Season's Readings

In the spirit of coming together for the holidays, eight popular Chick Lit authors are "partying it up" with a shared promotion for book lovers! That means eight fun and fizzy e-books, each priced at $3.99 or less, that are packed with plenty of laughs and romance to keep you entertained on those long winter nights! And if you'd like to gift one of these books to a Chick Lit fan, we've got you covered with your choice of paperbacks!

Which books are featured in this festive promo?

Finding Lucas by Samantha Stroh Bailey - Daytime talk show producer Jamie Ross is beyond fed up with her toxic bad boy turned metrosexual boyfriend. Spurred on by her gang of quirky friends, she goes on a hilarious, at-times disastrous, and totally life-changing hunt to track down the "one who got away." But are some loves best left behind? E-book and paperback available on Amazon. 

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister - Handling the problems of hysterical hypochondriacs, lovelorn neurotics, and compulsive man whores is all in a day's work for super-shrink Pilar Alvarez. But can she deal with her crazy Cuban family, a trio of unsuitable suitors, and a threat to her practice without ending up on the couch herself? E-book available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble; paperback available on Amazon.

What the Dog Ate by Jackie Bouchard - Discovering what her dog ate turns Maggie Baxter’s world upside down. With her chocolate Lab, Kona, as her guide, can Maggie forego her overly analytical ways to find a new life filled with tail-wagging joy? E-book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes; paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  

The Girl, the Gold Tooth, & Everything by Francine LaSala - Suburban housewife Mina, beaten-down and struggling with amnesia, starts getting her memory and her mojo back. But she soon learns everything has a price in this fast-paced, richly layered, and darkly humorous satire! E-book and paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie - When Roxy Rule shares a passionate kiss with her lifelong best friend, she must come to terms with her feelings for him while dealing with two sisters in full crisis mode, a boss who makes her want to stab herself with a letter opener and a fiancé who can't wait to walk down the aisle. Can she keep it together--or will she break under the pressure? E-book available on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble; paperback available on Amazon. 

Fashioning a Romance by Libby Mercer - Devastatingly handsome and deliciously weird, John Harrington is the man of Caitlyn Taylor's dreams… and her nightmares. She has no use for a womanizer like him, and dodges his advances like a pro. But when they end up in Paris together, Caitlyn feels her resolve begin to slip. How will she ever be able to resist the irresistible in the most romantic city in the world? E-book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.  

A State of Jane by Meredith Schorr - Jane Frank is newly single after nine years and looking for a second chance at love. But when she dives head first into the NYC dating scene and finds it infested with flakes who are interested today and gone tomorrow, it may be time for Jane to turn the tables! E-book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes; paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  

Picture Perfect by Lucie Simone - Lauren Tate's perfectly planned life quickly unravels at the seams when a smear campaign threatens her career as a top TV executive, but she learns just how cutthroat showbiz can truly be when the hottest scandal in Tinsel Town turns deadly and the Hollywood hunk who's stolen her heart goes missing. E-book available on Amazon; paperback available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

And these are the fabulous bloggers who will be chatting about our promotion: 

December 1
Novel Escapes

December 3

Girl Who Reads

Lost in Literature

The Book Fetish

December 4

Chick Lit Goddess

Julie’s Chick Lit

The East Village

December 5

Ebook Addict

I Read Indie

December 6

Chick Lit Plus

December 7

Books Etc

Chick Lit is Not Dead

December 8

Change the Word

December 10

Reading Renee

December 11

Just Jump

Michelle’s Book Nook

December 12

Chick Lit Central

December 13

Mrs. Mommy Booknerd

December 14

A Novel Review

Forget the Housework, I’m Reading

My Book and My Coffee

December 17

The Phantom Paragrapher

The Romance Bookie

December 18

Crib Notes

The Book Bag

December 19
The Romance Bookie
TIfferz Book Review

December 20

Autumn Review

December 27

The Book Chick

TBA

Chick Lit Bee

And wait! There's more! 

Hehehe. Do I sound like an infomercial announcer or what?

