Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 236

WITCH'S CURSE: the LONG-AWAITED Sequel is Here. #fantasy

Fans of ASSASSIN'S CURSE need wait no longer! WITCH'S CURSE continues the story of Jeda, his twin daughters, Kayla and Kara along with Elizabeth, Gelda and Natasha as they search for the legendary Witch Stone.


 


Blurb:
When elite assassin, Jeda DeLongo, fled the Assassin's Guild years earlier, he knew there would be a price to be paid. No one ever left the Guild, but he never imagined his beloved wife and unborn son would pay the price for his betrayal. Now Keisha's life hangs in the balance and the most powerful healers in the Kingdom cannot lift her unnatural coma the assassins put her in. There is only one cure, find the legendary amulet Witch Stone.

Jeda leads an impossible quest to recover the Witch Stone--a stone that has been lost for a hundred years. Crucial to the success of the quest are his twin daughters, the famous children of prophecy, but are they unwitting pawns in the witch's power struggles? Forces of White and Black Witches are gathering. Can Jeda find the Witch Stone and heal his wife or will he be instrumental in starting another witch war, the likes of which the kingdom has never seen before?
 
Early Reviewer comment:
"A formidable new villain along with great twists and turns make Witch's Curse an incredibly awesome follow-up to Assassin's Curse!" -- Sandra Edwards, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author


Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Witchs-Curse-Witch-Stone-Prophecy-ebook/dp/B00LRI47FS/ref=twoen-20BN: Will be available soon (still processing)Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/witch-s-curse-book-2-the-witch-stone-prophecyiBookstore: Will be available soon (still processing)
Teaser page:

“Kala, we must join or I won’t have enough power to kill them both. Try to move towards me.” 

The girls continued to inch toward one another. The wolf nearest to Kala caught her movement and leapt at her. The young girl jumped back to avoid the snapping jaws, but not far enough. The wolf’s claws sliced through her jacket and left deep scratches on her arm. She cried out and tumbled backwards from the force of the blow. 

The blood scent drove the wolves into a frenzy. Kara jumped between the wolf and her sister. She sliced at the beast’s nose with her knife. As fast as Kara was, the animal was faster. The blade missed its tender nose and was repelled by the thick fur of its neck. As she moved back towards her sister, the wolf lunged again. This time it didn’t miss.

Kara screamed and her eyes widened in horror. Her vision was filled with sharp fangs and teeth. She knew they were dead when she saw the other wolf charge her sister.

#Review: MURDER AT RUDHALL MANOR by Anya Wylde

4 of 5 stars
I've had the pleasure of reading all of Ms. Wylde's books and couldn't wait to read MURDER AT RUDHALL MANOR. She has a flair for writing the most zany and fun characters and Ms. Lucy Anne Trotter is no exception. Lucy is a well-educated young lady who is hired by the Sedley family as a governess for the two children. Within a few months of her arrival, a box of jewels has gone missing and Lord Sedley has been found murdered in his bed. Lucy, being the only outsider, is the prime suspect. When Lord William Adair agrees to investigate the murder and the theft, the family believes he will find Lucy guilty on both counts. Lucy, however, will not go down without a fight and she launches her own investigation only to incriminate herself even more.

I loved Lucy and her wild imagination. Her antics are priceless and the scenarios that go through her mind as she plots her next steps are hilarious. Each time she tries to find out what Lord Adair has uncovered, she becomes more confused than ever with his lack of cooperation.  Is he friend or foe? This book is a quick and fun read. My only slight criticism is that there was no romance whatsoever in the book, but seeing as this is the first book in a new series, I'm hoping that Ms. Lucy Anne Trotter will get her fair share of interested gentlemen. Recommended.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book Tour Blast: THE NAUGHTY NINE + Excerpt

