Casa for the Holidays Blog Tour and Giveaway

November 4, 2013 Book Girl of Mur-Y-Castell Guest Blog: Sourcebooks Holiday Authors 

For today’s Casa for the Holidays blog post, our authors are chatting about their favorite holiday traditions! 

Juliana Stone, author of The Christmas He Loved Her: 

There are several holidays throughout the year that I absolutely love but for me, the one I look forward to the most is Christmas.  Thanksgiving is wonderful and ours falls in early to mid October, so that means all the fall fairs, apple cider, turkey, and pumpkin pie.  But Christmas is the one holiday that always takes me back to when I was a kid and still BELIEVED. 

Now, my kids are teens and they’re not up at the crack of dawn anymore, but that’s okay since Christmas Eve is where it’s at.  A couple of our friends always have open houses Christmas Eve and we drop in for some visiting, laughs and drinks. Once we get home, I always settle in with a bottle of wine and while I wrap the stocking stuffers (yes I’m a  mom who loves to wrap every single thing) I watch It’s A Wonderful Life with my mom (who comes with my dad and spends the night).  We relax, chat, and have a great night.

Every. Single. Christmas Eve.  And I hope it never changes.

Terry Spear, author of A SEAL Wolf Christmas: 

We always decorate the day after Thanksgiving so from that day until after New Year's, the house is cheery with sparkly lights and evergreen boughs, red bows, and decorations we've picked up over the years that meant something special. We also pass around our Christmas wish lists at Thanksgiving, and the night before Christmas, we open one gift. The next morning, someone passes out presents and while we're drinking eggnog or tea, we make a mess with gift wrappings everywhere. Every year, someone knows they bought a present that can't be located and we find it when the decorations are put away. We also love to share all the funnies of shopping for the gifts, because something always happens that we're dying to tell about but can't until we give out the gifts.

Carolyn Brown, author of The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby: 

These days since the family has grown so much Husband and I have Easter, complete with a huge Easter egg hunt in our back yard, and Thanksgiving, complete with Husband getting out the guitar and the whole family two-stepping all over the house or out on the yard if the weather is good. But on Christmas, the kids all stay at home so Santa can visit. Even the grandkids who are old enough to vote and buy their own beer know that Santa doesn’t come down the chimney unless they believe and everyone in our family believes.

 Husband and I call them all sometime on Christmas Day to say Merry Christmas from the beach in Florida where we go for a two week vacation every year. We dig our toes into the sand, feed the sea gulls cheese puffs, give a saucer of milk to the black and white cat that belongs to the motel and love being together on Christmas Day.

Grace Burrowes, author of Lady Jenny’s Christmas Portrait: 

Growing up, the best part of Christmas, from my perspective, was ten days home from school. Ten days to sleep in, play in the snow, read, bake cookies, take long walks in the winter-bare woods, make more cookies, wrap presents, decorate the house… ten days to NOT WORRY about this or that homework assignment, test, or quiz. 

It’s still my favorite aspect of the winter holidays. Because I was one of seven children, and the entire family could barely fit in one station wagon, we weren’t much for traveling in the winter. The occasional cousin might pass through before Christmas on the way to visit parents, grandparents sometimes popped in for a day or two, but mostly, we stayed put and had Christmas at home.

I loved that. I loved having time to myself at home, though Christmas break was by no means entirely consumed with hibernation. I have siblings thirteen years my senior, which meant from the time I was quite small, those siblings might grab a few of us “little guys” and head out for a skating expedition to Tait’s pond, a day of skiing at Oregon Hill, a winter hike up to the fire tower if it wasn’t too awfully cold. It didn’t hurt that our front yard was the best sledding hill in the neighborhood, either. 

Then too, I grew up in a college town, and that meant the university skating rink was a possible destination. If Mom really needed the house to herself for an afternoon, she might send a group of us off to the movies, and that was lovely—my grandmother’s candy store was right next door to the theatre, and Nana ALWAYS allowed us to sample the inventory. 

Christmas then, was about spending time at home and in the company of family. The big meals, the presents, the religious rituals for me were all secondary, and to this day, unstructured time in the place I call home is my greatest treasure. 

