Return to Audubon Springs by RoseAnn DeFranco-- Interview and Giveaway

Welcome to the Party Pavilion this morning. We have a special guest-- one of our clients, RoseAnn DeFranco-- with a special interview for our Pavilion followers :-)

RoseAnn, we have some questions for you that are writer specific as well as some fun stuff so that we can really get to know the real you. *grin* Plus we will finish things off with round of Think Fast. Ready to begin?

Absolutely! This sounds like great fun. First I’d like to give a big Geeky THANK YOU for hosting me today. I have a strong background in geek. Some might even say I majored in it back in middle and high school, so I already feel right at home.

Great! Then take your shoes off, settle back, and tell us something about yourself that's not in your bio.

I played the flute for twelve years and studied vocal performance in college.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Most of my non-writing time is spent with my family where I play the role of Dance Mom, Soccer Mom and PTA Mom. I also work full time for a Consulting firm. I usually leave that last part out. NOTHING sexy and fun about that!

How did you choose the genres you write in?

Honestly, I think the genre chose me. I’d dabbled in a few other things, paranormal being one, but the Brothers of Audubon Springs series sort of wrote itself. Even then, I meant to write a sweeping epic drama exploring a family in crisis, recovering from grief. Instead I wrote a Humorous Contemporary Romance series centering around three brothers and their warm and loving Italian family.

Is there any particular author or book that has influenced you or your writing?

I am a big fan of Susan Wiggs and Virgina Kantra. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both women and I’ve attended workshops they have led. I think I write in a similar style to both yet my writing possesses more of the comedic elements you’d find in a Kristan Higgans book. I fan-girl Kristan Higgans as well!

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

I think the toughest criticism as an author is those rejections without reason. As a writer develops their craft, we are looking for creative feedback and ways to improve our work. About a year ago I won a 50 page critique from a very prolific author in my genre. She sent me the following message: “I’m wowed. You are an amazing writer. Talent oozes from your pages. The passion, the romance, the conflict, the descriptions -- you have what it takes to make it.” This piece of unsolicited feedback helped me have the courage to step forward and seek publication.

If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, fictional or real, who would it be and why?

Jane Austen. To me she is the Godmother of all Romance Writers. While you’d never find her in the romance section of a bookstore, she wrote all the original romances. She was a strong, brilliant pioneer. I’m sure she’d have plenty in the way of words of wisdom for writers of today.

You are going to be stranded on a deserted island and bring 3 luxury items. What would they be?

A laptop with unlimited battery life or these voices inside my head will drive me bonkers waiting for me to record their stories. A big pot to cook in over an open flame, because our family motto, regardless of the circumstances is ”We’ve got to eat!” My cell phone, cuz I’m assuming my island has Wifi. This way I can make sure my hubs knows exactly where I am so he can come get me!

Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who are they and why?

Pink, because she is crazy mad talented. You’d get away with almost anything with Pink as your mom and at the same time you’d be free to explore in your creativity. Steven Spielberg because then hopefully daddy would make my books into a movie, or at least a really cool and funny TV show.

What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

A big pot of my homemade marina sauce filled to the brim with meatballs, Italian Wedding Soup and my daughter’s birthday cake that looks like a Cake Boss creation. I should mention my mother is visiting right now. If she wasn’t you’d find the remains of a store bought rotisserie chicken, leftover instant mashed potatoes, and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

VERY cool question! The Show Must Go On! When I transitioned out of the Music Theatre world, I needed a creative outlet. Fortunately the voices in my head and they said the show must go on, so I started to write their stories!

Think Fast

Summer or Winter? Summer
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Cake or Pie? Apple pie, my mother’s
Car or Truck? Truck
Print or Electronic? Electronic – My office is bursting with books. I keep better track of my books on my kindle!

Thanks for coming by and spending some time with us. Any final words of wisdom to pass along?

Thanks you so much for hosting me today. I had a great time answering your questions. As for words of wisdom…Always look on the sunny side, think before you act, and don’t eat the yellow snow. :-)

As a special thanks for checking in, RoseAnn is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a random commenter on her book tour. You can ask RoseAnn a question or just leave a comment--and you can see the other stops on her tour here.

