Book Giveaways and Signings!

I promise to do a post soon on the wonder that was the Elvis 5K. But first, I have a few odds and ends to share!

First of all, I'm doing a book signing on Saturday, August 21, from 11 - 1 at one of the LifeWay Stores here in Memphis. I'll be at the one across from the Wolfchase Galleria, in the Commons. If you're familiar with Memphis, the Commons is the shopping center that has Old Navy. If you live near Memphis, I would LOVE for you to come by! And if you have friends in Memphis, please help me spread the word--you can direct them to my author page on Facebook for more information.

Now for some book giveaway information:

I did an interview last week on Barb's Author Interviews and if you'll go check out the interview and leave a comment on her blog, you'll be entered to win a copy of Love is Monumental. Check it out here, and I think you have until the end of August to comment.

Also, I noticed through Google alerts that my Amish book, Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio, is being offered in a giveaway by another blogger. Looks like on that one, you'll have the chance to win a copy of Carla Stewart's Chasing Lilacs as well. Check it out here.

5 Things...and a Giveaway

Signing at LifeWay Christian Store's Fiction Day!

I've been on the road lately, doing lots of book signings and meeting lots of readers! Such fun! Although, I have to admit, several hours at a book signing and by the end I feel like I've been hit by a truck! It's tough for introverts to feign extroversion, even for a few hours! :)

In lieu of a "real" blog post today, I decided to do one of my favorite things. Make a list!

Here are 5 random things you probably didn't know about me...

1. I know how to fire a Civil War era cannon. Seriously.

2. Once when I was in London, a representative from Vidal Sassoon asked me to be a hair model--but I couldn't because I was leaving to come back to the States. She gave me her card and told me if I ever returned to London to give her a call. (I personally think this encounter happened because my hair looked so awful that day that she felt sorry for me...)

3. I hate cottage cheese, olives, and mushrooms. Those are about the only things I absolutely WILL NOT eat.

4. I rarely ever see a movie in the theater. Like I average about 1 per year. Not sure why, exactly. I prefer to just get them on NetFlix. And while some people think dinner and a movie constitutes a good date--I do not. I think that's a dating cop out because of the lack of conversation during a movie. :)

5. I'm a little bit addicted to my iPhone. Especially the "Words with Friends" app--it's like always having someone to play Scrabble with, no matter where you are!

Okay...now for the giveaway portion of this post!

I'm going to give away a copy of my new release, Love is Monumental! To enter, just answer the following question and include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. A winner will be chosen randomly on Saturday.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I'll answer first. :) I'm most looking forward to having a few lazy summer days at the lake with my family. I missed every trip last year because I was on a couple of tight deadlines. This summer, I can't wait to swim, sit in the sun & read a good book, and eat yummy food from the grill. Perfect summery fun!

Remember--leave your answer by Saturday for your chance to win Love is Monumental!

Love is Monumental has officially released!!

Discover how the Washington Monument attracts more than tourists when a shy park ranger serves as guide to a handsome professor. Love is Monumental is the second installment in the Walk in the Park series.

The official release date of Love is Monumental was May 1, but with all the tornadoes/floods/etc., I'm just now posting about it!

I'm so excited for this book to get into the hands of readers--I love the characters, flaws and all! So far, the book is getting a good response from reviewers too!

I'm hopeful that readers will enjoy a little glimpse at Washington DC and all the monuments along the National Mall. It was fun to pick out interesting bits of information about some of them to include.

I'm scheduled to do a few blog interviews/giveaways over the next few weeks, and one of the questions I often get is about the characters--who would play them if the book were ever (dare to dream) made into a movie.

So here's a sneak peek at my choices for the main characters:

First, park ranger Vickie Harris. Vickie is always well put together. She's a bit of an over-achiever and the epitome of a perfectionist. Her quest for perfection causes trouble in her personal life--because no one can ever live up to her expectations. Despite being a park ranger, Vickie is not very outdoorsy--and knows nothing about sports! She loves fashion and has an affinity for 80's movies. We meet Vickie on the cusp of her thirtieth birthday--an age she's always dreaded. I think Ginnifer Goodwin would be perfect to play Vickie.

Dr. Thatcher Torrey, a college history professor, is in his late thirties. He is a classic workaholic--never giving any thought to his personal life--or lack thereof. Thatcher is content to focus on his classes and spend his weekends tucked away at his fishing cabin. He'd rather be outdoors than anywhere else. Thatcher despises technology--he doesn't own a cell phone and thinks social networking is the downfall of society. His past is a bit of a mystery, but let's just say he's been hurt one too many times and is determined not to let himself become attached to anyone ever again. I'd cast Noah Wyle for the role of Thatcher. I think he can pull off the right mixture of studious and masculine.

Finally, Katherine Wyatt is the third point-of-view character. I suspect the addition of Katherine's point of view will be a surprise to most readers, as they will wonder how Katherine's story connects with the main storyline. Rest assured that she is an important character. Twenty-year-old Katherine deals with her mother's terminal illness for much of the book. She's seeking her place in the world with the unsettling knowledge that soon she'll be facing life alone. I struggled with the right actress to portray Katherine and finally settled on Miley Cyrus.

So there you have it! My cast of characters for Love is Monumental. If you've read the book, I'd love to hear your thoughts on who you would cast! And if you haven't read the book, you can purchase a copy here! (shameless plug, I know, but a writer has to eat...and pay rent...ha!)

A Book Release is like a First Date...Seriously

I know. You think I'm crazy.

But it hit me yesterday that having a new book release is sort of like going out on a first date with a new guy you really like. Hear me out on this. :) And if it doesn't make sense to any of you, I blame it on the Benadryl I'm taking for these awful allergies!

Here is my theory:

First Date: When his name pops up on your phone/e-mail, your heart pounds.
Book Release: When you get the e-mail from Amazon saying they've shipped your book, your heart pounds.

First Date: You stress about what to wear. You want him to think you're good looking and interesting.
Book Release: You hope your book cover is good looking and interesting enough for people to pick it up and buy it.

First Date: You hope he finds you witty and charming.
Book Release: You hope readers find it witty and charming.

First Date: You worry about the impression you're making. You try to read his expression and body language so you can gauge how much he likes you, but men can be confusing.
Book Release. When you see that people are "currently reading" your book on Good Reads or Library Thing, you worry about the impression it's making. You try and gauge how well they like it by what page they're on. (sites like Good Reads allows readers to log what page they're on and give immediate feedback

First Date: If you had a good time, you hope he'll ask you out again.
Book Release: You hope readers had a good time with your book and that they'll read your next release.

First Date: You wonder what he'll tell his friends/family about you.
Book Release: You scour the Internet for reviews, hoping readers found something nice to say about the book you lost sleep and shed tears over.

There you have it. :) Make sense? It's like this: going on a date with a guy you like equals putting yourself out there. Likewise, when your book releases, there's no stopping it. A piece of yourself is in that book and suddenly, what was once your private, made up world, becomes public. People may bash it and say ugly things about it. And you'll have to sit by and watch. (I can already see a future post: "How break ups are like bad book reviews"...haha!)

Although Love is Monumental doesn't officially release until May 1, some online outlets have already shipped copies. (hence my initial heart pounding when I saw the "your order has shipped" e-mail)

And speaking of Love is Monumental, I'm looking for a few more influencers*. If you have a blog or website and are interested in being an influencer, please send me an e-mail. In the e-mail, please include your name (first and last) and your blog or website address. Here's the back cover copy for Love is Monumental so you can see if it looks like a book you'd be interested in being an influencer for:

Finding love has become a feat of monumental proportions for a shy park ranger.

Park ranger Vickie Harris loves living in the nation's capitol. She loves working at the Washington Monument. But she's never been in love. In fact, her personal life is non-existent. On her thirtieth birthday, shy Vickie impulsively promises her friends that she’ll ask out the next eligible man she meets.

Professor Thatcher Torrey has had enough heartache to last forever. Through with love, he’s spent years building his life around work. So when his longtime rival sets out to make a historic find, Thatcher is hot on his heels. But he can’t do the research alone. Intellectual Vickie is the perfect research partner and he'll stop at nothing to convince her to help him with his quest.

Just as these polar opposites form a bond, a secret from Thatcher’s past pulls them apart. Will they go their separate ways? Or will they come to realize that when it’s with the right person, Love is Monumental?

You can contact me by visiting my website and clicking the "contact Annalisa" tab: http://www.annalisadaughety.com/

*An influencer writes a review and posts on multiple online bookstores (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and online book review sites (Good Reads, Library Thing, etc.). An influencer might also post a review on their personal blog or site. Word of mouth is very important, so an influencer might tell friends and family about the book if it's one they might enjoy.

Midnight Musings

Okay, it's actually past midnight, but who's counting? These days, time seems to mean nothing to me--I'm finishing Love is Grand and am as likely to be writing at 3 a.m. as I am at 3 p.m. When I get it turned in, I plan on sleeping non-stop for a few days. And watching the 4 new episodes of Grey's Anatomy I have saved on my DVR. (yay!)

So this is going to be a jumble of things I've been thinking lately. Perhaps if I get them out of my head, I'll be able to better write my book!

Here goes:

1. The Bachelor finale: Oh, Jake--I had such high hopes for you. But you let me down. Honestly, you disappointed me in the very beginning, like on the very first night when you sent home most of the girls who actually seemed to have brains. But I digress. Best wishes to you and Vienna. I give it 6 months.

2. Along those same lines: The Bachelor: Jason and Molly's Wedding...Seriously? That much money for a wedding and there isn't a rain plan? Come on. As an event planner, I am totally offended. You can't convince me that there wasn't a canopy available or at least someone could've held one of those handy clear umbrellas (were those sponsored by Macys too?) over poor Molly's head. Designer dress. Ken Paves himself did her hair. And ABC made her stand out there in the pouring rain. Whatever. Overall, they seemed happy though, so that was nice. And wasn't it great to once again get to hear the phrase "star-gazing amazing" in reference to Molly's eyes...ha!

3. Not to stay on this reality kick, but Dancing With the Stars...I'm loving the lineup! Kate! Evan! Brenda Walsh! Need I say more? I'm calling Evan for the win though. You read it here first.

4. Zumba. Okay. I took my first Zumba class on Sunday afternoon. Except that the main teacher wasn't there so it ended up being a hybrid zumba/belly dancing/hip hop. This was a most hilarious experience. Although I did learn the whole routine to Michael Jackson's Beat It, which has been a secret lifelong dream of mine... Monday I tried again--wanting to experience a "real" Zumba class. Nope. This time the teacher came to class and apologized for not having any choreography for us. We free styled. You know the African Anteater Ritual from Can't Buy Me Love? It was something like that. (By the way, I love that movie...a pre-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey as nerdy Ronald Miller. Sigh.) And today when I woke up, I could barely walk, so maybe it was a good workout after all...

5. In writing news...Love is a Battlefield is now available on Kindle!

6. In more writing news...you can now read a sample chapter of Love is Monumental on Amazon! It releases in May!

7. One more story and then I'm through, I promise... Last week, my e-mail account was hacked. Or spammed. Whatever you call it. Unbeknownst to me, strange e-mails went out from my account to EVERYONE in my address book. I've had the same e-mail address since 1997. I haven't really cleaned out my address book since then. Which means e-mails went out to all kinds of people. People I don't necessarily keep in contact with anymore. Ex-boyfriends. Their families. Old bosses. Former co-workers. High school friends I haven't seen in years. And on and on. And on. Fun times. Needless to say, once the problem was fixed, I cleaned out my address book.

Okay. Break's over! Back to writing.

Instead of a song of the day, here's a clip from Can't Buy Me Love! Enjoy!