Happy Labor Day to all. Hope that everyone enjoys the final holiday of the summer. Have a cookout, enjoy a day by the pool or lake, hang out with friends and family.
And then let’s get ready for fall and football.
Hope everyone has a good day!
Guest blog: Mandy Baxter on U.S. Marshals …
Today, I am happy to welcome Mandy Baxter (aka Amanda Bonilla) to my blog. Mandy’s new romantic suspense book, One Night More, comes out on Sept. 2. As Amanda Bonilla, she writes the Shaede Assassin urban fantasy series.
Q&A WITH MANDY BAXTER
Jennifer: Welcome, Mandy! Please tell readers about your upcoming release, One Night More.
Mandy: Thanks for having me on your blog, Jennifer!
Jennifer: This is the first book in your U.S. Marshals series. Can you tell us a little about the series?
Mandy: The U.S. Marshals series focuses on a new hero and heroine in each installment. Each marshal is on a case that the heroine is involved with in one way or another. My poor heroes are torn between duty and love and they try to close out the cases they’ve been assigned to work on, while protecting the women they’ve come to love.
Jennifer: What appeals to you about the romantic suspense genre?
Mandy: I’m an action movie junkie! Writing RS is fun because I get to channel my inner action movie star. It’s the perfect combination of romance and action!
Jennifer: What inspired you to write the U.S. Marshals series?
Mandy: I’m a huge fan of the series Justified. Not to mention the fact that Timothy Olyphant is yummy! I’ve always been intrigued by the marshals service so it was a natural fit when I started working on a proposal for a romantic suspense.
Jennifer: What are some of your favorite romantic suspense books/authors and why?
Mandy: There are so many great authors/books out there! I love Julie Ann Walker, Julie James, and Carolyn Crane to name a few. I love their snappy dialog, unique voices, and blend of action and steamy romance.
Jennifer: Have you always wanted to be a writer? What got you started on your writing journey?
Mandy: Definitely! I started writing when I was sixteen. I played with it off and on for a couple of decades. LOL. Then, one day I decided that if I really wanted to be a writer that I needed to sit my butt down and finish something. After I finished my first book, I was hooked. I just kept writing and writing and writing. I doubt I’ll ever be able to quit.
Jennifer: You also write urban fantasy as Amanda Bonilla. Will you be writing more books in your Shaede Assassin series?
Mandy: I’m definitely going to see Darian’s story through to the end. I’ll be publishing a novella in November and book 5 will be out next spring. The series will end at six books, though I’ve been tinkering with the idea of spin-off books for some of my favorite characters that I can’t seem to let go of.
Jennifer: What were some of the challenges of writing in a new genre?
Mandy: It took me a bit to get comfortable writing 3rd person, multiple point of view. I was so used to writing in 1st person that it felt foreign. In the past, my books have had an emphasis on action/plot with romance being secondary. It took me a while to get used to making the romance/sex the primary focus of the story. Not that I’m complaining. Hehe.
Jennifer: What’s next for you? What are you working on?
Mandy: I have a pretty full plate at the moment. I’m working on getting the next two books in the U.S. Marshals series ready for publication as well as a PNR series for St. Martin’s Press that will be released next year. I’m also plugging away on the Shaede Assassin series. No rest for the wicked! LOL!
Thanks again for having me as a guest on your blog, Jennifer!! XOXO
MORE ABOUT MANDY
Mandy Baxter lives in rural Idaho. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshiper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. She loves black clothes, pink appliances and thinks junk food should be a recognized food group. In the summer, she can be found sitting by the lake, enjoying the view from her dock.
For more on Mandy’s books, visit her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
GIVEAWAY TIME
Mandy is offering a print copy of One Night More. You must be 18 or older to enter/win. The giveaway is open to U.S./Canada residents only. To enter, use the giveaway form below.
Checking out the TBR pile …
So I thought I would share some books that are waiting in my TBR pile and some others that I am looking forward to that are being released soon. Silly work, getting in the way of my reading time. LOL.
