ARC Review + Author Interview + Casting Call + Giveaway: Connectivity by Aven Ellis

Connectivity

Author: Aven Ellis

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Publication Date: October 16, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: ARC from Author

~Synopsis~

Overachiever Mary-Kate Grant (who is indeed named after an Olsen Twin) has followed every rule to the letter to pursue her dream of working in TV programming. Ripping a page from the “hard work pays off” playbook, she takes an assistant level job at a Chicago sports network to break into the industry.
MK has no time or desire for a relationship right now—she is totally focused on her career and being independent, unlike the other women in her family.

But MK’s plans are run through the shredder when she finds herself working for William Cumberland, a British media mogul who made his fortune with Connectivity, a social media site. William blows into Chicago just like the winds off Lake Michigan and purchases the group of networks MK works for—and makes her his personal assistant in the process.

Suddenly MK finds her career plans in jeopardy. William makes her question everything she has ever thought and has the uncanny ability to see right through her. And for the first time in her life, MK finds herself not only questioning what she wants for her career but for her personal life as well…

~Review~

I have the immense pleasure of chatting with Aven via email and twitter and she is quite possibly one of the funniest people I have met. Between her exceptional personality and the synopsis for Connectivity, I had no doubt I would enjoy this book. I love a good forbidden romance and there isn’t much more forbidden than a boss and his employee, except maybe a teacher and his student.

Poor MK, she is such a klutz but it was hilarious. She has high career ambitions and she wants so desperately to impress her new boss, William. Instead she continuously embarrasses herself and I was an anxious mess with each interaction because I knew something humiliating and awkward was going to happen. However, I noticed that the awkwardness is mostly when she's nervous with William. As she grows closer to him, the awkwardness turns into incredible chemistry. I absolutely loved MK. Despite her gracelessness when it comes to William, she is brilliant, ambitious and not afraid to speak her mind, even to the all powerful William Cumberland. 

William is powerful, career oriented and a bit aloof. He is not looking for a woman or a relationship. Instead, he’s looking to conquer the business world and he is all about building his empire. However, he meets MK and she opens something up inside of him that he didn’t know existed. He finds himself wanting to know this woman and spend time with her more than anything. She really gets him and she doesn’t see some rich media mogul. She just sees William, the man and that is what attracts him to her.

I thoroughly enjoyed the build up of MK and William’s relationship and I loved watching their verbal banter back and forth turn into a much deeper attraction. I worried at first that MK was getting in too deep with William and that she was developing feelings that he may not share. However, William proved himself to me and he made it very clear that he truly cared about her and wanted her to be a part of his life. As they got to know each other and spent more time together, the sexual tension definitely grew between them. I liked that they didn’t just jump right into bed together, but waited until they were both really sure of their feelings. MK knew that William could obliterate her and she knew that sex with him would be so much more than just that and she had to protect her heart. Even though William wanted to keep their relationship a secret at first, it was obvious he only did it to protect MK since he was her boss. He didn’t want people to gossip about her or question the moves she made in her career. He was nothing but supportive and he did everything he could to help her move forward because he genuinely believed in her talent and brilliance.

Despite the beautiful relationship they built, it wouldn’t be a good contemporary romance without a little drama would it? MK definitely has an impulsive side and she tends to fly off the handle before really thinking things through. My heart broke a little when she doubted William and everything blew up in her face. I wanted to shake her and tell her to calm down and be reasonable. She definitely was a act now, think later kind of woman. On the flip side, I felt like William was a little too business minded when it came to the relationship and even though she flew off the handle, I was disappointed in him for not chasing after her. Of course, MK came to her senses and realized her mistake a little too late. I loved that she held onto hope and poured her heart out in the hopes that she still had a chance to make things right. I was really proud of William for swallowing his pride, realizing his true feelings for MK and finally expressing them to her. I adored the epilogue of this book and it is perhaps one of my favorites. I actually teared up a little because it was so beautiful.

Overall, I really enjoyed Connectivity. It was well written and the plot was sweet and romantic. It was a down and out, true romance. I loved that there were no deep dark secrets or tragic pasts. It was just about 2 people who thought they knew what they wanted out of life until they met each other and everything changed. They both realized they could still live their dreams and ambitions but there is always room in there for love.

~IPOD Picks~

“Ashes & Wine” by A Fine Frenzy

“Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift

“Never Stop” by Safety Suit

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Author Interview: Aven Ellis

First, tell me a little bit about yourself. What inspires you to write?

I write because it brings me joy. It is fun to imagine new people and places and bring them to life. I love writing about falling in love, I love writing about young women finding their way forward in life--with a healthy mix of humor thrown in.

Where did the idea and inspiration for Connectivity come from?

I had an idea for a story about a young woman trying to find her way in her career in the back of my head. Then one night I was watching Sherlock on PBS and saw Benedict Cumberbatch and his AMAZING wavy hair. BOOM! William was born within minutes. I knew I had to write a British hero with gorgeous wavy hair. He came together quickly in my head, and then Mary-Kate (MK.) So really, Connectivity all started from a British actor’s hair. J

Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

MK. She was strong and intelligent, but when it came to love, vulnerable. Throw in her being a complete klutz and I got to do everything writing-wise. William was more of a challenge to write because I had to convey things with not being able to give you his inner thoughts. So I had to write him were you could understand him through his tone, his physical actions,  and by what MK saw in his eyes and facial expressions. 

If you could pick one song to be the theme song for Connectivity, what would it be?

What? Pick ONE? Oh come on now, that’s impossible! I create Spotify playlists for each book! But if you are forcing me to pick one, I’d say “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake. J

I know writers always have a million things in the works. Do you have any other projects that you’re really excited about?

I have two releases scheduled for next year: Waiting For Prince Harry (comedic contemporary romance) and my first New Adult comedic romance, Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista. I am writing the companion book to the NA story now, called Surviving The Rachel, because the heroine ends up with the infamous “Rachel” haircut from Friends. The haircut would be good if it were 1994, but since it is not, it is just another thing for the heroine to work though on a list of crappy life situations she seems to be running across. ;-)

Now for a little “get to know you” fun!

Coffee or Tea?  Coffee!

Favorite book? My Life In Paris by Julia Child

Sweet or Sour? Sweet-I can live off Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter.

Favorite hobby outside of reading and writing? Cooking. I love looking at recipes and pinning them on Pinterest. I also am obsessed with the Food Network.

Top 5 places you’d like to travel- 1. London 2. Dublin 3. Paris 4. Rome 5. Normandy

Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving because it is about FOOD. (See a pattern here?) J

Favorite movie? Anything with Henry Cavill or Benedict Cumberbatch. Is that an acceptable answer? ;-)

Favorite Fictional Character? Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series.

If you were on a deserted island and could have only one possession, what would it be?  Easy. Sunscreen. My skin is the color of copy paper and burns in a millisecond...

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Aven’s Casting Call--Connectivity

When I was asked to provide cover art suggestions for Connectivity, I immediately knew I wanted a silhouette for William and MK. That is because I didn’t want to impose images of William and MK on the readers--I wanted them to read the story and picture them as they wished.

Since I allowed the readers to play their own casting agents, I have received tweets and emails telling me who readers have seen as William and MK. And believe me, we have enough input for a virtual casting call so let’s all stop down RIGHT NOW and have one, yes? Okay, cool, let’s rock on then with the casting of William!

William Cumberland: 32, British, tall, dark wavy hair, good cheekbones, on the thin side (at first), sophisticated, badass mogul, intelligent.

With that in our heads, let’s run through the candidates for William Cumberland, shall we?

1      Henry Cavill.  He’s what I call the more muscular William style package. Delicious.

   David Gandy. Doesn’t he look like a badass mogul here? Very Williamesque look...

  Benedict Cumberbatch-Ah, the hair. Which isn’t wavy here but he does look like a dashing    business man. *Swoon*

  

 Robert Pattinson. This was the wild card of the casting process. I don’t see it, but several  people did.

Discuss. WHO IS WILLIAM CUMBERLAND? I would love to see your thoughts on this one!

Great casting choices Aven! After reading Connectivity, I am going to have to go with Henry Cavill on this one. He totally screams William to me and I can picture him as the British media mogul we are swooning over. What about y'all? Who do you see playing William? 

Now, let’s cast MK!

MK (Mary-Kate) Grant.  Needed: a mid-twenties actress with flame red hair, ivory skin, and petite figure. Must be able to bring fire to the role. She’s quick, intelligent, not afraid to speak her mind, passionate and protective of things she loves....like William. (Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwh.)

Zena Grey. If we used brown contacts and put a headband on her, she would be an excellent MK! 

  Deborah Ann Woll.  I think she is a perfect MK, don’t you?

  Emma Stone. She would have the fire needed for MK.

 Rose Leslie. Hair and coloring are perfection.

  

So here are the candidates for MK. Who do you see in the role? And who would you pair for the ideal William & MK couple?

Really great choices for Mk, Aven! I have to say, I would definitely cast Deborah Ann Woll for Mk. I can totally see her in the role and I picture her best with Henry Cavill as William. What do you guys think? Who's your ideal MK?

What do I think? Hmmm. I don’t think I’m gonna tell. The casting is up to you. J

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About Aven Ellis

Aven Ellis has been writing fiction since she was sixteen. She studied communications at a large Midwestern university, and after graduation, Aven worked as a reporter for a community newspaper, followed by a stint at a public relations agency. 

But writing about city council meetings and restaurant franchises was not as much fun as writing for young women trying to figure out their careers and potential boyfriends. So Aven got herself a job in television that allowed her to write at night. Connectivity is Aven’s debut novel; Waiting For Prince Harry and Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista (New Adult romantic comedy) will be published next year.

Aven lives in Dallas with her family. When she is not writing, Aven enjoys shopping, cooking, connecting with friends on social media, and watching any show that features Gordon Ramsay.

Links:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

*An eARC was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*

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Indie-Credible Author Spotlight ~Cindy M. Hogan

Oh My Gosh guys, I am so excited to be a part of the Indie-Credible Authors tour. I have the immense pleasure of hosting Cindy M. Hogan on the blog today. We have so much fun stuff going on here and I can't wait to share it all with you.

Here's what you can look forward too:

Interview with Cindy

Meet the Cast

My iPOD Playlist

Giveaway

But first, check out the Watched Series!

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Before I started blogging, I discovered Watched on Amazon and I was instantly intrigued. From the moment I started, I was hooked and I read all 3 books within a few days.

It takes more than a school trip to Washington, D.C. to change fifteen-year-old Christy's life. It takes murder.

A witness to the brutal slaying of a Senator's aide, Christy finds herself watched not only by the killers and the FBI, but also by two hot boys.

She discovers that if she can't help the FBI, who want to protect her, it will cost her and her new friends their lives.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of. She has a shot at becoming popular.
Life is great!
Until they find her.
Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows, including herself.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

The third and final book in the Watched series.

A spy school.
A choice.
A destiny discovered.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Watched is currently FREE on Amazon & Barnes & Noble! To read the first chapter of Watched, check out the link below:

http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/p/first-chapter-of-watched.html

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I had the opportunity to talk to Cindy and get to know her a bit and discuss the Watched Series, as well as any other projects she might be working on. Check out the interview below.

Author Interview: Cindy M Hogan

Tell me a little about yourself. What inspires you to write?

I am a multi-tasker. I have to be doing several things at once to feel happy. I love work. Seriously. My idea of fun is getting a project in the yard or in the house done. Unfortunately, my family sees that as work. Truth be told, sitting at the beach (what my family loves to do) is hard work for me. I need to be busy, I guess.

There are so many things that inspire me. I love to people watch and I get most of my ideas from doing that. My husband gives me ideas all the time-he’s an idea factory. I love to take walks and when I walk in the morning, I get all kinds of ideas for the books I’m writing.

The Watched Series is such a unique and thrilling YA series. Where did you get the idea for it?

It may be cliché, but it’s my cliché-I had a dream. It’s true. The scene I dreamt is actually near the end of Protected. After I’d had the dream, I thought, that would make the coolest movie. I need to tell someone. But, I didn’t know who to tell, so I wrote the dream down and couldn’t stop. The story just kept coming.

I have to say that Protected was my favorite of the three. It really showed Christy’s strengths and reinforced her character. Which one was your favorite to write? Why? 

I think Watched was my favorite to write because I was discovering who Christy and her friends were. However, it was the hardest to write since I had no clue what I was doing. It was fun to finally write the scene that started it all in Protected.  And I liked watching Christy come into her own in Created.

While the final book had a satisfying conclusion and wrapped up the story well, I felt like it was also left open for the possibility of more books in the series. Do you have any plans to add to it? Maybe do a spinoff series?

Funny that you ask. The first spin-off novel comes out in October-next month. It’s called Adrenaline Rush. Yay!  I couldn’t let Christy and all the fun characters go so easily. I feel like the Watched trilogy is Christy’s backstory. Now that she has become who was supposed to be, there are endless books on the horizon for Christy and her friends.

On top of releasing Adrenaline Rush, I’m releasing a stand-alone novel, Gravediggers at the same time.

If you could pick one song as the “Theme” song for the Watched series, what would it be?

That’s hard, but Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne comes to mind. It’s all about standing firm.

