Posts Tagged ‘Linda Grimes’

Feb

23

2016

Win My ARC of ALL FIXED UP by Linda Grimes

Filed under: Book Auntie Braggery, Book Reviews, Check-it-out, Community, Reading, Stuff I Love, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary

Today is your lucky day–you have multiple chances to win my ARC of ALL FIXED UP (Ciel Halligan #4)

by the fabulous Linda Grimes!!!!

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Linda is one of my Wolf Pack Sistahs at Wolfson Literary and she was super-duper sisterly and sent me an advanced copy of ALL FIXED UP!!!  I love her for not making me wait to find out what happened to one of my favorite characters in the book world. And since I just finished reading ALL FIXED UP, I get to tell everyone how awesome it is AND I get to be one of the nicest people on the planet because I’m sharing my copy with another Ciel fan.

But before I get to the giveaway, let me tell you a little about the book…

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Coming May 24, 2016 — Tor Books

The hilarious adventures of human chameleon Ciel Halligan continue in the fourth installment of this original urban fantasy series, All Fixed Up.

Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire, has a lot of experience filling in for her clients–as them. A rare genetic quirk gives her the ability to absorb human energy and project it back out in a flawless imitation. She’s hard at work, posing as a well-known and celebrated astronaut, about to make a stunning announcement on behalf of the space program…when the photographer documenting the job sees right through her aura. Worse, it soon becomes apparent that he not only knows Ciel’s not who she’s supposed to be, but means her harm.

When Ciel’s elderly Aunt Helen—also an aura adaptor—is murdered in Central Park, and the same photographer shows up at the funeral, Ciel starts to feel even more exposed. Then more adaptors are killed in the same way, and she becomes terrified her friends and family are being systematically exterminated … and it’s starting to look like she’s the ultimate target. She turns to Billy Doyle, her best-friend-turned-boyfriend, for help, but when an unexpected crisis causes him to take off without a word, she’s left to rely on her not-so-former crush, CIA agent Mark Fielding.

Staying alive, keeping control of her romantic life, and unraveling the mystery of why adaptors are being pursued becomes a harder balancing act than ever in this new Ciel Halligan adventure from Linda Grimes.

And here is my review of ALL FIXED UP:

I’m just going to say it–I LOVE the Ciel Halligan books! I don’t know how Linda Grimes does it, but ALL FIXED UP is my favorite to date. The more she writes, the better she gets. Once again Grimes captures the perfect balance between humor, steamy romance and heart. If you like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, but want to add a supernatural twist, you are going to love Ciel Halligan!!!!

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And in case you’ve some how managed to miss this fabulous series, I wanted you to get a look at all the covers and some of the fabulous reviews. You do see that OUTLANDER’S Diana Gabaldon thinks it’s awesome too! Right along with RT Book Reviews and Library Journal. And me, of course.

And I don’t want you to leave without getting to know Linda a little better…

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Linda grew up in Texas, where she rode horses, embarrassed herself onstage a lot, and taught teenagers they’d have to learn the rules of English before they could get away with breaking them for creativity’s sake. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, whom she snagged after he saw her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of “If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait” to hook a man for a lifetime.)

Like IN A FIX’s globetrotting main character, aura adaptor Ciel Halligan, Linda has spent her fair share of time overseas, though fortunately under less stressful circumstances. Kidnapping and daring rescues are all well and good in fiction, but she prefers sanity in her real life.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to give my ARC of ALL FIXED UP to one lucky winner!!! The Rafflecopter below will give you all kinds of chances to win.

Ready. Set. Go!

****If you haven’t started this series yet–Linda is also throwing in a signed copy of her first book in the series IN A FIX for the winner!!! It’s your lucky day!!!!!****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Mar

10

2015

Book Auntie Braggery– Win THE BIG FIX by Linda Grimes

Filed under: Book Auntie Braggery, Book Reviews, Check-it-out, Reading, Stuff I Love, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary

May is almost here and there is more reason to be excited than just the thought of warm, snow free weather. You should be super pumped because the next installment of Linda Grimes’ Ciel Halligan series will be available on May 12th!!!!

