Featured Author: AMY HATVANY! Win Her Books!

Congrats to the Winner of Amy's 3 Novels:
equinn726 
Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com so I can send you your novels!


** Note: Previous book winners announced at the end of this post! **

Featured Author:

Amy Hatvany

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Today's post is an extra special one as the author I'm featuring has gratefully offered to give to one winner a batch of all her books, which happens to be BEST KEPT SECRET, OUTSIDE THE LINES and THE LANGUAGE OF SISTERS, all by the very talented Amy Hatvany.

I discovered Amy when her first book came out, Best Kept Secret and have been waiting anxiously for each and every book since. Her characters are beautifully crafted and flawed, and I love this trait about them. At the heart of each story is something particularly pretty sad, yet realistic, and she colors each story in a way that is relatable. I just really enjoy her books so much and I wanted to make sure that if you haven't had a chance to read an Amy Hatvany book, or ALL THREE, that you learn more about her, and maybe you'll have another chance to win her books here today!

You might want to follow her on Facebook too -- you can practically smell her kitchen -- she's always talking about these incredible yummy things she's whipping up! I don't know how she has time to cook and bake in between writing all of these wonderful novels! (Check out amazing recipes on her website here!)

Which reminds me, she's got another book coming out in March called Heart Like Mine  which is NOT to be missed! Don't worry, I'll have it here on Booking with Manic for ya!

Best Kept Secret:

At the center of this novel is Cadence, a single-mom who is trying the best that she can to get through her days raising a whirlwind of a happy little boy and working in freelance writing. When life becomes more and more difficult, and she starts suffering from insomnia, and work is not coming for her, a glass of wine at night helps her to sleep. That glass of wine becomes two and three, which then turns into a couple of bottles a night. Within a year, she is a full-blown alcoholic on the verge of losing the most important thing in her life: her son Charlie.

I was drawn to this book for so many reasons. As a mom to three children very close in age, I know what it’s like to need something to calm the nerves when you’re at your wit’s end, when you think you might blow a gasket over spilled milk. This book hit home for me, and I’m very confident that Best Kept Secret will unearth feelings in every single woman who’s ever had a sip of wine, or felt like she’s not doing the best job at motherhood, or maybe has been unsure about everything in life she thought she had a handle on.

Outside The Lines is a gorgeous book and a heartbreaker as I’ve mentioned before, but one that will have you fall in love with all of her characters. It’s the story of Eden and her search for her father, who deserted her when she was a young child because of his mental illness.

I loved this story because it’s told from Eden’s perspective when she was a young girl, and also when she is a grown woman. It also tells her father’s perspective too. This was one of those perfect-ending books, in a way that it ended perfectly, if not wrapped up in a perfect bow. Amy has a knack for storytelling and she has created a beautiful family portrait in Eden and David’s story in Outside The Lines.

The Language of Sisters is the story of Nicole, who leaves home for 10 years because she's unable to deal with her family - her sister is placed in a home for the mentally disabled and she's not able to forgive her mother. Her father has left the family. Nicole leaves to try to make a career and a life for herself as far away as possible, distancing herself from those she loves the most.

Circumstances bring her back to her sister, and she's forced to confront her past. Unbeknownst to Nicole, she's about to receive the most beautiful gifts she'll ever get just by coming home.

If you'd like to be entered to win all THREE of Amy's novels, leave a comment telling me you would like to win them, and please make sure you leave an identifying name that's UNIQUE so if you win you'll know it's YOU when I announce the winner later in a future post! : ) …

Which brings me to …

WINNERS from last week's three books!

If you are one of the winners of these previous books, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can get you your book! Congratulations!

INDIA's SUMMER: 

Donna W.

HOW LUCKY YOU ARE: 

Kimberly Pearlman

A GIRL LIKE YOU: 

 BlueStarBrite

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC?  

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher or author within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

OUTSIDE THE LINES by Amy Hatvany

Congrats to a REPEAT WINNER!

Dani in Chicago!!

Please email me your full name and address so I can get your book to you!

See! It pays to keep entering! I've had quite a few repeat winners! Keep entering guys, and you CAN WIN!