Giveaway

To enter to win a prize pack of all 4 of these Christmas authors’ novels, tell us about your own favorite holiday tradition in the comments! This contest is open internationally. 

1. Open internationally

2. Answer the question

3. Ends November 28th

To find out more about these authors, please visit their websites!

Carolyn Brown Website: http://carolynlbrown.com/

Grace Burrowes Website: http://graceburrowes.com/

Terry Spear Website: http://www.terryspear.com/

Juliana Stone Website: http://www.julianastone.com/

FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE “CASA FOR THE HOLIDAYS” VIRTUAL TOUR!

October-December 2013

Fun Holiday-Themed Posts from Carolyn, Grace, Terry and Juliana,

And Chances to WIN Books at Each Stop!

October
Oct. 8	Booked and Loaded	http://bookedandloaded.com/
Oct. 16	Ramblings From This Chick	http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/
Oct. 23	Debbie's Book Bag	http://debsbookbag.blogspot.com/
Oct. 29	The Reading Café	http://www.thereadingcafe.com/
November
Nov. 4	Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell	http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/
Nov. 6	Smexy Books	http://smexybooks.com/
Nov. 12	Cocktails and Books	http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/
Nov. 14	The Bookish Babe	http://thebookishbabes.blogspot.com/
Nov. 20	Night Owl Reviews	http://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Blog
Nov. 22	Fresh Fiction	http://freshfiction.com/pages.php?id=blog
December
Dec. 4	USA Today HEA	http://www.usatoday.com/blog/happyeverafter/
Dec. 5	Under the Covers	http://www.underthecoversbookblog.com/
Dec. 10	Romancing the Book	http://romancing-the-book.com/
Dec. 11	Anna's Book Blog	http://annavivian.blogspot.com/
Dec. 16	What's on the Bookshelf	http://whatsonthebookshelf-jen.blogspot.com/
Dec. 17	That's What I'm Talking About	http://twimom227.com/

Grace Burrowes Blog Tour and Giveaway

Thanks to Sourcebooks I will be giving away a prize pack of two signed books: The Bridegroom Wore Plaid and Once Upon a Tartan. 1 winner, 2 books per pack.

GIVEAWAY

2 books, The Bridegroom wore plaid and Once upon a tartan

1. US and Canada only

2. Ends August 30th

3. Just go ahead and enter :)

Spending the in summer the Highlands, Hester Daniels is looking after her 9-year-old step-niece, Fiona, while her brother and Fiona’s mother are traveling the continent. Hester is happy to be away from London, and young Fee is a welcome distraction from her recently broken engagement.

Tiberius Flynn, the brother of Fee’s late father, has promised his father he will retrieve Fee from her Scottish family and bring her back to England. Tye shows up on their doorstep, and is surprised to find not only his niece, but a very pretty woman. Tye believes this will make his task all the easier, and he’ll have some fun to boot. But he never expects to enjoy the rugged highlands, or the company of the intriguing Hester. In the end, will Tye and choose their familial duties or their chance at true love?

Giveaway Schedule—chances to win all month long!

8/1 Book Hounds

8/2 RomFan Reviews     

weekend                             

8/5 In the Hammock

8/6 Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

8/7 Manga Maniac Café

8/8 What's on the Bookshelf

8/9 The Royal Reviews  

weekend                             

8/12 Joan Swan's Blog

8/13 Cocktails and Books

8/14 Romancing the Book

8/15 Ramblings from this Chick

8/16 Books-n-Kisses

weekend                             

8/19 Anna's Book Blog

8/20 The Book Girl

8/21 The Reading Café

8/22 Seductive Musings

8/23 Peeking Between the Pages

weekend                             

8/26 Love Romance Passion

8/27 So Many Precious Books, So Little Time      

8/28 Thoughts in Progress

8/29 Debbie's Book Bag

8/30 Linus' Blanket

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes is the author of the acclaimed Windham Family Series, The MacGregor Trilogy and The Lonely Lords Series. Her debut novel The Heir (2010), as well as The Bridegroom Wore Plaid (2012) were both included as Publishers Weekly Best Books of their respective years, in the romance category. A practicing attorney specializing in family law, Grace lives in rural Maryland, where she is working on the final book in the Windham series, Lady Jenny’s Christmas Portrait (October 2013) and third MacGregor story, The MacGregor’s Lady (February 2014). Visit her website at www.graceburrowes.com for more information about all of her books, exclusive extras and her lively blog.

Forbidden by Fate Blog Tour Interview and giveaway: Kristin Miller

Today I welcome Kristin Miller to my blog, and it's Rameau's interview :)

Where did you get the idea for this novella?

I’ve always wanted to write about dragons, so when the idea struck—an enchanted isle ruled by shifters of different species: dragons, werewolves and merfolk—I ran with it! Forbidden love is one of my favorite tropes to read, so I knew I wanted a hero and heroine to be from different groups. (Damon is a dragon and Sasha is a werewolf.) I added some complexity with Sasha being heir to the Were throne and Damon being banished for loving her and voila!  

How did you come up with the world of Feralon?

I got the idea for the Isle of Feralon from the Farallon Islands that are off the coast of San Francisco. I wondered what that island would be like if there was more to it than meets the eye. Since I could make the isle however I wanted, I made it tropical with rainforests, gorges, caves and hot springs. I basically created a place I wanted to travel.

Why werewolves?

Why not? They’re protective to the fullest, take care of their own, and are powerful creatures by nature. I think they make sexy heroes, even though I made Sasha the werewolf. I did that because I wanted to write something different—a new, exciting twist to the “old reliable”.

How did you research and build the pack dynamics?

I did a lot of research on werewolves and their origins. I read a few werewolf novels and novellas. I watched Underworld a few times…okay, okay, I might’ve done that for enjoyment only…but, I researched a ton. What I discovered was that wolves may or may not have the ability to “mind speak” to other wolves in their pack. In Forbidden by Fate, the males can mind speak, but the females can’t hear them. (An interesting twist, I think, being that a female is set to become Alpha.) There was one common trait among all the groups I read and researched—they are always, 100% loyal and willing to fight for what’s theirs.

Why did you choose dragon shifters?

Oh, I love dragons. They’re mystical and awe-inspiring. They love treasure and protect what they consider valuable. (Even if that treasure is a woman—actually, that’s the best kind, isn’t it?) They are powerful in flight and dangerous on the ground. They make the perfect heroes as far as I’m concerned.There's very little about how the dragons live in this book. 

Could you tell a bit more about their society?

You can read more about the dragons (Dracos, in human form) in Claimed by Desire, the first novella in the Isle of Feralon series, but they live on the western part of the isle. They are ruled by Queen Elixa and each has to claim a rider before a certain age…or he’ll die.

Are you going to explore the world further? In other words are there going to be more books about dragons and Merfolk?

I’d love to explore the world further, though I’m not sure at this time if the story will include Merfolk. Although an Isle of Feralon #3 isn’t on my writing schedule yet, I would be thrilled to go back for a bit. I can’t say for certain (and this is the first time I’ve mentioned it), but I’d probably write about a Draco hero and Sindraco heroine (a woman with dragon blood who can’t shift into one). 

Thank you so much for having me today!

Giveaway Details:
• Two random commenters from the tour will win their choice of either a Kindle or Nook format eBook of Forbidden by Fate OR a Kindle or Nook format eBook of Claimed by Desire, the first novella in the Isle of Feralon series.
• The tour host with the most comments will receive a Kindle or Nook format eBook of both Forbidden by Fate and Claimed by Desire.
• Please leave a comment along with your broken up email addy.
• Contest is open the duration of the tour (July 2 - 20) and Internationally.
• Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email.

Forbidden By Fate by Kristin Miller
Release Date: July 2, 2012 by Harlequin Cravings

A forbidden love……
A second chance……
A night of passion neither will forget.
Sasha, a love-thirsty werewolf and rightful heir to the Were throne, is ready to take control over her pack. But when her first love, dragon shifter Damon Frost, lands on her doorstep, demanding their races negotiate ownership over Feralon’’s hot springs, he makes her question more than the fight for the enchanted neutral ground. No matter the emotions bubbling inside her, Sasha can’’t become involved with Damon. Not now. Not ever again.
Forbidden to step foot onto Were land after a romp with the Alpha’’s daughter as a teenager, Damon has bided his time, waiting for the day when he’’d be accepted back onto Were land. Using the hot spring negotiation as a way to get closer to Sasha, Damon plans to use every minute alone to remind her of the passion they shared–—a passion they could ignite again.
One night of ecstasy stands between them and the fight for the springs. One night of revealing glances, skin searing chemistry, and erotic desires they’’d long buried.
Will one taste of forbidden love be enough to satiate their desires? Or will the need to explore the depths of their love unleash a Were-Draco war?

FORBIDDEN BY FATE Purchase Links:
Amazon: 
Barnes and Noble:

Author Bio:
Kristin Miller has had a passion for language and literature her whole life. Born and raised in Small Town USA, she often made up stories about faraway places and edge-of-your-seat adventures. 

After graduating from Humboldt State University with a degree in psychology, Kristin realized there is no scarier place than the warped human psyche. Wanting to combine her love of writing with her desire to paint twisted villains, Kristin wound up in the unlikeliest of places—the classroom. She taught high school and middle school English before giving in to the desire to create her own world, where villains can be sympathetic and heroes can be devilishly good.

She is represented by Nalini Akolekar of Spencerhill Associates Ltd. and writes dark paranormal romances and toe curling romantic suspense.

Find Kristin at:
Website: http://www.kristinmiller.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KM_Miller
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kristin.miller.102
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1222405.Kristin_Miller?origin=

Tour Stops:
http://events.litconnect.com/forbidden-by-fate-by-kristin-miller

Remember, the more tour stops you comment on, the greater your chances of winning!

Book Tour: The Dragon's Harp - Rachel Pruitt

Welcome to the Book tour stop for The Dragon's Harp by Rachel Pruitt. And today's reviewer is Anachronist. 

Review: The Dragon’s Harp by Rachel Pruitt (Era of Dragon’s: The Lost Tales of Gwenhwyfar series #01)

Synopsis:

The novel is set in northern Wales during the 5th century CE and its narration follows the coming of age of a young Ordovici princess of Dinas Emrys, Gwenhwyfar. It is the first person narration – elderly Gwen tells the story of her life to a serving girl. Yes, she is the future wife of Arthur and Merlin/Emrys is actually her uncle but she is also a small, unruly, stubborn girl, much loved and surrounded by her family. She grows up in very uncertain times so soon enough must face harsh reality of war, plunder, murders, rape and betrayal. Will she find her inner strength to fight for her integrity and for those she loves? Will she dare to develop her unusual gifts to oppose dark, greedy druids and witches? Will Merlin, forever busy abroad, allegedly tutoring an important young princeling in the South, finally find time to help her?

What I liked:

Firstly and foremostly I loved the fact that the author really, truly did her homework concerning the period she wrote about. Mind you she did it with passion and it was felt. The narration rang true, the life of little Gwenhwyfar seemed as historically correct as it was only possible - I couldn’t help smiling e.g. when I stumbled on the Chi Ro symbol early Christians used most likely instead of a crucifix or a cross. 5th century Wales is presented as a real place, without idealizing the living conditions or problems its inhabitants faced. I am a sucker for good historical fiction, firmly based on the remnants and relicts from the appropriate era and here it was clear Ms Pruitt is a real history junkie who digs deep and is creative with her findings! It was a pleasure!

I liked the red dragon, called Cymry (guess why such name was given to it ;p) which I suppose is a nice symbol of the magical aspect of the book. It wasn’t overdone but impressive enough, more like a natural magic than something flashy and loud. Bad druids and good druids seemed a very sensible idea –after all nobody said Julius Caesar, who gave them a very bad opinion in bulk writing his memoirs, was the most objective source of knowledge. They were his enemies and he was clearly afraid of them.

