DRAWN is Rated “A Best Book”

Happy spring everyone!

SO happy.  I just found out that the review site Long and Short Reviews has rated my paranormal novel Drawn a “Best Book.”  This is high praise indeed.  Higher than their 5-star rating.  As the site explains it, the Best Book rating is reserved “For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you’re not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise – and reserved for only a few.”

So you know I’m smiling about this.

In case ya don’t know about Drawn, here’s the description:

She’s the artist that finds him in her drawings. He’s the medieval ghost that conquers her heart. And their time is running out. 

 

Michelle De Freccio moves to England seeking a normal life, but someone starts appearing in her sketches. Then he grabs her at the castle, his pale green eyes full of longing. She’s immediately drawn to him, but is Christopher Newman real? She’s either losing it, or channeling a hot ghost from the 1400’s. History calls him a murderer. Her heart tells her other truths. Now Michelle faces endless dangers…and a timeless love. 

 

A Night Owl Reviews Top Pick: “…an utter delight to read. I could not put it down. This is a fantastic romantic and tender story that will continue to enchant readers for years to come.” 

So… back to today’s write up.  At the Long and Short Reviews site, the reviewer said: I was drawn (pun intended) into this book from the first page and couldn’t put it down…The setting is wonderful…This story is so deftly created that I was in each setting and could easily “see” Michelle’s art without illustrations…It has the perfect amount of romance, and enough action and suspense to keep the most distracted reader turning the pages.

This review also gives a great spoiler-free summary of the novel, so if you want a feel for whether this book is for you or not, you can check out the complete write up by clicking here.

I’m also happy to report that Drawn is currently ranked #29  in its category of top sellers over at Amazon, and it keeps consistently getting great reviews from book bloggers and readers alike.  In fact, the novel’s goodreads.com page is full of praise from readers who have been saying stuff like: “I LOVED this book. It wa (sic) such a breath of fresh air. It was so well written and so entertaining i could not put it down.” And “This book was so unexpectedly amazing…”  To check out the goodreads page for Drawn (and to add your own reviews there if you’ve read the novel), simply click here.

If you haven’t already read Drawn, you can find an excerpt along with links to reviews and purchase info by clicking right here.

"I'm not Josie Grossie anymore!"

Thanks so much to my readers who have shared their love for my book.  I have no words to express how this makes me feel.  As Drew Barrymore says in Never Been Kissed, “I’m speechless.  This never happens to me. Words are my life!”

Marie

DRAWN Now out in Paperback Too!

And so the journey really begins… My new paranormal YA novel Drawn is now not only available in ebook but in paperback too!  That means that you can now go into your favorite bookstore and order your very own copy, or you can order it online through Amazon by clicking here!  In case you don’t already know, this novel is about a teen artist who draws and then meets and falls for a hot medieval ghost. Yowza.

You can do a lot to make this novel successful by purchasing it now, instead of later.  Sales that happen all at once push the book into a higher ranking, more people notice it then, and buy it, and so on!  (Same goes for the ebook sales…so whatever form you purchase, now is better than later…for ebook purchase info, click here.)

To celebrate this new publication, I’m currently hosting a Drawn paperback giveaway over at Goodreads.com. Up for grabs are 5 autographed copies of Drawn, and all you have to do is enter to win by going here.

And on Tuesday, I’m kicking off my very first blog tour.  This is new territory for me, folks, and it promises to be VERY exciting.  The month-long Drawn Blog Ghost Tour includes stops at some of the hottest blog sites, and includes a range of interviews, reviews, guest posts and book giveaways!  First stop will be on Tuesday at Jonathan Maberry’s Big Scary Blog…with a post that will include a never before seen ghost photo.  NOT kidding. It’s freaky.  Check back throughout the month for all the tour highlights. And to haunt all the tour stops, you can find each blog tour detail and link by clicking here.

So now Drawn is officially out in the world.  What a long, but wonderful journey it’s been.  Thanks so much to all my friends, readers and supporters for encouraging me along the way. This novel really means a lot to me, and I hope it will come to mean something to people who read it, too…

Thanks, all,

Marie

Drawn e-book Now on Sale!

