In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow

Congrats to BUTTAH! You have won a copy of IN TOO DEEP! Please contact me so we can get you a copy!

In Too Deep

Michelle Kemper Brownlow

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I first met Michelle Kemper Brownlow in the early days of blogging through our mutual friend Dawn Meehan of Because I Said So (LOVE Dawn! Check out her blog!) and while I always thought Michelle was going to illustrate and write children's books I was very much surprised and pleased when she announced she had a book contract for a New Adult book. And then when I found out that Sarah Hansen of OKAY Creations did her book cover (who also did my book cover), well that was just too cool. And isn't her book cover of In Too Deep beautiful?

The main character is Gracie and she is a naïve young girl who falls in love with the very wrong guy at college. This is her story: 

Gracie has just finished her freshman year of college in Memphis when she takes a job at a local pizza joint in her home town of McKenzie, Tennessee. She is the epitome of innocence when she meets Noah. Noah is unabashedly handsome, intriguingly reckless and just cocky enough to be sexy. Gracie's instincts tell her to stay far away from him, and based on the stories she hears from her co-workers, he leaves broken hearts in his wake. But still, she can't explain her fascination with him. Noah puts aside his bad boy ways when what he thought was a summer crush has him unexpectedly falling in love. But soon after Gracie transfers to UT Knoxville to be with Noah, their unexpected love becomes riddled with anger, deceit and humiliation. Jake, Noah's former roommate and Gracie's best friend, can no longer be a bystander. Gracie's world falls out from beneath her, and when she breaks, she turns to Jake for strength. As Jake talks her through a decision she's not yet strong enough to make, together they uncover a truth so ugly neither of them is prepared for its fallout. Will Jake pull her to the surface or is Gracie Jordan finally In Too Deep? 

If you're up for riding an emotional roller-coaster, then this is the book for you! You will feel attached to Gracie and also frustrated with her at the same time, but you can also understand how she can fall for Noah, because young girls are naïve and will listen what boys tell them!

Here are "THESE THREE THINGS" from Michelle! 

1. My very first job was at Coney Island...a small hot dog stand in the food court of our local mall. I was 14. Cigarettes were $1.25 and my main job when opening in the morning was to wash the snot-like slime off the probably-too-old hot dogs that would sit on the fryer all day.

2. I am a vegetarian...mostly vegan, which means no meat, dairy or eggs. My husband has Celiac Disease which means we eat mostly gluten-free...makes you wonder what I eat, right? Well, DEFINITELY no hot dogs!

3. I cry at everything. Anything that is the least bit touching or emotional (especially if a song is involved b/c music is my addiction) has me looking like a blubbering idiot in seconds. My teens are always saying, "MOOOOOM, are you crying?!"

If you would like to win a copy of In Too Deep, leave a comment about a time when you did something that you were a bit naïve about (or flat-out stupid) - it doesn't have to be something over a guy. For instance, something I did that was pretty stupid when I was younger: I had to do a project in 8th or 9th grade. I was too lazy to take the encyclopedia (do all of you know what those are?) to the library to photocopy pictures to use in my report for the project… so I CUT out the pictures in the encyclopedia and glued them to my report! Talk about stupid! 

So share a stupid or naïve moment with me and you could win a copy of In Too Deep! Leave your story in the comments section and a winner will be announced on the blog within a week. You'll have to check back to see if you win! 

BONUS for reading all the way through: I'm also giving away my e-short story, The Cell Phone Lot August 1-5, so hop on over HERE to download it for free.  

First time visiting?

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 leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. 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 a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR 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. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. 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[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

LATEST BOOK WINNERS!

Hello there! Sorry for the recent delay! But I have the winners for the last three books for you here, and hopefully YOU have won! If you didn't win, you'll definitely want to check these books out at your library or pick them up at your favorite indie bookstore, or grab them on amazon. They're amazing!

Congrats to those of you who won Finding Bliss, Mandatory Release and Forever Interrupted! Winners, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com and send me your full name and address so we can get your book to you. If you want an e-book copy, just let me know!

I'll be back later this week with another book! 


