WINNER of the Angel Nicholas giveaway!

Congratulations to ALISON, the winner (drawn from random name picker thing) of 

SWEET DECEPTION!

Thank you so much to everyone to stopped by to comment. Don't forget that you can purchase the book at all major retailers now.

Thanks again Angel and Congratulations ALISON!! 

Introducing Angel Nicholas and her debut novel SWEET DECEPTION and GIVEAWAY!

I'd like everyone to meet Angel. We met a couple of years ago through Facebook believe it or not. I can't exactly remember the details, but before I knew it I'd connected with a kindred spirit from the next state over. Isn't the internet fun?

And I am THRILLED to announce her debut release SWEET DECEPTION, which is available now. 

I've asked Angel to stop by and answer some FAQ so everyone can get to know her and get a taste of her new book. One lucky person will be gifted a copy of SWEET DECEPTION, to be drawn on Friday, December 12 at 12:30pm PST. 

Now to be all official....

The only girl in the midst of four brothers, Angel Nicholas spent her childhood hiding behind romance novels. Now the mother of four overly-energetic children, a Whimsy kitty and slobber-flinging Great Dane, fiction is still her refuge. Excessive caffeine fuels her typing, stiletto heels maintain her sass, and the splendors of Idaho alongside its gregarious people inspire her muse.

Find Angel on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and on her website! You can also favorite her Amazon Author Page to receive emails when new books are available!

Here's the back copy blurb for the book:

Ally Thompson’s life is perfect. Calm, quiet, some might even say boring. The sole survivor of a tragic accident, she’s not the adventurous type—something she’s decided to change.

One roller-coaster ride…

A murder and a detective in disguise shatter Ally’s first attempt at “fun.” Detective Greg Marsing is everything Ally knows better than to want. The gun-totting, tattooed scumbags trying to kill her are almost a welcome distraction from her pointless attraction.

Blows her world wide open…

A contract on Ally has every lowlife for miles gunning for her. Sparks fly while she and her unlikely hero scramble to unravel clues. As the deadly game escalates, Greg has to decide if self-preservation rates higher than a love worth dying for.

FAQ by Angel:

Have you always been a writer, or is there a pivotal moment that started you on your journey?

I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. Writing was how I expressed all my teenage angst. I have a folder full of dark prose and weepy poetry! There was a long period where I set it aside, however. Instead of pursuing my dream of becoming a freelance photojournalist after high school, I pursued life. Children came along. Who knew the little darlings were so distracting? I found hobby after hobby to occupy myself with as they grew—in number and years. Then one night I had a dream so vivid that it would not leave me alone. So I sat down at the computer I used to maintain my then husband’s business and began writing. And wrote and wrote and wrote. I was like a woman obsessed. It started out horrid and was writing completely wrong, but I kept writing. I finished that story, and moved on to another. Then another. In the process, I educated myself about writing and the publishing industry. I’ve always believed that anything worth doing is worth doing right. Four and a half years later, here I am. I must have done one or two things right, don’t you think? ;-)

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

The marabou slippers, feather boas, bon bons, and pink champagne of course, dahling!

Oh, you were being serious? Hmm… I have always enjoyed the ability to create something from nothing, whether I was doing heirloom sewing or knitting or anything else. Writing is an extension of that. You sit down to a blank screen and you weave this intricate story. You create real people out of thin air, breathe life into them, and send them on this incredible journey that gives them even more depth. Then you send it out into the world, and pray it moves people just a little. It’s truly the most incredible thing I’ve ever done, aside from giving birth to and raising my munchkins.

Do you prefer dogs, cats, or none of the above?

Ha! More like ALL of the above! I’m an animal lover to the core. I currently have three cats, which was unintentional, I swear. I’m no longer allowed anywhere near the Humane Society for fear I’ll come home with more. Home feels wrong without a dog though! Rental properties are oddly against their renters owning 170 pound Great Danes. I think it’s an unfair restriction, personally. An ill-behaved dog is destructive no matter their size. So the Dane is still with the ex-husband at the ex-house. I miss him desperately.

Last question:  Do you have any shameless addictions—Starbucks, shoes, sunglasses, coins, books?

