The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba of The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. This is a weekly meme where we can share news of the week and highlight new books received.
I spent most of the week trying to get my allergies and asthma under control, so I didn’t really get much accomplished. This afternoon is another puppy play date, which always makes me feel better. Pix next week!
Check out my current contests! See the Contest Widget on the Sidebar to enter!
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews to share new additions to our library. Click here to learn more about it.
New Arrivals at the Café:
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Once We Were by Kat Zhang
Wicked Beat by Olivia Cunning
Mortality by Kellie Sheridan (zombies!!)
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Iron Kingdoms: In Thunder Forged by Ari Marmell
How to Love by Katie Cotugno
The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson
A great big thanks to the publishers for their continued support!
What did you get? Please leave links and share!
Posted in Stacking the Shelves Sunday Post by .
Olivia Logan dropped by the virtual offices to discuss her recent release, Urgent: One Nanny Required. Please give her a warm welcome.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Olivia Logan] I am strong willed and impulsive. To me ‘No’ means try harder. Life is an adventure and no opportunity should be turned down without a second look. I hate when it is too hot or too cold so Spring and Autumn are my favourite seasons. Whilst I love high heels (what woman doesn’t!) I am more a bookaholic/ foodie then a clothes horse and can trawl for hours around a book shop or a deli than a clothes store. The two things that scare me the most are sharks and heights, so despite my impulsive nature the idea of sky diving/ parachuting/ bungee jumping/ swimming with sharks is a no-no!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Urgent: One Nanny Required?
[Olivia Logan] ‘Urgent: One Nanny Required’ is the story of Rania George who owns a sweetshop who one dark night spots a little boy outside alone. Not having had the best childhood growing up she empathises with him and lets him in prepared to call his parents and give them a piece of her mind only to find his single dad on the doorstep annoyed at her!
Nicholas Trenton knows what is son is like with nannies however he seems to be different with this woman. He has a shoot coming up in LA for 3 weeks and yes she seems angry at him but from the looks of her shop she could use all the financial help she can get. Why not ask her to come along and be his nanny since she clearly doesn’t think the other nannies he hired in the past up to scratch.
Question is what has Rania got to lose by saying yes?
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Olivia Logan] I am very curious by nature and love to people watch and got the idea for my story just by passing an old fashioned sweet shop in London and found myself wondering about the lives of the people who worked there. That kind of started my idea for my heroine in ‘Urgent:One Nanny Required’.
The idea of a single dad was actually inspired by one of my favourite story books written by Roald Dahl ‘Danny, The Champion Of The World’. In this book Danny, our young hero lives with his dad who is loving and kind and dotes on him completely. Not exactly the same as the father in ‘Urgent’. But before I digress onto telling you the plot of that story which ends happily, as a romantic I was always left wondering about the father. Did he ever remarry? Would he ever be persuaded to remarry? Hence the idea of our hero being a single parent.
The Hollywood idea actually came from a friend of mine who works in film who always complained that none of the heroes in romances ever have ‘real’ jobs! Like a Hollywood director is a real job! But after much ear bending I decided to listen to their views and make my hero have a ‘real’ job in Hollywood and by that I mean a ‘behind the scenes’ guy as opposed to a film star.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Rania?
[Olivia Logan] Resourceful, Determined, Survivor
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Nick had a theme song, what would it be?
[Olivia Logan] Mmmm that’s tricky! I’d say it would have to be Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Rania is never without.
[Olivia Logan] Her kindle as she loves to read.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Nick’s bedroom?
[Olivia Logan] Male toiletries as he doesn’t have time for worrying about that stuff as a single working parent; a little black book of women’s numbers (see previous reason) ; More than 3 pairs of shoes as being practical he doesn’t see the need.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Rania’s greatest regret?