WINNERS:

Mandatory Release goes to:
BrendaL71

Finding Bliss goes to:
Bernadette7

Forever Interrupted goes to:
lovelyday

FOREVER, INTERRUPTED by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid
Forever Interrupted

The last time I stayed in bed all day to read a book was in 2001 when I was pregnant with my 3^rd child and 11 days late. That book was James Patterson’s Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.

Last Friday, I just spent my whole day in bed DEVOURING Taylor Jenkins Reid’s FOREVER, INTERRUPTED and I have to tell you that if you do not win it here on the blog, you absolutely, positively must go out and buy this one to read. This was one that when I heard about it on Sarah Pekannen’s FB, I knew it was a must-read, one of those that I had to get a hold of, one of those books that I just knew was going to be a smash. And, I was right. 

Everything about this book was the perfect recipe for a page-turner – from the cover art, to the back of the book description to the very beginning pages where my heart literally began pounding in my chest. And yes, it is one of those books that you will absolutely grin while you are reading it, and yes, you will find some tears slipping from your eyes, and you will fall in love with Ben and Elsie’s love story. The story is sad and uplifting and endearing and sexy… It is the book I long to write. I feel so happy when get to read a book like this. (And ALSO, there’s an excerpt to Taylor’s next book – After I Do – in the back of the book that doesn’t come out until Summer 2014 and I’m already dying to read that one too!)

SO, either way, win it here, or download it on your device, or buy it in paperback. THIS IS THE BOOK YOU’VE GOT TO READ – along with every single book I share with you on this blog, of course! But seriously, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a debut author who is going to hit it big – I predict she’s going to be following the footsteps of some very highly regarded women's fiction authors whom I already know and love and showcase on the blog often!  I CAN'T WAIT!

Here is the Back-of-the-Book Blurb: 

“Have you ever heard of supernovas? They shine brighter than anything else in the sky and then fade out really quickly, a short burst of extraordinary energy. I like to think you and Ben were like that . . . in that short time, you had more passion than some people have in a lifetime.” 

Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they’ve eloped.

Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met—and who doesn’t even know Elsie exists.

Interweaving Elsie and Ben’s charmed romance with Elsie and Susan’s healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there’s more than one way to find a happy ending.

Here are Taylor’s THESE THREE THINGS which she was so nice to send to me: 

I worked in movie casting before becoming an author: For years, I was an assistant at a Hollywood casting office. It was one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. I worked on Iron Man, some of the Fast & Furious films, some really great independent movies, and I even worked with Oliver Stone. It was a crash course in characters. When you see so many people coming in the door with different interpretations of the same role, it really gets you thinking about how to create dynamic, dimensional characters in your stories. 

Writing wouldn't be nearly as much fun without my dog: I have a pit bull mix, Rabbit, who sleeps underneath my desk all day and sometimes distracts me by asking to play fetch. The writing life can be a lonely one, you're in your own head all day, but my dog keeps me silent company which is the greatest thing I could ask for. And he keeps my toes warm when it's cold in the house. 

When I was a kid, I thought for sure that I would be a pop star: I figured I had the moves, the enthusiasm, and the moxie. I didn't have the voice, exactly, but I was convinced that didn't matter. I remember being nine or ten and pretending to accept a Grammy in the shower. Once I grew up I realized I'd have to actually perform in front of people in order to be a pop star and that's when I gave up on that one. No, sir. Not for me.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Forever Interrupted, tell me something that you were interrupted doing recently? For instance, this morning I was sleeping and the phone rang and it interrupted me sleeping and woke me up RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A DREAM! Of course, it was 9:30 a.m. so I suppose it was time to get up, right? Tell me what do you get interrupted doing and you could win a copy of Forever, Interrupted! 

Also, don’t forget to enter to win books by some of my other favorite authors that I’m giving away still... go click on over to enter to win them NOW too: 

Mandatory Release by Jess Riley

Finding Bliss by Dina Silver 

I’ll have all these books up on the blog probably until Friday and will most likely have another book  (OR TWO!) to offer later this week!... so share the book love and make sure you enter to win them all!

