WELCOME ERIC VAN LUSTBADER

Eric Van Lustbader

ROBERT LUDLUM was the author of twenty-seven novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 225 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript, and the Jason Bourne series–The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum–among others. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March 2001. To learn more, visit www.Robert-Ludlum.com.
ERIC VAN LUSTBADER is the author of numerous bestselling novels including First Daughter, Blood Trust, The Ninja, and the international bestsellers featuring Jason Bourne: The Bourne Legacy, The Bourne Betrayal, The Bourne Sanction, The Bourne Deception, The Bourne Objective, and The Bourne Dominion. For more information, you can visit www.EricVanLustbader.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Connect with Eric Van Lustbader at these sites:

SYNOPSIS

Jason Bourne has been pursued by powerful governments–and escaped. Hunted by the most skilled assassins in the world–and outsmarted them. Targeted by terrorists–and defeated their plans for global chaos. But now, Bourne wants only one thing: retribution.

Bourne’s friend Eli Yadin, head of Mossad, learns that Ouyang Jidan, a senior member of China’s Politburo, and a major Mexican drug lord may have been trafficking in something far more deadly than drugs. Yadin needs Bourne to investigate. Bourne agrees, but only because he has a personal agenda: Ouyang Jidan is the man who ordered Rebeka–one of the only people Bourne has ever truly cared about–murdered. Bourne is determined to avenge her death, but in the process he becomes enmeshed in a monstrous world-wide scheme involving the Chinese, Mexicans, and Russians.

Bourne’s increasingly desperate search for Ouyang takes him from Tel Aviv to Shanghai, Mexico City, and, ultimately, a village on China’s coast where a clever trap has been laid for him. Bourne finds himself pursued on all sides and unsure whom he can trust. As he moves closer to Ouyang, closer to avenging the woman he loved, he also moves ever closer to his own death . . .

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Espionage/Intrigue
Series: Jason Bourne
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: December 3, 2013
Hardcover: 432 pages
ISBN-10: 1455550957
ISBN-13: 978-1455550951

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO CAITLIN AT GCP/THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS

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As most of you know, my favorite genre is mystery/suspense.  When Linda, from GCP/The Hatchette Book Club emailed me about today’s book, I wanted to know more and share with you also.   So without further ado, Mr. Chris Culver!!  Welcome to our group!

CHRIS CULVER

Chris Culver is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Rashid series of mysteries. After graduate school, Chris taught courses in ethics and comparative religion at a small liberal arts university in southern Arkansas. Between classes, he wrote The Abbey, which spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times ebook bestseller list. He, his wife, and their Labrador retriever currently live near St. Louis, Missouri, where Chris is working on his next novel.

Connect with Chris at these sites:

GUEST POST

Hi Chris.  Thank you for visiting CMash Reads!

I don’t know if you guys are like me, but if you are, you probably watch an unhealthy amount of television. The news, documentaries, home and garden shows – you name it, and I probably watch it. More than anything else, though, I like watching crime shows. Some are better than others, obviously, but most are exciting and, at the very least, entertaining. Most of them have fairly good characters, they have a sense of mystery, and even a hint of sudden violence that could erupt at any moment.

Since I write crime fiction for a living, I do a lot of research about crime and law enforcement. I talk to a lot of real-life detectives, forensic scientists, attorneys, journalists, and even a judge on occasion. Maybe because of this background, I’m always a little perplexed when television detectives bring a suspect back to their station for an interrogation. If you’ve ever seen a Law & Order rerun, you know what I’m talking about. Two gruff detectives – one of whom will likely have a snappy sense of humor and the other will have unspoken “issues” – lead a smarmy suspect into a small room constructed of cinderblocks and held together by fifty layers of institutional-green paint. Our hero detectives will sit that suspect down at a steel table and start talking. It seems like a reasonable thing to do. But can you spot the problem with that scenario?

If you said, “The detectives can’t see the suspect’s legs” you’re right.

