Thursday Morning Book Club

~Summer Edition~

Disturbing, gritty, edgy, dark, banned, forbidden--yes these are some of my favorite reads, but I'll let you in on a little secret, a guilty pleasure if you will-- I love beach reads. A LOT. Pretty much anything with a horse, a life guard, a camp, camping trip, sailing, lake, cabin, beach, an older boy crush who finally sees you as more than a kid, a summer that changes everything... I rip through these books and can feel the sun on my shoulders and the sand in my toes, and I always fall in love with the boys of summer. So in honor of summer here are some reads I'm looking forward to devouring!

OUT NOW! Cruel Summer by Alyson Noel:

And coming soon--a great new Island Summer series from Jenny O'Connell:

Newbie's First Interview

Please go check out my first interview for Lux Magazine's blog--I was nervous about it, but it turned out great! Let me just *cough*cough* share a little:

"Pure and unadulterated, Brooke Taylor’s debut novel Undone, is entertainment. It is without trend, without “market focus”, without imitation. This book wasn’t written to appease a publisher; it was written to appease you. The reader. Her voice isn’t that current upbeat, sarcastic “chick” voice that is so dominant right now. It’s her own voice. Unique. Refreshing. Wonderful. Melodic. Humorous, Heartbreaking."

*blushes*

Okay--please go forth and check out the whole interview and scroll around to catch some other great authors interviews--Jordan Dane, CJ Lyons, Heather Graham, Kim Harrison (there's even an entry on Lipizzaner Stallions which is off topic but way cool):

http://luxmagz.com/lux_blog/

And here:

http://bethanyhensel.blogspot.com/2008/05/so-thrill-me-brooke-taylor.html

Thanks Bethany, for a great interview and for being such a wonderful advocate for books and their authors!

Thursday Morning Book Club

One to read and one to watch for!


Madapple by Christine Meldrum

"THE SECRETS OF the past meet the shocks of the present. Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be.When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her story unravels, the more questions unfold. About the nature of Aslaug’s birth. About what she should do next. About whether divine miracles have truly happened. And whether, when all other explanations are impossible, they might still happen this very day.Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention—and of the darkest corners of the human soul."

Blog readers know how much I love dark corners of the human soul--the cover also grabbed me.


The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Another great cover and a concept that I wished I'd come up with--twins born on either side of midnight--one can see the future and one can see the past.

"Meredith and Mallory Brynn are mirror twins born on either side of midnight one snowy New Y ear’s Eve. They have always been inseparable. But after they are nearly killed in a mysterious fire on their thirteenth birthday, the bond that has always joined them unravels. They begin to have visions and dreams that reveal the deep secrets kept by the people around them. Meredith and Mallory realize they have each been given a gift: Mallory can see deep into the past; Meredith can see the future. But when they discover that one boy is not what they imagined, their lives will be changed forever. If they can survive . . . "

Marketing and Me

When I thought about what the day to day life of being an author would entail I imagined sleeping in, putzing about in my PJ's with my laptop at the ready and characters yammering on my head... etc... I really didn't think too hard about marketing and publicity. I sort of thought I could maybe get away with being like that author (played by Jack Nicholson) in As Good As it Gets. Basically a recluse with a bad attitude, expensive apartment, and a cute dog (that I'd never put down the trash chute!). Not so. Last night I had a long conversation about publicity with Bella Stander of Book Promotion 101. It was in turns... painful and enlightening. And then when I went on her blog today I saw the following video (by Dennis Cass, author of HEAD CASE: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain) and had to laugh out loud (LOL). All I can say is at least I'm not the only one.

Shift

You don't have to be patient any longer Jennifer Bradbury's SHIFT is shipping from Amazon early! YAY!

It's Friday...I'm in LOVE!!

With Miss Fluffy BooBoo, my new puppy who will be coming next week. I need a name. I've kind of been referring to her as Cookie. And CoCo is a cute name. I'd love to name her after a cool female character from a book, but my mind is blank. So far Roxy Hart and Harley Quinn have been in the running, but I need desperate help with some suggestions. If your name fits, I'll come up with a cool prize--like chocolate or books.