Wednesday, April 30, 2014

**GIVEAWAY** Debut Author Pia Padukone interview-Where Earth Meets Water


You all know a favorite thing of mine is to introduce new authors and their debut novels. I'm so pleased that this author agreed to be interviewed because she's as eclectic as her new novel. Enjoy the interview and then I'm offering my personal copy of the novel US ONLY, details below.
Pia its all yours!




  • ISBN-13: 9780778315971
  • Publisher: Harlequin
  • Publication date: 4/29/2014
  • Pages: 288

 



Overview

IN THIS POIGNANT AND BREATHTAKING DEBUT, ONE MAN SEARCHES FOR MEANING IN THE WAKE OF INCOMPARABLE TRAGEDY…
Karom Seth should have been in the Twin Towers on the morning of 9/11, and on the Indian shores in 2004, when the tsunami swept his entire family into the ocean. Whether it's a curse or a blessing, Karom can't be sure, but his absence from these disasters has left him with crushing guilt—and a belief that fate has singled him out for invincibility.

Giveaway Details
Prize includes one print copy
US ONLY
of Where Earth Meets Water
Please use Rafflecopter form below
Good Luck!


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Interview with Debut Author Philip Siegel-The Break Up Artist


I love bringing debut authors your way so today I'm pleased to present Philip Siegel to The Reading Frenzy readers to talk about his YA for Harlequin Teen, The Break Up Artist.
Enjoy learning a bit about the author and his new novel.
It's all yours Philip!





  • ISBN-13: 9780373211159
  • Publisher: Harlequin
  • Publication date: 4/29/2014
  • Series: Break-Up Artist Series , #1
  • Pages: 336




Read an Excerpt:


