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Friday, December 27, 2013

Release Day of MASQUE in Print with Giveaway from Lexi Post!


I’m so excited!  Today is release day for MASQUE in print! As my first erotic romance released in March of this year, I’m thrilled to see it in print!

Here’s the blurb for MASQUE.
Rena Mills plans to turn an abandoned abbey into a haunted bed-and-breakfast to prove she can be successful without her ex-fiancé. What she finds inside is Synn MacAllistair, the distinguished, self-proclaimed Ghost Keeper. Her dreams soon fill with sexual cravings for him. But are they dreams?

Synn, born in 1828, is determined to free the souls of the resident spirits, blaming himself for bringing the Red Death that killed them. When Rena steps into the old Pleasure Palace, he’s sure he can take her through the after-midnight Pleasure Rooms and stoke her passion to complete the Masque so the souls can cross over. Her innocent fire makes him crave more, but it’s far too late for him.

As Rena begins her erotic journey, her heart becomes more involved with every sensual caress until she discovers by completing the Masque she would lose her ghosts. Synn’s betrayal wars with her compassion for her ghostly friends. Torn, she must make a choice between her financial security and freeing seventy-three trapped souls. Either way, she could lose her Synn.

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The print version came out to be 336 pages. Wow. Luckily, it is good size print type and the paper back is large for easy reading. So if you weren’t sure what to do with that gift card you received for Christmas… ;-) 

Here’s a never before revealed excerpt from MASQUE.
Synn stepped into the chapel at the back of the Abbey. The small, intimate structure he’d designed had two stained glass windows at either end with tall, clear windows lining the walls. As he sat in a random pew, he admired the rose tint on the white marble altar as the sun shone through the red glass of the robes of St. Anthony. Unable to resist, he glanced above him at the painting of the Archangel Raphael on the ceiling. That particular image bothered him, not because the face was set in disapproval, but because wherever he was in the chapel, the angel disapproved of him personally. Once again, it looked down on him.

He had never been a religious person, but the chapel itself and Father Richard were old friends…that is when Father Richard decided to appear. Synn hadn’t discovered yet why the good father graced him with his presence some times and not others, but he certainly didn’t mind the company. Unlike other priests of his time, this father was well aware of the human condition and did not expect perfection from mere mortals.

“Father Richard?” Synn paused. The good father wasn’t a ghost like the others and yet he was. He had appeared after Synn finished the graves and had blessed them all. “Father Richard, are you here?” He waited, his fingers drumming on the pew in front of him. Maybe an enticing tidbit would bring the father out of hiding. “Father Richard. I don’t know if you are aware, but we have guests. Two lovely ladies from this century are now living in the Abbey.”

He waited, smelling the air. Father Richard had a very particular frankincense scent. Synn leaned back against the pew. The father must already know of their guests. “No men have come with them, so I think I will take the dark-haired lady, Rena, through the Pleasure Rooms.”

“What?!”

Synn grinned. He couldn’t see the father yet, but incense tickled his nose. “I have no choice. No men arrived with them.”

Father Richard appeared as he strode purposefully up the aisle toward him. “My son. Enticing a young woman to sin is not going to expiate the sins of all here. Two wrongs do not make a right.”

Synn raised his brow as Father Richard stopped at the pew in front of him, short of breath. The father was thin and wiry; therefore, he must have come from far away to be so winded.
The man sat at the end of the pew across from Synn. “Tell me you are not seriously contemplating this.”

“But I am.” He faced the father, his elbows on his knees. “I believe by having the woman complete the circuit for the rest of the guests who did not, I may be able to fulfill the desires that were interrupted when I arrived.”

The priest hesitated. “But everyone here has been able to finish their Pleasure Rooms and yet they remain. Why do you think taking this woman through will change their status?”

Synn reviewed his logic before answering. He didn’t want to win a debate, he wanted the father to agree it could be the answer, or propose a better one. “I believe the problem is our people are not alive. Yes, they later completed the rooms they had hoped to that night, but they were already dead. However, the prince never finished and he did cross over. I think if I can persuade a live person to complete each room, the clock will start working again and the spirits will be allowed to cross.”

He watched his elusive friend for signs of agreement. He’d read every book in the library and developed theory after theory for freeing the spirits trapped in the Abbey. He’d tested a number of those theories, but none had ended in success.

Father Richard looked heavenward and crossed himself. “You realize if you are right, there is no surety you will be free as well. You are different.”

A cold chill swept through Synn’s body as he nodded. He was different. He was a killer. He deserved to be trapped in the Abbey for eternity.

