Book Contest- I Has A Hotdog

Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I am giving away 3 copies of I Has A Hotdog by Professor Happy Cat.

I HAS A BWAIN!!!!

An you thawt we dint! Now Professor Happycat tells you what's in it and, from I HAS A HOTDOG.com and beyond, lets over 200 LOLdogs loose on the world, all barking the truth about kibble, toys, and bad kitties. This collection of favorites and never-before-seen photos will have you barking for more!

This book is so cute!  I love all of the pictures and sayings.  I have been going to the website for a while now and I am always laughing out loud at the pictures!
 
Check out IHasaHotdog.com
Become a Fan on Facebook
Follow @LOLDogs on Twitter
 
To enter to win one of 3 copies, fill out the form here.  The contest ends on Friday, April 30 at 11:59 pm. Only residents of US and Canada, and no P.O. boxes please.

Book Review- Made in the U.S.A.

I just finished reading Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts.

From Goodreads:

Lutie McFee's history has taught her to avoid attachments...to people, to places, and to almost everything. With her mother long dead and her father long gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, 15-year-old Lutie lives in the god-forsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota with her twelve-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy Satterfield, the 300-pound ex-girlfriend of her father. While Lutie shoplifts for kicks, Fate spends most of his time reading, watching weird TV shows and worrying about global warming and the endangerment of pandas. As if their life is not dismal enough, one day, while shopping in their local Wal-Mart, Floy keels over and the two motherless kids are suddenly faced with the choice of becoming wards of the state or hightailing it out of town in Floy's old Pontiac. Choosing the latter, they head off to Las Vegas in search of a father who has no known address, no phone number and, clearly, no interest in the kids he left behind.

MADE IN THE U.S.A. is the alternately heartbreaking and life-affirming story of two gutsy children who must discover how cruel, unfair and frightening the world is before they come to a place they can finally call home.
 
This book was just okay for me.  I have read the other books by Billie Letts and enjoyed them a lot more than I did this one.  The two main characters, Lutie and Fate, just didn't do it for me.  I liked Fate some of the times--I mean, I felt poorly for the young boy and his situation.  But I didn't feel any warmth from Lutie and at times I thought her moves were stupid and selfish.  In most stories where teenagers and young children lose their families, you want to root for them.  But I just couldn't root for Lutie.  She was just unlikeable.  I grew more interested in the end of the story when the siblings are welcomed into the family of circus owners.  But other than that, the story dragged for me.
 
I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 25
What's In A Name? 3 Challenge: Place Name
 
*FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Hachette Book Group for an honest review.

Contest Winners- The Smart One and the Pretty One

According to Random.org

Paula

Martha Lawson

elnice

ellie

Holly

have each won a copy of The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik! Please email your address to me at belle2211(at)yahoo(dot)com by Thursday at 8pm and I'll have your book mailed out to you!

Book Contest- The Smart One and The Pretty One

Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have 5 copies of The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik to give away!

When Ava Nickerson was a child, her mother jokingly betrothed her to a friend's son, and the contract the parents made has stayed safely buried for years. Now that still-single Ava is closing in on thirty, no one even remembers she was once "engaged" to the Markowitz boy. But when their mother is diagnosed with cancer, Ava's prodigal little sister Lauren comes home to Los Angeles where she stumbles across the decades-old document.Frustrated and embarrassed by Ava's constant lectures about financial responsibility (all because she's in a little debt. Okay, a lot of debt), Lauren decides to do some sisterly interfering of her own and tracks down her sister's childhood fiancé. When she finds him, the highly inappropriate, twice-divorced, but incredibly charming Russell Markowitz is all too happy to re-enter the Nickerson sisters' lives, and always-accountable Ava is forced to consider just how binding a contract really is . . .

OTHER SITES TO VISIT

Reading Group Guide

Author website

HOW TO ENTER:
+1 Post a comment saying that you would like to be entered (make sure to leave your e-mail address or your comment won't count!)
+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment

+1 Tweet about the contest and leave the link in your comment (make sure to put @purplg8r)
+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)
~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!

~~The contest will end on Sunday September 20th at 11:59pm

~~This contest is open to US and Canada only, no PO Boxes.

