Laura McNeill

Mom, Author, Blogger

Reader Spotlight: Jenny C

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Hey ALL!  Wanted to share the 4-1-1 about one of my reader-friends and the winnerFullSizeRender (1) of my “I Love Summer” prize pack!

Jennifer wins a Williams-Sonoma apron and oven mitt, as well as gourmet coffee, a Southern Living Cookbook, and Center of Gravity swag!

1. Name:  Jennifer C.
Jennifer C.2. Where you live: The beautiful piedmont of North Carolina!
3. My family! My husband, Kevin, and two sweet cats, Coley and Bailey. 🙂
4. Five words friends would use to describe you. Loyal, determined, kind, helpful, and smart
5. Finish this sentence. “When I’m not reading, I’m  exercising!”
6. Finish this sentence. “I love it when people  are happy!”
7. What would you do with a million dollars? I would probably take a few years IMG_1743off from work and just travel, read, and relax!
8. Favorite book: If I can only list one, then I’ll start with one of my first favorites, Great Expectations by Dickens. Oh, how I love it!
13. Favorite movie: The Sweetest Thing! It’s one I can watch over and over and laugh!
14. Favorite treat/snack: Anything with peanut butter and chocolate! Yum!
15. Favorite vacation spot: Mykonos, Greece (with a book in my hand, of course!)download
16. Romance or Suspense? Suspense!
17. Coffee or Tea? Water with lemon! 🙂
18. Beach or Mountains? Beach (but I love our mountains, too!)
19. Sun or Snow? Snow! It’s a big event to get snow here!

Thank you to Jennifer and everyone for participating in my “I Love Summer” Giveaway! Wishing you the happiest July ever!

xo, Laura

Reader Feature: Jen McGee

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Today I am so happy to welcome my friend Jen McGee to the blog. Jen is a talented photographer, great mom, wife, and blogger, AND is one of my most trusted beta-readers! I can definitely count on her for honest feedback and constructive ways to improve my novels, which is so amazingly helpful for any author.

Though we live far away from each other, Jen and I email often, trade thoughts about books, kids, work, and life. Like me, Jen loves coffee, chocolate, and traveling. She is also Chicago Cubs fan (her Instagram handle is cubsfan3410)! 

I encourage you to check out her blog, It’s My Life, and follow her on Instagram to check out all of her really creative and lovely photographs!

The 411 on Jen

  1. Name – Jen McGee
  2. Hometown – Middle of nowhere, Midwest USA
  3. Where you live now! Chicagoland
  4. Family members (if you want to share that) – My husband of almost 18 years; 22-year-old son; 11-year-old daughterimage4
  5. How did we “meet?” – I reviewed ; you emailed me to thank me and our friendship took off from there.
  6. Five words friends would use to describe you. –Caring; silly; dedicated; loyal and honest.
  7. Name of your blog and URL. How and why did you start blogging? I blog at ”It’s my Life.” I started blogging in 2006 to keep my family updated on our happenings.
  8. What is the most rewarding thing about it? I have “met” some very fantastic bloggers and friends.
  9. Finish this sentence. “When I’m not reading, I’m taking photos.image2
  10. Finish this sentence. “I love it when people smile.
  11. What would you do with a million dollars? Buy a house and new car; then put the rest away for education.
  12. Favorite book –WOW! This is a REALLY tough one. I love so many books for so many reasons. I think my answer would be Little Women – I read it every year and have since I was probably about 10.
  13. Favorite movie – The Wizard of Oz
  14. Favorite treat/snack – Snickers or Milky Way bars OR if you really want to score some points with me – chocolate chip cookies !
  15. Favorite vacation spot – Like books, I love so many places for so many reasons. I think I will say – Disney or the beach.
  16. Romance or Suspense? – It depends on my mood.
  17. Coffee or Tea? – Coffee!!!
  18. Beach or Mountains? Beach
  19. Sun or Snow? SUN!!!!!!!!!
  20. Where can people find you on the web or on social media?  My blog: It’s My Life  & Instagram: cubsfan3410

Thank you so much for stopping by this week’s Reader Spotlight and meeting Jen!

xo, Laura

Reader Spotlight: Jessica Sinn, Chick Lit Café

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1911847_449895051805967_1256123524_nThis week, I’m so excited for you to meet the lovely and talented Jessica Sinn, book reviewer, writer, and dog whisperer. Jessica runs Chick Lit Café, where she gives honest and insightful reviews about a wide range of novels from romance to horror. Her reviews around Halloween are particularly fun!

Jessica is an audiobook junkie, like me, and when she’s not reading or working as the Communications Coordinator at University of Texas at Austin, you can find her at Austin Pets Alive playing with pups.  Fun Fact:  This past year, Jessica had the opportunity to meet Goosebumps creator, R.L. Stine!10641274_586865141442290_5502895741570426692_n

Here’s the 411 on Jessica:

  1. Name: Jessica Sinn
  2. Hometown: Santee, California
  3. Where you live now! Austin, Texas. I’m doing my part to keep Austin weird!
  4. Family members: My teenie tiny family consists of my dad and my big sister.
  5. How did we “meet?” Hmmm…it was so long ago, it’s hard to remember! I believe it happened when you offered me an ARC of you first book, Stay Tuned.
  6. Five words friends would use to describe you. Silly, funny, colorful, loud, talkative. Little do they know, I’m a closet introvert!

Capture     7.  Why and how did you start blogging?

I started it mainly for myself. I wanted to keep a record of all the books I’m reading for the same reasons people put together scrapbooks. I love looking back at my reviews and reminiscing about how I felt while reading the book, and how I connected—or disconnected—with the characters. It’s kind of funny how I can look back at a book I read two years ago and remember exactly what was going on in my life at that time.

  1. What is the most rewarding thing about it? There are so many rewards, but if I had to choose just one, I’d say that my community of writers and bloggers is an unexpected gift. It’s like having pen pals who truly understand me at a whole other level. They totally get my book obsession and motivate me to get cracking on my book. I wouldn’t trade my book blog community for anything in the world!
  2. Finish this sentence. “When I’m not reading, I’m running with rescue dogs.”10291739_494727543989384_1360654197414154451_n
  3. Finish this sentence. “I love it when people are kind to each other.”
  4. What would you do with a million dollars? Quit my day job and write full time!
  5. Favorite book: The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
  6. Favorite movie: Hocus Pocus
  7. Favorite treat/snack: Cupcakes!
  8. Favorite vacation spot: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
  9. 10013313_471118176350321_2140419158_nRomance or Suspense? Suspense with a touch of romance.
  10. Coffee or Tea? Coffee in the morning; lemon ginger tea at night.
  11. Beach or Mountains? Definitely the mountains.
  12. Sun or Snow? Bring on the sun!
  13. Where can people find you on the web or on social media?

Thank you Jessica, for taking time out of your busy schedule to take part in my Reader Spotlight!  xo

Have a great week, everyone!

~ Laura

Reader Feature: 20 Questions with Hailey Fish

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Today, I’d like to introduce you to fabulous reader and blogger Hailey Fish. She’s been a joy to get to know, always has something positive to say about other people, and loves to talk about books!

On her website, she has two really awesome lists of authors she’s met and authors she’d like to meet! Hailey has met Jane Green, Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen, Charlaine Harris, Lee Child, and many more! She would like to meet Stephen King, Wally Lamb, Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, Sarah Dessen, Liane Moriarty, & Anita Hughes (and about a few dozen more).

me32Here’s the 411 on Hailey:

  1. Full Name: Hailey Ellen Fish
  2. Hometown: Westerly, RI
  3. Where you live now: Pawcatuck, CT
  4. Family members: Jim and Sharon, two older brothers Will and Chris, an older sister Mallory, two nieces Grace and Jill and two nephews Devon and Colton.
  5. How did we “meet?” Through Facebook
  6. Five words friends would use to describe you: Sweet, loyal, loving, friendly and compassionate
  7. Name of your blog: www.fishlovesbooks.blogspot.com. How and why did you start blogging? I’m not as active as I would like, but I started blogging because  ladies who blog have a great camaraderie with other women around the world, always talking about great books, things going on in their personal lives, their families.
  8. What is the most rewarding thing about it? Being able to meet great, inspiring women.
  9. Finish this sentence. “When I’m not reading, I’m working or hanging out with family but try and sneak in me33moments to read.”
  10. Finish this sentence. “I love it when people compliment my eyes and recommend books.”
  11. What would you do with a million dollars? Put money into trust funds for my nieces and nephews, buy myself a new car, buy my parents new cars as well as my brother in law and sister, go on vacation and put a lot in the bank as a nest egg.
  12. Favorite book: That would be like asking who is your favorite child, if I had any kids. I guess if I had to choose, it would be 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult. It captured how people would feel during a shooting at a school, the repercussions of the shooter and the family of the shooter.
  13. Favorite movies: Billy Madison, Practical Magic, The Little Mermaid, Growns-Ups.
  14. Favorite treat/snack: Smart food popcorn, goldfish crackers, creme brulee
  15. Favorite vacation spots: Las Vegas, NV; Orlando, FL: Universal Studios
  16. Romance or Suspense? Romantic Suspense!
  17. Coffee or Tea? Tea with milk and sugar in a nice big comfy mug
  18. Beach or Mountains? Beach
  19. Sun or Snow? Sun, the temperature in the 70’s
  20. Where can people find you on the web or on social media? Facebook: Hailey Fish  Twitter: @hailey_jam91

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I have to say that I also love Jodi Picolt’s 19 Minutes, SmartFood Popcorn, and romantic suspense!  Thank you so much to Hailey for taking time to sharing all of this.

Love & hugs, Laura

Reader Spotlight: Ron Wright

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Today, I want to introduce you to my friend and trusted beta reader, Ron Wright! Ron and I met on Facebook several years ago and connected over a mutual love of books!

jpHe is also an author, and published Once in a Lifetime.

The book is a personal and humorous account of his month-long trip to Japan to reconnect with his older son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

Here’s the 411 on Ron:

  1. Name: Ron Wright
  2. Hometown: Oxford, OH
  3. Where you live now: Port Orchard, WA
  4. Family members: Sue, David (and a bunch who no longer live with us)…
  5. How did we “meet?” Facebook!
  6. Five words friends would use to describe you: Smart, Happy, Caring, Outgoing, Reader.

    rw

    Ron & Sue Wright

  7. Finish this sentence – “When I’m not reading, I’m online.”
  8. Finish this sentence – “I love it when people help others.”
  9. What would you do with a million dollars? Make my house ADA compatible, and help others.
  10. Favorite book: The Girl in the Woods by Gregg Olsen
  11. Favorite movie: “Mr. Baseball”
  12. Favorite treat:  Tiramisu
  13. Favorite vacation spot: Itsukushima
  14. Romance or Suspense? Suspense
  15. Coffee or Tea? Both
  16. Beach or Mountains? Mountains
  17. Sun or Snow? Sun
  18. Where can people find you on the web or on social media?

Thank you so much, Ron, for sharing with us! It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you.   ~ Laura

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