SPARKLE by Cara Alwill Leyba

Hi Everyone, going to try to post three books this week because the year is ending and I have a lot of books to share with you so check back often! Here's today's book...

Sparkle

By Cara Alwill Leyba

I love this book from author and life coach Cara Alwill Leyba. Sparkle, The Girl's Guide to Living a Deliciously Dazzling, Wildly Effervescent, Kick-Ass Life. Not only is it a sparkly pink and beautiful eye-catching cover, but the words she's written truly do sparkle!

I've been cyber friends with Cara for a while now, and her spirit amazes me. She is as bubbly as the champagne she drinks. The other day, I read on her Facebook page that she was going shopping. It might have even been Black Friday. What does this girl do? She takes herself out for a glass of champagne before she hits the stores. She's just that kind of classy!

The book has a little bit of advice, and a little bit of stories from Cara's own self-observation. It will dazzle you from page one. It's straight talk about focusing on ourselves the way we are, and Cara Alwill Leyba teaches us how to live our best lives the best possible way. With easy tips on positive thinking, living in the moment, being happy and loving yourself for who you are, this book is a great inspiring read. And I'll tell you, I will now choose the sparkling bubbly over the bloaty beer as my drink of choice!

Here is the official back-of-the-book blurb:

As women, we have become professional self-critics. We've become so convinced by society that we need to attain a level of perfection that just isn't real. Whether it's trying to get skinnier, look younger, get that promotion, please our parents, get fuller lips or rid ourselves of cellulite -- we're on a never ending mission to change and it always makes us feel like crap.

Instead, why not focus on all the fabulous qualities we already possess? There is so much to celebrate when we look at all of our accomplishments. In this straight-up girlfriend's guide, lifestylist and wellness coach Cara Alwill Leyba encourages women to discover what makes them sparkle so that they can design the lives they desire and deserve. So raise your glass and toast yourself. You're about to start shimmering, shining, and dazzling every day. Because isn't everything better when it sparkles?

To enter to win Cara's inspiring book, leave a comment telling us what is one quality you possess that makes you SPARKLE?

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!

The Next Big Thing

Hi everyone, before I announce the winner of Notes to My Future Husband, I was invited to participate in The Next Big Thing online event. It's a way for authors and bloggers to share news about what's coming up next for them, and for readers to find new, wonderful authors and bloggers! 

Susan Pohlman invited me into this mix, and she's a real-life friend of mine in Arizona, and has been a bit of a mentor to me as well. I just wish I got to spend more real-time hours with her. She wrote the amazing memoir, Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought our Family Home, and I shared more about her book on here a while back. Her blog, which continues to inspire can be found here: Susan Pohlman's Blog.

 

So, please check her out and find out about what she's got going on with her Next Big Thing as well. You can tell her I sent you!

 What is the working title of your book?

What She Left Us

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I got the initial idea when I read Gwendolen Gross' second book, The Orphan Sister because I kept imagining the dynamics of the three sisters in that novel. I have one sister, and she's my Irish twin (we're 11 months apart in age), and I guess something just kept bringing me back to wanting to write a novel about two sisters. I also loved Sarah Pekkanen's first novel, The Opposite of Me, which is about twin sisters who are completely different. Keep in mind that in both of these novels, the main characters are about twins. In my novel, What She Left Us, Jenna and Courtney are not twins - they are actually five years apart in age.

What genre does your book fall under?

I had a different answer here (which is below) but now that I've heard of the term "New Adult" I might classify it as that. Wiki defines it as: New-adult Fiction or post-adolescent literature is a recent category of fiction for young adults first proposed by St. Martin's Press in 2009. St. Martin’s Press editors wanted to address the coming-of-age that also happens in a young person’s twenties. They wanted to consider stories about young adults who were legally adults, but who were still finding their way in building a life and figuring out what it means to be an adult. 

My characters are between the ages of 19 and 26. I originally wrote that the book is definitely women's fiction with a side of chick-lit, but not in the gotta-go-shopping, gotta-get a boyfriend-or-I'll-die kind of way. More like, it's geared to a younger crowd. The age of the characters are mid-twenties so it might appeal to women who enjoy chick lit.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Two sisters who are at risk of having the disease that killed their mom navigate their way through new and old relationships only then to discover a life-changing secret.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I recently decided my agent was causing me more stress than good and I parted with her on good terms. I've decided to take this book to Kindle Direct Publishing, and then to launch a second one (unrelated) six months later. The third, depending on how the first two go, will come out a year later.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The first draft was very quick for me to write -- it took around seven to nine months for the first draft.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

As mentioned earlier, it's a sister relationship book, and I was inspired by Gwendolen Gross' The Orphan Sister, and also Sarah Pekkanen's The Opposite of Me. I hope readers of those books would enjoy What She Left Us. Also, Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes comes to mind as it could be somewhat similar, but a reader does not have to have a sister to understand the themes in this book, which include the mother-daughter relationship as well as some other surprises.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Part of the book deals with a relatively unknown blood disease. I have been a big proponent of blood donation. You will see that in this book. So along with the inspiration from when I read the above books and knowing I wanted to write a book with sister characters, I wanted to also share a little bit about the importance of donating blood. There's not a lot in the story, but it's important for people to donate blood.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

When I first wrote it, I was really skeptical about the ending. I had a few people read it, and I got their reactions. Judging from their thoughts, I let it sit for a long time. I decided something different had to happen in the end, so the ending you will read is NOT the original ending. I didn't want to cheat the reader, and I wanted to be true to the characters. I think when I wrote the first ending, I cheated the reader AND the characters. So it sat for a long time. After giving it much thought and a reread, I now feel that I have done it justice, and really, the characters, who are like real people to me, are happy with how their lives have turned out. I really had to think long and hard about it. But I didn't want to just tie it up neatly in a bow.

And now I'd like to share a couple more friends with you so you can learn about what their Next Big Things are…

Check out Jess Riley, who is one of my very BauthorFFs in life and online! She wrote Driving Sideways and has a new one out just in time for the holidays that you will love. I'll also be sharing more about ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE  here in a couple of weeks. Find out more about Jess and her books by popping over there too!

And Sara Dobie  -- she's an AZ pal of mine who's a very talented writer who has some great things going on. She's just finished a novel called Life without Harry. You'll love her style of writing and will definitely want to know more about Sara -- she is one to watch!

And now, for the winner of Notes to My Future Husband, and I have to say, the comments on this one were some of the absolute FUNNIEST ones I've ever read. And I was reading them as my own husband was trying to fix the cabinets (NOT TRYING TO BE FUNNY for those of you who know the 'fix the shelves' sex joke in our life!)… he was literally trying to fix kitchen cabinets that are FALLING off the wall and I just kept my EFFING mouth shut the whole time, and you know what, finally, ON HIS OWN, he admitted defeat! I secretly smiled to myself. But why? I have no idea because we're not going to pay to get them fixed ever. I'm going to have to live with EFFING BROKEN KITCHEN SHELVES FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!

Thank you for the laughs about your wonderful fault-full hubbies, boyfriends, exes, etc… I loved them all! And now the winner of Notes to my Future Husband is… randomly chosen…

Margaret Literary Chanteuse

Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com your full name and address and I'll mail out your book!

Thanks everyone and more books coming to you next week!

Thanks and happy weekend!

Sarah Pekkanen Winner & Another New Book to Win!

Hi Everyone, I first want to announce the winner of the three Sarah Pekkanen books. Sarah read the comments from everyone and one in particular struck her and so she has actually offered to give away two sets of books. One Booking with Manic reader was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Sandy and lost her home in NJ. Sarah read this comment and wanted to do a little something for her so Joani15 is going to be receiving a set of Sarah's books. The amazing Chick Lit is Not Dead girls Liz and Lisa heard about this too and would like to send Joani15 some books too. And I've got a few extra here that I'd like to send as well. We know it's not much, but we hope that a little bit of reading will help build back the library of books you lost during the storm. Blessings to you as you rebuild and we're all so glad that you're OK!

And the random winner of The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat and These Girls happens to be hazyswife! I do believe she is a brand-new reader of Booking with Manic so congrats to you!

If Joani15 and hazyswife can please email me your full names and addresses to stephanieelliot@gmail.com, we can get your books to you! Thanks everyone!

And in the next coming weeks, I'm going to try to get a bunch of books out to you before we finish out the year, hopefully a few books a week. There's a lot on my list and I need to get them to you, so please check back often. Here's a fun one for today for you girls!

Notes to My Future Husband

The Coquette

Whether you're married or not, single, engaged, divorced or thinking about the guy of your dreams, this book will have every girl in hysterics.

Sometimes a bit crude, but totally relatable and laughable, Notes to My Future Husband: A Bitch's Guide to our Happily Ever After is a hilarious guide for all women!

With chapters including Notes on Friends, Famly, the Wedding, Our Home, Food, F#*king (told you it was a little bit crude!), Date Night, Rules, Good Stuff and more, the author clearly has it covered!

It's also anonymously written by "The Coquette" who is an advice columnist for The Daily, and her identity has never been revealed. She admits in the beginning of the book that she has been proposed to four times and turned all four men down. She has also admitted to having had her heart broken a few times too. I have to wonder if "The Coquette" is like 70 years old, and if she will ever get a Future Husband?