 

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And trust me, you want to read this book. Actually, you want to read this series. (IN A FIX and QUICK FIX) How often do you get to read stuff that’s smart, creative, sexy and hilarious all at once? You can if you read Linda’s books. Here’s a little bit a about THE BIG FIX…

Linda Grimes’s sexy and hilarious urban fantasy series that began with In a Fix and Quick Fix continues in The Big Fix.

Aura adaptor extraordinaire Ciel Halligan, who uses her chameleon-like abilities to fix her clients’ problems—as them—is filling in on set for action superstar Jackson Gunn, whose snake phobia is standing in the way of his completing his latest mega-millions Hollywood blockbuster. There’s only one thing Jack fears more than snakes, and that’s the possibility of his fans finding out he screams at the sight of one. Going from hero to laughing stock isn’t part of his career plan.

Seems like a simple enough job to Ciel, who doesn’t particularly like snakes, but figures she can tolerate an afternoon with them, for the right price—which Jack is offering, and then some. What she doesn’t count on is finding out that while she was busy wrangling snakes for him, his wife was busy getting killed. When Ciel goes to break the sad news to the star, she finds out Jack was AWOL from her client hideaway at the time of the murder.

Ciel begins to suspect Jack’s phobia was phony, and that he only hired her to provide him with an alibi—but if she goes to the police, she’ll have to explain how she knows he wasn’t really on set. Up against a wall, Ciel calls on her best-friend-turned-love-interest Billy, and her not-so-ex-crush Mark, to help her set up the sting of a lifetime.

Told you it sounded great. Aren’t you jealous because I got to read it already????

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Kimberly’s Review of THE BIG FIX:

I love ALL of Linda Grime’s Ciel Halligan books, but THE BIG FIX made me go…”WHAT? I can’t believe she did THAT!!!!” And I mean that in the most flattering way. I’m still shaking my head LOL!

Grimes’ writing is creative, smart, intriguing, sexy and funny all rolled up. I haven’t enjoyed an adult series this much since I fell in love with the Outlander books. Grimes had better be writing fast and furious because I NEED my next FIX!

 

You can preorder THE BIG FIX here…

*Amazon

*Barnes & Noble

*IndieBound

 

Linda Grimes

Linda grew up in Texas, where she rode horses, embarrassed herself onstage a lot, and taught teenagers they’d have to learn the rules of English before they could get away with breaking them for creativity’s sake. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, whom she snagged after he saw her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of “If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait” to hook a man for a lifetime.)

Like IN A FIX’s globetrotting main character, aura adaptor Ciel Halligan, Linda has spent her fair share of time overseas, though fortunately under less stressful circumstances. Kidnapping and daring rescues are all well and good in fiction, but she prefers sanity in her real life.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Linda is one of my Wolf Pack Sistahs–we share the same fabulous agent–Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary. <3 That’s how I scored an ARC of THE BIG FIX. And even though it’s mine and I pet it lovingly, I am willing to share my copy with one lucky winner because I love you. All I ask is that the winner review THE BIG FIX and help to spread the word about how awesome it is. (Yes, I’m pretty confident you’re going to love it.) Here’s how you enter…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to learn more about Linda Grimes, Ciel Halligan and THE BIG FIX? Check out Linda’s Website/blog. My blog question for the day is in the Rafflecopter giveaway. :o)

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Feb

10

2015

The 2015 SCBWI NY Winter Conference Part 1

Filed under: Conferences, SCBWI, Touching the Surface

I dropped the boys at school.

I brought the puppy to Canine Kindergarten.

And then I made the great escape…

I was off to the 2015 SCBWI NY Winter Conference. I was giddy by the time I sat my butt on the train, because with the holidays, and the puppy and the boys and the snow, I was ready to get away. I needed a weekend where I focused on friends, writing and inspiration. Not to mention about 48 hours where the only person I have to clean up after was ME.

Settling into my seat on the train, I glanced out the window, saw a gorgeous American Bald Eagle in the tree, and then cracked open a book. You can all give a pleasurable sigh right along with me. *sigh* And then, as if good karma was touching me on the head with her magic finger, my hotel room was ready and I was off to meet my fabulous agent, Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary for lunch. (In case you’re wondering, Michelle is currently opened to queries, but be sure to follow the guidelines on her website.)

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My favorite picture of us <3

And here are some of the treats she brought for me…

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Illusions of Fate by Kirsten White.

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Two of The Maggie Malone Books by Jenna McCarthy and Carolyn Evans.

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The Fire Artist by Daisy Whitney.

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And a coveted ARC of The Big Fix by Linda Grimes!!!!

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And here’s the new cover in case you’re wondering. OMG! I love it.

*does a happy dance* I can not wait to read them all!!!

Toting my cache, warm from Michelle Wolfson hugs, it was back to the hotel in time to meet up with all my friends. Some had done the Intensives and some were just arriving in NYC.

*Drum roll please* because it’s time to get to the stuff you really want to hear about…

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It isn’t a conference if we don’t have Lin Oliver‘s conference statistics:

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* 1,032 attendees

* From 47 states. Kansas, Wyoming, Oklahoma and North Dakota were missing–come on people–we need you there!

* There were people in attendance from 16 different countries *fist pump* With NY being the largest chunk of the pie followed by CA, MA and then NJ. Lin called the NJ folks out on their driving skills LOL!

* 32% of attendees are published and 375 folks were our talented illustrators.

* Start planning now so you can be in one of those seats next year!

The first Keynote of the conference was by Anthony Horowitz–Grabbing Young Readers From First Line to Last

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Just so you know, Anthony had an amazing British accent, so if I’m going to be truthful, the whole audience would have let him read the phone book and still enjoyed his keynote LOL! But he WAS an amazing speaker. His rapid fire jokes and insights had everyone listening and laughing. Here are some highlights…

* He spent lots of time in the boarding school library because that was the only place he felt safe and secure.

*The end of a chapter should never be an excuse to stop reading.

*At one point in his career he was worried his grave stone would read BIG in Belgium LOL!

*Harry Potter changed EVERYTHING!

*Writers are arsonists–setting the world on fire is their natural default.

*Children don’t just read books–they devour them.

*The first line is the thing the kids will read in the store.

*Write up for kids.

*I am a camera-kids are bombarded with images, your words need to create strong images that keep their attention.

*Writing is telepathy-if you’re excited about what you’re writing, chances are that you’ll have readers excited too.

*NEVER GIVE UP

Next up was the Keynote Editor’s Panel: Children’s Books 2015–Report From the Front Lines

JC–Justin Chanda (VP and Publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

BH–Beverly Horowitz (VP and Publisher, Delacorte Press)

LG–Laura Goodwin (VP and Publisher, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)

SOL–Stephanie Owens Lurie (Associate Publisher, Disney-Hyperion)

MODERATOR LO–Lin OLiver

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Just some highlights from the discussion…

JC–Adult sales are flat and children’s are up! *fist pump* BUT…teen sales are up on a handful of authors, but not the majority. And FYI the movie industry has a lot to do with that.

Ummm anyone want to make a blockbuster movie about TOUCHING THE SURFACE?

JC–Contemporary is not the only thing kids want to read.

JC–The picture book is NOT dead!

JC–Continued upswing in MG.

JC–reminder that the business is cyclical.

JC–Common Core has not killed fiction.

JC–We write and publish good books and let everyone else, especially the media, take care of themselves.

BH–Write a great book and people will talk about it.

LG–There is an ongoing battle with piracy.

LG–Social media has allowed our mouths to reach more people and allowed authors to be advocates for each other’s books. <3

SOL–A Nielsen’s survey says kids prefer physical books.

SOL–Smaller books can easily get elbowed out.

SOL–It’s difficult to break out new authors.

SOL–The biggest disruption to a writer (trying to write) is from the fans seeking their time and attention on social media.

SOL–There is a correlation between and author’s tweets and sales (but that doesn’t mean annoying buy my book tweets. Talking about fan interaction style tweets)

SOL–Think about more than “how do I get my book published” and focus on “how I can get my work to an audience.”

JC–Social media is great, but you have nothing if you don’t have a strong story. Focus on that.

JC–YA and MG have very different social media.

JC–When you’re looking for a publisher, they should be a home–a partnership. They should be someone who shares your vision but isn’t telling you what your vision is.

JC–I don’t really like publishing books–I like publishing authors and illustrators. <3

Time for the AM Workshop! Writing Young Adult Fiction with Liz Tingue (Editor, Razorbill, Penguin Young Readers Group)

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Some highlights from the Workshop…

*Read a lot and not just in YA.

*Have a social media presence that’s comfortable for you, but does not interfere with you getting your writing done.

*KNOW your characters inside and out.

*If you’re writing in 1st person it should come to you in a strong and organic way.

*Utilize maps and outlines for plot and  structure but don’t be afraid to stray from them.

*Get a supportive critique group and get comfortable with tough love.

*Persevere when the going gets tough, but don’t be afraid to walk away from a project if it’s just not working.

After a yummy break for lunch, it was time for my afternoon Workshop with Emily Clement (Associate Editor, Arthur A. Levine Books, Scholastic Inc.) Writing Literary Ficiton.

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This was a fabulous workshop. Best I’ve been to for explaining what literary fiction really means. In truth it has different connotations for different people. If you think literary fiction is dense, slow and boring, you’re probably reading writing that is UNSUCCESSFULLY trying to be literary.

Literary fiction is not about content–it’s about quality. It’s entertaining, but it’s also something more.

*Literary fiction needs to be about something that readers want to talk about because it engages them on an intellectual and emotional level.

*Readers of literary fiction crave authentic and original voice.

*Good writing without a plot is BORING not literary.

*YOU WANT YOUR LITERARY NOVEL TO ALSO BE COMMERCIAL!!!!!!

*Literary books are stories that break the rules and do not fit neatly inside their genres.

Time for another Keynote. This one Beyond Language: Creating Picture Books That are Read and Played by Herve Tullet

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I’m going to be honest–it’s hard to explain Herve Tullet. He is not your typical keynote speaker. His favorite word is HA! Which is the reaction he wants from his readers when they explore his books. He believes it’s the most exciting thing when he can illicit that word from someone else.

Ideally I would have videotaped Herve interacting with the audience, as he guided us through his brilliant books, the way he does when he meets with children. But that’s not allowed, so this is the best I can do to capture the magic.

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You must go out and buy his books and share them with children. <3

 

The last Keynote of the day was Kami Garcia talking about The Truth About Writing.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t take a lot of notes because I was so caught up in Kami’s speech.. Suffice it to say she’s a hard working, funny lady with a big heart. I adored how her and her writing partner Margaret Stohl filled a void, empowered girls, set a fabulous standard for boys and the whole time stayed super connected to the teens they were writing for. One of the most fascinating parts of the story was their journey to publication. Kami doubts they would have been brave enough to do it the same way if they’d been purposefully trying to publish. And it was also “good” to hear, that despite her incredible success, Kami gets as nervous and insecure as we do every time she’s writing something new.

Kami was also nice enough to sign a copy of her book and make a video message for my friend Jeannie who’s a HUGE fan and couldn’t make the conference. How cool is that?IMG_0299

The rest of the evening included an Art Browse, where everyone had a chance to check out the gorgeous portfolios of the illustrators attending the conference. This was followed by the Gala Dinner where you could find me in my favorite spot…

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THE MASHED POTATOE BAR!!!!!

After the Gala there was also several socials for LGBTQ, illustrators, new members/first time conference attendees and international attendees. And of course there is always the unofficial group of “Lobby Rats” that hangs out and talks half the night away. This wasn’t all the rats, we’re a large and transitory group, but this pic captured a bunch of us.

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The wonderful part of this is that some of the Lobby Rats have been doing this for years and some we just met for the first time that very evening.

If you’re thinking about coming to next year’s conference and you’re worried about not knowing anyone, know you can always contact me and we’ll make sure you have friends to eat with and buddies to hang out with. Worrying about being alone should NEVER be a reason not to come to the NY conference!!!  

I’m kind of thinking we should get Lobby Rats T-shirts. What do you think? SCBWI Lobby Rat? 

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And we now have the unofficial and very weird NY SCBWI Lobby Rats mascot, which was dressed up as Harry Potter this year. The costume kind of make it less creepy–but not much ROTFL!

