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Monday, August 21, 2017

The Bridesmaid's Checklist by K.T. Castle - Book Tour - Book Sale - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host K.T. Castle and her new book series, “The Bridesmaid's Checklist”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win exciting prizes like paperback copies of both featured books, digital copies of both featured books, and $10 Amazon Gift Cards!!  Also, come back daily to interact with K.T. and to increase your chances of winning!

Both books in this series are on sale during the book tour for ONLY $0.99 each!!!  See below for more details.

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


by K.T. Castle

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GENRE: Contemporary (New Adult) Romance

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BLURB:

Kassandra is a single, independent woman who prides herself on her own success. But when she’s asked by her best friend Laura to be the Maid of Honor in her wedding, Kassandra finds herself questioning her lifestyle. Helping Laura plan the wedding is no problem—she’s done it before for all their other friends. The first time was a blast, the second super fun, but doing it without receiving any help from the rest of the girls gets old really fast.

The whole event kicks off with the worst kind of surprise when Kassandra discovers who her friend's fiancé really is, and she's torn between supporting Laura's future happiness and hiding the deeply buried, intimate past she shares with the groom-to-be. Struggling to be the bigger person and do all the hard work on her own, Kassandra finds surprising comfort in Josh, the best man in the wedding and someone she's been avoiding for years. He's charming, thoughtful, handsome, and the worst kind of womanizer, but she just can't seem to stay away. All the while, Kassandra can't help wondering if the wedding could be any more cliché—until she finds unexpected ways to change things up a bit.

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EXCERPT ONE:

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. I’d heard that saying more than once now. And I was about to hear it once again.

“Kassie! Kassie, wake up! I’m getting married,” a high-pitched voice squealed at me at 3:00 a.m.

Who the hell is this? I had picked up the phone without even looking at the caller ID. Oh, Laura. Great.

“Kassandra, are you listening? I’m engaged!” Laura screamed from the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, wow,” I said. “Congratulations.”

“I can’t believe you, Kassie. You should be more excited. You’ll get to be my bridesmaid!” The volume of her voice kept rising.

“I’m happy for you, Laura.” I really didn’t know at the moment how I felt. I was trying to look around to see exactly where I was. “Believe me. It’s just…it’s three o’clock, and I was sleeping.”

After looking at my surroundings, I remembered I was in my own house. I had a minor headache, probably from all the drinking the night before, and my body ached a bit. I looked beside me and found the reason for my hurt.

Next to me I found the silhouette of a beautiful man. The memories of the few hours before my abrupt awakening came back at me:

A bar. A blond. My home. Some sex...in that order.

“I know it’s late, but I had to give you the good news.”

“And news it is.” She was the last of my best friends who was single; not so long ago we roamed all the bars in town together, looking for men to hook up with, and suddenly she was engaged.

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GUEST POST:

How To Hold Yourself Accountable

Accountability is a way of being transparent with your work, the first step of becoming autonomous or independent. Accountability comes hand in hand with responsibility and trust. Either if you work on your own or someone else, being accountable with what you do is very important. When you have a boss you should ask for coaching and feedback, even from peers and your team. But when you’re independent, it can be a little trickier.

Becoming a writer has a lot of benefits and satisfactions, even if you still have a part-time or full-time job. Here are the steps I recommend to be accountable to yourself:

     Make a plan
You have a great idea for a book. You know the steps of the writing process. Now it’s time to get your hands dirty.
The first thing that you have to do is set a writing schedule. It’s not enough to think about writing and accommodate it to your schedule, writing has to be part of it. I know it can be difficult, I have a family and a full-time job that is demanding. But even if it’s only an hour a day, make time to write.
Wake up earlier, go to bed later, block that time out from anything else. It’s your writing time and you have to make it count. It is imperative that writing becomes a priority if it is really something you want to achieve. You may feel that is impossible to create a consistent schedule, but that is entirely up to you. Have it on your calendar, set up alarms, work in a place you know you’ll have the privacy to do it. When it is something you really wish to do you’ll make it happen. Keep that in mind and you’ll always succeed.

