I am so excited today, and to be honest I think this is the first time I have had this type of feedback.  When I was initially contacted by Laura from Turner Publishing Company, asking if I would like to read and review this book and after reading the synopsis, there was no question in my mind, it was an emphatic YES!!  I received it in the mail within days and of course it was part of my Mailbox Monday Meme, and I had so many comments about it.  Well not only do I get to read and review this fantastic book, it just keeps getting better.  I have the chance to introduce the author to all of you today , so you get to know her better and, are you sitting down?…..5!!!…yes I said 5 of my lucky visitors are also going to get a chance to win this book so you can read it too!!!  But if you aren’t one of the 5, I will provide links to make it easier for you to order your own copy.  So please help me give her a friendly welcome as only the fabulous and fantastic visitors of this blog can….I now turn my blog over to Ms. Megan Munroe!!

    A teen beauty queen, personal trainer and former literary publicist, her range of life experiences and proven ability to succeed as a nice girl in a bitch’s world have led to features in Cowboys and Indians, Country Weekly and more. For more information, visit MeganMunroe.com.
 Follow at:
Online: MeganMunroeAuthor.com
Twitter: @nicegirlsrule
@bitch_pleaze
Turner Publishing is an award-winning, independent publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee. Imprints include Turner, Trade Paper Press, and Iroquois Press. For more information, visit TurnerPublishing.com.

    As we look back during National Women’s History Month and celebrate all the women who’ve paved the way for our success, it’s also the perfect quarter point to revisit your goals and intentionally recommit yourself to the positive history you would like to make in 2011.
    We’ve all heard the quote “well behaved women rarely make history” (in fact I have a whole chapter in my book dedicated to it) but before you bust out the motorcycle boots and get a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on your forearm, you may be surprised to find out that the author of that quote didn’t write it as a free pass to behave badly.
    In fact, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote that line out of the simple observation that well-behaved women who led fascinating and quiet lives rarely made headlines.
    The same is true today.
    Unfortunately, in today’s media we don’t often see good examples of women making daily positive change. Instead, the 24/7 news cycle showcases the constant influx of unfiltered comments and news”worthy” stories from women like Jersey Shore’s Snooki and Lindsay Lohan—converting this type of bad behavior into the norm and setting the bar lower and lower.
    However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t women in the media that are using their notoriety for good, we just don’t hear about them as often. The website, www.looktothesatrs.com highlights “the world of celebrity giving”, where women like Taylor Swift are applauded for donating $500,000 to the relief fund for the Nashville floods and Alicia Keys who raised 1.1 million dollars for her Keep a Child Alive foundation by encouraging her celebrity friends to refrain from tweeting until the money was raised.
    The difficult part for regular Jane’s like you and me, is that we don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to donate to a cause. But that doesn’t mean we can’t become positive change makers.
    I’m a firm believer in the idea that affecting the world you live in doesn’t take a lot of money- it just takes conscientiousness and time.
    This year, since money is tight for everyone, instead of making a lengthy list of resolutions that you probably won’t keep why not take one small principle and apply it to your daily life, one principle that can help define your personal history?
    Here’s one to try. I call it filtering.
    Filtering means that instead of speaking your mind the minute a thought enters it, take some time to formulate your opinion and say it with kindness and empathy. We have too many women in the media and in our neighborhoods speaking without a filter, and this can lead to some bad behavior.
    I believe that in order to be a passionate and successful woman in this world we have to be bold in our passions and stand up for ourselves. But I also think there may be a little too much speaking and not enough listening going on.
    That’s why this filter is so important. It can clear out unnecessary comments and instead put the thought back into thinking.
    Nice girl or bitch- we are all human, which means that we will say things we shouldn’t. But the difference is that a nice girl invests the time it takes to put her filter on, and the bitch just blurts without caring who gets hurt.
    Discovering my filter was one of the reasons I decided to write Bitch, Please! I wanted to get better at being honest and to become a woman of integrity—like so many of the great women who’ve come before me.
    So what are some simple steps for filtering?
1. Get up or bite down.
    This may mean excusing yourself to use the restroom, asking for a glass of water, or physically biting your tongue before you respond during a potentially uncomfortable or hurtful conversation.
    In the conversations I have with women who deal with “bitches”, I find that the hurtful things taking place have more to do with an unfiltered thought-to-mouth process than intention. In today’s world we are told to “speak our mind”- but can we agree that sometimes the negative things we think shouldn’t be said? Or at least they should be filtered?
2. Build up
    After you’ve formulate a filtered thought, a good rule of thumb is to always compliment before you say anything negative. Don’t just say, “Suzie, I like your headband but your advice sucks.” Say something kind. “Suzie, you know I have always appreciated your opinion, but right now I just need some time to figure this out on my own.”
    A filter doesn’t just keep you from saying things you shouldn’t it also helps you to say what you really mean.
    These are just two simple way to make March the kicking off point to create more positive impact in your corner of the world.
    I would encourage you today to install a filter.
    It just takes a moment to think before you speak, but it can take a lifetime to try and take back what’s already been said.
    Making history and changing the world begins in your backyard. Your family, friends, and foes are a microcosm of that world, and that is the stage by which you have been blessed to live out your life and make positive history.
    So the question begs to be asked, do you think using discretion when it comes to speaking your mind is a good or bad way to be and can it really alter your personal history?
——————————————————
Megan Munroe is the author of Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch’s World, and founder of the Nice Girls Rule Movement. For more thoughts on living a filtered life visit: www.nicegirlsrule.blogspot.com or www.meganmunroeauthor.com.

