And the winner is

This is how I did it. I looked at every comment on every blog that I visited, including mine, since Feb 4th. I listed each person except the owner of the blog. For instance, if I was at Ruth. A. Casie's blog, I did not list Ruth's comments as entries.

Then I tallied up the comments. And I have to say thank you. Some of you commented 10 or more times. That of course gave you 10 entries.

I went to Random.org random list generator. Entered everyone's name and the blog in which they commented. Some people had ten, five or one entry.

As you can imagine, this was time consuming and I don't think I'll ever do it this way again. : ) But that's not important. You want to know who won!

Drum roll please.

And the winner of the Ilydearta pendant is.....

Ella Quinn from Ruth A. Casie's blog! 

Congratulations, Ella! 

Come visit me.

Today, and the first and fourth Tuesday of almost every month, I'm over at Everybody Needs a Little Romance. where I'm talking about my new release, Journey of Awakening, and at Here Be Magic talking about dreams.







Remember, a comment on any of my blog posts from February 4th to March 4th enters you in a drawing to win this fabulous wire-wrapped blue onyx pendant with silver chain.  

Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop 2012!

Welcome to the Mistletoe Madness! I was lucky enough to be involved with this last year and it was so much fun, I just had to do it again. And lucky you, you have a chance to win a brand knew Kindle Fire preloaded with books from some pretty awesome authors. There are also many other wonderful prizes being offered on several other blogs. 

 

What do you have to do? Enter to win the grand prize here on PJ Schnyder's blog and/or comment on this blog for a chance to win my holiday give-away package. Because I think the perfect way to spend a winter afternoon is with a hot cup of coffee and a good book, the package includes a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks, an  e-copy of Altered Destiny, and a magnet for your refrigerator. 

At the end of this post, you'll find a link to all the other participating authors.

So come on, meet some new talented authors, visit with some old friends and enter to win prizes! The contest is open from December 14th to December 21st.

Here's a bit about Altered Destiny so you know what you're playing for: 

Selia has run her family's tavern since she was fifteen and can hunt and fight the equal of any man. When she rescues a badly wounded man and nurses him back to health, she has no idea she's about to change not only her life, but also the destinies of two peoples...

The battered warrior is Svistra—a race of bloodthirsty savages determined to destroy her homeland. Or so the stories claim. Jaden reveals a different truth: how his ancestors were driven into the barren northern mountains. Now they are strong and war parties are pushing south wanting their land back.

The son of a Svistra Commander, Jaden is looking for a way to bring peace to both humans and Svistrans. He tries to ignore his growing passion for Selia, but when she is captured he has to decide what he would be willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves.

Good luck and have fun!

Participating Authors

Facts, Fantasy, Fun: Contest

The authors at Here Be Magic, of which I am one, have decided to pull out our bag of treats and celebrate Halloween with a series of month-long giveaways, culminating in a grand prize of a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (loaded with ebooks from participating authors) to be awarded to one lucky person on Oct. 31! We'll also announce weekly prizes, including chapter critiques for writers from five of our published authors; promotional services, including promotional tweets, reviews and blog spots; a one-month long mentorship from author Jeffe Kennedy; and a Meet and Greet with authors during the New Jersey Romance Writers Put Your Heart in a Book Conference on Oct. 13.  Be sure to visit the blog for more information and to enter.

Just a few awesome books. ; )

Like bare-chested cowboys? Cynthia D'Alba, fellow blogger at Everybody Needs a Little Romance, has released an awesome book called the Texas Two Step.

Check out her interview here and enter a contest for a chance to win Altered Destiny! : )

How well do you know me?

Over and Everybody Needs a Little Romance, we decided to play a game. Can you guess the author based on a few facts? How about the car they drive or her dream car?

Stop on by and comment for a chance to win a grand prize. And who doesn't love winning things?

And the winner is!

I am so late in posting this. Fortunately, I already contacted the winner. ; ) 




The winner of the Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop is Monica Vargo. 


Congratulations Monica! A copy of Altered Destiny is on it's way.


Hope everyone is having a wonderful end of 2011. : )

Book Review: Luminous

Writers read. A lot. It's simple a part of who we are.

I have found writers to be a little more critical of books than other readers. Perhaps it's because we wrangle the words; we know when an author is taking short cuts or left a plot hole a mile wide and covered it up with glitter and sparkles. We know when a writer is coasting on past success, grimace at typos that slipped beneath the radar of editors, proofreaders and a bigillion read-throughs. We know. Because we do it too.

The other side of the coin also holds true. I have sat before a plot twist, a gorgeously designed sentence, or the overall arc of a character's development in stunned appreciation. Okay, and also jealousy, but also admiration.

So when a writer, especially one I respect, raves about a  book, I'm gonna pick it up.

Today I read HC Palmquist's review of Luminous by Dawn Metcalf and it was all I could do not to buy the book right then and there. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself.

HC loved this book so much, she's sharing it. Leave a comment on her blog for a chance to win Luminous and read it for yourself.

SQUEEE!

ALTERED DESTINY was nominated for  RT's October Seal of Excellence!

Selia

I wrote Selia with one purpose in mind: to make her different.

I didn't want her to be a typical kick-ass heroine, although I did want her to kick some ass. Stereo-types are sometimes hard to avoid, but I really wanted to do my best.

So the first thing I decided, in honor of my sister, was to make her half black. (there is no Africa or America in ALTERED DESTINY so...) However, that is just who she is, so I didn't stress or highlight that fact. But go through the book with that in mind and it's obvious.

The second decision was to make her a virgin. To be fair, I fought it. I mean I write some pretty spicy stuff under a pen name, it felt...weird. But as I examined her situation and character, I couldn't deny that if felt right.

I didn't want Selia to be beautiful. I wanted her striking with a sure knowledge of who she is, and who she isn't. Confidence comes from knowing who you are, not pretending to be more than you are. I think that is beautiful in its own way.

Selia is also a study in contractions. She spends a good part of her life proving to others that she is not her mother's daughter, yet she loves her mother. She is strong because she has to be, because there was no one else to be strong, yet her life is catapulted into chaos by the decisions of others.

 Selia has a determination I admire. Tell her she can't do something and she'll say watch me. That quality also gets her in a lot of trouble.

I have a clear image in my head of what Selia looks like, but I couldn't find anything online that comes close. Well, with the exception of the woman on the book cover. So, for the next month, send me what you think Selia looks like. If there is more than one response, I'll randomly chose one and send the winner a $10 Amazon gift card! Sound good?

Contest will run until November 3rd!

WINNER

Congratulations to Georgie Lee, you won the Starbucks gift card from my Release Day contest! Georgie, pls email me or post your email address so I can get you your prize!

It is Romance!

Today is my very first interview for ALTERED DESTINY~ Please stop by Isn't it Romance  where Joanna get's to scoop on some of  my thought processes as I wrote this book.

And don't forget, there are still 6 days to enter the contest to win a Starbucks gift card. Just comment on the post titled Release Day!  : )