ALL I WANT
THREE STORIES. THREE COUPLES. ONE HOLIDAY.
Pretty Near Perfect
by Jolene Perry
The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone – especially in her deceased fiancé's parents' home. Collin’s starting a new career, and has no business getting involved – especially while staying with his roommate’s family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don’t always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.
Six Days of Christmas
by Kaylee Baldwin
When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend’s brother - someone who makes her question everything she’s always thought she wanted.
Twist of Fate
by Rachael Anderson
When a postcard meant for Kenzie winds up in Ty's mailbox, Ty's faced with a decision. Should he tell her that her fiancé is breaking up with her and let it ruin her favorite holiday, or should he do what he’s wanted to do since he met her - make a move and hope that he can win her over before she discovers there won’t be a wedding after all.
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Kindle Ebook * Paperback
Author Jolene Perry
Jolene Perry is an enigmatic figure. She is most often seen behind her laptop, staring at the words flying onto the screen with reckless abandon.
She survived growing up in rural Alaska, driving like a lunatic, and her husband’s careers in the military, as a perpetual student, and an Alaska State Prosecutor. She also survived as a middle school math teacher using her degree of Political Science and French.
One day Jolene was playing her guitar (probably some-thing juvenile for her kids) when she wondered what it would be like to write a song for a rockstar, and her first book was born. (that book is shelved)
She now lives a very glamorous life as a stay at home mom, elbow deep in dirty dishes and peanut butter sandwiches. She doesn’t even attempt to keep up with the laundry because non-writing time is precious, and her family is sorta awesome.
Where were you born and where do you call home? I was born in Anchorage, Alaska and now live in Wasilla. But I did live out of state for about 10 years.
Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life? I do this ALL the time, but I use a person or an experience as motivation or as a starting place. I never copy people exactly as I see them or events exactly as they happen, but life experiences totally come into play.
Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover? I prefer to read ebooks, but I love having a bookshelf full of gorgeous books, so the cover is the deciding factor for me. I've never liked hardback books - I think they look really pretty on my shelf, but they're awkward to read.
Are you a self published (Indie) Author? I am an everything author. I have two national contracts w/ big publishers - Misplaced comes out in fall 2013, and Used To Be comes out in spring of 2014. I have an incredible agent, Jane Dystel, who is perfectly comfortable with me continuing to self-publish. And my first book came out with Cedar Fort, which I did without an agent. So yes. I publish everywhere.
Have you ever read a book more than once? Harry Potter. Jane Austen. And there are a few I have stored that I plan to read again. When I'm bored, or not sure what to read next, I'll open my favorite books and go to my favorite scenes, does that count?
Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version? The only movie I've seen that was better than the book was The Princess Bride.
What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)? I'm reading The Raven Boys in hardback right now. My friend gave me a gift card and that cover was too beautiful to not have on my shelf.
What is the best advice that you have ever been given when it comes to writing? This is not rocket science or curing cancer. It's important to take yourself seriously enough that you're putting out a quality product, but writing should be FUN, and we all have to step back once in a while to remember that.
Do you write under a pen name? Misplaced is written under the name Mia Josephs, and I have two collaborations that are going on submission to publishers soon that were written under the name MJ Perry.
Do you ever write in your PJ’s? I sometimes come home from dropping kids off at school and change BACK into my pajamas to write. Best. Job. Ever.
Links:
Website * Twitter * Blog * Facebook
Author Rachael Anderson
Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.
Top 10 Holiday Settings for a Book
(Assuming I ever write another holiday story. :))
1. New Zealand (It would give me an excuse to finally travel there.)
2. Alaska (Only a few hours of daylight/day during winter? Might be cool to write about. And again, I've always wanted to go there.)
3. Switzerland. The Alps, definitely.
3. New York City, for obvious reasons.
4. Whistler Blackcomb (An epic ski resort in Canada.)
5. The Caribbean. (A warm, sandy beach for Christmas? I'd take it. :))
6. Iceland. (How cool would that be?)
7. Ireland. (I've always wanted to set a book there and would love to learn about their holiday customs.)
8. A small town in Montana. (LOVE small town settings.)
9. The North Pole. (Okay, so not really.)
10. Utah. (So much easier to write what you know, and Utah's pretty cool.)
Links:
Facebook * Website * Twitter
Author Kaylee Baldwin
I grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University
with a degree in English literature.
I currently live in southern Arizona with my husband, Jeremy, and our three children. When I am not writing, I enjoy reading, starting new craft projects, and spending time with my family.
What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say? My most recent book is called Six Days of Christmas from the All I Want collection. It is about a girl who has her structured life planned exactly how she wants it until she goes home for the holidays with her best friend and gets drawn into a whirlwind of Christmas tradition and is unexpectedly attracted to her friend's brother.Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life? In Six Days of Christmas, the main character, Natalie, has an embarrassing moment (aka: the underwear incident) that her friend's brother, Jimmy, teases her about relentlessly. I based that off of one of my own most embarrassing moments--only mine involved Boy Scouts rather than friends.
Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover? It depends. I love my e-reader and buy most of my books as e-copies now.
But I love my library and I go there once a week and get my hardcover and paperback books. I love the trade book size because they are easy to hold open and the margins are nice. Mass paperback size is awkward and I have this weird hang-up about creasing the spine of a book--which always seems to happen in the mass market books because the margins are too close to the spine.
Wow. Can you tell I've thought about this too much?
I also love the conversations that spark from people seeing what book I'm reading at the airport, or the McD's play place, or wherever. You just can't get that with the e-reader. Whenever I have a paper copy of a book I'm reading in a public place, it almost always sparks an: I've read that, loved it/hated it, read something similar bookclubesque discussion that I love. Where do you prefer to buy your books? I buy most of my books from Amazon since I have a Kindle.
If I'm buying a hard copy of a book--it almost always comes from Bookmans, a used bookstore in Tucson that takes me about forty minutes to get to, yet I still make it out there about once a month.
Are you a self published (Indie) Author?
I am now. :) I also have one traditionally published book called Meg's Melody.
Have you ever read a book more than once? I have read almost every book I own more than once. I LOVE re-reading books. I am such a fast reader (I had to learn to speed read in college when I had a ton of reading and crazy semesters with over 40 assigned books) and I don't always remember books after a year or two has gone by, so I like to go back and reread them.
Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version? Yes. A Walk to Remember. It is one of my favorite movies. The book was just okay. Don't get me wrong, though. I love Nicholas Sparks. But the movie, with the music, the contemporary setting, Landon and Jamie, and just everything. Sigh.
What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)? Right now I am currently reading:
1) Friends and Foes by Sarah M. Eden (ebook)
2) Les Miserables (ebook) I'm half-way though this one... I am determined to finish it before the movie comes out.
Yes, I'm reading more than one book at a time. Only reading two at a time is actually small for me.
What is the best advice that you have ever been given when it comes to writing?
The best writing advice I have ever been given is: Write crappy first drafts. Well, that's the PG version of the advice anyway.
And just for fun:
All time favorite movies:
You've Got Mail
A Walk to Remember
While You Were Sleeping
3 All-time favorite books:
(disclaimer, this answer will be different every time I am asked)
1) Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund
2) These is My Words by Nancy Turner
3) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Links:
Facebook * Website * Twitter
All I Want Blog Tour
November 26th to Decmber 21st
Includes a $25 gift card giveaway
Tour Schedule
Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card of Paypal Cash
Ends 12/22/12
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