Friday, February 7, 2014

Feb Romance TB Markinson, Hilary Grossman & Celebrate


For February, I'm celebrating LOVE with a tribute to our community's romance writers!  First up are wonderful authors TB Markinson and Hilary Grossman.



Blurb:

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Petrie has it all. She’s rich, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. None of this matters to her mom. Les-Bi-An. That’s all her mom sees. 

Even though Lizzie insists her mom’s antagonism does not bother her, Lizzie distances herself from her entire family. When her brother, Peter, calls her out of the blue to announce he’s getting married, Lizzie’s entire life changes drastically. Peter’s fiancée wants to bring the lesbian outcast back into the family. Will this desire cause Lizzie to lose everything dear to her? 

Sarah, Lizzie’s girlfriend, is ecstatic about this change in Lizzie’s personal life. Sarah, the hopeless romantic, wants it all, including settling down with the fiercely independent Lizzie. 

Can Lizzie be tamed? And can she survive her family and all of their secrets? 


Praise for A Woman Lost: 

“I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance as this was one of the best lesbian contemporary books I've read.” ~ Lipstick Lesbian Reviews 
“This is really a story I truly loved … She has a fan for life!” ~ Mismatched Bookends 
“It's a fast-paced read with a topic that is current yet timeless.” ~ Boca Frau Blog
“Enjoyable and engaging story full of great characters. Loved it a lot! Definitely a page turner.” ~ Tranquil Dreams Blog
“And long after I read the last page, Lizzie, Sarah, Lizzie's mom "the scotch lady", and Maddie, the fiancé, lingered on my mind and in my heart.... I truly loved this book!” ~ Hilary Grossman, author of Dangled Carat
“T.B. Markinson clearly captured a strong main character that has flaws, and a pompous family that freely slings judgments at Lizzie every chance they can. A Woman Lost is a fulfilling and lovely read.” Sage Adderley, author of Invoking Nonna 
“The story kept me turning the pages until the end. Great read!” ~ Katie McKnight, author of Secrets Revealed
“This is a powerful and inspiring story about relationships and trust and not being afraid to face your fears … She drew me into the story and keeping me there until the very last page.” ~ T. F. Walsh, author of Cloaked in Fur
 
BUY LINKS: 

Bio:
T. B. Markinson is a 39-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn't writing, she's traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. T. B. has published two novels: A WOMAN LOST and MARIONETTE.

FIND TB MARKINSON HERE:
Twitter      Facebook      Blog      Goodreads      Amazon Author Page





Blurb: 

Hilary had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship—why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose. But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn’t ready—and their friends’ meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year’s Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.

Praise for Dangled Carat:

"Fans of Sex and the City - Grossman makes a reference to Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big - will enjoy the story, but its real-girl charm should draw an even wider crowd." - Kirkus Reviews
"Dangled Carat sparkles with humor and shines with wisdom. It is a gem of a book." - Christina Baker Kline, New York Times Best Selling Author of Orphan Train.
"It was a fun story about a truly unique couple who merged their lives together at a different pace than most normal people, but did it well.  The story line was great, it was a different read than most love stories, which made it fun." - Chick Lit Plus
"I really admired the balance in this memoir. Grossman could have easily made herself the good guy and Marc the bad. But she avoided this pitfall, adding to the believability, which is key to any memoir." - T.B. Markinson author of A Woman Lost and Marionette
"I think this book asks a very good question: does the fact that someone doesn't want to get married, mean that they don't really love you? Because I think that is the conclusion we all jump to." - Emily Harper author of White Lies and Checking Inn
"Pick it up, you will not be disappointed." - Lisa Arrington author of Quake
"Hilary has an easy, flowing writing style that made reading her story a real pleasure.  She  adds such detail to every scene that I feel as if I'm right in the middle of their lives." - Denise Moncrief author of Deceptions Of The Heart and The End



BIO:
Hilary Grossman dated a guy so commitment-phobic that she was able to write a book about their relationship. She is currently the CFO of a beverage alcohol importer and lives on Long Island. 

FIND HILARY GROSSMAN HERE:
Twitter       Facebook       Blog      



CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS

This week I'm celebrating:
1)  Olympic Figure Skating!  I love it, and I'm so excited to watch the great athletes perform!
2)  I accomplished my January To-Do list, but I did it at the expense of other things.  However, I got caught up this week -- so CP crits are finished, there's actually food in the fridge (Boy! Is hubby happy!), and the bathroom floor doesn't crunch when I walk on it anymore!  (No, it's not like I spilled Cheerios on it.  I live in the desert, and sand gets everywhere.)
3)  Now that commitments/responsibilities are taken care of I can get back to my WIP, which I haven't touched in two weeks.  I hope I remember what it's about...

