What's On Page 25?

Hello my little dew drops!

It's that time of year again: International Chick Lit Month. I'm super stoked to be participating in this fabulously fun blog hop, and we have a seriously awesome prize we're giving away. A Kindle Keyboard 3G with free 3G + Wi-Fi and a 6" E Ink Display and a copy of all the books by the authors participating on the tour! Now, onto what's happening on page 25 of The Karmic Connection...

Poor Adam. I spend a great deal of the first part of this novel torturing this guy. First he's yanked from his office in the middle of the night and thrown into a chauffeur driven car bound for where? He doesn't know. He arrives at a wellness center deep in the woods of Vermont where there's no coffee and no way of communicating with the outside world. He's miserable, stuck up there with (according to him) a bunch of New Age whack jobs when all he wants to do is work.

Page 25 is actually the first page of Chapter 2. Adam has just met Lorraine - the beautiful, but flightly weirdo who introduced herself as his "wellness guide". He's sitting on the grass outside the big old farmhouse, feeling very sorry for himself. (Win the grand prize! The eleventh secret word in the 27-word sentence is: chick.) He's wondering what's going on in the office and cursing his bad luck for being imprisoned at the wellness center. To make matters worse, one of the weirdest of the weirdos staying at the center is intruding in his personal space.

So there you have it! Now, onto the subject of our Grand Prize giveaway: if you're a little unsure how to go about entering the drawing, be sure to check this fantastic post written by Julie (our fearless leader) with excellent instructions on how to go about collecting the secret words. You'll find that post here.

Thanks for reading and happy hopping!!

Love,
Libby


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Enter to WIN the Girly Books Blog Hop GRAND PRIZE HERE!

Hello, my little blog hoppers!

I hope you've all been hopping around to the various blogs participating in this hop because there are some truly terrific prizes to be claimed, not to mention some fun and fascinating blog posts to read!

Now hold onto your hats because here's what you'll get if you win the Girly Books Grand Prize:

• A copy of Around the World in 80 Dates (your choice of format) and a $20 Starbucks card courtesy of Christa Banister
• Three e-books from Natalie-Nicole Bates for her books: Change of Address, Back to You and See Me
• An e-book copy of Sign of the Times from Susan Buchanan
• An e-book copy of The Curious Bookshop and some bookmarks courtesy of Jennifer Chambers
• A $15 B&N gift certificate from Laura Chapman
• A PDF of The Cinderella Substitute from Nell Dixon
• A $25 Amazon gift card courtesy of Carmen Falcone, author of A Vengeful Affair
• An e-book copy of Fourteen Days Later from Sibel Hodge
• An autographed copy of Grace Unexpected from Gale Martin
• An autographed copy of Binding Arbitration and some bookmarks from Elizabeth Marx
• Some fun Fashioning a Romance swag (bookmarks, magnets, etc.) from yours truly, Libby Mercer
• A $10 Kobo gift certificate from Nash Nordon
• Some delicious German chocolates from Savannah Page, author of When Girlfriends Make Choices
• An e-book copy of Forever & Ever, Amen from Liv Rancourt
• An e-book copy of Always & Forever by Chantel Rhondeau
• An e-book copy of Winter of the Passion Flower courtesy of Annie Seaton
• And last, but certainly not least, a $15 Amazon gift card courtesy of Julie Valerie

Not too shabby, huh? I only wish I could enter the giveaway! Here's a peek at the covers of all the books in the Grand Prize kitty:

Good luck, everyone! I'm afraid that only US residents will be able to win the grand prize this time around. Next time I'll make sure we've got a couple of different options so we don't have to exclude anyone. Thanks for hopping and be sure to check out all the posts on the Linky list. There are prizes galore and loads of truly terrific posts too!

Love,

Libby

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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.

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

The Girly Book Blog Hop: Sensational Secondary Characters

The Ever So Darling Sophie Harrington

“True, she was away with the fairies more often than anyone Caitlyn had ever known, but her heart was as big as her bank balance, and on the rare occasion that Caitlyn couldn’t fulfill one of her requests, Sophie was gracious and forgiving.”

– From Fashioning a Romance

Like many other romance authors – I suspect – I fell in love with the hero and heroine of my own book. Although Caitlyn is most definitely not me, we do share a lot of the same qualities. A strong work ethic, an adventurous spirit, tall girl issues. How could this character not be dear to my heart? And John, with his bizarre eccentricities, high intellect and total hotness, is pretty much my dream guy. So naturally I feel an affinity for my hero and heroine. But John’s sister, Sophie, is right up there with these two when it comes to my favorite Fashioning a Romance characters.

Fabulously whimsical and exuding easy charm, Sophie Harrington leads the kind of life that most of us can only ever dream of. She doesn’t have a job (well… not at the beginning of the book, anyway) and lives rent-free in a sprawling house owned by her parents in one of London’s poshest neighborhoods. Her social calendar is jam-packed, her passport is filled with stamps, she spends excessive amounts of time (and money) in the boutiques and the spas, and she calls everyone “darling”.

I knew I was taking somewhat of a risk by creating such a character. Figured there would be some readers who’d write her off as a materialistic airhead or perhaps even a stereotypical stock character – the ditz. She may come off this way in the beginning – although it is clear from the beginning that she’s a kind soul with a fragile side – but by the end of Fashioning a Romance, Sophie is a changed woman. She’s found her direction and she’s taken the first steps towards realizing her dream. She’s conscientious, she’s driven and she’s smarter than you might have thought. But she still calls everybody “darling”. 

Here's the blurb for Fashioning a Romance:

Dedicated American fashion girl, Caitlyn Taylor, can't stand players, and has successfully dodged them like enemy fire all her life. And then she meets fun-loving British CEO, John Harrington. Not only is he her boss's brother, he's the charismatic kind of womanizer that nightmares are made of. Worse still: he's exactly Caitlyn's type. As if his being the Superman of sex appeal isn't enough, he's also got that quirky something-something that she adores. Not that she's even considering falling prey to his methods. No way.

John can't fathom how Caitlyn can be impervious to his charms, given the extraordinary chemistry between them. The more she resists, the more determined he is to break down the walls she's built up to keep him out. Forced to get creative, he orchestrates a "surprise" weekend in Paris for the two of them. Game on!

And now for the details on my giveaway:

For your chance to win a $5 gift certificate to Amazon, I need you to do these two things 1) follow my blog and 2) leave a comment below with your opinion on the sort of guy you think I should pair Sophie up with. I’m toying with the idea of writing a romance for Sophie. If I do (and I’m not promising anything here) what kind of guy would you like to see her with? Please share your thoughts in the comment section and don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Thanks for stopping by, best of luck and happy hopping!!!

Love,

Libby