Readers' Favorite

December 22, 2012

Holiday Romance: Dating Mr. December

Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley
ebook
Published November 2010 by Sourcebooks
ISBN13: 9781402257773
Source: B&N
Read: December 2012
Goodreads, Amazon, IndieBound

Everyone wants a romantic Christmas, if the number of emails I've gotten the last few weeks from my online dating profile is any indication. For me, it seems to put me in the mood for chick-lit and even a romance novel or two.

I picked up Dating Mr. December last Christmas when it was free at B&N. However, I wasn't well last year and spent the holidays watching Lifetime Christmas movies on Hulu.com.

So when the mood for chick lit struck me, I immediately queued up Dating Mr. December. The first thing that hit me when I started reading it was that it reminded me of the Lifetime movies I watched last year. There's a good reason for that - The 12 Men of Christmas is based on this book. The second thing I noticed, Dating Mr. December is more steamy than the Lifetime movie.

I really enjoyed this book. Will Tennet is the perfect leading man. He's weathly, rugged, and flawed. Seriously, a mountain rescuer is HOT. Every girl will identify with Emma. We've all been in her shoes at some point - either the cheating boyfriend, lost job, relocation, or embarrassing moments at work...though, personally, I would love to be in her shoes when it comes to Will. It is the perfect romantic fantasy to curl up with on these cold winter evenings.

I will admit Dating Mr. December is a bit steamier than I typically read, but it didn't go overboard or have the typical things that lead me to rant about sex in a book. I should also mention, at least the edition I read, is written in British English. It hasn't been Americanized, which I appreciated since it is set in England. I do wonder though, why does the cover show a blonde woman when Emma is described as having mahogany tresses?

If you are wanting hot men instead of sugar plums dancing in your head this Christmas season, pick up a copy of Dating Mr. December.

 
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December 21, 2012

Friday Fun with L. Leander


Hello, my name is Paytre Romanoff. INZARED, that’s my wife, is the elephant rider with the Romanoff Brothers Circus. She’s really good at what she does but it wasn’t always that way. There were a few times I thought she’d fall straight off the elephant (his name’s Cecil). She wouldn’t have escaped without a lot of injuries if she had.

All I’ve ever known is the circus. My parents came over from Romania toting a young bull elephant my Father had bought and raised. The owner was all for killing the elephant – the mother died in childbirth, but my Father convinced him to let him buy the baby bull and he nursed it along.

Sometimes Cecil thinks he’s a person. I used to sleep with him when I was little. My mother said I’d curl right up in the hay and Cecil watched over me. I love that wrinkled skin and his eyes. They look so wise – like he’s been around for generations. He’s always been easy to handle. Of course, he’s never known anything but love and my Father trained him when he was still very young. But as much as I love him, it’s magic to watch him with Inzared.

The two of them have something very special together. It’s almost as if one can sense what the other is going to do before they even think about it. The first time I met Inzared she was still Bertha Maude Anderson, a girl from Brower’s Gap, North Carolina. She and her folks lived high in the Appalachian Mountains. The circus hadn’t planned to go there at all, but I’m sure glad we did. Shandor and Udo (the brothers who own the touring show) made the decision to swing over to Brower’s Gap and a couple of the surrounding towns when a some other performances fell through.

We have to work. If we don’t we can’t keep doing what we do. You see, I come from a long line of circus performers. People get the wrong impression sometimes about us Gypsies. I’ve been spat at, punched, and generally mistreated by some Gajii who think we’re ruffians. We aren’t. We’re nomads, that’s all. We like to keep moving and are happiest on the road in our vardo, sitting around the campfire every night making music and dancing. We don’t cause anyone harm. All we want to do is perform our shows, make a little money to get through the lean winter months and move on.

I have to say that I caused my wife some real heartache. It wasn’t ever my intent. But the minute I set eyes on that black hair and her sparkling eyes I was hooked. She came looking for me at first. She said her Pa let her seek the elephant act out. She came into view and I froze. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say for a minute.