Either way, Notes To My Future Husband is a rollicking fun quick read, a great book to get for your friends who are engaged, and just hilarious in general!

If you'd like to win a copy, leave a comment on one thing that annoys you about your significant other. If you are single, leave a comment on something you will tell your Future Husband he absolutely CANNOT DO when you get married!

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!

SARAH PEKKANEN: NOVEMBER FEATURED AUTHOR!

I'm so excited to share November's featured author with you. Sarah Pekkanen is one of my absolute favorite authors because I love her novels, and also because she is so down to earth and real. So not pretentious and she really seems to care a lot about her readers. She always has a kind word for her Facebook friends, she is a fantastic writer, she takes the time to make the fan feel important!


She has written three novels, The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat, These Girls, and her next one, The Best of Us is coming out in the spring! In the meantime, Sarah fulfills our need for her written word with awesome little novels for just 99 cents, and sometimes she even gives them away to her fans for free! Later this month she'll have another e-story out called Beginning Again. I've fallen absolutely in love with her e-story characters, and I really look forward to these little sampling of her books. If you haven't checked them out, you really need to. Start with: All Is Bright and then read Love Accidentally and by the time you finish those two, Beginning Again will be out. (I can't believe there's NO cover for this one yet Sarah!! ACK!!!... Maybe they are still looking for the perfect faceless model? Haha)

Anyway, in honor of Sarah being the Booking with Manic FEATURED AUTHOR of the month, she has graciously offered to give away a set of her three novels here to one winner! SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS!!! 

I also got to ask her some questions that I thought you all might want to know, so here they are! Thanks so much Sarah, and we can't wait to read Beginning Again, and then The Best of Us!

1. I loved your first book, The Opposite of Me, and the sister dynamic. Do you have a sister, and if so, did you base the story on your relationship at all?

Sarah: Thank you! I actually don't have a sister, but I've always been intrigued by the messy, complicated, intense relationships my friends all seem to have with their sisters, which inspired me to write The Opposite of Me. When I was younger, I yearned for a sister, and imagined she'd be just like me - a little shy and dorky and into Nancy Drew books. Then one day I thought, "Wait - what if I had a sister, and she was nothing like me?"  That was when the idea for my first book began brewing.

2. Do you have a hidden manuscript? Anything you'll never share with your fans?

Sarah: I do have a manuscript in a drawer in my office that will never be published, but I'm okay with that - it will always have a special place in my heart because working on that novel taught me how to put together a book. It's my practice pancake - the books that followed were stronger, but I'll never regret writing this one (even though it took years. Years!)


3. You write some incredible short stories that are inexpensive and fun and available on all e-readers. The characters intertwine and like your full-length novels, we can't help but fall in love with them. You have a new one coming out -- what's it called and what's it about?

Sarah: Thank you so much! I love writing short e-stories partly because they're a real challenge: my characters cross over from story to story, so the stories need to enhance one another, but they also have to make sense on their own in case someone buys just one. They're only 99 cents, which is nice, because sometimes you want to sample an author's style before splurging on a whole book. My upcoming e-story is titled "Beginning Again" and it'll be out Nov. 27. It's actually quite long - about 1/5 the length of a novel - and it tells the story of a woman named Corrine Brown, who returns to her hometown for her little sister's wedding. Corrine is reeling from a very recent, very painful divorce, and she's being forced to begin a new kind of life. 

4. And your next full-length novel is coming out this spring? I know it's about a group of friends who get trapped in Jamaica due to a hurricane. Any more info you can share on it?

Sarah: The Best of Us will be out April 9, and it's a full-length novel. I'm so excited about it! I actually had the surreal experience of doing a final read through on the manuscript before it went to press last week while I was hunkered down in my basement, riding out Hurricane Sandy. Meanwhile, I was reading about my characters who were hunkered down in Jamaica, riding out a hurricane.

Here's the description:

An all-expense paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica – it’s the invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy husband an unforgettable 35th birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage.


 Languid hours on a private beach, gourmet dinners, and late nights of drinking kick off an idyllic week for the women and their husbands. But as a powerful hurricane bears down on the island, turmoil swirls inside the villa, forcing each of the women to re-evaluate everything she knows about her friends – and herself.

5. Can you tell us if you have the next novel swimming in your head yet?

Sarah: I do - in fact, I've written about 50 pages of it! I have a book due every April 1, so I start writing a new one when my kids go back to school in September. It's a little tight to finish a whole book in six months, but that way I get to spend my summers with my kids, so it's worth the work crush in the fall and winter. 