Before you go, though, here's a little bit about RoseAnn and her book:

RoseAnn DeFranco grew up in upstate NY with her nose in a book and a song in her heart. Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, she turned her creative energy to writing romance. RoseAnn blogs about her writing experiences with her critique partners at www.TheVioletFemmes.com. A NJ shore transplant, she enjoys time spent at the beach with her family. She would love to one day live in a quaint shore town like the fictional town Audubon Springs from her BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS series. More information about these Contemporary Romantic Comedies can be found at www.radefranco.com and you can socialize with RoseAnn on Facebook and Twitter.

When Emma Grant returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young daughter, she has no choice.

Rafe Iuliano has other plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of Emma and the house.

Their ridiculous and steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

HATHOR LEGACY: OUTCAST Giveaway

Hi everyone!

Thanks for your comments and feedback! The $10 Amazon gift card giveaway goes to commenter Cathy Lee. Congrats, Cathy!

My next tour stop will be on Jan 8th at Books to Light Your Fire, so stop by and comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of my book. Other stops will be posted on my blog (URL below).

Buy it on Amazon.com for Kindle and in Print.

Visit my blog here: http://www.BrightStreetBooks.com

Shannon's Law Cover Reveal - romance, danger, adventure and passion from Emma Calin.

 Cover-reveal for "SHANNON'S LAW" the new action-adventure-romance novel from Emma Calin.

Blurb

Wild child inner city cop Shannon Aguerri walks a dangerous line between her methods and justice. When the bosses lose their nerve, after yet another maverick mission, she is transferred to green pastures to play out the role of a routine village cop. When she encounters signs of people and drug trafficking she homes in on serious millionaire criminals. As a loner she has attracted men but nothing has stuck. When she meets Spencer, the hunky and widowed Earl of Bloxington, there is an immediate rapport between them. Their social differences mean nothing to their passion and need. Already in the mix is an upper class female rival – who has long plotted her way into the Earl's bed. The jealousy is an evil shade of green and the anger is a violent scarlet. Often inhibited by a sense of duty and honour, Spencer is slow to reveal his feelings. When Shannon confronts him with the need to choose between her word and that of her rival, he does not immediately support her. All the same, when they are forced together to carry out a desperate rescue mission, their love is stronger than everything ranged against them.

Shannon’s Law USA        Shannon's Law UK

(Pre-order paperback only at this stage)

We will be revealing snippets from the story, photos of places and people that inspired the venues and characters on Pinterest during the pre-launch book tour. There are already some scrap-book cuttings posted:

http://www.pinterest.com/emmacalin/shannons-law-launch-reveal-on-pinterest/

There is also news about the book on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ShannonsLaw

(‘Likes’ are always appreciated.....)

There are two launch parties themed around “Afternoon Tea At Bloxington Manor”. The first is online on the 28th February on Facebook and the second is LIVE at the English country house that inspired the home of the hero of the book, on Sunday 2nd March. A local favourite venue for Emma,  Avington Park in Hampshire, UK, is steeped in history and tradition. (Think genuine Palladian style rather than Downton Abbey neo-Jacobean). The private owners have kindly agreed to open up with a tour of the house and then tea and cake – oh and launch the book of course!

Shannon’s Law Cover Reveal Draw

$30/£20 Amazon voucher
A pair of tickets to Avington Park Launch Party 2nd March (UK only)
3 Advanced Review Copies of Shannon’s Law

EVERY entrant will receive a FREE gift of an audiobook of Emma Calin's short story Escape to Love.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/Mjg1OTEwYzI5YjYwMjA3ZWY2Y2EzZDEzODljNmNjOjE4/

Through the Oracle's Mist

 

 

     Writing a series is a lot like inviting your family for an extended stay in your head with one not so small exception, there is no reprieve.  Even the watercloset is not safe from their invasion and their decisions to pop up willy-nilly with something they consider vitally important to the tale. The only thing you can hope for is that there is paper and pen nearby when they show up... (or wear your digital recorder like a fashion piece). The other thing that you need to be aware of is that they will bring new people in without consultation sometimes and depending on the when, that can be difficult. I met Euphrosynae in the shower, a fact I'm sure Rigor would not care to be reminded of. Would you want to tick off this guy?

 

 

 

 

     Well, I mean I can..and I have.. and I will again through the series, but still...rubbing salt is some wounds is not smart even with fictional characters. Rigor is tempermental at best. I'm looking forward to showing you more of him in coming books...if only to get him to shut up for a bit. He thinks he runs the show, can you fathom it? The other brothers have managed to sit back (mostly) and let the tale come, but I don't expect that to hold for long. One of the others likes to pop up and remind me that I have not started setting up his book or making people want to know him...impatient Ass.

 

     If you haven't had the chance, I do hope you'll grab a copy of Through the Oracle's Mist and give it a spin. I think (and I know I'm partial), it's an interesting ride and you might just find yourself wondering what's coming next too as so many others are. For now, please join me as Goddess Fish Promotions take me, my characters and book one on tour starting the 13th.

 

 

 



 

 

Cyrenna thought she died the day she watched Tynan and his brothers jump through the banishment portal in an act of solidarity with Rigor. Little did she know that it would be the first of many deaths she would experience in her quest to claim his heart. She would surrender not only her immortal soul, but a mortal one repeatedly. The asking price for an outside chance at a future just went up. 

Cyrenna will give up everything in her quest for the only thing that matters to her…forever.  Through a deal with the great Oracle, she has multiple mortal lifetimes to change the direction of her future and have a chance with Tynan.  If she can help him see what he wants, and if it is her as his immortal soul mate that he seeks, they might get a chance.  From the GenPei War in Japan and the Silk Road west, to Cromwell, the Three Kingdoms and modern times, she lives and dies repeatedly hoping to get her heart’s desire.

 Near the end, she makes a misstep, breaks one of the rules of her covenant with the Oracle, and cannot return.  The burden falls to Tynan and everything she was able to share with him to that point.  The only thing that is absolute is her fervent hope that he will come, but there’s one big problem.  Through it all, he doesn’t so much as know her name.

Grab your copy of the first book in my Vengelys Series

 

Through the Oracle's Mist

 

 at Amazon or Smashwords today!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Through-Oracles-Mist-Vengelys-Series/dp/1935970186/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388946458&sr=8-1&keywords=Aedan+Byrnes

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/379575

 

 

 

 

 



Giveaway and a Book Excerpt from The Nun and the Narc

Giveaway and a Book Excerpt from The Nun and the Narc

The Nun and the Narc is now available in print!

The Nun and the Narc, by Catherine Castle, is a fast-paced, out-of-the-box inspirational romantic suspense that has been garnering five-star ratings. Readers have called it a can’t-put-it-down, fun read that you won’t want to miss.

Captured by the local Mexican drug lord after she interrupts a drug deal, novice Sister Margaret Mary risks losing her life, her vocation, and her heart when she falls for undercover DEA agent Jed Bond who is imprisoned with her.  Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary. Jed knows she’s off limits, but his heart can’t help wanting this woman who’s been promised to God.

 

Excerpt from The Nun and the Narc:

Jed’s head whipped around just as the car plowed through a market stand of live chickens. Poultry, wooden cages, and feathers scattered over the car. An angry hen dropped through the car’s open sunroof, squawking and flapping in front of Jed, beating his head with its wings.

Margaret reached over, grabbed the bird, and threw it back out the sunroof opening. But it was too late. The car glanced off an adobe wall into a second market stand and careened toward another building. Jed jammed on the brakes. The car spun three hundred and sixty degrees before screeching to a stop.

The impact threw Margaret sideways against the passenger window. She hit her head on the glass, the blow blinding her for a second. Jed’s body slammed into the steering wheel setting off the horn. The wail echoed in Margaret’s head as she struggled to remain conscious. Warmth trickled down the side of her head. Margaret managed to focus her eyes as the noise stopped. Two Jeds leaned toward her, in slow motion. She blinked to clear her vision.

“You all right?” he asked.

“I think so.” Something warm and sticky seeped down her face. She reached up and wiped her temple. “I’m bleeding,” she said as she stared at her fingers. The words sounded slurred. At the sight of the blood on her fingers, her stomach rolled. She swallowed to keep the bile down.

“Listen. It won’t take them long to get here. Let me do the talking.”

“You won’t have to worry about that. I feel really odd.” Margaret lowered her head between her knees. “I think I’m going to faint.”

“It might be a whole lot easier if you do.”

 

Want to read more? One autographed print copy of The Nun and the Narc will be awarded to a randomly drawn commenter (U.S. commenter only) from this post and the other two posts by Catherine Castle appearing on the 1/5/14 Pavilion Party. Email address must be provided in order to be eligible to enter the drawing. Thanks for stopping by today and good luck.

Buy links:

E-Book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Nun-Narc-ebook/dp/B00CHU9DH2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1368652543&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Nun+and+the+Narc

Print version:

http://www.amazon.com/Nun-Narc-Catherine-Castle/dp/1619352966/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380639013&sr=1-1&keywords=the+nun+and+the+narc

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-nun-and-the-narc-catherine-castle/1116942061?ean=9781619352964

 

A New Year in the Wind River Valley...

One print copy of Fateful Waters will be awarded to a randomly drawn commenter from the December 8, 2013 and this Pavilion Party. Names from all Party posts, including 2/2/14, will be eligible for a $25. Gift Certificate from Barnes & Noble. Increase your chances at print copy and the gift certificate by commenting on my new blog listed at the end of this post.

Excerpt:

            Christmas came and went peacefully for the population of the Valley, including Jax and Garrett. Time was slipping away from Jax. Maggie and Sid planned to drive her to Denver on the 29th. There, she would board a flight back to Raleigh. A lot needed to be accomplished before classes started following the New Year. One of her roommates had graduated at end of the fall semester. She and Jessica had petitioned to have Jess fill the accommodation, but there was no guarantee.

            Two days before her planned departure, the weather was holding up well. The air bit at any exposed patch of skin, but every star in the heavens was on full display. Snow glistened like small crystals, and during the daylight hours, the white clad mountains were breath taking. There hadn’t been any new snow since Christmas. She always ran the risk of being snowed in when coming home for the holiday break, but it was worth the risk. Butterflies were harassing her midsection as she dressed for dinner at Sally’s place. She and the other guests for the evening were stand-ins for Sally’s looming New Year’s Day event. Dexter’s little blond, blue-eyed bombshell was hosting both sets of parents, and the dinner tonight would be a dry run.

            Oblivious to any perils or pitfalls, Jax accepted the invitation. As a matter of course, she offered to bring a dish or desert. Sally politely refused. She wanted to do the whole enchilada, which, according to her, was the point of the dinner. Jax conceded the food issue. Then she asked what time she should arrive and for directions to Sally’s place. She managed to step right into the snare, and she felt like the fly invited to dinner by the spider, stuck and praying for a way out. “OH! I forgot to tell you.” Sally feigned a memory lapse. “Garrett said he’d pick you up at six, and for you to please be ready.” Then she paused to giggle. “He told Dex that he didn’t want to hang around too long, or he’d spend the evening removing buckshot from his rear end.”

            Though Maggie hadn’t said a word, the look she gave Jax said it all. It worried her, the idea of Jax going anywhere alone with Garrett. His history with young girls nagged at her. Jax attempted to reassure her. “The only reason Garrett is escorting me, instead of Alicia, is to avoid a repeat of the incident at the Christmas party.” Maggie wasn’t buying the flimsy excuse, and she wondered if her daughter really believed it.

            Jax hadn’t seen or heard from Garrett since the aforementioned party, and a week had passed. She speculated that Alicia must be back on track and keeping him occupied.

If you missed any of the excerpts on the December 8, 2013 Pavilion Party, all are listed on my new blog  http://autohorjmanton.blogspot.com/

Buy Links: Wind River direct link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328170

Amazon Adult Romance http://www.amazon.com/author/jmanton

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Wind-River-Refuge?store=allproducts&keyword=Wind+River+Refuge

Author Links:

Website: http://talesbyjackie.com

Writing Blog: http://jackieanton.com/

FB Adult Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/authorjmanton?ref=hl Stop by and give us a like.

Wind River Refuge book teaser: http://youtu.be/ig3jvBzFKsE

A to A Review blog http://bookreviewsbyjackie.com/

Email: talesbyjackie@gmail.com

HIS WICKED DREAM: First Kiss

HIS WICKED DREAM

Book 2, Velvet Lies Series

by Adrienne deWolfe
Book Excerpt

Story Notes:  And now for our last excerpt of the party:  the first kiss! Eden and Michael are squaring off in the dining room, after Sera tried to match-make for them and failed. (Or so she thinks!) The scene is written from Michael’s point of view.  (Need more of a book description?  Visit this site.) Enjoy! ~ Adrienne deWolfe



Rural Kentucky, 1881



"You suffer romantic delusions about me, Eden."

"You'd like to think I do. You'd like to convince us both you don't feel any grief or pain."

