DEAL ALERT: Yours All Along is on sale for 99 cents!

YOURS ALL ALONG is on sale for 99 cents for a limited time! You guys know I'm never on sale, lol, so if you haven't grabbed Hunter and Devon's story yet, now's the time! This is a friends-to-lovers male/male romance. 

BUY IT: Nook | Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Canada | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The new Loving on the Edge romance from the New York Times bestselling author of  Nothing Between Us turns on the heat between two men who wonder how much they’re willing to risk in the name of love.

Four years after an accident tore their friendship apart, Hunter and Devon are living separate lives. Hunter is now the all-America hero—a congressman’s son and a pro pitcher in Houston preparing to marry his beauty-queen girlfriend. Devon is in Dallas running a new restaurant.

But when Hunter unexpectedly shows up in Devon’s bar, Devon can’t turn him away. Damn it if the man isn’t still gorgeous. But engaged? Hell no. All he’s doing for Devon is bringing back memories of their college-roommate days, and the night their relationship went too far. Turns out Hunter has never forgotten it either.

Now Devon can’t help but be drawn in all over again by the only guy who’s ever gotten close enough to break his heart. Maybe one more night together would be enough for both of them to finally move on. Or maybe one night will change everything…

The Journey to Debut Authorhood by Jamie Wesley (plus WIN a Kindle!)

I have a very special guest for y'all today. When I decided to start writing again for real back in 2008-2009, one of my big get-over-my-shyness-and-take-this-seriously steps was to go to a local RWA (Romance Writers of America) meeting for the first time. I remember I was so nervous because I'd never really said out loud to anyone besides my immediate family that I wanted to be a writer.

But when I walked in, I took a spot next to someone who seemed to be on her own and not in one of the already established groups of women. Somehow (despite us both being quiet people) we struck up a conversation and I found out it was her very first meeting as well. Sometimes, you just click with people and that's how it was with Jamie.

Since that first meeting, Jamie and I have been friends, each other's writing cheerleaders, and roommates at every national RWA conference. She's cheered me on as I went from unpublished newbie to agented to multi-published. And I've shaken my pom-poms for her as she went from unpublished newbie to Golden Heart nominee to now *drumroll*...debut author!!! She has worked so damn hard to get to this point in her career, and I'm almost as excited for her debut as I was for my own, lol. So without further ado, I'll turn it over to Jamie.

Read it. Enter her contest. And buy her book. (It's only 99 cents for debut week!) You won't be disappointed.

GUEST AUTHOR: Jamie Wesley

A few years ago, Roni asked if I’d be interested in writing a guest post for her blog while she was on vacation. Before finally agreeing to do it, I hemmed and hawed (and got on her nerves, I’m sure) because I was unpublished and I knew she had all these blog followers. What could I, in my unpubbed glory, offer them?

Fast forward to today. I’m still not sure I have anything of substance to offer, but, as of today, I’m no longer unpublished. The dream I’ve been pursuing for the past five years has come true. After many close calls and frustrating setbacks, I am finally a published author with TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD. And I couldn’t be happier. Or more nervous.

To be perfectly honest, it’s all a bit surreal. To dream and work hard while never quite knowing when you’ll achieve your goal is the name of the publishing game. You work and work for it and then it happens and it’s like “Crap. What have I gotten myself into?”

I write stories that I want to read. I’ve always assumed that if I’m interested in the storyline, then surely someone else will be, too. So I wrote. And now I have to put that theory to the test. It’s scary, but I wouldn’t change anything about the experience. Because this is what I’ve always wanted. I’m living my dream and I’m so grateful. I firmly believe that life is about pursuing your dreams and not having (many) regrets. In 2006, I decided I wanted to work in sports, so I quit my job, moved to a new city, and went to grad school to get a degree in sport management. Now, I work in the sport/entertainment industry.

Following your dreams is a lesson my characters, Noelle and Tate, take to heart. For Noelle, helping people as a psychologist is her dream come true. For Tate, things aren’t so clear, but things don’t stay that way for long. J  

Am I done dreaming? Heck no. I have to visit Spain, a dream I’ve had for twenty years ever since I visited Europe after my eighth grade and we went everywhere but Spain. I was so upset I couldn’t use my two years of Spanish. Just a few days ago, I decided that Spain will happen in 2015. I also want to attend Wimbledon. And the Olympics.  

And yes, I want to publish more books. I can’t wait to get started in making these dreams and more come true. :)

To celebrate the release of TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD, I’m giving away a Kindle. To enter, please answer the following question and fill out the Rafflecopter:

What’s your dream? What did you do or plan on doing to make it happen?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD, the first chapter is posted on my website. 

Book Blurb:

Two radio show hosts. One show. Who will come out on top?

In a moment of restlessness, Tate Grayson sold his multimillion-dollar company and spun his love of sports into a radio talk show. Life, and love, is too short to take seriously—a fact he enjoys rubbing in uptight radio host Noelle Butler’s face.

After the death of her parents, a tragedy she blamed on herself, Noelle vowed to live a controlled, focused life. Now a psychologist, she channels her need for connection into her radio show. But when the arrogant sportscaster next door tells listeners men shouldn’t get married, she’s all too happy to yank the silver spoon out of his overprivileged mouth.

Their heated on-air arguments are a hit, but when the station director forces them to do a joint show for two weeks, Tate and Noelle object. They can’t stand each other, despite the attraction sizzling beneath every interaction. But if they can’t pull the struggling radio station back from the brink, they’ll lose their jobs. Or worse, their hearts.

 Find the book: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads   

Jamie Wesley has been reading romance novels since she was about 12 when her mother left a romance novel, which a friend had given her, on the nightstand. Jamie read it instead, and the rest is history.

She started her first manuscript, a contemporary romance, after she graduated from Northwestern University in 2002 and couldn't find a job. Life got in the way as it often does, i.e. she found a job, and she didn't finish the story. However, she never forgot about it and finally got serious about completing it in 2009. She’s been writing ever since.

Jamie holds a master’s degree in sport management (yes, that's a real thing :-) ) from the University of Texas at Austin, so it probably comes as no surprise that she loves sports and spends an inordinate amount of time rooting for her hometown Dallas’s pro sports teams and her alma maters.

She also adores Walt Disney World, shopping, and pop culture. Want to know if your favorite TV show is going to be canceled or what the newest Disney attraction is? Ask Jamie. She'll probably know the answer.

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Book Prices: Why a Good Story Should Be Worth More Than a Cheeseburger

Photo by The Consumerist

So everyone loves cheap, right? I mean, who can resist a great sale or a "steal" of a deal? It's human nature to want the most for your money.

But this week I found myself wanting the new Stephen King book, 11/22/63, and pausing because of the price. It's a hardback, which I don't typically buy--mainly because they're heavy and more awkward to read. And the retail price is $35. But of course, you never have to pay full price. You can get it 30% off at places like Target and you can get it for right under $20 at Barnes and Noble or Amazon. 

But still, it's twenty bucks, which *feels* like a lot when I'm used to buying paperbacks.

Then I started reading the reviews on Amazon and saw that a few reviewers gave the book one star solely on the price (which of course, should not be part of a review) and arguments amongst reviewers ensued.

Many made good points and this got me to thinking.

We'll pay that price to go see a movie, to go eat a lackluster meal at Applebee's, we'll spend five bucks on a cup of coffee that takes minutes to make and even fewer minutes to consume.

But we'll balk at paying that price for a 1000-page novel by a talented author who probably spent months to years writing and researching for it? AND that book will give us not minutes, but hours, days, of pleasure, of getting lost in a world, of rich entertainment.

THAT isn't worth the cost of a delivery pizza and some soda?

We've lost perspective on what the value of a good book is, of art.

Part of it is because we just live in a discounted/free/cheap focused world. We're the Walmart generation. Who cares if children work 18 hours days in impoverished countries and sleep under their sewing machines to make this shirt? It's only three dollars! 

Part of it is the economy and we're all just watching every penny. But it seems we take stands on some things but then blindly spend money in other places.

And another piece of the equation is the recent self-pubbing boom where everyone is offering full-length ebooks for free, 99 cents, or on the "high" end, $2.99.

Now, a small price for a short story or a short novella makes sense to me. But for full length novels?

Yes, those prices have made a few millionaires, but they also create a slanted view of what a book is worth. And honestly, my perception of those books is often lower. It's not a conscious thing but when  my mind sees 99 cents it automatically makes me think of dollar store quality. I may download one on occasion, especially if it's a "free" thing, but getting around to reading them--meh, I don't get so excited about it. The only ones I get excited about is if it's a promotion and I'm already a fan of the author and know I enjoy their stories.

I think it was Dr. Phil who used to say "you teach people how to treat you." Well, I think we're teaching people what we're worth. Authors are undervaluing themselves and their books. Something that takes you six months or a year to write, shouldn't be able to be had for a buck. It shouldn't be the same price as the Christmas pencils in the dollar bin at Target.

I think it's going to start to hurt authors more than it helps. Here's an opinion from indie-pubbed author Selena Kitt:

"Kindle readers are tired of $0.99 cheapies. The shine is off the new toy, people have stopped loading their Kindles up with freebies and cheapies, and have started getting more discerning about what they download. Many Kindle readers are starting to shy away from the $0.99 price point because they’ve read some stinkers and don’t want to travel down that road again. What was once a huge draw for Kindle readers—oooh, look, cheap books for my new toy!—has now become the opposite."

So I'm not going to stress about the price of the Stephen King book anymore. I can afford the twenty dollars. I'll just get that instead of the new pajama pants I had in my cart. And if I didn't want to spend the money, I could get it at the library. Or I could wait until it comes out in paperback. That's how books work.

So how about you? What are your thoughts on book prices? Should books cost the same amount as a Snickers bar? What do you spend money on mindlessly that costs the same as a good book? What do you think when you see the 99 cent price point--does it color your idea of its quality before reading? Do you think people will get burnt out on the cheap ebook thing because there is so much bad stuff to sift through to find the good ones?