New Book Alert! NOT HER FIRST RODEO

My friend, Lisa Harris, has a new book release! Not Her First Rodeo is a sweet western romance. It has romance, humor, and so much heart. I LOVE this book! Please go and check it out now on Amazon. 

More about the book: 

The last thing rodeo queen Liberty Redd needs is another man in her life, not when she has four over-protective cowboy brothers. The only male she’s really interested in is her horse, Trooper. She has big dreams, like winning Miss Rodeo America. But when British tech trouble-shooter Rory Collins comes through the drive-through at her fast-food side job, she is intrigued by him. For his part, Rory is only in Utah for six weeks for a project, but when he meets Liberty, he’s utterly gobsmacked by her intelligence, her kindness, and their undeniable chemistry.

But no one, not her family or his colleagues, thinks their relationship is a good idea, and her oldest brother Scott will do anything, including risking other people’s lives, to keep them apart. Everything comes to a head at Rory’s first rodeo, where Liberty will reign (and rein) as queen. Will Liberty be able to save Rory from her brother’s plan? Do they even stand a chance together when they come from such different worlds?

Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH8W2SD8

Romance Podcast with Authors' Think Tank

Hey everyone! Sorry I've disappeared from the blogging world. This week I'm doing my FINAL edit for my sequel before it goes to press, so I've been dedicating my time to that. However, I did want to pop in and post the link to my podcast with Authors' Think Tank. In this episode we talk about romance and author Shirly Bahlman has some great things to say. We also touch briefly on the subject of sparkly shapeshifters ;)

Here's the link:
www.foreverwriters.com

Enjoy! And now I have to get back to editing...

Safe Haven and The Great Gatsby--The Books and The Films

I saw Safe Haven the other day and I can't seem to get it out of my mind. I know it got terrible reviews, but I really liked it. While many critics scoffed at the plot twist, I found it endearing. It's not a family movie, but I think it's a sweet chick flick and I'm never opposed to seeing a Nicholas Sparks film (even though I've never seen Nights in Rodanthe or The Lucky One).

I'm the kind of person that can't get memorable movies, songs, or books out of my head. Sometimes a whole movie will play in my head while I'm doing the dishes or some other boring chore.

Anyway, the other thing that I can't get out of my mind is The Great Gatsby preview that came on before Safe Haven. I feel so weird about it. We all read The Great Gatsby in high school, right? It's one of "the classics." It's well written, full of deep symbolism, and has timeless characters--but it's also really, really SAD.

It reminds me of some of the other novels I read in high school like 1984, Lord Of The Flies, and The Grapes of Wrath. They're amazing, but they also made me feel depressed (and to be clear I am not bashing these books at all, I understand their importance). It just confirms my opinion that Hollywood can make anything look current, beautiful, and fun.

Another thing that made me feel strange about the preview was the music. It featured songs from Kanye West, Jay Z, Florence + the machines, and an edgy cover of Happy Together. I like Florence + the machines, but I had a hard time meshing current trendy music with such a classic, somber story.

Earlier this year in the Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars, Aria, one of the main characters, dressed up like Daisy from The Great Gatsby. Her friend Hannah asked, "from the movie?" and I thought that was such a strange line. But now I understand it. With Leonardo Dicaprio starring as Gatsby in previews that show characters dancing in glittery costumes to music from Kanye and Jay Z, teenagers are getting a very different view of the story than I ever did. It will be interesting to see what kind of feedback it gets after its release date in March.

Both of these movies are based off of books, so I'm curious to see what you thought. Did you read or see Safe Haven? How do you feel about the new film adaption of The Great Gatsby?