Book Blog Tour of A Courtesan's Scandal by Julia London

The blurb:
Kate Bergeron is the beautiful and mysterious former mistress of a cloth merchant. . .and the latest beauty to capture the interest of the Prince of Wales. Mired in a disastrous divorce, the Prince attempts to distract attention from his next amorous pursuit by ordering Grayson Christopher, the eligible Duke of Darlington, to pretend to London society that he is having an affair with Kate. When Grayson reluctantly agrees to his Prince's demand, he finds the lady no more willing than he is. Kate will grudgingly act the part in public, but her favors are not for sale to any man. As Grayson and Kate mimic ardor for the world to see, they find what started as a deception becoming all too real. And when passion flames into love, their predicament becomes extreme. For while marriage between a duke and a courtesan could never happen, Kate knows in her heart that she is willing to accept nothing less. . . .

Review:
A Courtesan's Scandal is a fun, lighthearted romance with almost old fashioned leading characters.

Julia London sets up the conflict beautifully. While the attraction between Kate Bergerson and Grayson Christopher, the Duke of Darlington, is clear from the start, they come into the situation with their own prejudices. It's these prejudices that slow down the romance and make the book enjoyable. We gradually learn that Kate Bergenson has come from the lowest possible background and has a horrible past and yet she somehow remains untouched by it. In fact, Kate is so generous that she comes across as a bit of a soft touch. It's easy to sympathize with Darlington when he suspects the worst of her - he is forced into the pretense and expected that she was a willing party. The story picks up when Darlington slowly comes to learn more about Kate Bergenson and treat her with respect. Julia London is masterful in her build up of the characters and increasing the tension in the plot.

If you are looking for a fun regency romance with an old fashioned sensibility, you are sure to enjoy A Courtesan's Scandal.

Publisher: Pocket (October 20, 2009), 384 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author, courtesy of her website:
Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than a twenty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Desperate Debutante and Scandalous historical romance series, as well as several contemporary romances, including American Diva, the very popular tie-in novel to the daytime drama, Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story, and the upcoming Summer of Two Wishes

Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. She lives in Round Rock, Texas, with her husband. To keep up with all the Julia London news and excerpts, please visit http://www.julialondon.com.

Participating Sites:
Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/
Books Reviews by Buuklvr81: http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com
Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/
I Read: http://sumanam.wordpress.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
Book Junkie: http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com/
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
My Reading Room: http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
My Book Addiction and More: www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
Book Magic: http://bookmagic418.blogspot.com/
Seductive Musings: http://seductivemusings.blogspot.com/
Luxury Reading: http://www.luxuryreading.com/
The Eclectic Book Lover: http://www.eclecticbooklover.com/
My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/
Cheeky Reads: http://cheekyreads.blogspot.com/
Poisoned Rationality: http://lastexilewords.blogspot.com
The Bibliophilic Book Blog: http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/
Entertainment Realm: http://entertainmentrealm.com/

Thanks so much to Sarah and Pocket Books for this review opportunity!

Book Review of Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen

The blurb:
Sarah Dearly's vampire life is not all B-positive cocktails. A curse made her a nightwalker, the most vicious vamp there is; the charm she wears to curb her deadly tendencies is losing its juice; and a hunter from hell is turning up the heat. Gideon Chase will kill the ones she loves most if she doesn't obey his orders. That includes breaking up with master vampire Thierry and turning Gideon into an immortal vamp so he can escape a doom of eternal hellfire.

Making things worse are Sarah's growing feelings for Gideon, a bad boy who keeps showing a vulnerable side. . .but is it for real? Will Sarah's dark side take over? Or can she cure herself of the nightwalker curse in time to stop Gideon and finally live happily ever after with Thierry. . .forever?

Review:
Lighthearted and fun, Tall, Dark & Fangsome effectively mixes romance with vampire paranormal action. It's my first time to read any of the Immorality Bites series and I found the book to be an enjoyable read. The vampires and the slayers are entertaining and the plot full of twists. This series isn't as graphic or gory as some of the other vampire series - which I liked. Overall, a fun escape!

Publisher: Forever (September 1, 2009), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Thanks so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for the review opportunity!

