We’re thrilled to have author Debby Mayne here visiting us while on her virtual tour for her book, Sweet Baklava. Debby was kind enough to answer some interview questions for us, so be sure to check those out.

As for the book, doesn’t the cover just make you want to snatch a piece of that baklava? Here’s a description of the book from Amazon:

The product of a split home, Paula Andrews is conflicted about the only guy she’s ever loved, Nick Papadopoulos, on leave from the military. When the two see each other after years of separation, the awkwardness is replaced by pounding hearts and memories sweeter than the baklava in Nick’s aunt’s bakery.

Nick’s dad begs him to leave the military and join the family to keep their struggling sponge-diving business alive. Although Nick loves the military, he’s willing to put it aside to be with Paula. However, she doesn’t want to do anything that will make him resent her.

Paula experiences all sorts of emotional tugs – from Nick going back to his base in Texas to her mother coming to her for emotional support. Nick’s cousins are relentless in their scheming to keep the flame burning.

Years later, and after their lives have grown apart, is it possible for these two people to rekindle what they once had?

Want some more info? Here’s a book trailer that gives a flavor of the story:

Here’s my review:

I loved this book so much. So many couples go through exactly what Paula and Nick do: they have their own goals and passions and giving it up for a chance to be with someone they love is risky. Perhaps the timing hasn’t been right before, perhaps they each have been working for something and aren’t sure if the other person is ready to commit, or perhaps the couple has been on and off. There are so many times I hear about something like this, and I thought Debby Mayne did a wonderful job capturing what is a real-life situation for many couples.

The characters are really lovely. I so enjoyed coming back to this book every day and seeing what was going to happen. Paula runs a soap and candle store, and the descriptions of her business made me smelling those candles every time I cracked open the book. I liked the backdrop of Tarpon Springs, Florida, and could picture the sights of the town and just about smell the ocean air from the descriptions of the restaurants and shops.

I especially loved the Papadopoulos family with their generosity and endless supply of food! In fact, if you aren’t hungry by the time you finish Sweet Baklava, you will be when you see the small collection of recipes at the end.

I could so relate to Paula, who loves Nick but isn’t sure if she can give up her business and the stability that Tarpon Springs has provided. I also found her a wonderful example of what God’s grace can do. This was the first Debby Mayne novel I read, and would recommend it. (I’m also going to pick up a few more from her.)

Best of all? I have a copy to giveaway! So if you want to win, just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, March 13th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the following day. Good luck!

Review copy provided by author.

Just in time for Christmas! Here’s another great Chicken Soup book with a focus on the holidays. I’ve got one copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Magic: 101 Holiday Tales of Inspiration, Love, and Wonder to give away to a lucky reader.

Here’s a description from Amazon:

Christmas is a magical time of year — a time of family, friends, and traditions. Readers will revel in the 101 holiday stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Magic that spread the special joy, wonder, and blessings of the season with its tales of finding the perfect Christmas tree, being with family, seeing the awe in a child’s eyes, and enjoying the magic of the season.

Hey, at this time of year, we’ll all looking for a little happiness. Right?

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Monday, December 27th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or girl the next day. Good luck!

Additional Writing Resources:

• Freelance Writers Needed
• How to Write Your Own Ebook in 7 Days
• Freelance Writing Jobs

Also:

• Free ebook on work at home success strategies

I’ve got a fabulous book to give away to one lucky reader, and that is Jennifer Weiner’s Best Friends Forever. Here’s a description of the book from Amazon.

Chick lit doyenne Weiner offers airtight proof that the genre thrives with this clever, sad and sweet turn on Thelma and Louise–style rage. Juggling the politics of broken families, heartbreaking betrayal and shaky self-esteem, two girlhood pals—ugly duckling Addie and wounded beauty Valerie—reconnect after their high school reunion, where Valerie exacts a long-in-coming revenge on smug former beau Dan Swansea. But the payback gets more complicated when police chief Jordan Novick, nursing a broken heart and a crush-at-first-sight with Addie, is called in to investigate Dan’s disappearance. Along the way, Val and Addie stage what may be the funniest not-quite-heist ever pulled off as they evade the heat over the missing Dan. The big payoff, of course, is that Addie and Valerie mend the mean-girls misunderstanding that drove them apart as teens and discover the shared pain and loss that bound them as kids and, once again, as adults. This beach read will win readers over with its wit and wisdom.

I also found a quick interview with author Jennifer Weiner about the writing of her book:

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Sunday, March 14th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

Robin Maxwell’s O’Juliet has been getting some great reviews and comments around the Internet. I loved the book and told you all about it in a review here a while back. (We also have an interview with Robin – have you seen it yet?)

Well guess what? I’ve got a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, March 2nd. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or girl the next day. Good luck!

I have another great Chicken Soup for the Soul book to giveaway. This time it’s about love, and isn’t that the most perfect subject this time of year? This “true love” edition has “101 heartwarming and humorous stories about dating, romance, love, and marriage.” Heartwarming stories are something we all could use a little bit more of.

Here’s a description from Amazon:

Everyone loves a good love story. And we all love stories about how the love started and blossomed. This fun new book about dating, romance, love, and marriage, will make you laugh and make you cry, and is guaranteed to inspire you to renew that search for your soul mate or open your heart a little more to the one you already have. Read about how couples met, when “they knew”, good and bad dates, proposals, maintaining the relationship, second chances, and all the other ups and downs of love, romance and marriage.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Monday, March 1st. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day. Good luck!

Who doesn’t love the Chicken Soup for the Soul books? Seriously, they provide a smile on those days when you really need it. I’ve got the Chicken Soup for the Soul Teacher Tales to giveaway. The book has 101 inspirational stories from great teachers and appreciative students. Here’s a description from Amazon:

This is a great gift for new and experienced teachers, providing them a morale boost and the knowledge they are appreciated. The teaching industry has embraced this book, and more than half the stories are from “celebrity” teachers, including all of the 2009 State Teachers of the Year and the 2009 National Teacher of the Year. There is a lot of buzz about this book in the teaching industry and those teachers who don’t receive it as a gift are sure to buy it for themselves, to read these 101 true stories by great teachers and appreciative students, with lots of laughs, poignant moments, and some tears too.

To enter, leave a comment on this post by Thursday, February 25th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or girl the next day. Good luck!

Anyone out there a Barbara Kingsolver fan? If so, I’ve got a copy of her latest, The Lacuna, to give away to one lucky reader.

To win, please leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, February 17th. I’ll choose one winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

I read the wonderful novel Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel recently, and am happy to say I now have a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

To enter, leave a comment on this post with your favorite writer. It can be any writer for any genre. Leave your comment by Tuesday, February 9th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

For fans of Tudor and Elizabethan fiction, I’ve got a treat for you! It’s, Martyr, the debut thriller from author Rory Clements.

Here is a description of Martyr from Amazon:

In a burnt-out house, one of Queen Elizabeth’s aristocratic cousins is found murdered, her young flesh marked with profane symbols. At the same time, a plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England’s most famous sea warrior, is discovered—a plot which, if successful, could leave the country utterly defenseless against a Spanish invasion. It’s 1587, the Queen’s reign is in jeopardy, and one man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare. With the Spanish Armada poised to strike, Mary Queen of Scots awaiting execution, and the pikes above London Bridge decorated with the grim evidence of treachery, the country is in peril of being overwhelmed by fear and chaos. Following a trail of illicit passions and family secrets, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people, among whom is his own younger brother, the struggling playwright, Will. Shadowed by his rival, the Queen’s chief torturer, who employs his own methods of terror, Shakespeare begins to piece together a complex and breathtaking conspiracy whose implications are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England’s streets. And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal a madman’s shocking identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to a passion for murder and conspiracy whose terrifying consequences might still be felt today…

I’ve got a hardcopy of the book to give away to one lucky reader of Working Writers. To enter, leave a comment on this post by Monday, January 25th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or gal the next day.

Robin Maxwell’s latest book, O Juliet, is coming out next month. Robin will be stopping at our blog on Thursday, but in the meantime, how about a fabulous contest to pique your interest? Robin is giving away a copy of her new book along with a gorgeous heart necklace.

To win, head on over to Robin’s blog and answer this question:

What are the qualities in a lover that are most important to you?

The giveaway is for a carved Thai silver heart necklace and a copy of O, Juliet. It is open to all participants, worldwide. A winner will be chosen and announced on January 18th. In order to qualify for entry, please provide your e-mail address along with your answer to the Love Game question.

In order to enter the giveaway, you’ll need to open a “google account” if you don’t have one already. Look under the “Post a Comment” window where it says “Comment as:’” and just follow the simple instructions.

Further details available on Robin’s blog.