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BUT BECAME A STRONGER PERSON BECAUSE OF IT?*

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  BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).

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*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT TO LET ME KNOW THAT YOU
  RETWEETED THIS GIVEAWAY (LEAVE LINK).

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I would like to explain how this came to fruition. Hubby and I were having a discussion about the old days, (for the young’ens reading this..a little history lesson) but before the dark age. When Sundays were special and had traditions and rituals. Sunday mornings Church, come home to a big gravy (sauce) cooking on the stove, a big Sunday dinner, then either off to visit relatives/friends or wait for relatives/friends to drop by. We would spend the afternoon sitting around the table, talking, catching up, having coffee, pizza, calzones, etc etc, dessert. And now, how sad, all those traditions are gone. And then I got to thinking, why not have something similar here on my blog. This past year, I have met so many amazing and wonderful people (some I now call friends) through blogging, and how I am in awe of what they do and accomplish. How much respect I have for them, for their honesty, integrity, credibility and so enjoy when a bit of their personality shines through. So every Sunday, here at my place, the coffee will be on, the dessert is on the table and friends will be stopping by. And I will be rolling out the red carpet for my Sunday Shining Star Blogger guest.

I was told when I first found this community of book blogging that “book bloggers were the nicest bloggers there are” and I have never forgotten those words. And over the past year, I have truly met the nicest people. I also believe, even though we live behind a screen, a bit of our personality shines through. That is one of the reasons I am having so much fun with this weekly event, and hoping you are too, because we are getting to know those “nicest bloggers” around and about bloggyland a little bit better.

Ladies, we are on our own today.  Seeing that it is Father’s Day, Jeff and Steve (Lori aka Dollycas’s Thoughts hubby and mine) have requested today off….Men!!  Any excuse not to attend our “gab sessions” lol.

I am quite excited about today’s guest.  She is a relatively new blogger but it seems like she has been at it for years.  I will be very surprised if you haven’t seen her around bloggyland, because it appears she does a lot of visiting.  I can’t wait to get to know her better, I hope you do too.  Today’s guest is MARY ANN from TRIBUTE BOOKS MAMA

*When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in October 2010 in order to help my daughter promote her business, Tribute Books (http://www.tribute-books.com).

*How and what made you decide on the name of your blog?
Answered in question 1

*What would you say is the main content of your blog?
The main content of my blog is reviews of books, movies and tv shows.

*If books, what genres do you mostly read?
Historical fiction, paranormal & young adult

*How often do you post?
I post everyday.

*What are some of the things that you love about blogging?
Being in touch with other bloggers.

*What are some of the negatives?
Having a lot of people enter my book giveaways – I’d like to have more than 4 or 5 people enter them on a regular basis.

*Name 1-3 favorite items/postings that you have/do on your blog?
(1) My book review of Laney: The Brookhaven Vampires
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-laney-brookehaven-vampires-by.html

(2) My movie review of The King’s Speech
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/kings-speech-movie.html

(3) My tv show review of Dexter
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2010/12/dexter.html

*Any advice you would give to new bloggers?
Keep doing it as often as you can. Stick with it!

*What draws you to follow someone’s blog?
Quality content and frequent updates. GIveaways are a plus too.

*Do you have any “pet peeves” that other bloggers do?
Leaving a copy/paste repetitive comment during a blog hop. I’m guilty of it too from time to time.

*Would you please share 5-7 things about the person behind the screen so that we get to know the “real” you!!
1. My favorite book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I gave my childhood copy from the 1950s to my daughter when she was a girl.

2. No movie made me laugh harder in a public theater than Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in Anger Management.

3. My favorite Broadway play of all-time is Les Miserables. I saw it in 1996 with fourth row orchestra seats with Ricky Martin as Marius.

4. I am a Vera Bradley fanatic. I must have close to 10 purses in the Betsy style.

5. I like to watch QVC although it gets my credit card in trouble. Lisa Robertson is my favorite host.

6. I like Philosophy skin care/bath products. Cinnamon Buns 3-in-1 shower creme is the best.

7. I am thankful I was able to buy myself a new car this year – a white 2010 Chevy Cobalt.

Thank you Mary Ann for being my guest today and sharing a little bit of yourself with all of us.  As all of you can see she is a very proud and dedicated Mother in assisting her daughter, Nicole, with her business.  And as passionate as she is about books, she is with movies and TV.  I am not a big TV watcher, but at times may turn into American Idol or shows of that nature.  If I miss a show, I know where to get the scoop!!!  Passing her copy of Little Women to her daughter!!!  That surely makes her a Shining Star!!!!  Congratulations and Good Luck with your new car!!!!!

I would like to explain how this came to fruition. Hubby and I were having a discussion about the old days, (for the young’ens reading this..a little history lesson) but before the dark age. When Sundays were special and had traditions and rituals. Sunday mornings Church, come home to a big gravy (sauce) cooking on the stove, a big Sunday dinner, then either off to visit relatives/friends or wait for relatives/friends to drop by. We would spend the afternoon sitting around the table, talking, catching up, having coffee, pizza, calzones, etc etc, dessert. And now, how sad, all those traditions are gone. And then I got to thinking, why not have something similar here on my blog. This past year, I have met so many amazing and wonderful people (some I now call friends) through blogging, and how I am in awe of what they do and accomplish. How much respect I have for them, for their honesty, integrity, credibility and so enjoy when a bit of their personality shines through. So every Sunday, here at my place, the coffee will be on, the dessert is on the table and friends will be stopping by. And I will be rolling out the red carpet for my Sunday Shining Star Blogger guest.

I was told when I first found this community of book blogging that “book bloggers were the nicest bloggers there are” and I have never forgotten those words. And over the past year, I have truly met the nicest people. I also believe, even though we live behind a screen, a bit of our personality shines through. That is one of the reasons I am having so much fun with this weekly event, and hoping you are too, because we are getting to know those “nicest bloggers” around and about bloggyland a little bit better.

Ladies, we are on our own today.  Seeing that it is Father’s Day, Jeff and Steve (Lori aka Dollycas’s Thoughts hubby and mine) have requested today off….Men!!  Any excuse not to attend our “gab sessions” lol.

I am quite excited about today’s guest.  She is a relatively new blogger but it seems like she has been at it for years.  I will be very surprised if you haven’t seen her around bloggyland, because it appears she does a lot of visiting.  I can’t wait to get to know her better, I hope you do too.  Today’s guest is MARY ANN from TRIBUTE BOOKS MAMA

*When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in October 2010 in order to help my daughter promote her business, Tribute Books (http://www.tribute-books.com).

*How and what made you decide on the name of your blog?
Answered in question 1

*What would you say is the main content of your blog?
The main content of my blog is reviews of books, movies and tv shows.

*If books, what genres do you mostly read?
Historical fiction, paranormal & young adult

*How often do you post?
I post everyday.

*What are some of the things that you love about blogging?
Being in touch with other bloggers.

*What are some of the negatives?
Having a lot of people enter my book giveaways – I’d like to have more than 4 or 5 people enter them on a regular basis.

*Name 1-3 favorite items/postings that you have/do on your blog?
(1) My book review of Laney: The Brookhaven Vampires
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-laney-brookehaven-vampires-by.html

(2) My movie review of The King’s Speech
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/kings-speech-movie.html

(3) My tv show review of Dexter
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2010/12/dexter.html

*Any advice you would give to new bloggers?
Keep doing it as often as you can. Stick with it!

*What draws you to follow someone’s blog?
Quality content and frequent updates. GIveaways are a plus too.

*Do you have any “pet peeves” that other bloggers do?
Leaving a copy/paste repetitive comment during a blog hop. I’m guilty of it too from time to time.

*Would you please share 5-7 things about the person behind the screen so that we get to know the “real” you!!
1. My favorite book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I gave my childhood copy from the 1950s to my daughter when she was a girl.

2. No movie made me laugh harder in a public theater than Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in Anger Management.

3. My favorite Broadway play of all-time is Les Miserables. I saw it in 1996 with fourth row orchestra seats with Ricky Martin as Marius.

4. I am a Vera Bradley fanatic. I must have close to 10 purses in the Betsy style.

5. I like to watch QVC although it gets my credit card in trouble. Lisa Robertson is my favorite host.

6. I like Philosophy skin care/bath products. Cinnamon Buns 3-in-1 shower creme is the best.

7. I am thankful I was able to buy myself a new car this year – a white 2010 Chevy Cobalt.

Thank you Mary Ann for being my guest today and sharing a little bit of yourself with all of us.  As all of you can see she is a very proud and dedicated Mother in assisting her daughter, Nicole, with her business.  And as passionate as she is about books, she is with movies and TV.  I am not a big TV watcher, but at times may turn into American Idol or shows of that nature.  If I miss a show, I know where to get the scoop!!!  Passing her copy of Little Women to her daughter!!!  That surely makes her a Shining Star!!!!  Congratulations and Good Luck with your new car!!!!!

Today I have the honor of introducing all of you to a very busy and talented author, Ms. Liv James.  Please help me give her a very warm welcome to the CMash blog!!!

diet, where everything you eat and drink is grown within 100 miles of your house.

So then I thought, what if an interesting couple – Josie and Jeff – with a great country inn decided to take on the 100-mile diet and all the other things that would make their inn green? And what if they did such a great job that they received fantastic publicity?

And then I thought, what if that publicity backfired?

That’s when things started to get interesting.

At the same time I was publicizing our new green building out here in the real world, I was also reading a lot of romantic suspense books and couldn’t find any in which the love story centered on a married couple. That piqued my interest because, if we’re lucky, we spend a whole lot more time in a marriage than in the stages leading up to the marriage.  So I thought, what if a married couple had fallen into a hum-drum existence and suddenly something – or someone – came along and shook it up?

In the Trouble With Green, that someone is Nathan Brown, who knows Josie’s secrets and doesn’t hesitate to share them with her husband, Jeff.

Finally, I heard about a father who lost his oldest son in a kayaking accident after the son had managed to save his girlfriend from drowning. I was so moved by the tragedy of that story, and by the weight of being the girl who was saved, that I brought it into the novel.

I intertwined those three snippets – the green inn, the rekindling of a marriage, and being “the girl who lived” – and The Trouble With Green was born.

Synopsis (borrowed from author’s blog):
When Josie’s earth-friendly inns get national press it seems like a good deal all around. So much of a good deal, in fact, that her architect husband gets a new gig … on the other side of the country. And the owners of one of her best inns go missing, just days after the feature appears. And then there’s the long-forgotten Nathan Brown, whose appearance on her doorstep can only mean trouble. Josie must overcome the ghosts of her past if she has any hope of keeping her marriage and her business alive.

THE TROUBLE WITH GREEN

by LIV JAMES

When Josie’s earth-friendly inns get national press it seems like a good deal all around. So much of a good deal, in fact, that her architect husband gets a new gig … on the other side of the country. And the owners of one of her best inns go missing, just days after the feature appears. And then there’s the long-forgotten Nathan Brown, whose appearance on her doorstep can only mean trouble. Josie must overcome the ghosts of her past if she has any hope of keeping her marriage and her business alive.

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
  BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.

*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.

*

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the
above. 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.
I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

From Danielle’s blog:
We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.
This week’s question:  What outdoor activities do you like to do?
Read more: http://www.theresabook.com/2011/06/a-bit-of-meme-a-wiggle-of-the-nose/#ixzz1OxiZSMwq

Today I have the honor of introducing all of you to a very busy and talented author, Ms. Liv James.  Please help me give her a very warm welcome to the CMash blog!!!

diet, where everything you eat and drink is grown within 100 miles of your house.

So then I thought, what if an interesting couple – Josie and Jeff – with a great country inn decided to take on the 100-mile diet and all the other things that would make their inn green? And what if they did such a great job that they received fantastic publicity?

And then I thought, what if that publicity backfired?

That’s when things started to get interesting.

At the same time I was publicizing our new green building out here in the real world, I was also reading a lot of romantic suspense books and couldn’t find any in which the love story centered on a married couple. That piqued my interest because, if we’re lucky, we spend a whole lot more time in a marriage than in the stages leading up to the marriage.  So I thought, what if a married couple had fallen into a hum-drum existence and suddenly something – or someone – came along and shook it up?

In the Trouble With Green, that someone is Nathan Brown, who knows Josie’s secrets and doesn’t hesitate to share them with her husband, Jeff.

Finally, I heard about a father who lost his oldest son in a kayaking accident after the son had managed to save his girlfriend from drowning. I was so moved by the tragedy of that story, and by the weight of being the girl who was saved, that I brought it into the novel.

I intertwined those three snippets – the green inn, the rekindling of a marriage, and being “the girl who lived” – and The Trouble With Green was born.

Synopsis (borrowed from author’s blog):
When Josie’s earth-friendly inns get national press it seems like a good deal all around. So much of a good deal, in fact, that her architect husband gets a new gig … on the other side of the country. And the owners of one of her best inns go missing, just days after the feature appears. And then there’s the long-forgotten Nathan Brown, whose appearance on her doorstep can only mean trouble. Josie must overcome the ghosts of her past if she has any hope of keeping her marriage and her business alive.