Thursday, December 27, 2012

Romancing Your E-Reader Book Bash #giveaway

Hey everybody, welcome to the Romancing Your E-Reader Book Bash.
 
What a great way to wrap up the 2012 Holiday with a bunch of books.
 
Did you get a new e-reader or tablet for Christmas this year?  
Then you could use some new books for that reader huh?
You've come to the right place!
 
We have 22 participating authors with a possible prize at each so make sure you stop by and answer their question because that not only gets you in their drawing, it also gets you in the grand prize drawings where you  have a chance at two fabulous prizes...
 
First prize is 15 ebooks...Second prize is 11 ebooks.
(prizes will be drawn on the 30th)
 
My main contribution to the grand prize is this...
 
 
Take Me Home, Cowboy

Ally Kincaid returns to Freewill, Wyoming, to see her father after a two year absence. Anticipating a quiet family reunion, she finds herself butting heads with her father’s foreman instead. The man’s arrogance and sexy drawl push all her buttons, making her wonder what he’s hiding beneath his cowboy swagger.
Matt Gentry walked away from the past and shies from the future. No ties means no one gets hurt…until the boss’s daughter, a hot, green-eyed blonde, tempts him to break his own rules.
When tragedy strikes, will building tension and pride destroy their growing attraction or show them the way home?
 
Click here for the excerpt.
Question time :)
 
It's no secret i seriously have a thing for cowboys :)  What do you think makes them tick?  I mean is it the country air, the stubborn bull-headed animals they have to deal with or the women that make them break all the rules?   
 
Leave me a comment and don't forget your email address...let me know what you think about cowboys !!  I'll be giving away 1 ebook copy of  a Western Escape series title of your choice by Decadent Publishing. 
Now, don't forget this list below...go and visit the other sites, read the blurbs and leave your comments for more chances to win!
 
In addition to Take Me Home, Cowboy in the grand prize, I am also including 4 anthologies in which I have stories....
 
 
 



 
 
Good luck and happy hopping !!
 
Krista
 

 
THAT DATING THING by Mackenzie Crowne  ~  http://mackenziecrowne.com/wp/

HOME by Calisa Rhose ~ calisarhose.wordpress.com

MONA LISA’S ROOM by Vonnie Davis (plus a little sweet) ~ vintagevonnie.blogspot.com

STEPPING OUT OF LINE by Linda Carroll Bradd ~ blog.lindacarroll-bradd.com

DECEPTIONS OF THE HEART by Denise Moncrief ~ ~ denisemoncrief.blogspot.com

BE STILL MY LOVER’S HEART by Lisa Hannah Wells ~ memorymakerscreator.blogspot.com

MURDER IN THE BUFF by Maggie Toussaint ~ mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com

THE TREASURE OF COMO BLUFF by Alison Henderson ~ AliceHenderson.com

SHANGHAI CONNECTION by Carol Henry ~ macsmadmania.blogspot.com

SOMEWHERE MY LOVE (A ghostly time travel romance) by Beth Trissell ~ bethtrissel.wordpress.com

FAERIE FOOL by Silver James ~ Silverjames.com

CLEAR AS DAY by Babette James ~ http://wp.me/pjagl-1Tr

AN UNEXPECTED GIFT by Katherine Grey ~ katherinegrey.blogspot.com

TAKE ME HOME, COWBOY by Krista Ames (Plus 4 Anthology titles below) ~ apassionforromance.blogspot.com

THE DOLLHOUSE (For the Love of Christmas Anthology) by Dani-Lyn Alexander~ danilynalexander.com

STUDIO RELATIONS by Georgie Lee ~ georgielee.blogspot.com

A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER by Joanne Stewart ~ jm-stewart.blogspot.com

MAGIC OF THE LOCH by Karen Michelle Nutt ~ kmnbooks.blogspot.com

THE BETTER MAN by Ceri Hebert ~ cerihebert.wordpress.com

THREAT TO OUR FOREVER by Em Epe ~ emeperomances.blogspot.com

CONNECT THE DOTS (For the Love of Christmas Anthology) by Jennifer Eaton ~
jennifermeaton.com

FADEOUT by Rolynn Anderson ~ blog.rolynnanderson.com

Plus four anthologies, courtesy of Krista Ames.
BELIEVE CHRISTMAS ~ BE MINE, VALENTINE ~ ALL BETS ARE ON ~ SUMMER SHORTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Author, author...

