I’m excited to welcome author Sharon Sala to Thoughts in Progress today as part of her virtual book tour for the release of her 99th novel (and first commercial fiction), THE CURL UP AND DYE.
Sharon is joining us today to answer some questions for me about her new release and her writing. In addition, she is giving away one print copy of THE CURL UP AND DYE to a lucky visitor. Please see the end of the post for the giveaway details.
I first learned of Sharon through THE CURL UP AND DYE prequel and novella COLOR ME BAD. I was hooked on the delightful Southern town of Blessings and its zany characters. Here’s a brief synopsis of THE CURL UP AND DYE to show you what I mean:
What happens when Georgia’s Peachy Keen Queen realizes it’s time for a makeover, both inside and out?
In the 11 years since LilyAnn Bronte claimed her crown, her fiancé was killed in Iraq and her mama escaped to Florida with her new husband. Lost in the glory days of her youth, LilyAnn’s zest for life has fallen by the wayside as she struggles to move on. But when the very handsome stranger roars into town, rattling his pipes and turning heads, LilyAnn decides it’s time to shed her skeletons—and some pounds.
On the other side of town, the ladies of The Curl Up and Dye beauty salon can’t help but interfere with LilyAnn’s plans, scheming the setup of the century between LilyAnn and the cute gym trainer and boy next door, Mike Dalton. As LilyAnn embarks on a quest to remake herself, she discovers an inner strength she never knew she had…But who will ever notice a washed-up beauty queen?
Filled with the charm, quirky characters, and juicy gossip of a Southern beauty shop and sprinkled with Sala’s page-turning drama, humor, and suspenseful plot twists, THE CURL UP AND DYE is the story of a woman who finds the strength to reclaim her life—but not without the help of her sassy group of gussied-up gals.
Now help me welcome Sharon to Thoughts.
Mason - With the zany characters in your book, I just have to ask are they based on people you know, a combination of people or just totally made up?
Sharon:
The people are totally made up. I would hope I had enough imagination to do that. I would NEVER base characters on people I know for fear that it would hurt their feelings or make them angry. LOL
Mason - What one thing do you dislike most about writing?
Sharon:
The ONLY downside to writing for me is how long it takes to get paid. We get royalties twice a year. We never know how much they will be because they are based on sales, and between people pirating eBooks and reading off of sites that are pirate sites, as well, money has taken a sharp downturn. That being said, I still love this job better than any job I've had. It's what I was born to do and it makes me happy.
Mason - Most writers also enjoy reading when they have a chance. What was the last book you read?
Sharon:
It's been so long since I've had a chance to sit down and read a book I can't even remember. I care for my mother, who is 94 and who is suffering from dementia, full-time in my home without help. Between keeping her happy and feeling safe, and my writing, free time is non-existent. I will say... my two favorite writers are John Hart who wrote THE LAST CHILD, and Robert Crais, who writes super mysteries.
Mason - You write about a small town with such a flourish. Is the town based on a real town or a combination of towns you've visited or one you wish existed?
Sharon:
Again... imagination. I always lived in the country until I was grown, and then moved back to the country for many many years, so city/town living is not my choice of dwelling sites. I do live in a city now, but it's nothing like Blessings and I wish it was. I went to school in a very small town though, Paden, Oklahoma, population maybe 500, so I know the dynamics of one like I know my own name.
Mason - What can readers look forward to next from you?
Sharon:
I am working on another book that will also take place in Blessings, with Ruby Dye and her ladies at the Curl Up and Dye taking a huge part of the storyline... It's about two teenagers...a 19 year old boy trying to raise his two younger brothers, and a 17 year old unwed mother trying to keep herself and her 6 month old baby boy from starving, who, through tragic circumstances, join forces to keep their families together, and in the process fall in love. It has all the funny stuff you would hope for, plus some great moments from the characters who inhabit Blessings, Georgia. It's called FAMILY SPECIALS... and I'm guessing it will be out sometime next year.
Thank you to everyone who is enjoying THE CURL UP AND DYE. Keep reading and I'll keep writing the stories for you to read.
