A New Beginning with Guest Blogger: B.J. Scott

Welcome back featured author B.J. Scott 

today at the Book Boost!

She's here to chat about beginnings and endings and here's what she had to say...

The end is only the beginning.

So you finished your manuscript after months or maybe even years of hard work. You've gone over it so many times, you know every word by heart. The editor loves it , you've signed your contract, you've made the requested revisions and your release date is set. Now, you can sit back and relax, wait for the royalty checks to come in and move on to your next book.

WRONG.

Signing the contract and handing over your work to an editor is only the beginning and not the end. Especially if this is your debut novel. The misconception that it is now solely in the hands of the publisher is one many newbies make. The book may be wonderful and a hit, but only if you can market it yourself in a way that gets the public's attention. Friends and family can only buy so many books, then the onus is on the author to maintain a presence by doing what they can to get noticed and to stay noticed.

With over one million books being offered on sites like Amazon and dozens of new releases every day, it is not easy to stay in the public eye for long. That is why you must start your marketing strategy before the book goes to print or e-book.

A website and/or blog showcasing your talent, news and tells the readers a bit about yourself is a great place to start. Becoming familiar with the various social media at your disposal is another. While they may seem overwhelming to someone who has never accessed these sites before, it is necessary.

Ads on review sites, websites dedicated to promotion and in popular romance magazines is another. Mind you, the latter can be costly, so you must also set your marketing budget at the start as well. A book trailer, one you make yourself or have professionally done is another way to get your book noticed. Bookmarks, cards, mugs, pens (etc...) can be made with your cover and given away as contest prizes or to people attending conferences. Anything that gets your name out there is useful. There are countless ways to promote your book. It is up to the author, in conjunction with the publisher to decide what method is right for you.


A Note From the Book Boost:  And, of course, guest blogging and author interviews such as this one are helpful with picking up the attention of a potential new reader!  Thanks for joining us today, B.J.  Hope your book is selling well.

Blurb:

Faced with an abhorrent betrothal, Cailin Macmillan flees her father’s castle and quickly learns that a woman traveling alone in Medieval Scotland is an easy target for ruthless English soldiers. When Highland patriot Connor Fraser comes to her aid, his steadfast dedication to king and country is challenged by his overwhelming desire to protect Cailin—even if he must marry her to do so.

Accused of murdering one of her attackers and determined to rely on her own resourcefulness, Cailin dresses as a lad, intent on seeking refuge at the camp of Robert the Bruce. Can she elude an enemy from her past—a vindictive English lord bent on her utter demise—or will she fall prey to his carnal intent and be executed for a crime she did not commit?

Want More B.J.?

Visit her on the web here:  www.authorbjscott.com

Follow her blog here:   

 http://authorbjscott.wordpress.com

Pick up a copy of her book today!  Click here.

Night Sky by Jolene Perry: A Book Boost Review

Welcome to a Special Edition Book Review 

today at the Book Boost!

I'm taking a close look at the novel Night Sky by Jolene Perry and here are my thoughts...

A lot can happen between Spring Break and graduation—and a lot does in this YA romance from author Jolene Perry.  Told from a teenage boy’s point of view, this novel takes you on a journey from the teen angst of a broken heart through the trials and tribulations we all inevitably must learn to face.  Love.  Loss. Longing.  Lust.  This story is lovely from cover to cover.

Jay and Sky are my kind of kids.  The kind of kids I hope to raise and the kind of kids I wish I'd known back in high school.  These Cherry Pepsi loving teens on the brink of adulthood share breathtaking moments of honesty—such a rare quality even between mature adults these days.  One of my favorite lines about a teenage boy’s body confidence is this one… “And I’m not totally comfortable; I’m just used to being uncomfortable.”

Well said.

Jay is a competitive swimmer and the water plays a healing role in his life as he’s faced with a huge family crisis followed by the revelation of Sky’s ultimate secret.  Torn between his new found respect of total honesty and the fear of taking the leap from adolescence to adulthood, Jay must make a choice.

The story’s maturity and innocence is all rolled into one sweet bundle that keeps you turning the page long into the night.  In the end, big lessons are learned and life goes one with one lingering memento—as Jay discovers something he never expected…“honesty is erotic.”

I couldn’t agree more.  I honestly enjoyed every page of this intensely touching story.

Want More Jolene?

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of The Next Door Boys and the upcoming Knee Deep.

