Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, We've Got 9 Great Books for You!

Love is in the air . . . and it can be on your Kindle, too!

Do you want to fall in love with a good book this Valentine's Day weekend? How about 9? Then don't miss this special promotion. For four days only (February 14th - February 17th), 9 popular Chick Lit authors will be lowering the prices on their favorite rom-coms to 99 cents on Amazon.com! At that price (A bottle of wine costs more!), why not sample them all? Some delicious literary treats await you, and unlike chocolates these goodies are calorie-free!

And guys: If your sweetie is a book-lover, you'll make her Valentine's Day by gifting her with one (or more) of our fun, romantic stories! 

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?

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? 

Rita Hayworth’s Shoes by Francine LaSala – Jilted bride Amy's down on everything until she convinces herself to purchase a cute, ridiculously expensive pair of second-hand shoes. Once she does, life starts looking up, and she falls into an unexpected new romance with the last man she'd ever expect to love. But can a pair of shoes really be magic? And is her new prince really just a frog? 

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? 

The Green Ticket by Samantha March – College junior Alex Abrams scores her dream job at the ripe age of twenty, but her good fortune quickly turns disastrous when she realizes her job is filled with lies, betrayal, and cover-ups. Keeping up with classes, her girlfriends and a budding romance, Alex feels the pressure – but will she overcome the challenges? 

Unmasking Maya by Libby Mercer - Disgraced New York fashionista, Maya Kirkwood, is fashioning herself a new life as an artist in San Francisco when she's hired to do an installation of her work by dorky, yet dashing dotcom executive, Derek. The sparks soon start to fly, but this could mean disaster for Maya - a woman with an explosive past and far too many secrets.

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! 

True Love Way by Nancy Scrofano - When her high school sweetheart, Josh, suddenly returns after twelve years in Paris, Marlo Spencer travels to her hometown to try to rekindle their relationship. But when dreams of a blissful reunion are shattered as old secrets and betrayals are revealed, can she forgive and forget, or will true love find a different path to her heart? 

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. 

Drowning in You Cover Reveal!

Hello, my little cherry blossoms!

Yikes, I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I last posted (bad Libby) but the good news is that I've been writing again. After six months of ninja marketing, the creative writing juices are flowing again, which makes me very happy. But enough about me.

Today, I'm very happy to reveal the cover of my author pal Rebecca Berto's upcoming release, Drowning in You. Love that title.... Check it out:

Scheduled for release on April 12, 2013, it's a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel. For the book's Goodreads page, click here.

And I also want to give a shout out to Rebecca's debut - a literary novelette entitled Precise. To see my review of it, click here.

Here's the front and back cover together, or as they say in the biz, the full wrap:

And here's the back cover copy:

Secretly crushing

Crushed by a tragedy

Charlee May's been crushing on Dexter Hollingworth since she was fifteen. Five years later, a horrific skiing disaster at Mason's Ski Lift Resort leaves her millionaire dad critically injured and her mom dead at the hands of Dexter operating the lifts. Charlee is suddenly the sole caretaker for her little brother while their world falls apart.

Dexter couldn't be more different from Charlee. He's tattooed, avoids exclusive relationships and his Dad has a fair share of illegal dealings. With Dexter's reputation, almost everyone believes he planned the Mason's skiing disaster.

And after all these years he's still crushing on Charlee May, the girl who's too good for him. When this cruel twist of fate ties Charlee's family and Dexter's reputation together, Charlee and Dexter wonder if their feelings are reciprocated, while Dexter discovers his dad is trying to steal the May's millionaire fortune.

But like an addict, one look, one touch, one taste - they're hooked no matter the consequences.


I think it sounds fabulous and I can't wait to read it. I'm so pleased to be among the first to share the news of Rebecca's upcoming release with the world. Here's a picture of the woman herself:

So be sure to look out for her new book, Drowning in You. I know it's a different genre than Precise, but Rebecca is an amazing writer and the story sounds like it'll be sure to mesmerize the readers.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Your Next Stop is San Francisco

"Parts of Unmasking Maya read like a love letter to San Francisco."

- Mallory, The Daily Quirk

Hello my little hoppers! Here's a question for you. Which of the following people is not a San Francisco fixture?

• A man who hides himself behind leafy branches on Fisherman's Wharf and randomly jumps out to scare tourists
• A very tall man (6'4 or 6'5) who rides around town on a unicycle
• A drag queen called Peaches Christ who holds stage productions recreating classic films
• A man whose entire face and bald head is covered with a spiderweb tattoo who walks around in a sailor suit
• None of the above

Scroll down to find the answer at the bottom of this post.

Ah, San Francisco. I really do love my adopted hometown. It never gets too hot or too cold, the people are friendly, the architecture is beautiful and there's always something going on. Jazz festivals, craft expos, street fairs, theatre in the park, organic and locally produced food fairs, you name it.

Those who've never had the chance to visit the city by the Bay may assume it's populated mostly by soft-spoken artsy folks in hemp clothing. While there are certainly a fair amount of people in San Francisco who would fall under this category, the population is really very diverse. You've got your modern day hippies but you've also got your grittier hipsters, your cultured intellectuals, your starving artists, your yummy mummies, your corporate clones, your skilled tradespeople, etc. In short (haha, yeah right) San Francisco just as diverse as any other city. What makes it different is that people seem to be more expressive here than any other place I've ever lived before.

If people want to express themselves musically, artistically or politically, they tend to just go for it. And quite often they'll find a receptive audience or a kindred spirit. Well... this depends on how you're expressing yourself and where you're doing it. Might not be the wisest idea to perform your interpretive dance in the Financial District.

Here are some pics that I think are a good representation of the city:

Another thing that makes San Francisco unique is its close proximity to Silicon Valley. The company headquarters for companies such as Google, Apple, Yahoo!, eBay and Facebook are all within an hour of the city. I have to say I'm a bit in awe of the minds behind these companies. These people, who have changed our world in a such major way (can you imagine what it would be like if Google suddenly ceased to exist?) they fascinate me. And they were the inspiration for Derek, the love interest in Unmasking Maya. While Derek is straight-up Silicon Valley, Maya is much more San Francisco. Her quirks, her talents and her artistic flair ensure that she fits right in - although she doesn't always feel this way. She's got some issues that girl.

And there you have it. Hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into the city I love so much. And if you've never been here before, I hope you're able to visit in the future. Just remember...

"If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair."

I couldn't resist! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out this YouTube video.

As promised, I'll answer the question at the top of this post, and the correct answer is: None of the Above. All of these eccentrics do indeed live here in San Francisco.

In the spirit of celebrating all things San Francisco, I will be giving away a $20 gift certificate to Benefit Cosmetics, which, in my opinion, is the best cosmetics company ever. Use the Rafflecopter thingie below to enter. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide. Good luck, thanks for reading and be sure to check out all the other fabulous blogs on the hop including the ginormous Grand Prize!!

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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Just Checking In

Hello my little starlings!

I know, I've been abandoning my blog something awful as of late. I've just been so busy guest posting on other blogs that I'm afraid this one hasn't gotten the attention it's deserved. But never fear. This is about to change. In less than one week's time, the second Girly Book Blog Hop will be live and it's going to be pretty mega, I think. We're doing a Grand Prize this time. Loads and loads of fabulous stuff to give away! So be sure to check back. It officially starts on Thursday at 12am, PST. Hope to see you then.

Love,
Libby