...read all about it !

 
 
Today we have the wonderful Liza O'Connor
 
Welcome Liza, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Before I became a starving author, I was an adventurer. From diving with the great white shark to rafting down a twenty-one foot waterfall, I've done it.
 
I can fly a plane, parachute from a plane, and hang-glide out of the way of a plane.
I have deepsea fished, fly fished and raised fish in the pond I built in my backyard.
 
I can kayak whitewater or seas, raft class four river, and scuba dive into the oceans, where once a giant stingray attacked me.
 
I have spent grueling hot days carefully unveiling diplodocus bones, riding a suicidal horse up a mountain to fly-fish, and almost enticing a dominant male buffalo of a very large herd to run me down.  (I just had to get closer for a photo op.)
Some of these activities, I am actually good at.  Others, I was lucky to survive.  But all of them make great fodder for my characters to go out there and live life to their fullest.
 
What did you want to be when you were growing up or did you always want to be a writer?
Actually, I first remember stating I wished to be a lawyer, but my dad said he’d disown me if I did. So then I decided to be an actress or a musician. All the while, I would write about characters who were great musicians or actresses. 
When did you first start writing?
Very early in life, and even then I had a sense of humor. I would write short stories about my school experience and when given a writing assignment in class, would write outside whatever parameters the teacher gave me. Thus, I would write wonderfully funny stuff and only get a B because I didn’t follow instructions.
What is a typical writing day like for you? 
Back when I simply wrote novels and put them up on www.BloodyGoodRead.com, my day comprised of two main activities: Hiking with my dog and writing. That means 3-5 hours of hiking each day, and the rest writing.
Now I’ve reduced the hiking to 3 hours a day and spend the two saved hours networking, promoting and marketing. Some of my writing time is now taken up with editing changes, writing scripts for promos, and creating blogs. There are some days I don’t get to work on my novel in progress at all. Those are sad days.
Do you have any specific routine you follow or specific items you need with you when you write?
 I like to sit in my recliner with my laptop in my lap… in total silence.
What is your favorite part of writing? 
Writing the rough draft of a new novel, when it’s all emotions and my characters run amuck.
Is there anything you don’t like about being a writer?
 No I love everything about writing, even the hard edits, although I bitch and moan about them while they happen. When I’m done with the torture, I know my book is better.
However, I often resent the amount of time marketing and promotional efforts take from my writing. But it’s a necessity, so I’m just going to have to learn to adapt.
What is your favorite length of book to write?  (Short story, novella, full length novel) Why?
I don’t have a favorite length. It’s whatever length my characters need to tell their story. Now often in edits, I’ll chop out sections or add to a section that I gave short shift to. But the story decides how long it needs to be.
How does your family feel about your writing and you being an author? 
I believe those who like me are very happy for me. Hopefully, I’m annoying the others.
Is there a to-be-read waiting on your bedside table?
No, but there is a ton of dust on the bedside table. My books reside on a kindle which hangs out by the recliner and accompanies me to doctors lobbies and other places that waste my time.
 
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, 
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Holiday— I ignore them all—otherwise people would expect me not to write on these days.
2) Favorite Drink Green tea
3) Favorite Author-of all time: Jane Austin, current: Rebecca Royce
4) Favorite Book : Pride and Prejudice
5) Favorite Animal: One particular Sheba Inu/Chow mix named Jessie.
And for a bonus:  What is a typical mood for you?  
I normally think I’m funny.  
And is your mood different when you’re writing?
I am at peace and fulfilled when writing, although outwardly I will feel whatever my characters feel, so I could be sobbing from heartbreak or laughing hysterically.
 
Where can our readers find you?? 
Website/blog: www.LizaOConnor.com
 
 
 
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Saving Casey
by
Liza O’Connor 
Bono Books a division of Decadent Publishing
Release date: Nov 16
Buy Links:
 
Videos about Saving Casey:
Character vlogs: http://youtu.be/p6QzYsxJ7jQ
 
Blurb:
Having been diagnosed with cancer, Cass Goldman decides to opt out of any futile medical care and end her life.  While she has some thoughts on afterlife, she never expects to reincarnate into the body of a seventeen- year-old girl named Casey Davidson.
 When she awakens in a hospital, Cass discovers two disturbing facts.  One, she is now inside the body of a troubled teenager, and two, the former owner of this body committed suicide, but only Cass knows that. Everyone else believes Casey has survived, but suffered a complete memory loss.  Cass has two choices: to take on Casey’s life and turn it around, or to confess the truth about her reincarnation and end up in a mental asylum.  Cass decides to take on the future life of Casey, a frightening ghoul-faced teen with short, black, spiky hair.
 Every person around Cass has an ulterior motive and discovering the truth of Old Casey’s life is more complicated than the ‘new math’ she is forced to learn in school.  In addition, Cass has to contend with raging teenage hormones and the prior crimes of Old Casey, which she might not remember, but everyone else certainly does.  However, her biggest frustration concerns her feelings for her father’s rugged security specialist who sees her only as a teenager and doesn’t want to explore the mutual attraction between them
 
Short Excerpt
Upon settling down on the toilet, she noticed the floor to ceiling mirror facing her and screamed at the sight of the creature within in it. Short black hair spouted about its head, black circles surrounded both eyes and fell like triangular knives down the cheeks. Black lips, stretched in horror as if in a nightmare. Pulling up her pants, she moved closer to the mirror.
She was a ghoul, an honest to God ghoul!
The door crashed open and her father stared at her, fear and panic clear in his eyes.
Touching her face, she looked up at him. “Please tell me these aren’t permanent.”
His panic remained a second longer as her words filtered into his brain and then he pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry; we will get them removed—if you want to.”
“If? Oh, I definitely want them removed.”
How the hell could she turn around this life if she looked like the walking dead from a low grade monster movie?
 
One last thing before we let you leave us today :)  I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share but it's totally up to you.
I stubbornly refuse to follow a recipe. I even re-invented pudding once when trying to make a white sauce.
 
 
Oh Liza you are too funny!  Thanks so much for visiting with us today :)
 
Readers, make sure you get Saving Casey, you won't be disappointed !
 
Until next time, happy reading !!
 
Krista

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Author, author...

... read all about it !

Today we have a new-to-us author,     

Ashley Nemer

Welcome Ashley!  We  have a few Christmas questions to help us get to know you a little better.


Do you have any special tradition that your family celebrates for the Christmas Holiday?
 Yes, Christmas Eve is spent with my family and we always go to Christmas Mass then come home for Christmas dinner and opening presents. Then on Christmas day we are always with my Inlaws. It’s nice equal time with each family.

Are you the holiday cook or do you let someone else do the cooking?
I love hosting holidays but usually someone else cooks because we are always at someone else’s house.

Do you like to be where there is snow for the holidays or are you a snowbird that likes to fly south for the winter?
 I LOVE SNOW!!! But I live in Houston and all of my immediate family lives in Houston or the south so we no longer have White Christmas’s. I miss them.

As a reader, do you like to read Christmas stories?
 I do like to read Christmas stories, either old time stories like The Night Before Christmas or Christmas love stories written by current authors.

As a writer, do you like to write Christmas stories?
 
 Well this was my first Christmas story to write and I actually did like writing it. It was nice not having to come up with something overly dramatic but short sweet and loving.

Do you give the gift of reading for Christmas ?
 To the people who like to read, yes.

 

For fun, I have a few personal questions, 

Your Favorite 5

1) Favorite Christmas songSilent Night

2) Favorite Christmas movie- Nester the Long Eared Christmas Donkey

3) Favorite Christmas storyNight Before Christmas

4) Favorite Christmas color- Green

5) Favorite Christmas foodGrandma’s Mashed Potatoes

 

And for a bonus, if you were given the gift of travel to anywhere for the holidays, where would you want to go???

Ireland

 

 

Where can our readers find you?? 

Twitter: ashleynemer





 
 

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share
with us today and where can we find it?
 
