Saturday, December 21, 2013

2013 Mid-Winter's Eve Blog Hop Just in time for Christmas!

It's that time of year again - time to celebrate Christmas and the coming of a new year by giving away some great books! 


Cookie's Book Club is linking up with I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Bookhounds to bring you even more chances to win books. Be sure to check out the list of participating bloggers at the end of this post.

Cookie's Book Club Annual Christmas Giveaway! 

This is an amazing giveaway with loads of books, book bundles and even a couple of gift cards! Check out the list below, click on the links to read more about each offering and complete the entry form below. Leave a comment with your preferences and we will do our best to accommodate them. Have fun!

CLICK TO ENTER THE CONTEST

Kristie Leigh Maguire participates in Cookies Book Club Annual Christmas Giveaway

The following books are available to win during the Cookie's Book Club Annual Christmas Giveaway, beginning Saturday, December 21.

Books by Kristie Leigh Maguire

Emails from the Edge: When Friendship Spans the Distance
Emails from the Edge defies today's world of political correctness where every word is carefully censored so as not to offend anyone. Kristie Leigh Maguire is open, honest, and sometimes over-the-top funny in her email correspondence with her friend back in the States with whom she shares  her thoughts and feelings while living overseas as an expatriate wife during the decade of the 90s.  Emails from the Edge, gives the reader the feeling of being a voyeur, pulling back the curtain of friendship, and finding out they are not just talking about milk and cookies. 

USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Forster had this to say, "A bold, honest look at how two cultures collide and lessons learned. Some may think KLM politically incorrect; I say she is courageous to share her honest feelings and inner thoughts. It is really gutsy and fascinating."


Desert Heat: What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas 
Kristie Leigh Maguire presents the ultimate in ultra-sensual modern day romance. She takes you "beyond the kiss" without crossing that tenuous line between eroticism and vulgarity. Her characters are real everyday, ordinary people, not impossibly created heroes and heroines who could only be real in the pages of your average romance novel.

Don't expect the typical romance story with this novel. There are no shrinking violets or shy maiden virgins who long to be taken against their will in Desert Heat. Marcie is a savvy businesswoman who knows what she wants and is willing to go against the odds to get it.


CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Romance Writer Janet Dailey Dies At 69

anet Dailey’s first book was published in 1976. In the twenty-six years since, she has written ninety nine more novels and become the third largest-selling female author in the world, with 325 million copies of her books sold in nineteen languages in ninety-eight countries. She is known for her strong, decisive characters, her extraordinary ability to recreate a time and a place, and her unerring courage to confront important, controversial issues in her stories. She lives in Branson, Missouri.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

From Rags to Riches: An Indie Author Success Story




Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife writing duo of bestselling, award-winning authors Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov.
Okay, maybe ‘riches’ is stretching it, but I guess it depends on how you define wealth. As a woman who went from being a single mother of three living on welfare after leaving an abusive marriage, to a now happily married woman who made a comfortable 6-figure income this year in book royalties alone, I feel pretty darn rich. 
When my husband/writing partner (the Karpov to my Kinrade) and I met on Twitter in 2010, I had just barely regained my footing after an abusive marriage that left me financially devastated and physically and emotionally wounded.
 Read the rest of the article.


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

New December Releases from Berkley Jove



A touching and hilarious novel from the fabulous Stacey Ballis about best friends, true love, and the joy of food—for fans of Jen Lancaster, Jennifer Weiner, and Emily Giffin...
Jenna has lost her best friend.
With Aimee gone so tragically young, Jenna barely knows where to turn. Aimee was the one who always knew what to do—not to mention what to wear. The two built a catering company together and had so much in common—well, except their taste in men. Jenna never understood what the successful, sophisticated Aimee saw in Wayne, with his Star Wars obsession and harebrained business schemes.
And gained her best friend’s husband...
But Aimee has left a shocking last request: Jenna now has financial custody of the not-so-merry widower. True, Wayne needs someone sensible around to keep him under control, but what was her dear departed friend thinking?
The thing is, as she gets to know Wayne better, his latest moneymaking idea actually starts to intrigue her. Her attractive new lawyer boyfriend doesn’t approve of it—but then, Wayne doesn’t approve of her attractive new lawyer boyfriend. Now Jenna has to figure out what direction her life is going to take next. And she can’t help asking herself: What would Aimee do?

