BABBLING ABOUT BOOKS, AND MORE!

Babblings is Moving!

2013-08-04T11:36:00.002-04:00

After 5 years of using Blogger, I decided to move Babblings About Books, and More to Wordpress. The reason is because Google can delete a blog without any warning, specifically those blogs with "erotic" content.

Click here to read more about this issue from Parajunkee.

Because of this, I've moved Babblings to Wordpress because I can't chance that my blog here will be deleted without any warning. The blog here will remain, and you can still access past posts, but will no longer be updated.

The new site is kbgbabbles.com.

It's the same Babblings with WTFckery, book reviews, publishing information and opinion pieces from yours truly. I hired Parajunkee to help me create the new Babblings, and without her aid and advice I would have been lost. If you need someone to help you create a blog, or update one (including creating an awesome banner) Parajunkee is the one to go to!

Please join me at my new home, where anyone is invited to slip off their shoes, pull on some fuzzy bunny slippers and relax. (Mho Fho is also coming along for the ride).

I hope to see you there!

Slew of Successful Traditionally Published Authors and Debut Self Published Authors Make Some Book Chart Waves

2013-08-03T07:59:00.001-04:00

The top 5 this week on the New York Times Combined Fiction list are all very well known and respected traditionally published authors who have been around for many years. It should come as no surprise that Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling is #1 with Cuckoo's Calling. Ever since it was revealed Rowling is Galbraith, the sales for Cuckoo's Calling has jumped by leaps and bounds. This week is sold over 65,000 copies and by the end of this month I would be surprised if Cuckoo's Calling will have sold close to 250,000, and possibly selling 1 million copies by the end of this year.

Another interesting side note: Cuckoo's Calling has helped the sales of Rowling's The Casual Vacancy that's #19 this week and sold 28,000 units. See, having a hit help's an author's backlist ;)

Close behind Cuckoo's Calling is Daniel Silva's The English Girl at #2 and Dan Brown's Inferno is #3, and will probably has sold 1.5 million copies by next week. And the Mountains Echoed is #4 and Hidden Order is #5.

Philippa Gregory returns to the top 10 with The White Princess, in part because of the critically acclaimed, much buzzed about TV series based on the book airing on Starz. Superstar hybrid author, Marie Force rejoins the top 20 with Time for Love, the 9th book in her popular Gansett Island series.

A new debut self author make her mark here at #18 in Combined and #14 in Ebook. S.L. Jennings' Fear of Falling is what I guess you call a New Adult, although the heroine is 23. I hear this is a very gut wrenching read because the heroine is put through the wringer and has a very abusive past that comes back to haunt her in the literal sense.

Gail McHugh is a double hitter this week with Collide and Pulse, and Monica Murphy returns with One Week Girlfriend (only .99 cents and an awesome book I want to hug) and #24.

Cuckoo's Calling holds the top spot on the Ebook list with many of the top 10 on the Combined here as well.

A new debut novel that reminds me of Flynn's Gone Girl is #10 on Ebook and and #11 on Combined. It's A.S.A Harrison's The Silent Wife is about a marriage gone terribly wrong. Cheating, lying, possible murder makes for great reading!

Synopsis: Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept.

Two self published authors debuting here are: Carey Heywood with the book, Him at #19 and Eve Carter with Breathless at #22.

Onto the USA Today chart toppers...

The top 3 here are the same as the NYT. Two big young adult authors are at #4 and #5. Divergent, that's being made into a movie Hollywood hopes is The Hunger Games part 2 in big box office ticket sales, followed by The Fault in Our Stars that I still have to read, and is also being made into a movie with the same actress who has the main role in Divergent.

There's a lot of new self published faces here this week! I love when that happens!

Self published author, Taryn Fisher's Thief is #50. At #77 another self published box set called, Bodyguards Boxed Set was released by a slew of familiar author faces: Julianne MacLean, Kathryn Shay, Shelly Thacker, Julie Kenner, Patricia Ryan, J. Kenner.

J. Lynn's Frigid is still going strong at #80 and multi-self published, Pamela Lee is at #86 with Changing Paradise. More boxed set fun at #88 with Marriage of Convenience Boxed SetbyJudith Arnold, Patricia Ryan, Patricia McLinn, Cynthia Wright.

Hybrid author, Lisa Renee Jones reappears here at #86 with Escaping Reality that's categorized as New Adult, although I hear it's more adult sexy romance.Laura Adrian has self published A Touch of Midnight, the prequel to her Midnight Breeds series, is #111, and Kylie Scott's Lick has after a month charting here is at #148.

A book that could chart in the future...

Donna Fasano is a multi-self published author and Reclaim My Heart is rising up on the Amazon charts, possibly because the price is .99 cents. This book was published back in May and is about teen pregnancy and two former lovers reuniting. It takes place in a unique setting- the Delaware Indian community with a Native American hero who reconnects with his former lover. She has a rebellious teenage son, who happens to be the hero's son he never knew about. A very familiar trope that readers enjoy, so I can see many picking this one up, especially since the price is so low and the cover is very appealing.

So far the reviews have been very positive.

One Amazon reviewer gives 5 stars: "Donna Fasano's latest book is a wonderfully compelling story with real heart. I was hooked from the beginning and really identified with the heroine, Tyne, a single mother struggling with the difficult task of bringing up a teenage son. The reappearance of Lucas, the father of her son and the long-lost love of her youth, was told in a realistic and sympathetic way. The Native Indian theme added depth and a certain spirituality to the story. I loved the way Zach learned about survival skills from the old uncle and how he, through this, was taught the real values of life.

The central love story is the most beautiful part of this book because of the undying love between Tyne and Lucas and how they found each other again."

But Goodreads Reviewer Rachel gives 3 stars: "I liked all of the characters, but I didn't feel I had enough information about any of them, especially the secondary characters. I hate that I didn't like this one more and maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it when I was reading it. It had potential but it just sort of fell flat for me."

Synopsis: Sixteen years ago, Tyne Whitlock cut all ties to her past and left town under the shameful shadow of a teenage pregnancy. Now her fifteen-year-old son is in trouble with the law and she is desperate for help. But reaching out to high-powered attorney Lucas Silver Hawk will tear open the heart-wrenching past in ways Tyne never imagined.

Forced to return to the Delaware Indian community where Lucas was raised, Tyne and Lucas are tempted by the heated passion that consumed them as teens. Tyne rediscovers all the reasons she found this man irresistible, but there are scandalous secrets waiting to be revealed, disgraceful choices made in the past that cannot be denied. Love is a powerful force that could heal them both—if the truth doesn't rip them apart

And there you have it! Your top charting books for the week!

Stroke of Midnight Book Review Olivia Drake

2013-08-02T06:21:00.000-04:00

Synopsis: The infamous Laura Falkner has returned to London society in disguise. Determined to clear her father's name, she becomes a companion to elderly Lady Josephine—only to learn the woman's nephew is none other than Alexander Ross, the devilish Earl of Copley, the man Laura once loved with all her heart. The same man who'd accused her father of theft and forced them to flee England.

Alex has never forgotten Laura—or forgiven himself for letting her go. Today, Laura is as lovely—and stubborn—as ever, and her attempts at crime-solving are putting her in danger. The only way Alex can keep her safe is to marry her. But how can this notorious rake convince Laura that his heart is true…before the clock strikes twelve?

Stroke of Midnight by Olivia Drake has a very implausible, somewhat eye rolling setup, but based on the main couple and their interactions and dialogue, I did enjoy this regency romance that’s high on the fluff and has overall lacking drama and tension with the plot. Laura, the heroine’s father, was accused of stealing some priceless jewelry and fled away to Portugal so not to be punished for the crime. The hero, Alex, the Earl of Copley at the time of the crime was courting Laura, but it was a ruse on his part at first to investigate her father. When she catches Alex confronting her father, Laura stops Alex by using a pair of scissors and scars his face. Laura feels betrayed by what Alex has done, but she ends up coming in contact with him again when her father goes back to England and is then killed. Laura, under a different name and her very inventive disguise of wearing glasses, pulled back hair and a dowdy dresses, returns to London to find her father’s killer and who framed him all those years ago. With the help of Lady Milford, a kind Samaritan, Laura gets a job as a companion to the elderly Lady Josephine. What Laura doesn’t realize at first that Lady Josephine’s nephew is Alex. Now Laura is cornered because she thinks Alex will want his revenge, but to her surprise, he wants to help her clear her father’s name. They team up together to investigate those in the Ton who wanted to ruin Laura’s father. But Laura is clueless to Alex’s attraction and dedication to her that has remained steady all these years. His “revenge” is to make Laura his wife regardless of her scandalous reputation and help her regain her rightful place in English society.

Those looking for light and fluffy will probably enjoy Stroke of Midnight. It’s the second book in the Cinderella Sisterhood series, but other than Lady Milford being a type of fairy godmother to Laura, and mention of special slippers that fit Laura oh so perfectly, there isn’t much of a fairy tale feel here. Alex is a sweetheart and not to angsty, although there are some mentions of how horrible his parents were. He and Laura do have nice chemistry together. Their investigation skills, as well as the entire mystery plot overall was laughable and close to silly as you can get. I will say I was surprised by who the villain was and their reasons for everything.

Stroke of Midnight is a predictable story, and a forgettable one, but with engaging characters and a typical HEA I look forward to in my historical romances. (St. Martin’s)

Final Grade: B-

A few other Stroke of Midnight reviews:
Kay's Blog
Lily Pond Reads

My Book Addiction

Book Spotlight: Matchpoint by Elise Sax Blog Tour Stop

2013-08-01T07:01:00.001-04:00

Book Two of the Matchmaker Series ($7.99, Ballantine Books)

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon | B&N | Indie Bound | BAM | iTunes

Synopsis: Lovably troublesome Gladie Burger runs into sizzling danger and a fiery love triangle in the second installment of Elise Sax's hilarious and sexy Matchmaker romance series. Since joining the family matchmaking business run by her eccentric Grandma Zelda, Gladie is always looking for love. But when an unbearable toothache knocks her out of commission and into the dentist's chair, she prays only for relief. No such luck. Emerging from an anesthetic haze, Gladie awakes to find that not only is her tooth still throbbing, but her dentist is dead—and the lead suspect in the murder, office receptionist Belinda, just so happens to be Gladie's first real client. Now it's up to Gladie to find Belinda a man and keep her from being locked up behind bars.

As if that weren't enough distraction, two gorgeous men are vying for Gladie's attention: Spencer, the playboy chief of police, and Holden, Gladie's secretive, gorgeously muscled neighbor. Still, Gladie's not complaining about having a helping hand or two when the case leads her to a dangerously bizarre cult. She may have met her match—and if she's not careful, it could be her last.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elise Sax worked as a journalist for fifteen years, mostly in Paris, France. She took a detour from journalism and became a private investigator before trying her hand at writing fiction. She lives in Southern California with her two sons. An Affair to Dismember is her first novel.

Connect with Elise:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS!

Enter the giveaway below. Elise is giving away the following prizes at the end of her tour:

GRAND PRIZE: $50.00 Amazon gift card

2nd Prize: $10.00 Amazon gift card

3rd Prize: $10.00 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Why we write erotic romance by Adriana Kraft

2013-07-31T06:21:00.000-04:00

Short answer: Because we like it.

My husband and I are part of the baby boomer generation – you know, the generation that brought us sex, drugs, and rock and roll (well, not the drugs, for us). You can bet the generation that was at the forefront of the sexual revolution isn’t going to let go of being sexual as we age, if we can help it.

It turns out if you don’t want to lose it as things start to change in midlife, you have to work at it. And we did. Our first foray into this territory was watching adult videos to help get the juices flowing as part of foreplay. We found lots of flicks we liked, and we started to identify what worked for us and what didn’t. We like films that have some semblance of story, enough to build sexual tension and desire, and not just money shot after money shot.

Both of us were already writers in our day jobs and had done some writing together, so we started coming up with ideas and writing down scenarios we’d love to watch. And yes, we’d often read them out loud in the bedroom. Or wherever.

I’m sure we dreamed they’d get picked up for screenplays, but that hasn’t happened yet. We’d also both fostered dreams of writing fiction since our teenage years, so it didn’t take us long to try our hand at longer pieces, first short stories, and eventually novels.

Perhaps because we’re a couple writing together, we turn out to be niche authors. We write a lot of bisexual heroines and a few lesbian short stories, because both of us love the sensuality of scenes with two (or more) women. We’re not just writing for couples, but we do pay attention to what might work for both genders as we’re crafting stories and scenes. Most of our stories include ménage scenes, to help feed fantasies for both partners. And we still read everything out loud when we’re creating that first draft, just to make sure it works for both of us.

We also don’t stick to characters in their twenties or thirties, although we do write those, as well (yes, we can remember being those ages). Our oldest main characters so far are in their sixties, in Ripening Passion, and in our Swinging Games series, there are secondary characters in their seventies. And yes, we’ve met swingers still going strong at that age. Research, you know.

Because we’re committed to these issues, we write a weekly Stay Sexy column on our blog, where we focus on tips for keeping vibrant, healthy, excited and sexy across the life cycle. We’ve also become unpaid staff writers at GetLusty.com, a great website with fiction, articles, and discounts on products to, as they put it, end boring sex. That’s definitely one of our mottos.

The Best Man is our first venture as indie publishers, under our new imprint, B&B Publishing. It’s also one of our rare het books, without any LGBTQ main characters. It does include ménage, but I don’t want to give too much away. I’ll just say our heroine, Kitty Paige, is partial to a certain kind of sandwich.

Here’s a taste of one of our favorite scenes, and if you like it, there’s a link to the rest of the scene after the excerpt.

EXCERPT:

“Oh, God. Have mercy.”

“Not this time, babe.” Jared easily lifted her butt and slid one end of the scarf under it. Quickly, he had her loins encased in silk and handed the ends of the scarf to her care. “I won’t be needing these for awhile. You may find a use for them.”

Her fingers curled around the scarf and he settled between her legs. He laved the silk around the edges of her pussy and then looked up with a grin. “Isn’t it amazing how silk feels when it gets wet—your juices and my tongue.”

She tugged on the silk scarf, increasing the pressure against her loins, and nodded jerkily. “Make me come, Jared.”

“Like this?” He tongued the silk covering her pussy and pushed a little inside her folds.

“Oh, yeah. That’ll do it. A little more.”

He lifted his head and shook it when he saw her distressed glower. “Not yet,” he whispered, retrieving the scarf. “Not nearly yet. You won’t come until I’m ready for you to come.”

He laughed as her gaze burned into him. He grabbed her wrist and tied one end of the scarf loosely around it. Her eyes rounded with awareness. Her lower lip trembled slightly when he tied the overlap of the knot around a bedpost. She didn’t move when he reached for her other wrist. “You know what I’m going to do?”

She nodded. “You’re going to ravish me.”

THE REST OF THE SCENE

If you’d like to read more, head over toGetLusty.com, sign up for a free account, and access the exclusive erotic excerpt featuring the full scarf scene from The Best Man.

TOUR CONTESTS

We are offering two contests in connection with our Tour:

BUY ONE – GET TWO: Purchase a copy of The Best Man any time before August 1 and email us a copy of your receipt to receive a free download of any novel on our backlist. Send email to adrianakraft99 at yahoo dot com.

SILK SCARF: The yellow scarf featured on the cover and in this scene was a peace offering Jared sent Kitty early in the book. I’ve traveled in Thailand and fell in love with the luster and sensuality of Thai Dupioni silk. I wish I’d brought back yellow, but I’ve had to settle for purchasing this batch here in the US. I’ll be doing the finish work on the fabric to give the scarf a fringe – and you have a chance to win it (U.S. delivery only)! Leave a comment here to enter. Leave more comments on any of our Tour Stops to increase your chances, or visit our blog and leave a comment on any post about The Best man for even more entries. No purchase necessary. Contest runs through July 31.

AUTHOR BIO

Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a husband/wife team writing Erotic Romance for Two, Three or More. The award-winning pair has published over thirty erotic romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews: “scorching hot…refreshing...something to read when you want straight up hotness.” “filled with warmth, blazing hot sex, well-developed characters…not for the faint of heart.” Romantic pairings include straight m/f, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and paranormal settings.

Readers can find us at the following links:

Website: http://www.adrianakraft.com/

Blog: http://www.adrianakraft.com/blog

FaceBook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adriana-Kraft/182846025133440

Twitter http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft

GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1578571.Adriana_Kraft

Google+ https://plus.google.com/102791537641895264573/posts

Adriana’s Author Pages at Amazon.com and All Romance Ebooks