Visit her on the web here:  http://www.jolenebperry.com/ 

Pick up a copy of her book today!  Click here.

Blurb:

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year. 

Learn more about the book here:   

http://www.night-sky-book.com

Re-Shaping the Future of Publishing with Guest Blogger: C.Y. Bourgeois

Welcome author C.Y. Bourgeois

to the Book Boost!

She's here to discuss her thoughts about the future of publishing and here's what she had to say...

I, sadly, think e-books are the future of publishing.  Everyone is tied to their electronic devices these days...nobody, including me, can go anywhere without their cell phone.  Now, with smart phones, you can instantly download and read books on your phone, any place, and any time.  People are carrying e-readers everywhere too.  Download and read whenever, wherever.  I don’t believe it’s just a trend.  I think it’s the future of publishing.

There are a ton of self-publishing companies around these days, primarily pushing e-books.  E-books are cheap - cheap to upload and cheap to download.

A large part of the reason that there are so many self-publishing companies out there is because it is extremely hard for a new author to get his or her book published by a traditional publishing house, even if it’s really good.  Publishers need to make money; they need to be pretty sure that they will at least recap their expenses for each new author they sign on.  Agents are also in the business to make a living, so they too are reluctant to take on an unpublished, unproven author.

New authors can self-publish with a minimal amount of expense, get their work out in the world, and hope to be discovered by hordes of eager readers.  E-books are available to readers around the planet.  That’s a pretty big potential audience.

There are also many ways to publish an e-book for free.  An author can publish as many works as he or she wants this way.  This gives e-readers an abundance of books to choose from and the cost is much less than traditional hard copy books.  Many of the e-books can be downloaded for free and a lot of them are available for right around five dollars.  This makes them a very attractive option over purchasing a hardcover for twenty-five-plus dollars or even a soft cover, which now start in the neighborhood of eight-ninety-five and go up from there.  With e-books, if you buy it and don’t like it, at least you didn’t lose a lot of money.

Don’t get me wrong, to my mind; nothing beats the feel and the smell of a book in my hands.  I love how I can pick up a book and lose myself in the pages.  With the flip of each page I’m transported to another place and time, another persona, another horror or joy, another life.  I love going to secondhand stores or the library and browsing through the titles, searching for authors I love, and discovering new ones.

I think (and fervently hope) that real, hold-in-your-hand books will always have a place in our hearts and minds, but they are swiftly being overshadowed by e-books; the instant gratification we crave these days - download from anywhere at any time.  I am certain that books will always be available for those of us who love them, but they may soon be relegated only to libraries and secondhand stores.

I think the day will come when we won’t be able to walk into a store and pick up a new book, feel the weight of it in our hands, ruffle the pages - the scent of paper and ink filling our nostrils - and read the back cover, our minds quickening at the hint of the exciting story lying in wait between the shiny covers.

I think the day will come and I think it will be a sad day.         


A Note from the Book Boost:  Hopefully there will always be a place for print books in the world.  Although, my home is running out of room for them now. :-)  Thanks for joining us today, C.Y. and best of luck on your new release!  Please tell us more.


Blurb:

Shelby Leight is a wise-cracking, lighthearted teenager, looking forward to a fun-filled senior year in high school.  She already knows the pain of losing a loved one, but has worked her way through the grief to come out on the other side.

Then, in the fall of 1975, in the sleepy, picturesque town of Palmer Alaska, the unthinkable happens.  There's a serial killer on the hunt and one of Shelby’s best friends has disappeared.

The sudden loss of her friend in such a violent manner awakens something in her, an ability to communicate with the dead....visions.  In the midst of all this, Shelby falls in love for the first time only to discover the shocking truth about her boyfriend.  Can she accept him for who – what he is?  Can her friends and family accept him?

Shelby has a vision of the killer stalking another of her friends and is desperate to stop him before it’s too late.  Instead of an enjoyable senior year of high school, Shelby and her friends must come to grips with life and death - and all they hold - in their quest to find a monster before he kills again.


Excerpt:


You know how we make a smooth transition from an old year to a new year? How, despite the big fuss everybody makes on New Year’s Eve swearing the new one will be better than the last, nothing mind-blowing happens with the changing of the calendar? How life just marches on tossing things your way, here and there, for better or worse? Well, on January 1st as we hung up our shiny new calendar, we looked forward with eager anticipation to a year that had to be better than the last. After all, we said, it can’t be any worse. Famous last words . . .

