Sandra Cox's Blog, page 280

And The Winner Is......

Drum roll please......The winner of a copy of Rose Quartz and who goes into the drawing for a $100 BN gift certificate is Caris Roane.

Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop

Sunday is the last day to enter the drawing for a copy (if US resident) or a download of Rose Quartz. The winner will be entered into the drawing for a $100 gift card from BN. To enter: just scroll down to August 12th enter the rafflecopter and leave a comment. Good luck and enjoy the weekend.

VBT The Whole Package

Blurb:Life has thrown childhood friends Jackie, Cheryl, and Doris a few curveballs. Widowed and broke, Jackie returns home after an extravagant life in Paris, Doris is reliant on anti-depressants, and Cheryl’s plans for a corporate take-over are replaced with walking papers. But after a drunken night sampling the delights at strip club for women, the ladies stumble upon a genius idea and decide to open up The Whole Package—the world’s first restaurant staffed exclusively by very attractive men. Armed with Jackie’s connections, Doris’ ambition, and Cheryl’s business sense the ladies set out to make their mark in the world.
Excerpt:French is a sexy language. Except, of course, if you are standing in line at a French café and the French you hear is a nasal, drawn out, “Fat American.“ Unnecessary, especially if you are simply trying to buy a chocolate croissant to dip into the first cappuccino of the day.
Jackie - and yes, it was Jackie and not Jacqueline even though she was closing in on forty instead of the throat of the snickering girl behind her – whirled around.
“Did you just call me fat?”
A French girl stared back at her. The girl had the audacity to cock her head. A yes.
Jackie was stunned. Okay, fine – and a little hurt. Such a judgment was the last thing she expected in this cheerful neighborhood cafe with its brightly painted walls, kitschy produce art and erratically placed wildflowers. Even the French sayings on the wall, written in such careful, scrolling script were meant to inspire good cheer, not snappy little insults.
 “Well, I am not fat!” Jackie said. And this was not in French, because after two years in the country she spoke French perfectly and proving it was no longer important. “I am sexy.”
A mustached host had been writing out specials on a blackboard with squeaking chalk. At this, he paused and took a look. Jackie ran her palms over her curvy hips and considered giving a slight shimmy. The man gave a nod in agreement and went back to the specials.
The French girl sniffed. She was dressed all in black, a total cliché. She was holding a sniveling, trendy dog. Its shaky face was framed by a bejeweled collar and its droopy eyes stared, along with everyone else in the cinnamon scented café.
“Perhaps youshould order something to eat,” Jackie said, pointedly eyeing the girl’s bony frame . “You’re probably just suffering from low blood sugar.”
“Casse-toi.”
Jackie’s jaw dropped. Drawing herself up to her full height of 5’3” (5’6” with her three inch pumps), Jackie said, “If you want to live off of cigarettes and red wine and ignore the delicacies your country has to offer, you go right ahead. But I would rather get chased out of Le Bon Marche by a firing squad than strut around in a body that looks like it was stolen from an eight-year-old boy.”
The French girl gasped.
“I am going to embracemy sensuality,” Jackie said. “I am going to improve upon it. And,” she stood a bit taller, “it is gonna happen with a chocolate croissant.”
Reviews:"The friendship between the women is realistic, the characters funny, and the premise well-executed. Readers will giggle and grin from start to finish, and will surely be eager for Ellingsen's next novel."--PublishersWeekly.com
“The Whole Package is a delightfully frivolous romp. An excellent beach read, this light but enjoyable fare will have you chuckling (and likely blushing!) throughout...”--RT Reviews
About the Author:Cynthia Ellingsen is a fiction writer and screenwriter. She lives in Lexington, KY with her husband.
Website: www.cynthiaellingsen.comEmail: cynthiaellingsen@gmail.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaellingsenTwitter: https://twitter.com/CynEllingsen
Link to schedule:http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/scheduled-vbt-whol-package-by-cynthia.html 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hot Summer Heroes.

To enter the hot bods, er, hot summer heroes contest scroll down to Sunday's blog.

