You've found the home on the net for romance writer, LaVerne Clark. Thanks for visiting! :)

I write suspense and light fantasy/paranormal set in the beautiful country of New Zealand. A land of myths and magic, Aotearoa (Maori for Long White Cloud) has always been a storytelling nation and it is my pleasure to share mine with you.

Make yourself your drink of choice, stay a while and feel free to leave comments. I love to meet new friends.



Heartpounding suspense and fantasy Downunder



Thursday, June 28, 2012

Final Prizes and Thank You's!

Wow guys!! Thank you so much for coming out to party with me! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful, supportive and enthusiastic people. From the bottome of my heart - THANK YOU for making Affinity's release day one I'll never forget.

I'm heading out to take the dog and the children out for a run on the beach now, but I will be checking in from time to time before the day is over in case anyone had a last question or anything. Without further ado - here are the last prize winners - congratulations to all....

Winner of PDF copy of Affinity is...

Mindy!!



  Winner of notebook, pen and yummies - Mackenzie Crowne!!



And the winner of the mouse pad, king-size bar of chocolate and fridge magnets - catherinemede!! Yay Karen!

Winners!!!

Courtesty of Random.org - the winner for this tote bag is......................

Vonnie Davis!!!

Woot!!! Not only is THOSE VIOLET EYES out today as well, but you win the tote bag! Congrats lovely lady and I hope you enjoy your prize. I will be contacting you soon.


But wait....there's more.....

The winner of the second branded mug is.....

Calisa Rhose!!!

Woot!! Congratulations Calisa!! I'm so thrilled you'll be thinking of me every time you have a cup of coffee ;) LOL! I'll be emailing you shortly too :)

Spot-prizes and last copy of Affinity will be announced at 10pm EST (NZ 2pm)



More Goodie Giveaways!

Still Up for Grabs..........

How to enter detailed below 

Draw taking place 8pm EST (Lunchtime NZ)
Spot prize
More spot prizes...
And one more of these!

My heroine, Jenna is half-Japanese. She jumped to life as soon as I thought of the tragedy that was the bombing of Hiroshima. Her family moved to New Zealand after they realized radiation was slowly poisoning their land - and their very lives. But little did they know how truly deep it would change them at a basic level - and Jenna's abilities were the result.

My question for you is - have any events in our world's history jump-started an idea of a story for you? If you're a reader - does a story with a twist on an actual event interest and excite you? I'd love to know.

 

SPOT PRIZES WILL BE ALLOCATED FROM COMMENTERS OVER THE COURSE OF THE RELEASE PARTY 



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Eye Candy and Prizes

Announcing the WINNER OF THIS BRANDED MUG


CHERIE LE CLARE!!!
Congratulations Cherie! I will get your prize to you soon.

Don't forget - there is still another mug, and a tote bag with a surprise or two inside, and a few other bits and pieces, so keep popping in :)

 

What have you missed? Check out the posts on the RHS.

Want to win a digital copy of Affinity?
You'll need to get past these gorgeous men first to find out how...don't worry, I'll wait....

 
Loved this guy since Roswell - Jason Behr - with or without tats, I'm not fussy!

Sigh....Gerard

Sam Worthington...drool...

Now you're in the mood - how about a game?? Name a page between 1 - 113 where you think the lovescene is housed :) Closest person wins a PDF copy of Affinity!

And if you want to double your chances of winning a copy of Affinity - check out Harlequin Junkie Romance Reviews where I've been interviewed - http://harlequinjunkie.blogspot.com/2012/06/spotlight-giveaway-affinity-by-laverne.html

Exclusive Excerpt - Affinity

All posts for the Affinity party are on the RHS for your convenience so you can catch up on what you've missed

Who feels like something a little steamy?....


