Bliss Special Announcement ~ Seven Day Fiance on Sale TODAY ONLY!!

 

Rachel Harris’s SEVEN DAY FIANCE is currently on sale for $.99 on Amazon today! But get it fast because it’s only for this ONE day!

 Now that’s a steal… 

About Seven Day Fiancé

One bad boy. One good girl. One unforgettable week.

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning him at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem. 

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little fiancé game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse…

Pick up Seven Day Fiancé today: Amazon 

What are readers saying?

“If you love to read a melt-your-(panties)heart romance with a man that makes the room heat up and a woman that totally deserves all of the love he’s willing to give, read Rachel Harris. She KNOWS romance.”- Meredith (Goodreads)

“I had the honor of reading this book early and oh my gosh, I loved it! A super fun read with great sexual tension that leaps off the page, heartwarming moments to make you sigh, and a hero and heroine who will capture your heart and keep it for a long time after you’ve finished reading the book!”- Robin Bielman (Goodreads)

Guys, I read the first book in the Love and Games series, Taste the Heat (review here: http://girlwithapenandadream.blogspot.com/2013/09/book-review-taste-heat-by-rachel-harris.html ), and LOVED it! I still need to read this one but I highly advised picking this up! And today it's only 99 cents! Go on! ;) 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Crazy, Crazy

I just wanted to do a quick blog post to let you all know that things have been kind of crazy on my end and will be for a while. I'll be trying to blog as much as possible, but honestly, I can't even remember what day it is today. Seriously, what day is it? Anyway, starting soon, for a while, I will only be posting intermittently on this blog - blog tours, release blitzes, et cetera - and will be taking a break completely from my personal blog. Then I will do my best to get everything to a set schedule again - and hopefully even post YouTube videos. For now, though, please just bare with me. Thank you! Have a wonderful day!

<3 Amanda Leigh

Books To Remember: Favorite Childhood Books

 

In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room -- to the picture of the three little bears sitting on chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to themittens and the kittens, toeverything one by one -- the little bunny says goodnight.

In this classic of children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day. 

 

Suitable for children, this title covers colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simply, hopeful story. It features die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore. 

 

Kids book. 

(Yes, that was really the whole synopsis). 

After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother and grandmother save their coins to buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy. "A superbly conceived picture book expressing the joyful spirit of a loving family."  

Deborah Sampson wanted to travel and have adventures, but since she had no money, the best way to do that was to join the army. This is the exciting true story of a woman who became a soldier during the American Revolutionary War, by dressing and acting like a man. 

Joel's best friend Tony drowns while they are swimming in the forbidden, treacherous Vermilion River. Joel is terrified at having to tell of his disobedience and overwhelmed by his feelings of guilt.  

_____________________________________________________________ 

Those are my favorites from childhood (these are from birth to 5th grade). What about you guys? What are some of your childhood favorites? Let me know in the comments! :) 

<3 Amanda Leigh

In Which I Talk About April NaNoWriMo

I never updated you all on how April Camp NaNoWriMo went for me, so I'm going to do that today! 

It went extremely well and I am so happy about that. :) Something that I found out along the way was that we could include any words of planning in our final word count as long as we had written them that month. Well, I had written about 5,000 words of planning in early April so I got to include that. And I got to about 45,000 words on the actual novel. It took me about another week or so to finish the first draft. I actually just finished it on Tuesday. Right after I finished I thought to myself "Well, now what do I do?" I loved writing that story so, so much. I know the characters so well. It was fun to write a draft in just five weeks, I had never done that before. It was such a huge contrast to how long it took me to complete the draft of the novella that I wrote. 

Right now I'm stepping away from the manuscript for a while. The next step, of course, will be to do a round of edits and then send it off to my wonderful critique partner. In the meantime, however, I am going to be figuring out if this story is going to be a duology or a trilogy. ;) 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Happy Birthday Rachel Harris!!