Book Review of The Art of Meaningful Living by Christopher F. Brown, LCSW, MBA

The Art of Meaningful Living by Christopher F. Brown may appear like a beautiful coffee table book, but it isn't. There are attractive and interesting illustrations but book's strength is in its text. The book is divided into five main sections: Start, Wisdom, Action, Resilience, and The Art of Meaningful Lives. The sections of the book are organized according to the change process. The Wisdom section contains the preparation that you need before change can happen. Action covers behaviors that can help you move towards your meaningful life each day. Resilience helps you battle avoidant behavior and return to your goals. While the last section, The Art of Meaningful Lives contains profiles of people who are successfully living their passions.

It may be that I'm reading it during a time of uncertainty and change, but I found the book personally helpful and wish that I could share it with several close friends and relatives that are going undergoing upheavals in their own lives.

In Start, Brown writes about highly functioning individuals that are successful but have a sense that "this is not how things are supposed to be" and wonder "Where did the excitement and passion go?" He describes such a life as one of quiet desperation and contrasts it with "meaningful lives with personal fulfillment and passion." Surely, most of us has felt that our jobs or lives have lacked passion and personal fulfillment. For this reason, I believe that the book speaks to a broad range of people.

Out of all the sections of the book, I found Wisdom to be the most helpful and would like to focus on this section of the book for my review. In Wisdom, Brown provides ways to build self-awareness and exercises to help develop mind management skills. Brown suggests that we begin by building self-awareness, countering negative self-talk with positive back chatter. He proposes this exercise: count the times that you put yourself down or make a negative self-assessment during the day. As you notice the negative self-talk, assign a new meaning and counter the negativity and be kinder to yourself. Replace the negative statement with something positive - you may have to tap into the group of people that have supported you throughout your life (mentors, family, friends, colleagues who know you) and think of what they would say to the question, "What are all of the good things about me?" Each time that you criticize yourself, imagine the supportive person chiming in and countering the criticism with several compliments. Develop the compliments, be honest and revel in your strengths, celebrate them instead of being uncertain or embarrassed. Commit these compliments to memory so that you can respond with them often.

Brown encourages us to identify the patterns that hold us back from living meaningful lives. He also points out several important mind management skills. "Notice" - neutrally observe your experiences for what they are, just observe the facts and the products of your mind (feelings, thoughts, memories, sensations, and urges) so that you can have them but not automatically believe them. "Reflect" by being curious instead of judgmental - ask yourself what is causing the response instead of reacting in a self-critical way. Try to see the situation from different points of view, how would your partner, mother, therapist, best friend, colleague see the experience? Consciously "assign meaning" and choose what the experience means based on which interpretation would work best for you. "Pause" and take the time to collect your thoughts and feelings before choosing your response to difficult or anxiety inducing situations.

We all recognize that decisions may involve the rational mind or the emotional mind or both aspects together. Brown cites psychologist Marsha Linehan, PhD, who characterizes the use of both the rational and emotional aspects of thinking as "using your wise mind." Brown encourages us to use the "wise mind skill" by focusing on a particular question (i.e., what is causing this response, is this the right response for me, etc.) while noticing your breathing.

Here is another helpful exercise that helps develop the wise mind: Hone your wise mind through asking the question while doing breathing exercises. Ask yourself the question as you inhale, listen for the answer as you exhale. Even if the answer doesn't come to you right away, the process of reaching for the answer and the breathing exercises give you time to process the question using different levels of consciousness.

The Art of Meaningful Living struck me as both interesting and helpful. I recommend the book in large part because of the exercises that encourage mindfulness and mind management skills. While some of the skills and advice may be familiar, it helps to have them written out and explained, after all, the development of the wise mind skills and mindfulness comes in large part from the practicing of these skills.

Publisher: Synergy Books (September 1, 2009), 128 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author, courtesy of the publicist:
Christopher F. Brown, LCSW, MBA, currently resides in Houston, where he has a private psychotherapy practice. A native of Louisiana, he earned his bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and earned both his MBA and his Master of Social Work from the University of Houston. A licensed clinical social worker, Brown offers psychotheraphy services to individuals, couples, and families.

Brown is a fellow of the Houston Galveston Psychoanalytic Institute and Menninger Clinic and Baylor College of Medicine. He is a former facilitator of support groups for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) of Greater Houston, and is a current trainer and speaker for DBSA.

