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Celebrating KEEPING HER and Other Exciting Things!

Hello, my lovelies!
Today officially marks the one year anniversary of KEEPING HER! I don’t know about you guys, but that makes me want to do a happy dance….
In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, KEEPING HER is a novella about Garrick and Bliss. It’s a short peek into their life after LOSING IT, and you better believe some awkwardness ensues
when Bliss meets Garrick’s parents. And did I mention that it’s set in London?

 

You can get KEEPING HER from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes for only 99 cents!

And speaking of low prices – for the first time in FOREVER….(sing it with me)
….all of my books are available for less than five dollars apiece! LOSING IT, FAKING IT, and FINDING IT, regularly $6.99 are down to $1.99, $3.99, and $4.99 respectively.  And All Lined Up, the first in my new Rusk University series, is $1.99 (regularly $4.99)! That means it’s the perfect time to complete your collection, or give one to your mom, or buy one for a friend. BOOKS FOR EVERYONE!!!

And if you’re one of those awesome people who has already read all of my books, THANK YOU!!! You’re officially in the top 1% of my favorite people in the world. And I can’t wait to share my future books with you! If you haven’t already, please add ALL BROKE DOWN on Goodreads!

I am so, so excited for everyone to get to know Silas a little better. He just might be my sexiest book boyfriend yet. And have I mentioned that All Broke Down is also my longest book so far? What can I say… I didn’t want to say goodbye to that boy! 😉

If you’re a blogger, you can sign up for the All Broke Down Release Day Launch. And if you really want to earn extra special Cora Bonus Points, you can pre-order All Broke Down!.

And in case that wasn’t cool enough, I have another book releasing just a few months after All Broke Down, and it’s a completely new series! A completely new subgenre, in fact! Check out the details on INSPIRE, my upcoming New Adult Paranormal, and then add it on Goodreads, too!

And if you want to make sure you’re always in the know about my books, make sure you join my newsletter by submitting your email on the top right of my sidebar on this blog!

And now, in honor of Keeping Her’s anniversary and this awesome sale, here’s a giveaway! Win an e-book of your choice! 5 winners! Open internationally.

 

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The One With the NEW SERIES!!

Hello, my loves! So, I’ve been hinting at a super secret announcement, and I’m sure by now I’ve annoyed you all thoroughly. 🙂

 
I am so excited to say we’re finally ready to announce my big news. Drumroll, please…

I’m writing a new series!!!
Yep. You read that right! But there’s something special about this series. For one, I’m returning to self-publishing for this book. It’s something different, and I’m eager to get it out into the world as soon as possible, so we decided it was the perfect book to go Indie again!

For ages, I’ve been talking about wanting more New Adult paranormal and fantasy books. And like a good little author, I continued working on my contracted books, waiting patiently for that big breakout paranormal book that would get the tide rolling and start the paranormal boom that I so desperately wanted.

I waited and waited and waited, and then I got tired of waiting.

I’ve had one other similar experience in my life. In the summer of 2012, I was dying for a book set in college that was light-hearted and funny. I waited then too, but when impatience got the better of me, I decided to write my own.

That was how LOSING IT came to be.

And now that I’ve lost my patience again, I’m excited to tell you that in December 2014 (just a handful of months from now) I’ll be publishing the first book in an NA Paranormal series called INSPIRE.
It all started one day when I was thinking about art. If you’ve read my books, you’ll know that almost all of them have some kind of focus on artistic pursuits. Acting. Music. Dance. Creativity is one of the great loves of my life, and so it’s always seemed natural to me to pair that with romance and books about figuring out who you are. But the truth is… romance readers expect a happily ever after. And more often than not, artistic pursuits do not end happily. Either success is nowhere to be found or… success is not all it’s cracked up to be. I began to think about famous artists and musicians that are considered geniuses at their crafts, yet are perhaps even more well known for the tragedy that their art brought them.

I thought of musicians that were lost too young to suicide. Artists who withdrew too deeply into their imagination and lost touch with the real world. I thought of the way you can’t go to the grocery store without seeing some actor’s downfall splashed across the pages of magazines.

