Guest Blog -- Nicole from"Howling Good Books" Review Site

Hi Sara! Thanks for having me! Wow what an honor!....And now for the awkward silence… J Just Kidding, as if I could ever run out of things to say about books or my review site! Ok so start from the beginning I suppose. Well, about me… Hmm.

Once upon a time there was a woman named Nicole, and she had a dream of one day making it big! She published poetry, and had a collection of books so big she had to buy an extra house just to have a place to put them all! When one day the beauteous ladies husband said to her- “You have enough books to start your own bookstore!” an even better idea struck! Why sell all of her books? Why get rid of all her dear friends that helped her deal with the real world by escaping it? Why not SHARE her obsession? Help the world be a better place but introducing people to her love of other worlds and living vicariously through others? And at the same time share all the worldly wisdom she has gained through her many travels in those hollowed pages? Why not start……. A REVIEW SITE!

Nah, that isn’t how it happened, but it sounded good huh? Lol, What really happened was I was trolling the Internet while chatting with a friend when I came across a review site. It intrigued me. Who would have thunk it? I always wondered how those witty quotes ended up on book covers! How could I get my words on those beautiful glossy covers? How could I get my name out there? So I emailed the site, ok I used the “Contact Us” page, but hey it counts! I asked them how I could become one of their reviewers ( see me begging and pleading on my knees in cyberspace). So for a few years I reviewed. I read my little heart out, and my eyes blind, but OH JOY the free books! And then I started seeing MY name out there! My name and witty bantering were on the covers of books! And I had another thought! Why not start MY OWN review site?!?!? Thus the idea to birth HowlingGoodBooks.com!

I got together with my husband and best friend Joann(and Co-Author) and discussed the possibility of such a thing; aka if we had the gumption to pull it off. My husband bought the domain for Mother’s Day- “So you can’t back out”, and Joann and I came up with the name. Then months of hard work ensued. We planned, mapped out how we wanted the site to run, found a wonderful artist for our logo, I worked on getting publishers, and anytime I got worried, down, or started second guessing myself I turned to my family, old friends, and the new friends that I had made. If it weren’t for my slave laboring husband (just ask him, he’ll tell you what a slave driver I am! ;) ), Joann, Kayla Weeks, Jen Allen and all my author friends who suffered with me- Leonard D. Hilley II, Celis T. Rono, Mima, or Christine and Ethan Rose; HowlingGoodBooks.com would have not have been given birth! So thanks guys for all of the support and belief that you have given to me and HGB! And to all the friends that I have made since; Mina Carter, Sara( but of course), Lex Valentine, Melinda Barron, and Dakota Cassidy just to name a few! You guys have helped keep it, and me, going!

But it is a FAR cry from over! In fact we have just begun! We are covering all genres, and currently have over 10 publishers working with us, as well as authors themselves sending us work! We are always on the lookout for new reviewers, especially as we are always looking for new publishers! We are taking applications for reviewers! If you are interested the link is here: http://howlinggoodbooks.com/index.php?id=43 . And if the directions aren’t clear enough here is a review I did myself for you to go by: http://howlinggoodbooks.com/index.php?id=114 . (Wink) Did I mention that is the review for Sara’s first book in the Amoveo series, The Amoveo Legacy? Not only is Sara gracious enough to have me here, but she is talented as well! Well, I guess that is all, for now! I must get going! But I will stop in and see if there are any questions out there! I hope you all have a blessed day! Thanks again Sara! And Hurry up on An Amoveo Heart!

Book Signing in The Big Easy!

Had a great time at the Borders Book Signing in New Orleans. The entire staff was incredibly helpful and set us up in a great area. This Borders is on St. Charles Street and pre-Katrina it was a Funeral Home. Cool huh?

I have to give major props to my Signing Liaison Kelly! She had already read "The Amoveo Legacy" and volunteered to be my Liaison when she heard I was coming down to NOLA. She did an awesome job! She even brought her daughter and a friend along. So a HUGE Thank You to Kelly!! What a great lady.

I also got to meet several other folks while I was there. Stephanie & her hubby David came by to say hello and pick up a book or two. We connected on Twitter and I was thrilled that they showed up!!

Our stay in New Orleans was such fun and I can't wait to go back. Book 2 in my shifter series actually takes place in NOLA so it was also a great opportunity to do some research....and have some fun :)

Next stop.....Borders in Watertown, NY....right by Fort Drum!

SOLD OUT Signing at Barnes & Noble in Yonkers!

What a fantastic event at B&N here in Westchester!! It was so much fun to meet new readers and terrific to have some familiar faces stop by as well. Martie, the CRM at this location, ran a fantastic event. Her staff was friendly, knowledgeable and extremely helpful.

I met some great girls from the area and posted their pictures here. It's always such a thrill for me to meet young women and hear about their dreams and goals for the future. I always tell them that this is my first published book and I'm going to be 40 this year. It's never too late to follow your dreams....with enough hard work, tenacity and belief in yourself.....anything can happen.

And the Winners Are......

I have to admit it was not easy to select the winners of this contest. All of these women are dynamic, strong and dedicated individuals. I admire each of them for their strength and devotion to their families. So...after much contemplation....the winners are....

Courtney Bishop Jackson

Grand Prize: $100 Amazon Gift Card. and Her name (not her likeness) will be used for a character in one of my upcoming books. Autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy".

Amy Teets

First Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card & autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy".

Jennee Allan

Second Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card & autographed copy of "The Amoveo Legacy"

As I mentioned, I will be donating a portion of the proceeds of my book sales to the veteran's charity ASMBA STAR . Originally it was going be based off of sales from the summer. However, after meeting these women and their families I have decided to base my donation off my total sales for 2009. I cannot think of a more worthy cause to contribute to than our military and their families. Happy Labor Day everyone!

Click on the Pictures to Read the Stories of the 13 Semi-Finalists: U.S. Military Wives Contest

I am absolutely amazed at how quickly the summer has flown by! When I started this contest back in May, Labor Day Weekend seemed a million miles away but here it is! I have really enjoyed this contest and meeting these outstanding women. Although these ladies are not necessarily enlisted in the military they play a vital function for our soldiers. These women, and thousands like them, are the invisible soldiers. They fight the battles at home, often alone, while their husbands fight for our freedom in far flung lands. A few things in particular stood out as I read their stories. First of all, they are all 100% dedicated to their families and show unwavering support for their husbands and what they do for us as a country. I have also been incredibly moved by how supportive the military has been of these families during times of personal crisis. It's nice to see that not only do they support our military but our military is helping them as well.

Winners will be announced on Monday!

Our last Semi-Finalist --Week #13

Unfortunately, I don't have picture of my husband and I together in his uniform. That's how little we've seen each other. We have been married for almost 6 years. Which during that time he was with 4th Force Recon and has been in 2 deployments. Before his second deployment we got pregnant and had a little girl. He missed a lot unfortunately. Now that the USMC is dwindling down Force Recon, he has decided to join the Army, which has given us a lot more family time.

The biggest challenge for both of us has been trying to find time to spend with each other. What gives me strength, is knowing that he will be home, and when he does we make it the best time possible, even if it's just sitting on the couch watching a movie together or sitting in the yard and having lunch. We are now stationed in Italy, which makes things a little more difficult, with language barriers and different rules and laws. But I think with him here for me and me here for him we work through it. We're each others best friends and I wouldn't change it for the world.-- Erin Cleveland

**Remember, as part of this summer long contest, I will be donating a portion of my proceeds from all of my book sales between the dates of 6/1/09-8/31/09 to ASMBA STAR an outstanding charity for Veterans and their families**

This Friday I will post a re-cap of the 13 semi-finalists and then on Monday I'll announce the winners of this summer long contest. I've really enjoyed "meeting" these amazing women and hearing their stories. I hope you have too. Please continue to pass the word.

--Sara