Category: Giveaway

Winner–Louisa Edwards Giveaway

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First, I wanted to say an extra special thanks to Louisa for hanging out with us this week and for the fabulous giveaway!  So now, without further ado, the winner of Can’t Stand the Heat AND the Recipe for Love apron and spatula set is. . .

LENI!!

(comment #8)

Leni, please email me at in**@*************ks.com with your snail-mail address so Louisa can get that out to you. And remember everyone–Louisa’s second Recipe for Love novel, On the Steamy Side, releases this Tuesday.  (Along with, hmm… another book called Something About You written by–ahem– moi.)  😉

Happy reading!

Guest blog and Giveaway: Louisa Edwards

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Please note: the giveaway is now closed.  Winner will be announced shortly.

As part of the countdown celebration to the release of Something About You, Louisa Edwards is here today!

Louisa writes contemporary romances for St. Martin’s, that are, as she describes them, “foodie inspired romances.” Her first Recipe for Love novel, Can’t Stand the Heat, released last September, and the second in the series, On the Steamy Side, will be out on March 2nd.

She’s Never Met A Man So Mouth-Watering

When Lilah Jane Tunkle fled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, she didn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-old son. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectly seasoned kisses…

And He Can’t Resist Her Down-Home Spice

Devon’s not sure he can handle one more surprise ingredient in his life—he left his popular TV show, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knows is back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line, but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food . . . and turning up the heat.
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Sounds great, doesn’t it?  I asked Louisa a few questions about her writing and her upcoming release:

JJ: When did you first realize you wanted to write, and how did you get started?

LE: I’ve always loved reading, and I think the desire to write flows pretty naturally out of that. I also got very into theater in college, and there are aspects of the two that are similar—the ways you have to get inside a character’s head and try to see the world from that person’s point of view. That’s my favorite part of both writing! I started my first romance manuscript in college, but it took me about five years to get far enough along with it to realize that I needed to set it aside. In the meantime, I’d graduated and gotten a job as an editorial assistant at Berkley, which turned out to be great prep for a writing career; just came it from another angle.

JJ: What is it about writing romance that appeals to you?

LE: Romance novels are the ultimate in storytelling, for me. They have everything I want, all the important stuff like drama and tension and suspense and humor—but all of it is focused through the lens of the characters’ relationships to one another. What could be more fascinating than exploring the ways people fall in love? I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.

JJ: What do you do on those writing days when you’re stressed, worn out, or distracted?

LE: I would love to say that I always make super healthy choices when I’m stressed, like working out or talking with a friend. Sometimes I do, and it definitely helps, but more often I tend to pull in a little. I pour a glass of wine, draw a hot bath, and escape with whatever’s on top of my TBR pile. That works really well, and is definitely better for me than the times when I plunk down on the couch with a bag of chips and watch five episodes of Top Model in a row!

JJ: What can you tell us about your next release?

LE: In just a few short days, my second Recipe for Love novel will be out! ON THE STEAMY SIDE hits stores on March 2nd, and I’m so excited about this book. It’s about a celebrity chef (Devon Sparks, you might remember him from CAN’T STAND THE HEAT) whose life gets turned upside down when he has to take care of a friend’s restaurant and get to know his ten-year-old son. Lucky for Devon, he hires a sassy Southern girl as a nanny, and she helps him figure some things out. I’m so happy with the way this book turned out; it’s a story about family, discovering, what’s important in life, and most of all, love.

JJ: Can you share with us brief excerpt from your next release?

LE: Let’s see if this little taste whets your appetite! (For a longer excerpt, feel free to check out my website here.)

He waited as long as he could, but it had been a few years since Devon had been forced to wait for anything he truly wanted, and he was out of practice.

So when he tapped on the bathroom door and she called “Come in,” Devon wasn’t surprised to be sucked into a humid fog. The shower was still running, everything in the bathroom steamed up and misted over. He knew he was probably supposed to turn his head away or squeeze his eyes shut or something, but he’d never been very good at doing what he was supposed to do. He zeroed in on the glass shower door as if his eyes were hi-beam Xenon headlights that could penetrate steam.

No such luck.

JJ: Love it.  Now for some fun questions: What are you watching on TV these days?

LE: Hmm…current TV obsessions are: Supernatural, Top Chef (and Top Chef Masters, Top Pastry Chef, whatever’s on), The Big Bang Theory, No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, Lie to Me, and House. All time favorites are Buffy, West Wing, Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, and Buffy. Did I mention Buffy?

JJ: Ha–I’m a big Buffy fan, too.  Next: what are you listening to on your iPod?

I was in a big punk phase for a long time: Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Buzzcocks, Ramones, etc. And I guess I still sort of am, but I’ve moved on to some more recent punks like Muse, the Killers, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Franz Ferdinand. Although I have to admit the song on endless repeat on my iPod right now is Adam Lambert’s version of “Mad World.” I can’t get enough!

JJ: What is your biggest weakness (shoes, purses, chocolate, etc.)?

LE: Shoes, definitely—I love the way you can change an outfit’s entire look by just changing shoes! When I travel, I usually end up packing at least five pairs. I know. I also buy lots of books, but I don’t consider that a weakness. ; )

JJ: Complete this sentence: One fun thing about me that people might not know is…

LE: One fun thing about me that people might not know is that my husband and I live with two of the cutest, most hilarious, worst behaved dogs on the planet. Hunter and Oscar:

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Aw, how cute are those two?  Thanks, Louisa!  So glad you could be here with us! Louisa has a great giveaway for you guys. One lucky commenter will a copy of her first Recipe for Love novel, Can’t Stand the Heat AND a Recipe for Love apron and spatula set.

The giveaway will remain open until 10pm CST on Friday, February 26th. More information about Louisa and her books can be found at her website.

