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Tag: Other People’s Books

Guest Post: Gehna Banga

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Hey there, Trout Nation! Every now and then I hand the blog over to another author who wants to tell you about their book. Today, Gehna Banga is here to tell you about her book, Run Your Fingers Through My Soul.

The cover of "Run Your Fingers Through My Soul", featuring a young woman with pale skin and red hair, wrapped in sheets.

I’m Gehna Banga, a final year law student of ICFAI Law School, Hyderabad, India. I aspire to become a corporate, funds, fashion and luxury goods lawyer. I’m a sucker for fresh air with a serious case of wanderlust. I love painting, dancing and high fashion. I am infamous for being too ambitious and assertive. Well, the most important trait that I know about myself today and want others to be aware of is that I love surrounding myself with people who are aspiring and I personally want to be a force or inspiration behind someone’s happiness, success and growth. Inspiring others to achieve their goals exactly how they want it is my new off field job.

Run your fingers through my soul is my autobiography to be precise and not a novel. It is a memoir of a 23 year old whose recent terrible breakup and previous relationships with her friends, boyfriends, classmates and family helps her realize that she genuinely wants to be in love, something she took too casually before, but finds really hard to attain.
In this process she meets someone who changes her life completely and helps her repose her trust back in being able to love again and be loved again. She also realizes who she is truly is in this entire process, how she wants her life to shape up, what sort of a man she wants to marry and how she is going to get each of the things she desires.
None of this comes easy, she learns the Law of the Universe, power of her thoughts, energies and vibes. She also fights depression and the world to break conformity, body image issues, shields herself from negative thoughts and stands up confidently for all her thoughts.

Most importantly she realizes as a repercussion of all her terrible body shaming experiences especially by the man she loved so much and people she thought were her friends that none of us ever owe an explanation to anybody for why we look like whatever we look like and finally begins to love herself exactly for who she is. All of this helps her and teaches her how to maintain a healthy state of mind, why it is so important and that mental health is a taboo in the society she lives in.

The book focusses a lot on the following hastags
‪#‎Romanticmemoir‬ ‪#‎depression‬ ‪#‎bodyimage‬ ‪#‎bodyshaming‬ ‪#‎loveyourself‬ ‪#‎breakconformity‬ ‪#‎womenneedtostandupfortheirthoughtsandrights‬ ‪#‎goodvibes‬ ‪#‎powerofyourthoughts‬ ‪#‎powerofenergies‬ ‪#‎fightnegativeenergies‬
It is my attempt to expose everyone irrespective of what age one belongs to that your thoughts have power, mental health is important, body shaming needs to stop, women need to stand up for their thoughts and society needs to change the mentality of certain men in order to avoid women being discriminated against or raped or sexually harassed and that the success and achievement of all your goals in life is a manifestation of your mindset, thoughts, energies and vibes and not your efforts, background or physical appearance. We control our lives and what happens to us.

You can find out more about Run Your Fingers Through My Soul on Facebook, and you can find the book on Amazon.

DRAWN THAT WAY, by Bronwyn Green

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Hey there, Trout Nation! Here’s another title from the anthology that got flattened under an avalanche of writer politics bullshit not too long ago! This one comes from #MerlinClub member and the Ann Perkins to my Leslie Knope, Bronwyn Green.

Drawn that way

Tristan Weaver, accountant for a successful video game company, is in way over her head. Honestly answering a company-wide survey and criticizing the sexist stereotypes used in the company’s games was enough to catch her boss’ attention.  But speculating on his sex life within his earshot has unexpected consequences when her hot, but nerdy, boss invites her to model for him.

Owner, artist and lead developer of Brecken Games, Rory Brecken, has a strict no fraternizing with employees rule. However, when he overhears Tristan’s conversation with her friend about his rumored kinks and begins to suspect her curiosity about the submissive side of sex, he’s more than a little tempted. When her interest is undeniably confirmed, he suggests a onetime only, colleagues-with-benefits hook-up.

Though neither want a relationship, once isn’t enough for either one of them. As their encounters become more intense, Rory makes a huge mistake that may cost him the woman he’s coming to love.

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • All Romance Ebooks • iBooks

Drawn That Way is the second book in the Bound series, which Bronwyn is writing with Jessica Jarman. It can be read as a stand alone, though I heartily recommend Jarman’s London Bound, as well.

Read on for an excerpt of Drawn That Way.

Jealous Hater’s Book Club: Apolonia Chapter 6

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FLASHY GIF WARNING: There is a flashy gif in here. It’s not so flashy that it triggered any events for me, but you know your stuff better than I know your stuff, so heads up, there’s a picture with blinky text on it. It’s David Tennant, and it comes after two pictures of me looking alternately hopeful, then angry.

This book was a finalist in the GoodReads Reader’s Choice awards this year.

For best science fiction.

DoctorFacepalm

 

Wednesday Blogging: These are a few of my favorite things, book edition.

