Month: September 2010

Excerpt: The Diva of Peddler’s Creek by Ava Bleu

Posted September 30, 2010 by Holly in Promotions | 0 Comments

Check out this excerpt for The Diva of Peddler’s Creek by Ava Bleu!

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He pretended not to notice…

…Taylor’s quick blink of surprise and then her sudden clutch onto the horse as she realized she was high in the air with no one to steady her.

“What the hell…?” she said, grabbing the saddle.

“Take the reins,” Boyd said from beside her, thrusting the leather into her hands without meeting her eyes. He couldn’t, or she would surely see the desire he was trying so hard to hide. The last damn thing he needed was Taylor getting wind that he found her attractive—any more than she already knew.

She took the reins quickly, annoyance making her movements jerky.

“Take it easy!” he barked, allowing his frustration to masquerade as anger and his desire to transfer into bluster. “I hope you realize you lost the wager.”

“What? No way.”

“I put you on the horse.”

“You didn’t have the patience to allow me to do it myself.”

“You couldn’t do it yourself.”

“I could have, you didn’t want me to.”

“You didn’t,” he said with finality, turning away. He could feel the heat of her anger from where he stood, but only had a split second to enjoy it when…

“You are such a son of a…” She paired the last word with an angry kick. More of
a jerk, really. But it didn’t matter whether it was a kick or a jerk, because a millisecond later the horse beneath her kicked up its front feet, taking Taylor high into the air.

Boyd watched in horror as Flame reared slightly, causing Taylor’s eyes to go wide with surprise, and a screech to erupt from her throat before his prize steed took off and she disappeared like a blur before him…

This book is available from The Wild Rose Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: Ava Bleu, Excerpts, Guest Authors

Guest Author: Ava Bleu – Control Freak

Posted September 30, 2010 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 6 Comments

Today author Ava Bleu is here to promote her recent The Wild Rose Press release, The Diva of Peddler’s Creek.She’s talking about being a control freak..something some of us *coughnotmecough* can totally relate to.

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A Control Freak’s Guide to Writing…

Writing is a control freak’s nightmare.

I say this from first-hand experience. I fully admit to my control freak tendencies. I don’t eat without a satisfying dessert. I don’t drive without a destination. I don’t take a stroll in the park unless I’ve identified a marker to stride towards. And I don’t write unless I already have the ending in mind. There has just got to be a point to it, right?

For some of us, it is perfectly natural to want to force our characters to follow our story. I liken it to something a man once said to me when I was with my wiggly little dog: “got that fella’ on a mighty tight leash, don’tcha?”

Instantly miffed at his criticism of my parenting skills, I thought to myself, Of course he’s on a tight leash, I love him. And otherwise I wouldn’t be able to control where he went. Duh! Know what I’m saying?

But that’s the dilemma; to be a successful writer you kind of have to be a little willing to lose control, let the story take you where it wants to go.

My greatest praise has come from writing I have done when I lightened up the leash a little and let my characters breathe. When someone reads your work, gets this perplexed look on their face and says to you: “why’d he do that?” what they really mean is “this is entirely out of character”. When you have to spend two pages justifying a character’s motivation, you should stop and ask yourself just whom you’re trying to convince. Then, familiarize yourself with your character and start over.

But, the story…. your inner voice whines.

Your words mean nothing at all if no one cares about them, and no one will care if you jerk them around (i.e. make them ask questions that shouldn’t need to be asked, and/or include details that don’t have any practical purpose other than to make you happy, and/or force them to do what is against the grain).

It’s easier said than done.

I’m no expert, just a fellow control freak trying to save you some grief. My advice? Keep control of your finances, your exercise regime, your kids, husband and your little dog, too… but lose control of your writing and strive for abandon. When you see your characters through the eyes of a bystander and not their creator, only then will your story truly come alive.

Visit www.BooksbyAva.com to join Ava Bleu’s mailing list for information on contests, giveaways and blog tour stops. Also, visit DIVAS UNITE at Facebook.

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Want to win a copy of The Diva of Peddler’s Creek? Leave a comment on this post telling us if you’re a control freak and you’ll be entered to win. Contest ends 10/7 at 11:59 pm.

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Tagged: Ava Bleu, Giveaways, Guest Authors, Guest Authors

Guest Review: The Diva of Peddler Creek by Ava Bleu.

Posted September 30, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 3 Comments

Judith‘s review of The Diva of Peddler’s Creek by Ava Bleu

Romance novelist Taylor Beir will stop at nothing to get her mother off her back, including relocating to Peddler’s Creek to teach a little boy she doesn’t know how to read. But Christopher Doubleday doesn’t want to learn. His older brother, Boyd, has an invisible stick up his backside. And she suspects his parents, Mary and Jesse, of trying to transform her into the “good girl” she has never been, either by the power of suggestion or by filling her with endless goodies from Mary’s kitchen.

