Searching for Spice Book Trailer Review

Have you had the good fortune to hear about Linda Lou's Book Trailer Park? It's a site that rates book trailers, based on a one-to-five-mullet rating. Ha!

This week the Searching for Spice trailer was rated and received an impressive 4 1/2 mullets.

Here's Linda's review:
Searching for Spice is a fabulous book accompanied by an effective and entertaining book trailer.

This I liked! The timing was right at just over 30 seconds. Not too much of a good thing, nor too little. The male voice-over presented a slightly off-balance comedic twist that really worked well. It reflects the humor of the book perfectly. On a selfish note however, I would have liked a few more graphics--more glimpses into that spicy world.

You should really check out Linda Lou's Book Trailer Park. Hostess Linda Kozar has done a great job, and it's fun to read through her rating explanations and see the other trailers that have been reviewed.

SFS Review in Look Up Orlando

Thank you, Mark Goldstein. Mark is the editor of Look Up Orlando Magazine, and he wrote a wonderful review of Searching for Spice. Look Up Orlando is a great publication that seeks to impact the spiritual landscape of Central Florida.

I appreciate your kind words, Mark. God bless your ministry to believers in Central Florida.

To read the review, click on the image above. To view the current issue of Look Up Orlando, go here. (The review is on page 9 of the July/August issue.)

Afictionado Review

I was pleasantly surprised to see a review of Searching for Spice in this month's edition of Afictionado. Afictionado is the monthly ACFW Ezine. The review is too good not to share:

If you are in want of a love affair with your long-time spouse, Megan DiMaria’s debut novel Searching for Spice is the book for you.

With a hint of chick-lit flair, Megan delivers an entertaining, yet realistic depiction of the challenges of a seasoned marriage. The spunky heroine in Searching for Spice, Linda Revere, attempts to rejuvenate romance in her twenty-four year old marriage, only to discover interruptions and setbacks abounding–not only from the world around her but also from within. As the story progresses, friends, family, and work conflicts compound one another, all advancing the plot and the pace while making this novel one enlightening fast read.

I closed this book with far greater respect and admiration for my own husband. Through Linda and Jerry Revere’s story, Megan subtly reveals the makings of a healthy marriage and shows that flirting isn’t only for the courtship years. And men, though the cover is predominantly pink and this story is written in first person from the heroine’s perspective, don’t let that deter you from reading this title. It gives great insight as to the inner workings of the female mind and shares a few of our secrets, too.

How nice is that? And I didn't even realize it was going to be published. Thanks to Afictionado writer Eileen Astels Watson for the kind words.

I get a thrill out of Eileen's suggestion that men should read Searching for Spice. It kind of makes me want to start a new club called The Searching for Spice Book Club for Men. I think it's got a ring to it!

Searching for Spice goes cruising!

Two of my best friends couldn't make it to my book/career launch party--but I understood their absence. They had long before made plans for a Mediterranean cruise.

And what's the perfect book to bring along on a cruise, do you ask? Why Searching for Spice, of course.

Here's Leah at the Acropolis of Athens in front of the Erechtheum.

And I think Ron's posing in front of the Parthenon.

To give you some insight as to how good of friends they are--they're not sharing a book. They each purchased their own copy. How sweet is that? His and hers copies of Searching for Spice.

Oh, and the tiny teeth marks in the upper left corner of the photos are courtesy of my little dog Belle. She was kind enough to pick up the photos from the footstool where I had left them and bring them to me.

Cool Review

I was thrilled to see Searching for Spice on the Faithful Reader site.

Go here to enter their contest to win a copy of the book.

Here are excerpts from the review they gave Searching for Spice:

Can Christian marriage in mid-life have (gasp!) passion? In SEARCHING FOR SPICE, Megan DiMaria’s debut novel, a middle-aged mother longs for a hot romance with…her husband. As the story unfolds, readers are invited to think deeply about what a true “passionate” relationship might be. Hint: It’s not just candles, lingerie and public smooches.

Readers may feel a jolt when the lighthearted first half of the novel takes a darker turn in the second --- a surprise for readers who presumed it was lightweight mom-lit. When teen daughter Emma makes a tragic mistake, it impacts Linda and Jerry’s relationship --- and threatens to change the family’s lives forever. How will their marriage fare under this kind of stress? DiMaria shows the tension that occurs between spouses trying to keep it all together under difficult circumstances. Jerry, who looked a little clueless in the first half, becomes the strong support spouse in the second.

I appreciated some of the plot twists, especially the diabolical Carol’s role in Linda’s life in the closing pages. Any parent of a teen will identify with the chaos one bad decision can bring and sympathize with Linda’s family’s plight. The ending is satisfying and redemptive.

DiMaria drives home her point in an enjoyable way: the value of a spouse who stands by his family during the rocky times as well as the easy moments, and whose steady faith and solid parenting mean more than glittering jewelry or lavish gestures. Food for thought the next time you finish a Harlequin romance and wonder what might have been.

Go here to view the entire review.

Wowie!

The thrill continues. Tonight I visited my local Barnes & Noble store to see if my book was on the shelf. It is.

But wait, it gets better. After I walked out of the Religious Fiction aisle, I saw this . . .

Getting Around

Searching for Spice is getting around!

Please check out the blogs I've visited lately. I'm updating the list daily:
Robbie Iobst, Joy Dance
Patti Lacy
Double Booked
A Christian Writers World
One Step Closer
Fallible
Loop de Loops in La La Land
Marion, PraiSing Him
Portrait of a Writer . . Interrupted
TitleTrakk
Bold & Free

Please visit these blogs/sites. These book lovers have posted original interviews.

The day has finally come!

It's April 1st, and the day I’ve always dreamed of is finally here—the official release date for Searching for Spice. Wow.

This morning I went to my Words For The Journey writers meeting which is held in my church, and on the way out I went into the bookstore to see if my book was on the shelf.

And it is! Look at that!

Check this out!

Look what was delivered to my house yesterday.


A friend asked, “I wonder what the clerk who filled your order thought about sending Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria to Megan DiMaria?”

My Friends

I missed a lunch date with my girlfriends the other day. They were celebrating Searching for Spice. Sigh. I really wanted to join them.

I had to stay home for the arborist--our Aspens have leaf issues. So much for the glamorous life of a novelist. At least I got loads of laundry washed. :)

Sharon was surprised by what she read.

Tonya was moved to tears.

And Heather couldn't stop reading.

Of course there's no picture of Jan because she was behind the camera. She blogged about it though.

Still Celebrating

Yesterday I went out to celebrate receiving my ARCs with Jan. She's been a wonderful friend and encourager since we met four years ago at a writers group she founded. The group folded, but our friendship thrived. She's not in the 2004 photo because she was taking it. I'm sitting on the right side.

We went to Starbucks (where else?), and took turns taking photos of each other. We were practically giddy. At one point, a lady at a nearby table suggested she take a photo of the two of us. In case you're wondering, I'm holding a bookmark. :)

Jan is one of those girls who will chat with anyone, so everyone within a 200 yard radius now knows about Searching for Spice.

If you’re curious about Jan's version of yesterday’s fun, go here.

Oh Happy Day!

I was delighted to find a box of ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of Searching for Spice waiting for me when I got home today.

Actually, I didn’t find them as much as I was surprised by them. My daughters opened the box, took one out and hid the box. When I sat in my usual seat to turn on my laptop, one of the girls asked, “What’s that book next to your chair?” When I turned to look—there it was!

I jumped up screaming, they screamed and the rest of the night was a happy blur. We even went out to buy a celebration pie for dessert.

My lovely Liz warmed my heart when she leafed through it, beaming her gorgeous smile.

Even our dog Belle decided to give it a read.

The Countdown Begins!

My delightful friend Jan from Bold & Free made a countdown ticker for me, counting down the days until Searching for Spice releases. Isn’t she a dear?!

I embedded it on the left side of my blog, but it’s too cute not to put it into a post.

Thanks, Jan!

Let the Planning Begin!

My dream of being a published author is coming true!

On March 26th I found out that Tyndale House Publishing was offering me a two-book contract for women’s fiction. My first book, Searching for Spice, will be released in April 2008, and the second book will hit the shelves in October 2008.

Well, since I’ve been waiting practically f-o-r-e-v-e-r for this dream to become reality, we’ve decided to go all out and CELEBRATE in a big way. Today I went to downtown Denver to check out the venue for my book launch party, The Daniels & Fisher Tower! I can’t wait.

Can you see the clock on the top of the tower? The party will be held on the floor above that, and there's an outside observation deck that surrounds the building. The views are to die for.

I’m planning for it to be a gathering of book lovers. In addition to family and friends, I’m inviting local authors, editors, agents, bookstore PR folks, and radio, television and newspaper media. I’m thrilled that my editor from Tyndale, Jan Stob, will try to come as well as my smashing literary agent, Beth Jusino. Goodness, I even introduced myself to the Poet Laureate of Denver and invited him. Since this is my first book launch party, I’m open to suggestions on making it a smashing success. Please leave any ideas in the comment section.




The D&F Tower is a well-known, historic building that sits on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. It is a replication of the famous Campanile in St. Mark’s square in Venice, and was built in 1911, becoming the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The tower originally anchored both sides of a department store that has since been demolished.

And, PS: Yes, the sky really is bluer when you're a mile high.