Always Emily by Michaela MacColl - Guest Post and Giveaway

 

I am pleased to kick-off the blog tour for Always Emily, a novel of intrigue and romance, by Michaela MacColl. Always Emily is inspired by the Bronte sisters, Emily and Charlotte. For my stop on the tour, I've asked Michaela to share the books that made her fall in love with reading and writing.

Welcome Michaela!!!

Hi Joli,

Thanks so much for kicking off the blog tour for Always Emily (Chronicle, 2014).

I’m always a little in awe when I first see the book arrive from the publisher.

Did I really do that?  I’ve loved reading since I was in second grade and I don’t take that magic feeling for granted (I hope I never will).

My favorite books when I was a kid were fantasies.  As I grew up, I grew into historical fiction. But one that that never changed was my affinity for strong female characters.  I may write about women who really lived – but I choose ones who remind me of the heroines I loved as a child.  Always Emily is about Emily and Charlotte Bronte. They predate my favorite books – but I’m sure they would enjoy them too.

My absolute favorite was A Wrinkle in Time.  Meg Murry is a mess, but so lovable. She overcomes incredible odds because she knows what’s important to her. And how often were girls the heroines of science fiction novels? (This is the version I grew up with – oddly, Meg doesn’t make the cover!)

And what about Lucy Pevenesie?  She’s so curious and loving – but brave too. It takes real courage to stand up to her older siblings. And she totally gets the lion in the end.  Lucy was a character I was willing to follow through all the Chronicles of Narnia.

 

Finally, my third favorite was the Chronicles of Prydain. Eilowny the talkative princess is one of my all-time heroines. She’s so funny and bossy. And if only Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper would listen to her, everything would be fine.  (Surely Hermione Granger owes a huge debt to Eilowny).

I have two daughters and I had hoped they would love these books like I did. They liked them – but they chose their own heroines. My oldest fell in love with Katsa from Graceling and her sister is a Catniss fan all the way.  They have so many choices now and that’s great. Someday my kids will realize how much their heroines owe to mine.

Thanks for letting muse out loud!  Please come visit me at www.michaelamaccoll.com or @michaelamaccoll or AuthorMichaelaMacColl on Facebook.

 

 

About the author:

Michaela MacColl studied multi-disciplinary history at Vassar College and Yale University, which turns out to be the perfect degree for writing historical fiction. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and three extremely large cats in Connecticut.

 

 

 

 

 Always Emily

by Michaela MacColl

Publication Date: April 8, 2014

Published by Chronicle Books

282 Pages

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Finding My Way by Heidi McLaughlin: Excerpt Blitz

Finding My Way
The Beaumont Series, #4
by Heidi McLaughlin
Publication Date: April 14, 2014

New Adult Contemporary Romance
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About Finding My Way

Liam Westbury has the world at his feet. He’s the quintessential golden boy. He’s the superstar quarterback for Beaumont High. His girl, Josie, is head cheerleader. He has his choice of colleges just waiting for him. Except he’s suffocating from all the pressure he’s under and no one understands.

Liam Page is the heartthrob he never wanted to be. He’s successful, smart and in demand by record companies and his adoring fans. Music is his passion, his love, but something’s missing. His nights are lonely and he longs for the girl he left behind. Seeing her in every face in the crowd haunts him with the knowledge that she hates him. Going home has never been an option until now.

Be there when Liam Westbury becomes Liam Page and follow the highs and lows of the Quarterback turned Rockstar as he finds a way back to Beaumont in this prequel to Forever My Girl.

Excerpt

“Liam?”

I turn at the sound of my grandmother calling my name. She beams at me when I step toward her with an out stretched hand.

“I want to you meet a friend of mine,” she says. “Liam this is Tess and her son Harrison James. Tess is the personal assistant to my casting agent.” We spent a day going over all the jobs in the industry. There are so many that I got lost and like a true grandma, she made a list for me so I wouldn’t forget. “Harrison plays the drums at a club called Metro. They have open mic nights if you’re interested in talking to him about it,” she whispers. I nod, acknowledging what she’s telling me.

I step forward and shake both their hands. “It’s nice to meet you both,” I say.

“You too, Liam, your grandmother has told me so much about you. She’s very happy you’ve decided to stay with her.” I look at my grandma who is smiling from ear to ear.

She pats my arm. “Why don’t you take Harrison out back and show him around?”

“Okay, grandma.” I kiss her on the cheek and signal toward the patio door. Harrison follows, stepping out into the early evening sun. I walk until I’m at the back, where there is a table set up.

“Sorry about my grandmother in there. I think she’s trying to make up for all the years we’ve missed.” I sit down and lean my chair up against the tree.

“It’s okay. I was pretty much forced to come here tonight.” I inspect Harrison. He’s a bit taller than I am and far skinnier. He has a few tattoos on his arms, making wonder if they’re a necessity in the music industry. I quickly look down at my arms, curious as to what they’d look like with inked etched on them. One thing is for certain, my parents would flip and that thought alone makes me want one.

“Because of me?” I ask already knowing the answer but needing the confirmation.

He nods. “Yeah,” he says without making eye contact. “My mom is close to your grandmother so they plotted and here I am.”

“I’m sorry. If you want to leave, I can make up some excuse.” I know what it feels like to be put in awkward situations. My dad has done it to me many times, which only spurred me to withdraw from him more and more.

Harrison shakes his head slightly. “I’m cool.” He looks down at the ground or his feet. It’s not like I want to stare, but I’m trying to figure him out. He runs his hand over his beanie, moving it back and forth before leaving it where it originally was.

   

I love finding out how Liam and Harrison first met. And Harrison with his signature beanie.  This is such a tease for the rest of the book. Thank goodness we only have to wait one more week to find out how Liam Westbury becomes Liam Page.

PRE-ORDER FINDING MY WAY 

(Beaumont Series #4)

Amazon

 

PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES

FOREVER MY GIRL (The Beaumont Series #1)

  Amazon /  B&N /  Kobo / iBooks

MY EVERYTHING  (The Beaumont Series, #1.5) 

Amazon

MY UNEXPECTED FOREVER (The Beaumont Series, #2)  

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

FINDING MY FOREVER  (The Beaumont Series, #3)

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

 Follow Heidi McLaughlin

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Pinterest

 

About Heidi: 

Heidi is the author of USA Today, Kobo, Digital Book World, Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestselling series, The Beaumont Series.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she's writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either daughter's basketball games.

 

Stacking the Shelves (14)

This week I'm joining Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews and sharing the books that I acquired throughout the week.

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano (Purchased) - A future book club selection. I don't know too much about it other than it is called a mixture of tv shows "Bones" and "Fringe" (I haven't watched them either), but I think it will give us a lot to talk about at my book club.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria (Purchased) - I've wanted to read this as soon as I heard about it.

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg (Purchased) - I met Elizabeth at YALLFest a couple of years ago and she was talking about this book. This was an impulse buy when the book I wanted wasn't at my bookstore (that happens, a lot). 

Breakable by Tammara Webber (For Review) - A companion to Easy, it's Lucas's POV. I need to get my copy of Easy back asap, so I can reread it!

Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard (For Review) - This is so different from a lot of the books that I normally read.

Red at Night by Katie McGarry (e-book; Free) - I had to get this because I love Katie's books. It is currently free on Amazon.

Wake Up by Renee Dyer (e-book; Purchased) - Renee and I have bonded over the love of a certain series that I feature on the blog A LOT. The Beaumont Series by Heidi McLaughlin. Wake Up is Renee's debut novel. I bought this these day of her release party.

Watch Over Me by Tara Sivec (audiobook; Purchased) - Another impulse buy. I have the e-book,  but someone shared on FB that it was a favorite audiobook of theirs so I grabbed it up. I'm easily swayed that way. Tara will be at a signing I'm attending so I hope to have read at least one of her books before I meet her.

Hushed by Kelley York (e-book; Won) - Kelley made me a fan of hers with Made of Stars. Many thanks to Renee and Amie from the Wake Up Release Party!

Don't Hate the Player . . . Hate the Game by Katie Ashley (e-book; Won) - Katie was the author of the day for the Tennessee Valley Author Event. Her books have been recommended to me several times and my comment was selected for any book of my choice. Score! I'll get to meet Katie in a few weeks too. So excited!

Waiting on Wednesday: Finding My Way by Heidi McLaughlin

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
 
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Finding My Way
The Beaumont Series, #4
by Heidi McLaughlin
Publication Date: April 14, 2014
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Liam Westbury has the world at his feet. He’s the quintessential golden boy. He’s the superstar quarterback for Beaumont High. His girl, Josie, is head cheerleader. He has his choice of colleges just waiting for him. Except he’s suffocating from all the pressure he’s under and no one understands.

Liam Page is the heartthrob he never wanted to be. He’s successful, smart and in demand by record companies and his adoring fans. Music is his passion, his love, but something’s missing. His nights are lonely and he longs for the girl he left behind. Seeing her in every face in the crowd haunts him with the knowledge that she hates him. Going home has never been an option until now.

Be there when Liam Westbury becomes Liam Page and follow the highs and lows of the Quarterback turned Rockstar as he finds a way back to Beaumont in this prequel to Forever My Girl.

Why I'm Waiting 

• I am counting down the days until this book is out! If you follow me on twitter or Facebook, you will find out that is true. Only 12 more days!!
• The Beaumont books make up one of my favorite adult contemporary series.
• We get to know a young Liam Westbury.
• When I read the first book of the series, Forever My Girl, I wanted to know about Liam Page's rise to rock and roll stardom. Now we get it in Finding My Way! Woo-hoo!!
• I love Heidi's books and I WILL READ ALL OF THEM!