Holly Jolly Hop!

The holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s time for Chick Lit Chat HQ’s annual Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop and this year it’s bigger and better than ever! 63 bestselling and award-winning authors in the Chick Lit and Romantic Comedy genres are participating in this fun-filled event and each one is doing a fantastic giveaway. Books, author swag, gift cards, and other assorted holiday treats are all up for grabs. This event runs from 3-9 December 2018.

My prize giveaway…

I’m giving away a holiday reads prize including:

1 x paperback copy of Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (to be mailed to the winner from Book Depository UK)
1 x ebook gift copy of my holiday romcom, Heart Note.

I thought, why not give away one of my all time favourite chick lit books? It’s full of holiday fun and terrible Christmas jumpers too. I’m sure Bridget and my heroine, Lily Lucas, would be great friends.

Heart Note is based at the perfume counter manager at one of Australia’s largest department stores, where Lily is the counter manager. In the lead-up to Christmas, Lily has to wrap approximately eleventy billion gift sets and pander to some very odd customers. But all she really wants is to unwrap Christos, the smokin’ hot ex-cop security guard, and maybe have him cuff her to a Christmas tree…

By the way – my holiday romcom novella, Heart Note, is on sale for 99 cents or FREE in Kindle Unlimited. Go to Amazon to check it out!

See the post on my Facebook author page for details of how to enter my giveaway.

Note: my giveaway is open internationally but is not endorsed by or associated with Facebook. The winner will need to provide a postal address to receive the paperback book prize, and an email address to receive the ebook prize.

More prizes…

But wait! There’s much, much more. On the hop’s Facebook group page, you can enter to win our Grand Prize—a large holiday gift box filled to the brim with a fabulous variety of holiday and winter-themed goodies (the darling, KitschNStyle gingerbread house apron, Snoozies! sherpa socks, Calvin Klein cashmere pom-pom beanie in petal pink, Too Faced sugar cookie eye shadow purse palette, Sally Snowflakes mug by Bella Pilar, Well Read Women: A Reader’s Journal, and handmade chocolate soaps shown in the graphic below are just a few of the items included in the box!).

We’ll also be handing out four Runner-Up Prizes. Each one is a pair of Fitz & Floyd holiday mugs that will be accompanied by a canister of Williams-Sonoma classic hot chocolate as well as a tin of The Republic of Tea’s Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas Tea. So, you’ll have delicious, warm beverages to keep you cozy all winter long!

The celebration runs from Monday, Dec. 3rd through Sunday, Dec. 9th, so head on over to the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop Facebook group for some lively conversation with both authors and readers, incredible prizes, and lots of holiday fun! You’ll find each day’s featured authors, along with the links to their pages/giveaways, in the pinned post at the top of the group. We look forward to seeing you there!

*The Grand Prize giveaway is open to US residents only. However, all of the individual author giveaways and the Runner-Up Prize giveaway are open internationally.

Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads Hop!

Valentine’s Day 2018 Event – Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads

Are you excited about Valentine’s Day? The authors at Chick Lit Chat HQ are, and we know quite a bit about romance, not to mention gorgeous guys and swoon-worthy storylines, which is why we’ve put together a fun-filled event that celebrates all these wonderful things.

That’s right, book lovers, it’s time for the Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads Hop! Starting February 12th, 40+ Chick Lit and RomCom authors will be throwing a fabulous, Valentine-themed bash on Facebook and each of them will be offering a GIVEAWAY–books, gift cards, author swag, and lots of other wonderful prizes will be up for grabs!

But wait, there’s more! You know we have the “yummy reads” covered (this group is nothing if not crazy talented), but what about the “sweet treats?” Hold on to your hats, peeps, because CLC HQ has outdone itself this time. We’ll be giving away not one, not two, but THREE Grand Prizes for this hop and each of those lucky winners will receive a 6-pack of Wicked Good Cupcakes!* And the best news of all? You get to choose your own sinfully delicious flavors. (Commence happy dance now.)

So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to the Sweet Treats & Yummy Reads Hop on Facebook and join the group page where you can meet and chat with fellow readers, as well as some of the most popular authors in your favorite genres, plus find the lists of participating authors and enter to win one of the Grand Prizes. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tree Love new release celebration prize!

My giveaway** prize for this event includes the following:

One ebook copy of my new release short story, Tree Love
Lightweight cotton scarf in charcoal colour with little gold hearts printed on it
A gold-tone triple strand necklace with a heart pendant
Black metallic heart-shaped jewel box

I might also throw in some delicious heart-shaped, Italian-made Girl on a Plane chocolates wrapped in red foil. Because yum!

