Frederick Book Festival: Recap!

Hi Everyone!

This past Saturday, May 18, marked the first annual Frederick Book Festival in Frederick, MD! Frederick is only about forty-five minutes away, so I immediately signed up! It was going to be my first official “event” as a published author and I was excited!

The Festival was open to all book genres and as the date inched closer and the featured/guest author list grew, my excitement was replaced by nerves!

Holy Cow! I’d read most of the featured authors/guests in the Romance category—they were successful and popular—what the heck was I thinking signing up?!!

I usually get nervous when doing something new so I tried not to think about it and focused on the good! I was going to be out there, meeting readers and book lovers! I had awesome swag and chocolate to lure them toward my table and I love my books, so I should have no problem talking about them! I set up a “mock” table on my kitchen counter two days before and it looked fantastic—I was ready!

 

This is my table at the event! Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the greatest and, combined with several other events that weekend, the attendance wasn’t what we hoped for. Everyone ended up packing up and leaving before five!

While the attendance was a bummer, the event wasn’t, and here’s why…

 

I got to meet Laura Kaye!!! When I first saw her, I had a *fan-girl* moment and was a complete dork, but Laura didn’t seem to mind! She was so nice! Later, when TG and hubby came to visit, I went back to Laura and asked for the pic! She was still so nice! :)

 

I also got to meet Carrie Ann Ryan!! Carrie was also really nice and took this pic with me! I was a little bit cooler when I met Carrie, but not much! (Notice my cheezy smile! LOL) :)

 

Right before I packed up, I took the opportunity to sit and listen to the last panel of the day:

“Gods, Myths, Magic and the Supernatural” featuring Laura Kaye, Carrie Ann Ryan, Meg Lacey, Loni Lynne and Jean Murray! It was fun to listen to these ladies talk about their stories and their adventures writing them!

The best part of the Festival was talking to the readers and fans that took the time to come and spend the day with us! I was unknown to almost everyone who passed my table, but several people took something to remember me and some signed up for my newsletter as well! I met two book bloggers and I was surrounded by great authors who kept the time ticking and the atmosphere fun! :)

It was a great day and now I know what to expect when I sign up for a bigger event! I’ll have nothing to be nervous about… Yeah, right! LOL :D

Happy Reading! :)

~Jane

Her Dark Hero: 32

Hi Everyone and Happy Sunday!

I’m playing catch-up today as I recoup from yesterday’s Frederick Book Festival (and fight my lingering cold/cough,) but here’s this week’s snippet from HER DARK HERO! :)

Last week we left Mark wondering about the girl who helped him in the alley…

 

What happened next?

Was she alive? Was she safe? He had to find her—he needed to know.

Mark sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed in one swift motion. He held his side and doubled over as pain raced across his skin.

To find more authors/snippets, visit Snippet Sunday on Facebook!

Happy Reading!

~Jane

 

Fantastic Forty ~ Kate Roth

 

~Kate Roth~

Author name: Kate Roth

Website & Blog: www.katerothwrites.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorkateroth
Twitter: www.twitter.com/katerothwrites

Favorites:

Fave food? Cheese
Fave drink (non-alcoholic)? Coffee
Fave candy bar? Crunch Bar
Fave flower? Birds of Paradise
Fave gemstone? Sapphire
Fave day of the week? Sunday
Fave time of day to write? Late at night.
Fave season? Autumn
Fave holiday? Christmas
Fave color? Pink!
Fave animal? Dog
Fave hobby? Reading
Fave sport? Baseball
Fave song? Hotel California by The Eagles
Fave TV show? (off-air) Six Feet Under, (on-air) Game of Thrones
Fave movie? Jurassic Park
Fave book? The Strangers in Paradise series by Terry Moore
Fave author? William Shakespeare
Fave word? Dream
Fave quote? “The coroner will find ink in my veins and blood on my typewriter keys.” ~C. Astrid Weber

Lightning Round:

Coffee or tea? Coffee
Cake or pie? Pie
Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla
Salty or sweet? Salty
Veggies or fruit? Fruit
Owl or lark? Owl
Plot or not? Plot
Desktop or laptop? Laptop
Pencil or pen? Pen
Rain or sun? Sun
Land or sea? Sea
Plane or train? Train
Run or walk? Walk
Casual or dressy? Casual
Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors
Reading: EBook or paperback? Paperback
Reading: Novellas or novels? Novels
Theater or rental? Theater
Vampire or shifter? Vampire
Jedi or Sith? Jedi

Tell us about your new/latest release:

 

Title: The Low Notes

Genre: New Adult Romance

*This week marks the One Year Anniversary of THE LOW NOTES!*

**To celebrate, THE LOW NOTES will be $.99 May 17-19, 2013!**

Blurb:

When a chance meeting between high school teacher Kevin Reed and singer Nina Jordan ignites an instant spark, they must decide if it's more important to follow your heart or follow the rules.

After caring for his dying father, Kevin Reed, returns to his hometown of Wexley Falls, bereaved, unemployed and exhausted at the thought of starting a new life. After a failed blind date, Kevin meets young singer Nina Jordan who takes his breath away with the sound of her voice. The connection is instantaneous and mutual on their first date, but both are crestfallen when they discover days later, to their horror, Nina is Kevin's student at the local high school.

Deciphering between notions of love and lust, fate and coincidence, Kevin and Nina find themselves unable to turn their backs on what they can't deny is a once in a lifetime feeling. Told from both perspectives, The Low Notes explores a love that feels right even though it seems wrong.

Excerpt:

“Look, Nina...” he started and her heart clenched. It seemed too perfect. What was he about to say? She wished for an instant he would stop right there and kiss her goodnight so the evening could end just as wonderful as it had been. But he continued.

“I wasn't planning on dating right now. Not last night on that blind date and I certainly wasn't counting on meeting anyone as great as you. I've had a rough few months and I just feel like I need to get adjusted first, you know. But I...” his voice cut off and he ran a hand through his chestnut hair.

He grinned. “I really like you.”

Nina smiled back, biting her lip, trying to conceal it. She looked down at her hands and realized she was absently wringing them, pulling at her fingertips. She smoothed her hands down the front of her dress and tried to steady herself.

“Can I call you? When I feel like I have it a little more together?” he asked.

It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear but she couldn't blame him for wanting some time to find a job, maybe unpack his house. She smiled and asked for his phone. Kevin slowly handed over the small piece of black plastic from his pocket with a confused face.

“I'm putting my number in here so you don't forget about me,” she said. She opened the main screen and saw an alert message.

“You, uh, missed a call and have a voicemail.” Kevin frowned and shook his head as if he didn't know who it could be. She typed her name and number into his contacts list and then turned the phone around and snapped a picture of herself. Kevin chuckled taking the device from her.

“How could I ever forget that face?” he mused.

She twisted her lips bashfully before feeling her nerves kick in. She didn't want to say goodbye. What if she never saw him again? Fear was getting the better of her. For it to end like this after a beautiful evening just seemed unfair.

“So I guess this is goodnight?” he said softly.

“Yeah. I had a really nice time. See ya,” she said, trying to hide the quiver in her voice. She gave a little wave, turned and started walking to her car. She got to the door and began digging in her purse to find her keys when she heard her cell phone chirp. She pulled it out and took a glance at the message.

Screw it. You free next Saturday?

Her head whipped up to see Kevin where she'd left him with his phone in hand and a Cheshire grin plastered on his face.

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Low-Notes-ebook/dp/B0083V285S/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1366035906&sr=1-1
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-low-notes-kate-roth/1110896148
All Romance E-books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thelownotes-792581-148.html
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/the-low-notes

Cover Reveal ~ Only You!

 

Hi Everyone!

ONLY YOU is set to release from Rebel Ink Press in June!

ONLY YOU is a stand alone, Contemporary Romance.

Here's the blurb:

Jessica has been in love with her brother’s best friend for as long as she can remember. They grew up together, but he never seems to look at her as anything more than a little sister. Her appearance doesn’t help. She’s short and curvy with a few extra pounds, not the type most men find attractive.

Kyle is in love with Jessica. He’s been in love with her forever, but he’s always kept his distance because she’s his best friend, Robbie’s, sister. Tired of staying away from her, Kyle arrives at Jessica’s door intent on telling her his feelings, but her beauty distracts him and he kisses her instead.

Jessica knows deep down they should stop. Their friendship and her heart could be destroyed, but she’s wanted him for so long. A few seconds is all it takes to change her mind. The following morning, her brother arrives and quickly figures out what happened, and what didn’t. Chaos ensues and lifelong friendships are tested when Robbie defends his sister, Jessica defends Kyle and Kyle tries to declare himself.

 

Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and All Romance Ebooks!

(Coming later to Kobo and iBooks!)

 

Happy Reading!

 

~Jane

 

 

 

Her Dark Hero: 31

 

Hi Everyone!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms—and Grandmas, Aunties and Friends—I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

Thanx for joining me for more of Her Dark Hero!

Last week we left Mark thinking about how he felt when the girl sat by him in the alley…

 

In those moments he didn’t want to give up, he wanted to live again.

The girl wasn’t an angel, she was human and she’d urged him to survive. He’d tried to obey. It was the only reason he’d given her Trey’s number. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to live, but he knew he wanted to please her. The last thing he remembered was watching her run off to make the call.

 

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Happy Reading! :)

~Jane