THE FAM: MY PEOPLE

YES, I'm a grandma. And that cute little guy in my arms is the one who made me a grandma!!

Next to me is my hubby, my three daughters, and my son. (two daughters are married--husbands not pictured)

I actually have another grandson, but we lost him at eight months gestation to Trisomy 18 on Dec. 22, 2011. This is another story in and of itself, and one that I will blog about one day soon. I had no idea this condition existed until it happened to us. It's still a little raw right now and I'm not ready to share it as of yet. I plan to share the story of our little Jerad Harlan on the anniversary of his death, Dec. 22, 2012. It will be therapeutic.

I inherited the 'look younger than you really are' gene from my Mom. She still looks amazing, and I can only hope I'll look as young as her when I'm 70!

When I was 20, I hated looking young. People thought I was 12, and that's not a compliment!

Now, I like it!

I'm about to release my next book, "I Have People." Here's how the title of this book came about:

For about eight months I had an empty nest. (now two of my children are home again) The house was soooo quiet and I felt a little lonely. I've always been a stay-at-home Mom and I liked a household with kids coming and going all the time. To my surprise, I didn't have time to bask in loneliness. My daughters called on a regular basis, sometimes everyday, and my son called often too. It was then that I realized motherhood was far from over--the logistics had just changed! I had PEOPLE. People who loved me and cared for me, whether they were living at home or not. It was a wonderful realization and this experience inspired the name of the book I was working on at the time: I Have People.

I have people. Thank goodness. And those guys up above are my PEOPLE. The most important people in the world to me.

Tell me about your PEOPLE!

Lancaster House Review

Read my five-star review of Lancaster House here. Thanks to Batty for Books for taking the time to read and review my novel and thanks for the great review! Check out her site or read the review below:

  When I started reading ‘Lancaster House’ I thought it was going to be your typical ghost story / haunted house type deal. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This book was about a man wronged in loved and suffering eternity for it. His life hanging in the balance for something he did which seemed justified to me.

It also about the woman who buys Lancaster House and wants to restore it to its original beauty, she is in love with the house and falls in love with its secret tenant as well. The only question is will she be able to handle his story or will she lose her mind in the process of restoring the house?

I absolutely adored the story Taylor Dean told in this amazing unique novel. ‘Lancaster House’ took a usually creepy, scary theme and turned it into something beautiful and inspiring. True love cannot be beaten or torn down and that is really the lesson in this book.

Andre and Zoe just give me chills at how beautiful y they are together. Not to mention this story has every wow factor to it you can imagine. Twists and turns like you wouldn’t believe. It was a great adventure and a job well done for Taylor Dean. I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to everyone. A true masterpiece.

Thanks, Chastity! What a wonderful review!

BTW, THERE IS AN EBOOK GIVEAWAY OF LANCASTER HOUSE AT Dive Under the Cover.
ENTER NOW!

Lancaster House News

My Second Book Blog Tour for Lancaster House is well underway! I'll be posting links of giveaways and reviews as the tour progresses.

My latest review from my previous tour is at Midtown Underground. Or just read it here:

Overall, this was a pretty good read! Lancaster house starts out with Zoe Grayson getting assigned a new psychiatrist as nobody else has been able to work with her. Through her recounting the events that happened to land her into the psychiatric hospital, we are told the story of the Lancaster House.

Zoe decides to buy this house and renovate it back to it’s old glory.The author did an amazing job describing this house and the details were very accurate for a 1920′s home. She very accurately portrayed what the Lancaster House would look like. and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it. You are talking to an HGTV addict over here, okay?

The characters in the story, Zoe, Andre, and to an extent even her doctor I found all very likeable in their own way.I liked the fact that Dr. Channing seemed to genuinely care for and want to help Zoe. My only issue is that Zoe seemed a bit too co-dependent. But I get it, when you are in love, sometimes you can become that way when things are new and you are passionate and just want to be with the other person.