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I hate, loathe, and despise telling people what my favorite things are, but I’ve made a commitment to this Wednesday blogging thing and damnit, I’m going to keep it.

The reason I hate telling people about my favorite things is that I’m inconsistent and my “favorites” often change. There are a few that never change:

Les Miserables, Victor Hugo. I only read this book because when I was twelve, I saw the musical. I wanted to read the book, so I went to the library and got this woefully abridged version– and when I say “woefully abridged,” I mean the whole beginning of the book with Bishop Myriel meeting the revolutionary was gone, the passage about Waterloo, so much of it was missing. One of my teachers saw me reading this totally useless version and said, “You know, there’s a better translation.” In the past twenty years, I’ve read Les Miserables from cover to cover fourteen times, and it gets better every time.

Moby-Dick, Herman Melville. I’ve liked this book since high school, but I wasn’t as in love with it as I am now until my honeymoon. My husband and I went to the Berkshires for our honeymoon, and while we were there we visited Arrowhead and a few other sites Herman Melville had frequented with his “friend” Nathaniel Hawthorne. I reread Moby-Dick and Billy Budd and researched more about Melville’s personal life, at which point I was like, “Wow, this dude was totally gay, and he was expressing it in his work.” It gave his writing, those two pieces in particular, a completely different depth, and I’ve become a little obsessed with Melville and Hawthorne. I guess you could say I ship them. Since this huge revelation wherein I figured out what literally millions of people had already picked up on before me, I’ve read Moby-Dick several times, but I do skip over some of the whale biology.

The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice Do I really need to give an explanation for this one? It’s Lestat. It’s Lestat. While I agree with critics who say the series began to decline with The Tale of The Body Thief, I am in this for the long haul. Because Lestat.

Those are three favorites that will never change, unless I get some kind of personality changing injury in the future. But I’ve got this habit of saying, “This is my favorite [blank],” about stuff that a few years later I’m “meh” about. Or, I look back on it fondly, but I’m not as in love with it as I once was. Examples of these books are:

The Vampire Diaries series, L.J. Smith Can I just say right off how fucking shitty it is that they kicked L.J. off the franchise that she’d made popular the second it got a frickin’ TV show? Anyway, I’ve grown and changed from the tween who devoured these books, but I still look back and remember the good times we had. They really influenced my own writing, too, so I’ll always like them.

New Moon, Stephenie Meyer Okay, I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t care. I loved the Twilight series when it came out, then I hated it after Breaking Dawn, then I read 50 Shades of Grey and I love it again because Edward is cast in a way better light when compared to Christian Grey. But New Moon was the best book of the entire series. I lived Bella’s breakup. I laid on my couch and cried when they broke up. I will always love this book out of a sense of nostalgia, even though in hindsight they’re all pretty silly.

And then there are recent favorites I worry about including and somehow slighting or hurting the feelings of the other books on the list. Which is silly, but I just imagine Jean Valjean going, “What do you mean this book is your favorite? Don’t you love me anymore?” and my heart crumples into a thousand pieces. But these are what I like to call my current favorites, since it doesn’t require a commitment that might hurt Jean Valjean’s feelings:

A Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin I am one hundred percent obsessed with this series. I’ve mentioned before that I know the geography of Westeros better than the geography of my own country, and I feel no shame about that. Granted, it’s taken me over a year to finish A Dance with Dragons, but that’s not a reflection on the writing, it’s because I got to page 913 and threw the fucking thing against the wall in a blind, wailing rage.

Lux series, Jennifer L. Armentrout I am always the last person to catch on to any freaking trend, I swear. I just recently gave the first book in this series a try, and then I got sucked in. It’s everything I loved about Twilight with nothing I disliked about Twilight. The heroine, Katy, has an actual personality. The hot guy has a legitimate reason he needs to protect her, rather than just, “You’re a weak human, let me help you, weak human.” Plus, it’s a paranormal YA that isn’t about your traditional monster. I’m shotgunning this series.

The thing that I really hate about these favorites lists is, I have too many favorites, I guess. I’m looking at my keeper shelves right now and going, “But what about All The Sweet Tomorrows by Bertrice Small? What about Into The Forest by Jean Heglund? What about Ian McEwan’s Atonement or Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes? And how could I possibly leave Stephen King off the list?”

Well, that last question is pretty easy to answer. Stephen King is in his own class. If we do a Wednesday Blogging topic about our favorite Stephen King books, I’ll be ready to go.

Want to fill yourselves with other Wednesday Blogger favorites? Check them out:

Gwendolyn Cease • Bronwyn Green • Jessica Jarman • Kris Norris • Kellie St. James
Tessa Grant

IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU cover reveal and giveaway!

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Today, authors Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman, and Jenny Trout unveil the cover of their upcoming anthology:


If Ever I Would Leave You
(July, 2014)


Keep reading for a chance to win an Arthurian-themed DVD prize pack or a $25 Amazon gift card!