After the death of his mother, Brown turned to writing as a creative release to deal with his feelings of pain and grief. He recently joined John Palmer to create The Art of Meaningful Living, a coffee-table book that offers a framework for navigating significant life changes through a combination of psychologically based techniques and provocative abstract artwork. The tools offered in the book are based on principles that helped Brown navigate his own life change, as well as those that he uses in his psychotherapy practice.

About John Palmer, courtesy of the publicist:
Artist John Palmer's career began over a decade ago when he turned to art as a method of coping with the unexpected death of his father. Painting allowed Palmer to release the inner grief, frustration, and pain he felt after his father's untimely death, and is a major factor in his contribution to The Art of Meaningful Living.

Although for the most part self-taught, Palmer has studied art professionally at the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy; has studied under Robert Venosa in Cadaques, Spain (the former home of Salvador Dali); and worked with Master Painter Philip Rubinov-Jacobson in the Austrian Alps. His art has appeared in The Houston Chronicle, Inside Houston, The Voice, Outsmart, Prime Living Magazine, Houston Modern Luxury, PaperCity Magazine and on Fox News. His current projects include a new series entitled "Notable Biographies," featuring his collage style.

Visit www.theartofmeaningfulliving.com for more information.

Thank you so much to Christopher Brown, Abi and Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for this review opportunity!

Winners of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Winners of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

elaing8
morceaudelalune - confirmed
alannakurt - confirmed
lizzi0915 - confirmed
kimikaio - confirmed

Congratulations! I've emailed the winners and they have until 6 pm on Thursday to respond. Thanks for participating! Thanks so much to Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Winners of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Winners of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

pippirose
ryspenc - confirmed
easagredo - confirmed
beapangilinan.0921 - confirmed
tony - adochains - confirmed

Congratulations! I have contacted the winners and they have until 6pm on Thursday to send their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating! Thanks so much to Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring the giveaway!

Winners of Connected by Nicholas Christakis MD, PhD and James Fowler, PhD

Winners of Connected by Nicholas Christakis MD, PhD and James Fowler, PhD

bea bp - confirmed
joyce jg - confirmed
chrismejia - confirmed
danunepthys
margaretdotuy - confirmed

Congratulations! I've emailed the winners and they have until Thursday evening to send me their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating! Thanks so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Winners of Show No Fear by Marliss Melton

Winners of Show No Fear by Marliss Melton

throuthehaze - confirmed
copperllama - confirmed
mce1011 - confirmed
janie1215 - confirmed
jrobe10689 - confirmed

Congratulations! I've contacted the winners and they have until 6 pm on Thursday to send their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating! Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring the giveaway!

Winners of Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield

Winners of Simon's Cat by Simon Tofield

cabadov - confirmed
ssummmer - ys - confirmed
booklover0226 - confirmed
librarygrinch - confirmed
linda - confirmed

Congratulations! I've contacted the winners and they have until noon on Wednesday to send their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating! Thanks so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Winners of Supreme Courtship by Christopher Bucikley

Winners of Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

jacquecurl1 - confirmed
Socmom213 - confirmed
bgcchs - confirmed
enyl tony - confirmed
walkermisc - confirmed

I've emailed the winners and they have until noon on Wednesday to send me their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating! A huge thanks to Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Winners of A Highlander's Temptation by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Winners of A Highlander's Temptation by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

gcwhiskas - confirmed
scarpettajunkie - Vanduzer1 - confirmed
bgcchs - confirmed
Misty - mbradenwf - confirmed
cindyc725 - confirmed

I've emailed the winners and they have until noon on Wednesday to send me their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating! Thanks again to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Winners of Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

Winners of Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

ozzie13326 - confirmed
adochains - confirmed
chrismejia - confirmed
ceciliah - confirmed
bekki1820cb - confirmed

Congratulations! I've emailed the winners and they have until noon on Wednesday to send me their mailing addresses. Thanks for participating!

Winners of Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen

Winners of Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen

gcwhiskas - confirmed
ruthann.francis - confirmed
kmkuka - confirmed
zenrei57 - confirmed
beapangilinan.0921 - confirmed

Congratulations! I've emailed the winners and they have until noon on Wednesday to send me their mailing addresses before I pick replacement winners. Thanks for participating!

Book Review: The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The blurb:
In 1752, Sarah carrier Chapman, weak with infirmity, writes a letter to her granddaughter, revealing the secret she has closely guarded for six decades. . .