*snort* Everyone who knows me is well-aware of my addictions! Coffee, ridiculously high heels, and books. I’m not the least bit shy about indulging or sharing. I’m less vocal about things like my enjoyment of excellent food and fine weaponry of any kind.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Carmen! You’re a doll! If you don’t mind, I’ll say farewell by giving your readers a taste of my new release, Sweet Deception. Hugs & kisses!!

Excerpt

Oh, God! He was shooting at her. Actually shooting. In broad daylight. In her neighbor’s backyard. Didn’t they have rules about that sort of stuff?

Nerves shredded, Ally gritted her teeth. Three more feet. Two. Another crunch. She swore the heat of the bullet singed her shoulder. Arms extended, she jumped for all she was worth. Up, braced her arms and pushed off. She landed with an oomph on the other side, followed by another crunch and a hole in the wood fence.

For a split-second, she crouched panting, staring in disbelief at the fence towering over her head. Had she really done that?

Cursing from the other side got her up and moving again. Squealing tires and a revving engine brought her head around. A car tore into the alley and raced toward her. More bad guys? Had he called in reinforcements?

Ally froze.      

Did I do something horrible in a past life to deserve this?

Truly, I’ll help the poor. Serve food at the soup kitchen. Go to church every Sunday. Donate money to the shelter. I’ll even babysit my friend’s bratty kids.

Just please, please, please get me out of this alive.

The shiny black Camaro careened to a stop with the driver’s side door facing her. Heavily tinted windows revealed nothing. In a last desperate bid for freedom, she darted past the door. Strong arms encircled her waist and dragged her back toward the idling car.

 

“No!” Ally screamed like a banshee, flinging out her arms and legs, scrabbling for purchase. Hard hands sent her flying across the front seat.

“Ally.”

“Let me go!” She dove for the door handle.

“Ally!” He grabbed her elbow and pulled her back, away from the passenger door. “Damn woman, you are way more trouble than you’re worth.”

Almost blind with panic, she twisted around and crouched on the seat, prepared to draw blood.

Shocked hazel clashed with furious aqua. Her mouth fell open. Muttering under his breath, Detective Marsing threw the car into gear and spun out of the alleyway. She whipped her head around in time to see a blocky head pop up over the privacy fence as they disappeared around the corner. She’d done it. Escaped. Stayed alive. Like an atomic bomb, the events of the past hours and the emotions she’d worked so hard to control mushroomed up, exploding inside. Tears stung.

“Can’t you stay out of trouble for five minutes?”

BUY LINKS:  Amazon    Barnes & Nobles    Google play    Kobo    iTunes

Lori Lyn talks about walking in her character's shoes plus GIVEAWAY

I'm thrilled to welcome Lori Lyn to stop by and chat about a couple of my favorite things: shoes and characters.

AND, TWO lucky visitors will be given an ebook copy of her debut novel, The Archery Contest.

So, what are we waiting for?

(Waving) Hi, Carmen! I’m absolutely thrilled to be invited to join you and your readers. You always have such fun things to chat about – like your blog on swag or your review of Parker’s Passion.

Well, when we discussed me popping on here, I teased we could talk about shoes.

I love shoes, especially heels. Give me a sexy blue sling-back with a 3 ½” heel and I’m one happy girl. Being a short woman (5 foot and almost 1 inch), like Carmen, I can wear high heels. The Capt. (my fella) is about 10 inches taller than me so no worries. Most people don’t realize just how short I am because I am almost always wearing heels.

The year of my currently available book, THE ARCHERY CONTEST, is 1812, the Regency-era. My heroine, Willy, doesn’t have the option to wear an extra couple inches. She’s tiny and her only choices are pretty much no heel, let alone a sexy sling-back. At best, you might have a ½” or thereabouts. Most often women wore the equivalent of a ballet slipper.

Some people would be perfectly content to just have a modest shoe option. I was that way for many years.

But how would someone else feel? Would being only able to select from a couple pairs of shoes be a hardship? Would it make them feel inferior, angry, jealous? Or do they care? Are their priorities different? Or perhaps they are even proud of not caring, and then – why?

I often get asked how I create characters. But I don’t really create them. It’s more like they unveil themselves to me, bit by bit. And even things such as a pair of shoes can reveal something significant about this “person”.

I’m what’s called in the writing industry as a “pantser”, someone who writes by the seat of their pants. In other words, I really don’t plot things out. And while I may not know the direction of the story in detail, I have to know the characters. That means things even as seemingly inconsequential as which shoes they’d wear.

It’s really that you have to know why they would wear those particular shoes.

Now, I might not use that bit of detail in the story, but I have to know it. I have to know how this “person” would react, what choices they might make, what they could say in any given situation. I can, as the author, create the story or situations however it is very hard to “control” a character. Ask any fiction writer.

And to be honest, I really had my hands full with both Alex and Willy, my hero and heroine from my debut release, THE ARCHERY CONTEST. Alex already had a history with me. He appeared first in THE COUNTRY BUTLER which is due out this Fall. Plus he is quite a dynamic character. Of course, Willy is certainly no shrinking violet, herself.

The job of an author is to make characters live and breathe and to create a story just for them. And once we know those characters from birth to now (whenever that “now” is), then we can share their journey with the world.

The Archery Contest is currently available: Visit Kobo, Amazon, or B&N to purchase.

The MEGA RT giveaway: TWO more weeks to enter

Sabrina York went to RT in New Orleans this year. And while she was there she assembled the biggest giveaway I've ever seen!

Here's her post:

NEW PRIZES ADDED!!!

The RT Booklovers convention in May was held in New Orleans, and did we have a blast! I picked up a TON of swag, goodies and books…all for one lucky winner. Additionally, I got some local treats including famous pralines…and a sparkly Tiara I bought there just for you.

Review the list below, and please check out the authors who contributed to this giveaway. Then enter the rafflecopter and don’t forget to tell your friends!

THANK YOU RT for a wonderful convention!

Are you going to RT in 2015?

 PRIZE PACK INCLUDES:

Sabrina Swag including: A signed copy of Carolyn Reader’s Choice Award winning Dark Fancy, by Sabrina York, a bling pen, a signed teaser book and a Tiara purchased in New Orleans.

New Orleans Goodies: Pralines, Bacon flavored brittle, NOLA shot glass & Mardi Gras beads.

Exclusive RT Swag: RT Conference tote bag, RT Bookfair tote bag, Harlequin tote bag, Bookfair program, June RT Bookreviews Magazine, RT room key (with hot guy), an assortment of Mardi Gras beads, Blushing Books pub crawl bracelet, Entangled pub crawl tote bag, Samhain Hurricane glass and more–much of this, thanks to my roomie & collection assistant, Lucy Carol, who actually went to all the events!

Here’s a photo of Shane Rice actually SIGNING your book!

Signed Books

A copy of Texas Two Step signed by author Cynthia D’Alba and cover model Shane Rice

A copy of Cowboy Heat signed by Randi Alexander, Cynthia D’Alba, Shoshanna Evers, Myla Jackson, Cat Johnson & Sabrina York

A little bit dark and a whole lotta naughty swag pack from Jennifer Kacey INCLUDING an autographed copy of Together in Cyn – Book One in the Members Only series!

NEW! A swag pack from the incomparable Erin Simone including a cool mardi gras necklace with a shot glass that says “Bad Girls Wasted,” an Eden Bradley Key Chain clip, A ”Gotta Love A Naked Cowboy” pin from Desiree Holt, Own the Wind, A Chaos Novel by Kristen Ashley and Dragos Takes a Holiday by Thea Harrison.

A copy of The Taming of the Wild Child signed by author Kimberly Lang

A copy of A Scandal in the Headlines signed by Caitlin Crews

A copy of The Billionaire’s Obsession—the Complete Collection signed by J.S. Scott

Featured Swag From People I Hung Out With!

Click here for full list

Other Books

Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley; Yes, Sir by Ellis Carrington; Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder;  Free Book from T.J. Dell; Secrets of a Viscount by Rose Gordon; Free Falling by SE Jakes;Wanted by J. Kenner; The Windflower by Laura London; Found in You by Laurelin Paige; The Warrior’s Bride by Amanda Scott; Always on my Mind by Jill Shalvis.

Plus Paper promo from HUNDREDS OF OTHER Authors Including:

Eden Bradley, Sylvia Day, Lisa Fox, Jenna Jacob, Danielle Monsch, Karen Stivali,  Rebecca York and more!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

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!

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!