I think that the author created a great romance, but with a bit of a twist. It was definitely not one that I was expecting either. I found it to be an interesting and intriguing read and look forward to seeing more from Taylor Dean.

Thanks for the review, J.A. I'm an HGTV addict too! I guess that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed writing Lancaster House. 

Currently, I also have an ebook giveaway going on at Dive Under the Cover. Thanks, Shelly, for featuring me and my books on your blog once again!

Sierra Giveaway!

This is a book or book related giveaway hop!

I'm offering one paperback or ebook (Reader's Choice) of my novel, Sierra. (Romantic Suspense)

To enter, scroll down to the rafflecopter below the linky list. 

Thanks for stopping by!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back from Vacation!

I didn't get around to posting last week. I was able to go with my hubby on a business trip to Vegas. We stayed for two extra days for a little vacay and some much needed R and R! (and we were celebrating our 30th anniversary--can you believe it? Where does the time go?)

So what do I read while sitting by the pool? My own book! Sierra always gets me hooked, even if I do know the ending!!

We stayed at the JW Marriott, far away from the hustle and bustle of the strip. It's an amazing place to stay when you're in Vegas. It's a resort and the grounds of the hotel are beyond GORGEOUS. I could live out my life there and be perfectly happy. Seriously. This place is BEAUTIFUL.

See what I mean? This is the view from our balcony. We had french doors that opened up to this every morning. BLISS! The soothing sound of rushing water met our ears at every moment of the day.

While my hubby attended to business, I sat in the room next to the opened french doors and worked on my final revisions to The Middle Aisle. Life just doesn't get any better than this! The faint sounds of the radio drifted to me from the grounds of the hotel. (The radio plays softly throughout the grounds)

 I had a little . . . moment too.

I was on the last few pages of The Middle Aisle.  The song, Marry Me by Train, came on over the sound system. This song has always been a huge inspiration to me as I wrote The Middle Aisle. It played as I finished the last few pages, as if I was watching a movie and the song was recapping the events of the story. It was perfect and made me smile. I END the Lancaster House story at the end of The Middle Aisle. I could probably write more, but I don't want to ruin it by dragging it on and on and on. Know what I mean? Sometimes I think it's best to end it while everyone is still enjoying the story and is not SICK of it.

I cried when we left. Yes, cried. I know, silly. But, it was such a relaxing week, even if we were working while there. And the beauty is like a balm to my soul. I miss it.

But, we're back home now and back to work, back to the everyday rigors of life.

But, ah, the memories.

Lancaster House Blog Tour

Join me on my second book blog tour for Lancaster House!

September 3 Hanging With Bells Guest Post
September 4 Dive Under The Covers- Excerpt
September 5 Batty For Books Review
September 6 Batty For Books Guest Post
September 7 A Buckeye Girl Reads Excerpt
September 10 Book Girl Knitting Excerpt, & Review
September 11 Endless Days of Literary Ecstasy Review
September 12 Book Girl Knitting Guest Post
September 13 Book Liaison Author Interview
September 14 Mademoiselle Le Sphinx, Review
September 15 Mademoiselle Le Sphinx, Guest Post
Septebember 16 Offbeat Vagabound Review
September 17 WV Stitcher Review

The inspiration behind Lancaster House

Below is a link to the American Idol performance that inspired me to write Lancaster House. Can you believe it? One amazing performance and my creative juices went wild. Not exactly sure how that happened, but this performance spurred my imagination and made me create Lancaster House! That was all it took!

This link is a very poor video of the performance. I couldn't find another one and I'm surprised that there are not more links to it. I own a perfect copy of it that I purchased through iTunes. I watched it umpteen times as I wrote Lancaster House.

This is the perfect visual of Andre. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEQyz0acKNo

Lancaster House: THE MOVIE!?