Between December 3rd and December 12th, the eight of us will be answering some fun and festive questions about the holidays. Here's the schedule for that:

Monday, Dec. 3 - Samantha Stroh Bailey

Tuesday, Dec. 4 - Francine LaSala

Wednesday, Dec. 5 - Libby Mercer (me)

Thursday, Dec. 6 - Jackie Bouchard

Friday, Dec. 7 - Tracie Banister

Monday, Dec. 10 - Cat Lavoie

Tuesday, Dec. 11 - Lucie Simone

Wednesday, Dec. 12 - Meredith Schorr

On the Eve of the Blow Out Book Tour Bonanza...

Hi everyone!

I am so excited about going "on tour" for my new book! I can't get that John Denver song, "Leaving on a Jet Plane" out of my head. A bit silly, really, since I most likely won't be even leaving my apartment much in the next five weeks. But what can ya do? Here is my list of stops:

I'll link the list below as each of my interviews/guest posts go live:

Thursday, Nov. 29 – Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf – guest post

Friday, Nov. 30 – Carmen Falcone – guest post

Monday, Dec. 3 – The Romance Bookie – guest post

Wednesday, Dec. 5 – The Daily Quirk – interview

Thursday, Dec. 6 – Lost in Literature – guest post

Friday, Dec. 7 – I Heart Books – interview

Wednesday, Dec. 12 – Julie’s Chick Lit – guest post

Thursday, Dec. 13 – Debra’s Book Café – interview
Friday, Dec. 14 - Annie Seaton Romance - guest post

Friday, Dec. 14 – Tifferz Book Review – guest post

Saturday, Dec. 15 – Chick Lit Goddess – guest post & interview

Saturday, Dec. 15 – Chick Lit Bee – guest post & giveaway

Saturday, Dec. 15 – Minding Spot – giveaway

Sunday, Dec. 16 – Book Briefs – guest post & giveaway

Sunday, Dec. 16 – Nicky Wells, CentreStage – guest post

Sunday, Dec. 16 – The Book Bag – guest post

Tuesday, Dec. 18 – Best Chick Lit – guest post

Wednesday, Dec. 19 – Books Etc. – guest post

Wednesday, Dec. 19 – Lilac Wolf – guest post

Thursday, Dec. 20 – That Artsy Reader Girl – guest post

Thursday, Dec. 20 – Chick Lit Plus – guest post

Sunday, Dec. 23 - Lindy Dale - interview
Friday, Dec. 28 - Books by Banister - guest post
Tuesday, Jan. 1 - Novel Girl - guest post

Thursday, Jan. 3 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – guest post
Thursday, Jan. 3 - Lori's Book Blog - guest post

Friday, Jan. 4 – JeanzBookReadNReview – author spotlight
Monday, Jan. 7 - Tina's Book Reviews - guest post

Monday, Jan. 7 – Maria’s Book Blog – guest post

Wednesday, Jan. 9 – The Book Tart – guest post
Thursday, Jan. 10 - Mrs. Mommy Booknerd - showcase
Thursday, Jan. 10 - ST Bende - guest post

Friday, Jan. 11 - Change the Word - guest post

Hope to see you while I'm on tour!!

Love,
Libby

Black Friday Blog Hop

Greetings and salutations, my dears.

If you're not fighting the crowds on this busiest of all busy shopping days, you're in for a treat! By partaking in this one-day Black Friday Blog Hop, you can enter to win scads of super sensational prizes. I'll get to those in a minute. In the spirit of consumerism, I thought I'd blog about one of my very favorite shopping-related movies. Sticky Fingers, released in 1988, is an adorable little gem of a film that not too many people know about.

Lolly and Hattie are two struggling musicians who share an apartment in gritty Lower Manhattan. When a friend asks her to look after her tote bag, Hattie agrees, and only later do she and Lolly realize the bag contains nearly a million dollars in cash. Spooked, they decide to put the bag away and try not to think about it. But first… their landlady takes steps to evict them from their apartment because they haven’t been paying rent. And then… they have a break-in one night and their instruments are stolen. You can probably see where this is going. They need to pay their rent. They need to replace their instruments. Their definition of what a “necessity” is shifts as they find they need things like electronic equipment, haute couture and caviar. Sticky Fingers is not exactly a critical masterpiece, but for a fun, chick flick-ish, screwball comedy, it fits the bill perfectly.

