Blogelocity

I'm guest blogger with author Michelle Flye today, answering lots of questions about character names as part of a blog tour to promote the Lyrical Press Christmas Bash, 15 books all 30% off from now til Christmas. My own contemporary romance, Waiting for Revenge, is included.


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Review

I got this review in a couple weeks ago, but keep forgetting to post it. (I think. If I've already posted it, well then... it's a filler--I'm still in Denver for that awesome booksigning trip). I've still got to post the link and graphic on my site, but...

Waiting for Revenge got a Top Pick rating!

This novel doesn't usually resonate with reviewers because it's not a cut-and-dried story about good people and bad people. It's more about realistic people (in my opinion), some who strive to be good but sometimes make mistakes, and some who probably don't intend to hurt others so much, but do, by making bigger mistakes. This reviewer "got" my humor, believed Mandy was stronger than she thought--like most women, right?, and most importantly did not hate Mandy for being imperfect (or include spoilers!).

I'm pleased as punch. So here's the link for the entire, might I add, glowing, review:

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Gone Tubin' Again

Today's tube is the special Christmas trailer for Waiting for Revenge. Since the story is set between Thanksgiving and New Year's, I made both "regular" and holiday versions. (and only a minute long, too, which is tough)

Waiting for Revenge Christmas

Have a great one and stay warm.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

This week I'm reviewing a book I've planned to read for about 6 months (ever since samples came through in my DearReader.com messages): Just Breathe, by Susan Wiggs.

This is my first experience with Wiggs' work, and I wasn't disappointed. The story begins when Sarah is undergoing a fertility treatment, which her husband is unable to attend. Much to her dismay, when she searches him out later in the day with pizza and Coke, she finds him doing the dirty with another woman.

Needless to say, I was interested to see how Sarah's situation panned out, and how it compared with my own Waiting for Revenge. Sarah leaves Chicago and goes "home" to a tiny coastal town in California, where romance blooms with firechief/former high school golden boy, Will. At first it seems Sarah's problem isn't quite the same as Mandy's in Waiting, because unlike Mandy she doesn't have two kids to consider in her decision to divorce. Like I said...at first. Before long, Sarah finds her final fertility treatment was a success, which complicates matters considerably.

I love Sarah's grandma and great-aunt. Their advice is spot-on, and they meddle in the best possible ways (a la Waiting's great-Aunt Clara). Sarah does have girlfriends who give her little pushes in the right direction, whereas Mandy tried to keep her marital problems on the down-low and didn't share much, other than with her sister-in-law. And boy, did I dislike Sarah's soon-to-be ex, Jack. Jack had apparently been something of a jerk for years, and he never fails to say the perfect thing to make me hate him more. This is far from Mandy's situation, where she'd been happily married and felt Mike treated her right up until his indiscretion. At no time in Just Breathe did I feel like Sarah should give Jack another chance. Maybe infidelity is a total Dealbreaker for me, like it is for these gals.

This book was well worth the wait. I rate it a Keeper, although to be entirely honest I snagged it from the New shelf at the library so I'd best not keep it... Susan Wiggs is now on my radar and I'll be watching for her stuff.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

1st Review Friday

I've held my breath, wondering how a "realistic" women's fiction/romance novel would go over with reviewers. Would my heroine meet with condemnation, as she did with a few uptight critique partners who like to know just what to expect in a book? Would readers hate that they had mixed feelings about the "bad guy" because he had good qualities, too?

Waiting for Revenge got its first review in yesterday, and I'm thrilled. Not only did the reviewer like the book, but she really "got" what I set out to do:

Manic readers review

Happy Friday, ya'all (been working on edits for my next release, filled with Texan cowboys).

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Phone booth weekend

We're going away for the weekend, to get a free chilly shower, courtesy of nature... er, camp. It'll only be a couple of days, but something BIG is happening while we're gone:
Waiting for Revenge will be released on Saturday.
So I'm leaving here, just regular old me, and returning a real, live, published author. (kinda like Superman in the phone booth, see? )
Hopefully my cape will be waterproof, and compliment my eyes...

Here's where the book will appear first, though Amazon should have its Kindle version in a couple of days, too.
http://www.lyricalpress.com/autumn_piper
It's available in like every electronic format imaginable through Lyrical Press for the first 6 months and then next January it'll release in print, too. LPI's Once Upon A Bookstore just got a costume change, too, which I think is awesome. Here's the link if you care to take a gander:
http://www.onceuponabookstore.com/

Happy 4th of July! My the pyrotechnics awe and inspire you, but stay safely away from your skin.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Friday Funny

I got to work through my first round of copy edits for Waiting for Revenge yesterday. Doing this reminded me of a title a friend of mine suggested when I was having a hard time choosing.

The heroine Mandy has a southern belle sister-in-law who out of the blue one day calls Mandy's husband a rather swearalicious name. Mandy is so cracked up by it that she feels like going home and marking the day on her calendar.

My palio Amanda's (no relation to the heroine!) title suggestion? Kenna Says Mother%@#$er!!

Can't you just see it on the shelf at B&N? Well, it would defnitely garner attention whereve it was sold.

Thanks again for the laugh, A.

Autumn
Got romance?