It was pretty easy, though. We talked and she petted Cecil. They just had this “thing” you know. Cecil snuffled her hair and planted some wet kisses on her with his trunk. Instead of being put off she was delighted. I liked that. And I liked her. When she said she had to get back to her family I struggled for a way to get her to stay. It just happened that she had to deliver eggs to the General Store the next day
and I persuaded her to come back one more time before we headed out of town. The rest is history.

I didn’t really intend for her to leave with us. But Mala, who was riding Cecil in the show, became unable to ride due to an old injury. I’d just given Bertha a ride on the elephant when I knew no one would be looking. She was a natural. So when Shandor came to me frantic about Mala’s injury and having no one to ride, I suggested Bertha. Of course, he said no right away. We don’t use Gajii in our shows. We don’t even spend time with them. But Bertha was different. She looked as Gypsy as I do, with skin tanned from long hours in the fields and that jet-black hair. She has an exotic look about her and she is totally unafraid to try just about anything.

Shandor didn’t have much choice. It was either use Bertha or omit the elephant performance and that would have been a catastrophe. And it worked. Shandor is actually the one who gave Bertha the name of Inzared. It means “Queen” in our language. He meant it as a jab, but she didn’t even notice, she was so excited. That’s another thing I love about my wife. All she wants is to see the world, have a little excitement, and she’s pleased with anything people give her or do for her. She was elated – thought it was the most beautiful-sounding name she had ever heard. And from that day on she refused to be called anything else.

When we finished that first performance I kissed that girl right on the lips. I had a feeling that I’d marry her, right from the start. We just belonged together. I was the one who enticed her to leave with us that very night. Shandor was skeptical, but Inzared told a little white lie – said she was adopted – and he gave in. She was a little scared but she was a real trooper. Inzared was sad sometimes, though. She always missed her home, even though her parents weren’t all that understanding. She felt that she owed it to them to let them know she was leaving, I guess. Some nights I’d find her crying and all I could do was put my arms around her while she cried. But the next morning she’d go right back to work. She and Cecil concocted some pretty unusual and exciting acts to perform in the ring. It wasn’t long before the circus was making good money and all because of INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders.

One of the biggest problems Inzared faced was some of my relatives. We’re all related here – brothers, aunts, cousins, but she was an outsider and a Gajii, to boot. A few people treated her with disrespect but she tried to make everyone like her. I’ve never seen a girl work so hard. It wasn’t fair for others to treat her that way, but eventually most of them changed their minds.

It’s been great talking to you but I really have to take care of Cecil. We’ve got a show to do tonight and I’ve got to get him ready. Maybe you could by come another time and we’ll talk some more? If Inzared is here I’d love to introduce her. I’m sure you’ll love her as much as I do – she’s a one-of-a-kind woman! 

About the Author:

L.Leander is an author who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ralph, during the summer months but spends the majority of the year in Mazatlan, Mexico. Ms. Leander is an award-winning singer/songwriter who has also won awards for her needle arts. As a child, Ms. Leander loved the circus, hence, her debut novel, INZARED Queen of the Elephant Riders. The book follows the adventures of an Appalachian girl in 1843 who runs away to join a Gypsy circus and becomes a famous elephant rider.

Connect with the Author:

Amazon Author Page

Video Trailer for INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders: http://youtu.be/lQHtsFQGAP0
Website: www.lleander.com
FB Author Page: http://facebook.com/lleanderbooks
L.Leander Blog: http://lleander11.wordpress.com

L.Leander’s Reviews and Interviews: http://lleandersreviewsandinterviews.wordpress.com/

Twitter Handle: @lleander11

Buy the Book at Amazon

The views, beliefs, and opinions expressed by guest post authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, beliefs, or opinions of Girl Who Reads. Girl Who Reads is an advertising affiliate with Amazon and IndieBound; a small fee is earned when purchases are made using the above links.


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December 20, 2012

Tips on Thursday: Zemanta

Only a few more days until Christmas! Has your blogging suffered due to all the time the holidays is taking? Today's tip is a bit of a time saver that will allow you to dress up your posts with photos, links, and suggested articles.

I use Zemanta to assist with my blog writing and my posts have been much better since I have. Zemanta is a program that runs along side your blogging platform's editor. You can add your favorite sources, but it also recommends top sources so you will have great articles to link to. It also suggests photos and graphics related to your post. And don't worry about attribution - it's automatically inserted. Unsure what words to tag your post (labels in Blogger) with? Zemanta will offer suggestions!