I have Blood Purple book one in the Blood Series. Bud’s Christmas Wish and in early 2013 there will be Blood Yellow, book two in the Blood Series.

Links to all of my books and where to purchase them are on my website.

 

Bud’s Christmas Wish Blurb:

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, can it hear those things we want even if we don’t know what they are? When sorrow brings young Lucy home to a land full of mystery, steeped in tradition and colored with unspoken magic, she finds herself reevaluating her life and her own place in it. Things are never what they seem, and people are seldom what you THINK them to be if all you base it on is what your eyes see and not what your soul speaks. There’s a fine line between destiny and duty, but when both are blended with love, who knows what miracles can occur at Christmas?
 
 
 
Ashley, thanks so much for stopping in today.   Readers, get your
copy of Bud's Christmas Wish today.
 
Until next time, happy reading !
 
Krista
 
 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Author, author...

...read all about it !!

Today we have author Meredith Smith with us to share a little about herself and her works :)

Hi Meredith and welcome !  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

·         Hi Kirsta! I am an Intuitive reader of dreams, dream images, spirits, and different forms of energy…. And now author of DreamWorkers Behind the Veil; Night Shift Dreams. I live in the Pacific Northwest and despite the rain and cold it is very beautiful up here, I love the ocean and mountains in this area.

Do real life events find their way into your stories?

·         Yes. I write about dreams, spirits, astral traveling, and energy healing. My book DreamWorkers; Behind the Veil Night Shift Dreams is a non-fiction book.

 
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?

·         I write about what happens in our dreamtime… when our physical self lays down to rest our soul astral travels through dimensional realms usually invisible to the waking naked eye.

When do you write?  Early morning? During the day sometime or all day?  After the kids go to bed?

·         Early morning, before the sun rises is my favorite time to write, as I am most connected to returning from the dimensional realms. I feel most creative in the early morning hours. It is peaceful and my daughter and husband are both still sound asleep. I do write during the day – it varies depending on my schedule.

How do you feel about marketing your book?

·         It’s hard work – it is exhausting! Ha ha! It is much more time consuming than writing. It has been fun though, no complaints here. I feel very grateful! I have met some amazing people through this process and many doors are beginning to open for me. I stay up a little later so I can do more of the marketing / research after dinner … and then I get to focus on my writing and dreams in the morning.

What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?

·         I am not sure. I am still trying to get into the swing of things with social media. I have found being a guest on various internet radio shows has been the best way to connect with people.

Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?

·         I wait until I have the story written and final manuscript to turn in.

Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing?  If so, what is it?

·         Fiction mystery and Fiction fantasy --- but of course they both would center around our nighttime dreams, psychic abilities, other realms.. etc…. After I finish this next manuscript I will spend some time writing a fiction story that I carry around in my head right now.  

 

Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, 

Favorite 5

1)         Favorite Male Actor  - the actor from the TV show Psych who plays Shawn, not sure if he is my all-time favorite but he is the first that comes to the front of my mind right now.

2)         Favorite vehicle – any type of Volvo

3)         Favorite way to relax – Backpacking in the Cascades or Olympic mountains

4)         Favorite ice cream – Fudge Brownie or anything chocolate (aside mixed with peanut butter – ick I don’t like peanut butter)

5)         Favorite outfit – Jeans (not skinny) or a Sweet Spot Skirt with a T-shirt & Flip Flops

And for a bonus:  If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be?  (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Some place in South America or in Thailand… on the beach somewhere where I can be in bare feet and in a sun dress or bathing suit all day long.

 

Where can our readers find you?? 

Email:  dreams@ispeakindreams.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ISpeakinDreams




Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Meredith-Smith/e/B009S7NNDW

 

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Yes I recently wrote a book called
DreamWorkers behind the Veil;
Night Shift Dreams.

DreamWorkers: Behind the Veil; Night Shift Dreams takes the reader on a journey through the dream realms far beyond the visible. As the reader journeys through these dreams, they awaken to the world of the dreamer working the Night Shift. DreamWorkers is a collection of dreams from people all over the world who traverse astral realms as they provide guidance and healing to the departed. DreamWorkers is meant to assist others in exploring the realm of their dreams, to bring the invisible into the visible, and to shed light on those who are always in service within their dreamtime.  Through this collection of dreams and research, the author works toward a lofty goal: to reach out to those whose existence lies on the thin boundary between waking and dreaming.