To expand upon the shopping theme, I thought I’d post a short excerpt from my novel, Fashioning a Romance. Caitlyn, the heroine, is trying to find a dress to wear for a night out with John – the guy she’s determined not to fall for. Here’s the excerpt:

“The Dress was designed for the hour-glassy figure; the bodice was structured, the waist nipped in, and the skirt molded itself beautifully to Caitlyn’s hips. The mossy green fabric was sand-brushed silk: a fabulous silk with a suede-like texture, and it was cut on the bias, allowing for plenty of movement.

The neckline was the only thing that gave her a moment’s pause. Not exactly the kind of dress she’d wear to hang out with her grandma, it was pretty low-cut and offered a fairly impressive display of cleavage. Normally Caitlyn didn’t mind showing off her assets, but she was worried about the message she’d be sending John by wearing this particular dress. And she, no doubt, would be sending a message – Caitlyn’s “Fashion as Communication” senior dissertation had been a labor of love, the highlights of which were melded into her mind.

Hm. By wearing The Dress, would she be conveying to John that she was interested? But what was the alternative? Show up in some shapeless number like she’d just stepped off the bus from Frumpsville?

Oh, who cared about the message to John? Caitlyn was too in love with The Dress to possibly resist buying it. Anyway, she could always wear her cardigan too. Course that would kind of spoil the effect; it would be like eating caviar with a plastic spoon.”

You can find Fashioning a Romance at Amazon or B&N.

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for: 

To win an e-copy of Fashioning a Romance: please share with us your favorite shopping-related movie. If you can't think of a whole movie that qualifies, feel free to mention a funny or memorable shopping scene. And post your comment below.

To win one of the Black Friday Blog Hop Grand Prizes: you simply need to comment on one of the blogs involved in the hop, so if you post on my shopping/movie question, you will have entered to win one of the grand prizes, but keep on hopping to different blogs - the more blogs you comment on, the more times you'll be entered.

A couple of important things to note: all prizes can be shipped internationally except the swag prize, which will be awarded only to US residents. Sorry, overseas folks. Also, please leave your email address so we can contact you if you win.

Here's a list of these incredible prizes:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, e-books, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies and more!

Best of luck everyone!!!

Love,
Libby

Now, hop to it! This is a one-day-only event, and there are many more prizes to be won.

More Fabulous Mentions!

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share the latest buzz about my books. First, there's a lovely little blurb about Unmasking Maya on I'd So Rather Be Reading's Weekly Wrap-up. Check it out here. It's the very first mention of my as-yet-unreleased second novel, so I'm very excited!!

And second, there's a hella fabulous review of Fashioning a Romance on Romancing the Book, which you will find here. So super happy and thankful that people are enjoying my books! Squee!!

Holy smokes! Edited to add two more wonderful reviews of Unmasking Maya I've only just discovered. The first one was written by the lovely Rosie of Rosie Review which you can find here. And the other one was written by Brianna, the wonderful Goodreads blogger. Check it out here.

So exciting!!!!

Love,
Libby

Back by Popular Demand: The Girly Book Blog Hop

Hello, hello!

I had such a fabulous time organizing the first Girly Book Blog Hop, and I'm very excited about this second one. Hope you all will be able to join me again. And now for the info:

Oh, the places you'll go! 

Losing yourself in a brand new story is like traveling to a brand new world. Whether you're transported to a pulsating metropolis, an exotic island, a quaint little mountain village or even a township that existed three hundred years ago, you can visit an unlimited number of locations through your beloved books. No passport required.

Let's blog about locations. Tell us about the setting of your latest book or rave about the incredible backdrop of another novel you love. No need to limit yourself to the city/town either. If your book takes place on a film set, let that be your location. If it takes place in a brothel... well, you'll have an awesome blog post then. If it takes place in several locations, you can either pick one or take your readers on a journey within your post. Anything goes.

Everyone is welcome to participate - authors (both published and not-yet-published) and reviewers too. Anyone who loves books, has a blog and has something to say about locations, I'd love to have you!

If you'd like to participate, please be prepared to offer a prize to one lucky guest hopper. Aside from that, you can do whatever you want regarding the giveaway (have your guests answer a particular question, follow your blog or what have you).

