Love in Any Season (#romanceclass bundle 2)

bit.ly/loveinanyseason

FREE from July 31 to August 2

$0.99 until end of August

$2.49 regular price until end January 2015

FREE to read for Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited members

Sweet, contemporary romance by Filipino authors. Enjoy three new adult/chick lit novellas in one bundle! 

IN OVER HER HEAD BY ANNE PLAZA 

All she wants is to get even... 

Erika Apostol's quiet and unassuming life gets disrupted when she learns that Richard Javier, the very same person who broke her heart many years ago, is now back in the country. Her world is turned upside down as old feelings she thought were buried resurface to haunt her once more. 

Determined to give Richard a dose of his own medicine, Erika finds herself involved in an outrageous plan devised by her friends. They enlist the help of Jerome Gonzales, an attractive and charismatic DJ (with a playboy reputation), to pose as her significant other. 

As the plan goes in full swing, Erika discovers Richard's jealous side, and that there's something more to Jerome than meets the eye. Will this grand charade work out the way it should, or will she be left with nothing in the end? 

JUST A LITTLE RAIN BY JAYEN SAN DIEGO 

Samantha Soriano can make a love song come alive when she sings it, but all her true feelings are trapped inside. Jared's one of the cutest guys in school and when he befriends her anyway -- despite her being such a nobody -- she falls hard, but was content with keeping it a secret. When she decides to finally tell him, he surprises her with a request: He wants to date Claudette, her friend from childhood, and now the most beautiful girl either of them have ever seen. Would she help him? Should she? 

SAVE THE CAKE BY STELLA TORRES 

Eloisa Carreon, a 28 year old cake artist, works at her family bakery. She yearns for the independence she had while living abroad, but her cautious parents and over-protective brother monitor her every move. When she is tasked to create a masterpiece for a high society wedding, Eloisa meets handsome videographer Sean Alvarez, a cousin of the bride. They discover a shared worldly outlook on life and a mutual desire to escape the excesses of the nuptials. The attraction between them is undeniable, yet Eloisa is weighed down by family expectations and emotional baggage from the past. She must decide whether to take the risk and open her heart, or seek shelter in the bakery that binds her family together.

Cover designed by Tania Arpa, featuring Rhea Bue.

Guest post by Katrina Ramos Atienza: The story in your head

The story in your head
by Katrina Ramos Atienza

I was talking with a friend recently, an avid reader, and together we discovered -- or maybe articulated is the better term -- a key truth for people who love stories: we tend to view the world in narrative.

I know, I know, hardly earth-shattering. But as my friend and I were talking about this, we realized what this really means is that we tend to force the randomness of reality into the orderliness of a narrative.

Coincidences become plot. Something interesting a friend tells you informs your interactions with others. You pick out the elements of a conversation that fit in the story in your head, and suddenly a theme emerges. You say, oh cool, this week is all about unrequited longing. Or chasing after a dream. Or maybe even something as mundane as "everyone is getting married except for me."

Because a story is easy. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has tropes and archetypes and specific character beats. You know that conflict ends in resolution and that a story needs symmetry for balance. Bad things can happen, but you are warned, thanks to foreshadowing.

Real life, however, is hard. It's totally random and unbalanced. Conflicts hang in the air and never get solved. Things hit you without warning. Real life doesn't have a template, and you can't predict how a person will really behave.

How we impose a story on our lives is what You Caught Me On A Good Day deals with. The main character pictures himself in a movie, complete with soundtrack, as he goes about his day (oh God I am so guilty of this). Another character enters the picture, and it seems that his imaginary indie romance finally comes to life. Or does it?

And that's my story: Expectation versus Reality, and all that complications that ensue, in 10,000 words or so. Hope you enjoy it!


(PS: When I first finished this story I wasn't sure what to make of it or where it fit in. It was romance, but not the kilig light-hearted ones that are genre staples. The genre New Adult -- with its themes of exploration and discovery -- seems like a good fit.)

Katrina Ramos Atienza blogs at katrinaramosatienza.com. Read You Caught Me On A Good Day by getting All This Wanting on buqo. (http://bit.ly/ATWbuqo) 

Excerpt and ARC signup: The Harder We Fall

This is an excerpt from a book that I just finished writing. It's the first in my new series Spotlight, and it'll be out in a few months.

Read on for an excerpt! Hope it gets you interested. :)

====

At first it was a simple job. Could I clean him up a bit, use the water and the towel to rub at the places he couldn't reach? Of course. And why not. He straddled a bench, bent over, and only the telltale twitching of those corded muscles let on that this was stinging a bit. I had no experience cleaning up wounds and apologized every time.

His skin felt so warm.

“No one else is concerned about you?” Not that I was complaining, but his buddies didn't even call for a break.

“Nah,” he said. “This happens a lot.”

When the water ran out I pressed the damp towel one last time against the very edge of the injury, already clean, and even he probably figured out that I was stalling. “Do you have bandages or something?”

“How bad is it?”

“You probably don't want it infected.”

“Is it bleeding?”

“No.” The worst of the gashes looked bad, but had started to clot. “But I'm not the expert.”

“There's a first aid kit in the bag. If it'll make you feel better.”

Did he say that with a smirk? I didn't see it but sensed it was there, and threw one of my own toward the back of his head. Indeed there was a small bag in there with Band-Aids that looked tiny and inadequate when held up against the expanse of his back...but as cover-up for the wounds, they'd do.

“I avoided majoring in investigative journalism because of this,” I couldn’t help but say, because the silence was stretching out for too long. “But blood keeps pulling me back in.”

He laughed a little, making his back muscles ripple and I had to pause. “Should I apologize?”

“Oh no, not all. I guess I can’t help it if my destiny is this.”

“You’re doing fine.”

“Am I?”

“You have very talented hands.”

Oh seriously. He couldn’t possibly…

“Good strategy,” I said, “kissing up to the person who has her hands on your blood and guts.”

“I’m not kidding. I bet you’d be a better full-back than Wilson.”

“I’m sorry for Wilson, but thank you.”

“What were you supposed to be doing? Before my injury rudely interrupted you?”

But this wasn’t a rude interruption at all, I thought. If anything it would be my Monday highlight. “I thought I’d be reading up on travel guides to Switzerland, Turkey, maybe Vietnam this week, to be honest. And maybe extra light reading on malnutrition and school food programs.”

“And yet she’s found watching boys chase a ball.”

“I know. But it’s important too, by the way. This is still my ticket to the multi-country trip. I need you boys and your balls.”

He snickered again, and I had to lift my hands up entirely, regrettably breaking contact. But that laugh made me feel good, in other places.

“Your name is?” he said.

“Oh god. Daria. Kramer. Sorry.”

“Just so I can thank you properly, Daria.”

It took three Band-Aids to adequately patch him up, and I applied each one nice and slow. “Do you go here?”

“I used to. Graduated last year. I guess you really don't follow our team then.”

“Yeah but don't take it personally. I stayed away from all kinds of sports.”

Should I have been more into it? Sports attracted guys with gorgeous, strong backs like this one. Without realizing it I had strayed from the injured part of him and pressed my fingertips against his spine. It tensed along with his sudden intake of breath, and I didn’t move them again, higher, until he relaxed. Higher up this bridge that held together this wall of muscle, higher up toward faint marks of other bad days on the field.

He was otherwise clear, no tattoos. I could tell, from the touching. And looking.
“So is everyone banged up like you, or are you just lucky?” I said, close enough to hear the new laugh he suppressed in his throat. 

The Harder We Fall will be available worldwide in 2014. Sign up to get a digital ARC for review.

Follow Mina's board Daria and Nicholas on Pinterest.

(un)breakable blog tour: Interview with author Kesh Tanglao + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for (un)breakable by Kesh Tanglao! 

I first met Kesh when she joined #romanceclass last year -- and went on to write and publish The Real Score, a fangirl-fantasy (that's a thing right?) with a lot of heart. I saw how readers responded to it on social media, and love that despite her busy schedule Kesh has managed to released her next book. Because we want more Gezellig, yes?

For the blog tour, Dianne was able to arrange for a quick interview with Kesh. Here are her answers!

Congratulations on the release your sequel/spin-off to The Real Score! Can you describe what the reader reaction to the first book was like? 

Thanks! I honestly wouldn't have launched anything--even a sequel--had it not been because of the #romanceclass. So thanks, too, Ms. Mina! :) The reaction to The Real Score was overwhelming and amusing. I appreciated it that some people felt strongly about the story and about the characters. I also got tweets that the book made them cry! I'm sorry for that, but I got some weird authorly satisfaction that I made people cry.  

The Real Score took us places that Pinoy chick lit normally doesn't. Is there more traveling in this one? 

There are a few more mentions of different places, but the general setting is still in London. 

How soon after did you start writing again? 

A few months after The Real Score was released. To be honest, this one wasn't the one lined up! The sequel was supposed to be about Marcus and Caitlin, too, some sort of continuation of their story, but I think writing Lorin appealed to me. I was already 10,000 words in with the Marcus-Caitlin sequel when I dropped it for this one. 

There's a fandom aspect to your work that I love. How much of a fan are you of the things that you feature in your stories? 

I'd say very much? :) Fangirl enough to fall in line for 17 hours for concert tickets (and not even the actual concert!). Fangirl enough to actually go to games even if they're far away, and attend meet and greets. (Eep, I don't know why I'm doing it, either!) 

What's next for you? 

We meet another band in the next story (but the same universe as Gezellig), and then the last Gezellig book (it's just three, and I'm sorry if there are no stories yet for the other members!). 

Lorin Perez’s life is finally back on track after almost losing it six years ago. She knows meeting and dating sizzling hot professional rugby player Spence Clarke is a huge part of her healing process. But with her father starting a new family, she decides to follow her best friend Caitlin to UK–Spence’s home country–and start a new life.

However, moving to UK brings certain complications in the form of Gezellig band member Nigel Whitmore, a.k.a. the one who didn’t follow through three years ago. And even though Lorin is very clear about her no commitment rule, Nigel ignores this and pursues Lorin like never before.

