@KaraLeighMille1 Is Under the Spotlight With Her New #YA #romance

This week for Saturday Spotlight, author Kara Leigh Miller is visiting to tell us about her new YA release, The Georgia Corbins As a special treat, this interview will also be shared with our sister blog Through Stephanie's Eyes. We thought it would be a great way to introduce Stephanie's followers to Kara and her work. So sit back and enjoy a bit of insight into this new book and the author herself. ~Tammy

Blurb for The Georgia Corbins

Ali Philips never thought anything could be more devastating than the day Levi and Tucker Corbin, her two best friends—her only friends—moved away. Three years passed without a single phone call, text message, or email from them and she’s resolved to the fact that she will probably never see them again. Until one morning when she comes face-to-face with Levi Corbin in physics class. 

Little does she know, the Corbins have returned to Haldeen with only one thing on their minds: winning Ali’s heart. Ali soon finds herself in the middle of a love triangle she doesn’t want any part of. As she tries to reclaim the friendships she’s lost and to adjust to the unfamiliar feelings she’s having, she struggles with making the one decision that will forever change their lives: Levi or Tucker Corbin? 

She’s always had a special bond with Tucker and feels most comfortable when she’s with him. But Levi brings her to life in a way she didn’t think was possible and makes her feel things she didn’t think she would ever feel. Torn between the two, Ali is certain of only one thing–by the time it’s over, she’ll lose one of her best friends.

In one or two sentences, give the core premise behind your story.

Levi and Tucker Corbin have been Ali's best friends her entire life, but when they begin to fight over her, she's face with the impossible decision of choosing between them.

When and where does your book take place?

The Georgia Corbins takes place in the present day. When I wrote it, I had a time frame of Spring 2012 in my mind, but really, it can take place at any time, that's what makes it so great.

It's set in the fictional small town of Haldeen, Georgia. Haldeen is modeled very closely on my own hometown, Mexico, NY. It's a very small town with one main road and two stoplights.

How does the time and setting weave into the plot and persona of the characters?

The time and setting play a large role in the story, even though it may not seem like it. Haldeen is like every small town: everyone knows what everyone else is doing and they're not afraid to talk about it. This leads to some pretty nasty rumors about Ali and the Corbins that she has to deal with. Also, the use of technology, cell phones mostly, play into some not-so-funny pranks. For example, Ali's biggest rival, Shelby Blake, records Ali doing something she shouldn't have been doing, and then Shelby sends it to Ali's boyfriend. 

Who is the heroine? What drives her?

The heroine is Alison (Ali) Philips. She's a seventeen year old junior in high school. Deep down she's a tomboy, but slowly she's become more of a girly-girl. All throughout elementary and middle school she was teased by her classmates. It was only once the Corbin boys befriended her that things got a little better. However, when the Corbins move away, Ali is once again alone and forced to fend for herself.

It's the need to show her tormentors that she doesn't need the Corbin's to protect her that drives her. Also, she's really driven by the all-consuming need to keep Levi and Tucker on speaking terms, to keep their friendship intact no matter what the cost to her own heart.

Who is the hero? What drives him?

There are two heroes in the story. Bonus! Levi Corbin and Tucker Corbin—they are seventeen year old, fraternal twin brothers. Levi is a true southern gentleman, always polite and always trying to do the right thing. Tucker, on the other hand, is more of a jokester, always getting into trouble, and trying to take Ali with him. Both Levi and Tucker are driven by the need to protect Ali and to win her heart from the other.

Is there a villain? Who is he/she? What’s he/she like? Why is he/she the way they are? What motivates him/her to cause oppositional force to the characters? Without giving any spoilers, can you give a hint as to what sort of opposition he/she gives to the main characters?

The biggest "villain" in this story is Shelby Blake. She's been a classmate of Ali's since Kindergarten, but it wasn't until middle school that Shelby became a true villain, or rather, a bully. It's hard to stay too much without giving away some spoilers, but I can say this, Shelby has always had a thing for Levi and Levi has never had eyes for anyone but Ali. Shelby doesn't handle rejection well and has made it her mission to make Ali's life hell by spreading rumors, making snide comments at the most inappropriate times, and butting her nose into places she has no business being.

Is this book a part of a series?

Yes, this is actually the first book in a trilogy. Ali eventually makes a choice at the end of this book, but that's not where things end. The Corbin brother she didn't choose isn't going to give up so easily. Book two will lead to a final and resolute choice along with the reveal of a huge, life changing family secret. Book three will follow the brother who wasn't chosen on his path to finding love. Oh, and there is going to be a major accident that will threaten the lives of one of the boys. 

Where to find the book 

Entranced Publishing

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of The Georgia Corbins, Kara Leigh Miller is giving away exciting prizes. The Grand Prize, which is open to US residents only, includes a signed copy of The Georgia Corbins, The Georgia Corbins hardcover journal and postcards, The Georgia Corbins tote bag, Kara Leigh Miller pens and notebooks, and Legasea bookmarks. 

Second and third prizes are an ebook copy of The Georgia Corbins, and one lucky person will win a first chapter critique. International entries are welcome. Good luck! Winners will be announced July 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you visit Through Stephanie's Eyes to learn more about Kara Leigh Miller and to read an excerpt from The Georgia Corbins.

Donna Michaels Book Tour for Captive Hero

Welcome to Not Enough Time in the Day and the sixth stop in Donna Michael’s Book Tour for Captive Hero. She has two great prizes she’s offering up on this blog tour. After you read about her book, stop by the bottom of this tour stop to find out how you can win a free download of any of Donna’s back-list  plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card!

Test flying an invisible plane—unreal

Time-shifting to WWII—unbelievable

Capturing a hero—unavoidable.

When Marine Corps test pilot, Captain Samantha Sheppard accidentally flies back in time and inadvertently saves the life of a WWII VMF Black Sheep pilot, she changes history and makes a crack decision to abduct him back to the present. With the timeline in jeopardy, she hides the handsome pilot at her secluded cabin in the Colorado wilderness. 

But convincing her sexy, stubborn captive that he is now in another century proves harder than she anticipated—and soon it becomes difficult to tell who is captor and who is captive when the more he learns about the future, the more Sam discovers about the past, and the soul-deep connection between them.

As their flames of desire burn into overdrive, her flying Ace makes a historical discovery that threatens her family’s very existence. Sam’s fears are taken to new heights when she realizes the only way to fix the time-line is to sacrifice her captive hero...or is it? 

Can love truly survive the test of time?

PG-13 Excerpt:

The door suddenly jerked in and to the right with such force Sam stumbled forward into the cabin.

Son-of-a…

Before she could regain her equilibrium, something big hit the back of her calves and knocked her to the floor—hard.

Intruder? So help me, if he hurt the captain… 

Instinct kicked in. Knee thrust upward, she made contact with a solid object and heard a muffled oath before she rolled in the opposite direction. Large hands gripped her waist, and despite her clumsy attempt to hold on to the threshold, he yanked her back. 

Yeah, coming here without a weapon had been a real good idea.

Fast and precise, she drove her elbow into the vicinity of her assailant’s jaw and sent a sharp jolt up her arm. She swallowed a cry of pain and rejoiced in his second muffled oath. Two for me. With a quick roll, she scrambled to her knees and began to rise when a heavy weight hit from behind, dropped down and pinned her face-first to the cold, wooden floor.

“Not so fast. Sam is it?” 

That familiar, deep voice split the silence, while hot, panting breathes stirred more than the hair on her neck. Uncontrollable shivers covered her skin as recognition stole the fight out of her. This wasn’t an intruder. It was Captain Mitchell. Thank God. He was safe. 

But she wasn’t.

The instant she stopped struggling, her body became deliciously aware of every hard, solid inch of the six-foot-two-inch frame completely covering her from head to toe. 

Holy Black Sheep.

The urge to wiggle just so he’d press tantalizingly closer was almost more than she could bear. If only I was on my back… The errant thought sent a wicked quiver straight to her core.

You’re a Marine. You don’t give in.

Sam tamped down her burgeoning desire and willed her voice to convey calm. “Let me up, Captain. I can explain.”

“No, and damn right you can.” He lifted up slightly, easing some of his weight. 

Thank goodness…I think.

Instead of knocking him off balance and regaining the upper hand, she drew in a few breaths and refrained from retaliating. She’d abducted the man. He was out of his element.  She needed to keep things civil. 

Mistake number one.

A swift motion had her arms yanked behind her back, while he wrapped her crossed wrists with something strong and thin. Fishing line? Oh, hell no!

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

No answer.

“Damn it, Captain. You let me go, now.” She thrashed from side to side, trying her best to free her legs from his shifting weight.

“No,” he said, and granting her earlier wish, pressed closer. 

Funny, she wasn’t as happy about the pinning as she’d originally imagined. 

Unable to move, and barely able to breath, she stilled. Best to see what he wanted, and bide her time until he let his guard down. And he would let it down, of that she had no doubt. Men always did.

Cold from the floorboards cooled her heated skin as she twisted her face to the side. What little breath his weight would allow funneled into her lungs. “You can get off me now.”

No answer.

“Captain.” She tried to draw in another breath but only coughed. “I c-c-can’t brea…”

He lifted a mere fraction, but the extra space was enough to fill her lungs with a proper amount of air. “Thanks.” She coughed again. 

In the next instant, he hauled her up off the floor and pulled her to the center of the sprawling living room. Alarm raced down her spine. He’d moved the furniture to the side. Damn man must’ve had this planned for days. Could she blame him? Of course not. He was a Marine. She would’ve done the same. 

Plopped onto a wooden chair, arms hooked around the back, she clenched her teeth against the pain ripping her muscles. Dammit. If he wasn’t a Black Sheep, she’d kick his ass. Turning the tables on him would not be a problem. But she refrained. Barely.

He doesn’t understand, her mind reminded. You plucked him from the middle of war and dropped him in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, you will not give him a permanent limp. 

Discipline once again kicking in, she relaxed her shoulders and the stiffness from her arms, and soon the sting of her restraints lessened. 

“Now, Captain,” she said as calm as possible. “Kindly tell me what the hell you think you’re doing?”

“Why, I should think that was obvious…Sam.” 

The Marine’s unfriendly tone sent shivers of the wrong kind down her spine. Her blood froze. This can’t be good. She lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated. She also refused to look him in the eye. The last time had completely disoriented; not at all what she needed right now. 

With her gaze fixed on his regulation tan shirt, she stared at the uniform, hoping to find the view safer. 

Wrong. 

Broad shoulders forced the material to hug his lean frame. Damn. He sure had wonderful muscle definition for someone born before the fitness craze. Her mouth dried. And the waxing craze. Ah hell. He had hair, too. A light sprinkling peaked out from his collar, teasing her with thoughts of what else his uniform concealed. She gave herself a mental shake and concentrated on the situation at hand.  

“What’s obvious, Captain, is that you’re being a jerk. So you’d better spell it out for me. What are you doing?”

He stepped closer without a reply. 

More intimidation tactics. Instinct cried out he wasn’t going to speak until she looked up. Damn, stubborn…  

“I’m not interested in playing ‘who’s the baddest Marine’ with you. It’s been one hell of a long week. I’m tired, hungry, and thanks to you, I’m sore, so let’s call our tussle a draw.” Composed, her voice belayed the turmoil swirling in her gut. Fine, he wanted her to look up, she’d look up.

With fingernails biting into her palms, she tipped her head and stared into a pair of unmerciful, cold, blue-green eyes. Beset with an overwhelming urge to swallow—okay, gulp; his unfriendly gaze demanded she gulp—Sam’s cowardly side did an about-face and her chin lifted higher. 

“Well? Do you always treat women this way? Does man-handling make you feel big and strapping?”

Frosting further, eyes now more blue than green narrowed as his clenching jaw cracked out an ‘I’m losing my control’ tune.

Way to go, Sam. She pushed him into pouncing tiger mode and was the only flesh around. At least she possessed the good sense to back down. Usually. Too bad she left good with common back on the base. 

“Okay.” Keep your mouth shut. Zip it. “Can I take your silence to mean there’s a reason you attacked me and tied me up?”

Muscled arms folded across a broad chest, while a humorless grin crossed his face. “Oh, there’s a reason all right, Sam. A very good one.” 

“And your reason is?”

His grin disappeared, along with her breathing.

“To capture the captor.”

Captive Hero is the first book in Donna's Time Shift Hero series is available now from AMAZON. The second book Future Hero will be released this summer.

Ms. Michaels currently has a novella out through The Wild Rose Press. Cowboy-Sexy is part of their Honky Tonk Hearts Series, and is now available in several eBook formats including for the KINDLE.

A bit more about Donna...from Donna herself

Multi-published in eBook and print, I write from short to epic, sweet to hot across several romance genres through The Wild Rose Press, Whimsical Publications, and this book--Captive Hero marks my first foray into self publishing.

I’m married to a military man for over twenty-six years. We have four children, several rescued cats, and live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where we enjoy all four seasons…although, I’d love to enjoy summer a bit longer and winter a bit less.

NOW ONTO THE PRIZES…

HOW CAN YOU WIN?

READ BELOW AND FIND OUT!

To be eligible for a free download of any of my back-list plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card, simply sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of my Home page www.donnamichaelsauthor.com then email me with the address you used to sign up so I can verify and then add your name to the ‘pot’. At the end of the tour, one name will be randomly drawn and I will email the winner.

Thank you, and good luck!

~Donna

Where to find Donna and her work

Donna's Website

Donna's Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Next Stop: Sassy Vixen Publishing February 2nd

WWoW: How to Use Your Blog and Guest Spots to Gain More Fans

If it's your first time visiting me here at Not Enough Time in the Day, you may be wondering what WWoW is all about. Each Wednesday, a "smart and savvy group of authors" use their blogs to share what they've "learned about writing, editing, getting published, book (and self) promotion, and more along the way."  I"m a part of this amazing group of authors and we call our weekly feature "Writer's Words of Wisdom."

Welcome to my post about using blog hops, guest spots and giveaways to gain more followers and fans of your work. Do you have to always giveaway a free copy of your book to achieve this? NOPE.

I bet you didn't expect to see that answer, but it's true. Yes, we all love to get free books, but think about it. How many of those free books on Amazon and Smashwords have you actually sat down and read from start to finish? I'm not saying you will never read them, but if you're anything like me, you grab the freebie first and think about reading it later. As a newly published author, it feels great to see your book rise up the ranks of the freebies, but will those numbers translate to sales later when your next book comes out? Did all the people who picked up your free book decide you were a writer they wanted to learn more about and enough so that they PURCHASE your next book? Will these people who own your free book read it and then write an honest review of it?

Here's where those giveaways for blog hops, book tours, conventions and other celebrations comes into play. Go with a theme for your giveaways. Put together prize packages that go with that theme. Include some swag items such as ink pens, bookmarks, trading cards, coffee mugs, t-shirts, stickers, mouse pads. Use Rafflecopter to help you set up the contests. Make it a requirement that they have to leave a comment in order to get an entry in the contest, but also include other ways to get more entries. These would include becoming a fan of your Facebook Page, following you on Twitter, and following you on your blog.

Change it up so that you don't always offer a copy of your book or books in the prize package, but do so here and there. The most fun I have with giveaways are the naughty blog hops. For example, I participated with two pen names (and two blogs) for the Candy Cane Kink Blog Hop last month. Here are pictures of the prize packages I put together for that.

This one was on Lia's blog called The House of Taboo

And this one was the package I put together for Sassy Vixen Publishing






There were all sorts of naughty prizes there that one person could enjoy with their partner...adult fun. I didn't give my book out at all, just these prizes that I found at Spencer's Gifts. That store sure has changed over the years! LOL I did similar prizes for the virtual release party for the second book in my Now and Forever series. Let me tell you, those whip ticklers are a very popular prize. People FIGHT over them during my blog hop giveaways.  I also gave away items that had my Sassy Vixen Publishing logo on it and my author logo. Like this

The same thing goes for author meet and greets. If your books are only available in ebook format and you want to give something away with your signature, print up calenders and bookmarks with your covers on them. No matter what it is, make it memorable so readers and fans will keep coming back for more. They will recognize your name in all the titles they have on their "to be read" lists and start reading your books. Once they read one and you have them hooked, your sales will grow. The people who stop in to read your posts on your blog will tell more people about you and your followers will increase. More followers means more fans and ultimately more sales. This in turn makes you happy happy happy and you crank out more stories!

It's that what it's all about?

Keep writing. Keep pouring your heart and soul into your characters and their stories. Share bits and pieces of that with all of us on your blogs and social media, have fun with some blog hops and giveaways. Trust me,  when you receive your first fan email or positive review from someone you never knew read your book...all of it will be worth it!

A few more of our group are sharing their words of wisdom today. Won't you stop in and say hello and see what they have to say?

Melinda Dozier

Lacey Wolfe

Paloma Beck

#WWoW Promotional Swag

Here I am at the start of my virtual book tour to promote The Island (Now and Forever 2) and I've been coming up with some ideas on what to hand out to folks to get their interest in me and my novels. As a veterinarian, I've attended many conferences over the years and was always inundated with "stuff" from vendors, exhibitors and of course my conference notes for the lectures. Back in the day when you didn't have to worry so much about how many checked pieces of luggage you were allowed to have, I could easily come home with an entire suitcase full of the freebies I picked up. Many of the items I eventually tossed into the recycle bins. 

Now that I have to watch my promotional budget like a hawk, I didn't want to create items that would immediately end up in the ole' circular file. I could pass out business cards and flyers until I'm blue in the face, but if they are tossed aside without a glance, what good are they?  Talking to my author friends who've gone down this road before me, I've found out a few good tips.

Ink pens are always a hot item. I know this one from my veterinary conference days. You have a "clicker" pen, and you have folks stopping by to pick one up. Magnets and key chains are hot items as well as lip balms and mouse pads. Some people found little mints or other candies and put them in special boxes with their websites on them. Food is a good item, but not so much if you have to ship it somewhere. Who wants to open up a box with melted chocolate smeared over your contact information?

There are many places available to order your promotional items. The most popular appears to be Vistaprint. You can have all sorts of items printed up with pre-made designs, or using your own logos and photos. I created some key chains, pens, mouse pads, book bag/totes and  coffee mugs. All of these are kept in my portfolio. Those I ordered as well as those I wish to order in the future are kept there for me to do with as I see fit. The prices are pretty reasonable and you can find specials at times. One of my author friends found a fabulous Groupon offer for Vistaprint and was able to many items for a fraction of the cost she thought she was going to have to pay.

Here is the basic logo I designed using my own picture and some of their pre-made graphics

This wrapped around the pen nicely and on the other items. Take a look...

Something I won from another author's contest during a blog hop were trading cards. These were fantastic! They had the covers of all the books in her series with some fun facts on the back of some, and blurbs on others. In my search for where to get these, I came across Romance Trading Cards website. Here authors of multiple genres have created and uploaded cards to share and collect. They have a tutorial on how to create your own cards. 

In the videos, the instructor shows you step by step how to create the cards using the free program GIMP. It looked a bit daunting at first, but using the tutorial, I was able to get through it all in no time flat.  I've created cards for two of my books using the templates provided by RTC. These templates were in fact created from the downloadable templates provided by GotPrint.com.

One more item I used last year were printed post cards. I made those myself using my portable Canon Printer. I was able to print off my covers on 4 X 6 postcards. I handed them out to people before the first book's release, signing the back of them. People loved them and are asking me to do the same for this book. 

Might as well give them what they want! LOL

Take a look at what some of these sites have to offer. Plan a portion of your promotional budget for these items and above all, have fun with it!

WWoW is a smart & savvy group of authors who write a weekly feature for their blog -Writer's Words of Wisdom- each Wednesday. The goal is to impart what we've learned about writing, editing, getting published, book promotion, and more along the way.

Check out this week's other participating authors

Paloma Beck

Melinda Dozier

Jessicca Collins