Congrats to the following winners!

Rebekah E.

Cherie J.

Willa

Each won a copy of DEADLY SECRETS by Leeann Burke.

April S.

Won a copy of ROYAL’S BRIDE by Kat Martin.

Winners have 48 hours to email me their addresses at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) to claim their book prizes or new names will be chosen.

Though he is a titled nobleman,Royal Dewar is singulary unlucky… forced to choose between his soul mate… and his salvation.

After years abroad, Royal has returned to Bransford Castle to find his father dying and the family treasury nearly empty. Then the old duke wrests a final promise from his guilt-ridden son: that Royal will marry heiress Jocelyn Caulfield and restore the estate to its former glory. However, it is not his fiancee who quickens Royal’s pulse, but rather her beautiful cousin Lily Moran.

Penniless Lily knows that nothing can come of their undeniable attraction―but there is a way she can help Royal. Enlisting some questionable characters from her past, Lily concocts an elaborate ruse to recover some of the Bransford fortune from a notorious confidence artist. As the dangerous scheme unfolds, Lily and Royal are thrown together in pursuit of the very thing―money―that keeps them part…

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I’ve always wanted to write a bride series.  Something romantic with orchids and white lace.  For years, I toyed with an idea for a sort of Cinderella story about a duke who accidentally falls in love with the wrong woman.  Not his betrothed, the woman he has promised to marry, but his fiancée’s poor relations, a cousin hardly suited to become the wife of a duke.  Royal’s Bride was the result.

From conception, it was a book that involved three brothers, which gave me two more hunky Dewar men in need of the perfect bride.  In Reese’s Bride, the middle brother, Reese, is the kind of dark, brooding hero I love to write.  He is home from the war, retired from the cavalry and forced to live the sedentary life of a country gentleman, the last thing he wants to do.  Worse yet, Reese’s next door neighbor is the woman he once loved, a woman who betrayed him by marrying another man.

Elizabeth is now a widow, a forbidden temptation even more powerful than before.  Reese definitely has his problems, but so does his younger brother, Rule.

In Rule’s Bride, the handsomest, most rakish Dewar brother is shocked to find the young bride he wed in an arranged marriage three years earlier all grown up and sitting in his London living room.  Violet Dewar has matured into a delectable little morsel Rule can’t wait to seduce into his bed.

Unfortunately, all Violet wants from Rule is an annulment.

I had great fun writing this series, though the weddings were not all orchids and lace as the ladies and this writer expected.  Still, true love is worth the perils the characters must endure.  I hope you’ll watch for the Brides’ Trilogy.  Royal’s Bride is currently available.  Reese’s Bride will be out the end of December, and Rule’s Bride will follow the end of April.

Hope you enjoy and very best wishes, Kat

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Thank you for visiting, Ms Martin!

Leave a comment to enter the drawing for a copy of Royal’s Bride, the first title in the trilogy.

My name is Leeann Burke and DEADLY SECRETS is my first published book. It was released December 2009. I’d love to say I sold to a publisher right away, but that would be a lie. It took me quite a few years before I found a home for it.

As I waited to hold a copy in my hands I decided I wanted more. Here I was about to get my creative dream come true while there were women out there who weren’t as lucky. That’s when I decided to donate my royalties to a charity. It had to be one close to my heart, Breast Cancer. Why? When I was barely 15 my own mother found a lump in her breast. We were lucky it was benign, but not everyone is as lucky. Since then I have lost one friend and had countless friends like fellow LBF Books author A B Wallace, who have battled and won their fight against breast cancer.

When I told the owner of my publisher, Carole Spencer, of my intentions she decided she would also donate proceeds to the cause. Together we approached the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Breast Cancer Foundation to be one of their sponsors. We were thrilled when the American Breast Cancer Foundation accepted and we became their first Canadian sponsor.

My goal is to sell enough copies of DEADLY SECRETS to donate $1,000 USD to the American Breast Cancer Foundation and $1,000 CAD to a Canadian organization that does research to find a cure for breast cancer. At the moment I am about ¼ of the way. I’m not giving up.

Here is a bit about DEADLY SECRETS my Romantic Suspense

Philippe Lafrance is a well known reclusive writer whose life is suddenly thrown upside down when the grandfather he never knew existed, dies.  He investigates the reason and learns that his family has kept secrets from him. Deep, ugly secrets. Worse, a killer is murdering the men in his family. He discovers that his father, then his grandfather, were murdered by someone desperate to keep secrets buried.

