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



Wednesday, June 27, 2012

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! ;)

52 comments:

  1. Happy Release Day!!!! This sounds like an awesome book. I found out about it through Karen's blog and will be picking up a copy later today :-) Hope you have a lovely day celebrating it's launch into the world.

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    1. Thanks so much Cassie! Already I'm having a great time. Its so nice to celebrate with both old and NEW friends :)

      And just because you're the first commenter - the first little prize pack will be finding it's way to you :)

      I hope you enjoy reading Affinity as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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    2. Wahoo Cassie - see, pass the word around. K :o)

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  2. Happy Release Day Laverne!!! I'm so excited to have seen this book go from a twinkle in your eye to a complete story, and I can't wait to get my copy!! xxx Love Batsy

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    1. Awww Batsy - thank you so much you lovely lady. I feel honoured to be part of such a wonderful, supportive and talented bunch of writers. Its because of encouragement like your's that this book even exists at all :)
      xxx back.

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  3. Yay!! Congratulations LaVerne!! Just have to say, AWESOME read... loved the book and I can't wait to read the next ones. Very proud to know you! Angela

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  4. Thanks Angela and lovely to see you here! I'm so glad you enjoyed Affinity as well! Your reaction to it gave me the confidence to believe in this story and to be excited to send it out into the world! :)

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  5. OK Hun, I have my copy! Can't wait to start reading it. Good luck with your launch today, will keep checking in for progress reports my dear! Karen :o) x x x

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    1. Wow - already Karen?! You are wonderful - thank you. I hope you enjoy!! xxx

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  6. Congratulations LaVerne!! Looking forward to get a copy, and by the look of the above comment I can go do that now!! :D

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    1. Hi Heather!
      Thank you so much. I'm so thrilled (but scared too) that people are grabbing it already. Hope you enjoy! xo

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  7. Happy Release Day Lovely! Very Exciting, all the swag looks great :D

    I'm looking forward to reading it too, will grab a copy in a minute.

    I have a question for you: has it been hard editing and promoting Affinity while working on new submissions?

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    1. Hi Kelly! Thanks so much for your support. You girls rock! :)

      Good question! Promotion is a whole different beast to writing and editing - definitely. But to those who know me well, no doubt you realise I love to talk to people - so in that respect, its been easy. The hardest thing is mentioning my book. I hate feeling like I'm pushing it - but I'm proud too - so it IS a fine line to walk. It also takes you away from creating a new story - but the initial promotion stage is only a week or so, and is time well spent I think.

      I'm looking forward to wrestling with "Beyond the Shadows" tonight though. It should be fun!

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    2. You're planning to write tonight? Won't you be drunk??? lol!

      Ah, it's fun watching you work week-to-week on all your exciting WIP's etc.....and you still make time to critique for others, so a big THANK YOU from me :D

      I just bought my copy of Affinity after a fierce struggle with re-setting my password on the site, lol!

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    3. LOL - I'm glad you won the battle Kelly! And thank you! How exciting! :)
      Yep - I'll be writing but I never said it would be any good! :D

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    4. Maybe you write better drunk?? :D

      I just rated Affinity on Good Reads for you, since I have already read it, he he he! I'll write a proper review for you soon too. Do you know when the book will be up on Amazon?

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    5. 5 Stars!!! Thank you, you flatterer you! xx

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    6. Yes, well you know how much I love Asian heroines :D

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    7. They are so beautiful and fun to write aren't they? I'll have to come visit you in Japan one day too and see Hiroshima among other places myself.

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    8. Yay, you should come - I'll be your tour guide.

      Maybe we can ask TWRP to do an Asian Heroines series one day :D

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  8. (Pasting for Jennie Cox who couldn't make a comment)
    Well done lovely lady! be proud of your achievement, you are AWESOME! x

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    1. Awww, Jen. So are you :) Looking forward to Thursday's netball where hopefully we can kick more butt! See you there! ;)

      PS - you having a virtual wine with me tonight? ;) I'll raise a glass to you!

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  10. Trying again - will spell your name right this time!

    A fantastic achievement, LaVerne.
    Wishing you zillions of sales!

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    1. Hehehe - don't worry Cherie, even I get it wrong sometimes too! Fingers quicker than the brain in my case :)
      Thanks for stopping by my wonderful friend. And if anyones wondering - yes - this is the Cherie Le Clare who I dedicated my first book to. An amazing writer and even better friend, xx

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  11. Congrats LaVerne - a very exciting day for you and all your readers. I can't wait to have a read of your new book - looks great! See you at netball tomorrow night. Enjoy your day :)

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    1. I'm thrilled you managed to stop by Charmaine - and thanks for your encouragement! I'm primed and ready to play now - I already feel like a winner after today :)

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  12. (Posting for Trish who couldn't post through the comment box)

    Hi LaVerne. Lovely party! Congratulations on another release you talented lady. I will be downloading my copy shortly and making sure I have some ‘me time’ in which to enjoy it. Here’s to the next one which I hear is well under way. You are an inspiration x

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    1. Trish - you lovely, lovely lady - and another talented writer. Thanks for your encouragement and support - and fantastic critiquing ability! x back :)

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  13. Forgot to say before how great your prizes look!! Great work! :)

    After some interruptions I'm up to Chapter 3 already - Love it! I was hooked from the beginning - looking forward to see where it ends!! :)

    And I have to agree with Kelly - you deserve a great big thank you for all the hard work you put into critiquing/editing our work. It is very much appreciated! You're definitely an inspiration LaVerne!

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    1. Woot!! You're reading it - and loving it?! It does not get any better than that :) You girls are truly a pleasure to work with and help me out in so many ways too. Aren't we lucky to have each other?

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    2. We certainly are LaVerne - it's such a great group we've got - I certainly wouldn't have achieved as much in the last year without you all! :)

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    3. Here here! We'll have our own group party soon - must get on to planning it!

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  14. Here is a question for you LaVerne,

    How did you come up with the idea where the main character takes on "characteristics" of animals?

    Karen :o) See I haven't left the party yet!

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    1. Ooo - good question Karen! And thanks for staying on. Lots of goodies yet to be won... ;)
      As to Jenna's abilities, I'm cringing to say how it came about - but I will because you asked.
      When I'd seen this call for superhero stories, I thought I'd challenge myself to write one. Originally, I was thinking the heroine would be able to speak to animals and hear their thoughts. I thought it was cool - until my dear husband Anthony (OK - and clever too, in case he's reading this!) made fun of the idea and the conversations that would be likely to take place: "Ruff, ruff, oh, oh, - my butt is itchy." or "Do you love me? Say you love me? I'm a good boy, wanna sniff your crotch"

      Well - after that, I spun off in a huff and threw to him over my shoulder, "Well - you come up with something better then!" and he did. Before I'd even walked two steps - darn it all!

      So now, he likes to call this his book and wonders when I'm going to introduce him as the REAL writer :)

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    2. Did he sit up all hours of the night to write this story... I think not! Credit where credit is due, sometimes someone can spark and idea and you run with it. Doesn't mean that they created the whole story!

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  15. Happy release day, LaVerne. I love the title. Affinity is just one of those sexy words. Yeah I know, I'm weird. ;-) Congrats!

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    1. Thats not weird Mac! I think of words as delicious :) And thanks so much for the vote of confidence. I love this title too and it suits the book to perfection I think.

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  16. (Posted for Bernie Taylor - my wonderful and biased mother!)
    So enjoyed the whole process from the birth of the idea to the completion of Affinity. It's a wow and am so proud of you!!! We'll have quite a few things to toast when we see each other next won't we sweeties. xxxxx

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  17. Awww...thanks Ma. I can't wait to see you too! Only just over a week to wait!! I can't wait to raise a toast to you and Pops on yet ANOTHER Supreme Awards nomination!! xxxx

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    1. Isn't she the best Kelly? You'd love her :) One of the reasons they're being nominated AGAIN for the National Supreme Tourism Awards! If ever you're staying in Auckland, I recommend you stay at Grange Lodge Motel ;)

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  19. Cherie Le Clare - your name was drawn by random.org to win a branded cup filled with chocolates! Yummy!!

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  20. The mugs look cool - lucky Cherie!

    Are you writing Laverne? I'm being naughty and watching 'Burn Notice', will have to do some writing tomorrow tho!

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    1. I love the mugs too!
      No - you were right - I was too hyped-up to write and enjoying engaging with you all. Nothing wrong with a bit of TV - call it 'research'. ;)

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  21. California time messed me up! Sorry to be late, but you know I am rooting for your success. Now, I'm off the WRP to buy Affinity!

    Congratulations. Looks like you've got a lively party going on. :)

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    1. Thanks so much Lynne! I'm having a ball. And don't worry - you're not late. The party is going over both American and NZ time. I'm greedy like that! ;)

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  22. Sorry to be so late. Are you having a wonderful release day? I'm so happy for you and glad to share in a little part of it.

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  23. You're not late at all Sandra - its just 6.30pm on the 27th over there at the moment isn't it? A perfect time for a party! :)
    I'm so thrilled you're here to help me celebrate too! Thank you so much for your support - it means so much! Oh! Now I'm starting to feel all blubbery *sniff* :)

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  24. Sorry I missed the party! Only just read about it in an email invite on Kelly's and Heather's blogs! Have been away and haven't caught up on the Simple Savings thread for about a week so didn't hear about it there either (or maybe I did ages ago but forgot). Anyway, better late than never...
    I hope you had a great release day for Affinity!

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  25. I really have to get around to reading Affinity soon. Remind me where to purchase a copy of the eBook?

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  26. Hey Grateful! Absolutely better late than never :) I can't speak for anyone else, but I had such fun sharing the release with everyone and gave away some cool prizes.

    You can get an ecopy from The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, Amazon, Fictionwise etc. I've got links that will take you straight there at the top Right of my blog for TWRP, Amazon and B&N. Thanks so much!! Look forward to catching up with all your doings at the SS blog!

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