"Dating Tips from Dad" by Amity Jones

GUEST POST

Dating Tips from Dad:
How to win the dating game

by Amity Jones

Dating Tips from Dad by Amity Jones is currently on tour with Masquerade Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

Growing up with my father had helped me to learn valuable ways of what to do and not to do regarding dating. I am so grateful he took the time with me to make sure I would have the best type of person in my life. This book is designed to help parents talk to their kids about dating. In addition, singles that have struggled and for those back into the dating world after being out of it for a long time. In this book you will find fast ways of how to meet that guy or girl; beginning of dating; who makes the first move; great conversation starters; and when to move on. As a bonus I have some tips I have learned along the way and have found helpful for me as well as my friends I have shared them with.

Praise for the Book

"Excellent advice for any stage of life. This book gives great practical and smart advice. I would recommend it to my friends that are dating, and found things that are helpful in my marriage. I will definitely pick it up again when my kids get a little older - to use as a teaching tool. Very good read!!!" ~ Elizabeth Martin

"This book gives a clear picture of the most important things that one should learn about dating. The wonderful thing about the book is that it is a personal account of many of the lessons learned by the author which were passed down by her father. It is a refreshing approach to dating. I believe that Amity the author, has written this book not only from personal experience but from her heart. I would recommend this book for anyone faced with the challenges of dating. Also, the amazing thing about the book is that she used many of these ideas on her journey before marriage as well. So, they are tried and true ideas. You will not be disappointed when you read this great little book on dating!!!" ~ Peggy Price

"I bought this for a friend of mine, but read a good portion of it before I passed it on. It was easy to read and I love the connection with the author and her Father. I think it's great to get both a female and male perspective on the subject. I've been married for 20 years, but found it a fun read for me. My friend hasn't finished the book, but says she already has a new game plan when she decides she's ready to re-enter the dating scene!" ~ HNW4life

"This book is a quick read but don't let the speed deceive you into thinking there isn't a lot to it! I appreciated the mix of personal stories with practical input. As I was reading I thought 'I want my daughter (who is now 18) to read this - it will help her in her dating life!' You don't have to be dating to gain wisdom from this book!" ~ Libby C. Vincent

"This book clearly discusses a lot of points where we can improve ourselves and within our relationships so we can keep it real, and keep it right. This book will let the single folks not be afraid and be prepared for the worst when it comes to dating. The tips in this book are very helpful to make each relationship last." ~ A W

Guest Post by the Author

My inspiration for Writing this Book

Over the last 10 years, something inside me has wanted to write a dating book about my dad’s dating knowledge he passed down to me. My friends and family would ask me how I dated such amazing men and when I found they weren’t taught the same things I was growing up about dating, I knew I had to tell my story. When I started asking my circle of friends about their dating experiences growing up and the bigger question of "how did they learn how to date?" I was always puzzled when the majority of them said they were never taught by their parents. I had the aha moment and started writing down notes for my dating book.

With all the dating and relationship/marriage books I have read over the last 25 years, I wanted to write something that was simple, fast, and to the point. Most of the points in my book are probably things everyone has heard at some point while they were dating or in a relationship. By writing this I wanted to help as many people before dating as they won’t have to endure as many heartaches or they can learn a few tips to help their next relationship go smoother.

I have been surprised at the response of who have read my book and how much it has helped them from all ages, male or female, parents to share with their kids, whether they are dating, married, or single. It feels good to be able to guide my readers to how to date, what a healthy relationship is and when to move on. I have been contacted by many of my readers saying how much the book has helped them in so many ways. One reader was so happy to hear what my father had taught me about dating since she didn’t have a father growing up. I didn’t realize the impact I was going to have when I wrote this book.

About the Author

Amity Jones grew up with her father from age 8 and on. Learning the simple steps of dating, among other things, were very helpful in finding the most amazing men in her life. After she did a personal survey of her friends the last 10 years and found that they didn't really learn "how-to-date" other than from trial and error, from their dysfunctional parents, and/or their peers that didn't know what they were doing. It led her to write this book to help others learn her dating tips from dad.

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"Faking Perfect" by Rebecca Phillips

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY

Faking Perfect

by Rebecca Phillips

Faking Perfect is currently on tour with YA Bound Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

When Lexi Shaw seduced Oakfield High's resident bad boy Tyler Flynn at the beginning of senior year, he seemed perfectly okay with her rules:

1. Avoid her at school.

2. Keep his mouth shut about what they do together.

3. Never tease her about her friend (and unrequited crush) Ben.

Because with his integrity and values and golden boy looks, Ben can never find out about what she’s been doing behind closed doors with Tyler. Or that her mom’s too busy drinking and chasing losers to pay the bills. Or that Lexi’s dad hasn’t been a part of her life for the last thirteen years. But with Tyler suddenly breaking the rules, Ben asking her out, and her dad back in the picture, how long will she be able to go on faking perfect?