Surfacing
Bronwyn Green


A year after Tabby Nolan’s sister vanished from the Lake Michigan shore with her boyfriend, Liam, Tabby visits the spot where the two were last seen– and finds herself pulled into the crumbling world of Avalon.


Since his disappearance, Liam has been trapped in the mythical land, with no link to the world he knew. Now, their shared memories of Tabby’s missing sister are all they can cling to as Avalon dies around them.


But Tabby doesn’t want to be a replacement for her sister, and her growing attachment to Liam feels like a betrayal. As Avalon fades around them, Liam and Tabby must rely on each other– or be lost with the ancient kingdom forever.


Albion’s Circle: The Deepest Cut
Jessica Jarman


For nineteen years, Anna has been plagued by dreams of lives lived only in legend. Finally free from the family that believed her hopeless and worthless, she’s ready to start her life over—alone.


When Anna meets an enigmatic stranger claiming to be the legendary wizard Merlin, she is forced to question the very reality she’s struggled to accept. With the mythic figures from her dreams intruding on her waking life, Anna learns that she’s been reborn to fight an ancient evil alongside King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.


Caught in an ages old conflict, Anna is the key to stopping a dark magic that will destroy the world—and Merlin wants to make sure that this time, Anna isn’t alone.



A Choice Fit For A Queen
Jenny Trout
writing as
Abigail Barnette


For perpetual overachiever Madison Lane, a summer studying Arthurian mythology in the Welsh countryside with professor Thomas Evans is a dream come true, and the adventure of a lifetime.


Of course, the enormous crush Madison developed on the professor after a semester of his lectures at U of M has absolutely nothing to do with her desire to learn more about the enduring legend of Camelot. At least, that’s what she’s telling her parents.


When Madison meets fellow student Rhys Crewe, sparks fly, throwing her plans for wild fling with Professor Evans completely out of whack—as do her unexpectedly complicated feelings for Thomas. With tales of Arthur and Lancelot haunting her every waking moment, Madison has to make the most difficult choice of her life.



 
Jessica Jarman is an author, blogger, and rather
obsessive fangirl. Having grown up in Upper Michigan and currently living in Minnesota, she is a Midwestern girl through and through. And wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Jessica isn’t working to get words on the page, she passes the time with her amazing husband and four children, attempting to be crafty (and failing miserably), squeeing uncontrollably over her favorite shows or curling up with a good book. 


 
Bronwyn Green is an author, blogger and compulsive crafter. She lives Michigan with her husband, two sons and three somewhat psychotic cats. When not frantically writing, she can be found helping in her youngest son’s classroom or binge-watching Netflix while working on her latest craft project.



Abigail Barnette (Jenny Trout) is a writer, blogger, and funny person. She has written award winning and bestselling erotic romance as Abigail Barnette. Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to strangle her. Visit her on twitter (@Jenny_Trout) or at her blog, jennytrout.com.


 

 


Click Here & Enter to Win an Arthurian-themed DVD pack or a $25 Amazon gift card! 

Guest blog: Lisa Orchard on behalf of VolunTEEN Nation

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Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you! I’m Lisa Orchard the author of the bestselling Super Spies series. I’m here today to share with you an exciting project that I’ve been working on; it’s called “Books on Base.” Books on Base Logo

The purpose of “Books on Base” is to gather children’s books and donate them to our military bases. I’m working in conjunction with VolunTEEN Nation on this project. VolunTEEN Nation is an organization that encourages teens to volunteer. They have volunteer opportunities throughout the United States. To learn more about this wonderful organization click this link http://www.volunteennation.org/

We’re hoping to improve the selection of books for the young people whose parents are serving our country. As we all know by improving the libraries, we’ll improve the literacy levels of those bases. Check out this blog post for the proof: Improving our libraries will improve our literacy levels.

What a wonderful way to show our support of our troops by donating books to their
libraries. I’m going to be making a donation. How about you?

If you’d like to make a donation, you can send your children’s paperbacks to this address:

VolunTEEN Nation
500 South Meramec Ave
St. Louis, MO 63105

The covers, blurbs, and buy links from my own books are below. They’re great reads for the tweens and teens in your life!

Got a book out, Trout Nation?

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Hey there, Trout Nation. It occurred to me, when twitter conversating with author Kelsey Jordan,  that many of you are also authors. And that’s fantastic. And I realized that, hey, I could be doing more to spread the visibility around. Since so many of you guys have pushed links to the Buffy recaps and the 50 Shades tragedy, I should really try and return the favor.

So this is the first “shamelessly promote your work in the comments” post. I’m going to try and remember to do these once a month. But there are gonna be rules:

1. One comment per author.

2. You must include a buy-link.

3. Don’t promo your book or put buy-links in replies to another author’s comment.

Pretty simple, right? Go to town!

Oh, but before you do, go check out this awesome interview and giveaway with the aforementioned Kelsey Jordan, who gave me the idea in a roundabout way.