I’m Not Addicted To Books, I’m Just Focused On My HEALTH

 

It doesn’t really need explaining that all of us here love reading! Finding a quiet nook of the house, curling up where nobody will disturb you, and diving into a book. Looking up after a few pages, realising several hours have gone by… and not regretting a thing.

Well next time someone calls you a bookworm, you can now tell them it’s for your health! According to this article, scientists have found a bunch of benefits, mostly for our brains.

The list includes stress relief, boosting intelligence and memory, and better brain function in old age. I think my favourite factoid was on stress relief – six minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68%! It’s also better than listening to music or making yourself a cup of tea. Sign this stress bunny up.

But really, as if we needed proof that us readers are a smart bunch 😉 Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go buy a bunch more books. For my health, you understand.

(Psst, want a sneak peek at my books before they hit the shelves? New releases for 99c? Join my mailing list to get the VIP treatment. eepurl.com/bwTdtD)

 

Review: Stuck-Up Suit

 

From the New York Times Bestselling authors of Cocky Bastard, comes a sexy new standalone novel.

It started out like any other morning on the train.
Until I became mesmerized by the guy sitting across the aisle.
He was barking at someone on his phone like he ruled the world.
Who did the stuck-up suit think he was…God?
Actually, he looked like a God. That was about it.
When his stop came, he got up suddenly and left. So suddenly, he dropped his phone on the way out.
I might have picked it up.
I might have gone through all of his photos and called some of the numbers.
I might have held onto the mystery man’s phone for days―until I finally conjured up the courage to return it.
When I traipsed my ass across town to his fancy company, he refused to see me.
So, I left the phone on the empty desk outside the arrogant jerk’s office.
I might have also left behind a dirty picture on it first though.
I didn’t expect him to text back.
I didn’t expect our exchanges to be hot as hell.
I didn’t expect to fall for him―all before we even met.
The two of us couldn’t have been any more different.
Yet, you know what they say about opposites.
When we finally came face to face, we found out opposites sometimes do more than attract―we consumed each other.
Nothing could have prepared me for the ride he took me on. And I certainly wasn’t prepared for where I’d wind up when the ride was over.
All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

 

*****

I was struggling a little with writer’s block last week, so took a break to read instead. This book hit it out of the park. I wanted to read something fun and sexy, and it was exactly that.

Soraya is one of my favourite heroines in a long time. She gets her tongue pierced on a whim, dyes her hair to match her mood, and doesn’t put up with a rude jerk in a suit, even if he’s super hot.

Graham is a rude workaholic, but of course, he has his reasons. He’s fascinated by the spitfire who told him off for being his asshole self, and only becomes more fascinated when their feisty texts take a turn for the smutty.

Together: fireworks!

There is a twist, which I won’t mention because spoilers, but I loved it. It felt so real to me. Not real as in boring, but real as in “I can see this happening and it would hurt like hell”.

Pure perfection, so five stars!

(Psst, want a sneak peek at my books before they hit the shelves? New releases for 99c? Join my mailing list to get the VIP treatment. eepurl.com/bwTdtD)

Must-Watch Doco For All Romance Geeks

I love reading romance books, I love writing about them – and now I can also watch a documentary about them!

It’s a crazy ride trying to get each and every book to take form, and it looks like this doco dives right into that. Established authors, those just getting started, and those about to hit their stride. So if you’ve ever wondered why authors seem to be in a constant state of mild panic… This one’s for you.

It also touches on why people seem to dismiss romance books. It’s always struck me as funny, the way that people look down on the most popular genre. In the words of Taylor Swift – haters gonna hate hate hate.

Here’s the trailer if you’re interested – I’m going to watch this ASAP. It released on iTune and Amazon on July 12th.

Open Home, Closed Heart is LIVE

The book baby is out in the world! Reviews are rolling in, all four and five stars, people are downloading – it’s fair to say I’m thrilled with the response.

That means it’s also time to put it back up to full price – so if you want it at the $0.99 special, move quick! You’ve only got a couple of hours.

Amazon

iBooks

Kobo

Nook

 

 

“He’s infuriating. A backstabber wrapped up in pretty packaging. And I know better than to unwrap that present.”

From the moment Tess sees the new guy at work, she feels the pull towards him. But then he opens his mouth. And reveals himself as an arrogant jerk, intent on making her work life hell.

Avoiding Damian is the safest bet, but Tess has never been one to walk away from a fight. If he wants a war, he can have one. And he should be prepared to lose.

Because Tess built her real estate career to protect what’s left of her family. And no arrogant jerk is going to take it from her. No matter how good he looks in a suit.

Open Home, Closed Heart is a full-length standalone sequel to the Hawaiian Heartbreak trilogy. Intended for readers over 18 due to explicit sexual content.

Tomayto, Tomahto

Back when I was much younger, I remember enthusiastically talking to an established author. I LOVED reading as a kid, so getting the chance to talk to a Real Life Author was exciting. I babbled to him that one day I’d love to be a writer, too.

His response was… less enthusiastic.

“DON’T,” he answered. “You live in New Zealand. Your cultural references are all wrong for a global audience. Even your experience of the seasons is backwards. You’ll confuse a global audience, and never make any money. Don’t waste your time.”

Which put me off writing for a long time. Until the indie publishing revolution came about, and I thought, “screw it. What do I have to lose? Let’s just see what this global audience thinks.”

Fair to say, the response has been far better than that author led me to believe! But I’ve also been quite careful to avoid New Zealand-isms, and make sure all readers can understand what I mean.

But every now and then, the occasional one still slips through. When I was editing the latest book, Open Home Closed Heart, I made a reference to Tess only drinking long blacks.

And then I thought: have I ever heard someone call it a long black when I’ve been overseas? A quick google told me, nope, that’s a name only used in New Zealand and Australia. (My editor is Australian, which further explains how it slipped through.)

Right, got it, Tess drinks black coffee now.

And then I was on Twitter the today, and I was unexpectedly caught out again!

(Don’t judge me, chocolate porridge is delicious. Or should I say chocolate oatmeal?)

The cross-cultural differences just sneak in there, damn it. You’ve gotta be eagle eyed.

Any differences that have caught you out before? If you’re a writer, do you watch out for them? And if you’re a reader, do they bother you?

 

P.S. Open Home, Closed Heart is available on pre-order now, for a special reduced price of $0.99. So far all the advanced reviews have been five stars, so grab your copy quick!

Amazon: http://ow.ly/9vOU3012bpJ

iBooks: http://ow.ly/iEIx3012bs2

Nook: http://ow.ly/QjfV3012bF3

Kobo: http://ow.ly/Igho3014cN0

Sock Sunday

Sock Sunday is turning into a relaxed day of putting the final edits into place. Damn, but I love this book.

Speaking of, the pre-order for Open Home, Closed Heart is finally up. I’ve got it at $0.99, but ONLY for the pre-order period – this is to reward my loyal readers. You can get your copy from:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Open-Closed-Heart-Hawaiian-Heartbreak-ebook/dp/B01GH6U88E

iBooks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/open-home-closed-heart/id1120698299?mt=11

Kobo and Nook are both coming soon, but it’s still working its way through their systems.

Launch day is nearly here, and then my baby will be out in the world!

How’s your Sunday, are you doing anything fun?

Giveaways Are Happening!

You can win an eBook copy of my new release, Open Home, Closed Heart!

I’m running giveaways on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They’re super easy to enter – check them out here.

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLibbyCole/

http://www.instagram.com/authorlibby/

http://twitter.com/AuthorLibby

If you want a sure thing, I’m also running a special pre-order price. It’s currently 99c, but will go up on release day to $2.99. It’s up on Amazon already, and will be on all outlets soon. Check it out!

http://www.amazon.com/Open-Closed-Heart-Hawaiian-Heartbreak-ebook/dp/B01GH6U88E

Cover Reveal

The new book is almost done! Which means I’m finally ready to show you the cover, and tell you a bit more about it.

Ready?

“He’s infuriating. An asshole wrapped up in pretty packaging. And I know better than to unwrap that present.”

From the moment Tess sees the new guy at work, she feels the pull towards him. But then he opens his mouth.  And reveals himself as an arrogant jerk, intent on making her work life hell.

Avoiding Damian is the safest bet, but Tess has never been one to walk away from a fight. If he wants a war, he can have one. And he should be prepared to lose.

Because Tess built her real estate career to protect what’s left of her family. And no arrogant jerk is going to take it from her. No matter how good he looks in a suit.

Open Home, Closed Heart is a full-length standalone sequel to the Hawaiian Heartbreak Trilogy. Intended for readers over 18 due to explicit sexual content.

 

What do you think? I just love it, but then, I would say that 😉

Keep an eye out, because I’m going to be doing giveaways over the next couple of days. And if you want an extra chance, follow my social media accounts – there’ll be different giveaways on each one!

http://twitter.com/AuthorLibby

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLibbyCole/

http://www.instagram.com/authorlibby/

Bribing The Muse

 

The first round of editing is always a tough one. You find lots of silly mistakes, rushed conversations, cardboard characters… But that’s fine, that’s why we edit!

Except yesterday my muse ran away. One particular paragraph needed a major overhaul, and I was blank.

So I did what any good writer does, and set out to bribe her. I got a mocha, with marshmallows of course, and sat down in the sun to clear my head. Staring up at the blue sky through this tangle of branches, birds singing around me, my brain unfocused… I may have napped for a bit.

Today I sat down in front of the WIP, and the muse has returned. The troublesome paragraph was sorted in about five minutes flat!

So if all else fails, bribe the muse. Every time.

 

(I love hanging out online with fellow readers and writers. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorlibby/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/AuthorLibby)

Review: King of Campus

Roan King.

The uncrowned king of Barnett University. He’s like a freaking celebrity around here. It’s totally ridiculous. People, by which I mean grown women, actually stalk him on the internet. And around campus. Apparently he’s god’s gift to both football and the ladies (I’m using that term loosely). All he has to do is smile and girls just fall right onto their backs before spreading their legs nice and wide. I’ve heard that he’s already plowed his way through half the female population here at Barnett. I’m sure he’ll work his way through the second half before he gets drafted to the NFL later this year.

Yeah… I don’t plan to be one of them. The guy is nothing more than a conceited player. You know the type—a steroid infused meathead jock coasting through college on his football prowess.

Ugh.

I have three words for you—avoid, avoid, avoid.

*******

This book has me torn. I really liked it in some ways, and not in others. So let’s start where any sadist would – with the bad things.

It was mostly little things that kept pulling me out of the story. Ivy was quiiite obsessed with being flat-chested, giving it a mention several times in the internal dialogue. But she’s a ballet dancer, so I would’ve thought that was to be expected! Come on girlfriend, more than a mouthful’s a waste anyway.

There are very detailed descriptions of what people are wearing in every scene, which I kept skimming. And phrases that kept popping up over and over, which I know can happen, but it started to grate just a bit.

I saw a few DNF reviews, which I get, because these issues are definitely worse for the first quarter of the book.

BUT.

The characters hit their rhythm after a while, to be witty and fun. Once they finally got their ish together, it was a sweet, selfless love between them. Not just Ivy and Roan, but the supporting characters too. It was worth hanging in there to get to this stage, because finally those first issues melted into the background.

It was a fun read, and I definitely enjoyed myself, but there were just a few little niggles.

3.5 stars!

Have you read it? What did you think?

 

(I love hanging out online with fellow readers and writers. http://twitter.com/authorlibby and http://www.instagram.com/authorlibby/)