Summer Lovin' Blog Tour: Katherine Grace Bond Guest Post

Why We Crave Fame by Katherine Grace Bond

“Celebrity-in-Hiding.” When I first started writing THE SUMMER OF NO REGRETS, I didn’t want to admit how much that idea intrigued me. I’m a lot like my main character, Brigitta—all about finding the meaning of life, not fantasizing over whether the guy next door is a movie star. When I bought a National Enquirer, I explained to the grocery store clerk that it was for research— that I was writing a book (“Yes,” I told her modestly, “I am an author.”) I certainly didn’t normally read that sort of thing. Of course not. Well, okay, maybe the headlines. Occasionally.

But as I read through stacks of People and Star and Us (which is a lot like eating sugar cubes all day long), and more stacks of celebrity biographies, I started to wonder what the deal is about fame. Why does it fascinate us? Why do we love the idea of either being famous or being connected to somebody famous?

I think it’s because we’ve got some interesting ideas about “being known.” If I’m “known,” people know who I am, right? Lots of people. Those people will say I’m talented and beautiful and they’ll treat me with special respect. If I’m known, I get to wear amazing clothes and ride in limousines. People will do what I want just because I’m known. If I only eat the green M&M’s, someone will pick those out of the five-pound bag and put them into a crystal dish for me. If I’m known, I am important—more important than that boss who fired me, or the teacher who gave me a C and said “You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” or the security guard who threw me out of a mall in Seattle for plugging my cellphone into a floor outlet (true story!)

But is that really what being known is? Getting special treatment and being better than somebody else? Who really knows me when I’m known like that? What I crave, what I really crave, is to have a few people who will look into my eyes and know me—know how I wrinkle my nose when I laugh, and what my favorite show is, and why I’m afraid of guns. It’s what we all want, I think—people who will listen to us when we’re scared, and scream with us on the roller coaster, and trust us with their hurts. We want to know we matter. We want to have a few people we don’t have to hide ourselves from.

So is Brigitta’s next-door-neighbor a secret superstar? We can talk about that later. I need to go to the grocery store and read some headlines.

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 About Katherine Grace Bond:  

Katherine Grace Bond is the author of THE SUMMER OF NO REGRETS (Sourcebooks, 2012) and of the bestselling LEGEND OF THE VALENTINE (Zondervan, 2002), a story of the civil rights movement. She often finds herself in the woods escaping from giant cats and shadowy figures in cloaks. The creator of TEENWrite acting/writing workshops, where participants come as their characters, she lives with her husband in a dimension populated by younger people, some of whom resemble her.

(Photo and Author Info from Katherine's Goodreads page).

Follow Katherine: Twitter | Website | Blog | Facebook

Summer Lovin' Blog Tour: The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond (Review)

Source: Received an egalley from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: May 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 304 (Paperback)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

The day Brigitta accidentally flings herself into the lap of a guy she's never met, her friend Natalie is convinced he's Trent Yves, egotistical heartthrob-in-hiding. When the boy, who calls himself Luke, is nearly eaten by a cougar, Brigitta finds herself saving his life, being swept into his spectacular embrace and wondering if she wants Natalie's fantasy to be true.

As the two spend the summer together raising orphaned cougar cubs, Brigitta still can't be sure of his true identity. But then again, since her grandparents' death, her father's sudden urge to give away all their possessions and become a shaman, and her own awkward transition from girlhood into a young woman, she isn't sure of anything. What is the truth? More importantly, can she accept it?

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I don't know about all of you, but I've had daydreams where I've met celebrities, so I could definitely understand the whole celebrity appeal that is woven throughout The Summer of No Regrets. I really enjoyed this story, and I loved the whole celebrity aspect. I also really liked the main character, Brigitta, she was incredibly unique, but she also had aspects of her that were really easy to relate to...like her whole celebrity obsession, and the fact that she's embarrassed by her parents...I'm pretty sure that's something we can all relate to at least once! haha

I'm not going to tell you if Luke is Trent Yves, but I'm not going to tell you that he isn't either. Instead I'm going to tell you that you need to read the book to find out. Throughout the story, Brigitta is on the fence about Luke. One second she's convinced he is Trent, the next she's convinced that they're completely different people and that she's being absurd. It was confusing at times, but I think that confusion improved the story because it helped put you in Brigitta's shoes. She's confused, so you are, too. I liked Luke, a lot. I thought that he was a fantastic guy...he definitely needed to be more honest some of the time, but I really liked him when he let Brigitta see who he really was. It was fantastic.