And I asked myself—who is to blame? Is it the artist who cannot live in moderation? Or is creativity just a cruel mistress that destroys as many people as it uplifts? Because these kind of tragedies are not unique to our entertainment-focused society. In fact, stories of the tortured artist go back as far as history.

And with that, slowly, a story began to take shape. Sprinkle in a bit of history, a bit of fantasy, and a bit of forbidden love, and you have…

 

INSPIRE

Kalliope lives with one purpose.

To inspire.

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real.

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal.

Her presence may inspire genius.

But it breeds madness, too.
*SQUEAK*
Well, now you all know my secret. And I’m so, so excited for you all to meet Kalliope and Wilder in December! And I’m hugely excited to be going back to Indie publishing. But as excited as I am, I’m also nervous. I want so badly for this book to do well, because I love this story and I love NA Paranormal. And I’m definitely going to need all the help I can get. So please, if you have a friend that you think might be interested in INSPIRE, tell them about this! If you’re a blogger, I’d love for you to share the news on your social media pages. And when the time comes for the cover reveal, I hope you’ll consider participating. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can be the first to know about exciting announcements like this. You can even add INSPIRE on Goodreads! 

 

 
Or you can pre-order now exclusively through iBooks! http://bit.do/inspireCC. It will be available across all online retailers on release day. 

 And as always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – I absolutely adore hearing from you guys!

In Awkward <3,

Cora

*TACKLEHUGS*

The One With the New Street Team!

Thank you all for so much for your patience as I went through the applications to join my street team! I am so honored and humbled by the number of you who are willing and enthusiastic about helping to promote my books. I wish I could have you all!!

 

To give you an idea of the process, I’d like to share with you the following:

 

The Five Stages of Choosing My Street Team
Stage One: Excitement
I’ve talked a lot about how much I love my Street Team. They were UNBELIEVABLY helpful in getting All Lined Up promoted (and basically have just made my life so much more joyful). When my team and I decided to expand from 25 members to 30, I just about did a back flip! I was absolutely thrilled to be adding more members to the Carmcat family.
Stage Two: Feeling Overwhelmed
But then I started looking through the applications. The numbers weren’t quite as astronomical as last time we held street team applications, so I figured choosing the new team would be easier. Yeah, I was wrong. Literally every application was amazing. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. How could I possibly pick only 30 people?
Stage Three: Denial
So then I thought, “Surely it couldn’t hurt to expand the team just a little. Like, five more members would be TOTALLY fine…or ten….maybe fifteen…I mean, the more the merrier! I could probably benefit from having a small army, right?”
Stage Four: Grief
But from a purely logistical standpoint, I knew it just wasn’t feasible to have 90+ street team members. So I tweeted about my angst. I gnashed my teeth. I shook my fists at the heavens and raged at the gods. I stress-ate (a lot). And then I did what any other author in my position would have done. I made someone else do it for me.
5. Shirking Responsibility
Eventually there comes a point in reviewing applications when I have cut all I possibly can. Everyone that’s left is amazing, and many of them I know personally, or interact with regularly online.  (This point came incredibly early this time around because like I said… SO MANY AMAZING APPLICATIONS). So, I turned to my amazing publicity team and said “HELP! HELP! I NEED ALL OF THE HELP!” They swooped in to save the day and somehow narrowed the team down to the final thirty. How exactly they managed to do it, I’m still not sure – they’re probably wizards.

 

Before I reveal the thirty team members chosen, I want you guys to know that if you weren’t chosen, it doesn’t mean that my team and I don’t think you’re amazing. I am so in awe of the talent and passion present in all of the applications, and it breaks my heart that I can’t choose all of you. I remember last time around the end, we had 5 maybes that were very strong contenders from which we could choose two final spots. By comparison, this time we had eighteen strong maybes to fill four final spots. I know without a shadow of a doubt that some truly amazing readers and bloggers did not make the list, and for that I ache. SERIOUSLY…. ACHE. All I can say is I hope you won’t be discouraged if you weren’t chosen. And I hope you’ll come back when we open up for applications again before the next book. PLEASE come back!
We’re so appreciative of your support, and we always, always want you to have the chance to be involved. If you’re a blogger and you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to sign up for the InkSlinger PR mailing list. That’s the absolute best way to make sure you get in on my cover reveals and other events, if you’re interested.

The aim of this wasn’t just to go through and choose the biggest and most popular blogs. The aim was to create a team with various strengths and skill sets, who could support not only me and the Rusk series but each other as well. While online followings were a big consideration, things like location and specialties and enthusiasm also played a big part. The team is comprised of about half former street team members and half newbies. And I’m so SO excited!

So without further ado, here is the new Cora Carmack Street Team!

Stephanie Gibson
Kim Baker
Megan  Gallt
Amber Noffke
Ethan Gregory
Betsy Gehring
Krista Davis
Kaitlan Heaton
Alana Rock
Yvette Cervera
Christine @IHeartBigBooks
Yesi Cavazos
Andy Estrada
Beth Lattanzi
Momo Xiong
Katie Anderson
Vangelina Osteguin
Brooke DelVecchio
Melody & Betsy @BookCrastinators
Lori Wilt
Ashley Amsbaugh
Whitney B. Swain
Christina Marie
Kristen Chandler
Lenore Mullican
Brittany Berger
Katie Stutz
Kerry-Ann
Wendi Galbreath
Alyssa Kawata

For those of you on the team, I’ll be in touch in the next few days to get things rolling! I’m so excited for this new adventure!

And to everyone who applied: THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart.  I would be absolutely nowhere without your love and support, and I am so thankful for each and every one of you! (Seriously… please come back next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) (Was that enough exclamation points?)

And as a consolation prize, here’s an extended teaser from ALL BROKE DOWN in Silas’s POV! <3
I give in to the itch to touch her and start at her bare shoulder, dragging a finger along until I can curve my whole hand around the back of her neck.
“You’re gonna have to stop trying to analyze me. I’m really not that complicated.”
For a girl like her, analyzing is step one. Fixing me would be step two.
She leans her head to the side, and my hand falls away from her neck.
“Tell me about the fight tonight.”
And so it begins. “Why?”
“Tell me about the fight. Let me clean up your hands. And then, I promise to let you teach me how to party. Or whatever.”
I feel like I’ve just stepped into a courtroom, and am being outnegotiated.
“So we’re making deals, are we?”
She smiles. “I suppose we are.”
I reach up again, and this time she doesn’t pull away when I curl my fingers around the back of her neck. I brush my thumb over her pulse point . . . feel that thin, vulnerable skin, and fuck, beneath that bossy exterior, I can see her nerves. But they’re different now. She doesn’t look scared or uncomfortable. Her heart is racing, blood pulsing fast beneath my finger, and she’s taking these tiny sharp breaths. It turns me on in a way I don’t even understand. Normally, the skittish, inexperienced types send me running. But the thought of teaching her anything makes my jeans feel too tight. I want her on her back in my bed, legs spread wide, eyes big and blue, lips parted, mouth babbling that nervous nonsense until I make her forget what she’s saying, forget how to talk altogether.
I want to forget myself in her, too, steal some of her sunshine, and give this pristine, perfect girl a taste of what it’s like to get a little dirty.
 

LOVE YOU GUYS!!! 

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The One Where You Can Join My Team…AGAIN!

