Resolution Update – February

At the beginning of the year I always have good intentions to jumpstart my life and do all the things I meant to do the year before but never actually got around to. This year I plotted and planned and charted with the hope I would find a way to finally get things done. I now have a schedule, tick off my daily and monthly To-Do lists, and intend to use my blog to hold myself accountable and keep motivated. I have dreams and aspirations, so there is no time like the present to achieve them!

Ghostwriting and Algorithms

If you keep up with the publishing world or even just occasionally peek at twitter you will have seen #copypastecris trending. An author by the name of Cristiane Serruya has recently been accused of plagiarism and readers everywhere are using that hashtag to tweet about the various novels Serruya allegedly stole from. While I do not recall reading anything by Serruya, I did recognize a few of the authors on the list. You can see some of the novels here.

Upon discovery, the best-selling author has since blamed the ghostwriter(s) she hired and pulled all books in which she used that company’s assistance. Rumour has it that one of Serruya’s novels had been up for the Romance Writers of America RITA award, but is now withdrawn because of the pending investigation.

Review: Maid in England by Brenda St John Brown

 Synopsis: The last thing publicist Remi expected was to be assigned to her college sweetheart, but the reclusive musician needed to revamp his image to move from a songwriter who performs at country pubs to a rockstar drawing crowds to concert. Twelve years ago he ended their relationship due to her workaholic ways, but now her talent was going to save his career… but can they keep from falling in love again?

Author: Brenda St John Brown is a New Yorker turned Brit who writes contemporary romance novels, and loves to have the occasional American character transplanted to England (much like herself).

Teaser Tuesday (MiE)

Maid In England by Brenda St John Brown

“I’ve become a full-on workaholic,
but dressed it up and called it ambition.”

“…that makes my lack of date feel more dire, too.
I have incredible faith in Vera, but I’m not sure she can
magic up someone suitable in less than two weeks.”

In My Mailbox (MiE)

One of the wonderful things about being friends with an author is that author introducing you to her author friends and their books. Through her I have discovered so many great writers and, sometimes, I even get lucky enough to be sent an ARC! (If only because she tells me of when a request form is available online for a book I really should read). This is the case for the latest Advance Reader Copy I had the pleasure of receiving:

“Maid in England”
by Brenda St John Brown

 This novel hits the shelves this week, so be sure to come back here all this week for teaser quotes and my review!