Another detail that I wasn't expecting, but really enjoyed, was Brigitta's blog. She has an obsession with trying to find the right religion for herself, so that's what he previous posts were about. However, once Natalie insists that Luke is Trent Yves, she begins to blog about Trent...and I think that her blog posts share the truest representation of how she's feeling about the whole situation with Luke, and with her confusion about his identity. I also loved that the blog comments were shown, so you'd see some serious ones, then you had Trentsbabe, who was always hilarious and pretty much embodies that poster who never spells anything correctly and goes on and on about how someone is so seksi. It was such a small detail, but added a lot. :)

The cougar cubs were another great aspect. They helped Luke and Brigitta bond, but they also did so much more than that. They allowed Brigitta to process things, and to finally allow herself to come to terms with the deaths of her grandparents. Through that, it also allowed Brigitta and her father to finally repair their relationship, which I was really happy to see.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I loved that while celebrity and Luke played large roles, they weren't all that the book was about. This isn't a typical light summer read, it opened up a bunch of questions and went a lot deeper than just summer flings. I found it refreshing to have such a great summer read, and I loved that while it went deeper than I thought, it was still a fun and quick read. I definitely recommend this one if you want a fun read with some substance. :D

Have you ever had daydreams about celebrities?
Do you see celebrities everywhere like Brigitta's friend, Natalie?
Have you read this one yet, or does it sound like something you want to read?

A Perfect Storm Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway! - Giveaway now closed.

 Source: Received an ARC to participate in the blog tour. 

Publisher: Harlequin

Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 442 (Paperback)

(Goodreads Link.)

Blurb from Goodreads:

He never saw her coming…

Spencer Lark already knows too many secrets about Arizona Storm, including the nightmare she survived and her resulting trust issues. But in order to expose a smuggling ring—and continue avenging his own tragic past—the bounty hunter reluctantly agrees to make Arizona a decoy. Yet nothing has equipped him for her hypnotic blend of fragility and bravery, or for the protective instincts she stirs in him.

Arizona wants to reclaim her life, which means acting as bait to lure the enemy into a trap. Sure it's dangerous, especially with a partner as distractingly appealing as Spencer. But as their plan—and their chemistry—shifts into high gear, Arizona may discover there's an even greater risk in surrendering her heart to a hero…

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I went into A Perfect Storm not having read the first three books from the series, and to be honest, I didn't have any real problems keeping up, which was really nice! While I know I would've known a lot more background information had I read the first three, A Perfect Storm worked perfectly well as a standalone for me....that being said, I'm still totally going to go back and read the first three just so I can get more of Dare, Trace, and Jackson...and Spencer, too, of course! :D

I absolutely loved Arizona! She was so strong, and she'd been through so much. I'm sure once I get around to reading the book that Jackson rescued her in, I'll like and respect her even more, too. She's feisty, and possibly a little crazy. Her chemistry with Spencer was FANTASTIC! I think that this book had one of the craziest begins, too. I was so not expecting it, but after reading the book I'm not too surprised anymore because it's definitely something that Arizona would do! haha

Having not read the first three books, I can vouch for the fact that this book definitely works as a standalone. I felt that Lori Foster did a great job catching me up to speed with what was relevant for this story, but that she also did it in a way where I'm not going to be completely spoiled if I read the other three now, which is nice. :) It also means that for those who have read the first three, you won't be swarmed with chapters full of recap from the previous books, which I find is always a relief in series. :)

Overall, I absolutely loved this one! I loved Arizona. I loved Spencer. I loved them together, and I loved the dynamics of all of the characters. Like Jackson being super protective of Arizona, and how Spencer had a neighbor that was trying to sink her claws in him. This book was full of action, it was funny, and it had some amazing romantic tension. Once that tension was finally released...wowza! It was sexy, and just all around fantastic! I definitely recommend A Perfect Storm to anyone who enjoys an action and tension-filled romance, while strong characters who have amazing chemistry!