Excerpt

“Let’s not do this anymore,” I said to his bare back as he took off his shirt and turned it right side out. I kept my eyes on the tattoo on his left shoulder blade - the grim reaper in his black cloak, smiling and holding a scythe. The harvester of souls.

Tyler pulled on his shirt and glanced back at me with a flickering of a smile. I tried not to let it get to me. All my life, I’d suffered such a weakness for boys like him. In the first grade, I’d had a massive crush on Cody Hatcher, who pushed kids at recess and regularly spit on the teachers. By middle school, I felt myself drawn to the troubled boys with bad home lives who cut class and sneaked cigarettes behind the convenience store. Then, in the tenth grade, when I started cultivating my good girl image and making new friends, I gave up on the bad boys and set my sights on the nice, well-adjusted ones. Like Ben Dorsey, for instance, track star and honors student and way too good to be true. Too good for me, anyway, which was why I’d strayed back to the bad boys again.

But nobody could ever know about that.

“Do what?” Tyler said, even though he knew full well what I meant. He’d heard those words from me before.

“This.” I gestured to the tangled sheets and my half-nude body and then to him, the ultimate bad boy with his tattoo and cigarettes and close, personal acquaintance with the entire Oakfield police department.

“This,” he repeated, leaning over the bed toward me, his hands sinking into the mattress. I pulled away from him, but not before I caught the warm, smoky scent of his skin. He saw my reaction and laughed, which infuriated and excited me. “You really want to stop this. You want me to leave and never come back. Right?”

“Right.”

We stared each other down. From above, I could hear the faint applause of a live studio audience.

“Right,” Tyler said, lowering his face to mine. He kissed me and I let him, even though once had been enough and he was the one in control and my mother was upstairs and awake.

I knew I was supposed to refuse him, to squash this problem once and for all and become the girl most people saw each day - the smiling, confident girl who’d secured a place at the top of the high school food chain. But I could never truly be her, at least not permanently. So I turned off the lamp, wrapped my arms around Tyler’s neck, and pulled him closer. I shut my mind to everything else, including the intrusive thoughts of Ben. Ben, who I possibly could have loved if only I was brave enough to love someone like him.

I didn’t love Tyler Flynn. I didn’t even like him.

Praise for the Book

"Edgy and honest, Faking Perfect is the real thing." ~ Huntley Fitzpatrick

"Poignant, edgy, and real, Faking Perfect is an honest look at the courage and strength it can often take simply to be yourself." ~ Julianna Scott, author of The Holders

"Faking Perfect didn’t have to fake much at all – this book is an amazing read! Packed with chaotic family drama, sneaky bad boys who’ll steal your heart and a resident nerd best friend any girl in real life absolutely needs, Phillips’s latest delivers an emotional roller-coaster ride of a not-so-perfect teenage girl’s life. Fans of The Duff will love this, as it is a great story of an underdog finally coming out on top, as she learns to love each flaw she has, one at a time." ~ RT Book Reviews

"Fans of Sarah Dessen's novels will enjoy this book. Phillips will soon be a must-read YA writer for those who love romance and drama." ~ School Library Journal

"Faking Perfect is a perfect example of how characters evolve in spite of adversity." ~ The Young Folks

My Review

By Lynda Dickson

Bad boy Tyler Flynn has been sneaking into Lexi's bedroom window for the last six months, but no one knows. Lexi actually likes the perfect Ben, so she hides her darker side behind the façade of being a good girl. She hangs around with the popular crowd, but her real best friend is her geeky neighbor Nolan - he's the only one she can really be herself with. She can't let her "friends" see the real her - the vulnerable girl abandoned by her father and with a self-involved mother who pays her no attention. Then, when Tyler starts acting weird, Lexi's absent father suddenly resurfaces, and Lexi receives unwanted advances from her mother's latest pervy boyfriend, Lexi knows she is in for one hell of a senior year. But, sometimes your true love can be right under your nose, and you just don't know it. Will Lexi get her much-needed happy ending?

Faking Perfect is heartbreaking in its intensity and believability. Here is a girl who feels unloved and abandoned and looks for love in all the wrong places. She hides her secrets in her Corn Snakes book because she knows her mother will never go near it. This girl could be you, or your daughter, or your best friend. This girl is real. Being the mother of two teenage girls myself, this is scary stuff. Hopefully, books like this will prompt us to become more aware of what is going on in the lives of our loved ones.

A perfect read for teenage girls and their families.

About the Author

Rebecca Phillips has been a fan of contemporary young adult fiction ever since she first discovered Judy Blume at the age of twelve. After a brief stint writing bad poetry as a teenager, she finally found her niche with realistic, coming-of-age YA. Her third novel, Out of Nowhere, was a finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. She's also the author of the best-selling Just You series. Her latest YA novel, Faking Perfect was released June 2015.

Rebecca lives just outside the beautiful city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with her husband, two children, and one spoiled rotten cat. She absolutely loves living so close to the ocean. When she’s not tapping away on her laptop, she can be found vacuuming up cat hair, spending time with her family, watching reality TV, reading all different genres of books, or strolling around the bookstore with a vanilla latte in her hand.

Rebecca is represented by Carly Watters of P.S. Literary Agency.

Giveaway

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"A City Full of Santas" by Pooja Sardana

GIVEAWAY

A City Full of Santas

by Pooja Sardana

A City Full of Santas is recommended for children ages 2 and up. It is currently available for only $0.99. This book blast and giveaway is brought to you by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

Description

This Christmas is special; really special for Santa. Read this lovely Christmas tale that would re-define the meaning of Christmas.

A must read for everyone.

Just like Pooja’s other books, this book brings love, warmth, and a special message. A story that parents would love to read to their children.

Ranked as #1 BestSeller on Amazon India.

Praise for the Book

"Parents/teachers will enjoy reading this story to their children. The children will be full of questions and want to discuss Santa’s surprise. Such a lovely story that brings back the meaning of Christmas, one that many will want to read." ~ prisrob, Amazon review

"Artwork 'pops' off the pages pleasantly and storyline has a great message. A fine addition to any Christmas collection and it is a children’s book that I would recommend!" ~ Don Kidwell, Amazon review

"Simple language and easy to understand for kids. Pictures depicted in the book are cute that makes it more interesting to read. It’s an ideal book to gift to kids. " ~ Priyanka, Amazon review

About the Author

Pooja Sardana, is a mother, a teacher, an illustrator, an author, a visionary and the co-founder of Picture Book Tree.

Her books and her initiative – Picture Book Tree have been widely covered in Indian media and abroad. Titled as one of the Unsung Hero in ‘Saga of the Unsung Heroes of India” , she continues to touch lives of many through her books and her work.

Her picture books for children can be availed free of cost by NGOs or individuals working with Under-privileged children. If you work with under-privileged children, you can drop an email to receive your free copy.

Giveaway

Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.

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"Tales from Suburbia" by Brandi Haas

INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY

Tales from Suburbia:
You Don't Have to be Crazy to Live Here,
But it Helps

by Brandi Haas

Tales from Suburbia is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for my interview with the author and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.

Description

Brandi Haas brings her trademark wit from her popular blog to this new collection, sharing stories of birthday party mayhem, mommy martyrdom, and snow shoveling majesty.

The setting is Anytown, USA, among barking dogs, picket fences, and eclectic neighbors. You don't have to be crazy to live here, but it helps!

Tales from Suburbia will make you laugh, warm your heart, and let you know you're not alone. Mothers (and fathers) will recognize themselves, their children, and the absurd situations that family life brings to us all.

Excerpt from "Called to the Principal’s Office"

“Your daughter had an altercation with some other girls on the playground. Just name-calling, nothing psychical. I just wanted to speak with you about something your daughter said to the other girls,” Dr. Oats says calmly.

And suddenly I know exactly why we are here. Our baby girl had a run-in with those mean girls again. Those girls who won’t let her play unless she is wearing what they are wearing and only when the mood strikes them. The last time our daughter came home crying over these girls, my husband and I sat her down and gave her some ideas as to how to deal with these kinds of situations. My husband wisely told her to just go play with other kids and ignore these girls. My advice was not as sage and is certainly the reason we are sitting here today.

I armed my daughter with clever retorts for the mean kids she encounters which included, but are not limited to:

Perhaps if your parents IQs weren’t below one hundred, you would know how to function within the normal social paradigm.

It’s not your fault your parents don’t love you. It’s the booze.

That Hello Kitty headband makes your forehead look big.

That’s quite a mustache you have there. (Effective for mean girls only—mean boys would take this as a compliment.)

All solid banter for the playground bullies, but now, sitting here in the principal’s office, I start to think my husband’s approach was the better choice. A fact I will never share with him, but I am now plagued with some regret.

“Your daughter called two girls ugly and really hurt their feelings,” says Dr. Oats.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Our sweet, little girl didn’t use mommy’s hilarious, albeit inappropriate, retorts after all. Our daughter went for the one thing we have taught her since she was a baby.

“Dr. Oats, we have always told our daughter that beauty comes from inside a person.”

My Review

By Lynda Dickson

The author left her career as an English teacher to become a full-time mother. This book is a compilation of a series of humorous anecdotes about her experiences as a woman, a wife, and a mother. Stories include her experiences at Chuck E. Cheese's and Target, comparing ailments with other mothers, the perils of fund raising, her letter to the President of the PTA, how mothers martyr themselves when they're sick, the difficulty women have finding clothes to wear when they're in their thirties and forties, the first visit to the principal's office as a parent, the joys of labor and giving birth, the trials of planning a birthday party, a Thanksgiving visit from her parents, a trip to the gym, a visit to the dentist, dance class ordeals, the Christmas pageant, and many more.

Some of my favorites: "To My Daughter's Teacher", a letter to her daughter's kindergarten teacher on her daughter's first day of school, brought back a lot of memories of my own daughters at that age; "Birth" also brought back memories because, like the author, I didn't finish my prenatal classes and my labor lasted 40 hours; "Getting Older" is a wonderful insight into the getting of wisdom.

Humorous, heartfelt, but serious at the same time, this collection is a must-read for any parent.

Interview With the Author

Hi Brandi, thanks for joining me today to discuss your new book, Tales from Suburbia: YouDon’t Have to be Crazy to Live Here, But it Helps.

For what age group do you recommend your book?

My book is geared towards adults, especially parents.

What sparked the idea for this book?

After ten years of teaching I became a stay-at-home mom. I loved every minute with my daughter but somewhere amongst the piles of laundry and the educational toys, I thought I lost my voice. Writing this book helped me find my voice again.

Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?

Life comes first - all my stories come through simply living my life. The characters drive the stories which are told in short story/vignette style.

What was the hardest part to write in this book?

The hardest part was opening up my life for everyone to see. It’s scary to do that but then I realized that all parents go through the same trials and joys so it’s become easier to share my life now.

How do you hope this book affects its readers?

I hope my book lets parents of all walks of life know that they aren’t alone - that we all get frustrated and the best thing we can do about it is to simply laugh.

How long did it take you to write this book?

A lot of the stories lived somewhere in the recesses of my brain for a long time, but once I actually sat down and wrote the book, it took me about ten months.

What is your writing routine?

I try to write at least three to four times a week. I have a small desk by a window overlooking my neighborhood which is my favorite place to write. I keep a journal of ideas that pop into my head so when I sit down to write I have a starting point. Before I get really into a story, I usually end up wandering the house for a while but once I get on a roll, I don’t leave my computer.

How did you get your book published?

My blog and Facebook page were getting great feedback so I took a chance and sent my stories out to a few publishers. Cup of Tea Books got back to me saying that my stories were great but I just didn’t have enough material. That gave me the push to keep writing. When I had over 65,000 words, I sent my manuscript back to Cup of Tea Books and they decided to publish it.

What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

The best advice I can give is to read a lot and write a lot. It sounds simplistic but it is the only way. Read lots of different genres and expand your foundations and then write about what you know. And know that there will be people who don’t like what you write - never make those people your focus.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I read - a lot. I’m currently enjoying post-apocalyptic fiction which is a departure for me, but I can’t read enough of this genre right now. I also just love spending time with my husband and daughter and being outside.

What does your family think of your writing?

My family loves my writing! They are my biggest supporters and they brag about me to anyone who will listen.

Fantastic! Please tell us a bit about your childhood.

My childhood was filled with books of all kinds. Going to the book store was the highlight of my week. When I wasn’t reading, I spent my time riding bikes all over the neighborhood and playing Barbies with my friends.

So you like reading when you were a child?

Yes! My favorite book was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I loved Judy Blume, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and pretty much anything else I could get my hands on.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I have always wanted to be a writer. I used to sit in class in elementary school and write little stories about what was going on around me.  I would show them to my mom and she would laugh hysterically. I think my mom still has some of those stories.

Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?

I think childhood affects everything about our lives. Now that I have a daughter, I get to see the world through a child’s eyes again and I love it.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

Mark Twain and Erma Bombeck. They were both masters of wit and sarcasm and had an ability to make readers look at the world from a different view.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I am lucky enough that I hear from my readers every day. It’s one of the most amazing things about my writing. They encourage me to keep writing and share stories of their lives as well. It’s amazing!

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have lots of ideas swimming in my head. I am half way through with a follow-up to Tales from Suburbia: You Don’t Have to be Crazy to Live Here, But it Helps. I also have written a few children’s books that I would love to get published.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today, Brandi. Best of luck with your future projects.

From the Author

In kindergarten, I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. My answer was a neatly written sentence: "I want to write a book about a story."

The joy I find in writing has never waned. I find humor in all that I see and live my life secure in the knowledge that everything is funny. And now after an amazing ten years of teaching, I find myself wife to the world’s best doctor, mother to the sweetest daughter, caretaker to one wonder mutt and countless ill-fated goldfish and ready to write again. Our residence is Anytown, USA, among barking dogs, picket fences, and eclectic neighbors and these are my stories.

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Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $30 Amazon or B&N gift card.

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