Domestically Challenged

GCC tour author Shanna Swendson

OK, I first have to apologize to Shanna - I am SO LATE. So, my apologies. In the past week, I have been on TV, moved, had a book signing and had a week long stomach flu. So, enough about me...

Let me start (again) by saying that I LOVE this title. Here goes...

ONCE UPON STILETTOS

By

Shanna Swendson

In Shanna Swendson's latest summer romp ONCE UPON STILETTOS (Ballantine
Books; May 2, 2006), Katie Chandler's life is pure magic
As a Texan-turned-Manhattanite and an executive assistant at Magic, Spells,
and Illusions, Inc. (MSI), Katie's seen more than her share of fantastical
occurrences.  She's no wizard; in fact, she's just the opposite.  Katie has
a special immunity to magic that makes her a wiz at spotting the deceptive
enchantments and spell-laced documents that make business go a little too
smoothly for MSI's competitors and contractors.  If only she could avoid
falling under the spell of Owen, a hunky wizard who also happens to be her
co-worker. Owen, however, is too preoccupied with an alarming security
breach to notice. Someone has broken into his office and disturbed
top-secret files, and it reeks of an inside job. CEO Merlin (yes, the
Merlin) taps Katie and her special ability to uncover the magical mole.

Keeping her feelings in check while sleuthing alongside Owen, Katie is
shocked to discover that her immunity to magic is waning, putting her in
grave danger.  Soon she's surrendering to the charms and enchantments of
everyone and everything around her, including a killer pair of red
stilettos.  Katie must now conjure up her instincts to get to the bottom of
the break-in, regain her power, and win the wizard of her dreams.

So polish your fairy wings, put on your magic shoes, and join Shanna
Swendson as she catapults us into the frenzy and fun of magical Manhattan
this summer.


Praise for ONCE UPON STILETTOS:

"Swendson offers a fresh spin on a genre in this exceptional Manhattan fairy
tale." ­ RT Bookclub

"ONCE UPON STILETTOS is not to be missed if you're in the mood for a fast
and funny read where chick-lit meets urban fantasy." of A Kiss of Fate

Swendson's smart, snappy novel will delight fans that loved the first
installment, and win over new readers, too. ­ Booklist



About the Author:
SHANNA SWENDSON is the author of Enchanted, Inc. She's also contributed to
Flirting With Pride and Prejudice and Welcome to Wisteria Lane. She's a
member of Romance Writers of America and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
of America. She lives in Dallas, TX. Visit her web site at
www.shannaswendson.com.

Sounds like another great read!

GCC tour stop Allison Pace

Hi everyone!

First of all, I have to apologize to Allison for being SOOO late. Life has been chaos, to put it mildly.

This tour stop features author Allison Pace. Allison latest title is Pug Hill. Here's the haps:

For Holly Golightly, there was always Tiffany's. For me, there's always Pug Hill. For as long as I've lived in New York, whenever I've wanted to think, or relax, or be happy, or even sad, my destination of choice has been, without fail, Pug Hill.

For Hope McNeill, pugs are love, unconditional friendship, happiness, and freedom-all qualities currently in short supply in her own life. Though she doesn't have a pug of her own, she does have Pug Hill in Central Park, where pugs (and their owners) from all over New York City convene.

She also has a serious crush on one of her co-workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a flailing relationship with her squash-playing, cold-weather-loving boyfriend, and an unspeakable fear of public speaking. When Hope's father calls with a daunting assignment--to make a speech at her parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary party--Hope is completely taken off guard. As a last resort, she signs up for a public speaking class, but can’t help wondering, will it be enough?

Some fears are so big that even all the pugs in the world might not be enough...

About the author:

Alison Pace is the author of the novels IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND and PUG HILL, and is a contributing editor at The Bark magazine. While she doesn't actually own a pug, she has had twelve dogs over her lifetime, including a St. Bernard, an English mastiff, A Scottish terrier, a Corgi, and three Chinese Shar-peis. She lives in New York City where she is at work on another book.

This is yet another book to add to my to be read pile! What really sells me on it is the endorsements - check these out:

Pug Hill is all at once touching, witty, and so very smart. I love this nervous and self-deprecating narrator who makes low self-esteem not only funny and endearing but enviable. There’s a terrific comedic eye at work here and a tender heart—a most satisfying combination.
- Elinor Lipman, author of The Inn At Lake Devine and My Latest Grievance

Alison Pace isn't afraid to tackle serious subjects, even as she delivers a wry and witty portrait of a woman growing up and growing into herself at long last. The aptly named Hope has such charm and self-deprecating humor, I felt that she could be a friend of mine.
- Joshilyn Jackson, author of gods in Alabama

To paraphrase Woody Allen, love is too weak a word to describe how I feel about this novel. I lurve it. I loove it!
- Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and The Breakup Club

Touring the blogs....