[Olivia Logan] Waiting so long to find and reconnect with her long lost father.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Olivia Logan] The first and foremost was my love of Greek and Roman myths that fuelled my passion for writing in the first place as I was saddened as a child to learn that after reading most of them I was running out so I tried to invent my own. The next was my class teacher when I was in (UK) year two who used to make up class stories with us which also made me think I could do it alone. And last but never forgotten my aunt who gave me my first romance book as a teenager(okay so I borrowed without asking) but which set me on my way to writing romance and I have never looked back since.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Olivia Logan] Twinings English Breakfast tea, my laptop for obvious reasons and a window to look out of so I can daydream if I hit a writers road block.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Olivia Logan] ‘The Book Of Lost Things’ by John Connolly.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Olivia Logan] Mmmm that is a tough one as my parents encouraged me to read from an early age and I’ve loved all kinds of stories and authors. If I had to pick one book I would say ‘Under the lilacs’ but Lousia M.Alcott because of the imagery.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Olivia Logan] I would love to say sleep but alas that isn’t true. I work full time so if I’m not writing I am working and if not that then running or hanging out with friends and family.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Olivia Logan] I’m around on twitter as @olivia_logan_ or on my website http://olivialoganromance.com where they can also email me from the ‘Contact Me’ page.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
You can purchase Urgent: One Nanny Required from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the link below:
About the book:
Hollywood director Nick Trenton needs a nanny and fast. It certainly hasn’t helped that his son has run off every one he’s hired. With a big shoot coming up in LA, Nick’s running out of options. Then along comes Rania George – sweetshop owner and one of the few people his son doesn’t want to give the slip. No, she doesn’t like Nick, but he can work around that. He loves his son and will do anything to get the lovely Miss George to say yes to his plan.
Rania is used to children hanging outside her sweetshop but seeing one alone on a dark night is a first. What sort of parent would let his child wander the streets at night?
Then she meets his Hollywood director father and assumes Nick’s too self absorbed to notice his son is wandering the streets alone. She learned from an early age that anything Hollywood related was bad news. She has vowed to stay away from anything – and she means anything – Hollywood.
Not that it helps when Nick’s cute-as-a-button son captures her heart nor when she’s offered to babysit said son for a huge amount of money. Only catch is she has to fly to Hollywood and spend three weeks in the company of his devastatingly attractive father.
After all her experiences with Hollywood, is she willing to risk it?
Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors
Check out Crimson Romance’s Urgent: One Nanny Required page here: http://www.crimsonromance.com/new-release-romance-ebook/urgent-one-nanny-required/
Posted in Interviews Romance by .
Please welcome Katie O’Sullivan to the virtual offices! I was curious about Katie’s new book, Son of a Mermaid, so I asked her by to chat about the book.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Katie O’Sullivan] Katie O’Sullivan lives next to the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking too much coffee and inventing excuses not to dust. She writes YA and romantic suspense.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Son of a Mermaid?
[Katie O’Sullivan] This young adult book is aimed at advanced middle grade and beginner YA readers and makes a perfect young teen beach book for summer, filled with adventure, light romance and beautiful descriptions of life along the sandy shores – and beneath the waves.
Son of a Mermaid is the first book in a planned series about Shea MacNamara and the undersea world of mermaids and mermen that he discovers off the shores of Cape Cod. The blurb reads:
Shea MacNamara’s life just got complicated.
After a freak tornado devastates his Oklahoma farm, the fifteen-year-old orphan moves to Cape Cod to live with a grandmother he’s never met. Struggling to make sense of his new surroundings, he meets a girl along the shore who changes his life forever.
Kae belongs to an undersea world hidden from drylanders. The daughter of royal servants, she knows the planned marriage of her Princess to the foreign King should put an end to the war between the clans. Two things stand in the way of lasting peace: an ambitious Regent and rumors of a half-human child who will save the oceans.
Sparks fly when she meets Shea, but could the cute drylander really be the Son of a Mermaid?
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Katie O’Sullivan] My kids and I have always liked mermaid stories. One day my son and I were walking the dogs on the beach and found a strange rock with a hole cut through the center. We started weaving a tale about the mermaid who lost it… and the book grew from there.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Shea?
