Friday, February 10, 2017

Run to Her by Lynn Kellan - Guest Post and Giveaway



Run to Her
by Lynn Kellan
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Today I have Lynn Kellan the author of Run to Her here as my guest.  She is going to share how she handles negative criticism.  It is great to have you here today Lynn.  

How to handle negative criticism by Lynn Kellan

One sharp word can shatter someone’s aspirations. Unfortunately, the anonymity of social media makes it easy to unleash a verbal arrow. People can launch into tirades about anyone, any team, or any book. Those angry posts generate a ton of “likes” and “shares.” Venom is rewarded, not shamed. No one seems to think about the effect of their words because they cannot see the flinch of pain those words produce. Whenever I see this type of negative criticism about the things I care about, I try to ignore these hurtful words.

But when negative criticism comes from someone I know and value, I pay close attention. Often, that criticism is correct. I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to face the difficult task of fixing the problem, but I force myself to take a deep breath and listen. I ask questions. I try to understand why, and every time I gather the courage to face my deficiencies, I learn from them.

Growth is painful. When we’re kids, our bones ache with every inch we add to our frame. Our teeth bleed every time an adult tooth forces a baby tooth out of our mouths. Our souls ache when we disappoint or anger our parents.

Growth is no different when we’re adults. It hurts like heck, only we can ignore it if we want. We don’t always have to face negative criticism. We can pretend we didn’t hear it. We can say the criticism comes from someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. We can trick ourselves into believing that we’ve got nothing left to learn.

Do we?

I admit that many forms of negative criticism are poorly worded. Those verbal barbs hurt so much, we struggle to see past the pain in order to get a glimpse of the truth. I’m guilty of this all the time. When a critique partner tells me that a portion of my work needs editing, I don’t want to listen. But I’ve learned that every time I take a second look at the criticism, every time I try to fix the problem, my work improves.

In a strange way, criticism is a gift…if you’re willing to unwrap the ugly package.


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GENRE: Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:


She avoids men like him. He needs a woman like her. One lie changes everything...

Gabriel Antonov is a mechanic who can fix anything, even a woman’s hesitance. His talents have earned him the well-deserved reputation as a player, but when a routine one-night stand goes wrong, he’s haunted by what he’s done. Nothing can free him from those depraved memories, until he meets Leigh Nelson.

Leigh avoids strong, silent types like Gabe, who is stronger and quieter than most guys. The only man she’s focused on is her father, who is suffering from a devastating health crisis. She’ll do anything to help him, even at the cost of ignoring her own well-being, but the stress is getting to her. Gabe’s strength is tough to resist, and his silence might be hiding a crushing secret only she can understand.

He can’t outrun his gut-deep craving for her. Problem is, she’s running from him. When they’re marooned in his lakeside cabin, he might finally catch her…if he can admit why he’s falling apart without her.
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EXCERPT

She rose and gave him a smile.

That smile made him want to do pointless, tender things like brush his fingers through the blonde curls hanging down her slim back, but he kept his hands to himself. With her, he had to be careful. Take things slow. If he moved too fast, she’d come up with some reason to leave. He wanted to give her reason to stay.

For one night.

Or a long weekend.

Whatever it took to satisfy his hunger for her.

For the first time in months, he wanted to be with a woman. Not just any woman, though. Just Leigh. He wanted her so badly, every word he spoke came out curt and rough. Winning her trust would be tough if he kept sounding like a horny Neanderthal, so he kept his mouth shut and guided her out of The Crab Trap with a light touch to her back.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lynn Kellan writes contemporary romance about strong men who have a weakness for smart women. She believes men and women aren't that different, because everyone wants to be with someone who will empty the dishwasher. To prepare for her career as a romance author, she fell in love with bad boys, burly athletes, battle-hardened Marines…and married a chemist. Lynn has won numerous writing contests and served two terms as President of her local Romance Writers of America chapter, but she feels a true sense of accomplishment whenever she doesn't embarrass her teenaged kids.

For love. For funny. For ever.

Find Lynn at http://LynnKellan.com

RUN TO HER is on sale for $2.99


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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION  

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the other blogs on the tour for additional information on Run to Her:

February 6Casey M's Corner
February 6Lorana Hoopes
February 7Musings From An Addicted Reader
February 7Books Direct
February 84 the LUV of SANITY
February 8T's Stuff
February 9Christine Young
February 10EskieMama and Dragon Lady Reads
February 10Mixed Book Bag
February 13Book Lover Promo
February 14Booklover Sue
February 15A Writer's Life
February 16The Avid Reader
February 16Book Giveaways
February 17Fabulous and Brunette
February 20Romance Author Hear Me Roar 
February 20Nana Prah's Blog
February 21Wendi Zwaduk ~ Romance To Make Your Heart Race
February 22Edgar's Books
February 22Two Ends of the Pen
February 23Punya Reviews...
February 23Hope. Dreams. Life... Love
February 24Kissing Bandits - review
February 24Room With Books - review
February 27Megan Morgan
February 28Long and Short Reviews
February 28The Snarkology
March 1Books, Dreams,Life
March 2underneath the covers
March 2The Romantic Fanatic - review
March 3Notes From a Romantic's Heart – review

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

Lynn Kellan said...

It's so nice to be here at Mixed Book Bag! Thanks for hosting! And I'm in awe of your adventures RVing around the country. Too cool! I live near Philadelphia, but I long to visit Wyoming again (we spent some time in Jackson Hole ten years ago, and loved it).

I'll be checking in throughout the day.

JC Jones said...

Like you post on how to handle Negative Criticism. Talking about it being an ugly package that you need to unwrap was a great way to describe. Thanks of being here. My RV days are over now but I do miss carrying my house with me as I traveled around the country.

Victoria Alexander said...

Great post - I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing :)

Anonymous said...

I haven't been to Philadelphia since I was really young, I'm curious!

--Trix

Unknown said...

I loved the excerpt! Thanks for hosting.

Lynn Kellan said...

Hi Emily! I'm so glad you enjoyed the excerpt! And I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

Bernie Wallace said...

Congrats on the book. Thanks for hosting. I hope that I win. Bernie W BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

Lynn Kellan said...

Hi Bernie! I'm so glad you stopped by!