Her story begins more than a year before the Salem witch trials, when nine-year-old Sarah and her family arrive in a New England community already gripped by superstition and fear. As they witness neighbor pitted against neighbor, friend against friend, hysteria escalates - unitl more than two hundred men, women, and children have been swept into prison. Among them is Sarah's mother, Martha Carrier.

In an attempt to protect her children, Martha asks Sarah to commit an act of heresy - a lie that will most surely condemn Martha even as it saves her daughter.

Review:
The Heretic's Daughter draws you in to the world of colonial Massachusetts and makes that time come alive.

We learn of the events through the eyes of nine-year-old Sarah Carrier, sixty years after everything has happened. Sarah shares her thoughts and impressions without reservation, drawing our sympathy and curiosity as she describes the closeness that she feels towards her relatives in Billerica when she and her younger sister Hannah are fostered during their family's quarantine. Even as we are aware of Sarah's resentment towards her headstrong and independent mother, we come to respect Martha for her integrity and strength of spirit. Sarah's observations of her father Thomas Carrier and how he commands fear and respect even during the most dangerous times add to the mystery and power of the novel.

Without giving away much of the plot, The Heretic's Daughter takes us to the Salem Witch Trials - the meanness, superstition and hysteria that marked its beginning and the squalor and cruelty in the prisons. Through The Heretic's Daughter, Kathleen Kent shares the stories of her ancestors Martha, Thomas, and Sarah Carrier and their strength and integrity during one of the worst times in American history.

Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (October 12, 2009) 368 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

If you'd like to win a copy for yourself, join the contest for The Heretic's Daughter until 11/15.

Thanks so much to Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for the review opportunity!

Book Review of Run for Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Eldridge

Run for Your Life, is set in present day New York City and introduces Detective Michael Bennett of the NYPD Tactical Response Unit.

The blurb:
Detective Michael Bennett - is he the next Alex Cross?

A killer passes judgment on New York. A calculating murderer who calls himself the Teacher is taking on New York City, slaying the powerful and the arrogant. His message to them is clear: Remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For Gotham's elite, it is a call to terror.

One man struggles to save a city. There is only one man in the NYPD who can tackle this high-profile case: Detective Michael Bennett. For anyone else, the pressure would be overwhelming, but Mike is ready to step up--taking care of his ten children has prepared him for the job! With his hands already full, as his kids all come down with a virulent flu at once, he must now also face the challenge of tracking down the killer. As a secret pattern emerges in the Teacher's lessons, Detective Bennett has just a few precious hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history.

Review:
I very much enjoyed Run for Your Life. As all of Patterson's novels, it is fast-paced with continuous action and a sympathetic lead detective. I enjoyed Run for Your Life in part because it had less gore than most other thrillers and even the killer was unusually interesting. How can you not be drawn in by someone whose mission is to teach the wealthy and arrogant of NYC manners?

Plus, Run for Your Life introduces us to a fun new detective. I was drawn in by Detective Michael Bennett and the insight that comes from his role in NYPD Tactical Assistance Response Unit. The light hint of romance adds to Michael Bennett's charm.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (October 20, 2009), 416 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Does this sound like a book you'd like to read? Join the contest to win Run for Your Life at Starting Fresh. Contest ends on 11/15.

Thanks so much to Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for this review opportunity!

Book Blog Tour of Wild Blue Under with Guest Post by Judi Fennell & a giveaway

I'm excited to be part of the Book Blog Tour of Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell. We're fortunate to have her here today to share with us she came up with the idea for this unusual Mer novel and the research and preparation behind the world that she's created for Wild Blue Under.

oOo

Judi Fennell Guest Blog, author of Wild Blue Under

November 5, 2009

Hi Gaby and thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to chat about how I came up with Wild Blue Under.

When I was writing the first book, In Over Her Head, I hadn't planned a series, mainly because I didn’t know if my “little talking fish story” would sell or not. I wrote it as part of a larger Fairy Tale series (Cinda Bella, Fairest of Them All, and Beauty and The Best). So when I decided to pitch the book as a Mer series, I had to come up with two more stories and make them different than the first.