     Set deadlines & goals
Now that you have your writing time, you need to “attend” your writing dates. Depending on your plan, the time you can dedicate to writing and how much you plan to write, the next step is to set deadlines and goals.
Depending on your preferences, you can set your writing goals to measure number of words, scenes or even chapters. I like to have a word count word for every week, since my chapters vary in length.
Trackers are really important for this step. You like graphs? Great moment to use them. There’s apps, websites and gadgets that can help you visualize your advances. It is a great way to know you’re on the right track and advancing.
Be careful with the deadlines you set for yourself. It’s easy to plan to write half a book in two weeks, then look back and see that you’re far from that goal. That doesn’t mean you aren’t working and advancing. It might be your chapters are longer than expected or that you’re using your writing time for something else (even if it’s still towards writing your book).That’s why a tracker comes in handy. With the tracker you’ll see how much you’re advancing and rethinking your deadlines. Set realistic deadlines and goals.

     Know your role
It happens all the time. You have your “writing date”, you have the scene/idea you’re going to focus on, you’re ready… until you decide to read what you wrote yesterday, or make some research, or rearrange the chapter order in your draft.
When making your writing plan also consider your role. Are you going to write? Edit? Research? Asses? Critique? It’s tempting to fall in any of this roles during your writing time, but it is up to you to decide how often you do it. My recommendation is to start writing, and keep writing. Then make notes about questions you have, facts that you want to investigate, things you want to revise later. You could do it all in a notebook or as a comment in the document.
Know exactly when you’ll fall into each of the roles your writing requires, and don’t let yourself get confused about what you’re doing and then eventually sidetracked.

     Find support in others
Tell everyone what you’re doing! Believe me, you’ll find the support encouraging.
Lot’s of writers like to keep private and work best on their own. It’s completely fine. If it works for you, keep it up. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!”
But if you find yourself in need of a little external motivation, there are several ways to do so.
Get involved in a writing group, either virtually or in person. There are great writing groups on Facebook, I’m sure your niche has one too. I personally like to post pictures on Instagram and follow a writing challenge every now and then. If you have writers that live close by, meet with them and discuss your ideas, maybe even collaborate. A great online place to meet writers, while you’re publishing a little something and start building your audience is Wattpad. There’s also being part of a movement. I am part of NaNoWriMo and participate in their activities.

     Ask for feedback
This can be difficult, I know. Who can you trust with your writing project?
How about a friend? A good coworker? The librarian? An online peer? Your editor? It has to be someone that you know likes to read your kind of writing, but also someone that is going to be honest with their feedback.
Feedback helps us grow. Take it as positive criticism. If you’re a little wary about it my suggestion is to make a list of questions or topics that you rather discuss. It also helps to tell whoever is giving you feedback that you want to start with everything they liked, then discuss the areas that need improvement and finish with ideas they might have for you to improve.
Remember that you’re in control of what you’re writing. Feedback can potentially make you a better writer, but listening to someone else's ideas doesn't mean you have to change anything you aren’t comfortable with.

     Celebrate success
Writing is no easy task, if it was anyone would do it. Celebrate your achievements!
You only wrote 7,000 words this week? That’s 7,000 more you had than last week… keep moving! Small goals are as important as long term ones. You don’t have to finish the book before you allow yourself to celebrate. Part of your intrinsic motivation is to give yourself credit for what you’re achieving to led you to greater success. The more you write, the better you're going to do it. Enjoy the journey as much as you can, and when you reach the ultimate goal give yourself a big hug before you start it all over again ;)

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AUTHOR BIO:


K.T. Castle is an author/artist on a quest to find the words, forms, and colors to materialize the worlds and people of her imagination.  She never saw herself as an incurable romantic, but lately, that's what she finds herself musing about.  Love is found everywhere, regardless if it comes from a nice person, an ass — mundane or even vampire.  When she's not busy with work, in front of a computer placing many thoughts in order, she makes her best to be creative or relax with a good book and a snack.  Some of her favorite characters are Sookie, Rule and Shaw, Bella, Edward, Clary, Jace, Wrath, Hollywood, Blaire, Woods, Ethan, the Sleeping Beauty, and Ariel.  Get to know her more on her social media pages.

