Release Day Reviews of Mayon

Today is release day for the second edition of my historical romance, Mayon.  This new edition, published under the DSP Publication imprint, has additional content, and has been thoroughly re-edited. I'm attaching two release day reviews I was excited to find this morning.

Multitasking Mommas: http://www.multitaskingmommas.com/2016/02/blog-tour-earc-review-excerpt-giveaway_23.html

Love Bytes Reviews:  http://lovebytesreviews.com/2016/02/23/release-day-review-mayon-by-mickie-b-ashling/

Read what inspired Mayon and check out these photos!

Did you know? https://www.dsppublications.com/news/did-you-know-194

2015 To Do List

I saw this image online and I'm "borrowing" it from Nathan Young since it says it all in a cute graphic.

For those of you who don't know, I'm finally leaving my EDJ after umpteen thousand years of being a worker bee.  It's like bungee jumping off Victoria Falls.  One minute I'm vibrating with excitement over this change, and then I go into a tailspin, terrified that I'll end up living under a bridge somewhere.  You can tell I'm a writer.  My worse case scenarios are always over-the-top.  For the most part, I'm looking forward to being my own boss, having my own hours, doing my thing.  A part of me will miss the old routine of getting into the car each morning, fighting the assholes vying for a spot on the road, and dealing with humanity eight hours a day.  I've been able to squeeze in my writing all this time by creating a grueling schedule some consider inhuman.  Getting up at 3-4 am to put in a couple of hours of writing each day has enabled me to blend my day job with my writing career and now it's finally going to end.  I'm wondering if I'll ever learn to create stories at a decent time since I'll have nowhere to go in the morning except my desk.  Hmm...I'll give you an update on that in a few months.  I've never been a sleep glutton so I'll probably keep on waking up with the roosters because it's what I do.  Hopefully my body will allow me to finally get six straight hours without feeling guilty.

On to my bucket list for 2015.

First thing I want to do is finally get a dog.  I've been holding off for so long because I'm never home long enough to give it my full attention but now I can.  Thanks to Brandon Witt, I've fallen in love with Corgis.  If you haven't read Then The Stars Fall, you should.  It's a wonderful book, and will introduce you to this amazing breed I'm determined to adopt. I have to wait until I get home from my trip in May which I'll tell you about in a minute.

On May 22, I'm going back to Spain (San Sebastian) to visit my cousin who recently lost her husband, the ex-Jai Alai player who inspired me to write the character, Tono, in my Loving Edits trilogy.  It'll be nice to spend time with her and her children even though it'll be bitter-sweet. Her husband always accompanied us to the bars around the area, pushing one delicious 'tapa' after another, the bite-size meal famous in that part of the world.

From there, my sister and I are off to Amsterdam to catch a boat for a two week cruise around Ireland, Wales, England, and Belgium.  I saw a few of these places the last time I was in Europe, but not all of them, so it'll be another item I'm crossing off my bucket list.

In October I'm flying to the Philippines for a class reunion.  I haven't been back there since I left in 1979,  I know everything will be different but I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and catching up on years of gossip.  The food alone is worth the long flight.  It'll also be a good refresher course on everything Filipino as my novel Mayon will soon be re-edited and moved over to DSP Publications, Dreamspinner's new imprint.

On the writing front, I will have a new release at the end of May.  A brand new universe so there's no need to catch up on anything to enjoy this novel.  It's called Enforcing Emory.  The cover that was created for me by Catt Ford is stunning. I can't wait to share it with you.  Soon.  Very soon...

A few days ago I signed a contract for the 4th book in the Bay Area Professionals Universe (Impacted, Bonds of Love, Fractured).  It's another stand-alone with guest appearances from Scott and Robin from Impacted.  Forged In Trust has a tentative release date of September.

My current WIP is kicking my ass.  Challenging as all get-out as it involves a lot of research.  I like to push myself and this one is certainly making me think.  I'll report back on that when I can.

Chyna Doll, my most current release has garnered several wonderful reviews I'd like to post for those of you who are interested.  I'm thrilled that readers have connected with Chyna.  I do plan on re-visiting these characters sometime next year.  Another item to add to the bucket list.  It's getting longer by the minute.

Cindi from On Top Down Under Reviews gave it 5 Stars. http://ontopdownunderbookreviews.com/chyna-doll-horizons-4-mickie-b-ashling/

Caroline from Prism Book Alliance rated it 4.5 Stars. http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?s=chyna+doll&submit=Search

Pixie from MM Good Book Reviews rated it 4.5-5 Stars. https://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/chyna-doll-by-mickie-b-ashling-blog-tour-excerpt-review-giveaway/

Lucy over at Hearts on Fire Reviews gave it 4.5 Stars. http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=32654

In closing, I want to thank all the readers who let me know how much they enjoyed Chyna Doll . Your words of encouragement continue to push me each morning to create stories I can be proud to share.