Taylor may be down-and-stuffed but not out. Someday the citizens of Peddler’s Creek, West Virginia, will realize that their hostility is misplaced, and recognize her for the gentle, misunderstood soul she really is. And they will admit that she is the best thing that has even happened to their dirt-water, backwoods, middle-of-the-creek town.

First of all, I have to say that the author of this really crazy novel has filled it with some of the most colorful characters I have encountered in recent months. The characterizations, the antics, the dialogue are all zippy and full of strength and color. It is absolutely impossible to read this novel without accurately picturing all the people and the way they interact. I think it is one of the most “in your face” reads that has been published recently.

Given that, there is a story here about a family who have a very troubled boy named Christopher who, quite simply, doesn’t want to learn to read. Taylor’s mother, having been born and raised in Peddler’s Creek, pushes and shoves and manipulates her to go and live with mom’s best friends, Mary & Jesse, so that she–a romance novelist, you know–can work her magic and teach this boy something. Taylor freely admits that she is out of her depth on this. Her mother seems to think that a summer in Peddler’s Creek will transform her into a socially acceptable, amenable, marriageable daughter. Mary & Jesse’s home seemed to be a literary version of “Mayberry RFD” and their seeming lack of concern about Christopher and their absolute faith in Taylor all seemed to be a bit out of whack. As I finished the book, I think that was intentional. Boyd, the oldest son and considerably older than his brother, was independent, a architect and building contractor, and someone who was deeply resentful of Taylor–styling her as a “diva”–even though he was sexually attracted to her.

It seemed to me that the whole situation was out of balance, and perhaps that is the point of the story. Taylor’s mother certainly seemed to be pushing her toward something she really didn’t want to do. Boyd really resented her. Mary & Jesse seemed bent on reforming her. The town was unwilling to accept her. Mary was working very hard to be the perfect homemaker; Taylor, on the other hand, was working very hard to be the perfect career woman. It was the supreme feminist clash. There seemed to be a change brewing–Mary & Jesse had to own up to being way too indulgent, that having the perfect home or the best recipes in town didn’t always substitute for discipline and guidance; Taylor had to admit that she wanted to succeed with this boy but her failure forced her to look at herself and to re-examine what she really wanted out of life; Boyd had to admit that he was determined to have Taylor in his life; the town slowly began to realize that Taylor wasn’t just a snobby nosed Yankee and actually had something to contribute to their community life.

This story is wild and crazy and just a lot of fun. I’m not sure that it will appeal to a lot of people but the writing is good, the plot is unusual, and the characters are fascinating. I do admit that I never really understood Taylor’s mother very well. I think she wanted her daughter to somehow succeed in that town where she failed. And perhaps by doing so the past with its disappointments could be put to rest. Maybe by sending Taylor there her mom hoped that the town could somehow realize that she hadn’t made a complete shambles of her life away from them.

Anyway, it is a fun read and I think we can all enjoy an amusing and witty story like this one.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place

This book is available from The Wild Rose Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 3.5 Reviews, Ava Bleu, Contemporary, eBooks, Guest Reviews, Judith's Reviews, Reviews, The Wild Rose Press, Women's Fiction

Back-To-School Giveaway: Day 30 – The Big Blowout

Posted September 30, 2010 by Holly in Giveaways | 84 Comments

It’s Day 30 of our Back-to-School Giveaway. Today is the last day!! We gave a prize a day this month..and we’re exhausted.

$Orchard Valley Brides: Norah\Lone Star Lovin'$

Path of the Sun: A Novel of Dhulyn and Parno

Blood on Silk: An Awakened By Blood Novel

Our Red Hot Romance Is Leaving Me Blue: A Novel

Born to Bite: An Argeneau Novel (Argeneau Vampires)

Harlequin Book Bag w/ beach mat, sunglasses and hat
Orchard Valley Brides by Debbie Macomber
All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

Fire by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
Xombies: Apocalypticon by Walter Greatshell
The Grimrose Path by Rob Thurman
Path of the Sun by Violette Malan
Return to Sullivan’s Island by Dorothea Benton Frank
Siren’s Call by Devyn Quinn
Blood on Silk by Marie Treanor
The Gift of Love anthology
Death’s Excellent Vacation anthology
Unbridled by Beth Wiliamson
Our Red Hot Romance Is Leaving Me Blue by Dixie Cash
Some Like it Kilted by Allie Mackay
Swept Away by a Kiss by Katharine Ashe
Improper Ladies by Amanda McCabe
Sweetest Little Sin by Christine Wells
Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake
Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake
Born to Bite by Lynsay Sands

How did you feel the day you graduated high school? What did you do for grad night?