My book blog tour for Lancaster House has been going well.
I've received two more wonderful reviews at Andi's Book Reviews and at Literature Lovers' Labyrinth.
You can visit their sites or read the reviews below:

Literature Lovers' Labyrinth: 

Zoe wants to put out the old and bring in the new, starting with her move to a new state. After purchasing a dying edifice to reside in, she quickly busies herself with renovation. . .as well as with falling in love. The house’s secrets keep her on her heels- and so does the posessive and mysterious man she can’t see or hear. Her personal philosophies are in shambles as unbelieveable answers set her on a tailspin. Unfortunately she ends up hospitalized, but forever plotting her way back to her home- and her love. Will she make it? This book is stunningly written with astounding imagery that played like a movie in my mind. The characters are hauntingly delicious and delicately crafted, backed by an exhilarating plot that holds you firmly from cover to cover. I give this most endearing book 5 stars, a must read for lovers of the paranormal and of thrilling suspense tales.

Andi's Book Reviews:

Zoe is a very confused and emotionally raw woman. Her doctors have dubbed her as being schizophrenic. While reading the interactions between her and her doctor, you are inclined to agree with them. But as you read her story as she is telling it to her doctor, you start to wonder if she is really telling the truth. All the way through, it is hard to tell what is fact and what is a figment of her imagination.The story is so unbelievable and impossible, yet for her sake you almost want it to be true.

I also loved the descriptions of the Lancaster House. I love the idea of old houses with secret rooms and secret passageways. I would love to visit this house and explore it, ghosts be damned. It's a great setting, again, even if many aspects are just a figment of Zoe's imagination. Somehow, though, I don't think that they are.

To me, this wasn't necessarily a scary read. It was more of a mind-bending tale of intrigue. Reading this reminded me a bit of Girl, Interrupted with the interactions between patient and doctor, and the patient trying to prove that she wasn't crazy. I could see every scene play out like it was on the big screen. I really enjoyed it. There is a sequel to the story, an excerpt of which was at the end of my review copy. I am aching to read it, to figure out some more pieces of Zoe's puzzle.

One of the things I love about these two reviews is that they both mention  that they were able to picture the plot as if it were a movie in their head:

This book is stunningly written with astounding imagery that played like a movie in my mind. 

 I could see every scene play out like it was on the big screen.

I would LOVE to see Lancaster House made into a movie! It would make a fantastic film.

Leave a comment if you agree!

I think I would cast Julianne Hough as Zoe. Andre, however, has been a hot debate in our household. 

Tell me who you would cast as Andre! I'm open to suggestions!

Lancaster House Book Blog Tour

The Lancaster House Book Blog Tour is still going strong.
A BIG thank you to these blogs for featuring Lancaster House this past week!
Go  check them out and enter the giveaways. You could win an ebook of Lancaster House.

 My Reading Addiction (Giveaway)
Lizzy's Dark Fiction (Giveaway)
Hardcover Feedback (Giveaway)
Whoopeeyoo! (Giveaway)
The Bunny's Review
Dive Under the Cover

Sorry!

To feature and follow visitors, I apologize! I found the feature and follow on Parajunkee's site and immediately signed up without reading the fine details . . . like you're supposed to be a book blogger in order to participate. I'm an author, not a book blogger. I've emailed Parajunkee and asked her to remove my name from the Linky list.

I apologize for my mistake!

Reviews are scary!

But not this one!

This review left me crying and utterly speechless!! (in a good way)

Thank you to Mandy of 'The Thoughts of a Girl' for an absolutely amazing and wonderful review of Lancaster House. To read her review, click here.

Or just read it below:

The Cover - This is such an unusual, interesting book cover! It definitely has a vintage vibe about it, which fits perfectly with the story itself. I'm really liking the mix of blues and yellows that have been used, and doesn't that tagline just grab your attention straight away?! Love it.

The Review - Wow. Where to start? Lancaster House was one of the most exhilarating, amazing books I've read all year. Maybe even ever. There is an undercurrent of menace and a totally creepy vibe running through the first half of the novel, one which kept me turning the pages and had my heart beating that little bit faster. From the opening pages, you're sucked right into the action, wondering what is going on and what will happen next.