Cutting Out Reviewed!

 

Cutting Out was reviewed on Prism Book Alliance by Caroline with the rating of 5 Stars on 10/29/2014. Here's the link:http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2014/10/cutting-out-by-mickie-b-ashling-book-review-by-caroline/

Cutting Out was reviewed on Rainbow Book Reviews by Alex with the rating of Loved it! on 10/29/2014. Here's the link:http://www.rainbowbookreviews.com/book-reviews/cutting-out-cutting-cords-4-by-mickie-b-ashling-at-dreamspinner-press

Since Fractured released on March 24th, I'm happy to say it has garnered several positive reviews.  Here's what I've compiled so far:

Fractured was reviewed on Hearts On Fire by Wendy with the rating of 4 hearts.  Here's the link: :http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=26114

Fractured was reviewed on Top 2 Bottom Reviews by Jerry with the rating of 4.5 kisses.  Here's the link:
http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/2014/04/05/fractured-by-mickie-b-ashling/

Fractured was reviewed by Amos Lassen on April 4, 2014.  Here's the link:  http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=28321

Fractured was reviewed by Caroline Brand at Prism Book Alliance with the rating of 4.25. Here's the link:
http://www.prismbookalliance.com/2014/03/fractured-by-mickie-b-ashling-review-by-caroline/

Fractured was reviewed by Jody "The Scarf Princess" with a rating of B+ here: http://wowfromthescarfprincess.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-tour-for-fractured-by-mickie-b.html

On Amazon-http://www.amazon.com/Fractured-Area-Professionals-Mickie-Ashling-ebook/dp/B00J7RWBPY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398093599&sr=1-1&keywords=fractured+by+mickie+b.+ashling

Post-Thanksgiving Update

I haven't posted anything since early November, so here's a little update for those who want to know what writers do in-between book releases.  Catching up with family is always a joy after being buried in my writing cave.  It's hard to find the right balance, but now that I'm semi-retired from my day job, I'm finding it easier to mesh both real and imaginary lives.

Let's start with Thanksgiving.  I flew to North Carolina (Raleigh) where my oldest son lives with his wife and brand new baby girl, Scarlett.  She was born a few days before I left for Europe so this was my first chance to see her up close.  Scarlett is just as beautiful in person as she is in pictures.  A happy baby and a wonderful addition to the family.  My other grandchild, AJ, shown above with his new cousin, was also present with his Mommy and Daddy who flew in from Chicago the day before the holiday.  We had a full house of 8 adults and 2 little ones.  My son's property is in Apex, just outside Raleigh, and quite spacious.  Room for a lot of extras, including a chicken coop (he's got 12 egg laying hens) and two dogs.  My little guy AJ had a wonderful time collecting the eggs each morning.  It was a definite Farmer in the Dell moment which I'm glad he could experience.   Most of our time was spent buying ingredients for the meals, or planning them, or cooking them, then lying around with distended bellies after eating way too much.  Ugh.  I think I've gained 5lbs over the last week. 

Once the babies were down for the night we played this card game called Cards Against Humanity.  It's the most politically incorrect, albeit hilarious, game I've ever played.  I took great pleasure in shocking the hell out of my adult children.  Serves them right for thinking they could  pull a fast one over their writer Mom who has a more vivid imagination than they ever wanted to know or hear about.  LOL. 

Just before leaving for my trip I got a new contract for a spin-off to my books Impacted! and Bonds of Love.  My new novel is titled Fractured and is scheduled for release sometime in March/April.  It's also set in the same dental universe, but the main characters are new.  There will be a guest appearance by Robin and Scott from the original series before they leave on an extended vacation.  Susie, another familiar character from Impacted! has a key role in this new book.  It's not necessary to read the first two books in the series, but it would give you a little background on the setting, more than anything else.  Impacted! was my first foray into the BDSM world, and I admit, it wasn't my best work (although it sold really well).  Since then, I've learned a lot about the D/s dynamic and I'm hoping it shows in this new endeavor.  I'll keep you posted as I get exact dates and cover art to share.

Lastly, I came across this lovely review of Ride-Off  over at M/M Good Book Reviews.  Here's the link for those who haven't seen it yet.

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/ride-off-by-mickie-b-ashling/ 

Fire Horse Reviewed

Fire Horse was reviewed on GGR-Review.com by Steve with the rating of interesting and well written on 10/11/2013. 

Here's the link:   http://www.ggr-review.com/fire-horse-2/

Here's another chance to win Fire Horse and the sequel Ride-Off  by clicking on the Goodreads link.  The contest runs for a month and the winner will receive 2 signed paperbacks. 

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          Ride-Off
     

     

          by Mickie B. Ashling
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends November 23, 2013.
         