One thing I’ve learned while researching my books is that your feet and legs don’t lie. It sounds strange, but think back to the last time you had an uncomfortable conversation  – maybe it was with your boss or a subordinate or even a stranger. If you were sitting down, what were you doing? Were you massaging your thighs? Tapping your foot? Pointing your feet toward the exit? All of those indicate nervousness. If you were a police officer and a suspect started doing any of those things in an interrogation, I bet you’d want to see them. They might indicate merely that your suspect is nervous about talking to the police [who wouldn’t be?], but it also might indicate that he’s lying and is afraid you’ll notice. It’s another piece of information a good investigator could use in an interrogation.

Or suppose your suspect shifted his balance backward while crossing his legs. If so, that might indicate that he felt very comfortable and very much in control of the situation.

But wait, what if your suspect crossed his legs and turned his hips away from you? That’s a blocking behavior, which might indicate hostility or that he’s no longer interested in the conversation. If you were a police officer, that behavior would tell you that your current line of questioning won’t get anywhere and that you should try a new tact.

Suppose, though, that your suspect crossed his legs, turned his hips so he could face you and leaned forward. If your suspect does that, you know you’re doing something right because he’s indicating comfort and openness to the conversation.

A good liar – or a good criminal – can probably control the messages he’s conveying with his face and his hands pretty well. It’s a little tougher with the legs. People don’t always think about what their legs do during a conversation. A good observer – a good detective – notices these things and uses them where appropriate. So the next time you see the police interrogating a suspect on your favorite crime show, think about all the information they’re missing by having that table in the interrogation room.

Or maybe you shouldn’t do that at all. Maybe a TV show is just a TV show.

Thanks, Cheryl.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can’t stand the thought of handling another death investigation. In another year, he’ll be out of the department completely. That’s the plan, at least, until his niece’s body is found in the guest home of one of his city’s most wealthy citizens. The coroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn’t add up. Against orders, Ash launches an investigation to find his niece’s murderer, but the longer he searches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly close to home. If he doesn’t solve it fast, his niece won’t be the only family member he has to bury.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1455527416
ISBN-13: 978-1455527410

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO LINDA AT GCP/THE HATCHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE 3 (3) SETS (SIGNED) OF THE ABBEY & THE OUTSIDER TO GIVE AWAY.

     
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS

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Don’t you just love it when you receive unexpected treasures?  Then you know how I felt when Marissa, from GCP/The Hachette Book Group, thought of me and sent not one, but all 4 of the series.   And when I read the synopsis, I wanted to share with you.  So, grab your coffee, and please help me welcome Ms. Debra Webb to CMash Reads!!

Debra Webb, born in Alabama, wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain—and a five-year stint with NASA—that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has penned nearly 100 novels, including her internationally bestselling Colby Agency series.  Debra’s debut romantic thriller series, Faces of Evil, propelled her to the top of the bestselling charts for an unparalleled twenty-four weeks.

Connect with Ms. Webb at these sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Debra Webb’s USA TODAY bestselling Faces of Evil suspense series is back with the chilling fourth installment, RAGE.

A woman has been brutally murdered and the scene is one straight out of a Charles Manson playbook. A former profile for the FBI, Jess sees beyond the heinous parlor tricks of a demented killer.

Once again her unorthodox tactics have her colleagues in the Birmingham Police Department at odds with her, especially when the victim’s husband, a decorated detective, becomes the focus of her investigation. When she discovers an unexpected witness in an autistic child, both Jess and the boy become targets of a killer who will stop at nothing to protect an act of rage no one saw coming…

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Forever Mass Market
ISBN-13: 978-1-4555-2764-9
$5.99; April 30, 2013

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO MARISSA AT GCP/FOREVER,
I HAVE ONE (1) SET, 4 BOOKS, TO GIVE AWAY.

OPEN TO U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS

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I was thrilled when I received today’s guest’s latest book from Jennifer and Jihan from The Hachette Book Group, especially since I had reviewed her previous book, The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship.  And even more exciting, she is stopping by to visit today.  Welcome Lisa Verge Higgins!!!!!

LISA VERGE HIGGINS

Lisa Verge Higgins is a RITA-nominated author of fourteen novels that have been published worldwide and translated into fifteen languages – twelve of which were penned while studying for her PhD in chemistry. Lisa made her first foray into mainstream women’s fiction with The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship (2011). The novel went on to win the 2011 Golden Leaf Award for Best Single Title. It was also selected as the first Best Read of 2011 by Barnes & Noble’s General Fiction Book Club and landed on their Top 20 list. Lisa Verge Higgins currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three daughters.
Connect with Lisa at:

Q&A with Lisa Verge Higgins

Welcome to CMash Reads

-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
What a great question!  I draw a lot of inspiration from personal experiences.  For example, I once took a three-and-a-half-month backpacking trip through Europe, from Scotland to Rome.  In my latest book, FRIENDSHIP MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER, the three characters—Monique, Becky and Judy—decide to put their lives (and troubles) aside to take a trip to Europe together. Travel can be a wonderfully transformative experience and I knew that’s what my girls needed to do, in order to deal with the difficult issues in their lives.  One of the lessons I learned during my travels actually forms the theme of the book:  Sometimes getting lost is the only way to find what you’re looking for.

[To peruse Monique, Becky & Judy’s snapshots, visit me at pinterest at http://pinterest.com/lisavergehiggin/friendship-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder)

-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
As a former science geek (I used to be a chemist) I guess I can’t help but be methodical about the creative process.   What starts out as just a spark of an idea—a theme, perhaps, or a character who has grabbed hold of me—grows as I start to do research.  Eventually I write character charts and then a scene-by-scene plot outline.  It’s only when I start writing the first draft that I cut myself loose and see where the story takes me, which is often far off the original mark.  That’s okay—that’s the magic!

-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
In the research-and-plotting-stage I’m a completely normal individual.  During the first-draft process, however, I’m an absentminded mess!  I’ll put a cup of hot coffee in the cabinet and stick the peanut butter in the refrigerator.  I have to put an alarm on my phone so I don’t forget to pick up the kids from school.

What I’ve started to do after my workday is to play word games like Boggle or do a crossword puzzle to try to shake myself out of the “zone” in order to have a conscious conversation with my husband and kids.  Fortunately, they’re used to it!

-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
I am a full-time writer but like so many others, I’m also a full-time mother. On my Facebook page, my most popular posts start “Under the Category of ‘Life With Two Teenage Daughters and One of Marriageable Age.’”  It used to be “Life With Three Teenage Daughters,” but my oldest is now of legal drinking age so she insisted I come up with a new title.  Since I get some of my funniest posts from their antics, I figured I should oblige.  😉  Those kids and my deadlines keep my life wonderfully full.

I invite you all to join me at www.facebook.com/lisavergehiggins

-Who are some of your favorite authors?
So many books, so little time!   In terms of women’s fiction, I’m a huge fan of Kristin Hannah, Kristin Higgins, Jodi Picoult, Luanne Rice, Nancy Thayer and Emily Giffin.   But I also read across a lot of genres.  I love Stefanie Pintoff’s turn-of-the-twentieth-century mystery series set in New York. I spent last summer working through George R. R. Martin’s EPIC series, Game of Thrones.  I’m also a fan of big juicy historical novels, like Michelle Moran’s MADAME TUSSAUD.

-What are you reading now?
I’m reading Emily Giffin’s HEART OF THE MATTER and loving it!

-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
Right now I’m working on RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS which will come out in April 2014.  It’s a road-trip book, a combination of the movies “Thelma & Louise” and “Pay it Forward.”   It’s about a woman, Jenna Elliot, who offers a friend a random act of kindness.  That act later returns to her in ways that she never could have expected.

I encourage your readers to sign up for Book Alerts! to receive an email when it comes out: http://www.lisavergehiggins.com/

Fun questions:
 
-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Judy would definitely be Diane Lane—in fact, that’s who I posted as her doppelganger on my pinterest page.  She’s strong and comfortable in her own skin.    Monique would be Halle Berry, hands down (heck, if I got to pick….)  Becky is a little harder to cast.  I guess she’d be a younger, more vulnerable Cameron Diaz.

-Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
I read all day, for pleasure and for work, so when I’m kicking back it’s often to watch TV or a movie.

-Favorite food?
If I’m in a restaurant, I’ll order anything that has goat cheese.  At home . . . sausage and peppers over pasta.   Colorful, healthy, filling . . . my favorite comfort food.

-Favorite beverage?
Lately?  Frangelico on the rocks.  Heck, I’m under deadline!  😉

ABOUT THE BOOK

What is the appropriate amount of time to grieve the loss of a spouse? Four years, two weeks, and three days after losing her husband to cancer, Monique Franke-Reed isn’t ready to let go. She still speaks to him when things get rough; summoning him in the bedroom they once shared, awaiting that familiar whisper.

In the days before his passing, Lenny created a bucket list of things they should do once he recovers – which includes rappelling down an alpine ledge, visiting the catacombs of Paris, and taking in the magnificence of The Last Supper – but, sadly, he loses his battle. An ever-reluctant Monique can’t bring herself to keep her promise because completing the list means that she is ready to move on; however, she contemplates the list with a new perspective when she notices changes in her best friends.

Judy – once a backpacking free spirit – is coping with the onset of empty nest syndrome as the last of her five children heads off to college. Meanwhile, Becky continues to laugh it off whenever she trips over smooth surfaces or bumps into people clearly within view. However, she is dealt a shocking blow when she seeks out an explanation for her diminishing night vision and learns that, over time, she will lose her sight.

Realizing that Becky is slipping into a world filled with anxiety, Monique sees the bucket list as the perfect opportunity to whisk her friends away for a European adventure and allow Becky to take in the sights for the first and last time. Together, the threesome embark upon a transformative journey that offers each woman new insight to help cope with the fears and loss they are facing.

PURCHASE LINKS

THANKS TO JIHAN AT GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING,
I HAVE TWO (2) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 27th AT 6PM EST

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I am so excited to be hosting today’s guest, especially since it is also publication day of her latest book.  I have read 2 of  her previous novels, Little Girl Gone and The Good Sister, and enjoyed both.  When Tanisha, from The Hachette Book Group emailed me, I jumped at the chance to have Ms. Drusilla Campbell visit with us again.  Welcome back!!!!

DRUSILLA CAMPBELL

Drusilla Campbell is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels including The Good Sister, Little Girl Gone, The Edge of Sky, and Blood Orange.  Before she started school she had crossed the Pacific Ocean three times.  She’s lived in Europe and Central America and has a MA in Broadcast Journalism from American University.  Drusilla happily lives in San Diego with her husband, the attorney and poet Art Campbell, two rescued dogs, and three horses.
Connect with Ms. Campbell at the following sites:

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bestselling author Drusilla Campbell masterfully weaves a story of a mother’s need to serve her country, win the respect of her father and learn to love her family in WHEN SHE CAME HOME.

Frankie Byrne has returned from the war in Iraq to a war in her San Diego home. Her daughter, Glory, is having problems with bullies at school, and Frankie and her husband, Rick, can’t agree on the best way to deal with it. In fact Glory is just one of many things Frankie and Rick can’t agree on any more. It seems like everything Frankie does–from buying groceries to socializing with friends–is wrong. Her father, Brigadier General Harlan Byrne, USMC retired, thinks that Frankie’s problems are her own fault. A woman, especially a mother, should not go off to war.

But Frankie’s problem is not that she wasn’t prepared to be a soldier. It’s that she can’t stop being one. Her time in Iraq, specifically a controversial moment the government doesn’t want to acknowledge, has left her with severe PTSD. She can’t forget the horrors she saw, and can’t forgive herself for not being able to do more. Frankie desperately wants to regain the closeness her family once shared, she knows the time has come to be honest about her PTSD and find a way to heal. It’s a battle that won’t be easy, but one she must face in order to save her daughter, her marriage, and herself.

Campbell’s story offers an intimate portrait and a strong narrative about a story that is becoming more and more a part of our social fabric—a mother’s return home from war.

BOOK DETAILS:

ISBN: 978-1-4555-1035-1
Price: $14.99/Trade Paperback Original
Release: April 9, 2013

PURCHASE LINKS:

THANKS TO TANISHA AT THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE FIVE (5) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS

FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW

GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 23rd AT 6PM EST

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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I received today’s guest’s book in the mail and was surprised at the delivery.  When I read the synopsis, I knew Linda from The Hachette Book Group, had sent me a book that I would enjoy.  And then I had the ultimate honor to host this author, as she stops by and tells us about her book.  Please help me give a very warm welcome to Lucretia Grindle!!!

LUCRETIA GRINDLE

Lucretia Grindle was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up spending half her time in the United States and half her time in the UK. Continuing as she started out, she still splits her time, but now calls the coast of Maine home.

GUEST POST

First, I’d like to thank you for inviting me. Being a guest author is a real honor. I’m always thrilled when readers enjoy one of my books, so I’d like to start by saying thank you for that, too. Although, strangely, once they are written, I always feel that they’re kind of ‘Out There On Their Own’, a bit like children who’ve grown up and, finally, left home. That having been said, I’m especially fond of Villa Triste. It’s a special book to me, and I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about why that is.

Several years ago, I decided that I wanted to write a trilogy of novels set in Italy. This sprang, in part, from my own realization of what I didn’t (and I’m sure still don’t) understand about a country I have come to love so much. It began with Italy’s role in World War II, which I had always found confusing, and in particular with a series of plaques that I began to notice in my wanderings around Florence. Almost all of them referred to The Partisans, whom I knew nothing about. As I began to discover more, I also began to look rather differently at the old lady who ran my green grocers, at the old man who fed the cats on the steps that lead to my favorite church, at the caretaker in the piazza around the corner from my flat, at the flower-seller and his wife who kept the kiosk on the corner. All of them were probably in their eighties; all of them had lived through 1943 and 1944. As my research grew deeper, I realized that many of them had probably fought their way through those years. More than one in four of the Italian Partisans were women. It began to occur to me that sweet old ladies, as well as sweet old men, might have very unexpected pasts.

While Villa Triste is a work of fiction, everything, down to the dates and locations of the Allied bombings, is based on fact. The two sisters are an amalgamation of several women, but the family I describe existed, as did everything that happens to Isabella and Caterina. Even the little red book is based on another tiny book kept hidden in the hem of a dress – although that one was in Milan. There was a radio circuit. It had a different name, but its fate was the same as is portrayed in the book. Villa Triste is simply my answer to what might have happened. I hope, too, that it is also the story of those very ordinary heroes who, when pressed with the moment, found such extraordinary courage.

Villa Triste is also important to me for a very personal reason. I’ve been married for the past fifteen years. My husband will be eighty-seven this year. In the course of my marriage, I have often been annoyed, and frequently infuriated, by the way older people are treated, the way they are patronized and too often, marginalized – patted on the head like sweet little creatures – or simply ignored, both in life, and in fiction. I’m sick of action heroes and heroines who are always and eternally thirty-five and beautiful. Who says beauty stops at fifty or for that matter sixty or seventy, anyway? Who says brains, guile, sneakiness, nobility and even evil stop at fifty-five or sixty-five or for that matter, ninety-five?

That’s one of my pet hates, or rather two of them – the trope of the youngish athletic overly qualified character with a weird name who steps forth to carry out derring-do, be it good or bad; and the idea that the elderly do not have Agency. And I’m sick of, and a bit sickened by, the increasingly bizarrely chopped up bodies of young women that are too often a feature of crime writing. In Villa Triste, the corpses are old men. The heroes and heroines are lost back in time, and with a few exceptions, the players who exist today are graying. Love, need, shame, courage, and fury – they bind into all of us and make us who we are, no matter what our age. To me, Villa Triste is a story about that as much as it is a story about anything. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.

With all best wishes,

Lucretia

ABOUT THE BOOK

Florence, 1943. Two sisters, Isabella and Caterina Cammaccio, find themselves surrounded by terror and death; and with Italy trapped under the heel of a brutal Nazi occupation, bands of Partisans rise up.

Soon Isabella and Caterina will test their wits and deepest beliefs as never before. As the winter grinds on, they will be forced to make the most important decisions of their lives. Their choices will reverberate for decades.

In the present day, Alessandro Pallioti, a senior policeman agrees to oversee a murder investigation, after it emerges the victim was once a Partisan hero. When the case begins to unravel, Pallioti finds himself working to uncover a crime lost in the twilight of war, the consequences of which are as deadly today as they were over sixty years ago.

THANKS TO LINDA FROM THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE
THREE (3) SIGNED COPIES OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY
U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTRY PAGE

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

When Marissa from Grand Central Publishing/The Hachette Book Group emailed me, I knew this was BIG!!  Not only BIG, but HUGE and that you would want to know about it.  So without further ado……….drum roll please………………

Centennial, Colo. – Dec. 20, 2012 – Unveiling a sneak peek into one of the most anticipated film adaptations of 2013, NCM^® Fathom Events and Relativity Media present “A Night with Nicholas Sparks’ Safe Haven: Filmmakers, Author and Stars Bring the Book to Life,” broadcast live to select cinemas nationwide on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT and tape delayed at 7:00 p.m. MT / 8:00 p.m. PT/Alaska and Hawaii. This special one-night event, broadcast live from LA Castle Studios in Burbank, Calif., will feature the No. 1 New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks in a live discussion and Q&A session with fans about the cinematic adaptation of his best-selling novel, Safe Haven. Moderated by Extra TV host Maria Menounos and featuring appearances from the film’s stars Josh Duhamel (Transformers, Life as We Know It) and Julianne Hough (Rock of Ages, Footloose) as well as Oscar^®-nominated director Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules), producers Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga) and Wyck Godfrey (The Twilight Saga), fans will be treated to exclusive clips and behind-the-scenes footage of the eagerly- awaited film.

Tickets for “A Night with Nicholas Sparks’ Safe Haven: Filmmakers, Author and Stars Bring the Book to Life” are available now at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the NCM Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change). The event will be broadcast to more than 500 select movie theaters across the country through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network.

“This event promises to be an exciting new way to connect with fans around the country – a first for me and the talented creative team behind Safe Haven,” said Sparks. “I can’t wait to talk about the unique collaboration with Josh and Julianne, who transformed the characters in my book into living people whose loves and losses will come to life soon on the big screen. It’s been a privileged experience working with Lasse, Marty and Wyck on this film and now my readers will have a chance to share in that experience as well.”

Safe Haven will be distributed by Relativity Media in theaters nationwide on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013. When a mysterious young woman (Hough) arrives in a small North Carolina town, her reluctance to join the tight-knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots, and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex (Duhamel), a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deeply moving romantic thriller. The film is directed by Oscar®-nominated Lasse Hallström, based on the novel by Sparks from a screenplay by Dana Stevens and Gage Lansky and also stars Cobie Smulders (The Avengers) and David Lyons (J.J. Abram’s Revolution). Bowen, Godfrey, Sparks and Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter)served as producers.

“Nicholas Sparks’ books always translate so well to the big screen, including such hits as The Notebook, Dear John, The Last Song – among many others,” said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “Fans will get a look at how these bestsellers are transformed into blockbusters before Safe Haven hits theaters in February with this special event which features the film’s Oscar®-nominated director and the film’s stars.”

For more information, please check out the Safe Haven movie Facebook and Twitter.

And for more information regarding tickets and the movie, click here.

NICHOLAS SPARKS

Nicholas Sparks is the author of 16 books. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.
You can visit the author’s web site at www. nicholassparks.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

THANKS TO MARISSA, FROM GCP/THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP,
I HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
U.S RESIDENTS ONLY

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY PAGE

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

When Caitlin, from The Hachette Book Group, contacted me about today’s guest, I thought what better way to usher 2012 out and celebrate 2013!!  Raise your glass and help me count down…5….4….3….2…..1

Welcome James Patterson!!!!!!

JAMES PATTERSON

In January, 2010, The New York Times Magazinefeatured James Patterson on its cover and hailed him as having “transformed book publishing.” Timemagazine named him “The Man Who Can’t Miss,” and he is a two-time Children’s Choice Book Award “Author of the Year” nominee, a designation decided on by more than 15,000 children and teen readers.

In the past three years, James Patterson has sold more books than any other author (according to Bookscan), and in total, James’s books have sold an estimated 260 million copies worldwide. Since 2006, one out of every seventeen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children’s bestsellers lists and is the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut at #1 on the list in one year—a record-breaking feat he’s accomplished every year since 2005. To date, James Patterson has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds the New York Times record for most Hardcover Fiction bestselling titles by a single author (76 total), which is also a Guinness World Record.

From his James Patterson Pageturner Awards (which rewarded groups and individuals for creative and effective ways of spreading the joy of reading) to his websiteReadKiddoRead.com (which helps adults find books that kids are sure to love) to his regular donations of thousands of books to troops overseas, Patterson is a lifelong champion of books and reading. His critically acclaimed Maximum Ride series debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list at #1 and remained there for twelve straight weeks. The series has so far made ninety-four cumulative appearances on The New York Timesbestsellers lists, proving that kids of all ages love page turners. He captured the attention of boy readers with Daniel X series, and his third series for readers of all ages debuted in December 2009 with Witch & Wizard, which spent five consecutive weeks atop the New York Times bestsellers list.

Patterson is the creator of the top-selling new detective series of the past dozen years, featuring Alex Cross and including the Hollywood-adapted “Along Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls,” starring Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. He is also the creator of the #1 new detective series of the past five years, featuring Lindsay Boxer and theWomen’s Murder Club, from which the ABC television drama series was adapted. He has authored books behind six films on the Hollywood fast-track, including the upcomingMaximum Ride movie forthcoming from Avi Arad, the producer of X-Men and Spiderman.

He is the author of novels — from The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) to Honeymoon(2005) — that have won awards including the Edgar, the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year, the International Thriller of the Year award, and the Reader’s Digest Reader’s Choice Award. And, he has won a Children’s Choice Book Council’s Children’s Choice Awards “Author of the Year” award (2010).

One of Forbes magazine’s Celebrity 100, James made a guest appearance on the popular FOX TV show “The Simpsons” in March, 2007.
Visit James Patterson at his website here.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The next explosive book in James Patterson’s #1 bestselling Private series!

For Hannah Shapiro, a beautiful young American student, this particular nightmare began eight years ago in Los Angeles, when Jack Morgan, owner of Private–the world’s most exclusive detective agency–saved her from a horrific death. She has fled her country, but can’t flee her past. The terror has followed her to London, and now it is down to former Royal Military Police Sergeant Dan Carter, head of Private London, to save her all over again.

In central London, young women are being abducted off the street. When the bodies are found some days later, they have been mutilated in a particularly mysterious way. Dan Carter’s ex-wife, DI Kirsty Webb, is involved in the investigation and it looks likely that the two cases are gruesomely linked.

Dan Carter drawn on the whole resources of Private International in a desperate race against the odds. But the clock is ticking… Private may be the largest and most technologically advanced detection agency in the world, but the one thing they don’t have is the one thing they need–time.
Watch for my review in the near future.

Purchase links:    Amazon     B&N     IndieBound

THANKS TO CAITLIN, FROM THE HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE
ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.       U.S RESIDENTS ONLY

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTRY PAGE

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.