And if you're in the mood, maybe you could check out my novel: What She Left Us, available on amazon too!

First time visiting?

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 leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. 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 a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR 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. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. 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[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

FINDING BLISS by Dina Silver

Finding Bliss

Dina Silver

Can you believe that I am featuring another book so soon?!? I've got so many to share, I'm trying to blast you with a bunch of awesome books! Before you read on, though, make sure to click here to Jess Riley's Mandatory Release and enter to win her book here. I'll wait.

Thanks, and now, I'd love to share today's book with you, which is by Dina Silver and it's called Finding Bliss. Dina is one of those amazing authors who took her career into her own hands, self-pubbed her first book, One Pink Line and hit it big. 

She is someone I look up to, because she's done exactly what I hope to do someday with my own books, What She Left Us and The Life After (shameful plug, I admit!)! I admire her a lot and I love her stories. She got a great following, was discovered by the people at amazon and now has a contract with them. Finding Bliss is her latest, and just like One Pink Line, when I picked up the book to check out the first chapter, I just kept reading! Seriously, I did NOT put it down, and there are very few books that I pick up and read in two sittings. This was one of them!

Here is what Finding Bliss is all about:

Chloe Carlyle has always longed for the perfect family.
 

Growing up with an alcoholic single mother, she has seen her share of heartbreak and disappointment, and is striving to build a new legacy for herself. After graduating from college, she takes a job working as a summer girl for the Reeds—a wealthy, accomplished family that personifies her American dream. Her summer takes an unexpected turn when the Reeds’ eldest son, Tyler, the star quarterback for Notre Dame, shows up and turns her life upside down. 

An ambitious young woman with a wry sense of humor, Chloe never imagined herself as the type to succumb to the looks and charms of the hometown hero, but she falls hard for Tyler, and is devastated when they part ways at the end of the summer. As she heads off to law school, Chloe tries to convince herself this was just a fling, but she can’t quite get over him. It’s not until Tyler contacts her out of the blue late one winter night that everything changes.

After doing everything in her power to build the perfect life, Chloe soon learns that there are things beyond her control. She must draw on inner reserves of strength as her life takes unpredictable—and sometimes heartbreaking—twists and turns, and she finds herself faced with decisions she never thought she’d have to make. Poignant, heartfelt, and emotional, Finding Bliss is a reminder that you don’t have to live a fairytale life in order to have a happy ending.

 Here are Dina's THESE THREE THINGS, which also gives you some more insight to some of the storylines of the book:

1) There is an infertility storyline in the book that was really important for me to write. My sister, along with many of my close friends, struggled with getting pregnant. I would always hear from them how hard it was to deal with feelings of jealousy and bitterness when around other women who were pregnant, and also how woman tend to not talk to each other about the topic of infertility. It was important for me to address the issue with humor and honesty, and to give a voice to this taboo subject.

2) For a long time, the book was simply titled, Bliss. In fact, the entire time I was writing it. It wasn't until a week before I handed in my final draft that I changed it to Finding Bliss. Because in the end, the book is truly a journey about finding the things that will ultimately make you happy…and how often times it not what or who you thought. 

 

3) Chloe, my protagonist, is a divorce lawyer. In researching her character, I worked really closely with a friend who is a divorce lawyer, and it was so fun listening to her old client stories. No one has better stories than divorce lawyers!! Maybe E.R. doctors are a close second :)

If you'd like to win a copy of FINDING BLISS, tell me IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, if you had one BLISSFUL hour to yourself what would you do? Me, of course, I would either go to Starbucks or take a nap!

Don't forget to CLICK HERE to also enter to win Jess Riley's Mandatory Release, which is still up for grabs on Booking with Manic! I'll be coming at you again shortly with another fabulous book too, so make sure to check back soon! As I showed you here, I've got many books to share, and I realized I slacked off a bit this summer so I'm trying to make up for it!

First time visiting?

