$10 FLORA SUPER SALE: Buy IF I SPEAK TRUE *and/or* OPEN THY HEART, get Rowan's novella, FREE!

Yep! This is happening!

Purchase If I Speak True or Open Thy Heart 

for only $10 and get By Sun & Candlelight, free

(plus free shipping)!* 

*US only. Sale ends Sunday, 12/6 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Payments via PayPal, only.

 This is a great deal and you can use it many ways. For example:

+ Scenario #1: You've seen IF I SPEAK TRUE around the interwebs, but haven't been sure whether or not a girl named Dahlia going to a place called Ambrosia and meeting a mysterious masked man named Rowan who is quite the looker (well, as much as she can see, anyway) who seems to know things even she doesn't know about her family is really something you want to read. Never mind that Dahlia has to hide these visitation/interactions from her bestest friends and family (especially her Aster, her "Ass-y" sister) back in Shaver, or the fact that um, Rowan really brings out the fire in her... if you know what I mean. *wink* Plus, he's got all of these secrets and there's got to be a reason he's keeping them... Wait, hmm... perhaps this is really your kind of read... It seems fun, and the covers are really pretty!

Solution: Well, IF I SPEAK TRUE is only ten dollars... Why not buy the darn thing (and get it signed to you, too)? There's free shipping... now that you think about it, this is one of those bookish deals you totes shouldn't refuse! And then if you like Rowan and want to know more about him and what makes him the hot kind lovely mysterious guy that he is, boom! You've already got his novella, BY SUN & CANDLELIGHT because it was FREE!!!

+ Scenario #2: You've already read IF I SPEAK TRUE and think a friend would love it (signed and personalized to them, obviously) but really want to read about Rowan and the rest of the Ambrosian's shenanigans (oh, and, you know, how Rowan feels about Dahlia from his perspective, because that's important). Also: What's this about a fox named Clementine? And a bet between Rowan and Briscoe????

Solution: Get IF I SPEAK TRUE for your friend (what a dear you are!) and have the novella signed to you! 

+ Scenario #3: You've already read IF I SPEAK TRUE and really want to check out OPEN THY HEART but the idea of getting IF I SPEAK TRUE for a friend sounds really fun (because bookish convos and fangirling), but the novella deal (that's a $9 value, free!) is too good to refuse!

Solution: Buy IF I SPEAK TRUE *and* OPEN THY HEART and receive a free novella with each (for a total of $20)! That's $30 being saved, not counting what you're saving with free shipping! 

+ Scenario #4: You've read IF I SPEAK TRUE and are totally interested in Rowan's point of view in BY SUN & CANDLELIGHT, but more IMPORTANTLY, what is this you keep hearing about David's birthday party, and some big secret of Dahlia's that gets out, and Tuberose being a psycho, and Aster (of all people) helping Dahlia? 

Solution: Buy OPEN THY HEART for yourself, and get Rowan's novella FREE! Two books for you, for only $10! That's a win-win!

If you're *still* not sure if Rowan or David the Flora series is for you, why not watch the book trailer (HERE) or see what people thought about the series (HERE and HERE--careful, there might be spoilers)?

Mind made up? Yay! Email me at coffeelvnmom at gmail dot com for personalization and payment info today! 

Get If I Speak True (Flora, 1) for only 99 cents!

Hi all,

Quick reminder post that If I Speak True is only 99 cents right now (link)! 

Remember, if you want to read what happens next (in Rowan's POV), the novella, By Sun & Candlelight (Flora 1.5) is always 99 cents also (or, you can buy the entire Flora bundle: If I Speak True, By Sun & Candlelight, and Open Thy Heart for only $3.99)! 

Be blessed,

Jessica

Three ebooks for 99 cents = Christmas sale-abration! #flora #ebooks #Kindle #sale

OPEN THY HEART photo credit: Katie Smith (love the floral blanket!) 

Just a quick note in case you missed it... 

The Flora bundle is officially only 99 cents through Christmas!!! You can grab it, HERE.

Come back Friday for my 3rd annual DIY book-ish Christmas gifts post! :) Click HERE to check out 2012 and 2013's!
Have a blessed week!

#Giveaways, movies, music and more: this week's writerly news

A reader's life motto

Howdy! HAPPY NOVEMBER! Real quick before I forget, the #JLBbirthdaybash ends tomorrow, so if you're wanting to increase your chances of winning the Carpe Read 'Em mug and notebooks and such, don't forget to click the giveaway in the sidebar!