Note: The descriptions are from Goodreads.
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The capital has fallen.
The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.
Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.
Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.
Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.
Wake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe
Twenty years ago, a barmaid in a harbor town fell for a young sailor who turned pirate to make his fortune. But what truly became of Black Edward Tew remains a mystery—one that has just fallen into the lap of freelance sword jockey Eddie LaCrosse.
For years, Eddie has kept his office above Angelina’s tavern, so when Angelina herself asks him to find out what happened to the dashing pirate who stole her heart, he can hardly say no—even though the trail is two decades old. Some say Black Edward and his ship, The Bloody Angel, went to bottom of the sea, taking with it a king’s fortune in treasure. Others say he rules a wealthy, secret pirate kingdom. And a few believe he still sails under a ghostly flag with a crew of the damned.
To find the truth, and earn his twenty-five gold pieces a day, Eddie must take to sea in the company of a former pirate queen in search of the infamous Black Edward Tew…and his even more legendary treasure.
Release date: Sept. 2
Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.
While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?
What’s in your TBR and what books are you looking forward to as we get closer to fall?
August movies, here I come …
Note: I blogged about this last week over at Magical Musings but wanted to share it on my own blog as well.
Going to the movies is a summer pastime for many folks. Comedies, action-adventure flicks, snacks. They’re all good. And I don’t know about you guys, but I certainly enjoy the dark and the air conditioning at the movies after all the bright, hot, humid days. It’s definitely a bonus.
Is it just me, but are all the good movies coming out in August this year? I just haven’t been all that excited about most of the movies that have come out so far this year.
I’ve seen tons of trailers, but very few movies have interested me enough to go see them in the theater. Except for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was awesome.
But August? It’s loaded with movies that I want to see — Guardians of the Galaxy (playing now); The Expendables 3 (releases Aug. 15); and, yes, even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (playing now).
So what appeals to me about these three movies in particular? They just look like fun. Guardians of the Galaxy looks like a zany superhero movie set in space. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles looks like a zany superhero movie with teenage mutant ninja turtles. And The Expendables 3 stars every action hero who hasn’t already been in the first two Expendables movies.
Plus, action movies are my favorite, and all three of these should have plenty of action, especially The Expendables 3. If you’ve seen the first Expendables movie, you know that the franchise features car chases, fights, and explosions galore.
Plus, it’s still summer, and I want to be entertained before we all buckle back down for fall.
What about you guys? What movies are you looking forward to? What’s the best movie you’ve seen so far this year?
Re-watching Saved by the Bell …
Note: I posted about this a couple of weeks ago over at Magical Musings, but I thought I would share the post here too.
Every summer, I pick out a TV show to watch. Sometimes, it’s a new show that I’ve heard folks buzzing about. But more often than not, I chose an old TV show — either something that I remember watching as a kid or something that I always wanted to watch and just never had time to.
In previous summers, I’ve re-watched The A-Team, which was my absolute favorite show as a kid. And yeah, probably as an adult too. LOL. I’ve also watched all eight seasons of Magnum P.I., which was escapist fun, and I’ve checked out the first season of Miami Vice, which was way darker and more depressing than I thought it would be.
This summer, I decided to re-watch Saved by the Bell.
As a kid, I loved Saved by the Bell, especially Mr. Zack Morris. I was totally Team Zack from day one. Seriously, Kelly, why did you spend so much time dating Slater? Zack was always so much cooler.
I have fond memories of Zack and the gang and all their hijinks, and I remember a lot of the episodes. Seriously, a lot of them. I don’t know if my memory is that good, or I just watched the episodes that many times as a kid. Probably a little of both.
But it’s interesting going back and watching the show now. I’ll admit that some of it makes me cringe — the bad fashions, the cheesy jokes, how mean everyone was to Screech.
But you know what? I still really like the show. If nothing else, it’s a chance to look back fondly on something fun and goofy from my childhood. And I think we could all use a little more fun and goofy in our lives, don’t you?
What about you guys? Are there any shows you want to check out or re-watch this summer?
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