To get started, please sign up on the linky list below. Any questions? Please post them here. I'll be sending out more detailed instructions once the sign up link is closed.

Hope to see you at the hop!

Love,
Libby

My Next Big Thing

Hello all! The fantabulous Cari Kamm asked me to share all the details about my next big thing in this exciting pay-it-forward author event, and of course I jumped at the chance to dish about my upcoming release, Unmasking Maya, scheduled to release on December 15th.

I'm so stoked to read Cari's upcoming release, For Internal Use Only. And I absolutely love her cover! Check it out:

My cover isn't ready yet, but I'm ready to reveal a few tidbits about Unmasking Maya here. And away we go!

Where did the idea come from for the book?

From the misconception that Silicon Valley would be a great place to meet men! There’s a funny little phrase people say in the San Francisco Bay Area about the uneven ratio between men and women in Silicon Valley. “The odds are good, but the goods are odd.” It’s a generalization, of course, but a lot of these tech guys are odd in the sense that they’re super left-brained and insanely intelligent. Thus it can be hard for them to relate to more “normal” people. I thought this kind of guy would make an um… interesting love interest. And that’s what sparked the story.

What genre does your book fall under?

Chick Lit/Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I think Michelle Williams would be perfect to play the part of Maya Kirkwood. She’s even got a similar hairdo!

Oh, Jesse Metcalfe could so totally pull off the role of Derek Whitley. Course we’d have to nerd him up a bit first.

It would be fabulous to see Zhang Ziyi (of Crouching Tiger and Memoirs of a Geisha fame) take on the role as quirky IT girl, Lin.

And sassy Sofia Vergara would be superb as Maya’s stylish agent.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Fallen fashionista meets cold, unfeeling tech whiz in this quirky, fish-out-of-water love story that incorporates humor alongside emotional trauma with lots of secrets to be revealed.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m self-publishing this one. Wish me luck!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Actually I wrote this one in about three months, which is a record for me. I blazed through the story, working on it at least eight hours a day. Well… probably more like twelve hours. I should point out that it’s only about 50,000 words long – the size of a category romance.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Parts of it are similar to Swept Off Her Stilettos by Fiona Harper, I think, because it’s a romantic story told in the first person. But it’s definitely more chick-litty than it is straight-up romance. I’ve had people compare my previous work to Sophie Kinsella’s and while mine aren’t nearly as humorous, I can kind of see the similarity.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’ve been living in the San Francisco Bay Area for about a year now (about six months from when I started writing this book) and I wanted to write a story set in the Bay Area that was very ingrained in the setting. It really is a fabulous place to live.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Hm. I think the fact that Maya and Derek both have some pretty major secrets might spark a bit of curiosity…

And now I would like to present the amazing author, Aretha C. Smith!

Aretha will be following up her beautiful romance novel, Hearts of Time, with The Enchanted Fate Series - four interracial romances, scheduled to release early in 2013 under the name of Ava Jared. Check out the cover for Hearts of Time. Isn't it to die for?

Be on a lookout for  book one, Karma's Kiss, which is scheduled for release in January, and book two, His for Keeps, which will be hitting the virtual shelves in late January. And in the meantime, check out the fabulous covers:

Unmasking Maya - The Blurb

Hiya folks!

I thought it was high time that I unveiled the blurb for my December release, Unmasking Maya. So excited about this one. Only 40 days to go! And now for the blurb:

Defamed, Disgraced and Displaced...

 

Fresh from a career-killing scandal, New York fashion girl, Maya Kirkwood, arrives in San Francisco to reinvent herself as a fine artist. She's offered the opportunity to create an installation at the Silicon Valley headquarters of a hot new tech company. Fabulous, right?

 

Not so much.

 

She can't stand Derek Whitley - wunderkind software genius and CEO of the company. Hot as he may be on the outside, inside the man is a cold, unemotional, robotic type. Way too left-brained for her right-brained self.

 

As Maya and Derek get to know each other, however, their facades begin to crack. She catches her first glimpse of the man behind the superhuman tech prodigy, and he starts to see her as the woman she used to be. But is this a good thing? Once that last secret is revealed, will it bring them closer together or will it tear them apart?