That was the tough part. My natural inclination was to set each story under the sea, but how many different reactions could I come up with for three Humans discovering Atlantis for the first time? I figured everyone would be shocked and surprised, so that wasn't going to be all that different. Ergo, I had to make the basic premise of the stories different - and what could be more different from a Human going into the sea to find a Merman than a Merman coming out of the sea to convince a Human he is what he says he is… and that she’s one as well.

When I wrote In Over Her Head, I was able to create Atlantis and the rest of the underwater world any way I wanted. I brought in myths of sea monsters and the Bermuda Triangle. I added magic so I could cloak everything from Humans. I even gave Jacques Cousteau a nod. But when I moved the story on land for Wild Blue Under, I had to deal with reality. I became confined by what we all know as fact. I guess I could have tossed some more magic in, but that seemed like a cop-out to me. Magic for magic's sake is like sex for sex's sake in a story: nice but not necessarily adding anything. And I like to put as much realism into my paranormal worlds so that the suspension of disbelief isn't that hard to make.

I picked Kansas as the location for the story because the town of Lebanon is the geographic center of the lower forty-eight states, and it seemed like that'd be the place to hide from Mers. That was easy. But then I had to “visit” the real town to get my fictional town as close to the original as possible (although I never make the claim that the town is Lebanon in the story because I like to be able to manipulate the layout without angering the inhabitants). For all the hoopla that Lebanon is the center of the US, there are relatively few pictures of the town online. Luckily, one of my fellow Writing Wombats, Jamie Chapman, lives within driving distance and had a few hours to spare on a weekend afternoon, so she drove there to do a little research.

In fact, several Wombats helped with bird research, others with marketing, and Pat and Ed Shaw took a Sunday afternoon drive to visit motels around Columbus, Ohio for the book. An RWA chapter-mate and author, Adele Dubois, was driving that way on a visit to family and grabbed some pictures and brochures along the way. It doesn't hurt that I made that trip with my family, but that was years ago, so the updated info/pictures were good to have.

So I took the pictures, added my plot, tweaked a few things to fit and voila! I had a fictional Kansas town, the cross-country drive and then I let my imagination take flight. Actually, I let the birds of the area take flight. The story needed some action. A 1300-mile drive could make for a very boring story, so how do you liven it up?

Put the characters in peril.

What kind of peril would be plausible since Rod, the Mer Prince, is hundreds of miles from home? Birds ought to do it—dive-bombing peregrines, fish-bombs from an albatross, crows dropping things from the skies and vultures planning to shut down airports… I had a ton of fun doing the research.

And then serendipity came into play. I've always been amazed when I'm doing research and find something to be the way I need it to be, or something shows up just when I need it. For example, I was examining the idea of using peregrine falcons as projectile missiles, when I walked into our living room where my husband was watching some nature show—on the flight mechanisms of peregrine falcons. Needless to say, that show got DVR'd. Since I write paranormal, I choose to think it's the universe telling me I'm on the right track with my stories. :)

Another cog in the wheel of creating Wild Blue Under was the movie, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (complete with an actress named Ethel Merman). The movie is a cross-country treasure hunt with the travelers all trying to find the treasure before the other.

I don't set out with a certain framework in mind, the same way that I don't plot the whole story. Usually I know how it begins, perhaps what the “black” moment is, and some general idea of where it's going. Usually I'm right, but not always. The beauty of not plotting is that the story can go where it wants.

The downside of not plotting is the same thing. Sometimes I write myself in a totally different direction from where I'd thought it'd go and have to re-do certain aspects. That's what the second draft is for! But the fun part of writing is the sense of discovery I have along with my characters. Sometimes they'll “tell” me where they want it to go: case in point is the next book, Catch of a Lifetime (February 2010). It started going down a road I hadn't planned, nor wanted, so I had to go back and change a few things to get it on track. And you know what? It still went down that path, only with a different twist that I liked a lot more.

I hope you enjoy discovering the journey Rod and Valerie make in the story. I did. Are there any movies that have influenced your writing? Or perhaps something you'd like to see "re-done" as a book? I'm always open for suggestions!

