Celebration, sale & visit me at the Brooklyn Book Festival!

September is here and with it come autumn sales, the Brooklyn Book Festival and renewed writing pushes. I'm hard at work on book three in my Art of Love romance series, tentatively called Girl and the Gamer. To help celebrate the series so far, Shades of Rose is running a three-day book blast and a great sale for the boxed set, which includes the first two books. It is marked down from $3.99 to $1.99! If you're curious about Book three, it has Sienna dashing back to her hometown in Pennsylvania to see her mom in the hospital, who is hanging on with a strange ailment. Sienna runs into some old friends and a very sexy former enemy, who is mind-blowingly different than he was when she knew him in middle school.

I'm signing at the Brooklyn Book Festival:
I will be signing Art of Love and Ruby's Fire paperbacks at the Brooklyn Book Festival from 4 to 6 on September 20 (this Sunday!). So come visit me at the Romance Writers of New York City booth if you're in the area. That's booth #250. It's adjacent to the corridor along the Brooklyn courthouse.
Buy the boxed set here. Limited time sale reduced to only $1.99 down from $3.99! The Shades of Rose Book Blast tour for the Art of Love Boxed set (links go live the day of)
*** Enter the Rafflecopter on any of these blogs to be in the running for a $20 gift card & an eBook of book one, Model Position***

September 14
Reading, Writing & Roses
Owltastic Promotions
Tamaria Soana
Ella Jade

September 15
Sweet Books
SapphyriasBookReviews
Star Angel Reviews
Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews

September 16
Harlie's Books
New Age Mama
Literary Nook

Giving you virtual hugs if you help spread word by tweeting about the book blast. 
Here are two pre-written tweets. Thanks!!!!!!!!!
1.
#Enter #Rafflecopter to #WIN $20 #giftcard & #ebook. Plus HUGE #Sale on #Sweet and #spicy #romance #boxed set!!! http://readingwritingandroses.blogspot.com/2015/09/art-of-love-books-one-and-two-by-kitsy.html 

2.
#Enter #Rafflecopter #WIN $20 #giftcard & #ebook. Plus HUGE #Sale on #Sweet & #spicy #romance #BoxedSet!!! http://www.owltasticpromotions.com/2015/09/art-of-love-books-one-and-two-by-kitsy.html

All About Young Adult Reader Appreciation Week!

It goes without saying that authors adore readers. Not just because they drive our book sales but because they inspire us in so many ways. Whether it’s great book discussions on twitter or awe-inspiring, witty book reviews on blogs, readers let authors know that all those countless, caffeine fueled hours of staring at a blinking cursor were not in vain. They challenge us to make our work better with every retweet and Facebook like.  Readers are truly an inspiration, and it’s about time we appreciate them.
That’s right! Next week is all about you, the readers. And while we're busy giving away tons of fantastic prizes both on twitter and our blog hop, we'll be introducing you to some of our favorite characters and novels. But let’s get to the good stuff first…the prizes.
What and How You Can Win:
There are two ways to win prizes during our YA Reader Appreciation Week. All week make sure to follow the Reader Appreciation authors on twitter because they'll be giving away a ton of swag. Not only will you get exclusive content from their latest works, but by hitting follow on twitter, you could win a ton of free books and book-related awesomeness.
Check out the Twitter loot:
Tiffany Truitt (@tiffanytruitt) – ebook of The Language of Silence
Shannon Alexander (@shanlalexander) - 4 Teal Toes prize packs (teal polish & teal nail kit in a teal burlap bag) and 1 Ugly Cry Reader Survival kit (tissues & Amazon gift card)
Danielle Graham (@drgrahambooks) - 1 eCopy of Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel, One eCopy of Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up by Sara Hantz, 1 Audio copy of NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden, 1 eCopy of HIT THAT AND YOU’RE DEAD by D.R. Graham
But the fun won’t just be going on in the twitterverse. Each day of the hop, you can enter to win a HUGE, HUGE prize pack of awesomeness. How? Just follow the hop and...
Enter the Rafflecopter for these Prizes:
Ebook of The Language of Silence by Tiffany Truitt
Ebooks of Colors Like Memory and The Chemistry of Fate by Meradeth Houston
Ebooks of Model Position and Private Internship by Catherine Stine writing as Kitsy Clare
Ebook of Love and Other Unknown Variables and a handmade math book magnet by Shannon Alexander
1 digital copy of Psi Another Day by D.R. Rosensteel, 
One digital copy of Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up by Sara Hantz, 
1 Audio Copy of NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden, 
1 Digital copy of HIT THAT AND YOU’RE DEAD by D.R. Graham
Ebooks of The Vulcan Legacies Series by Sasha Hibbs
Swag bag of “Talismans for the Journey" inspired by the novel HOW TO DROP A CLASS & FALL IN LOVE by Lisa Brown Roberts
Now to the hop. Each day the authors below will be talking all things YA and NA. And having fun doing it.