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And some Lobby Rats are RA’s who have work to do and missed the photo. Love you, Stacy Mozer and thanks for all you do for the SCBWI. (((((hugs)))))

I’ll be back on Thursday with the second half of the 2015 NY SCBWI Winter Conference recap. But in the mean time, I desperately need to know your favorite toppings on your mashed potatoes. Mine are mushrooms, bacon, cheddar cheese and chives. *grin*

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Jan

25

2013

Hanging with the Wolf Pack

Filed under: Check-it-out, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary, YA Books, Young Adult (YA)

I am revising like a fiend. If you squint your eyes a little bit, I almost look like a Wolfson Wolf Pack Cub–keeping up with the pack. And I love it because the Wolf Pack is fabulous and I’m so proud to be a part of it. My Wolf Pack girls are insane, crazy producers and what makes them special is that they don’t just write quickly, they write amazing books.

 

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(Usually this is me–slowly chewing on my thoughts in the corner. LOL!)

That’s why I wanted you to check out what’s new and coming your way. Wahhooooooo…

Kierten White: The author of the New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy (Paranormalcy, Supernaturally, and Endlessly) also has Mind Games, the first in a new series, out on February 19th. And she has an Egyptian mythology-based standalone, The Chaos of Stars, following in fall 2013, with the sequel to Mind Games in February, 2014.

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Daisy Whitney: By day, Daisy Whitney is a new media producer, reporter and on-air host. At night, she writes novels for teens and is the author of THE MOCKINGBIRDS and its sequel THE RIVALS (Little, Brown). Her third novel WHEN YOU WERE HERE releases in June 4th, 2013 (Little, Brown), and her fourth novel STARRY NIGHTS (Bloomsbury) hits shelves in Fall 2013.

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Kasie West: her debut novel, PIVOT POINT, will be published by HarperTeen Feb. 12, 2013. (Followed by its sequel a year later.) And THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, her contemporary YA novel, will be published in the July 2, 2013 (HarperTeen).

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Linda Grimes: is an author of light urban fantasy. Her first book, IN A FIX, was published by Tor in September 2012. The second in the series, QUICK FIX, will be released in the summer of 2013 (8-20-13).

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Jennifer Iacopelli: Her first novel, GAME SET MATCH, will be released by Coliloquy in Spring 2013! (Cover coming soon!)

 

See I told you–awesome! What are you looking forward to reading from the Wolf Pack? Did you get your hands on any of these ARC’s yet? Since you can’t have these just yet, what are your Friday Reads?

 

 

 

 

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Sep

5

2012

Win IN A FIX by Linda Grimes and Share a Little Random Publicity

Filed under: Check-it-out, Contests, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary

***THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

Yesterday was my faux book birthday–the date that my book was originally, tentatively, going to be released. Oh, thank my lucky stars that they changed it. A book launch with three kids, the day before the first day of school, would have been less than ideal. LOL! But–yesterday was the REAL book birthday of my Wolf Pack sistah Linda Grimes. Her debut novel, IN A FIX hit the shelves and I just happened to be in the bookstore and couldn’t help but take that baby home with me. Of course I also have my pre-ordered copy in transit, so to celebrate my Faux Book Birthday and Linda’s Real Book Birthday, I’m giving away one of my copies of IN A FIX!!!!

The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable… that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

Yes, I rock for sharing, but I have even bigger motivations than howling about the awesomeness of the Wolf Pack. (Although that would be enough.)  Besides the fact that IN A FIX and Linda are made of awesome and martinis, I have another great reason to pimp her book–It’s Darcy Pattinson’s Random Acts of Publicity Week. Woo hoo!!!!! Oh, wait–you haven’t heard? Here’s the info directly from the Facebook event page…

4th Annual Random Acts of Publicity 2012, September 4-7

The Random Acts of Publicity 2012 will focus this year on Conversations about Books. The basic idea of the Random Acts of Publicity is to take the focus off you and your books for a week and instead focus on a friend’s book or a favorite book. How can you help that book’s sales? We know that the basic things you can do is to Blog, link, Like, review, or talk about the book .

This year, we want to focus on Conversations about Books. What are the talking points of the book you want to feature? How can you start a conversation? Are there behind the scenes stories that make the book sound more interesting? Do different audiences require different talking points and different conversations? How do you create online conversations? How often do you start in-person conversations about a book? Let’s TALK about Talking about Books this week.

If you go to this link, you can also participate to win a really cool prize!!!!
But back to this blog post. In order to win my copy of IN A FIX, you need to leave a little random act of publicity in the comments. Tell me about a book that you think should be getting a little more attention and be sure to tell me why. Start a conversation that the rest of us want to finish. I’m going to slip some of my own favorites in the comments too. Share the love!
It’s not mandatory, but it would be really nice if you could tweet or share this post so that more people get to read about all of our random acts of publicity.
*DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE COMMENTS–THIS CONTEST IS OPEN IN THE US ONLY.*

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May

18

2012

Win an ARC of IN A FIX by Linda Grimes

Filed under: Book Reviews, Contests, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary

I know your jealous.

I got to read an ARC of Linda Grime’s debut novel IN A FIX!!!!

How did this wonderful thing happen to little old me? Well, Linda and I are Wolf Pack Sistahs. We share the same amazing agent–Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary!!!! And to prove how wonderful Michelle is, she has allowed me to use my ARC of IN A FIX for a contest giveaway. I’ll pause for a moment while you to get excited…

While I’m waiting for you to stop jumping up and down, I’ll tell you a little bit about Linda Grimes and IN A FIX…

In a Fix

September 4, 2012
Tor Books

The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable… that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years — both skilled adaptors — step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

“A fast-paced, sexy romp with characters as original as its intriguing premise!”
— DIANA GABALDON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUTLANDER

“Linda Grimes’s fast paced supernatural debut is fresh, fun, and sexy, and heroine Ciel Halligan faces both the outlandish and the deadly with a perfect balance of equanimity, irreverence, and nerve. I can’t wait to see where her wild adventures lead her next!”
— VICKI PETTERSSON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC SERIES

You can Pre-order IN A FIX here…

*Amazon

*Barnes & Noble

*Powell’s Books

*Indie Bound

*Books-A-Million

Kimberly’s Review of IN A FIX:

If you follow my reviews, you’ll find that the majority of what I review is Young Adult novels. But I really do enjoy reading other types of books, particularly when they are books from people who have already won me over with their personality and writing style. Linda Grimes is one of my Wolf Pack Sistahs. We’re both represented by the lovely Michelle Wolfson, giving me the squee-worthy opportunity to read Linda’s debut novel as an ARC.

IN A FIX is kick-ass creative! I found the idea of Aura Adaption to be extremely interesting and never did Grimes lose control of the concept. The premise wasn’t bogged down in back story and considering all the people moving going on, I was extremely impressed that I always knew who was who–unless I wasn’t supposed to.

Ciel was an extremely likable character. Flawed and fun, with just the right amount of gumption. And the boys??? Gahhhh Grimes had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out which one I liked more. Seeing as they were all pretty steamy, it was a lot of fun trying to decide. I raced through this debut novel and I can’t wait to read more by Linda Grimes. <3

Linda Grimes grew up in Texas, where she rode horses, embarrassed herself onstage a lot, and taught high school English to students who were more interested in heckling her at the theater where she moonlighted than in learning to conjugate verbs. Somewhere after horses and before teaching, she spent a semester abroad at Stockholm University, where she picked up enough of the native language to become linguistically entertaining. At least, her Swedish teacher seemed entertained when Linda, while attempting to relate, in Swedish, how her aunt had laughed at her, instead claimed her aunt had peed on her. (In Linda’s defense, you’d be surprised at how similar “laughed at” and “peed on” sound in Swedish, at least to American ears.)
Linda currently resides in northern Virginia with her theater-god husband, who succumbed to her charms after seeing her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of “If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait” to hook a man for a lifetime.) They managed to spawn two brilliant and gorgeous children—a daughter and a son—both possessed of such generosity of spirit they will no doubt fight over who gets to support their parents when the time comes.
Like her globetrotting main character, Linda has spent her share of time overseas, where, among other things, she witnessed—up close and personal—a police takedown of purse snatcher in Paris, became a bit too acquainted with a gun-running couple in Ireland (through a misunderstanding while breaking into the ruins of a castle closed for the season), and almost froze to death in an ice cave in Switzerland. She has since decided that writing is slightly less hazardous than travel, and tends to stay firmly planted behind her keyboard, torturing her characters instead.

