May 2018 – Page 26 – Sincerely Karen Jo

Ready to get a sneak peek at THE HOOKUP by Erin McCarthy, coming May 8th? Check out an excerpt below and preorder your copy now!

Available May 8th

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Is there an equation for the perfect hookup? Turns out it’s a lot more complicated than one plus one. . . .

Sophie: Numbers are my comfort zone, which explains why my sex life is a big fat zero. Then again, if I’m smart enough to earn a PhD, why can’t I calculate a way to get a guy into bed, just to see what all the fuss is about? With my prima donna sister, Bella, getting married in Maine, I figure her wedding is the perfect opportunity for my little experiment. And Cain Jordan seems hot enough—he’s certainly drunk enough—to show me what I’ve been missing. Judging by the body of evidence, it’s a lot. . . .

Cain: Being stuck in the same town as my lying SOB twin brother, Christian—who may or may not be the father of the son I’m not allowed to see—is a hell of a reason to drink myself silly after the lobster boat docks each day. Any port in a storm . . . But Sophie’s different. She doesn’t play around. And she’s becoming a habit I don’t want to break. Because the smartest woman I’ve ever met is also the sexiest—and the only one who makes me want to change.

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Don’t miss Bella and Christian’s story in The Breakup!

THE HOOKUP releases May 8^th – preorder your copy now!

✦ Amazon http://amzn.to/2oRBVP3
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✦ Kobo http://bit.ly/2oRza07

I saw him the minute we walked into the bar. A guy perched comfortably on a stool, his arms muscular, his grin confident, arrogant. He had short dark hair and a jawline that was sharp and symmetrical. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, this was no software engineer or physicist. This was one of those manly men that they use for memes on Pinterest and for beer commercials and underwear ads. He was abs and ass, muscles and machismo, and like any other female, I had an immediate reaction to all that testosterone.

My heart started to race and my body started to tense and tighten, and grow warm in places that normally only got hot and wet in the privacy of my own apartment. I wanted to fan myself as I stared at him, blinking through the veil of mascara and fake lashes.

It was like my vagina stood up and sang. Him. He would be the one. The man to take my virginity and make it a memory. He wasn’t my type, but that wasn’t the point. He wouldn’t be interested in me either, but I knew enough about bar culture to know that if he was here, he was interested in going home with a girl. I could be that girl.

I was delusional, of course, a fact I was forced to acknowledge immediately when I realized that despite the fact that my dress had coaxed huge cleavage from my reluctant breasts, the hottie was checking out my sister.

So typical. But I couldn’t deny that blondes were more fun. At least more fun than me.

I walked past him to the bar and plucked the menu off the countertop, debating how to proceed. Men. The one equation I could never solve.

authorbio2

USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy first published in 2002 and has since written over sixty novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult romance, paranormal, and contemporary romance. Erin is a RITA finalist and an ALA Reluctant Young Reader award recipient, and is both traditionally and indie published.

When she’s not writing she can be found sipping martinis in high heels or eating ice cream in fleece pajamas depending on the day, and herding her animals, kids, and amazing renovation-addicted husband.

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✦ Website http://www.erinmccarthy.net/
✦ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ErinMcCarthyBooks
✦ Twitter https://twitter.com/authorerin
✦ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorerinmccarthy/
✦ Goodreads https://tinyurl.com/yc2xuxbw
✦ Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/erin-mccarthy

Thanks for stopping by and reading!!

sincerelykarenjoendsign

Hi Everyone!!! I thought I’d do a recap of my mom’s birthday party. It’s been two weeks or so and I am still trying to get back into the groove of things. My mom turned 60 on April 4 and had a masquerade birthday party on April 15 which I had been planning since last year. Let me just say that for my wedding ceremony, as much as I want to do a lot of DIYs, I am definitely going to hire a party planner for the day of the event. I was literally running around the venue trying to make sure we were on schedule, taking pictures and videos, and trying to enjoy the night and have some fun. I actually didn’t even eat that much, so it was a good thing I ate during the food tasting. We did end up taking 4 trays of food home (grilled salmon, chicken and beef kabob, veggies, potatoes, Persian rice, and pasta) and 1/4 of the cake, so the next day I ate and savored every bite.

The party planning process was actually kind of fun and I’m quite proud that it turned out really well considering there were last minute changes and issues. Also, it was a good thing that the party wasn’t a surprise since I knew my mom would want certain things and I just didn’t want to risk doing something she might not like. That being said, she was able to give me her input here and there and I had some help from friends and family too. Things seemed to be going great and I was checking stuff off the list, but the next thing I knew… we were 2 months away from the event. Time went by so fast and I still had a lot to do. By March I was busy trying to get everything done and ready. I actually spent my birthday, April 6, running around doing errands and I was actually still working on the centerpieces, program, and the slideshow Saturday night before the party. It was pretty crazy and I didn’t think I was going to get everything finished… BUT, thank goodness I did! Many thanks to EVERYONE who helped out — glueing feathers on the centerpieces, cutting the programs, punching holes on the program, tying ribbons, setting up for the event, taking pictures, and so on. The party was great and I’m really happy everyone enjoyed and had a great time.

Here are some pictures from the event which was held at Legacy Ballrom Glendale California by L.A. Banquets.

(If you are ever planning an event around Los Angeles or Glendale, then definitely check out L.A. Banquets. They are absolutely great and their customer service is incredibly amazing.)

My mom’s outfit for the night. She bought her gown from David’s Bridal, shoes from Macy’s, and masquerade mask from Amazon.

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Those Clear Diamonds in the pictures are actually place card holders. I bought them on Amazon to use for the Candy Station, but it turned out really amazing as props too!! I’m actually planning on purchasing them in gold to use as props for bookstagramming.

Here’s my MOM!!!

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We decided to do this pictorial the day before the event because we knew we would be really busy Sunday. We didn’t hire photographers because it we couldn’t find one within our budget. She said that $2,000 to $3,000 was too much and she wasn’t getting married to spend that kind of money on pictures and videos. For the event, the photographers were my brother’s girlfriend, my boyfriend, family friends and of course me.

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These were all DIY projects. I bought the masks, bird cage, foam flowers, and the crystal flower pins on Amazon. Ordered personalized M&M’s online. Printed the labels at home. Got inspiration on Pinterest for the program booklet. And picked up ribbons, sticker rhinestones and other embellishments from Dollar Stores and Michaels. I honestly don’t know what I would do without Amazon, Dollar Stores, Pinterest and Michaels.

Here’s a close up of my Mommy!!

Here’s us being silly

My mom and big bro

My Grandmommy and Mommy

The Boyfriend

My Brother’s Girlfriend

Mom’s Boyfriend

Champagne Tower inside the venue.

Gorgeous ceilings and lights.

The Dance Floor

The Presidential Table

Candy Station Area

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Some pics of the Appetizers. We had Mediterranean/ Persian food which was so delicious! There were about 25 appetizers and 4 main courses. Grilled Salmon with Vegetables, Alfredo Pasta with Chicken, Beef and Chicken Kabob with potatoes and Beef and Chicken Lule with Persian rice.