Last week was Rachel Harris' birthday  so I decided to do a little something special for her. I haven't read her latest release yet so I couldn't post a review on that. What I decided to do was a post highlighting every book of hers. Enjoy! :) 

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #1)

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13586321-my-super-sweet-sixteenth-century

 

A Tale of Two Centuries (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #2) 

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15714722-a-tale-of-two-centuries

 

My Not So Super Sweet Life (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #3)

Cat Crawford just wants to be normal—or at least as normal as a daughter of Hollywood royalty can be. And it looks like fate is granting her wish: she’s got an amazing boyfriend, Lucas; her fabulous cousin, Alessandra, living with her; and her dad planning his second marriage to a great future stepmom. That is, until her prodigal mother reveals on national television that she has something important to tell her daughter…causing a media frenzy.

Lucas Capelli knows his fate is to be with Cat, and he’s worked hard to win her over once and for all. Unfortunately, Lucas has his own issues to deal with, including a scandal that could take him away from the first place he’s truly belonged.

As secrets are revealed, rumors explode, and the world watches, Cat and Lucas discover it’s not fate they have to fight if they want to stay together…this time, it’s their own insecurities.

Well, and the stalkerazzi.

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20517466-my-not-so-super-sweet-life

 

Taste the Heat (Love and Games #1) 

One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef, One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she doesn’t want to taste. Colby is counting down the days till she can leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas. 

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. He knows he should focus on finding the perfect mother for his daughter, but when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason doesn’t want to say no. 

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

Read My Review Here: http://girlwithapenandadream.blogspot.com/2013/09/book-review-taste-heat-by-rachel-harris.html

  

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17611022-taste-the-heat 

 

Seven Day Fiance (Love and Games #2) 

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17926005-seven-day-fianc

 

The Fine Art of Pretending (The Fine Art of Pretending #1) 

Expected Publication September 2014 

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17696131-the-fine-art-of-pretending

Rachel Harris' Website: http://rachelharriswrites.com/

Rachel Harris' Street Team - The Flirt Squad: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlirtSquad/ 

Happy Birthday Rachel!! You are awesome!! I hope that your birthday was wonderful!! Much love!!:) <3 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Book of the Month! (#6)

  

Title: The Jungle 

Author: Upton Sinclair 

Release Date: April 1st 2013 (first published 1905)

Published By: See Sharp Press

Page Amount: 335 pages, Paperback, The Uncensored Original Edition 

GoodReads Blurbs:

1-For nearly a century, the original version of Upton Sinclair's classic novel has remained almost entirely unknown. When it was published in serial form in 1905, it was a full third longer than the censored, commercial edition published in book form the following year. That expurgated commercial edition edited out much of the ethnic flavor of the original, as well as some of the goriest descriptions of the meat-packing industry and much of Sinclair's most pointed social and political commentary. The text of this new edition is as it appeared in the original uncensored edition of 1905. It contains the full 36 chapters as originally published, rather than the 31 of the expurgated edition. A new foreword describes the discovery in the 1980s of the original edition and its subsequent suppression, and a new introduction places the novel in historical context by explaining the pattern of censorship in the shorter commercial edition.  

2-Upton Sinclair’s muckraking masterpiece The Jungle centers on Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant working in Chicago’s infamous Packingtown. Instead of finding the American Dream, Rudkus and his family inhabit a brutal, soul-crushing urban jungle dominated by greedy bosses, pitiless con-men, and corrupt politicians.While Sinclair’s main target was the industry’s appalling labor conditions, the reading public was most outraged by the disgusting filth and contamination in American food that his novel exposed. As a result, President Theodore Roosevelt demanded an official investigation, which quickly led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug laws. For a work of fiction to have such an impact outside its literary context is extremely rare. (At the time of The Jungle’s publication in 1906, the only novel to have led to social change on a similar scale in America was Uncle Tom’s Cabin.)

Today, The Jungle remains a relevant portrait of capitalism at its worst and an impassioned account of the human spirit facing nearly insurmountable challenges.

My Semi-Quick Review: 

I read this book in my eleventh grade English class.  It was very, very graphic but in this book I appreciated that because it had to be graphic to really get its point across. This was also the first time that I had really seen a lot of social commentary in a book, and done very well. On top of that, this book had a huge impact on the meat packing industry and there was change that came about because of it. It was one of those times that I was really aware of how a book could bring about change on a large scale and I was once again amazed by the potential power of literature. 

<3 Amanda Leigh

Blog Hop 2014: My Writing Process

I was tagged by Cindy Ray Hale who was tagged by Rachel Harris who was tagged by...I don't know who. But either way, here I am! Today I will be answering questions about my writing process and then tagging three more writers. However, it just didn't work out that I was able to wrangle up three more writers. So I'm going to break the rules (because I'm a rebel) and tag one. Jennifer Weiser, a very good friend of mine.  But first, let me tell you more about who tagged me. ;)


Cindy Ray Hale

Cindy Ray Hale is a Young Adult author and a book blogger. She lives in a little slice of wooded heaven near Atlanta, Georgia. She spends way too much time following up-and-coming musicians on YouTube and dreams of joining their ranks one day. She’s a bit of a health food nut and can’t live without her daily green smoothies. She tries to stay sane as she juggles writing with four kids, staying active on social media, and keeping up her book blog http://cinnamoncindy.blogspot.com/. In addition to writing and self-publishing two Young Adult Contemporary novels, she has also written articles for "New Era" magazine and The American Preppers Network. 

Website: http://destinybycindyhale.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyRayHale 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindyrayhaleauthor 

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7126606.Cindy_Ray_Hale

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Ray-Hale/e/B00GEMM4IO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 

Okay, here come the questions. 

1 - What am I working on?  

I self-published a poetry and photography collection in June of 2012: https://www.createspace.com/3886720 and then I released another poetry collection in July of 2013:  

https://www.createspace.com/4113057.  

Right now I am working on a few different projects. One of them is a secret project that I'm planning to release in September of this year. The other is a romance novella of about 38,000 words that I'm considering a YA/NA crossover. That one I am planning to release in February of 2015. At the moment, I am working on its final edits. When the synopsis for that one is released, believe me, you'll know. ;) The other project I'm working on I wrote the bulk of during the April Camp NaNoWriMo session. I'm writing the first draft. . The best way that I can think to describe that project is a YA Paranormal, Romance, Thriller. 

2 - How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

Okay, so honestly, this one I had to go get some help with. I think that that is because for me this question falls under the 'you're your own toughest critic' and 'being too close to your work' categories. So, I went to the awesome woman who has become my critique partner (and friend) that have already mentioned that I am tagging. Jennifer Weiser. So thank you, Jenn, for helping me out with this! <3 

Poetry: The words that Jenn used to describe my poetry were "beautiful and whimsical". I quite like that description. Partly because a few times I myself have been described as whimsical and my poetry/writing in general is really an extension of myself. My first poetry collection, Thousands of Mornings, also has original photography by me along with most of the poems. Again, I'm quoting Jenn here: "The photographs offer a look into the depth of your soul with your writing. It's truly remarkable." So that is one thing that makes it unique; the photographs that go along with the poems. Something else that, to me, makes it unique is the viewpoint from which the poems come from. I'm not saying that it isn't out there, but there isn't a lot of poetry out there from the viewpoint of someone with a rare chronic illness. 

Fiction: Okay, so far the fiction manuscript that I have finished is leaning towards YA Contemporary. I say that it also has some NA crossover appeal because it spans six years and by the time you get to the third part of the book, the protagonist is in her 20's. This book is not out yet, but I am planning to release it early next year. The manuscript I'm working on now is in drafting stages, so that won't be included here.;) Okay, here we go. YA Contemporary: Jenn has beta read for me on this one, so she had a good idea of how this work differs as well. This isn't necessarily how it differs but Jenn said that it does face a lot realities that a lot of YA readers can relate to. She also described it as "raw and real". (Which is terrific, because that is what I was going for). The main difference that was pointed out to me was that the book deals with issues that a lot of YA books don't, and that a lot of people may not even be able to imagine. I can't go into too much detail without giving things away, but I'll try to give you something. Perhaps a short list of some of the things mentioned and/or dealt with in the book: adoption, alcoholism, brother/sister relationships, friends becoming family, abuse. Lastly, I will leave you with this quote from Jenn about this book: "It takes friendship and welds it into a romantic and touching story."

3 - Why do I write what I do? 

You know, this is a very good question. And to be completely honest, I have never thought about it. 

Poetry writing is very different (for me) than writing a novel or story. Obviously, it is, but what I mean is my reasoning behind it is very different. My poems come out of emotions or thoughts that I have. And, really, my stories have an aspect of that, as well. But it is different with poetry. I suppose that it's an immediate thought, concern or emotion that comes to me and I feel like I have to write about it. I can write about it journal style, of course (I do and I have) but I feel like my point, emotion, concern, et cetera comes out better in a poem. The way that it comes out expresses it better. So I suppose that I write poetry to express my direct thoughts better than I can any other way. 

My stories, of course, have my thoughts and feelings in them,as well. It just comes out in a different way. Through the characters that I write about. These stories just come into my head and then the characters take over my thoughts. If it's an idea that is going to be put into action, it's because these characters have basically taken up residence in my brain and won't let me rest until I agree to write their story. So far, both fiction manuscripts that I have written are quite different. They both have a romance in them, but that is really the main similarity. And the romances in each book are very different. One takes place in the 1960's to 1970 and one takes place in 2012 (the first book, anyway). One is contemporary one is paranormal. So, really, I have no idea. There isn't a huge unifying element that I've found yet. Although, I suppose if I had to pick something it would be that the characters in my books are outsiders in one way or another. So, I suppose that that is the unifying theme. 

4 - How does my writing process work? 

So far, it has differed from project to project. First of all, writing poetry is very different than writing fiction for me. The poems that I write are my feelings about things, put into words in a different way. My fiction does have my feelings about things as well, but it is in a different way and through the eyes of people other than myself - my characters. My poetry is all me. I will often write the first draft of a poem in anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. And after that, it doesn't go through nearly as much editing as my fiction does. 

Something that I do is carry around a little notebook wherever I go when I'm out - so that I can jot down ideas and not have to worry about possibly forgetting them. This goes for all manner of ideas that I may have. I also use a program called Storybook 4 to organize my thoughts. Outlines, characters, locations, et cetera. And I've just downloaded a free trial of Aeon Timeline - which I am absolutely loving so far. 

For the YA/NA crossover romance novella that I have, the process was very, very slow. I actually started it when I was 15 years old. It was roughly inspired by a dream that I had had. My original intention was to make it a short story but then it grew and I couldn't stop it. Well, I would go back to that project time and time again but it wasn't until last year that I got really serious about finishing that first draft. I didn't really do much planning for this novella, either. I just went. About a quarter of the way through I wrote up a very rough outline of each chapter. To see a more detailed look of what the process for writing this novella was, check out this blog post:  

http://girlwithapenandadream.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-journey-of-my-heart-is-yours.html. 

For the draft that I'm writing now (which I am so close to being done with) I participated in April Camp NaNoWriMo. (I won!! Hooray!!) And I'm guessing that it will be about another day or so until the draft of my current Work In Progress is done. So the process has been much quicker than my last novel was. 

And now, on to the person that I tag! I met her through Rachel Harris' Flirt Squad. She has beta read for me and she is wonderful! Give it up for Jennifer Weiser! And don't forget to check out her post on this blog hop! 

Jennifer Weiser 

I am a YA author searching for the right words to stain the pages of my first novel. When I'm not becoming lost in the pages of my favorite books or busy creating a world of my own, I am living out fairy tale dreams alongside my beautiful daughter and husband, who not only inspire but allow inspiration to color our world together.

Website: http://jenniferweiser.blogspot.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlynnweiser

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferWeiser 

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9736034-jennifer 

At The Cool Table: http://www.atthecooltable.com/ 

Okay, guys, that is all! I'm getting back into blogging now (I wrote the bulk of my draft in April, I was busy!) so you will see more posts from me. The first probably being my Book of the Month. I should probably decide what that will be, huh? Well, I hope that you enjoyed this post and don't forget to check out Jennifer Weiser's later on! I will link that on my Facebook page when it is up (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaLeigh). Have a beautiful day everyone!! :) 

<3 Amanda Leigh