September 17, 1974 . . . two soldiers in Army dress greens standing on our front porch . . . our world lurched on its axis, knocked us to our knees, lives changed forever in a New York minute. A few days later my brother Phil came home from Vietnam . . . in a flag draped coffin. Just nineteen when he died, they called him a hero. I didn’t care, I just knew I didn’t get to have a brother and he didn’t get to have a life. I’d said goodbye to him before he shipped out less than one year before being killed.

After he left we wrote back and forth every week, letters were better than nothing, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would never be together again, never talk to each other in person again.

Phillip Thomas Leight, my big brother, my friend, friends not just because we were close in age, only two years apart, but because he was genuinely a good person. I admired him; he was the most happy-go-lucky guy, always the goofball; cracking jokes and playing pranks. Phil was also my defender, my knight in shining armor. I called him my Dragon. Not only did he have a picture of one tattooed on his chest, he acted like one; docile, going about his business, but if anyone or anything threatened his family or friends he’d puff up like a fire-breathing dragon, ready for battle, defending us to the death. I guess that’s what he thought he was doing when he volunteered for duty in Vietnam.

I couldn’t believe my brother had just vanished from this earth, how could it just go on turning as if nothing happened? I thought I’d never be happy again; my heart was broken in too many pieces. Two nights after his funeral, Phil fixed that. He visited me in my dreams telling me everything would be okay He said it was alright to be sad as long as I didn’t “snivel and whine” too long (that made me laugh—it was so Phil). He said he knew I loved him and missed him, whispering “ditto back atcha”. 

It’s what he always said whenever someone told him they loved him or would miss him, or anything else he thought even slightly sappy. He told me to be happy, have a good life, to remember him not with sadness but with joy in the memories we shared. He gifted me with one of his big, incandescent smiles, the ones that used to light up entire rooms when he walked in the door. Then he left and never returned.

After his visit I could feel the broken pieces of my heart shifting, moving together, healing. At last I’d been able to say goodbye to my brother. I hoped he was going someplace nice. Although I will always grieve for him, I take comfort in knowing that wherever my Dragon is I’ll be with him again one day.

January 1975. New calendar, new year. I was able to laugh again and life marched on.

I’m Shelby Violet Leight (pronounced light). I adore my family and consider myself a loyal friend. I have a slightly sarcastic sense of humor, a vivid imagination and I love watching Saturday morning cartoons, The Twilight Zone, and Star Trek.

Eight days into 1975 I turned seventeen. The eighth of January is my birthday as well as that of Elvis Presley. I thought (still do) it very cool to have popped into the world on the same day as The King of Rock and Roll. I bragged about it endlessly as though sharing Elvis’s birthday made me somehow special. My friends just shook their heads and laughed. I also imagined that being seventeen meant I was all grown-up. I looked forward to starting school in August as a senior and after graduation planned to attend college in Fairbanks, majoring in Marine Biology.

1975 was the final year of a dreadful two year recession in the U.S., the year The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, declared in no uncertain terms that he was “Born to Run”, David Bowie scored a mainstream hit with “Young Americans”, and Willie Nelson crooned about “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”. Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline started, and South Vietnam surrendered, a longed-for ending of the vicious, deadly Vietnam War, bringing the rest of our Boys home.

Even though it started out just like any other year, 1975 turned out to be quite a pivotal time in our lives. Not due to popular songs or oil pipelines; in part due to the ending of a long and brutal war that killed thousands of fathers, sons, and brothers along with my own, but mostly because of what happened later right here in the sleepy, little town of Palmer Alaska.

I was reminded for the second time in my short life how things sometimes take an unexpected turn and knock you to your knees.

Want More C.Y.?

Visit her on the web here: 

http://cybourgeois.authorsxpress.com/
            

Follow her blog here:  www.cybourgeois.blogspot.com

Pick up a copy of her book today!  Click here.

Soaring High with Guest Blogger: Nicole Graysen

Photo courtesy of AmeliaEarhart.com

Welcome Nicole Graysen, author of 

erotic paranormal to the Book Boost today!

She's here to discuss overcoming your fears and conquering the challenges in life and here's what she had to say...

Thank you Kerri for having me on The Book Boost today.

Do you dream of flying?  Of soaring through the air, weightless, high above the ground? I do and my inspiration came from a third grade biography report on Amelia Earhart. I was first drawn to her because of the mystery surrounding her death.