Blog Tour- The Castaways

I am honored to be a part of The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand blog tour.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.

MY REVIEW

I have heard that this is a great beach read, but I'm not sure I agree. For me, this book is too deep, too sad to be a beach read (I like mine to be fluffy!) But this book is definitely a good one! It's gossipy and it kept me hooked! It told the life of four different couples through the eyes of six different people. There were lots of twists and turns and inter-mingling (is that a word?) between the couples. I thought I had the death of the MacAvoy's figured out but then something new would pop up. And it all wrapped up nicely in the end!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

FUN SITES TO VISIT

Visit Elin Hilderbrand's Nantucket to talk about her books and have fun!

THE CASTAWAYS excerpt

THE CASTAWAYS book club

A SUMMER AFFAIR video

Original "The Castaways" cocktail recipe
What Summer Cocktail Are You?
( Mine says...You are light, refreshing with a hint of lime, perfect for a cool afternoon on the deck.)

VISIT OTHER STOPS ON THE BLOG TOUR

July 6

http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/

http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com/

http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/

http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/

http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/

http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/

http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/

http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/

http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/

http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/

http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/

July 7

http://booknaround.blogspot.com/

http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/

http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/

http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/

http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/

http://www.bellasnovella.com/

http://www.acircleofbooks.blogspot.com/

http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/

http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

http://abookishmom.blogspot.com/

http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com/

July 8

http://debbiesworldofbooks.com/

http://www.reviewfromhere.com/

http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/

http://www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/

http://frommipov.blogspot.com/

http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/

http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/

http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/

http://cindyloveofbooks.blogspot.com/

http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/

http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/

July 9

http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/

http://thisbookforfree.com/

http://www.ultimatebookhound.blogspot.com/

http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.blogspot.com/

http://bookfoolery.blogspot.com/

http://www.linussblanket.com/

http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/

http://brainlair.blogspot.com/

http://danys-san.blogspot.com/

http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/

July 10

http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset

http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/

http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/

http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/

http://www.morbid-romantic.net/

http://nisefunpages.blogspot.com/

http://tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com/

http://allisonsatticblog.blogspot.com/

http://wrightysreads.blogspot.com/

http://frugalplus.com/

http://www.mgpblog.com/

Thanks to Miriam and Hachette book group for setting this up!

Blog Tour- Secrets to Happiness

I just finished reading Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn.

From the inside flap:

Holly Frick has just endured the worst kind of breakup: the kind where you're still in love with the person leaving you. While her wounds are still dangerously close to the surface, her happily married best friend confesses over a bottle of wine that she is this close to having an affair. And another woman asks Holly for advice about her love life--with one of Holly's exes!

Holly decides that if everyone around her can take pleasure wherever they find it, so will she. As any self-respecting thirtyish New York woman would do, she brings two males into her life: a flawed but endearing dog, and a good-natured, much younger lover. She's soon entangled in a web of emails, chance meetings, and misguided good intentions and must forge an entirely new path to Nirvana.

From the author of The Big Love, Secrets to Happiness is a big-hearted, knife-sharp, hilariously entertaining story about the perils of love and friendship, sex and betrayal--and a thoroughly modern take on our struggle to be happy.

I enjoyed reading this story. I could definitely identify with Holly, especially about her ex, but I feel that she lacked warmth. I didn't like the character of Amanda at all. She is supposed to be Holly's best friend but I felt she was almost dismissive and condescending to her. I'm not so sure I liked the ending either. But even through all of that, I still liked the book. I liked the side story of some of the other characters in the story such as Spence and Betsy and Lucas sounded adorable. I look forward to reading Sarah Dunn's other book, The Big Love.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

About The Author



Sarah Dunn has moved from Los Angeles to New York five times, and from New York back to Los Angeles four times, which means, at the moment, she is happily residing in New York. Her first novel, The Big Love, has been translated into 23 languages. Visit her website at http://sarahdunnbooks.com/ .