The house itself is as much of a main character as Zoe. A gorgeously dilapidated 1920 Victorian mansion, Lancaster House is to me, a dream come true! I am desperate to renovate a gem from the past myself, and I love the idea of bringing an old house back to life just like Zoe, so this aspect of the story really appealed to me. I also loved the little connection to the Winchester Mystery House, and the role that this played in the book!

I absolutely adored Zoe and Andre. Without giving too much away, their relationship was so lovely, and both were interesting, unique characters. I enjoyed witnessing the development of their relationship, and I really felt the intensity of their emotions and their feelings for one another. The juxtaposition in Zoe's mannerisms, and the way she could quickly go from being a mature woman who renovates houses for a living, to a young twenty-something racing around a house on piggyback was great! I could relate to her a lot, and throughout the novel I could feel what she was feeling, and this brought me so much deeper into the story. And oh my gosh, Andre! What a dreamboat! He was seriously the perfect man! Well, nearly... He did love throwing guys out of windows a little bit too much for my liking!

I was spellbound by Lancaster House. Ms Dean has really outdone herself with this book. The story was utterly entrancing and completely absorbing. It was also very smart; it kept me thinking and questioning what was going on the entire time, and even after reading it, I'm still not entirely sure what was real and what wasn't. I love a book that keeps me thinking about it well after I'm done reading it.

Lancaster House is definitely one of the best books I've read all year, and I cannot wait for the sequel! So please, write it quickly Ms Dean! In the last few pages I found myself nearly in tears, and I was racing to get to the end. This book has left me reeling, and I can't wait to see what will happen next. 

Oh my! See what I mean?

Now after all that happiness and excitement comes the worry.

*Crash down to earth*

I can't possibly live up to Lancaster House in the sequel. I feel like everyone will be disappointed! How can I possibly make the second book as good as the first? The sequel is an entirely different animal.

The challenge is before me . . .

Join me on my Book Tour!

Here's where you can find me on my Virtual Book Tour for Lancaster House!!!

Virtual Book Tour August 13 - August 27

August 13 - My Cozie Corner - Review/Giveaway

August 14 - The Solitary Bookworm - Review/Interview

August 15 - The Thoughts of a Girl - Review/Giveaway

August 16 - My Reading Addiction - Interview/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

August 17 - Lizzy's Dark Fiction - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

August 18 - Hardcover Feedback - Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

August 18 - Woopeeyoo! - Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

August 19 - Bunny's Review- Interview/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

August 20 - Dive Under the Cover - PROMO

August 21 - Andi's Book Review - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

August 22 - Literature Lovers' Labyrinth - Review/Excerpt

August 22 - Known to Read - PROMO

August 23 - Midtown Underground - Review/Excerpt

August 25 - Books, Books, the Magical Fruit - Interview/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

August 26 - Two Fantasy Floozies - Review/Interview

August 27- Taking it One Page at a Time - Review/Interview/Giveaway

August 28 - Auggie Talk - Interview/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO

August 28 - The Book Faery Reviews - Excerpt/PROMO

Virtual Book Tour

My virtual book tour started today for Lancaster House!

Today I visited My Cozie Corner. To see my five star review, click here.

Or read it below:

"Lancaster House" is not your normal paranormal romance, but a novel with with a well written, interesting plot that is loaded with twists and turns. This is one of those books that you just can not put down until you finish, and I can't wait for the sequel! Highly recommended for all paranormal romance readers.

I give "Lancaster House" a 5 star rating.

Tomorrow I'll be visiting The Solitary Bookworm. Her review is already posted and the author interview will be posted tomorrow afternoon. To see the review click here.

Or read it below: WARNING: HUGE SPOILER ALERT!

Lancaster House – wow this novel blew me away. Ha! I initially though Lancaster House was a ghost story – wrong. I had a love and hate relationship with Lancaster House. There were a few things that I didn’t quite well understand BUT there are definitely good things about this novel. Let’s discuss first what I didn’t like -

Andre as a vampire – it wasn’t believable to me. I get why Dean wrote it as it was but I really can’t see Andre as a vampire. But the revelation from my initial though of ghost to vampire was left me speechless. I wasn’t expecting that turn of events.