         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         

     

   

   

      Enter to win

Giveaway!

                                                    

I've just listed Ride-Off on Goodreads as a giveaway.  The winner will receive a signed paperback  (along with a signed copy of Fire Horse) .  The contest runs for a month and is open to residents of the US, Canada, Australia, and UK.  Two copies of Ride-Off have been listed, but in actuality, I'm giving away 4 books.  The giveaway goes live in 24 hours.  Click on the link for more details.
  
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/69775-ride-off

I was pleasantly surprised to come across this review from Amos Lassen yesterday.  Here's what he has to say about Ride-Off.

http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=25180#comment-32033 

And here's another honest review from the scarf princess, Jody.  In my Polo universe, anything goes, and trust me, there's a lot happening in the Fawkes-Schnell clan.  Throw in Ned Temple and his young lover, Bandi, plus a charming new addition to the cast in the form of cross-dressing, make-up artist, Jeremy Starr, and a soap opera is born.  

http://wowfromthescarfprincess.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-spotlight-for-ride-off-by-mickie-b.html

Horizons Review

Got home to find this lovely review I hadn't seen yet.  Nice way to end my birthday:)

http://www.rainbowbookreviews.com/book-reviews/horizons-horizons-1-by-mickie-b-ashling-at-dreamspinner-press

Horizons take 2

Some lovely reviews for the second edition of Horizons.  I'm so glad that new readers are getting a chance to meet these guys.

http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/2013/07/10/after-some-rr-a-re-write-and-re-edit-that-is-mickie-b-ashling-gives-us-a-reissue-of-horizons/

http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/horizons-by-mickie-b-ashling/

http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=23612

Praise for Fire Horse

I was extremely pleased to see another lovely review for Fire Horse, my contemporary  romance set in the rarefied world of polo. Read it in full here:

http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2013/06/11/fire-horse/#more-91621

Reviews and A Winner

A few weeks ago I was interviewed over at Long And Short Reviews with a giveaway offered to one lucky commenter.  The winner (Marie) was announced and still hasn't contacted me.  I'm throwing her name out there in case she comes across this post.  Please give me a shout so I can send you an e-copy of Fire Horse.  Here's the link to the interview in case y'all missed it.

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/interviews/interview-and-giveaway-mickie-b-ashling/

A nice review for Fire Horse was posted recently over at Literary Nymphs.

http://literarynymphsreviewsonly.blogspot.com/2013/05/fire-horse.html

And over at Joyfully Jay.

http://joyfullyjay.com/2013/05/review-fire-horse-by-mickie-b-ashling.html

Fire Horse reviewed by RomFan Reviews

When a back injury during a polo match lands Preston Fawkes in the hospital with only his longtime friend, Ned Temple, by his side urging his to take time and recover, he is reminded of all his financial obligations, including two ex-wives and children who enjoy the fruits of his labor.  After an unexpected visit from his son, Conrad, Preston dreams of his son’s namesake and painful memories surface while under the effects of pain medication.

Fire Horse was a beautifully written coming of age story between Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell.  Their friendship is built on the grounds of love for horses and polo, but through the years deepens into something more.  With time and space separating them, absence makes their hearts grow fonder.  Finally succumbing to their passions, Konrad and Preston begin a long distance relationship that would rival the strongest of loves.  Tragedy strikes and Preston is left never knowing the truth until fate intervenes.

The author captured me within their words weaving an amazing love story between to strong men as they nurture their relationship in a time that was not as open to homosexuality.  The fire was stoked frequently between these two beautifully amazing men as they fought for what they wanted and I was caught in flames.  My only disappointment was that I wanted more…..Yes, I am greedy like that.

5 out of 5

Michele

A great review from Amos Lassen.

Amos Lassen just posted a great review of Fire Horse which I'd like to share.

Here's the link: http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=21999

I wanted to remind those of you who've been following the Cover Artist post that a  winner will be picked on Friday, April 26.  This months prize is generously donated by Paul Richmond who was the featured artist for March-April.  He's donated a limited-edition giclee print of the cover art he did for "Woke Up In A Strange Place", Eric Arvin's award winning novel.  Feel free to leave a comment on his featured post to be entered into the drawing.  You have a whole week to throw your name in the hat.

In May, Charlie Cochet will stop by to answer some questions, and share beautiful artwork.     

5 Hearts!

I'm thrilled to share the first review of Fire Horse which was rated 5 Hearts by Don at Hearts on Fire Reviews.

Read more here: http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=19551

Fire Horse
releases tomorrow 4/12, and is available for pre-order here:

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3790

Mayon Reviewed

I was so pleased to see that Mayon received 4 hearts from Maya over at Hearts On Fire Reviews.

You can read the entire review here: http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=17712

Top Ten List!

   

 



I'm so honored to have the three novels I wrote in 2012 appear on a top ten list over at Jessewave Reviews.  Here's the complete list for those of you haven't seen it yet and want to add more great books to your To Buy list.

http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2012/12/30/guest-reviewers-top-picks-for-2012/#more-84320

Happy Holidays!

It's the custom in the Philippines to display these star lanterns during the Christmas season. They're made of paper and bamboo and usually have a slot in the back where one can insert a light bulb.  It represents the star of Bethlehem and is often found hanging from windows in most homes during the holidays.

Fond memories of Christmas in the tropics have been on my mind after spending the better part of 2012 writing Mayon. 

I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and also to share this link to a lovely review I saw the other day.

http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/2012/12/18/mayon/#more-83353

Horizons Series Reviewed

The Horizons series was recently reviewed over at Hearts On Fire Reviews.  Horizons was my first published novel (2009)and appeared on several best seller lists for many weeks.   Despite a few errors in football timelines (I'd love to re-edit the entire novel) it's a great love story and continues to be very popular with readers.  Taste is the spin-off and Daddio is the recently published sequel. Here are the links to the reviews. 



Review for Horizons: 4 stars of 5 
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=15727




Review for Taste: 5 stars of 5
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=15589



Review for Daddio: 4 stars of 5
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=15698

Book 4 in the series is my current WIP.  I'm jumping ahead a few years so you can expect some new challenges for Lil and Grier as they learn how to deal with a teenager and all the drama that goes on at that age.  Stay tuned! 

Momentos: Mick's Journey Reviewed

I came upon this lovely review of Momentos: Mick's Journey
yesterday and I'm re-posting it here with Adara's permission. I know this is a tough series to read but it's very special to me and whenever I see a positive review I can't wait to share it.

5 ***** Star review on Goodreads by Adara O'Hare

Do not read this series out of order. This is book 3 of 3.

My God, these books just absolutely wreck me. Where Loving Edits leaves you knowing that what will come is inevitable, you don't actually see the worst things happen. The second book, Tono, starts after Mick's death has occurred, so you see the aftermath, and not the pain.

This book shows us the pain of loving someone slowly dying from the later stages of ALS.

This is actually what I expected Loving Edits to have in it (before I first read that story). And it's very truthful. It reads very quickly, and with such a joy of life for the most part. I didn't want to put this book down.

The first third of the book is Mick and Paul's meeting and how they fell apart initially. The second third of the book is Mick meeting Tono and how they fell in love. (This all chronologically took place before the beginning of Loving Edits.) The final third of this book then skips forward to immediately after the end of Loving Edits and continues from there, where we see Mick's final days and how he tries to keep Paul and Tono together. We see the tough decisions that Mick and Paul and Tono and Baxter (Paul's butler/surrogate father/friend) have to make. Then there is an epilogue which skips past the events of Tono and wraps everything up.

There are minor spoilers in this book for things which happen in Tono, so you really should read the books in order.

I absolutely LOVE the Basque series for its descriptions of the Basque country and Spain. (But then I've been there and I love the country.) Sanse (pronounced "sahn-say", the shortened version of San Sebastian) is as beautiful as it is described. And the bullfight described is exactly how they happen, too. (I had the opportunity to see a bullfight in Barcelona in 1992. I managed not to throw up.) But the rich culture just drips off the pages, and it's wonderful.

You honestly don't get the full impact of any of the characters except for Mick in this book because this is his story. There are chapters which are told from either Paul's, Tono's, or Baxter's point of view, but the true richness of those characters comes out in either Loving Edits or Tono. This story really is all about Mick and who he is to these people; their subtleties are pretty suppressed as Mick's journey is told.

If you know someone living with ALS (and I do), this is a must-read story. I cannot imagine the love and pain it takes to live with someone you love going through this sort of living hell.

Bless you, Mickie, for being able to write all of this down. I know it can't have been easy.

(I'm going to see if I can stop crying now.)

Mayon Reviewed

A couple of reviews of Mayon I'd like to share.

Amos Lassen here: http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=19545

On Amazon: 5 stars for Mayon.

As a reader, i enjoy learning about new places, and MAYON, Ms. Ashling's historical romance set in the Philippines, immediately following World War II, accomplished that and more. In reading the author's biography, it's obvious that she has an insider's knowledge of the topography, food, and cultural mores of this complex and multinational country. Seeing it all through the eyes of John Buchanan, Ms. Ashling's American protagonist, kept me fascinated and spellbound. The budding romance between the former Marine and Gregorio Delgado, a Filipino of mixed descent, is the heart of the story, but the secondary characters help to maintain the high tension and add the necessary conflict to make this book a page-turner until the final scene. If you are looking for something different, you've come to the right place. This is a must-read...