Savannah Page Shares 12 Things About Herself and Is Giving Away Books!

Blurb:

Sisters Gracie and Juliette Bennett, once the best of friends, have grown apart over the years, each following her own life’s path. But with the passing of their beloved grandmother Mimi their paths intertwine in the most unexpected and peculiar way. 

Gracie and Juliette are set to inherit Mimi’s house—the charming Santa Barbara Craftsman, a family heirloom three generations old. But there’s a catch. In order to inherit their home away from home the sisters must live at 1402 Laguna Lane for one year…together. 

Now under one roof, Gracie and Juliette have a chance to reexamine their relationship and confront their pasts. Over the course of the trying year ahead they will learn that Mimi’s clever plan is about more than preserving a piece of family history. 

But will they overcome their differences, perhaps even become the kinds of friends only sisters can be? Loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed. And in their darkest hours Gracie and Juliette will have to decide if a sister’s love is what they need to get through the year. If a unique friendship between sisters is what they’ve needed all along.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon

“Twelve Things About Savannah Page”

1. A homemade latte a day keeps the doctor away.

2. Fave New Find Online: Barre3

3. When I’m not writing women’s fiction, chick lit, and romance novels I blog about wedding floral design. Two girly-girl jobs for a very girly-girl.

4. Speaking of wedding florists, the brilliant and super-sweet florist and designer Preston Bailey was one of my very first readers and reviewers. I’m still pinching myself.

5. Five Feel-Good, Good-for-Anytime DVDs I’m surprised haven’t burned up from overplay: Jaws, Pillow Talk, Baby Boom, North By Northwest, and Three Men and a Baby (and a Little Lady, so I guess that makes six).

6. Reading an ebook on my Kindle is the only way to do cardio at the gym.

7. Fave New App: Headspace

8. Always in my luggage after a trip home to the States: organic crunchy peanut butter and the latest issue of The New Yorker

9. I’ve been an American expat in Germany for 5 years and this summer my husband and I are moving into a house we’ve been building for the past year in Berlin. I think we’re here for the long haul… Sorry, Mom!

10. I say orange when I mean yellow and yellow when I mean orange. (Anyone else have this problem? It’s a thing, isn’t it?) And everyone who’s ever heard me say orange says I say it funny. Uh, what??

11. Currently I can’t get enough of re-watching Lost, shopping for unique hanging lamps, the album Retisent by Cambio Sun, and finding out via social media all the coolness that is Colleen Hoover’s The Bookworm Box. (<—Check it out! It’s awesome. She’s awesome. Her books are awesome. It’s all just awesomeness.)

12. Every novel I write is pure fiction, but the seed that starts it all is something very real. I think that’s quite common for many writers. Just what the real something is is the greatest secret…

Author bio:

Savannah Page is an American expatriate living in Berlin, Germany. Savannah is the author of the brand new stand-alone novel A Sister’s Place, and the seven-novel When Girlfriends collection, heartfelt women’s fiction that celebrates friendship, love, and life sprinkled with drama and humor. She is also the author of her premier book—a personal / travel narrative, Bumped to Berlin.

Savannah, a native southern Californian, studied at The University of Tulsa in Oklahoma where she earned Bachelor degrees in English Literature and German, and a Master’s degree in English Literature. There she further honed her writing skills and explored her growing interest in German studies. During her senior year she studied abroad in Germany, and after a visit to the country’s capital she made a promise that one day she would call Berlin home. (Because every girl must have a dream.) She also told her English professors that her goals for her writing career involved either writing for a German soap opera or All My Children, or becoming a chick lit author.

Today, Savannah resides in Berlin (because dreams really can come true!), with her German husband, where she enjoys writing, reading, practicing Pilates, and living the life of an expat. When Savannah isn’t writing…she’s writing. She splits her time in her home office working on her latest novel and blog, and professionally blogging for wedding vendors. She is the owner of a small blogging business that allows her to combine her experience in the wedding industry with her passion for writing.

Recently, Savannah has published her ninth book, a women’s fiction novel about sisterhood and friendship (A Sister’s Place). If you’re curious about what else is coming from the desk of Savannah Page, you can subscribe to her Blog feed or keep in touch via social media. She loves hearing from her readers!

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Savannah is giving one lucky winner:

When Girlfriends Break Hearts (print copy)

When Girlfriends Step Up (print copy)

A Sister’s Place (e-copy)
Open Internationally!

                                 

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The Happy Hour Choir - Review, Interview & Giveaway

Review by Melinda Garza

Beulah Land, the daughter of a Baptist deacon, led a life not envied by others. She had a sad and difficult childhood. When she got pregnant as a teenager, she became estranged from her family. When no one else would care for, she was brought in my Ginger. Ginger, who played the piano at church, gave her a home and most of all love. Tragically, Beulah lost her newborn son. She then spent most nights playing the piano at a local bar called The Fountain. It was across the street from the local church, County Line.

Ginger, who had cancer, was no longer able to play the piano at church and asked Beulah to take over her position. That did not sit well with Beulah much less with some of the church's members but she agreed to play out of respect for Ginger. Just as much, she also clashed with Luke, the County Line’s new pastor. As Luke is trying to get more members to attend church, they are not too pleased with Beulah's piano selections. She then decides to put together a choir and since she plays at The Fountain, she decides to get her new choir members from the bar. Hence, the Happy Hour Choir is born. As time goes by, more people come to worship and Beulah's choir blossoms. Luke then forms a bible study that meets weekly at The Fountain. It also succeeds and most of its members are from the choir. During all this transition going on at the church, Luke and Beulah try to fight a chemistry between them that does not go unnoticed. Is Beulah able to accept love that she does not think she deserves?

Ginger then decides to bring in another pregnant girl into her home. Her name is Tiffany. She worked with Beulah at The Fountain for a while. She also did not live a childhood to brag about but through the love of Ginger, the two young ladies find they have a lot more in common than they thought.

Sally Kilpatrick nailed her debut novel. It contains both hope and love and was a book that I could not put down. Each page kept me wanting to read more. I really enjoyed how Sally tied together all the characters with both the church and the local bar.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

“12 Things About Sally Kilpatrick”

Wow. This is going to be tough because. . . .

12. I have a propensity to share all the things on social media including, but not limited to, that time I took pole dancing lessons and the spring we battled hair pets.

11. Once upon a time I had a pet cow named Bambi. I asked for a horse, and my father said in no uncertain terms that they were a waste of money. Then I got the cow instead. As long as I helped feed the cows and drove for him while he hauled hay, I got the revenue from her calf each year. Some of that money paid for my college textbooks. True story.

10. The first published author to ever critique my work was the southern grand dame, Elizabeth Spencer. Her take on my first-person journal account of the Salem Withcraft Trials: “And this? I don’t know what this is.”

9. I almost became a lawyer but decided to major in things that don’t actually earn you a living instead: English (major) and Women’s Studies (minor). At least I picked up a second lucrative minor: Spanish.

8. I taught high school Spanish for eight years. I called my students “mis angelitos.” Sometimes it was ironic, but usually it wasn’t.

7. Even though I write southern fiction, I critique with Tanya Michaels (contemporary romance), Jenni McQuiston (historical), Romily Bernard (YA/middle grade), and Anna Steffl (fantasy). Obviously, I don’t think you have to critique with someone who writes the same thing as you. It might even be better for your voice if you didn’t.

6. All of my stories are set in the same small town. I had written four of them before I realized what I’d done with a “Holy sh*t!” epiphany while leaving car pool one day. Thank goodness Her Majesty was already out of the car.

5. I’ve met both Harry Connick, Jr, and Jimmy Carter but not on the same day and not at the same time. I was only tongue-tied for Harry. Okay, fine. I have a crush on Jimmy Carter, too.