[Katie O’Sullivan] Loyal, strong, insecure
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Kae had a theme song, what would it be?
[Katie O’Sullivan] Iris, by the Goo Goo Dolls
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Kae is never without.
[Katie O’Sullivan] Her transmutare medallion. Harvested from the heart of the ocean, the transmutare stones help mermaids channel and focus the ancient magick of the seas. Kae uses her medallion to help her transform her tail into human legs, to go ashore.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Shea’s bedroom?
[Katie O’Sullivan] Since he lost everything in the tornado, you won’t find much that is his own in Shea’s new bedroom. He didn’t bring much with him when he moved to Cape Cod, just what was in his backpack at school that day.
But things you’d never find? He’s a straight arrow kind of guy, so no alcohol or drugs, and he’s not into pop culture or fads, so no Pokemon or Homestuck stuff. He also has no photos of the mother who abandoned him as a baby – until he moves to his grandmother’s house and finds one. And recognizes her from his dreams.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Kae’s greatest regret?
[Katie O’Sullivan] Kae regrets being so constrained by the rules of her family and society, and wishes she had more freedom. She can’t wait to go away to school, where she thinks she’ll be able to have a fresh start. When she meets Shea, she starts bending those rules but finds that she’s not the only one with secrets, and that things aren’t always as they appear.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Katie O’Sullivan] For this book, living by the ocean was a big influence, lol. Like my character Shea, I walk my dogs along the beach at sunrise every morning, and spend that alone time working through stories in my head.
I’ve also been reading a lot of YA in the last few years – the genre has changed significantly over time and is one of the more exciting areas in publishing today.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Katie O’Sullivan] The 3 C’s: My computer, coffee, and chocolate.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Katie O’Sullivan] I’d have to say Death Lies Between Us, by Jody Kessler. Before that, it was The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern.
I read and enjoy a lot of books (a LOT of books), but love it when an author brings something really fresh to a book, something I haven’t read before.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Katie O’Sullivan] My mom was into mysteries and Agatha Christie, so she started me off with the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I read them all, but at the age of 10 read The Girl Who Owned a City, by O.T. Nelson and it changed the way I looked at books. Everything didn’t have to strictly “real” in the world of fiction, and grownups didn’t have all the answers.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Katie O’Sullivan] If I had my choice, I’d spend more time reading! But. I have three active, involved teens (over involved?) who keep me busy, as well as two big dogs who like to walk on the beach every chance they get. I watch a lot of soccer games and track meets, and go to a lot of concerts and plays starring my kids and their friends.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Katie O’Sullivan] My website: www.katie-osullivan.com
My blog: http://katieosullivan.blogspot.com
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieOSullivan
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/OkatieO
Add Son of a Mermaid on your Goodreads list: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17184560-son-of-a-mermaid
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
Purchase link:
GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17184560-son-of-a-mermaid
About the book:
Shea MacNamara’s life just got complicated.
After a freak tornado devastates his Oklahoma farm, the fifteen-year-old orphan is whisked away to Cape Cod. Struggling to make sense of his new surroundings, he’s trying hard to deal with feelings of abandonment… and the emotions stirred by a girl he meets along the shore.
Kae belongs to an undersea world hidden from drylanders. The daughter of royal servants, she knows the planned marriage of her Princess to the foreign King should put an end to the war between the clans. But two things stand in the way of lasting peace: the ambitions of the foreign King’s regent, and rumors of the Princess’s bastard child.
Sparks fly when she meets Shea, but could the cute drylander really be the Son of a Mermaid?
About the Author:
Katie O’Sullivan lives with her family and big dogs next to the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust. She writes YA and romantic suspense novels, and has worked for the last four years as the editor of CapeWomenOnline.com magazine and writes “The Write Way” column for the magazine.
She hopes her debut YA novel, SON OF A MERMAID, will make a big splash this summer, engaging young readers with a Cape Cod tale of a boy who discovers both his roots and his destiny far below the waters of Nantucket Sound.
Posted in Interviews Paranormal Romance by .
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