Guest Post: Cover Reveal: New Book Fun: Bum shaking: CASSIE MAE!

This is a post by the fabulous Cassie Mae, who loves love and isn't afraid to nerd it up a bit. I'm so happy for her and her success and I wanted to share that with my readers. So take it away, Cassie!


Let's all dance together!

I'm super thrilled to show you all my cover for my New Adult debut, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, published by Random House Flirt. This baby comes out on July 29th, but you can buy it now! And it'll just zap onto your ereader the day it's released.

Wanna know what it's about? Well, it's about this pig who learns how to fly, but only on friday nights and he grants wishes to people who are not where they're supposed to be, to get them out of a bind. You know I'm totally joking. I just wanted to see how many people just skipped over all these words to get to the pretty cover, lol. You mention the pig in the comments and you get cyber gold stars.

Here's the blurb :D

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black, and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi

“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play

“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Oh, and stuff about me too.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

And now the pretty!

You can buy this book HERE, and it takes you to all the places it's available. Yay! My first published book with MY NAME ON IT! Squee!!!

What We've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

Writing.

and other stuff.

(We'll be back, I promise. Just be patient.)

Rockin’ it After Surgery

by Chad Morris

People keep asking about my girl, Maddie, so I thought I should give you the update. It has been over a month since her neurosurgery and she is doing really well. She’s back in school  and mentally sharp. She rocked her latest report card (thanks to the teachers who worked with her on make-up work) and loves to crack jokes (She  really has some great timing). In fact, the night before April Fool’s, she and her older brother conspired to draw mustaches on their younger brothers while they slept.

She can see well and I think her peripheral vision is even improving a little. She has back all the movement she lost on her left side and is getting stronger.  She’s even back to breaking out in a few crazy dance moves every now and then.  Maddie is also getting used to the small pharmacy of meds she has to take. Such a trooper. And the docs approved her to go on a vacation!  

Shelly and I have noticed that she giggles more than before. What an awesome side effect! I don’t know if certain hormone levels have changed, or if she just wants a good reason to laugh after all she has been through, but she breaks out at the littlest things. To a mom and dad who love a little comedy, this is just plain awesome. We haven’t made her pee her pants yet, but perhaps we’ve gotten close.

On a related note,  I met Carolyn Swerdloff from Simon and Schuster when I helped out with Brandon Mull’s launch party. She had heard about Maddie and asked if she could send her some books. Of course I agreed. Well, we got a box this week full of awesomeness for the whole family. Maddie is devouring some Dork Diaries while the boys are snagged some Captain Awesome, Keeper of the Lost Cities, and even Bad Unicorn (It doesn’t come out until April 15). That was extremely nice! Thanks Carolyn and S&S! It reminded me of others of you that sent books for my kids! They love those as well. You are fantastic. 

We are still hoping her pituitary will kick back in, but all in all, Maddie is rockin’ it after surgery. Thanks again for all the support, help, and prayers.

I have also been asked a lot how my book is doing and how I like touring. Maybe I’ll tackle that one tomorrow.

Throwback Post

We had a lot of fun at the Beyonders Launch Party this last Friday.

Here are a couple of pictures we stole from other people 

(Thanks Ty and Duckett!)

(who can name everyone in this picture?)

Thanks to everyone who came out and made it so much fun!

We always have such a blast.

And just for fun I threw in this video from 4(or so) years ago at a Fablehaven Launch Party.

It's Chad singing.

I'm sure he's thrilled that I'm posting this on our blog (he-he-he)

I wasn't in this show much because I was UBER-prego so I just ran sound.

But I think this song is fun so if you have a minute, enjoy!

A Thank You, To You

Our Maddie came home Sunday night (yay!)

and despite the overwhelming responsibility of keeping her daily journal

administering her small pharmacy

and just keeping her comfortable

I needed to take a minute to say thanks.

There is always so much in life to be grateful for. 

Sometimes life has some stinky parts (come on, we're writers, we throw people under the bus for fun) and where sometimes I cry when I miss garbage day (don't judge me!) 

right now in the middle of a tornado I'm calm. 

Right now I am buoyed by all of you 

and, although I should be wallowing in the drama of the situation, 

for reasons that can't be explained by science I'm managing (and sometimes I'm even smiling.) 

Things could be worse. 

Things could be far worse.

I'm tired. I have meds to give all night.

My daughter is left with chronic problems from the surgery.

I still have four young sons to care for.

Did I mention I'm tired?

BUT

Between neighbors, friends, and family I am cared for.

And I know all of this assistance will wean away, as it should, but the power of their support is amazing.

Speaking of amazing, I wanted to speak of YOUR support.

Maddie received over 400 mustache pictures. Each of them lifted her spirits and she looks at them time and again to get a good chuckle in. 

Surgery, hospitals, diabetes, etc is a lot of serious stuff for a 9yo but I believe that because of the Mustaches for Maddie pictures she has dealt with what life is throwing her way with a smile (depending on the pain, sometimes it's a grimace ;) ) 

Big thank you to my cousin Jenny for noticing that mustaches made Maddie happy and starting the whole thing to make two very nervous parents sitting in a surgical waiting room smile.

Then with Chad's book launch.

Holy Toledo, people!

The blogging/tweeting/facebooking support of this community was incredible.

Here are the links to the blogs that I caught

(please let me know in the comments if I missed any!)

Suzanne Furness
Jessie Humphries

Mindy Raf

Livia Peterson

Elizabeth Seckman

Julie Leuk

Beth Christopher

Suzy Turner

Donna Weaver

Lydia Kang

Celeste Holloway

Jenny Morris

Jamie Ayers

Leigh Covington

The entire Lucky 13s

Rebekah Faubion

Elodie

Swinging on Small Hinges

Dani Bertrand

Tonja Drecker

Kelly Fiore

Connie Onnie

Sheila Staley

Laura at Day by Day

Nancy Walker

Courtney at OHEA

Charlie Holmberg

Konstanz Silverbow

Nick Wilford

Shauna Wheelwright

Alice Marvels

Wendy Hines

Valette M
Elephant's Child

Mary Pax

David Powers King

Wow, huh?

This wasn't a solicited blog tour. 

This was people helping out on their own. Responding to their own feelings. 

Just flat out being nice.

But I can't forget to send a special thank you to Peggy Eddleman.

We have been friends with Peggy for a while now and she is a fabulous friend to have. 

I'm sure many of you know her blog as one of the most helpful, most consistent writing blogs out there. Well that's just Peggy's personality. She has a heart of gold and can memorize a string of 50 numbers in 5 minutes (true story!) 

With Peggy in our corner we know we can't fail.

So a heartfelt thank you to everyone.

And I mean everyone.

From the Hospital Hideaway Couch

By Chad Morris

Maddie is sleeping so I thought it might be good to pound out a few of the many thoughts I’ve had over the last few weeks. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned:

Learning that your nine-year-old daughter has a brain tumor is a nightmare, a sucker punch to the heart. It makes you really think about what you believe. It’s like an army laying siege to your mind, no thought comes in or goes out without having to pass through it. It steals sleep and fills your night with prayers.

Nothing is more important than people. Love people.  

Going through something horrible shows something deep about us. None of us are perfect under pressure, but in many many ways, I look up to a nine-year-old girl.

Science and medicine are absolutely remarkable.

When she’s on medication, my daughter talks in her sleep. She just mumbled about sodium levels. That’s much more scientific than a few nights ago when she was floating.

Hospital food is not that bad.

Prayers make a difference, a big difference.

Good hearts. There are so many people with good hearts. There is a list on this one.

My wife. With our minds still heavy with all the neurosurgeons told us, she paid for lunch for the other two people in the sandwich line. And she’s made many friends in very tense waiting rooms.

People with mustaches.  A cousin decided to start posting pictures of her family in mustaches to make Maddie smile. She asked a few others to jump in. Then it steam-rolled into something we will never forget.  Thanks everyone. You should see the smiles. Mission accomplished. (And she still loves to see the ones coming in.)

Writers, Bloggers . . . etc. On March 5, I wasn’t doing any assemblies, or signings, or launch parties. But while I sent my kids off to school, did laundry, babysat my four-year-old, tried to catch up on my day job, and then traded my wife shifts at the hospital, so many of you promoted my book. Blogs, tweets, posts. . . etc. So many of you rallied to help. Good hearts. Such good hearts. Thank you.   

Neighbors, family, and friends. My boys have still made it to and from school. They've made it to karate, basketball, ballroom dance (Yes, that is an awesome trio), and even a few bonuses. Plus, my fridge is overloaded with some of the best homemade food in the universe. If we weren’t so busy, we would invite you all over for best leftovers clean out you’ve even had. Well, honestly that isn’t going to happen. But you could knock on the door, and if we’re home you can come on in and help yourself.

A MORE IMPORTANT DREAM

By Chad Morris

One of my dreams is coming true. Cragbridge Hall, Book 1: The Inventor’s Secret hits shelves in just over a week. But lately, I don’t think much about it. You see, that dream is being overshadowed by a much more important one—that my daughter gets all the chances in the world. 

Let me explain. My wife started noticing that my nine-year-old girl would tuck her hand in next to her side subconsciously—a strange way to relax. Then, one day as my girl helped in the kitchen—which she loves to do—my wife tossed her an avocado. It hit her chest and fell to the floor.

“Why didn’t you catch it?” my wife asked.

“That hand doesn’t work very well,” my girl responded.

So my wife called the doctor, who told us to take her to Primary Children’s Hospital immediately. An MRI later, we found out . . . well . . . my little girl has a golf-ball-sized tumor pressing up against her brain.  

You can imagine all that followed: plenty of tears, fears, questions, sleepless nights, prayers, and sucking it up to stay positive in front of a scared nine-year-old. A girl with a quick smile. A girl who loved being on a basketball team even though the only time she touched the ball was when she threw it in. A girl who said, “Mom, guess who is going to hilarify you? Me! Look I drew pictures of babies with mustaches.” A girl who is shy even among friends, but who will sing a solo crisp and clear in front of hundreds of people. A girl who works slowly on her school assignments, but seems to get everything right. 

To sum it up, a part of me is terrified. There is a long list of possible complications. She could lose portions of her eyesight, some coordination in the left side of her body, and might have to be on a slew of shots and pills for the rest of her life. I wish that was the entire list.

  

But I’m also hopeful, really hopeful. The type of tumor my daughter has isn’t usually cancerous, though it is very problematic. One of the best neurosurgeons in the nation is set to remove as much of it as he safely can tomorrow morning. Plus, I’ve been surprised at the hundreds of people who offered help and prayers. I offer my own barrage of prayers, and so do my wife and four boys. And I believe it all makes a difference. 

So, my book is coming out, but I don’t think about it much. Writing, you play second fiddle to a beautiful brave nine-year-old girl. You’ll have to wait and see what time I have for you. I have a more important dream right now.

 

Blue Sky by Melissa Lemon

Pretty cover, huh?

Author Melissa Lemon did something I never saw coming.

She turned one of my biggest fears into...

a love story.

Dude, this story starts with a dude...

a homeless dude...

hiding in a single girls

BASEMENT!

*cue psycho music*

How many stories do you know of

can turn a homeless dude

into the love interest?

But she did it!

And she did it well.

Probably because it wasn't this homeless dude

But this homeless dude

Much nicer!

(note: this might just be a younger version of the first guy)

So, if you can get over the fear that you have a homeless dude living in your basement

you'll really enjoy this book.

(I hope my tongue in cheek review doesn't turn anyone off. It's REALLY hard for me to be serious!)

Here is the actual synopsis:

Sunny is bereaving the sudden death of her parents. Lewis is a homeless runaway seeking shelter in Sunny's basement from an early winter storm. When they unexpectedly meet, Sunny wants nothing more than to kill him. After a bizarre hostage situation and a poker game, Sunny realizes that Lewis isn't out to hurt her. Their initial distaste turns to friendship and love, but Sunny isn't keen on starting a relationship with a man she knows so little about. Lewis is loyal, and his patience paramount. Sunny is hesitant but her love runs deep and true. They are separated unwillingly, and must struggle and face overwhelming odds to find each other again.

And more about the author:

Melissa has had many imaginary friends (and enemies) since she was a child. Her vivid imagination had her writing stories and jotting down book ideas for years until she finally sat down and finished a novel. She is married to an awesome man and the proud mother of three children. Music is also an important part of her life and she shares time with her music students teaching them piano, cello or guitar. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Utah and currently resides in the Salt Lake area.

Even more about the book and author:

http://www.authormelissalemon.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17304893-blue-sky

http://www.facebook.com/authormelissalemon

https://twitter.com/Melissa_Lemon

Books are for Lovers

This is the second annual Books are for Lovers 

The idea is simple. Buy a book on Valentines day from a brick and mortar store. 

Show some support for the paper and vellum we all fell in love with.

We did it last year and it might just be the easiest thing we committed to, EVER.

Buy a book

OK.

So who wants in?

(There are prizes. 

As if getting a new book wasn't prize enough)

More details on Lisa Asanuma's blog

In Case You Missed Them

This picture may or may not be of Chad

Chad wrote a blog post for our friend Cassie Mae called

Lessons from My Journey to Publication

And another review on Cragbridge Hall: The Inventor's Secret. We don't know Renae but she gave it five stars on Goodreads and wrote about it on her blog

iRead Books

If anyone is still thinking about it, you should definitely be at LTUE.

Pending some family emergency (which is actually a possibility)

we should both be there on Friday night and Saturday.

Chad is on two panels on Saturday

Writing Fantastic Description at noon

What Makes a Book MG or YA at 2pm

LTUE

And if you can't make LTUE but still want to stop by and say 'hi'

the mass signing is free and open to everyone!

So come Friday night at 8 pm to the Provo Marriott

LIST OF AUTHORS AND MORE DEETS