Wednesday 23 December 2015

Christmas Blitz Day 12: All is Merri and Bright



Merri Wilcox has finally achieved her greatest dream and opened her own hair salon. Life is bliss until Brighton Stansbury walks through her door. Growing up, Brighton was behind every bad thing that happened to Merri. She hasn't seen him since high school graduation and could have happily continued like that forever. 


When a winter storm traps Merri and Brighton together, will the pair finally learn to get along, or will the Christmas holiday become their new war zone?                                                                                                                                                                                               

                 


Tifani Clark grew up on a potato farm in southeastern Idaho with two brothers and two sisters. Because of her location, she had a lot of space to imagine and daydream and often pretended to be characters in books--like Scarlett O'Hara. She is married to the love of her life and is the mother of four fabulous children. When not writing, she enjoys playing the violin and piano and traveling to new places.

Q and A with the Author:
1.       Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
        a.   All is Merri and Bright is the first ‘cozy romance’ I wrote. Up to this point, all my stories    have been geared toward the YA crowd. I learned that it’s a fun genre and I can explore     other options.
2.       What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

        a.    Sometimes when writing my characters get stuck in situations that I don’t know how to                get them out of. I know the story starts at Point A, and I know it ends at Point B, but              sometimes getting them through the in-between stuff can be tricky.  Some of my best thinking comes during the early morning hours. I’m a morning person and usually wake up long before my alarm goes off. I use that time to lie in bed and think through my stories. Answers to plot questions usually find their way out.   


Connect with the Author here:

         


Snippet
1Lost in her thoughts, Merri didn’t notice that Brighton had stopped working next to her—until a snowball hit her in the back of the head.
Shocked, she whipped around to glare at Brighton who already had another snowball formed and aimed at her. “You did not just do that.”
“I did. And I don’t regret it.” He grinned. “Although, admittedly, I was aiming for your back, not your head.”
“So not only can you not drive straight, but you can’t throw straight either,” Merri said.
Without any further warning, Brighton pulled his arm back and unleashed the second snowball. It connected with her face, splattering across her cheeks and dripping down into her coat.  “Hey, look at that. My aim’s not so bad after all,” he said.
“You’re going to regret doing that.” Still gasping from the cold shock, Merri grabbed a handful of snow and hurled it at Brighton. He easily ducked and the poorly formed ball sailed over his head.
“Is that the best you’ve got?”
“You are so frustrating!” Merri yelled.
“No I’m not. You just think I am because you’re frustrated with yourself.”
Merri grabbed another handful of snow, taking her time as she formed it into a perfectly packed ball. She raised her arm and thrust it forward, faking a throw. Brighton dodged the empty pass, just as she knew he would. While he struggled to regain his balance, she unleashed the snowball for real, hitting him square in the chest.


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Tuesday 22 December 2015

Christmas Blitz Day 11: Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall

Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall by Luccia Gray

Luccia Gray was born in London, and now lives in the south of Spain with her husband. She has three children and three grandchildren. When she's not reading or writing, she teaches English at an Adult Education Centre and at University. 

http://www.amazon.com/Luccia-Gray/e/B00K34F28I/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8186541.Luccia_Gray
https://www.facebook.com/LucciaGray/
https://twitter.com/LucciaGray
 



Following Edward Rochester’s death, Jane Eyre, who has been blackmailed into marrying a man she despises, will have to cope with the return of the man she loved and lost. The secrets she has tried so hard to conceal must be disclosed, giving rise to unexpected events and more shocking revelations.
Romance, mystery, and excitement will unfold exploring the evolution of the original characters, and bringing to life new and intriguing ones, spinning a unique and absorbing narrative, which will move the action from the Yorkshire countryside, to Victorian London, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Colonial Jamaica.



http://www.amazon.com/Twelfth-Night-Eyre-Hall-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B010KFLAVC/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twelfth-Night-Eyre-Hall-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B010KFLAVC/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8  



Author Top 10!

I live in the south of Spain
I love swimming in outdoor pools in summer
I make a great paella and tiramisu
I’ve been dying my hair with henna for 23 years
I reread Jane Eyre regularly, like every other day!
My favourite 20th century novel is Rebecca
My favourite museum is the Tate Modern
My favourite place to go for a walk is along the South Bank 
I auditioned for the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama when I was 18
I speak four European languages

And Some Author Q&A's



What do you do in your spare time when you’re not writing?
I teach English to adults in Spain, full time. I enjoy working out at the gym, going for long walks, reading, travelling, and chatting to my physical and virtual friends.
How many books do you have out, and do you have a favorite?
Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall is my second book. The first is All Hallows at Eyre Hall. Book 3, Midsummer at Eyre Hall is also under way. I love both of my published books. Book one will always be special, but I like the way book two moved the story forward building a more exciting story.

When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?
I’ve always been an avid reader, and I’ve wanted to write and publish novels as far back as I can remember. My first book is dedicated to Sister Catherine. She used to read aloud to us during the last hour of class, and always on Friday afternoons. I was twelve at the time. I remember her reading The Moonstone, Oliver Twist, and Vanity Fair, among others. She transmitted her love for literature and especially the Victorians.  

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Monday 21 December 2015

Master of Malice Blitz


Let's get to know the Author before we take a look inside this book.

Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: www.caspeace.com
See the video of her performing live at the King’s Envoy book launch here:
Find out more at her website: www.caspeace.com


Social Media links:
Website: http://www.caspeace.com/

Ready for a look at the book?

Pure evil resists all attempts to destroy it, seeking only its ultimate vengeance.
Three years have passed since Reen’s trial and exile and changes have occured at the Manor. Taran now resides in Loxton Castle as Elias’s Court Artesan, with Sullyan, General Blaine, and Colonel Vassa all making regular tours of guard duty there. Accused of corrupting her daughter Princess Seline, the disgraced former queen, Sofira, has been exiled to Bordenn, where she nurses a bitter heart. And a terrible scarecrow creature has taken roost in a dank cell below the palace of Lerric, Sofira’s father.
Word reaches Sullyan of Reen’s suicide. The lack of a body and a series of dreadful events in Port Loxton—a vicious murder, a brutal ambush, and a devastating fire—raise doubts in her mind. She launches an investigation, unsuspecting of the evil that’s about to be unleashed... 



Grab your copy of the book today!

Check out the other books by Author Cas Peace



My Top Ten:
1) Anything to do with animals, especially dogs and horses. My favorite horse breed is the Friesian, which is why I put one in my novels. I also own two rescue dogs and support many animal charities.
2) Singing, especially folk-style songs. I have written and recorded songs to go with each of my Artesans novels. I also sing in my local church choir.
3) Chocolate!!
4) Dragons and (I have to admit!) unicorns. I have collected figurines and statues of dragons and unicorns since I was small and have a vast collection, some of which are quite large and live outdoors. But I don’t like “twee” ones, only those that look like they could be real.
5) Reading, especially fantasy and sci-fi, but also crime novels and mysteries.
6) Country walks.
7) All wildlife, especially butterflies. I used to breed and release UK varieties of butterfly, and belong to the Butterfly Conservation Society.
8) Playing my bodhran (Irish drum). I can’t read music so decided to take up drumming instead. It’s fun and very therapeutic.
9) Spending time with family members.
10) Hula-hooping! It’s something I’ve recently taken up to improve my fitness levels. I bought a sports hoop (something of a shock when you’ve never hooped in your life, even as a kid) and am working through various YouTube tutorials. I love it, even if I am getting through tubs and tubs of Arnica gel to soothe my bruises!



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Christmas Blitz Day 10: An Unexpected Proposal




While working at a wood camp in the Logan canyon during the winter of 1880, Caroline Simpson is forced to thwart the aggressive advances of Mr. Butch Larson, and in the process discovers that her long-time friend James has genuine affection for her. But as stubborn as Caroline is, she minimizes the emotions James has awakened in her, and it takes almost losing him to admit her true feelings. 


AN UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL was introduced in the first volume of the bestselling and award-winning Timeless Romance Anthology series, WINTER COLLECTION:

**Amazon #1 Bestselling *New Release* in Clean Romance 
**Amazon Top 10 in Regency Romance  
**Amazon Top 5 in Victorian Romance                                                                                                                                                                          

     



Annette Lyon is the Whitney Award-winner author of Band of Sisters and a three-time recipient of Utah’s Best of State Medal for fiction, twice for novels and a third time for her novellas. She has received many publication awards from the League of Utah Writers, including the Silver Quill for her first book in the Newport Ladies Book Club series, Paige. She’s published more than a dozen novels, even more novellas, several nonfiction books, and over 120 magazine articles, and she has a cum laude BA in English from BYU. When she’s not writing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding the spots on the kitchen floor.


Q and A with the Author:

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

This novella was my first attempt at writing short fiction. I’d long believed that I could never write anything shorter than a novel—I just couldn’t. But then I tried. It wasn’t easy, but it worked, and I liked the final result. And then I continued writing them—I’ve since written well over a dozen novellas. That was the biggest thing I learned from An Unexpected Proposal—that I can exercise and use writing muscles I didn’t know I had!

What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?

Thanks to my ADD, staying focused is always a challenge. Ironically, when my children were little and I had only short snatches of time to write, I was remarkably productive. I used those snatches efficiently. Turns out I can’t focus for hours and hours at a time. I need to take breaks—and not fall down the shiny Internet rabbit hole. My newest weapon to defeat distraction is a tread desk setup I rigged on our treadmill. Movement helps me focus, and on the tread desk, I set up my laptop on the shelf, walk at about 1.6 miles per hour, and suddenly I can work for two or three hours, no problem.

Connect with the Author here:
                  


Snippet
This—her first real kiss—was a moment she would treasure and remember all her life, but she also knew that James wasn’t for her, and that the romantic moment had happened purely out of the intense emotions they had both experienced immediately prior. That, and the bewitching moonlight.


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Saturday 19 December 2015

Christmas Blitz Day 9: Undertow, Deaths Twilight

Undertow: Death's Twilight by Claudette Melanson


Claudette Melanson writes & edits in Guelph, Ontario, with her husband Ron and four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and an MA in Literature. She's wished to be a Vampire since age five. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many books living inside her head.

In her spare time she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories....along with other great fiction. She is also very interested in good health and is an advocate of Ketogenic eating, using whole and natural foods. Her favorite foods are bulletproof coffee, cashew flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and almond, coconut or cashew flours.

Future dreams include writing many more books and spending more time with her son Jacob. Her biggest dream is to make Universal Halloween Horror Nights a yearly event with hubby and son. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.



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Maura finally found the truth she was always seeking…or has she?

After being left in the dark for all of her life, Maura’s father, Maxwell, has finally returned to reveal sinister family secrets Maura could never have dreamed possible—including his revelation that she is one of The Born. But his daughter soon discovers both he and her mother are keeping pieces of her reality hidden, still. As Maura struggles to unravel the mysteries surrounding her new existence and discover every piece of the cryptic puzzle, life appears intent on casting stumbling blocks across her path with every step forward.

Tragedy seems to stalk Maura, and those around her, as she stumbles along, altering the young changeling’s family, just when they have all come back together. The changes left in its wake could be for the better, or may threaten their existence, entirely.

With the arrival of Christmas comes the opportunity for Maura to draw close to everyone she loves—and finally reunite with Ron, the man she loves. But permanence has always eluded her, and in her current state of flux this pattern endures, as fate seems intent on snapping the threads that bind her to those she holds most dear. Maxwell’s good intentions pave a road for Maura, littered with misery, while her mother, Caelyn’s, desire to shield her family from pain may tear her away from them, altogether. The perfect happiness in the young vampire’s grasp is so easily swept away and dragged under, out of reach. Can Maura erupt from the darkness and confusion to break the surface and find the life she’s always dreamed of?

In the midst of chaos, assistance materializes in the form of another of her kind—ephemerally beautiful, yet explosively volatile, this new vampire may prove capable of unlocking the puzzle-box Maxwell seems intent on securing from her sight. Maura will discover the darkest parts of herself in her quest to understand the being she is destined to become. Her newfound friend has some shady intentions of his own—such as thwarting the love that has grown between Maura and Ron. Following in the wake of the impulsive vampire’s misguided instruction may further pull a naive Maura down into the depths of ultimate despair, heartbreak…and even destruction.


http://amzn.to/1JYRDgt


10 Favorites

My Bunnies…and other bunnies
Vampires
Bulletproof Coffee
Halloween – especially Horror Nights at theme parks
Rollercoasters & theme parks
Horror Movies
Reading
Writing Conferences & Meeting Readers
Writing
Traveling somewhere new…or a little familiar

And a fun Author Q&A

1.      What inspired your book?  Dreams.  I’ve dreamed of Maura for years and then when I started writing her she took up residence inside my head 
2.      How do you spend your free time?  Free time?  What’s that, lol?  I write every minute I can, since I still have a full-time day job. 
3.      What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?  Time.  I never have enough time to write and the weekends just aren’t enough.  It’s torture to want to write when you’re at work all day. 
4.      When did you first realize you were an author?  At about age five.  I was writing everything that went on around me and descriptions of the scenery inside my head.
5.      If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main character roles?  Maura would be played by Alix Elizabeth Gitter, but she’d have to wear dark brown contacts lol.  Monica Belluci might be a good pick for Caelyn.  For Ron, definitely Keith Longhorn or Michael Hudson.  
6.   What kind of music do you listen to while you write?  All kinds.  I like a huge variety and have a song or two for each chapter that makes up a playlist for the book.  It’s more dark and not part of the mainstream. I really love Muse and Anberlin



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