My friend and fellow blogger Coral (Alchemy of Scrawl) put together this wonderful video tutorial. She uses Wordpress and Zemanta for Blogger is slightly different, but for the most part everything you need to know is in the video.





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Twitter Party & FREE eBook




Join the Party!

Jeff Gunhus is wrapping up a 3 week tour with a Twitter Party on Friday, December 21 from 6 pm to 8 pm EST Use the hashtag #JackTemplar to join the party. 

Missed the tour? Check out the entire tour schedule for great reviews, guest posts, and interviews!

Free eBook

As a special gift right before the holidays Jack Templar Monster Hunter is FREE on Amazon December 20 & 21

Giveaway

There's still time to enter the Tour Swag Giveaway which includes a $25 Amazon Gift Card


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The Jack Templar Tour is a paid GWR Publicity promotional tour.  

December 19, 2012

Writer Wednesday: Ian Spector

I get asked all the time how I come up with Chuck Norris Facts. It’s not always an easy process to explain and since I began my website in 2005, the process for curating submissions and crafting original facts has become increasingly complicated as more and more “facts” were made available to the public.

The way my site was originally designed, visitors could only view one “fact” at a time and would have to refresh the page to see new content. Users could submit their own facts through the website and to keep visitors returning, I made sure to select only the best ones for use. Now, believe it or not, crowdsourcing quality written humor on the internet is often easier said than done – fewer than 1% of submissions ever made it to the site. Submissions that didn’t make the cut were either flat-out rejected, edited into something acceptable, or used as inspiration for an all-new fact.

So what makes a great Chuck Norris Fact? Well, there are a number of different sub-types of facts but what they all have in common is that they are designed to be surprising when read. The other two main ingredients, so to speak, are a core topic and a style.

Surprise comes in many forms. Part of it arises from the irony of referring to these statements as “facts,” but most is due to the way the rest of each fact is written. For instance, sometimes facts will quickly change direction:

Mr. T once defeated Chuck Norris in a game of tic-tac-toe. In retaliation, Chuck Norris invented racism.
Others get their surprise by playing off of commonly believed expectations:

Chuck Norris’s driver’s license photo looks amazing.

Some rely on a bit of wordplay:

Chuck Norris’s favorite power lunch is a dozen nine-volt batteries.


In these cases, the core topics were retaliation, ID photos, and “power lunch.” Keen readers will notice that the core topic is rarely Chuck Norris himself – for many of these facts you can swap out his name for someone else’s and often times the joke still holds.

I also mentioned style as a key component, and by “style,” I actually mean syntax and presentation. Many are short and direct like the ones I’ve already mentioned. Others get their humor from actually doing the opposite, being long-winded and using the length to build humor:

Chuck Norris owns the greatest poker face of all time. It helped him win the 1983 World Series of Poker despite his holding just a joker, a Get Out of Jail Free Monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, a 7 of spades, and a green number 4 card from the game Uno.

What makes the books particularly awesome are that a number of the facts were also illustrated (the digital versions of the latest title also have some in color) which adds a whole new spin to things. A so-so written fact can easily become an incredible illustrated fact and adding the illustration can make a great written fact
even better.



Chuck Norris discovered cold fusion when he poured two beers into one glass.

Of course, the popularity of the meme has led to trying to cater to all readers. People in business suits would visit my website just as often as frat guys chugging PBR’s to Walker, Texas Ranger. Such a varied audience is especially difficult to cater to and explains why as you flip through any of my books that some facts may resonate with you a lot better than others.

There’s a whole lot more that goes into writing these books but the process gets a lot more complicated. If you’re up for learning more, feel free to drop me a line! You can find my contact information and a bunch of other interesting things over at ianjspector.com.


About the Author:

Ian is a serial entrepreneur, digital experience strategist using brain science, creativity, and technology to make awesome/new/good things happen. Unrelated-but-relevant: NYT bestselling author/creator of Chuck Norris Facts.
The views, beliefs, and opinions expressed by guest post authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, beliefs, or opinions of Girl Who Reads.