“Jenna.” He whispered her name as if it was a prayer, walking her backward until the wall supported her. She guessed he was giving her time to protest, to break off the inevitable, but no force on earth could stop her from having him this time.
“Yes,” she answered on a sigh and threaded her arms around his neck. Pulling him close was all the encouragement he needed.
His lips met hers softly at first, testing her response. Heat flicked along her nerve endings threatening to flare as he continued to tease with nibbling bites and gentle suction. She squirmed and mewled like a kitten at his light touches.
“Stop teasing me, damn it,” she growled. She felt his grin against the corner of her mouth and took the opportunity to slide her tongue over the crease of his lips.
A wordless sound rumbled in the back of his throat and all of a sudden the teasing lover had gone, replaced by one who devoured. Jenna shivered in delight, reveling in his superior strength.
The hands fisted in her hair kept her in place while the thigh wedged between her legs rubbed enticingly against her aching centre. She groaned and he took full advantage, finally slipping his tongue inside her mouth to explore and tantalize...



Let's Get This Party Started!!


Welcome everyone and thanks for joining me in celebrating Affinity's release day!!


Before I go any further - I just want to give a big shout-out and express my gratitude to my wonderful, intelligent and patient editor, Frances Sevilla from The Wild Rose Press. Fran - you were a dream to work with. Thanks so much for helping Affinity shine and for turning it into the story I always dreamed it could be - and for letting me know when my kiwi-slang was too confusing for the American market! I can't wait to work with you again.

Just as a reminder - this is what it's all about....

In the wrong hands, Jenna Thomas’s legacy could be a curse—in her mind it already is.

As a child, a routine x-ray awakened an abnormality in Jenna’s DNA giving her the ability to “call” creatures and take on their attributes. Labeled a freak since then, Jenna’s learned to keep everyone at a distance. But all that changes the day she saves a young boy from drowning, and the story goes viral.

Nick Hawke, an off-duty policeman, witnesses part of the drama. Captivated by Jenna’s exotic beauty, he decides to investigate, not sure what to believe. Jenna puts his cynicism to the test—even as the attraction between them grows.

As word of her extraordinary rescue spreads, a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to control Jenna’s abilities draws near. With her feelings for Nick putting him in danger too, can Jenna risk everything to protect them both?


“Back off everyone, give us room,” boomed Nick with authority. Everyone took a step back. An attractive woman holding a microphone stepped into the created space. Her phony smile flashed teeth like a shark. Circling, she came in for the kill, her cameraman capturing the moment.
“Are you the lady who jumped in to save the boy? What made you do something so heroic? Witnesses say you were under for over ten minutes. How is this possible?”
The questions fired at her like a volley of bullets. Jenna flinched as each one hit its mark. She couldn’t answer honestly without sounding like a freak. So she said nothing, burying her head into Nick’s chest. His arms tightened around her. The subtle turning of his body shielded her from all those eyes.
He pitched his voice to address the crowd. “It’s been a traumatic event for everyone involved, and as you can imagine, it’s not over for us yet. We’ve no comment to make at this stage, so please, give us some time to come to terms with what’s happened. Thank you.”
“Could you at least give me a little snippet, Sergeant Hawke?” pouted the reporter, pushing her chest out and fluttering her lashes.
Jenna’s spine went rigid. A sick feeling of dread settled in the pit of her belly.
Police. Nick is a policeman. Dear God, I’m in trouble.
 Her head pounded and her hands shook. His arm tightened when she tried to pull away, holding her firmly in place. Any other person she could have fobbed off. Now she understood his aura of authority, his all-seeing gaze and concern at the thought of a child left alone in her car. He would be relentless uncovering the truth.
Some of the swag I'll be giving away...
Make your presence heard. Feel free to ask any questions whether its about the book, or my writing life, or any other burning question you can think of. Every comment goes in the draw for spot prizes -regardless of where you live in the world! Enter as many times as you like.
I will be updating the blog during the day, so make sure you come back regularly to find out what else has been going on while you were gone :) HINT: It might just involve a page number game - but beware - it could get a little hot and steamy! ;)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Release Day Invite to All!

Hello my lovely Novel Natterings friends.

Well - the day is drawing nearer and I couldn't be more excited! Affinity, my romantic fantasy novella is due to be released Wednesday 27th June 2012. Yahoooo and Woot - and even WOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!  :)

To celebrate - I'm going to be hosting a party with lots of giveaways, exclusive excerpts from the book and even a Kiwi-themed surprise or two and YOU are invited. And just to prove it - here is your official invite:

In the wrong hands, her legacy could be a curse - in her mind, it already is.

Feel free to extend the invite to anyone else you think might like to join in the fun. I hope to see you here if you get the chance - and just because I'm excited, I feel another celebratory yodel coming on...


Woohooooo!!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Keeping Up With Alana Lorens

Today on Novel Natterings, I'm thrilled to welcome powerhouse author, Alana Lorens. Powerhouse? Read on and find out why I've described her as such.... :)

Thank you, LaVerne, for being such a gracious hostess!

Its a pleasure Alana. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was the eldest of three sisters, and I played the mother role for most of my teens, as my dad was a single working dad. I had my first family in my twenties, two daughters; my second family, a daughter and two stepdaughters in my thirties; then I married again just after I was 40 and got two sons and a baby daughter four weeks old—all on the autism spectrum. So I’ve decided this is my “mommy” life—maybe in my next incarnation I can be more like the “Sex in the City” gals. I live in northwest PA in a house with 11 computers and two children, and my absent-minded computer geek husband.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I was about ten years old, and I remember sitting in our dining room window, watching as my sister’s cat systematically killed and ate a small rabbit. I was scribbling madly away the whole time, marking the story down for history. My mother made me take it in to school the next day, and the principal reviewed it. He praised it and read it to me class—although now that I think about it, he may have been a little wary of my sanity and fascination with the subject I’d written about. I’m sure I’d have been referred to a doctor today—but that was the beginning of my career.

Do you remember what inspired you to write your first book?
I loved reading romance stories—gothic romances, at the time, like Victoria Holt, Jain Aiken Hodge, Mary Stewart, Dorothy Eden. So when I was 14, I tried my hand at one, a time travel gothic romance. I sent it to an editor at Doubleday, who was kind and sent it back with a note that it was pretty amazing for someone of my age. I happened to find it a few years ago and it was HORRID. Bless her for being so kind.

I love call stories. Can you tell us about yours and your reaction?
I’d made a personal connection with TWRP editor Kathy Cottrell at some point several years ago, and I sent her a manuscript I’d worked very hard on. She told me it was women’s fiction, not a romance. So I went back to the computer and wrote another one. She said it was women’s fiction. She was running the Class of ’85 series then, and I wrote her a story for that. The first reader didn’t like it. I was about to give up.

But I had a story burning in me from my online role playing game days, from when my husband and I met, so I gave it one last shot, and THAT one became SECRETS IN THE SAND, which TWRP published in 2011. I made a solid connection with my editor, who was equally delighted with CONVICTION OF THE HEART, and when she sent the email with a positive answer, I was thrilled! My writing wasn’t just a fluke—I was going to be able to tell more and more stories that I love.

That is so cool! :) What drew you to write romance?
It just clicks for me. But I can’t write formula romance. Really. The “you must meet by page 2 and kiss by page ten and break up by page 30 and...” I’m really focused on telling the story. I think that’s why I like romantic suspense. It creates the framework of pacing a story correctly, developing the mystery and the tension and then the romance seems to wrap around those strands much more subtly but naturally, too.

What’s the most challenging part of the writing process for you?
Waiting to hear back from editors!

LOL. I’m a pretty fast writer. I’d say I average four to six manuscripts a year, under all my different aliases, so even while I’ve got some that are accepted and in edits or waiting for covers or waiting for release, I’ve always got at least one or two I’m waiting on a Yes! From.

WOW!! That is amazing! I'm lucky to get two finished! Go, Alana! :)

What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a three-volume YA post-apocalyptic series for Zumaya Publications, the real books of my heart that I can’t wait to see in print. I’m also working on the fourth book in my Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series (written as Lyndi Alexander). In June I’ll be travelling to Montana’s Glacier Lake area for research for that book. I’ve got edits for LOVE ME, KISS ME, KILL ME, a psychic vampire novel coming out from Hydra Publications in September, and I’ve also got my fingers crossed for a new romantic suspense novel set at Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Exciting stuff! Latest news?
I have a great blog tour going for CONVICTION OF THE HEART, being released June 8, and the women’s fiction novel SECOND CHANCES, which is coming out in July. After that, September 12 is the date for the release of THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE from TWRP.

Yay! More to look forward to :) Where can we find you and your books?
I’ve got a booksigning at Fact and Fiction, a bookstore on Higgins Avenue in Missoula, Montana June 23, and I’ll be featured at the Meadville PA Market House Second Saturday in July, which is titled The Creative Process.

Otherwise, check out http://alanalorens.com or http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com for updates and news when the books will be available at amazon.com and the other usual distribution points.


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Visiting from Scotland - Nancy Jardine!

I'm a sucker for that first meeting between the hero and heroine of a book. For me - its the make or break of a good romance. Luckily for us, we have a treat in store as Nancy Jardine allows her heroine, Aela Cameron from Take Me Now to share her inner thoughts when faced with Nairn Malcolm for the first time. Thanks for sharing, Nancy!

Hello LaVerne. I’m delighted to be with you today and especially pleased to introduce you, and your readers, to NAIRN MALCOLM. He’s the gorgeous man who features highly in my next release by The Wild Rose Press-TAKE ME NOW. The excerpt gives you an idea of what he’s like and Aela Cameron’s interview adds a little bit more…


TAKE ME NOW by Nancy Jardine

Excerpt: 

Unadulterated vigor oozed from every last bit of him—overall a dangerous concoction. Something stirred way-down-low inside Aela again. He was a real honey, and the bee in her wanted to be very sticky.

Her mind whirred. The man bore a vague resemblance to the ruggedly handsome thirty-two year old Nairn Malcolm of the internet photograph, but would the blonde limpet in the recent celebrity snapshot want to curl herself around this forbidding wreck of a man? Aela thought not. She wondered, though, if his blank expression was caused by current circumstances, or if this was his normal demeanor, since he hadn’t been smiling in the photograph either.

With the high granite wall as his backdrop she could easily imagine this man lording over the castle, ruthlessly challenging any invaders to his domain. Taking any woman he wanted? Now there was a thought she was happy to entertain. A tiny smile broke free. Tamping down her crazed imagination she re-assessed him.

What had the guy been doing to get himself in such a state?

Who was he?


(Aela Cameron, from TAKE ME NOW, is being interviewed a few days after she starts to work for Nairn Malcolm.)

It would be great if you could tell us how you first got to know Nairn Malcolm.
Hey! Isn’t he dreamy? But no-one in the world could have called him beautiful when we first met.

How can anyone not call him handsome? Look at that photo of what he looks like…mmm…he’s one lovely hunk of man with those mesmerizing blue eyes.
Yeah! He does have the dreamiest eyes, doesn’t he? On that ruggedly good-looking face of his! Normally, you’re absolutely right. He’s the most attractive guy I’ve ever met, all six and a half feet of him. Makes my leg muscles wobble just thinking about him. Can you imagine what it might feel like to be enveloped by all those muscles of his? But, picture this? The day of our first meeting was exactly three days after his motorbike accident!

Ahh. So he was pretty bashed up?
Absolutely, although I couldn’t help but see there was one striking man below the mess. He’s just my type of guy, all rugged and gorgeous.

Did the two of you hit it off immediately?
No way! He wasn’t best pleased that I laughed at his injuries. He thought I was far too flippant. I think I was the last person he wanted to be sharing an office with.

That doesn’t sound very subtle. So, how did you manage to get the job?
I’m the least subtle person in the world! He didn’t want to hire me at first but, you know…Oh no. you’re not worming it out of me like that!  You’ll have to go to the book for more details.

Did nobody else want to work for him?
Well, even before his accident he needed a new Personal Assistant. Nairn’s got a lot of different businesses to run, but he couldn’t get anyone who wanted to live in his castle, on a lovely little Scottish island, called Lanera.

What? They didn’t want to live in a castle? That’s hard to believe. How come there wasn’t a queue of candidates beating down the doors to get the job?
Hah! No queue at all, from what I’m hearing. Nairn only had a couple of candidates, before me. They liked the idea of working for him, but they wanted to permanently base themselves in London, and that isn’t suitable for a whizz-around like Nairn Malcolm.

So he won’t want you to work at the castle all the time then?
Even after only a few days I’ve learned he’s always on the move. All over the place: and I’m so excited about it! We’re going to London, Barcelona, Paris, Oman…the Caribbean…and loads of other places.

So, you don’t mind being on a Scottish island… and travelling the globe really appeals to you?
Absolutely! That’s the perfect bit of the job! As a gal from Vancouver, the Scottish climate doesn’t bother me at all, and since I adore flying and sailing, the job is totally heaven for me. Now, of course, he doesn’t just need office assistance. His little accident means he needs someone competent to ferry him and his plaster casts all over the world…and that person is ME!

Did it take Nairn long to realize you were the best candidate, then?
You know, that’s a whole new scenario! You’ll just have to read those pages to find out more…though I will tell you I could get to like that guy a lot.

So, do you see yourself as being his assistant for quite a while?
Never!  This is just a temporary job, for a few weeks, before I head back to Vancouver


Thank you, LaVerne, for allowing Aela to be interviewed today. She’s loved being with you. Anyone prepared to listen to her drool over Nairn Malcolm is her life-long friend!

It was my absolute pleasure Nancy! And thank you Aela, for being willing to spill the beans on the gorgeous Nairn with us! :)   


TAKE ME NOW will be published by The Wild Rose Press 3rd August 2012.



Nairn Malcolm’s looking for the impossible. He needs a highly skilled, enterprising aide who’ll be at his beck and call 24/7. No ordinary Jane Doe will do. He doesn’t expect the only candidate who drops in at his Scottish castle for an interview to be so competent…or so stunning.
Aela Cameron’s got exactly the right mix of talents to satisfy all Nairn Malcolm’s needs, and more. She loves the jobs he needs done, adores his castle, and finds his frenetic lifestyle energising. But she’s only looking for temporary: not to fall in love with the man.
Can Nairn convince Aela she’s tailor-made for him in every way…and not a passing fancy?    

   
Bio for Nancy Jardine

Having taught 11-12 year olds for many years, Nancy Jardine finally gave up the chalk in the autumn of 2011. During the last few years she has written a historical novel, three contemporary novels- two of which are what she calls her history/mysteries. She’s also written the first of a time-travel series of novels for children aged 9-12years, and a family saga is her current work in progress.

Nancy lives in the picturesque castle country of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with her husband who now does all the cooking…the menu far more exciting and tasty than it used to be! Ancestry research-if you hadn’t already guessed-is one of her hobbies, as is participating in exciting events with her family which drag her away from the keyboard. Working in her large garden, she tends real flowers and now grows spectacular weeds which she’s becoming very fond of!

You can find Nancy at:

Website: http://nancyjardineauthor.weebly.com


MONOGAMY TWIST by Nancy Jardine (history/ mystery novel with a good dash of romance) is currently available in print and ebook

The Wild Rose Press : http://bit.ly/wOpGbT   Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/ynu0t0   Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/wwaGCv   Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/AuMbii

Link to YouTube Book Trailer for Monogamy Twist is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJVzbrkJQzA


THE BELTANE CHOICE by Nancy Jardine
A historical novel will be published by Crooked{Cat}Publishing 31st August 2012.