• Blog

    Time to welcome another book baby – Something of a Spark Into the World

    12/27/2017

    Jewel Sisters - Something to Sing About - Monique McDonell - Oringal CoverIsn’t she pretty?
    Don’t you just love the cover for Something to Sing About? I adore it. It is one of my personal favourites – I know one isn’t supposed to have them but I do…(Any Way You Want It is my fave Upper Crust Cover).

    This book was a fun one to write. When I started this series I already had this book well and truly in mind. I love Ruby’s character and I do love a bit of unrequited love. Let’s face it we’ve all been there. ( I was the queen of unrequited love back in the day).

    I also love Ryan’s character. He’s really trying to do the right thing by everyone but he seems to just keep getting it wrong – something else I can relate to, the harder I try the more complicated life gets.

    Plus they’re just a really cute couple together and I really enjoyed the banter between them. In fact I like all the characters in this book – well maybe not Pandora so much because she’s somewhat self-absorbed but even she has potential. I can’t imagine living in a world where people fawned over me day and night and said yes to everything I wanted – it must be hard when someone actually says no.

    Anyway, I really hope you enjoy reading Something to Sing About. I released it on Boxing Day because I spend every Boxing Day reading and loading my Kindle and I was hoping others would do the same.

    I’m already at work on Something to Savour which is Emme’s story and Book 3 in the Jewel Sisters series and it will be out in the first part of 2018.

    I have lots of exciting things planned publishing-wise in the New Year which I hope will keep you excited and engaged with my books and characters.

     

    Cheers and Happy Reading

    ​Monique

  • Blog

    12 Days of Downunder Christmas Blog Hop – entries now closed

    11/28/2017

    12 Days of Down Under Christmas Promo
    ​This is the Twelve Days of Christmas promotion – twelve ‘down under’ authors who are each giving personal prizes away, plus we have a $50 Amazon Gift Card to finish with a flourish.
    The Joy of Travel at Christmas inspired Snowbound, A Chicklit Christmas Novella
    Anyone from Australia or New Zealand, where all of the authors in this hop are from, learns pretty early that if you want to travel anywhere you’re probably going to be on a plane for a while.I consider any flight under eight hours to be a quick one.

    Part of what makes our countries unique is our isolation. We have summer while most of the world has winter, much of Australia never sees snow and we do things just that little bit differently. I drew on that inspiration when I was writing Snowbound, A Christmas Chicklit Novella.

    My main character Zara is heading off to the USA for Christmas to meet her boyfriend who works in New York. She’s never been on a long-haul flight, she’s never seen snow…there are a lot of firsts for Zara. Apart from the lovely Kyle who sits next to her the journey is really not that great.

    I’ve done a lot of long-distance travel and much of it on my own – I quite like flying alone now – but when I was younger and more self conscious I didn’t so I channeled that into Zara’s character. Just like her I have woken up by a random teenage boy asleep on my shoulder – then I had to decide if I could get up – I didn’t want to wake the poor kid but sometimes you just have to move.

    I also remember the magic of seeing snow fall for the first time and the wonder of waking up to a world made new by being covered in white. I’ve never had a White Christmas – only a white Boxing day and I think we can all agree no one has ever sung a song about that.

    One of the things I love about books and writing is how you can hold a mirror up to the way we live our lives differently to others – after I wrote this novel I had readers emailing me to say it never even occurred to them someone might not have seen snow. That makes perfect sense if you’re Canadian!

    I’m hoping for a sparkling sunny and hot Christmas myself. It will include a swim at the beach and sweating my way through cooking a ham, a turkey and a Christmas pudding. I’ll be getting my tree close to the big day because I love a real tree and if I put it up too early it might wilt before the big day. My Christmas might look a little different than yours but hopefully we’re all surrounded by love and laughter.