    Megan Munroe’s Bitch, Please! delivers a saucy communiqué empowering nice girls to kick passivity to the curb and instead use the strength of inward kindness to shake the foundation of the bitch’s empire. Bitch, Please! provides compelling answers to questions that nice girls often ask, like:
    How do I handle confrontation with the bitch in the next cubicle?
    Why does the bitch always seem to get what she wants?
    If being nice is a good thing, why do I feel like a doormat?
    From practical how-to-succeed scenarios to laugh-out-loud lessons, this humorous yet poignant dialogue has something for every woman. A unique mix of rhetoric, real-life revelations, kitschy quizzes, and food for thought, this is the perfect road map for your journey to create a successful life in a nice-girl fashion.
FROM TURNER PUBLISHING:
    Nice Girl Advocate Kicks Passivity to the Curb in Debut Book
    (Nashville, TN) Actress, model, singer-songwriter and nice-girl advocate Megan Munroe delivers a saucy communiqué empowering nice girls worldwide to kick passivity to the curb in her debut book Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch’s World, which releases in March 2011.
Shaking the bitch’s empire with chapter topics like Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, and other big B’s to What Emily Post won’t tell you, this book is a cover-to-cover entertainment treatise with an addictively enjoyable conversational style.
Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch’s World
Megan Munroe
Turner Publishing, $24.95
Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-59652-806-2
Available at local retailers, Amazon.com and TurnerPublishing.com
From practical how-to-succeed scenarios to laugh-out-loud lessons, this humorous yet poignant dialogue has something for every woman. A unique mix of rhetoric, real-life revelations, kitschy quizzes, and food for thought, this is the perfect road map for your journey to create a successful life in a nice-girl fashion.

I am so excited today, and to be honest I think this is the first time I have had this type of feedback.  When I was initially contacted by Laura from Turner Publishing Company, asking if I would like to read and review this book and after reading the synopsis, there was no question in my mind, it was an emphatic YES!!  I received it in the mail within days and of course it was part of my Mailbox Monday Meme, and I had so many comments about it.  Well not only do I get to read and review this fantastic book, it just keeps getting better.  I have the chance to introduce the author to all of you today , so you get to know her better and, are you sitting down?…..5!!!…yes I said 5 of my lucky visitors are also going to get a chance to win this book so you can read it too!!!  But if you aren’t one of the 5, I will provide links to make it easier for you to order your own copy.  So please help me give her a friendly welcome as only the fabulous and fantastic visitors of this blog can….I now turn my blog over to Ms. Megan Munroe!!

    A teen beauty queen, personal trainer and former literary publicist, her range of life experiences and proven ability to succeed as a nice girl in a bitch’s world have led to features in Cowboys and Indians, Country Weekly and more. For more information, visit MeganMunroe.com.
 Follow at:
Online: MeganMunroeAuthor.com
Twitter: @nicegirlsrule
@bitch_pleaze
Turner Publishing is an award-winning, independent publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee. Imprints include Turner, Trade Paper Press, and Iroquois Press. For more information, visit TurnerPublishing.com.

