Atlanta Author Occasion Signing

It’s not until the end of August—Saturday, August 23^rd, to be exact—but there’s no harm in planning ahead. I’ll be attending the Atlanta Author Occasion at Loews Atlanta Hotel along with some fabulous authors. To see a complete list of attending authors and to register, click HERE.

TRAILER  |  FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE  |  TICKETS

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for a LoveLines ARC!

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Get To Know This Blog: Romance Addict Book Blog

This is a very special blog to me, and I'm so happy to feature it today. It's all about Romance Addict Book Blog all day, and I hope you'll stop by their Facebook page tonight from 7 pm-10 pm EST. I'm taking over. I've got a flash giveaway for you (scroll down and enter!), information about LoveLines, teasers, and an opportunity for you to pick my brain. Don't miss it.

BLOG  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER

Here's the deal with this blog: It rocks. There are a few special ladies that have been instrumental in building my career and self-confidence as a writer. Stephanie, who runs the blog, not only promotes authors on her site but assists them with promotion. She runs cover reveals, book blasts, tours. You name it, she does it. And she's good at it. Really good. And organized. And uses HTML docs, which I hear are what tour hosts are supposed to use. She's a designer, too. She made that pretty banner up top :) I'm gushing, but I get to do that with her because she's Stephanie.

So why is Romance Addict Book Blog so special to me? Well, I think it's best if I just tell you the story from the beginning. I am a writer, after all. Makes sense....

Once upon a time I wrote a book called Going Under that landed me an agent. My agent wanted me to put together a blog tour for the book, but I really had no clue how to go about doing that. Stephanie contacted me on Facebook and offered her assistance. At first I said, "Oh, it's cool. I've got this." (Do not ask me why I said that. I'm a Leo. That's the only reason I can think of.) Anyway, because she has the sweetest personality ever, she responded with, "Well, okay. If you need any help, I'm here." And then she mentioned a Google sign-up doc, and I didn't know what the hell that was. And that's when the panic set in.

All day I thought about what I'd told her: "Oh, it's cool. I've got this." What did that even mean? It was just a big, fat lie. I knew it when I said it. I didn't know what I was doing! I couldn't organize and manage a major blog tour! I'd only just learned about blog tours! Freaking. Out. So I contacted Stephanie that night and came clean: "I don't know why I said that. I don't know what I'm doing. Please help me." And a working relationship was born. A friendship followed.

Stephanie does most all of my PR. She's a promo master (or is it mistress?). Whenever I feel like being a lazy slut about my work, she's there to say, "Summer, stop being lazy and promote your books. How will anyone know about them?" *sigh* And she's always right. She constantly encourages me. God, writers are, like, the most emotional people ever. It's disgusting, really. But Stephanie knows how to deal with them—with me. Her insight navigated me through some really horrible book world moments and helped me come out the other side with perspective. And joy.

Another special person connected to Romance Addict? K. K is one of Stephanie's reviewers. K, whom I've never spoken to directly, picked up a little hot-topic novel called Good. Perhaps you've heard of it? And have read all kinds of shit about it? :) Well, she read it. She loved it. She understood it. And she defended it because she believed in the purpose of the story. She believed in the writing. As I write, I think about these women who've supported me through some tough projects. I have a job to do: to keep giving them THE BEST writing I possibly can. And that includes my fans. When you have readers going to bat for you, it's the very least you can do.

So this is my "thank you" to Stephanie and K and all the ladies at Romance Addict Book Blog for believing in my writing and for pushing me to be the best storyteller I can be. I encourage you to check out their blog. Beautiful, insightful reviews of contemporary romance. Latest book world news. It's a blog worth your time.

GIVEAWAY!

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Blog Tour - ZOMBIE, INCORPORATED by Jill Elaine Hughes

Okay, everyone, doing something completely different! I've never participated in a blog tour. Ever. But I am now :) If you're interested in reading about teens (which you probably are if you're following my blog) and you like zombies (which you probably do if you watch The Walking Dead), then check out Jill Elaine Hughes' book: ZOMBIE, INCORPORATED.