She could hear talking, but every time she tried to focus, she would slip back into the darkness. One voice stood out, however; it was constantly there. Its richness warmed her. She felt hands on her, cold hands. They came and went, lifting her, moving her, but she didn't respond. It was almost as if her mind was locked in a room, unable to respond to anything.Finally, it was quiet and she slept. Then there was a bright light and she squinted as she raised her arms up to shield her eyes from the light.“Eve?” The deep voice said just above her.“Eve?” She opened her eyes and saw a dark haired man leaning over her. She blinked a few times, trying to get his face into better focus. Her eyes refused to focus at first; she looked up at him as if seeing him through a haze. Finally, he came into focus and she noticed his chocolate eyes hovered just above hers. There was a thick covering of stubble on his chin, and it was obvious that he hadn't shaved in a while. She ran her eyes slowly over the nice shape of his jaw and wondered how it would feel if she reached up and ran her fingers over it. His hair was messed up, like he'd run his hands through it. Would it be as soft as it looked? His shirt buttons were open and she saw dried blood spots around the neck.She went to move, to try and wipe her eyes. “No, sweetie,” he said in the rich voice she'd come to know. “Don't move. Your wrist is sprained.” He held her other hand and for the first time, she noticed a dull pain radiating from her left wrist.Someone else spoke from across the room. He looked up, away from her, to answer them. When he looked back down at her, he smiled. “Mitchell and Sandi are here. Sandi's going to go find a doctor.” She watched a tear slip down his cheek. Raising her good hand, she wiped it from his face. The wetness on her fingertips felt warm.“Hey there.” Another head leaned over her. This one was blond and the man had sea green eyes. He too looked like he could use a shave. The worry in both their eyes matched.“I…” Her throat felt sore. She cleared it and tried to talk again, but just as she opened her mouth this time, the doctor walked in.“Hi, good morning. I hear our patient is up.”“Yes,” the men said in unison.“Good.” An older, gray haired man leaned over her now. His face was wrinkled and he had kind, blue eyes. “How are you feeling? Mrs. Taylor?”She blinked a few times and fear crept into her mind. “I…Where am I?” She didn't know what to say. She had so many questions, but this one seemed to be the most important at the moment.“You're at University Hospital in Chicago.” Then the older man looked up, away from her. “If you don't mind, I'd like to examine her. Maybe you can run downstairs for a cup of coffee?” She heard people leaving the room and the click of the door being shut.A young, blonde nurse leaned over her now. “Here, would you like to sit up?” The bed began moving and soon she was looking at a small, empty hospital room. She could see her feet tucked under a large green blanket. She wiggled her toes and saw the blanket move.“Good. I see you moving your feet.” The nurse smiled at her.“Can you tell me, what's the last thing you remember?” The doctor flashed a light at her face and her head exploded. She shut her eyes and grabbed her head with her good hand. Pain spread from her left temple down her jaw, through her neck, and into her entire body.“I'm sorry, dear. I know your eyes are sensitive to the light, but I have to check your pupils. Can you open your eyes for me?”She shook her head slightly. The pain was almost too much to bear.“Okay, we can try again later. Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?” She slowly opened her eyes and looked. It was blurry, but she could see three fingers.“Three.”“Good. How's your vision? Can you see the clock on the wall there?” He pointed across the room. She could just make out a dark circle, but wouldn't have known it was a clock. She shook her head.“Okay, that's okay. Sometimes a bump on the head like the one you took will play havoc with your sight. It may take a few days until everything is back in focus.” She watched him write something down. “Can you tell me the last thing you remember?”She thought about it. The last thing she remembered. Everything was blurry. She was in a hospital room in Chicago. There was a dark haired man whose voice was familiar to her, a blond man named Mitchell and someone named Sandi. Looking up at the doctor, she shook her head, no.“No? No, you can't tell me what happened? Or no, you don't remember what happened to you?”“I don't remember anything.” She felt the bedspread under her fingers and gripped the cotton. She felt short of breath and found it difficult to swallow. “I can't remember anything. Who I am. Who those people were. Why I'm in Chicago. I can't even remember what I look like or my name.” 

Book Tour Blast: DREAMS OF PERFECTION by Rebecca Heflin

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rebecca will be awarding an author-graphed ebook to two randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter. Click the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What if perfection isn’t truly perfect?

Best-selling romance writer, Darcy Butler, is holding out for perfection in the form of her own carefully-crafted heroes. Once blissfully engaged to be married, Darcy’s post-traumatic commitment phobia is depriving her of the very thing she wants most: her very own happily-ever-after. Now, here she is just six months shy of her thirtieth birthday, and not a Prince Charming in sight.

Successful lawyer, Josh Ryan, is the boy-next-door with a soft spot for the less fortunate, and Darcy’s best friend without benefits. Darcy often comes to him lamenting her love-life, or the lack thereof, whereupon Josh patiently doles out his sage advice. Problem is Josh is in love with Darcy.

But when Darcy finds herself looking into the handsome face of the man who graces the cover of her soon-to-be-released novel, she’s convinced her dreams of perfection have come true. Or have they?

About the Author:

Rebecca Heflin is an award-winning author who has dreamed of writing romantic fiction since she was fifteen and her older sister snuck a copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss' Shanna to her and told her to read it. Rebecca writes women's fiction and contemporary romance. When not passionately pursuing her dream, