It's Time For A Holiday...

Hey Everyone,

Well, 2013 has been an epic year for me. I've managed to publish The Elements Trilogy, Before and Beyond - the two Betwixt Series novellas, two Indie Inked samplers and put together three omnibus books. I've also written the 1st draft of two books I'm publishing next year - True Colors and I Know Lucy. I've been invited to be a panelist at UtopYA Con next year and I've signed a publishing contract with Evatopia Press.

I'm really proud of what I've achieved and I can't wait for 2014. I have another 6 books planned and I can't WAIT to share them with you!

My brain is now ready for a little break. My family and I are going away for a week to a sunny resort in Thailand then returning for a snuggly two weeks in the Suzhou cold. It'll be my boys first winter Christmas so it'll be a good experience for them.

I'm planning on getting a bunch of reading done. My kindle is packed with goodies that I'm super excited about getting into.

What's on your reading list?

If you want to add a few more - here are some of my favorite reads from 2013 (in no particular order).

Anna Cruise:
Maverick - If I Fall - It Was You - It Was Me - It Was Us - Down by the Water

Ella James: Selling Scarlett - Taming Cross

Taylor Longford:
Defiance - Chaos - (I read the 1st three in this series last year. I have LOVED them all so far!)

JA Huss: Losing Francesca

Alexia Purdy: Ever Wrath

Cambria Hebert: Text

Shelly Crane: Wide Awake - Wide Spaces

Komal Kant: Impossible

Ruben Gretchen: The Happiness Project

Simone Elkeles: Wild Cards

What have you read and enjoyed this year?

Thank you so much for everyone who has read and followed this blog throughout 2013. I have had so much fun highlighting authors and introducing you all to some top quality reading.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a very Merry Christmas :)
I will be back on January 6th with more author highlights, cover reveals, interviews, discussion posts, giveaways and a ton more fun.

Author Highlight: Shelly Crane

It's always a privilege to read a book by a good author. Wide Awake had been on my iPhone for months and I had not had a chance to read it. But a few weeks ago I was stuck in a hospital waiting room for three hours and I was actually grateful. It gave me a chance to read Wide Awake and I really enjoyed it. Shelly knows how to write great characters and Wide Awake was an earthy, emotional story that I really enjoyed.

When I was finished, I emailed Shelly to tell her she was awesome and she gave me the opportunity to read Wide Spaces - the sequel novella. So I have reviewed both and also asked Shelly if she'd be willing to share a little of herself too. So below is a little Top 5 guest post for you to enjoy.

REVIEW FOR WIDE AWAKE

I didn't read the blurb for this book before starting it, so I had no idea what it was about. I like doing that sometimes. Reading a story blind opens you up to a bunch of unexpected surprises.

Wide Awake did not disappoint. I liked Emma immediately. I was immediately pulled into her plight and wanted the best for her. I could feel her anguish and frustrating - wanting to please people, but also trying to figure who you really are and what you need for you.

Mason was by far my favorite character. I loved him. He was sweet, yet quietly strong. I loved his tattoos and the way he carried himself. He was a sweet soul with a tough exterior.- the perfect love interest for Emma.

The characters were complex with a wide variety within the cast. I think Shelly Crane captured the real emotions of memory loss and trauma perfectly. I found the book really hard to put down and switch off from. That is always a sign I am emotionally invested in the characters.

If you're looking for a romantic read filled with deep emotion then Wide Awake is definitely for you.

REVIEW FOR WIDE SPACES

This is a very sweet follow up to Wide Awake. I love Mason and Emma together so it was delicious reading more of them. The story is very lovey-dovey. These two are so into each other and they say the sweetest things. I kept thinking I was reading the last chapter, but then would come another few pages of goodness. There is a little excitement in the middle, which I think the story really needed. Without that, I would have found the romantic scenes all too much. If you like Wide Awake, you'll really enjoy Wide Spaces.

LITTLE GUEST POST AND AUTHOR BIO

Top 5 Things Emma Loves About Her New Self

- Mason (Duh!)

- Falling in love and knowing it was real

- No more cheerleading!

- Graduating on time

- Making friends with Hanson, the butler

Top 5 Things I Wish I Could Do-over

- High school hair

- Asking Thomas out on the playground in front of everyone in 6th grade

- Dropping out of Basketball and Volleyball before I could even play a game.

- Falling down in the Home Depot parking lot in front of everyone and then laughing so hard that I couldn't get up. No one came to my rescue, by the way.