Michael didn't like where this conversation was heading. "Are you sure you haven't set your cap for me?"

That derailed her from her track. Her chin rose, quivering beneath flashing, storm-flecked eyes.

"I told you I haven't."

"Good."

"Why?"

His gaze roamed over her ribbon-bound hair, shimmering like molten copper in the lamplight. Renegade wisps curled softly in the hollow of her throat, just beside the flurry of her pulse, and his lashes fanned lower. He didn't want her to see the long-constrained hunger that would have made him feast upon that column of peaches and cream—or, God help him, the ripe, pouty handfuls that heaved just an arm's length away. Lightning surged to his loins as he envisioned the globes of her breasts spilling over his palms, their tender rosettes jutting into his mouth.

"Because I'm not the angel I was named after."

"You're just saying that," she said tremulously. "To make me think less of you. You couldn't bear it if anyone tried to hold you up to your own impossible standards."

Her insight, spoken with such hard-won defiance, was almost as unnerving as the realization that the seventeen-year-old who'd once bathed his wounds had grown into a woman wiser than her years, a woman who could see clear to the charred bottom of his soul.

But Michael had never cowered before a worthy opponent, and he wasn't about to start. He stepped closer. Then closer still. He halted only when his thighs were bare inches from her skirts, when his shoulders towered above hers and she was forced to crane her neck to meet his gaze. It was a deliberate tactic, one designed to press his physical advantage, and yet, at this proximity, he was forced to breathe her fragrance.

The intoxication of lilies, lavender, and cherry pie was almost his undoing.

"I'm not afraid of you, Michael."

"You should be, Eden," he said huskily. "Very, very afraid."

She swallowed, her eyes as dewy as meadows. They reminded him poignantly of the butterfly field from his dreams.

"Why?" she whispered again.

It was more than he could bear, her refusal to concede. How dare she be so blind? So naive? He needed her to run from him as he would have run from himself. And he knew of only one way to make her see the light.

He locked his arm beneath her buttocks and dragged her forward for his kiss.

The breath slammed out of Eden as her breasts collided with linen-swathed musculature; her pulse pounded as relentless fingers gripped the base of her skull. She barely had time to gasp, to think, before Michael's tongue thrust past her lips, a velvet rapier intent on bringing her to her knees. Sandalwood soap and rain-scented hair flooded her senses. His thighs branded her hips; his palm burned its imprint through her silk stockings. She trembled, shock giving way to unease.

She tried to shove him back, to wedge a hand between them.

Then he moaned.

Tortured rather than threatening, the sound wracked her with confusion. It seemed to well up from some dark, tumultuous vault, a Pandora's box of denial and need. The healer in her recognized the pain; the woman in her heard the desire. Stunned by the proof of such raw emotion, she sagged, her chest sinking against his wildly beating heart.

"Eden," he breathed, freeing the fingers he'd tangled in her hair. He cupped her cheek, and his lips moved seductively now, nuzzling, sipping, caressing. Her mouth trembled open, tasting the heady tang of man. Somehow, the fist that had been so intent on pushing him away clutched a handful of his shirt. He rewarded her submission.

Feather-light touches lured her hips forward until they, too, sank in intimate surrender. His arousal should have frightened her; she should have come to her senses, cried out for release. But the intoxication of his lips, the bonfire that spread from her belly to her limbs, numbed her virginal unease. He wrapped his spell around her, fanning the heat that sizzled between them until she dared to slide her fingers through his hair. Until she fit her length more snugly to his. And when she dared to push her tongue into his mouth, a guttural sound ripped from his throat.

God help you, Eden. I want you.

THE OFFICIAL BOOK TOUR AND GIVEAWAY FOR

 HIS WICKED DREAM

The official tour for His Wicked Dream (Book 2, Velvet Lies series) starts Jan. 20. You’ll get lots of exclusive sneak peaks, plus the chance to win 2 Amazon gift cards and 3 bundles of ebooks in my Rafflecopter Giveaway.

Previous posts in the pre-tour party for HIS WICKED DREAM:

• Secrets and Schemes: Part I
• Picnic Auction:  Book Excerpt
• Secrets and Schemes: Part 2
• Kissing Booth:  Book Excerpt
• Love Swag?  Visit my “book cover” shop!

LEARN MORE ABOUT

Velvet Lies