Good luck!

Winner–Shiloh Walker Giveaway

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Special thanks to Shiloh Walker for joining us this week and for sharing some insights into the hero of her upcoming release, Broken.

And now, without further ado, the winner of Fragile by Shiloh Walker is. . .

Karen T.!

(comment #51)

Congratulations!  Karen, please email me at in**@*************ks.com with your snail-mail address.  And stay tuned, everyone–next up is contemporary author Louisa Edwards with a great giveaway you won’t want to miss!

Guest blog and Giveaway: Shiloh Walker

51 Comments

Please note: the giveaway is now closed.  The winner will be announced shortly.

I’m so pleased to welcome Shiloh Walker to my blog today!  In addition to being an all around awesome person, she’s a wonderfully talented writer.  I first “discovered” Shiloh after reading Stacy’s (Stacy’s Place on Earth) review of Shiloh’s romantic suspense novel (and recent CAPA winner), Fragile.  Wow, I enjoyed that book. Gripping, dark, romantic, and one that stayed with me for a long time.  After finishing Fragile, I sent Shiloh an email asking one thing: “When are we going to get Quinn’s book?”

Well, it’s almost here.  Quinn (the twin brother of the hero in Fragile) is the hero of Shiloh’s upcoming release Broken.

He he, I’ve been lucky enough to read Broken and I loved it.  If you like your heroes edgy, then this is the book for you.  But enough from me… I’m going to turn this over to Shiloh:

He Wasn’t Supposed to Be a Hero

The first person to read Fragile was Lora Leigh.  It was my first serious attempt at a full length romantic suspense with absolutely no paranormal elements and I was nervous as hell writing the book anyway.

Why?  Well, it was my first attempt at writing a full-length non paranormal…and then there’s the fact that the story kept deviating from my plans.

How did it deviate?  Well… the guy who was supposed to be the bad guy?  He wasn’t cooperating.  From the get-go, he was supposed to be the BAD GUY.  I knew this.  I knew why.  I had it set up from the get-go. That was the focus of the whole damn book.  The entire idea came from him being the bad guy.  It was crucial, you see, to the story. I didn’t want this to change.

But, from the get-go, he wasn’t cooperating.  You see, Quinn didn’t want to be the bad guy.  Yeah, he was a bit antisocial and he was a lot stand-offish, and he’s more than a little unbalanced through half the book, although considering what he was going through, it’s kind of understandable—and I was willing to work with him through all of that—and make him a sympathetic bad guy.

The more of the book I wrote, though, the more obvious it became.  He wasn’t going to be the bad guy.  And not only was he fighting that tooth and nail, his brother was, too.  So I had to change it, had to quit fighting those two and as I did, another bad guy started to emerge.  Fine.  Have it your way.  As long as the story gets told.  Even though that’s not that I wanted it.  Fine.

The story gets written, that’s all that counts, right?  So I finish the book.  After I finished, I sent it to Lora and the first thing she asked me was, “When is Quinn getting a book?”

This was a major HEAD→DESK moment.  Quinn?  What the hell?  No.  He’s not a hero.  He’s half crazy and I just spent a substantial amount of time fighting him over a book that wasn’t even his.

I told her, “I don’t plan on writing him one.”

I mean, why would I?  He wasn’t supposed to be a hero, for crying out loud.

She just laughed at me and said, “You better. Trust me.  People are going to ask when his book is coming out.”

She was right.  The book hadn’t even been out a week before I got the first email and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been asked since then.

So yet again, Quinn had to go and change my plans.  Even though I didn’t originally plan to give him a story, he definitely had one.  And just like he fought me tooth and nail in Fragile, he fought me tooth and nail in Broken.  The heroine I had planned for him?  Hey, I liked her.  She wasn’t a kick-butt heroine—she had a quiet strength, but she was also kind of a damsel—she needed rescuing.  He’s a tarnished knight—he could have rescued her.  Knights like that, right?

But Quinn spent most of his adult life saving people, ignoring himself and it ended up leaving an ugly scar on his soul.  The last thing he really needed was a woman he’d constantly have to rescue.  But of course, I couldn’t figure that out the easy way—I didn’t figure that out until I’d written a third of the book, stalled and then trashed it and started all over.

Turns out, he needed a different kind of heroine and once I met her?  I didn’t like her.  I loved her. Yes, he’s a tarnished knight and he wants to rescue his woman but what he really needs is somebody who can help him save himself.

Broken comes out on March 2.  He really wasn’t supposed to be a hero, but I’ve got to admit, it turns out he made a pretty good one, I think.   If you’d like to read more about Broken, I’m posting some excerpts at my blog through the end of the month, along with a contest.

If you’d like win a copy of FRAGILE, just leave a comment below, telling me what your favorite kind of hero is…the stubborn kind?  The knight…tarnished or otherwise?  Funny? Suave?  How do you like your heroes?  One random commenter will win a signed copy of FRAGILE.

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There you have it, folks.  The giveaway will remain open until 10pm CST on Friday, February 19th.  Good luck!

And if you’re in the Chicago area, Shiloh and I are doing a book signing with authors Beth Kery and Joss Ware/Colleen Gleason on March 13th at the Barnes & Noble Webster Place.  Details about the signing can be found here.

Winner–Tracy Wolff giveaway

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Special thanks to Tracy Wolff for joining us this weekend and sharing with us a preview of her upcoming release, Tease Me.

And now, without further ado, the winner of a book from Tracy’s backlist is. . .

Colleen!

(comment #27)

Congratulations!  Colleen, please email me at in**@*************ks.com with your snail-mail address, and also let me know which book from Tracy’s backlist you would like.  (Her backlist can be found here.)

And be sure to stay tuned next week, everyone–more author interviews and giveaways to come. . .