Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

It's my pleasure to be part of the cover reveal for Nancee Cain's upcoming release, TEMPTING JO.  It's the sequel to her beautiful, funny, and sexy SAVING EVANGELINE .  You know I love me a good cover, and this one...oh, it's outstanding.  I could stare at it for hours and hours and hours. What's that? You'd like me to stop yammering and show you already?  Here she is!   Forbidden love is hell...  Confident and quirky, Jo Sanford thinks her boss is God's gift to women--and she couldn't be further from the truth. Devilishly handsome, Luc DeVille will stop at nothing to lure his administrative assistant right into his arms--and bed.   Over Rafe Goodman's dead body...   Rafe, Jo's best friend, refuses to sit by and watch as Luc tries to win the heart of the woman he's always protected. After all, Rafe is her guardian angel. Suddenly, Jo's caught in the middle of a battle betw...

Welcome to the Oh! The places you'll go! Back-to-School Giveaway Hop, hosted by The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island . So,,,,why did I think having college-age kids would mean summers would slow down? It's actually crazier than when they were little because my life's moved on to include a day job and a writing career that don't take the summers off—but the kids show back up and a whole new layer of activity dashes any hope of routine. At least it's a good kind of crazy. :) Still, I look forward to a few weeks from now when they'll be back into their routines and I can get back to mine. One of my favorite things to do with a little extra "me time" is to escape into a good book. If you want to escape into a light, chick-litty romance, The Romance Reviews has selected my latest release, WHEN IT HOOKS YOU , as a Top Pick! The story's set in fabulous Chicago but it also includes a tropical location if you're looking to get a little further ...

Welcome back to #ComedyBookWeek , an annual online celebration of humor in writing. Today I'm reviewing one of the books featured in this event: THE SECRET NOTEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Liz Hedgecock. Before we begin, let's set a little atmosphere, shall we? This photo was taken at 221b Baker Street last fall. As you see, Sherlock and Watson are still very much engrossed in cracking cases. My Review This book of short stories had me at the prologue, when we learn of the discovery of Watson's secret notebook at the site pictured above, now a museum. When you tour the museum you really do forget that Holmes was a fictional character, so it's easy to believe some old relic might be found hidden in a secret compartment of a drawer. These newly discovered stories are from the duo's sleuthing partnership, so they're lighter fare than what we see from them later on. It's entertaining to watch Sherlock puzzle over cases such as how to divert the innoc...

Welcome to #ComedyBookWeek, an annual online celebration of humor in writing. Today, I'm interviewing Karen Tomsovic, author of feel-good romance in contemporary urban settings. Congrats to Karen on her brand new release, HEART THROBS ! Those of you who've frequented my blog know that there's one question I can never resist asking an author... Q.  Nicki:  If you had to pick one song that best captures the essence of HEART THROBS, which song would you choose and why?  A.  Karen:  Since this is for an event about comedy, I suppose I should come up with something funny. But the “soundtrack” in my head for this couple is actually quite romantic. And comedy isn’t just jokes; it’s also form. Heart Throbs is a romantic comedy and one of the genre's tropes—whether in Shakespeare or Hollywood—is to have some sort of big wedding scene, either at the climax or as the happy ending. While writing the first draft, I would listen to this CD of flamenco...

A couple of weeks ago Raiders of the Lost Ark came back to the big screen at a theater by my house It was SO exciting. It was also the first time I’ve seen the movie since hearing the infamous Amy Farrah Fowler theory on the film. If you don’t know, the fictional neurobiologist says the movie has a glaring flaw in that Indiana Jones has no impact on the outcome. Do you ever feel like that as a writer? Like no matter how much time and effort you put into crafting stories, putting them out into the world, and then implementing brilliant marketing strategies, you always end up in the same place? Like all your work has no impact whatsoever on the literary world, much less your bank account? Yeah, me, too. But then I figured out that Mizz Fowler's theory is full of monkey poop. Allow me to explain... I had a new book release on June 15, and it had an awesome opening week. Amazon rankings like I've never seen before. All this without the help of a romance publisher, which I ...

Dawn's Reading Nook: The Fourth of July FacebookHop and Giveaway : Welcome to the Fourth of July Facebook Hop, hosted by Love Kissed Book Bargains! With tons of prizes from over 100 authors and bloggers ...