Where did she land? How had she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, gotten off course? It reminded me of the search for Titanic or the disappearance of Flight 19 off the coast of Florida near the Bermuda Triangle. At the time, anything mysterious or with a hint of the supernatural caught my attention.  Some things haven’t change as I’ve matured.

But her life encompassed much more than the mystery of her death.  She set speed, altitude, and distance records, wrote inspirational books about her journeys and pushed against established boundaries through business organizations and the way she lived her life. Even her marriage was unusual because she claimed it was a “partnership” during a time when women usually deferred to men.

In today’s world, actors and sports athletes are spotlighted with the President. But in 1932, Amelia Earhart met President Herbert Hoover to receive the National Geographic Society’s gold medal and Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross for becoming the first woman to perform a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean – on the five year anniversary of Charles Lindberg’s achievement. She was an exceptional woman who knew what she wanted and pursued her passion with unrelenting determination.

And I wanted to be just like her as I grew up. Except I never faced any dangerous quests and I don’t possess that go for broke spirit. I like and pretty much follow “the rules” but I can be darn stubborn when there is something I want.

There’s not much left to achieve in air flight but to go into outer space, now that is a challenge. And I’ve wanted to see the stars since I was 10 and decided I would go into space. Despite my parent’s misgivings, I started my college career in aerospace engineering. Eventually, through a lot of late night hours and very poor grades I came to agree with my parents and switched majors.

Let’s just say that math should contain numbers not squiggles, letters, and shapes – three dimensional calculus is hard, particularly if you cannot “see” the theory. And because I faced reality and needed a job, I gave up on my dreams of space.

For a long time, I avoided anything to do with space and science fiction. I cut that part out of myself and refused to acknowledge it. I let myself down, Amelia Earhart and so many other women pioneers never quit. Then I started writing. And I’m slowly allowing myself to dream those spacey dreams again. Because I may never win the lottery and pay for a ride to outer space, but I can always live it through the worlds I create.

Amelia Earhart said "It is far easier to start something than it is to finish it." That is so true for writing.  Bright and Shiny Syndrome overwhelms me as I get to tough areas of a story. But you have to push through and work at it. And while no one has given me a medal, I get just as much satisfaction when a story is published.

My first erotic paranormal horror story is now available. Betrayed by the Incubus is the first in a trilogy of shorter stories about what happens to people when their trust is betrayed. You will not find a happy ending in these stories but lots of sex and a world populated by people with wings.

A Note from the Book Boost: Thanks for joining us today, Nicole.  I was so inspired by that quote from Amelia.  It literally gave me chill bumps.  Thanks for sharing your story (and hers).  Please tell us more about your latest release.

  

 
Blurb:
 
**You must be 18 to read erotic paranormal horror short story.
Contains voyeurism, an incubus masquerading as a woman's husband, and M/M sex.**

In a move designed to consolidate its power, the Harmonian TriCouncil gave Miranda Nightengale to another and sent them away from Rhira. Enraged by the loss of his soul mate, Phillip Devlin Moreau left Harmonia and sacrificed his wings to absorb the soul of an immortal Incubus.

Intent on revenge against the TriCouncil, Phillip searched for a descendant of Miranda. After 700 years, his quest has come to an end. All he has to do is seduce Fiona Nightengale Richardson to create the instrument of his revenge - a child.


Excerpt (edited for length):  

His prey drove away. Their headlights illuminated the desolate cliff side as night encroached, the sun setting in crimson fire. Assured they wouldn't return, Phillip Devlin Moreau banished the illusion of a silver Miata convertible parked in the driveway.

Gazing at the unfamiliar stars overhead, he remembered a time spent patrolling the skies of Rhira as a winged member of the Harmonian race. When the rapture of flight meant more than the gratification gained from sex. Before his wings were sacrificed in pursuit of revenge. Before he became a vessel for the Incubus's dark soul.

A seagull's cry brought his thoughts back to Earth. He released his grip on the front porch as his strength returned. Crafting the house and surrounding landscape from the threads of illusion siphoned away most of his power. He'd be vulnerable until Fiona Nightengale Richardson and her husband Lance moved in and he could feed.

Phillip descended the porch steps and strolled around the side of the house to the backyard. Memories cascaded in time with the crashing waves, as Fiona resembled Miranda enough for them to have been twin sisters. Seven hundred years he searched for the descendants of Miranda Nightengale. His love, his mate.

