Fall Into Romance Hop

Hi everyone and welcome to my Kiwi stop of The Romance Reviews blog hop. So glad you stopped by! Not only am I going to be giving away a PDF or Kindle copy of my romantic fantasy novella, AFFINITY to one lucky person, but when you get to the bottom of the post, you'll see I have goodies for EVERYONE :) Yay! Don't you love giveaways and free stuff? Just leave a comment to be in the draw and if you want to double or even treble your chances - follow me on Twitter or Like me on Facebook. Easy peasy!

Romance writers are HUGE readers. One of the perks of being a writer is being able to rub shoulders with some fabulous talent, and to read their work before they're discovered by the masses. Catherine Bybee and Laura Kaye would be the most notable authors I've read before they hit their stride and started featuring regularly on the best-sellers lists. From their very first books, they were dynamite! So - with that in mind, I want to introduce you to two more amazing authors I consider to be the next up-and-comers and their books I fell in love with.

 First up - Kathryn Knight and her paranormal novel, GULL HARBOR.

I fell in love with this book because of the seemingly effortless way the author handled the story, the language and the pacing. From the very start, the hair stood out on the back of my neck and there were a couple of times I didn't want to be the last one up at night! Serious spookiness aside, the attraction between Claire and Max was sizzling and had me turning the pages long into the night (hence the scaredy-pants drama). I was rooting for them to work through their past hurts and find their happy-ever-after because quite simply, they wouldn't find it with anyone else. They were destined for each other. This book is getting some wonderful reviews, as is Kathryn's other book, SILVER LAKE, and when you read her work, you'll understand why. A true talent, get her books now and you too can say, 'you knew her when...' :)

The next author I absolutely ADORE anything by is Vonnie Davis.

Vonnie's books are laced with laugh-out-loud humour and swoon-worthy moments of serious sexiness. A woman of many talents, Vonnie writes stories in ALL genres, so you're sure to find something that tickles your fancy. And here is where your perseverance is rewarded. Vonnie's latest release, A MAN FOR ANNALEE, is FREE on kindle over the dates 17-21 September. Woohoo!! 

Click image for Amazon

Oh - and as an aside, my latest book, BEYOND THE SHADOWS is also being offered free for Kindle (click on the image on the sidebar) on the same dates as Annalee. So go get them and enjoy! :)

Don't forget that this blog hop is ongoing until September 21, 11.59pm EST, so you've got plenty of time to go and visit the other blogs taking part and (cross fingers!) win a book or three :) Maybe you'll even find your new favourite author during this Hop. Click on the Fall Into Romance button below which will take you on a random trip to another participating blog that you've yet to visit. Just make sure you're logged in to The Romance Reviews for the button to work. Registration is free if you haven't done this yet and can be found on the top right hand corner of their home page.

Before you head off to the next blog, don't forget to leave a comment with your contact email in case you win, and extra entry points will be awarded for Twitter or FB follow/likes. Good luck and thanks for visiting with me. It was fun!

Love is in the Air - Blog Hop!

Welcome to another pit-stop on the Love is in the Air Blog Hop. I’m so thrilled to be sharing such a special time on the calendar with you! J Don't forget to visit the other participating blogs (links at the bottom of this post) to increase your chances of winning lots of yummy goodies!

I will be giving one lucky commenter a PDF copy of my fantasy romance, Affinity – an international giveaway (winner announced February 15^th). Don’t forget to leave me some comment love and your email so I can send you your prize!

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

You’re here, because like me, you love romance. There is simply no better way to indulge than to pick up a good book and lose yourself in those heady feelings only love can bring.

A good cover can take you through all those same emotions - tell a story - and I happen to think my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, are one of the best, so I thought I'd show some of them off. 

(I've also read each of these stories below and can attest to them being knock-out love stories!)

The first glance...

First Touch

First Kiss

First intimate moment



Marriage



Love in later life

Sigh…love and romance is the best don't you agree?

What is your favourite moment of the dance between two people as they embark on a relationship? Is it the build-up of the attraction; the first kiss; or the declaration?

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with the person you love the most and good luck with all the goodies on offer during this Blog Hop.

The Next Big Thing - Blog Hop

Blog Hop!! What fun J

Thank you to the incomparable Vonnie Davis for tagging me. Check out her answers to the ten questions – I guarantee you will be entertained. And while you’re there – check out her books. I’ve ADORED every one and I know you will too J

http://www.vintagevonnie.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/the-next-big-thing-and-no-im-not.html

The rules for the blog hop are as follows:

****Give credit to the person/blog that tagged you

**** Post the rules for the blog hop

****Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog

****Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?  The Talisman

Where did the idea come from for the book?  In 1886, in the early morning of a cold winter’s day, one of New Zealand’s dormant volcanoes woke with catastrophic effect. Mt. Tarawera exploded in a fiery display, burying the township of Te Wairoa under a mountain of mud and ash. After visiting this area as a teenager, I was haunted by it and my imagination all too easily painted a picture of how it must have been for the people trapped by such an event. It would have been like hell on earth. Not long after my visit, I came across the images of victims from Pompeii and the beginning of a story started to form in my mind of a body discovered over a century later, an object clutched in his hand.

What genre does your book fall under?  Paranormal with touches of suspense.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Ooo – that is a toughie! My heroine is half-Maori and I’ve only ever visualised her in my head. Okay - here is my attempt at Aroha and Jake:

 

 

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  You're joking right?! You're not? *groan* - can I get back to you on that one? :)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?  I like working with a publishing house too much to go the self-publishing route just yet, but I admire anyone who does. An agent? How cool would that be?! Maybe one day...

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  I'm still writing it. This poor story was rudely interrupted after I received a great initial rejection from my dream publisher on another story. They wanted me to extend that submission and resend to their suspense line - so I've been working hard on that over the past four months. I'm crossing my toes (my fingers are busy) while I wait to hear about its fate J

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  I'd never dream of comparing my story to others. I think I'll let my readers do that J

Who or What inspired you to write this book? Being of Maori descent (I know! I'm as far from Maori looking as you can get!), the culture has always fascinated me. They are a story-telling race and relied on word-of-mouth to keep those stories alive from generation to generation. They are also a very spiritual people and I wanted to keep the essence of both of those aspects at the heart of my story. 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  This story is set in New Zealand's thermal heart - the central North Island. The land is tempestuous, rugged and strangely beautiful and my characters match the landscape, their relationship as explosive as the slumbering giant of Tarawera. I hope readers find themselves as fascinated by this magical part of the world as I am.

Thank you Vonnie for tagging me! That was fun! 

I tag --

Kelly Matsuura - http://blackwingsandwhitepaper.com/

Cherie Le Clare - http://cherieleclare.com/

Catherine Mede - http://catherinemede.com/

Heather Jensen - http://heatherj22.wordpress.com/

Lilly Gayle - http://lillygayleromance.blogspot.com/

 

Sinful Sirens Blog Hop Giveaway

Today, I'm taking part in my very first Blog Hop! How exciting!

Feel free to tweet and share to your hearts content :)

Below you'll see a number of other blogs all taking part too - and all doing a giveaway of some sort!

I'm giving away one PDF copy of my romantic suspense novella, Guardian of the Jewel, to one lucky commenter.

BLURB

After coming to terms with the brutal death of her husband by unknown thugs half a world away from New Zealand, Amy Hamblin concentrates on bringing up their son alone, struggling to make their dream of an action-adventure tourism venture a success.

When a dark, dangerous-looking man knocks on her door late at night claiming to be a guest, the safe, quiet life she’d created is suddenly anything but...

Gabriel Ryan’s task of finding the priceless blue diamond Amy’s husband stole from an organised crime ring, is made all the more difficult by the attraction that sizzles between them. Playing a role had never been so hard, and now, with a ruthless killer on the trail of the missing jewel as well, he needed his wits about him to keep them all alive.

This is an International giveaway so please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the lucky person chosen.

Winner will be contacted at the close of the blog hop - May 21th

Good luck - and don't forget to visit another few blogs listed below for more goodies to win :)