BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Showing posts with label Kelly Oram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelly Oram. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Author's Release Blitz & Giveaway For HAPPILY EVER AFTER By Kelly Oram


Title: Happily Ever After
Series: Cinder & Ella #2
Author: Kelly Oram
Publisher: Bluefields Publishing
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sequel
Release Date: April 11, 2017


The end of one story is often the beginning of another. Hollywood heartthrob Brian Oliver and his Cinderella princess Ellamara Rodriguez have finally found love outside the digital world. But leaving their anonymity behind creates a whole new set of obstacles for the nation's new favorite sweethearts. With the stress of Brian's fame and the pressures of a new relationship weighing down on them, the It Couple quickly begins to wonder if they can hold on to their newfound joy, or if maybe happily ever after is only a fairy tale after all.


Book Links: (Amazon exclusive and in Kindle Unlimited)





EXCERPT

Monday, October 3, 2016

Surprise! Cinder & Ella Event


Exactly two years ago, a little book titled Cinder & Ella made its way onto Amazon. And then it exploded, making it's way to # 1 on Amazon in all of its categories and even hitting the top 20 on all of Amazon. (Way to go Cinder & Ella!)

And nearly every day of the two years since its release, author Kelly Oram has received requests for an epilogue or a short story or something--anything--that would give readers more of their beloved Brian (aka Cinder) & Ella.

It may have taken 2 years, but Kelly has finally decided to grant all of those requests, which means:

Cinder & Ella is getting a SEQUEL!!

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That's right people, there's a whole second book coming! But that's not all. Not only has the book been announced, it's less than 5 months away, and today we're revealing the cover and blurb!

Along with this cover reveal the first book, Cinder & Ella, is also getting a new look. They've redesigned the cover to match the sequel.

THIS:
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 IS NOW THIS:
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Title: Cinder & Ella
Author: Kelly Oram
Publisher: Bluefields
Pages: 312

Written by the inestimable Kelly Oram, Cinder & Ella is a contemporary Cinderella re-telling set in present day Hollywood.

4.8 out of 5 stars with over 1,500 reviews on Amazon!


 What would you do if your anonymous Internet best friend turned out to be Hollywood’s hottest celebrity?


Cinder458: Your blogaversary is coming up, right?
EllaTheRealHero: Do all those Hollywood friends of yours know you use words like blogaversary?
Cinder458: Of course not. I need your address. Got you a blogaversary present.


Cinder got me a gift?
My heart flipped.
Not that I was in love with my Internet best friend or anything. That would be utterly ridiculous. The boy was cocky and stubborn and argued with everything I said just to be infuriating. He also had lots of money, dated models—which meant he had to be hot—and was a closet book nerd.
Funny, rich, hot, confident, book lover. Definitely not my type. Nope. Not at all.

It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.
***
Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email from an old Internet friend changes everything.

With a heartwarming online celebrity romance reminiscent of Jennifer E. Smith’s This Is What Happy Looks Like, bestselling young adult author Kelly Oram has struck gold with her new adult contemporary retelling of the timeless fairytale classic Cinderella.

"A story that has it all: tears, laughs, sparks and a drop-dead swoonworthy hero. Give it a while and DreamWorks will pick up this story for a movie adaption, no doubt." Anna Katmore, Author of Play With Me & Neverland 

"Both funny and heart-wrenching, Cinder and Ella will give you all the feels. It’s the best twist on the Cinderella tale I have come across. I am not just a fan of Kelly Oram. I am an addict." Cassie Mae, author of Switched & How To Hook A Bookworm 

"Cinder & Ella is a beautiful modern-day fairytale with a great cast of characters that made me laugh and swoon. It had me staying up late at night to read just one more chapter, and at the end, I was left with a big grin on my face." Cindi Madsen, USA Today Bestselling Author of Falling For Her Fiancé & Cinderella Screwed Me Over

If this hasn't convinced you to check this book out, you can preview the prologue and first chapter by reading along with Kelly Oram.

And now for the moment you're all really waiting for...


Are you ready...?


Okay...here it is!!!



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Title: Happily Ever After
Series: Cinder & Ella #2
Author: Kelly Oram
Publisher: Bluefields
Release Date: February 14, 2017
Buy Links: Signup to Kelly Oram's NEWSLETTER to be 
upon release.

 The end of one story is often the beginning of another. Hollywood heartthrob Brian Oliver and his Cinderella princess Ellamara Rodriguez have finally found love outside the digital world. But leaving their anonymity behind creates a whole new set of obstacles for the nation's new favorite sweethearts. With the stress of Brian's fame and the pressures of a new relationship weighing down on them, the It Couple quickly begins to wonder if they can hold on to their newfound joy, or if maybe happily ever after is only a fairy tale.

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***Sign up for Kelly's newsletter to be notified when Happily Ever After releases!***
AUTHOR INTERVIEW


First, the blurb everyone gets: 
I love to read and I'm a ginger. I wrote my first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about my favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which my family and friends still tease me. I’m obsessed with reading, talk way too much, and like to eat frosting by the spoonful. I live outside of Phoenix, Arizona with my husband, four children, and my cat, Mr. Darcy. And we named his litter box Pemberly because it’s where he makes ten thousand (poops) a year! 


The Fun Stuff: 
I love to sing and went to college as a voice performance major.
I once competed in the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant. (I did not win LOL.)
I’m a baseball fanatic. (Go D-backs!)
I broke my head as a kid and had to wear a hockey helmet to school as my cast.
I own my own 10-sided dice for role-playing that no one but me is allowed to role.
I’m left handed.
I am credited as associate producer for the independent film Amber Alert.
I live for road trips. Best vacation I ever took was a three-week coast-to-coast-and-back drive with my father.
The Backstreet Boys were my 1D in high school, and I was a total fangirl. I still have a whole collection of fan paraphernalia.
I took both golf and bowling classes in college to fulfill my PE credits. (I still suck at both.)



Where did you grow up? 
Tell us a little of your childhood. I grew up with two amazing, loving parents and a bunch of siblings that I only realized were amazing after I grew up and moved away from them. We moved around quite a bit, but I spent the majority of my life in Colorado, Michigan, and California. My childhood was crazy and chaotic at times but fun and full of love. I have no complaints. 


What was it like living in Los Angeles right out of college? 
LA is crazy, and the film industry is rough. It was overwhelming for my husband and I to go there when we were so young, had never been there, and had no family within hundreds of miles. But it was an adventure. We learned a lot, grew up a lot, and have a lot of great memories of our time there. 


Share with us one thing most people do not know about you? 
Umm… like I mentioned about in the fun facts, I modeled a little bit as a teenager and once competed in the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant. Neither modeling, nor the pageant circuit was really my thing and I quit both pretty quickly. But it was an experience I’m glad I had. I got to do something that not many get the chance to do. I also learned that I belong behind the spotlight, not in it. LOL. 


If you could pick one, which one of your books would you make a movie based on? 
Hmm. I think it would be a toss up between Serial Hottie and Cinder & Ella. Serial Hottie is just fun and I can totally picture it being done similarly to The Burbs, or Suburbia. A fun quirky murder mystery romance. I’d love it. But I’m also a HUGE sucker for anything Cinderella, and it’s always done so well in the movies. Seeing Brian and Ella on the big screen would be so awesome. 


Do your family and friends read your books? 
Some of them. The ones who enjoy reading do. I never expect people I know to read my work, and I only encourage them if I think they will genuinely enjoy my stories. As a writer, I know not everyone is going to love my work, but my friends and family don’t always believe me when I say it’s okay if they don’t like my books. I’ve had friends read my books because they were curious but who don’t normally read the YA romance genre and then they felt really bad when they didn’t like it. It’s really okay. But it’s also fun when someone I know comes up to me and says, “OMG I finally read one of your books and I loved it!”


If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be? 
Uh… are there other options? Kidding. Well before this I was a stay home mom and it worked well for me. I’d also love to give musical theater a shot. Broadway would be fun!



What inspired you to write Cinder & Ella?
I didn’t need to be inspired for this one. I have ALWAYS wanted to write my own Cinderella story. It’s my favorite fairy tale. I will watch and read every single Cinderella adaptation I can find. And I will read or watch them over and over and over again. So ever since I started writing, I knew that one day I would write a Cinderella retelling of my own. I simply had to wait for the right idea. I actually had the idea of the celebrity and the “normal” girl knowing each other from an online roleplaying game and meeting up at a fantasy or gaming convention sitting in my “idea” folder. And one day when I was between projects I was looking over my list of ideas and I thought that would be the perfect idea for a Cinderella story and voila … Cinder & Ella was born.


What scene was your favorite to write?
My favorite scene to write was probably the scene where Brian and Ella finally meet face to face. That’s not necessarily my favorite scene in the book, but it was a lot of fun to write. To think up the moments and conversation that would make Brian recognize Ella, and getting to have them banter as strangers was a lot of fun! Seriously, not to be egotistical or anything, but when Brian told Ella to say car for him… I almost died laughing. Kinda thought I was a genius for a while. (Of course, then I went back and read the first draft when it was done and realized that genius was a bit of a stretch! LOL) But anyway, yeah, the face-to-face was a lot of fun.


Who is your favorite—Brian or Ella?
 Pshhh. That totally depends on which one of them I’m dealing with and how they are treating me at the time. Kind of like my kids, it’s hard to play favorites, but well behaved characters are usually higher on my list than the difficult ones.



KELLY_pic_2_FULL_SIZEKelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen—a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

Don't miss the latest news from Kelly Oram! Sign up for her newsletter to receive e-mail notifications for all of her new releases, events, sales, & giveaways. This is a monthly newsletter often with exclusive giveaways and freebies from some of her favorite authors.

Connect with Kelly:
Website * NewsletterFacebook Twitter * Instagram *
Amazon * Goodreads * Google+Reader Squad/Street Team * GR fan group 

Enter this Rafflecopter to win a signed copy of Cinder & Ella WITH THE NEW COVER.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Book Tour & Giveaway-If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram






if we were a movie

If We Were a Movie by Kelly Oram (Power of the Matchmaker #3)


Music meets Movies in this sweet college romance from the bestselling author of Cinder & Ella.

NYU freshman Nate Anderson is a triplet who is desperate to escape his wild and crazy brothers. After they screw things up for him one too many times, Nate flees his housing situation and takes the first available room for rent as far from his brothers as he can get.

Enter his new roommate Jordan--a quirky LA girl who believes that everything in life has already been done in the movies. In this heartfelt tale of love, friendship and family, Nate learns how to deal with his new adult life using Hollywood films as a guide.

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kobo

 add to goodreads

TEASER:

I handed Jordan the electric guitar that I’ve had since I was twelve, and laughed when her eyes got really big. “You play the electric guitar, too?”

“Music major,” I teased, picking up my keyboard. “I play this, too. A little. And the bass guitar.”

“Awesome.” She examined the electric guitar with awe.

“Why do you seem so surprised?”

She looked at me as if the answer to that question should be obvious. “Hello. Have you met yourself? You with an acoustic guitar singing soft songs around a campfire or in a coffee house makes perfect sense. But I can’t picture you up on a stage, jamming on your electric guitar like a rock star.” She studied me a moment, then shook her head. “You’ll have to play for me, or I’m not going to believe it.”


Kelly OramAuthor Kelly Oram
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

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Don't miss the latest news from Kelly Oram! Sign up for her newsletter to receive e-mail notifications for all of her new releases, events, sales, & giveaways. This is a monthly newsletter often with exclusive giveaways and freebies from some of her favorite authors.
Newsletter
Guest Post:

The music and movies behind the story (Kelly's If We Were a Movie playlist)!



As I’ve said many times before, I’m one of those authors who needs peace and quiet to write. I’m a music junkie at heart, and if there is music playing, I will sing (and most likely dance) along. Fun times, but as you can imagine, not the most productive writing environment. So while I’m working, I turn the music off. But I still always have a playlist for each book. It’s usually a group of songs that remind me of a scene, or a certain character, or just have the tone that I’m going for. And while I’m working on the book, I will wear the playlist out. (Just not during writing hours.)

If We Were a Movie, despite its title, is almost more about music than it is about movies. My main character, Nate, is a talented musician on scholarship at NYU. Music is an integral part of the plot, and hits home for me personally as I was a music major in college too. (For a while anyway…) The playlist I have for this book is closer to an actual movie soundtrack than just a random list of songs this time. (Very fitting.) Most of these songs are referenced in the book as well as that they simply remind me of the story. As you read, feel free to listen along.

The book also has a movie playlist and you can watch along as well. As much as Nate is a music junkie like me, his love interest, Jordan, is a movie fanatic. (Like my Hollywood screenwriter/editor/motion graphics artist husband!) The book is all about comparing life to the movies, and is a play on all the classic romantic comedy tropes that we all love so much. There are dozens of movie references throughout the book. In fact, each chapter is titled after a different movie that has something to do with that chapter. I guarantee after the first couple of chapters you will be trying to guess what’s going to happen next based on the chapter headings! I’m not going to give you that list of movies right now, because it may spoil some of the surprises, but I promise it’s a fun list.

So, are you ready to listen to If We Were a Movie? Here it is in my personal playlist order: (Warning, this is my most eclectic playlist yet!)


  1. Fortune Days (The Glitch Mob)
  2. Take a Chance On Me (ABBA)
  3. Tears In Heaven (Eric Clapton)
  4. Jolene (Dolly Parton)
  5. Tompkin’s Square Park (Mumford & Sons)
  6. Lego House (Ed Sheeran)
  7. Hands All Over (Maroon 5)
  8. How To Save a Life (The Fray)
  9. Inconsolable (Backstreet Boys)
  10. Cherry Pie (Warrant)
  11. Under Pressure (Queen & Davie Bowie)
  12. Zidler’s Rap (Various artists from the Moulin Rouge! Soundtrack)
  13. Spontaneous Me (Lindsey Sterling)
  14. Superman (Five for Fighting)
  15. Clarity (Zedd ft. Foxes)
  16. You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift)
  17. Marry Me (Train)
  18. If We Were a Movie (Hannah Montana)


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Release Day Giveaway
V & A
Signed copies of V is for Virgin & A is for Abstinence (1 winner, 2 books)
Open Internationally
Ends 3/15/16


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Release Day Blitz! Scion by Kelly Oram

Scion (Supernaturals #3)
from bestselling author Kelly Oram
NOW AVAILABLE!
Just $3.99 on AMAZON





Title: Scion
Series: 
Supernaturals #3
Author: Kelly Oram
Publisher: Bluefields
Release Date: April 14, 2015









Other books in the series: ChameleonUngifted
 Russ Devereaux used to have it all—loving father, beautiful best friend, a carefree life in a town he loved, and strong magic. He was the king of his happy universe. Five months ago, that life was taken from him. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. 

He’s spent months fighting back and building himself a new life, in a new city, with new friends he now considers family. But suddenly, his new life might be in jeopardy of getting shot straight to hell just like the last one. Literally, this time. 

He’s discovered power inside of him—an ancient, dark power that he shouldn’t have, can’t explain, can’t control, and definitely needs to keep secret. He needs answers, but before he can get them, he finds himself arrested and on his way to face the supernatural council. The same council that stole everything from him the first time. 

As Russ struggles to keep his new power under wraps, his old life and he new one are about to collide and it’s bound to be explosive. He may not have all the answers he needs, but one thing is certain: he’ll be damned if anyone is taking his new life from him. That is, if he’s not just plain damned.

Buy from Amazon

***TEASER***


BONUS CONTENT:
Each book in the supernaturals series focuses on a different character and is told in there point of view. Scion (Book 3) is Russ's story, and he is excited to finally have his voice heard. If you'd like to get a sneak peek inside of his head, please enjoy this bonus scene from Chameleon written in his perspective. It's the very first chapter of the entire series, so even if you haven't started the Supernaturals series yet, you can still read it. It's totally spoiler free! (And hey, then you'll know what you have to look forward to in book three!) Here's a short excerpt:

I was trying to make her nervous on purpose. My whole intent tonight was to make her see me in a new way. What better way to do that than to crawl into bed with her in the middle of the night?
We hadn’t been in bed together since we were kids. Back when the fact that we were the opposite sex didn’t matter. It definitely mattered now. She looked so incredibly sexy at the moment that I could hardly think of anything other than the fact that I wanted to obliterate the word “friendship” from all known languages.
“What happened to the Disney Princess nightgown you wore the last time we were in bed together? That was hot.”
But not nearly as hot as the tank top and panties she was wearing right now. Damn. I hadn’t expected her to sleep so risqué. I’d genuinely been prepared for Captain America pajamas or something, considering her infatuation with Chris Evans. But this…she looked… Double damn. Even if this plan totally backfired on me tonight, right now it felt like the best idea I’d ever had.
As I took a mental picture of her, Dani finally realized she wasn’t wearing a bra and freaked out, pulling her covers up over her chest while glaring at me. If she hadn’t been awake before, she definitely was now. “You’d better have a damn good reason for being here or you’re going to be very sorry.”
She was pissed but it was worth it. I gave her a pout. “Since when do I need a reason?”
She opened her mouth to unleash a verbal tirade but I lifted a hand to stop her. I didn’t need to hear her rant. No lecture in the world was going to make me feel bad for sneaking in here and catching a semi-naughty glimpse of her. Am I shameless? Why, yes. Yes I am. It’s one of my many talents.
 Click here to read the entire RUSS POV Bonus Scene from Chameleon.

Or you can get started reading the series now. Chameleon, the first book in the series, is available for FREE DOWNLOAD on Amazon now through April 18th. 
It's a limited time offer, so don't miss out on the promotion! Snatch it up, while it's free!


Chameleon (Supernaturals#1)

For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction. 

As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help. 

Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.