Wednesday, August 12, 2020

*Book Tour & Giveaway* Rash & Rationality by Ellen Mint-GUEST POST


Rash & Rationality 
Happily Ever Austen Series Book 2 
by Ellen Mint 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 


Love is a lot closer and more complicated than Marty ever dreamed. 

Marty Dashwood is a true romantic. Hearts, chocolates, kisses on the hand—the whole nine yards. His killjoy brother Eldon doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but one day Marty will have the perfect meet- cute, she’ll fall helplessly in love with him and they’ll live happily ever after. 

Brandy’s worked with Marty for almost two years. He’s the best friend she could ever have hoped for after the accident that took her husband. So she should be happy that Marty finally found what he’d always wanted, right? 

So why does it feel like every time she sees Marty with the ‘Social-Media Angel’ he rescued from a mugger, a piece breaks off her heart? How can she explain any of this to him before she loses her best friend forever? 

Reader advisory: Rash and Rationality is a modern gender-swapped friends-to-lovers Sense & Sensibility, set in a cozy bookshop. 





Pride & Pancakes 
Happily Ever Austen Series Book 1 


When a cold-hearted singer and a hard-headed journalist are trapped together in a blizzard, there will be sparks—and pancakes. 

When Beth Cho is tasked with interviewing elusive musician Tristan Harty, it’s hate at first sight. Despite his sapphire-blue eyes and lithe frame, he’s got to be the most infuriating man on the planet. 

Tristan Harty is already sick of reporters and this one is proving no different. Sure, she might be adorable with her ebony hair and big brown eyes, but her incessant need to dig into his past is dragging on his last nerve. 

The bickering duo vow never to meet again, but Mother Nature has other plans for them, trapping them in a Vermont cabin via a blizzard. The more Beth learns about the aristocratic Tristan, the harder it is for her to keep her professional distance, just as Tristan discovers that a loving heart beats inside the beautiful reporter. 

But what happens when the snowstorm’s over, and the melted Tristan and enamored Beth are free to leave? Can their reluctant attraction bloom into a deeper love now their cold-as-ice judgment has thawed?  

Reader advisory: Pride and Pancakes is a sweet yet steamy contemporary story inspired by the immortal Pride & Prejudice. There are references to sexual abuse, death from drug overdose and death in car crash. 






Ellen Mint adores the adorkable heroes who charm with their shy smiles and heroines that pack a punch. She has a needy black lab named after Granny Weatherwax from Discworld. Sadly, her dog is more of a Magrat.

When she's not writing imposing incubi or saucy aliens, she does silly things like make a tiny library full of her books. Her background is in genetics and she married a food scientist so the two of them nerd out over things like gut bacteria. She also loves gaming, particularly some of the bigger RPG titles. If you want to get her talking for hours, just bring up Dragon Age. 


GUEST POST

How long have you been writing?


Since the ocean was a drop and the land a pebble. So about twelve years, give or take. I started off in fantasy but eventually wormed my way over to romance, both contemporary and paranormal when I’m in the mood.


Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?


It depends upon the character. Every character always has some little secret I don’t discover until I’ve written then for awhile. Usually I have a grasp of who they are weeks before I start writing. I like to play out little scenes in my head when I’m walking my dog. But then, I don’t really capture their voice and mannerisms until I actually write them.


So the answer is…yes?


Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?


Oh my god, do I need music. For anything creative. I also paint and make various crafts when the mood strikes. But if I start without music, my little brain gnome starts chewing away with threats. “You’re doing it wrong. This is terrible. Why are you even bothering?” Music helps shut it up, at least until it’s time to edit.


Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?


I try very, very hard to only have one story going at a time because I fear if I get distracted I won’t come back and finish the book. There are a few abandoned projects bemoaning their fate on my hard drive. One day, little ones, I will give you legs and set you free.


Pen or type writer or computer?


Oh god, computer. A hundred and fifty percent, computer. I’m left handed and was never taught that twist your arm around so you look like a Cirque acrobat while taking notes trick. Which meant that everything I wrote longhand wound up smeared on the side of my hand. Never again!


Tell us about a favorite character from a book.


Granny Weatherwax from the Discworld series is who I aspire to be when I’m old and living in the woods. Despite being a misanthrope who has no use for ninety-nine percent of the population, Granny still goes out of her way to help people, even if she winds up saving them from their own foolishness. She’s a woman that if someone told her to smile, she’d look them dead in the eye, sneer, and never blink until that guy ran away in terror.


A day in the life of the author?


Wake to the sound of my dog clawing at her collar because that’s her butler bell. I spend most of the morning checking up on marketing stuff: swaps, promos, giveaways. Things like that. After lunch and the dog getting her first walk, I sit at the kitchen table and write whatever scene I planned out while taking my dog around the neighborhood. Then it’s time to make dinner. Later at night, I take a shower, do more planning while standing under water, and write to finish out the day.


Rinse and repeat for all eternity.


Describe your writing style.


Goofy until I suddenly stab you right in the feels. I’m not afraid to tell jokes, and will do so often. I’m far more of a character and dialogue person than a setting and descriptive author. You’ll probably know more about a character’s thoughts on their fourth-grade school play than what they’re wearing. It’s just how I roll.


What makes a good story?


You need to have an element of mystery. It doesn’t have to be a literal whodunnit but a question for the reader to follow. With romance it’s not so much who gets together but how and is the why satisfying. If there isn’t that thread of wonder keeping the reader turning the pages, all you have is a collection of diary entries.



What is your writing Kryptonite?


Descriptions! I am loathe to include them, especially clothing. Seriously, I suspect one could read most of my books assuming most of the characters are naked and it’d hold up.


Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?


My muse is a fickle beast. To keep her entertained and from consuming the world, I need to write something I find interesting. It could be a subversion of tropes, a main character not usually seen, or just an excuse to invent new alien creatures who have a fascination with pie. There isn’t so much a need to be original and different, more an if I don’t do something fun I won’t finish the book.


How long on average does it take you to write a book?


I used to try to get the first rough draft down in a month, but lately it’s been a month and half for a full novel. About a month for a novella. My time’s being consumed by the other side of things: editing, marketing, trying to keep sane in this every confusing world. Usual author stuff.


Do you believe in writer’s block?


Yes, and no. I’m such a contrary pain in the ass, aren’t I? There are times when I don’t want to write. Flat out, my brain just says no. Not happening. But I find that’s not usually writer’s block and it’s my brain’s way of telling me I need a break. Bad. Sometimes hammering out three thousands words a day, every day until the book’s done isn’t what the book needs. Sometimes taking a few days off to regroup, rethink, and replan is what gives the best book of all.





Follow the tour HERE for special content and TWO giveaways! 


Giveaway #1 

Here's a link to my landing page: https://ellenmint.blog/summer-giveaway/




Giveaway #2 




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