Showing posts with label giveaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaways. Show all posts

Sixth Annual Authors in Bloom

Dianne Venetta_AIB Logo_2015

Authors in Bloom is one of my favorite blog tours. And this year we have a Facebook Party going on as well.

Gardening is on my mind lately. In fact, I'm about to go in the back yard and work after I post this. You see my ginger son got down on one knee in a proposal of marriage to a sweet gal.
They are doing a tour of sorts of their own. He's working and going to school in Idaho. She's working in Tennessee where he'll be heading to pick her up and then they are off to visit her family in Pennsylvania, then flying out here to Texas before the wedding takes place in Utah.
Proposal of Marriage picture


And my son told me recently, very recently, "Oh Mom, we're having an open house in Texas."

"You're what?" Yes, I have a month to get my yard in shape. Yes, the yard I have pretty much ignored this past year as I've taken on new challenges with work that leaves me zero free time and less energy. Yes, that yard.

And my lawn mower won't start. Off to get new spark plugs.
Fortunately, I also have a 16 year old who is very eager to earn money by tackling the harder jobs so he can go back into his batcave and order more part upgrades for his super computer that he built. I only hope that he uses his genius powers for good.

My gardening tip is pretty simple. Know your property.

  • Walk around and notice what areas of your yard get the most sun and which are shaded. That will help you know where to best plant which kind of plants. 
  • You can also have a simple soil test done at your local garden center to see if your soil is well-balanced in nutrients and pH. Mine is not, so that's another thing on my to-do quickly list. 
This is the first of my flowers to keep alive until April.


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Authors in Bloom Blog Hop


Happy Hopping Everyone!
I love to participate in these blog hops, because even though I'm a writer, I'm also a reader and get to learn about new books I haven't heard about before. I also get to know some of you readers better too. Win/Win

The giveaway for visiting my blog is two lucky commenters will get their choice of any one of my ebooks.  Just say which one you'd want in the comments.
Snippets of each can be found on the Kindle Preview page of this blog.
Don't feel like commenting? You can also enter by simply Liking my Facebook Author page at 
https://www.facebook.com/clover.autrey 

My recipe comes from the cafeteria at Cook Childrens Medical Center in Fort Worth. The Crazy Reid. Have no idea where the name comes from. It was my favorite dish they had on their menu so I started making it at home.

The Crazy Reid

Boil some penne pasta or rice and set aside.

In a fry pan add garlic salt to a few Tablespoons of butter and heat.
Add cubed or sliced chicken pieces and cook. (I like to precook my chicken, but you don't have to).
When it's done, lower the heat and add fresh tomatoes, cut up
And a few handfuls of fresh spinach on top and cover with a lid or another fry pan upside down to let the tomatoes and spinach steam a bit.
Meanwhile heat up either Mariano or Alfredo sauce. (I get mine from a jar, but you can make it from scratch if you prefer. I prefer the Alfredo.)

Pour the chicken/spinach mixture and the sauce over the top of the penne or rice and top it all off with fresh Parmesan cheese.  It's delicious. I have leftovers from when I took this picture last night. My mouth is watering so think I'll go get me some. Bon appetit.




Please remember to leave a comment. Good luck and have fun hopping around this week!


Love a good ghost story: Hawthorne


Hawthorne cover photoHawthorne by Sarah Ballance
After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it takes ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She seeks peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she finds is an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she can right.
Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett has never forgotten about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents reveals a truth that can cost him everything. What he finds gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?

Praise for Hawthorne
“This is a marvelous ghost story. The mystery, the suspense, the eeriness – all collaborate to weave a spell-binding tale . . . The story seamlessly flows to a shocking ending that is utterly brilliant.” — Coffee Time Romance
“When I finished it, honestly, all I could do was sit there – a little awestruck.” — Kick Back & Review
Hawthorne will be FREE on Amazon from April 10th to 14th 
Excerpt from Hawthorne
Noah closed in on the convertible, giving the nearby grounds a cursory look. The lawn was meticulous, the beds overflowing with sprays of purple garden phlox which trailed around the bend in the road and disappeared. A riot of white and rust-red irises backed the smaller purple flowers, their leaves deep green and glossy. Overhead, Spanish moss swayed only occasionally atop a maze of live oak, more likely a result of a passing swarm of insects than an actual air current. The land was still. If there were tourists snapping photos of the historic plantation — or doing anything else — he didn’t see them. But someone had been there. The car was certainly real, even if that too-familiar scream had been a figment of his imagination.
Wasn’t it always?
Resigned to another night alone with his memories, Noah pivoted.
And found himself nose to nose with Emma Grace.
Astounded, he opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to reach for her, but his arms refused the notion; they hung uselessly by his sides, the effort futile. His mouth wasn’t much on cooperation, either. Finally, he found his tongue. “Em—”
Her expression cut him off. Green eyes wide, skin pale, her small frame shaking, she spoke. “I saw her, Noah. She’s back.” The words, nearly soundless, seemed to catch in the thick air. Lingering. Threatening.
And ripping the heart from his chest.
sarah ballance
Author Sarah Ballance
Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.
She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly paranormal romance. Her ever-growing roster of releases may be found at http://sarahballance.com.
BookBlast Giveaway  $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 4/30/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Spookapalooza!!!


The Romance Studio is celebrating the spooky season with their annual Spookapalooza! Giving away an Amazon gift ecard (electronic gift card only, value $100 minimum) to one lucky reader as well as lots of other prizes from the TRS prize vault and participating authors! I'll be over there having fun and donating some of my books! 


Authors will be posting about their books and other related topics 24/7 Oct 25 through the 31st on Halloween. My favorite holiday! 


Happy Halloween Y'all!!!


Book Lovers' Buffet

Final Day of the Sale so I hope ya'll stock up for Summer. Whee!!!


                                                                        Bouquet Buffet
125 Authors, more than 170 eBooks, all types of romance genres, all coming together for one heck of a great sale bouquet buffet style. All books will only be .99 cents for 3 days.





I have 2 books in the sale, Death and Kisses and The Vampire and the Highland Empath, the 2nd in the Highland Sorcery series.
Ya'll won't want to miss out on this once a year event. See you over there where I'm loading up my eReaders for summer!!!



C.A. Szarek's Sword's Call Book Release Giveaway


I'm very excited to have my friend and critique partner C.A. Szarek (I know her as Chrissy) visit today as her first book hits the shelves this month. And what a book! Like fantasy, adventure, romance, a protective wolf, and magical sword? It's all in there and then some...

Chrissy's an awesome person, very funny and genuine, and works so hard to get her stories and characters just right. Readers are in for a real treat when they pick up one of her books. I'm glad to know her and count her among my friends. She's originally from Ohio, but came to Texas as soon as she could and I'm sure glad she did. 

So Chrissy, 

"What draws you to write fantasy?


I have always been into fantasy, since I was a very young teen and read the greats. Anne McCaffrey and Tanith Lee being two of my faves. It just comes naturally for me, I guess. I'm always in my own little world. But I promise I'm not crazy. *grin*

How many books to you plan to have in this series?

I'm not sure at this moment, but I have ideas, couples and even parts written for at least 5. I should be turning in book two, Love's Call in a matter of weeks to my editor. The I will hit book three. Book 4 is already halfway done. And I have the opening scene for book 5. As usual, I'm on step 1000 when I need to be on step 5. But if something occurs to me, I usually write it down, whether it's notes or a whole scene.


Your heroine is bonded to a wolf in this book and I know you have several of your own four-legged buddies at home. Were any of your own pets an inspiration for the bond between Cera and her wolf?

Well, I thought of the story of Sword's Call literally about thirteen years ago, and I have always had dogs. In a way, the two or three I have sadly lost over the years since Trikser (that's Cera's white wolf) was born are all in him a little bit, I guess.  I have always been fascinated by wolves. They play a big part in this series.



What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?



Take a breather! I tend to binge write so when I finish something, it means I have been doing nothing BUT write. I try to relax, go out to get something I like to eat, or watch TV that tends to stack up on my DVR (GREATEST INVENTION EVER). Then, of course, you get on FB and tell everyone you just finished! Hehehe.

You also have a contempory romance between two detectives coming out soon. Can you tell us a little about that? 

Collision Force is about a badboy FBI Agent, Cole Lucas, and a strong female small town police detective, Andi MacLaren getting thrown together to go after a human trafficker that got away from Cole and fled to Andi's small city of Antioch, TX. They don't like each other much, so getting them together was really fun! It's an intense story but it's tender and a little bit funny, too. I am really excited about it because I love Andi and Cole so much! It come out July 1, but will be available for Pre-order May 20 and Pre-release June 3. I should have a cover soon, so of course watch my blog and FB for that! It's also the first book in a series, Crossing Forces.

Connect with C.A. at her blog, TwitterFBAmazon, and Goodreads.  


A little bit about Sword's Call:

For generations, the Ryhans, ruling family of the Province of Greenwald have been keepers of a sword rumored to possess enough magic to defeat kings. Lord Varthan, a former archduke and betrayer of the king, covets the sword and invades Greenwald.

Lady Ceralda Ryhan, daughter of the murdered duke, gains the sword and flees, trusting only her white wold, Trikser--magically bonded to her. Cera needs nothing more to aid in her fight.

Jorrin Aldern, half elfin and half human, left his home in the mountains of Aramour to find his human father who disappeared twenty turns before, but finds Cera with Varthan and his shades on her tail instead. His dual heritage and empathic magic will tempt Cera in ways she never thought she'd desire. But can he convince her trust and love can pave the path to redemption or will the epic battle end in tragedy and evil conquer them all? 

Gets your copy from       Amazon       Barnes and Noble         AmazonUK

Excerpt:

Heart pounding and fists clenched, Cera sat in the Dragon's Lair's darkest corner. By choice the candle on the table was unlit. The bowl of stew half eaten, food the last thing on her mind. 

The door to the tavern swung open. Her white wolf growled low and deep beside her. Cera glanced up, squinting in the sudden flood of sunlight. As the door slammed shut and her eyes adjusted to the renewed murkiness, she took in the newest arrival.

Then she focused on Trikser. She couldn't have him going for anyone's throat. 

"Shhh, Trik, it's okay." She ran a hand through his fur, smoothing his hackles along the length of his spine. The big wolf looked up at her and licked her hand. One corner of her mouth lifted and she bit back a sigh.

The only reason the owner of the tavern, Marshek even let him in was because no one else was allowed to enter the Dragon's Lair if she was inside without him. No one according to Trikser, that is. He'd almost taken the hand off the last guy who'd tried.

"What'll ya have?" Marshek barked, revealing his instant dislike of the newcomer.

She fixed her eyes on the bartender. Then she took a closer look at the man sitting in front of him. His pointed ears betrayed his heritage, but his height suggested he was not of pure blood. 

Marshek was known to be tolerant of elves but he hated what he called half-breeds. Cera could imagine what the grumpy, middled-aged tavern owner was thinking, and it wasn't friendly. 

She rose, Trikser also immediately rising, awaiting her move. The white wolf was her bondmate and had been since he was young.

Relax, she thought-sent.

Trik sat, but his body was tight, tense. He didn't respond to her mental order.

Moving to the bar, her wolf followed, slinking close to the floor, moving in a slight crawl. His belly probably touched the filthy planked flooring of the tavern.

Cera made a face but forced a breath. Detached control. Sliding onto the stool next to the half-elfin man, she was just in time to hear his order. His voice was clear and deep. Marshek filled a mug with ale and started to put the jug in its place on the shelf.

"Wait, Mar," she said with a wave of her hand, "I'll have some of that, too."

With a curt nod, the older man poured her a mug. She brought it to her lips, glancing nonchalantly at the stranger. His coal black hair brushed the collar of his hooded gray cape, giving him a rather unkempt look, but rugged rather than messy.

Cera couldn't see the hue of his eyes from her seat but his high cheekbones made his profile appealing, his sleek tapered ears adding to the attraction. His powerful jaw line was clean shaven, an oddity in these parts. She could tell he was aware of her perusal. He was young, not much older than her, and had the stunning beauty of the elves.

His chest heaved as if he'd taken a breath, and he finally glanced at her. Blue. His eyes were a deep, sapphire blue. Her heart skipped a beat but she ignored it. The man said nothing, not that she'd expected him to. 

Giveaway!!!

Chrissy (I mean C.A.) is giving one lucky commenter her or his choice of either a SWAG prize pack (US only on that) or an ebook copy of Sword's Call (International welcome). Hmmm, hard decision.  



And the winner is: (drumroll please) Dawn Cloclasure! 



Dead Running Giveaway




Dead Running

Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful
memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.

With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them?
When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.




Dying to Run


Cassidy Christensen wants to run.

Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t
allow another family member to be killed in her place.

This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.






Purchase



Author Cami Checketts

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.

Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn't snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.


Links


Website</ a> * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Fitness Blog



#BookBlast Giveaway




Details

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

$50 Gift Card to Running Chics

Ends 1/31/12

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash.
Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com
and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Holiday Blog Hop

Thanks to all the participants and those who left a comment. I loved reading them. Anyhoo, I had my child pick a number so lucky #7 commenter Laurie is the winner of my prize Highland Sorcerer. 

Congrats Laurie. I'll be contacting you shortly for mailing details!  And as far as the nook or kindle winner, that should be listed soon as well. Good luck y'all for that! I hope one of you that came over here wins it!!!

It's a Happy Holiday from your favorite Authors and Bloggers. While we know everyone celebrates a different way, we wanted to make sure that you guys knew how much we treasure you all. So from Dec 14th to Dec 17th, all 200 or so of us will be blogging about the holidays and what they mean to us. We may talk about our favorite holiday traditions, recipes, gifts, reads, heroes, and so much more. We want to hear about what you do for the holidays, what you read, and who you'll spend it with. We hope to see you here and happy hopping!


And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!


So what are the Holidays like for the Autrey Family? Weird actually. We are still finding our way. Having a child with cystic fibrosis meant that more often than not due to cold season, Chase was in the hospital for Christmas. Fortunately the children's hospital tried to make it really nice for families with lots of special events, even Santa visits, going on. Then there were all the do-gooders that pop up around Christmas. We've met several Texas Rangers, and Dallas Cowboys, and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (tiny petite things in real life-could blow them over with one breath), a few celebrities like Garth Brooks. As nice as that is, we'd much rather be at home.

Then we had the year when we nearly made it without a Christmas hospitalization  Chase's lungs were holding their own (okay he had just been in over Thanksgiving so our fingers were crossed), but just our luck, my sister-in-law thought it'd be a great thing to hook a trailer behind a SUV and enjoy a pseudo hayride in which our other son fell out and got run over by the trailer. There was a horrifying Bump as the first tire ran over him, then a second Bump as the rear tire got him.

Christmas Eve. Miraculously he was fine, not even bruised, but had to take him in just to make sure... 6 hours later totally bored in the ER, we got to take him home. Joy. What would a Christmas be like without that? And now one of our favorite Christmas carols (cuz we are all sarcastic butts) is "Samuel got run over by a trailer".

So for years we haven't had a normal Christmas. Two years ago, Chase passed away a couple of months before Christmas. No hospital stay, but being at home sucked too, so we hit the road and went down to Galveston. Yes, Galveston in winter. Cold windy beaches, flopping jellyfish, but great food. We wandered around not really knowing what to say to each other and missing the one we lost terribly and opened presents in a motel room beneath a little tree because we couldn't bear to be at home.

Last year? A hotel again, this time closer to home. 15 minutes away actually, which was kind of lame.But we saw a few movies, went out to eat, and went ice skating together  so it was fun and different, but home pulled us back a day earlier than we planned.

This year it's time to stay home. I still won't hang any stockings. The youngest is insisting on getting our tree out so that's inevitable though we're waiting for our daughter to fly in from college and she and T can decorate together, though I'm not sure where to put the tree since part of my present to my husband this year is letting him keep his music set-up in our living room for all of December. It is wall-to-wall speakers, guitars, cords, amps, drums, and electric piano. Don't ask. I can't fathom why he needs the huge speakers in a little 10x16 room either. He just does.

I get two reactions from people coming to our door. One of amused indulgence from the women and salivation from the guys.

So there you have it, the not-so-Holidayish-yet-true story of Autrey Christmas Pasts. I have no idea what this one will end up being like. Shrugs.

Run along and comment on all these blogs. I hope you win a Kindle. My personal giveaway will be a signed copy of Highland Sorcerer, so be sure to comment and while you're at it, let me what your most unusual Holiday was like.

The main list for all the Author Blogs is here. or they are all below...

Reading Clean



Announcing the Reading Clean Giveaway Hop
September 6th - 12th

Featuring Clean Reads!  Books free from sex, language and gratuitous violence.
Book you can share with anyone without hesitation be it your mother, daughter or bishop's wife. 

I'm giving away my paperback copy of at face value by Emily Franklin, a cute modernized retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac. (My review of it here).  I just ask that you "follow this blog" cuz I'm collecting followers like gumdrops (yeah, yeah, I know it's totally just an ego numbers thing, but, hey... I'm not above that) oh, and leave a comment telling me you followed. That's it. 

Thanks so much everyone who participated and became an official Gumdrop!
And the winner is: (cue drum roll)
Jennifer Hoyt

Summer Lovin Giveaway Hop

And the Winner is...
Kaci Verdun 
(after my 11-year-old picked a random number-we're high tech here)
Congratulations. I'll email you shortly.


To promote both Clean Adult Romance &
Clean Young Adult Romance,
I'm giving away the final PROOF of The Vampire and the Highland Empath (signed copy)
and Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne to one lucky commenter.

 To enter, follow this blog (because obviously I need more followers) and leave a comment.

Here's a list of the other participating blogs:

YA Halloween Trick-or-Treat Party

How do I play:
Visit each participating author's virtual "home" between October 24th-31st. Search her site for this Halloween Trick-or-Treat icon:

(Search carefully! It may be well hidden!)

What are the treats?
Each participating author will be giving out different treats on her website! Some examples are free reads, stickers, bookmarks, trading cards, and more! Go look through my other pages to find the above icon and see what you win from me! (Hint: I'm not a very good hider)

Can adults play too?
Yes! The party is for everyone who enjoys reading young adult books!

Find other participating authors here