How I Got my Agent: Shaila Patel

I am so excited that SOULMATED by Shaila Patel releases today and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Shaila Patel, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a Perfectly Posh, Posh To Meet You Set ($20 value), US Only courtesy of Month9Books. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Title: SOULMATED (Joining of Souls #1)

Author: Shaila Patel

Pub. Date: January 24, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books

Format: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 300

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | TBD

Two souls. One Fate.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Whelan, an Irish royal empath, has been searching for his elusive soulmate. The rare union will cement his family's standing in empath politics and afford the couple legendary powers, while also making them targets of those seeking to oust them.

Laxshmi Kapadia, an Indian-American high school student from a traditional family, faces her mother's ultimatum: Graduate early and go to medical school, or commit to an arranged marriage.

When Liam moves next door to Laxshmi, he’s immediately and inexplicably drawn to her. In Liam, Laxshmi envisions a future with the freedom to follow her heart.

Liam's father isn't convinced Laxshmi is "The One" and Laxshmi's mother won't even let her talk to their handsome new neighbor. Will Liam and Laxshmi defy expectations and embrace a shared destiny? Or is the risk of choosing one's own fate too great a price for the soulmated?

I actually signed with my agent, Amanda Leuck, after pitching Soulmated to her in person at a Romance Writers of America conference in New York City. I chose her from a list of agents we could schedule a pitch session with, and when I went for my appointment, I couldn't believe how calm I was—which I took to be a good sign! 

My pitch went so smoothly that we had time to talk about my other projects, and it seemed we hit it off. (At least in my mind we did! Lol!) That's when I knew I really wanted to work with her. I had picked up a random appointment spot with another agent that had been on my wish list, but we didn't connect face-to-face at all. There just wasn't a spark. Agent #2 had requested some pages from me, but I trusted my instincts enough to know that I wouldn't have been happy working with her if she wanted to represent me. 

So I did what they always say not to do—I put all my eggs in the "Amanda" basket—and sent her the chapters she'd requested. I got lucky my gamble paid off. Two weeks later, Amanda emailed me an offer of representation while I was in Ireland doing research for my book, and I've been happy ever since.

As an unabashed lover of all things happily-ever- after, Shaila’s younger self would finish reading Cinderella and fling her copy across the room because it didn’t mention what happened next. Now she writes from her home in the Carolinas and dreams up all sorts of stories with epilogues. A member of the Romance Writers of America, she’s a pharmacist by training, a medical office manager by day, and a writer by night. She enjoys traveling, craft beer, and teas, and loves reading books—especially in cozy window seats. You might find her sneaking in a few paragraphs at a red light or connecting with other readers online at: www.shailapatelauthor.com

Find Shaila:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

(1) winner will receive a Perfectly Posh, Posh To Meet You Set ($20 value), US Only.

(10) winners will receive a SOULMATED Swag Pack, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/23/2017- Dani Reviews Things- Excerpt

1/23/2017- I am not a bookworm!- Review

1/24/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

1/24/2017- Book-Keeping- Review

1/25/2017- Black Cat Blog- Guest Post

1/25/2017- Omg Books and More Books - Review

1/26/2017- Don't Judge, Read- Guest Post

1/26/2017- The Starving Bookworm- Review

1/27/2017- Hidden Worlds Books- Guest Post

1/27/2017- Book Review Becca- Review

Week Two:

1/30/2017- Jorie Loves A Story- Interview

1/30/2017- Drink Coffee and Read Books- Review

1/31/2017- Read Coffee and Teen- Interview

1/31/2017- The Bookavid- Review

2/1/2017- Lisa's Loves(Books of Course)- Excerpt

2/1/2017- NovelKnight- Review

2/2/2017- YA Guy- Excerpt

2/2/2017- Rockin' Book Reviews- Review

2/3/2017- So Few Books- Interview

2/3/2017- Netherreads- Review

Guest Post: A HOLD ON ME by Pat Esden #newadult #paranormalromance #nalit

Today we have the wonderful Pat Esden talking about her new paranormal romance, A HOLD ON ME. You may remember Pat from her #FridayFandom Author Interview (click here). Today Pat is here talking about her experience in collecting antiques, and the a creepy experience she had while visiting an elderly gentleman in a Victorian manor. I'm already getting chills!!

A Hold on Me by Pat Esden
(Dark Heart, #1)
Published by: Kensington
Publication date: February 23rd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

She never wanted to return.

He wants nothing more than for her to leave.
But the fire between them is as strong as the past that haunts them.
Annie Freemont grew up on the road, immersed in the romance of rare things, cultivating an eye for artifacts and a spirit for bargaining. It’s a freewheeling life she loves and plans to continue–until her dad is diagnosed with dementia. His illness forces them to return to Moonhill, their ancestral home on the coast of Maine–and to the family they left behind fifteen years ago, after Annie’s mother died in a suspicious accident.

Once at Moonhill, Annie is shocked when her aunt separates her from her father. The next time Annie sees him, he’s a bizarre, violent shadow of his former self. Confused, she turns to an unlikely ally for support–Chase, the dangerously seductive young groundskeeper. With his dark good looks and powerful presence, Chase has an air of mystery that Annie is irresistibly drawn to. But she also senses that behind his penetrating eyes are secrets she can’t even begin to imagine. Secrets that hold the key to the past, to Annie’s own longings–and to all of their futures. Now, to unlock them, she’ll have to face her greatest fears and embrace her legacy…

 

I’m a collector and antique dealer, and I’ve been involved with both since I was a teenager.

Over the years, I’ve dug through a lot of church basements and attics, buying everything from Masonic memorabilia to vintage radiators. I’ve explored abandoned churches as well, and purchased their entire contents—and I mean EVERYTHING: statues, tapestries, all the pews and kneelers, crosses . . . even a hand carved confessional booth.  Honestly, it did feel eerie to strip everything out of a church, and then store it in my home. But I’ve had creepier experiences.

Once, an elderly man asked me to come to his house and look at some items he had for sale.  The house was an old Victorian manor and literally falling-down. He lived in one, squalid room on the first floor. He slept there on a bare cot and used a toilet that barely worked.  The other stories of the manor were unusable because of the sunken floors and enormous holes in the roof. Money wasn’t why he lived like this.  He’d abandoned a nice second home in Florida, so he could die where his ancestors had.  I suspected he’d already stopped eating. It was easy to visualize him lying on the cot, slowly shriveling until someone eventually found his corpse.  The whole visit was difficult and unnerving.  And, there wasn’t one thing in the entire manor that wasn’t too rotted, broken, or moldy to sell.  

Another time, a homeowner gave me directions to a specific hallway on the second floor of his rambling farmhouse. He told me which rooms I could buy things out of, but refused to go upstairs with me because he’d run into ‘something’ up there. The hallway definitely had a disturbing vibe. In fact, the whole time I was upstairs, I had goose bumps.  I did buy a lot of things from him, including some wonderful early books and vintage clothing.

Despite all that, my decision to make the main character in the DARK HEART series an antique dealer wasn’t as much about writing what I know as a matter of creating the perfect character for the plot and setting.  I wanted my main character, Annie, to not be a cliché gothic novel heroine.  By making her an antique dealer, she could be both scared by some aspects of the family mansion and attracted to the antiques and history. This not only added a layer of tension, it also lent more depth and quirkiness to her character. Another of my goals was to find a way to make Annie’s relationship with her father go beyond that of a ‘daddy’s girl’.  As a picker and antique dealer, it made sense for her to be homeschooled and travel extensively with her dad. This expanded her role from devoted daughter to that of a student and eager mentee as well. This career also gave Annie the smarts, determination, and unusual education that would drive her to face the plots’ obstacles rather than retreat.  

Still, though Annie and I may share a love of antiques and sometimes access situations in a similar ways, she isn’t me.

How about you? What kind of plot would challenge and bring out the best in a character with your career, loves, or interests?

PAT ESDEN would love to say she spent her childhood in intellectual pursuits. The truth is she was fonder of exploring abandoned houses and old cemeteries. When not out on her own adventures, she can be found in her northern Vermont home writing stories about brave, smart women and the men who capture their hearts. An antique-dealing florist by trade, she’s also a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the League of Vermont Writers. Her short stories have appeared in a number of publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, the Mythopoeic Society’s Mythic Circle literary magazine, and George H. Scither’s anthology Cat Tales.

        

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL) organized by Xpresso Book Tours

• $25 Amazon Gift Card

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