4. Going back to grad school to get my Master of Professional Writing was a Christmas gift from my husband. Best. Christmas present. Ever.

3. My mother has her doctorate in education. Sometimes I ask her to take off her Nana cap and to put on her Doctor cap when I have problems with the kids’ schools.

2. I really did take piano lessons, and I really have sung all of the songs in The Happy Hour Choir, but nothing else about the novel is real. Except the part where Beulah has her shirt safety-pinned to hide her cleavage and is forced to apply mascara. Those are based on a true story.

1. The Happy Hour Choir was the book I wrote because I’d become frustrated trying to write a book that would sell. Listen to your Aunt Sally, kids: write the story you need to write. Then, and only then, can you figure out the hows and wheres of trying to sell it. As they say in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.”

About the Author:

Sally Kilpatrick lives in Marietta with her husband, Ryan, and her two children. We shall call these precious and precocious children The Hobbit and Her Majesty.

Her debut novel, The Happy Hour Choir will be released by Kensington on April 28, 2015. The Happy Hour Choir won the Duel on the Delta, finaled in the Maggie Awards for Excellence and was a 2012 Golden Heart® finalist. Sally has two other novels coming down the pike—think Shakespeare with cows (Starcrossed and Moonblind) and It’s a Wonderful Life in a funeral home (Giving up the Ghost, a 2013 Maggie finalist).

A former Spanish teacher—because that’s what you do with an English major—Sally took an extended sabbatical when her husband gave her an application to Kennesaw State University’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing Program for Christmas 2007. (Best Christmas Present Ever!)

Sally is also the current president of Georgia Romance Writers.

For fun, Sally likes to read, write, run, and—you guessed it—sing in her church choir.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Kensington Books is giving one lucky winner

A print copy of The Happy Hour Choir

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Things You Won't Say - Review

In this timely and provocative novel, internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen takes us inside a family in crisis and a marriage on the brink after a tragic shooting.

How far would you go to save your family?

Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There’s been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn’t hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband’s insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting—but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.

But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie’s world. It’s about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike’s flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie’s younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes.

In her characteristic exploration of true-to-life relationships, Sarah Pekkanen has written a complex, compelling, and openhearted novel—her best yet.

Review by Meg Munson

I have read all of Sarah's books and I just love this one!  This book is about a tragic shooting and how it affects everyone.  While this is the main story in the book, you also get to meet other characters and she how their lives mix into the event as well.  I love how the author introduced you to several different types of relationships between the characters.  They all had their twists and turns and their love/hate moments.  In the end, it all works out just the way it should.   Without giving anything away, I did love the little bit of mystery involved in what really happened during the shooting.  It did leave me guessing and questioning certain events in the book.  This is a great read and you will love it too!

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Sarah is the mother of three boys, which explains why she wrote part of her novel at Chuck E. Cheese. Seriously. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter, and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true. At least some dreams - Brad Pitt has yet to show up on her doorstep wearing nothing but a toolbelt and asking if she needs anything fixed. So maybe it's only G-rated dreams that come true.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

The Balance Project - Review & Giveaway

Review by Marlene Engel

As the assistant to Katherine Whitney, a COO at a multibillion dollar health and wellness company and author of a popular women’s self-help book about having it all, Lucy is having a hard time balancing all that is going on in her life.  Ironically, Katherine’s book dictates how one can easily find balance in their work-life, but Lucy and Katherine’s lives are anything but in balance.  Although the book has been a success, their lives have been more stressful than ever.  And it’s Lucy who is the glue that’s been trying to hold Katherine’s life together.  But as she remains the loyal assistant to Katherine, Lucy’s own life and relationship with her longtime boyfriend, Nick, starts to unravel.  But the last straw is when Katherine does something to sabotage Lucy’s dream.  It’s at this point that Lucy has the difficult decision to either remain loyal to Katherine despite the way she’s been treating her, or set off to fulfill her own dreams.

