What’s on my iPod:  “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane
What I’m reading: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
The last person I followed on Twitter: @gibbstack

1. J’Adore – The Holiday Giveaway 

Hey BookSpark fans, we have some exciting holiday action coming your way. Isabelle LaFleche – author of fashion-infused novel J’ADORE NEW YORK – is bringing her readers and BookSparks fans a fun, fashionable contest for the holidays! BookSparks will host the contest on our blog December 12th – 16th. More details to come, so stay tuned and buy your copy of J’Adore New York now!

About J’ADORE NEW YORK

When Catherine Lambert, an effortlessly chic Parisian lawyer, receives an offer to transfer to the New York office of her prestigious firm, she unhesitatingly accepts. A dedicated follower of fashion and everything stylish, she is determined to conquer the high-flying world of Manhattan law-and love. Catherine’s daydreams of glamour quickly fizzle, however, when she is faced with her new job’s hard realities. Between the pressure of billable hours, the demands of Catherine’s impossible bosses, the conspiracies of two malicious secretaries and the advances of a lecherous client, New York is more of a nightmare than a dream. Then she meets Jeffrey Richardson, a powerful and handsome client, and her life takes on the romance she’d hoped it would. Candlelit dinners and trips to the Hamptons make even the most outrageous assignments bearable-until an unexpected request brings her new world crashing down around her.

With its insider’s perspective on the dirty deals and intrigue that have darkened Wall Street’s reputation, J’adore New York is a bright and funny take on the lives and laws of Manhattan’s most powerful players.


2. Karen A. Chase – amazing author turns movie extra 

Karen A. Chase – author of BONJOUR 40 – will appear as an extra in A Christmas Kiss this Sunday, December 11th On ION Television! Talk about a lady of all trades. Her travel memoir BONJOUR 40 is currently #20 on Amazon for travel books on France and is on sale for a special holiday price of $1.99!

More on BONJOUR 40

If Karen A. Chase absolutely had to turn 40, she decided she could do it gracefully in Paris… for nearly 40 days. What began as a blog to communicate with friends and family, became a travel journal filled with over a months’ worth of daily humorous, insightful, and detailed glimpses into her Paris adventures, each of which could be read in about 40 seconds.Peppered with Chase’s own delightful photographs, she also weaves in longer stories that reflect upon her experiences with the French, food, travel,photography, writing and love in the City of Lights. A companion to the e-book,her Bonjour40 blog still contains images and some notes for readers who crave more from her Paris adventure.

3. MacWorld picks Nomad as Editor’s Choice 2011! 

MacWorld has selected Nomad Brushes in their 27th annual Editor’s Choice Awards! Such exciting news for Nomad and Nomad lovers!  Check out Nomad and the rest of the picks here.
Using a blend of natural and synthetic fibers, the stylus retains the feel of working with a paintbrush and incorporates full Multi-Touch support, allowing you to paint and draw on your iPad, iPhone, or other mobile device with ease. Since its initial release, the company has further iterated on the design, offering up short-tip versions for detail work, a miniature stylus for iPhone painting, and a dual-tip brush for painting and navigating.

 

 

 

4. Toby Neal’s novel BLOOD ORCHIDS has been released! 

Congratulations to author Toby Neal and her brand-new novel BLOOD ORCHIDS – available to order and download now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

More about BLOOD ORCHIDS

Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop in the sleepy Big Island town of Hilo. On a routine patrol she finds two murdered teenagers—one of whom she’d recently busted. With its echoes of her own past, the murdered girl’s harsh life and tragic death affect Lei deeply. She becomes obsessed—even as the killer is drawn to Lei’s intensity, feeding off her vulnerabilities and toying with her sanity.

Despite her obsession with the case and fear that she’s being stalked, Lei finds herself falling in love for the first time. Steaming volcanoes, black sand beaches and shrouded fern forests are the backdrop to Lei’s quest for answers—and the stalker is closer than she can imagine, as threads of the past tangle in her future. Lei is determined to find the killer—but he knows where to find her first.

Available in E-Book format for download for $2.99 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

 

5. THE MAN WHO COULDN’T EAT in LA Times 
Jon Reiner‘s memoir THE MAN WHO COULDN’T EAT continues to make buzz! The memoir was featured in the LA Times this past week.
More about THE MAN WHO COULDN’T EAT
Imagine not being able to eat or drink a single thing.  No lobster roll on the beach in Maine; no hot dog at the ballpark; no cool drink on a hot summer day; no birthday cake; nothing. In The Man Who Couldn’t Eat (S&S/Gallery Books: September 6, 2011), Jon Reiner – a James Beard Foundation Award-winning writer –chronicles his three-month struggle to live without food. Based on Reiner’s acclaimed 2009 Esquire magazine article by the same name, the book reinvents the foodoir, telling what happens when a man obsessed with food is denied the taste of it.  A beautifully written chronicle of one man’s journey from plenty to deprivation and back again,The Man Who Couldn’t Eat  will change the way you think about more than just your next meal.