Monday (9/22) is Man Crush Monday.  Meet leading males of YA (& NA's) hottest new novels.
Catherine Stine hosts Kate Jarvik Birch
Sasha Hibbs hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Meradeth Houston hosts Sasha Hibbs
Lisa Brown Roberts hosts D.R. Graham
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Tiffany Truitt
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Catherine Stine
D. R. Graham hosts Meradeth Houston
Tiffany Truitt hosts Lisa Brown Roberts

Tuesday (9/23) is Transformation Tuesday. Find out how your favorite novels went from ideas to published works.
Catherine Stine hosts Meradeth Houston
Sasha Hibbs hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Meradeth Houston hosts Kate Jarvik Birch
Lisa Brown Roberts hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Tiffany Truitt
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts D.R. Graham
D. R. Graham hosts Catherine Stine
Tiffany Truitt hosts Sasha Hibbs

Wednesday (9/24) is Woman Crush Wednesday. Meet the leading ladies of hot new novels.
Catherine Stine hosts Tiffany Truitt
Sasha Hibbs hosts Catherine Stine
Meradeth Houston hosts Sasha Hibbs
Lisa Brown Roberts Meradeth Houston
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Katie Jarvik Birch
D. R. Graham hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Tiffany Truitt hosts D.R. Graham

Thursday (9/25) is Transformation Thursday. Find out more about the lives of some cool authors.
Catherine Stine hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Sasha Hibbs hosts D. R. Graham
Meradeth Houston hosts Tiffany Truitt
Lisa Brown Roberts Catherine Stine
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Sasha Hibbs
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Meradeth Houston
D. R. Graham hosts Katie Jarvik Birch
Tiffany Truitt hosts Shannon Lee Alexander

Friday (9/26) is First Look Friday. Get sneak peeks and exclusive content from our authors.
Catherine Stine hosts Shannon Lee Alexander
Sasha Hibbs hosts Meradeth Houston
Meradeth Houston hosts D. R. Graham
Lisa Brown Roberts hosts Tiffany Truitt
Kate Jarvik Birch hosts Catherine Stine
Shannon Lee Alexander hosts Sasha Hibbs
D. R. Graham hosts Lisa Brown Roberts
Tiffany Truitt hosts Katie Jarvik Birch

We hope you're as excited as we are to celebrate some YA and NA Readers! Help spread the word and check back on 9/22 for the start of the bloghop and tons of chances to win great loot! But WAIT…you can enter the giveaway today by following our authors and helping to spread the word. Click on the Rafflecopter below to find out more!

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The Realms Faire Begins! Play games all week and win big prizes.

Idea City announces the start of the Realms Faire, a weeklong event with super-fun games and big prizes! It's the brainchild of M Pax, and is now a part of the Untethered Realms author group's repertoire. Everyone is welcome to play! Play at least two of the games and you're eligible for the big Rafflecopter prizes: a Kindle or a big, fat bundle of UR author books, including dark fantasy, sci-fi, space opera, and ghost tales.
Click these links to play. And don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter below!
Joust
Drench a Wench/Soak a Bloke
Stockade Brigade
Dueling Bards
Phasers
Masquerade Parade
Collective Performance
Castle Jumble
Dragon Hunt

Follow the Untethered Realms blog for the schedule.

