IN THE MIRROR book release whirlwind of fun!

It's been such a blast watching IN THE MIRROR arrive in the world - and I'm so excited about the positive reviews the novel has been receiving! I thought I'd give you a little roundup of where you can find me this week, some cool contests you can enter to win a copy and a couple of reviews that made me smile! So here you have it...the week (almost) in review! And please, if you have read IN THE MIRROR, let me know! And if you liked/loved it, please leave a review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! It really means a lot, and helps other people find the novel!! Blog appearances and contests:

I had the honor of kicking off International Chick Lit Month with a post about a day in the Life of Me! You might find it fun to read! Over on Jane Porter's Blog, Jane is offering a big grand prize just for commenting on the post! Head there now! For a great Mother's Day brunch recipe and a special excerpt of IN THE MIRROR, visit Debra Salonen's blog! I'm so happy to be there!

Chick Lit Goddess gave IN THE MIRROR a glowing 5-star review! Thank you Isabella! While Jennifer Vido named IN THE MIRROR a Top 5 Book Club pick for May!

Visit Jera's Jamboree for a fun interview and a list of more of my blog tour stops in May! Connie at Random Book Muses wrote  a lovely review of IN THE MIRROR, even though it was a personally tough moment in her life with the loss of her father to cancer. Thinking of you, Connie.

Book Mama Blog's Marlene Engel welcomed me with an interview about the tough subject the novel deals with - a young mom with cancer - and wrote a fabulous review! She's hosting a giveaway right now!

Some of my very favorite reviews of IN THE MIRROR can be found at Barnes & Noble, and of course on Goodreads (sort by 5 stars - those are my favorite ;-)

The Midwest Review of Books' review is great! And I'm really excited to reveal the IndieReader review - but it isn't up yet! Stay tuned!

Thank you all for helping to make these past few days fabulous! To those of you who clapped my Thunderclap, thank you!! And if you are in the Southern California area, my first signing for IN THE MIRROR is this Thursday, May 8th, at Laguna Beach Books! 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. I'd love to see you there!

Real You: To thoughts, dreams and contests

 Here's a thought. It's February. Sure, it's cold, blustery and snowy in much of the country and the economic news still isn't great, but the thought is this: Things will get better and you aren't alone. As you know, many people in many different industries are facing career challenges. Some days it's hard to be resilient, but you must. Why? Because you're getting stronger. Better. There is no exact answer as to how that will happen, not for your industry and not for you as an individual. But it will. If you believe it.      Have you been taking time to invest in you and your dreams? Are you ready when the market improves and opportunities arise? Do you have a clear vision of your future? Have you solidified and embraced your passions, surrounded yourself with the right people and are you following your instincts?

      Knowing what you want goes a long way toward feeling in control of your life, and your future.

     I'm following my passion for writing and my first novel HERE, HOME, HOPE comes out May 1st! Like the real estate industry, the publishing industry is going through a major upheaval and the road for a debut novelist not being published by a big New York publishers is - and this is an understatement - daunting. But writing fiction - and seeing it actually published and in the world as a book has been my dream since 4th grade. And now, I'm going for it.

      If you'd like to help spread the word - and have a chance to win an Advance Reader Copy of my book and a Dogeared Karma Necklace - just head to Facebook and "Like" my Kaira Rouda Books page. Your support means a lot!

     You have mine, too. Make sure you are creating a business and a life that is a reflection of you, your goals, your dreams, your essence. Then, when the challenges come - and they will - you can return to that essence and know it was worth it. And it will be. Because you chose it. It's your dream.