Best Books to Read Now: 2018 Women With Books Summer Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Earlier this summer, I introduced the 2018 WOMEN WITH BOOKS SUMMER READING CHALLENGE!
 

Did you do it? What did you read? 
I sort of accidentally completed the challenge, and I talk all about it on the Season 3 opener of my podcast, Women With Books. Check out the episode here. And while you're listening, these are the books I discuss....
 

A royal book! 

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen

Amazon || Apple Books

BEACH BOOKS

Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams

Amazon || Apple Books

New To You Genre

Prisoner of the Crown by Jeffe Kennedy

Amazon || Apple Books

A Diverse / Inclusive Read And Debut Author
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
 

Amazon || Apple Books

 

A Book that Inspired a Movie/ TV Show

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan:  Amazon || iBooks

A Book with A Pretty Dress on the Cover

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean

Amazon || Apple Books

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

 

Amazon || Apple Books

Book from a Former Women With Books Guest
Check out Tessa Dare's, Sarah MacLean's and Jeffe Kennedy's books, above!

I'd love to hear if you read anything good this summer and I definitely recommend the above books so go ahead and add them to your TBR pile! And while you're one-clicking, make sure you reserve your copy of my next release... THE ROYAL RUNAWAY!  Anyone who has good taste in books will enjoy it! 
 

All These Things That I Love - Drinks Edition - August 2018 & a COVER REVEAL

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

I've got a very special drinks edition for you today!  A guest drinks edition brought to you by my British-American friend Julia Kelly to celebrate my new UK cover! 

First, let's look at my beautiful cover, then you can fix a very British drink to celebrate it! 

Isn't it fun?  I love seeing my book re-interpreted in different ways! So if you are in the United Kingdom, Australia, any part of the English speaking world that IS NOT North America, this is the cover you'll see for THE ROYAL RUNAWAY, my novel that is releasing 9 October 2018! (see how I used the right date format?)
 

Learn more about the book here and here!

And now please welcome my friend, author Julia Kelly. I asked her to tell us about a quintessential British summer cocktail. 

Author Julia Kelly and family. Probably role-playing scenes from THE ROYAL RUNAWAY.

Since moving to London, I’ve realized that there are a few reliable clues that summer is coming. People start wearing light jackets rather than heavy ones. Tennis players start thinking about dusting off their tennis whites. And the Pimms begins to flow.

If you aren’t familiar with Pimms, it’s an herbal-ish drink made from Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, lemonade, fruit, cucumber, and mint. Think British sangria, minus the wine.

In the UK, you can buy Pimm’s in cans, but that takes all of the romance out of the drink. Instead, break out your best water pitcher and mix up a batch. Just be careful. Depending on who’s mixing the drink and whether they add anything “special” to it (i.e. gin), it can be more potent than you think.

Julia’s Perfect Pimm’s

250ml Pimm’s No. 1 Cup

500ml British-style lemonade*

Orange, sliced

Strawberries, sliced

Cucumber, sliced

1 bunch mint leaves

Ice cubes

Slice your fruit and cucumber. (The beauty of Pimm’s is that you can customize how much fruit you really want). Place the fruit, mint, and ice into a large pitcher. Pour in your Pimm’s and lemonade over and stir. Pour out your Pimm’s and be sure to eat the liquor-soaked fruit when you reach the end of the jug. Enjoy with friends or (safely) by yourself. We won’t judge.

*British lemonade is not like American lemonade! It’s a slightly fizzy drink that’s more lightly sweet than sharp. In a pinch try flavoring sparkling water with a couple squeezes of fresh lemon.

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

And Pre-Order Julia Kelly's next historical fiction novel, THE LIGHT OVER LONDON at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

All These Things That I Love - Romance-Adventure Movies - August 2018

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

I'm not sure if I have explained - or could explain - the way that television and film influence my books. Sometimes it's the staccato dialogue from an episode of The West Wing or  Gilmore Girls that inspires me. Sometimes it's the tongue in cheek humor of Rogelio de la Vega on Jane the Virgin that gives me the urge to let my crazy humor fly. And sometimes it's Jamie Fraser from Outlander.

(Okay. A lot of times it's Jamie Fraser.)

I realized recently that The Royal Runaway, my book about the adventures of a princess and a spy had a lot in common with my favorite type of movie.

Romantic-Adventure movies! You didn't know that this was a specific sub-genre of movie, did you? Maybe it's not, but I realized that so many of the movies that I have watched over and over again have certain things in common. 

1. Romance/ Sexual tension
2. A quick pace
3. Banter
4. A plot that involves an adventure, mystery or quest. 

Sound good? Check out my all time favorites...

Some Like it Hot
Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe star in this Hollywood classic. Even though the movie was made in 1959, the jokes still crackle, the performances shine and it's still FUN. 

Charade, starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. You haven't seen it 1000 times? COME ON PEOPLE. 

I'll say it again: AUDREY HEPBURN. CARY GRANT. PARIS. COSTUMES. SHOWER SCENE. BAD GUYS. MISTAKEN IDENTITIES. CARY F'IN GRANT. 

Don't talk to me again until you've seen it. 

Romancing the Stone starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. This film is a classic romantic adventure, with 80's sexiness (there's a lot of saxophones. That was code in the 80's for sexiness.) Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder, who is a romance novelist and her scenes with her editor, played by Holland Taylor are pretty much all I would need in a movie but then you add a treasure map, and Danny deVito as a comedic bad guy, and a heroic smuggler (think Han Solo but Michael Douglas) named JACK T. COLTON and it's just all the magic. 

The Mummy. The 1999 version please, with Brendan Fraser as the action-y guy and Rachel Weisz as the intrepid scholarly archaeological heroine. Some might call this horror or an action flick, but to me it's all foreplay while trying to avoid death by cursed Egyptian artifact.  

Thomas Crown Affair

Speaking of foreplay....Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. Just look at them. They're so flipping gorgeous in this movie about a smart, sexy person in the prime of their life and another smart, sexy person in the prime of their life trying to out-think each other. There's some caper-y art theft in between the battle of the sexiness. I'm sorry, I have to stop there. It appears I can't find another word for SEXY. 

Tangled. Maybe it's not quite as sexy as some of these others, but I'll confess that I get a crush on Flynn Rider every time I watch this movie. Honestly, he's a lot like my hero in THE ROYAL RUNAWAY.  He's battle scarred and weary but when he crosses paths with a gutsy princess he can't help but fall for her.  

No celebrity endorsement implied. Just inspired to play around with a movie poster of my own.

I'd love to hear what romantic-adventure movies you love and what I need to add to my rainy day movie queues!

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

Best Books to Read Now: Princesses, Queens, & Royal Romance!

As you may have heard by now, my next book features a Royal princess, a sexy spy and kissing.  And you might also know that when I started to write it, I didn't originally set out to write a so-called "royal" book (See: How I got the Idea.)

Click to get your own copy of The Royal Runaway!

But thanks to #Royalwedding fever, and royal fans around the world, I have been joyfully swept up in all things royal romance related. 

So I thought I'd bring you a list of books to read if you're prince or princess obsessed. 

Non fiction / Historical Princesses & Queens

Marie Antoinette : Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser
Queen Elizabeth I: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

Queen Victoria: Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
Princess Diana: Diana Her True Story in her Own Words by Andrew Morton

For Kids and the Young at Heart

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie-Antoinette by Bianca Turetsky

Modern Contemporary Royal Stories

Royally Wed by Teri Wilson

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Command Me, Book 1 of the Royals Saga by Geneva Lee

For more discussion about the above books, check out the podcast episodes I did with all the authors at Womenwithbooks.com.

And for more royal romance reading discussion, check out Royally Broke's Royally Good Reads Book Club on Facebook, mentioned here. 

Got more recommendations? Princesses and queens you love to read about? Share them below! 

It's Time for RWA Nationals!

Oh boy. This will be my FIFTH RWA National Conference. I can't believe it. And this year I'll be flying to....

DENVER, COLORADO!

I haven't been to Denver in so long. Fun fact: It's where my husband proposed to me. So going to a ROMANCE conference there is very much on point for me.  And oh, I'm so excited for (hopefully) some cooler temperatures but also to be surrounded by my people. My tribe. My besties.  
 

Not my suitcase... YET. But isn't it #goals?

I'm Sort Of Obsessed With Packing

That's.... normal, right? If you already follow me, you know that I'm a capital-P Planner so it totally makes sense that I make lists of what I want to take on trips. But one of my favorite packing hacks/ tools is sadly, lost forever. See, I used to be a regular user of the site Polyvore and yes, I would plan out any vacation outfits and accessories there but the site shut down this year. Now I'm trying out a combination of Pinterest board + Trello board to see if that is sufficient for my shoe-assessment needs.  You see, I like to pack light - but fabulous. So. It takes both some flair and organization. 

If you're attending RWA,  whether a repeat attendee or for the first time, you can take a peek at my past post on WHAT TO PACK.   I still stand by these tips and tricks  but this year it will be a little different because I'm headed to Denver for a few days before the conference starts for a writing retreat. So smart of me to schedule this!  With the writing retreat, I'll have to throw in a few more casual tees and shorts, a caftan, my hot pink Birkenstocks and my Very Smart Lady Glasses.  I'm going for a Writing Retreat Chic look.  

Not sure what this has to do with anything except I love this gif and how much fun Wills and Kate are having here. Also a great example that you should always be prepared for all sorts of events on vacation. ;-)

If you follow me on social media next week, you can judge for yourself whether I've reached that particular fashion goal. 
 

My Schedule

I will be signing books at the Gallery/ Pocket Books signing  at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 19. Bring your coffee and come get a copy of The Royal Runaway signed!

I will also be presenting a 20/20 session on Friday about content marketing and I'll have special swag reserved for librarians, bloggers and readers!

Alas, these events are only for conference registrants, but stay in the know about my upcoming future appearances by signing up for The Inner Circle - my exclusive newsletter. 

And hit me up if you similarly enjoy the vacation packing experience and have a packing trick or tip! I'd love to hear them!