Showing posts with label Magnolia Brides series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Magnolia Brides series. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

It’s Release Day! How Will I Celebrate


It’s a pleasure to welcome author Lynnette Austin to Thoughts in Progress today to celebrate the release of her new book, PICTURE PERFECT WEDDING.

Lynnette is joining us to tell how she’s going to celebrate the big day of her release. Welcome, Lynnette.

It’s Release Day! How Will I celebrate? Let Me Count the Ways!

As an author, you work on a book for months, maybe years, planning, plotting, writing, and rewriting. The cover art arrives one day and you do a sweet little happy dance! Then the ARCs, or advanced readers’ copies, show up. Finally, the countdown ends and release day dawns. There’s something so magical, so miraculous about the day your book, your baby hits the shelves.

It’s such a mixture of emotions. Such pride and joy mixed with absolute fear. What if someone, a.k.a. a reviewer or reader, calls your baby ugly?

The secret to surviving release day is to keep busy. I’ve spent release days doing Facebook parties, working blogs, and sending tweets and Facebook messages. I’ve known fellow writers who have spent the day biting their nails to a nub in their darkened office watching the Amazon ratings and Goodreads reviews rise and fall.

With the release of Picture Perfect Wedding coming up, I asked myself—What would Tansy, Jenni Beth, and Cricket do? The answer was simple. They’d have a girls’ day, a day to do nothing but enjoy! And that’s exactly what I’m planning with four of my very best friends.

We’ll start off with a little pampering—mani/pedis at our favorite salon where the hardest task will be choosing a color. Although OPI has some very fitting “Picture Perfect Wedding” shades, like Altar Ego, Otherwise Engaged, Mimosas for Mr. & Mrs., Rosy Future, Hopelessly in Love, and Stop It I’m Blushing, they’re all a little subdued. Since this is a celebration, I think I’ll go with a fun color—maybe something in a coral or deep blue. Maybe purple. I’ll know it when I see it.

Afterwards, we’ll bundle into our cars and head to Brambles English Tea Room, my favorite little tea shop. It’s feminine, it’s fun, and their egg mayonnaise sandwich is to die for. Of course, their afternoon tea assortments are wonderful, too, and include English scones with fresh strawberries, real Devon cream and strawberry preserves. On top of all this, the tea room gives us a chance to break out those fun, flowery hats and really do it up!

When we’ve finished tea? Since I’ll be in Southwest Florida when Picture Perfect Wedding releases, it’s only fitting to shed those hats and bare our newly manicured toes for a walk on the beach. We’ll talk, we’ll laugh and we’ll get our feet wet. Along the way, we’re bound to pick up a few sea shells. These, along with some photos with my friends, will make wonderful memories of the day. In fact, I might use the smallest shells to decorate a frame for the pictures. A Picture Perfect Day!

By that time, we’re going to be ready to put our feet up, so we’ll head to my house for a movie or two. Some of my favorites? The Holiday, Serendipity, You’ve Got Mail, Notting Hill, While You Were Sleeping, The American President, and American Dreamer. Yes, I know that last one is really ancient, but I love it! What can I say?

 After everyone leaves, I’ll take a deep breath and then and only then will I check those Amazon rankings. Regardless of what they show, I’ll draw a bubble bath and remind myself how truly blessed I am to be able to share my stories.

Tomorrow morning, it’s a piece of toast, a cup of coffee, then back to work on the new Work in Progress.

Lynnette, sounds like you’ve found the picture-perfect way to celebrate. Now I think I’ll go look for some of that purple nail polish.

Title: Picture Perfect Wedding
Series: Magnolia Brides, #3
Author: Lynnette Austin
Pub Date: November 1, 2016
ISBN: 9781492618034

Third in the heartfelt and charming Magnolia Brides series from Lynnette Austin

One mistake can change everything…forever

Beck Elliot and Tansy Calhoun were inseparable—until Tansy left Misty Bottoms, Georgia, promising to come back after she finished school. Beck stayed behind to save the family business, dreaming of the day when Tansy would return. Instead, his trust and his heart were broken when she inexplicably married another man and bore his child.
Five years later, Tansy comes home, a sadder and wiser woman. Despite his anger, Beck finds it hard to avoid her and her adorable little daughter—especially with all the busybodies of Misty Bottoms going out of their way to throw him and Tansy together, hoping a lingering spark will reignite their enduring flame…

Author Lynnette Austin
LYNNETTE AUSTIN gave up the classroom to write full time. An author of eight novels, she has been a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest, PASIC’s Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Contest.