SO excited to announce that my new paranormal romance novel Drawn is now on sale in ebook form!!!!  The novel is all about a teen artist who meets a hot medieval ghost with a sketchy past.

It’s listed at $2.99. For more info and to buy it:

CLICK HERE for Kindle through Amazon

CLICK HERE for Nook through Barnes&Noble

CLICK HERE for all formats through Smashwords

Since one of the hardest things about writing a novel is getting the word out, I’d be so grateful if you would share this info with anyone who might be interested. 🙂

Reviews are starting to come in for Drawn and readers are loving it.  Check these out:

“…a wonderfully spooky tale of romance and discovery. It’s a magical exploration of the unconquerable power of love. Highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay

“In DRAWN, Marie Lamba deftly entwines romance and mystery, past and present, into a page-turning adventure. Buy it today and I promise you’ll be finished reading far too quickly!” —Joy Nash USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author of The Immortals series, The Grail King and The Unforgiven

News about publication of the paperback edition will be coming soon…so keep your eyes peeled.

Excited and nervous…hoping folks love this novel as much as I do…  But mostly happy here!

Happy reading,
Marie

New Year – And First Review!

Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope 2012 is filled with laughter and love and triumph for each of you.

It’s been an exciting start here, what with the flurry of getting ready to launch my new paranormal Drawn.  And last night I found out that this novel just got its very first review.  As the little girl in the picture says, WOOOOOOT!

At the Stories. Read’em. Write’em. blog, author Stephanie Theban said (among other really REALLY nice things): “I really enjoyed this story. It has everything. Mystery, romance, adventure, and just enough of the paranormal…The pacing is terrific, and kept me turning the page…Readers should look forward to the arrival of Drawn.”

Yes!

You can check out the full review by clicking here.

And you can visit Stephanie’s blog on January 18th when it’s stop #2 on my Drawn Blog Ghost Tour. On that date, Stephanie will be running an interview with me, asking me some great questions about the future and about the past too.

I’m so looking forward to the blog tour, and to the VERY SOON release of Drawn.  I’ll have all the gory details for you soon.  I promise!

Until then, keep warm, eat chocolate, and don’t forget to laugh.

Enjoy the New Year!

 

Book Review: The Art of Saying Goodbye

“Odd, how in the afterglow of someone else’s life, your own looks so much brighter.”

This line from Ellyn Bache’s new novel The Art of Saying Goodbye (William Morrow, 2011), gives you a sense of the glowing feel you will gather from this artful novel.

In the novel, golden girl Paisley suddenly learns she has a late stage cancer. It is unthinkable, and throughout the course of the novel, we see the women who know Paisley re-examining their own lives, revealing secrets and shames, and finding new footing in this redefined world. Instead of a book of darkness and mourning, the author has created a book that is at once real and luminescent, where the characters look beyond sadness to a fuller view of their interlinked worlds.

Bache (whose short story collection The Value of Kindness won the Willa Cather Fiction Prize) has built this novel with a series of chapters that each feel like a perfect little short story all their own. Her writing craft shines, and I found myself eager to pick up the book again and again, feeling that each chapter was a gift I gave to myself to savor.  Give this book to yourself and others, and enjoy!  Highly recommended.

Celebrity Poodle Insulted

Ella the poodle's unhappy reaction to her portrayal in new novel: "Call my lawyer at once!"

Invasion of privacy. Unauthorized biography. Poodle protocol violation.

Shocking accusation: Poopsie the Poodle, the sometimes star of the novel OVER MY HEAD, may be modeled after real-life apricot poodle Ella Lamba.

“We are not amused,” barks Ella’s lawyer, who points to allegedly insulting comments such as the following from Marie Lamba’s new young adult novel:

I pick her up and rub her pom-pom ears. “No more surprises, okay?” She licks me in the nostril. We’re the best of friends. “Okay, I’ll see you later.” I set her down.

Poopsie does her head tilt thing again like she’s trying to understand. It must be tough having a brain the size of a walnut. I wave bye and she tilts her head the other way, suddenly seeming sad and lonely. I leave and lock the door, feeling sad myself. Poor Poopsie.

“This is an outrage,” says the attorney for real poodle Ella.  “Brain like the size of a walnut? It’ll be poor author once this is dragged through the courts.”

Lamba the author went on record saying, “It’s fiction. And it’s supposed to be funny.”

“Funny?” the attorney said. “In this novel Poopsie, who is obviously modeled after my client, is insulted, dressed in American Girl clothes, even misplaced.”

“But no dogs were harmed in the writing of this novel,” Lamba said in a weak voice. “I love my dog. Sang, the character in the novel, loves Poopsie and does her best to take care of her. It’s not Sang’s fault the dog is a little loopy. I mean, wait. Not loopy. Can you strike that? What I’m saying is off the record, right? Right?”

Later, after this blatantly anti-poodle comment, TMZ caught up to Ella the poodle at her favorite posh doggie spa, and asked for her reaction to this latest insult.

But Ella, ever the classy one, just rolled her eyes and would only reply, “Grrr.”

Book Launch Party – Update! Prizes added to event!!!

Okay, this is so very cool.  Not only will there be a book launch party for my new summery young adult novel Over My Head at Doylestown Bookshop on August 5th from 7-9 pm. And not only will it be occurring during the town’s First Friday celebration. Now there will also be drawings for you to win free stuff from extremely amazing places that are featured in the novel!

Just show up, say hi, and you can put your name in to win.  Prizes include a $25 gift certificate from Twenty East Vintage Jewelers, certificates for free pizzas from Nat’s Pizza, movie passes to the County Theater, and tickets for the Mercer Museum and for the Michener Art Museum.  Also, since Fanny Chapman Swimming Pool plays such a big part in my book, if you happen to wear any Fanny Chapman gear to the book launch, you’ll get two chances to enter the drawing.  Expect more items to be added to this drawing as the date nears!

Hope you can come!

OVER MY HEAD now available in ebook! (Paperback coming soon)

Okay, crazy excited here!  The ebook version of OVER MY HEAD is now live!  It’ll be popping up in other ebook venues over the next few days, but it’s available through Smashwords for $2.99. RIGHT NOW!

Yippee!  (Insert sound of heels clicking.)

Even if you don’t do the whole ebook thing yet, you can click on the link and download the first third of the book for a free preview, and then you can get the paperback when it comes out in the next few days.  This is definitely a summery beach read, filled with lifeguards, love, drama and, yes, an apricot poodle.

Just click on this link!: Over My Head at Smashwords

Not sure what to do with myself now.  Eat dark chocolate in celebration? Yes, that does sound right.

Here’s one huge summertime HUZZAH!

Sneak Peek at Chapter One!

Hey gang,

Happy summer! Since my new young adult novel OVER MY HEAD starts off on the very last day of school at Central Bucks West High in Doylestown, and that very last day is TOMORROW, I’ve decided for a limited time to give you all a sneak peek at chapter one.This is especially for all of you who are just finishing school and turning your minds, finally, toward summer. Congrats!

OVER MY HEAD will be published in the next week or so, and I’ll definitely announce that here.  It’ll be a $12.99 paperback and a $2.99 e-book.

In the meantime…For your glimpse at chapter one, click here.

And enjoy!

New Cover Revealed!

This is it!!!! The cover for my new novel Over My Head.  I’m so excited, I’m a little nuttier than usual. (Happy dance…) Designed by Cheryl Perez, this cover exactly captures the summery fun and romance and intrigue I was looking for. Thanks so much, Cheryl!

Over My Head is a summertime novel that starts on the last day of Sang Jumnal’s junior year in high school.  It’s been 2 years since What I Meant… wrapped up, and Sang is a little bit older, a little bit wiser, but nothing prepares her for what’s coming.  Dalton and Gary are on the scene, but when Sang meets 20-year-old lifeguard Cameron Cerulli at the Doylestown pool, she finds herself falling big time.  Cameron is either the guy of her dreams or a player out to stomp on her heart.

Sang is teetering on the brink of true love. Will she sink or swim?

Look for this novel to come out VERY SOON on kindle and nook and smashwords, and in print.  You’ll get the news first right here!

Let me know what you think of the cover.  Love to hear from you guys…