A Q&A With Sarah Dunn



How was the process of writing Secrets to Happiness different from that of your first novel, The Big Love?
Well, it was much more pleasant. That’s the main thing. I really enjoyed writing this book, and all of those things happened that novelists always talk about, the characters started talking and taking over the story. I never had the slightest idea how it would end. I keep a big cork board on the wall in my office, and I was always re-arranging the scenes in the first half of the book, moving my three-by-five cards around – a lot of procrastinating, really, involving bright magic markers and such – but the entire right side was just empty cork for a very long time. When I started out, I wanted to write a longer book than The Big Love, because everybody was telling me they read my entire book on a single airplane flight, and I was starting to get a little offended. I thought it would be good to write something that took a little longer for people to finish. I think they did something with the font or something, because this one reads just as fast.


What aspects of Holly’s character would you say you identify with most—or least?
I love to give advice. I always have. And about 80 percent of the advice I give is great, but unfortunately the other 20 percent is horrible. I mean, ruin-your-life horrible. And I never know which is which, and I argue for both kinds with equal certainty. And, like Holly, I do tend to meddle, and I suppose I have a dash of the rigidity that she has. My sister read the book and sent me an email that said, “Who was the twenty-two year old? Was there a twenty-two year old?” Sadly, there was not.

Holly has written a book loosely based on her relationship with Spence. As an author, do you often crib material from your own relationships? Are there characters in Secrets to Happiness that are based on real people?
Let me just say, it’s a dangerous thing to be my friend. But some of my friends now want to show up in a book, and they like to pick out the little parts that they know are based on them. For example, my friend Jill always insists on sharing a changing room with me. I have no idea why she does this. She has a lot of sisters, I guess. She also encourages/forces me to buy expensive things that I never end up wearing, and so when Jill got to that scene in the book about Amanda, she knew the scene was based on her. I’ve found that it’s easier to base a character on someone you meet for a few minutes at a cocktail party than on someone you’ve known a long time, because then your subconscious just takes those fleeting details and plays with them until the character comes alive.

Chester and Panty are both adorable sounding dogs. Do you have a dog? Brain tumor-free, I hope….
I don’t have a dog. I have a new baby, and a fat, ill-behaved cat, and a dog would probably throw me over the edge. I had a sad experience with a cat around the time I was writing Secrets and that influenced the shape of the Chester story. It was one of those things where, as a writer, you use the feelings but not the facts.


Secrets to Happiness is a very “New York” story. Do you think this story could have taken place elsewhere? Is finding happiness in New York City particularly challenging, do you think?
One character in the book, Lonnie, says that New Yorkers suffer from ‘excessive ego demands’, and I think that’s true. New York City, I contend, actively conspires against happiness. There are a lot of other things you can get easily – stimulation and excitement and a very good bagel come to mind – but ordinary things are hard. Daily life can become a competitive sport. Honestly, just listening to myself, what the heck am I doing here? Maybe it’s time to move!

Holly spends a Sunday afternoon in The Strand bookstore, but she has to set herself some time and money restrictions before she enters. Are books a favorite indulgence for you, too?
I’m in a bookstore, I’d say, four times a week. I love bookstores, although one thing nobody tells you is that publishing a book can ruin bookstores for you for a while. In that entire sea of books, maybe, maybe you’ll find one or two copies of something you spent several years of your life creating. Or none! But I consider myself a book buyer, not just a reader, so I’ve had to get over that. My father used to take my sister and me to a bookstore once a week, and we each got to pick out two books. Now, all these years later, I’d say I’m still averaging two new books a week.

You recently had a baby boy. How has that affected your writing life?
Writing used to be the hardest thing I did in a day, but now it’s the easiest. I have a nanny most days until 1:30, and, let me tell you, sitting in Starbucks for a few hours every morning, thinking your own thoughts, putting them down on paper – suddenly, that’s paradise! How is it that I used to complain about this? Then I go home and I’m covered in spit up for seven hours. Come to think of it, I’m more or less covered in spit up at Starbucks too, but I really can’t blame that on Harry.

What are you working on next?
I’ve got a new novel brewing. There might be some Hollywood stuff thrown in to pay the bills. I just finished a pilot for NBC called George & Hilly which was really fun to write. I will say, there’s nothing like writing a novel. It is a pretty satisfying enterprise, over all.