Calista McTiernan looks away from the screen. Tears form in her eyes. The levee's about to break. I wish I could reach through my computer monitor and give her a hug. I hear these stories too often.
"Ever since they started dating, Bari's become a totally different person. Derek's favorite band is U2, and now magically it's hers, too. Derek is into politics, and now Bari is watching CNN religiously. I laughed it off because she acted this way with her last boyfriend. But then…" Calista shakes her head.
"But then what?" I ask in my best British accent, looking directly into my webcam.
"Then she dyed her hair brown, she started dressing like some J. Crew mannequin, and this week she quit cheerleading." Her blond locks fan around her pea-sized head. Her hair's the same shade as mine, but hers is real.
"People change. It happens."
"Yeah, but this isn't the same. Derek's making her do this. He told her he thinks blondes are trashy, and he didn't want some slutty cheerleader girlfriend visiting him at Princeton next year. He said that. To her face!"
"He did?" Derek Kelley has been student council president for three years, and what little power the Student Government Association-aka the SGA-holds has gone to his head. He seems friendly in the halls, but guys are just as capable of being fake nice as girls.
"Bari said he was joking around, but I'm not laughing."
"Have you tried talking to her about it?" I can already guess the answer.
"She says she isn't into cheerleading anymore and she's never felt like a blonde." Calista rubs her forehead, and I can feel her concern through the screen. "Everything that made her Bari is disappearing."
I lean closer in my chair, all business, and hold Calista's attention. "So, you want me to do this?"
Calista squeezes a fresh set of tears from her eyes. I instinctively reach for the Kleenex box on my desk, forgetting we're on Skype. "My best friend is pushing me away. You don't know what that's like."
I do, I want to tell her. My eyes wander to the floor and the pair of golden ballet slippers next to my desk. It's like a hole through your heart that can never be filled. A part of you that is missing forever. I should throw the slippers out like I've done with the rest of my memories from that train wreck of a friendship, but I won't. I never do. I keep them here, in plain sight, a perpetual reminder of why I do this.
I force my attention back to the screen. I can never get personal. One misspoken word, one accidental truth, and I give myself away.
"I told her I didn't think Derek was treating her well," Calista says.
"And what did she say?"
Calista stares at the screen, her bottom lip quivering. Only the hissing of her radiator fills my speaker.
"She said, 'You just don't understand because you're single.'" Tears stream down Calista's cheeks. She buries her face in her knee to compose herself.
I clench my lips together. I have to remind myself to stay strong for my client. She can fall apart, but I have to make things right. Blood rushes to my face in frustration, coloring me the same shade as this shapeless graduation robe I'm wearing.
Calista continues, "I feel like if Derek had his way, she'd never talk to any of her friends again. Especially me."
My raccoon mask conceals my raised eyebrows. I've seen Bari and Calista joined at the hip since elementary school. They once tried convincing our classmates that they were cousins. (I fell for it.) They seemed to have one of those uber-tight friendship bonds that I thought would survive the dating world. Then again, I'd thought I had that, too. But now I know that once people get into relationships, friends-and rational thought-get tossed aside.
"It's a good thing you came to me," I say.
"You seriously can break them up?"
"I have a perfect track record."
"How?"
"My methods are proprietary and confidential."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm really, really good, and you'll just have to trust me." I catch my reflection in the screen. I'm shocked anyone's been able to take me seriously in this disguise. I look like an escaped mental patient, but that's better than looking like myself. Luckily, my work speaks for itself.
"It's not going to be easy. I think they've already said 'I love you' to each other."
"I'll take my chances," I say. Why do my classmates believe that saying those three words automatically protects a couple? They're not relationship insurance. They're just words, and if people actually meant them, then I would be out of a job. Bari and Derek are a couple destined for flame out. I'm just speeding up the inevitable. And if I can save Bari before she's permanently under Derek's thumb, so much the better.
"Before we go forward, I want you to be certain about this."
She gets so quiet I can hear the static crackling in the background. "I-I don't know."
"A minute ago you were devastated."
"I know. But…" Calista hugs her chopstick legs into her chest. I wonder if she's one of those girls who stays skinny no matter how much she eats. "This seems kind of severe. I don't know, and maybe a little petty, too?"
I clench my jaw. "When was the last time she called or texted you just to say hi?"
Calista ponders this. She shrugs her shoulder.
"So you think it's fair that she's cutting you out of her life? Just because she has a boyfriend?" I ask calmly.
"No. But Derek-"
"Derek hasn't mastered the art of mind control. She's choosing all of this. To disappear. To change. To stop being friends with you. It'd be nice if Bari suddenly came to her senses, but that's not going to happen, and you know it," I say. Blunt, but not untrue. "So now here's whereyou choose-are you going to let her continue on this path uninterrupted or are you going to do something about it?"
"So you really will break them up?" she asks between sniffles.
"For a hundred dollars via PayPal I can." The wheels begin turning in my head. I flash Calista a warm smile, telling her I got this. Maybe I can salvage this friendship. No girl should have to live through a best friend cutting her out of her life.
Her face brightens among the red splotches, and she smiles for the first time tonight. "Let's do it."
My mom still makes me a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich every morning. It was the only thing I ate for breakfast when I was in elementary school, and she stuck with it. Now that I'm older, I found my ideal get-up-and-get-'em meal: a large cup of coffee. Black, no sugar.
Sharp rays of morning sun pierce through the kitchen windows. My dad sits at the table with his coffee and oatmeal, watching a guy shout on TV. Apparently, the fluctuation of Chinese currency can make some people quite flustered. My mom hands me a cup of coffee, and I push aside the sandwich with my mug. She picks it up and takes a bite. And so goes our morning routine.
"Busy day today?" my mom asks.
"Kinda." I have a new couple to break up. Oh, and I have a math quiz. "Where's Diane?"
My mom heaves a sigh, then gives me a look like I should know better. "Still sleeping."
Which I should've known, but I hold out hope that one day the answer will be better. My dad shakes his head and mutters to himself.
"Hey," my mom says to my dad after taking another bite of my former breakfast. "Why did you get one-ply toilet paper last night?"
"It was on sale," he says, his focus returning to Chinese currency.
"You couldn't spring for two-ply?"
"Not if it's not on sale."
"We don't live in a tenement."
"More like a Turkish prison," he says with a half smile.
She rolls her eyes and takes a bite of the sandwich. My dad eats a few more spoonfuls of oatmeal then gets up. He puts on his suit jacket, then his winter coat. He kisses me goodbye, and gives my mom a pat on the shoulder while she wipes down the counter. It's like this every day, every year, the same motions. Way to keep the romance alive, guys. If it was ever even there to begin with.
My dad pauses at the door, and for a second I wonder if he's going to pick my mom up in a hug and plant one on her, like lovey-dovey parents in a cheesy sitcom.
"I'll be on the 5:57 train tonight. I'll just pick up a roastbeef sandwich at the station for dinner," he says.
"Okay," my mom says, washing out his oatmeal bowl in the sink.
Yep. So much for love.
Before I break up a couple, I have to do my research and examine their dating history. I have to know their past if I want to understand their present. Having a significant other will put any student at Ashland High School on the social radar, and chances are if you're in a relationship, someone else is talking about it.
In history class, I use the middle section of my three-subject notebook to build a dating dossier on Bari and Derek, tucked in between U.S. history and trig. I don't like to build dossiers when one of my targets is two rows over from me, but she's so engrossed in texting someone (let's be real: Derek), she won't even notice. Nothing our teacher Mr. Harrison says elicits a reaction from her. Bari clutches her phone against her stomach, as if waiting for the next message to inject her with another ounce of life.


Friday, April 25, 2014

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight to the B&N Book Clubs



This sign has been a non-stop part of my life for many, many years and it's with a tear stained keyboard I give you my goodbye letter to a community that made me the bookish person I am today.

As of May 1st 2014 the B&N Book Club Community will no longer exist.
Saying Goodbye and Fair Well to a Huge part of my reading life is hard and even knowing it was coming doesn't make it any easier. But lets go back to where it all started way back when the internet was just a baby back to Barnes & Noble University when the, then Giant force in the reading experience started a unique and groundbreaking internet only site where readers could come and take free on-line classes. This site progressed to the one so many readers, authors, publishers, bloggers, etc., know and loved for the many years that followed, the book club forum communities.

I had the honor of being a small part of this; first as a reader looking for ideas and other like-minded people to commune with. Then as a moderator for the Fiction General Discussion book club forum. This foray into the unknown for me was the best thing to ever happen to this reader, reviewer, blogger, it led me to e-meet and meet in person so many others in the community from readers and authors and publishers alike. It solidified my passion for reading by giving me an exclusive place to share that passion with others who were just as passionate as I was.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and the B&N on-line community is no exception. Its been one year this month that B&N let go all of their moderators in the companys effort to promote their new on-line device, the B&N book blog. Its not the same, theres no sense of community any longer but I hope they'll flourish in their attempt to keep an on-line presence going. There were some moderators who meagerly attempted to stay in touch and some like Becke Davis, the moderator of the Mystery forum who will go down with the ship.

Im going to miss the camaraderie of the many members through the years, some who have moved on and some who continue to comment and post whats going on in their reading lives and their lives in general.

I know that Barnes & Noble is having really difficult financial issues and I sincerely hope that this sight will not be leaving the landscape like the community is leaving the ethereal one.




So goodbye B&N forums its been great!

This is the note from B&N to their community members:
"Important Message from Barnes and Noble

Since 1997, you’ve been coming to BarnesandNoble.com to discuss everything from Stephen King to writing to Harry Potter. You’ve made our site more than a place to discover your next book: you’ve made it a community. But like all things internet, BN.com is growing and changing. On May 1, we’re saying goodbye to our community message boards—but that doesn’t mean we won’t still be a place for adventurous readers to connect and discover.
Now, you can explore the most exciting new titles (and remember the classics) at the Barnes & Noble Book Blog. Check out conversations with authors like Jeff VanderMeer and Gary Shteyngart at the B&N Review, and browse write-ups of the best in literary fiction. Come to our Facebook page to weigh in on what it means to be a book nerd. Browse digital deals on the NOOK blog, tweet about books with us,or self-publish your latest novella with NOOK Press. And for those of you looking for support for your NOOK, the NOOK Support Forums will still be here.
We will continue to provide you with books that make you turn pages well past midnight, discover new worlds, and reunite with old friends. And we hope that you’ll continue to tell us how you’re doing, what you’re reading, and what books mean to you."



Thursday, April 24, 2014

**James J Kaufman author of The Concealers gets Nautilus Silver Award**

**READ ALL ABOUT IT**

I'm so pleased to announce that the 2014 Silver Nautilus award goes to
James J Kaufman and his novel The Concealers.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!


Overview


Katherine Kelly's mentor says she has the makings of a good reporter, but to be great, she must learn to find the emotional core of a story and not hold back in its telling. Then he suggests one last grad school assignment: find someone who has influenced her family and tell that story. Katherine decides to pursue the only family story that has eluded her all her life: the identity of the father she never knew. 

ABOUT THE NAUTILUS AWARDS
The Nautilus Awards represents "Better Books for a Better World." Now in its 15th year, this unique book award program continues to gain prestige with authors and publishers around the world as it seeks, honors, awards and promotes print books that inspire and connect our lives as individuals, communities and global citizens.

Dedicated to excellence and the highest literary standards, the Nautilus assists its winners in getting wider recognition, marketing and exhibiting opportunities, media coverage, industry exposure and enhanced prospects for sales.


The Nautilus Awards seeks and promotes well-written and -produced books with messages about caring for, understanding, and improving every aspect of our lives and relationships.
  
W
e look for exceptional literary contributions to spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, green values, responsible leadership and positive social change as well as to the worlds of art, creativity and inspirational reading for children, teens and young adults.

http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/Home.php


April 15, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tina Pollard, Executive Administrator, downstreampublishing@gmail.com Downstream Publishing, LLC Landfall Business Center, Suite 133, 1213 Culbreth Dr., Wilmington, NC 28405 910-509-5011 http://www.downstreampublishing.com
The Concealers, Book 2 of The Collectibles Trilogy, by local author, James J. Kaufman, has just been selected as a 2014 Nautilus Silver winner in fiction.
In addition, The Concealers was reviewed by Kirkus which stated: “Readers who like their fiction with a strong dose of inspiration and morality will enjoy this outing.”— Kirkus Reviews. For the full Kirkus review see:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-kaufman/the-concealers/
Mr. Kaufman’s The Collectibles, Book 1 of The Collectibles Trilogy, also received the Nautilus Silver Award in fiction in 2011. Both novels are Amazon Best Sellers.
“I am honored and heartened by these awards,” said Kaufman, “especially because the purpose of the Nautilus award is to inspire the reader to new possibilities for a better world—which is what The Collectibles and now The Concealers is all about.”
Both The Collectibles and The Concealers may be purchased at Barnes & Noble in Mayfaire, on Amazon, and selected book stores, as well as from DownstreamPublishing.com and JamesJKaufman.com.
About the Author:

Jim Kaufman is uniquely qualified to write about trust. His broad experience and distinctly compassionate character is evident throughout a lifetime of living and working in the legal, government, and corporate worlds from which he has synthesized a powerful message. His Collectibles Trilogy offers a message that he believes can restore those fast-eroding values that made our country great and which, in his view, can once again change our world and our lives for the better. He has written several non-fiction books, including Noise, A Problem to be Heard: Control of Noise through Laws and Regulations; What to do Before the Money Runs Out – A Road Map for America’s Automobile Dealers; Trial Structure and Conduct; and North Carolina Trial and Appeal. Website: jamesjkaufman.com

To view my original interivew with Jim click HERE which includes my review!




Jim’s Podcast interview on FMMK Talk Radio
http://tobtr.com/s/5262765