"Newcomer Jill Elaine Hughes raises a fresh new voice in the zombie genre with a story filled with plenty of action, well-rounded characters and lots of shocks. Fun, fast-paced and highly entertaining. ZOMBIE, INCORPORATED rocks!" --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of FIRE & ASH and CODE ZERO

Twilight. With zombies.

Eighteen-year-old Katie Allred is socially awkward and unpopular at school. The only child of parents who had her right out of high school, Katie is herself about to leave the nest, even though she hardly feels ready.

Katie’s new after-school job at the Zimble Box Corporation draws her into the complex social strata of high school cliques and backstabbing friends in ways she never imagined. Katie soon discovers there’s something very strange about the “in” crowd at school---and about her employer, too. Shortly after starting her new job, the Contagion breaks out, plunging her town and the entire nation into chaos as zombie shadow forces come out into the open, ravaging the streets. Katie goes into hiding and her parents disappear, along with almost everyone else she knows.

But Katie soon discovers she has special powers that help her survive. She’s a Beacon, someone with the innate ability to help zombies produce children. It’s a power her employer — and what little remains of the U.S. government — both want to exploit for their own ends. Not only that, it runs in her family---which has a secret past Katie never knew about until now.

Enter Agent Morehouse of the FBI Special Zombie Control Unit. A reformed zombie working undercover, he suppresses his urge to eat human flesh in order to serve and save humanity. But Agent Morehouse can’t help but be attracted to a Beacon like Katie, and she to him. Even as they fight zombies the world over, they must fight their intense attraction to each other, hoping to keep Katie from suffering Agent Morehouse’s terrible zombie fate.

Buy Links

Amazon I  Barnes & Noble I  Books-a-Million I  Powells I  Book Depository

About the Author

JILL ELAINE HUGHES is a journalist and playwright as well as a New Adult fiction novelist.  As a reporter, she has contributed to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Washington Post, New Art Examiner, Cat Fancy magazine, and numerous other media outlets. Her plays have widely published and produced in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, and many other U.S. cities, as well as in the UK and Australia. Before self-publishing New Adult fiction, she published many erotic romance novels under the pen names “Jamaica Layne” and “Jay E. Hughes” for publishers like Ellora’s Cave, Virgin Books, Decadent Publishing, and Ravenous Romance.

Get to Know Jill

Why do you write?

Honestly, because I have to. If I don’t, I’ll go nuts!

Who has helped you the most in your career as an author?

I have to say it was my high school English teacher, Mrs. Stevens. She was the toughest writing teacher I ever had, and I credit her with giving me the tools I needed to be a professional writer---both a journalist and an author. She was so tough on her students that most of them hated her (I did too, at the time), but I learned to appreciate what she instilled in me later on, especially when I got to college and then out on my first professional writing jobs.

When you write, what things do you want close at hand? (Coffee, water, chocolate... pictures of gorgeous hunks for inspiration...?)

Diet Coke, tea, and granola bars.

What other jobs have you held besides writing?

I’ve actually been a professional writer for my entire career, either as a journalist, corporate-communications writer, or as a novelist.  Though I have also worked odd jobs as a waitress, as a temp worker in offices, and as a custom art framer back when I was in high school.

Which of your books was the hardest to write and why?

I think it was probably my current New Adult paranormal release, ZOMBIE, INCORPORATED. The heroine of that book is 18 years old and it’s told in the first person, plus she is a very different kind of person than I am.  Stepping into her shoes every day to write her story was tough. Plus, this is not your typical zombie book. It’s more psychological. Instead of the zombies being in-your-face, blood-guts-and-gore, it’s all very shadowy and uncertain. You don’t know for sure who are zombies and who aren’t---which just makes it that much more dangerous! I had to spent a lot of time planting clues and subtext, and building a plot that resembles a psychological thriller (think old-school Hitchcock) more than straight horror.

If you could time travel what era would be your first stop?

Edwardian England!

Do you believe in luck?

I think you can make your own luck.

Do you play any musical instruments?

No, but I’m a classically trained singer.

Who are your greatest paranormal fiction influences?