Other Sites To Visit About Secrets to Happiness and Sarah Dunn:

Reading group guide
Open Book Widget
Sarah Dunn’s Books for Bed Rest and Rainy Afternoons



Visit these other blogs on the Blog Tour:

http://nevernotreading.blogspot.com/
http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com/
http://www.acircleofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://abookishmom.blogspot.com
http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/
http://zensanity.blogspot.com/
http://scribevibe.blogspot.com/
http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/
http://www.iheartmonster.com
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/
http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/
http://thisbookforfree.com/
http://bookopolis.blogspot.com/
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
http://www.amberstults.com/
http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
http://confessionsofaromancebookaddict.wordpress.com/
http://bookslovejessicamarie.blogspot.com
http://chikune.com/blog
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/bookcase
http://www.readingwithmonie.com/
http://enroutetolife.blogspot.com/
http://www.bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com/
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://danys-san.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/
http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
http://www.linussblanket.com
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com
http://everydayiwritethebook.typepad.com
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com
http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com

I have one copy of Secrets to Happiness to give away:

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 Post a comment saying that you would like to be entered (make sure to leave your e-mail address or your comment won't count!)

+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment

+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)

~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!
~~The contest will end on Friday June 19th at 11:59pm
~~This contest is open to US and Canada only, no PO Boxes.

Thanks to Miriam at Hachette Book Group for setting this up!

Blog Tour- Mating Rituals of the North American WASP

I just finished reading Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton.

From the back cover:

Peggy Adams is upset when she wakes up next to a strange man after a Vegas night she can't remember... but she's horrified when she discovers that she married him! Luke Sedgwick is WASP royalty, the last of the New Nineveh, Connecticut, Sedgwicks. He might also be perfect, if Peggy weren't already "pre-engaged" to her live-in boyfriend of seven years (she even has a "promise ring" to prove it). Peggy and Luke agree to get an annulment ASAP--and then received an offer they can't refuse...

Luke's eccentric great-aunt Abigail offers the two the chance to make millions on the family estate: All they have to do is stay married for a year. Peggy is soon pretending to be one-half of the perfect couple among New England's WASPy set on the weekends, while keeping her marriage a secret during the week. But she isn't prepared for what might be her worst mistake of all--falling in love with her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Peggy Adams is comfortable in her New York life, until she makes an unusual agreement with Luke Sedgwick, the last scion of an old New England family. The deal: Stay married for a year, and the two will inherit the Sedgwick mansion in New Nineveh, a quaint, preppy Connecticut town.But entering Luke’s world isn’t easy. Peggy must quickly learn how to pass herself off as a proper Connecticut wife and a perfect WASP.(Hint: At parties, nobody actually eats the food.) To make matters worse, she finds herself falling in love with the man she’s married to—despite that he seems to have no feelings for her.

When I first read the summary of this book, I knew I had to read it! I loved the plot. I could really identify with Peggy and her wanting to be married to her boyfriend Brock. And I could totally then picture the whole crazy night in Vegas and the aftermath that followed. I fell for Luke but at times I wanted to strangle him and wanted him to share his feelings with Peggy. At first, I sped through the book, but it took me longer to get into it, the more it went on. I liked how the story ended, just not the exact way that it got there (I can't explain more or I'll spoil the story). Overall, it was a fun summer read.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fullfilled items in the following challenges:
Chick-Lit Challenge: 10

About the Author:

Lauren Lipton is the author of two novels, It's About Your Husband (2006) and Mating Rituals of the North American WASP (2009). She is also a freelance journalist who specializes in style, business and trend stories.

She is currently fashion, beauty and lifestyle editor at ForbesWoman magazine. She has also contributed features on society and media to the New York Times Sunday Styles section. A former Wall Street Journal staff writer, she reported on copycat brides who steal their friends' wedding ideas, pajama parties for grown women, and luxury homes with his-and-hers garages.

Her work also has appeared in Conde Nast Portfolio, In Style Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, Best Life, Glamour, Marie Claire, Fit Pregnancy and Working Mother, and on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. She began her career at the Los Angeles Times.