Because this is such a large giveaway, and the last one of the month, we’re going to run it for a full week, instead of one day. Contest ends Thursday, October 7 @ 11:59pm.

84 Comments

Tagged: Back to School Giveaway, Giveaways, HQN

Guest Review: Running in Fear: Escaped by Trinity Blacio

Posted September 30, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 1 Comment

Judith‘s review of Running in Fear: Escaped by Trinity Blacio

Jaycee Manz has been on the run since her sixteenth birthday. After growing up fast and depending on no one, how is she supposed to handle three male werewolves who claim to be her mates? Can she learn to trust them or will she continue to run?

Dane Glassgo, alpha of his clan and a special ops commander, specializes in tracking. He’s waited for the past two years to claim his mate. Nothing or no one will stop him from claiming Jaycee, not even her fear…

Pierre LeBlathe, brother to Remi and bonded mate to Dane Glassgo, knows his time is limited with Jaycee. But he is bound and determined to stop anyone from hurting her…

Mark Glassgo shares alpha duties with his elder brother, but when Dane finds his mate, Jaycee, he is shocked to learn she is also his mate. What he didn’t count on was that he was also mate to Remi LeBlathe…

Alpha Remi LeBlathe, one of the most powerful weres in the country, has always protected what is his. When Jaycee comes into his life, mayhem erupts around them, but Remi is used to mayhem and uses it to his benefit. In seeking those who would harm his mate, Remi must learn how to listen to Jaycee’s needs and desires…

Together, all four try to find peace, and the most powerful alphas in the U.S., Remi, Dane and Mark , declare war on anyone who stands in their way of claiming their runaway mate. But can the independent Jaycee be claimed?

In this sizzling werewolf menage story, love, lust and power take center stage in the struggle for ultimate survival.

I really like shapeshifter stories and I like the fact that as individuals who possess both human and wolf qualities, they are able to perceive life in greater depth. It seems that wolf society also overcomes some of the loopholes in human relationships that seem to plague society in ever-increasing amounts. So here we have a young woman who is seeking to live a life free of abuse, one that will give her a sense of her own worth and power, and one that will give her a deep and much needed sense of safety. Raised by a mother who seemed to care far more for herself than for her daughter and abused by her stepfather–abuse known about and permitted by her mother–Jaycee now finds her mate and seeks to live this new life. But one of her overriding fears is that the man from from whom she now flees–her ex-husband–will bring his brand of harm and abuse into the life of her best friend and her brother, her mate Dane. (He allowed his friends to gang-rape her on their wedding night.) She has been accepted by Dane and Shelley’s family and their pack and she does not seek to repay their kindness with hurt. Dane refused to let her go, even when she found all kinds of ways to avoid his care and oversight and protection. She was so used to running that staying and trusting his protection was more than she could do.

Ultimately she accepts the protection of not one but three mates and as each had been trained by the military–Dane had been a Navy seal for six years–she felt safe and protected for the first time in her life. She slowly learns to trust in her own inner power as Alpha female of her pack, dealing with some of the other females who wish her harm because she has three and not just one mate. Yet in all of this there is something missing.

This is an interesting story about the difficulties that continue on when abuse is allowed to proliferate and when abusers are allowed to continue without being held responsible. I guess that is true in were-cpmmunities as much as it is with humans. But no matter how carefully one tries to protect one’s family, there must be a mutual exchange of respect–caring about the other’s feelings, living with the betterment of one’s spouse as the ultimate goal, and mutually deciding the course of the relationship. It would appear that some of this was not true in Jaycee’s relationships with her mates.

This is the first in a series of stories and while I appreciate and applaud writers who craft series, I was disappointed in the cliff-hanger quality of this story’s ending. It’s not like this is a weekly installment in a magazine series. So when do we find out the rest of the story? I think series novels can keep the energy flowing and the interest of the reader, even until the next book is released. But to make a novel “part A” and not to bring some kind of temporary conclusion to the tale was difficult for me. Otherwise, my only criticism of this novel was that I felt that the author sequed from one scene to the next in such a way that it was not always smooth. The disjointed nature of these bothered me somewhat–perhaps that is the old high school English creative writing teacher talking. I think the story has merit and much of it was very good. I think overall it is readable and I certainly didn’t have any difficulty staying interested. There are some important issues that drive this story and it seems that all Jaycee’s mates must learn some important lessons before the “course of love runs smooth.” I am looking for the next part in this novel–hopefully it will be soon.

I give this novel a rating of 3.75 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Ravenous Romance. You can buy it here or here in e-format.