Sharon, thanks so much for joining us and answering these questions. I love the small town setting of Blessings. It reminds me of the town I grew up in and I’m delighted to hear there’s another story coming out featuring these wonderful characters.
Now let me tell you a bit about Sharon.
Beloved by her brethren of fans, Sharon, who also writes under the name Dinah McCall, has 99 books in print, is published in four genres: romance, young adult, western, and women’s fiction, and has sold more than 1.5 million books.
Her books have appeared on USA Today, New York Times, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists 47 times, and have been published in many different languages. Sharon has been named a RITA© finalist seven times by Romance Writers of America, and was the 2011 recipient of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.
For more on Sharon and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This giveaway is for one print copy of THE CURL UP AND DYE. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only, and no post office box addresses can be accepted.
To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. It may take a few seconds for the widget to appear. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Which had you rather read about a small town atmosphere, the big city life or both?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
NOTE: The winner of the Movie Magic Blu-ray Combo Pack giveaway is LD Masterson. Congratulations!
Do you enjoy contests and giveaways? I do, as long as the guidelines for entering don’t take an hour to complete.
Well, one of the things I enjoy about blogging is being about to host giveaways and tell you about intriguing contests. Today I have one of each. First let me tell you about a wonderful giveaway the PartnersHub Family is offering, followed by an interesting contest Sourcebooks Landmark is hosting for a fun book they’re releasing in February.
MOVIE MAGIC . . . . . .
The wonderful folks at PartnersHub Family is offering a great Blu-ray Movie Magic giveaway. They’re offering a copy of one of the following titles (chosen at random from the list below) to award one lucky reader!
• The Little Mermaid - Diamond Edition
• The Lone Ranger
• Monsters University
• Angels Sing
• Rise of The Guardians
• Despicable Me 2
• Turbo
• Grown Ups 2
• Wizard of Oz 3D
• The Wolverine
• Star Trek: Into Darkness
• White House Down
• Fast 6
• Pacific Rim
• After Earth
• Man of Steel
• Red 2
• World War Z
• 2 Guns
• Weeds: The Complete Collection
• Predator 3D
You haven’t seen your favorite movie until you’ve seen the special features!
This holiday rediscover the #MovieMagic behind your favorite films. Blu-ray offers exclusive special features that put you in the filmmaker’s chair, with a behind-the-scenes access to all of the magic: special effects, talent interviews, alternative endings, unreleased scenes, bloopers, and more!
With a Blu-ray combo pack, you can enjoy your favorite films in high-definition whenever and wherever you want. You can keep the Blu-ray disc in the living room, DVD in the car, and the digital copy on your phone for when you’re on the move!
Highlights of a Blu-ray combo pack:
• Blu-ray lets you to watch your favorite movies with unmatched sound and video that is SIX TIMES the quality of DVDs!
• Blu-ray offers the most premium possible in home entertainment experience
• You don’t have to worry about the buffering that happens with streaming videos
By using the Blu-ray #MovieMagic Blog App below you can discover:
• Behind-the-Scenes #MovieMagic GIF Grid - Mouse over each of the GIF squares and click to view a behind-the-scenes clip exclusively from the film's Blu-ray special features.
• The Next Generation of Blu-ray - Don't get left behind with old tech! Check out what's next for Blu-ray in 2014 and beyond!
How many Blu-rays do you have in your movie collection? Which one is the most watched? Which Blu-ray would you love to get this year in your Christmas stocking? Is there a movie (or two) you’d love to see re-mastered and re-released on Blu-ray?
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This giveaway is for ONE Blu-ray combo pack. PartnersHub Family will make the selection from the list above.
To enter this giveaway, just send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with the subject line, “Win Movie Magic Combo.” Your message should include your name and mailing address. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. only and no post office box addresses can be accepted. The deadline to enter this giveaway for a chance to win one of the Blu-ray Movie Magic Combo packs is 8 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Dec. 13.