I’m very into old-school, classical paranormal mysteries that was very language- and subtlety-driven. I love Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Daphne DuMaurier. I also love early Stephen King (not crazy about his new stuff, though), Jane Yolen, and Neil Gaiman

Taking books and taking over

This will be super short. Two things I need you all to know:

1. Tonight I'm taking over Hesperia Loves Books FB page from 7 pm-10 pm EST. I hope you all can stop by for a bit. I'll be posting LoveLines teasers, conducting a Q&A session (ask me whatever you'd like!), and hosting a flash giveaway. Click here for the link.

2. If you're attending Wicked Book Weekend in Ft. Lauderdale March 7-9, and you're planning to purchase books there, please note that I'm bringing a very limited number of copies: around 12 each of Better and Good, 10 of Going Under, and 5 of the other two that no one knows about anyway ;) Click here for the link to purchase tickets to this amazing signing.

Get To Know This Blog: Hesperia Loves Books

So I'm starting a little campaign where I feature a blog every week or every other week. These are blogs that have been instrumental in promoting my work and growing my fan base. Without them, readers wouldn’t know my books. I owe them much more than a measly post. Still, I hope they know how grateful I am for their support. It ain’t easy being an author. (You like that sentence? I think it’s funny and a tad oxymoronic.) Anyway, like I said, it ain’t easy. And I’m blessed to be acquainted with some really special ladies who’ve lent their ears, opinions, and support. Bottom line? They run great blogs that keep you in the know about current books, giveaways, and upcoming releases. If you’re looking for new blogs to follow, check back here weekly.

XOXOX

Today I’m featuring Hesperia Loves Books. Alyssa started this blog a few years ago, then brought on Michel, Robin, KJ, and Mandy. The girls review a wide range of literary genres including romance, YA, NA, paranormal, general fiction, urban fantasy, Christian fiction and erotica. Yes. Christian fiction and erotica. I just love those two side by side. I put them like that on purpose. I’m waiting for someone to have the balls to write a Christian erotica. Oh wait. Did y’all read Good? ;)

Connect with these lovely ladies on their Facebook page. Follow their Twitter feed. Check out their BEAUTIFUL blog. I love how organized it is.

BLOG  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER  | EMAIL

LoveLines Cover Reveal

Note: Read this post in its entirety. There's a teaser AND giveaway for you!

(Cover design by Robin Ludwig)

Now, I know what you're thinking. What the hell, right? This is an S. Walden book? You betcha! And I'm sooooo proud of it! Like I told you in a previous post, I needed to take a break from the taboo, a break from the controversial. I love those stories, but I don't need to write them all the time. And when this story idea came to me, I knew it was exactly the type of story I needed to write at this particular point in my life. So there you have it: A girl with OCD. A boy who loves her for it. LoveLines.

Release Date

March 25, 2014

Genre

Contemporary Romance
(Prepare to laugh. Like, a lot.)

Book Description

Arrive at work at 7:58 A.M. sharp. Check. Count forty-seven steps to cubicle. Check. Arrange pens in their red-blue-black-green-purple order of importance. Check. Apply hand sanitizer before opening email. Double check.

And that’s just the first few minutes of her work day.

Thirty-one-year-old proofreader Bailey Mitchell is a slave to her tics. She inherited Obsessive Compulsive Disorder from her father, and it’s done nothing but inhibit her love life. She’s run the gamut of boyfriends—none of them willing or able to cope with her condition.

Enter 32-year-old Reece Powell, her new coworker at Beach Elite Marketing Firm. He’s more than willing to cope. He finds her habits cute and quirky . . . for now. Reece gets the girl, and life coasts along for them until Bailey experiences a devastating blow. Tragedy exacerbates her OCD, and Reece realizes her tics aren’t so cute and quirky anymore. Just like all the others, he has the choice to leave.

But Reece isn’t like all the others.

The Wilmington Saga

Follow the stories of Wilmington, NC residents as they fall in and out of love, mend and break hearts, grow, change, lose, win, and experience what it means to truly live in this small coastal community.

Teaser

(This teaser is rated R. Please be mindful of that before you read. Lots of language. Lots.)

“Tell me again why we’ve done our last four beach trips here?” I said. “I mean, we know everyone in this goddamn town. Isn’t the point of a trip to get away? So we don’t have to see people?”

“Bailey, tone down the bitchiness, okay?” Erica ordered. She dug around the inside of her purse for her cell phone. “And you know why. Noah, God love him, is a moron with our kids. I’ve gotta stay close until they get older.”

I snorted, then took off towards another club.

“Bailey!” Erica called, running after me.

“I’m not ready to go back to the hotel,” I said, shrugging off her arm.

“That’s fine. We can hang out, but if you go dark on me . . .”

“Nobody’s going dark, okay? I just wanna get my dance on,” I replied.

I spent the rest of the evening getting wasted and looking like a total slut out on the dance floor. My goal was to erase two recent painful memories: shaking my ass for Reece and seeing my ex-fiancé on a booty date.

When Erica and I emerged from the club at 2:30 A.M., a taxi van was waiting. A group of young men (one carrying a case of beer) cut in front of us and threw open the van door.

“Oh, well,” Erica said. “Let’s find another.”

The boy toting the beer spotted us. “Oh, my bad. You wanted this taxi?”

“It’s cool,” Erica replied. “You guys take it. We’ll wait for another.”

“Well, I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you come with us? We’re going to a film screening.”

The others nodded, shuffling around the sidewalk.

A film screening at 2:30 in the morning? Please. I shook my head. “Thanks, but we’re tired. We’re gonna go home.”

“Nah! Come with us. It’s gonna be a fun time,” Beer Boy pleaded.

“No no,” I replied. “You all go have a good time.”

He turned to his friend and muttered, “Fucking bitch.” A few of the boys snickered.

Excuse me?

And then something in my brain snapped. I watched that little college punk stand there, avoiding my face, gripping his bush-league beer while the taxi driver yelled at his punk ass posse to make a decision.

“Hey, son!” I called in his direction. “There’s no need for that. No need for that kind of language.”

He hung his head—literally hung his head—while I chastised him.

“Bailey, let’s go.” Erica tugged on my arm.

“Now, I’m sorry we turned you down, and I’m sorry if that embarrassed you, but maybe we don’t feel like ‘screening’ the bullshit home movie you shot for film class on your bullshit, cheap ass camcorder.”

“Oh my God,” Erica said.

“We got to this cab first. Then you and your dipshit friends come barreling down the sidewalk and steal it. What you need to be saying to me is ‘I’m sorry’. And then you need to go brush up on the manners you clearly left at home when you came to college. Ain’t nobody gonna wanna fuck a little asshole like you if you can’t be classy,” I said.

“Bailey!” Erica hauled me along.

“Punk ass motherfucker!” I yelled over my shoulder. He flipped me off. I fought Erica as hard as I could. “Let me at him. One minute with that little shit! Just one!”

“Bailey Mitchell!” Erica screamed in my face. “He’s a doofus! All right?! Calm. Down.”


copyright S. Walden, 2014

Giveaway!

Three winners will receive LoveLines exclusive previews. Enter now for a chance at a sneak peek.

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Love is all Around

Got a few updates for you guys. This week is bursting with love, and since I've been spending all my time writing about a heroine with severe OCD, I figured I'd make this post ultra organized for you. So here's everything in a list:

1. Cover Reveal for LoveLines is this Thursday!! I'm thrilled that 130+ blogs will be posting the cover and book description! That's cray. They'll also be posting teasers from the book. I submitted both a PG and R-rated teaser. Interested to see if any of the blogs will post the R ;) (I will if they don't.)

2. I'm taking over Crazy Cajun Book Addicts' Facebook page on Thursday, too! All. Day. That means all day teasers and fun facts from the Too Good series and LoveLines. I'll also be hosting a few flash giveaways. Free books and an exclusive peek inside LoveLines are a few of the prizes. Come check it out!

3. Cover Reveal blog-wide giveaway on Thursday, Feb 13. You'll be able to enter for a chance to win a LoveLines exclusive preview <3

4. Today, Jessy over at Jessy's Book Club is hosting a Valentine's Week Giveaway. Each day this week she's featuring a different type of book boyfriend. Today's type? The professor/teacher. Enter to win one of four signed paperbacks including Good. Click here to enter.

And that's a wrap! xoxo