Are you watching the Winter Olympics? What's your favorite Winter Olympic sport?



This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever! 


53 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats to both Hilary and TB!

I'm a fan of the Olympics as well--my favorite winter event is the ice hockey. I enjoy the ice skating as well.

Congrats on finishing your to-do list! :)

Kate Larkindale said...

I love ice skating too. When I was a kid, I was convinced I'd be a figure skater. It never occurred to me that most of the time I lived in places where there was no ice....

Glad you got through your January to-do list. I wish I'd done the same!

Good luck with the WIP. You know I'm waiting eagerly to read it.

Shah Wharton said...

Yummy authors! After tackling a romance story I have renewed respect for those who write it incredibly well. It's not easy!

I don't care for sport, but gymnastics, skating, dance in general, I do enjoy.

I totally get you with the crunch sand, here in Dubai it smothers your lungs. I also have the hairiest shedder on the planet to clean up after too - the dog, not my hubs! :)

I'm not Celebrating with post today, I celebrated on Thursday for a late IWSG, so that will have to suffice, otherwise I'd be repeating myself. Who has time for that? I say, who has time for that? :)

Good luck getting back into your WIP. :D

http://wp.me/p2rnfx-2Is

TB Markinson said...

Congrats on getting your to-do list done! I wish I was more focused at the beginning of the year. And I understand the sand issue. I grew up in Southern California near the beach. My mom would take us there all the time but at the end of the day it was such a pain getting sand free so we could get into the car--she had leather seats. And if we got one grain of sand in the car--oh boy!

Thanks so much for featuring Hilary and I. Much appreciated. Good luck with you WIP!

Natalie Aguirre said...

We have 5 ice skaters from Ann Arbor in the Olympics. Hoping to watch them. Glad you're working on your WIP.

N. R. Williams said...

Two great books with interesting characters here. I hope the best for both authors.
Nancy

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The winter Olympics are my favorite! Bring on the skiing and speed skating - and of course, the hockey.
Glad you clarified the crunch. I did wonder...

Hilary said...

Thank you so much for featuring me! I really appreciate it. I love to watch the figure skating and always regret not learning how to ice skate.. I was all set with lessons and then I had to be put in a back brace…..

Rajiv Sankarapillai said...

Great books, great authors :)
Lovely post !

Unknown said...

My favorite winter olympic sport is snow gymnastics. Brrr... ;)

Congrats on finishing your to-do list. I've written "Finish my to-do list" on my to-do list. It's down at the bottom. And please, come clean my bathroom. It crunches too, and it's not sand. Or Cheerios. Not really sure what it is.

Have a great day!

M.L. Swift, Writer

Ava Quinn said...

Great books, great celebrations, great post! :)

I like Olympic snowboarding and the biathlon-cross country skiing and rifle shooting.

Kelly Hashway said...

I love both these covers! Best of luck to Hilary and TB.

Carol Kilgore said...

Figure skating is my favorite winter sport, too. But I also enjoyed watching the slopestyle boarders last night.

TL said...

Yep, love the figure skating! I haven't watched any of it yet but need to start.

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

Thanks for the reviews with some good critiques!

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

It is always good to celebrate love. Woman do it year round, men, not so much. That is why we have February so we can force it upon them.

Melancholy and Menace said...

I always feel great when a to-do list is done - congratulations :)

I've been known to enjoy the odd romantic novel - these seem quite interesting, thank you.

Have a lovely weekend :)

Mere Joyce said...

Accomplishing to-do lists is wonderful, and it's great you can now get back to your WIP (having food in the fridge is usually a good thing, too!)

SK Anthony said...

Congratulations to T.B. and Hilary!

Glad you got your January to-do list all checked off! Now yes, concentrate on your own WIP, woman! lol
Have a great weekend, Lexa :D

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I love watching the figure skating too, and I cringe (a lot) on those rare moments when they mess up.

I'm wondering what happened the the commitment phobe Hillary wrote about. Perhaps I dated him too.

Be well, dear Lexa.
xoRobyn

Nana Prah said...

Lol. My mind went to roaches in the bathroom, not Cherios. Either way it's great to have a clean house. Enjoy getting back to your wip.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Looking forward to the Olympics but from what I hear the athletes are having a hard time.
Heather

Magaly Guerrero said...

I can feel the love!

Christine Rains said...

Yay for TB and Hilary! Great work finishing your January to-do list. I watched a little bit of the men's figure skating last night. I was once a hockey fan, but now I just watch a little of this and a little of that. I need to use my time to revise! :)

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Congratulations, T. B. and Hilary. Both books sound like winners. Best of luck to you.

Figure skating is my favorite sport in the Olympics. Watching the Opening exercises now. Awesome.

DMS said...

Thanks for sharing T.B. and Hilary's books. Wishing both of them the best of luck. :)

I enjoy watching the Olympics. In the winter Olympics I have always enjoyed figure skating. I like to watch most of the winter events though. Lots of excitement.

Congrats on getting so much done in January!
~Jess

Gina Gao said...

Thanks for sharing the books. I love the Olympics. The sense of competition is extremely contagious.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Cherie Reich said...

Both books sound fantastic!

I love the Olympics, but with all the drama going on over it this year and the political stuff and how they're treating stray dogs and such has really marred this year's Olympics for me. I'm still going to watch some because I believe in supporting the athletes, but it's just sad how things have come about. I love the ski jumping, figure skating, speed skating, snowboarding, and skiing.

Anonymous said...

Great features. I hope to read these books.

I love getting the to-do list out of the way. Happy writing.

Ellie Garratt said...

Congratulations to our featured writers!

I'm pretty much where you are, Lexa. I've caught up with most of my jobs and now need to get back to writing. We can do it.

VikLit said...

Congrats on the TO DO list!!

Rhonda Albom said...

I am also excited about the Olympics as we have a few friends competing in it this year. We will be watching the snowboarding and it made it onto my list this week too. Thanks for the book intros.

Unknown said...

I feel like a hamster on a wheel, my work is never done. Congrats on being on top of things!

Anonymous said...

Way to support our fellow writers, Lexa. I like the skeleton event -- if that's the one where they slide head-first down a winding chute. It's got to be an adrenaline rush.

Anonymous said...

Yay for accomplishing the tasks you set out to do in January and getting back to your WIP. Lovely blog you have here. =)

Tara Tyler said...

first, that new header is awesome!
and i love the rings on the covers of the romance novels, dangled carat! ha!
yay for accomplishing goals! keep up the good work!

cleemckenzie said...

Yay! I love Valentine's Day. It brings out the best in people's hearts and there's chocolate, too. You are very sweet to share the love with the romance writers. So glad to hear you're on track with those goals. I'm cheering you on!

PK HREZO said...

How great! Romance is def in the air!!
And WTG on those goals!!

Catherine Stine said...

Nice to see a range of love styles posted. And as far as Olympic styles, the snowboarders totally do it for me. ROCK STARS!

Melissa said...

Good luck with your goals, Lexa.
I'm glad your bathroom floor doesn't crunch anymore. *giggle*

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Hi Lexa. Sounds like Hilary has written a wonderful story. Wishing her big success.

Crystal Collier said...

Okay, forget it. I'm not going to write or promote this month. I'm going to read. Everything. (Romantic, that is.) Yeah! ;)

Heather R. Holden said...

Very cool of you to spotlight TB and Hilary's books! I've heard of A Woman Lost before, but not Dangled Carat...

And yay you for catching up! That's something I desperately need to do this week, heh. Good luck with your WIP! :)

Unknown said...

Nice selection of books. I like the theme you chose for this month.

Vanessa Morgan said...

Hilary and T.B. are both amazing ladies. And Dangled Carat was the most romantic book I read last year.

klahanie said...

Hey Lexa,

Yes, at last, I have arrived to leave one of my incredibly amazing comments :) Very good of you to bring such awareness of T.B and Hilary. Winter Olympic games. Canada all the way, eh :)

Well done on doing your to-do lists. Now back to your WHIP, ahem, WIP!

Gary :)

Hilary said...

Vanessa - you totally made my day!

Hilary said...

Joylene - thank you so much for your kind words! They mean a lot to me!

Hilary said...

Tara - the title wrote it's self - no one deserves to have as many faux engagement parties as I had!

Jennifer said...

I am a recently-out lesbian who loves to read but is not a big fan of the romance genre in general. SO many reasons tangled up all together right there that I was very happy to read your review of a lesbian romance novel--a new addition to my TBR forest.

Nigel G Mitchell said...

Sounds like some great books. Congratulations on the to-do list. I don't watch sports in general,so not watching the Olympics

LD Masterson said...

Best of luck to T.B. and Hilary and congrats on the do list (I wasn't even close on mine).

Jennifer Joyce said...

I'm not into sports, but I do like watching figure skating and have managed to catch a couple of the rounds.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...