 
Excerpt:

I appear, not knowing how I arrived at this familiar place, but I understand why I am here. As I stand waiting for what is to happen next, I am drawn to the window on the second floor of the dark building across the street. As if I am waiting for a signal, I am mesmerized by the glare on this window. I strain to see if there is someone or something watching me from the window, but fail to recognize any type of silhouette.    

Many nights, I find myself wandering down cobblestone streets of old European towns. The smaller towns are rich in history and filled with a solitude and familiarity for my soul. Sometimes I find myself engaging in conversation with several souls who recognize me from an earlier era that I had long forgotten about. There is one particular town, a place that feels like somewhere in Europe, where a cobblestone street corner exists as a portal to the afterlife. I have never travelled to this area in waking life, yet it is a destination my soul visits frequently. It is customary for me to help people cross over at this exact spot. Across the street from where I always stand is an old brick building with a store front. I sense that there are apartments on the two upper floors. The windows on the building feel hollow, empty, and dark, except for one on the upper floor, in a far corner. This particular window seems to be watching me; or rather, maybe it is someone who is watching me. I always glance up to acknowledge the energy lurking around this window, letting it know I am aware that they are there.

When I arrive at this spot, it is never in daylight. There is always a pitch black night sky with just one street lamp to the right of me that is lit up on the other side of the street. I always arrive at the corner of the cobblestone street at the exact moment I am needed—never early, never delayed. The instant I arrive, the first of a long line of the dead appear. There is no time for me to waste, to ask questions, or to hesitate; this is my task, my purpose. I promptly greet the energies of each soul and take their translucent left hand and together, swiftly, we cross the street to the other side. As we walk across the street, the atmosphere shifts, the vibration rises, and a stripping of the old takes place; what once was is now being cleansed.

Within the first seconds that we arrive on the other side of the cobblestone street, the soul always turns to me and says telepathically, “Thank You.” Instantly, the energy field around us fills with love and compassion—simple loving emotions most of the time forgotten in the physical form. I nod my head in gratitude. They move forward, drifting, transcending into what I am only capable of seeing as an unlit dark cobblestone alley.

To each of these souls, what they see, experience, and feel is something that is not contained within human words to describe; there is no translation, only radiant light. I watch as the shift of their frequency vibrates higher, and I sense these are images that are created to align with their spiritual beliefs. I sense the luminous light beckons them to dive in, to wash away what was in hopes of what is, and to create what will be.

Sometimes, I encounter a soul who will plead for me not to let go of their hand, or will request my companionship to walk with them further down the alley. With a gentle gesture of touch, I gracefully inform them that I am not allowed to cross the boundary line into the alley; I remind them that I must remain on this side.
 

About the Author:
Thanks to over 35 years of personal experience and exploration in the dreaming realm, Meredith Smith naturally receives messages from the dream realms to help guide others through their own personal healing process and translations of dreams. She has studied and trained in dream Interpretation, archetypes & symbolism, past life regression & hypnosis, Shamanic energy work, and Usui Reiki.  

Meredith Smith is an intuitive reader of dreams, images, spirits, and energy--- with her specialized training entwined with her own natural gifts -- she believes that dreams are pieces to one’s own personal soul’s journey (past, present, & future). Meredith Smith guides each dreamer through the process of putting together the symbolic pieces of their amazing magical travels through the astral realms. She is a dream translator, a dream intuitive, an astral traveler, a spirit rescuer, an empath, and an energy healer; Meredith speaks in dreams.

 

One last thing before we let you leave us :)  Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share?  I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.

I actually get a lot of my recipes from the wordpress blog Five and Spice. We eat vegetarian in our house, so I follow the recipes and replace the meats with other options.
 
Very nice!  I added a link for Five and Spice so everyone can check them out too.  Thanks so much for that tip and for being with us today to learn more about you and your writing.  Can't wait to read Dreamworkers Behind the Veil!
 
Readers, make sure you get your copy today!
 
Until next time, happy reading :)
 
Krista