I can’t believe how late it is! Your Monday is almost over, and hopefully it didn’t suck too bad. Mine was a complete cluster, one thing after another after another that needed tending and I’m just now–just now–sitting down for the first time today.

So what’s new in Brighton Land? This week I’ve been working on getting promo stuff ready for my upcoming release of SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES. I suppose I should start teasing you all with snippets of my favorite Hot Single Dad. Alas, it’s late and I’m so tired, I’d probably post something that made zero sense. So, sooooooon, my pretties.

When I’m not in prepping-for-promo-madness, I’ve also been working on the revisions for my new adult contemporary. Everything is polished and shiny-pretty and I sent that off to my agent yesterday. Now I get to throw together a single paragraph pitch for book 2 in that series, which I plan to write during NaNo this year.

Whoa. That was a lot of pressure in that one tiny paragraph.

But enough about me! Let’s talk about books! Last week’s winner, Traci, gets a copy of THE MARRIAGE MERGER, so her Monday certainly doesn’t suck. Now, who wants to win a copy of THESE BROKEN STARS?

It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

—

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

See you next week!

I’ve been having one of those days where I have so much to do that I just sort of sit around, staring at stuff and not doing anything because I’m so overwhelmed. Ever have a day like that? What I need to do is whip out my trusty Sharpie and write myself a to-do list just for the satisfaction of checking something off. 

Last week, I worked on and finished the edits from my current WIP. Now comes the polishing part…making sure all those changes/additions/subtractions I made still make sense. Once that’s done, I’ll be able to dive into the details of book 2, as the characters have already started speaking to me. (I love this part).

Since I’m drowning in a to-do list a mile long, this post is gonna be short and sweet. Last week’s lucky winner is none other than Christine! Random.org likes her, I guess. 

This week’s giveaway is book 4 in the Marriage to a Billionaire series by Jennifer Probst.

Her sisters have found wedded bliss with their wealthy,wonderful dream men, but not Julietta Conte. She’s stayed on terra firma as top executive of the family’s corporation, La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Work is her passion, and her trendy Milan apartment her sanctuary . . . until Sawyer Wells, a masculine masterpiece in a suit, lures her out of hiding with an irresistible offer: an exclusive partnership with his international chain of boutique hotels.

Julietta’s been burned before—and trusting her brother-in-law’s friend, whose powerful gaze alone has her rethinking the best use of a conference room, is the riskiest proposition. But with a once-in-a-career chance to take the bakery global, will she mix stone-cold business with red-hot seduction?

Enter below… I’ll see you next week!

Hellooooooo, all you pretty people! It’s Monday again. I know…we’ve got to stop meeting under these circumstances. But once again, this Monday doesn’t suck for me (can you tell I’m an eternal optimist?). It’s the last day of September, which means tomorrow is October! And also my birthday! That’s not the only reason it’s the best month in the history of ever, though. It’s also the month I got married in and delivered one of my children in. And it’s fall! There are leaves and sweaters and boots and that wonderful smell! Plus: HALLOWEEN! My second favorite holiday, coming in after Christmas, because obviously.

This last week flew by, as one does when work is being done. I’m starting preparations for a blog tour and promo for my upcoming release, Season of Second Chances, out in a stand alone novella, and also as part of All I’m Asking For: A Contemporary Christmas Anthology. Both of those are now available for pre-order on Amazon (whee!). I’m waiting (not-so-) patiently for cover art on that, and as soon as I’m able, I’ll share what we’ve got.

I’ve also been working hard on my new adult novel, with suggestions from Mandy. I’m polishing it up and reworking bits and sort of piecing together the rest. I find this to be the most difficult part of editing, trying to fit everything back together when you’ve changed something even just a smidgen, but ultimately, I know it will be a better book when it’s all said and done.

Last week, I had a fabulous giveaway of FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell, and decided to do that before everything came out about the whole MN school nonsense. And it really is. ELEANOR & PARK is an amazing book. One of my favorites this year, and while it absolutely deserves the attention it’s getting, it doesn’t deserve the stem of that attention. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read E&P, do yourself a favor and buy it–that’s right, just buy it. Don’t check it out from the library, because I promise you you’ll love it that much.

What’s that? You wanna know who the winner is? Welp, congrats Heather W.! Hope your Monday doesn’t suck with this win under your belt.

This week’s giveaway is an ARC of HEREAFTER by Kate Brian, due out tomorrow.

Rory Miller thought her life was over when a serial killer set his sights on her and forced her into witness protection.

But a fresh start on Juniper Landing Island was exactly what she and her family needed. For the first time in years she and her sister hang out at the beach, gossip about boys, and party together. She’s also made friends with a local clique–including a magnetic and mysterious boy named Tristan. 

But Rory’s world is about to change again. Picturesque Juniper Landing isn’t what it seems. The truth about the swirling fog that rolls in each morning, the bridge that leads to nowhere, and those beautiful locals who seem to watch Rory’s every move is more terrifying than being hunted by Steven Nell. And all Rory ever wanted was the truth. Even if it means learning that she can never go home again. 

From the best-selling author of the Private and Privilege series comes the second novel in a heart-stopping trilogy about a girl who must pick up the pieces after the only life she’s ever known ends.

You know the drill. Rafflecopter down below. I’ll see you next week.

You guys. I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome my week was. It was so awesome, I don’t even care that it’s Monday. I know, right?

So last week I said I had some exciting news I hoped to share with you soon, and I caaaaaaan! I mentioned in this post that I finished writing a full length new adult novel, and I was done prettying it up and I was diving into the trenches of querying agents. Well, I did. And two weeks ago, I got my first offer. 

The week following that first offer was crazy. I was full of nerves and excitement and anxiety. By the end of the week, I had four offers–all from amazing agents I would have loved to work with. While I was busy trying to decide the all-important choice of who to work with, I had many friends and fellow authors telling me to go with my gut. The problem was, my gut was telling me they were all super great, and I needed to work with all of them and how could I possibly mesh them all into one person? And then I got the final call from the final agent to offer, and my friends were right. My gut, which was previously very tight-lipped and wishy-washy, perked up and told me it was her.

I’m so thrilled to say that last week, I signed on with Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Agency, and I am OMG SO EXCITED I can’t even tell you! She is the exact balance of everything I was looking for. Plus, the first day I was “officially” her client, she sent me this gif in an e-mail, so, you know… MTB.

So now that I’ve shared my exciting news, let’s see who won last week’s giveaway of UNBREAKABLE. Congrats to Christine! Thanks for playing. 

This week I have one you are going to really, really want. If you haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to Ms. Rainbow Rowell’s work, well…where the hell have you been? I haven’t had a chance to read FANGIRL yet, but I read ELEANOR & PARK and immediately fell in love. FANGIRL came out earlier this month, and you can win an ARC of it by doing your thing with rafflecopter. See you next week!

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Looks like another one snuck up on us. Monday strikes again. Man, it was hard setting my alarm for o’dark thirty this morning. On the plus side, by 8 am, I’ve done half a day’s work, so productivity? I haz it.

Last week was a super exciting week for me, for reasons I hope to be able to share very, very soon. Until I can, I’m basically walking around with my hands cupped over my mouth, eyes wide as I run away in panic.

Let’s move onto things that will surely make you happy, even though it’s Monday! Congrats to Kendra who won last week’s giveaway! 

I’ve got another ARC for you this week: UNBREAKABLE.

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

Do your thing down below and I’ll see you back here next week.