Online Book Tour & Free on Kindle

So in between traveling and teaching and keeping strong relationships with my family, I haven't been very good at promoting my books.
That's why I ventured into another online book promotion tour for Paris Runaway.

I've already received two new reviews of Paris Runaway, and I always love hearing what readers enjoy in my novels. It isn't so great when they don't like things, but I guess that's part of the learning process too.
Denise gave Paris Runaway a 5-star review on Goodreads. She said, "This highly entertaining novel is the perfect summer read." And it's officially summer here once Memorial Day arrives. And, maybe she knows this from her own life experience: "If you have ever fallen in love with a Frenchman, you will recognize how special it can be, as epitomized in Auguste."

Amy at Locks, Hooks, and Books blog also reviewed Paris Runaway and gave it 5 stars. She wrote, "It has a perfect combination I love in a story, some laughs, mystery, suspense, adventure, action, and romance. I highly recommend it!"

You can visit the tour at the link to see other upcoming stops.
And you can enter to win Kindle or paperback copies. If you don't want to take a chance on not winning, Paris Runaway is free on Kindle Sunday, May 28, through Tuesday, May 30.
So please, visit Amazon and download it. Let your friends know and have them download it. You never know when you're going to need a trip to Paris through the eyes of Sadie.

FIrst Paragraph Tuesday -- Bossypants

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
This week I've started Tina Fey's Bossypants. Here's the first paragraph after the introduction:

My brother is eight years old that I am. I was a big surprise. A wonderful surprise, my mom would be quick to tell you. ALthough having a baby at forty is a commonplace fool's errand these days, back in 1970 it was pretty unheard-of. Women around my mom's office referred to her pregnancy as "Mrs. Fey and her change-of-life baby." When I was born I was fussed over and doted on, and my brother has always looked out for me like a third parent.

I was excited to start this book because I think Tina Fey is hilarious. The book is a little bland though. Some parts I can hear her voice and picture her saying them, which adds to the fun. Others, well, it might be like me writing my biography. Not that many people will be interested.
What do you think? Have you read it? Are you going to?

What Alice Forgot

On Tuesday, I posted the first paragraph of the book that I hadn't begun yet. I finished What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty yesterday and truly enjoyed it -- maybe, because I haven't had time to do much reading this summer or maybe because the concept really made me think.
The book focused on Alice who wakes up lying on the gym floor. She passed out during spinning class. When she wakes up she has lost her memory. As far as she knows, she's a 29-year-old pregnant with her first baby and deeply in love with her husband. In truth, she's 39 years old, mother of three children and divorcing her husband. Because she doesn't remember the 10 years that have passed, she tries to figure out how she became this 39-year-old person. She discovers that she changed quite a bit, some for the better, but she also gained many personality traits that the 29-year-old Alice would not have approved of.
Of course, I've been thinking about paths a lot lately as Grace decides where she'll attend college in the fall and I celebrated 21 years of marriage. It's funny to consider where other paths might have taken me.
Some parts of the book are jarring -- the idea that dozens of petty actions by her husband led to divorce, but it's true that those things build up. The 29-year-old Alice is also surprised the way her friends talk about the other mothers -- so catty. And that's an easy trait to fall into as well.
So, although the book is a breezy read, it is thought provoking and fun. I already passed it along to a friend at 7:45 this morning when I dropped Spencer off to catch the bus for a day of basketball.