6. With three boys, your schedule must be nuts -- how can you go from writer to mom? Are there times when you have to say, "OK, Mommy needs a minute, an idea for a scene just came to me, and I HAVE to go write it down?" How do you manage those kinds of things? Can you switch gears like that?

Sarah: It's tough, because i have a three-year-old whose concept of time is a little different from mine, so asking him for a minute doesn't always work - "But we need to play trains NOW, Mommy!" Still, in a weird sort of way I'm glad my writing life is so fractured. I've learned to squeeze in writing around the margins of our days - I rack up pages at soccer practice, at the orthodontist's office, and in the preschool pick-up line. I think it keeps me from feeling as if writing is too precious or important, which is good, because it also keeps it from being intimidating. When I know I've only got an hour on a certain day to write, there's less of a temptation to over-think it; I just dive in.

7. What is the absolute best thing about being a writer?

Sarah: Connecting with readers. They're so darn nice! I'm always touched and thrilled to hear them say they liked one of my books. And I'm tempted to say, "Really? My Mom didn't pay you to say that to me?"


Thank you so much Sarah! It's been fun getting to peek inside your life as a writer and a mother! So for all you readers out there, if you would like to win the set of Sarah's books: The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat and These Girls, this is what I'd like you to tell me...

Since Sarah's next book is about a group of four couples going on a luxury vacation, tell me this -- if you could go on a luxury vacation, would you rather go with -- 

Girlfriends?
Your husband/spouse/partner?
OR a group of couples friends?

Those are your three choices -- At this point in my life, I would choose a luxury vacation with just my spouse. We sooo need a getaway -- YOUR TURN, tell me your choice and you'll be entered to win! 

Also, check out below to see if you won either of the following books recently posted:

Love Anthony: Congrats to: Ludy2288
Charlotte Street: Kimmi with the Penguin logo

If you are either Ludy2288 or Kimmi with the Penguin logo, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com to claim your book. Include your full name and mailing address so I can get your book to you! 

Thanks everyone, more books to come. Still dealing with some health issues with Luke and we have a neurology appointment coming up so please keep us in your thoughts! xo 

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!

   

LOVE ANTHONY by Lisa Genova

Love Anthony

By Lisa Genova

When I first heard about Love Anthony, I wasn't really sure about it. I thought it was a memoir about a boy with autism who dies. I didn't want to read about such a depressing topic. Only just recently did I realize that it is a fiction book so I decided to feature it here. Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice and Left Neglected (two amazing novels!) and also holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard. In Love Anthony, she writes of an accidental friendship between a grieving mother and a writer and the connection they both have with an autistic boy.

Here's the back-of-the-book blurb:

I’m always hearing about how my brain doesn’t work right. . . . But it doesn’t feel broken to me.
 

Olivia Donatelli’s dream of a “normal” life shattered when her son, Anthony, was diagnosed with autism at age three. 

Understanding the world from his perspective felt bewildering, nearly impossible. He didn’t speak. He hated to be touched. He almost never made eye contact. And just as Olivia was starting to realize that happiness and autism could coexist, Anthony died. 

Now she’s alone in a cottage on Nantucket, separated from her husband, desperate to understand the meaning of her son’s short life, when a chance encounter with another woman facing her own loss brings Anthony alive again for Olivia in a most unexpected way. 

Beth Ellis’s entire life changed with a simple note: “I’m sleeping with Jimmy.” Fourteen years of marriage. Three beautiful daughters. Yet even before her husband’s affair, she had never felt so alone. Heartbroken, she finds the pieces of the vivacious, creative person she used to be packed away in a box in her attic. For the first time in years, she uncaps her pen, takes a deep breath, and begins to write. The young but exuberant voice that emerges onto the page is a balm to the turmoil within her, a new beginning, and an astonishing bridge back to herself. 

In a piercing story about motherhood, autism, and love, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova offers us two unforgettable women on the verge of change and the irrepressible young boy whose unique wisdom helps them both find the courage to move on.

Here Lisa tells us a little about Love Anthony:

Read an excerpt here: Love Anthony!

If you'd like to win a copy of Love Anthony, please share if you have been touched by autism in your life. If you'd rather not share an experience, simply let me know you'd like to enter to win the book. Thanks!

Also, an exciting post coming up later this week -- FEATURED AUTHOR OF THE MONTH, Sarah Pekkanen will be here and will be giving away her THREE novels, which will be SIGNED! So make sure to come back to enter to win that amazing giveaway!

And check back on the Charlotte Street post to see if you were the lucky winner of that book!

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!