books – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Published on September 22, 2014September 21, 2014 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle22 Comments

It’s been a while since Mr. Alex J. Cavanaugh hosted a blogfest. His are always the best.

Everyone has a favorite movie or band that no one else has ever heard about. For whatever reason, they remain undiscovered and underrated. Now is your chance to tell the world about this obscure treasure!

I had to think about this one. I am a trend follower most of the time, but I think I have a couple of unknowns to introduce you to.

If you have some underrated treasures you would like to share, join the blogfest and let us know.

MOVIE – BAND/ARTIST – TV SHOW – BOOK

Post about one or all four – dealer’s choice!

Music:

I reference movies in my writing all the time. It’s rare that I will reference music, but this song fit into my new book, Hope for Her (Hope Series Book #1) perfectly. Vivian Green’s Emotional Roller Coaster

This song get’s me every time I hear it. Too bad she didn’t do more.

Movie:

I love Keanu Reeves, always have and always will. I know he may not have the best acting chops, but there is a reason people still star him in movies. He has a presence. One of my favorite Keanu movies is Street Kings.

Synopsis: LAPD detective Tom Ludlow is a ruthlessly efficient, unorthodox undercover cop. Captain Jack Wander always covers for Tom, as do even his somewhat jealous colleagues. After technically excessive violence against a vicious Korean gang during the liberation of a kidnapped kid sex slave, Tom becomes the target of IA’s hotshot, captain James Biggs, who feels passed over after Wander’s promotion to chief. Tom’s corrupt, disloyal ex-patrol partner Terrence Washington sides with IA but is killed during a shop robbery in Tom’s presence.

Television Show:

Homicide: Life on the Street – A police homicide investigation unit investigates violent crimes in the city of Baltimore.

If your a fan of the original Law & Order and Law & Order SVU, you probably watched Homicide. I can watch these episodes over and over again.

Have you seen or heard of my Underrated Treasures? What are some of yours?

Check out the other Underrated Treasures by clicking here.

What’s the Nerdiest Thing About You? BLOG HOP!

Published on September 25, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle21 Comments

This is the first time in my life where I think, I might not be nerdy enough. Did you see how many Happy Potter action figures Cassie Mae has purchases. I will give it a try and you should to.

Congratulations to Cassie Mae on the release of her YA Romance novel, How to Date a Nerd. I don’t usually read YA, but I am looking forward to reading this book. I love Cassie’s NA stuff and the premise of this book sounds really cool nerdy fun.

Now the rules, very nerdy, I know:

Post an answer to this question: What is the nerdiest thing about you?
Post the blog hop picture on your post and on your sidebar.
Post the Goodreads link to How to Date a Nerd (oh look, here it is! I’ll make it easy :)) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17976672-how-to-date-a-nerd

What is the nerdiest thing about me?

I am a Dallas Cowboys Fan. I have been all my life. I was particularly nerdy about them during the 1997-1998 season. It was two year after the last of their three Super Bowl wins. I went to a total of 12 games that season. All home games and 4 away games (New York, DC, Green Bay & Philadelphia).

Every star on team had a radio or television show in the Dallas market and you could find me in the audience of one or more every week.

I collected every newspaper from the day after each game of that season and kept them in plastic bags.

I have a series of three photos of Troy Aikman during that time:

The first one is of him waving at me as I took the photo at a radio show.
The second one is of him at a game ~~looking in my general direction~~ looking for me in the stands.
The third I actually made it in the photo at the opening of a grocery store.

I collected cups, key chains, posters, magazine articles and I have an unusual amount of beer coasters with random Cowboy player autographs on them. I have them all in a trunk in my parents attic marked Cowboy Stuff, Do NOT Throw Away!!!!

And, if that wasn’t nerdy enough, I wrote an entire 30,000 word (approx. I hand wrote it in my journal) manuscript–dialogue only–of an embarrassingly passionate romance between Troy Aikman and some girl named Sydney (It’s not me, I swear. ;-)).

Here’s a short excerpt:

“Do you love football more than me?”

“No. Do you love being a lawyer more then you love me.”

“No, but being a lawyer isn’t my passion, football is yours.”

“I have room for more than one passion in my life.”

“Oh, Troy.”

“I love you, Syd.”

“I love you, too.”

*OMG, someone please tell me I’ve gotten better at this.

So, there you have it. Am I a nerd or what? It’s your turn, what is the nerdiest thing about you?

Because of Lucy – Love Triangle or Is It?

Published on September 20, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle6 Comments

Synopsis: *Recommended 17+ due to strong language and sexual content*

Ness’s parents are shocked when she turns down her place at Leeds University and takes on a full-time job in a call center. Determined to begin her adult life the way she wants, Ness moves to Leeds to live with her best friend Abby.

One night she meets Evan, who is everything she hates about guys. He may be hot but he’s also drunken, arrogant, and on top of that, he apparently has sex with girls and forgets about it. But Evan isn’t what he seems and Ness soon discovers they have more in common than she thought.

Evan is struggling to escape from his past too, and when Lucy appears she threatens his new relationship with Ness. Unsure if she can deal with the effect Lucy has on Evan, Ness makes a decision about her future which pulls them apart.

When their new lives don’t go as planned, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. All because of Lucy…

Because of Lucy is free today on Amazon.

Author bio: Lisa is originally from the UK but now lives in Perth, Western Australia. She splits her time between writing, raising a family and running a business. She even leaves the house occasionally.

Lisa writes romance and is currently working on a series of new adult paranormal romance novels, the first book, Soul Ties, was published in July 2013. She also writes new adult contemporary – Because of Lucy was released August 2013.

Find Lisa on:

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Indie Block Party – Post 5 – What I’m Currently Reading

Published on August 26, 2013August 25, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. Join us for the Indie Block Party to meet your writing “neighbors.”

Participants will have the opportunity to share a little about themselves and their writing, while getting to know the other like-minded crazies that make up the Indie Writing World.

Week 1
Day 1: Introduce Yourself
Day 2: Introduce your WIP
Day 3: Interview one of your Characters
Day 4: Interview one of your Neighbors (not your real neighbor…the one who signed up on the linkey after you 😉 )

Week 2
Day 5: What are you reading?
Day 6: Top 5 books
Day 7: Share your most helpful writing tips
Day 8: Share your most helpful social media & networking tips

Full instructions are available at The Peasants Revolt or Dawna Raver’s blog.

Kayla Marlowe is slowly vanishing…

Last year, Kayla’s world imploded. Her beloved father died, leaving her alone with a narcissistic mother who is quick to criticize her daughter’s appearance. During her winter break from college, Kayla’s dangerous obsession with losing weight begins.

Kayla feels like her world changes for the better overnight. Being skinny seems to be the key to the happiness she has desperately been seeking. Her mother and friends shower her with compliments, telling her how fantastic she looks. Kayla is starving, but no one knows it.

Cameron Bennett explodes into Kayla’s life. He’s sexy and kind—he has every quality she has been looking for in a guy. As Cameron grows closer to Kayla and learns of how far she’s willing to go to stay thin, he becomes desperate to save her.

Kayla’s struggles with anorexia and bulimia reach a breaking point and she is forced to confront her body image issues in order to survive. She wonders if Cameron could be the one to help heal her from the pain of her past.

I applaud Heather for writing about such a difficult topic. Some of it was hard to read and it’s a testament to her talent as a writer. I loved the book.

I’ve been reading a lot of NA romance novels lately. This is a perfect example of why I love the genre so much. The challenges of the individual are just as important as the challenges of the romance.

From this book, I learned a little more about how to write about difficult topics and not loose site of the story.

Do you have difficulties writing about sensitive topics in your work?

Indie Block Party – Post 4 – Interview my Neighbor

Published on August 22, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle11 Comments

Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. Join us for the Indie Block Party to meet your writing “neighbors.”

Participants will have the opportunity to share a little about themselves and their writing, while getting to know the other like-minded crazies that make up the Indie Writing World.

Week 1
Day 1: Introduce Yourself
Day 2: Introduce your WIP
Day 3: Interview one of your Characters
Day 4: Interview one of your Neighbors (not your real neighbor…the one who signed up on the linkey after you 😉 )

Week 2
Day 5: What are you reading?
Day 6: Top 5 books
Day 7: Share your most helpful writing tips
Day 8: Share your most helpful social media & networking tips

Full instructions are available at The Peasants Revolt or Dawna Raver’s blog.

Give me a brief synopsis of the first story you ever wrote (in school, published or just for yourself)?Reporter Merah Slavings is stalking Business Tycoon Nicolas Masters. She wants to know all his dirty little secrets and not just because he is the man of her dreams. Merah doesn’t stumble into his deep dark past but into his arms… mortally wounded. To save her life Nicolas, a vampire, turns Merah and wants her to be his loving companion for all eternity. Merah’s life has turned upside down and eternity is a long time.

Nicholas has many secrets one is that he has been watching Merah Slavings for quite some time. He is hoping she is the one that he can trust with his deepest darkest secret, but first he is going to intrigue and romance her to sweep her off her feet. He has learned that taking your time to get what you want is part of the fun. Time he has plenty of. Fate intervenes and he runs out of time to woo her having to decide to turn her or let her die. Has Nicolas bitten off more than he can chew?

What books have most influenced your writing? Kim Harrisons the Hollows series, and Laurel K Hamilton’s Anita Blake and Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson. I’d love to roll all three up into my work!

What is the best writing advice you were given? Above all else write.

What are your top five favorite movies? That’s a tough one. Best friend’s Wedding, Sweet home Alabama, Van Helzing, Avatar and any western! I have a thing for cowboys.

Do movies influence your writing? No not really.

What is your favorite romantic moment in a film or a book? Gosh there’s too many to mention. I’m such a mushy romantic at heart. I loved when Jack Nicholas told Helen hunt you make me want to be a better man in as Good as it Gets.

Any tattoos? Nope

Pick one of your published works and give me a list of the steps involved in that project from idea to publication? I don’t have one completely polished yet. I just sent my first rounds of edits back to my editor on Love Bites. It has been quite a learning experience. I sure hope it’s polished soon!

For more information on Cathy Brockman, visit her blog cathybrockmanromances.wordpress.com.