    As part of the Hop I’m giving away a copy of Romancing the Holidays 2 – a multi author box set I’m in this Christmas and a copy of Snowbound…to enter just comment below and tell me if you get a real tree or a fake one. (I’ll pick a winner randomly at the end of the 12 days promotion)

    Click here to enter to win the $50 Amazon Giftcard
    12 Days of Down Under Christmas - Snowbound

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This is the Twelve Days of Christmas promotion – twelve ‘down under’ authors who are each giving personal prizes away, plus we have a $50 Amazon Gift Card to finish with a flourish. Here’s the schedule so you don’t miss your favourite authors!
    Day 1 – Kris Pearson
    Day 2 – Joanne Dannon
    Day 3 – Cassandra O’Leary
    Day 4 – Annie Seaton
    Day 5 – Monique McDonell
    Day 6 – Kate O’Keeffe
    Day 7 – Cathryn Hein
    Day 8 – Tracey Alvarez
    Day 9 – Leeanna Morgan
    Day 10 – Wendy Vella
    Day 11 – Charmaine Ross
    Day 12 – Aislinn Kearns

    Comments

    Mel Bowers
    12/5/2017 12:27:31 pm

    We get a fake tree with the kids homemade decorations on it and some from my nan who died 9 yrs ago. One son and I are allergic to real trees….not books tho 😊

    Christine Hann
    12/5/2017 05:05:30 pm

    We have a fake tree currently, but would luv to have a real one like in my childhood again!

    Jill Broussard
    12/5/2017 05:22:57 pm

    We’ve done both real and fake, but for the past 7 years since we’ve had our dog, Rusty, it’s a table topper. We’re afraid he’ll claim it at his spot!

    Rose
    12/5/2017 06:00:33 pm

    Fake. We travel so a real tree would be a hazard!

    Cat
    12/5/2017 08:22:42 pm

    Fake! Much easier and tidier

    Sonia
    12/5/2017 11:13:21 pm

    Realistic fake tree- 180cm tall

    Julie Zammit
    12/6/2017 01:50:07 am

    Fake because hubby says real make a mess 😥

    Dianne
    12/6/2017 08:42:49 am

    A fake tree – this year it’s a duo of cardboard trees decorated with recycled items! Thanks.
    PS: I’ve never experienced real snow yet either – it always snows the week after I visit the Blue Mountains.

    Wendy
    12/6/2017 11:27:30 am

    I prefer a fake tree as I hate the smell of pine
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/7/2017 03:10:10 pm

    I’m a real tree all the way…I’m getting mine from the Scouts tomorrow.

    Karen Teasdale
    12/9/2017 03:58:56 pm

    No tree this year, real or fake – my fun thing this year is lots of candles and lights, including flickering orange ones that look like flames in the fireplace! Merry Christmas!
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/17/2017 09:23:04 pm

    Karen, you’re the winner of my books – email me at mcdonellmonique(at)gmail.com and I’ll send them off to you.

    Nancy Burgess
    12/9/2017 06:32:47 pm

    My children are grown so I put up an artificial tree.
    Reply
    Debbie Martin
    12/9/2017 10:06:41 pm

    We have a fake tree that the lights blink with the music.

    Carol
    12/9/2017 11:23:00 pm

    I have a small fake tree that I can put up high on a shelf so the cats can’t get to it. I also have a crocheted tree my mother made me.

    Margie Rico
    12/10/2017 07:04:07 am

    We have a fake one because real ones bother my allergies. There are some beautiful fake ones though! I also have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It is so cute!

    Gail
    12/11/2017 06:31:12 pm

    With the kids and dogs – we use a fake tree

    Deborah Sisk
    12/11/2017 07:19:21 pm

    A fake tree. Unfortunately, I am allergic to real ones.

    Laura Slider
    12/11/2017 08:28:05 pm

    I do a fake tree, but hang scent sticks in it to get the smell of Christmas.

    Jean White
    12/12/2017 09:29:45 am

    I do a fake tree every year since we a real tree and were finding pine tree needles still in the carpet at Easter!! They got under the couch and chair.

    Lori Payer
    12/12/2017 03:44:06 pm

    We have a fake tree. With having allergies, mess from the pine needles and the bugs the fake works better for us.

    Michelle Catallo
    12/12/2017 05:45:41 pm

    I have had the same fake tree for around a decade and the one prior to that for two decades. It works for me. I may get a small real tree next year just to downsize as it will only be my youngest son and I for the holidays.

  • Blog

    Coastal Christmas Blog Hop – Sunshine, Christmas and Cosmos

    11/26/2017

    Coastal Christmas Blog Hop Banner
    – CLOSED – The winner of my giveaway is Lesley Walsh – Merry Christmas and congratulations.

    As an Australian, one of the biggest challenges I face in the festive season is the heat.

    I know my Northern hemisphere readers have their own challenges but they don’t have to cook a turkey in a heatwave, they don’t have to panic because they can’t fit everything in the fridge and they certainly don’t have to worry about the roof of their gingerbread house sliding off because the icing has melted.

    One the other hand they don’t eat cherries and mangoes for breakfast, they probably don’t wake to the sound of cicadas singing and their Christmas morning probably doesn’t involve a trip to the beach to test drive new flippers, or a surfboard. Our Christmas traditions are no less important but they are well less known.

    If an American came to Australia they’d likely have a fish out of water Christmas My novella – Snowbound is the story of an Australian girl Zara who finds herself stranded in Colorado for Christmas and she throws herself into all the activities a White Christmas would entail. It’s a really fun read and I’m giving a copy of Snowbound and the Romancing the Holidays 2 Box Set to a lukcy reader randomly chosen…just comment below and tell me your favourite cocktail.

    My own family has a lot of traditions. We put our Christmas tree up the weekend before Christmas because someone (yes-that’s me) insists on having a real tree and if we get it too early t would die before Christmas. We always drive to the local Scout Hall and but our tree from the Scouts. (Two years ago I had the cutest Girl Guide sell me my tree and before she did so she leaned in close to the tree, listened to it’s trunk and said “This tree chooses you!” I feel like that child and I should have been life-long friends.)

    Another thing my family does a lot at Christmas is entertain. We love having people over. We have a huge party the weekend before Christmas for fifty to sixty of our closest friends. I think we’re up to maybe out thirteenth one now. Think lots of kids, an outdoor movie, water pistols and ridiculous amounts of food. (I’m famous for my over catering). I do a baked ham and the classic Australian sausage sizzle, we do spaghetti and meatballs for the kids, my husband makes paella and there’s a make your own ice-cream sundae bar for the kids. It’s big crazy, chaotic fun and we love it.

    Every year I make a signature cocktail. I’ve done a few over the years and the best on yet was a champagne comsopolitan…how could that not be amazing? Champagne and a cosmo in one cup, has to be awesome!

    Here’s my recipe:
    Champagne Cosmopolitan

    250ml (1 cup) cranberry juice
    2 tablespoons Cointreau liqueur
    2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    6 sugar cubes
    750ml pink Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
    Frozen cranberries to decorate (optional)
    Step 1

    Place cranberry juice in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Remove from heat and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.

    Step 2
    Combine the cranberry juice, Cointreau and lime juice in a small jug. Place a sugar cube in each serving glass. Pour the cranberry mixture over the sugar. Top with Champagne or sparkling wine and serve immediately. Throw a couple of frozen cranberries in each glass to decorate (also helps keep it cool).

    Don’t forget to enter to win the Grand Prize of on the Coastal Christmas Blog Hop and enter my giveaway for a copy of Snowbound and Romancing the Holidays 2 by telling me your fave cocktail!
    Romancing the Holidays Box SetSnowbound - Cover

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Comments

    Elizabeth Ellen Carter
    12/4/2017 03:23:10 am

    That is definitely a cocktail to try this summer! Thank you Monique!

    Brooke Bumgardner
    12/4/2017 12:02:15 pm

    That cocktail sounds delish! I love raspberry peach bellinis. Also, I love your Girl Guide story.

    Susanne
    12/4/2017 03:42:19 pm

    Love the sound of that cocktail! Always on the lookout for a new recipe to try!

    Mary Preston
    12/4/2017 06:38:17 pm

    Thank you for the delicious sounding recipe.

    Renaye
    12/4/2017 07:32:01 pm

    We enjoy satsuma vodka-tini made with fresh mandarins and cranberries😊
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/7/2017 03:06:34 pm

    That sounds yummy!

    Victoria
    12/4/2017 07:56:30 pm

    Your recipe sounds amazing, I’ll definitely be trying it out 🙂

    Carla Caruso
    12/4/2017 08:51:16 pm

    Yummo! And such gorgeous book covers 🙂
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/7/2017 03:06:57 pm

    Thanks Carla.

    Jenn J McLeod
    12/5/2017 01:30:18 am

    Yum. Tipsy just reading that post!

    Robin Thomas
    12/5/2017 01:43:38 am

    That sounds delicious! My favourite cocktail is a Tom Collins – which is an American one made with lime and vodka. And the glass should have a frosted sugar edge.

    Ann-maree Howarth
    12/5/2017 02:20:45 am

    I love Salted Caramel Baileys that you can mostly only get at Christmas time.

    Rose
    12/5/2017 09:09:48 am

    For Christmas we love Poinsettias. Champagne, Triple Sec and cranberry juice with cranberries in the bottom of the glass.
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/7/2017 03:07:32 pm

    Yummy!

    Lesley Walsh
    12/5/2017 09:39:40 am

    I love Bailey’s and ice
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/7/2017 03:08:05 pm

    In my new Jewel Sisters series the sisters drink quite a bit of Bailey’s on Ice.
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/25/2017 07:56:07 pm

    Hi Lesley,

    You’re the winner of my books…email me at mcdonellmonique@gmail.com with your email and I will send them to you.

    Suzanne Cass
    12/6/2017 12:39:35 am

    I love a real Christmas tree for Christmas. There is absolutely nothing compares with the smell of a real tree

    Joye I
    12/7/2017 12:21:01 pm

    I love a good Margarita

    sandy haber
    12/7/2017 02:45:11 pm

    I could use one of those right now — thanks!
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    12/7/2017 03:08:42 pm

    I won’t tell anyone.

    Debbie Martin
    12/9/2017 11:25:53 pm

    I love to make mint jelups in silver jelup cups!

    Suzannah
    12/10/2017 01:21:58 pm

    Well, I don’t drink alcohol however I do love a cranberry spritzer. Sprite and cranberry juice mixed. It’s lovely.

    Deborah Sisk
    12/11/2017 05:27:24 pm

    Thanks for the chance. The recipe sounds lovely.

    Lori Raines
    12/11/2017 07:05:35 pm

    Thanks for sharing!

    Laura Boon Russell
    12/15/2017 12:47:50 am

    We need to take something to our friends for Christmas. I’ve decided your cocktail is it!

    Kara Vaughan Marks
    12/18/2017 09:41:37 am

    Your cocktail sounds great. I’m a margarita girl, but something different and special is fun for the holidays.

    Nancy Luebke
    12/23/2017 05:10:16 pm

    Sorry, I used to like singapor slings but my health doesn’t allow me to drink those kind of drinks anymore. My splurg now is Root beer or a Strawberry shake. Usually it’s just ice water. Happy Hollidays from Indiana, USA.

  • Blog

    Romancing the Holidays with Lexi Greene

    11/25/2017

    What made you decide to write this story?
    Christmas makes me sentimental. I loved the movie Sliding Doors. Imagine if you could change one decision and how different your life would be. Imagine if those goals you single-mindedly slogged to achieve didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped. I’ve always been aware of parental expectations and it was fun to figuratively throw those aside and make a choice from the heart. I love Whistler in Canada and I love the mountains. I love to ski. We often visit in January and the Christmas decorations are beautiful. Imagine the carols and the Christmas cheer and the magical Christmas atmosphere. It’s so romantic walking through the snow in the evening when the air is still and the world is quiet. Living in Australia, our Christmas weather is warm and often hot. A traditional Christmas lunch is especially hot work for the cook! A white, snowy Christmas where you snuggle inside warm and safe by a glowing fire is a fantasy for me that harks back to Christmas stories I loved as a child, where Santa and his reindeer landed on snowy roof tops and the world was white.

    What is your favourite part of Christmas?
    Family. Family. Family. And I love to bake gingerbread… okay, I love to eat gingerbread, especially when it’s topped with soft icing! Family makes Christmas magical.

    Have you been naughty or nice this year?
    I’m always nice. Maybe a little bit naughty when it comes to saying, yes. Sure I can do that. Sure, I can fit that in. Sure, how high would you like me to jump? That particular kind of naughty is not nice for those who live with me, which brings me to my new year’s resolution

    If you could have six people to Christmas dinner, who would they be?
    Only six?????
    My husband and two children. They are my world. My sister, who is my best friend and worst enemy. I’d love my children to meet my husband’s mum who died before they were born, but in truth, I couldn’t bear to spend Christmas without my mum and dad.
    Lexi Greene
    Check Lexi out on Facebook or sign up for her newsletter!

  • Blog

    Romancing the Holidays with Beverley Eikli

    11/24/2017

    Release Day for the Romancing the Holidays 2 BoxSet
    I’m excited to say it is release day for Romancing the Holidays 2 – I’m one of 9 authors in this set…we’ll be interviewing them on the blog this week and asking them questions about their holidays. First up is Beverly Elki!

    1. What made you decide to write this story?

    In the early 1990s, I ran a luxury safari lodge in Botswana’s beautiful Okavango Delta. It’s where I fell in love with a handsome Norwegian bush pilot I married after a whirlwind romance, and although my story, Okavango Angel, features an Australian girl who falls for a rugged South African game ranger, I essentially recreated my experiences of a Christmas romance in a remote island lodge, cut off by floodwaters

    2. What is your favourite part of Christmas?

    The different traditions that my Norwegian husband and me – (originally from Lesotho in Africa but now living in Australia) bring to Christmas are fun to recreate at Christmas for our two daughters. For my husband, it’s the nisser – the Christmas elves – and the specially prepared roast pork followed by trollcream, made from cold rice porridge mixed with whipped cream and cloudberries. (We use the cloudberry jam from Ikea). Delicious!
    But it is extra work as we have the traditional Norwegian dinner and celebration on Christmas Eve, followed by our Australian/English tradition of roast turkey the following day. The kids love getting their presents the day before, though!

    3. Have you been naughty or nice this year?

    I’ve been hardworking with four new releases under my Beverley Eikli and Beverley Oakley names in 2017, but also, I hope, a fun mum and wife, as well as a conscientious daily walker for our gorgeous but not-very-bright Rhodesian Ridgeback called Mombo, named after the Okavango lodge where my husband and I met.

    4. If you could have 6 people to Christmas dinner (living or dead) who would they be?

    I would love a traditional Regency Christmas. At the dinner table, I’d assemble George III (during his non mad phase) and George IV when he was planning his construction of the Brighton Pavilion, so I could see if I could understand why they disliked each other so much. (The Hanovers were famed for having dysfunctional family relationships, particularly between father and eldest son.)

    For the very same reason, I would love to also invite Princess Caroline of Brunswick, who was both George IV’s wife and his cousin, as well as their daughter, Caroline during the phase she was in love and about to marry a man who would make her briefly happy before she’d die in childbirth.

    Add to that a mistress or two. (This would be George IV’s mistresses, of course, since George III was more interested in turnips and agricultural improvements than women though he was a loyal husband.) Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey,
    would be my choice because I find it fascinating that, at the age of forty and already a grandmother and mother of ten children, she began the mistress of George IV who was nine years her junior.

    And finally, I’d include as the sixth guest of our little gathering, her daughter-in-law, Sarah Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey, who was a leading figure in Regency society and one of the patronesses of Almack’s Assembly Rooms. Why? Because I’d love to quiz her on that famous Regency haunt for which the refusal of vouchers could sound the death knell to one’s social aspirations. (And I think every avid reader of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances would love to quiz an Almack’s patroness on their criteria for admittance.)

    Beverley EikliBeverley Eikli also writes as Beverley Oakley. You can find her at:

    www.beverleyeikli.com
    https://www.facebook.com/beverley.eikli/

    Twitter: @BeverleyOakley
    Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/beverleyeikli/

  • Blog

    Romancing the Holidays with Joanne Dannon

    11/20/2017

    Joanne Dannon
    1. What made you decide to write Christmas Kiss, New Year’s Wish?

    Initially, I was going to write a New Year’s Eve romance but then changed it to a holiday romance. I had recently attended (and loved) the “Elvis, The Wonder of You” concert with my husband and desperately wanted to included Elvis in the storyline. It took a bit work but I created Luca, a super-smart scientist who has a secret obsession with Elvis. I paired him up with Taylor, his best friend. Why did they fall in love? Well that’s because I adore “friends to lovers” stories. One of my favourites movies is, “When Harry Met Sally”.
    2. What is your favourite part of Christmas?

    Family. I’m fortunate to be a part of a loving and happy family, and I truly value the importance of family and friends. Coming together at the holiday season is just so special and it’s an opportunity to let them know how much you truly value them.
    3. Have you been naughty or nice this year?

    Nice 🙂
    4. If you could have 6 people to Christmas dinner (living or dead) who would they be?

    Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jnr – because I’m a big fan of both of them and love their voices, and songs
    Humphrey Bogart – because I love his movies
    Sam Heughan – because I have a fan-girl crush on him…er, sorry!!!! I meant to say, I’d like to talk to Sam about his acting career and how he’s able to successfully fundraise whilst meeting his work commitments.
    Jane Austen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – so I could speak to them about their writing, and the positive impacts their books had on me.

    Buy Romancing the Holidays Boxset
    Romancing the Holidays Box Set
    Buy Romancing the Holidays on Amazon with this link!

    Comment

    Kara Vaughan Marks
    12/18/2017 09:37:09 am

    I’d love to read this anthology.

  • Blog

    Movie Scripts and Madness Release Blitz

    11/15/2017

    Movie Scripts and Madness Release Blitz Banner
    About MOVIE SCRIPTS AND MADNESS
    Movie Scripts and Madness - CoverKendall Whitaker always longed for a starring role in a movie full of action, adventure, love, and murder. She just never thought she would be living in one.
    An aspiring actress, Kendall left her normal life in Phoenix for the bright lights of Hollywood. She hoped taking a job as the assistant to the miserable Marketing Director at Blossom Studios would be her stepping-stone to stardom. When she finally gets her hands on an audition script, she refuses to let anything stand in her way. What she doesn’t expect is the return of her arch nemesis, the attention of a very dashing actor, or finding a dead body.
    Before she knows it, Kendall finds herself embroiled in the mysterious events taking over the day-to-day activity at the studio. With each unfortunate incident—including the disappearance of her boss—Kendall is smack dab in the middle of it all and on the radar of the handsome detective in charge of the investigation. Could the answer be hidden in a recently canceled movie, or has the answer been in front of her the entire time?
    Someone is set on destroying Blossom Studios, and they will do whatever it takes to succeed. Kendall must solve this mystery to prove her innocence and save her own life.

     

     

     

     

    Where to Find MOVIE SCRIPTS AND MADNESS
    Goodreads
    Universal Buy Link

    ​Meet MELISSA BALDWIN
    Melissa BaldwinMelissa Baldwin is an avid runner, planner obsessed, and has always had a love for writing. She is a wife, mother, and avid journal keeper who took her creativity to the next level by fulfilling her dream with her debut novel, An Event to Remember…or Forget. Melissa writes about charming, ambitious, and real women and is now a published author of twelve Romantic Comedy and Cozy Mystery novels and novellas.
    When she isn’t deep in the writing zone, this multi-tasking master organizer is busy spending time with her family, chauffeuring her daughter, traveling, running, indulging in fitness, and taking a Disney Cruise every now and then.

     

     

     

     

     

    Where to Find MELISSA BALDWIN
    Website: http://www.authormelissabaldwin.com/
    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8297292.Melissa_Baldwin
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormelissabaldwin
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/mpbaldwinauthor
    Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mdpb/
    Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Baldwin/e/B012M1S100/

    Check out the other participants in the release
    To check out all the stops on Melissa’s release blitz, view her page on Karan & Co Author Solution’s site!

  • Blog

    Three Last First Dates Blog Tour

    11/13/2017

    Three Last First Dates - Blog Tour Banner
    About Three Last First Dates
    Three Last First Dates - Cover
    From Amazon Bestselling Author, Kate O’Keeffe comes this new title in the Cozy Cottage Café Series.
    When it comes to men, Marissa Jones is totally committed to not being committed. One major heartbreak is enough for her.
    Against her better judgment, Marissa agrees to a pact with her friends to marry the next guy she dates. But she isn’t going to take any chances. For her, it’s a numbers game, and one last first date just isn’t enough. So, she ups the ante–three first dates with three very different guys, all in one day.
    But can any of these men live up to her high standards?
    Despite a few bumps in the road, from the three, she chooses The One. That is until the motorcycle-riding ex she never got over turns up, changing everything.
    In the end, do you choose love or does love choose you?
    Escape to New Zealand in this fun, feel-good chick lit story.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    ​Read the Cozy Cottage Cafe series
    Book 1: One Last First Date https://books2read.com/koolfd
    Book 2: Two Last First Dates https://books2read.com/kotlfd
    Book 3: Three Last First Dates – https://books2read.com/ko3lfd
    Book 4: A Final Last First Date – coming early-2018

    Where to Find Three Last First Dates
    Goodreads

    Universal Link

    Meet Kate
    Kate O'Keeffe
    Kate O’Keeffe is a bestselling author of fun, feel-good romantic comedies. She lives and loves in beautiful New Zealand with her family, two scruffy dogs, and a cat who thinks he’s a scruffy dog too. He’s not: he’s a cat.
    She is a wife, a mother, and a chocolate expert. Seriously. She loves to read, to hang out with friends, and to hike up the big hill behind her house each day.
    To date, she’s written the Amazon bestselling chick lit series, the Cozy Cottage Café, the Wellywood Romantic Comedy Series, a fun holiday novella, and co-authored One Way Ticket with fellow author, Melissa Baldwin. ​

     

     

     

     

     

    Connect with Kate
    Website: https://www.kateokeeffe.com
    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8195990.Kate_O_Keeffe
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kateokeeffeauthor/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/kateokeeffe4
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kateokeeffeauthor/
    Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/Kate-OKeeffe/e/B00KIZGG1O/
    Newsletter Signup: https://www.kateokeeffe.com/newsletter

    Blog Tour Schedule
    Find The Three Last First Dates blog tour schedule here!
    Three Last First Dates Excerpt
    ​MY NAME IS MARISSA Jones, and I’m totally committed to not being committed.
    There, I said it. It was out there.
    In fact, I had a long and impressive history of avoiding commitment. I was the Commitment Phobia Queen, if you will. I was good at it, really good. If you looked “commitmentphobe” up in a dictionary, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if you’d have found a photo of me, running away from some bewildered-looking guy as quickly as my feet could carry me.
    That was why, when it came to dating, I was fussier than an OCD patient off their meds. And why not? A girl had to have standards, right? I never expected to “settle” for someone, and nor did I want to. No way. No one but Mr. Absolutely Right would do for me.
    Only problem was, I was having a hard time finding him.
    That’s why I agreed to a pact with my best friends to marry the next guy I dated. Which in hindsight, for a commitmentphobe like me, was an off-the-charts crazy thing to do. Certifiable. I had really only agreed to the pact because I was sick of dating—that and the large amount of chardonnay I had imbibed that evening.
    To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t really taken it all that seriously at the time.
    And then “the thing” happened and I knew I had to find him, I had to find The One. There was simply no more time to waste.
    But, instead of going on a regular old date with some random guy, I decided to go on three dates in one day. I liked the math: one of me, three of them. It more than worked in my favor.
    Not only that, I had thoroughly vetted each of the three guys before I even threw on my outfit for the first date. If this was going to work—and I really, really wanted it to—I needed to go in with my eyes wide open.
    “I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” Paige said, shaking her head and smiling at me over our cups of coffee, what was left of our slices of cake in crumbs on our plates. “Three dates in one day? You’re brave.”
    “Why not? You and Cassie put all your eggs in one basket, and I don’t want to do that. I mean, I know you ended up with the right guys in the end, but they weren’t the men you went on your Last First Dates with, right?” They nodded. “Well, I figured going out with three different guys has to improve the odds.”
    “You’re right about that.” Paige nodded, her eyebrows raised. “Can you give us the lowdown on who these guys are? We need all the details, right, Cassie?”
    “Oh, yes. Especially how good they look with their shirts off,” Cassie added with a wicked grin.
    “Well, I’m hardly going to find that out on a first date, but”—I raised my hand in the Girl Guides’ salute—“I do solemnly swear to report all important details to you as they transpire.”

  • Blog

    The Hollywood Setup Cover Reveal

    11/10/2017

    The Hollywood Setup - Isabella Louise Anderson - Cover Reveal Banner
    Chelsey Rhodes just landed her dream job in Hollywood working as an assistant to actress, Hattie Marten. Chelsey’s first task is to find someone to accompany the actress to events in the hope of reviving her celebrity social status. When going through the list of potential suitors, one catches her eye and she’s shocked to find he’s someone from her past. As payback for years of torment in high school, and knowing Hattie isn’t the most pleasant person to work for, Chelsey decides to set her up with Bennett Grayson.

    What will happen when Chelsey and Bennett come face-to-face again, and will the setup be a success or will Chelsey’s first Hollywood job be her last? ​

    Check out The Hollywood Setup

    Goodreads

    Amazon

    The Hollywood Setup - Cover
    About the Author
    Isabella Louise grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day nothing has changed. Aside from writing, she focuses her time on featuring other authors on her blog, Chick Lit Goddess, along with sharing book reviews. Isabella Louise is also a member of the Romance Writers of America.
    She lives in Dallas with her husband, enjoys spicy Indian and Mexican food, margaritas, and red and white wines. She loves spending time with family and friends, and cheering on the Texas Rangers. When Isabella Louise isn’t working on her next release, her attention is also on her Scentsy business, where she’s a consultant.

    Where to Contact Isabella
    Email: ila@chicklitgoddess.com
    Chick Lit Goddess Website: http://chicklitgoddess.com
    Facebook – Isabella Louise Anderson: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Isabella-Louise-Anderson-Author/253277964716883
    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7382151.Isabella_Louise_Anderson
    Instagram – Isabella Louise Anderson: https://www.instagram.com/ila121209/
    Instagram – Chick Lit Goddess: https://www.instagram.com/chick_lit_goddess/
    Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/chicklitgoddess/
    Twitter – Isabella Louise Anderson: https://twitter.com/ILA121209
    Twitter – Chick Lit Goddess: https://twitter.com/ChickLitGoddess
    Newsletter Sign up: http://eepurl.com/2Em65

  • Blog

    Something of a Spark Blog Tour

    10/31/2017

    Something of a Spark - Monique McDonell - Blog Tour
    Book Information
    Title: Something of a Spark
    Author: Monique McDonell
    Series: A Jewel Sisters Romance #1
    Release Date: October 31, 2017
    Genres: Chick Lit
    Publisher: Redfish Publishing

    About Something of a Spark
    Jewel Sisters - Something of a Spark - Original CoverSometimes keeping a secret is more trouble than it’s worth.
    Growing up as one of the Jewel Sisters of Caudal Bay has never been easy for Sapphire Smith. As far as her friend’s and family are concerned she’s now a struggling radio DJ living in Sydney and working part-time as a PA for her best friend country music star Ryan Storm.
    But that’s only part of the story.
    When an accident in her home town brings real-life hero and firefighter Campbell into her world their relationship starts with a smoulder and slowly begins to spark. Campbell has given up his career as a corporate lawyer for a quieter, more rewarding life. He loves his new town and the welcoming atmosphere as much as Saffy loves the anonymity of the city.
    As their relationship begins to heat up one thing is clear – Cam is all about honesty while Saffy has something to hide: her work partnership with Ryan involves more than social media and if the truth comes out it could be a disaster for them both.
    Will Saffy come clean before their secret gets out? Or will her desire to keep people at arm’s length see her relationship with Ryan fizzle out before it has a chance to catch fire.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Where to Find Something of a Spark
    Universal Link

    Goodreads

    Meet Monique McDonell
    Monique McDonell
    I am an Australian author who writes contemporary women’s fiction including chick lit and romance.
    I have written all my life especially as a child when I loved to write short stories and poetry. At University I studied Creative Writing as part of my Communication degree. Afterwards I was busy working in public relations I didn’t write for pleasure for quite a few years although I wrote many media releases, brochures and newsletters. (And I still do in my day-job!)
    When I began to write again I noticed a trend – writing dark unhappy stories made me unhappy. So I made a decision to write a novel with a happy ending and I have been writing happy stories ever since. I am the author of five stand alone novels including Mr. Right and Other Mongrels and Hearts Afire and the popular Upper Crust Series. Many of my novels focus on an Australian characters meeting and visiting US characters. I have been a member of the writing group The Writer’s Dozen for ten years. Our anthology Better Than Chocolate raised over $10,000 for the charity Room to Read and helped build a library in South East Asia. I am also a member of the Romance Writers of Australia. In 2015 had a piece on writing chick lit featured in the successful Australian non-fiction book Copyfight. I live on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with my husband and daughter.
    ​To learn more about my writing, my caffeine obsession and my upcoming books please visit www.moniquemcdonellauthor.com.au.

    Where to Find Monique
    Website: http://www.moniquemcdonellauthor.com/
    Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6154665.Monique_McDonell
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoniqueMcDonellAuthor
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoniqueMcDonell
    Amazon Author: https://www.amazon.com/Monique-McDonell/e/B0086R9S2U/

    Blog Tour Schedule
    Check out this link to view the blog tour schedule!