She and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida’s beaches and Blairsville, GA.

Buy Links:

Thanks for stopping by today during Lynnette’s Release Day Celebration. How would you or do you celebrate a release day?

Monday, May 16, 2016

Every Bride Has Her Day {+ Giveaway}


It’s a thrill today to be participating in the spotlight tour for author Lynnette Austin’s EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY, the second installment in her Magnolia Brides series.

As part of the tour, the author is sharing an excerpt from her new book and is offering readers the chance to win one of five copies of THE BEST LAID WEDDING PLANS, the first book in the Magnolia Brides series.

◊Every Bride Has Her Day by Lynnette Austin
◊Magnolia Brides, Book 2
◊ISBN: 9781492618003
◊Release Date: May 3, 2016
◊Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Here’s a synopsis of EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY:

CAN LOVE REVIVE A WILTING HEART?
          Cricket O’Malley can’t wait to plant roots back home in Georgia, where she’s returned to restore an abandoned flower shop to its former glory. The only blemish? Her neighbor’s house is even more neglected than her old flower shop, and its occupant seems as surly as he is darkly handsome.
          Devastated body and soul after a tough case went south, New York City detective Sam DeLuca thought he’d have no trouble finding solitude in the quiet Georgia town of Misty Bottoms, but his bubbly neighbor seems determined to shine happiness into Sam’s life. Sam is equally determined to close himself off, but his heart says otherwise…

EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY is available at the following sites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Books A Million, Kobo, !ndigo, and Indie Bound.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author Lynnette Austin
The luxury of staying home when the weather turns nasty, of working in PJs and bare feet, and the fact that daydreaming is not only permissible but encouraged, are a few of the reasons middle school teacher Lynnette Austin gave up the classroom to write full-time. 

Lynnette grew up in Pennsylvania’s Alleghany Mountains, moved to Upstate New York, then to the Rockies in Wyoming. Presently she and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida’s beaches and Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. 

A finalist in RWA's Golden Heart Contest, PASIC's Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers' Maggie Contest, she’s published five books as Lynnette Hallberg. She’s currently writing as Lynnette Austin. Having grown up in a small town, that’s where her heart takes her—to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody...and all their business, for better or worse.

For more on Lynnette and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Lynnette’s Tip for the Perfect Wedding

·        You and your special someone have decided to tie the knot! Now what? Above all, remember it’s about you and your fiancé. This is your wedding. You don’t need the approval of or advice from every coworker, your dentist, and your grocer. Have a clear vision in mind of what you and your groom want and hold to that. The same with your budget. Set it and stick to it. Don’t be talked into something that’s going to blow it out of the water. Don’t let others shanghai your wedding. If someone doesn’t like your color choice of red and white and thinks purple and green would be better, tell her you’ll pass on her choice so that she can use it for her wedding—or anniversary party if she’s already married.
·        Make your wedding day personal with those small touches—things that have meaning to you and your soon-to-be husband. It might be Mom or Grandma’s banana pudding recipe or a bulletin board with photos showcasing your relationship from first date, up to and including the rehearsal dinner. Make it meaningful—to the two of you.


