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Showing posts with label All I Want. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All I Want. Show all posts

Friday, December 14, 2012

Author Guest Post: Kaylee Baldwin Author of All I Want

 Before I Was A Writer
by Kaylee Baldwin

Long before I was a writer, I was a reader.

Even as a child I read anything I could get my hands on, including: the free encyclopedia (A) that a door-to-door salesman gave my family to entice us to buy the series, my mom’s Reader’s Digest magazine (cover to cover every month), and some totally not age-appropriate books I sneaked out of my parents room.

I’ve always loved writing as well, but it wasn’t until about six years ago that I really started to wonder if I could write a book. My husband had just taken a new job and we had to move away from our family and friends. I only had one child and wasn’t working at the time, so while he napped, I wrote.

It was a lot of fun writing that first book. I was really lonely, and my characters really came alive for me. I could make them do whatever I wanted. If I was in the mood to read a certain type of scene, I would just write it. I have strong doubts that the first book I ever wrote (a young adult contemporary, btw) will ever see the light of day, but I learned so much from it.

It was eye opening to me to go from being a reader to a writer. I’d never thought about how much work went into word choice, making sure the story had good pacing, making sure it flowed, answering all the plot questions, giving the plot enough conflict without overloading my characters, and coming up with a satisfying conclusion.

Being a writer has changed me. Everywhere I look, I see story ideas. I make sure I have a notebook or pieces of paper that I can scratch my ideas down on at any given moment so that I won’t forget them. I also find myself reading other books with a more analytical mind. I ask myself questions like: What elements in this story are making me like it so much? Why does the pacing feel fast/slow and what could the author do to change it? I find myself editing the books like I would for a critique partner because I’ve trained my mind to think that way.

When I write, I create. When I read, I escape. I think that all good authors have to be readers as well. We have to make time for other people’s words as well as our own. And although I love writing, and it fills up a part of me that nothing else could, my first love will always be reading.



Author Kaylee Baldwin

I grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University
with a degree in English literature.

I currently live in southern Arizona with my husband, Jeremy, and our three children. When I am not writing, I enjoy reading, starting new craft projects, and spending time with my family.

Author Links:

ALL I WANT

Pretty Near Perfect

by Jolene Perry

The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone – especially in her deceased fiancé's parents' home. Collin’s starting a new career, and has no business getting involved – especially while staying with his roommate’s family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don’t always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.

Six Days of Christmas
by Kaylee Baldwin

When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend’s brother - someone who makes her question everything she’s always thought she wanted.

Twist of Fate
by Rachael Anderson

When a postcard meant for Kenzie winds up in Ty's mailbox, Ty's faced with a decision. Should he tell her that her fiancé is breaking up with her and let it ruin her favorite holiday, or should he do what he’s wanted to do since he met her - make a move and hope that he can win her over before she discovers there won’t be a wedding after all.





Tour Schedule




See GIVEAWAY information at Book Blast Giveaway

Book Review: All I Want -- Three Stories. Three Couples. One Holiday

This is a perfect book for quick, sweet, warm holiday reading!
THREE STORIES. THREE COUPLES. ONE HOLIDAY.

  • File Size: 745 KB
  • Print Length: 279 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1480115231
  • Publisher: HEA Publishing (October 14, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Holiday
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0



Pretty Near Perfect
by Jolene Perry
The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone – especially in her deceased fiancé's parents' home. Collin’s starting a new career, and has no business getting involved – especially while staying with his roommate’s family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don’t always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.

Six Days of Christmas
by Kaylee Baldwin
When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend’s brother - someone who makes her question everything she’s always thought she wanted.

Twist of Fate
by Rachael Anderson
When a postcard meant for Kenzie winds up in Ty's mailbox, Ty's faced with a decision. Should he tell her that her fiancé is breaking up with her and let it ruin her favorite holiday, or should he do what he’s wanted to do since he met her - make a move and hope that he can win her over before she discovers there won’t be a wedding after all.


Review:
All three of these stories are delightful and fit lovely together.  In each one the guy is pursing the girl who isn’t completely available when the story starts. Each girl discovers by Christmas what - or who - they really want. All three contain warm characters, cute plots and very real, natural dialogue.


*********
In Pretty Near Perfect Norah visits her deceased fiance’s family at Christmas time. The year before she and Jacob had announced their engagement, but a few months later he was killed in a sports accident. Norah loved his family too and hopes to bring some closure to thier loss by the holiday visit. She just doesn’t expect to run smack dab into a new fellow who is visiting with Jacob’s brother. Both Norah and Collin are startled by their immediate attraction.  As the family celebrates the holiday and remembers the past, Norah and Collin struggle not to respond to each other... but love has a magical way of its own.