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Jeff Gunhus: Writing Lessons (guest post)

I’m excited to be the guest post for today. Donna has been a tireless supporter of Jack Templar Monster Hunter and created a top-notch blog tour for the book.

I enjoy the GWR blog and especially the Wednesday feature which proves to be a great resource for writerly advice. I hope I can deliver something as useful to my fellow writers here.

A few years back, I took a detour from writing novels and jumped into the world of screenwriting. (My writing partner would say I’m just taking a break from screenwriting to get my novel out of my system.)

I did this because I was first and foremost a movie fanboy. Raised on a healthy diet of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, I’ve still feel giddy excitement when I hear the 20th Century Fox fanfare or see the Paramount image cross dissolve into the opening shot for Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Several years ago, I was at the San Diego Writer’s Conference (where I found my agent who sold my first book, No Parachute Required, to Hyperion), when I happened into a room where Richard Cutler from UCLA was teaching a class on screenwriting. Sixty minutes later, I bought my Movie Magic screenwriting software and embarked on my new adventure.

Nine or ten scripts later, I still can’t point to any movies that have been made from my scripts. I did place high enough in screenwriting competitions like the Austin Film Festival and Nichol’s to get some buzz and make me feel good. My writing partner and I were hired by an indie company to write a screenplay on assignment. All good experiences…but none of which will result in a movie being made.

But I loved it.

Why? Because, I believe that if you really love writing, you do it for yourself. (Unless it’s your livelihood…then you kinda need to have a slightly larger audience.) I loved each one of the scripts I wrote. I  enjoyed the characters. I liked the challenge of solving the complex puzzles that the screenwriting format brings.

I loved it because I loved telling the stories. 

And along the way, I learned some great lessons that I brought back with me when I wrote Jack Templar. Unfortunately, I learned some bad habits too. I’ve listed them below as you might find them helpful too.

First, the good.

1) Highly constructed three-act format. The three act structure traces back to Aristotle and it’s central to the form. However, the architecture if much more front-and-center in screenwriting. The major beats in a screenplay occur within a fairly well defined structure. I mapped out JTMH using this same format and found it very helpful. I have a 140,000 word horror story in a desk drawer because I let myself drift through the story too much. Creating a “beat sheet” helped keep JTMH lean and focused.

2) Hero’s journey. Starting with Joseph Campbell’s seminal work, The Hero With A Thousand Faces, an entire industry has grown up around the idea of distilling the hero ideal from antiquity into a system that storytellers can use to tap into our caveman instincts. There are interesting commonalities in hero stories across the centuries. The hero’s call to action, his refusal, the mentor role, the journey he must make to solve a problem, etc. Filmmaker George Lucas famously adhered to Campbell’s system in Star Wars (to pretty good results.) Jack Templar is no Star Wars but his journey (especially in upcoming books) owes a lot to Campbell’s work.

3) No talking heads. If you write pages of dialog in a screenplay, it will be visually boring ever. (Unless you’re Woody Allen or Quentin Tarantino – then you can do it.) In books, that was a knock against the DaVinci Code. I loved the book but you have to admit that Dan Brown tended to put characters in a room and just have them talk for page after page with on-the-nose dialog. (Given the sales of the book, I don’t think the criticism bothered him.) Even in the freedom of a novel where you can be more indulgent, I tried to keep the action going and limit the talky-talk.

4) Character revealed through action, not words. This is the old “show, don’t tell” truism we all heard in English 101. Just like in real life, it’s what characters do that show who they are, not what they say. But since film is a visual medium, this is beat in to your head from day one. You always have to ask yourself, “How would they film this?” If it’s alternating shots of people talking…over and over and over…there’s a problem.  A good ruleof thumb is if a character ever says how they feel, it’s important to make sure they could not say it and the audience would know their emotional state based on their actions. (Which leads you to ask why you have them saying it then.) Better yet, ask yourself whether if the character lied about how they felt to another character, would we know it?

5) Torture your characters. Every step toward success needs to be met with larger obstacles, building to a crescendo where they lose everything. If things can get any worse, they better get worse before we let our hero win.