Barnes & Noble.com 


Born in Shame is the third novel in the trilogy of three modern sisters bound by the timeless beauty of Ireland from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts.
Shannon Bodine’s life revolves around her job as a graphic artist at a New York ad agency. But her world turns upside down when she learns the identity of her real father: Thomas Concannon.
Obeying her late mother’s wishes, Shannon reluctantly travels to County Clare. There, amid the lush landscape steeped in legend, she meets her half sisters and their families, but she’s wary of opening her heart to them—or to their charming neighbor...
Murphy Muldoon is a successful farmer and horse breeder with a romantic streak that can turn the most trite sentiment into poetry. Soon, his striking good looks and unpretentious ways have Shannon discovering the possibility of a love that was meant to be.
Originally published January 1996 and reissued in March 2012 in mass market paperback by Jove Books.

Barnes & Noble.com 


From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Gabriel’s Rapture and Gabriel’s Inferno comes the epic conclusion to the captivating romantic trilogy.
Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he’s confident that they can face any challenge. And he’s eager to become a father.
But Julianne’s graduate program threatens Gabriel’s plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront Julianne about the subject of her presentation—research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel’s darkest secrets.
In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.

Barnes & Noble.com 


In the latest novel from national bestselling author Gerry Bartlett, curvaceous vampire Glory St. Clair has to figure how to compete with the wiles of a witchy woman...
Just when Glory has her life semi-on track, a woman from her longtime lover Jeremiah Campbell’s past steamrolls into town on a mission to win him back. Normally Glory wouldn’t feel threatened by a mortal with amorous intentions, but Jerry’s ex just happens to be a beautiful voodoo priestess with evil spirits at her beck and call—and a serious lack of conscience when it comes to getting what she wants.
And then there’s Glory’s family. After a lifetime of being MIA, Glory’s mom wants to go on a mother-daughter bonding trip to Olympus, home of the gods. And though Glory doesn’t trust her, her mother is offering to help with her pesky voodoo-woman problem. But with no guarantee of a return trip, can Glory dare leave Jerry alone while she visits a place where her less-than-perfect figure won’t be appreciated and time has no meaning? But size and the bonds of time are the least of her worries when love is on the line...

Barnes & Noble.com 


THE NEW GUARDIANS OF DESTINY NOVEL
Calm the magics caught in thrall:
Put your faith in strangers’ pleas,
Watcher, Witch, and treasure trove;
Ride the wave to calm the trees,
Servant saves the sacred grove.
At the behest of their leader, the Witches of Darkhana are mobilized. Their mission: gather the most honest, true servants of each deity so that they may respectfully represent their land at the reopening of the Convocation of Gods and Man. For Witch-Priest Aradin Teral, his part in the quest has taken him across the length and breadth of Katan, searching for the best possible representative of an empire bent on preventing that very task.
Ever since the destruction of the last Convocation, the magics of the Grove have been warped, endangering pilgrims and residents alike and requiring the guardianship of the strongest mage the priesthood can spare. Priestess Saleria is now the Keeper of the Grove, and Guardian of the Divine Garden. The arrival of a black-robed stranger bearing the faces of two men brings the promise of change, even peace, to the isolated valley. But it also ushers in an irresistible passion and a threat to Saleria’s control of the wildest magics in the woods...

Barnes & Noble.com 


From national bestselling author Dakota Cassidy comes the latest in the series that “gets better and better with each book.” (Bitten by Books)
He’s in a furry situation.
Accountant Harry Ralph Emerson has always been a by-the-numbers kind of guy. But when he finds himself trapped at work sprouting an obscene amount of hair, he knows his odds for maintaining normalcy are zero to none. After a frantic internet search, Harry goes through the OOPS—Out in the Open Paranormal Support—checklist and comes to a disheartening conclusion: He’s turning into a werewolf and he needs help ASAP.
She might be the only solution.
Werewolf Mara Flaherty has long carried a torch for Pack Cosmetics’s sexy single accountant, even after her attempt to seduce him went down in flames. When her sister-in-law, Marty, shows up to handle Harry’s OOPS emergency, she tasks Mara with showing the hirsute hottie the ropes. But Mara knows Harry’s condition is a result of her lab experiment gone wrong—and the previously mild-mannered object of her affection is about to give her a piece of his mind...

Barnes & Noble.com 


From the blog:

                        THE GIRLFRIENDS’ GUIDE TO THE NFL

Hold on to your pom-poms girls, because I’ve got a story that will rock the gridiron. It seems that the cerebral and stoic Baltimore Blaze line backer William “The Conqueror” Connelly has fathered a love child. If my sources are correct, the National Spokesman against Deadbeat Dads may be one himself. But wait, it gets better!

The baby’s mother is none other than bridal gown designer Julianne Marchione, the sister of United States Senator Stephen Marchione; the same politico who’s investigating an alleged bounty scheme in the NFL. Even more coincidently, the bounty scandal has those in the know whispering Will Connelly’s name.

According to a flowery statement released from the Senator’s office today, Connelly and Marchione have been involved for nearly a year and were married in a private ceremony at the home of Blaze General Manager Hank Osbourne. After their young son—who is suffering from a blood disease—was released from the hospital, the new family traveled to the small coastal town of Chances Inlet, North Carolina for the off-season.

I’m not buying it. Scuttlebutt from the locker room paints a different picture, one where the two had a stormy hookup at race driver Chase Jordan’s wedding last year—Connelly was a groomsman and Marchione designed the bride’s gown. It’s been said that Connelly never even knew of his son’s existence until he was summoned to the hospital to provide the baby a lifesaving blood transfusion. Could it be that the Senator has something on the Blaze defensive captain rumored to have ice in his veins, forcing Connelly to marry his flighty sister? I’m sure all will be revealed during the upcoming congressional hearings into Bountygate. For now, all eyes are on the small Carolina beach community to see if sparks will fly between the fiery designer and her behemoth husband.

And if that’s not enough, Connelly’s boss, Hank Osbourne, has been spending a lot of time in the tiny hamlet of Chances Inlet, too. According to my sources, he’s not just there to talk some sense into his team’s star defensive captain. It seems the handsome former military man, known around the league as the Wizard of Oz, might be executing a few plays of his own—with Will Connelly’s mother. Stay tuned girlfriends. It’s going to be an exciting summer!


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Secret babies. Hasty marriages. Hot jocks. I hope you have as much fun reading this book as I had writing it!

I always dreamed of being a sportswriter and crafting FOOLISH GAMES gave me the opportunity to delve into a real life scandal that rocked the NFL last season. You also get a glimpse of my “previous life” working on Capitol Hill. FOOLISH GAMES is the second book in the Out of Bounds series. Look for book three, RISKY GAME, May 6, 2014 and an eBook special novella, A NUMBERS GAME, on April 15, 2014. Enjoy!

~Tracy Solheim
tracysolheim.com


THE HEART OF THE DUKE is a story of twins, mistaken identity, and claiming one’s destiny. The special bond that twins share fascinates me, but I started thinking...

What if my twins didn’t share a bond, but hated each other? And one bullied the other? Thus my hero, Daniel Bryant and his cruel twin, Edmund, evolved. I then tossed in a decade old attempted murder mystery, and of course, hot romance. Lady Julia Chandler is my lovely heroine. Unfortunately, she is betrothed to Edmund.

The story opens when Daniel returns to England after a ten-year absence. He had fled to America to escape an attempt on his life and to seek a new destiny. An enigmatic missive lures him home, advising him that it is time to claim his destiny. Daniel agrees. After all, a man deserves to know who tried to kill him. But when Julia confuses Daniel for Edmund and kisses him senseless, well, sparks fly and things get complicated...and interesting. Daniel adds saving Julia from his brother to his agenda. She deserves a better man.... A man like Daniel. He just needs to convince Julia of this.

Due to family responsibilities, Julia’s wedding to Edmund is five years overdue. She had plans to change that. Kissing Edmund’s twin brother was not part of them. She is the dutiful daughter of an Earl, and is honor bound to marry Edmund. But Daniel makes her feel things Edmund never did....

As I said, things get complicated...and interesting. Particularly as Daniel still has to learn who tried to kill him all those years ago. And prevent a second attempt on his life from succeeding. And of course, fall in love. His agenda is quite full.

This holiday season, curl up with THE HEART OF THE DUKE and see how Daniel and Julia achieve their happily ever after.

~Victoria Morgan
www.victoriamorgan.com/books.html
vmorganwriter.blogspot.com


Dear Reader,

While we tend to be a very youth-oriented society when it comes to media, I’ve come to the conclusion John Denver had it right with his song “Poems, Prayers and Promises”, particularly that line “It turns me on to think of growing old.” I started writing when I was in elementary school, and by the time I reached high school, I had every intention of entering college as a creative writing major. Instead, I became involved in animal rights/animal welfare and spent the next decade focused on that issue before I turned back to writing. That significant delay, while to work for a worthy cause, also gave me the seasoning and life experience I needed. It brought a depth to my writing I know now I never could have found in my teens/early twenties.

An amusing side effect of a long-term writing career is seeing your characters change and age with you. The median age of my protagonists has increased to mid-thirties. A decade ago it would have been mid-to-late twenties. In the last few years, I’ve written my first heroines in their forties, but until now, my men stayed younger. That barrier has now been broken.

Enter Dale Rousseau. A hot-as-hell, ruggedly handsome, retired Navy SEAL and sexual Dominant, age 50. Think John Schneider (my, he’s aged well since Dukes of Hazzard!), Mark Harmon (NCIS Gibbs, heavy sigh)...pick your favorite 50ish eye candy. And there are plenty of them out there these days. Men just age better than us girls — bastards (lol).

Athena, my heroine, is in her mid-forties. She’s a Southern steel magnolia, an accomplished businesswoman and a widow of a happy 25+ year marriage. Athena has been nursing submissive cravings for some time, but she’s always been known as a Mistress at the club, because that’s what her husband needed her to be. Under Dale’s command, she’s able to explore her own sexual identity and find love again.

I hope you’ll enjoy taking the journey with them, whether you’re 20-something, 40-something, or 80-something. We all need a little erotic romance in our life!

~Joey W. Hill
www.storywitch.com


Dear Reader,

I hope you’re ready for the holidays. Need one more gift? How about a book to give that special someone or as a treat for yourself? In REAL VAMPIRES KNOW SIZE MATTERS, Gloriana St. Clair, my vampire with the less than perfect figure, has to fight for the man she loves—her sire, Scot Jeremy Blade. A woman from his past comes to town and wants Jerry back. Surely the hunky Highlander isn’t going to stand for being a pawn in this woman’s power play. But she’s a voodoo priestess with dark powers and addictive blood. What’s a vampire to do?

Glory has a serious fight on her hands and is desperate enough to go to her worst enemy for help. And then there’s her mother... A goddess from Olympus, she offers support, but Mother’s secret agenda seems to make matters worse, not better. A wild Halloween night showdown has Glory and the priestess facing off.

Does size matter? Hmm.

Are you hooked yet? Then grab a hot chocolate, sit by the fire and get ready for a fast and funny read in REAL VAMPIRES KNOW SIZE MATTERS, the tenth book in the Real Vampires series. And you can always find books one through nine here at Penguin. Thanks for reading and happy holidays!

~Gerry Bartlett
www.gerrybartlett.com

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

World's oldest romance novelist dies at 105

LONDON — Ida Pollock once said she was born to write. And so she did — millions of words over more than seven decades, spinning tales of impecunious young women romanced by handsome older men in far-flung locations.
The centenarian author of more than 120 books, believed to be the world's oldest romantic novelist, has died at the age of 105.

Monday, December 9, 2013

FREE book from Susanne O'Leary - Hot Property

FREE TODAY

When Megan O'Farrell inherits her uncle's house in a remote part of the windswept Atlantic coast of Ireland, she imagines it will be a romantic hideaway where she can recover from her recent divorce. But the house is a wreck that requires a fortune to restore, and she decides to sell it. An easy choice, were it not for the discovery of an old family scandal and a budding love affair with both the beautiful landscape and a handsome Kerryman. Catapulted into country life and faced with the less romantic side of farming, she also has to deal with a conspiracy to make her leave.

British spelling, grammar and punctuation

Friday, December 6, 2013

Amazon reveals quarter of Kindle ebook sales in US were for indie publishers

Figures from world's biggest bookseller trumpeted as sign of how self-publishing and smaller labels are changing the industry
As many as a quarter of the top 100 Kindle books on Amazon.com are from indie publishers, according to data revealed at a trade presentation by the retailer.
A chart detailing the 25 top-selling indie titles in 2012 was passed on by an audience member via Twitter. Though the term indie is broad, covering everything from self-published authors to publishing houses that fall outside the big six, the news has been interpreted as a victory for the go-it-alone author. However in the US the term has come to mean self-published. A spokeswoman for Amazon.com said: "This figure is referring to Kindle books on Amazon.com in 2012, with 'indie' meaning books self-published via Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). So a quarter of the top 100 bestselling Kindle books on Amazon.com in 2012 were self-published via KDP."

Read the rest of the story. 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Emails from the Edge - Kindle Exclusive


Emails from the Edge defies today's world of political correctness where every word is carefully censored so as not to offend anyone. Kristie Leigh Maguire is open, honest, and sometimes over-the-top funny in her email correspondence with her friend back in the States with whom she shares  her thoughts and feelings while living overseas as an expatriate wife during the decade of the 90s.  Emails from the Edge, gives the reader the feeling of being a voyeur, pulling back the curtain of friendship, and finding out they are not just talking about milk and cookies.  

USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Forster had this to say, "A bold, honest look at how two cultures collide and lessons learned. Some may think KLM politically incorrect; I say she is courageous to share her honest feelings and inner thoughts. It is really gutsy and fascinating."

Back Cover Blurb:
Saipan is a tropical island with clear blue waters, sandy beaches, tropical flowers, swaying palm trees, gentle breezes and warm and friendly Micronesian South Pacific natives - plus the added bonus of being a U.S. territory with American goods in the stores and with American money as the local currency.  What more could a girl ask for?

All of the Japanese people on the tour were oooohing and ahhhhing over all the duty free shops and souvenirs. I was in the local version of Wal-Mart, oooohing and ahhhhing over shampoo and conditioner, body lotion, Pepto Bismol, Tylenol and Motrin  - and generally running wild through the aisles like a crazy woman!

I got up before dawn each day and sat out on my balcony by myself while my husband slept. As I watched the sun come up, peace flooded my soul.  That old church song, "Precious
Memories", kept playing itself in my mind like Daddy used to sing it in church.  I sat out there and watched the colors tint the clouds and the ocean waters while the refrain of "Precious memories, unseen angels, how they ever flood my soul, in the stillness of the midnight, precious memories scenes unfold" played over and over in my head.  

I was reborn.  I found myself again.  I knew that I was on the edge but I had not realized how close I had come to losing myself till that moment.

5.0 out of 5 stars Legal EavesdroppingDecember 1, 2010
By 
Grandma Bethany (Somewhere in the World) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Emails from the Edge: When Friendship Spans the Distance. (Kindle Edition)
Have you even wanted to eavesdrop on a conversation between friends just to see what they are thinking?

Well, Kristie Leigh Maguire gives you that opportunity.

This is the real life conversations that occurred between friends when one of them was in Japan. It carries you through all the drama, hardships and laughter that the author went through in trying to adjust to life as an American in a foreign country.

If you ever thought it would be fun to "hack" into someone's email to see what makes them tick, this is your chance.

You will laugh, cry and laugh again at the trials and tribulations that an American in Japan would go through.

I recommend that you join the author and her friend in their lives.....well, just eavesdrop on them.