To celebrate the release of Wild Blue Under (and all my stories) I'm raffling off a Romantic Beach Getaway Weekend to the Atlantis Inn in Ocean City, NJ (www.AtlantisInn.com) with the final drawing on November 30, and to the Hibiscus House in West Palm Beach, FL (www.HibiscusHouse.com) for Catch of a Lifetime, drawing date to be February 28, 2010. Information on how to enter is available on my website: www.JudiFennell.com

oOo

Judi, thank you for sharing so much about your creative and writing process. Learning the different decisions that you went through and the steps that you took brings another level of understanding and enjoyment to my reading of the book. Congratulations on Wild Blue Under! I'm look forward to your next work. Thank you again for generously sharing your time and thoughts!

The blurb:

WILD BLUE UNDER—book 2 in the Mer Series—in stores November 2009!

The underwater kingdom is his as soon as he claims his queen…

Rod Tritone has the looks and charm to snag any queen he wants for his Mer kingdom, but unfortunately, it's not up to him. As fate would have it, the one woman destined to rule with him is terrified of water…

She lives in land-locked Kansas and has no idea she's a princess…

Valerie Dumere thinks Rod is gorgeous and irresistible—but why does he keep insisting she has another side to herself that only he can show her?

Somehow, Rod has to prove to her who she really is. But when she finds out the truth, will she ever forgive him?

About the Author:

Judi Fennell is an award-winning author. Her romance novels have been finalists in Gather.com's First Chapters and First Chapters Romance contests, as well as the third American Title contest. She spends family vacations at the Jersey Shore, the setting for some of her paranormal romance series. She lives in suburban Philadelphia, PA.

Danielle and SourceBooks are generously giving away Judi Fennell's first two Mer novels (In Over Her Head and Wild Blue Under) to one lucky reader.

CONTEST DETAILS

To enter, please comment on Judi Fennell's guest post above.

Rules:
Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address, no entry.
For an extra entry, visit Judi Fennell's website and come back and tell me something that you learned from her site.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on November 30, 2009. Thank you so much, Danielle and SourceBooks for sponsoring this giveaway!

A Tribute to Charlie: Cheap Eats Boston (Part 1)

I've spent the last two weeks in Boston, spending as much time as I can with my brother before he moves overseas. Much of the time has been spent over meals and I'm getting to know his favorite haunts and was with him as we discovered new ones.

I just wanted to share a few of them, in case you're in the Boston area and want to eat like the locals. (Warning: Some of these places are hard to get to by public transportation.)
South Garden for Chinese Seafood in Quincy, MA
217 B Quincy Avenue, Quincy, MA 02169
tel. 617-328-6628 or 617-328-6629
Sun-Thurs 11 am to 10 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am to 11 pm

We came across this place completely by accident. We were visiting the area for the closest Walmart to Boston, and we saw an Asian grocery store (Kam Man) in this strip mall. We headed over to pick up some fruit late in the evening and we decided to have a quick dinner before heading back to Boston.

The customers looked like they were all regulars and Asian and every table that we saw had this lobster dish which we ordered. We based our entire order on what our neighbors had - clams in black bean sauce ($11.95), lobster in ginger and scallions (2 lobsters for $15!), spicy string beans, general tsao's chicken and salted fish fried rice. It was so good that we were back there before the week was out!

Wing Works - Somerville, MA
201 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville, MA
617-666-9000 (delivers to Somerville, Cambridge, Medford and Arlington) www.wingworks.com
Mon-Thurs 11 am to 11 pm; Fri-Sat- 11am-12:30 am; Sun noon-11 am

I live in NYC, but these wings are better than anything that I've had in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Honestly, if you like buffalo wings, these are definitely worth checking out. The suicide buffalo wings are hot but somehow they still have flavor. And the Rochester (sweet and spicy with a dash of honey mustard) can only be found here. My brother is such a purist that he'll drive from Boston for the wings and eat them at the small shop so that they're at perfect crispiness. Wing Works is accessible by T - head to the Davis Square stop on the Red Line.

More Cheap Eats to follow....

Winners of Breaking The Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Winners of Breaking The Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Gwendolyn - geebeereads who said:

Books and chocolate -- what's better than that?! I've visited Manhattan quite a bit, but never been to Brooklyn. One of these days, I'll have to hop the bridge! I'd like to read this book for the fantasy vs. reality element. Everyone likes to dream about what they'd do with a windfall, but what would it really, really be like? Thanks for the chance to win a copy!