    As we look back during National Women’s History Month and celebrate all the women who’ve paved the way for our success, it’s also the perfect quarter point to revisit your goals and intentionally recommit yourself to the positive history you would like to make in 2011.
    We’ve all heard the quote “well behaved women rarely make history” (in fact I have a whole chapter in my book dedicated to it) but before you bust out the motorcycle boots and get a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on your forearm, you may be surprised to find out that the author of that quote didn’t write it as a free pass to behave badly.
    In fact, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote that line out of the simple observation that well-behaved women who led fascinating and quiet lives rarely made headlines.
    The same is true today.
    Unfortunately, in today’s media we don’t often see good examples of women making daily positive change. Instead, the 24/7 news cycle showcases the constant influx of unfiltered comments and news”worthy” stories from women like Jersey Shore’s Snooki and Lindsay Lohan—converting this type of bad behavior into the norm and setting the bar lower and lower.
    However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t women in the media that are using their notoriety for good, we just don’t hear about them as often. The website, www.looktothesatrs.com highlights “the world of celebrity giving”, where women like Taylor Swift are applauded for donating $500,000 to the relief fund for the Nashville floods and Alicia Keys who raised 1.1 million dollars for her Keep a Child Alive foundation by encouraging her celebrity friends to refrain from tweeting until the money was raised.
    The difficult part for regular Jane’s like you and me, is that we don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to donate to a cause. But that doesn’t mean we can’t become positive change makers.
    I’m a firm believer in the idea that affecting the world you live in doesn’t take a lot of money- it just takes conscientiousness and time.
    This year, since money is tight for everyone, instead of making a lengthy list of resolutions that you probably won’t keep why not take one small principle and apply it to your daily life, one principle that can help define your personal history?
    Here’s one to try. I call it filtering.
    Filtering means that instead of speaking your mind the minute a thought enters it, take some time to formulate your opinion and say it with kindness and empathy. We have too many women in the media and in our neighborhoods speaking without a filter, and this can lead to some bad behavior.
    I believe that in order to be a passionate and successful woman in this world we have to be bold in our passions and stand up for ourselves. But I also think there may be a little too much speaking and not enough listening going on.
    That’s why this filter is so important. It can clear out unnecessary comments and instead put the thought back into thinking.
    Nice girl or bitch- we are all human, which means that we will say things we shouldn’t. But the difference is that a nice girl invests the time it takes to put her filter on, and the bitch just blurts without caring who gets hurt.
    Discovering my filter was one of the reasons I decided to write Bitch, Please! I wanted to get better at being honest and to become a woman of integrity—like so many of the great women who’ve come before me.
    So what are some simple steps for filtering?
1. Get up or bite down.
    This may mean excusing yourself to use the restroom, asking for a glass of water, or physically biting your tongue before you respond during a potentially uncomfortable or hurtful conversation.
    In the conversations I have with women who deal with “bitches”, I find that the hurtful things taking place have more to do with an unfiltered thought-to-mouth process than intention. In today’s world we are told to “speak our mind”- but can we agree that sometimes the negative things we think shouldn’t be said? Or at least they should be filtered?
2. Build up
    After you’ve formulate a filtered thought, a good rule of thumb is to always compliment before you say anything negative. Don’t just say, “Suzie, I like your headband but your advice sucks.” Say something kind. “Suzie, you know I have always appreciated your opinion, but right now I just need some time to figure this out on my own.”
    A filter doesn’t just keep you from saying things you shouldn’t it also helps you to say what you really mean.
    These are just two simple way to make March the kicking off point to create more positive impact in your corner of the world.
    I would encourage you today to install a filter.
    It just takes a moment to think before you speak, but it can take a lifetime to try and take back what’s already been said.
    Making history and changing the world begins in your backyard. Your family, friends, and foes are a microcosm of that world, and that is the stage by which you have been blessed to live out your life and make positive history.
    So the question begs to be asked, do you think using discretion when it comes to speaking your mind is a good or bad way to be and can it really alter your personal history?
——————————————————
Megan Munroe is the author of Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch’s World, and founder of the Nice Girls Rule Movement. For more thoughts on living a filtered life visit: www.nicegirlsrule.blogspot.com or www.meganmunroeauthor.com.

    Megan Munroe’s Bitch, Please! delivers a saucy communiqué empowering nice girls to kick passivity to the curb and instead use the strength of inward kindness to shake the foundation of the bitch’s empire. Bitch, Please! provides compelling answers to questions that nice girls often ask, like:
    How do I handle confrontation with the bitch in the next cubicle?
    Why does the bitch always seem to get what she wants?
    If being nice is a good thing, why do I feel like a doormat?
    From practical how-to-succeed scenarios to laugh-out-loud lessons, this humorous yet poignant dialogue has something for every woman. A unique mix of rhetoric, real-life revelations, kitschy quizzes, and food for thought, this is the perfect road map for your journey to create a successful life in a nice-girl fashion.
FROM TURNER PUBLISHING:
    Nice Girl Advocate Kicks Passivity to the Curb in Debut Book
    (Nashville, TN) Actress, model, singer-songwriter and nice-girl advocate Megan Munroe delivers a saucy communiqué empowering nice girls worldwide to kick passivity to the curb in her debut book Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch’s World, which releases in March 2011.
Shaking the bitch’s empire with chapter topics like Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, and other big B’s to What Emily Post won’t tell you, this book is a cover-to-cover entertainment treatise with an addictively enjoyable conversational style.
Bitch, Please! How Nice Girls Can Succeed in a Bitch’s World
Megan Munroe
Turner Publishing, $24.95
Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-59652-806-2
Available at local retailers, Amazon.com and TurnerPublishing.com
From practical how-to-succeed scenarios to laugh-out-loud lessons, this humorous yet poignant dialogue has something for every woman. A unique mix of rhetoric, real-life revelations, kitschy quizzes, and food for thought, this is the perfect road map for your journey to create a successful life in a nice-girl fashion.

For those of you that have been contacted by an author, you know it is both a humbling but exhilarating experience when that author asks to spend some time visiting on your blog, meeting your visitors, talking about their latest book.  Well that is the case today.  Mr. Cross contacted me via a publisher that I  have worked with and asked if I would consider introducing him to all of you.  After reading the synopsis of the book and the reviews it is already getting, the answer was Yes!!.  So, please help me, along with all the great visitors that will stop by throughout the day, welcome Mr. Ethan Cross to the CMash blog.

     And his dream of telling stories on a grand scale has come to fruition with the release of his new book, The Shepherd.
     Ethan Cross is the pen name of a thriller author living and writing in Illinois with his wife, two daughters, and two Shih Tzus
Visit at http://www.ethancross.com/the-shepherd-thriller-novel/

    Welcome to the world of The Shepherd
     My novel, The Shepherd, is the first book in a series of thrillers that I believe would be greatly enjoyed by fans of authors such as James Patterson, Dean Koontz, David Morrell, Thomas Harris, Lee Child, and Jeffery Deaver. This introductory book of the series is a stand-alone novel, but provides the reader with an opening into the world of The Shepherd Organization.
Watch for my review in the coming weeks!

For those of you that have been contacted by an author, you know it is both a humbling but exhilarating experience when that author asks to spend some time visiting on your blog, meeting your visitors, talking about their latest book.  Well that is the case today.  Mr. Cross contacted me via a publisher that I  have worked with and asked if I would consider introducing him to all of you.  After reading the synopsis of the book and the reviews it is already getting, the answer was Yes!!.  So, please help me, along with all the great visitors that will stop by throughout the day, welcome Mr. Ethan Cross to the CMash blog.

     And his dream of telling stories on a grand scale has come to fruition with the release of his new book, The Shepherd.
     Ethan Cross is the pen name of a thriller author living and writing in Illinois with his wife, two daughters, and two Shih Tzus
Visit at http://www.ethancross.com/the-shepherd-thriller-novel/

    Welcome to the world of The Shepherd
     My novel, The Shepherd, is the first book in a series of thrillers that I believe would be greatly enjoyed by fans of authors such as James Patterson, Dean Koontz, David Morrell, Thomas Harris, Lee Child, and Jeffery Deaver. This introductory book of the series is a stand-alone novel, but provides the reader with an opening into the world of The Shepherd Organization.
Watch for my review in the coming weeks!

Brianne, from The Hachette Book Group and Author, Kathy Cano-Murillo are excited to announce March’s blog tour.  And I am estastic that she is stopping by here to visit with us today to tell us about her latest novel.  I read her last book, Waking Up In The Land Of Glitter,  back in March and loved it.  So, please, help me give Ms. Cano-Murillo a very warm welcome.