So, this week I have had the pleasure of being hosted on the GCC Blog Tour. Talk about exciting!! There are so many wonderful and accomplished authors on this tour - and I get to participate!!!

Here's where you can find me:

Megan Crane at www.livejournal.com/users/megancrane 

Karin Gillespie’s “Diary of a Hype Hag” http://www.livejournal.com/users/karin61/ 

Cindy Cruiger - www.FerfeLaBat.com

Tanya Lee Stone at http://tanyaleestone.livejournal.com/

Lauren Barnholdt at http://laurenbarnholdt.livejournal.com/   

Johanna Edwards at http://johannaedwards.blogspot.com/   

E. Lockhart-www.theboyfriendlist.com/e_lockhart_blog/ 

Joshilyn Jackson at http://www.joshilynjackson.com/mt/ 

Shanna Swendson at http://shanna-s.livejournal.com/ 

Anne Fraiser at http://annefrasier.blogspot.com/ 

Diana Peterfreund at http://dianapeterfreund.blogspot.com/ 

Jennifer Barnes at tp://jenlyn-b.livejournal.com/

 

Melanie Lynne Hauser at http://www.melanielynnehauser.com/wordpress/ 

Alison Pace at http://alisonpace.typepad.com/ 

Michelle Richmond at http://www.michellerichmond.com/sanserif/ 

Laurie Stolarz at http://www.livejournal.com/users/lstolarz/ 

Stephanie Lehmann at http://historyoftelevision.blogspot.com/

Kelly Parra  at http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/writerwords/

Martha O’Connor at http://marthaoconnor.blogspot.com/

Julie Kenner at http://home.earthlink.net/~jbkenner/blogger.html   

Shelia Curran at http://sheilacurran.typepad.com/falling_down_the_blog/ 

Melissa Senate: http://www.melissasenate.com/site/index.php?id=24 

Ellen Meister: http://ellenmeister.blogspot.com/

Sara Rosett at  http://www.rosettwrites.bravejournal.com

Natalie Collins at http://www.nataliercollins.com/weblog/

Jennifer O’Connell  www.jenniferoconnell.com 

Lara Zeises  at http://www.livejournal.com/users/zeisgeist/ 

Deborah LeBlanc at http://www.deborahleblanc.com/blog/client/   

Kyra Davis at http://kyradavisauthor.blogspot.com/

Nichele Tramble http://www.nichelletramble.com/journal.htm

GCC author Natalie R Collins

I am going to begin this by saying if you haven't read Wives and Sisters by Natalie R Collins yet, go out and get it, then place it on TOP of the "To Be Read" pile. It's that good.

Nevermind that Natalie is totally funny (as evidenced by her intveriew with me and Paula over at Mom Writers Talk Radio), really gutsy (as evidenced by her highly controversial blog Trapped By The Mormons), and a wonderfully talented writer (as evidenced by the book) - she even has a totally wicked cool trailer for her book at her site - http://www.nataliercollins.com/. Go ahead - go look at it. I'll wait......

Pretty neat, wouldn't you say? This book was actually my first ever autographed copy of a book, and of course I am now hooked on trying to snag signed book copies. Here's the low down on the book:

Synopsis:

Set in the closed world of the Mormon Church, a world scrutinized because of the Elizabeth Smart case and covered in nonfiction bestsellers like Secret Ceremonies and Under the Banner of Heaven, and the new HBO show, BIG LOVE, WIVES AND SISTERS is the gripping story of a young woman on the run from evil, powerful men. Receiving phenomenal media coverage and reviews, Collins’s WIVES AND SISTERS portrays a world eerily similar to that of killer Mark Hacking, who killed his pregnant wife Lori.  The parallels between the deception Mark Hacking built around his education and the lies perpetrated by the character Mark in WIVES AND SISTERS are uncanny, right down to the same first name.

WIVES AND SISTERS opens with a look back at the sudden disappearance of Allison Jensen’s best friend, who was kidnapped while playing in the woods near home.  One moment her friend was beside her; then she was gone. When no leads emerged, she was given up for dead.  Now, years later, trying to fill in the gaps of a patchwork memory, Allison still gets no answers from the Mormon community in which she lives.  She is stuck in a world where she does not fit with a father who tyrannizes and torments heras the self-appointed messenger of God.  Why is she being fed half-truths?  When a brutal attack makes her desperate to escape Mormon bonds, Allison finds herself on a collision course with community leaders as they cover up the steps of a sexual predator. 