- Not sneaking backstage at the Weezer concert with my husband and getting to meet the whole band.

BIO

Shelly is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in scorching North Florida. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, sight-see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read.

Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, when her best ideas are born.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Website |  Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | Shelfari 

A Chat With Tamara Beard

I think book bloggers and reviewers are amazing. They help put us indie authors on the map and I think they need to be applauded, hugged and praised for their efforts. That is why we have decided to start interviewing them on YAlicious. We thought you might want to get to know these amazing people a little better.

Today we have Tamara Beard with us. Now this chick seriously rocks. She is always out to promote indie authors. She is kind, sweet and her enthusiasm for books is contagious. It was our absolute pleasure to interview her.

Welcome to YAlicious, Tamara :)

When did you first discover your love for reading?

*snorts a laugh* Honestly? I think I fell in love with reading that very first time I read a word back in Kindergarten. I’ve been reading my entire life, and plan on reading for the rest of it.

What were your favourite types of books as a kid?

Depends what age we’re talking about. Some of my all time favorites growing up were the Magic Tree House books, The Magic School Bus books, and, of course, Dr. Seuss. One of my all time favorites was Bears in the Night. I loved that book more than anything.

What is your favourite genre now and why do you like?

Contemporary New Adult Romance J To explain why I like it, let me break it down. I like contemporary romance because it is believable. I can really see it, hear it… feel it. Whereas most sci-fi, paranormal, and fantasy books have to be extremely detailed and well written for me to truly get sucked into believing the world around me in the book. I like the New Adult genre because it is more detailed then a simple ‘peck on the lips’, like YA novels, but it isn’t as… ‘squirm inducing’ as Adult and Erotica.

What kinds of book covers draw you in?

You know, I hate to say it, but covers have a lot of weight in my sway of buying a book or not. You know that saying “never judge a book by its cover”? Yea, well, guilty as charged! I just… I buy so many books, and read so much, they begin to blur together. With work, and school, I barely have time to sleep, let alone read every book description. So when I am running through my ‘tbr’ lists on Goodreads, or looking at the Indie books on Amazon, I go with the intriguing covers. The covers that I am drawn to are those with contrasts in color, extremely bright or extremely dark shades, and where you can easily pick out a theme from the picture on the cover.

What do you look for in a book description?

For me, a book description is extremely important as well. If a cover draws me in, the next thin I look at is the description. The description has to be unique, and show the potential that the book contains. It has to show the emotion, suspense, action, or romance contained in the story, so that my curiosity is piqued. One type of description that, if I see, I most likely will not buy the book, is when they have reviews, instead of the synopsis. To me, this gives off that the book doesn’t have enough potential to be shown in a paragraph or two, so they took the good reviews, and tried to lure readers in that way.

What do you like most about reviewing books for authors?

In general, my favorite thing about working for authors, including reviewing books, is the smile on their face, or the happiness expressed in a message, when I’m done. Even if it is a low star rating, I try to be positive, and always make sure the author knows how I think they can improve. So… whether I see their face, or read their words, when an expression of happiness from an Indie is put in my path, it makes all the late nights, frustrated screams, and stressed out moments worth it.

Do you find it easy to picture characters and settings in your head? How descriptive do you like an author to be?

Well, I’m actually a really unique reader I’m told, because when I read, I don’t… see the words? It’s like… My brain processes the words, but instead of seeing my kindle in front of m eyes, I see what I’m reading, and I don’t even mean like a movie… It’ like.. I’m there, ya know? The best way I can describe it is like I’m a ghost, invisible and floating, in the world I’m reading. Because of this, most of my favorite books are highly descriptive when it comes to characters, settings, and scenes in general.

A REVEIWER'S RECOMMENDATIONS

A traditionally published author you love: Molly McAdams (I don’t read traditionally published books. Being ‘The Indie Helper’, I try to help Indies as much as I can, that includes only reading their stuff. However, Molly is definitely an exception!)

And indie author you love: Shelly Crane!!! (Biggest Fan *points at self* right here!)

One of your favourite YA books: Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King =)

One of your favourite Adult books: (New Adult) Easy By Tammara Webber!!

A book you've read more than once and the reason why: I read Collide By Shelly Crane at least once a month. I just absolutely love the series, it is amazing! 

Great answers, Tamara. I love Bears in the Night too. I'm now reading it to my son. It's so cool!!

If you'd like to connect with Tamara, you can follow the links below:

Blog
Goodreads
Facebook