Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Save the Contemporary: Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis

Here’s the deal: we dig this book. We dig this book like damn and whoa, and we think you will too. And yet, so many people say the contemporary romance is a dying breed. So, in order to spread the word and the opportunity to read it we’re doing a multi-level giveaway in tandem with our reviews of Instant Attraction

Part the First: free books! Leave a comment and you’re automatically entered to win a copy. We each have 5 paper copies of the book give away, so drop a word here and at Dear Author and double your chances. Comments will be open for 24 hours starting now.

Second: Spread the Word! Below is a Sprout widget about our campaign, and a simpler animated graphic. Right-click-and-save the graphic, or grab the Sprout for yourself, and put it on your site. Let us know that you’ve done so .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), and you’ll be entered to win a copy of the book, plus a Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder. ETA: Deadline is midnight CST Sunday, 25 January.

Spread the word,… read more »

Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis

If you’re only going to read one sentence of this review, read this one: Instant Attraction was charming in every definition of the word: it made me smile, laugh, and press my lips together to keep from getting all weepy on the Kindle.

Want more?

Katie Kramer is a nondescript, vanilla girl until she survives a horrific bridge collapse.  Now she’s determined to start her life over and live more adventurously. Katie ends up in Wishful, California, working at Wilder Adventures deep in the Sierra mountains, about as far from her old life, and her old climate, as possible. Katie is adorably fierce: she’s plagued by debilitating panic attacks and yet utterly determined to keep pushing forward to more adventure, more life, more more more.

Cameron is a former professional snowboarder who lost his career and nearly lost his life after wiping out in the middle of a high-speed turn at a competition. Left with no remnants of the life he lived and no chance of getting it back, he wanders the world and then returns home to Wishful. While Katie has a life that’s defined by “Before the bridge”… read more »

Buy a Contemporary, Save the World: The Winner!

And the random integer generator has spoken. Over 80 people spread the word, and many a person mentioned their hope that the contemporary romance will not die but flourish happily. We certainly hope so.

Without further ado, or any ado at all, the winner is:

Margay! at http://www.myspace.com/margay1122

Congrats - please email Sarah or Jane or both, and we’ll make arrangements for a massive Amazon gift certificate to the tune of $100 to be delivered unto the inbox of your choice. Thanks for spreading the word, and stay tuned for more from Dear Author and Smart Bitches as we try to Save the Contemporary.

Don’t Forget: Save the Contemporary, Save the World

Don’t forget: you have until midnight Sunday 26 October Eastern time to hook me up with news of your spreading the world to Save the Contemporary. Link early, share often!

Announcing the Flat Out Sexy Winners

And the random integer generator hath spoken! The winners of a copy of Erin McCarthy’s Flat Out Sexy are:

30 Rustybelle 43 Jenyfer Matthews 55 Leah Braemel 60 Kimberly Van Meter 98 Monica Garcia 109 Jennifer Drake 117 Valerie 148 SonomaLass 197 Lynne 216 Beth

Congratulations - and remember, you still have a shot at $100 plus a copy of the book if you spread the word and help us save the contemporary.

Special message to Beth: I don’t have an email address for you. Please email me pronto!

Buy a Contemporary, Save the World: Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

Jane has mentioned before that the contemporary romances that doesn’t feature vampires, campy vampires, werewolves, immortal peril, mortal peril, suspense out the wahoo, or extraordinary extraterrestrial extraneous circumstances seem to be fewer and far between. Every now and again I hear declarations that the contemporary romance is a dying subgenre and it’s harder and harder to find, and that if you’re not an established name, you’ll never get anywhere, because fewer people want to read contemporary romance.

So when we read Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy, we were both blathering to each other about how awesome it was and how refreshing to have actual conflict between people caused by realistic tension stemming from ordinary life experiences between two marvelous characters. Contemporary romance done right? More please! So, following this review, read more about a multi-level contest sponsored by Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Berkeley and Erin McCarthy, a contest we hope will be a semi-regular feature here and at Dear Author where we try to Save the Contemporary.