Stardust in Dixie - Beth Albright's Favorite Things

Beth Albright is back with a new book, Stardust in Dixie.

Abigail Harper Cartwright was coming undone. As the promotions director for a Tuscaloosa radio station, a huge upcoming Mother’s Day live event could make or break her career. But at the same time, two former lovers have stumbled back into the picture turning her life upside down. 

One old boyfriend – who works for a competing radio station, seems to be out to sabotage everything she does, while another may just be her knight in shining armor. But after being dumped during a very public marriage proposal, he may not be able to give Abby a second chance. 

To make matters worse, a nosey neighbor has started an epic turf war and azalea bushes, a stolen mailbox and some front porch graffiti are the result. 

As event day draws near, the dirty tricks at work get more intense and Abby has to call on her sassy sisters to help get to the bottom of it. 

And Abby’s new/old love has another love of his own – a three year old thoroughbred horse whose name holds the secret to some long harbored feelings. 

It all culminates in some Derby Day and Mother’s Day fireworks that will get your heart pounding and tears flowing. 

National best-selling author Beth Albright does it again with this new Southern page-turner filled with romantic comedy, emotion, passion and laugh-out-loud humor. Grab your best girlfriends and hang on tight for this hilarious, exciting, sassy, southern tale.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

My fellow Tuscaloosa native, Beth Albright, is back and giving us a little glimpse into her life!  Everyone loved when Beth was here and did the 12 Things About Beth Albright segment.  Today she is going to share some of her favorite things with us.  Hold tight y’all.  It’s always a good time when Beth stops by.

Beth’s Favorite Things

  

Color:  My favorite color is pink—so cliché, but I am so drawn to every shade of pink or peach I will literally cross a room or a store to go and see it up close. My wedding colors were peach and mint and still pale shades in these two hues reach out and grab me. And don’t even get me started on baby pink!

Season: I am such a fan of seasons in general, but out west, especially now in Arizona, I never see even a tad of the seasons. The change in season marks the passing of time so that everyday doesn’t run together. Our memories are based in sensuality, the smell, the feel, the visuals of life and seasons help to make memories stay with us. I really LOVE Fall!! I love springtime too so much and especially down south it is the very definition of “burst of Spring”…such a symphony to the eyes and nose! But fall is full of romance and bonfires and snuggling in the old porch swing or stargazing from the back of an old pick-up truck. I love fall!!!

Drink: Are we talkin’ drink or drink? I love mango passion fruit tea, and tea with mint! And I LOVE me some salty margaritas on the rocks!

Snack: OH MY! TOO many to name. Here is a strange one—olives! Roadtrip: Bugles and crunchy Cheetos. While writing: apples. ALWAYS: salty watermelon!

Destination: I love many places! NY. Victoria, Canada. I LOVE Charleston, SC, anyplace with cobblestone streets and tons of history. My dream destination is Paris! But what says “You are on vacation girl”—is the Gulf Coast! Blue-green, clear, warm water and white sand—I grew up going here several times a year and now I never get there. I miss it so!

Book/Book Genre: I love women’s fiction, and romantic comedy. I do like a little mystery too. And of course delicious southern fiction!!

Guilty Pleasure: This is EASY! THE BACHELOR! I have watched every single season and I NEVER miss it! It is my Monday night thing and I plan for it—menu, snacks and SILENCE…no one can interrupt me during the Bachelor and I grieve between seasons until it comes back! I need to be in a watch party!! Somebody invite me! PLEASE!

Animal: I have both a dog and two cats. I LOVE my dog and yes, I am a dog lover, but me and my cats---oh my Lord, that is a forever snuggle, butt heads, and purring kind of love. I am such a cat lover and I always want more!!

Sport: I LOVE college football! How could I not being an Alabama girl? We have held the National Championship title 16 times—more than any other college team in History! My books always have a little (or a lot) of Crimson Tide football! And we say Roll Tide like Hawaiians say aloha...it means, hello, goodbye, and God bless you. I love my Alabama Crimson Tide Football!

Show/Movie: TV show is far and away Downton Abbey. I will be miserable now on Sunday nights. This and The Bachelor is all I ever watch for pleasure. This was the best writing I had ever witnessed!! Every single line moved the story forward. And the storylines, and plots and sets and costumes and...whew, it was fabulous!! The other favorite is The Golden Girls. I watch this show as I am getting ready for bed every night. I like to end the day laughing out loud!

Type of music: LOVE 1940s swing and big band. I listen to it on Spotify while I get dressed. And in the car. And when I cook. I am transported to the era I think I was supposed to live in.  I will write a book about this soon! I already have a book in the works!