     But you know what? I’ve been writing longer than I’ve been crafting!
     Inspired by Judy Blume and Erma Bombeck, I caught the literary bug in grade school. I really owe it to Erma. In sixth grade, I read her book, If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?, over and over. I thought that title was just so dang clever. I remember reading an Erma essay out loud to my mom on the way to the grocery store and both of us were in tears from laughter. Erma’s kooky storytelling inspired me to draw pictures and write colorful stories to match. I wanted to grow up to be the Mexican version of Erma. When high school rolled around, I immediately signed up for journalism and yearbook.
     Years later, I became a full-time features reporter and craft columnist for the The Arizona Republic. I loved that job. I covered arts and entertainment. After launching CraftyChica.com in 2001, I began blogging in 2003. Diary of a Crafty Chica was an outlet to share the joys and tribulations of “crafts, drama and glitter.” I juggled a full-time job, college, an art business and a family. At that time, I already had two craft books out and felt accomplished. One day, my agent called me to chat with an editor at Simon & Schuster. She asked if I would consider writing a novel based on my blog. I laughed off the request on the ouside, but inside, my heart pounded as if I had just sucked down a quad mocha! But when a second editor from HarperCollins asked the same question, I took the idea serious.
     Sort of.
     There I was, working in the Features newsroom of one of the largest newspapers in the country, but I still lacked confidence. I sat by a team of talented wordsmiths and compared myself to them. I spent one year outlining an idea. That is totally stalling for me – usually when I want to complete a task, I’ll do it in one night! I just couldn’t work up the courage to write the opening sentence. I eventually joined a local writing group, and signed up for National Novel Writing Month. I cranked out the first draft of my novel, then-titled, The Crafty Chica Chronicles. I spent the next year editing it. My schedule was tight – the only time I could work on it was after 10 p.m. when my husband and kids hit the sack. I stayed up until 2 a.m., four days a week to finish.
     In May 2005, I submitted the manuscript to my agent, who sent it back with major revisions. “This book needs a plot! It has so many directions, it is exhausting! Back to the drawing board!” I cried at the other end of the phone as I scribbled on the manuscript pages. I doubted my skills. I put the project away and decided to devote more time to my family – and sleep!
     Here is where the universe came into play – in May 2006, I taught a writer’s shrine workshop at Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez’s inaugural Chica Lit Fiesta in Miami, FL. After listening to dozens of amazing writers share their publishing stories and book excerpts, I came home ready to kick some keyboard booty. I pulled out that manuscript and kissed it. I read my agent’s notes and got back to work – again from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
     In early 2007, I submitted the revisions again to my agent. I’ll never forget her words: “I love this, I can sell this!” – followed by 11 pages of single spaced notes of changes. I happily made them. She then sent me seven pages of double spaced notes. I made those revisions, sent them in and she responded with minor margin notes. By the end of June, we were ready to submit the manuscript to editors!
     The second week of July 2007, the book went out to 11 editors. In the first few days, the declines came in. “All it takes is one,” my agent reassured. By Wednesday, an editor made an offer! Within 24 hours, two more editors followed suit! By the end of the week, I accepted a two-book deal from Grand Central Publishing. But the revisions didn’t stop there. I worked with my editor to re-craft the plot which became my debut novel, WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER (released March 2010). My second novel, MISS SCARLET’S SCHOOL OF PATTERNLESS SEWING comes out March 8, 2011.
     Guess what I’m doing these days? Working on my third novel!
     I love contemporary women’s fiction. I love cheering for the underdog. I love happy endings. I love pop culture. I love being Mexican-American. I love being a mom and a wife. I love arts and crafts. You can expect all of those in my new Crafty Chica novel series from Grand Central Publishing!
     Kathy Cano-Murillo is a lifelong writer and artist. Her crafts have been carried by hundreds of retailers including Bloomingdales, Target, and Hallmark. She is a former entertainment reporter for The Arizona Republic, and has authored seven books including Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing. She is the founder of CraftyChica.com, a wildly popular web site to inspire women to brighten their lives with clever craft ideas. She has been seen on LifetimeTV.com, HGTV, SiTV and DIY Network. She has been profiled in The New York Times, USA Today and NPR, and now has an extensive Crafty Chica product line. Kathy lives in Phoenix, AZ, with her husband, two kids and five Chihuahuas. Her motto for life is “Crafts, drama and glitter”.
Visit Craftychica.com

Scarlet Santana is never happier than when creating fabulous fashions for women of all shapes and sizes. Now, after years of hard work, she finally has the chance to live her dream and study under the hottest designer in New York. To raise money for her move, Scarlet opens an after-hours sewing school in a local record shop, teaching a type-A working mom whose rigid parenting style is causing her family to unravel and an enigmatic seamstress with a mysterious past.

But as stitches give way to secrets and classmates become friends, the women realize an important truth: There is no single pattern for a good life. Happiness is always a custom fit.

Brianne, from The Hachette Book Group and Author, Kathy Cano-Murillo are excited to announce March’s blog tour.  And I am estastic that she is stopping by here to visit with us today to tell us about her latest novel.  I read her last book, Waking Up In The Land Of Glitter,  back in March and loved it.  So, please, help me give Ms. Cano-Murillo a very warm welcome.

     But you know what? I’ve been writing longer than I’ve been crafting!
     Inspired by Judy Blume and Erma Bombeck, I caught the literary bug in grade school. I really owe it to Erma. In sixth grade, I read her book, If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?, over and over. I thought that title was just so dang clever. I remember reading an Erma essay out loud to my mom on the way to the grocery store and both of us were in tears from laughter. Erma’s kooky storytelling inspired me to draw pictures and write colorful stories to match. I wanted to grow up to be the Mexican version of Erma. When high school rolled around, I immediately signed up for journalism and yearbook.
     Years later, I became a full-time features reporter and craft columnist for the The Arizona Republic. I loved that job. I covered arts and entertainment. After launching CraftyChica.com in 2001, I began blogging in 2003. Diary of a Crafty Chica was an outlet to share the joys and tribulations of “crafts, drama and glitter.” I juggled a full-time job, college, an art business and a family. At that time, I already had two craft books out and felt accomplished. One day, my agent called me to chat with an editor at Simon & Schuster. She asked if I would consider writing a novel based on my blog. I laughed off the request on the ouside, but inside, my heart pounded as if I had just sucked down a quad mocha! But when a second editor from HarperCollins asked the same question, I took the idea serious.
     Sort of.
     There I was, working in the Features newsroom of one of the largest newspapers in the country, but I still lacked confidence. I sat by a team of talented wordsmiths and compared myself to them. I spent one year outlining an idea. That is totally stalling for me – usually when I want to complete a task, I’ll do it in one night! I just couldn’t work up the courage to write the opening sentence. I eventually joined a local writing group, and signed up for National Novel Writing Month. I cranked out the first draft of my novel, then-titled, The Crafty Chica Chronicles. I spent the next year editing it. My schedule was tight – the only time I could work on it was after 10 p.m. when my husband and kids hit the sack. I stayed up until 2 a.m., four days a week to finish.
     In May 2005, I submitted the manuscript to my agent, who sent it back with major revisions. “This book needs a plot! It has so many directions, it is exhausting! Back to the drawing board!” I cried at the other end of the phone as I scribbled on the manuscript pages. I doubted my skills. I put the project away and decided to devote more time to my family – and sleep!
     Here is where the universe came into play – in May 2006, I taught a writer’s shrine workshop at Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez’s inaugural Chica Lit Fiesta in Miami, FL. After listening to dozens of amazing writers share their publishing stories and book excerpts, I came home ready to kick some keyboard booty. I pulled out that manuscript and kissed it. I read my agent’s notes and got back to work – again from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
     In early 2007, I submitted the revisions again to my agent. I’ll never forget her words: “I love this, I can sell this!” – followed by 11 pages of single spaced notes of changes. I happily made them. She then sent me seven pages of double spaced notes. I made those revisions, sent them in and she responded with minor margin notes. By the end of June, we were ready to submit the manuscript to editors!
     The second week of July 2007, the book went out to 11 editors. In the first few days, the declines came in. “All it takes is one,” my agent reassured. By Wednesday, an editor made an offer! Within 24 hours, two more editors followed suit! By the end of the week, I accepted a two-book deal from Grand Central Publishing. But the revisions didn’t stop there. I worked with my editor to re-craft the plot which became my debut novel, WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER (released March 2010). My second novel, MISS SCARLET’S SCHOOL OF PATTERNLESS SEWING comes out March 8, 2011.
     Guess what I’m doing these days? Working on my third novel!
     I love contemporary women’s fiction. I love cheering for the underdog. I love happy endings. I love pop culture. I love being Mexican-American. I love being a mom and a wife. I love arts and crafts. You can expect all of those in my new Crafty Chica novel series from Grand Central Publishing!
     Kathy Cano-Murillo is a lifelong writer and artist. Her crafts have been carried by hundreds of retailers including Bloomingdales, Target, and Hallmark. She is a former entertainment reporter for The Arizona Republic, and has authored seven books including Crafty Chica’s Guide to Artful Sewing. She is the founder of CraftyChica.com, a wildly popular web site to inspire women to brighten their lives with clever craft ideas. She has been seen on LifetimeTV.com, HGTV, SiTV and DIY Network. She has been profiled in The New York Times, USA Today and NPR, and now has an extensive Crafty Chica product line. Kathy lives in Phoenix, AZ, with her husband, two kids and five Chihuahuas. Her motto for life is “Crafts, drama and glitter”.
Visit Craftychica.com

Scarlet Santana is never happier than when creating fabulous fashions for women of all shapes and sizes. Now, after years of hard work, she finally has the chance to live her dream and study under the hottest designer in New York. To raise money for her move, Scarlet opens an after-hours sewing school in a local record shop, teaching a type-A working mom whose rigid parenting style is causing her family to unravel and an enigmatic seamstress with a mysterious past.

But as stitches give way to secrets and classmates become friends, the women realize an important truth: There is no single pattern for a good life. Happiness is always a custom fit.

As avid book readers, reviewers, bloggers, we know that there is a big discussion taking place about this new era of technology and publishing.  What do the consumers, authors and publishing houses want?  What does the future hold?  What is the answer?  Is there one? 

I was recently contacted by an author on this very subject asking if I would read and review one of her books and “possibly participating in a new experiment to examine how powerful blogging and book reviews might be in helping a small press book to gain attention”.  Her experiment would be in the time frame of March 3-7, 2011. Both books sounded like my “type of books” but was honest and said I was back logged and knew there I couldn’t promise a review in that that time but invited her to come and visit so that maybe you could and would share your thoughts with her on this subject.  I will be providing all links so that you can contact her and leave your comments.  She is also generously offering the chance for three (3) of my visitors the chance to win an EBook edition of Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.  So please help me welcome Ms. Stacy Juba.

Blog: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacy-Juba/100155471301

Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling “25 Years Ago Today” items from the microfilm. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana’s suspicious nephew, Eric Soares – until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. She soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday’s headline is tomorrow’s danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris’s present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.

Visit http://stacyjuba.com/blog/books-2/twenty-five-years-ago-today/ for more about the book, including an excerpt, Reader’s Guide, and book trailer. Stacy’s second mystery novel, Sink or Swim, is newly released. After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Soon, she will need to call SOS for real…

Both books available in trade paperback and multiple e-book formats.
Amazon links:
**Twenty-Five Years Ago Today: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615290116?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwstacyjubac-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0615290116
**Sink or Swim: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098279522X?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwstacyjubac-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=098279522X
**Other buy links: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/store/

I will be posting my review in the coming weeks.

As avid book readers, reviewers, bloggers, we know that there is a big discussion taking place about this new era of technology and publishing.  What do the consumers, authors and publishing houses want?  What does the future hold?  What is the answer?  Is there one? 

I was recently contacted by an author on this very subject asking if I would read and review one of her books and “possibly participating in a new experiment to examine how powerful blogging and book reviews might be in helping a small press book to gain attention”.  Her experiment would be in the time frame of March 3-7, 2011. Both books sounded like my “type of books” but was honest and said I was back logged and knew there I couldn’t promise a review in that that time but invited her to come and visit so that maybe you could and would share your thoughts with her on this subject.  I will be providing all links so that you can contact her and leave your comments.  She is also generously offering the chance for three (3) of my visitors the chance to win an EBook edition of Twenty-Five Years Ago Today.  So please help me welcome Ms. Stacy Juba.

Blog: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacy-Juba/100155471301

Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling “25 Years Ago Today” items from the microfilm. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana’s suspicious nephew, Eric Soares – until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. She soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday’s headline is tomorrow’s danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris’s present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.

Visit http://stacyjuba.com/blog/books-2/twenty-five-years-ago-today/ for more about the book, including an excerpt, Reader’s Guide, and book trailer. Stacy’s second mystery novel, Sink or Swim, is newly released. After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Soon, she will need to call SOS for real…

Both books available in trade paperback and multiple e-book formats.
Amazon links:
**Twenty-Five Years Ago Today: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615290116?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwstacyjubac-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0615290116
**Sink or Swim: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098279522X?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwstacyjubac-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=098279522X
**Other buy links: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/store/

I will be posting my review in the coming weeks.