January 2012

Happy New Year!!

Can't believe it's already 2012...

For me, the old year ended with a little more excitement than usual because of the release of my newest novel, A Summer in Europe. A lot of really good things happened in December for the book:

~ It became a featured alternate selection at the Literary Guild, BOMC2 and Rhapsody Book Club (see Reviews pg. for links)
~ It was a "Red Hot Read" on Single Minded Women
~ It was discussed on the air by wonderful author Susan McBride when she visited the show "Great Day St. Louis" (you can watch that video clip right HERE!)
~ It made an appearance in the Goodreads December Newsletter and I was invited to participate in their popular "Good Minds Suggest" feature, offering recommendations of some favorite books to give to romantics
~ And it landed on two end-of-the-year lists for top novels: Deb Haupt's Best 20 Novels of 2011 & the Great Thoughts Top Books of 2011 -- I can't express how honored I am by that!

Coming up in mid-February, I'll be the guest author at Jenny Crusie's Cherry Forums Book Club, and in May 2012, the new novel will be the featured book of the month at the B&N General Fiction Book Club. Really looking forward to these events!

Publishers Weekly wrote: "Brant’s newest...distinguishes itself with a charismatic leading man and very funny supporting cast, especially the wonderful elderly characters with their resonant message about living life to the fullest."

And Romantic Times wrote: "Brant’s charming and engaging tale will allow readers to immerse themselves in the magic and beauty of Europe along with the characters. Although the descriptions of the scenery are amazing, the development of the characters and their unique personalities are what really make this novel shine. What an enjoyable escape!"

Please check out the REVIEWS page for more!!

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NOTE: I'm down to the last few stops on my big blog tour to celebrate the release. It's been such fun getting to share some insights on the novel and focus on these fabulous foreign places and how they were used in the story. My "Grand European Book/Travel Tour" Itinerary, featuring a different city at every stop, includes:

Friday 11/25: Rome at Magical Musings
Monday 11/28: Pompeii at SOS Aloha
Tuesday 11/29: Isle of Capri at The Stiletto Gang
Wednesday 11/30: Venice at Girlfriends Book Club
Thursday 12/1: Budapest at Women's Fiction Writers
Friday 12/2: Florence at Writer Unboxed
Monday 12/5: London at Austen Authors
Tuesday 12/6: Salzburg at Robin Bielman's Blog
Wednesday 12/7: Lake Como at Brant Flakes
Monday 12/12: French Riviera at Get Lost in a Story
Thursday 12/15: Pisa at Fly High
Wednesday 12/21: Vienna at What Women Write
Friday 12/30: Verona at Brant Flakes
Monday 1/9: Brussels at Nicole Basaraba's Uni-Verse-City
Tuesday 1/10: Paris at Chick Lit Central

Hope you'll join me as I finish my journey around the Internet with talk of breathtaking European views, classic landmarks, romantic adventures and delicious taste sensations!

~*~

In the ebook world, I was thrilled that my light romantic comedy, On Any Given Sundae, which hit Amazon's Top 100 "Bestsellers in Humor" List, was chosen as a "Hot Pick" for October 2011 by RT Book Reviews Magazine. About the story they wrote: "You'll want to read it for the humor and great characters and a plot that's sure to leave you smiling." 

I have a Reviews and Excerpt pages for On Any Given Sundae. The novel is available to readers online at Amazon, B&N and various retailers right now for just $2.99. And, I also have Reviews and Excerpt pages for my second ebook release, Double Dipping. It's ON SUPER SALE this month for only $0.99 (!!) and it's available on Amazon, B&N and other sites as well. Hope you'll enjoy them both!

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And just a reminder for those aspiring novelists out there -- at the very bottom of my FAQ page is a link to some of my articles on writing, including my post on Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! website about living on the edge between the print and digital worlds and my Magical Musings post on how running a marathon is a lot like drafting a novel. I hope a few of you will find these pieces helpful.

With many thanks and best wishes to you all for a joyous and healthy 2012!
~Marilyn

"Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken."
~Jane Austen