Tree Love is releasing widely on major ebook retail sites on 13 February for only 99c or 99p. The universal link to all retailers is here – books2read.com/TreeLove

This story is a tale of first loves reunited, email to trees (no joke — based on a true story too, of email addresses assigned to trees in public parks and people writing them love letters), an artist heroine and urban lumberjack hero. It’s set in and around the beautiful botanic gardens in my home city of Melbourne, Australia. All the fun and swooniness ensue!

My question for anyone wanting to enter my giveaway is:

If your first love fell out of a tree, would you catch him (or her)?

I ended up marrying my first love, so I guess I’d catch him and not let him drop on his head or fall to his death! Hehe, what was I saying? Oh yes, my lovely husband is an absolute sweetheart. We’ve been together for many years and he’s a keeper. 🙂

Comment on the giveaway post on my Facebook author page for your chance to win. I’ll choose a winner on 16 February (Aussie time). This may be 15 February where you live).

P.S. You can also sign-up to my email newsletter to keep up-to-date with my writing, giveaways and to receive a free copy of my sexy romcom novelette, Chocolate Truffle Kiss. Just complete the form on my Contact page.

*Wicked Good Cupcakes only ships to destinations in the United States, so the Grand Prize portion of this hop will not be open to international entrants. However, the 40+ individual author giveaways will be open internationally.

**My giveaway is open internationally but is not sponsored by or endorsed by Facebook.

Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop 2017!

Join in the merry fun right here…

Hello! I’m joining the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop from Melbourne, Australia!

I’m Cassandra O’Leary and I live in Melbourne, Australia, in the bayside area. I live with my spunk of a husband and two mini ninjas, Mr 8 and Mr 6. I write romantic comedies, contemporary romance and women’s fiction. You’ll find me dreaming of Italy and Spain, drinking coffee, buying shoes on the internet and oh yes, writing!

For international readers, Melbourne is a city of about 4 million people, down south on the continent of Oz, multicultural and amazing, with gorgeous parks and beaches. It’s been voted the world’s most liveable city over and over again. Are you jealous yet? Truth be told, I love to travel and I’d probably like to swap places with most of you and visit where-ever you live in the world.

A little about my writing… I love to write stories about women with real-life issues but who face life with both bravery and humour, and of course I adore a handsome, caring hero. So far I’ve released one full-length novel — my award-winning debut with HarperCollins UK in 2016, Girl on a Plane, a contemporary romance/romantic comedy about a sassy Irish flight attendant and the smouldering hot Aussie CEO she meets in first class.

I’ve released short fiction in anthologies including Chocolate Truffle Kiss, a fun and sexy novelette that’s currently free for my newsletter subscribers.

My new release is a festive romcom novella that’s out now in time for Christmas… Heart Note.

About Heart Note

Heart Note is the first book in my planned Spritzer Chicks series set in and around a perfume counter in a large department store. Yes, I was a ‘spritzer chick’ or perfume promotions girl many years ago, then I also worked on cosmetics counters as a beauty advisor and sales assistant for several years.

I’ve drawn on some of my real-life experiences of working retail, but I’ve added fictional hijinks plus a big dash of humour and romance. Lily the sassy redhead perfume counter manager *may be* similar to me in some ways! But I never fell in love with a smokin’ hot Greek-Australian security guard on the job…

Reviewers love Heart Note!

I’m now working on another novella in the Spritzer Chicks series, to be titled Cupid’s Bow. And I’m working on a couple more novels to (hopefully) complete next year too.

Check out my Books page for details and buy links.

A Holly Jolly giveaway from moi!

As part of this awesomesauce event, I’m offering a very nice giveaway prize/gift that I’d really like to keep for myself! It includes a perfume miniature to match the perfume theme in Heart Note.

Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop 2017 prize pic

The Prize:

Heart Note ebook download x 1 copy
Miniature 4ml bottle of J’Adore eau de toilette by Christian Dior
Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Couture (Christmassy bright red shade)
Gold sparkly fabric make-up purse
Heart pendant in rose-gold tone metal & matching chain
A signed postcard
Girl on a Plane heart-shaped chocolates!

How to enter:

**This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to my randomly selected winner, Christi Green. I have emailed Christi about how to claim her prize. Happy holidays everyone!**

Sign-up for my author newsletter — complete the form on this website with your name and email address.
Comment on my Facebook page (see the pinned post) or on this blog post with the name of your favourite perfume or other scent, like jasmine flowers.

I’ll pick a winner and contact them by email after the close of the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop, around 15 December or just afterwards. The winner’s name will be published on my Facebook page and they will need to supply their postal address to receive their prize (postal address won’t be published).

Grand prize giveaway

Make sure to enter the main giveaway for this event by visiting the Holly Jolly Chick Lit Hop Facebook group. Check out the giveaways on all the author pages and follow the directions to enter the Grand Prize giveaway of 3 x $100 Amazon gift cards!

Note: This giveaway is not sponsored by or otherwise associated with Facebook.

Book Boyfriend Blog Hop for #ChickLitMay

Welcome to my stop on the Book Boyfriend Blog Hop for #ChickLitMay. I’m pleased to introduce you to a grumpy but gorgeous romcom hero, Gabriel Anderson, from my debut romantic comedy novel, Girl on a Plane.

Meet Gabriel Anderson from Girl on a Plane

“I suppose I should tell you something about myself even though I hate giving media interviews. By now I know it goes with the territory of being a CEO of a global travel company. I’m Gabriel Anderson, I’m 32 years old and I live in Melbourne, Australia. Some women tell me I look like a surfer, and it’s probably true. I love to surf and swim. Travel is my other passion. But travelling as often as I do, there’s been no time for anything serious with a woman, that’s for damn sure.”

Image of Gabriel Anderson, hero in Girl on a Plane

“There’s something else you should know about me – I’m in no mood to deal with distractions or time wasters. Everything was going smoothly in my world, even if it was constantly busy. My migraines have been coming on hard and fast and I have my Mum’s illness always at the back of my mind. But I had it all under control. Now, everything is up in the air. Because of her.”

“Let me explain. I met a woman named Sinead, a flight attendant with Mermaid Airlines. She has the sexiest Irish lilt to her voice and that’s what I call her: Irish. She’s tall and stunning with platinum blonde hair and the most amazing breasts…but that’s not what I find most attractive about her. Oh, no. She’s got me thinking about her constantly, with the way she made me laugh, about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee of all things. When she teased me about Nude Espresso and winked at me as she swayed down the aisle of the plane.”

“After one night together in Singapore, I knew I’d never get enough of her. She’s incredible. A firecracker. The only woman I want. I want her in my bed, I want her with me. If I have to chase her to London, or Dublin, or freaking Japan, I’ll do it.”

“I’m going to make her mine.”

Image of Gabriel Anderson, surfer CEO

About Girl on a Plane

Girl on a Plane is the debut romantic comedy novel by Cassandra O’Leary, released in 2016. Winner of the global We Heart New Talent writing contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. Cassandra was also nominated for Best New Author in the AusRom Today Reader’s Choice Awards 2016.

Girl on a Plane by Cassandra O’Leary, book cover image

CLIMB ON BOARD . . . WITH THE GIRL ON A PLANE

When feisty Irish flight attendant Sinead Kennealy locks eyes with sexy Australian CEO Gabriel Anderson in First Class, sparks fly. But as they jet across the globe from Melbourne to London, it’s clear that they’re in for a turbulent journey . . .

Stressed-out Gabriel doesn’t do relationships. And Sinead isn’t about to be fooled by another bad boy after escaping her stalker ex. Then a storm hits, causing the plane to land unexpectedly, and Sinead and Gabriel are thrown together in Singapore.

The pressure rises as Sinead’s unhappy past threatens to catch up with her. But might Gabriel be the one to heal her heartbreak? If he could open up about his troubling secrets, maybe a relationship could actually get off the ground. Fasten your seatbelts – this WON’T be a smooth ride . . .

BUY NOW – Girl on a Plane is now available from major e-book retailers

Enter to win the Book Boyfriend Blog Hop GRAND PRIZE

Vote for GABRIEL ANDERSON as your book boyfriend – email traciebanister@gmail.com

Hop to all the stops, collect the candidate’s name at each stop, then submit all 30 names to that same address in order to be entered in our Grand Prize giveaway. This giveaway includes a Kindle Paperwhite + 30 e-books, one from each of the authors participating in the hop. My book, Girl on a Plane, is one of the prizes on offer!

Entries for the hop will be accepted until Sunday 21 May, midnight E.D.T. in the United States. A winner will be chosen on Monday 22 May. This Grand Prize giveaway is open internationally.

Visit all the authors in the Book Boyfriends Hop…

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