic subplots.

What sort of TV do you like watching? Is the romantic subplot usually a dealbreaker? Continue reading →

Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , | 9 Comments

Honorary Blogger Aimee Nicole Walker: About Second Wind + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on February 25, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Honorary_Blogger_Post

About Second Wind

by Aimee Nicole Walker

Hello everyone. I want to thank The Blogger Girls for having me here to chat about my brand-new book, Second Wind. I’m going to talk about the inspiration for the story, give you a fun fact about the book, and share a teaser or excerpt.

About Second Wind:

The idea for Second Wind came to me while I was on vacation with my husband in eastern Tennessee. We hadn’t updated our GPS since the previous year, and the directions to the restaurant we chose for dinner took us to the back of a new high school where their outdoor athletic fields were located. So, my husband was angry as hell, but I was enthralled by the football field and the majestic mountain view for a backdrop. My creative brain fired up immediately, and I clearly saw a football game playing out. I heard the crowd cheering as the king of the gridiron scores a touchdown, the marching band playing their fight song, but what stood out in my imagination the most was the silhouette of another boy on the sideline taking pictures for the school paper and yearbook. I immediately knew three things: the king of the gridiron and the photographer were in love, nobody knew it, and their love story would take me on a journey I’d never forget.

In Second Wind, I try to honor the men and women all around the world who didn’t have an easy coming out experience or one at an early age. I tell the story of a man who tried to repress his true self to play by society’s rules and the journey he takes once he decided that living half of a life is not really living at all. I also try to show that members of the LGBTQ+ community don’t just come out one time; they have to come out each time they meet someone new. And most importantly, it’s never too late to find your happily ever after.

Fun fact about Second Wind:

I decided early on that I wanted to illustrate the interior of Second Wind. Now, I have zero artistic ability, and I was confident that no one wanted to see my stick figure drawings leading off each chapter. I turned to my amazing formatter, Stacey Blake of Champagne Book Designs, and she knocked it out of the park. She amazes me with each project that we work on together, but this one was so near and dear to my heart.

Rush received a Polaroid camera as a kid and his passion for photography was born. Cameras became his constant companion and his chosen profession. I wanted the illustrations to be a Polaroid photo of an object or situation that symbolized each chapter. For example, chapter one is a picture of two boys riding bikes. It represents a memory Rush has from when he and Lincoln were seven years old. Linc played lookout while Rush stole his older sister’s bike. He was fascinated by the banana seat, the handlebars with streamers, and the basket on the front. He wanted to ride it, but didn’t know how. Lincoln helped him steal the bike and taught him how to ride it. Working with Stacey to create beautiful images that really brought the story to life was so much fun.

I hope you enjoyed this behind the scene look at the making of Second Wind. That sounds a touch stuffy, doesn’t it. I hope you liked this peek into my brain. Better? Thank you so much for hanging out with me, and thanks again to The Blogger Girls for allowing me to talk about a project that I’m so passionate about.

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Categories: Book Promo, Excerpts, Giveaways, Honorary Blogger Post, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Release Blitz: Closets Are For Clothes by Addison Albright + Excerpt & Giveaway!

Posted on February 24, 2018 by thebloggergirls

Closets Are For Clothes by Addison Albright

Mike’s life is carefully compartmentalized. He’s deep in the closet to his family back in Kansas, but lives life honestly and openly in Austin. He’s unnerved when Wes, his old university crush, turns up at his door in answer to a roommate advertisement, but quickly sees the potential…benefits of the arrangement. Wes has never doubted nor denied his sexuality. With the support of his family he’s an out and proud LGBT activist.

On the scale balancing his self-esteem on one side, and the love of his family on the other, Mike has to decide which weighs more. Is Mike being fair to his parents by not giving them the chance to know his real self? When the delicate balance of his life is disrupted, he decides he’s tired of living a lie. Will Wes understand his concerns, or will their fledgling relationship crumble under the strain of Mike’s uncertainty?

Available at: Amazon

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Categories: Book Promo, Book Review, Excerpts, Giveaways, LGBT, Published in 2018 | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment