Bumpy Landings and the Underdog (and chocolate)

Now that I've had my first novel published, there's something I've noticed about publicity that seems a bit unfortunate for the small, independent author.

The biggest way of spreading your book is word-of-mouth. And unless people have something negative to say, they usually don't talk.

So here I'm going to talk. From now on (and I reserve the right to change this), I'm only going to review books by small press authors. Those that aren't getting the national attention that they deserve to.

Starting with Bumpy Landings.

This is a novel by Don Carey, and it is a romance. My favorite part about this romance: It's from a male's POV. But at the same time, I could totally relate (did I just admit that?) because it's a guy who seems to always fumble his encounters with the opposite sex. 

Set in Hawaii, there couldn't be a better time of year to read this book. I could almost feel the tropical sunshine and smell the ocean breezes. Ah, refreshing. And Jordan, the MC, is going through a growth spurt: breaking away from Mom's tyrannical reign, learning you can kiss a girl and really like her but not LOVE her, and finally getting his wings. (Literally. He's a pilot.)

Honestly, like all guys, there were times when he frustrated me, especially where Mom is concerned. I wanted to scream at him, "Stand up for yourself! Get a backbone! Throw the kitchen sink at her!" That was the only disappointing thing, I didn't really get to see a stand-off between him and Mom, and I really wanted to. But he did go against her wishes and follow his heart in the end.

This is a fun book that took me only a few hours to read. And I was updating my husband as I read, who kept saying, "Hurry and finish the book so I can know the ending." Great job, Don!

Now, if you hadn't heard of that book before today, here's where you come in. Open your mouth and spread the word. Help Don became a household name. Tell people about his book.

Oh, it gets better. There's a contest involved. Every comment on this post gets entered into a chocolate giveaway. Plus a copy of the book. Plus a CD.

Cool, huh?

And there's a book trailer contest going on on Don's blog. Not sure what that's about, but hop on over, meet this real live author, and congratulate him on his wonderful efforts.