The Perfect Glass

Despite it being early in the morning, I just wrote something that made me laugh out loud. I seriously thought I was going to wake the kids the way I was carrying on, and the idea quickly bumped my planned blog post for this one. (It's entirely possible I need more coffee)

My characters just sat down and the heroine got a glass of wine. A nice crisp chardonnay. And then she slipped an ice cube into it. There was a gasp of outrage from a few people in their crowd and she felt the need to defend herself. They, after all, we sipping whiskey over ice. What's the difference?

This lead to a discussion on the differences in booze. What can and can't be served over ice. What's a manly drink, what's a girly drink. What shouldn't even be called a drink because it's a spritzer. (Is that some type of perfume? What the hell's a spritzer?)

So, what do you think? Is there a hard and fast rule about what can be served over ice and what can't?

And the Winners of the Sabrina York Giveaway ARE:

Thank you all so much for coming out and celebrating the release of Parker's Passion with me. It was great fun to host Sabrina York and have all of you come party with us!

The winners were picked by a name randomizer and I emailed Sabrina screen shots of each winner. Just to keep everything fair. ;-)

Now, because I know I'm just building the anticipation by waiting, I'm thrilled to announce our winners!!

 

CRYSTAL

Crystal, please let me know which of the Tryst Island books you'd like to receive and we'll make it happen.

SALLY

Sally, please get me your mailing address and I'll drop this sparkly little gem in the mail.

Thank you all again for stopping by and chatting. I hope you'll stop by again!

What I've been reading. Back to Tryst Island: Parker's Passion **GIVEAWAY**

**updated to add a giveaway** 

I've talked Sabrina into hosting a giveaway. (It was super hard, let me tell you. SUPER. Ha!)

 Just comment on this blog post to be entered to either a Tryst Island book of your choice, or one of Sabrina's fabulous tiaras.
Winners with be picked by random and announced this Friday May 9th at 5pm PST

If you're anything like me, you've been waiting for the return trip to Tryst Island to visit group of friends who call themselves the Dawgs. You've been impatiently waiting for the guy who snagged your attention from the start. Not one of the main group of friends, but he's a part of the other group of friends who visit the island regularly. The one who covers himself up and stands a bit off from the crowd.

I don't know about you, but I just had to get to know Parker Reith a little better.

Lucky for me, Sabrina didn't make me wait too long. And I couldn't have been more pleased when scarred divorce lawyer tangled with gentle healer Kaitlin. She was it, the perfect person to soothe this broken, damaged hero and help him find love.

Hopefully he'd let her try.

Kaitlin, meanwhile, is battling her own demons (you knew she would be) and trying to keep it all together. When everyone is relying on her, she really can't let them down.



An exclusive excerpt from Parker's Passion, selected just for this blog!

“I dropped the knife,” Parker said nodding his head toward the tree.

“I’ll get it.” Kaitlin leaped up and ran for the base of the tree, quickly finding the red knife against the brown pine needles. She pulled out the tiny scissors as she hurried back. “Hold him still while I cut him free.”

Parker grunted as a talon flashed again catching him on the sleeve of his shirt.

”He’s just frightened,” she said in a lulling tone as she began to snip the lines. “Nothing to be afraid of here, little eagle. We’re here to help you. We’re not going to hurt you. No. We’re not.”

She focused on calming the frightened bird as she worked, pouring all her concentration into the task, gratified that the creature seemed to understand she was trying to save it.

She was amazing.

Parker watched her as she worked. Not her fingers, her face. Her entire countenance was imbued with light, with a serene, soothing confidence. The bird felt it. He certainly did as well.

Her coos reminded him of a lullaby from long ago, so long ago it was swamped in darkness, but somehow, it shone through.

He held the eagle as still as he could as she worked, all the while entranced by the spell she was weaving over the bird. Over them both.

As she cut away the string, being careful not to snip a feather, she peeled back the jacket until she reached the head. With a sigh, she snipped the last line.

The raptor observed her with unblinking eyes, surreally relaxed, as though it understood. It was a magnificent animal with thick muscled shoulders and legs and a wicked hooked beak.

“Okay now. I’m done. I got it all. Ease the jacket away and let him try to stand.”

Parker did so, ready to make a grab the bird if it suddenly attacked. It was large enough to do serious damage to an alabaster face. Kaitlin seemed to have no fear. She cooed again, encouraging it to struggle its feet. It took one step, two, then spread its wings. It flapped once and then, with a small hop, took off in a great whoosh, soaring into the sky, letting out a gleeful cry.

You can find all Sabrina's Tryst Island books on Goodreads and purchase them on Amazon!

Finding Swag for the Bag, Part II

The swag for today's blog comes from the 2013 RWA National Conference. Nationals gave out a really great bag (which I'm realizing I don't have a photo of), but for the most part swag is put out on swag tables so people can grab what they want.

Check out the difference in items, just at first glance. 

Yes, there are some paper products, but not nearly as much as in the previous swag bag. As a result, we can look at items a little bit more closely and things don't get lost in the shuffle.

These are all items that caught my friend Celeste's eye. Something about these made her pause and pick them up. Maybe it was because they were different and she hadn't seen anything like it before. Maybe because it was a fun, cute idea. Maybe it's as simple as she liked the color...some of this is a crap shoot as we know. There are so many unique items that I'm going to try to post the photos with minimum commentary about each one...unless I need to explain what they are due to my poor photography skills.

RWA gave out these water bottles to all attendees. Great idea for the weekend in Atlanta. It's always smart to carry some water around with you during conferences. Who knows when you'll have a chance to get a drink.

Celtic Heart chapter had a party where they handed these buttons and badge ribbons out. I'm a sucker for anything in a kilt (as are so many readers), so these are particularly clever. And it always feels funny not having any ribbons on your badge when attending a conference. This is a fun way to include readers and get your name out there.

Two different styles of drink koozies. I really like this idea, particularly for the Western Themed (based on the logo) series. And with backyard BBQ season in full swing, this is a great swag idea.

 A stress ball. This little puppy is coming to the day job with me. A new take on an old classic...and no one else is doing it.

Trading card size magnets. She didn't grab a lot of these, but the few that caught her attention. I (being a conference chair) thought the magnet for the 2014 Spring Fling was a great way to advertise that conference.   The thing about these: they are all the same size & shape. Nothing really makes them stand out from one another.

 A pamphlet about an author and her series, but it includes a recipe in the back. Very cute. And, a spatula. I love this idea for a cooking series. This is something that will be kept and used again and again.

A couple different notepads. (The green heart one was on the tables during a meal, not at the swag table.)

 Colorful label flags (is that what they're called??) I use these all the time, so this will be on my desk.

 Tattoo sleeves, perfect for every Rock-n-Roll series. So fun. And the fact that the label is specialty made to fit the series is awesome.

a coin purse

bath tea

a paper coaster with a writing quote

bookmarks

I couldn't get good pics of these items. Pens, a USB drive, odd sized/shaped bookmarks.

the trading cards with little goodies attached to help them stand out a bit.

beach ball

Great idea and ties right in with her title.

 A glasses cleaning cloth. I'm always in need of these! The other side has her business card/trading card.

bracelets

I think this is a great idea for ebook authors. You can't give out free books, but what about a post card offering a free download? or coupon code. This was given out in the session the author gave to those that were interested.

teas and sachets

buttons

Really bad photo, sorry. Matches.

I hope these give authors some ideas for different ways to use their promo dollars and really help their name stand out from the crowd. If you see something on the table you want a closer look at, let me know. I've got the bag of goodies here and I'll do my best to get a better photo and post it. :-)

Are there any vendors that authors would recommend for promo materials? Any fun ideas?

Thanks for stopping by!

The Trouble with Book Boyfriends & a giveaway

I keep seeing things on Facebook about Book Boyfriends. Now, as anyone who has read for more than a week knows, this is nothing new. The fabled book boyfriend has always been around. 

And that's because:

No shock there, right?

What does surprise me is that so many readers seem solidly locked on one or two book boyfriends. How is that even possible?? To me, book boyfriends are like potato chips; you can't stop at one.

For example: Karen Marie Moning's series. I've been reading KMM from the start and am head over heals with...well, several characters. From the Highlanders, hello! Dageus. 

Or Adam.

But that's not to discount any of the others. And then, I met the 9.

Holy Hell is all I can say there.

Or, if paranormal/urban fantasy isn't your thing, how about the Stephanie Plum series?

People are still bitter over the casting of Joe in the  movie. And the age old argument of Morelli vs. Ranger is nowhere close to being settled.

And since I live with small children, can I introduce you to the latest round of super heroes?  

Umm....I may need to be saved. Quickly.  I sure don't remember super heroes looking like that when I was a kid.

But, maybe you're like me and can't decide. Maybe it's a matter of whatever/whomever is right in front of you. Or, maybe you want a specific thing.

Like a Cowboy:

or someone to cook for you:

Seriously. How can anyone settle for just one? And why would you want to??

Luckily, with so many amazing authors, you don't have to. Just sit back and let the...um, riches, come to you.

But, I do have to say...mmmmmm.

So tell me. Do you have a single, solo book boyfriend? Or are you more like me, hoarding them all?  Tell me who your favorites are and why. Anyone I need to meet?

And, just to round out a discussion of book boyfriends, I'm offering up a copy of Pamela Clare's STRIKING DISTANCE (hello Javi!) to one lucky person. I'll pick next Friday (the 9th) so be sure to check back!