LET'S GET COZY! EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDED
EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK 
A Novel Idea Mystery

BY LUCY ARLINGTON

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The national bestselling Novel Idea Mysteriesreturn with Lila Wilkins, who has just been promoted to full-time literary agent. But great new writers aren’t the only people she’s trying to catch...

Lila Wilkins has it all: the home of her dreams in the charming town of Inspiration Valley, North Carolina; a perfect police officer boyfriend; and a new job she absolutely loves. At the Book and Author Festival, which is sponsored by the Novel Idea Literary Agency, Lila expects to discover some talented new authors, but what she finds instead is the body of an editor to whom she bears an eerie resemblance.

Trouble is, the editor’s death isn’t the only literary murder taking place. Soon a blossoming author is also killed, and Lila has a gut feeling that the two murders are linked. Now she must hunt down the dark figure who killed these women—and to her surprise, she just might find the clues hidden in a manuscript..

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lucy Arlington is an avid reader, cook, and gardener. If she had her way, she’d divide her time between preparing delectables in her kitchen, traveling the globe on her scooter, and sitting in a comfortable chair with a cup of coffee and a paperback until her legs cramped. Lucy is devoted to her husband and children—especially when they ply her with chocolate and gift cards to bookstores.

Lucy Arlington, aka Ellery Adams, grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children's books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.

To find out more about author Lucy Arlington, visit her at the Ellery Adams website HERE.

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY LUCY ARLINGTON/ELLERY ADAMS:

                                                                

                       

                                                   

                     GIVEAWAY                                 

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT BERKLEY PRIME CRIME AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT LUCY ARLINGTON/ELLERY ADAMS' WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 24

   GOOD LUCK!

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ARE YOU LISTENING? THE GOOD HOUSE: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE GOOD HOUSE

BY ANN LEARY 

NARRATED BY MARY BETH HURT 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A riveting novel in which an engaging and wildly irreverent woman is in complete denial—about herself, her drinking, and her love for a man she’s known all her life

Ann Leary's The Good House tells the story of Hildy Good, who lives in a small town on Boston’s North Shore. Hildy is a successful real-estate broker, good neighbor, mother, and grandmother. She’s also a raging alcoholic. Hildy’s family held an intervention for her about a year before this story takes place—“if they invite you over for dinner, and it’s not a major holiday,” she advises “run for your life”—and now she feels lonely and unjustly persecuted. She has also fooled herself into thinking that moderation is the key to her drinking problem.

As if battling her demons wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Hildy soon finds herself embroiled in the underbelly of her New England town, a craggy little place that harbors secrets. There’s a scandal, some mysticism, babies, old houses, drinking, and desire—and a love story between two craggy sixty-somethings that's as real and sexy as you get. An exceptional novel that is at turns hilarious and sobering, The Good House asks the question: What will it take to keep Hildy Good from drinking? For good.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

ANN LEARY has published two previous books, An Innocent, A Broad and Outtakes from a Marriage, as well as short fiction and journalism in Ploughshares among others. She is also the co-host of the weekly NPR radio show Hash Hags. Ms. Leary lives in Roxbury, CT with four dogs, three horses, and her husband, the actor, Denis Leary.

Official Sites:

Author Website

Author Facebook 

Author Twitter

ABOUT THE "NOTABLE NARRATOR:

Ann Leary’s THE GOOD HOUSE features a favorite new character: Hildy Good. Hildy is a great real estate agent, great mother, and great friend. She also happens to be a raging alcoholic. People magazine recently called the book, “Fresh, sharp and masterfully told.” Listen to an excerpt from the audiobook HERE . The narrator you hear nailing the voice of Hildy is actress Mary Beth Hurt. You might know her from movies such as Interiors, The Age of Innocence, and The World According to Garp. As shown in this picture, she recently stopped by Ann Leary's event to read a passage from the book.

AN EXCERPT FROM THE GOOD HOUSE:

I can walk through a house once and know more about its occupants than a psychiatrist could after a year of sessions. I remember joking about this one evening with Peter Newbold, the shrink who rents the office upstairs from mine.
 

“The next time you get a new patient,” I offered, “I’ll sneak to their house for a walk-through. While you jot down notes about their history, dreams, whatever, I’ll shine a flashlight into the attic, open a few cupboards, and have a peek at the bedrooms. Later, when we compare notes, I’ll have the clearer picture of the person’s mental health, guaranteed.” I was teasing the doctor, of course, but I’ve been selling houses since he was in primary school, and I stand by my theory.
 

I like a house that looks lived in. General wear and tear is a healthy sign; a house that’s too antiseptic speaks as much to me of domestic discord as a house in complete disarray. Alcoholics, hoarders, binge eaters, addicts, sexual deviants, philanderers, depressives—you name it, I can see it all in the worn edges of their nests. You catch the smoky reek of stale scotch and cigarettes despite the desperate abundance of vanilla-scented candles. The animal stench oozes up between the floorboards, even though the cat lady and her minions were removed months before. The marital bedroom that’s become his, the cluttered guest room that’s now clearly hers—well, you get the idea.
 

I don’t have to go inside the house to make a diagnosis; the curbside analysis is usually enough. The McAllister house is a perfect example. In fact, I’d love to compare my original observations regarding Rebecca McAllister with Peter. She was depressed, for one. I drove past the McAllisters’ one morning in late May, not long after they’d moved in, and there she was, out in the early-morning haze, planting annuals all along the garden path. It wasn’t even seven A.M., but it was clear that she had been at it for hours. She was in a rather sheer white nightshirt, which was damp with sweat and covered with soil. People were starting to drive by, but Rebecca had become so absorbed in her gardening that it apparently hadn’t occurred to her to put on some proper clothes.
 

I stopped and said hello from my car window. We chatted for a few minutes about the weather, about how the kids were adjusting to their new school, but as we talked, I sensed a sadness in the way Rebecca planted—a mournfulness, as if she were placing each seedling in a tiny plot, a tiny little grave. And they were bright red impatiens that she was planting. There’s always something frantic about that kind of bold color choice for the front of a house. I said good-bye, and when I glanced back at Rebecca through my rearview mirror, it looked, from that distance, like there was a thin trail of blood leading all the way from the house to the spot where she knelt.

To finish reading this excerpt, visit the Random House website HERE.

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW OF THE GOOD HOUSE:
Set in Wendover, Massachusetts, Anne Leary’s newest novel, THE GOOD HOUSE, is narrated by the main character, Hildy Good. Hildy is a character that is so well written that you can’t help but like her, no matter what her faults might be. She is funny and means well as she directs the story on a roller coaster ride through her narration. Twists and turns you might not expect add to the appeal of the story. As much as Hildy can be flippant about some things, she also is rather pitifully helpless, and easily hurt. I felt like I knew her right away and my heart went out to her. Hildy is a real estate broker who like most, is struggling in her job thanks to the poor economy. These struggles are not the only ones Hildy faces.

Hildy’s daughters, who are dependant on their mother financially, love her in their own way. They realize she needs help for what she thinks isn’t a problem, her drinking! After an intervention and some rehab, Hildy appears on the surface to have made progress but there are times when one drink at night on her own can’t hurt, now can it? With an ex-husband finally coming out about his homosexuality, her new friend in a bad love affair that is headed for trouble, and her daughters keeping Hildy from spending time with her precious grandchild due to her drinking, it is no wonder that Hildy turns to the bottle for comfort more and more. Help for Hildy comes from a very unlikely person when Frankie, who she has known since they were kids, befriends her and treats her like she never has been treated before. In Frankie, Hildy finds a strong, patient man’s shoulder to lean on in a way most would not have suspected. This is my first Anne Leary book but won’t be my last. I like how she wrote what could have been a very dark, depressing story in a way that one could understand the depth of feelings but also enjoy it as well. The use of humor keeps readers listening and Mary Beth Hurt is a superb narrator who only adds to the deliciousness of this tale.
 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO ESTHER AND THE GOOD PEOPLE

AT MACMILLAN AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE ONE

COPY OF THIS INTERESTING AUDIO BOOK,

THE GOOD HOUSE BY ANN LEARY,

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY FOLLOWER 

  

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN 
ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

 
HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE GOOD HOUSE THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT HERE ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING AT AUTHOR ANN LEARY'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
 6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 20

GOOD LUCK!

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LET'S GET COZY! OODLES OF POODLES: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDED
OODLES OF POODLES 
A Pet Rescue Mystery

BY LINDA O. JOHNSTON

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Shelter manager and pet rescuer Lauren Vancouver once again takes on the role of amateur sleuth when there’s a murder on a film set . . .

Has Hollywood gone to the dogs? Pet rescuer Lauren Vancouver is observing production on a new movie called Sheba’s Story. The title character—a white Miniature poodle—is played by many similar-looking poodles, and to make sure no animals are harmed, Lauren’s friend, veterinarian Carlie Stellan, and Grant, a handsome representative from the American Humane Association, are on location. But when the film’s director is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run after arguing with Carlie about animal safety, it’s up to Lauren to clear her friend’s name and catch a killer before someone else ends up in oodles of deadly trouble.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Linda O. Johnston has been interested in writing since childhood. She attended law school but couldn't stay away from fiction and soon published several short stories in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. The first, "Different Drummers," won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for best first mystery short story of 1988. Recently, Johnston's first mystery short story "Love on Sunset Boulevard" was published in the Sisters of Crime, Los Angeles Chapter, mystery short story anthology, Murder on Sunset Boulevard. Her first novel was the 1995 Love Spell time travel romance A Glimpse of Forever.

