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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Release Day! LOVE AMPLIFIED (Heavy Influence, #3) by @frohoffwrites


Happy Release Day:




Love Amplified (Heavy Influence, #3)
By: Ann Marie Frohoff
Publisher AMF Publishing
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Pages: 176
Jake Masters is on the rise, sober and inspired. His solo music career has taken off and he's packed away his ugly skeletons - so he thought.

When a tropical rendezvous with Alyssa turns into an unexpected life-altering reunion, they must decide what's more important - their happily ever after or doing the right thing.  
Can it be both?
 



Exclusive Excerpt:


1
Alyssa

There are things you can’t un-see…things that remain like thick burn scars,
always there to remind you of a fire you couldn’t run away from. Living in the same town as my rock star ex-boyfriend was one of them. Jake Masters, the love of my life and the torment of my existence had moved back from New York City, unexpectedly, and I had spotted him in the most unbelievable way.

Standing in the middle of the Manhattan Beach Pier the ocean waves crashed
against the pier piling, matching the pounding of my heart. My emotions churned like the blue water bubbling beneath me. I felt the heat of emotion rising up my neck. I kept blinking, not believing what I was seeing. I looked back at Nathan, who’d always been there for me during my darkest of days with Jake in high school. My friend Nathan, who became my boyfriend, back to friend, then turned fiancĂ©. He was talking on his cell phone. He’d answered a call from his hospital intern program, stalling our all too serious marriage conversation.

Waiting for him to get off the phone I had leaned against the pier’s railing,
looking out over the sand. It was a warm spring Monday afternoon and there were more people on the beach than usual, too many kids ran around at the shoreline and I thought it must have been a school holiday.

That’s when I saw him – Jake. My hands trembled instantly and my legs grew
wobbly. I took in a deep breath to get a hold of myself. His shirtless back faced me. There was no mistaking him. The tattoo dedicated to me, angled over his left bicep and down his shoulder blade, taunted me. It was as if it were alive, its strands of hair waving back and forth as he dug in the sand next to a little boy and a woman with long black hair. I could see them clearly as I stood above them on the pier. They were building a sand castle. I turned away unable to believe it. I leaned my back against the railing, watching Nathan as he slowly walked toward me.

My handsome Nathan…maybe not mine anymore. I didn’t deserve him. I never
did. This was a sign. My heart would always belong to Jake. No man deserves a woman who would always pine for someone else.

What was I seeing?

I didn’t want to turn back to get another glimpse, but I had no control. I casually
glanced over my shoulder. Now I could hear their laughter as if they were the only ones on the beach and it shredded me to my core. Nathan finally made it to my side and I watched him as he rubbed his jaw, despondent. He’d flown in that morning, just to see me and to give me an ultimatum.

“Alyssa if we’re not gonna set a date this has to end…” - that’s what he’d said
right before his phone rang. I still couldn’t believe he took the call, maybe because he wanted me to suffer. I’d dragged our engagement out long enough. I looked back over my shoulder again. Seeing Jake play happy family made my stomach turn.

Who were they? That’s probably his new girlfriend – I thought, wondering whom
the kid was. Would Jake date someone with a kid? – Obviously. I felt the life rush out of me like the air in a punctured balloon as memories flooded through my mind, lingering on the things that caused our complete and final breakup. What the hell did I expect? Of course he’d move on with his life. I ended it so harshly and heartlessly, but he deserved my cold shoulder. He’d been sleeping with his deceased best friend’s wife, more than once. He was on drugs and not the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I remembered the pain and hurt in Jake’s eyes when I threw the ring he’d given me, our promise of forever, in his face as if it happened yesterday.

I never looked back.

Nathan tucked his phone back in his pocket and I launched off of the railing,
grabbing him by the arm leading him away. I didn’t want him to see what and whom I was staring at. His face was still serious and his green eyes more somber. I knew the end was near, but not in the way I’d expected.

“Everything ok, with work?” I linked my arm through his. He sighed and pulled away from me. “Aly, what’s it gonna be?” I stopped to face him. “You want an answer now?” “Alyssa, you’re graduating. I…” He hung his head and my heartbeat was in my ears. “I met someone, Alyssa, and I’m interested in taking her out. If you’re not going to marry me…we both need to move on with our lives.”

The ringing in my ears made me dizzy. I watched Nathan’s face as he eagerly
looked at me for a response and all I kept hearing in my mind was – “…I met
someone…” “Nathan,” I crossed my arms, trying to figure out how I was feeling. I was both hurt and not surprised. “What you’re saying doesn’t make sense…” “Yes, it does…it came out wrong, Alyssa, I love you.” He was flustered and it made me feel worse about everything. “It’s about you not wanting to commit to a life with me...” he gulped, searching my eyes, “and I met someone in my program. I spend a
lot of time with her. She enjoys my company…and she made a comment that if I wasn’t engaged, she’d ask me out. It was a simple, flirtatious comment, yes, but it got me to thinking…since you won’t commit to a wedding date.”

Sadness and guilt gutted me. 

“Nathan you knew…” “I know.” He interrupted, frustrated. “I’ve grown tired of hoping you’ll come around, Alyssa. I’m ready to start my life with someone. I know we’re young but I wanna build a life with someone from nothing and I wanted that to be you.”

Alyssa. He never calls me Alyssa.

“You don’t even wear the ring I gave you.” He continued. “I should have known
when you stopped wearing it.” His arms flew up in indignation. “I want you to be happy. I want to be happy. I thought I could be something better in your life. I thought I could show you the love you deserve, show you how a man is supposed to treat a woman.” “Nathan, if this is about Jake…”

“That’s part of it.” He said loudly, drawing a bit of attention to us. “I wouldn’t marry him either.” I practically shouted, blurting out more than I wanted, “he asked me several times, too.” I felt heavy like I could collapse from emotional weight.
He looked confused. I’d never shared this information with him.

“Really.” He laughed to himself, almost mockingly. He turned away and his arms
flew out again as he paced back to me sarcastically saying, “I suppose that makes me feel slightly better.”

This was a side of Nathan I’d not seen before and I ignored his biting contention,

saying.

 “I’m just fucked up, what can I say.”





   



Ann Marie ("Annie") Frohoff grew up in sunny Southern California. As a teen and young adult, she spent her time frequenting and living in nearly every beachside city up and down the coast.

Ann Marie is a debut author whose vision to tell a story started out like many other aspiring writers, with a dream, literally. After taking her then eight-year-old daughter to a concert, her dream weaving took on a life of its own. Long story short, she quit her high- paying corporate job and went for broke to follow her dream.

The first installment in her Heavy Influence Trilogy, FIRST KISS, released June 11, 2013 — the series is a story about young, reckless love between a rising rock star and his younger muse, spanning 10 years of their tumultuous and passionate relationship. 
Each book in the Trilogy will come with a soundtrack of original music, of which the lyrics will appear in the pages of the books.


Annie has settled in the South Bay area of Los Angeles with her family.



Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Mailing List | YouTube | Goodreads


Giveaway:

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Thursday, June 16, 2016

'JUST JAKE' - A HEAVY INFLUENCE Series Short - Teaser Trailer + Giveaway @rockinwriterchk


New! Just Jake Teaser Trailer:



Where Love Makes or Breaks The Music..





The Heavy Influence Series:


The final book in the Heavy Influence series, LOVE AMPLIFIED will be released October 25, 2016. If you are interested in participating in promoting the book, please fill out this form. http://bit.ly/1XYevEO

Giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway




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Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Waiting in Wednesday #17

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Tiffany's Pick:







Release Date: September 13, 2016
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 352
Published By: Knopf Books for Young Readers
In the tradition of The Lovely Bones comes a haunting tale of two girls—one dead, one alive.

TATUM is the only person at school who knew the truth about the affair her best friend, Claudette, has been having with Mr. Paracini, their married teacher. And at the time, confiding in an adult seemed like the right thing to do. But now, everyone in town has turned against Tatum, painting her as a liar and a rat. As the bullying from her classmates escalates, it seems that nowhere is safe for her anymore.

MOLLY, a hitchhiker, was brutally murdered in the early 1970s, but there is no afterlife for her. Instead, she has found herself marooned with a crowd of other people who have also died tragically. Molly is able to fade back to earth for a few fleeting moments, and when she fades, she finds herself hitchhiking once again, and telling the unsuspecting drivers who stop for her things about their future that only she can see.

One foggy night, Tatum sneaks out for a drive. The teenage hitchhiker she picks up doesn’t talk much, until she suddenly turns to Tatum and says: “You’re going to die. It will hurt and you’ll be alone. And no one will help you.”

And then she disappears. As the two girls’ stories converge, Tatum and Molly will discover that they must first figure out how to help the other in order to save themselves.



Why I'm Waiting:
    Honestly I have adored everything I have read by Jeyn Roberts.  I dislike that there are books still waiting for their follow ups but that being said I always want the next book that she releases.  Her stories always have wonderfully crafted worlds with characters that have some depth to them.  Despite wanting a couple other books first I am looking forward to this one as well :)

Happy Reading! Ciao:

What are you waiting on this week? I would love to hear it! Make sure you link up your post as well so I can stop by.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #16 @bloomsburykids @SJMaas

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Tiffany's Pick:






Release Date: May 3, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 624
Published By: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.



Why I'm Waiting:
    This is one of the books that I know I will have the moment it releases, and yet I have yet to pick up the first book.  I know why am I waiting?  Well, lets just start with I don't know.  I am a fool for anything retelling (they are only slightly below mermaids and mythology).  Though maybe this one is less of a retelling and more just fantasy?  Honestly I don't know because the first one sounded like a twisted tale but I'm thinking I was wrong.  This is all why I need these books.  To clear things up and to read another novel by this phenomenal author. 

Happy Reading! Ciao:

What are you waiting on this week? I would love to hear it! Make sure you link up your post as well so I can stop by.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #15 @catwinters

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Tiffany's Pick:






Release Date: March 8, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Retelling
Pages: 352
Published By: Amulet Books
A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him—who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night



Why I'm Waiting:
  I have heard awesome things about Cat Winters writing and ability to spin a captivating tale.  The fact that she is re-imagining Hamlet and twisting it up, sprouts a need to pick up this book.  I find the synopsis and the unique twists presented highly captivating.  If Winters is as good as I've heard this may be a good time to start a new author obsession.  

Happy Reading! Ciao:

What are you waiting on this week? I would love to hear it! Make sure you link up your post as well so I can stop by.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #14

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Tiffany's Pick:






Release Date: April 19, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 300
Published By: Month9Books, LLC
Lia Nautilus may be a Mermaid but she’s never lived in the ocean. War has ravaged the seven seas ever since the infamous Little Mermaid unleashed a curse that stripped Mer of their immortality. Lia has grown up in a secret community of land-dwelling Mer hidden among Malibu’s seaside mansions. Her biggest problems are surviving P.E. and keeping her feelings for Clay Ericson in check. Sure, he’s gorgeous in that cocky, leather jacket sort of way and makes her feel like there’s a school of fish swimming in her stomach, but getting involved with a human could put Lia's entire community at risk.

So it’s for the best that he’s dating that new girl, right? That is, until Lia finds out she isn't the only one at school keeping a potentially deadly secret. And this new girl? Her eyes are dead set on Clay, who doesn't realize the danger he's in. If Lia hopes to save him, she’ll have to get closer to Clay. Lia’s parents would totally flip if they found out she was falling for a human boy, but the more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to deny her feelings. After making a horrible mistake, Lia will risk everything to stop Clay from falling in love with the wrong girl.



Why I'm Waiting:
  If you know me at all, you know that if it says Mermaid I am in.  Add a pretty cover and nothing will get in my way.  Emerge by Tobie Easton is one of those books.  Plus Little Mermaid curse...  Secret Lovers....  Well, there is nothing in that synopsis that say this book will be anything but EPIC!!!!!  I NEED this book in my life and on my shelf <3 

Happy Reading! Ciao:

What are you waiting on this week? I would love to hear it! Make sure you link up your post as well so I can stop by.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Music to Books


Welcome to Lady Reader's Bookstuff's Top Ten Tuesday!!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week is all about music and books.  Such an awesome mash up if you ask me!  There are so many books that I have given a song to as I read.  Honestly though ,I wouldn't know where to start with that.  I decided for this one I would give you a list of songs that I think would be kick ass as book or at least give us something to talk about. 


Songs I Would like as a Book

Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm

  This could be all kinds of fun.  Oh, I know that it isn't a typical message but it could be interrupted so many different ways.  Think of the mystery.  Could be done as a New Adult romance/mystery?  I don't know.  This could be a case that the video is so great that I would love to see a book pop up. 

Shatter Me by Lindsay Sterling feat. Lizzy Hale

    For sure dystopia!  Now if I have to be particular I would go with something that is like people evolving.  I know that there are many like that out now, but I think of this in a horror/dystopia way to start.  People are transforming like a butterfly...  As always there is the people that are afraid and the ones that feel this will help us for the better.

Follow Your Arrow by Kacey Musgraves

  My daughter and I always smile and sing to this song.  I kind of see it as an epic coming of age contemporary.  The journey to find yourself and overcome the stereotypes that may come with some of the choices.  Because we all know they are there but also we have to be who we are because there is no pleasing everyone.


Lose My Mind by Brett Eldredge


  I actually LOVE this song.  It's fun and the music video amuses me to no end.  This is also probably why I see this as a paranormal and possible love story.  He loves her but is she really there, or is she just a ghost/in his mind?  Maybe she is real in the end...  Maybe he drives himself crazy looking for her?

I Got the Boy by Jana Kramer


We always get happily ever after in a book.  Well we do most of the time.  However, I see this as a happily never after.  Like a failed second chance type deal.  Yes, I realize this is sad but not everyone will get their happily ever after.  So, this a contemporary with a serious tragic twist for me.

Confident by Demi Lovato


We always want confident females in the lead right?  Well what better song honestly.  I see this one as a action/paranormal read.  Possible dystopia.  I don't know, there are just so many possibilities out there.

Stand by You by Rachel Platten

Normally not a fan of songs like this.  However, I think this would make an awesome book inspired by a song with maybe a star crossed Angel/Fallen Angel take?  Maybe it's the lyrics but, we often have a mortal loving one or the other (occasionally torn between). This made me think of the two teams or one fighting for the other.

Somewhere in My Car by Keith Urban


  A New Adult or Adult book about remembering the love you lost.  Maybe this song will strike him to search her out.  Have a male lead instead of a female lead.  I know we don't typically view men as the ones that hold on, but would kind of be poetic right.

Burning House by Cam

  So another New Adult.  I know it seems the typical tale of losing someone and trying to hold on, but this song is kind of beautiful and might make the same kind of book.

Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift


Okay, so my Mom got me in on this song.  Took a bit but I will admit that it is kind of pretty.  Would make a good New Adult Paranormal I think.  Like does she dream him, does he dream her?  Is she cheating on her all start boyfriend with him?  Is he looking to her for an escape?  Do they know each other from a past life?  Oh, the possibilities are endless....

fin...

What do you thik of my lists?  My reasons?  Any songs you think could go another way?  What about songs you would like to see as books?  If you have a list link me up and I will make sure I stop by and check yours out :)

Thursday, February 11, 2016

The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude *Promo Post* @SarahEJude #MQM


The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude easily fits into the overlapping worlds of horror, suspense and romance. Freakier than gore, it’s not the usual fright-fest and instead pulls from Ozark lore that builds in tension as the secrets of traditions are unearthed.

Satisfyingly spooky, The May Queen Murders pulls readers into a maze of what ifs and whodunit while developing a diverse lot of suspicious characters.
An ALAN January pick, this novel should please fans of multiple genres and ages.

About the Book:


Title: The May Queen Murders
By: Sarah Jude
Pages: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: May 3rd 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night. 
Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it.

The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks.

When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

Find The Book:
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound


Exclusive Content:
Q: What particular May Queen myth inspired The May Queen Murders? What’s the story behind it for you? Why were you fascinated by it?

A: How do you choose which girl is the embodiment of spring? It’s a duality—historically, the girl picked as May Queen was virginal and yet it’s a fertility rite. Spring is the season of new growth, animals bearing young, the end of winter’s barren expanse.

The May Day festival has been more prominent over in the UK than the US, but there are pockets of communities that had a May Queen crowning. Often she led a parade and is much celebrated. While there has never been any proven sacrifice or ritual murder associated with May Day, the old movie The Wicker Man--not the Nicholas Cage version but the old one with Christopher Lee—portrays that rumored side of May Day.
When my editor took the book to the acquisitions meeting, she cited that movie as something it reminded her of, and honestly, it was an inspiration point.

The real story for me lies in the secrets people hold and how your face on the outside can contradict what your face is inside. The process of choosing a girl seemed a ripe setting to exacerbate already growing rivalries.

Sometimes the people you are closest to are the ones you are also most at odds with, so exploring that was definitely a touchstone of writing THE MAY QUEEN MURDERS.


About the Author:


Sarah Jude lives by the woods and has an owl that lands on her chimney every night. She grew up believing you had to hold your breath whenever you passed a graveyard or bridge spanning water.

Now she writes about cemeteries, murder, and ghostly apparitions.

She resides in Missouri with her husband, three children, and three dogs.


Find The Author:

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #13 @HarlequinTeen

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Tiffany's Pick:





Release Date: April 26, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 384
Published By: Harlequin Teen
As heir to a kingdom of floating continents, Kali has spent her life bound by limits—by her duties as a member of the royal family; by a forced betrothal to the son of a nobleman; and by the edge of the only world she’s ever known—a small island hovering above a monster-ridden earth, long since uninhabited by humans. She is the Eternal Flame of Hope for what’s left of mankind, the wick and the wax burning in service for her people, and for their revered Phoenix, whose magic keeps them aloft.

When Kali falls off the edge of her kingdom and miraculously survives, she is shocked to discover there are still humans on the earth. Determined to get home, Kali entrusts a rugged monster-hunter named Griffin to guide her across a world overrun by chimera, storm dragons, basilisks, and other terrifying beasts. But the more time she spends on earth, the more dark truths she begins to uncover about her home in the sky, and the more resolute she is to start burning for herself.



Why I'm Waiting:
  Amanda Sun has a beautiful writing style and her stories have an addicting flow. What else I enjoy about reading her is that she has wonderfully unique stories to tell.  The worlds and people in them vivid and easy to enjoy.  I would be lying (once again) if I said that I didn't love this cover.  It is easy to be excited about this new book from an author I enjoy. 

Happy Reading! Ciao:

What are you waiting on this week? I would love to hear it! Make sure you link up your post as well so I can stop by.