Day: October 25, 2010

Excerpt: Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas (and a note from the author)

Posted October 25, 2010 by Holly in Promotions | 0 Comments

Jodi Thomas is one of the best contemporary romance authors I’ve read in a long time. Her books are filled with humor, depth and a lot of emotion. I love her small town settings. Today she’s shared a wonderful excerpt with us, along with her thoughts on the book.

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Thanks for asking me tell everyone about my new book. The second in the Harmony series, SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, will be out Nov. 2, 2010.

This is number thirty for me and I think it may be my strongest book. When people ask me which is my best book, I always say my next one because I’m always trying to make every book better then the last. When I first started writing I felt like I was competing against every writer in the world. Now I feel like I’m running against every writer in the world and all my stories.

In this book I had a great time writing about love at different ages and how we all fall in love different ways. Sometime it comes softly after growing up with someone and until you realize there was never a time you didn’t love them and sometimes it slams into you all at once with a kiss.

Liz and Gabe’s story from SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY

“I’ll take it in the living room,” she said. Liz walked across the hall, picked up the phone, and waited for the click from the kitchen before speaking.

“Elizabeth Matheson,” she said in her most professional voice.

“I need your help.”

He hadn’t said his name; he hadn’t needed to. She’d know Gabriel’s voice anywhere.

“Where are you?”

“County sheriff’s office,” he said. “They’re about to take me up to a holding cell. Ask for Gabe Leary, Elizabeth, not Smith, and get here as fast as you can.”

She’s already figured out that Smith probably wasn’t his real name. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “But they think I may have killed someone.”

Liz told herself she was a lawyer. Whether he did or didn’t commit the crime, he had a right to counsel. Only she wasn’t sure she could go through with it if he had. She wasn’t sure which bothered her most: that he might be lying, or that if he was, she’d kissed a murderer.

She gripped the phone for a minute, trying to think.

“Elizabeth,” he whispered again. “Are you still there? I’m no good around people. I seem to be causing more trouble for myself than helping.” He was quiet as if listening to her breathe, and then he added, “I need you.”

She straightened. “I’ll be right there.”

She hung up and walked back into the dining room, where everyone was having dessert. “I have to go. I’m needed over at the jail.”

“A client,” Claire said. “Oh, how exciting. Little sister has a real client.”

Liz grabbed her coat and purse. As she walked out the door, she yelled back, “No. A date.”

Thanks for letting me drop by and thank you for reading. Writing is a fascinating journey, but if it wasn’t for readers coming along with me it wouldn’t be any fun.

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


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A Soul Laid Bare, Part 9. The Story Continues…

Posted October 25, 2010 by Rowena in | 33 Comments

It’s my turn to host the YA Spooktacular today and I’m more than a little excited. I’m hosting Part 9 of Story 2, A Soul Laid Bare and today’s author is Kelsey Dickson.

Two stories, thirteen parts and thirteen different authors. Lots of fun and two amazing stories being told. You won’t want to miss out on this, seriously!
To read the story in order: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 and Part 8. So without further adieu, let’s continue the story..shall we?

Sami jolted forward, throwing herself off balance. With an audible snap, her concentration was broken, and she knew without even testing it that any connection to magic she’d previously invoked was now gone.

Before she could think to do anything else, Sami was running. She had no idea where she was running to, all she knew was that there would be no stopping until either they were dead, or she was dead. The ultimatum made her blood run cold.

The night was dark—black—almost as though there wasn’t a moon. Sweat was dripping into her eyes, but Sami pushed forward. She could slightly make out the edge of the trees as they materializing in front of her when she tripped over something, and landed, hard, face down in the dirt. The sheer force of it made her dizzy. Sami raised her hand to her face, and felt something warm and slick–her nose was definitely broken. She tried to stand, only to find that her left ankle was completely mangled. Unable to support her own weight, Sami collapsed back to the ground just as an orb of fiery purple light shot past her head, sending the huge juniper in front of her up in flames.

She heard shouts behind her, and furiously began half crawling, half limping towards the woods. Once she finally reached them, she started running again, gritting her teeth against the pain as it set her body on fire.

As she ran, Sami looked for any possible hiding spot. She started to think about what would happen if she didn’t find one when she hit something—someone.

Sami looked up, and gasped in horror. It’s him, she thought.

“It’s you,” she whispered, never once breaking contact with his black eyes.

“I’m Jareth, but I assure you we’ve never met,” the man said.

Sami hadn’t realized she’d been slowly retreating away from him until she found herself backed up against a tree as far as she could go. “You killed m–her. You killed Tonya.”

He stepped forward and placed both hands on Sami’s shoulders.

“Don’t touch me,” she cried.

Jareth raised his hands up, palms facing outwards to show her he wasn’t a threat. “Look, I don’t know how you know about Tonya, but I didn’t kill anyone.”

“I was there! I saw you do it,” Sami spat. Jareth’s brow furrowed in what seemed to be genuine confusion.

“Listen to me. I need your help.”

“That’s what you told Tonya…right before you choked her!”

“I didn’t kill her!” He was losing control, fast. “I just needed to get that,” he pointed towards her neck.

Sami looked down. “What? My necklace?” Jareth nodded.

Sami protectively wrapped her hand around the stone, and the air around her began to tremble, distorting everything she looked at. She felt herself being jerked backwards by some invisible force; it was pulling and pulling on her until she couldn’t breathe, and then there was an explosion of light.

***

Tonya found herself staring up at the man with the blazing obsidian eyes. “You have something I need.” His voice echoed through her head.

Tonya blinked, and caught movement out of the corner of her left eye. A short man in glasses with graying hair was walking in their direction, his fingertips mindlessly brushing the rows of books. She turned back to the man, his hand reaching out to her. “I need your help,” he whispered.

She was reaching her hand out to meet his when she felt a sharp blow connect with the back of her head. Everything went black.

***

“Mr. Cooper killed Tonya,” Sami gasped. “I don’t understand. Why?”

“Cooper needed her body,” Jareth explained with a pained expression.

“What? Why? Why did he need her?”

“She was—”

“Why is he after me?” A feeling of dread settled into the pit of her stomach.

“Because now he needs yours.”

***

Holy crap! This story is shaping up to be pretty darn awesome! Thanks to Kelsey Dickson for keeping the party going with this fantastic addition to the story. If you want more from Kelsey then make sure you follow her on Twitter at @kelseydickson and follow her blog at: Reading or Breathing.

***

Wait! We’re not done yet because there are two amazing grand prizes being given away as part of this YA Spooktacular and it’s open internationally. For the full scoop on all of that, visit Frenzy of Noise. The jist to enter the contest for the grand prizes is this:

The rules are pretty simple:

  • You must comment on EVERY post in a story to be eligible to win the grand prize pack.
  • You MAY enter for both stories.
  • The forms are a must to be entered.
  • Winners will be selected at random.
***

Here at The Book Scoop, we’re hosting a Trick so click on the picture below to enter.

The trick is pretty simple:

Video telling your own part of the story. This is worth 4 entries.


Good luck!

***

For the next part of A Soul Laid Bare (Part 10), visit Overflowing Shelf tomorrow. It promises to be fabulous!

***

With all of this Story 2 awesomeness, you’ll definitely want to check out Story 1 as well. I’ve been following along and it’s just as great as Story 2 (I promise!), check it out!

..and that’s your scoop!

HaPpY YA SpOoKtAcULaR 2010!


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Guest Author: Jodi Thomas – Interview

Posted October 25, 2010 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 13 Comments

Today have bestselling author Jodi Thomas here to talk about her latest release, Somewhere Along the Way, the second book in her Harmony, TX series.  Stick around to check out an excerpt and read a note from Jodi later today.

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Book Binge: Both Harmony books have the feeling of people coming home – realizing that Harmony and the people in it have found something that they want to keep. Was that your intention when you started the series?
Jodi Thomas: I’m not sure I was limiting the theme to just coming home for all Harmony books but more like a feeling of being happy with where you find yourself in life. Home is more than a place.

BB: Why small town Texas? Not that small town isn’t wonderful, but do you avoid the bigger cities on purpose?
JT: In a big city I’d have so many people my head might explode. J In truth, I liked the small town because I’m from a small town. I like the sense that everyone cares about everyone else, worries about them, talks about them. I’m not avoiding the cities, I just don’t understand big cities the way I do small towns.

BB: Will Claire ever stop killing men in her paintings?
JT: I don’t know. I’m finishing up book 3 and she’s still going strong. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching the characters to see what they do. People don’t believe us, but sometimes writers write later at night so they can find out what happens.

BB: Will we meet new characters in the next book or will this be a wrap up of the characters in the first 2 books?
JT: Both. I continue some stories—like Tyler and Kate, bring minor characters on stage for their own story—like Ronelle Logan and Brandon Biggs, and touch base with stories in other books—like Saralynn Hank’s little niece and Reagan and Noah’s maturing relationship.

BB: What’s your favorite aspect of this series?
JT: I love that the people of Harmony care about one another. I know that the world of both reality and fiction is full of bad guys, but not all people are bad or just looking for an angle, some just want to help others. Sometimes I sit down to watch TV and it’s hard to find a show that doesn’t have a victim in it. Yet in life I see people doing little things all the time just helping out.

BB: Were you sitting around one night and Regan’s character came to you or were other characters first?
JT: Reagan was the first view point character but I think Tyler was the first I thought about. When she stepped into Harmony at sixteen without a place to call home or a single person in the world who loved her, I knew she’d be with me through all the books. I wanted to see my town through her eyes.

BB:  Do you think of one character and build from that or do you picture and plan the town first and then fill it with residents in your mind?
JT: Four years ago I remember having lunch with my editor and saying, “I want to write a series about a small town and one of my main heroes is going to be a 40 year old funeral director who is a little overweight.” She said, “I don’t think that would work.” I went on to describe several other people who live in Harmony. Six months later, I sent her the first draft of
WELCOME TO HARMONY and she said, “It works!” I like to write the beautiful people, but sometimes the real heroes are just regular folks doing the best they can.

BB:Will the series only be these 3 books, or do you plan to return to Harmony later?
JT: There will be more than three. I’m thinking six.

BB: Will any of the characters from Harmony show up in other books in the future?
JT: Yes, just as now and then characters form TWISTED CREEK and REWRITING MONDAY will. I’m writing about three small towns that are only thirty miles apart.

BB: What are your plans once this series wraps up?
JT: I plan to sleep for a few weeks. Oh, maybe you mean plans in writing.

BB: Are you already plotting something new?
JT: There is always a line of people in my brain waiting for their story to me told. When I started writing I thought I’d get to them all, but the line seems to be growing. For me the characters make the story. They come to me, I get to know them, and then they tell me the sorry.

A fifth generation Texan who taught family living, Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon.   A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable. 
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Do you have a question for Jodi? Leave a comment here asking and we’ll throw your name in for a copy of Somewhere Along the Way. Ends 11/1 @ 11:59pm.

This book will be available from Berkley Nov 2, 2010. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Guest Review: Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas

Posted October 25, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 5 Comments


Tracy’s review of Somewhere Along the Way (Harmony #2) by Jodi Thomas

Ever since she claimed Harmony, Texas, as her home, eighteen-year-old Reagan Truman finds herself drawn to other who have made their way here. Shaped by the loneliness she’s known most of her life, Reagan has finally found a place she belongs-and doesn’t want anything to get in her way. But when her life is put in jeopardy and the whole town comes together to save her, she’ll discover that learning to trust the love that’s come into our hearts is the greatest gift of all.

This books takes up 2 years after Welcome to Harmony ended.

The book pretty much revolves around Gabe Leary. He grew up in Harmony but got out from under his drunken father as soon as he could. He joined the Army and was happy there until he overheard a plot against his life. He fled and is now back in Harmony – hiding out but eking out more than a good living writing and drawing graphic novels. His mail drop at a Harmony building happens to be directly across from Liz Matheson who is hanging out her shingle after becoming a lawyer. The two start a strange but compelling, for them both, relationship.

In the meantime Reagan has been living with her “uncle” Jeremiah and becoming part of his family; something she always longed to do. She’s made friends and her home in Harmony but her life is up in the air. Uncle Jeremiah wants her to head off to college and the only thing that Reagan wants to do is stay by Jeremiah’s side, help him in his orchards, and remain in Harmony for the rest of her life.

Gabe Leary saves Reagan’s life one night and it starts a series of events that “outs” his life to the public of Harmony. However by becoming Reagan’s guardian angel he finds something that he didn’t even know that he was looking for, a home.

This is another wonderful book by Jodi Thomas. She has a way of telling us the story about almost everyone in Harmony but does it in a way that it all coalesces into a beautiful story of home, love and acceptance. I never felt like I wanted to get back to one part of the story or another because they all fed into each other so nicely. The people of Harmony are so very different from each other but whether they all get along or not they find a way to make Harmony a great small town to live in.

A fantastic read that I highly recommend!

Rating: 5 out of 5

The series:
Welcome to HarmonySomewhere Along the Way

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

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


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