Do you guys remember back in March when I introduced you all to the wonderful members of my Rusk University Street Team?
Well, the time has come to start promoting the next book in the Rusk University series, All Broke Down.
And my publicity peeps and I think it’s time to add some new readers to the mix!
A street team is the ultimate set of super readers. I’m looking for people who’ve read all my books, and love my characters, and are eager for my next fictional journey! A street team helps spread the word about an author’s books– online, in person, and IN SPACE.
The Rusk University Street Team (aka “The Carmcats”) was absolutely invaluable to me during the lead up and release week of All Lined Up. They made graphics, designed the Rusk logo, hosted giveaways, helped brainstorm marketing ideas, and spread the word about ALU like a plague (a plague of AWESOMENESS). They went above and beyond to host the Spirit Week party during release week, and basically kept me from losing my mind during a (very exciting, but still very) stressful time.  And they are some of the funniest, kindest, most generous, most encouraging people I have ever met – I want to carry each and everyone one of them with me everywhere I go. Seriously… I cannot sing this team’s praises enough. But now we’re looking to expand and add new faces and new skills and new ideas!
One of the many wonderful Rusk graphics created by the Street Team.

 

Interested? Here’s some more details.

It’s a big time commitment to be part of this street team (not just because you’ll be helping me, but also because our exclusive street team Facebook group is an incredibly fun place to hang out and ignore the rest of the world). Here’s what’s in for you:

  • Exclusive giveaways ONLY for street team members. ARCs, Swag, Signed copies, and other special stuff. Your odds of winning are MUCH better than when competing with the masses.
  • Exclusive content and news. When a new book is releasing or I’m writing a new project, you guys will be the first to hear about it! You’ll also be the first people I torture tease with excerpts!
  • Swag for you! Swag for your friends! Swag for strangers you bombard on the street! You shall be the swag queens (or kings… I’m looking at you, rare and exotic male fan. We’ve already got one dude reader on the team, here’s hoping for more).
  • Every active street team member’s name will appear in the acknowledgments of my books. Show all your friends how important and beloved you are! Plus, I sometimes steal street team members names when I’m creating characters. Just saying. 🙂
  • Membership in the exclusive street team Facebook group! Here you can chat with other team members, brainstorm promotional ideas, and hang out with me! I’ll pop in for exclusive street team chats and hang outs (and by pop in, I mean I spend entirely too much time procrastinating there). Not to mention I might pick your brain about books and characters you’d like to see. 😉
  • **One extra lucky Street Team member will get to join me as my assistant at an upcoming signing in 2015! I’ll take care of your flight and hotel, and we’ll just hang out, meet book people, bask in our awkward goodness. Carmcat Stephanie from SmartSavvySteph won for ALU’s team, and she’ll be joining me at Chapter by Chapter Bookrave in NY!
As a street team member, there’s lots of things you can do to help my books succeed. You don’t have to do them all…at least not at the same time. And this is far from an all-inclusive list, but rather some suggestions to give you an idea of how we might need you to promote All Broke Down.

In person you can…

  • Talk the books up and share promo material with friends, family, co-workers, and book clubs. You can even drop off promo materials at bookstores, libraries, coffee shops, etc. 
  • Buy my books the first week of release, which helps it get more visibility, thereby selling more books
  • Ask your local library to order my books. Give the librarians the title, name and publisher of each book. In the same vein, ask your local bookstore to stock my books if they don’t already. 

Online you can…

  • Share your (honest) review/rating of the book via Amazon, iBooks, BN.com, and Goodreads. I can’t even begin to express how big a deal this is in terms of discoverability for new books. 
  • Share interviews, reviews, cover reveals, and other promotional events across your social media and online platforms (Blogs, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc)
  • Spread the word about my books to your online friends and followers. 
  • “Like” my books and me on Amazon.com & BN.com
  • Like, Retweet, and Share whenever/whatever you can!
  • Recommend the books on Goodreads and elsewhere. As readers, you wield so much influence. And every little bit helps! 
  • Participate in online Publicity and Marketing campaigns (Blog tours, FB parties, cover reveals, etc). 
And if you need more incentive, check out the video my current street team made all about being a Carmcat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR16PGu8U9E&feature=youtu.be
***THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS HAS NOW PASSED. STAY TUNED FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN A FEW DAYS***

The One with the ALL BROKE DOWN Cover Reveal!!

 Hello, my loves! Just popping in for a moment to tell you that I’M SO EXCITED! 
Like, Jessie Spano on caffeine pills excited!