PartnersHub Family ask that I remind those entering the giveaway that each household is only eligible to win ONE #MovieMagic title via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
FTC Full Disclosure - I am working with Blu-ray in making this announcement. Blu-ray, through PartnersHub Family, is supplying the combo pack as a promotional giveaway. I am hosting the giveaway without compensation solely for the purpose of providing visitors to my blog the opportunity to win a Blu-ray Movie Magic Combo Pack.
To celebrate the release of author Sharon Sala’s newest novel and first work of commercial fiction, Sourcebooks Landmark has a special offer for her fans in the U.S. and Canada.
CURL UP & DYE is a humorous and intriguing read you won’t be able to put down. To share the news, Sourcebooks Landmark is sponsoring a pre-order campaign and the grand prize is a $100 basket full of goodies for any lady’s bad hair day — I don’t want to give too much away, but there will be a brand-new pink blow-drier included.
Sharon’s novel will be released in February 2014, but if you pre-order the book now, Sourcebooks will send you a bookmark signed by Sharon! One lucky winner will receive a Curl Up & Dye prize basket filled with brand-new hair care and styling accessories in honor of the Curl Up & Dye, put together by Ruby Dye herself!
Here’s how to get your bookmark and enter to win the Curl Up & Dye Hair Care Prize Basket:
1. Pre-order the book (print or eBook) through any retailer (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your local independent bookseller/Indiebound, Books-A-Million, Hastings, etc.).
2. Email your proof of purchase (receipt or picture of the receipt) to curlupanddye@sourcebookspr.com. If you’ve already pre-ordered —not a problem! Send them your receipt!
3. You will get an email back confirming when your bookmark was sent out.
4. In the meantime, download the prequel and novella, COLOR ME BAD, available now on e-book through any digital retailer!
COLOR ME BAD is a fun and quick read that will have you laughing out loud. You can click here for my thoughts on the book.
Well, thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope I’ve entice you a bit with these offers. If you know of other offers available, please feel free to share in the comments. Thanks again and have a great weekend.
When a story has you laughing after just a few pages, you know it’s going to
be a good read.
That’s what I found when I read bestselling author Sharon Sala’s novella, COLOR ME BAD. Before I finished the first chapter I was laughing out loud and wondering what other hilarious moments were to come.
Sala takes readers to the quaint town of Blessings, Georgia. There you discover the Curl Up and Dye Hair Salon owned by Ruby Dye. She’s assisted by identical twins, Vera and Vesta Conklin, who do hair, and Mable Jean Doolittle, who does nails. The hair salon is the main hub of the town’s information (gossip) center.
Patty June Clymer was minutes away from being finished with her weekly hair appointment when Bobbette Paulson came in for a nail repair. That’s when Patty June’s world turned upside down and Bobbette got a reverse Mohawk haircut. The hair cut (and bloody nose) were a gift from Patty June for Bobbette fornicating with her husband Conrad, the preacher of the Freewill Baptist Church.
As word spread of Patty June’s deeds, husbands tried to convince their wives she was a feminist and to steer clear of her. But when an off-hand remark by Patty June had Willa Dean Miller wondering about her own husband’s activities, attitudes throughout the town began to change.
Sala has captured the small-town atmosphere in this lighthearted novella. She has created realistic characters that will make you laugh and care at the same time, while reminding you of people you know. Humor and everyday problems are blended into a charming story of friendship and hope.
COLOR ME BAD captures the antics of beauty shop goers and how their lives intertwine. It’s a quick read that’ll have you anxiously awaiting the next round of zany appointments at the Curl and Up Dye. If you’re in need of some laughter highlights, COLOR ME BAD will do the trick.
Author Sharon Sala’s website is http://sharonsala.net
Color Me Bad: A Novella by Sharon Sala, Sourcebooks Landmark, @2013, ISBN: 978-1402287510, eBook, 59 Pages/226 KB
SIDE NOTE: COLOR ME BAD (which releases Sept. 3) is the prequel to Sala’s new novel, THE CURL UP AND DYE, slated for release in February 2014. The novella links to the new story about a young woman’s struggle to overcome one of the most tragic events of her life.
FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
Thanks so much for visiting today. Do you have a weekly hair appointment that results in learning new gossip information about people and happenings in your area?
