Face Time by SJ Pajonas Giveaway, Ten's List, Excerpt, Trailer & Interview

Today is my stop during the book blitz for Face Time (Love in the Digital Age #1) by SJ Pajonas. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. This blitz takes place on 25, 28 and 30 April, you can view the whole blitz schedule here.




Face Time (Love in the Digital Age #1)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: April 25, 2014

Blurb:
After the best first date ever, Lee thought Laura was funny, intelligent, and impulsive; a whirlwind of bright laughter and happiness. Laura loved Lee's sweet smile and the way he expertly filled in every awkward pause. He held her hand and then pulled her in for the most perfect kiss she�s had in years. What could possibly be wrong? Just the 7000 miles that separates them the next day.

Even though Lee has gone home to Seoul, Laura can't stop thinking about him. What starts as an innocent text thanking him for their dinner date becomes something much more: someone either of them can't live without. But Laura's got a live-in mother going through a midlife crisis, and Lee's stressful traveling schedule means they'll be apart for some time. Life, family, and a complicated past also get in the way, and they're both going to need actual face time to figure it out.

Told from both Lee and Laura�s point of view, FACE TIME is a funny, romantic, modern-day story about two people who connect across the world.

Excerpt 

Lee’s eyes are bloodshot and tired, his rounded cheeks sunken in with fatigue, but it looks like he won’t leave unless someone comes along and peels him off the couch.

I hate to do it, but I lean forward and squeeze his knee. “Lee, you look so tired, and I know you have to be up early. We should call it a night.”

Disappointment falls over his face and he sighs, putting his hands on his knees and forcing himself to stand up. Once my coat is buttoned-up, he reaches out his hand and helps me up with a smile.

Outside, I direct him north on Broadway to Third Street where I can get a cab going west towards Chelsea and be home in ten minutes. I used to walk this area all the time when I went to NYU, and the corner of Third is as good a place as any to say goodbye. An NYU building towers over this corner, fenced in by greenery and a large tree arcs out overhead. In a few weeks, the branches will be filled with buds and trees will explode with leaves all over the city. I can’t wait for spring.

“You live on Fifteenth Street, right? I saw the address you sent me,” Lee says, his hand clutching mine. “Over by Chelsea Market?”

“Yeah. I go there all the time. The neighborhood has grown in the last few years especially. It doesn’t look anything like it did when I moved in.”

“Seoul is always changing. After the war, it just grew and grew and now there are new buildings up every year there.”

Our conversation dies as we near the corner, and I slow down to a stop. I… I really don’t know what to do. I know this can’t go anywhere.

“I can get a cab going crosstown from here,” I say, looking down at my shoes. “If you walk back over to Lafayette, you can get a cab going uptown.”

“Okay. Laura…” He turns to face me, so very close. He withdraws his warm hand from his pocket and softly strokes the length of my chin, pushing my eyes up to his. I guess I’m not the impulsive one tonight. “I’d like to see you again. Somehow. I don’t know when I’ll be back in New York, though.”

“I understand.” I clench my legs together because a fire is burning right in the middle of them, and I haven’t had sex in so long I don’t know what to do with the feeling. My v*****or doesn’t count. “Maybe we can keep in touch, if you’re up for it.” I smile at his eager face, only three inches from mine.

“I think I’m up for almost anything when it comes to you. In fact…” He steps in even closer, letting go of my hand and pulling me in by the small of my back. “I’m going to kiss you, and I’m not going to regret it for a second.”

Pulling my face to his, our lips meet hesitantly at first, warmth growing between us as a breeze curls around my legs and up my jacket. His lips brush against mine, feathery light and playful, soft and sweet, the test kiss when you put your toes in the water and see if the bath is hot enough. Then I lean in and bind my lips to his. This kiss goes all in, a deep inhale followed by the kind of release that makes my eyes roll back in my head. If I were paying closer attention, I’d notice the curry, the beer, and the coffee, but instead all I sense is the seed he’s planting in my soul, the one that takes root and convinces me I’m a worthy person again, worthy of love and affection, worthy of attention.

I set my hands free from their safe haven between us and wrap them around his waist, sighing and enjoying this regret-free kiss. It just pushes Lee even closer, both of his hands on my cheeks, guiding my mouth into his, and his relief is evident in the release of his muscles along his waist and back.

Earlier, I wanted to pause time in several instances — when he took my photo, when he held my hand, when he smiled at me over the top of the coffee bar — but, now, this is what I want to remember. This is the moment when he likes me for all the right reasons, and I want to capture that blissful ignorance and never live without it.

The moment unsticks, our lips pulling away at the same time, and he kisses me along my left cheek to my ear. I hug him close and rest my forehead on his shoulder.

“Thank you for tonight, Laura,” he whispers in my ear, and I nod into his sweater, letting myself feel happy for this instead of sad he won’t be here tomorrow. We dislodge our arms from each other and do our best to smile at one another before he takes my hand, leads me to the curb, hails a cab, and puts me in it.

“Don’t be a stranger, Lee,” I say, before raising my eyebrows at him and closing the door.

My last glimpse is the smile on his face, his hand raised in goodbye, as my cab speeds away down Third Street.

You can find Face Time (Love in the Digital Age #1) on Goodreads

Here are the buy links for Face Time:
Amazon: http://www.onigiripress.com/LITDA1Am 
Barnes & Noble: http://www.onigiripress.com/LITDA1B
Kobo: http://www.onigiripress.com/LITDA1K
iBooks: http://www.onigiripress.com/LITDA1iB
All Romance eBooks: http://www.onigiripress.com/LITDA1AR 
Smashwords: http://www.onigiripress.com/LITDA1S  

Or you can request a review copy of Face Time through Netgalley.

Want to know more about Face Time?
- You can listen to the Face Time playlist - Visit the Face Time visual inspiration Pinterest board - View a teaser trailer for Face Time from Laura�s point of view:

About the Author:
S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian and has been in love with Japan and the East for as long as she can remember. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over fifteen years. She studied film and screenwriting first and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job.

Face Time is the first novel in the Love in the Digital Age series, and Pajonas�s first foray into Korean culture and families. Along with Removed and Released in the Nogiku Series, she continues to take the cultures of Asia and weave them into stories that appeal to people from around the world. Her writing is described as unique and unpredictable. Expect the unexpected.

Stephanie lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

Deal Sharing Aunt - Interview and Top 10 iPhone Apps for the World Traveler

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I come from a screenplay background and I wrote my first whole script when I was in high school with my best friend, Nicole. We wrote about a tropical resort being taken over by terrorists. Lol. It was good fun and taught me a lot about follow-through.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I need to find more balance in my life so that I can enjoy the things I want to enjoy when I’m not writing. I love to read, and reading books other than my own is my number one priority when I’m not writing. After that, if I have time, I like to watch TV and knit. But finding time when I’m not taking care of my two kids and the home and promoting or writing my book is difficult. I’m hoping for a better balance in 2014.

What does your family think of your writing?

I have a lot of mixed reactions but overall everyone is positive about my writing. My parents have gotten their friends interested in my series, and my mom proofreads all my work. My husband thinks it’s great I have something to spend time doing. My brother reads all my books, and my extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins) all know I write and some read the books too. My grandmother read my first book at the age of 94 and loved it (she complained about the sex a little but I forgave her). My girls, seven and three years old, know that mommy writes books, but it’s still a foreign concept for them.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Just how much room there is to grow in a few months or a few years as a writer. I am learning new things everyday, coming up with new ideas, or learning new ways to write. I’m also learning good lessons about what works and what doesn’t for promotion, and still trying to get used to other people reviewing my work, which is the toughest for all authors.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Full books, I have written three in my Nogiku Series, and the one released now, FACE TIME. It’s so hard to choose a favorite! Like choosing which of your kids is the favorite :) My current favorite is FACE TIME but Book 3 of the Nogiku Series is closing in because I’m editing it currently. I like FACE TIME because I set out to write a romance about two lost people who find strength in each other, and I wanted to write a happily ever after ending. One that would make me say Awwwww! I think I accomplished that, so I’m happy with it.

What would you like my readers to know?

I would love for your readers to know that I write to entertain people. I don’t write books to hit lists or gain notoriety. If you have read my books, and I have entertained you for a short time, then I have succeeded at my goals. That’s all I need to keep going!

Top 10 iPhone apps for the world traveler

If you’re a world traveler then your smartphone is your best traveling friend. With access to thousands of apps and the internet, it’s a great tool to have with you when you’re in an unfamiliar place. Because FACE TIME is a novel with Apple products in it (I had to make a choice for consistency sake and since I know Macs and iDevices the best, I went with that), here is a list of apps I think should be loaded on your iPhone before you step on the plane. Some of them may surprise you.

1. World Clock - This is an easy one because it’s already provided to you in iOS. Open the Clock App, and use the World Clock tab at the bottom to add in all the cities you’ll be traveling to. It’ll help you get acclimated when you land in a different time zone.

2. Instagram (http://www.instagram.com) - One of the catchiest photo apps on any device, Instagram will help you capture your trip and share it with all of your friends and family. You can post your photos from Instagram to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Tumblr too so no one will miss that great moment when you hiked the Alps or swam with dolphins (Please do not put your iPhone in the water. Okay? You’ll regret that.)

3. Google Maps (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354) - Sorry Apple Maps App, you can’t compare to Google Maps. With its built-in GPS and Street View for most cities in the world, it will help you find coffee when you’ve been up all night at the clubs in Spain or soup dumplings when you’ve been walking all day in Shanghai.

4. White Noise (http://www.tmsoft.com/iphone-whitenoise.html) - There are several White Noise Apps in the iTunes Store, but I love White Noise by TMSoft. I even bought the paid version because it had so many options. Sometimes you need white noise to block out hotel noise or the place is too quiet and you’re used to it noisy. This app will run all night with the iPhone plugged in and has a built-in alarm clock. It can’t be beat.

5. Evernote and Evernote Food (http://www.evernote.com) - Use Evernote (one of my favorite apps period) to save articles, links, photos, and notes of places you’ve gone to or would like to go. Start a new notebook in Evernote for each destination and you’ll never lose that idea! It also makes a great way to keep a travel journal, if that’s your thing. If you’re traveling with other people, you can share out notes via email and text to other people on your trip and even create notes that other people can edit if you have a group of people who want to share ideas. Evernote Food is a companion app to Evernote. Use it to store recipes or food you learn about on the road or just open to the Restaurants tab in Evernote Food and get restaurants near your location via the Location Services on the iPhone.

6. Runkeeper (http://www.runkeeper.com) - This may be one of those “huh?” apps but just think about it. Runkeeper has more than 19 million users around the world, two-thirds of which are outside in the United States. (http://mashable.com/2013/05/21/runkeeper-innovation/) It works in many places in the world and is a great way to keep track of where you walked and for how long. It’ll store all your hikes, runs, or walks for you, so if days later, you can’t remember where you saw that cute shop you wanted to go to in Paris, you can retrace your steps on the map Runkeeper keeps for you. Brilliant.

7. World Explorer (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/world-explorer-travel-guide/id381581095) - This is a great app with tons of information about over 850,000 places in the world. When you open the app, it’ll find stuff around you using Location Services which is always an added bonus. I like that it even had things about my own hometown! So I can imagine that tourist destinations are even more covered.

8. Google Translate (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-translate/id414706506) - This app is invaluable when traveling overseas to countries that don’t speak your native language. Type in words you don’t understand to have it translate or even have the other person speak into the application and get a translation. My in-laws use this app all the time with good results (English to Bulgarian and vice versa), and it consistently gets 5-star reviews. Use it to help negotiate a deal at the next street festival in Thailand you attend.

9. XE Currency Calculator (http://www.xe.com/apps/iphone/) - If you’re a world traveler, making quick purchases at roadside stalls, then you know you can’t pay for everything with a credit card. Hard cash is what is needed. You should always know the exchange rates so you can make sure you’re getting a good deal and not getting ripped off when someone tries to sell you a sarong for 400 baht on the beach in Koh Samed.

10. Your Travel Site App of Choice - Whether you booked your trip through Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, or Motels.com, you should have their app on your phone, loaded up with your itinerary for the trip. No need to chase it down anywhere should you drop the printed copies in the porta potties during Rio Carnival. Even if you had the best time of your life, I’m sure you’d like to make it back home again, so that you can rest up, get back to work, and earn money for the next trip!

Hope these apps inspire you to get on a plane and go! It’s all Lee has been doing for five years, and all Laura could help but do when she finally meets him in FACE TIME. Where do you plan on going next?

You can find and contact her here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Pinterest
- Flickr
- Instagram
- Tumblr

And there is a book blitz wide giveaway, here is what you can win:
Grand Prize: $10 Amazon GC and The Kimchi Chronicles http://amzn.com/B005EG3S1S on Kindle. Or $10 Barnes & Noble GC and Kimchi Chronicles on Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kimchi-chronicles-marja-vongerichten/1100823427?ean=9781609611279
First Prize: $10 Amazon GC or $10 Nook Card

For a chance to win, you can enter the giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway