Tag Archive for: giveaway

THE TESTING – Giveaway!

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by: Joelle Charbonneau

As I am frantically typing the final chapters to GRADUATION DAY (book 3 of The Testing Trilogy), I have found that my ability to multitask has become severely impacted.  Getting to THE END tends to give me tunnel vision. Nothing exists but completing the story.  Then the fun of editing will begin. I look forward to that part a great deal and can’t wait to dig in. 

Hopefully, by the time you are reading this, I will have reached the final moments of this trilogy.  This has been an unusual project for me since I will finish writing and revising the third book long before the first book comes out on June 4th.  Hopefully, readers will embrace Cia and that I have done justice to her story.  She is a heroine I have loved watching grow and change.

To celebrate my (almost) completion of the final book, I am going to give away an ARC of THE TESTING.

It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five
Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think
about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United
Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become
possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is
chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of
The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely
heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever.
Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await. 

THE TESTING is a bit different from my adult mysteries.  No camels or angry standard poodles.  No singing and dancing or roller skating.  But I’m hoping you’ll still like it.  Please leave a comment below to enter (US and CANADA only – sorry!).  I’ll choose the winning commenter on Friday.  Also please leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.   

Okay – back to racing to THE END!   



Living vicariously through my characters

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Hello, Stiletto Gang, and thanks to my buddy, Joelle Charbonneau, for inviting me to chat with you today. I hate to get off to a bad start, but frankly, I have a bone to pick with all of you who wear stilettos—and now I see you’ve formed a gang?!!!

 You see, I’m an unwillingly reformed shoe-aholic. I didn’t even get to go through the twelve-step program. Pretty high-heeled shoes to me were an addiction. I’d buy so many pairs I’d hide them in the trunk of my car. That worked until my husband came in, arms full, and said, where do you want these?

He knew. He always knew… Let’s call him my enabler.
 

Nothing could cure me. Well, until, I developed the gasp—bunion—and putting on pretty stilettos felt like I was wearing nails on the sides of my feet. Over the years, the heels got lower and lower, while the bunion got wider and wider. Just had surgery to correct it, and I’ve been off weight-bearing, going on six weeks. Slowly, I’m making my way back up to tennis shoes.

I should despise stilettos, right? Wrong. Seriously, it’s my addiction. One of the women in my local chapter wears such beautiful pumps. Sparkly and shimmering those shoes of hers make me want to rush out and buy some to add to the boring, sensible ones in my closet. Alas, anything over two-inches would sit gathering dust.

Don’t feel too sorry for me (I’ve already cornered that market). I now live vicariously through my characters. In DEADLY RECALL, my recently released Romantic Suspense from Bell Bridge Books, Eden Moran my protagonist wears the man-killer shoes I cannot. But…like a sponsor in A.A., I felt it only fair to warn my readers that heels aren’t all that:

Excerpt of Deadly Recall and my public service warning . . . 

Traveling at a fast clip in four-inch stilettos when you’re calm was foolhardy. Walking in them when you’re angry bordered on suicidal. Her thoughts must have transferred to her feet. Eden stumbled. And wouldn’t you know it the good detective had hung around to witness. He reached out to steady her as Father Slater stepped out of the bridal room.

And . . .

Well, that was that, Eden thought, as she pulled into her covered parking space next to the commercial building that housed her loft. Using the Honda’s trunk for support, she tugged off her heels. It might take a day or two to regain her spirits, but she’d damned well relieve her aching feet now.

End of Public Service Announcement 

I may not be able to wear beautiful, sexy shoes anymore. But my heroines do. And another thing, for anyone who has ever met me, I’ve been blessed―or cursed―with Irish skin. I’m so fair that after one outing on a lake when I sunburned so badly I required medical care, the doctor said to me, “Will you face it. You’re never going to be a Copper Tone baby.”

Dumb doctor. What does he know? All right. I didn’t go to medical school and he did, I get it. Like my shoes, I’ve given up spending long hours in the sun. Or if I do, I wear hats, or I take an umbrella. I still find ways to satisfy my cravings. I give my characters the traits and abilities I’ve been forced to give up. And although I make them suffer in other ways, darned if they aren’t able to tan. Don’t worry, I do have a rather strong conscience – no matter how beautiful their skin tone, they always wear sunscreen.

So what about you? Is something off limits to you that you’ve found a way to live vicariously through? Isn’t reading the best escape ever? I’d love to hear about your escapes, and to one commenter, I’ll give away either a paperback or a digital copy of my new release, DEADLY RECALL. Thanks for having me, Joelle!

 

A terrifying memory is locked deep inside her. A killer wants to keep it that way.
Nine-year-old Eden Moran thought she was saying good-bye to her mentor that fateful day in St. Patrick’s. She had no idea she’d witness the nun’s demise, or that her child’s mind would compensate. Now seventeen years later, Albuquerque cops have unearthed human remains, and the evidence points to Eden as being the key to solving Sister Beatrice’s murder. When a hellbent cop applies pressure, Eden stands firm. She doesn’t remember the woman. Unfortunately for Eden, Sister Beatrice’s killer will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.  

Donnell Ann Bell is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist who previously worked for a weekly business newspaper and a parenting magazine. Her debut novel The Past Came Hunting became an Amazon bestseller, reaching as high as #6 on the paid overall list and finaling in 2012 Gayle Wilson Award for Excellence, RWA’s® Greater Detroit Bookseller’s Best, and the 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Deadly Recall, brought to you by Bell Bridge Books, is her second published novel. Learn more about Donnell at www.donnellannbell.com

Sanctuary

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Please give a fabulous Stiletto Gang welcome to the talented Anna Lee Huber.  She is the debut author of The Anatomist’s Wife which hit shelves last week.  And make sure you keep reading because you might get the chance to win her amazing book.  (And if you don’t, you should check it out.  You won’t be disappointed!)  So without further ado, take it away, Anna!

I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of sanctuary, of
sacred places and safe havens.  I know
when someone uses the word “sanctuary,” most people think of churches and
cathedrals, of Quasimodo screaming it from the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral.  But I’m talking about it more in the context
of a personal refuge, a place of comfort and security.  Somewhere you can go to escape when the world
becomes too much, to grieve when you face loss, to reflect when you feel lost,
and to find the strength and serenity to move forward, both for yourself and
the ones you love. 
I believe everyone has a sanctuary in one form or another,
whether they realize it or not.  When
things go wrong, it’s the place you crave, the destination you long to run to,
where you know you’ll find your center again. 
Sometimes your sanctuary is a specific physical space, like a room or a
car, other times it’s a general location, like a hiking trail, a forest, or a
beach.  And still for others, like me,
it’s more of a space of time. 
I have always been drawn to sunset.  I don’t know why exactly, but something about
it calls me to me.  When I was a little
girl, we lived in the country, and I would often wander out into our large
backyard and find a soft patch of grass or snow to lie in and stare up at the
sky.  I would watch the brilliant play of
light fade from the sky and the stars begin to appear one by one.  Something about the simple but awe-inspiring
transition of day giving over to night would stir my soul and yet soothe me.  Even my parents understood this, and allowed
me to wander off as long as I was properly attired, so as not to freeze to
death in our chilly winters. 
Sunset—the wide-open sky and spectacular change over of day
to night—was my sanctuary.  And still is,
though living in the city as I do, surrounded by tight-packed houses, I don’t
lie down in my backyard anymore.  Maybe
one day I’ll live far enough from my neighbors to feel comfortable doing so
again. 
 
In my debut novel, The Anatomist’s Wife, my heroine,
Kiera, Lady Darby, also has a sanctuary—the library loft at Gairloch
Castle—where her sister, Alana, finds her after Kiera has once again faced
vicious accusations and name-calling. 
We sat that way for several minutes, staring past the
wooden banister, out at the ceiling of the library.  A large mural depicting the life of Saint
Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, covered the entire space from one wall to
another.  Though it was certainly not the
work of Michelangelo, it had a charming rustic quality I found soothing.  None of the colors were deep or the lines
sharp, but the muted shades and blurred lines were somehow appropriate to its
location in the far north of the Highlands.
Alana had asked me once why I liked the library loft so
much, but I hadn’t been able to explain it to her.  Perhaps there was some sense of peace being
so high above it all, with the saint on the ceiling my closest neighbor.  All I knew was that I always felt better,
that my thoughts were always clearer, when I was curled up in the little space
below the eaves.
 
Do you have a sanctuary? 
Where or what is it?
Berkley has graciously offered to give away a copy of the Anatomist’s wife (US Only).  Leave a comment today to be entered to win.  Good luck!
The Anatomist’s Wife
 

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby
has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for
painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London
society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as
unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit
his own macabre purposes. Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of
the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her
knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage-a fellow
guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more
competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn’t about to let her guard down as
accusations and rumors swirl. When Kiera and Gage’s search leads them to even
more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to
give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and
prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim…
 

Anna Lee
Huber was born and raised in a small town in Ohio.  She is a graduate of Lipscomb University in
Nashville, TN, where she majored in Music and minored in Psychology.  THE ANATOMIST’S WIFE, the first book in the
Lady Darby historical mystery series, has been hailed as “…a riveting debut…”
and will be released by Berkley Publishing on November 6th,
2012.  She currently lives in Indiana
with her husband and troublemaking tabby cat. 
When not hard at work on her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing,
travel, and spending time with her family. Visit her website at www.annaleehuber.com.
 

Facebook: AuthorAnnaLeeHuber
Twitter: AnnaLeeHuber

Holiday Giveaway! by Misa Ramirez

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Christmas traditions center around the magic of holiday stories. It’s a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, Olive the Other Reindeer, Gift of the Magi, 101 Questions about Santa Claus, The Christmas Box… I could go on and on. What better way to celebrate than by means of a holiday giveaway!

This week, I’m giving away one of the following

(winner’s choice!)

  • ~a bag of books
  • ~signed copies of Living the Vida Lola and Hasta la Vista, Lola!
  • ~or a $20 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble

All you have to do is download a copy of ONE of the three e-books I have available, then leave a comment here that you did!

That’s all it takes to be entered into the drawing!

You don’t need an e-reader, remember! Downloads can also be read right on your computer in PDF form, or you can download the Kindle or Nook app for your computer.


For extra entries, help spread the word!:

~tweet this post (and let me know you tweeted)

~Facebook the post (and tag me @misa.ramirez and/or @Author-Melissa-BourbonMisa-Ramirez/)

~download more than one of the books ~ one entry per book/story!


As always, thanks for loving books and reading!!

Hop on over to Books on the House for book giveaways EVERY WEEK!

HaPpY HoLiDaYs!!


(Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win our Stiletto Gang holiday Amazon giveaway!)

* note: prices for Cursed and The Chain Tree have not yet been reduced to $2.99 at B&N, but soon!