Like Mark Hacking, Collins’ character Mark Peterson is trying to live a life of impeccable standards, dictated by Mormon tenets, and when he fails, the consequences are deadly, as he will do almost anything to protect his standing in the community of Saints. Allison is determined to bring Mark and those who didn’t stop him to justice, before they stop her from piecing together the tragic past that has haunted her for so many years. 

As a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and lifelong resident of Utah, Natalie R. Collins brings authentic color and voice to Allison.  In her extensive research of the history and teachings of Mormonism, she has discovered that it is a very large organization with a violent and colorful past.  WIVES AND SISTERS is a story familiar to many young men and women raised inside the strictures of fundamental religions.  Many times there is a “protect the Church at all costs” mentality among Church leaders, which leads to a sheltering system that enables offenders to abuse their victims over and over again without consequence.  Heartbreaking and thrilling, WIVES AND SISTERS will keep readers firmly on the edge of their seat.

Riviting - that's all I can say.

GCC tour stop...E. Lockhart

This GCC Tour Stop features author E. Lockhart. Lockhart is the author of Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything.

Synopsis:

Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything?is?about a girl called Gretchen Kaufman Yee who goes to a wacked-out art school in New York City. She's a collector of plastic Chinese food and odd figurines, a passionate comic-book artist, and a crazy Spider-man fanatic. She's also completely freaked out by the opposite sex -- in particular, the Art Rats, a group of guys in her drawing concentration. One day, she wishes she could be "a fly on the wall of the boys' locker room," just to find out what the heck guys really talk about.
And the next thing she knows... she is.
A fly.
On the wall of the locker room.?

Could you imagine what it would be like to be a fly on the wall? Where would you pick? For me, it would depend on my mood. I wouldn't mind hearing the inside of the editors room at a publishing house. Or maybe in the locker room of a sporting event after a game to hear what they really say.

Here is more about E. Lockhart:

I have had nine official boyfriends, if you count the boy who asked me to go with him at a 7th grade dance and then basically never talked to me again. I have never been on a sports team of any kind and got excused from gym class by going to ballet lessons. I have a tattoo, cut my own hair, and have worn the same perfume since high school (Kiehl's Chinese Flowers). In my office are two Betty & Veronica dolls, a photo of a particularly fat bull dog, an official business card from “Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective”, and the 1920s flapper dress I wore to the prom.

And to top it off, I really like this idea...

1. I have wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old.
2. I wrote two novels in third grade.
3. I was the fastest typist in my 8th-grade typing class. We learned on manual typewriters.
4. Now I write everything on computer, sometimes with my eyes closed.
5. Favorite lipsticks: MAC Carnal. Bobbi Brown Petal gloss. Bobbi Brown Cherry. Clinique Black Honey.
6. Movie star crushes: Taye Diggs. Ben Chaplin.
7. First car: a white 1964 Volvo with a push-button starter.
8. I have never been on a weight-loss diet. But:
9. I am a vegetarian and for a number of years ate a vegan diet (no animal products whatsoever) because I object to the way animals are treated in the meat and dairy industries. I will probably go back to eating vegan again someday, but for now:
10. My favorite ice cream is Häagen Dazs dolce de leche.
11. I pet a sting-ray once.
12. I like wax museums.
13. I used to like roller coasters, but now I'm scared of them. Even so:
14. I love amusement parks. My favorite ride of all time is Pirates of the Caribbean.
15. I used to cry after my fiction writing class in college, because the criticism was so harsh.
16. The teacher of that class was so bored by my work he admitted to me he didn't even read the final drafts of my stories.
17. I have never kept a journal for more than a couple days. I like to write for an audience, even if it's only an imaginary one.
18. My advice to aspiring writers: read, read, read. Read the great novelists, especially. Try Great Expectations. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Eyre.
19. More (contradictory!) advice: follow your reading bliss. Gnaw your way through the local library's sci-fi or romance collection, if that's what does it for you.
20. I am difficult to recognize. Despite a large and unusual tattoo, people often forget they've met me, or tell me I look very different from the last time they saw me.
21. My first name was the most popular name for American baby girls in the year 2003.

(this list is an idea I got from a very cool interview with Libba Bray, author of A Great and Terrible Beauty)

GCC author pit stop - Tanya Lee Stone

This tour stop features teen author Tanya Lee Stone. As a former teacher, this in another book I wish I had had when I was teaching. It focuses on the tough issues of sex and love and teens, from three girls perspectives...

Summary:

Why are so many women attracted to the “bad” boy? You know him—you went to high school with one, and maybe were involved with that boy yourself. He’s the golden boy, maybe a star athlete, and always in the “in” crowd. And he is BAD with a capital B. But can being involved with the wrong guy end up being good for you? In this provocative debut novel, Tanya Lee Stone explores this idea and takes an honest look at love and sex. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl is the story of three very different girls and their relationships with one bad boy.

About the author:

Tanya was as an editor of children's books for 13 years. During some of those years, she also earned a Masters Degree in Education. But when she got her chance to write her first book, she got hooked on stories all over again. She has published nearly 80 books. A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL is her first novel for teens..

80 books?!?! OK, how in the hell does ANYONE have time to write, not to mention publish, 80 books?!?! I am working on marketing one book and it's going to be the end of me. Sheesh.

Anyway, you should check it out - anyone who has written and published that many books has got to be good. I will try to add some author info to this post later...I tried to put the praise for the book here, but my blog was giving me an error, and I don't like when it talks back...

Author Johanna Edwards visits Domestically Challenged...

This tour stop is about author Johanna Edwards, author of Your Big Break. Now, I have not read any of Johanna's books, but you better believe this one just landed on my TBR pile.

Any book that is about a break up service (yes, as in breaking up with someone) has gotta be good.

Here's the summary:

Danielle “Dani” Myers has become an expert at romantic breakups ever since she was hired to "facilitate" them for clients of Your Big Break, Inc. In other words, she dumps people for money. But company rule #5 (do not get personally involved) is getting harder to obey. One of her dumpees is turning out to be the kind of guy she might just want to pick up on the rebound. and a new client has just walked in, begging for Dani's help breaking up with The Big Jackass, who's been leading her on all this time-and now turns out to be married. It would be a routine job except for one problem: the so-called Big Jackass is married to none other than Dani's mother….

Sounds great, doesn't it? And I have to read it because Dani is the vally girl name I picked out in 5th grade when the movie "Valley Girls" came out. And yes, I did utter "Gag me with a pitchfork" and other very dorky things. But, I digress...

I sent Johanna some writerly questions to answer...

DC: What type of writer are you – outliner or let it flow?

JE: I I usually let it flow. I try to outline, but it tends to just get in the way.

DC: Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?

JE: Unfortunately, I do. I try to just force myself to write, even if I'm writing badly, just so I can get over the hump.

DC: Who is your favorite author?

JE: Jennifer Weiner (Hey - me too!)

DC: What is your single best memory of your publishing career?

JE: The day I found out I'd sold my first book. I was so excited I could barely stand up! I seriously got weak in the knees and almost fainted.

I also looked at her website (http://www.johannaedwards.com) and her first book looks great too.

So, get ready for summer with this book - it looks to be a great read!!

Author tour stop...Cindy Cruciger

This tour stop features author Cindy Cruciger, author of Revenge Gifts. Here's a sneek peek:

TARA COLE SPECIALIZES IN REVENGE

In fact, she's an expert. Lace pillows filled with cat hair-for your least-favorite, most allergic relative; boxer shorts that set off metal detectors-for your cheating spouse; and her best seller at RevengeGifts.com: chocolates for your worst enemy, so you can watch gleefully as she packs on the pounds.

Tara's best friend warns her that all this revenge is damaging her karma, but Tara doesn't care about her next life-she wants to enjoy this one. Besides, her kitchen is full of cranky ghosts. Tara figures she'll be the same one day, when she leaves the mortal plane.

That might happen sooner than she thought, because someone has put a curse on her. A black cat, a black dog, even a black goat, appear, each followed by bizarre, almost-disastrous events. And it all started around the time Howard showed up. Howard says he wants to go into business with Tara, but it seems like he wants to go to bed with her. Unless he's the one who cursed her . . . .

Is this karma coming full circle-or destiny knocking on Tara's door?

About the author:
Cindy Cruciger was born on a full moon night in Okeechobee, Florida. A few days later, the doctor who delivered her disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

Her first work of fiction won a Romantic Times Book Club contest, and for three years she has been chronicling the strange world of an aspiring author, trying to get published. Her Path to Publishing column appears monthly in RT Book Club Magazine.

She currently lives in the village of Islamorada -- until her neighbors read this book and kick her off the island.

