Special Guest: Gemma Halliday!

Today we have a special guest post from Gemma Halliday, and she has a contest for our readers!



Take it away, Gemma!

_______________________

Thanks so much to the lovely Fictionistas for hosting me today! Not only are they all fantastic ladies, but I’m also bordering on mega-fan of their books.

My Hollywood Confessions Blog Tour is in full swing, so please check out my website for more tour stops, as I’ll be giving away cool prizes (including gift cards, free books, cameo appearances, and Hollywood Headlines collectibles) at each stop!



Hollywood Confessions explores the sensational world of Hollywood through the eyes of tabloid reporter, Allie Quick. Allie has high aspirations - much higher than reporting on the latest celebrity gossip for the L.A. Informer, Hollywood's most notorious tabloid. But if she's going to join the ranks of the real reporters, she's going to need a headline worthy story under her belt. Luckily, she gets just that when the producer of the trashiest reality shows on TV winds up murdered, and Allie convinces her editor, Felix Dunn, that this story has her name written all over it. Between an aging dance-off judge, a family with sextuplets and triplets, and the star of a little person dating show, Allie has no shortage of reality stars to question. But when she finds herself falling for her prime suspect, Allie's relationship with her editor is suddenly on the rocks, and her life is in danger. This is one deadline Allie can't afford to miss!

One of my favorite things about writing this book was coming up with the fake reality shows that the victim, Chester Barker, had created. I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a reality TV junkie myself. And with so many great slash trashy reality shows to choose from lately, it was hard creating unique ones of my own. Here’s what I came up with:


Little Love
A reality dating show where one eligible bachelor is put into a house with twenty hot, young single girls. Every week the girls tried to out-flirt each other on group dates to earn a rose at the end of the hour-long show. The last one left standing at the end of the season gets a proposal from the bachelor. The twist? All the contestants on the show are little people. Including the ‘Little Bachelor”, who happens to have serious anger issues and ends up taking out a couple cameramen during the course of the season.
(Cleary this was my homage to The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Little People Big World, The Little Couple, and maybe a smidge of explosive Jersey Shore tempers. )


Don & Deb’s Diva Dozen
Don and Deb Davenport are the parents of 12 little girls: two sets of triplets (ages six and ten) and a set of sextuplets (four-year-olds), and all of them compete in the Tiny Tot beauty pageants. In their fourth season, the ratings hit a high when Don was photographed with a string of young co-eds at trendy Hollywood nightclubs. Don and Deb announced a trial separation for Fall sweeps, Deb taking the sextuplets and doing the Southern Glitz pageant circuit, while Don took the triplets to the West Coast Sunshine pageants. But, thankfully, by May sweeps, the couple announced they were going to give marriage a try again, and the season culminated in an hour-long Don & Deb’s Reunion show where the couple took all twelve children to Vegas for a long weekend, renewing their vows at the MGM Grand.
(Take a dose of Jon & Kate, Quints by Surprise, and 19 Kids & Counting… or are they at 20 now? 21?... throw in some Toddlers & Tiaras, and just a *slight* hint of Octomom, and voila! Reality gold.)

Stayin’ Alive
Currently in its ninth season, this is the granddaddy of all reality shows, pitting fifteen strangers against each other to fight for the title of Last Survivor Alive. Each season contestants are dropped in the middle of nowhere, the only location requirements being a beach (where the female contestants can wear their teeny tiny bikinis), torrential rains (that wet said bikinis suggestively), and lots of big, hungry mosquitoes (just for kicks). All fifteen contestants have to brave both the elements and each other, fighting it out in reward and immunity challenges. Anyone not winning immunity is forced to go to the tribal staging area, where someone is sent home each week. However, they aren’t voted out on their survival skills. Instead, the contestants participate in a dance-off, where a panel of judges vote out the contestant with the worst ballroom skills.
(Survivor vs. Dancing with the Stars vs. American Idol – the ultimate competition show!)

So, what are you fav reality shows? Any great combos you’d love to see? Leave your answer in the comments below and you’ll be entered to win a prize! Since Hollywood Confessions is the 3rd book in the Hollywood Headlines series, I’m offering a FREE autographed copy of the 1st book in the series (Hollywood Scandals) in print format. I’ll pull a post at random tomorrow and announce the winner here.

Happy reading!

~Gemma Halliday
http://www.gemmahalliday.com

HOLLYWOOD CONFESSIONS
available now in:
Paperback Print
Kindle
Nook
Ebook

My Boyfriend's Back...

Wait, my boyfriend never left, as far as I know...

BUT our very own Fictionista, Chrissy, has a .99 bargain available from Amazon!

MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK

"I bring you tidings of... DAMMIT!"

With those few words, Jack Lynch's world would change forever. The nerdy guy
from Hammond High has returned for his twentieth reunion. He's rich, successful,
and ready to re-claim the girl who got away: Rori McLeary.

There's just one small problem... Jack is also dead. But with the help of an
angel in training, his mom, and the rockin' body of his former arch-nemesis,
Jack is still going to get the girl.

He has three days to convince Rori to love him. He's got the body he never
had, the brains he always had, and Norman the geek angel on his side.

What could possibly go wrong?

I say spread the love on Valentine's Day and buy this e-book!

Win Some Steampunk Love

Miss Bramble And The Leviathan is officially on sale!!! You can get your copy here. Buy one for yourself and one for a friend! Nothing says I care like steampunk. ;o)

If you like a chance to win a copy, stop by Meljean Brooks blog today and leave a comment.

Here's the book's blurb:

The last thing she planned to steal was his heart.

The Company. Military institution, protector of Praeton and the nation of Grand Isle. Dirty rotten thief.

When Pandora Bramble steps aboard the Company’s premiere airship Daedalus it’s not for the exclusive VIP tour. It’s to secure proof that the Company stole the regulator valve her father designed—even if it means tearing the engine apart. Foiled by the unexpected appearance of a handsome crew member, she despairs of ever getting another chance—until he kisses her.

Captain Theolonius Hatch, sentenced to engine room duty for refusing to take part in the Company’s fleet week activities, never dreamed a woman like Pandora existed. Her brains match her beauty, a combination that adds up to more trouble than he ever expected.

As Pandora allows Theolonius to sweep her into a whirlwind courtship, her wildest dreams come true. As do her greatest fears, leaving her to decide what matters most. Loyalty…or love.

The clock is ticking.

Warning: This book contains airships, mechanical owls, women who are good with tools, men in and out of uniform, steam generated by engines and people, and some hot carriage scenes.

Now go forth and purchase! Or comment! Or both!

Christmas Means... MOVIES!

The holidays are great for family and lovely, indulgent meals. But I'm one of those weirdos who sometimes goes to the movies. In fact, Ahmed and I often spend Christmas morning buried up in a movie theater for a triple play. I used to be a reviewer... but I will always be a movie nut, either way.

So December 23rd I am lining up to get my copy of Stupid Cupid. Reading it that night. Doing family stuff on the 24th. But I plan to be in a movie theater on the 25th.

These are the flicks singing a siren song to me.



Avatar-- I've actually been saying for a while that this movie will either completely kick butt or be a total flop. Early buzz is astonishing. Every tiny sneak peak I have seen has taken my breath away. I'm not somebody who gets suckered in by special effects, but the story here is deeply intriguing, and James Cameron often gets it right. So yeah... I'll eventually get around to seeing this on the big screen.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel-- Shut up. I know nobody liked the first one, but I loved it. I still listen to the soundtrack. Actually, I prefer the 'Monk version of Bad Day... also their Funky Town is quite good. This will probably be a nephew trip, so maybe not Christmas Day. Definitely going, though.


Nine-- Daniel Day Lewis is enough to get me in the door, but musical montages are a big lure, too. It's like a darker, more contemporary Moulin Rouge, only not. I like Rob Marshall and most of this cast... and the ones I don't care for (remaining nameless)... well, I still want to see them sing and dance. How can I not?

But the biggie? The grand-daddy of them all? The movie absolutely, definitely getting me off the couch and into the ticket line on Christmas Day?

Sherlock Holmes-- The new version of Sherlock Holmes featuring the red-hot-adorable-duo of Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. Granted, it's directed by Guy Ritchie. But he dumped Madonna, so who knows? And the tone-- very slapstick with a British wink, bordering on steampunk-- has already got me drooling in anticipation. It's a sure-fire win. Gotta be there.

Any movies on your radar??