Five in the Hive with author Jacqueline Sheehan

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Malena Lott

It’s my pleasure to have New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Sheehan in the Hive today. Sheehan is the author of LOST AND FOUND, which I loved, and her new novel, PICTURE THIS, brings us the sequel, in a story about a widow retreating to a small tourist town, searching for a new life. PICTURE THIS is strong on character development as we get to know Rocky (the widow), Hill, an archery instructor, and even a four-legged friend, a black lab like the one pictured on the cover, and the interesting townsfolk who live there. Welcome, Jacqueline!

FIVE IN THE HIVE Questions:

One author you’d most like to shoot-the-breeze with?

The first author that I thought of was Oscar Wilde. I’d like to ask him if his writing would be different if he wasn’t vilified for his sexual orientation, thrown in prison, and generally tormented. If Oscar was alive today, would he be a more expansive writer, or was the persecution fuel to the literary fire?

One book you’ve never been able to get out of your head?

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I could read the first chapter over and over. It is some of the most erotic writing, even though BK is writing about the animal world and plant life coming to life at the end of spring. It is simply spectacular writing and I can’t get enough of it.

Guilty literary pleasure.

If I want to truly relax and be taken away (wait for it) I read anything by Lee Child. Not only does his main character, Reacher, treat women in an appreciative and respectful way (the man really loves women) but there is not one bad guy who escapes him. There are just some days that I want to see Reacher clobber the bad dudes.

Most unusual place you’ve ever written?

No question about it, the most unusual place was a tree house in Yelapa, Mexico where I was staying for a week. I slept in the tree house at the edge of the jungle. The jungle is a very, very noisy place and not all that conducive to writing. Sort of like trying to write in a subway station.

Favorite “forget-the-diet” dessert?

Homemade peach pie. I would eat it once a day, everyday, if I could. But a few times every summer? Heaven!

Find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinesheehan.com.

Prom Dates to Die For

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Dani Stone

Grab your date, spike the punch, head out on the dance floor and beware the un-dead, it’s paranormal Prom time.

Prom Dates to Die For: Paranormal Prom Stories is the latest anthology from Buzz Books, USA. The compilation features 5 young adult authors who deliver more than just the typical dance drama. They’ve created other worldly mayhem!

From Amazon: In Kelly Parra‘s “Darkness Becomes Him,” teen supernatural hunters are hired to save a prom date hungry for souls. -

Heather Dearly introduces us to a young reaper haunted by a past she doesn’t remember in “The Bone Flower.”

A prom queen seeks justice and revenge in Lena Brown’s, “Every Breath You Take.”

Aaron Smith gives us a loner musician called to save his classmates from an enemy only he can see in “A Kiss at the Threshold.”

Jenny Peterson‘s heroine gets much more than she wished for on her prom night and 18th birthday in “Tonight, You’re Mine.” Frightful, fun and unforgettable.

Get ready to slice the congratulatory cake. It’s release day. Now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

New! New! New!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Malena Lott

by Malena Lott

Sorry. I couldn’t help myself with that headline. Blame on my daily life as a marketer and advertiser. I’m always looking for the sparkly object to promote to my client’s target market. In the case of Book End Babes, we do have a lot of new on the horizon. You may have seen some tweets asking for more bookettes and book dudes. We’re switching to a once a month post per blogger format and leaving some spaces open for author guest posts. We’re also going to restructure the site and fold it neatly into the fold of the Athena Institute properties – my branding, creative and multimedia firm I founded in 2006.

It just makes sense that with the wild west of publishing these days I’d mesh my worlds. I hope that readers and authors will love what we’re doing. The indie multimedia division, Buzz Books USA, is going strong, with the recent announcement of new team members (publicist Cyndy Hoenig, senior editor Mari Farthing and communications manager Dani Stone) and writing contracts for new authors in several categories.

In addition to providing blogging opportunities for authors, we’ll also be adding advertising space and creative services for writers and businesses. I’m going to be honest and say all the “badvertising” I see being offered on the Internet made me want to offer a higher quality solution. Branding matters.

You’ll also be seeing more multimedia in the way of workshops, videos and podcasts. The Hive with Buzz Books just completed our first interview with film critic Phil Bacharach. You can listen to it here and will be able to get a feed through iTunes. Next week our guest is our own film to books bookette Michelle Langston who is a film publicist.

Yet the mission of BEB remains unchanged – get people reading. Talk about great books. Inspire new ideas and thinking. Reading makes us more empathetic, smarter and not quite so bitchy. Hey, it’s science! I’m going “behind the scenes” at BEB, but I’ll be posting once a month and relishing in getting to be a part of this savvy book community. Dani is taking the reins at BEB and long-time bookette Heather Dearly (and new Buzz Books author) will be the co-editor. Heather will handling our 4 monthly Top Picks. I know they’ll catch me when I fall, which I’m eternally grateful for.

I’ll leave you with a bookish gift – a free promo that ends Monday for my short story, Snowflakes and Stones, available on the Kindle. It’s from the winter anthology, Sleigh Ride. I’d love to hear what you think.

Stay tuned for our trumpets and ‘tinis, announcing our new look and new book bloggers.

Real babes read books. (gals and guys!)

xo,
Malena

Stuffed Sleigh Contest

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Malena Lott

While many of you may be over the stove cooking up something delicious for Thanksgiving, I am thankful my mother in law said I don’t have to BRING A THING. (Except for my beautiful family, of course.) Now, my MIL has known me for 17 years and she’s grown to accept that I don’t like to cook, am not very good at it and I’d be happy eating a turkey sandwich for T-day, let alone a big fancy meal. But fancy we shall have! So it gives me great pleasure to offer one of our Sleigh Ride readers a “thank you” gift for purchasing the anthology that’s sure to get you in the mood for the holidays. It even has a fruitcake! And it wouldn’t be a sleigh ride without hot cocoa, right? And some hot guys? So, without further ado, I present to you SLEIGH RIDE: A Winter Anthology and the awesome BIG STUFFED SLEIGH contest. Remember, you can always gift it to a friend, too.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

All this plus a cozy throw!
Package includes:

Michael Buble “Christmas” album (Target edition with 3 extra songs) ~ $17 value

Lady Antebellum “A Merry Little Christmas” album ~ $7 value

ILU “text” Coffee mug, in honor of Dani Stone’s, “No Place Like Home” story and her crazy coffee cup collection ~ $7 value

Cozy throw to cuddle up and read Sleigh Ride with! ~ $30 value

Box full of books including:

FALLING TOGETHER by Marisa de los Santos (hardback, $26 value)

YANKEE DOODLE DIXIE by Lisa Patton (hardback, $25 value)

RECKONING FOR THE DEAD by Jordan Dane (mass market paperback, $8 value)

AND SHE WAS by Alison Gaylin (mm paperback, ARC, no retail value)

SLICKER by Lucy Jackson (trade paperback, $15 value)

SPIN by Catherine McKenzie (trade paperback, ARC, no retail value)

THE ATLAS OF LOVE by Laurel Frankel (trade paperback, $15 value)

DRAGONSWOOD by Janet Lee Carey (trade paperback, ARC, no retail value)

How to Enter:

Send (forward) your receipt from the purchase of SLEIGH RIDE by end of day Nov. 30th, 2011 to buzzbooksusa (at) me (dot) com. A confirmation e-mail in return will confirm your entry in the contest.

Where to buy Sleigh Ride: (as of 11/11/11)

print book from our Buzz Books site here

for the nook: BN.com for nook

or the print book or ebook for the kindle: Amazon

Sleigh Ride includes short stories by Samantha Wilde, Maria Geraci, Maggie Marr, Megan Barlog, Malena Lott, Dani Stone, Jenny Peterson.

I Think I’ve Been Converted: Why I Love My Kindle

Posted on September 19, 2011 by StacyJ

While I usually love to share my latest read with you all, today I’d like to share why I’m an e-reader convert.

For my birthday this year I got a Kindle. For a long time now, I’ve been telling everyone that it just wouldn’t be the same as reading a book. I grew up in the library and love the musty smell of a book just taken off the shelf. I thought I would miss the feel of a book and the turning of the pages.

I’m a convert. The cover I ordered makes it feel as I’m holding a real book, which has made the transition easier. The idea of having a new book right at my fingertips is amazing. I also love the idea of being able to share books with my best friend because she has a Kindle too.

But my favorite part of my Kindle is discovering new authors that I may not have come across if I didn’t have a Kindle. I also love the thought of supporting authors who are just starting out. I am also happy to give back to those who I have met through social media and have afforded me the opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you.

My first download was Jamie’s Let Us Prey. Everyone who loves a strong female character and a good mystery should pick this up immediately. I’m only about halfway through and I love it. A book has to be good to make me almost miss my train stop to and from work on multiple days.

Malena and Vivi you are next!

I’m really glad I embraced this new technology, but I can’t say that I won’t pick up a real book now and again.