UTOPYA VLogs Part One

Hi, everyone! So, I recorded this awesome 40 minute video about UTOPYA but apparently my blog can't handle all the awesomeness it contains. SO I recorded several ten minute VLogs instead! ;) Get ready! I will warn you I say awesome and amazing A LOT! Here is part one! I made two and I couldn't choose which one to keep so check them both! ;)

TAKE #1

TAKE #2

Why I Love M. Leighton ~ Week 4 Indie Author of the Month

Hello, all! 
Well, here we are again...our final week honoring the amazing M. Leighton! Don't be too sad though, this also means two really good things! #1 this is my favorite week of Indie Author of the Month, the week we all get to Share the Love with M. and tell her why we love her so much and #2 it is the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE WEEK!!! 

Just a reminder this month the grand prize consists of a signed M. Leighton paperback, some sweet swag, AND a $10 Amazon/B&N gift card!!! Hip Hip Hooray! Now, I know it is going to be really hard to follow up last week's visit with the smoking hot Cash, but I'm going to give it my best shot! 

So, why do I love M. Leighton? Wow, where to start? I feel like I was a bit late to hop on the M. bandwagon because I didn't read my first M. Leighton book until this past May when I read Madly but I am so grateful I found her. I was hooked instantly! Anyone that can make mermaids (and mermen) hot, sexy, and super interesting is beyond talented! And of course, Jackson...come on now--super mega hotness going on there! I can honestly say with every one of M's books I read I fall more in love with reading, with her characters (I swear it is a crime for one woman to have so many hot men running around in her brain but I'm glad she shares them) and with M. Leighton! 

Michelle is so absolutely amazing and the most gracious, humble person on the face of the planet! (Have you seen the super sweet thank you to her readers she has on her blog? So, heartwarming!) I am so glad we made the Twitter connection because she is super fun and joy to chat with. This leads me into the next reason I love M.--her hashtags! M. comes up with the best hash tags ever! 

#MichelleLoveIsTheBestKind is certainly my favorite hashtag ever and if you follow me on Twitter you will see that I use it often. Not only does she have the best hashtags she even emails and Facebooks with hashtags AND I love that. #TrueStory ;) I consider Michelle such a great friend and I brag her up (well technically its not bragging more like honestly sharing how amazing she is) to everyone I know! And I also make sure to recommend her books any chance I get! It is so easy to recommend her books to others. 

Why? Well this constitutes the next reason why I love M.-- her wide array of available titles. M. is an amazing writer whether it is YA, new adult, contemporary, or paranormal! She has this remarkable ability to pull you in and grab your heart and soul from the get go and she doesn't let go til the very last page. Most often, once I've finished her books I fall into what I refer to as the "M. Leighton hangover," where no other book can fully quench the thirst hers leave behind. Also, I have to admit I find myself daydreaming and reminiscing about the characters weeks after finishing her books. 

Finally, I love M. because not only is she a talented, fun, humble, sweet, hashtag fanatic, but she radiates pure joy and positivity even on her bad days! Anyone that can exude as much joy and positivity as she does just over tweets, emails, and FB messages...well that just let's me know she is the real deal. She has brought me sunshine on some of my cloudiest days with just a few words and she has provided me with so many adventures with some amazing fictional characters (such as Jackson, Trick, and Cash.) I cannot wait for this June when I'm able to meet this phenomenal woman (who I consider to be one of my role models-I aspire to be just half as amazing as her) in the flesh! Magnificent Michelle Mayhem will ensue! Guaranteed!

So to recap, I love M. Leighton because she kicks a$$ and rocks my world! Nuff said. ;) 

Now, it's your turn to #ShareTheLove for M.! See the rafflecopter below and tell me why YOU love M. Leighton to earn your final entry for the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY! And remember even though M.'s reign as Indie Author of the Month is coming to an end, you should make it a point to Share the Love with her ANY day and EVERY day! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Cash Davenport ~ Indie Author of the Month M. Leighton

So, I have the great honor of interviewing Cash Davenport…you know THE Cash Davenport-bad boy, bar owning, smooth talking, sex pot from Down To You. *dodges a barrage of stilettos*

*peeps out from behind chair* Okay, I have seriously been fangirling over this interview for like a month! Not even kidding! I was bouncing around the office telling my coworkers and texting my friends and fam that I was interviewing Cash Davenport! Mostly I got the “you’ve lost your marbles” look but I know you guys will fully understand the excitement of this milestone in my blogging career. Key word being excitement. ;)

Alright ladies and gentlemen, let’s get on with the fun.

I walk into Dual sitting down at the bar and order myself my new favorite drink, sangria. I pull out my notebook like the dorky girl that I am. I'm still getting used to these interview things and I am about to meet THE Cash Davenport. Notes are definitely necessary.

I jump when he suddenly appears at my side, leaning one elbow on the bar.  

Hi, he says with a playful yet wicked grin.  Come here often? 

I’m dumbfounded. Of course.  He’s even hotter in person than I expected him to be.  When I say nothing, he straightens and offers me his hand and a wink.  

Cash  Davenport.  You must be Michelle.

I take a moment to regain my composure. Hi, Cash! It's nice to meet you. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today. Are you ready for my interrogation? *winks* Let's start with an easy one, what is your favorite childhood memory?

*narrows eyes and purses lips*  Hmmm, I’d say anything involving my brother and I beating the hell out of each other.  Unless you mean older childhood.  My favorite memories from high school involve females and are much more…entertaining.  *winks again*

*blushes* Avoiding eye contact I check my notes. So, when you showed up at the bachelorette party, what were you thinking? Were you seriously going to strip for those crazy ladies or did you only do it because Olivia was enlisted to help? 

No, I wouldn’t have stripped for them.  Not even if they’d asked.  But when I saw Olivia…  I’d have stripped for her. Or, better yet, let her strip me. 

I blush refocusing on my notes, again. What does Cash Davenport like to do in his free time?

*grins*  You want specifics? *laughs*  Nah, I read a lot, believe it or not.  Law journals, magazine articles about motorcycles or bar management.  Sometimes I even like to just take the bike out for a ride.  Feel the wind in my face, the speed of the bike, the freedom of the road.

                                              

I smile glance at my notes and grin wider. Be careful how you answer this one, so do you still think accounting is for spinsters who wear their hair in a bun and have a closet full of orthopedic shoes?

*throws head back and laughs*  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  My mental picture of them now has more to do with short skirts and white cotton panties.

*giggles* Relaxing a bit I continue. If you could spend one day with anyone, dead or alive who would it be and why?

My mother.  I miss her.  And I never got to tell her goodbye.

Aww, I'm sorry, Cash. Enough of the past how bout we look to the future. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully still doing what I’m doing. I love the diversity of my work life.  But I wouldn’t mind having a family of my own to add to that. One day…

One day with Olivia, I assume. So, what is one thing no one knows about you?

That I like to cook.

                                  

Seriously, can he get any more perfect? We all have our vices and secrets. Do you have any guilty pleasures you'd like to share?

*wicked grin* I don’t know about guilty pleasures.  I never feel guilty in taking pleasure. Or in giving it.

*Shakes head* Boxers or briefs?

How about neither.

*Shakes head again* I should have expected that.*giggles* What's next on the agenda for bad boy Davenport?

I don’t really know.  I don’t look too far into the future.  It’s a habit I got into when Dad first went to prison.  I found it easier to think of the immediate future, taking things one step at a time.  Life is more controllable that way.

Alright, we are almost done. I know you're a man who likes speed so you should enjoy this. Answer with the first thing that comes to mind.

Color?   Black

Song?    Pour Some Sugar on Me *winks*

Drink?   Jack

Book?   Any book by Lee Child

Season? Summer

Holiday? Fourth of July

Person?  Olivia.  Without a doubt

I know you've got Olivia and her mad accounting skills but if you guys ever need a hand or a second opinion. I'm always available for consultation…I'm an accountant too you know. *winks* Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

Thank you for having me.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.*winks* 

*blushes* I smile and nod having no words available to properly respond.

  

Major, momentous thank you to the magnificent M. for arranging this off the charts amazing interview. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! And in case you’ve been living under a rock this week (I occasionally reside there myself) the sequel to Down To You, entitled Up To Me drops January 6^th!!! Stop by M.’s blog for the cover reveal and Up To Me teasers! And she also has an awesome 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway going on as well!  So much merriment happening right now!

Now, here’s your chance to enter to win this week’s giveaway (WHILE earning an additional chance at the GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY which includes an M. Leighton paperback, $10 Amazon.B&N & other cool swag.) See the rafflecopter below with the Cash trivia question of the week. ;)  

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Celebrating M. & Down to You

Welcome back to week 2 of Indie Author of the Month! Again we are celebrating the super lovely and incredibly humble M. Leighton! This week is all about Down To You...M.'s second book to hit the New York Times Best Sellers list and that is for good reason! 

First off for my younger followers I have to issue this disclaimer....this is a mature book, it is adult contemporary romance...so if you aren't "of age" put it on your "when I grow up" TBR list. ;)

Now, back to Down To You. So, this cover clearly pulls you in, right?

Now for those of you who have yet to meet Olivia and the dynamic duo of Cash and Nash Davenport. Here's a lil taste....

The scorching tale of one girl and two brothers in a love triangle…that’s not.

Olivia Townsend is nothing special.  She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business.  She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple.  Black and white.

But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport.  They’re brothers.  Twins.

Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy.  He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost.  He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her.

Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy.  He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate.  But he’s taken.  Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin.  That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though.  With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together.

Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can.  But it’s too late to run.  Olivia’s already involved.  And in love.  With both of them.

Both brothers make her heart tremble.  Both brothers set her body on fire. 

She wants them both.

And they want her.

How will she ever choose between them?

I know how she can choose...let's just share them, Olivia. ;) Good plan, right?

Now, for those of you lovelies who have yet to read the epicness that is Down To You, M. has provided us with a little excerpt to wet your whistle.

Taking a deep breath, I stand and turn toward the Hot Stripper Guy, purposely jacking my chin up another notch.  He’s still watching me with those smoky coal eyes. 

When I take a step toward him, he very slowly raises one eyebrow.  

Heat washes through me.

Must be those dangerous drinks, I think.  It has to be. 

I feel flushed and a little breathless, but I take another step anyway. 

Hot Stripper Guy takes a step away from Ginger and turns to face me fully.  He crosses his arms over his chest and waits, that one brow still raised in curiosity.  He’s not going to make it easy.  He’s leaving it all up to me, just like Ginger asked them to do. 

As if on cue, the music that’s been pumping into the room all night gets louder.  It’s a sexy song, heavy on the bass.  It’s mood music for sure.  It seems to punctuate every intense beat of my heart as I get closer and closer to those velvety eyes.  

When I stop in front of him, I have to look up.  My five and a half feet of height is nearly a foot shorter than his towering frame. 

Up close, I see that his eyes are brown.  Dark, dark brown.  Nearly black.

Sinful.

I’m lost in wondering why that particular word would come to mind when the girls start chanting for me to take his shirt off.  Uncertainly, I glance at their excited faces then back to him.  Slowly, he spreads his arms, holding them out to his sides, away from his body. 

One corner of his mouth twitches.  His expression, his body language is rife with challenge. 

I realize he doesn’t think I’ll do it.  No one probably does.

And that’s exactly why I will.

Letting the beat of the music relax my tense muscles, I plaster on a smile as I reach forward to tug Hot Stripper Guy’s shirt from the waistband of his pants.

So, there is a lot I have to say about Down To You but for the sake of time here's the condensed version. (For the full effect you can check out my review on  Goodreads.)

5 Reasons Why I Love Down To You:

#1 Cash

#2 Nash

#3 Cash

#4 Olivia - not only is she a lovable, relatable female character, she also makes the statement that accounting majors are sexy (in case you don't know accounting is my day job hence why I love this) AND she reiterates that country girls are classy smart chicks.

#5 Cash

Do you see a recurring theme here? Well, just to let you know next week this chick (as in ME) is going to be meeting up with Cash for a little one-on-one...chat that is (I am a married woman, you know) so be sure to come back next week for all that bad boy fun. Also, the sequel to Down To You, entitled Up To Me is slated to release this coming January! Wooo hooo! So, mark your calendars for that info as well. Oh and a little birdie told me to expect an epic release day par-tay when it drops. ;)

Now, onto this week's giveaway. We've got another M. Leighton e-book and swag up for grabs...all you have to do is a bit of Michelle stalking to earn your entry for this week's giveaway as well as the week 4 grand prize! Thanks for stopping by to honor the amazing M. Leighton and until next time, don't forget to Share the Love.

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December's Indie Author of the Month

Can you believe it is December already?! Well, I've got lots of great things planned this month from wrapping up the semester, gearing up for Christmas, throwing a few release par-tays (tons of good books are about to hit the shelves), and of course honoring the last Indie Author of the Month for 2012!

Who would that be you might ask? Well, this month's Indie Author of the Month has provided me with a few of my all time favorite book boyfriends! (I have a running list and three of her hotties are in my top ten.) Not only that but 2012 has been kind to her and I couldn't be happier! Anyone as talented and amazingly humble and gracious as her deserves all the awards and accolades that exist. 

So, who is December's Indie Author of the Month? None other than the New York Times AND USA Today bestseller M. Leighton!!!!!! *dances excitedly around the room*

For those of you who don't know M. this should get you up to speed...

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

M. being the sweet darling she is took some time out of her super busy schedule of epicness to chat with lil ole me this week and here's how it went down. ;)

I guess, technically I should be calling you a "hybrid" now since you've got yourself a publishing contract and an agent (which is super awesome) but how did you find yourself in the world of self-publishing/indie authorhood?

Like many others, I queried a little in the traditional world before I decided to go the Indie route.  My husband is the one who (after months of chipping away at my resistance) talked me into independently publishing.  I don’t know how much longer I’d have stuck it out trying to get my foot in the door the old-fashioned way  Not much longer, I suspect.  It’s a very discouraging process!  LOL

Sounds like you have a very smart hubby. I'm so glad he talked you into it. ;) How long have you been full-time writer?

Well, I quit my job to write The Reaping at the end of November, 2010.  I didn’t publish until the end of January, 2011, though, so I’m not sure which you go by.  Either way, at most it’s been 2 years.  Two WONDERFUL years!

What is the last book you read?

Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye.  I started seeing her name pop up all over and she’s a super awesome person when I run into her on Twitter, so I thought I’d give her stuff a whirl.  It’s fantastic and won’t be the last I read of her.

What has been your favorite 2012 moment/memory so far? (I'm guessing you may have a few so you can list as many as you like.)

In the interest of not boring everyone to death, I’ll just do one. LOL  There are, like, a zillion, but professionally speaking, the best moment of my year was seeing my name on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.  In a way I still can’t believe it.  To say it’s surreal is a grave, grave understatement.  LOL  When it happened, I thought to myself that, no matter what happens in my life and my career, no matter how many books I sell or where I go, no one can ever take that away from me.  It’s mine.  Forever.  And if no one else had ever found out, it would STILL have been mine and every bit as special. 

What's next for M. Leighton?

Right now I’m working on Up to Me, the sequel to Down to You.  Obviously.  LOL  It will release on January 6, 2013.

Oh, I really can't wait. I have been having Cash withdrawals and I'm not talking about the green stuff. ;) So, any big plans for 2013? Events? Books?

I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants girl, so planning does me no good whatsoever.  There are many places I’d like to go, events I’d love to attend, but things change so quickly around here, I hate to be firm until a little closer time.  I’m hoping to attend an event in Boston in March if I can get my third book done on time. Then there’s an event in Vegas and one in Atlanta I’d like to attend later in the year.  But it’s hard to say.  Maybe I’ll make ‘em all!  That would be awesome!

Who would be your dream fictional character you’d like to have as a real life bestie?

Probably Jersey from Madly.  I love that girl!  Next would be either Jenna from The Wild Ones or Ginger from Down to You.  They’re both awesome, too.  I like the funny chicks that tell it like it is.

Who would be your dream fictional character love interest?

Yikes!  That’s a tough one!  Bo was probably my first love.  But I adore Jackson, too.  And then there’s Trick and Cash.  Eeeeeeeee  I might have to go with Cash.  I love a bad boy!

~sigh~ Don't we all. ;) Excuse me while I daydream for a moment. 


Okay, I'm back on track. ;) Alrighty, what is the one thing you cannot live without? 

I like to think there isn’t any one thing that I can’t live without, but aside from my husband, if there was such a thing, it would either be chocolate or coffee.  I’m a bear without either one.  LOL

Time for the speed round…respond with the first thing that comes to mind:

Color?  Red

Song?   You and I by Paper Route

Food?   Asian Zing wings from Buffalo Wild Wings (it’s what I just ate- LMAO)

Place?   New York, my dream spot

Book?   Up to Me (it’s what I’m working on—I have a one track mind)

Season?  Winter.  Don’t shoot me

Holiday? Christmas.  I’m so unoriginal

Animal?  Dolphin.  I don’t have one, but I’d love to swim with them.  I think they’re super cool and so smart!

Thank you so, so much for having me, my friend! You are one awesome lady!

  No, M. thank you so much for stopping by! The pleasure has been all mine!

Now, for those of you who are new to how Indie Author of the Month works, let me fill you in super quick on the details. Each week will be a new feature related/honoring the lovely M. and each week there will be prizes! Yay! The first three weeks during December you can enter the weekly giveaways. The fourth and final week is SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY week. Now, here’s where it gets good, for each valid weekly entry during December you earn an additional chance towards the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY! This means you can get your name in the pot up to four times for the grand prize! Cool, right?! So, what’s the SUPER MEGA AWESOME GRAND PRIZE ? Well this month it includes the usual swag from yours truly, a signed M. Leighton paperback, and a $10 Amazon/B&N gift card! Epic, right?

Now that we are all on the same page. Let this week's giveaway begin! Oh and don't forget to Share The Love!

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