The reason I’m so excited can be summed up in three little words: ALL. BROKE. DOWN.
ALL BROKE DOWN is the second book in the Rusk University series. It’s a New Adult Contemporary Romance novel published by William Morrow (an imprint of Harper Collins) and it’s scheduled to release on October 28. But you guys get to see the cover TODAY!

 


I think it should go without saying that I’M OBSESSED WITH THIS COVER. I love it so much! The fact that they did an entire photo shoot just to create a cover for my book is still mind blowing to me. And y’all….I love this book. I am so excited (and slightly terrified) for you guys to read it! Here’s a little more info about ABD:

In this second book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cora Carmack’s New Adult, Texas-set Rusk University series, which began with All Lined Up, a young woman discovers that you can’t only fight for what you believe in . . . sometimes you have to fight for what you love

Dylan fights for lost causes. Probably because she used to be one.

Environmental issues, civil rights, education—you name it, she’s probably been involved in a protest. When her latest cause lands her in jail, she meets Silas Moore. He’s in for a different kind of fighting. And though he’s arrogant and infuriating, she can’t help being fascinated with him. Yet another lost cause.

Football and trouble are the only things that have ever come naturally to Silas. And it’s trouble that lands him in a cell next to do-gooder Dylan. He’s met girls like her before—fixers, he calls them, desperate to heal the damage and make him into their ideal boyfriend. But he doesn’t think he’s broken, and he definitely doesn’t need a girlfriend trying to change him. Until, that is, his anger issues and rash decisions threaten the only thing he really cares about, his spot on the Rusk University football team. Dylan might just be the perfect girl to help.

Because Silas Moore needs some fixing after all.

 

Pre-Order Links:
Other Fun Links:

 

If you haven’t read ALL LINED UP, the first book in the Rusk University series, what are you waiting for?!

Football Friday: Meet Ryan Blake plus a Giveaway!

GUYS. IT’S MAY.
THAT MEANS ALL LINED UP COMES OUT THIS MONTH!

If you haven’t heard about ALL LINED UP, you can check it out on goodreads. You can also read the first thirty four pages. AND… if you need more incentive, those who pre-order ALU and register here will give a BRAND NEW Garrick and Bliss scene Post-Losing It/Keeping Her. EVEN BETTER… you can now order your own signed paperback from Word Bookstore and get it on release day! So far I introduced Carson McClain, the heroine Dallas Cole, BFF slash Badass Stella Santos, and bad boys Levi and Silas.

And now I’m introducing Ryan Blake, team manager and Carson’s friend.
Ryan is a bit on the nerdy side, but he still loves sports and aspires to be an athletic trainer. When he and Carson become friends, he gives a much-needed bit of levity. Carson is so focused and determined that he’ll drive himself into the ground. Ryan helps him work towards his goal of becoming starting quarterback, but also helps him loosen up. Ryan is funny, shamelessly flirty, and extremely loyal.
Ryan is actually the hero of book three in the series, which I’m scheduled to start working on soon, and I’m so excited. I have a feeling I’m going to laugh A LOT in that book. 🙂
And that’s Ryan. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a signed ARC and meet him in person! (Or you know… in pages).

And if you’re heading to RT convention in New Orleans, or you live in the area, join me (and a bunch of other awesome authors) for a signing on release day (May 13th) at Garden District Books! 

 

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Words for Kerry: INKING HIM, a Garrick & Bliss short story

Last May I met an incredible group of women. 

Molly McAdams and I were doing a signing at a University bookstore in the Dallas area right after the semester had ended. So, of course, all those college students we’d been hoping to find were long gone.

But luckily, we didn’t have to sit alone in that Barnes and Noble because a few awesome fans came out to see us, including a group of women that had made a long drive from Oklahoma. I’ve since seen these awesome ladies at several signings (all of which were outside Oklahoma, but they made the trip anyway). You’ll even find them mentioned in the acknowledgments of SEEKING HER because they will forever and always hold a place in my heart and my memory.

Why?

Well, after that Dallas signing (which was only my 2nd or 3rd signing EVER if I remember correctly), we got to talking. They’d come so far, and the signing lasted less than an hour, and we wanted to hang out a little longer to make the trip worthwhile for them. Someone (it might have even been me) jokingly said we should go get tattoos. We looked around the circle, Molly and I shrugged because we both have and love tattoos. And we said, “Sure!”

So, we took to Yelp and found a nearby tattoo parlor that had good ratings, and we set off. And as we all sat in the tattoo parlor talking about tattoo ideas and looking at pictures and portfolios, one member of our group was the first to step up and into the tattoo chair.

Her name was Kerry (bottom left on the picture above), and she got this gorgeous tattoo of a four leaf clover that said “Luck of the Irish.”

I will always remember that day. Hell, I have ink on my skin that means I’ll absolutely never forget it. But today I’m writing because our friend Kerry has not been so lucky. A few months back, one of the other awesome tattoo ladies, Angela, reached out to me on Facebook with bad news. Kerry had had a seizure at work, and after a few terrible days and lots of tests, they found out she had stage four lung cancer that had spread to her brain. The tumors there were too risky to chance an operation, and a few days later, more tests revealed that the cancer had spread into even more parts of her body, including her lymph nodes, adrenal glands, and pancreas. Since then, despite chemo and other treatments, Kerry’s prognosis has continued to decline.

When Angela contacted me, I was so devastated for her and Kerry and their families. These women never fail to put a smile on my face when they show up at signings full of enthusiasm and love and unwavering support for the NA and Indie communities. I wanted to be able to do something special for Kerry, and I know LOSING IT was her favorite book of mine (Hamlet is her favorite character, in fact). So, between deadlines for books I wrote a Garrick and Bliss (and Hamlet) short story inspired by our first meeting. It’s called INKING HIM. And yep, you guessed it… Garrick gets a tattoo.

I wrote this story for Kerry, but I’m sharing it all with you in the hopes that you’ll help me give a little something back to her. The days ahead aren’t going to get any easier for Kerry and her family and friends. She’s exhausted, and they’re all in pain, and they could all use a little hope and love. And if you’re reading this, you most likely know the way that books (and book people) can touch and change your life. So, here’s what I would ask of you.

Using the hashtag #WordsforKerry on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram or wherever, post something for Kerry to see to help brighten up her day. It can be a cute guy with a cat, an inspiring or funny quote from a book you love, or just your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers for her and her family. As a community of book lovers, we might sit alone in our homes, reading our books alone, but I hope you’ll help me show this book lover that she’s not alone. It’s such a small thing, and I hope you’ll take the time to do that and show your support.

There are more ways you can help, too. You can email Kerry at dgroover4jb@gmail.com (or perhaps send your love by gifting an e-book that you love because those are better than cards anyway, am I right?). If you’re an author, blogger, or a reader who wants to send Kerry books or swag or anything else to brighten up her day, you can do so here:

Kerry Brown
C/O Kim Koumbis 1532 West Onyx Way 
Mustang, OK 73064

Or if you’d care to donate to Kerry and her family, they’ve set up a paypal account where you can easily contribute to the following email: dgroover4jb@gmail.com. If you don’t know how to send money via paypal, you can read instructions here. Even if it’s just $.99, the amount you would pay had I published this short story instead of posting it here, that can add up if enough people read and contribute.

Please know that this is me asking these things of you, not Kerry, or her family. I planned this with her friend without Kerry’s input in the hopes that the book community would reach out and give this wonderful woman back some of the love that she’s poured out over the years. And whether you’re donating to her family or just tweeting her a message, I’m thankful for whatever you’re willing to do.

Here’s the tattoo I got that day in Dallas:


It was inspired by one of my favorite books, Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. Specifically to remind me of this quote from the book:
 “Life’s all about the revolution, isn’t it? 
The one inside, I mean. You can’t change history. 
You can’t change the world. 
All you can ever change is yourself.” 