Born in Providence, R.I., Lauren grew up in the North County of San Diego and in Los Gatos, Calif., before moving to Los Angeles. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and anthropology from Occidental College and a master's degree in print journalism from the University of Southern California.She lives with her family in New York City and in Litchfield County, Conn.

To learn more about Lauren Lipton:
Author website: http://www.laurenlipton.com/
Author blog: http://laurenlipton.blogspot.com/
Facebook fan group: ttp://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=64715506150&ref=ts

Visit these other stops on the blog tour:
http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/
http://librarygirlreads.blogspot.com/
http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/
http://kylees2009.blogspot.com/
http://www.devourerofbooks.com/
http://burtonreview.blogspot.com
http://bookopolis.blogspot.com/
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/
http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://www.xanga.com/bravehsgirl
http://booksmovieschinesefood.blogspot.com/
http://inbedwithbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.bookconfessions.com/
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
http://www.readingwithmonie.com/
http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/
http://2kidsandtiredbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/bookbin
http://www.acircleofbooks.com/
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://www.thisbookforfree.com
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com/
http://unmainstreammomreads.blogspot.com/
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com
http://www.bermudaonion.wordpress.com/
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/
http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
http://bookslovejessicmarie.blogspot.com
http://www.thenovelbookworm.com/
http://proudbookworm.blogspot.com/
http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://www.thebookzombie.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
http://www.linussblanket.com/
http://donnasbookreviews.blogspot.com/
http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/
http://www.morbid-romantic.net/
http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com/
http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com/
http://savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/
http://danys-san.blogspot.com
http://www.iheartmonster.com/
http://debbiesworld.wordpress.com
http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
http://ebogie.blogspot.com

I have a copy of Mating Rituals of the North American WASP to giveaway!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 Post a comment saying that you would like to be entered (make sure to leave your e-mail address or your comment won't count!)

+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment

+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)

~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!
~~The contest will end on Wednesday June 3rd at 11:59pm
~~This contest is open to US and Canada only, no PO Boxes.

Thanks to Miriam from Hachette Book Groups for hosting this blog tour!

Book Review, Blog Tour, & Contest- One Deadly Sin

Welcome to the blog tour for One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon.


From the back cover:

COMING HOME IS MURDER...

Revenge. Edie Swann has hungered for it since she fled her hometown as a little girl. Now she's returned, ready for payback. Armed with a list of names, she leaves each one a chilling sign that they have blood on their hands. Her father's blood. What happens next turns her own blood cold: one by one, the men she's targeted start dying.

Sheriff Holt Drennen knows Edie is hiding something. She has a haunted look in her eyes and a defiant spirit, yet he can't believe she's a murderer. As the body count rises and all evidence points to Edie, Holt is torn between the town he's sworn to protect and the woman he's come to desire. But nothing is what it seems. Long buried secrets begin to surface, and a killer won't be satisfied until the sins of the past are paid in full--this time with Edie's blood.

I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect mystery book. I did not see the ending coming AT ALL! And I couldn't put it down. In fact, last night I stayed up until midnight reading, something I haven't done in a long time. I really felt for Edie, the main character. I wanted her to find out what happened to her father and I wanted thing to work out for her and Holt. And there was just enough passion and romance to keep me hooked without being too much. I defnitely want to read another book by Annie Solomon. (Go here to see other books she has written).

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Author Bio:

A native New Yorker, RITA-winning author Annie Solomon has been dreaming up stories since she was ten. After a twelve-year career in advertising, where she rose to Vice President and Head Writer at a mid-size agency, she abandoned the air conditioners, furnaces and heat pumps of her professional life for her first love—romance. An avid knitter, she now lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.


An Article by Annie Solomon:

One of the questions readers always ask a writer is “Where do you get your ideas?” If you write suspense, like I do, the query is often accompanied by a narrow-eyed but expectant look, as though the questioner is hoping I’ll lean over and whisper, “From my former life in the CIA,” or “Back when I was undercover for the NYPD,” or “I'd tell you but then I’d have to kill you.” So I quickly change the subject before I have to confess that I get my ideas from newspapers, the latest Radiohead song, or a dream I once had.

My current book, Tell Me No Lies, is no exception. I’ve never been a cop in a small city in the Hudson Valley, or an international business wheeler dealer. I’ve never been to Russia or met Donald Trump.