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 leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. 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 a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR 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. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. 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[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

 

MANDATORY RELEASE by Jess Riley

Mandatory Release

Jess Riley

I'm thrilled to have Jess Riley on the blog today with her amazing novel Mandatory Release. The novel takes place in prison, and the main character is a very interesting guy who spends his days strapped in a wheelchair. When his high school crush walks through the doors of the prison — NO, not as a new inmate! — as a teacher — he feels as life might not exactly be over.

Here is the book's synopsis:

"With appeal for fans of Jonathan Tropper, Tom Perrotta, and Laurie Notaro, this snarky mashup of Girls and Oz is so painfully honest you might think you're reading a memoir--except the author isn't a smartass guy in a wheelchair who works in a prison."  

Recently paralyzed in a car accident, thirty-year-old Graham Finch spends his days trying to rehabilitate a caseload of unruly inmates and his nights on one bad date after another, attempting to rehabilitate his heart-- 

--until his high school crush Drew Daniels walks through the prison gates one hot summer morning. On the run from a painful past that's nearly crushed her faith in love, Drew is a new teacher at Lakeside Correctional. Graham, smitten all over again, tries to redirect his unrequited feelings. But when your heart keeps looking back, it's not easy to turn it forward. 

Amidst escalating violence at work, Drew is forced to confront her secrets, find a way to forgive old sins, and learn how to listen to her heart and her head when it comes to men. Graham must also learn to make peace with his own past. Together they realize that if you're going to save yourself, sometimes the best way to do it is by saving someone else first. If only finding their way to one another was easier than working with convicted felons.

Loaded with twisted humor and pathos, Mandatory Release is a darkly comic look at friendship, forgiveness, and love. A story about broken people putting themselves back together. People who learn that no matter what you lock up--a person, a secret, or your heart--sooner or later, everything must be released. 

And Jess's THESE THREE THINGS:

1) Mandatory Release mainly focuses on relationships between the characters, but we do shine a light on where they work, since it helps shape the plot. Many of my inmate characters and anecdotes are based on "real" inmates I knew when I worked as a teaching assistant at a medium-security prison in college. I was mentored by an amazing teacher, and after I left, she sent me a Thank You card signed by many of the inmates I worked with. (Attached.) My husband removed last names from the scan to protect the not-so-innocent. :)  

2) It's true, my parents did meet in prison! My mother was a secretary at the time, my father a Unit Sergeant. This made dinner-time conversation VERY interesting in my youth. I still remember my Dad bringing home props he used when he gave staff trainings. One was a giant display suitcase, like the kind a traveling salesman might use, full of confiscated shanks and shivs! 

3) I've been working on this novel for fourteen years, though it's been through so many edits it only bears a ghost of a resemblance to the first draft. The original title was THE COOL SIDE OF THE PILLOW, and Graham wasn't even a character in it. Now he's the central protagonist in MANDATORY RELEASE, and one of my favorite characters to write, ever.

I love Jess and her books for many reasons -- she doesn't sugar-coat it. You don't read about cutesy-pie stuff and glitter and high heels. Don't get me wrong -- that's great when you're in the mood for glitter and lipstick and high heels. And it's not like her books are down-and-dirty, but yes, they are gritty and real. That's the way I like to describe them. The women are women. The men are men. Jess can write a male character to sound like a man. I love that about her. This book has depth and heart. You will laugh out loud, and you might even cry. You'll get to know Graham and his wheelchair. You'll delight in Drew and feel for her and what's she's been through. You'll even come to like the prisoners. In the end, you'll feel like you've spent some time in prison with some really nice people but didn't have to eat the slop that's served there.

So, if you'd like to win a copy of Mandatory Release, let's see… if you ever had to go to prison, what item would you most want to take with you? I'd have to say I would take my laptop! Tell me what you would take, and you could win a copy of Mandatory Release!

Check the previous post to see what else is coming your way this summer - I'm going to try to be a lot better about posting on the blog and getting fabulous books to you!  

New here?

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 leave a comment on this post and use an identifying name when commenting. 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 a few days to see if you've won the book -- I will either list the winner in a new post OR 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. I do NOT personally contact the winners. It is YOUR responsibility to come back to see if you've won. 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[at]gmail.com. Thank you for your support!