I wish I could do more for Kerry. I wish I could take away the pain and the stress and the fear. I wish I had more than words and prayers to offer her, but I’ll give her what I can. And I hope you’ll join me. And Kerry, I love you girl. Thanks for touching my life and loving my books and being such a beautiful person. I’m praying for luck and a revolution for you.

So without further ado, here’s Kerry’s story… INKING HIM:

I hope you enjoyed this little peek back into the world of Garrick and Bliss. And please don’t forget to spread the support using #WordsforKerry. And if you don’t mind sharing this blog post so more people can read and support, I would be so very grateful. Just so you know… this is not the same Garrick and Bliss short story that you’ll receive if you pre-order All Lined Up. That’s a separate campaign through my publisher that you can find out more about here.

Thanks again for stopping by and spreading the word! I appreciate it so much, and I know Kerry and her people do, too!

Football Friday: Meet Stella Santos & a GIVEAWAY!

We’re one week closer to the release of All Lined Up on May 13th! ARCS are out in the world, reviews are rolling in, and I’m SO excited. If you haven’t heard about ALL LINED UP, you can check it out on goodreads. You can also read the first thirty four pages. AND… if you need more incentive, those who pre-order ALU and register here will give a BRAND NEW Garrick and Bliss scene Post-Losing It/Keeping Her. So far I introduced Carson McClain, and the heroine Dallas Cole, and now it’s time to meet one of my FAVORITE characters!
Stella is confident and bold and knows exactly who she is. She’s always challenging Dallas to loosen up and have some fun, something she’s very good at having. She’s funny, and she’ll say whatever she’s thinking because she could care less what others think.
Basically, she’s everything I wish I was. 😉 And because I love her so much, she plays a pretty big role in the series as a whole.
And because I love you guys… a slightly longer teaser featuring Stella and Dallas before one of Carson’s games:
I pull out my phone to text Carson, but I don’t know what to say. I want to tell him something that matters, something big, but the only thing that comes to mind are those three little words that we are so, so not ready for.
I tell Stella as much, and she pauses in unwrapping a piece of gum to say, “I’ve got three different words for you. Winning = BJ.”
“Stella!”
She pops the gum in her mouth. “You said you wanted something big that matters. I think that qualifies.”
“You’re terrible. And no help whatsoever.”
“Speaking of big things…” Her slow-spreading smile reminds me for the thousandth time how different we are. “How big is it? You can tell me.” 

I hope you enjoyed meeting Stella! Enter to win a signed advanced copy below! And come back next week for more chances to win and to meet more characters from the series!
*cough* sexy football players up next *cough*

 

 

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Football Friday: Meet Dallas Cole & an ARC giveaway!

We’re one week closer to the release of All Lined Up on May 13th! ARCS are out in the world, reviews are rolling in, and I’m SO excited. If you haven’t heard about ALL LINED UP, you can check it out on goodreads. You can also read the first thirty four pages. AND… if you need more incentive, those who pre-order ALU and register here will give a BRAND NEW Garrick and Bliss scene Post-Losing It/Keeping Her. Last week, I introduced Carson McClain, the first of multiple sexy football player book boyfriends in my new Rusk University series.

Today, I’m giving you the skinny on our heroine.

I try to get a new perspective in each of my books in an attempt to make sure as many people as possible can “see” themselves in my books and characters. So, with Dallas… I wanted to take a different route from most NA books. One reason it’s so fun to write NA is that the characters are experiencing all kinds of new freedoms and getting to decide who they’re going to be for the rest of their life. For All Lined Up, I threw that out the window and decided to take a look at what college is like for those who don’t get to start over or get the freedom to do whatever they want. There are plenty of people who stay at home after they graduate high school, or go to college in the same town, or with people they knew from high school.
Dallas has spent her whole life surrounded by football.
All she wants from college is to get away and start fresh. She’s a dance major, dying for the day when her father doesn’t control her entire life, and she can move out of Texas and pursue what she loves.
Then she finds out her father has taken the open coaching position at Rusk University, and that escape she’d planned gets crushed by the same thing that always seems to screw up her life: football.
But you know… Dallas is a good ole Texas girl. We don’t just take things lying down. So, she sucks it up and heads to her first college party in an attempt to have some fun and blow off steam. That’s where she meets Carson McClain. He’s the kind of guy that can make a girl forget all about why she had decided to hate college.
Then she finds out he’s on her father’s football team. And, well… you see where this is going.
A little more about Dallas:
She’s feisty and direct (aka… brutally honest). That’s what happens when you’re raised by a football coach. She’s snarky and just a touch insecure (aren’t we all?). She’s unemotional and unattached and that’s how she likes it. She prefers to push all of her emotions into her dancing where they’re useful.
And that’s my Dallas. I can’t wait for you all to meet her. As a Coach’s daughter, it’s hard for me not to see myself in her, except, you know, way cooler than me.
And now that you’ve met Dallas, you can enter to win a signed advanced copy of All Lined Up!
And if you want to Pre-Order ALU, you get 10 extra entries in the giveaway (plus that new Garrick/Bliss bonus scene I mentioned)!

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FOOTBALL FRIDAY: Meet Carson McClain! Plus a Giveaway!

So, we’re less than six weeks out from the release of ALL LINED UP on May 13th. If you’ve been under a rock for the last couple months, it’s the start of a new series (the Rusk University series) all about college football. I grew up in Texas with a Coach for a father, so has a lot of me and a lot of my life in it. It’s so close to my heart, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

If you need a recap for what the book is about, here’s the synopsis:

ALL LINED UP Synopsis:
In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both.
 
Dallas Cole loathes football. That’s what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past.
 
But life doesn’t always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again.
 
Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It’s obliterated.
 
Dallas doesn’t know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn’t know that Dallas is his new coach’s daughter.
 
And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.

For the last month, I’ve been posting #FootballFriday stuff on my Facebook and Twitter (mostly consisting of attractive football players because THAT’S HOW WE DO). But today I wanted to go a little further and introduce you to one specific attractive football player.

His name is Carson McClain, and he’s the male main character in All Lined Up.

Carson is your all-American boy-next-door. He’s Texas born-and-bred with just a little bit of country in him. His best feature is his charming smile (because hot Southern boys always have a charming smile). Dallas is pretty partial to his arms, too. You know, with him being a quarterback and all.
Carson is focused and determined, and his number one goal? To be the starting quarterback for the Rusk University Football team. He puts in hours and hours of extra practice to make that happen, which is part of the reason why Dallas reacts like this when she sees him without his shirt on for the first time:
But more than how he looks, I just love Carson as a character. He’s thoughtful and sweet and funny. Here’s a few of my favorite Carson lines from the book:
 

I keep my eyes on my feet as he ask, “So, Daredevil, besides jumping off balconies, what other crazy things do you spend your time doing?”
“Hanging out in backyards with complete strangers, obviously.”
His blue eyes are practically twinkling when he nudges my shoulder and says, “I’ve had my hands up your skirt, Daredevil. I think that qualifies me as an acquaintance at least.” 

 
***
 

“You’re it for me. So run if you’d like, but I’ll follow. You can try to hold me at arm’s length, but I’ll never stop trying to pull you close. Be scared if you must, but you’re not going to lose me. Not unless your dad comes in and finds me here, then neither of us will have a choice. “

SQUEEEE!!! Well, now you’ve met my Carson. To me, he’s like a mix between Cade and Garrick, so if you’re fond of Golden Boy or British Boy, I think you’ll enjoy meeting this Country Boy. 🙂

If you haven’t already, please:

Add All Lined Up on Goodreads.
Pre-order your copy! Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks
Read the first three chapters here!

And for stopping by to meet Carson, you can also enter to win some Rusk University swag! This week I’m giving away a Rusk T-shirt! Enter via Rafflecopter below. And stop in next week to meet our heroine, Dallas. And for another chance to win swag from Rusk!

 

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