But I did read a book of firsthand accounts by cops on the job. One guy talked about being afraid. That underneath the uniform, cops always wear a thin layer of fear. I got to wondering: What happens when someone’s job puts him in life-and-death situations of which he’s secretly terrified? And so homicide detective Hank Bonner was born.

And how did I get to my heroine, the wealthy, mysterious, and bent-on-revenge Alexandra Jane Baker? Through research for my previous suspense novel, Dead Ringer. In a book about the new Russian robber barons, I read a small tidbit about a couple of suicides and some missing Russian millions. Sasha Baker and Tell Me No Lies sprouted from there.

And if you’re wondering about that Hudson Valley city, it’s called Sokanan. To save myself more research, I just made it up. It’s my own twisted version of someplace like Poughkeepsie, where my daughter went to college. (And it’s one of the worst-run cities on the planet. Why else do so many people keep dying there?) The name, by the way, is Algonquin and means “rain.”

Well, I’ve said all I can. There’s more—but if I told you everything, my editor would kill me.

Visit Annie Solomon's website
OR
any of the other blog tour stops!

Reading with Monie
Unmainstream Mom Reads
ERECThe Tome Traveller’s Weblog
Darby’s Closet
My Friend Amy
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I have an 5 copies of this book to giveaway:
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 Post a comment saying that you would like to be entered (make sure to leave your e-mail address!)
+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment
+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)
~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!

~~The contest will end on Sunday May 10th at 11:59pm

~~This contest is open to US and Canada only, no PO Boxes.

Book Review, Contest & Blog Tour- Follow Me

I just finished reading Follow Me by Joanna Scott.

From the inside cover:

On a summer day in 1946, Sally Werner, the precocious daughter of hardscrabble Pennsylvania farmers, accepts her cousin Daniel's invitation to ride his new motorcycle. Like so much of what follows in Sally's life, it's a decision driven by impulse and a thirst for adventure, a decision with dramatic and far-reaching consequences.

Soon Sally abandons her newborn baby, the result of her impetuous joyride. Shamed, confused, and filled with a yearning to have a bigger life than the one ahead of her, she finds work, she finds love, she finds people of great kindness and others whose cruelty would crush a weaker woman. Fueled in equal measure by her eternal optimism and her mercurial moods, she embarks on an odyssey of self-creation that spans six decades, the story of which she entrusts to only one person: her granddaughter and namesake. It's an uncommon legacy that young Sally believes until her father-- a man she has never known-- enters her life and offers another story altogether, forcing her to uncover the truth of her grandmother's secret history.

Boldly rendered and beautifully told, Follow Me is a paean to the American tradition of reinvention, a sweeping saga of timeless and tender storytelling, proving why Joanna Scott's "voice is one of contemporary fiction's most eloquent and essential" (Kirkus Reviews)

It took me a while to read this book. It is not one that you can sit down and speed through. You need to take your time to read all the details and get all the information about Sally's life. Sally has her ups and downs and this story takes you along for the ride. There are a wide variety of characters, and while I had a hard time feeling the warmth from them, they each tell their own part of the story. I found this book to be well-written and I couldn't wait to see how things tied together at the end.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fullfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Reading Challenge: F

Chick-Lit Challenge: 5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanna Scott is the author of nine books, including The Manikin, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Various Antidotes and Arrogance, which were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and the critically acclaimed Make Believe, Tourmaline, and Liberation. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Award, she lives with her family in upstate New York.

BLOG TOUR STOPS:
Here are 5 random stops on the blog tour:
caribousmom
The Burton Review
Morbid Romantic
Dan's Journal
A Bookworm's World

To see the rest of the stops visit here

I have an extra copy of this book to giveaway:

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 Post a comment saying that you would like to be entered (make sure to leave your e-mail address!)

+1 Post about the contest on your blog and leave the link in your comment

+1 Become a follower (or if you already follow me, let me know!)

~~For each thing that you do, please leave a separate comment or you will only be entered once!!
~~The contest will end on Monday May4th at 11:59pm
~~This contest is open to US only.

Thank you Hachette for providing this book to review.