VBT Book Tours Crimson Footsteps/ Seattle Delight

Seattle DelightByCharlotte Stout
BLURB:  
Charly’s life was simple and uncomplicated, just like she wanted it.  Or so she thought!  One chance encounter with a devilishly handsome stranger in her local coffee shop would turn her world, and her heart, upside down.  She would be thrown into a realm of privilege and romance, and more than just a little danger.  
How will she handle the dark gorgeous man who has inserted himself into her domain?  When danger threatens those she loves, will she have the strength of heart and spirit to do whatever it takes to save them?  Share Charly’s adventures as she navigates through the quickly changing landscape that has become her life.
EXCERPT: “Hey, watch it,” Charly said as someone bumped her table and precious drops of the caffeine laced fuel danced across the table.  She couldn’t afford to lose a microgram of caffeine. Not today – well not any day!  Considering she’d written two lines and a finished first draft of her book was due in two months, she knew she was in a world of hurt.
Charly turned to see who had been so rude.  Okay, as a romance writer it was Charly’s job to write about hunks but what she saw before her left her breathless.  Looking at her with Caribbean Sea blue eyes, copper skin, and dark hair falling in waves to the top of his shoulders was a God.
“Pardon, I am so sorry,” he said in a deep, richly accented voice bowing his head in her direction.  His eyes – those incredible blue eyes were intently focused on Charly making her feel self-conscious.  Charly regretted that she hadn’t taken more care with her appearance this morning.  Her damp hair was a mass of unruly curls, her face devoid of makeup with the exception of a dab of lip-gloss.  Charly rested her chin in her right hand appreciating the view before her until she laid a finger on her upper lip.  Panic rose within her; she felt it and if he noticed it she would be mortified.  Damn, why hadn’t she waxed her mustache last night?   Why did women get mustaches in the first place? It’s not like we don’t have enough to worry about.  AUTHOR INFORMATION: Charlotte lives in Arizona with her hunky husband Warren, and her spoiled Silky Terrier, Tess. Her life has been filled with serious endeavors, including earning a Master's degree, owning her own business, consulting and working in the corporate world as a human resources executive. Before penning her first novel, Charlotte had written several practical guides for business applications, not exactly steamy stuff. Luckily, she never lost sight of her dream to write a novel that would encompass her passion for gorgeous men, adventure and a love of life. EnjoyLINKS:
Web site:  http://www.charlotteastout.com Blog:   http://www.charlotteastout.com/blog   Charlotte will be giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one random commenter during the tour.





CRIMSON FOOTPRINTSByShewanda Pugh
BLURB:   When an insecure, bi-racial woman begins a cloak-and-dagger love affair with a Japanese American man, she is intent on keeping her bigoted family in the dark—albeit with devastating consequences. On the night of her brother’s murder, Deena Hammond stumbles upon Takumi Tanaka, lost and on the wrong end of a .32. After rescuing him from the certain fate driving through the hood in a Porsche will bring, a sweet kind of friendship begins. A balm for her grief. Maybe, Deena likes to think, it happened the day her white mother killed her black father. Or maybe, it was always a part of them, like DNA gone bad. Whatever the case, Deena knows that her family would never approve, hell, never acknowledge her fast-growing love for Takumi. And had he never made love to her that way, in that unraveling, soul-searching sort of way, she could’ve done the same. But love’s a devil that way. So, their game begins. One where they hide what they are from everyone. Anyone. And Tak understands this—for now. After all, Deena’s career hinges on the favor of her mentor and boss, his hard-ass of a father. And the Hammond family is already stretched thin with grief. Yet, each step Deena takes toward family and career brings her closer to an acceptance she’s never had. And away from him.    EXCERPT: “I wish that I didn’t want my family’s love so bad. I wish I could be one of those people who wore leather jackets and didn’t give a damned.”Tak shot her a look. “You’d be musty if you wore a leather jacket in this heat.”Deena grinned. “You know what I mean.”He shrugged. “Who doesn’t want a decent family, Dee? It’s not much to ask for.”Tak paused to pluck a seashell from the sand. Chipped and polished by time, it shone under the glint of a fast setting sun. “I don’t know the answers,” he said. “But they seem to be in things like this,” he held up the shell.She frowned. “I don’t follow.” He shrugged. “Well think about it. What’s a shell? It’s just a—a hard, protective outer layer.” He hurled it in the ocean. “The same is true with family. They’re an outer layer, a protection from the world. At least that’s what they’re supposed to be.” He paused. “Think about what happens when you screw with an animal that has one of those hard shells. What does he do?”“He goes into it.”“Right. He retreats.” He thumbed the shell thoughtfully. “Now imagine if you were to rip the shell off a turtle and expose him. What do you think you’d find?”Deena cringed. “Something soft and hurting.“And dead, if not close to it. So, our hypothetical turtle, who’s able to stand our shell transplant, needs another shell, another form of protection. And so do you.” Tak handed the grooved and sand-polished subject to Deena. She looked down at it.“So, how’ve I been surviving all this time? What’s my shell?”Tak grinned. “Tell you what. I’ll let you know when I crack it.”
Copyright by Shewanda Pugh Shewanda Pugh is a native of Boston’s inner city, though she now lives in sunny Miami, Florida. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Alabama A&M University and a Master’s in Writing from Nova Southeastern University. Fueled from a young age, her passion for crossing societal boundaries like race, class and culture, is the inspiration for both her cluttered bookshelf and her writing. When she’s not busy obsessing over fiction, she can be found traveling, nursing her social networking addiction or enjoying the company of loved ones.
LINKS:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author.ShewandaPugh Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShewandaP Follow on Twitter: @ShewandaPBlog: http://shewandapugh.blogspot.com/ www.shewandapugh.com


THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY ($10 Amazon GC).The tour dates: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/book-blurb-blitz-tour-crimson.html.

Monday

Good Monday to you. Hope your weekend was great. Bureaucracy gave my brother's wedding a hiccup but everything worked out. More on that later. Due to the wedding, relatives, and a house project, I'm behind and won't be around too much this week. Hope your work-a-day week is quick, productive and pleasant. Talk with you later.
~*~
The Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop is in progress. Whoever wins a copy of Rose Quartz will go into the drawing for a $100 BandN gift card. Good luck. More information on the hop can be found at the links below.

Hot Summer Heroes Blog Hop

carisroane.com
bellamediamanagement.com
hdthomson.com
Enter the copter for a chance to win a copy of Rose Quartz. (Paper or PDF for US Residents, PDF for residents out of the country.) The winner will go into the draw for a $100 gift card from BandN.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Its The Weekend

Enjoy. Waste the weekend.~*~I'll be attending my other brother's wedding:)

Hot Pink Toenails

Have you noticed how many toenails are painted hot pink this year? The three women in the office, including myself, all had some shade of hot pink polish on the other day.
When I went to get my toenails painted in June I asked for glittering red.
Oh my, I didn't realize, I'd committed such a faux pas. To quote dictionary.com - 'A slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion.'  As far as the gentleman in the shop was concerned, that was exactly what it was too. That was for the Christmas season, he informed me, taking it from me and dragging out the hot pink polish. Since I had set my mind on dark red, I dug in my heels and went for a purplish/red. This was a little better, he admitted grudgingly and let me use that color. Having had time to process the seasonal color thing, I relented this time and got hot pink.  Actually, I like it, even if my tootsies have lost their identity and joined the 'seasonal toenail polish' masses.

VBT Subversive

With us today is Rebecca Royce talking about her new release Subversive. I asked Rebecca if Rachel had a nontraditional way of killing vampires, if her vampire hunter had a different spin than the norm.
In one sense, Rachel kills vampires very traditionally.  She stakes them.  But, it’s a little bit more complicated than that.  Rachel doesn’t just fight alone (if she can avoid it) she fights with a team.  They each have a role.  So the key is that she is not by herself when she takes down the vampires. Although she has had to figure out how to beat them solo on occasion. Also…sometimes she doesn’t win.  I think that’s a little different than most vampire hunters.Thanks so much for having me today! 
BLURB:
Rachel Clancy has been through a lot. She’s been sent to fight vampires, lost two boyfriends—one to a vampire and one because of his daddy issues—and now she is trying to lead a secret revolution that could change Genesis, her home, forever. Her confidence is shot, her hands are shaking, and she hasn’t felt a real emotion, except for anger, in a long time.

But Rachel should never be counted out. She sees things others can’t, even if her ideas are considered downright traitorous. There is an important life for Rachel to lead in the world, even if its filed with vampires and werewolves instead of romance and flowers. Rachel has always had to fight, she’s good at it, and the evil that has stalked her hasn’t forgotten her name.
EXCERPT: (None Provided)
AUTHOR Bio and Link:
As a teenager, Rebecca Royce would hide in her room to read her favorite romance novels when she was supposed to be doing her homework. She hopes, these days, that her parents think it was well worth it.
Rebecca is the mother of three adorable boys and is fortunate to be married to her best friend. They live in northern New Jersey and try not to freeze too badly during the winter months.
She's in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and tries to use all of these elements in her writing. She's been told she's a little bloodthirsty so she hopes that when you read her work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. Rebecca loves to write series because she loves to see characters develop over time and it always makes her happy to see her favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.
In Rebecca Royce's world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.
www.rebeccaroyce.com


Rebecca will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a digital copy of Initiation: The Warrior Book 1 to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. 
Tour dates can be found here:  http://www.goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/05/virtual-book-tour-subversive-warrior.html