The woman who should have been his.

He lost her to the Harmonian TriCouncil's machinations. They'd panicked at the idea of a Nightengale-Moreau union. The council had convinced her to mate with another and leave their homeworld, Rhira. He'd abandoned his place within the golden palace and forfeited the air currents in order to pursue her.

Four hundred years ago he found her descendants. He waited another three hundred before a daughter with an incomplete mating-bond and enough power to mate with him came of age.

His plan for revenge began with the birth of a child from his and Miranda's bloodlines. A son could bring down the corrupt council and free the Harmonians from the council's tyranny. A daughter could be taught to rule from the bedroom.

Phillip peered into the dark forest shadows, seeking a predator among the trees. Waist high, two amber eyes regarded him with a burning hatred.

"There you are, my dear. Come to me, Cassandra." He added a touch of power to enforce the command. All succubae carried the taint of his incubus blood even if he didn't sire them directly.

This one required careful handling. She craved her independence. A lot like him. He knew once she produced the child required of her, she would leave Rhira and his dominion. Sadness engulfed him each time a daughter of his heart departed.

She leapt across the yard. Her wings spread open to encompass their full span. She landed next to him on all four limbs. Her hair billowed out behind her, a cascade of burnt red. Her bare skin glowed in the moonlight, a pale silvery gray.

Want More Nicole?

Visit her website here:  http://NicoleGraysen.com/

Pick up your copy of her book today!  Click here.

Life with Diabetes: Through the Eyes of Child

Please cheer for my daughter Brooke 

who joins us for this special 
Tuesday edition @theBookBoost!

Typically, I don't put images or personal information about my children online.  But in this case, I think it is so important to share the thoughts of my daughter Brooke with you.  She's 11 years old and was diagnosed with Type 1, Juvenile Diabetes at the age of 2.  She's battled this monster through many highs and lows and wants to share her thoughts with you today.


Please give her your support by commenting and even more so by coming out to bid or helping to promote the diabetes auction for a cure currently ongoing through the end of May (details at the bottom of this post).  Just think what a cure would mean to Brooke and the other thousands of children just like her.  Thanks in advance for your support.


TBB:  Welcome, Brooke.  What a joy to have you visit Mom here at the Book Boost.  Can you tell us your first memory of having diabetes?

Brooke:  I honestly don't have a "first memory" of diabetes.  I was only 2 years old when I was diagnosed and it really just seems like something that has always been there.  I have brief flashes of my Dad and my Aunt Leigh and my grandparents visiting me in the hospital but that's it.


TBB:  I'm glad you don't remember more of that hospital stay.  It was a harrowing ordeal for all of us.  You spent nearly a week in the hospital and about three days of that in the Pediatric ICU.  For a day or so, you didn't even recognize me.  I will never forget that scary time but I'm so glad you're doing well now.  That was a big challenge for me, to learn how to take care of you with all the injections and finger sticks.  What's your biggest daily challenge when it comes to living with diabetes?

Brooke:  It sometimes can be annoying or frustrating to have to take time out of sleepovers or get out of the pool or wake up at 3:00 in the morning to check my sugar or eat a snack.  Sometimes I have to stay home from school because of a high sugar and it makes me feel sick.  But I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about a bigger illness such as cancer.  When I see the kids on those St. Jude's Hospital commercials--I'm thankful.


TBB:  Wow.  That makes me both proud of you and sad at the same time.  Proud that you realize there are others in the world who suffer more.  And sad that you still have to suffer at all.  Sigh.  So, on the flip side, does having diabetes offer you any rewards?

Brooke:  Yes.  It has been an interesting experience even though it has been tough for me and my whole family.  Because for the average person out there, your really don't know that much about diabetes.  Most people think they know because they see commercials on television but those are for Type 2 diabetes which is completely different.  I consider myself lucky to be so well educated on a disease such as this and I've taken an interest in the medical side of it.  I have dreams of studying endocrinology in college.


TBB:  Well, of course, I'll be proud of whatever field you choose to study but...a doctor?  A scientist?  A diabetes educator?  Those would be very noble fields to choose.  Speaking of your future, what do you think is the future of diabetes?

Brooke:  One word.  CURE.  All I can do is pray that God will bless us and give us the power to find a cure.  If one scientist can find a cure it would change the lives of not just me but of the millions of people worldwide who suffer daily.