 

*** You probably want to know how you can win my ARC of IN A FIX. In the comments, please tell me who’s appearance you would like to slip into?  Who would  you like to be an Aura Adaptor for? Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so that I can let you know if you’re a winner!!!

BTW…You can find out more about Linda Grimes and her debut novel IN A FIX here…

*Blog/Website

*Twitter

*The Debutant Ball

*Facebook

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Mar

5

2012

Monday Mash-up: Pub Date, Pre-orders, Author Revealed and a Hudson Valley YA Society Event

Filed under: Booksellers, The Class of 2k12, Touching the Surface, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary, YA Books, Young Adult (YA)

Here’s your Monday mash-up!

*TOUCHING THE SURFACE has a new release date–October 30th!!!! I know that means that I’m making you wait a little bit longer, but it also means that I get to launch my book during my favorite time of year. I can’t help but be excited–only eight months to go!!!

*Guess what’s available for pre-order??? Yup–TOUCHING THE SURFACE is on Amazon. I can’t even begin to tell you how cool this is. *does a little twirly dance* Feel free to stop over and hit the like button for the hardcover and for the Kindle ebook or…you can even pre-order it now. OMG!!!!  I can’t believe I’m finally getting to say that.

*Want to learn some funky facts? You can now find out more about me and TOUCHING THE SURFACE on the Simon & Schuster website. Kimberly Sabatini-Author Revealed. You can even sign up for email updates.

*Friday night was a blast. I got to head to one of my favorite Indie bookstores,Oblong Music & Books, for their monthly Hudson Valley YA Society Event.

Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Lit) Introducing Kate Ellison and Lauren Oliver!!! Yes, you heard me correctly.

 

Kate Ellison and Lauren Oliver talking about books and writing.

Lauren Oliver, Kimberly Sabatini, Kate Ellison *squee*

Linda Hanlon got a picture too. And yes, Lauren is really that tall and doesn’t Kate wears really cool tights?

Woot!!! Got to share Class of 2k12 swag and my ARC of TOUCHING THE SURFACE with some new friends and my buddy April from Good Books and Good Wine.

So, have you pre-ordered any highly anticipated books off of your wish list lately? I have to confess, I just pre-ordered all the Class of 2k12 books that are currently available. I wish that would make them come faster!!! I also pre-ordered IN A FIX by my Wolf Pack sistah Linda Grimes!!!! I can’t wait to read them all!!!!

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Sep

30

2011

Why Everyone Should Go to the Ball

Filed under: Blogging, Copy Edits, Wolf Pack, Wolfson Literary

I’m very busy finishing up my line edits, but just because my dance card is full doesn’t mean you can’t be doing something fun–like going to the ball…

Have you heard about the Debutante Ball?  It’s a group blog for some fantastic debut authors.  A couple of my very own agency sistahs have been involved.  Last year Tawna Fenske continuously cracked people up at the Ball, but don’t worry you can still catch her humor daily on her own blog–Don’t Pet Me, I’m Writing and of course you want to run right out and get a copy of her funny and steamy novel MAKING WAVES.  Lucky for you, Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary has move than one fantastic romantic comedy writer.   You can find my other agency sistah, Linda Grimes, leaving humorous words of wisdom at the Ball on Friday.  Linda’s debut (a light urban fantasy) will be coming out in July–Yay!!!!!

There are other wonderful writers at the ball but there is one more that writer that I know.  Joanne Levy is not only Monday at the Debutante Ball,  she is also a member of the Class of 2k12 and an Apocalypsie.  Joanne has a middle grade novel called SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE that I’m dying to read, so keep your eye out for it in June of 2012.

The Debutante Ball also has a wealth of writerly info and author guest blogs.  Here is a recent guest post that I LOVE by Lisa Schroeder.  What are you waiting for???  Go get ready for the ball!

What’s you’re favorite thing about reading a group blog?

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