Outside The Lines

By Amy Hatvany

Hey everyone, here’s one of my favorite authors you’ve seen on MaNiC MoMMy previously and I’m so happy to have Amy Hatvany featured again as her latest Outside The Lines debuts. I recently gave away an ARC of this fantastic book but it’s now available everywhere!

And since I last told you about Outside The Lines it has since been selected as a Target book club pick which is a huge honor so if you’re looking for a great book to buy for a friend, consider Outside The Lines … and come on, who isn’t at Target at least three times a month? Okay, or four or five!

Outside The Lines is a gorgeous book and a heartbreaker as I’ve mentioned before, but one that will have you fall in love with all of her characters. It’s the story of Eden and her search for her father, who deserted her when she was a young child because of his mental illness.

I loved this story because it’s told from Eden’s perspective when she was a young girl, and also when she is a grown woman. It also tells her father’s perspective too. This was one of those perfect-ending books, in a way that it ended perfectly, if not wrapped up in a perfect bow. Amy has a knack for storytelling and she has created a beautiful family portrait in Eden and David’s story in Outside The Lines.

About Outside the Lines:

When Eden was ten years old she found her father, David, bleeding on the bathroom floor. The suicide attempt led to her parents’ divorce, and David all but vanished from Eden’s life.

Twenty years later, Eden runs a successful catering company and dreams of opening a restaurant. Since childhood, she has heard from her father only rarely, just enough to know that he’s been living on the streets and struggling with mental illness. But lately there has been no word at all. After a series of failed romantic relationships and a health scare from her mother, Eden decides it’s time to find her father, to forgive him at last, and move forward with her own life. Her search takes her to a downtown Seattle homeless shelter, and to Jack Baker, its handsome and charming director. Jack convinces Eden to volunteer her skills as a professional chef with the shelter. In return, he helps her in her quest.

As the connection between Eden and Jack grows stronger, and their investigation brings them closer to David, Eden must come to terms with her true emotions, the secrets her mother has kept from her, and the painful question of whether her father, after all these years, even wants to be found.

Eden volunteered at the homeless shelter in Outside The Lines. I’m going Outside The Lines on this one and for you to win this book tell me if you’ve ever volunteered your time anywhere. If you haven’t been able to volunteer anywhere, tell me where you would like to volunteer. I have always thought it would be cool to read to children at a hospital or a library because whenever I read stories to little kids I have so much fun doing it.

Thank you to Amy for writing ANOTHER fabulous book in Outside the Lines. She has also written Best Kept Secret, and that was an incredible book as well. Her other novels, which were published under another name, are going to be republished and I’m excited to read those too, and you can bet I’ll be sharing those with you too. 

She’s an amazing author and I’m so glad to be able to share her books with you here! Amy will be going on book tour too, so check out her appearances to see if she’ll be in your neck of the woods. Sadly, she won’t be around Arizona, so I won’t get to meet her. But maybe you will get to say hi to Amy at one of these book signings and events!

You can still check back to the last three books to enter to win as I've been ill and haven't chosen winners yet so lucky for you! They are:

The Cell Phone Lot
Point, Click, Love
Falling For Me

(I will probably choose winners in a day or two)

ALSO, will have another great book for you later during the week!!!)

Remember, MaNiC MoMMy is aiming to feature great books each and every week this year, and you’ll have a chance to win it as well! Please stop by often as I’m now posting new books more than once a week! Open to US/Canada residents only, and thanks to all the participating authors and publicists for providing the books. You can check back on this post over the weekend to see if you’ve won the book!

Winner of OUTSIDE THE LINES!

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you and thank you to all who took the time to enter the giveaway for Outside the Lines.

Random.org chose a winner and that person is:

cata63@hotmail.com

Please send me your full name and address and you'll be receiving the ARC of Outside the Lines and some goodies courtesy of Amy Hatvany and me! Congrats!

And everyone, beginning on January 1 or 2, come back as I'll be starting up the MaNiC WeeKLy ReaDS -- every week I'll be showcasing a NEW book and an author and giving that book away! I've already got books lined up through March and will be sharing amazing books from Emily Giffin, Allison Winn Scotch, Camille Noe Pagan, Anna David, Sarah Jio (The Bungalow comes FIRST!), Sarah Pekkanen, Megan Abbott, and many, many more fabulous authors!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thank you for spending time reading MaNiC!