Holiday: I just love holidays in general but I am certainly a Christmastime girl. Romance and fireplaces, and Christmas lights twinkling—oh, I get excited just thinking about it! But we also do a huge Halloween complete with our own neighborhood haunted house. Half of our storage in our garage is Halloween and Christmas! Oh, and of course, I love my birthday!! I love Mother’s Day too!

About the Author: 

Beth Albright is the author of the award-winning, best-selling series The Sassy Belles, and the nationally best-selling series In Dixie. After spending nearly 15 years as a talk radio host in talk radio, acting as a principal character on the soap opera, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, owning her own acting school and children’s theater, and raising a son who was a nationally ranked figure skater, Beth returned to her roots; storytelling. “In the south, we are good at stories. We hold them close like fine diamonds, polish them up like precious silver, and we hand them down like a priceless heirloom to our young with the hope that they will tell our stories for us when we are buried beneath the red clay of home.” Except from Southern Exposure, Tales From My Front Porch. (Beth’s Memoirist book of essays.)

“It’s just what we do down south, pass on our stories,” she says.

Though Beth has had a remarkable career, literally from New York City to Hollywood, she has never forgotten where she came from, and what she loves: The Deep South!

Beth is also a screenwriter, a voice-over talent for commercials, and a nationally known speaker and emcee. Beth lives with her TV producer husband, award winning promotions and branding executive, Ted Ishler. Her son, graduating with Distinction from Berkeley in the top 10%, is on his way to graduate school in the fall.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Share a favorite thing (or things about you and be entered to win a$20 Amazon gift card!  I’ll go first … my favorite color is pink, my favorite vacation spot is anywhere that’s warm with a beach and my favorite show is the Bachelor, just like Beth!  Giveaway ends April 8.

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery - Review & Giveaway

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery
Little Beach Street Bakery #2

By: Jenny Colgan

Releasing March 22, 2016
William Morrow

Blurb

The New York Times-bestselling author of Little Beach Street Bakery and Christmas at the Cupcake Café returns with a delightful new novel-with recipes!-that is already an international bestseller and is perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Meg Donohue, and Sophie Kinsella.

For fans of Jojo Moyes and Elin Hilderbrand, an irresistible novel—moving and funny, soulful and sweet—about happiness, heartache, and hope. And recipes.

A thriving bakery. A lighthouse to call home. A handsome beekeeper. A pet puffin. These are the things that Polly Waterford can call her own. This is the beautiful life she leads on a tiny island off the southern coast of England.

But clouds are gathering on the horizon. A stranger threatens to ruin Polly’s business. Her beloved boyfriend seems to be leading a secret life. And the arrival of a newcomer—a bereft widow desperately searching for a fresh start—forces Polly to reconsider the choices she’s made, even as she tries to help her new friend through grief.

Unpredictable and unforgettable, this delightful novel will make you laugh, cry, and long for a lighthouse of your own. Recipes included.

Review by Marlene Engel

The author begins with a little bit of backstory for those who may not have read the first book in the series, allowing this to be read as a stand-alone.

After a breakup and events leading up to a near financial ruin, mainlander Polly has relocated to the tiny Cornish town of Mount Polbearne off the coast of England.  Life is starting to settle down as she enjoys days working at the bakery and nights at the lighthouse with her boyfriend and pet puffin.  But when a new owner takes over the bakery, Polly finds herself in the middle of turmoil again.  Turning her life upside down and forcing her to reevaluate life and make some difficult decisions.

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a book based around a bakery?  The way the author describes some of the breads and other bakery items, I could practically taste them.

I truly enjoyed Polly.  She came across some difficult times, but through it all she tackled the hurdles head-on and became a better person because of it.  Some of the secondary characters also made for a more interesting read.

At times tense, other times sweet, this book has the perfect blend to make for a delicious springtime read!

Buy Links:

Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Author Info

Jenny Colgan is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous novels, including Christmas at the Cupcake Café, Little Beach Street Bakery, and Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, all international bestsellers. Jenny is married with three children and lives in London and Scotland.

Author Links: 

Website | Facebook  | Twitter | GoodReads 

Enter to win one of three print copies of

SUMMER AT LITTLE BEACH STREET BAKERY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Better Man - Pub Week Promo & Giveaway

A Better Man
Sunshine Creek Vineyard #1

By: Candis Terry

Releasing March 29, 2016
Avon

Blurb

In Candis Terry’s first novel in her Sunshine Creek Vineyard series, the handsome Kincade brothers convene to rescue their legacy-but the last thing they expect to find is love….

Sooner or later…

Hockey star Jordan Kincade wasted no time ditching Sunshine Creek for the NHL, but his sports career has overshadowed everything else-a truth Jordan confronts when his parents’ deaths bring him home. Now his little sister Nicki is flunking out of school, and only one teacher can help Jordan save her-the shy but incredibly sexy Lucy Diamond, the same girl whose heart he broke years ago. But he’s determined not to make the same mistake twice. If only Lucy would give him the time of day.

Love has a way of catching up with you.

Lucy has no intention of drowning in Jordan’s deep blue gaze again, even if he seems to have turned over a new leaf. Still, his devotion to his sister is impossible to ignore. As they team up to salvage Nicki’s future, Lucy soon discovers that Jordan’s sweet caresses and lingering kisses might just be everything she needs.

Buy Links:

Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Author Info:

Candis Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of Southern California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She’s experienced life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood recording studio to chasing down wayward steers. Only one thing has remained the same: her passion for writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the security one finds in their own happily ever after.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Enter to win a print set of the Sweet, Texas Series

ANYTHING BUT SWEET, SWEETEST MISTAKE. SOMETHING SWEETER,

SWEET SURPRISE & TRULY SWEET

US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blue Stars (Now Available In Paperback) - Promo & Giveaway

Blurb:

Emily Gray Tedrowe has written an extraordinary novel about ordinary people, a graceful and gritty portrayal of what it's like for the women whose husbands and sons are deployed in Iraq. BLUE STARS brings to life the realities of the modern day home front: how to get through the daily challenges of motherhood and holding down a job while bearing the stress and uncertainty of war, when everything can change in an instant. It tells the story of Ellen, a Midwestern literature professor, who is drawn into the war when her legal ward Michael enlists as a Marine; and of Lacey, a proud Army wife who struggles to pay the bills and keep things going for her son while her husband is deployed. Ellen and Lacey cope with the fear and stress of a loved one at war while trying to get by in a society that often ignores or misunderstands what war means to women today. When Michael and Eddie are injured in Iraq, Ellen and Lacey's lives become intertwined in Walter Reed Army Hospital, where each woman must live while caring for her wounded soldier. They form an alliance, and an unlikely friendship, while helping each other survive the dislocated world of the army hospital. Whether that means fighting for proper care for their men, sharing a six-pack, or coping with irrevocable loss, Ellen and Lacey pool their strengths to make it through. In the end, both women are changed, not only by the war and its fallout, but by each other.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Emily Gray Tedrowe is a Chicago-based writer whose second novel, Blue Stars, is available from St. Martin’s Press. Her first novel Commuters was named a Best New Paperback by Entertainment Weekly, an IndieNext Notable pick, and a Target Breakout Book. Her short fiction has been published in the Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Journal, Fifty-Two Stories, andOther Voices. Recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award, she has also received fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Connect with the author at:

Website  * Twitter

St. Martin’s Griffin is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Blue Stars by Emily Gray Tedrowe

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Charm Bracelet Pub Day Review & Giveaway

Review by Melinda Garza

The Charmed Bracelet by Viola Shipman tells a unique story of one's life by the significance of each charm. This story tells the history of Lolly, Arden (Lolly's daughter), and Lauren (Lolly's granddaughter). It takes place in Scoops and in Lost Land Lake.

One day Arden gets word that her elderly mother is not doing well due to a mild cognitive impairment and so she and Lauren decide to take a trip to visit Lolly. The trip is to find out what is wrong with Lolly but turns out they learn of many other things about their history by listening to Lolly and the stories behind each charm.
Arden is finally able to find love again and Lauren learns to be honest about herself and where she wants her life to go. Lauren is a college student studying what Arden wants but that is not Lauren's passion. She finally gets the strength to voice what she wants to do. That strength comes from Lolly and her charms stories. Without this roadtrip to Lolly's, none of the women would have experienced what they did via the stories that came from the charms they proudly jingled around their wrists.

Each of them has their own charm bracelet and each charm has a significant meaning and story behind it. Several examples of the charms and their meanings are the half heart charm which means to a life where we are never separated, the puzzle charm which is to a life filled with friends who complete you, the ice cream charm which means to a sweet life filled with a passion for what you do, the book charm for a story that will never end, and the mustard seed charm which stands for a life filled with faith.
Lolly's experiences were best told by sharing the stories behind the charms. The charms are pieces that encompass love, loss, and life.
This story is so sweet and really shows how ones life has so many personal stories and how they shape our own journey through life.

On a personal note, I own a charm bracelet and each one has its own story behind it so I could truly relate on a personal level to this story.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

VIOLA SHIPMAN is a pen name for Wade Rouse, a popular, award-winning memoirist.  Rouse chose his grandmother’s name to honor the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write his debut novel, which is a tribute to all of our elders. Rouse lives in Michigan and writes regularly for People and Coastal Living, among other places, and is a contributor to All Things Considered.  To date, The Charm Bracelet has been translated into nine languages. He is at work on his second “heirloom novel,” which will be published in 2017.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Thomas Dunne Books is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Immaculate Heart - Pub Week Promo & Giveaway

About the Book:

When visiting Ballymorris in Ireland for a funeral, a down-on-his-luck American reporter learns of a story that happened only months after his last visit many years before. A group of four teenagers, three of whom are family friends, claimed to have been visited by the Virgin Mary. Almost twenty years later, one of them denies it ever happened, another has left the small town, never to be heard from again, another has become a nun, and the fourth has been locked away in a psychiatric ward for many years. At the time, news of the visitation brought much wealth and tourism to this dreary Irish town, but as the years went by, and after the Pope refused to officially recognize it as a true Marian Apparition, what had been seen as a miracle began to feel like a curse, and this reporter believes there is more to the story than the townspeople are letting on.

As he seeks out each of the four stories, each begins to take a different and sinister turn. Surrounded by secrecy and confusion, the journalist must decide how much of what he's uncovering is the truth, how much of it is lies, and much he can trust the four witnesses-one of whom he's become infatuated with-or for that matter, himself.

Immaculate Heart is a novel where nothing is certain and everything should be questioned. Camille DeAngelis will leave you guessing what is real and what is only just a vision.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

I'm the author of three fantasy novels for adults (Mary Modern, Petty Magic and Immaculate Heart) and a YA-crossover novel called Bones & All. I've also written a first-edition guidebook, Moon Ireland, as well as an as-yet-unsold children's novel that is, paradoxically, my favorite thing out of everything I have written so far. You can read about that "book of my heart," The Boy from Tomorrow, on my friend Nova Ren Suma's blog.

I love reading and writing about the supernatural: my second children's novel (in progress) is a ghost story, as is my first published short story, "The Coroner's Bride."

I've got plenty of other irons in the fire, besides: I'm veganizing an 18th-century Scottish cookbook, mulling over ideas for at least three more adult novels, and I'm also working on a treatise of sorts called Ego Management for Artists.

Connect with the author at:

Website* Facebook * Twitter

St. Martin’s Press is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Immaculate Heart by Camille DeAngelis

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sisters of Heart and Snow - Review and Paperback Giveaway

Rachel, age thirty-eight, and Drew, age thirty-four, Snow are sisters caught between their parents. Rachel was kicked out of the house at sixteen for being a rebellious teenager, failing to be an Olympic swimmer, and sticking up for her mother. Drew plays the viola and is her father, Killian’s favorite, meaning he doesn’t complain about her as much as the others. Their mother, Hikari, was a mail order bride from Japan. She says little and spends her time sewing quilts. When Hikari develops dementia and is hospitalized, she gives Rachel power of attorney which enrages Killian. Rachel is married with two children and Drew is floating from job to job. She moves in with Rachel’s family and tries to reconnect with her mother and sister. They are the Snow sisters, but need work on the Heart. Everyone avoids toxic Killian. He has spent their lives playing them against each other and their mom.  In a moment of clarity, Hikari wants a book from her sewing room. The sisters sneak into the father’s house to retrieve it. It’s in Japanese and they find a translator. It’s the story of a twelfth century female warrior, Tomoe, and how she deals with discrimination, tragedy, friendship, and loss. The sisters channel strength from the story to deal with their own problems. Killian’s pettiness is constant through the story, even after Hikari dies. He’s held a shameful secret over her head their entire marriage. When Rachel finds out, she feels closer to her mother and finally done with Killian.

The characters are well-written, especially the one who will never be redeemed. Killian is a jerk throughout the entire book. He’s mean and cruel to his wife, children, granddaughter, and complete strangers. The story of Tomoe is fascinating and helpful. Learn to do the best with what you have been given. She’s a role model to the sisters and they follow her advice to happiness.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Margaret Dilloway is the award-winning author of SISTERS OF HEART AND SNOW, THE CARE AND HANDLING OF ROSES WITH THORNS and HOW TO BE AN AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, all published by Putnam Books.

She lives in San Diego with her husband and three children and Gatsby the Goldendoodle, who looks like a giant teddy bear. 

Connect with the author at:

Website* Facebook * Twitter

G.P Putnam’s Sons is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway

a Rafflecopter giveaway