Amy (Aimala127) who said:

I've been living in Brooklyn for 11 years now and live close to Park Slope. I love several of the places Yona Zeldis McDonough writes about in her post on favorite places in New York City, especially The Strand and Rizzoli's, two very different book stores but both very good places for books! I've never tried the tea salon she mentions and plan to soon. I usually opt for one of the many dessert & coffee shops or the popular cupcake places around NYC, but I love tea so I'm looking forward to trying Marie Belle Cacoa Bar/Tea Salon.

I've contacted the winners and they have until Monday to send me their mailing addresses. Gwendolyn won the book on another site, so I've picked another winner. Thank you all for participating!

Thank you so much to Sarah and Pocket Books for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Giveaway: The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

Valerie and Hatchette Book Group are generously sponsoring a giveaway of 5 copies of the long-awaited sequel to The Gold Coast, Nelson DeMille's The Gate House.

About the Book, courtesy of the Publisher:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille delivers the long-awaited follow-up to his classic novel The Gold Coast.

When John Sutter's aristocratic wife killed her mafia don lover, John left America and set out in his sailboat on a three-year journey around the world, eventually settling in London. Now, ten years later, he has come home to the Gold Coast, that stretch of land on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America, to attend the imminent funeral of an old family servant.

Taking up temporary residence in the gatehouse of Stanhope Hall, John finds himself living only a quarter of a mile from Susan who has also returned to Long Island. But Susan isn't the only person from John's past who has reemerged: Though Frank Bellarosa, infamous Mafia don and Susan's ex-lover, is long dead, his son, Anthony, is alive and well, and intent on two missions: Drawing John back into the violent world of the Bellarosa family, and exacting revenge on his father's murderer--Susan Sutter.

At the same time, John and Susan's mutual attraction resurfaces and old passions begin to reignite, and John finds himself pulled deeper into a familiar web of seduction and betrayal. In The Gate House, acclaimed author Nelson Demille brings us back to that fabled spot on the North Shore -- a place where past, present, and future collides with often unexpected results.

About the Author, courtesy of his website:

Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City and moved as a child with his family to Long Island. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and still lives on Long Island.

DeMille's earlier books were NYPD detective novels. His first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978 and still in print, as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of The Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and American Mensa. He holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.

Nelson DeMille is the author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General's Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Night Fall, and Wild Fire. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories, book reviews, and articles to magazines and newspapers.

CONTEST DETAILS

To enter, tell us if you've read any of Nelson DeMille's novels and which one you like best. If you aren't familiar with his work, just say why you'd like this book.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address, no entry.
2. For an extra entry, sign up to be a follower. If you're already a follower, let me know and you'll get the extra entry as well.
3. For another extra entry, subscribe via googlereader or blogger or by email and let me know that you do.
4. For another entry, blog about this giveaway and send me the link.
5. Leave a separate comment for each entry or you'll only be entered once.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on November 30, 2009. Thank you so much, Valerie and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Guest post & book review of Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick

To guest post and review today, we have Rosario Lapus, who is a docent at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I had shown her the book some time ago and she graciously offered to share her thoughts on Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick. I eagerly took her up on her offer. Please welcome, Rosario Lapus, one of my favorite people and my mother!

This book provides an elaborate and captivating look into the creative process followed by one of the most truly American of artists.

A gifted storyteller, Norman Rockwell made use of photography to expand on a theme and create a realistic setting for his story illustrations. With “props bought, borrowed or rented”, he constructed a scene that was detailed and natural, peopled by neighbors and friends. These scenes were authentic simply because the people were real. He portrayed American life with gusto and great fidelity.

Known as the “kid with the camera eye”, the camera was the instrument used by Rockwell to serve as interface of the eye and the canvas, capturing the nuances and details of a scene which he later edited to reflect his own vision. Much like today’s art director, he created a setting, cut and pasted some parts, then filled them with action and color to obtain the end-result he wanted.

These visual images Rockwell created with the help of the camera resonated with the ordinary American. With titles like: “Merry Christmas, Grandma… we came in our new Plymouth” (1951); “Maternity Waiting Room “ (1946); “Leaving the Hospital” (1954) these domestic vignettes realistically conveyed the excitement, anxiety, and various emotions of people settling into family life after almost a decade of war and deprivation. The automobile, the newest symbol of prosperity, brought a new way of life and clearly captivated him and his audience.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (October 22, 2009)224 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you so much Rosario for the guest review! And a huge thank you to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for this review opportunity.