December Interview Line-Up! :)

Hi Everyone and Happy Tuesday!

 
I am on a road trip in PA this week!  We are moving at the end of the year, and this week we are looking for a new place to live! 

Aside from the last week in December (12/27), the first week in January (1/3), Valentine’s Day (2/14) and the first day of Spring (3/20), I have interviews scheduled through the middle of April! 

Check out the line up for December:

12/6 ~ W. Lynn Chantale

12/13 ~ Meg Mims

12/20 ~ Tammy Dennings Maggy

 

Woot!  I am excited to interview all these great Romance Authors! :)

This week’s Cover Mania! (Friday 12/2), and Sunday Share! (Sunday 12/4) will still be posted!  I hope you will come back and visit my blog on those days!

Have a great day!

PS…If you are a Romance Author interested in doing a “Fantastic Forty” interview, or featuring your book cover on “Cover Mania!” click the tabs above to learn more, then email me!

 

Sunday Share! ~ Quote and Pic!

Hi Everyone!

One of my fave quotes…and a pic to go with it! :)

Sometimes the dragon wins! 

 

 Happy Sunday!!

Happy Black Friday! ~ Blog Hop!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the MFRW (Marketing For Romance Writers) Black Friday Blog Hop!

This is a 10 blog hop!  Each blog has its own contest/prize run by the author of the blog! 

You don’t have to visit all the blogs, but the more blogs you visit, the more prizes you have a chance to win! :)

 Visit the MFRW~Author’s Blog to start at the beginning!  Then visit all the blogs in the hop!

~

Chris Redding ~ W. Lynn Chantale ~ Christine Ashworth

Chelle Cordero ~ Tammy Dennings Maggy ~ Shelley Munro

Debra Holland ~ Jane Wakely ~ Smoky Ziedel ~ Ann Siracusa

 ***CONTEST!!!***

 Today I am giving away a Journal, Bookmark and Glitter Pen made by me!

To be entered in the contest, leave a comment with an answer to the following question:

What is your favorite way to eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey?

(Or, if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving…What is your favorite Turkey dish?)

Leave a comment below and include the following:

Your Answer, Your Name and Your Email address!

I will draw a winner on Saturday and email you for your snail mail address!

(Note: If the winner doesn’t respond within 48 hours, I will choose another winner!)

Good Luck Everyone and Happy Black Friday!! :)

PS…Visit the next blog on the hop here: Smoky Ziedel


***CONTEST UPDATE!!!***

Congrats to Michelle Bledsoe!

She is the winner of the Journal, Bookmark and Pen!!

Thank you all for visiting/commenting and come back December 16-18 for another blog hop!  I'm giving away a $10 Amazon/Kindle gift card!!  :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate this holiday!  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives. 

I am thankful for many things: husband, daughter, puppy, family, friends, home, food, opportunities, possessions, happiness, and love.  Those are the major things on my list. :)

The Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving to celebrate that they were alive, and had plenty of food to eat from a successful harvest.  That’s why Thanksgiving is mostly about the food!  This is Hubby’s fave holiday and he has been helping me to perfect this year’s menu since last Thanksgiving!      (No, I’m not kidding!!)  I thought it would be fun to share it with all of you!

 ~Jane’s Thanksgiving Menu~

Breakfast: Coffee, Milk and Orange Rolls

Snacks/Lunch: Spinach Dip with Sourdough Bread, Deviled Eggs, Hot Crab Dip with Crackers, Chips and Onion Dip, Little Smokies in BBQ Sauce

Dinner: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Yams, Corn, Cranberry Sauce, Rolls with Butter

Dessert: Bobette’s Pumpkin Pie (Recipe compliments of Author Jean Joachim) with Whipped Cream

There you have it!  It’s more than enough for the THREE of us!  LOL! :D 

We will definitely have leftovers to eat all weekend!  YUM!

Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, I wish you all an Awesome day! :)

PS…Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow! 

I’m participating in the MFRW Black Friday Blog Hop which starts here: http://mfrw-authors.blogspot.com/?zx=43067ce76e5edb6  I am one of ten authors in the hop!

Each blog is holding a contest of their own, and you could win a journal, bookmark and pen made by me! :)

Fantastic Forty ~ E. Ayers

Hi Everyone! 

This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to meet this week’s guest, and we had a blast!  She is a lot of fun, and it shines through in her interview!  Please welcome…

~E. Ayers~

Author name: E. Ayers

Website: www.ayersbooks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1297251502
Twitter: @ayersbooks

Favorites:

Fave food? Salads
Fave drink (non-alcoholic)? Coffee. I drink decaf. Learning to do that took some time.
Fave candy bar? Three Musketeers
Fave flower? Whatever is blooming at the time. Horticulture is my love.
Fave gemstone? Colors! Garnets, sapphires, etc. I've actually been gem mining on occasion. (My granddaughter is a rock hound.)
Fave day of the week? Sunday because it's a kicked back, lazy day.
Fave time of day to write? Night
Fave season? They all have their good points, but I love Spring. It's a time for renewal.
Fave holiday? I love fall decorating but not really any particular day.
Fave color? Yellow
Fave animal?  Considering I've had just about every house pet imaginable and I love my cat and my two dogs, I'm fascinated by wild creatures. Bats are adorable! Super soft to the touch and so much fun to watch as they capture food. Otters are also cute as buttons, beavers are so creative, deer are beautiful, squirrels are funny and a pain in the…, but the beauty and strength of the big cats. Sorry, I can't pick just one.
Fave hobby? Baking bread and embroidery.
Fave sport? Baseball.
Fave song? Roberta Flack's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and the Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody.
Fave TV show? I don't have time to watch TV!
Fave movie? I love musicals - just one? Really? Impossible! I love children's movies. Splendor in the Grass had a huge impact on me growing up. Flashdance - I loved the strong heroine image.
Fave book? Anything Maeve Binchy writes.
Fave author? Oh, no! Not fair! J.D. Faver is my closest friend in the industry. I don't normally read suspense, but her best book hasn't been released. I thought I'd have a heart attack reading it. I started it one night thinking I'd read a few pages…I went to bed at eight the next morning with my heart still pounding. And she wants me to read the next one in that series? The things we do for friends!
Fave word? Very. I must remove it at least twice off of every page I write.
Fave quote? When you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill.  I think that quote has kept me sane more times than I want to remember.

Lightning Round:

Coffee or tea? Coffee
Cake or pie? Pie
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
Salty or sweet? Salty
Veggies or fruit? Veggies
Owl or lark? Owl
Plot or not? Not
Desktop or laptop? Desktop
Pencil or pen? Pencil
Rain or sun? Rain
Land or sea? Sea
Plane or train? Train
Run or walk? Walk
Casual or dressy? Casual
Indoors or outdoors? Outdoors
Reading: EBook or paperback? ebook
Reading: Novellas or novels? Novel
Theater or rental?  Rental
Vampire or shifter? Vampire
Jedi or Sith? Jedi

Tell us about your new/latest release:

Title: A Challenge

Genre: Contemporary Mainstream/Romance

 

Blurb:

Tate Zaro has a black belt in TaeKwonDo, a career, and doesn't yearn for a man in her life.  So why does she take a lousy paying job with a boss she dislikes, to be with a guy who spends his Saturdays coaching soccer?  Life does not always give you what you want, sometimes it give you more.

Excerpt:

Tate followed Ari to his car and lingered while he opened the door for her. "I can open my own door."

"I'm sure you're quite capable. I happen to like opening doors for a beautiful woman."

Tate waited until he was in his seat. "You can kill the trash talk. I don't need a line of shit slung my way."

Ari peered at her and raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't trying to do that. Has anyone ever been nice to you?"

"Of course."

"What did you do, eat them for breakfast?" He shifted the car out of park and pulled onto the road.

"I'm not that bad."

"Yes, you are. I'm going to put this quite simply. You are one hot babe. You've got a body that turns me on. You've also got the brains to go with it. That makes me extremely interested. Now, if you don't like what I've said, I'll turn this car around and take you back to Becky's."

She laughed. "Interesting. A man who's willing to come out and say what's on his mind. I like that. I could say the same about you, an athlete with brains. You turn me on, too."

"Good. That makes the playing field even."

She stared out the window watching the city slide by. "No, it's not. What's in it for you, if I say yes to this job?"

"Nothing, other than I get to see you again and again. I don't want to see you get on that plane for Texas."

"Where are we going?"

"My place first. I'll change and we can go have lunch. I hope you like dogs."

She glanced over at him and raised her eyebrows. You're joking. "Hot dogs?"

"No, the ones covered in fur."

"Why? Do you have a dog?" She controlled her desire to reach over and stroke his powerful arm.

"I have two."

"Do they bite?"

He chuckled. "Do you? Just because they have teeth does not mean they'll bite." He pulled to a stop and then made a right turn. "Penny's the oldest and Crock is a year old. Both dogs were abused and rescued. Penny's blind in one eye. I got her about six months ago. She was in terrible shape. Crock was half-starved puppy with a severely broken leg. Now, he only has three legs."

"Can he walk?"

"Oh, yeah. He gets around, no problem."

They pulled up outside of an old Victorian with a turret. The yard was nicely landscaped and the house was painted a pale green with several contrasting colors in the trim.

"Welcome to home sweet home."

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Challenge-River-City-Novel-ebook/dp/B0067XMUXO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321684245&sr=1-1
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-challenge-e-ayers/1107400037
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/104874

Thank you, Elizabeth, for being my guest today! :)

***Giveaway!!!***

Like that excerpt?  Want to read more?  I know I do!!

For a chance to win one of E. Ayers’ River City Novels, including A Challenge, leave a comment below—don’t forget to add your email address—and Elizabeth will pick a winner tomorrow! :)

***GIVEAWAY UPDATE!!!***

E. Ayers has generously chosen two Giveaway Winners!!

The winner of A Challenge is Kay Dee Royal!
The winner of A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming is Andrew G!!

Sunday Share! ~ Fall Y'all!

Hi Everyone…Happy Sunday!

 

We are right in the middle of fall, and while it is not my fave season, it definitely comes in second place!  I love the crisp air, falling leaves and all the colors of fall!

This week’s Sunday Share! is pics…of fall! Enjoy! :)

 

Fall trees on my daily walk.

 

Fall colors across the lake by my house.

 

What is your fave thing about fall?

Cover Mania! ~ Jungle Fire

Title: Jungle Fire

Author: Sarah Mäkelä

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Blurb:

In the Amazon Rainforest, traditions are important. They've long led to survival for the Amazon warrior women.

Kyle Reynolds, ruler of the werepumas, is ready to fly in the face of those treasured customs for the love of Rubia Costa, who will soon be out of his grasp if he can't win her affection before allies of the Amazons steal her away from him forever.

Buy: Changeling Press

What's In a Name...And Does It Matter?

I read…a lot!  One of my favorite things to do is relax after a long day with a good book--romance of course.  ;)

I enjoy falling into worlds authors create, and see relationships form between characters as they face obstacles and finally come together.  How will they do it?  How strong is their love, their feelings?  Will they come together quickly, or will they both be stubborn and fight, presenting their own obstacles? 

It is an excitement I can’t explain, as I open the book and start to read…

And then there is “The Name!”

I am happily reading the first paragraph, excited to learn about the hero/heroine, when the author tells us his/her name…and then I’m stuck.  My reading, my flow, is interrupted by the name of a character.  Why is it spelled that way?  How do you pronounce it?  Am I saying it right?  Is it this, or that?  The name of a character stumps me, and suddenly, I have no idea what is going on in the story.

Does this character have brown eyes or blue?  Is s/he tall or short?  Hair color, skin color?  I don’t know.  I don’t know any of it, because I am still trying to figure out how to pronounce their name. 

My momentum broken, I reread the introduction, and try to move past the name issue, replacing “Name I Can’t Pronounce” to “S/He” or “Hero/Heroine.”  I can move past it, but for me, it takes away—just a little bit—from the story.

Now, as an author, let me tell you that it is hard to name characters.  I find myself naming everyone Jack and Jane until I figure out what the heck to call them.  Certain names I like more than others, and when creating a character, authors want them to have the best name possible to describe them.  Their name needs to represent their strengths, their appeal, have readers associate with them, and fall in love with them. 

Also, even if my books are not all connected, I don’t want to name every hero Jack and every heroine Jane.  Yes, there are more than one Jack and Jane in the world, but I don’t want them all in my books.  Multi-published authors face a harder challenge—with more books, there are many, many more characters that need to be named.  What if it’s a series?  It’s even more of a challenge.

Still, I don’t want to book-block my readers, giving them a name that they can’t pronounce.  I want them to enjoy my story, fall into it, continue reading till the end because they can’t stop--not get hung up on a name. 

What about you?  Authors: Do you find naming characters challenging?  Readers: How important is a name to you?  Are you ever stumped by the name an author chooses for his/her characters? 

 

Fantastic Forty ~ Cynthia Arsuaga

Hi Everyone!

Please welcome today’s guest author…

~Cynthia Arsuaga~

Author name: Cynthia Arsuaga

Website: http://cynthiaarsuaga.weebly.com
Blog: http://romanticwordsbycynthia.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tinyman#!/CynthiaArsuaga

Favorites:

Fave food? Anything Italian
Fave drink (non-alcoholic)? Barq’s Root Beer
Fave candy bar? Mounds
Fave flower? Gardenia
Fave gemstone? Tanzanite
Fave day of the week? Saturday
Fave time of day to write? Anytime
Fave season? Fall
Fave holiday?  Valentine’s Day
Fave color? Purple
Fave animal?  Horse and Yorkshire Terriers
Fave hobby? Sewing
Fave sport? Horseback Riding
Fave song? Anything Smooth Jazz
Fave TV show? Too many to choose
Fave movie? Ladyhawke
Fave book? The Classics
Fave author? Don’t have one.
Fave word? Whatever.
Fave quote?  “When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one’s self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.” ~ Oscar Wilde

Lightning Round:

Coffee or tea? Both, depends on mood
Cake or pie? Red Velvet Cake, Chocolate Pie and Coconut Crème Pie
Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla with sprinkles
Salty or sweet? Both, depends on mood
Veggies or fruit? Both, depends on mood
Owl or lark? Owl
Plot or not? Not
Desktop or laptop? Laptop
Pencil or pen? Pen
Rain or sun? Sun
Land or sea? Sea
Plane or train? Plane
Run or walk? Walk
Casual or dressy? Dressy
Indoors or outdoors? Indoors
Reading: EBook or paperback? Paperback
Reading: Novellas or novels? Both
Theater or rental? Rental
Vampire or shifter? Vampire
Jedi or Sith? Jedi
 

Tell us about your new/latest release:

Title: Texas Heat

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Cougar (Older woman), Novella, Scorching Hot

 

Blurb:

What a lousy forty-second birthday Charlie Reynolds is having, the only gifts—a pair of cowboy boots she bought and cake by the town’s diner proprietor. An embarrassing moment with the new veterinarian tops the day off. Divorced and lonely, she soon discovers her libido isn’t dead. Lusting after the tall and handsome doctor can’t go anywhere. No way would he be interested in a plain, older woman ready to be put out to pasture. Or so she thinks.

Zach Callahan is heating up the ladies in the town of Brady Hills. He returned to his Texas roots from Virginia to start a new life taking over a thriving practice. The first day, he meets a gorgeous woman, and is instantly smitten—cowboy boots and all. He’s only interested in heating up the sheets with one woman in Texas, and she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Or so he thinks.

Temperatures rise as the heat between Charlie and Zach reaches the boiling point.

Excerpt:

“Ooh, sorry. Guess I hit a nerve, huh?” Emma cast a glance toward the front door and lowered her voice. “You know, I think you’re being too hard on yourself, hon. Yeah you work long hours, but look what you’ve accomplished. You’re not plain either. You look better than I did at your age, a nice slim figure, nice big hair, and can ride with the best of the cowboys in these parts. I think he is exactly the sort of guy that could put a little zip in your step, Miss Birthday Girl. It’s time you get back in the saddle and ride a man. How long has it been since you’ve had a roll in the hay or even a date?”

Emma’s wink left no doubt in Charlie’s mind she was teasing. Or was she? “I’m not interested in either one. I’ve got the ranch, and that’s my only love right now.”

“Really?” Emma looked over Charlie’s shoulder. “Tell me somethin’. If you had the opportunity wouldn’t you jump his bones?”

To be honest, Charlie couldn’t tell Emma about the last man. When did she last have a date? Damn! She couldn’t even remember the last time she had a kiss, let alone a man in her bed, saddle or a roll in the hay. “Emma, I told you, I’m not interested in taking up with no man, especially with a fancy pants like Doctor Callahan. Besides, he’s not my type.”

“What types do you like Miss Reynolds?” the low, sultry voice resonated behind her.

Oh dang! Charlie’s eyes widened staring at Emma who only flashed a wicked grin in return.

“Hey Pete, Doc Callahan. Just in time for some birthday cake,” Emma said.

For the second time within an hour, Charlie’s face blushed from embarrassment. Slowly turning on the barstool, she came to rest eyes on the face of the new vet, the strong jawline, high cheekbones, and those eyes. They were a deeper hazel, almost a golden sable, darker than earlier and she fought to tamp down the heat rushing through her body as he curled the edges of his mouth in a wicked upturned grin.

“An outdoorsy, rough riding cowboy.” Charlie lied, but pulled a description out of her head the total opposite of what the vet appeared.

“Really? Well I guess two out of three isn’t bad.” The smile grew wider. “You left this at Pete’s,” he said extending his arm with a bag in his hands.

Which two did he mean? When he handed the handles over, he brushed her fingers with his and butterflies fluttered in her stomach carrying tingles down her spine. They didn’t stop there, sharp electric zaps flowed lower. Dormant for years, her body and hormones now betrayed her. “My boots. Thank you.” Now she felt like an idiot. Geesh, I am getting old. I can’t remember shit! “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, Emma.”

Buy Links:
Secret Cravings Publishing:  http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com
Bookstrand:  http://www.bookstrand.com/texas-heat
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Heat-Hot-Flash-ebook/dp/B005WLOSDC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321116393&sr=1-1
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/texas-heat-cynthia-arsuaga/1105680285?ean=2940013287709&itm=3&usri=texas%252bheat
All Romance E-Books (ARe): http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-texasheat-615662-149.html

Thank you, Cynthia, for being my guest today! :)