Bereft, Roxanne St-Clair is left to manage a restaurant when the only person who ever mattered to her, her foster parent and mentor, is murdered. She puts her life on hold to find his killer and bring him to justice. Thrown together by circumstance and a mutual goal, Philippe and Roxanne fight their attraction and team up to find the killer, bring him to justice and unearth the truth. To stay alive, they must keep one step ahead of the assassin in order to prevent him from killing his next target, Philippe.Will they succeed in bringing to justice this killer before Philippe becomes his next victim? Will they be able to deal with the truth behind the deadly secrets?  

Please help me reach my goal by purchasing a copy of my book at the following locations LBF Books, ARe, Bookstrand, Fictionwise, Amazon or get your library to carry a copy.

I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Many thanks to Leeann for being our guest today! Remember to leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of  DEADLY SECRETS. Three winners will be announced on Sunday. Good Luck!

Congrats to all the winners!!

Steph Shamroski

Wins a copy of MISTRESS BY MISTAKE by Susan Gee Heino.
 

flchen1

Wins a download of COWBOY SANDWICH by Reece Butler. (Let me know what format you want when you email me.)

Julie

Wins a copy of WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE by Ann Hope.
 

Winners have 48 hours to email me their addresses at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) to claim their book prizes or new names will be chosen.

Breaking his heart may be the only way to save his life.

A woman running from the past…

Jenny Logan is alone, penniless, and indebted to a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to own her. All she wants is a chance to pursue her dreams and make a fresh start, but the past refuses to release her.

A man hiding from the future…

Daniel Frost, a scarred, reclusive toymaker, is trying to escape his memories. Burdened by guilt over a violent car accident that destroyed his family, he believes loneliness is the only way to atone for his sins.

Sometimes, today is all that matters…

One magical Christmas, Daniel’s meddlesome grandfather secretly hires Jenny to act as his grandson’s assistant, starting them both on the road to recovery. On a remote island where miles of sea meet miles of sky, two lonely people learn that love can heal even the deepest scars—but it comes at a price.

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I have a confession to make. My name is Anne Hope and I’m a romance author. Yes, my books have elements of suspense, sometimes intricate plots and occasionally, a sprinkle of magic. But at their very core, they’re all romance novels with a common theme: love overcomes all odds, heals all wounds.

I’ve gone through many phases in my life—the starry-eyed teenager dreaming of the handsome prince who would ride in on his white steed and sweep her off her feet, the young wife imagining a home filled with laughter and bright-eyed children, the mother struggling to survive these bright-eyed children and hold on to her sanity in an increasingly hectic world. My reality has changed significantly over the years, but one thing has remained a constant: my love for romance novels. No matter what’s going on in my life, these timeless books of love and triumph get me through my darkest hours.

Romance novels are about hope, growth, the ability to rise above our weaknesses and become a better person. They inspire, even as they allow us to live vicariously through characters we’ve come to love. It is that emotional connection that makes these books so powerful. We care what happens to these characters. We cry with them, fall in love with them, rejoice with them. We feel their angst when their world falls apart, root for them when all appears lost. When they grow stronger, so do we. When they finally find their happiness, we sigh along with them.

When I write a book, I’m in control. I can reward the just and punish the evil. I can make miracles happen. I can even take a real life account and give it a happy ending. For instance, Daniel—the hero in Where Dreams Are Made—was inspired by a story my mother told me when I was young. At the time, she was working with a woman who shared something very personal with her. The woman confided that when she was five, her parents asked her and her eight-year-old sister what they wanted to do for the day. The older sister wanted to go to the movies, but the younger sister insisted that they go to the amusement park instead. Seeing as she was the youngest, the parents went with her suggestion. On the way there, however, there was an accident and the older sister was killed. This unfortunate event forever altered the five-year-old girl’s life. Her relationship with her mother was never again the same because her mother held her responsible for her sister’s death. Decades later, guilt still ate away at her.

This story marked me, and when I was developing the character of Daniel it came back to me. I thought it would be interesting to write about someone who had been through a similar experience and who bore not only the emotional scars of it, but the physical ones—a daily reminder of the guilt he carried. And because this is a romance novel, Daniel would find love, and that love would incite him to heal.

So for me, romance novels are not only about escapism but about fighting back, controlling life’s outcomes, giving everyone the happy ending they deserve. For a short while, the world actually makes sense. By giving others hope, I find hope. By watching others overcome insurmountable odds, I find strength. But most importantly, romance novels remind me that love—despite all its ups and downs—is the greatest gift of all.

Where Dreams Are Made is available from Samhain Publishing and at all major bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Chapters. For more information, please visit me at www.annehope.com.

Happy Holidays everyone!

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Many thanks to Anne for being our guest today. Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE. Good luck!

Determined to take charge of her life, Candy abandons her inhibitions and heads West. Adam and Bryan, co-owners of a remote Montana cattle ranch, are eager for luscious female heat after three cold months in the saddle. Candy’s first step toward freedom is one glorious night of wild sex. The men prove what four hands, two mouths and hard driving muscles can do in a few determined hours.

But meeting her deep, dark fantasies requires more time. They invite her back to the Double R, promising games of Virgin and Pirates, Harem Girl and Sheiks. With hard working days and deliciously wicked nights, the last few weeks of the winter pass quickly.

Ranch life, and her men, are everything Candy wants. But she can’t live a fantasy forever, hoping they’ll ask her to stay. Unless they return her love, she must claim her independence and escape before her heart breaks.

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I’m proud to read, and write erotic romance!

My name is Reece Butler and I not only read hot and erotic romance, I write it. There, I said it.

Did the earth shatter? Sky fall down?

Since I’m still typing, I guess not. But admitting it took some time.

You see, reading erotic romance is easily kept quiet, especially if you download electronic books over the Internet. No one needs to know except you and your credit card.

But if you’re an author, people need to know about it. That means going public (insert whimper and cringe here).

After writing for five years, I’m no longer worried about telling (most) people that I’m proud to write hot and erotic romance. My second royalty check of five figures didn’t hurt (okay, I admit two of those figures were the seventy-five cents to the right of the decimal place).

But when the big boss asked me the title of my first publication a few months ago, I froze. Then I took a deep breath, looked him in the eye (not too difficult since we’re the same height) and said, “COWBOY SANDWICH”.

He looked at me blankly for a moment.

“Um, she’s the filling,” I explained.

He blinked. Eyes glazed over. “So, how are your children?” he said in a hearty way-too-fake voice.

“Fine,” I said, smiling just as blankly. “And yours?”

Obviously the explanation about the filling was too much for him. So I didn’t mention how my heroine, Candy, eager to abandon her inhibitions after her divorce, heads to Montana with her cowboy fantasies. She attends a Mardi Gras party at a swinger’s club on single’s night.

Adam and Bryan, co-owners of a remote cattle ranch, are eager for luscious female heat after three cold months in the saddle. Candy’s first step toward freedom is one glorious night of wild sex. The three of them, uh, help each other meet their needs.

The details as to how that happens are way too hot to describe here.

Now I’ve been told (mostly by men) that erotic romance is bad for relationships because it gives women false expectations.

I say, fantasy is wonderful!

There are no toilets to clean, dirty socks (and worse!) to pick up or children to feed. We already know what are partners are like. No, mine is not six foot five with perfect musculature (that’s my younger brother), but after thirty years, he’s still mine. That doesn’t stop me from fantasizing about delicious heroes. Many women find reading about sex makes them hot, just as men are into pictures. So, reading erotic romance helps a women create the mood.

Therefore, writing erotic romance is a helping profession. In some ways, we authors are inexpensive sex therapists. Readers (and their partners) can learn what fingers, tongues and other body parts can do, and how it might feel to both give and receive.

Yep. Erotic romance can help men and women (in any combination) expand their comfort zones, all in the security of their own homes. All you need is the ability to read, or have someone read to you. Even better, act it out!

Instead of your partner(s) sitting in the easy chair aiming the remote, what if you find a favorite scene and say, ‘honey, read chapter six and I’ll meet you in the kitchen’?

Why the kitchen? Do you know how many ‘pervertables’ can be found in such a mundane place? These are items which can be converted to a use for which they were not originally designed (ahem!).

Things to provide texture (a new plastic scrub pad scratched over a back), to lightly spank (rubber spatula) or surprise (ice cubes!). I won’t get into food, but we all know (or fantasize) about whipped cream and chocolate sauce!

And the countertop and/or table may be the perfect height to…ah, I’ll let you give your fantasies full reign.

Now you know what to say when asked what you want as a present.

Chocolate is good, wine is fine, but erotic romance makes it all sublime!

COWBOY SANDWICH by Reece Butler is published by Siren Publishing. It  received 4.5 Cherries by Whipped Cream Romance Reviews. “… a hot yet romantic tale of three people falling in love with arousing sex scenes that left me looking for ice water…I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cowboy antics”.

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Many thanks to Ms. Butler for being our guest today. For more infomation on Reece and her books, check out her page here and make sure you leave a comment for the chance to win a download of COWBOY SANDWICH. Good luck!

England, 1816.

ViscountRandolph Dashford isn’t a bad person; he’s simply pretending to be one to avoid matrimony.

Heiress Evaline Pinchley isn’t usually a sotted wanton; she’s merely celebrating her birthday.

One full moon and one empty Madeira bottle later, Evaline wakes to find herself in Dashford’s bed!

While Evaline tries to salvage what dignity she can from this colossal blunder, family secrets and would-be fiancés run rampant around her. Just when it seems she might find a way out of the mess she’s made, Evaline realizes things are worse than imagined.

She’s lost her heart to Dashford, and that could be the biggest mistake of them all.

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“You’re giggling,” he stated.
“I am,” she agreed, and the sound she made then sounded unfortunately more like a snort than a giggle. “But please don’t take it personally.”

“Would you care to share the joke?”

“I was just thinking—” She paused to consider. What had she been thinking? Oh yes, about his godlike shoulders and how she might wish to succumb to them.

“I guess I was wrong,” she amended with another giggle. “I suppose you could have every reason to take it personally. Oh, but don’t be offended. It had to do with your wonderful shoulders and how I wish you weren’t wearing so many clothes.”

Now he made an odd sound. “Funny, I was having rather a similar thought.”

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I just love Evaline and Dashford, the heroine and hero of my December release, Mistress by Mistake. I love them partly because they’re just so fun and so witty and have to work so darn hard to get things together, but also I love them because they are my First. Yes, the hero and heroine in my first published novel.

Evaline arrived in my brain way back in January of 2007. She was kind of pathetic; alone in the world, unloved, and horribly mistreated by everyone. I thought the poor gal deserved a good stiff drink, and that’s what sparked my opening scene when Dashford discovers her a bit tipsy in his garden. I figured since her life had been rather dismal I’d be kind and give her a seriously drool-worthy hero. And I’d make sure the two of them had plenty of laughs—although I don’t think she appreciated all of them right at first.

Now finally my little Mistress and her dashing hero have made their way out into the world. I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to share Evaline and Dashford’s love story with readers. At this point I’ve got another book written that will be out next summer, plus I’m working on my next project, too, getting to know those characters and loving them. But there will never be another Dashford and Evaline.

We all have lots of firsts in our lives; first day of school, first true love, firstborn child, first day out of the house after fighting the flu, etc. In many of these cases we remember that “first” with a special warmth in our hearts. That’s how my Mistress will always be for me. I hope if you get a chance to meet her, some little piece of her will stick in your heart and you’ll remember her fondly, too.

So, tell me about one of your favorite firsts. What was your first car? The first romance novel you ever read? Your first pet? Your first pair of designer jeans in the size you’d been dying to get into? At the end of the week, I’ll select one random winner to receive a copy of Mistress by Mistake. I’ll even send it to you First Class!

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Thank you for visiting with us at Novel Thoughts, Ms Gee Heino!

Congrats to all the winners!!

WendyK

Wins a PDF download of To Be a Mother, a Steeple Hill Mother’s Day anthology coming out in April 2010 by Cheryl St.John

Lisa Guertin

Wins a copy of Animal Attraction by Charlene Teglia.

Catie James Armenia (new winner as of 12-20-09)

Wins a copy of Venus in Blue Jeans by Meg Benjamin.

PatL.

Wins a copy of Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy.

Raelena

Wins a copy of A Witch’s Lament by Catherine Anne Collins.

Winners have 48 hours to email me their addresses at mad @ romancereaderatheart.com (without the spaces) to claim their book prizes or new names will be chosen.

When Skye Temple buys a historic house in Salem, Massachusetts, the witch capital of the world, she ignites events that began centuries ago during the witch trials. Salem’s bloody history unfolds with her discovery of ancestral diaries, the murders of local girls, and her attraction to Jerome Phips.

A local police officer, Jerome has returned to Salem vowing to uncover the truth of his mother’s disappearance during a ritual gone horribly wrong 30 years ago. His suspicion of Skye and her family’s history keeps tension between them high.

Burdened with the birth-task of the Goods to keep an ancient knife protected, Skye gains a new understanding of her powers, while the need to avenge his mother’s death drives Jerome. Past and present collide in a final ritual between evil, love, and honor.

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In case you’re not familiar with the reference, the above caption is a Chinese proverb. It’s also the title of a book that I was introduced to many (many, many) years ago by someone I dated briefly. I credit him with directing me to take that first step down the pathway to enlightenment. And I’ve been on the journey ever since.

The message is a simple one and can be applied to most aspects of a person’s life. In my case, I take the message and add a sentence, so it can sound something like this… does not cook the rice, so stop talking about exercising daily, and do it. Of course, it could just as easily work like this… does not cook the rice, so quit saying you need to eat better, put the chips back on the shelf and buy some darned vegetables. Or… well, I’m sure you get the idea.

My favourite, and the one that applies to the context of this blog, is…Talk does not cook the rice, so get off your butt and write. Ummm, I suppose get ON your butt and write is more appropriate. With the hectic schedule that seems to be so common in today’s world, it’s near impossible to find time to write and not feel guilty about taking that time. Yes, guilty. Hours, days, weeks, months spent writing a manuscript, trying to get it published and then, when you do, maybe making enough money to pay for the advertising you do to promote the book.

Why?

The answer to that question will be different for everyone. Whatever the reason is, we write. And we love it. I’m blessed with a husband who encourages me and I can’t imagine how much more difficult this whole writing thing would be if my husband wasn’t behind my efforts.

So, my questions to you are:

What motivates you to write?

How would you finish the sentence… Talk Does Not Cook the Rice?

Thanks to Romance Reader @ Heart for having me here and best wishes to all over the Holiday Season.

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Thank you for visiting, Ms Collins!

Leave a comment to enter the drawing for a copy of A Witch’s Lament, and visit Ms Collins’ website to learn more about her work.

The holiday season is a great time for writers, for all of us really, to look back over the past year and decide if they’re happy with that they’ve produced. Be it an essay, a short story, or a novel, it’s good to figure out if the work we’ve done had meaning or a point, were we proud of what we accomplished, or did it simply make us smile.

Well, the last year has definitely left me proud and smiling. I left me crying to, because I lost something very important in my life. I lost my Rudy, a dog I’d raised from a pup until he passed away 13 years later. Rudy was my inspiration and my joy, and I miss him each and every day. And that makes things difficult, because he’s one of the lead characters, the star actually, of a new series I started. The books are my first step into mystery and Rudy is the star.

I transitioned from straight romance, all right, paranormal romance, to mystery with a pause. I don’t like killing or gore. I don’t like guns or violence of any kind. But I was a bit bored by straight, all right, paranormal, romance, and wanted to do something different. It was then I remembered an old idea I’d had and brought it out. I ran the thought of compiling a mystery by my agent before I wrote a word. Helen said yes, and when I talked it over with Rudy, he said yes, too.

Once I decided that Ellie, my New York City dog walker, would never have to see any of the gory details, the rest was easy. Ellie and Rudy would stumble across the bodies or be drawn in some way, and their hunt would begin. Book one, Hounding the Pavement, was easy to write once I decided how to kill the victim. Rudy was with me through the entire writing phase, so I knew what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it.

Book two, Heir of the Dog, started out easy, but when fate stepped in and took my darling boy away, my career stopped cold. Could I finish this book without him? Did I even want to? I worried over it for weeks, cried every day, prayed to God Rudy was in heaven, because if I got there and he wasn’t, well, it just wouldn’t be heaven for me. And as each day passed, I came to my senses a little more. Of course I was going to finish this book, and the next. Rudy was the star. How better could I honor him, than keep him shining in the eyes of my readers?

Book three, Death in Show, started out slow, because I had to write the entire book with my boy looking down from above. But once I began, I knew he was there pushing me to do my best. So the murder was committed in front of a thousand fans. That story will be out in June, and for those of you who, like me, don’t approve of blood and gore, don’t worry. When the victim drops you don’t see a thing.

When my agent received a call from my editor, informing her that they wanted to give me a second three book contract, the plot thickened. If I committed to THREE more books, I’d be fixed, entrenched firmly in the mystery genre. And firmly committed to writing about my boy. For me, it was a huge decision to make. But Rudy stepped in and convinced me I had to continue. If I didn’t he’d be lost and his star would stop shining for the world, even though it would still shine for me.

And so I’ve continued to write, but I’ve coined my own genre. It’s Romantic Mystery With a Dog and No Blood or Gore. And maybe, someday, if Rudy has his way, that title will sit atop a set of shelves in one of the ‘big’ bookstores. And Rudy’s picture will be next to the sign.

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Thank you for visiting Novel Thoughts, Ms McCoy!

Leave a comment to enter the drawing for one of Ms McCoy’s novels–visit her website to learn more about her work!