Don't forget to enter below for your chance to win a copy! :D

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GIVEAWAY!
- US/Canada Only
- 1 Winner will receive a copy of A Perfect Storm
- Winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to claim their prize
- Giveaway ends on May 18th at 12:01 AM (EST)

To enter the giveaway fill out the Rafflecopter widget:

A Perfect Storm Blog Tour: Guest Blog & Book Excerpt

Guest Blog - Using personal stories in writing a romance: do or don’t? - Lori Foster

I use personal situations, feelings, things I’ve noticed or talked about. Anything that’s actually me? No. Not ever.

For instance, I was shopping once with my husband and he nudged me. I looked at where he nodded, and there was this young guy, maybe 20 or so, looking at a girl in a prom-type dress. I swear I saw his Adam’s apple bob. He had this look about him that was both hilarious and endearing. I’ve used that particular look many times in my books. It truly said it all – how much he liked her, and how much he wanted her. She did look fantastic, I have to say. But not that much more so than many other 20-something year old girls. LOL. He was fully infatuated, and it was fun to see.

My kids (3 grown sons) have cracked jokes that I’ve used in books. They’ve made male-inspired comments about things that epitomize the masculine mindset. They often give me a good starting point for male POV scenes.

Almost anyone who has read me knows I don’t like alcohol, and I do like coffee. Those personal things show up often in my books. Anti-alcohol because we had many alcoholics in our family. Back 30+ years ago when hubby and I married, we made a very conscious decision to have all the family parties at our house, and to make them all alcohol-free. I didn’t want to raise my kids with the same problems I had. It’s worked great for us.

Just the other day, my sister sent me a text saying, “Nothing tastes better than that first drink of coffee.” I wrote her back and said, “I’ve used that exact line in a book many times.” She replied, “If I wrote books, I’d use it too.”

So yes, insignificant things from my life pop up in the books. Things I know, feelings I’ve experienced, scenes I’ve witnessed... they’re there, but with a fictional slant to them.

As a 53 year old, long-married mom of 3, trust me, no one wants to read anything that’s actually about *me.* It’d bore readers to tears. LOL.

(Note: You may have seen this Guest Blog already, as it has also been posted on several other blogs for the same blog tour.)

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Book Excerpt:

He had no idea, except that it annoyed him to hear her be so coarse. “Go a month without cursing.” He hated himself, but he said, “Every time you slip, you owe me a kiss.”

Icy stillness fell over her. Silence pulsed in the room.

Tension gathered like storm clouds.

Pulling the tiger’s tail, he asked, “Well?”

Eyes glittering, Arizona slowly pushed to her feet.

“Fuck you,” she whispered.

He could see a pulse tripping in her slim throat.

He could see the fear she tried so hard to hide.

“I suggested a kiss, Arizona. Nothing more. And despite what you said, ‘no’ does mean ‘no’ to me. You don’t have to be afraid.”

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You can find the next part of the excerpt (tomorrow) at: The Romance Studio

The links to the rest of the posts and excerpts for the blog tour can be found at: Book Trib: A Perfect Storm Blog Tour.

What a great guest post, and excerpt! 

What did you guys think???

Random Acts of Kindness - May Edition!

  Once again...I totally missed signing up for R.A.K last month! I think I need to put a post-it note with "Remember R.A.K. on it somewhere so I don't forget again! :P Now that I'm done school for the semester I finally can get a job and then can spread the wealth with some awesome people through R.A.K! It also happens to be my birthday month, so I think I'm gonna search for some other May babies and spread some birthday love to them. :)
The lovely Vanessa and Isalys at Book Soulmates came up with the idea for Random Acts of Kindness.    Here are the rules for R.A.K.:

RULES RE-CAP:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.

• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

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  You can find out even more about R.A.K, and sign up for May HERE.   -----------------------   I've got two different wishlists, one for Amazon and one for the Book Depository: 
The Book Depository Wishlist:  Ambur's TBD Wishlist And my Amazon/Kindle Wishlist: Ambur's Amazon Wishlist
Go ahead and check it out even if you aren't participating in R.A.K.! You might find a book you want for yourself. ;)    (If you want my address to send me something for R.A.K., you can email me at ambiepie_6(at)hotmail(dot)com.)   I hope you all have an awesome month. :)