I liked how Celtic women were made almost as powerful as their husbands if not actually more dangerous than any warrior. Gwen, just a child and then a teen, is presented as a kick-ass princess, not some whimpering bimbo or a shallow twit whose flirtatious was led to the destruction of Camelot.; her Grandma, Rhiannon, is actually even better! Also Sari, a slave girl from an Arabic country turned a Celtic seer, and Hrwych, Gwen’s nurse and friend, were a very nice addition!

Now something about the baddies: they were really good as well, both men and women who, in the end, happened to be one big ‘loving’ family! The main villain, Maelgwyn, Gwen’s other uncle, is handsome and rotten to the core – what a bliss!! – but his daughter is actually even better (or rather worse) a piece of art, nothing less, and of course as cute as a button! I am looking forward to meeting them again! Mind you it is a novel written clearly with a more mature audience in mind – not a fairy tale for children. There is one especially disturbing scene of an attempted rape (the victim being a minor) and then the would-be rapist is punished in a really ugly, brutal way – consider yourself warned.

Finally the cover art is lovely! Those red curls and this dagger!

What I didn’t like:

At first I couldn’t relate to Gwen. Not really. Only later, when she stopped behaving like a spoiled brat I warmed to her a bit. I think Lleu, her father’s ward and her main squeeze in this part, was a far more interesting, although secondary character. Well, it might change. I started reading this novel not being aware that it is a beginning of a series – there will be four more books or so I found out! Now I want more! Is there any justice? None!

Final verdict:

A charming story, very unlike any novel based on Arthurian cycle I’ve read so far. I only hope it will be as original and entertaining till the very end. Writing all five parts on the same high level – that’s a real challenge! I recommend it to readers who like  Arthurian cycle stories but told in a more contemporary and historical way, without completely inadequate knights in shining armours and damsels in distress and a heavy dress (thus the distress I suppose).

Link to tour schedule:  http://hfvirtualbooktours.blogspot.com/2012/03/rachael-pruitt-on-tour-for-dragons-harp.html

Rachael Pruitt's Website: http://www.rachaelpruitt.com

Rachael Pruitt on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GwenhwyfarEraofDragonsSeriesbyRachaelPruitt

Rachael Pruitt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EraOfDragons

Twitter Event Hashtag: DragonsHarpVirtualBookTour

SYNOPSIS

ENTER THE WORLD OF THE DRAGON’S HARP ARTHURIAN HISTORICAL FANTASY FOR THE 21st CENTURY Before Gwenhwyfar became Queen - before Arthur met Merlin - a tribal Welsh princess met a young Heatherlands Mage. Together, they will create a legend. Inside a mist of beauty and brutality waits the Arthurian legend as you’ve never heard it before. Enter the world of THE DRAGON'S HARP, a realm of blood lust and vengeance, of spellbinding magic from the beginning of time. The realm of Princess Gwenhwyfar: a young girl torn between magic and desire, born with magical powers she can either wield to save her people from destruction - or deny to save her soul. IN AN ERA OF DRAGONS A YOUNG GIRL COMES OF AGE First in a five book series of historical fantasy, Rachael Pruitt’s unique take on a beloved legend reintroduces the mythic characters of Gwenhwyfar, Merlin, and Vortigern against the gritty backdrop of sixth century Wales, where scenes of shape-shifting and heartbreaking romance vie with torture, murder, and battle in a dragon-haunted land. ERA OF DRAGONS: THE LOST TALES OF GWENHWYFAR: BOOK ONE JOURNEY INTO THE WORLD OF THE DRAGON'S HARP YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

ABOUT RACHEL PRUITT

My name is Rachael Pruitt and I’m a writer, storyteller, and teacher with a lifelong fascination for Celtic mythology and the Arthurian legend.

My new novel, The Dragon’s Harp, tells the story of the coming of age of the famous Queen Gwenhwyfar (the Welsh spelling for Guinevere) in a dark and frightening time. Merlin is her Uncle and, although she is a tribal Celtic princess who possesses both power and magic, she is in great danger from both the human and supernatural realms.

Dragon’s Harp is just the beginning! I have plans for four more books about Gwenhwyfar and Merlin’s lives. The books are called Era of Dragons: The Lost Tales of Gwenhwyfar.