Well, after a couple of Fridays off, I'm back! *passes out mugs of steaming hot coffee* Between doing The Princess Bride for the #JLBgivesawayaDVD (it'll be up Monday), the LOOP giveaway, the Goodreads OPEN THY HEART giveaway, the awesome WoWs coming up (did you see Wednesday's???) and other stuff, I'd say November is going to be a great month! :D

And now for the most recent happenings on my end...

1) It's official... I will be having two women's fic books coming out early next year. I'm very excited. They will have a very different look compared to the YA ones, but I'm quite happy with the results, and can't wait to put them up on Goodreads. *does little dance*

One for you, one for me! :D Aren't they
SO PRETTY next to my owl bookends?

2) If you tried to enter the LOOP giveaway and had issues with the free entry, I fixed it. Had something wonky in my setup, but now all's well--you just have to answer a question so that Rafflecopter will let you have the free entry. :)

Yes I did have to do the vinyls photo.
Because. *adds to Christmas list*

3) I'm currently IN LOVE with Sleeping At Last's Yearbook Collection album, and trying to find a way to buy ALL THE SONGS. (The digital album is like $27, that's how many songs there are. But, I mean, really, all of the albums rock. Not just this one.) *stares longingly at vinyls*





4) Mandie, Tabitha, and I are watching Catching Fire in honor of Mockingjay's upcoming release for November's #nerdherdmovienight this Sunday, November 2nd at 6:00 PST. Feel free to watch it along with us on Twitter! 

5) Most recent enjoyable recipe made: these Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes. So simple, yet so yum!

6) I'm sure most of you have seen the Insurgent moving 3D posters by now, but I'd love to know what you think. (I haven't read it, so I'm not really affected in that way.) 


Welp, that's about it! :) Have a blessed weekend everyone, and happy November! 

#YASH, Sriracha Salmon, my new favorite song + more: this week's writerly news

It's Friday again. Time flies! This week's most recent happenings:

1) ICYMI: I'm participating in the YA Scavenger Hunt (#YASH) next week! Woot! A few more authors have been added since my initial post Monday (it's insane how many there are), so if you want to know more about it before it starts next week or are curious about all of the books being offered, go HERE. 

If the YA Scavenger Hunt is new to you but you'd like to participate (one word: giveaways!!!!) check out a detailed explanation on how to hunt, HERE.

2) The recipe that had us oohing and ah-ing this week was, yet again, found via Pinterest: Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce (love love love how she includes plenty of pictures). I thought we were going to end up with tons left over, but nope! This recipe is only for two, so you'll have to double it for a larger serving. I solemnly swear that if you make this, your taste buds will forever thank you. 




3) The song I'm listening to on repeat this week is called FOUR WALLS by Broods. It's really, REALLY Jennifer Dawn and Logan Brigone in Cozenage 2. Like, the lyrics are crazy-close. So perty-ful!




4) I'm already seeing reviews for OPEN THY HEART and I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! Word-of-mouth is huge nowadays... and taking the time to write down your thoughts is ALSO huge! Big, heaping coffee cups to you guys!

5) FYI, I've updated my "order" tab. It used to say Custom Orders, but now it just says, Order Books. I designed it to where a simple drop-down menu enables you to choose exactly what you want and how you want the books personalized (if at all). The site immediately directs you to PayPal, so it's quick, easy, and convenient. If you're in the US and looking for signed/personalized books along with the most bang for your buck, this is the place to order!

6) I SAW THE MAZE RUNNER! It was a nice adaptation. When I read the book, I had a hard time imagining the Grievers, so getting to see them was a great visual. (Boy were they gross.) The guys were absolutely amazing... but my favorite would HAVE to be Ki Hong Lee (Minho). :D

Welp (as David says), that's about it. Oh, except that Brittany made the most beautiful IIST teaser for me, so of COURSE I have to share it:

Have a blessed weekend, guys! (I know we will--it's supposed to be in the 80s! Woot!)

Paper #dahlia tutorial, Ambrosia (the food) + more: this week's writerly news

Me, at the start of OTH's blog tour this week. Which is way
calmer than I was at IF I SPEAK TRUE's back in January.

Today's the fifth day of OPEN THY HEART being out! 

*pumps fist* 

*passes out brownies* 

It's been a bit crazy around here, but I still have a few things to share for my Friday writerly news, so here goes:

Enter to win this in the US
OPEN THY HEART giveaway! 