Zoe was very depended – as in she eventually stopped “living” her life because she was obsessed with Andre. I apologized for using the word obsessed but that’s how Zoe really was resulting to her taking her life because she can’t be without Andre.

Abrupt ending – when it ended I was like “What the heck? What happened?” in a good way. I was so taken by the story that I was taken back by the sudden ending of the story. It left me craving for the next book right there and then.

Well basically these are minor details and it doesn’t really hinder a reader from enjoying the book so it doesn’t really matter. So what’s good about Lancaster House?

The house. There’s really no explanation there since the whole story in my opinion revolves around the house. Andre and Zoe are just secondary compared to how Dean described and highlighted the house in this story. This is also one thing I love about Lancaster House – it was very detailed. I can really picture the house.

Uniqueness. Without giving away much detail I can say that “Lancaster House is not what you perceive it to be. Prepare to be amazed at how different Lancaster House is to your usual reads.

How the story was told. It was like looking into Zoe’s mind since it is based on Zoe’s POV and I thoroughly enjoyed her session with the doctor in charge of her care. It was actually like reading her diary or more like watching a replay of events as it happened. Wade (her doctor) was caring and gentle with Zoe and you can really see his doubt through the sessions. The ending didn’t give any hint if we’ll see the doctor again or not but lets see.

Don’t be fooled by my abrupt ending above since the story was tightly wrapped in the end. You’ll just have this urge to grab a copy to know what happened next. It was a healthy mix of excitement and frustration. Lancaster House is a recommended read. If you haven’t got a copy, grab one now.

The Solitary Bookworm gave Lancaster House four stars, which is still pretty darn amazing considering I'm a brand new, self-published author. I still can't believe people actually LIKE something I wrote. It's entirely surreal!

To see my response to the surprising paranormal element in Lancaster House, click here.

Thanks again to My Cozie Corner and The Solitary Bookworm for featuring me on their blogs!

Watch for even more reviews coming soon!!

Author Interview

See my author interview at Mrs. Southern Bride. 
A special thank you to Heather for reading and reviewing both Lancaster House and Sierra!

Her reviews:

In Lancaster house, you will follow the story of Zoe. With a broken heart and troubling past she hopes to find a clean start with the purchase of her dream home.

As she begins the process of restoration, quirky things start happening around the home. The more she searches for answers the more danger she seems to find around each corner.

Is there more to the house than what meats the eye? Or is she losing her mind?

An engaging tale of love, suspense and mystery.


My Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Alyssa Fontaine is blissfully happy. On vacation with her husband and young son she has little knowledge of the horror that awaits.

A kidnapping, a murder, a dangerous journey...will she ever find happiness again?

A story of heartbreak, triumph and finding hope amidst trials. A thrilling read filled with romance, suspense and mystery.


My rating: ♥♥♥♥

Author Interview and Giveaway!

I had the privilege of making an appearance at Colorimetry this week.
To see my author interview, click here. I'm also offering a giveaway of a Lancaster House ebook.
A special thank you goes out to Laura for featuring me on her blog!

I also had the opportunity to do a giveaway on Clean Romance Reviews.
I'm offering one signed paperback of Sierra and one signed paperback of Lancaster House.
A special thank you goes out to Jennifer for her kind hospitality!

Both Colorimetry and Clean Romance Reviews will be reviewing Lancaster House a little later in the year.

It's a new day. Technology has made it possible to market your books from the comfort of your home office.  No traveling. No book tours. Just me sitting at my desktop. Good thing too. I'm not a good traveler. I get horribly motion sick, hence working from home suits me.

It has been a pleasure to work with Book Blog Reviewers. They provide a great service to authors by helping us to advertise our books. And oddly enough, I feel as though I've made some new friends!!