Johnston is best known for her romance work but is making her mystery debut in January 2005 with Sit, Stay, Slay. Johnston recently left her full-time law job to devote more time to writing. She is a member of the Orange County, Los Angeles and RWA Mystery-Suspense chapters of the Romance Writers of America. She also belongs to Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter, and the Mystery Writers of America. Johnston lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and enjoys frequent visits of her two young adult sons.

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY LINDA O. JOHNSON:

                    

                    

                   

                      

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT BERKLEY PRIME CRIME AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF OODLES OF POODLES

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT OODLES OF POODLES THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT LINDA O. JOHNSTON'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 24

   GOOD LUCK!

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Advertising contest to celebrate new book, TRUTH IN ADVERTISING --> $5,000 PRIZE!

THE TRUTH IN ADVERTISING CONTEST, SPONSORED BY TOUCHSTONE BOOKS

In celebration of the publication of the new novel Truth in Advertising by John Kenney, Touchstone Books invites you to design an advertisement for the book! Entries will be judged by a panel of advertising industry experts and the winning design will win a cash prize of $5,000. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to participate, including (but not limited to) those with experience in graphic design, advertising, and marketing.

To learn more about the contest and to submit an entry, visit http://truthinadvertisingcontest.tumblr.com 

Additional details:

•       Submissions can be in jpeg, mov, or gif format.
•       Submissions must be in English.
•       Submissions must be an original advertisement for TRUTH IN ADVERTISING by John Kenney and include the book title and author name.
•       You may submit up to three (3) entries. Submissions must be different and not substantially similar.
•       Participation open only to legal residents of the fifty United States or the District of Columbia who are 18 years or older as of date of entry.
•       Submissions are due by February 28, 2013. 

And here’s just a taste of what people are saying about Truth in Advertising:
•       “We’re sold on Kenney’s trenchant, quick-witted debut. A-” —Entertainment Weekly
•       “A lively debut that has ‘movie deal’ written all over it.” —People
•       “It’s the stuff of Jonathan Tropper novels and Judd Apatow films and every Zooey Deschanel fantasy.”—USAToday.com
•       “Balances the droll with the hopeful and the glib with the heartfelt.”–The Daily Beast

Please direct ALL QUESTIONS to:
touchstonemarketing@simonandschuster.com.

 

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LET'S GET COZY! VEILED REVENGE: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

  GIVEAWAY ENDED
VEILED REVENGE

A Crime of Fashion Mystery

BY ELLEN BYERRUM

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Home of the helmet hairdo and congressional comb-over, Washington, D.C., is a hotbed of fashion faux pas. If anyone should know, it’s “Crimes of Fashion” columnist Lacey Smithsonian. She dishes out advice to the scandal-scorched and clothing-clueless, doing her part to change this town—one fashion victim at a time....

SHAWL TALE

Washington, D.C., fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian has always believed clothes can be magical, but she’s never thought they can be cursed. Until now. Lacey’s best friend, Stella, is finally getting married, and at her bachelorette party, fellow bridesmaid—and fortune-teller—Marie Largesse arrives with a stunning Russian shawl. A shawl, Marie warns, that can either bless or curse the wearer. When a party crasher who mocks the shawl is found dead the next day, the other guests fear the curse has been unleashed. But Lacey has her doubts, and she must employ all her Extra-Fashionary Perception to capture a villain who has vowed that nobody at this wedding will live happily ever after....

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ellen Byerrum is a journalist in Washington D.C., a produced and published playwright, and she holds a Virginia private investigator's registration. A Colorado native, she lives in Virginia with her husband.

To read more about Author Ellen Byerrum, visit her "bio" on her website HERE.

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY ELLEN BYERRUM:

              

                   

                   

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT OBSIDIAN AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF VEILED REVENGE

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT VEILED REVENGE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT ELLEN BYERRUM'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 20

   GOOD LUCK!

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SUPER BOWL..FINALLY!

 

LAST

BUSY FOOTBALL WEEKEND

AT OUR HOUSE!

    REMEMBER!

CHECK OUT THE GIVEAWAYS IN

MY RIGHT HAND COLUMN...

SEE YOU BACK HERE MONDAY!

 GOOD LUCK TO BOTH TEAMS AND FANS!

                                   

     HAVE FUN!

Read More

SUPER BOWL WEEKEND!

 

LAST

BUSY FOOTBALL WEEKEND

AT OUR HOUSE!

    REMEMBER!

CHECK OUT THE GIVEAWAYS IN

MY RIGHT HAND COLUMN...

SEE YOU BACK HERE MONDAY!

 GOOD LUCK TO BOTH TEAMS AND FANS!

                                   

     HAVE FUN! 

Read More