All these helped write Jack Templar, but I think I brought some bad habits home as well.

1) Haiku of storytelling. Screenwriting is about spending ten minutes to figure out how to use seven words instead of fourteen to describe something. This lean approach works to make a script readable, but probably ended up making Jack Templar too lean. For example, I could have spent more time developing the world of Sunnyvale, even though I knew we weren’t going to spend more than one book there.

2) Action. Action. Action. Some reviews mention the pace is too fast and comes at the cost of characterization. (Other reviewers, especially kids, mention this as a positive.) But while the beat sheet exercise helped me form the story, I think it also pushed the speedometer a little too much. I’m 2/3 of the way through writing book two and have enjoyed drilling more deeply into the characters and their backstories.

If you’re interested in screenwriting, I’ve included a couple of excellent books. These are great resources for storytelling not matter what format you work in. I hope you enjoy them and hope you found something in the post useful in your own writing.

Happy Writing.

Jeff Gunhus




About the Author:


Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.



Check out the entire tour and enter to win some great swag plus a $25 Amazon gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is part of a GWR Publicity promotional tour paid for by the author. The views, beliefs, and opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, beliefs, or opinions of Girl Who Reads. Girl Who Reads is an advertising affiliate with Amazon and IndieBound; a small fee is earned when purchases are made using the above links.
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December 18, 2012

Excerpt: Holly and Ivy


After losing her job and her boyfriend, Holly returns to her parents’ farm. Embarrassed and hopeless, she doesn’t expect to bump into a forgotten childhood friend that wasn’t supposed to exist. Ivy is not only a dryad, but she lives in the pine trees Holly’s family grows to sell at Christmas. As the old friends reconnect, Ivy not only shares her strong opinions, but gives Holly a charm that will change both their lives. As days melt into weeks and the seasons change, Holly’s life magically turns around. Christmas not only brings surprises, but a choice for the human woman. What’s more important: stability, success, and love, or keeping a promise to an old friend?

Excerpt:

“What do I do with it?” I asked. I told myself I was just playing along, suspending reality to make Ivy feel better. Although if that was the case then perhaps I should have really examined the fact that Ivy was real and not me suspending reality to make myself feel better.

“You hold it now until it gets to know you. You keep it safe in your possession and it shall bring you ease and grace,” the tree sprite giggled.

“And that really works?” No matter how I tried I couldn’t hide my skepticism.

She turned up her pointed nose. “How else would I have survived so well with murderers on the loose? It’s worked for a good long while.” I raised an eyebrow as a sly grin spread just a little too far across her face to make the smile look human. “Do you remember when I snuck to school with that sapling you took for show and tell?”

The next smile didn’t hurt quite as much as I traced the delicate edge of the tiny plant with the pad of a finger. The petaled head shivered and softly brushed against my calluses. “I thought everyone was going to have a heart attack when you burst out of the thing and started singing to everyone! Mrs. Robinson finally played it off as the whole class playing a trick on her. We had to go without milk time for a week.” I’d gotten in so much trouble with my parents for lying in school and saying that I had a magic plant. Given that I was adamant that I’d been telling the truth, it was a hell of an ordeal for a six-year-old.

“’Twas so much fun!” Ivy paused mid-pirouette. It was downright disgusting that she could hold the arabesque for so long and not even wobble or suffer a leg cramp. “Though I would not want to live in such cold halls all the time.” She paused and took a long breath, much longer than I or any other human could possibly inhale. Before my eyes her skin became greener,infused by the crisp clean air. “You need to be in the trees, Holly. Mortals refuse to understand that they must live where things grow. Now that you’re home, let’s play!” She leapt over my head and landed effortlessly beside her home tree, staring at me expectantly.

Maybe it was being back home or maybe it was just being back in the good fresh air, but her suggestion made me giddy. It suddenly sounded like the exact prescription I needed, the one thing I’d been missing through all those frustrating years. My fragile mind and heart demanded an escape. They couldn’t take any more disappointment, any more expectations or responsibility, and they especially couldn’t take any more reality. I nodded and tucked the strange clover deep in my pocket. The breeze had dried my tears and the heavenly scent of grass and pine put the sudden urge to run in my feet. Suddenly the heavy air and the blazing sun didn’t matter so much and my anxieties were willing to take a momentary backseat to the chance to goof off for an afternoon. “Are you sure you’ll e okay?” I hesitated, hand still at my pocket.

Ivy flashed a bold grin and stretched up on her toes; her fingers wiggled over her head, making her resemble an odd, scrawny plant. “With you here? Of course! Just remember to come look after my tree when the murderers come around the winter harvest time. You can even help me choose which tree will be my final home so you’ll know where I’ll be.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she tore off, dodging branches and bark as quick and swift as a deer. I groaned as I pulled myself to my feet and tumbled after her, muscles screaming at the sudden exercise. Still, I found myself laughing the entire time.


About the Author:

Selah Janel has been blessed with a giant imagination since she was little and convinced that fairies lived in the nearby state park or vampires hid in the abandoned barns outside of town. Her appreciation for a good story was enhanced by a love of reading, the many talented storytellers that surrounded her, and a healthy curiosity for everything. A talent for warping everything she learned didn’t hurt, either. She gravitates to writing fantasy and horror, but can be convinced to pursue any genre if the idea is good enough. Often her stories feature the unknown creeping into the “real” world and she loves to find the magical in the mundane.

She has four e-books with No Boundaries Press, including the historical vampire story ‘Mooner’ and the contemporary short ‘The Other Man’. Her work has also been included in ‘The MacGuffin’, ‘The Realm Beyond’, ‘Stories for Children Magazine’, and the upcoming Wicked East Press anthology ‘Bedtime Stories for Girls’. She likes her music to rock, her vampires lethal, her fairies to play mind games, and her princesses to hold their own.
Connect with the Author:

Blog – http://www.selahjanel.wordpress.com
Fandom Scene Column – http://www.fandomfestblog.com/blogs/selah-janel
Facebook Author Page – http://www.facebook.com/authorSJ
Facebook Book Page – http://www.facebook.com/intherednovel
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5622096.Selah_Janel
Amazon Author Page
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/SelahJanel

Giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
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December 17, 2012

Meet the Author: Frédérique Molay

When I learned to read, it was like a revelation. It was incredible to me to discover that letters formed words, then sentences and, finally, stories, stories that take you into a parallel world, a fourth dimension, a land of dreams—or even nightmares.

Very quickly, I became intrigued by the mechanisms of suspense that keep readers turning the pages of a book. So, I made a wish: to discover this power granted to novelists so that I too could make others feel such strong emotions. To do that, I wrote my first novel when I was eleven years old. It was a story about a child-killing cat.

What authors have influenced me? Enid Blyton was a big part of my childhood, then came Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Michael Connelly and so many others.

When I was young, I also became a fan of American and British crime series on TV: Columbo, Charlie’s Angels, The Avengers, Murder She Wrote, Starsky & Hutch, Law and Order, CSI, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, Castle, and Sherlock Holmes.

I should also mention how I have always loved American movies. It is certainly not by chance that people say my novels are very visual. When I write, I feel like I’m in a more or less comfortable seat in a movie theater (the comfort of the seat depends on my level of inspiration).

I also have to mention Marvel Comics and their super-heroes that I still hope to meet someday turning a corner. I’m sure that day will come. While I wait, my Chief of Police Nico Sirsky is one of them in his own way. He is a decidedly positive hero, even as he faces the ups and downs of modern everyday life and human cruelty.

Other people who have influenced me include my paternal grandmother, because she loved American series, and because her Ukrainian ancestry marked me deeply, to the point of influencing my recurrent hero Nico Sirsky, whose mother Anya has a little of my grandmother in her. They share the same deep-blue eyes and flamboyant Slavic personality.

For me, writing is a necessity, the need to live a double life and to invent a New World. In Dune, Frank Herbert asks, “Do you wrestle with dreams? Do you contend with shadows?” Probably a little of both.

But writing is also a little bit like practicing piano, the more you do it regularly, the easier the words come, and the more fertile your imagination becomes.

For all these reasons, I get up early in the morning while the rest of the household is still asleep. I make my way to my computer and dive into chasing criminals. Then it is time to wake up my children, and the mother takes the place of the writer, making breakfast, taking them to school. Then I return to the ranks of the Criminal Investigation Division, focusing on my mission until the evening.

What takes me away from my writing? Occasionally I teach in schools, where I share my passion for reading and writing with students. I love the encounter with teenagers.

I go question experts about police matters, the justice system, and forensic science. I will help them in their work or visit a crime scene. I get out in the field to see through the eyes of my police chief and to carry out  investigations, so that I can include credible details in my plotlines.

I also go out to wander around Paris, my senses alert, in the footsteps of my hero, and of the killer. I’ll catch someone’s eye, or stop at a street corner, and these people and places will find a role in my novel.

And I slip on my sneakers and go running, to empty my mind.

In the evening, the time comes again to change my costume, and to enjoy my family life.

Ultimately, my hope is to share chills with my readers, because isn’t writing expressing a desire to meet others, a desire to love and be loved?

About the Author:

©JosyanePiffaut

Frédérique Molay’s The 7th Woman (http://www.the7thwoman.com) took France by storm in 2011 after it won the country’s most prestigious crime fiction award. That is when Frédérique left her position in politics and administration to dedicate her life to writing and raising her three children. She has been called “the French Michael Connelly,” and she has five books to her name. The 7th Woman was recently published in English by Le French Book (http://www.lefrenchbook.com); it is the first in the Nico Sirsky, Chief of Police series. Two more are already published in French, with another one on the way.

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The week before Christmas and I'm reading

News:

I only have to work today and tomorrow, and then, I'm off for the rest of the year! Hopefully, I will continue to whiddle down my TBR pile over the holidays and have a bunch of great books to tell you about in 2013.

I'm not going anywhere. There will continue to be new posts each day including special guests and books for the holidays. I hope you will drop by each day.

Want to host awesome authors and review great books for GWR Publicity? Join our Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GWRPublicity/

On Saturday, I reviewed A Christmas Home which was a great book.

Join us this Friday for a Twitter Party with Jeff Gunhus as we wrap up the Jack Templar Tour. The hashtag is #JackTemplar. I hope to see you there. You still enter the giveaway here:$25 Giveaway and Swag - LAST WEEK

Finished:

I finished my client's book and can't wait to share it with you in the new year.


When a nice girl asks twelve men to get naked, it's sure to cause a scandal...
Emma Tremayne leaves her high-powered PR job and moves to the Lake District looking for peace, quiet-and celibacy. So perhaps it's not the best idea when, in the spirit of "community-mindedness," she agrees to help the local mountain rescue team fund raise by putting together a "tasteful" nude calendar. Especially since quite a lot of the community seems to mind what she's up to-including the tall, dark and handsome Mr. December, Will Tennant, who appears to have gotten the wrong impression about Emma's intentions. So how does she convince him that he's more than just the flavor of the month? From Goodreads.com
Find Dating Mr. December at Goodreads, Amazon, and IndieBound.


Reading:



Gen Y has been picked apart by analysts, statistics, and trend reports, which often portray 20-somethings in negative, one-dimensional terms like "entitled" and "whiners". In this thought-provoking new book that aims to dispel these stereotypes, journalist Hannah Seligson chronicles the lives of seven individuals who embody this generation, exploring their challenges and ambitions in vivid detail and sketching a picture, through their eyes, of what life is actually like for young adults. Through these first-hand stories, readers will discover the transformational effect this enterprising, open-minded, innovative, and diverse generation is having on society. From Goodreads.com
Find Mission: Adulthood at Goodreads, Amazon, and IndieBound.

What is on your reading list this week?

Girl Who Reads is an advertising affiliate with Amazon and IndieBound; a small fee is earned when purchases are made using the above links.
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December 16, 2012

Watch Now: Changing the Little Things



Find Changing the Little Things by J. L. Manning at Goodreads, Amazon, and IndieBound.


Watch more trailers

Book Trailers are a free feature. All videos are provided by the author who has granted Girl Who Reads permission to feature them on this blog. Girl Who Reads is an advertising affiliate with Amazon and IndieBound; a small fee is earned when purchases are made using the above links.


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