Torn Canvas Launch Date and a Nomination

Two big events for me today!

First, now that I've set the release date for Torn Canvas, it's time to show my purty cover.

Modern-day pirates took more than Jori Virtanen’s friends; they stole his face. Not only does the twenty-four-year-old former model have to confront months of reconstructive surgery, he discovers his previous life was as superficial as his looks. Jori struggles to make a new life for himself as an artist while evading the press. They expect a hero, but he knows the truth. His beauty masks a beast.

Olivia Howard’s given up a normal life for her job, and the sacrifices are finally paying off. The twenty-six-year-old talk-show host’s ratings are heading to the top of the charts. Her dream is to make a difference in people’s lives, but the studio wants mind fluff—like interviewing hot model Jori Virtanen. When Olivia learns the guy helped rescue passengers on a cruise excursion from kidnappers, she knows this is the story she needs to make her case. The only problem is the hero was injured, and now he’s disappeared.

The more Olivia learns about the man behind the scar, the more intrigued she becomes. But Jori is no girl’s happily ever after. Once she finds him, Olivia has to free his heart and heal the beast.

Funny story about the cover. 

As my cover designer (Melissa Williams aka author Michelle Argyle) and I worked out the details, I struggled a little with that dang open shirt.

Yes. Torn Canvas is an adventure romance (like A Change of Plans).

Yes, I chose this picture because of a scene in Torn Canvas.

But I also write clean romance. I didn't want to lead any potential readers astray. Don't ever mess with a reader's expectations by giving them a cover that makes them think a clean romance is going to be steamy.

I looked at the first design (very similar to the above but the title banner was opaque). I saw that navel and thought, "Um ...."

So, Michelle moved the banner lower on the cover to hide the navel. Oh, great. Now the guy's nipple was prominent. Ugh! That was worse.

So, navel or nipple?

Uh, clean romance here. The navel won.

The official launch date for Torn Canvas is June 16th.

If you'd be willing to help with the blog tour, the signup is here.

And thank you!

Second--as if this post isn't long enough--I have one more favor to ask.

A Change of Plans has been nominated for a RONE Award, and the voting for my category is THIS week. You need to sign up with InD'Tale magazine to vote, but it's free and painless.

My category is New Adult, and you can find it here. I would love your vote!

To the right is the review that won me the nomination.

Carrie Butler's "Courage" - Character Interview

Click here for more stops in the blog tour.

I read and loved the first book in the Mark of Nexus series, Strength. The characters were intriguing and the magical world interesting. While New Adult (NA) has a bad reputation for being all about sex with some of it quite graphic, this book is not. But there is one almost sex scene and some sexual references, so be warned.

Before we begin the character interview, here's a teaser about Courage, book 2:

Making a deal with the bad guys wasn’t the highlight of Rena Collins’ semester, but, hey, it saved her boyfriend. Now, in order to appease the human-altering organization known as ERA, she’ll crawl under their microscope while they study the Mark of Nexus and plot their eye-glazed version of the future—until she realizes that’s not all they’re plotting.

Wallace Blake has always known his girlfriend is unlike most girls. But now that information has surfaced regarding the two bloodlines that balance his supernatural race, he finally understands why. Rena belongs to one of them. She’s been augmenting his power, all along...

Enter: Corynn Catley. Brought into the country under the guise of an internship, she’s intended to become ERA’s secret weapon. Kind of. Her abilities cancel out Wallace’s, rendering him powerless, but that’s exactly what he’s always wanted. Too bad it only works when his girlfriend’s not around.

All the while, Rena fails to notice the crush her geeky best friend, Aiden Ross, is nursing. He’d give anything for her to see him in a new light—even reinvent himself through questionable means--but there’s a reason people are told to be careful what they wish for. Finding the courage to tell her could put everyone’s lives in danger.

Interview with Cole (Wallace Blake's brother)

Me:  What's your birth order?

Cole: What does it matter? You’re not one of those people who believe birth order has anything to do with sibling personalities, are you?

*He groans* Oh God. You are, aren’t you? Fine. Technically, Wallace came out first, but let me clue you in on my theory of how it went down.

He had to precede me to make sure we weren’t in any kind of hostile territory. I’m serious. It’s obvious that I was the dominant infant—the dominfant, if you will—so he felt compelled to take that risky journey down the birth canal first. I waited until I got an “all clear” cry to make my entrance.

Stop looking at me like that. It’s true.

Me:  Have you ever been in love?

Cole:  No, and now that I’ve seen my brother in love, I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite of everything I want in life. A chick hanging on me all the time, making me factor in her safety when I make decisions... pass. I like to keep my relationships between two and five weeks.

Me:  Hmmm...two and five weeks. That's how long your "relationships" have lasted them. Cole, really? Anyway, when you think of your childhood kitchen, what smell comes to mind?

Cole:  Syrup in Grandma’s house. She made the best pancakes, and the scent always clung to the wallpaper. Before that, back in my old house... no, I can’t go there.

Me:  What is your biggest fear? Who have you told it to? Who would you never tell it to? Why?

Cole:  Let’s go reverse order on this one. I’d never tell my biggest fear to some random chick, and the reasoning would be three-fold. Ready?

One, it’s a liability. You could use it against me.

Two, I’m not all touchy-feely with the emotions. Go figure.

And three, you might tell someone I actually give a crap about and make me look bad. I mean, no offense, doll, but we just met. You understand, right?

*Silence*

Okay, fine. I admit that was a copout answer. How about I tell you, and in exchange for your silence, you get to keep that tongue of yours?

*I give him a hard stare, and he leans in* I’m not keen on the idea of losing the rest of my family.

*I blink and keep my mouth shut for a moment, swallowing.*

Me:  Okay. You're kind of a wild and crazy guy. What's the thing you've regretted doing the most?

Cole:  The thing I regret the most has nothing to do with my lifestyle. I just wish I would’ve spent more time with my folks before they were killed, okay?

Me:  Thank you, Cole. *I watch as he leaves*

And now you know why I wanted to interview Cole. Intriguing guy.

About the author
Carrie Butler daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Her passion for New Adult fiction led her to co-found NA Alley—a widely recognized informational hub for the category. She is the author of STRENGTH (Mark of Nexus #1) and COURAGE (Mark of Nexus #2).

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Cover Reveal - "Friday Night Alibi" by Cassie Mae

I have a special guest today, the freakin' awesome Cassie Mae. She has the most delightful sense of humor. Ever. Go to her blog and follow her. You won't be disappointed. 

Here's Cassie Mae:

Let's all dance together!

I'm super thrilled to show you all my cover for my New Adult debut, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, published by Random House Flirt. It comes out on July 29th, but you can buy it now! And it'll just zap onto your ereader the day it's released.

Wanna know what it's about? Well, it's about this pig who learns how to fly, but only on friday nights and he grants wishes to people who are not where they're supposed to be, to get them out of a bind. You know I'm totally joking. I just wanted to see how many people just skipped over all these words to get to the pretty cover, lol. You mention the pig in the comments and you get cyber gold stars.

Here's the blurb :D

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.

Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black, and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.

Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi

“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play

“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Oh, and stuff about me too.

Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.

And now the pretty!

You can buy this book HERE, and it takes you to all the places it's available. Yay! My first published book with MY NAME ON IT! Squee!!!