The writing on this flows really well and I especially liked the characters of Norah and Collin. My only disappointment was that I wanted the story to continue when it ended. Guess I’ll have to find some other stories by Ms. Perry to read.  (Separate rating 4.25)


*********
Ms. Baldwin builds a delightful family celebration in Six Days of Christmas. Natalie has a ‘successful’ life planned out with her equally career-driven boyfriend Grant. He is pursuing a promotion in the legal department as she works on a project to launch her intern position into full time in the marketing department. Natalie is accustomed to order and control and is a bit dismayed that the project she has to work on over the holidays is a children’s toy, magnetic blocks.

Natalie agrees to travel to the home of her best friend for Christmas where she is faced with  teasing from her best friend’s younger brother, Jimmy, who has now grown up into a handsome man with a degree in architecture. Natalie’s work is interrupted as she becomes caught up in the family’s celebrations of six different country traditions leading up to Christmas.

Jimmy manages to spur Natalie to enjoy the fun and as the week passes she begins to wonder if strict order is all it’s cracked up to be or if maybe some spontaneity, as provided by Jimmy and his family, is a better goal.

Ms. Baldwin creates wonderful characters in this story, including not just Natalie and Jimmy but Jimmy’s whole family. The idea of different cultural celebrations each day is great fun. The story is warm and delightful and comes to good closing.  (Separate rating 4.5)


*********

Twist of Fate is fun from the get go with the characters sharing names in opposite order (Mackenzie Tyler and Tyler McKenzie). This leads to mail mix ups that allow Kenzie to read Ty’s letters from his mother and results in Ty getting the “Dear John” postcard meant for Kenzie. Kenzie is expecting her fiancé to return from Madagascar shortly after Christmas in time to prepare for their late January wedding. 

Tyler has been interested in Kenzie for the year they have lived in the same apartment complex. Can he somehow spend time with her over the weeks leading up to Christmas and get her to fall for him before she suffers the heartbreak of her broken wedding plans? 

Tyler has been refusing to read or respond to letters from his controlling mother. He has also been a bit of ‘grinch’ about Christmas. Kenzie thinks she is doing a good deed when she invites his mother to visit before the holidays. Although Tyler is appalled, suddenly he discovers that having his mother there is allowing him opportunities to spend time with Kenzie. But how will Kenzie feel when she discovers he hid the postcard from her?

I really enjoyed how Ms. Anderson created the contrasting characters - Kenzie’s bright, happy personality and Ty’s rather geeky, dark personality that seeks her brightness and color. I also enjoyed the strong warmth of the story and the fun comparisons to the Grinch, computer programs and happy Christmases. This story also comes to a warm, happy ending.  (Separate rating 4.5)

I received this eBook from the Authors for an honest review; part of BookBlast tour.





Please visit the guest post from Kaylee Baldwin.


Tour Schedule




See more information and Giveaway at
Book Blast Giveaway

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Bookblast: All I Want - Three Holiday Stories + Giveaway

THREE STORIES. THREE COUPLES. ONE HOLIDAY.

Tour Schedule

All I Want Blog Tour
November 26th to Decmber 21st
Includes a $50 gift card giveaway


ALL I WANT

Pretty Near Perfect

by Jolene Perry

The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone – especially in her deceased fiancé's parents' home. Collin’s starting a new career, and has no business getting involved – especially while staying with his roommate’s family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don’t always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.

Six Days of Christmas
by Kaylee Baldwin

When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend’s brother - someone who makes her question everything she’s always thought she wanted.

Twist of Fate
by Rachael Anderson

When a postcard meant for Kenzie winds up in Ty's mailbox, Ty's faced with a decision. Should he tell her that her fiancé is breaking up with her and let it ruin her favorite holiday, or should he do what he’s wanted to do since he met her - make a move and hope that he can win her over before she discovers there won’t be a wedding after all.





Author Jolene Perry

Jolene Perry is an enigmatic figure. She is most often seen behind her laptop, staring at the words flying onto the screen with reckless abandon.

She survived growing up in rural Alaska, driving like a lunatic, and her husband’s careers in the military, as a perpetual student, and an Alaska State Prosecutor. She also survived as a middle school math teacher using her degree of Political Science and French.

One day Jolene was playing her guitar (probably some-thing juvenile for her kids) when she wondered what it would be like to write a song for a rockstar, and her first book was born. (that book is shelved)

She now lives a very glamorous life as a stay at home mom, elbow deep in dirty dishes and peanut butter sandwiches. She doesn’t even attempt to keep up with the laundry because non-writing time is precious, and her family is sorta awesome.
Links:



Author Rachael Anderson

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Links:



Please visit on December 14 when I will be sharing a guest post from Kaylee and my review!


Author Kaylee Baldwin

I grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University
with a degree in English literature.

I currently live in southern Arizona with my husband, Jeremy, and our three children. When I am not writing, I enjoy reading, starting new craft projects, and spending time with my family.


Links:






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Ends 12/22/12

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