Category Archives: Guest Author

Blogiversary Guest: Janice Maynard!

Hi friends! I’m so thrilled to welcome back Janice Maynard on the last day of January! We’re just doing things all over the place and offering giveaways galore here at ALBTALBS! 😀 It’s been ten years! We do what we want! 😜 Anyway Janice was kind enough to write a post and offer a prize, so read on! <3

Happy Blogiversary to Limecello! I’m honored to be here today celebrating such a fun milestone!

As I was debating what to share with you, it occurred to me that Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. It will look different this year, of course. (My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in a restaurant parking lot eating carry-out.)

Whether you’ll be observing Gal-entine’s Day, or maybe you and your significant other are lifting a glass, because you’ve managed not to strangle each other during quarantine, this year’s events will be unlike any others.

Instead of reporting on a new release, I’d like to tell you about an older book that takes place in exactly this time of year. As you probably know, publishers “buy” the rights to publish books for a certain period of time. Eventually, those rights revert to the authors who can then re-publish the books. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Amanda McCabe

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Hello my dear friends! We are back! And I am delighted to welcome back first time guest Amanda McCabe! She is another generous soul who offered to help us celebrate ten years of blogging. Whew – ten years! We’re trying … Anyway! Amanda chose to answer my silly questions, so I hope you enjoy!

What was your favorite book as a child? (Why?) And what is your favorite book now?
The first book I remember reading for myself was a picture book about a princess who grew REALLY long hair, and it became a total mess! I don’t remember the title, but I do remember the illustrations, very 1960s. I also loved the Eloise books, a girl who got to make mischief in a fancy hotel was, I thought, living one’s best kid life. It’s so hard to narrow down favorite books now! But I’ve found myself doing lots of re-reading in this weird year, so Austen, Jane Eyre*, old-school romances, English mysteries set in country houses. If I could only read one book forever, this might sound weird, but it could be War and Peace. An old teacher of mine said it has “all genres of book in one” (which it does!), so it would keep me busy for a long time

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine?
Jane Eyre and a Christie novel! She’d make a great detective

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do?
Interesting question!! When I was a kid, there was a beautiful old Victorian house down the street from my grandmother that looked like it was made of whipped cream icing. It seemed like it would be very yummy Continue reading →

Release Day Blogiversary Edition Exclusive Excerpt: The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince by Jeffe Kennedy

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Hi friends! It’s release day for the fabulous Jeffe Kennedy! She’s written in a number of [sub]genres, and high fantasy romance is one where she shines. She very generously offered to be part of the blogiversary and have a giveaway, so I figured her release day was the perfect timing! (Timing being 😅 something that I struggle with when it comes to blog posts.) ANYWAY! The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince is out today, and we’ve got an exclusive excerpt of it to share with our A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet readers! <3 I hope you enjoy!

A Legacy of Honor

Crown Prince Astar has only ever wanted to do the right thing: be a credit to his late father’s legacy, live up to his duties as heir to the high throne of the Thirteen Kingdoms, and cleave to the principles of honor and integrity that give his life structure—and that contain the ferocious grizzly bear inside. Nowhere in those guiding principles is there room for the fierce-hearted, wildly free-spirited, and dizzyingly beautiful shapeshifter, Zephyr. Still, even though they’ve been friends most of their lives, Astar is able to keep Zephyr safely at arm’s length. He’s already received a list of potential princess brides who will make a suitable queen, and Zephyr is not on it.

A Longtime Obsession

Zeph has wanted the gorgeous, charming, and too-good-for-his-own-good Astar for as long as she can remember. Not that her longing for him—and his perfectly sculpted and muscular body—has stopped her from enjoying any number of lovers. Astar might be honorably (and foolishly) intent on remaining chaste until marriage, but Zeph is Tala and they have no such rules. Still, she loves Astar—as a friend—and she wants him to at least taste life before he chains himself to a wife he didn’t choose. There’s no harm in him having a bit of fun with her. But the man remains stubbornly elusive, staving off all of her advances with infuriatingly noble refusals.

A Quest to Save the World

But things change when a new terror threatens the Thirteen Kingdoms. Following prophecy, Astar and Zeph—along with a mismatched group of shapeshifter, warrior, and sorceress friends—go on a quest to stop a magic rift before it grows beyond anyone’s ability to stop. Thrust together with Zephyr, Astar finds himself increasingly unable to resist her seductive invitations. And in the face of life-and-death battles with lethal monsters, he begins to lose sight of why having her, just once, is such a terrible idea…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zeph beelined to the fire, standing as close as she could without igniting her fancy skirts. “I like Castle Elderhorst. Suddenly I’m a lady!” Continue reading →

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Jennifer Bernard

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Hi friends! I’m very excited to welcome back Jennifer Bernard as a guest to A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet! When I put out a call for people to participate she responded immediately <3 As a[nother] personal thing, I realized when copying and pasting I did an oops in the questions I sent authors and none of them have called me out on it. 😅 So a general shout out for not embarrassing me I guess. 😜 (Thanks!) Anyway, Jennifer chose to do an “interview” so I hope you enjoy!

What was your favorite book as a child? (Why?) And what is your favorite book now?
I’ve been an obsessive bookworm practically since birth, so it’s honestly really hard to pick out one favorite. Maybe A Wrinkle in Time. Little Women was up there, and the Narnia series. The Witch of Blackbird Pond was one of my all-time favorites. Lisa, Bright and Dark had a huge impact on me. Obviously I love the books that I grew up with, but I also think I would have devoured the young adult books coming out today. Right now I’m reading Legendborn, which I would have just inhaled back then – okay, I admit I’m doing that now as an adult.

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine?
This isn’t a movie, but I’m currently binging on Insecure (so so good!) so I’d mash that up with… hm, maybe Crazy Rich Asians, so Issa Dee could have a happy ending?

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do?
The moon, so I could glow on demand.

What is the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you have a go-to dish? And/or a signature dish? (What makes it so?)
Popcorn! With lots of butter and salt. And we didn’t have a popcorn maker so I learned with a frying pan (and a few burns.) My signature dish is something we eat all the time because I live in Alaska with a freezer full of salmon. You chop up pine nuts and herbs and salt and pepper, clump it onto the salmon and saute it in olive oil. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Guest Renee Dahlia on 10 Years and Reflection

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Hi friends! I’d like you to welcome back Renee Dahlia, who very generously offered to help us celebrate 10 years of blogging – and offer a giveaway! She took the time to write us this post, so I hope you enjoy!

Happy 10 years to A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet
Renee Dahlia

Sometime in the middle of 2020, I was driving my car and people were calling in with stories of their worst cars. Someone rang up and talked about how they had a car where the CD got stuck in the player and they were forced to listen to the same CD over and over.

When I offered to write something for the tenth anniversary of this blog, it made complete sense to talk about Craving His Spotlight. This story is about having another go at life, about looking back at the past, and thinking about how to use those old experiences for good. The thing about anniversaries is they tend to make people think about the past and how far they’ve come in that time.

Craving His Spotlight opens with a voice and a memory.

Vince would know that voice anywhere. The rich dulcet smoky voice with sultry notes. Truly, it was the only good thing about the bloody pop beat of those songs. For two long years, he’d listened to it on endless repeat, because there was no other option. Hearing that voice meant only one thing—the lead singer of So You Think was here in the office of Vince’s advertising company, Kapow. It must be over a decade since the boy band was huge. He shuddered. That fucking car with the So You Think CD stuck in the dash represented some of the worst years of his life. Nah, not the absolute worst. They were the end of the worst and the beginning of now. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Nicole Flockton

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Hi friends! So we’ve had a lot going on in the world, but we’re trying to truck along! Therefore, I’ve got another post for you to celebrate Blogiversary, and would everyone to welcome back Nicole Flockton! It’s also release day for her! Shelter for Cerise is out today so everyone also wish Nicole a very happy release day!

What was your favorite book as a child?
Hmm my favourite book. I’m not sure I had one but I had a favourite author. I read a ton of Enid Blyton books. I love the concept of toys coming to life and living independently. And what is your favorite book now? Hmm that’s a toughie. There was one book I used to read every year it’s a book called Fortunes by Vera Cowie. I need to get it out and read it again. It’s been a while since I’ve read it. It’s about an auction house and an ugly duckling heroine getting it all in the end.

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine? (Why?)
Oh you ask the tough questions! Okay let me see. Let’s go with National Treasure and The Mummy. I’d love to see Nic Cage take on some mummies while hunting down the mother lode of treasures.

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do? Why?
Ohh I know a football. I mean it was made out of pigskin so it could taste like bacon. 😉

What is the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you have a go-to dish? And/or a signature dish? (What makes it so?)
My first memories of cooking were helping my mum make a cake so I guess that was the first think I learned. My go to dish is what I call Sausage Pasta. Basically it’s smoked sausage, pasta, broccoli and parmesan cheese. It’s simple and quick and my kids really like it. I guess this is my signature dish. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Shannon McKenna

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Hi friends! I’m very excited to welcome back Shannon McKenna. She’s written some of my favorite romantic suspense books (I know! It’s not even a genre I generally read but her McCloud books – man. Davy 😻. Anyway) Please give her a warm welcome! Shannon very generously offered to be participate, and chose to do a “Guest Author & A Giveaway” post, so here are her Blogiversary questions and answers!

What was your favorite book as a child? And what is your favorite book now?
I was an Anne Of Green Gables freak. I just adored that book and all the rest of the Anne series as well. I related to her so completely. Not only how imaginative and lost in her head that she was, but how hungry she was for love and acceptance. But there is Jane Eyre, too, which I was introduced to as a Classics Illustrated comic way back in the long-ago time when I thought that the whole Mr. Rochester story was dumb and boring and the only interesting part was Jane’s time at the awful Lowell School with Helen Burns and the evil Mr. Brocklehurst. That book is the breeding ground of a million incredibly compelling romance tropes that still have me in their vise-grip today. The lure of the trash-talking bad boy, My Love Will Save Him, etc, etc. But the great thing about Jane Eyre is, she knows how to say ‘no.’ Even when it tears her to pieces, she maintains her own integrity as a person, over and over again. And then, thank God, the story rewards her for it with a happy ending. WHICH IS AS IT FREAKING SHOULD BE. ALWAYS. Oh dear now I’m getting worked up about random things that have nothing to do with anything. I will stop now.

Favorite book now…I am in a terrible state of not having enough time to read, and having not had it for such a long time that I have gotten out of the habit of reading. Awful, for a writer. The last book I read was the Jack Reacher thriller Blue Moon, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I have lots of thoughts and strong opinions about Jack Reacher and his issues, (I wish he would get therapy, how fun would that be? Don’t you want to read that chapter?) but enough about that. I would say, the last book I had time to read that absolutely blew my mind was All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Incandescently beautiful writing. Just huge. And the latest romance I had time to read was Robin Covington’s latest, Taking On The Billionaire, a Harlequin Desire, which was heart-felt, red-hot, crackling fun that I would recommend to everyone. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Christie Kelley

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Hi friends! I’m very excited to welcome Christie Kelley to ALBTALBS. I believe she’s a first time guest, so I hope you all give her a warm welcome! I do also want to note that this post was initially supposed to go live on January 9th, but … well. Anyway! What’s important right now is that A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet turned 10, and Christie Kelley is kind and generous and offering you a prize! Remember those ~zany interviews I used to do as part of the monthly “Guest Author & A Giveaway” series? Christie opted to do one of those, so here are her questions and answers!

What was your favorite book as a child? And what is your favorite book now?
When I was a child, I devoured the Little House on the Prairie books. I think I’ve always felt like this was not my time period, which is probably why I write historical romance.

Learning about my family as I was growing up, my mother always talked about her how her relatives had crossed the Appalachians by the early 1800s, and finally settled in Missouri and Kansas so I felt an affinity toward Laura Ingalls.

I’m not sure I have a favorite book now. I love Pride and Prejudice but my favorites change depending on my mood and what is happening in my life. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of cozy mysteries.

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine? (Why?)
I have to be honest here, this is not something I think much about. So I did a little Googling and saw a movie post for The Bounty Hunter staring Jennifer Anniston and Boba Fett (from the Star Wars franchise). Admittedly, as a Star Wars fan (not fanatic like my sons), I thought the idea of Boba Fett finding out his ex-wife is his next bounty was great. I don’t think he’d be as easy to get away from as Gerard Butler.

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do? Why?
Hmm, well as I write this, I’m staring at my Christmas tree, which fills me with happiness. So why not munch on a Christmas tree. Maybe not full size, though. I’m assuming the ornaments would be little candies that could be pulled from the main tree, which would be cookie or cake. And now I’m hungry. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Guest Ainsley Wynter: Sliding Into 2021 and Leaving the Ghosts of 2020 Behind

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Hi friends! I’m very pleased to welcome [back] Ainsley Wynter to our blogiversary celebration! (Especially since 😬😅 I still owe her a review… reviews?) And seriously – I think we’re all in on this topic, yeah? [I think … it might be important to note that she sent it to me on January 4th…] So without further ado, Ainsley!

SLIDING INTO 2021 AND LEAVING THE GHOSTS OF 2020 BEHIND
By Ainsley Wynter

As the door closed on 2020, I was one of the people who slid out without saying much of a goodbye. At midnight on New Years Eve I sat on the couch with my kids and husband and watched the ball drop—twice, since I live in the Midwest—and then went to bed. I did that heroine thing of holding a breath that I didn’t know I was holding. Some time later on the morning of January 1st, I carefully blew it out. Maybe 2021 wouldn’t be a total shitshow. Maybe we could leave some of the awful in the past year behind. Continue reading →

Blogiversary Guest Jody Wallace: Cats Are As Perfect As Books

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Hi friends! I can believe it less than you, possibly, A LITTLE BIT TART, A LITTLE BIT SWEET HAS TURNED 10! I put out a few calls on social media asking for people to help celebrate, and the wonderful Jody Wallace was all over it, so a big thank you to Jody! <3 She’s also got some pretty amazing prizes up for grabs, so read till the end. Yes, every guest post in January will have a giveaway! (And some of the other ones too …) We’re starting out 2021 right here at ALBTALBS! So without further ado … Jody!

Cats Are As Perfect As Books

Curled up Pip Limecello told me I could write about whatever I wanted, so let’s talk about cats. Specifically, our new cat, Pip. She’s five pounds of sass and attitude, and we have not yet fully integrated her into our household of four people, one bearded dragon, and two dopey dude cats and two old lady cats. First we maintained a general ‘getting a shelter cat healthy’ quarantine and now we’re having to maintain a ‘turns out the sad little shelter cat has a ton of attitude once she feels better’ quarantine. Continue reading →

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