Let’s switch gears a little. You just started releasing the series Confession of a 16 year old Virgin Lips. This is definitely a very different type of series than Watched. Where did your inspiration come for these books?

You’ll never believe it, but the ideas came from my daughter’s experiences. While it is fiction, it is based on real events. Teens are unpredictable-and that makes for a plethora of story ideas.

Tell me a little about this new series and what you have planned for it.

I was planning on one season-6 episodes- for this serial that included all three years of Brooklyn Hamlin’s high school life-but my editor had different ideas. She convinced me that I had enough going on to create a serial for each year of her life.  So, Confessions of a 16-Year-Old Virgin Lips will be six episodes and cover her first year of high school. I will have 2 more serial seasons. One will cover her junior year and one her senior year.

I know writers always have a million things in the works. Do you have any other projects in the works that you’re really excited about?

First off, my priority is the launch of Adrenaline Rush and Gravediggers on Oct. 26^th at The King’s English Bookshop. I have a lot of stuff going on on top of that.

I’m about 1/3 of the way into a Christy Novel set in Brooklyn, N.Y. and have another Christy novel mapped out set in Paris, France that I will write for Nano. I also have two other stand-alone mystery/suspense novels in the works. I want to publish at least 2 books a year-one Christy novel and one stand alone. And, I guess I’ll be sprinkling Brooklyn Hamlin’s kissing experiences in there, too.

Now for a little “get to know you” fun!

Coffee or Tea? Neither. Hot chocolate-thick and creamy. Yum.

Favorite book? Divergent by Veronica Roth. Love. Love. Love.

Sweet or Sour? Sweet. Pastries are the very best.

Favorite hobby outside of reading and writing? Planning and having parties.

Top 5 places you’d like to travel-I’m excited to get back to Switzerland, Austira and Italy, but I’d love to see England and Spain.

Favorite season? Spring. Flowers and green grass-is there anything better?

Favorite holiday? Halloween, by far. I’d dress up every day if it wouldn’t make someone commit me.

Favorite movie? Ever After. Go Danielle.

Favorite Fictional Character? Sydney Bristow

If you were on a deserted island and could have only one possession, what would it be?  Probably a knife because I hate not being able to open things and I’m sure I’d need something sharp to do just that on the island. Yeah, I’m practical that way.

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Cindy and I wanted to introduce you to Christy, the main heroine in the Watched Series, along with Alex and Rick who play pivotal roles to Christy.

Christy

~Ambitious

~Resourceful

~Protective

Christy is youn gand very naive in the beginning. She grew up in Montana and doesn't have a lot of life experience. After her trip to DC takes a dangerous turn, she is forced to grow up quickly. She is smart and will do anything to protect the people she cares about. She learns a lot about herself in a short time and ends up growing exponentially by the end.

Rick

~Sweet

~Genuine

~Charming

Rick is an all around good guy who is instantly drawn to Christy. He cares a lot about her and always has her best interest in mind. He is careful with her and puts his heart on the line every time. Rick is really strong and such a multi-dimensional character. He is kind and understanding but can also be tough when necessary.

Alex

~Sexy

~Arrogant

~Reckless 

Alex is the resident bad boy and what book would be complete without one. Thankfully we have him to fulfill the role. Alex is definitely into Christy for her innocence at first but realizes how strong she actually is and finds himself falling for her.  He would definitely put himself out there for her so he isn't completely selfish but his self-absorption definitely gets the best of him.

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I am a huge music fan and listen to my iPod while I read. I love to do iPod picks for my reviews and while I was reading this series, there were definitely a few songs that stuck in my mind so I thought I would share my iPod playlist for the Watched Series with you.

~Chelsea's iPod Playlist: Watched Series~

"One of These Mornings" by Moby
"Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys
"I Cry" by Flo Rida
"Anna Sun" by Walk the Moon
"I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz
"Punching in a Dream" by The Naked and Famous
"Leave Out All the Rest" by Boyce Avenue

To listen to the playlist on Spotify, click on this link: Watched Series

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Cindy M. Hogan

I love a good scare, and I'm not talking about a gory, bloody scare, I'm talking about suspense.There's nothing better than reading a book or watching a movie that makes your heart race. Add in a little romance and I'm hooked. I only like true romance-no smut.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

Also, check out these other books by Cindy and click on the book covers to go to Amazon.

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I hope you enjoyed meeting Cindy and you all check out Watched, it's FREE. You'll be hooked! Finally, check out the giveaways below to win an eBook copy of Protected & Created, as well as the grand prize giveaway for the tour.

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