Caught between the man who made her feel safe and the one who makes her feel alive, will she finally be able to set her heart free and make the right choice?

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22694739-un-breakable

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Kesh Tanglao

Kesh Tanglao is a full-time market researcher. When she’s not crunching numbers, she spends most of her free time watching TV shows, listening to music, and reading. Also a self-proclaimed fangirl, she likes cheering for her favorite sports teams and supporting her favorite artists.

Blog: http://sparksfire.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sparksfire_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeshTanglao
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/sparksfire

Sola Musica: Poster preview

The special project I'm working on with fellow chick lit authors Ines Bautista Yao, Marla Miniano, and Chinggay Labrador is coming along nicely. We've all written a story each, set in a music festival that doesn't really exist, and here's the poster (for the music festival that doesn't exist):

Designed by Martina Bautista.

The book will be out worldwide in August, in ebook and print editions! A preview of my story contribution Georgia Lost and Found is up on Wattpad, if you want to see what you're in for.

Excerpt: Love Your Frenemies

Taking off was harder than I thought it would be. Not the concept of it, but the execution.
   When I was younger I heard stories of teenagers who would run away. In my high school, I think a girl tried to do it. While it sounded easy in theory, I wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish. How exactly was she going to get money? How many bags of clothes could she bring? Where was she going to stay, and how long could she stay there before someone tipped off her parents and sent her back? And, what bothered me most -- what if her parents didn't want her back?
   On this topic Mom was the surprisingly reliable source of information. She didn't blink when I told her that I managed to get an MNL-LAX-MNL out of what would have been two honeymoon tickets to Seoul. When I complained about not being able to pack light, she peered at my luggage critically. It was large enough to fit a human being.
   "How long will you be away?" she asked.
   I shrugged. "My return trip's in six months."
   "You won't be spending Christmas here?"
   I didn't think of that. "I guess not."
   Christmas wasn't that big of a deal for my mother, I quickly told myself. I could remember a few Christmases in my teens when she wasn't around, either because she was on a cruise with my dad (in happier times) or with friends.
   She didn't make a big deal out of it. Instead, she started picking things out of my bag. It formed a small pile on the corner of my bed. No heavy winter clothes. Just a few pairs of pants, a simple skirt, a nice dress, tops in various earth colors, a sweater, some night shirts and underwear.
   "That's all you need," she said when she was done. "Anything else, you buy when you need it, or borrow. Do you have enough money?"
   "I think I have enough." Despite losing money on the wedding, I had enough saved up to live on, very simply, for a while.
   "It's never going to be enough. Call these people and stay with them if you're going to be around." She wrote names and numbers on a piece of paper -- her trusted cousin in San Francisco, a close friend in Illinois, a former business partner in Florida. "You know what to do when you run out."

   What went unsaid there was "Ask your dad" who was still our silent benefactor for when things went to shit. I never asked him for anything, but I suspected that he bailed us out a few times over the years.
   At LAX they decided to indeed give me six months in the US, and indeed the money was never enough. But at least there was novelty, and being in unfamiliar places, encountering strange and different things every day, was a healthy distraction for the most part.
   On this "sabbatical" I learned something too. I learned why my mom liked to take off. It cleared the mind, so it focused only on what mattered. I discovered what just might keep me sane when I made my way back to Manila, and the first step was to move out of my mother's house.

Buy Love Your Frenemies Amazon  Smashwords  Barnes & Noble  Kobo  Google Play  buqo

Reader Agreement 2014

Hi, Reader. Thanks for dropping by the blog.

I just updated my Publishing Strategy (posted yesterday). Maybe you're curious about what it means for you? This might help:

1. I don't expect you to read my books.
If you do, thank you. If you read more than one, thank you multiple times. I feel I have to say this though because I meet people at events, and they seem like they're not into romance novels, but they still compulsively tell me that they'll read my books.

How about this: Thank you, but you don't have to. If it's really not your thing. Authors want to be read, but deep down they probably don't want to be the assigned novel that everyone is dreading.

2. You are not required to do anything for me.
I will write and publish books as long as I have stories to write and publish. Even if no one buys them. I'm serious. (That sounds like a threat haha!)

Yes I may ask you to read, buy, recommend, or whatever, but you don't have to. No pressure. You don't owe me anything, and I think the best way for this relationship (between author and reader) to work is when we're both in it because you like reading my stuff, and I like writing it.

3. I will try my best to give you the reading experience you want, but I'm also a busy gal.
I'm a reader too and I understand that you like paper/will not read an ebook/don't have iOS/don't want to download a new app/don't have a credit card/prefer to buy from a bookstore/[add preference here]. I'm doing my best to make my books available in digital and print, on various platforms if digital, accepting all the payment systems available to you, or free even. But I can't be everywhere doing everything at once.

If you want to read my book, but can't, because it's not available where and how you want it -- email me? Let me know? I can probably put together a quick solution for you. Or bump it up my to-do list.

Are we good? You OK with all of this? Thank you. :)