********

This book is up for several awards, including the CONTEMPORARY PARANORMAL ROMANCE by Romantic Times

Go check it out!!

GCC author Michelle Richmond

This week's author is Michelle Richmond, author of Dream of the Blue Room.

About the book:

On a warm night in July, 32-year-old Jenny finds herself sitting on the deck of a Chinese cruise ship next to a charming but secretive stranger. In Jenny's lap is a tin containing the ashes of her best friend, Amanda Ruth, mysteriously murdered fourteen years earlier in a small Alabama town.

In this foreign landscape, filled with ancient cities that will soon be inundated by the rising waters of the Yangtze River, Jenny must confront her haunted past and decide the direction of her future. As the ship moves slowly upriver, from one abandoned village to another, Jenny journeys deeper into her own guilt and eroticism.

Dream of the Blue Room explores the nature of friendship and the intimacy that exists between young girls as they struggle toward adulthood. Set alternately against the impressive landscape of the Yangtze and in a small river town in Alabama, this stunning novel reflects on the human desire to control and tame what is ultimately untamable.

This book has garnered quite a bit of praise...

"A dreamy, haunting work with a deeply personal feel. Any time a work of fiction raises our sights to higher truths, as this one does, the writer has done her job." Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Some childhood relationships are so fulfilling they shape our lives and leave us wondering why they didn't last longer. Richmond captures, explores, and intertwines these bonds so elegantly, you might even think the relationships are your own." USA Today

"With the slow build-up of a mystery, the exquisite pain of a coming-of-age novel, the masterful images of a travel writer, and a darkness that is true to the Southern Gothic, Dream of a Blue Room is a work of wonderfully chimeric form. " Joanna Pearson, Small Spiral Notebook

"Intelligent, original, complex." The San Francisco Chronicle

"A complex and nimbly fashioned first novel." Kirkus Reviews

"The book is finely crafted and compelling, and its emotions resonate true and clear ." Booklist

Sounds like a great read!

GCC Tour Stop - author Julie Kenner

This entry features author Julie Kenner, who is a USA Today best selling author. A quick look at her website shows that she has written 24 books!!! I knew the name sounded familiar.

Knowing that she was on the tour, Julie's new book The Manolo Matrix has been bumped up to the next on my list of to be read. Here's why:

Aspiring actress Jennifer Crane knows all about games -- the games girls play to get a guy; the games actresses play to land a part; and the good old game of credit-card roulette. (How else is a girl supposed to afford her shoes?) But she never expected to be playing a game with life-or-death consequences. Unable to successfully score an acting gig, she has, instead, been cast in the role of reluctant bodyguard to a real-life assassin's target -- a dashing FBI agent of all people! -- and must embark with him upon a scavenger hunt across Manhattan in search of the ultimate prize: survival. Before this, Jenn's definition of fighting dirty has been elbowing her way to the front of the line at a Manolo sample sale. Now, if she wants to stay alive, she's going to have to learn a few new uses for her stilettos. . . and they ain't pretty.

Fast, flirty, and full of great footwear, The Manolo Matrix is another electrifying adventure in this breakout series for fashionistas who love a perfectly appointed mystery.

********

First of all, ANY book that has to deal that much with shoes, especially ones I can't afford, has to be good. Second, I love that it is more of a mystery, not just a go fall in love story.

Here's what critics are saying:

EARLY PRAISE FOR THE MANOLO MATRIX
"Kenner continues her Play.Win.Survive trilogy, whose first installment was The Givenchy Code (2005), with another delightfully clever mix of chick-lit and thriller. Readers who like their suspense novels with a sexy edge and a wicked sense of humor will find Kenner's latest irresistible." - Booklist

"This time the stakes are just as high as they were in the previous book, "The Givenchy Code", and just as exciting. I found myself hooked immediately and did not stop reading until it was finished. (Okay, I admit it. I took one BRIEF break to hit the restroom and make a sandwich.) Author Julie Kenner's pen must have been smoking as she wrote this suspense filled novel. Fast paced, a bit of romance, and lots of tension! If you enjoyed John Grisham's Pelican Brief, then you are going to drool over this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!" - Huntresss Book Reviews

"This is a Wow! book that is exhilarating, non-stop (hey – you snooze you lose), sexy, and fun, fun, fun to read. The MANOLO MATRIX whets the appetite for the next installment of PSW -- THE PRADA PARADOX." - Reader to Reader Reviews

I promise I will revisit this topic when I finish reading the book. I can't wait!!