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Diamonds and Dust cover reveal from River Fairchild

Today Idea City is giving a sneak peek of River Fairchild's Diamond and Dust. Lush, gorgeous cover, eh? Here's a blurb:
Magic is real. So is betrayal.
Two heirs. A Kingdom of dust on a troubled world. One might resurrect it. One might destroy it all.
Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.
Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.
David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

The novel comes out on December 9th, but it's available now for pre-order! Find it here: Apple, B&N, Kobo

On another note, catch Graeme Ing's hilarious take on the bookstore of 2015 here.

And get ready to play some super-fun games at The Realms Faire, which starts this coming Monday! The grand prizes include a kindle and a fat bundle of ebooks!

I join Untethered Realms, Prizewinners & Most Popular Fantasy Hybrids

My fun and exciting news is that I joined the crew over at Untethered Realms! We're all speculative authors--some writing horror, others writing sci-fi, still others writing interesting blends of horror and paranormal. I've been wanting to join forces with a group of like-minded authors, but I thought it'd be wise to wait until it seemed really right, organic. I feel this way about our group. We blog about all things speculative, and I encourage you to follow the blog for news, writing tips, short fiction and much, much more. For instance, see what happens when a bunch of writers with big imaginations riff on the word awesomesauce.

Next, I have PRIZEWINNERS from the Ruby's Fire Tour! They are listed below in the completed Rafflecopter. Thanks to all who entered and signed on to my new newsletter, and author page. Congrats to all of the winners! If you missed the tour, click here to read guest posts and excerpts.

Finally, the question I asked in the Rafflecopter game was: What is your favorite fantasy hybrid invention? I created the following choices. Here they are, from most to least popular:
1st place: Smart Food that makes entire novels embed in your brain (By FAR the top choice!!!)
2nd place: Chocolate veggies
3rd place: Winged Men
4th place: Amphibious dolphin people
5th place: Embedded makeup

What have you been up to, and which hybrid is your fave?
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Memorable lines from novels-what's yours? And last week of Ruby Tour!

After you finish reading a novel, there are inevitably lines that keep on playing in your head. It's always fascinating to find out which lines people like best. Ruby's Fire is in its last week of touring with the fabulous Giselle of Xpresso Tours, and I'm really enjoying finding out what parts of Ruby the bloggers and readers find memorable. Here are a few:

Words Create Scenes favorite quotes:
"You start with the tools you have at hand, but you don't have to end up using those same tools."

"The sky drifts to that magic place where violet and orange blend in candy swirls over the horizon."

YA's the Word's favorite quote:

"It feels wrong to lean on Armonk right now with Blane staring at me, a hungry, lonely look in his eye. It’s as if he’s never been hugged, never been fed, never been loved.”

Lucinda from Goodreads's fave line:
"It makes sense that I ended up with the one who was a brute, yet blossomed into a sensitive, smart man. After all, I started as a drug-addled tease, whose method of connection was manipulation and seduction."

Lines that I like:
"I hate to admit that the flex and release of Blane’s substantial shoulders under his burn suit is mesmerizing me. So much so, that when he stops in mid-step I hurtle right into him."

"Thorn’s answer is a wide grin that spreads over his serious face, reflecting the crimson brilliance of the miraculous creature called Red."

"My arm is smarting. I turn it over gingerly to survey the damage, and gasp. It’s not bleeding red—rather some thin, greenish liquid. My insides freeze. “Armonk, I need to find that doctor now.”"

Do you have a favorite line from your novels? Or one from someone else's that keeps playing in your head? Tell us what it is!

Here is the lineup of stops in this last week of the Ruby's Fire tour. Links go live on the day of:

August 12th

Words Create Scenes >> Review

August 13th

Bookmarks, Spoilers and Happily Ever After >> Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek

Starbucks & Books Obsession >> Review

August 14th

-Fae Books >> Guest Post

-Read Books and Live Green >>  Review

August 15th

-Mousehead&tales >> Review

August 16th

-Marked By Books >> Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek

-Brooke Blogs >> Review

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Ruby's Fire Tour Kicks Off, July 29-Aug 16, mega prizes, including a Kindle!

The Ruby's Fire tour, sponsored by the fabulous Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours starts today and runs from July 29 through August 16! It's packed with reviews, juicy excerpts, posts on how to find and keep inspiration going, love triangles (Team Blane or Team Armonk), and interviews. Of course, we have epic prizes, including the grand prize: a Kindle with built-in WiFi and a USB charger tossed in as icing on the cake. Other prizes include a signed poster of Catherine's illustration of the flying Reds from Ruby's

Thorn's flying Reds,
from Ruby's Fire by Catherine Stine

Fire, and loads of free books and ebooks. Check to see which prizes are US/Can and which are INTL. So, without further ado, here's the lineup. Links will go live as the bloggers post. Enjoy hopping around and sampling, and do leave comments! We love getting feedback.

July 29th
YA’s the Word >>  Review
Lazy Day>> Excerpt
Christine’s Blog >> Review

July 30th
Jessabella Reads >> Interview
Escaping… One Book@ a Time  >> Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek: Ruby's Three Big Problems!
Comfort Books>>Review

July 31st
Simply Infatuated >> Interview
M. Pax >> Review
Seeing Night Reviews >>  Review

August 1st
The Indigo Quill >> Interview
Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile >> Guest Post: How do You Create Your Characters?

August 2nd
Share My Destiny >> Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek
Nazish Reads >> Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek

August 5th
JeanBookNerd >>  Guest Post: Fiction that Inspired You and its Effect on Ruby's Fire

August 6th
Whimsically Yours >> Interview

August 7th
Feed Your Fiction Addiction >> Review
alwaysjoart >>  Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek

August 8th
Donna Galanti >>  Post: Extreme Beauty-Pleasure, Power, Peril

August 9th
FlutterealFlight >>  Review
Rally the Readers >> Review of Ruby's Fire & bonus review of Fireseed One

August 12th
Words Create Scenes >> Review

August 13th
Bookmarks, Spoilers and Happily Ever After >> Excerpt/Special Sneak Peek
Starbucks & Books Obsession >> Review

August 14th
Fae Books >> Guest Post: What Inspires You to Write?
Read Books and Live Green >>  Review

August 15th
Mousehead&tales >> Review

August 16th
Marked By Books >> Sneak Peeks & BONUS mini-review!
Brooke Blogs >> Review

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Huge Giveaway & Chocolate Blogfest, Two Treats in One!

Idea City has two exciting events: a giveaway and a blogfest! First, we invite you to help celebrate fellow blogger and author Sheri Larsen’s signing with Literary Agent Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary! As you know, Sheri has an awesome blog called Writers’ Ally. And because she thinks that our literary community is so freaking fabulous, she has decided to have a Bigger-Than-A-Shopping-Mall GIVEAWAY!! You only need to enter one Rafflecopter for a prize. Enter all three and you have a shot at the grand prize. The giveaway’s open until September 27. Winners will be chosen on September 28.

And now for the What’s Your Chocolate Blogfest that M Pax, Laura Eno, Brinda Berry and Ciara Knight are running. Chocolate, ahhhh, the essential treat that we writers need by our side, along with a hot cuppa joe, for long writing stints. They want us to relay a chocolate memory, or reveal what our fave chocolate is. The memory that sticks in my mind, (literally), was when I was around ten, and my dad took me to the Philadelphia Orchestra. I had on a fancy dress and brand new pink wool coat. He bought me a Swiss chocolate bar, which I half unwrapped, in order to start munching along to the violins and horns. Well, I guess the Beethoven, or whatever it was got pretty distracting, because the next thing I knew, I couldn’t find the chocolate bar anywhere! 
After the concert, as we stood up to walk out, my dad gasped. I spun around, and he pointed to my back. The chocolate bar had melted onto the right seat of my pink coat! Talk about embarrassed! To read other chocolate tales jump over to M Pax’s list of participants here.
But first, don’t forget to enter Sheri’s three giveaways and leave a chocolate-inspired comment on your way out. Everyone who does gets a virtual Hershey’s Kiss. Thanks!

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Click to open the last-a grand prize entry

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