TBB:  I agree.  There has to be hope.  Do you play an active role in the future of diabetes right now?

Brooke:  Yes.  Myself and my family have donated money to both the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Diabetes Research Institute.  I hope to work in the medical field one day.  But mostly, these days, I pray for a cure.  That's all I can really do.


TBB:  Sometimes that's enough.  Do you think diabetes has shaped you into the person you are today?

Brooke:  I definitely wouldn't know as much about this disease if I didn't have it.  I wouldn't be as considerate of the cause.  And I think, in general, it makes me more sensitive to others in every way because I know what it feels like to be different.


TBB:  How do you think your life would be different if you'd never faced this challenge?

Brooke:  I think my life might be easier in some ways but I wouldn't be as strong a person.  It doesn't bother me to have diabetes because I still consider myself mostly the same as anyone else but I have a uniqueness that makes me truly special.


TBB:  Yes, you do.  And yes you are...very special.  


Thanks for being brave and for taking the time out of your homework to answer these questions for us.  Now, get back to studying! (Mom humor.)


Okay, folks.  Now you see what we live with every day in our home.  Won't you come out and support the cause?  Spread the word about the auction.  Make a bid on an item or two.  Consider making a cash contribution to research.  Plan to donate an item next year.


Anything you can do will help--no matter how big or small--any help is appreciated.


Check out the fabulous auction here through May 31st:

http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/

Don't forget...anyone who bids, comments, or shares information about my Tuesday Diabetes features is entered to win 2 Dozen Autographed books--just for hanging out with me and helping promote such a worthy cause (details below).


Until next Tuesday, I remain...


Graciously yours,

Kerri Nelson
Diabetes Mom, Author,
and Owner of The Book Boost





Contest Time:

For those of you who stop by the Book Boost this month on any Tuesday and let me know that you've bid on an item, won an item, donated an item or otherwise supported our search for a cure, your name will be entered into a drawing for a huge collection of autographed romance novels from my personal collection. 

This lot includes autographed books from authors such as Lori Wilde, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Susan Mallery and many more!  All new, all autographed and all just for you.

Contest runs from May 1st through May 31st.  Winner announced in early June here at the blog.  You must post a comment on any Tuesday's post during the month of May to enter.  Be sure to leave your contact information so we can reach you if your name is chosen as the winner.

Mum's the Word: Happy Mother's Day from the Book Boost!

Mum's the Word!  
Win a bundle of "Mom-friendly" 

books this weekend at the Book Boost!

In honor of my mother and all the mothers in the world who have the toughest job they'll ever love, I invite you to share with me a story about you and your mother.

In exchange, I'll be giving away a book bundle to one lucky winner.  See below for details.

One of my fave memories of reading associated with my mother is our weekly trip to the bookstore.  We'd spend what seemed like hours (but probably wasn't really that long knowing how busy my mother truly was--I only know this now that I'm the mother of THREE little ones) browsing the rows and rows of books.  The smell of paper and ink.  The quiet murmur of patrons.  The lime green, 1970's style carpeting.  Those sexy covers with handsome hairy-chested heroes and thigh-baring ladies.  Oops!  I don't think I was supposed to be looking at those particular covers.

But, I'll admit to having an early liking for the taboo world of adult romance.  I was no more than a fourth or fifth grader but my desire for knowledge of the adult world of books was strong.

So strong, in fact, I'd sneak a peak at my mother's stash of tawdry, tattered romances whenever I was sure she wouldn't notice.  Like say...by verifying she was occupied elsewhere in the house and then crawling into her dark closet with my trusty Scooby Doo flashlight.  Digging out one of her new books and scanning the pages for the "bad words".

What did all those words mean?  I wasn't exactly sure but I knew it must be good.  My mother had stacks and stacks of the things.  From that point on, I was on a mission to learn more about these books.  These little nuggets of escape my mother clung to on the sofa, in bed, at the pool, on road trips and anywhere else she could find a moment or two to read.

Now, as an adult, a mother of many and a multi-published romance author myself, my love for reading has NEVER waned.  Not one single time have I ever uttered, "I'm tired of books."  And I fully understand my mother's love of the romance genre.

I love them, long for them, and eagerly seek the next dose of romance escapism that can be found between those sexy pages.  Of course, I don't have to belly crawl into a dark closet with a flashlight to read them these days.  I'll openly read them in public, flash those naughty covers in the doctor's office waiting room, and proudly announce to anyone who will listen...I'm a romance author and I'm proud of it!

But the scent of freshly laundered linens and the smell of my father's shoe polish will forever remind me of those secret days of romance reading from long ago.

Thanks Mom for introducing me to my favorite genre.  And if you did know what I was up to all those years ago--thanks for letting me get away with it. xoxo

As far as a fave "mom" character in a book?  I have so many the mind surely boggles.  But since I'm a huge Susan Mallery fan (and desire to cheer her on whenever given the chance), I'll share with you one of my fave mom characters from one of her books---her name just happens to be Kerri Sullivan (isn't that a grand first name, wink wink, nudge nudge) and she stars in the book Accidentally Yours.  She is one determined mom in search of a way to save her son who suffers from a chronic illness and nothing will get in her way.  What's not to love about that type of Mom?

Given that this very month, my own daughter will reach her 9 year milestone after being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the tender age of 2.  How can I not root for any mom who must watch their child suffer and wish they could take the illness from them and endure the pain on their behalf?  Surely that would hurt less.

Sigh.  No one said being a mom would be easy.

Alas, on the lighter side of things...

I'll go ahead and share with you my mother's fave "mom" character in a book.

Her fave character would be Grandma Mazur from the Janet Evanovich series featuring Stephanie Plum.  She never fails to laugh out loud at Grandma and I thinks she's just the type of Grandma my mother hopes to be for my children.  Fun, rebellious, slightly nosy, and with an "all around town" type personality minus the gun toting tendencies!

I love you, Mom.  Happy Mother's Day!

Until next time, I remain...

Romance-Friendly Yours,

Kerri Nelson

Writer of Romance, Owner of The Book Boost,
 & Mother to Mayhem, Chaos, and Tantrums


Contest Time:

Share a story about you and your Mom or tell us about your fave "Mom" character in a book to be entered to win a book bundle of "Mom-friendly" books this Mother's Day Weekend!

**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**

A Newborn Author, Once Again with Guest Blogger Leslie Langtry

Win a new romantic comedy and 

give a special welcome to our 

2011 Book Boost Blogger of the Year, 

author Leslie Langtry!

She's here to tell us about her recent re-birth as an author and here's what she had to say...

My book is free.  And that makes me happy.  Not something you think you'd hear an author say, right?  Well, this is the new era of epublishing and crazy things are happening. 'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy was the first book I sold to a New York publisher.  It came out in paperback in 2006.  In 2010, I requested my rights back from the publisher.  They didn't want to do any more books in the series (they pubbed four), and my fans were threatening to lynch me if I didn't write more. 

Anyhow - I put the e-book up at the end of that year and it did pretty well.  I didn't really understand how e-books worked, so I didn't really promote it the way I should've.  I promoted it the way I did a print book.  This doesn't necessarily work for an e-book.

After a year at $3.99, the book sales slowed down.  I needed new readers to find me - something called "discoverability" in e-talk.  So, last March, I lowered the price to 99 cents.  The sales perked up and did pretty well for a year.  But I was still having trouble getting "discovered" - something that sounds like I just hopped off the virtual bus in internet Hollywood with a suitcase and a dream...

A couple of author friends encouraged me to take this to the next level and make it free.  Okay, I thought, that doesn't sound great.  It's hard to get royalties out of $0.  But they persisted and told me that once a book goes free on Amazon - it reaches a level of discoverability that I couldn't get to otherwise.  So, after hemming and hawing and dragging my feet - I tried it - which felt more like getting off of a real bus in the middle of a desert wearing a sausage necklace. 

Within hours, my sales rank went from 14,000 at amazon to 244!  I hit #9 on the Humor bestseller list at Amazon.com! 

There might be something to this. I promise to come back and fill you in on what happens  I'm only going to keep it free for a short time - so you should download it and ask everyone you know to download it.  Pick up your free copy today!  Click here.

A Note from the Book Boost:  Leslie, I'm so happy for you and thrilled to hear of your recent successes.  Oh, and since we are going back in time to the baby-age.  I'll play in the sandbox with you anytime, my friend.>>Kerri, age 2>>

Want More Leslie?

Visit her on the web here:  http://www.leslielangtry.com/

Follow her blog here: 

http://www.killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

Contest Time:


Leave a question or comment for Leslie and be entered to win a copy of her newest book, The Adulterer's Unofficial Guide to Family Vacations.




**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**