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CONNECT WITH K.T.:

Website:

Blog:

Wattpad:

Facebook:

Twitter:

Pinterest:

Google+:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page – Laura’s Wedding – Book One:

Goodreads Book Page – Marisol’s Wedding – Book Two:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO – LAURA’S WEDDING – BOOK ONE:

**This book is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!**

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

Amazon UK:

Amazon CA:

Amazon AU:

Amazon MX:

Barnes and Noble:

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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO – MARISOL’S WEDDING – BOOK TWO:

**This book is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!**

Amazon Kindle:

Amazon Paperback:

Amazon UK:

Amazon CA:

Amazon AU:

Amazon MX:

Barnes and Noble:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

K.T. Castle will award paperback copies of The Bridesmaid's Checklist Series and a $10 Amazon GC (US/Mexico only) to one randomly selected commenter and digital copies of The Bridesmaid's Checklist Series and a $10 Amazon GC (international) to a second randomly selected commenter.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

75 comments:

  1. Congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lisa!!!
      It's nice to see you visit.

      What did you think of the post?

      Delete
  2. K.T. ~ It is great to have you here again! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so happy to be back!
      Thanks for hosting me today :*
      This is such a nice day to star my tour.

      Delete
  3. Hello, everyone!!!

    Ally!! It's no nice to be back. Thanks for having me today and sharing my post... you made me think :) Hope lots of people find it useful.

    I'm at work right now, first day of school over here. Lots of children to teach :) and there's also the eclipse. What a wonderful day!!!

    I'll be dropping as much as possible. Don't be shy! I love answering questions.

    Later,
    K

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for visiting!
    Hope you enjoyed the post.
    Good luck with the giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like a great post, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Victoria!!
      Hope lots of people found it useful. When Ally presented the challenge I wanted to create the best post ever :)

      Delete
  6. Have a Terrific Tuesday and thanks for the opportunity to win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You, too, James!!
      Have a great visit :)
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  7. I just love reading excerpts so I can find new books to read. Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, Madonna.
      Reading excerpts is a great way to get a little "taste" of a book.
      If you'd like to read a little bit more of my books, I have some chapters published in my site. Visit ktcastle.com and you'll find it there.
      Or even better, send me an email :)

      Delete
  8. Hello, stopping by to thank you for giving me the chance at winning this giveaway. Enjoy your Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Here we are, back to another Monday so quickly. Make it a good one and thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A new week, and new adventures.
      Thanks for visiting!

      Did you like the post?

      Delete
  10. Was just wondering if the author has her next book in mind and if so what is it about?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Cindy!!!

      I sure have more books to write in mind. Next year the third book from the series will be out, and I have another couple romances I'm working on.

      Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  11. What's your favorite genre of books to read?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Romance, Cindy!!!
      Specially new adult and contemporary.

      How about you?

      Delete
    2. I read everything from romance to sci fi to classic, to non fiction to general fiction.

      Delete
  12. Replies
    1. Life!!!

      My family, my friends, different experiences... and of course, other books :)

      Nice to see you again, Madonna!

      Delete
  13. What's your favorite book/author/movie/show?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's plenty books, movies and shows that I love :)

      One of my favorite authors is Jan Crownover, have you read her books?? They're totally awsome!!!

      Delete
    2. No I haven't but I will check her out. I enjoy Sandra Dallas, Ann Patchett, Piers Anthony, L.M Montogomery, and so many more!

      Delete
    3. I sure love L.M. Montogomery... and I need to check the rest of your recommendations.

      Have a lovely weekend!

      Delete
    4. For Sandra Dallas- Alice's Tulips & Diary of Mattie Spencer are her best. Ann Patchett- The Magician's Assistant and Bell Canto.

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  14. Have a great Wednesday and thanks once again for the chance to win this giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Do you ever have writer's block? Do you have a method of getting past it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a big fat writer's block with the third book of the series. I don't know if it's the perfect method or not, but I have myself some time off writing and then just revised my writing plan and went for it.

      If you want to write, you should go for it!!!

      Delete
  16. What book would you like to see turned into a movie? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be awsome!!!
      I think all writers dream of their book on the big (or small) screen... but then there's the right way to do it and that's the deal breaker, isn't it?

      Best of luck, Joseph!

      Delete
  17. What's your writing process like, write as you feel it or do you write a certain number of hours per day?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the question, Cindy :)

      When I write a book I enter (what I call) a writing cycle. I braistorm, make a map of what I'll be writing and set goals to achieve everything I have to do.

      The Reading Addict has I post I did about it if you'd like to take a look:
      http://thereadingaddict-elf.blogspot.mx/2017/09/the-bridesmaids-checklist-by-kt-castle.html

      Later,

      Delete
  18. What was your favorite book growing up? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read more comic books that novels when I was growing up, specially Archie and Japanese Manga.

