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Mimi Barbour's Blog: Believe!, page 4

November 26, 2016

NEW BOOK - The Secret Cause by Ethan Jones @AuthorEJones #mgtab



I wanted to introduce you toÌýmy friend and fellow author, Ethan Jones. His newest release is now available and if you're looking for a new writer to follow, he has a big backlist...!! (hint :-))






THE SECRET CAUSE is the third gripping suspense novel from theÌýinternationalÌýbestselling author E. Jones in the spine-tingling Jennifer Morgan series.

Never judge a woman by her day job . . .

When newly-minted PI Jennifer Morgan is assigned an apparently simple case of a missing person, she has no idea what she is getting herself in. But after international assassins place her in their crosshairs, Jennifer suspects the involvement of cut-throat Chinese corporate spies.

As her relationship with NYPD Detective James Harris, her handsome fiancé, is facing an uncertain future, Jennifer realizes she needs to tell him the whole truth about her intimacy fears. But will James accept Jennifer with all her fears and imperfections? And how does his investigation of a case of technology theft ties into Jennifer’s missing person case? What will Jennifer and James have to do to save their relationship and their lives?

Fans of Catherine Coulter, Lisa Jackson or Sandra Brown will love THE SECRET CAUSE, this new electrifying story of espionage, passion, and love.

If you're not sure this thriller is for you, pleaseÌýcheck out this 60-page exclusive excerptÌýby clicking on thisÌý. And if you enjoyed what you read, then grab your copy of THE SECRET CAUSE, this new electrifying story of espionage, passion, and love, at theÌýspecial price of only $2.99Ìýfor the next three days from this link:Ìý.Ìý
Ìý
ÌýProverbs 23:7:ÌýAs a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
EnjoyÌýARCTIC WARGAME, the first novel in the Justin Hall spy thriller series,ÌýPRIORITY TARGET, the first novel in the Carrie Chronicles spy thriller series, andÌýTHE SECRET AFFAIR, the first novel in the Jennifer Morgan suspense thriller series,ÌýforÌýFREEÌýby joining myÌýÌýat thisÌý.
Ìý
ÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌýÌý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý ÌýÌý
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Published on November 26, 2016 16:04

November 21, 2016

Romance Giveaway Nov 22 - 28th Twenty-five plus winners!! #mgtab


Romance Giveaway!!!

(2) Grand Prize "Gift Baskets" of ALL eBooks!

(25+) Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly selected titles)






There's another treat I haveÌý
up myÌýsleeve for you.

An early Christmas presentÌýforÌý
those who loveÌýuplifting,Ìý
holiday stories


Link for copy!








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Published on November 21, 2016 22:38

November 15, 2016

A Beautiful Stranger - a new release by Donna Fasano #mgtab @DonnaFaz


I want to welcome a good friend today to Believe, Donna Fasano. She is a truly wonderful author and I'm happy to say she's just released a new book. Ìý
I have always enjoyed stories where two people—different as sea and sky—come together for the sake of a child and end up falling madly in love. As in all of my books, the main characters in A BEAUTIFUL STRANGER have plenty of foibles and flaws, but Sean and Nicki try to set aside their inner conflicts for a time and agree to a marriage-of-convenience in order to help a precious orphan become comfortable in her new home. However, once attraction sparks between Sean and Nicki, both of these lonely people must confront their internal strife and find a way to a brighter future. I hope you enjoy the first book in my A Family Forever Series.
More about the book: When Sean Hudson arrives to claim his new daughter, he discovers the adoption hinges on the impossible. Unless he finds a wife immediately, the tiny orphan will be snatched away from him forever. But before Sean can abandon hope, a beautiful stranger proposes a surprising solution—marriage. Sean swears the love in his heart is only for his soon-to-be daughter. And that is perfect for Nicki Willis, whose restless spirit yearns to have a family for just a while. But the tenderness of Sean’s touch soothes Nicki’s fears as well as little Sona’s. Now Nicki aches to become a family forever� and she refuses to believe she can’t make this dream come true.
*~*~*
A BEAUTIFUL STRANGER ~ A Family Forever Series, Book 1 Paperback: ÌýUS Kindle:Ìý UK Kindle: ÌýiBooks: Nook: ÌýKobo: Google:
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by Big Al’s Books & Pals Review Blog. Her books have sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her books have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #5.





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Published on November 15, 2016 23:12

November 14, 2016

A new book release called "The Amulet" by Effrosyni Moschoudi #Romance #mgtab



Ìý
When Katie loses her Athens office job, a gypsy woman hands her an amulet for good luck.Next, she gets hired as hotel receptionist on the Greek island of Sifnos and everything seems perfect, except for the overbearing hotel owner, Mrs. Matina. One of the guests, heart-stoppingly handsome Aggelos, keeps saving the day whenever Katie needs help. As she falls in love, she grows all the more intrigued by him and his quirky friends, including a little girl who keeps turning up on her own. Add a psychic, half-mad elderly woman into the mix and you’re in for a few laughs. Things are not what they seem in this small, family hotel and get even more complicated when the gypsy woman shows up again. Will Katie ever work out that Aggelos is a guardian angel that came with the amulet? And if she does, will she be able to keep him? It may take a miracle. But on an island as magical as Sifnos, anything is possible!
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Ìý
BOOK TRAILER
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Ìý
Excerpt

When Katie arrived back at Hotel Asimi the sun was slowly gliding towards the horizon against a pastel-coloured sky. She was strolling past the hotel’s thatched umbrellas, making her way towards the entrance when her jaw dropped. Sitting on the bottom step was Aggelos. He was holding an orange juice carton, drinking through a straw thirstily.
Katie put her hands on her hips and gawped when she stopped to stand before him. ‘Aggelos! How did you do that?�
Aggelos beamed at her and pulled a long tendril of silky hair back from his brow. ‘How did I do what?�
‘How did you get here before me? It was a good five kilometres out of Asimi where I left you. Did you hitch a ride?�
ÌýAggelos pointed at his feet. ‘Yes. On those babies.â€� He chuckled and winked. ‘I’m a fast walker.â€�
‘But . . .� She scratched her head. ‘You can't be faster than the scooter I was on, surely.�
Aggelos stood and scrunched up the carton, then hopped up the few steps to the bin. He tossed it inside and shrugged when he returned to her at the bottom of the steps. ‘Nah, you’ve been gone ages. I bet you wandered around the village and lost track of time.�
‘I did buy an ice cream . . . and lingered at the village square for a while,� she mumbled.
Aggelos tilted his head. ‘See? Not Superman, after all.�
‘I never said you’re Superman. But, I havenoticed you tend to save the day.�
Aggelos put up a finger. ‘Now, that’s a compliment and a half! Thank you, Katie.�
Katie heard the sound of her name on his lips again and it made her knees weak. Earlier, when he was drinking his refreshment she couldn’t take her eyes off his pouted lips around the straw. She’d tried to imagine there and then how it would feel to kiss them. Now, as he gazed at her, his wide smile exposing perfect pearly whites, she shifted her weight from foot to foot, wondering if she had it in her to ask him out. She decided it was too soon. After all, she’d never done this sort of thing before. As she contemplated all that, Aggelos was telling her about the beauty of the places he’d explored that day. She kept nodding and making the odd comment and, all the while, marvelled at his perfectly sculpted features.



INTERVIEW

Ìý

Welcome, Effrosyni. You must be excited about your newly published novel, The Amulet. What is it about?
Ìý
First of all, thank you so much for inviting me to your blog. I am excited to be here! The Amulet is a romantic comedy with angels that is set on the enchanting Greek island of Sifnos. The story has romance, intrigue, humor and a touch of drama � so a bit of everything really. I also made sure to tantalize my readers again by describing Greek dishes, like I often do in my books. One of my beta readers reported she had to put the book down at some point and go get something to eat!
Ìý
I'm very pleased that you are here with us on my blog, Believe. Your story sounds delightful! And I understand you have a giveaway open at the moment for Team Effrosyni members. What is the team about? And can you tell us more about the giveaway? My readers are book lovers and they may want to enter.
Ìý


Team Effrosyni is my way of playing Santa with my fans! Anyone is welcome to join and it’s all free. Every time I release a book, I’ll be giving all the members a FREE advance reader’s copy to read without any obligation. Members are also able to enter occasional giveaways that are open exclusively to them. For the one I created to mark the launch of The Amulet, there are tote bags up for grabs as well as a bunch of six kindleÌýe-booksÌýset in Greece by authors I admire.

ÌýÌý

Your readers are welcome to join Team Effrosyni. Once they do, they will be immediately taken to a screen that will disclose the giveaway link so they can enter. It’s that simple, and there’s still time to join! All details about Team Effrosyni are here:

Ìý
I sent a FREE ARC copy of The Amulet to all team members before the launch. Any new members can grab the book off Amazon for only 99c. The book will remain at this bargain price while the giveaway is still running.
Ìý
That’s great. What plans do you have for the future? Any new books in the pipeline?

I’ve decided to take time to work on my back list for a while before writing another novel. The Necklace of Goddess Athena has popular themes (mythology and family drama) for Greek readers and I want to try marketing it in my country too. I’ve started translating it into Greek and hope to finish it in 2017. I also plan to change the covers of my romance trilogy, The Lady of the Pier. Other than that, I intend to write a couple of short non-fiction books, but it’s still too early to say more about that. On the subject of novels, I have ideas for a couple more standalone stories with angel characters from The Amulet brewing in my head.
Ìý
ABOUT THE AUTHOR





Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she loved to sit alone in her garden scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies and ants. Today, she writes novels with Greek lovers in mind. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix.

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Effrosyni is a proud member of the writer's groups eNovel Authors at Work, ASMSG, and the Fantasy & SciFi Network. Visit her website for free excerpts,
book trailers, and to join her team of loyal readers that enjoy exclusive benefits:

ÌýOn her secondary blog, she shares her favorite Greek meals with the world. Visit at your own peril. It will make you very hungry!


Ìý
LINKS




/author/show/7362780.Effrosyni_Moschoudi ÌýÌý


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Published on November 14, 2016 00:00

November 13, 2016

Fantasy Giveaway - #prizes & #Free books to #win


(2) Grand Prize Kindle "Gift Baskets" of ALL eBooks!

(30+) Winners of Individual eBooks (randomly selected titles)


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Published on November 13, 2016 00:43

November 11, 2016

Romance your Autumn Nights Giveaway!! #mgtab

Welcome to the Romance Your Autumn NightsKindle Giveaway!Ìý
PRIZES
GRAND PRIZE â€� Kindle eReader + $25 Amazon gift card1stÌýPRIZE â€� $50 Amazon gift card (2 winners)2ndÌýPRIZE â€� $25 Amazon gift card (2 winners)3rdÌýPRIZE â€� $10 Amazon gift card (2 winners)4thÌýPRIZE â€� $5 Amazon gift card (2 winners)5thÌýVarious swag items (5 winners â€� US only)













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Published on November 11, 2016 00:41

November 7, 2016

An Old Fashioned Christmas By Jennifer St. Giles #mgtab #luvxmas




What does having an old-fashioned Christmas mean for your family?
Ìý
In my Love Christmas story, Merry, Did You Know? Doug wants to plan an old-fashioned Christmas for his family and asks Merry for her help. Merry comes from a glitzy family, so old-fashioned means homemade and simple—things like her grandmother’s butter cookies, making popcorn garland, and gingerbread ornaments for the Christmas tree.
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One of my fondest memories from childhood is making and decorating our own ornaments using glitter, glue, Styrofoam, wood cut outs, paint, ribbon, and beads. We would spend hours in the evenings before Christmas to make our tree the best one ever. Someday, I hope to make Christmas ornaments with my future grandchildren. (LOL) Do I sound hopeful?
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Holidays are special times to build memories with those we love. I would very much like to hear what things you have planned to make those heart filling memories this holiday season, so let me know.
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Merry, Did You Know? Is the first story in my Love International Series. The Love sisters are heirs to Love International Resorts that specializes in luxury vacations for couples. While materially blessed, the Loves are all unlucky in love beginning with their mother, True Love, who is the dynamic force behind Love International Resorts. Merry’s sisters are, Summer Love, Sweet Love, Pure Love, Timeless Love, Never Ending Love, Forever Love and Madly Inn Love. I see lots of fun on the horizon as each member of this crazy family meets their soulmate.



Ìý
In the Love Christmas Collection, each story is based on a Christmas song because we wanted to put a song of love into reader’s hearts this season. I choose the song Mary Did You Know as being my favorite Christmas song. If you have ever heard the acapella group Pentatonix’s rendition of it you will understand why. They are amazing and made the haunting beauty of this song unforgettable. You will also understand how Doug touches Merry's heart with this song and the miracle of love they discover this Christmas season.






I am wishing all of you this holiday season lots of love and joy as you make memories with those who fill your heart.

Happy Reading and Spread the cheer with all your friends.

Love Jennifer St. Giles, Jennifer Saints, JL Saint







Jennifer St. Giles: USA Today Bestselling author, Jennifer St. Giles, aka Jennifer Saints, J.L. Saint is no ordinary Georgia Peach. She’s a Golden Heart, three-time Maggie, two-time National Reader’s Choice, Marlene, RT Reviewer’s Choice and Daphne du Maurier award-winning author. Jenni writes in multiple genres, including: romance, paranormal, contemporary, historical and military and time travel. She is a passionate patriot, event planner and the Vice-President of a charitable foundation which helps women and children’s causes. Jenni believes fervently in following your dreams and never giving up.



♫♪ �*¨*� ♫♪ Only 99Cents ♫♪ �*¨*� ♫♪ You’ll love this heartwarming collection of 20 all-new Christmas stories from NY Times, USA Today, and national best-selling authors. Every title in the set is from a well-known Christmas carol and we hope while reading these delightful stories, they will put a song in your heart.


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Published on November 07, 2016 22:32

October 30, 2016

Steps for making a Print book cover in Createspace: Patience, more patience, chocolate, and wine! #mgtab



ÌýI usedÌýfour sites, (or a formatter to get your print pdf), , (or any site that will let you open a pdf file) and .
1.Go to Pressbook or wherever you format your work and complete the pdf book file so you can export. (Make sure the Table of Content is in the front matter.)
Export book for a pdf print file � using file requirements � I used the 5 X 8 size.
2.Take that pdf file and check it in Caliber to make sure it looks good and to get the number of pages � as soon as you open it - top left.
3. Next go to Createspace and follow these directions:
Go to Books � top left, then click on Publish a Trade Paperback, then click on Cover, then go to submission requirements.
Ìý
Taking the number of pages your book has â€� let’s say it has 230 pages, use this as the calculation:Ìý

Spine:(calculation for white is 0.002252 and the calculation for cream is always 0.0025): I use cream so - number of pages - 230 x 0.0025 = 0.575�
Now, Createspace has a bleed of 0.125� for the book which needs to be used in the calculations also.
My book size is 5� wide X 8� High.
Therefore for the width:Ìý 0.125â€� + 5â€� + 0.575â€� + 5â€� + 0.125â€� = 10.825â€�
And the height: 0.125� + 8� + 0.125� = 8.25�
These are the amounts in inches that you will fill in Canva’s Custom Dimensions to get the template to build your full book cover.Ìý
4. Go to and use Custom Dimensions (top right). When it opens, go to the px down arrow and change pixels to in (inches). Design you full cover by adding the back page information, remembering to leave space for theÌýISBN#. Make sure toÌýset upÌýthe spine that Canva has available with your name and the title.

ÌýÌýÌý
When you go to Createspace, and if you use the cover Creator, choose the empty full cover pattern called “Palm�.

When you upload your cover into the Palm template, you can see if it will work for CS. Sometimes the bar code at bottom-left needs more space. Sometimes the writing of the title, etc, is too close to edge. Make adjustments on Canva and then Download a PDF Print file.

Now go to Createspace and choose the “Upload your own cover� option and choose the one you downloaded from Canva.

And hope you did everything right so that Createspace accepts the file J Another option is to do as I did after CS did not accept the cover. I chose instead, to upload my own file. The one that I had built on Canva and downloaded as a PDF Print file.ÌýI made sure the writing and so on didn’t interfere with the edges. I did this by first choosing a background (see left options) that matched the color of my covers. It framed the original cover and it was accepted. Then I ordered a proof copy and when it arrived, I could see for myself that the cover had worked out just fine. I found this a lot easier than playing around with their template. The reason I went through this nail-biting, hair-yanking, frustrating process is because I had four novellas, all with the same background and all needing to be made into paperbacks. But my cost - if I had gotten my cover artist to make them - would have been $320. Figuring out how many books it would take to earn back that investment made it a stupid way to go. Therefore, I either did it myself or gave up on the idea of Christmas presents for not only me, but some of my readers who love paperbacks and might be thinking they’d make great presents also. Thereforeâ€� I bit the bullet, so to speak, dug in with some of my resources (good buddies who already knew how this worked) and I did what I had to do. Now I’m feeling quite proud of not only learning another new process, but realizing it wasn’t nearly as hard as it first appeared.
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ÌýI'mÌýthrilled (giddily so) to announce that...ÌýAll four books are now available as paperbacks on
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Published on October 30, 2016 15:39

October 22, 2016

So This is Christmas by Denise Devine � From the "Love, Christmas" Boxed Set #mgtab #holidayromance





So This is Christmas is one of the twenty storiesÌýincluded the Love, Christmas boxed set.

I picked the titleÌýSo This is Christmas, by John Lennon, because I have always loved this song. The passionate lyrics and melancholy tone is reflective of the man himself. Listening to words, I get the feeling he’s pouring his innermost thoughts on the paper as he writes. It’s Christmas, another year has ended and you’re about to start another one. So, what have you done in the past year? Have you accomplished anything worthwhile?

The main character in my story, Annabelle Lee, does a bit of reflecting on the past herself. She’s given up everything to build her photography business and it’s going well, but lately she has begunÌýto wonder if it was really worth the sacrifice. Her annual Christmas weekend with her best friends—the girls she’s known most of her life—is coming up, so she decides to arrive at the cabin a few days early to relax in front of a crackling fire, sip wine and contemplate her future. When she arrives, however, things don’t turn out the way she has planned.

But, then, do they ever?

Annabelle Lee—She’s looking forward to a weekend of catching up, munching cookies and enjoying Christmas cheer with her childhood girlfriends. She hasn’t had a vacation since this time last year and desperately needs the time off. Her business has taken a toll on her life, leaving her exhausted and questioning the price of success. She arrives early at Ellie Stone’s family cabin to relax and decide the direction of her future, but to her dismay, she’s not alone. Ellie’s twin brother is also there and declares he isn’t leaving until Friday.

Christopher Stone—He’s the boy who mercilessly teased her when they were kids. He’s grown into a handsome man with a career in professional baseball and a pop-star girlfriend. He appears to have an idyllic life, but the longer they talk, the more Annabelle suspects his love life isn’t as perfect as he claims. She can’t deny her attraction to him and knows he’s attracted to her as well.

Best Friends Forever—Will this week proceed like old times or turn out to be the beginning of a new chapter in her life?


~ÌýÌýÌýÌý ~ÌýÌýÌýÌý ~ÌýÌýÌýÌý ~

So this is Christmas is one of the twenty stories in the Love, Christmas boxed set. This story, and all the other 19, will only be available to be purchased in the collection!!


On sale now for only 99 cents!!!


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ÌýÌýÌý ÌýÌý
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Published on October 22, 2016 00:30

October 21, 2016

Romantic Suspense Book Giveaway! 50+books & a Kindle Fire #mgtab




Today, I have a fun surprise that I’d like to share with you.
To celebrate the fall, I’ve teamed up with more than 55 fantastic,
Ìýromantic suspense authors to give away a huge collection of novels.

***
PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!

You can win my novel Special Agent Maximilian ,Ìý

plus books from authors likeÌý
Lisa Mondello and Cait London.
Enter the giveaway by clicking ...Ìý
Good luck, and enjoy!
ÌýMimi
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Published on October 21, 2016 23:06

Believe!

Mimi Barbour
This is not only a blog for authors, it's for anyone who's interested in what goes into writing a good book and then getting it published. Questions and comments are very much appreciated.
Hugs,
Mimi
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