1) Katie's journal is gorgeous and the leather is soft and she even put all of the pages in herself (some have FOXES on them!). I totally think of Clementine from BSaC but even if you don't know who Clementine is yet, you will totally fall in love with this gorgeous journal I've added it to the US Rafflecopter. The giveaway continues until the 5th of October, so you have plenty more chances to come back and enter! :D

2) IF I SPEAK TRUE is up to seven reviews on Amazon! (Thanks, Rachel!) I only need four more and I can share it being 99 cents with a whole lot of people. (If you missed it, here's what's going on.) If you've already posted one on, say, Goodreads, or any other site, consider copying and pasting it to Amazon, too (not just for me, but all authors). Not all promotional sites consider Goodreads a proper source (as nothing is sold there), so it's nice to have something else to fall back on. Thanks, guys! 

3) Yesterday, a friend of mine shared this on Facebook. I am one of those weirdos who can't mix my fruits together because EW, but I still had to share it because, HELLO: It's AMBROSIA.

4) Music: I'm finding a couple of weird songs to add to Cozenage 2's playlist (it sure will be nice when I figure out the title of that book), but what I've listened to most this week is an album that dropped on Tuesday (and I just "happened" to come across on Instagram). So. Good.

5) I've wanted to make a huge paper dahlia for months now, and in the past couple of days two people have shown theirs off (Kaitlin and Madi!). Aren't the fall-ish ones above gorgeous? I LOVE them with the lighting. Here are my favorite two tutorials (including the one above). 

Paper Concrete Wreath at The Paper Cottage

Fall Plume Wreath at Urbanic Paper

If you make one, I'd love to see it!



And... that's about it for this week! Have a blessed weekend! 


P.S. I just came across this  and I am SWOONING. (I don't even want to share a photo because you MUST see them all together. Must! Spring! Fall! Winter! Summer! ACK!)  The talent. The art! I HAVE NO WORDS. 

Here's Kouichi Chiba's Instagram. 

OPEN THY HEART #giveaways

UPDATE: This contest has ended! Winner will be posted on Friday's Writerly News--thanks for helping me celebrate OTH's birthday! :)

So excited that book two in the Flora series, OPEN THY HEART, is here! To celebrate, I have both an international AND US giveaway for IF I SPEAK TRUE (first in the Flora series, to get ya started) and other great goodies. Enter the Rafflecopters below! :D


a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crepes, #LibrarySignUpMonth, a bribe + more: this week's writerly news

It's Friday! Which means I'm back with more writerly news. 

This week's quick summary:

1) Sunday was Grandparents Day, and we celebrated by making dessert crepes (so yum) and giving the grandparents "crepe-tastic grandparent" certificates. Here's my go-to crepe recipe. Throw a sprinkling of mini-chocolate chips inside and serve with maple syrup or add cream cheese and serve with your favorite berry syrup. A-mazing.

2) Monday and Tuesday, Beryl, Audrey, and Kimi of Geeky Chiquitas were here for a two-part Reader Interview. They're very busy gals and I really appreciated them taking the time to answer my questions!

A sneak peek... Click the link below to see
him in all his ferocious glory.

3) Wednesday, I introduced you to LMTYAS's new mascot, who, basically, thinks he's as scary as the Big Bad Wolf. (Please go along with me on this and agree, or he'll poop in my shoes). I also basically beg ya'll to help me out by bribing you with money and a vlog. But the most important part of this is the new mascot. (Just kidding. It's the bribe.) 

I was also over at Operation Awesome comparing my favorite holey sweatpants to revising.

Find this beauty and more on IIST's board.
This reminds me of Shoreline Books.

4) Speaking of bribing, even with If I Speak True being only 99 cents, I realize that, as a reader, sometimes you just need that extra push to check out something new, and I have the solution: IF I SPEAK TRUE's Pinterest board.

5) ALSO: In the chaos of doing lots of stuffs, I accidentally ordered two By Sun and Candlelight proofs, so guess what? I've added one to Amber's Swag September Giveaway. I'm going to write lots of behind-the-scenes info in it for the winner! YAY!

6) Last, September is #LibrarySignUpMonth. (For comic book fans, there's also some cool posters of Stan Lee at that link.) In order to share the #booklove, I'd like to give anyone who signs up for a card between now and the end of the month a small book swag pack! Tag me on Instagram, tweet me, or email me a photo of you and your new card, and I'll get some swag to ya!

Well, I do believe that's it. I'll be back Monday to celebrate OPEN THY HEART's release (please come back and join me in the festivities)!!!

Have a blessed weekend!!!

Quick request = vlog as your reward + meet LMTYAS's new mascot!

This is Killer, LMTYAS's new mascot. Killer is wearing a mask
here because he's trying to be like Rowan from If I Speak True.
(Even though the mask isn't exactly spot-on, I'd say he's kinda...
 kill-ing it. Wouldn't you? Ha. Ha ha ha.) Killer's here today to
implore you to help me out, because he really wants me to
embarrass myself on a vlog. I'm kinda annoyed about that.

Hey guys! I have a quick request. I'm wanting to share IF I SPEAK TRUE's 99 cent sale price with a website that shares ebook sales in their newsletter (ya know, because OPEN THY HEART comes out Monday and you kinda need to read IIST first, or *spoilers*), but in order to be approved, I have to have at least ten reviews on Amazon (or B&N). 

Thing is, I have MORE reviews than that on Goodreads, but Goodreads doesn't count! *sad face* 

So... 

For those of you who:

HAVE read it and already posted a review it on Goodreads: Would you take a moment perty please share it at Amazon (or B&N), too??? 

Have NOT read it but feel inspired to check it out while it's 99 cents (choose the site of your choice over there on the sidebar -->): and want to review it out of the kindness of your hearts, would you do the same? 

I would really, really appreciate it.

In order to make this worth your while, and to say that I owe you my life  appreciate you,  I thought I'd thank you by doing a little vlog. (I've only done one in five years and it was for a few seconds and only on my FB page and yeah--have fun trying to find it hahahaha--wait, no come back here, don't search for it I beg of you.)

So... Here's the deal. 

If I reach ELEVEN total reviews on Amazon (or Barnes and Noble)--that's six more than I have now--I'll do the vlog AND give something away via Rafflecopter. (Hint: it's an annotated paperback, and starts with BY.)

If I reach TWENTY reviews on Amazon (or Barnes and Noble), I'll do the vlog, give away the secret paperback, AND Killer will give away a Red Riding Hood DVD (because he thinks he's a killer like the wolf and we're just going to let him live a state of denial, okay?).

And, if for some crazy reason, more than THIRTY reviews (total) end up on either Barnes and Noble or Amazon, I'll do the vlog, the annotated something-or-other paperback, Killer will give away Red Riding Hood (ruff), AND I'll give away a $10 Amazon e-gift card. 

YAY!

And remember, you don't have to sugar-coat your review; just be honest and say what you think. :)

Thanks for taking the time to read this, everyone! (I'd say please don't make me embarrass myself, but I sort of need you to.)

Be blessed!

P.S. OPEN THY HEART comes out MONDAY. *squee*

P. S. S. If you want to know what happens after IF I SPEAK TRUE and BY SUN & CANDLELIGHT, you can pre-order OPEN THY HEART HERE.

P. S. S. S. I just realized I'm doing it wrong; it's supposed to be P. P. P. S.

P. P. P. P. S. This vlog thing is already freaking me out.

P. P. P. P. P. S. Killer says that if you email him at coffeelvnmom (at) gmail (dot) com, directing him to your review, he'll send you a signed Flora bookmark. 

P. P. P. P. P. P. S. Forgot to enter a deadline: let's say this vlog/giveaway offer ends September 26th, at 11:59 p.m. PST.

OPEN THY HEART teaser, IIST sale, monkey bread and more

I've been MIA! Well, kinda. My blog was lonely there for a bit. The past week-ish has been chock-full of scrambling to do OTH edits and get out the eARCs. But I'm done, for now, finally! (Boy does it feel nice to finally take a breather!) Gotta go over stuff one more time, but it's all good. And guess what? OPEN THY HEART is up for pre-order! *throws coffee bean confetti* The tour starts up on release day (September 15th--there's going to be TWO awesome giveaways), but I wanted to share one of the teasers, because I'm really excited for what happens in Flora 2. And, in celebration of this, IF I SPEAK TRUE is now 99 cents! (By Sun & Candlelight is as well, but being a novella, it'll stay at that price indefinitely.) 

And now for my quick summary for this week:

1) If you want to have dessert lying around the house, do NOT make monkey bread. Especially not the quick, easy-to-make kind with pre-made biscuit mix. (The entire thing was gone in less than 24 hours.) If you DO want to inhale large doses of sugar, then I highly suggest this quick, simple recipe. Monkey bread is not just for breakfast, ya know. It can be for all of the time dessert, too.

2) My new go-to song for Cozenage 2 (one of two projects I'm currently working on) is Stay Awake by Will Sutton. It's from the What The Night Said album, and I love it! Totally encompasses the feel for Logan and Jennifer Dawn. I guarantee the more you listen to it, the more you'll love it. (Oh and Katydid, too.) You can check it out HERE.

3) I finally get to read again--Woohoo!--and there are *so* many books on my TBR! Here's some of my most recent Kindle purchases... Have you read any of them? (If so, what did you think? I'd love to hear about it!) 


4) September's Reader Interview will be with Geeky Chiquitas! I'm very excited for you to learn more about them next week. They're great gals!

5) Amber's Swag September at Paradise of Pages is ON! Amber is spreading the author love all September by sharing book swag (yay!), so check out her blog and enter HERE to win some of my bookmarks (and a secret something I haven't shared yet. Surprise!)


Well, that's pretty much it! Now I'm off to do boring adult stuff, like dishes and other non-entertaining chores. Have a blessed weekend, everyone! :)

I need your help!

This is going to be a super-quick post because I'm busy finalizing stuff for OPEN THY HEART's release soon and honestly, I just can't make up my stinking mind. 

My insanely-talented pal, Katie, has offered to make something YET AGAIN to give away for OPEN THY HEART's release (like she did for IF I SPEAK TRUE--see photo of the totes, below). Problem is, I can't decide what she should make! ACK! TOO MANY OPTIONS!

Katie's creations for IF I SPEAK TRUE's release

Should she do a custom journal? Another tote like last time? (see left) OPEN THY HEART bookmarks? Like, WHAT? The possibilites are endless! 

I would love to hear what YOU would like to win*, and will be sending out options and awaiting responses via the Let Me Tell You A Story newsletter in the next couple of days. If you're not connected to me through that yet, sign up HERE.

Now, onward with your Monday morning!! Have a blessed week, my friends!

Some of Katie's amazing bookmarks. She rocks.

*Katie's creation will be in the US giveaway. Weight plays a major roll in the cost of shipping, and I'm already giving away an annotated copy of IIST internationally, which will cost A LOT!!!

This week's writerly news: Writing Inspiration while on vacation

Hey, guys! Last week our family went on our annual summer vacation. I try not to post things about being away from my home while I'm gone, so even though I took a ton of pictures that I wanted so badly to share, I did not. And yes, this might have meant a bit of angst on my part, but guess what? It means more pics right now for you! Yay! (Didn't that work out swell?) 

We went to the beach, more specifically, where pretty much everyone from the valley goes... Pismo. (But if you go to Pismo Beach you basically always also go to Avila Beach, Oceano, Grover Beach, and the nearby San Luis Obispo, because they're so close.) 

As usual, we writers are always a few steps ahead of the game, so while the second Flora book is coming out soon, I'm already over here working on book three and the second Cozenage book (after Pity Isn't An Option). And sure, blogs and Pinterest boards are great to capture ideas and whatnot (oh hey, here are mine, by the way...) I love coming across visual inspiration the natural way. So here you go... a few photos I took recently that will most definitely end up in my books in the not-so-distant future. 

Do I even need to explain this one?

On the beach. Loved the sunset coloring and
how very dark that one low cloud was.

Looking up from inside a
eucalyptus grove.

Another beautiful sunset.

A house even worse than the Pulman residence!

Took this whilst driving down a lonely road.
It has the Cozenage series written all over it.

Through the passenger window. Soooo
someplace Jonas would come across! 

I actually filmed this. It was evening, and these
birds flew by in a continual line for almost FIVE
minutes. They were all heading south, further out
to sea. (To feed, maybe?) It was CRAZY.

Trying to look through the eucalyptus. 

The grove again -- wanted to show the
dense foliage on the grove floor and
also how dark it was inside even in
the early afternoon.

Have a blessed weekend! 

Open Thy Heart -- It's Cover Time!!!

You guys you guys you GUYS it's HERE! It's finally HERE! 

Hafsah is an amazing designer and you MUST go to her BLOG RIGHT NOW (yes click that link there) and check out OPEN THY HEART and tell her just how much she rocks!

(Oh, and enter the giveaway, too, if you'd like.)

COFFEES ALL AROUND!!!!!

*CLINK* 

The bookmarks Hafsah made. No, the cover doesn't look like
this. It's on the other side, actually. Aren't they marvelous?

So... what do you think of the dahlia? Are you curious now? (What do you mean you haven't looked yet? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?) 

Excuse me while I go dance and celebrate with heaps of chocolate. As Eva would say, hasta luego!