As a woman who feels like she’s constantly getting pulled in a million different directions, I could totally relate to how Lucy felt throughout this book.  Just like Lucy, I’m a people pleaser and tend to wear myself thin for other peoples’ happiness.  This book helped me to realize that it’s okay if we don’t get everything done or aren’t 100% perfect at all times.  We can still have it all.  And, by all, I mean defining what your personal “all” is.  For me it’s being an overall good person (wife, daughter, mother, sister, friend) and being the best version of me that I can be.  I may not check off everything on my to-do list, and that’s okay.  But balancing the important things in life and being happy with the person you are are the most important things in my opinion!

Purchase this book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:        

In addition to writing fiction, I also write for magazines and websites, mostly about family life, health, and wellness. My writing has been published by The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Times of India, The Nest, Glamour, Mind Body Green, Westchester Magazine, Serendipity, and others.

Throughout my career I’ve done marketing, communications, and writing work for magazines, Internet companies, nonprofit organizations, and advertising and PR agencies in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and San Francisco.

I grew up in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, and I was valedictorian of my high school. From there I traveled east and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania where I studied communications and English. Now, I live just outside New York City with my husband and our three boys.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

BookSparks is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

The Balance Project by Susie Orman Schnall

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The Daughter - Review & Giveaway

Review by KT Sullivan

Jenny’s fifteen year old daughter, Naomi, is missing. She appeared in West Side Story at school and never came home. Jenny and her husband, Ted, are doctors. The ring of people of interests grows as the secrets of all get revealed.

Jenny misdiagnosed a young girl and accused her father of abuse. He threatens her after being questioned by the police. Naomi’s diary holds clues, but they aren’t followed up on until a year later. Ted and Jenny fall apart after his affair is revealed. She moves away and lives in a small cottage and befriends the townspeople. Their younger sons deal with the loss of their sister very differently and Jenny tries to help. Jenny tries to piece together Naomi movements to the minute. She finds a link and begs the police to follow up. What they uncover is a huge clue about Naomi, but it’s hard to follow up on it. It involves Ted’s malpractice lawsuit, Jenny’s patient, and gypsies. Jenny takes matters into her own hands to finally find out the truth about Naomi.

This is a chilling story. Many parents believe they know their children and what they would never do. Jenny is a perfect example. She’s been fooled, deceived, and blind to the plights of all of her children. It’s sad and rings very true. By the end, I hoped Jenny would find peace with her decisions and that all would finally be happy.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Jane Shemilt, a writer and G.P, lives in Bristol with her husband and five children. Jane completed a Joint BSc Honours Degree in Psychology and Physiology at Bedford College, London University; then Medicine with Honours at the Royal Free Medical School, followed by a Diploma in Creative Writing, gained with Distinction at Bristol University. As well as being featured in medical publications, Jane’s work was selected for the Bristol Review of Books and a selection of her travel writing was published by the British Tanzania Society in 2009.

Practising is Jane’s novel in progress that explores the aftermath of a teenager’s disapperence.

It examines the dangers that lurk for those who take their luck for granted; it explores the emptiness at the heart of a contemporary middleclass family, and  what happens when doctors play God. It also concerns survival against the bleakest odds; Jenny is driven forwards into life, though the reawakened trail and where it leads will test all her resources.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Twitter

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Delancey - Review & Giveaway

Review by KT Sullivan

Molly and her husband, Brandon Pettit, met over the Internet, but not through a matchmaking site. She writes the food blog, Orangette, and he sent her an e-mail. Thus began their journey to opening a pizza restaurant. 

Owning a restaurant is about raising money, finding the perfect location, an excellent staff, establishing a relationship with customers and food delivery men, and yes the perfect pizza. So many restaurants go out of business because of the failing of one of the above or all five. Their adventures and missteps are funny and do give pause. The hours they work are insane and the restaurant is never far from their thoughts. Working with a spouse has advantages and disadvantages, especially when this is a husband’s dream job. They both bring a love of food and many ideas to their venture. Plus there are recipes at the end of almost all the chapters.

I enjoyed the book and Molly's blog, Orangette, is fascinating. The food made and reviewed looks delicious. It is Molly’s passion and she writes with so much heart about food and family. I can see why Brandon would want to meet her. I’m not a good cook, but enjoy food. I plan to attempt the recipe for My Kate’s Brownies. Life is short, eat dessert first. After reading the book and blog, I was really hungry. Please eat well before you start the book.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Molly Wizenberg is the voice behind Orangette, named the best food blog in the world by the London Times. Her first book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, was a New York Times bestseller, and her work has appeared in Bon Appétit, The Washington Post, The Art of Eating, and The Guardian, and on Saveur.com and Gourmet.com. She also co-hosts the hit podcast Spilled Milk. She lives in Seattle with her husband Brandon Pettit, their daughter June, and two dogs named Jack and Alice. She and Brandon own and run the restaurants Delancey and Essex.

Connect with the author at:

Blog * Twitter

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Wedding Bells in Christmas - Review & Giveaway

Wedding Bells in Christmas
Christmas, Colorado # 4

By: Debbie Mason

Releasing May 26^th, 2015

Forever

Blurb

To have and to hold from this day forward

Wedding bells are ringing in the charming town of Christmas, but not for Vivian Westfield. She's just had her heart trampled under the cowboy boots of Chance McBride and lost her dream job at a big-city newspaper. But when she returns for a wedding, she stumbles on a story that could resurrect her career. First, though, she'll have to deal with the handsome man standing in her way . . . and a still-burning flame that's too hot to ignore.

Chance recognizes trouble when he sees it. He just didn't expect to find it in the first-class cabin on the flight home for his father's wedding. Yet there she is, as gorgeous as ever. Vivi dared Chance to want things he knew he could never have. It's why he left her. But Christmas's meddling matchmakers have them firmly in their sights. So if they want to survive the next week, they'll have to play the part of an adoring couple-an irresistible charade that may give them a second chance at the real thing . . .

Buy Links:

Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

Review by KT Sullivan

Vivian Westfield is heading to Christmas, Colorado for a wedding. Her ex Chance McBride’s father is getting married. She got demoted from her investigative reporter job on a newspaper and now writes the Dear Vivi column for the lovelorn. Her flight was paid for by Chance’s meddling Aunt Nell. She’s seated in first class next to Chance. The matchmaker of Christmas has struck again. They had a short term relationship, but Nell’s persistent. Chance lost his wife and baby girl in a car crash. He blames himself and avoids going home. He does security work and secretly helped Vivian with her report on organized crime. She referred to him as Superman to her Lois Lane. He’s the reason she lost her job because he feared for her life. They try to ignore each other during the flight, but the sparks are still hot between them. Her friends are married with children and would love to see Vivian settle down. His brothers feel the same about him, but his sister-in-law, Natalee, doesn’t like Vivian. Neither does Chance’s dog, Princess. Natalee harbors a few secrets and uses them against the budding romance. An old feud between Chance and another prominent family in Christmas threatens everyone and Vivian is caught in the middle.

Chance calls Vivian “Slick”. I love the nickname because it suits her. She puts up with nothing from anyone and never hesitates to call someone out, even if they are bigger and meaner. She finds a way to break down barriers especially with Princess. Chance has a hot cowboy vibe about him which is very appealing. They make a fun couple and a good story.

About the Author:

Debbie Mason is the bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado series. Her books have been praised for their "likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots" (RT Book Reviews). She also writes historical paranormals as Debbie Mazzuca. Her MacLeod series has received several nominations for best paranormal as well as a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. When she isn't writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, their four wonderful children, an adorable grandbaby, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Debbie is giving away three

$25 Amazon or B&N gift cards

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