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Quick! Say Something Sexy

Maggie Wells | June 18th, 2013

Love Letters Volume 3: Wicked Whispers is now available, and that means the Love Letters ladies are talking dirty.

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Well, not really.

You see, Love Letters Volume 1: Obeying Desire marked a first for all four authors – first audiobook release. Here’s their take on the latest installment in the Love Letters series and hearing their work read aloud:

I Is for Indecent by Christina Thacher

I’m a lawyer. We talk a lot. It’s pretty much in the job description—will yammer at anyone for money! But when the talk involves sexy stuff? Not so much. Lawyers tend to keep things dry and a bit dull. I can only imagine what a super sexy man might say to me, if he was inclined to seduce me with words.

When Ginny, Maggie and Emily agreed to a Love Letters volume where every story involved sexy conversation, I was thrilled. Here was a chance to put my imagination to good use. I dreamed up Stefan, the hottest man I could think of and then I put words in his mouth. Hot words, seductive words, words guaranteed to get a woman in bed.

Then we found out that the first two volumes of Love Letters were going to be available on Audible. That’s a huge honor…and a little bit scary. Hearing words I wrote read aloud? Luckily, the folks at Audible are even better at making words sound good than Stefan is. Whew! Talk about a relief! Now all I have to worry about is the oral argument I have to make in court next week.

J Is for Jaded by Maggie Wells

When I first heard the Love Letters series would be available in audiobook format, it all seemed a bit surreal. You see, long before we knew the title would be picked up by Audible, I went there.

J Is for Jaded, my story for Love Letters Volume 3: Wicked Whispers, takes place in a sound studio. The hero, Vaughan Hatch, is a former rock star turned sound engineer. My heroine? Julie Poplin is a successful audiobook narrator whose husky voice seduces our hero in just a few smoking hot passages. Audio booth sexytimes ensue, our couple oblivious to the red ‘RECORDING’ light burning bright.

I admit I was a little nervous about listening to the stories I’d written for volumes 1 & 2. I expect I’ll be a complete wreck when it comes to volume 3. This is one of those moments that leaves an author wondering… Is this life imitating art or just cosmic payback?

K Is for Kickstart by Ginny Glass

I guess I must have been in Maggie’s brain just a little (it’s pretty wild in there!) when I wrote my letter for Volume 3. Something about reading out loud, even if the material is not intended to be erotic, is something I find very sexy. So Sophie (frustrated Romance writer) and her editor Oliver (frustrated with her frustration) were born. Sophie has writer’s block and Oliver intends to help – but things get a little intense when he finds that she’s been using him for her hero’s inspiration.

When Love Letters started coming out in audio, I had no problem grabbing a copy and firing up the headphones. I wish I could say that I was in some exotic locale, chasing bad guys with an angsty, rugged cop, or holed up in a bunk on a wild west ranch (can’t wait for that volume!) but I was actually in bed in my pj’s.

It’s a glamorous, life, folks.

L Is for Lessons by Emily Cale

My mother reads my books. No, seriously. On purpose. And then she tells people. Like her friends who have known me since I was a baby. Her hairdresser. Our pastor (gulp).

Yeah, that happened.

Most of the time this all occurs while I am a thousand miles away and can screen my calls. But I was home not too long ago and Love Letters came up. After I answered the question of whether these were children’s books (the answer is no, if you are wondering), I mentioned that they were available in audiobook. Of course we needed to listen to the sample right away.

In the middle of a party. At my super conservative Aunt’s house. Confession: I’d been too scared to listen before then. It’s one thing to write it and read it to myself. Listening to other people say those things…well, I wasn’t ready. But if there is one thing family is good for, it’s throwing you over the edge. So we listened. It was kind of cool. Fun to hear someone else interpret the way I imagine dialogue.

****

So yeah, a bit awkward in family situations, but the consensus is that a little sexy talk is very exciting. To celebrate, the authors would like to offer one lucky commenter their choice of any volume of the Love Letters series in either e-book or audiobook format. Just whisper something wicked (and your email address) in the comment box below. A winner will be selected at random from all comments posted before 11:59pm CDT on Monday, June 24, 2013.

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway, Random conversation | 4 Comments »

Steph names

Stephanie Tyler | June 13th, 2013

That’s what Larissa  (my BFF / Sydney Croft co-writer) calls them, and she always just shakes her head (and sighs – I can hear the sigh over email) when I come up with the names of my characters. Like the time she made me write the heroine in one of our Croft books (I typically write the heroes) and I told her the heroine’s name was Coco and that she was from Amish Country.  If we lived closer, I know she would’ve tried to hurt me.  Although really, I think the name just broke her.

But really, I don’t exactly come up with them.  Most of the time, they kind of arrive in my mind, like my characters.  But either way – if I hear a great name, I immediately picture the character in my mind.  And the rest is history.

I mean, my husband’s nickname is Zoo.  This was all inevitable.

So, of course, since Defiance (my new Carina Press release, which is up for order here!) is about the Defiance MC (aka motorcycle club) names and nicknames are very important.  Some of my characters don’t have their biker nicknames yet (like Mathias) but there are many guys in the MC who walked on and told me their names:  Rebel, Hammer, Cool Joe, Rockhead, Baz, Smoke, Lil’jon and Lights. I can tell you that Smoke got his nickname because of the phase, “where there’s smoke…”  (He might enjoy matches a little too much) and Lights isn’t the brightest bulb (or his he just playing dumb?)…see?  So many possibilities!

Now see, sometimes, I know the reason behind the name already (and I can’t reveal everything for my biker guys yet, so I just teased) and sometimes, I just love the name and then as I’m writing the story, the name will end up being perfect with a story point.

So, what would your biker nickname be?  Do you have a favorite name(s) for a romance hero?  Let me know in the comments for a chance to win a copy of Defiance!  I’ll be picking two winners at random  by the end of the day (or really, tomorrow morning)

You can find out more about Defiance (and you can read the first chapter and find order links) at my website:  www.StephanieTyler.com.  I’m also on Facebook and Twitter, so come say hi!

***

New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Tyler was a Secondary Ed teacher for grades ranging from middle school to college while she pursued a PhD in English Literature, all while trying to convince herself that she would get back to her dream of writing as a career eventually. When her daughter was born with serious medical problems, Stephanie found inspiration in the fighter her child proved to be—and found her own way back to writing. She’s published in a variety of genres, including romantic suspense, new adult and paranormal, and she also co-writes erotic paranormal romance under the name Sydney Croft. She lives in New York with her husband, her kids and her crazy Weimaraner, Gus, and they’re all cool with the fact that she’s permanently on deadline. You can find her at her website, on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway | 12 Comments »

The Worst Bad Dates

Brighton Walsh | May 8th, 2013

At what point would you give up on finding love? Or at least take a break from it? A handful of bad dates? Six months’ worth? A year? And how horrific would they have to be for you to finally throw in the towel and declare yourself off the market and on a break from it all?

Those were all thoughts that went through my mind when Olivia’s character from Plus One first came to me. After that, I started getting bombarded with all these absolutely horrendous dates that she’d been on. There was the cat pee guy. The plumber who discussed his work over dinner. The thirty-five year old who lived in his mother’s basement and brought porn along for their first date.

Wretched, right?

Now, I’ll admit—I’m not the authority on this subject. I’ve never really had a bad date. In my defense, I’ve been with my husband since we were wee little babies at the age of fourteen.

But still.

I hear stories—awful, horrible and (forgive me) sometimes hilarious stories—from friends who are fully immersed in the oftentimes dreadful dating scene.

But even with all these bad dates, you can’t give up hope, right? There still has to be that glimmer in your subconscious that thinks, Maybe it will be different with this one… Otherwise, everyone everywhere would have given up on dating a long, long time ago.

And, yeah, I’m a hardcore romantic, in case that wasn’t clear.

Once Olivia’s character was fleshed out completely in my mind, I wanted her to have hit rock bottom on the dating scene. To be completely fed up with the crap that goes along with it. And I wanted her to have kissed a lot of frogs before giving her a chance at her prince. (In case it wasn’t obvious, Ian is one hell of a prince.)

But I think the one thing that worked for Olivia was, even when she’d declared herself on a break from all things men and dating, in her heart, she didn’t give up. Even though she was taking a break from the true dating scene, she was open to the possibility. Of a connection. Of meeting someone when it seemed like she’d gone through the entire state population of Minnesota in her quest for her prince. Of love.

And, really, that’s what it’s all about, right?

What was your worst date? And did anything ever come of it? Post in the comments and on Wednesday I’ll pick one winner to be the happy recipient of a shiny $10 gift card to your choice of e-book retailer.

~*~

Olivia hates the singles scene, so when her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn’t want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can’t pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn’t expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy.

When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn’t take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia’s desire to stay “just friends” becomes clear, Ian’s feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that one plus one can make for a lifelong pair?

Plus One available for purchase at: Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

Brighton bio pic Brighton Walsh is a storyteller at heart. Whether through words or pictures, she’s been weaving tales for as long as she can remember. After decades of cultivating her writing, she finally decided to give life to the voices in her head and set forth to write her first novella. Love is her first love, and writing about it is a dream come true. When she’s not writing, she can be found with her nose buried in a steamy book or partaking in some retail therapy. She lives in the Midwest with her swoony husband and two energetic kids who (fortunately) know nothing about the naughty things she puts down on paper. She frolics around online frequently and loves to chat, so stop by and say hi. website | twitter | facebook | pinterest | goodreads

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway | 7 Comments »

More than one way to be a strong female character

Angela Highland | April 16th, 2013

Valor of the Healer thumbnail“Strong female characters”. It’s a phrase you hear over and over again in the urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres in publishing, not to mention in SF/F-based TV shows or movies. In honor of the release of my fantasy novel Valor of the Healer, I’d like to tell you about what “strong female character” means to me–and what challenges are presented when you want to write a character who might not fit the typical definition of “strong”.

And by “typical definition”, I mean physical strength and power. Nine times out of ten, when I hear “strong female character”, I hear “female character who’s a badass”. Maybe she’s a vampire slayer, like Buffy Summers, or a hunter of some other form of supernatural monster. Maybe she’s a soldier, or a mercenary, or a FBI agent or some other kind of spy. In all these cases, though, she’s generally physically competent. She can hold her own in combat, and she knows her way around one or more weapons. Frequently, she’ll have the attitude to back up or even surpass her physical abilities as well. Such a heroine will be outspoken, often sarcastic, and more often than not more so than is actually wise.

In Valor of the Healer, though, my character Faanshi at first glance is the exact opposite of “strong female character”. She starts the story in slavery, and she’s been brought up to be meek and submissive. Faanshi’s not even supposed to look a man in the eye, much less stand up to him. Fighting and combat are inherently frightening to her, given her powerful healing magic; her instinct is to mend pain, not to be the one handing it out. Moreover, even aside from the submissiveness drilled into her by slavery, I wanted her to be of a naturally gentle and compassionate temperament. I.e., not the sort of girl who’s likely to pick up the nearest sword and spill the blood of her enemies.

My challenge, therefore, was this: how could I write such a character to show that she did in fact have strength of her own?

The first answer to this lay in Faanshi’s religious faith. She’s been raised by her great-aunt Ulima in the worship of the goddess Djashtet, and she believes very, very strongly in her chosen deity–even though she’s surrounded by people who not only do not share her beliefs, but who also persecute half-bloods like her in the name of her own. As the story starts, Faanshi’s prayers to her goddess have arguably been the most important thing keeping her sane in the face of imprisonment by her master.

Hand in hand with this goes the second answer to the question of Faanshi’s strength: Ulima. The laws and customs of two different nations dictate that Ulima cannot help Faanshi openly, but this doesn’t stop her kinswoman from doing everything in her power to support her. And there’s a great deal of strength to be had in the knowledge that someone, even in the face of adversity, is looking out for you.

The third and most critical of all the ways I’ve tried to portray Faanshi’s strength is through giving her the power of choice in her life. To be presented with sudden freedom when you’ve known nothing but servitude is exhilirating–and terrifying. For the first time in her life, through the course of this story, my young healer must step up to the plate and learn to be the one in charge of her liberty, her destiny, and her magic. Portraying how she does this, while keeping true to her gentle nature and her strong moral core, has been one of the most satisfying writing challenges I’ve had to date. Her development as a character won’t end with the final chapter of Valor of the Healer–but I like to hope that as of the end of this part of my trilogy, I’ll have put her firmly on the road to being a young woman of agency, or, as the elven scout Alarrah calls her, “a free woman of the West”.

So how about you, readers? I’d love to hear about your favorite heroines who show their strength in unexpected ways, no matter what their genres. How is their courage tested? How do they conquer their fears?

Drop me a comment any time this week to tell me about your favorite strong female characters, and on Saturday, April 20th, I will give away a copy of Valor of the Healer to a randomly selected commenter! Or pick up a copy for yourself right here on CarinaPress.com!

And if you like the book, do please come and find me and tell me about it! Valor of the Healer is my first novel with Carina, but I also write under the name of Angela Korra’ti, and I’m Anna the Piper to my online friends. You can find me at angelahighland.com, on Twitter as @annathepiper, or on Facebook or Google+ as Angela Korra’ti. Thank you all!

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Posted in Books, Contest/Giveaway | 21 Comments »

A new venture!

Kate Pearce | April 9th, 2013

I first had the idea for Soul Sucker about five or six years ago, and floated it past my agent. She went, ‘Huh? What is that?” We had no idea where it would fit in the publishing market, so I went ahead with something else. When I had time to look through my folder of ideas last year, (I think every writer has one somewhere), I found the single sheet of paper entitled Soul Sucker and read it through again. I still liked it.

I tend to write really angsty emotional characters, and I was looking for something different, and Soul Sucker fitted the bill. It was part Urban Fantasy, part Paranormal romance, and yet neither of those things, because the main character, Ella Walsh was funny as hell in a sarcastic anti-heroic way that appealed to me. Unlike most heroines in these sub-genres she was neither leather-clad, gun toting or ass-kicking material. She’s blond, short, a little unfit and tends to think most of life’s problems can be solved with a joke, a beer and some junk food.

Of course her hero, Vadim Morosov is the complete opposite. Tall, handsome, not quite human, and neat as a pin, some might say too neat, and the stage is set for a clash of egos and ideals that carries the pair from instant antagonism to attraction as they try to police their two worlds and prevent humans from realizing what’s really out there. I was asked to describe the book recently, and I said it’s like Moonlighting meets the X-Files, full of wit, weirdness and odd partnerships that somehow work.

Who are some of your favorite onscreen partnerships?

One randomly picked commenter below will win an Amazon gift card for $15. Thanks for having me, Carina Press Blog!

Kate Pearce x

 

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Posted in Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway | 17 Comments »

Sympathy for the Devil: Fallen Angel Heroes in Romance

Laura_Navarre | March 13th, 2013

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Why do I love fallen angels? At first blush, my fascination with these unconventional heroes seems unlikely. These once-divine beings, their bright beauty forever marred by their plummet from grace into darkness, seem better suited to villainy than romance. That’s why I think I love them—because they’re the ultimate bad boys. Their choice to fall, to reign in Hell rather than serve in Heaven, suggests a profound and bitter disillusionment with their former Paradise that makes me burn to discover what has happened to these tarnished angels to transform the infinite love in their hearts to inconsolable rage.
Fallen angels arrive on the scene with a backstory few mortal heroes can rival. A fallen angel’s very essence is a fatal flaw, a fissure of the soul so profound that this weakness has destroyed him. To me, his dark and tragic history betrays a unique and powerful need for salvation that only the heroine’s love can supply.

My fascination with this midnight of the soul and the themes of salvation, damnation, forgiveness and the redemptive power of love led to The Magick Trilogy, my maiden voyage into the world of Tudor paranormal romance. In my series debut Magick by Moonrise, Lord Beltran Nemesto is a Blade of God, a Church Inquisitor with a ruthless reputation for hunting down suspect witches and heretics. Unknown to Beltran, he’s a fallen angel, sentenced by God to a mortal life, where he must learn the hard lessons of mercy and compassion or lose his divinity forever. Yet he appears doomed to repeat the same mistakes that jeopardize his immortality—until he meets gentle healer Rhiannon le Fay, the Faerie ambassador to the Tudor court—the very woman he’s been ordered by the Church to interrogate and condemn.

Beltran begins his journey to redemption with his forbidden passion for this ethereal, unconventional, utterly unsuitable beauty—a heroine who fits my brooding, damaged hero to perfection. When Tudor England and the Faerie kingdom collide, only love can save them.

Beltran and Rhiannon’s story holds a special place in my heart. I hope you enjoy their journey as much as I have.

What do you think about the emerging trend of angels and demons in romance? Do you find these paranormal creatures sexy, intriguing or unnerving? I’d love to hear your views and any recommendations you might share on books, movies, and TV shows that explore this fascinating trend.

To enter for a chance to win a copy of Magick by Moonrise, please leave a comment and include your email address.
Click here to purchase Magick by Moonrise:

http://www.amazon.com/Magick-Moonrise-The-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00APEYAO8/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362459701&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Magick+by+Moonrise+Laura+Navarre

Bio for Laura Navarre:
In her other life, Laura Navarre is a diplomat who’s lived in Russia and works on weapons of mass destruction issues. In the line of duty, she’s been trapped in an elevator in a nuclear power plant and has stalked the corridors of facilities churning out nerve agent and other apocalyptic weapons. In this capacity, she meets many of the world’s most dangerous men.

Inspired by the sinister realities of her real life, Laura writes dark medieval and Renaissance romance spiked with political intrigue. Although Laura is a multi-published, award-winning author, MAGICK BY MOONRISE is her first historical paranormal romance. MAGICK won the Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA) Award for Romance in 2012.

Laura holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine, an M.A. in National Security Policy from The George Washington University and a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State. Living in Seattle with her screenwriter husband and two Siberian cats, she divides her time between her writing career and other adventures for U.S. government clients.
Connect with Laura at:
www.Facebook.com/LauraNavarreAuthor
www.Twitter.com/LauraNavarre

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4013449.Laura_Navarre

www.LauraNavarre.com

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway | 5 Comments »

Defining Sexy

Dee_Carney | March 6th, 2013
HA cover Hunger Awakened

 

If someone did a study of the heroes of romances, the physical characteristics that make the hero sexy are somewhat standard. How many can you name? Strong jaw. Piercing eyes. Defined abs. That little cut on the lower abdomen that makes so many women drool…

But in real life, women’s definition of sexy can vary quite a bit. One of my best friends, for example, has an automatic thing for bald-headed men—and this was before being bald was in vogue. My other best friend stops in her tracks for a man with dark eyes. Me? I have a thing for scars. Not necessarily disfigurement, but more like the kind that bisects an eyebrow or one that looks like an artificial cleft on the chin. If you can’t get on board with that one, how about this…I also have a thing for gingers. (Just go with it, okay?)

The heroine of Hunger Awakened, discovers that she has an unusual chose d’affection. Take a look.

She’d thought his eyes had gone from beautiful to incomparable, but words failed her at trying to categorize them right now. They were a crystalline blue, while silver and pearl swirled through its sea. His pupils had elongated, the darkness a slice that seemed out of place.

“I’m wrong.” Sebastian’s voice contained raw emotion. “This…” His wings repositioned.

Jesus. He had wings.

“I know. We’ll figure out what’s going on.” She spoke with a false confidence that she clung to. “How are you feeling otherwise? Any pain? Faintness?”

He rose to his feet without her assistance, and the stomach that contracted painfully before released just a fraction. She wanted to inspect his back, to study his new appendages, but if he was on the brink of destruction, that had to be their priority.

As she stood next to him, all of her senses became hyperaware. While her stomach might have been put at ease, the rest of her body went taut at the looming presence of Sebastian in this new form. He had always been gorgeous, no doubt. The transformation, however, had given him a new strength. More definition. A devastating beauty.

The sharp angles of his face became slashes of bone and shadow. When he’d spoken, the teeth he kept well hidden were longer. More lethal looking.

And those dangerous eyes. They gave her delightful shivers.

“I hurt everywhere.” His gaze was disconcerting. “And nowhere. I’m hungry too.”

Alice took a slow step closer, keeping her hands outstretched and nonthreatening. Not like she could ever do him any harm, but the underlying skittishness in Bast needed reassuring. “Let me take a look at you,” she said. “Maybe I can help a little.”

“You think it’s wise?”

She smiled. Not only was he still nude, he was sporting an impressive erection. “I’ll take my chances.”

He remained rooted, indecision spread across his expression. “I don’t know who I am anymore. What I am.”

“You are still the man who protected me from a blood-thirsty vampire and a dangerous werewolf. I believe you are the man who vowed to protect me from any and all dangers. You’re also the man who kisses me until I can’t think straight anymore.” She paused, licking her lips. “Finally, you’re the man who promised me sexual oblivion. Remember that?”

It probably wasn’t appropriate to bring up his promise, but it was hard to think straight with the sign of his arousal so blatant.

“Like this? You would have me still?”

Alice took another step forward. She wrapped her arms around him, astonished by his new definition. Cautiously turned on. “You’ve got wings now, honey. It’s kind of hot.”

That seemed to startle a chuckle out of him.

What about you? What “questionable” physical characteristic gets your motor revving? I’ll pick one random commenter to receive a ebook copy of Hunger Aroused, the first book in this series, on March 10th because I’m certain you’ll already have your copy of Hunger Awakened by then because it’s available now at Carina | AMZ |  B&N | Kobo | Audible | ARe. (By the way, did you know there’s a free between-the-books short on my web site, featuring characters from both Hunger Aroused and Hunger Awakened? Come on over and see!)

Dee Carney is an award-winning, best-selling author of sweetheart vampires and terrifying chefs, husband/wife reconnections and take-no-shit women. Read more on her web site, www.deecarney.com.

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Posted in Books, Contest/Giveaway, Excerpt | 8 Comments »

Love is the reason.

Shawna_Thomas | February 13th, 2013

It’s almost Valentine’s Day; the time of year we turn our thoughts toward love. Whether it’s to appreciate the love we have, dream about the love we want, mourn the love we’ve lost, or even to shun the holiday altogether, chances are, we’re thinking about love.

Love is a tricky thing, you can search for it, prepare for it, wait expectantly for it, but I’ve found love usually finds you when you’re least expecting it. That’s the case with my own love story, and it’s also what happens to Sara in Journey of Awakening.

I suppose you can say Sara is career minded. She has a task to preform and she is rather single-minded in her pursuit of it.  When she meets Tobar she doesn’t quite know what to do with the feelings he generates. She’s been trained how to fight and how to heal, but growing up with just her grandfather on a tiny island doesn’t prepare her for the charismatic and attractive desert tribesman. Not to mention there is more than just her quest to stand in the way of their love.

But then are you ever really prepared when love finds you? I know I wasn’t.

I’d love to hear how you met your significant other and/or how you’re planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

I will be picking one comment to win this beautiful glass pendant necklace in honor of Valentines Day. Contest ends February 19th.

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Also, anyone who comments on any of my blog posts from February 4th to March 4th is eligible to win a replica of Ilydearta. The necklace that started Sara on her journey.  Details here on my blog.

Journey of Awakening is now available at Carina’s website, on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble.

 

Winner of a 2011 RT Reader’s Choice award for her debut book, Altered Destiny, Shawna Thomas has been making up stories ever since finishing GONE WITH THE WIND. Once she put her own ending in writing, there was no looking back.

A wife and a mother of seven, Shawna lives in California where she gardens, writes, and drinks a lot of coffee. Visit her on her blog, twitter or Facebook.

 

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Posted in Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway | 8 Comments »

WHAT’S UNDER THAT KILT?

Julie_Moffett | January 29th, 2013

I’ve written four historical romances either set in Scotland or featuring a Scottish hero or heroine. The people fascinate me, the countryside is gorgeous and the history is full of conflict, heroism and tragedy. Besides, I could never resist a man in a kilt. Seriously. There is something very sexy about a man confident enough to wear a skirt. There are also plenty of titillating jokes about what men wear (or don’t wear) under the kilt. I’ve personally never been brave enough to ask or look, so I don’t know for certain. But I wouldn’t mind finding out!

In Scots speak, the word kilt means “tucking the clothes around the body.” The kilt actually started out as a cloak wrapped around the upper part of the body and then tucked in, belted or fastened with a brooch. It wasn’t until the late 17th century that the walking kilt, or the skirted kilt, was worn by men. Scottish clans used the kilt as a way of identifying and distinguishing themselves. The kilt itself enjoyed great popularity in Scotland  until they were banned in 1746 by the English king who felt that the kilts permitted the Scots to display too much fevered nationalism.

THE THORN & THE THISTLE starts six years after the English king subjugated the Scottish Highlanders and forbid them to wear the kilt, play the bagpipes or own land. One Scottish Highlander, Robert MacLeod, refuses to stop his struggle against the English and his daring antics have caught the attention of the King himself. The King sends one of his most trusted lords, Rolf St. James, to capture MacLeod and bring him to London for a public execution. Rolf expects the challenge to be daunting, but he never thought his greatest resistance would be in the form of a fiery Scottish woman.

Thorn and Thistle photo ThornampThistle_zpsfd1d6d2d.jpg

In honor of the release of the THE THORN & THE THISTLE, I’ll do a random drawing and give away a free copy of the novel to anyone who comments on this post or offers insight as to what they like best about men in kilts. Have fun, be creative, and good luck!!

The cover blurb for THE THORN & THE THISTLE:

The MacLeods are a strong clan, united with their fellow Scots to resist English rule. But when their leader, the Black Wolf, is struck down in battle, it is up to his daughter to keep the rebellion alive. Megan knows she must act quickly or risk losing the fight for their ancestral lands. Desperate, she secretly assumes the Black Wolf’s mantle, fooling their enemies into thinking he’s still alive. If she can keep going for a bit longer, the clan’s future will be secure…

Rolf St. James has been sent by the king to settle the Scottish lands once and for all. He’s not about to let a woman get in his way, no matter how desirable he finds her. He must put aside his attraction and fulfill his duty to permanently quell the rebellion, regardless of the cost.
Rolf represents everything her father hated, everything she’s been fighting against. But as the days pass and Rolf’s code of honor reveals itself, Megan finds it’s not so easy to hate him anymore. Can she risk her people’s future for a chance at personal happiness?

Buy The THORN & THE THISTLE at Carina Press, Amazon and B&N.

Julie Moffett is a bestselling and award-winning author who writes in the genres of historical romance, paranormal romance and mystery. Learn more about Julie and her books on Facebook, Twitter and her website.

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Posted in Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway | 20 Comments »

What’s in your dream jar?

Liz_Flaherty | January 16th, 2013

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I like my heroines a lot. I loved Grace in ONE MORE SUMMER when she was at her worst, when she was a doormat and a martyr and a grouch. Because I knew what she was underneath and how she would survive and how strong her capacity for love was.

And now there’s Lucy, the heroine of JAR OF DREAMS. She’s different from Grace, but life has knocked her sideways just the same. She’s flinching because…oh, God, here it comes again. But she’s not going down without a fight. Not this time.

In all honesty, the women whose lives I write are not feisty. If there’s a dead mouse in a trap, they’re not going to scream or make someone else take it out, but they’re not going to touch the corpse, either, not even its skinny little tail. They’re going to pick it up with a wad of paper towels and throw it in the garbage, trap and all. If they have a flat tire, they’re going to change it themselves, but they’re not going to like it. And if some guy comes along and offers to help, they’re going to say, “oh, yeah, thanks so much,” even if it’s not the feisty thing to do.

They can, if they have to, kick ass, but they’d rather do other stuff. Lucy, for instance, is a girly girl. She wears sundresses—which purely delights Boone Brennan—and she cooks and waits tables in the tearoom she owns with his Aunt Gert. She works her tail off, but she saves her hopes on pieces of paper in a pickle jar with her tips and dreams of Happily Ever After.

And there’s the reason I like my heroines—and most romance writers’ heroines, if you come right down to it. They dream of and they proactively try to achieve Happily Ever After, preferably in the arms of the person they love more than life itself. But, if the arms and the love thing don’t work out, they’ll find a way to be happy on their own.

My promotion efforts for JAR OF DREAMS are encapsulated in cups and saucers like Lucy uses in Tea on Twilight,the tearoom. Some of them match, some not, but they all fit a woman’s hand and tea and coffee taste good out of them. If you’d like a chance to win a cup and saucer, just leave your email and answer this question: What’s at the top of your jar of dreams?

I hope you visit my homes on the web. Thanks for stopping by!

http://lizflaherty.com
http://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty
https://twitter.com/LizFlaherty1

http://wordwranglers.blogspot.com/

Oh, and if you’d like to buy the book, come here:
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/9FAA186B-F22E-4C59-B2B2-DB2848E16899/10/134/en/SearchResults.htm?SearchID=10734999

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press, Contest/Giveaway, Cover Art | 5 Comments »

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