Book blast tour stop for The Last Straw by Nia Simone

Today is a book blast tour stop for the debut romance novel The Last Straw by Nia Simone. 

Nia will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during her tour. To be entered to win, leave a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb:

Ally Tobin left New York after one too many bad dates, determined to rebuild a stable life and career as a private investigator in Silicon Valley. But when the man she knew as one name walks into her office with another, will her curiosity once again lead her to risk her heart?

The last thing Special Agent Jared Green needs is "security risk" stamped on the resume of his latest undercover identity. Especially by the woman his job forced him to leave in New York without any explanation. She may threaten his cover, but it's his heart on the line.

He's good at playing a part. She's good at catching a fake. Can they trust enough to give love another chance?

Excerpt from The Last Straw:

He sauntered through the door, a white, button- down shirt tucked into belted khakis. When his dark gaze found her, he stopped. Stared. Her throat dried and a rustling motion stirred in her abdomen.

“Hi. I’m Darren Ray.”

Keep your cool, she commanded herself, standing and reaching across the desk. His hand was rough.

She yanked her hand back and waved at the chair. “Please, have a seat.” He waited for her to sit before settling in the visitor’s chair. “So, Darren, according to this, you’re being considered for a programmer position in the IT department. Tell me about your background.”

A professional mask settled over his features. “As you can see on my résumé, I have several years of consulting experience.”

“Tell me something about your experience as a mechanic.” Working on his prized old Mustang had been a favorite hobby.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “What do you mean? That’s not in my résumé.”

“You don’t have the hands of a programmer. More of a mechanic.” Oh, his hands.

“Okay, you got me.” He was going to confess. This should be good. “When I’m not programming computers I’m working on my car.”

“And what were you doing in New York City?”

He reached across her desk for a piece of paper, plucked a pen from its stand and scrawled something.  When she took the note their fingers brushed. Meet me for dinner at Pico’s at 7. I’ll explain everything. Can’t talk here.

Author information:

Nia Simone grew up on the side of a ski slope in Squaw Valley, USA. Later, while learning the craft of story writing, she worked in nonprofit and then high-tech.

The best part of working in the computer field was meeting her husband. He took up skiing and she helped him document his computer inventions! They live in "Silicon Valley" in California where their favorite thing to do is cook together for friends. Nia’s specialties are dessert and veggies while her husband’s are entrees and sourdough bread.

Their only pet at the moment is the sourdough starter, which lives in the fridge and requires bi-weekly feeding.

Nia blogs every day about travel, food, writing, books, skiing and photography at niasimoneauthor.com (where she won the Versatile Blogger Award and Inspiring Blogger Award).

Buy link: The Last Straw (http://amzn.to/164srhC)

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Virtual book blast stop for Manless in Montclair by Amy Holman Edelman

Today is a virtual book blast stop for chick lit author Amy Holman Edelman and her novel Manless in Montclair. 

As an added treat, Amy is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly chosen commentor during the tour. You can enter to win by leaving an e-mail address with a comment on this post. And if you'd like more chances to win, you can visit other tour stops and leave more comments.

Bio:

Amy Holman Edelman lives in New Jersey with her husband, children and Irish Jack Russell, Roxy. She is the also author of The Little Black Dress ('97).

Blurb:

Being short with big boobs means living life off-balance. Isabel knows this all too well; at five feet nothing with a tendency to tip over in heels, she's struggled for twenty-five years to make clothes, careers, and boyfriends fit. Enter Michael. Divorced father, recovering alcoholic, and fifteen years her senior--he was the last guy she thought would make the cut. But when he proposed over a pastrami sandwich in a NYC deli on the anniversary of their first date, Isabel knew, improbably, that he was the one.

Fifteen mostly happy years and two kids later, Isabel walks into her living room to discover her husband dead on the floor, leaving her a widow at forty-one. At Michael's funeral, a guest solemnly informs her that the official mourning period for a Jewish widow is thirty days. At the moment, Isabel can't imagine a time when she will stop grieving. Not helping the process is this: as a single mom living in the very married suburbs, for the first time in fifteen years Isabel once again just doesn't fit in.

It takes her four-year-old daughter's request for a new daddy to set Isabel on a journey through online dating, shifty matchmakers, and painfully orchestrated single dinners. But after endless dates, a torrid affair with an unemployed, passive-aggressive neighbor, and a story on page three of the New York Daily News, Isabel begins to realize that another man may not be the answer and, surprisingly, that's when things begin to change for the better...

Excerpt:

“So what number are you up to now?” my mom asked over dessert at a nearby restaurant. She had stopped for an early dinner after meeting a client in New York and was taking advantage of the few minutes we had alone while the kids were in the bathroom.

“What do you mean ‘what number’?”

“You know…how many men?”

Uh-oh, I thought. “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” she said, leaning in confidentially, “I heard somewhere that dating is really just a numbers game. The twenty-eighth guy you meet,” she said, “will be the one.”

“Really? What about the first twenty-seven?”

“I don’t know. Practice?”

“Hmmm. Do I have to date ’em only once? Or do they only count if they’re a multiple date?”

“Gee,” my mother said thoughtfully, tapping her manicured fingernails on the tablecloth. “I’m not sure.”

“And do I have to sleep with the twenty-seven prior to number twenty-eight? Or just maybe dinner?”

“Well…maybe dinner and a movie.”

“Does coffee count?”

Interview with author Meredith Cagen - BK Walker Books virtual book tour

As I continue to host the BK Walker Books Authors Promoting Authors virtual blog tour, today I welcome author Meredith Cagen.

Bio: Meredith Cagen is a working wife and mother living in New York City. She works as a freelance writer and registered nurse. Meredith is known as "The Queen of the Multi-taskers." In her free time, she goes to the gym and daydreams.

Welcome, Meredith!

Please tell us about your current release Size Eight in a Size Zero World.
My main character, Lindsay is one of them (us). She is a typical woman for this new millennium, working a job, taking care of her family (one husband, two children, one dog, one apartment), running her household, overworked, unappreciated, no time for herself, a super multi-tasker, while her husband watches TV and plays on the internet.

She struggles to keep a sense of herself. And then one day she meets someone who causes her to re-evaluate how she lives her life, turning her world upside down. It’s a very realistic journey she takes filled with humor and heart! An adventure into New York City society and relationships.

What inspired you to write this book?
I returned to school to obtain a Bachelors of Science in Nursing, years after completing my MBA. It was daunting. The first time I sat down to study for an exam, I had funny ideas racing through my head. I had a difficult time focusing and actively started daydreaming. I couldn’t concentrate, so I went with the flow and wrote down all those funny, random thoughts. And the writing didn’t stop until Size Eight in a Size Zero World was completed.

I’m not sure if that qualifies as inspiration, but that is my story.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Readers of Size Eight in a Size Zero World are asking me to write the story of “The Man Upstairs” character and they want to know what happens to Lindsay now. I’m not sure what I am going to do………………….Any suggestions?

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The first time I was referred to as an author.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I work as a Registered Nurse. Writing has become a part of me, like eating milk chocolate, I love doing it. I am passionate about my characters and stories.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I get great ideas in my sleep!

Friends tell me their stories hoping I will incorporate them into my next book!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a happy housewife and mother with a beautifully decorate large house!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Read the book, and share with me your thoughts, mcagen@gmail.com

Thank you for your time today, Meredith. Your book sounds like a lot of fun. Best of luck with your writing.