The priest’s hand on his shoulder jerked him from his morbid thoughts as comfort seeped beneath his skin.

“My son, you deserve to be freed. You must stop blaming yourself for their deaths. How many times must I tell you, it wasn’t supposed to be this way? Something evil interfered with His plan.”

Synn stood, dislodging the priest’s hand and the peace he provided. Father Richard was wrong. He was to blame, and he must free the spirits of the Abbey. “But do you think it could work? Does it make sense?”

“I don’t know.” Father Richard sighed. “It goes against what I believe, and yet, if someone tainted the original events, this does make logical sense. But I will tell you, I’m not happy about it.”

Synn smirked. “You can always watch.”

Father Richard crossed himself again as he rose, but his lips quirked. “Stop teasing this old man. I can still take you down if I want.”

“Only if I let you.” Synn winked. “Now, I just need to persuade this exciting woman to experience each room in order. Not an easy task, I assure you.”

“You only have six left. That’s a start.”

“Father! You did watch.” Synn stared hard, not quite believing the man he respected had given in to the sin of the Abbey.

The father grabbed his ear and pulled hard. “No, you wicked man, I heard Eve and Jonathan talking about it in the vestry. I should take a swing at that pretty face of yours for your lack of faith, but you will need it to entice the lady of the Abbey.”

Synn pulled away despite the pain it caused. “I apologize for having such disrespectful thoughts. But you’re right, I do still need to convince her to fulfill every room. I hope you will pray for my success.”

Father Richard harrumphed before turning away. “For the sake of your soul and those trapped here, I will pray for your success.” The priest strolled down the aisle, disappearing as quickly as he’d come.

Synn walked through the pews and stopped before a side window. There had never been a plan for a graveyard. In fact, it had been a garden when he’d designed the Abbey, but he’d needed the stone of the garden walls to make the headstones for those he’d buried. Like a magnet to metal, his gaze shifted to two headstones in particular. Those were the resting places of Eve and Jonathan, the young couple who were so in love, and at the time, just beginning their journey as man and wife, except they weren’t resting…yet. His hands fisted as he ground his teeth in frustration.

He would free them. If this plan didn’t work, he’d try another and another, and he wouldn’t stop trying until he found a way to release every soul.

I will give away one personally signed copy of MASQUE in print. Enter the Rafflecopter or leave a comment about what was your favorite part of Christmas this year and you may win!


Always, Lexi

website:  http://www.lexipostbooks.com/             
twitter:   https://twitter.com/LexiPost              
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

High Risk by Vivian Arend

 

Who couldn’t fall in love in Banff National Park (Alberta, Canada)?  The scenery is stunning year-round. 

Marcus Landers suffered a permanent injury to his studly body, but didn’t want to stray too far from his main interest. He was a member of the Lifeline Team, search-and-rescue squads that rescue stranded mountain climbers among others, until his accident.   Now he teaches the squads.

Becki James shows up to mentally work through the fatality of her partner in her squad. 

Becki and Marcus have a past, a past that resurfaces into many steamy appointments. 

Both their changes in life prove a barrier to offering their love.  But we know, it’s all in their minds, and a shove in the right direction will show that physical and mental roadblocks can be overcome.

Arend is a high risk kind of woman, and she portrays the excitement and rewards of “giving it all you got!”  I checked out her biography, and she lives her writing and writes her living.

 

Happy reading,

Dawn

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Susana Ellis with Charm Bracelet Giveaway!


Alexis: Today we have historical romance author, Susana Ellis, who is giving away a Christmas treasure box with a A Twelfth Night Tale Christmas charm bracelet.to one lucky commenter! Welcome Susanna.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Susana: I’ve been a reader from my first encounter with Ted and Sally in first grade. I didn’t read books—I devoured them. And I used to tell stories to my younger siblings too. What else could I do with all these stories in my head but write some of them down? I found a book about freelance writing in the high school library, but I didn’t serious pursue it as a career because I knew I was a dreamer and the prevailing opinion was that it was nearly impossible to make a living writing. So I went into another career instead, but never stopped reading…and dreaming.

Alexis: Which authors inspire(d) you?

Susana: Charlotte & Emily BrontĂ«, Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Amanda Quick, Diana Gabaldon, and many, many others. I’ve always been fascinated by history—not what they teach you in school with battles and dates and stuff—but by how people lived, dressed, and thought. And I’m a sucker for a good happy ending too!

Alexis: That makes two of us. So everyone has their own writing process…how they come up with ideas, how they name their characters, how they choose the setting. Can you describe your writing process?

Susana: The best way to come up with ideas is through reading. I know many authors won’t read in the sub-genre they are writing while working on their current project, but I definitely do. While I read, I often wonder what would have happened if the author had done it this way or that. I try to write stories I myself like to read. For example, I prefer it when the hero has a rival for the heroine’s heart, so that he has to work harder to win her. I don’t care for heroines who are too easily won. I also try to avoid characters that are too good or too evil, silly heroines—I dislike heroines who behave like Lydia Bennet and somehow get a happy ending—and cliffhanger endings. I like stories with children, and I’m planning to include more animal characters in future too.

Alexis: What are you working on now?

Susana: I’m working on a time travel novella with a heroine who was snatched from her real parents in the 19th century and brought up in foster homes in the 21st century. She’s always felt as though she didn’t belong, and then she meets a Gypsy lady who helps her travel back to find her family. The story features the time-traveling Regency lady from my blog, Susana’s Parlour, and a romance, of course. I’m hoping to finish it this month and after revisions, submit it sometime in January.

Alexis: As a writer, I know you don't go it alone, you have support, a critique partner. What do you think everyone should know about her?

Susana: I met my first critique partner (who is now a close friend) on an Amazon discussion group. Unbelievable, really. I was just beginning my second career as a romance writer and happened upon a thread about self-publishing. All the advice I’d read over the years convinced me that traditional publishing was almost impossible for a new author, and I was thinking that self-publishing might be a possibility. I was really just trying to assure myself that my goal of becoming a published author wasn’t actually impossible.

So I was on this discussion group, and found myself chatting mostly with one person, who seemed to say what I wanted to say just before or after I did. Seriously, it was like we were in each other’s heads! Once we both realized we were kindred spirits, we took our conversation to email and began sharing intimate details about our lives. Both of us had always wanted to be published authors and had recently come to the conclusion that it was now or never.

It was she who convinced me I should write a short story, and when it was finished, to submit it. Without her encouragement, I’m sure I would still be struggling to finish the same novel I was stuck on at the time. Treasuring Theresa quickly found a home, and life has never been the same since for me. I owe her a great debt.

Isn’t it funny how things come about?

Alexis: It definitely is. Thank you so much for visiting us today.

Be sure to leave a comment in response to her question at the end of this post for a chance to win her lovely giveaway! And check out the blurb for

A Twelfth Night Tale
A wounded soldier and the girl next door find peace and love amidst a backdrop of rural Christmas traditions.

Without dowries and the opportunity to meet eligible gentlemen, the five Barlow sisters stand little chance of making advantageous marriages. But when the eldest attracts the attention of a wealthy viscount, suddenly it seems as though Fate is smiling upon them.

Lucy knows that she owes it to her younger sisters to encourage Lord Bexley's attentions, since marriage to a peer will secure their futures as well as hers. The man of her dreams has always looked like Andrew Livingston, her best friend's brother. But he's always treated her like a child, and, in any case, is betrothed to another. Perhaps the time has come to put away childhood dreams and accept reality…and Lord Bexley.

Andrew has returned from the Peninsula with more emotional scars to deal with than just the lame arm. Surprisingly, it's his sister's friend “Little Lucy” who shows him the way out of his melancholy. He can't help noticing that Lucy's grown up into a lovely young woman, but with an eligible viscount courting her, he'll need a little Christmas magic to win her for himself.

Buy links: Ellora's CaveAmazonBarnes & NobleKoboSonyARe

About Susana:
A former teacher, Susana is finally living her dream of being a full-time writer. She loves all genres of romance, but historical—Regency in particular—is her favorite. There’s just something about dashing heroes and spunky heroines waltzing in ballrooms and driving through Hyde Park that appeals to her imagination.

In real life, Susana is a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio, although she has lived in Ecuador and studied in Spain, France and Mexico. More recently, she was able to travel around the UK and visit many of the places she’s read about for years, and it was awesome! She is a member of the Maumee Valley, Central Florida, and  Beau Monde chapters of Romance Writers of America.

Social media: Web site • Email • Facebook • Twitter • Linked In • Pinterest • Google+Goodreads
Susana’s Parlour (Regency Blog) • Susana’s Morning Room (Romance Blog)


Alexis: Now, for a chance to win a Christmas treasure box with a A Twelfth Night Tale Christmas charm bracelet, Susana asks: “what sort of things you like or dislike in a romance, regardless of sub-genre? Anything you feel strongly about.”