Excerpt from EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY

“Hold on a sec.” Sam raised a finger and headed back inside. Grabbing the small radio he’d found tucked inside a closet, he placed it on the ledge above the sink, dialed up a station that played a lot of Frank Sinatra, and opened the window. The music drifted into the twilight.
In another cupboard, he found a stub of a candle in a squat holder. His aunt Gertie’d probably kept it in case of a power outage. It would do. He lit it and stepped outside to find Cricket curled up on the back porch swing, Hobo at her feet.
“So you decided to come home,” he said to the dog. “You’ve been gone half the day.”
In answer, Hobo thumped his tail on the porch.
“Yeah, I know. You heard steak was on the menu for dinner.”
The tail thumped harder, and Cricket laughed, a warm, sultry sound.
Sam set the candle on a small side table, his system on high alert.
Cricket O’Malley. The girl-next-door meets sex goddess.
He didn’t understand it, but that didn’t seem to matter. Chemistry fairly sizzled between them.
He cleared his throat, then leaned down beside the fire circle. After he got a nice little blaze started, he pulled an old bench close. “I know we don’t need the heat—” He broke off. No, they sure didn’t. If they got within ten miles of each other, they generated enough of their own. “I mean, uh, I thought it might add a little ambiance.”
“Nothing I enjoy more than sittin’ around a campfire.”
“Have a seat then, and I’ll start the steaks.”
After he tossed them on the grill, he inched down beside Cricket.
The woman smelled like heaven. Or sin. He couldn’t decide which and slung an arm over the bench back. Hobo jumped up beside him.
Sam slid closer to Cricket to give the dog more room.
Hobo took it and more.
“You’re crowding me, boy.”
Those big eyes stared up at him, then Hobo threw his head back in an ear-piercing howl.
“Stop that!”
The dog answered with another mournful cry.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake.” He tried to move the dog off the bench, but he’d become a boneless, dead weight.
Cricket laughed. “I think we both know what he wants.”
Sam let out a half-laugh. “You up for it?”
“I can handle it if you can.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m up for it.” He rolled his eyes. “Wrong way to put that, but—”
He broke off as she laid a hand on the side of his face, leaned into him, and gave him a taste of heaven.
“Not enough,” he muttered, pulling her closer, dipping his lips again and angling them to take more. He trailed kisses along her neck, then moved back to her mouth.  His hands moved down her arms, brushed the sides of her breasts.
A log dropped and sent up a loud popping and a shower of sparks.
He drew back and laid his forehead against hers, noticed, thank you God, her ragged breathing matched his own. “Cricket—”
“Shhh.” She laid a finger over his lips. “Let’s just accept that for what it was.”
“What was it?”
“Darned if I know.” She laughed. “But Hobo’s quiet.”
Sam looked at the dog who, job done, had hopped off the bench and rested in the grass. “I’m liking that dog more every day.”

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for one of five copies of THE BEST LAID WEDDING PLANS by Lynnette Austin.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during Lynnette’s visit. Have you ever (or wanted to) restore an old business or home? If you could transform any building into a home, what would it be – church, barn, warehouse, etc.?

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

The Best Laid Wedding Plans Giveaway


I’m delighted to be sharing a special giveaway with you today. To celebrate the May release of EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY, the second in Lynnette Austin’s Magnolia Brides series, Sourcebooks Casablanca is giving away a free copy of THE BEST LAID WEDDING PLANS.

The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and is for a copy of the book via iBooks. In addition, this giveaway has a shorter run time and is being held a bit different from other giveaways so please see the end of the post for more details.

The Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin
First in the new Magnolia Brides series
ISBN: 9781492617976
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Here’s a brief summary of THE BEST LAID WEDDING PLANS:

SOME DREAMS ARE WORTH WHATEVER IT TAKES
Jenni Beth Beaumont left her broken heart behind when she took her dream job in Savannah. But after her brother's death, Jenni Beth returns home to help mend her parents' hearts as well as restore their beautiful but crumbling antebellum mansion. New dreams take shape as Jenni Beth sets to work replacing floors and fixing pipes to convert the family homestead into the perfect wedding destination. However, some folks in their small Southern town are determined to see her fail.
Cole Bryson was once the love of Jenni Beth's life, but the charming architectural salvager has plans of his own for the Beaumont family home. As the two butt heads, old turmoil is brought to the surface and Cole and Jenni Beth will have to work through some painful memories and tough realities before they can set their pasts aside and have a second chance at their own happily ever after.

About the Author:

Author Lynnette Austin riding Beau
The luxury of staying home when the weather turns nasty, of working in PJs and bare feet, and the fact that daydreaming is not only permissible but encouraged, are a few of the reasons middle school teacher Lynnette Austin gave up the classroom to write full-time. Lynnette grew up in Pennsylvania’s Alleghany Mountains, moved to Upstate New York, then to the Rockies in Wyoming. Presently she and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida’s beaches and Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. 

A finalist in RWA's Golden Heart Contest, PASIC's Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers' Maggie Contest, she’s published five books as Lynnette Hallberg. She’s currently writing as Lynnette Austin. 

Having grown up in a small town, that’s where her heart takes her—to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody...and all their business, for better or worse.  

For more on Lynnette and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for one copy of The Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin via iBooks. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and the deadline to enter is 12 a.m. (EST) Friday, April 8.

To enter, simple send me an email at mcbookshelf@gmail.com with the subject line: Lynnette Austin Giveaway. In the body of the email please include your name and the email address you’d like the Apple discount code sent to that will allow you to download the book from iBooks for free.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Remember there is a short time limit on this giveaway so please be sure to enter today. Are you familiar with this author’s work? Do you think brides make an interesting theme for a series?