      As for real books, I'd have to say "Little Women." I love all the girls and Laurie was my first big crush :)

      Delete
  19. What is the best book that you have read in the past year? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read a lot, and I have tons of favorites.
      Anything by Jay Crownover I absolutedly adore! My favorite book of hers is "Rule."

      I also read and recommend "Trust," "The Wright Boss," "Defy," "The Knocked Up Plan," and many others.

      I have some reviews in my blog if you'd like to visit.
      ktcastle.wordpress.com

      Thanks,

      Delete
  20. What's your ultimate writing goal/dream?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish that someday I can just write and paint an be able to cover all bills :)

      I'd love to see my book in different languages and travel around to meet readers around the world.

      Delete
  21. Have you ever met anyone famous before?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's see... I once worked at a restaurant in Epcot center and met some nice artists. There was Chayanne and Bianca Jagger.

      Once walking by Santa Monica I met Kenan Thompson, he was super nice :)

      Delete
  22. Who is your favorite literary character of all time? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, such a difficult question.
      I love Bella from Twilight and Jo from Little Women.

      How about you?

      Delete
  23. What book would you like to see a sequel to? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love sequels and struggle to see series I love finish.
      I'm thankful the Mortal Instruments is a series. I would love to know more about The Marked Men but know that's not happening :/

      Delete
  24. Is there a book you've been meaning to read but haven't tackled it yet because it's a little intimidating?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because it's intimidating??
      Good question!
      I have a long TRL, but I haven't started The Dirty Billionarie seires because I know I'll love it and will want to read it as fast as possible and there's several books to read.

      Delete
  25. There's so many books to read!!
    As I told you I love Jay and all her books, my favorite is the Marked Man Series. There's J.R. Ward and The Black Dagger Brotherhood. I like Cora Carmack, Meghan March and Abbi Glines.

    If you have time to visit my blog I have some great recommendations :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. What's on your to read book shelf these days?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have several books to read.
      I just finished "Dear Bridget, I want you" It was awesome!
      I also have Flow by Kennedy Ryan, Beneath his masks by Meghan March, Perfectly Imperfect by Gabriela Cabezut, Losing Control by Desiree Wilder and many others.

      Delete
  27. Do you have any authors you recommend?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tons, Cindy :)
      Jay Crownover is there for sure, also Abbi Glines, Meghan March, Vi Keeland, and many others.

      How about you?

      Delete
  28. If your book was made into a movie who would you want to star in it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a difficult one... I don't even have the ambition of having my books made into a movie.

      If the opportunity ever came, I wish it was a new actor and actress... Since I'm a new writer it only seems fitting.

      Delete
  29. Thank you guys for continue visiting!
    I'm loving all the questions.

    Ally, hope you invite me again to collaborate in your blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Is there a favorite book out there you wish they would turn into a movie?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure... I wish The Black Dagger Brotherhood had a series, as well as The Marked Men. But then, sometimes your imagination pictures a much better world than those a movie depicts... it has happened before. I like the Twilight movies, but there's nothing like the book. It also happened with The Mortal Instruments... So I just make up my mind of enjoying what the movie can make of the books I love and don't take it too personal.

      Delete
  31. Are you a big reader as well as a writer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a much bigger reader. I like to read daily. My year goal was 50 books a year, I've already met it :)

      Delete
  32. I haven't read those but I love hearing about new books to check out. Will keep an eye out fo them.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Are you part of any book clubs or groups?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I sure do!
      At work we have a small group and read different books that help us live a better life, non-fiction / self-help and the like.
      Then I have different groups I belong, such as the Book Crowd. It's lots of fun to find people that enjoy reading the same things as you do.

      How about you?

      Delete
  34. What was your favorite book growing up? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was obsessed with Little Women for quite a while. ;D

      Delete
  35. What is your favorite book cover? Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like covers that have concepts on them, rather than portraits. I also really appreciate when they have art as a cover. Hard to name only one.

      How about you?

      Delete
  36. If you could meet an author past or present who would it be and why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love to meet Jane Austen. I'll be so interesting to have a conversation with her about the difficulties of publishing back then.

      Delete
  37. LaSt day! Congrats and wishing you much success. THank you for answering all our questions! It was really neat!

    ReplyDelete