Killer Shades by H. D. Thomson Release and Giveaway!

 Killer Shades

by H. D. Thomson

Blurb:
Jenna Barnes slips on a pair of simple sunglasses, but they’re not so simple. Jenna soon realizes they’re dangerous when people start dying, including her soon to be ex-husband. His unnatural death has her on the police radar as a prime suspect. After all, she had the most to gain. But one of those police officers is none other than Kyle Newman, a man she’d loved and dumped five years ago.

Kyle Newman doesn’t believe Jenna killed her husband, and he sets out to protect her, only to become a suspect himself in her husband’s death. The killer is still out there. If Jenna doesn’t stop asking questions, he knows she could be next. He needs to guarantee that doesn’t happen. But is he willing to lose his career, even his life to save her? Because a pair of sunglasses can kill, and he’s soon going to find out the death of Jenna’s husband is just the beginning.

Excerpt:

    He had to be dead. No one could live through that head wound. What the hell. Alarm exploded inside his chest as he looked around at the people on the street and the vicinity. Then he saw her, and the air left his lungs in one, big whoosh. But he didn’t relax. Quite the opposite.
    Jenna.
    His chest tightened almost painfully.
    Their gazes meshed across a good thirty yards that separated them. Even from this distance, he noticed the color had leached from her face and accented her lips and the dark wings of her brows. Still, she was as beautiful as ever. The mahogany mane of hair, thick and luscious, flowed around her shoulders. Her eyes, such an incredible blue, always seemed to pierce through him to that deep, dark area of his soul he never wanted anyone to delve into. But she had. She’d wanted to know everything about him, only to promptly leave him when she’d learned exactly who he was.
    Enough. Forget the bitterness, forget the hurt. He only had seconds to get over being blindsided.

Links:
Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1Snjlru
Amazon UK - http://amzn.to/1Ph3rIU
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1SSVDTm
IBooks - http://apple.co/1Q3Xxho
KOBO - http://bit.ly/1UW03Yh

Twitter: @hdthomson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorhdthomson/

website: www.hdthomson.com

About H. D.:

H.D. Thomson moved from Ontario, Canada as a teenager to the heat of Arizona where she graduated

from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in accounting. After working in the corporate world as an accountant, H.D. changed her focus to one of her passions-books. She owned and operated an online bookstore for several years and then started the company, Bella Media Management. The company specializes in web sites, video trailers, ebook conversion and promotional resources for authors and small businesses. When she is not heading her company, she is following her first love-writing.

Rafflecopter Giveaway - $50 Amazon Gift card & Author Swag:

https://www.facebook.com/authorhdthomson/app/228910107186452/ https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f940f00833/

Re-releasing Angel In The Moonlight

         It’s here….well, almost…Angel in the Moonlight will be available on Amazon April 15, with a brand new gorgeous cover, compliments of the amazing, multi-talented (and very patient) Carol Webb of Bella Media Management (really, if you’re looking for someone to help with covers—or anything else—check her out….she’s fantastic!)

          Here’s what she did….don’t you love it? I do!

          I think I’m even more excited than the first time this novel came out!

          Getting ready for re-release has been a revelation, to say the least. Not only did I still love the story and the characters (picture a young Tom Selleck crossed with Sam Elliot as Austin....oh my!), but choosing the pictures for the cover was a lot of fun (if a little overwhelming). So much to choose from!

          So here’s a little snippet of what Angel in the Moonlight is about…..

          Callie Maxwell wants nothing more than to find the men responsible for the violence committed against her family and bring them to justice.  She isn’t about to let Austin Kincaide, the by-the-book U.S. Marshal sent to solve the murders, stop her.  Nor can she stop herself from falling in love with him even as she defies his orders not to interfere with his investigation.  As the Angel of Justice, Callie’s alter-ego, she rides in the moonlight, daring the killers to try again.

          Haunted by the memory of the woman he lost not once, but twice – first to the love of another man then to a tragic mistake which led to her death – Austin is a man shackled by the self-imposed rules he uses to protect his fragile heart.  

          Is Callie the woman with enough love in her heart to shatter Austin’s rules and let him love again?

          I hope you love Angel in the Moonlight as much as I still do!

As always, happy reading!

Marie

Cover Art

        

If you read this blog often, you know that I’m in the process of re-releasing my first novel, Angel in the Moonlight. I am enjoying the process though it’s much different than the first time around (the first time I had a publisher….this time, I’m on my own…sorta). So far, I’ve read through the novel itself and found that I still loved the story and was amazed and pleased that I actually committed those words to paper and could cry again at the end (yes, like the sap that I am for a happily ever after). 

          I’m at the stage now where I’m trying to choose a cover. Back in 2008, when Angel in the Moonlight first came out, I submitted what I’d like to see on the cover to the publisher and the cover artist could either take my idea and run with it or she/he could choose to do something entirely different (I was lucky….the cover artist took my words and created a beautiful cover).

          Now? It’s all me and I admit to being a little overwhelmed. Who would have thought choosing pictures for a novel cover would be so….difficult? And scary. And exciting! And so much fun! The websites are fabulous and the options! Oh my! So many possibilities. Angel in the Moonlight is a historical western romance….do I want subtle and elegant for the cover? Simple but striking? Horses? A lawman? Or a lone woman with the moon as her background? What is it that I want? What is it that a reader would like to see? So many questions and so many choices!

          My guardian angel is working overtime (why yes, she is holding her head in her hands in frustration…how did you know?) and I am again so fortunate. I have Carol Webb with Bella Media Management helping me with this (I’ve seen other covers she’s done and they are excellent!). Working with her has been a pure pleasure…..she is, in a word, fabulous! And so very talented (not to mention, patient)!

          So, be on the lookout for the cover reveal for Angel in the Moonlight coming soon and see what direction I chose to go in (with much, much help).

          As always, happy reading!

          Marie

Energized from Arizona

A week ago I was in Arizona. Actually, I spent 10 days there and they were jam packed. What energized me the most was all the conversations about writing!

It started off with the Desert Dreams Conference in Tempe. This is a wonderful conference because the Desert Rose RWA chapter (I’m a member) is so warm. They provide a hospitality suite where anyone, author, aspiring author, agent, editor, publisher, husband (yes, we had all of these characters there) can hang out, have a snack and a drink, and chat in a relaxed area. Isn’t that unique?  I always have so much fun in that room ;-) My covers were part of the presentation on the big screen in the ballroom which was so cool. Of course, there were also wonderful workshops at the conference and even fun baskets to be won. Happily Ever After Thoughts authors donated one too.

 

Then there were the lengthy conversations with some of the romance writers that I look up to. Both Jennifer Ashley and Caris Roane were so forthcoming with insights and advice. I can’t thank them enough for spending their valuable time one-on-one with me. These ladies rock!

Next was my presentation to the Valley of the Sun RWA Chapter (I’m a member). It was great to be back in the warm fold of their smiles. This group has been my mainstay while isolated on my island and a number have visited me. They enjoyed my talk on “Refining Your Writing Process” and it felt so good to give back a little after all the support they have given me. Then later in the week a contingent of VOS friends (Cathy McDavid, Arabella Thorne, Tia Dani, H.D. Thomson) met me and my husband for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We had a wonderful time talking about life, love, and writing.  

 

Lastly, squeezed in at the 11^th hour, was a business meeting with my wonderful critique partner Marie Patrick and my designer/formatter Carol of Bella Media Management. Hard work was started and plans made for future projects. After all these discussions, I am more revved up to work on my two current projects that ever!  So I guess I better get going. I’m so thrilled to have visited Arizona. I may just have to go back next year ;-)

Always, Lexi

Guest Media Expert: Carol Webb

Today we are interviewing Carol Webb, writer and owner of Bella Media Management.

Alexis: Hi Carol, how nice to have you visiting Happily Ever After Thoughts. I know that you not only write romances but you now own a company Bella Media Management. Could you tell us how this venture came about?

Carol: I started out in a very strange way. I had a fellow writer friend wanting a couple of video trailers done for her books and at the time she was selling this amazing beauty line. She asked if I wanted to do a trade since she knew I had done a trailer for my own book. From there it progressed to what the company is now. 

Alexis: A little promo in exchange for beauty.  That sounds like an even trade to me :-) Can you tell our readers a bit about what you do for authors? 

Carol: At Bella Media Management, we provide a wide range of services. We do cover design, web sites, e-book conversions, editing, newsletters, and design for bookmarks, romance trading cards, etc.

Alexis: That's quite a few services. I have a friend who recently had her second book published. What service of yours would you suggest would most benefit her? 

Carol: Other than having a web site, a newsletter is huge on getting the word out. Have her grow her contact list. You will be amazed at how many people will forward newsletters on to their friends.

Alexis: Really? That is good to know. So, what would you suggest for someone like myself who has yet to be published? 

Carol: I would get all your ducks in line so to speak. Start your online presence now through Facebook, and other social media along with having a web site ready to go. That way once you become published, you don’t panic and get distracted at all the things you have to do and lose focus on your writing.  Promotion is more important than ever, but like anything else, if you don’t have a good product, all the publicity and promotion in the world will not make an author’s career.

Alexis: Good point. I noticed Caris Roane and Cathy McDavid, both multi-published and successful authors, chose your company. That holds a lot of weight with me. What makes Bella Media Management different from other companies?

Carol: I’m a fan. I love everything to do with books. I’ve always had books in my life in one way or another. I’ve worked for publishing companies, owned a bookstore for a decade and have written from the time I was in college.  I can’t think of anything else I would want to do and I think that comes out with what I offer as a business. Passion for the author, for the product and for the industry.

Alexis: So would you say that having written and published romances yourself, you have a good feel for what an author needs? 

Carol: Yes, and I have to say a lot of it is through my own mistakes as a writer, and I’ve made my fair share. LOL. But I’ve learned from them, thank goodness. I do know it takes more than talent.  I’ve found perseverance, along with adapting to the industry two key ingredients to making it as an author, especially now with the drastic changes going on in publishing today.

Alexis: Ah yes, the constant flux of publishing does require a certain amount of flexibility :-)

I know we have just touched the surface of Carol's knowledge, so for a chance to win a free critique of your website, ask Carol a question.  She knows so much about about what works and here's a great chance to get the answers you need. The winner will be announced on Wednesday. Check the side column for your name.

For more information on Bella Media Management go to http://www.bellamediamanagement.com/