Choosy Bookworm Holiday Extravaganza - Stacy Juba, Mary Smith, Dianne Greenlay

Welcome to the Choosy Bookworm Holiday Extravaganza! 

Choosy Bookworm has partnered with eNovel Authors at Work to bring you a month long celebration with great books, great book deals, and let's not forget the great giveaways! 

Check out today's featured authors and books, then head on over to the event page and enter to win one of two $250 Amazon Gift Cards or Paypal Cash!

Be sure to check out the featured books and the awesome author sponsored giveaway below!

Fooling Around With Cinderella

by Stacy Juba

Series: Storybook Valley, #1
Genre:  Chick Lit/Romantic Comedy

What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella's toes? When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer. Her reign transforms Jaine’s ordinary life into chaos that would bewilder a fairy godmother. Secretly dating her bad boy boss, running wedding errands for her ungrateful sisters, and defending herself from the park’s resident villain means Jaine needs lots more than a comfy pair of shoes to restore order in her kingdom.

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

On sale for $0.99

November 1 - 30

Meet Stacy Juba

Stacy Juba has written books about ice hockey, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette, and determined women sleuths.  She has had a novel ranked as #5 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List.  She is currently writing the second book in the Storybook Valley series.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Amazon

No More Mulberries

by Mary Smith

Genre: Women's Fiction/Romance

Scottish-born midwife, Miriam loves working at a health clinic in rural Afghanistan but she can no longer ignore the cracks appearing in her marriage. Her doctor husband has changed from the loving, easy-going man she married. When an old friend appears, urging her to visit the village where once she was and her first husband had been so happy. Miriam finds herself travelling on a journey into her past, searching for answers to why her marriage is going so wrong.

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK

Meet Mary Smith

Author, poet and journalist, Mary Smith lives in Scotland. She spent ten years in Pakistan and Afghanistan and, wanting to share those experiences, picked up her pen and wrote about them. As well as her novel, No More Mulberries she has written a memoir Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Amazon

Deadly Misfortune

by Dianne Greenlay

Series: Quintspinner Trilogy, #2
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Tess and William have survived a vicious pirate attack and a shipwreck, managing to stay together, drawing strength from each other in this fierce new world that they find themselves in.

However, one false step in the dark does what the other calamities have not been able to do, and they are torn from each other’s grasp. Before they can find one another, frightening circumstances spin out of control, and devastated by such a turn of events, each believes that the other is likely to be dead. Unknowingly, the only thing that they now have in common is that, in their quest for proof, they are about to be thrown into the path of a psychotic killer.

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK

Meet Dianne Greenlay

Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, Dianne Greenlay is the author of multiple award winning novels QUINTSPINNER – A PIRATE’S QUEST and DEADLY MISFORTUNE, Books One and Two in a fast-paced adventure series, set in the 1700's, in the pirate-infested waters of the West Indies. Straying into the genre of humor/comedy, Dianne is also the author of THE CAMPING GUY, (Winner of Best One Act – Theatrefest) which is available as both a one act comedy (live theater script) and a short story.

Greenlay is also a playwright, producer, and Creative Director of the long-running community theater group, Darkhorse Theatre. She is fluent in at least her mother tongue and she thanks her fierce English teachers for that. More of her thoughts on life can be found at www.diannegreenlay.com.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Amazon

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Fooling Around With Cinderella by Stacy Juba - Release Blitz

Audio Review: Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba

Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba

Description:
When reality TV turns to murder, it's sink, swim or die. Ambitious personal trainer Cassidy Novak has gained national fame for starring on Sink or Swim, nicknamed SOS, a hit reality game show set aboard a Tall Ship. She hopes the prize money will help to launch her dream of owning a chain of fitness centers. Not only does she lose the competition and have to walk the plank in the finale, after the game show ends, the terror begins. Upon returning to her small Massachusetts hometown, Cassidy discovers she has attracted a stalker masterminding his own twisted game. She struggles to focus on her health club job and celebrity endorsement opportunities, but her stalker has other plans. As her former competitors get knocked off one-by-one, Cassidy refuses to play by his bizarre rules.She's also being shadowed by hunky photographer Zach Gallagher, who has been assigned to capture her personal moments for a spread in the local newspaper. She wants to trust Zach, but fears he may not be the nice guy that he seems. With or without Zach's help, when the stalker forces a showdown by threatening her family, Cassidy must once again walk the plank - this time for her life.

My Thoughts:
I loved this book about the aftermath of a reality show. Cassidy finishes second on Sink or Swim and goes back to her real life. She didn't win the million dollars, but she quickly realizes that things are different anyway. She has lots of fans and admirers and has picked up a stalker. Other contestants from the show start dying. Cassidy doesn't know what to do or who to trust outside of her family. The mystery kept me guessing. I recommend this one if you like mystery and suspense.

The audio was very well done. The narrator has a great voice that fits the story nicely. The pace was good and it was easy to get lost in the story.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !

My Source: author

Where to get it:

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Audiobook Info:
Author  Stacy Juba
Title  Sink or Swim
Narrator  Funda Duval
Publisher  Stacy Juba
Abridged or Unabridged  Unabridged
Length of Production 6 hours 16 minutes
Year of Publication  2013

Author Interview: Stacy Juba

Today I would like to welcome Stacy Juba. She writes for adults, young adults, and children. You can find reviews here at WiLoveBooks for her audiobooks Dark Before Dawn, Face-Off, and Twenty-Five Years Ago Today. I can also recommend the free audiobook short story Laundry Day.

About Twenty-Five Years Ago Today:

Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer for a Massachusetts newspaper, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling "25 Years Ago Today" items from the microfilm. She grows fascinated with the case of a young cocktail waitress who was bludgeoned to death and dumped in the woods. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana's suspicious nephew, Eric Soares - until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. Kris soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday's headline is tomorrow's danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris's present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.

Q&A with Stacy Juba:

Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?
My writing space is a big desk in my home office. Ideally the desk and floor would be nice and neat, however, everything gets cluttered from me and from my family as I share the computer.  Also,  several years after moving into the house, I read feng shui books and found out that I had my desk in the wrong part of the room. I tried to talk my husband into helping me move it, but that didn't go over so well as the desk is huge!  So I did what I could to work on attracting prosperity, such as adding touches of red and metal to the shelves above the desk, setting out some gemstones, and hanging a vision board. I don't remember the exact reason for every little change that I made, as I am by no means a feng shui expert, but everything had a reason. I just wish that desk could be moved!     

What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about? 
My first story was The Curse of the White Witch, written when I was in third grade. I remember getting a coloring sheet of a witch from school, around Halloween, and using that as an illustration. The story was several pages long and was about a girl with special healing powers who was considered a witch by the townspeople. It has a few strange similarities to my young adult paranormal thriller Dark Before Dawn. 

Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?
The Hidden Staircase, one of the early Nancy Drew mysteries. I remember taking it out of the school library and reading it in a few hours. From that point on, each week in library class I would check out a Nancy Drew book, until I read them all, and then I moved onto Dana Girls, Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys and Cherry Ames. It inspired my writing, as I started writing my own mystery series in fifth grade (the Cathy Summers mysteries) and I still write and read mysteries to this day. 

If you could ask any writer (living or dead) a question, who would it be and what would you ask? 
I'd love to meet JK Rowling and ask about her outlining methods for the Harry Potter series. That was an amazing series to plot out. I'd like to know how many details and plot twists she knew ahead of time and which ones evolved during the writing process.

If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you want to visit or spend a day with?
I'd like to spend a day with Dawn from my young adult psychic thriller Dark Before Dawn. She's psychic and I'd like to get a reading from her. The poor thing feels like such a misfit, so I'd also like to give her a big hug and tell her everything will be okay and that she won't care so much what other people think of her when she's older. And there's a big decision she makes in the book, when she goes to visit someone's house. I'd tell her, don't do it!  

What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?
I enjoy using my Wii for exercise. I like doing yoga, strength training, and using the Just Dance games for aerobics. 

What are you currently working on?
I'm working on an adult romantic comedy that spins off from the Cinderella theme. It's a lot of fun to write and is totally different from anything I've written before.  I'm hoping it will be released later this year. I've also just wrapped up up the process of getting all my current books out into audiobook format through Audible, Amazon and iTunes. It has been an exciting experience to work with narrators and producers and bring a whole other dimension to my words. I didn't realize how much acting went into audiobooks. I also recently teamed up with award-winning narrator Nicole Poole to offer a free 23-minute mystery audiobook to readers. It's called Laundry Day and is a blend of mystery, lingerie and Desperate Housewives.  It can be downloaded for free at SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/wordsmiff/laundry-day-by-stacy-juba?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=email&utm_content=https://soundcloud.com/wordsmiff/laundry-day-by-stacy-juba

For more information on my books, visit my website at http://stacyjuba.com/blog/ .



Bio:

Stacy Juba has written about reality TV contestants targeted by a killer, an obit writer investigating a cold case, teen psychics who control minds, twin high school hockey stars battling on the ice, and teddy bears learning to raise the U.S. flag: she pursues whatever story ideas won’t leave her alone. Stacy’s titles include the adult mystery novels Sink or Swim and Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, the children’s picture books The Flag Keeper and the Teddy Bear Town Children’s Bundle (Three Complete Picture Books), and the young adult novels Face-Off and Dark Before Dawn. She is also the editor of the essay anthology 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back. She is a former journalist with more than a dozen writing awards to her credit.  


Where to find her:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Audio Review: Dark Before Dawn by Stacy Juba

Dark Before Dawn by Stacy Juba

Description:
When teen psychic Dawn Christian gets involved with a fortuneteller mentor and two girls who share her mysterious talents, she finally belongs after years of being a misfit. When she learns her new friends may be tied to freak accidents in town, Dawn has an important choice to make - continue developing the talent that makes her special or challenge the only people who have ever accepted her.

This novel is aimed at young adults, and at adults who enjoy paranormal YA such as the Twilight series, House of Night, and The Vampire Diaries series, Meg Cabot’s The Mediator series, or Lois Duncan books.

My Thoughts:
Dawn is adjusting to a new home, new school and new family. Her mom doesn't want anyone, including her new step-father and step-brother to know about her abnormality. Her psychic ability has kept her from having friends in the past and she is hoping to start over. Events occur that once again make her an outcast, but she is able to find some friends that have the same type of talents. Finally she fits in, but her inner voice is telling her to stay away. And for good reason. There are some very common teen issues in this book, but with a paranormal spin. There were a couple of twists that surprised me. An intriguing and mysterious story. I recommend for anyone who enjoys YA paranormals, including older adults.

The narrator for this story was spot-on. She was just right for the part of a 16 year old girl and also did a fantastic job differentiating between the characters, including the males. I was impressed. An enjoyable listen.

My Rating: *****

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon
Audible
B&N
Smashwords
iTunes
Kobo

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Audio Review: Face-Off by Stacy Juba

Face-Off by Stacy Juba

Description:
Head-to-Head, Skate-to-Skate, It's Winner Takes All! What might have been a dream come true has turned into a nightmare. Brad's twin brother T.J. has gotten himself out of the fancy prep school his father picked for him and into the public high school Brad attends. Now T.J., the bright light in his father's eyes, is a shining new star on the hockey team where Brad once held the spotlight. And he's testing his popularity with Brad's friends, eyeing Brad's girl and competing to be captain of the team. The whole school is rooting for a big double-strength win, not knowing that their twin hockey stars are heating up the ice for a winner takes all face-off.

My Thoughts:
When T.J. has to switch high schools, Brad suddenly has to share his school, his friends, and his hockey team. This is a story about sibling rivalry with realistic family relationships. The hockey parts were easy to follow, even for someone who does not know much about hockey. Readers middle school and up will relate to struggles with family, friends and school. An enjoyable story, and you could really see how both brothers were affected by the situation.

The audio is excellent. The narrator is perfect for this story and he does a great job with the different voices. Overall easy to listen to.


My Rating: *****


My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon
Audible
B&N
Smashwords
iTunes
Kobo

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Audio Review: Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today by Stacy Juba

Description:
Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer for a Massachusetts newspaper, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling "25 Years Ago Today" items from the microfilm. She grows fascinated with the case of a young cocktail waitress who was bludgeoned to death and dumped in the woods. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana's suspicious nephew, Eric Soares - until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. Kris soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday's headline is tomorrow's danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris's present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.

My Thoughts:
This is a great mystery story. It grabbed me from the beginning as Kris comes across a twenty-five year old murder that fascinated her. I was pulled along as she followed clues and became involved with the family. The story kept me guessing. The romance was just enough and didn't take away from the mystery.
I listened to the audio book and it was fantastic. The narrator did an excellent job. Very easy to listen to.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon
Audible
B&N
Smashwords
iTunes
Kobo
Sony

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads