Jeni's Bookshelf, Reviews, Swag, & More! : The Break In Blog Tour

The Break In ~ Busted Labs #2
by Aidee Ladnier

Publication Date: June 18, 2014

Ten years ago, roboticist Forbes Pohle received a visit from time-traveler Oliver Lennox. “Wait for me,” Oliver said. Now a decade has come and gone, and Oliver has returned. However, Forbes never dreamed Oliver would reappear as the point man for a gang of technology thieves breaking into his lab. He finds the younger Oliver just as sexy and even more annoying; still, he must convince him their happily-ever-after is meant to be—but he only has the time it takes his robotic cat Jeepers to thwart the thieves to do it. After waiting so long, he could lose everything in the

span of seconds.

The Break-In is a stand alone HEA

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22272358-the-break-in?from_search=true

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Dreamspinner

5 Quirky Things About Aidee

by Aidee Ladnier

I write about quirky characters because that’s what I know. I’m a pretty quirky individual myself. Here are a few things you might not know about me.

I've designed my own shoes

I really, really like shoes--not high heels—flats. A friend made the mistake of telling me about a company that lets you design your own shoes. Sure enough, they had lots of heels and one template for flats. I immediately started tinkering and then ordered my “author” shoes. Here they are! Words are so pretty, aren’t they?

I’ve sent a ping pong ball into space.

JP Aerospace, a volunteer DIY space program was raising funds to send ping pong ball sized science projects by elementary school children up to the edge of space in 2012. As a lover of all things science and science fiction, I gave money to the cause. In thanks, they let me put a ping pong ball in with those of the children. I ran my own ping pong ball sized experiment and got the thrill of seeing the video that included my experiment coasting in space among the stars. Here’s a picture of my ping pong ball before it went up to space. Which leads to my next quirky fact…

I fold so many origami cranes that I use them as packing material when I mail boxes

It all started when my computer began running slow at work. I would have to reboot often and I found I could make two origami cranes in the time it took my computer to restart. Then I began folding cranes in meetings to keep my hands busy so my brain could stay engaged (think of it like doodling with folded paper). Now it’s a crutch. Whenever I’m stressed, I fold a bird.

Whenever I’m worried, another crane appears. I have to say, my Christmas gifts to my family are enjoyed as much for the crane packing material as they are for the gifts.

One of my poems inspired an indie pop song by the band Correatown

As a thank you for supporting her album on Kickstarter, Angela Correa offered to write a song for me. She asked what I’d like to provide as inspiration and I gave her a love poem that I wrote for my husband. The song that resulted was beautiful and I gave it to him as an anniversary gift that year. If you’d like to hear Distillery by Correatown, you can do so by going here: http://aideemoi.tumblr.com/post/26007891265/you-know-several-years-ago-i-was-divorced-over-a

I have an extensive collection of silly socks

There’s really no excuse for the socks I own. They are all colors of the rainbow, some have animals on them, some have strange shapes, all are fun. It’s wonderful to wake up not sure you’re ready to face the day and then put on some goofy socks. It changes everything around.

Of course there are other quirky things about me that didn’t make it into this list--several of them are listed in my bio, in fact. I’m of the opinion that adventures are everywhere. You just have to recognize them. So may the quirk be with you and remember, have fun today.

Aidee's Love of Robots 10 Minute Video (she really loves robots)

The Forbes and Oliver Playlist for The Break-in

I have to admit when I’m looking for songs to fill a playlist for a story, they have to meet one of two criteria:

The lyrics have to match what a character is feeling

The song has to capture the mood of a scene

That said, here are the songs I chose for this story and why. If you’re interested, I created the playlist on YouTube so you can listen to the whole set here:

1. Moving On by Needtobreathe

I think this song captures Forbes at the start of the story. He’s waiting for his lover to reappear when their stars align but is contemplating moving on. It encompasses that kind of sad but inevitable feeling that you might be waiting for nothing.

2. Mission Impossible Theme

Okay, I know this is a pretty cheesy pick, but I am dead certain that Wilson, the self-appointed leader of the technology thieves, insisted that this music be played in the van on the way over to Forbes’s lab. Oliver was lucky he drove his own motorcycle to the scene, because they would have come to blows over the endless repetition of this song.

3. 99 Problems by Hugo

I know the Jay-z version is more famous, but I love the almost folky sound of this song. This is Oliver’s song as things start to go south. He’s suddenly on the wrong side of both Forbes and the gang of thieves he’s working for.

4. Take On Me by A-ha

Shameless 80s guilty pleasure music. THE BREAK-IN is set in the near future, so I’m going to say Forbes has it in his music library because his parents listened to it.

5. Ruler of My Heart by Irma Thomas

I love the soulful sound of Irma Thomas. This is definitely a Forbes song. He’s waited so long for his lover to return and when he does, it’s not at all in the way he expects.

6. Jeepers Creepers by Frank Sinatra

I had to include this song. It’s Jeepers’s song! The little cat robot embodies this quirky little ditty. He probably plays it in the house whenever Forbes leaves—which could explain why he was so grumpy that Forbes blew off the blind date at the beginning of the story.

7. Do It Alone by Sugarcult

Forbes would understand this song. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore. He’s willing to beg Oliver to stay.

8. With you by Natalie Walker

The lyric “Love takes time and time is on our side” is perfect for THE BREAK-IN. Forbes definitely found his life changed by Oliver and as a result his love didn’t fade despite time and circumstance. It’s a sappy song but those are okay sometimes.

9.Life Less Ordinary by Carbon Leaf

This song embodies Forbes and Oliver’s relationship. They are somehow a lot less ordinary together and together they will have an extraordinary life.

10.Little Wonders by Rob Thomas

This song is for the end of the story. The hardest part is over for both Forbes and Oliver. The twist and turns of fate have left them exhausted and time has fallen away. It’s definitely the heart that really matters in the end.

11.All Will Be Well by Gabe Dixon

This song is my song. As the author, I want to tell my characters that “all will be well” but only time will tell. There are a few more Forbes and Oliver stories to come.

Aidee Ladnier began writing fiction at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician's assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, and amass a secret file with the CIA. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee's to write both romance and erotica with a little science fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing.

Visit her Website or on some of her favorite social media site.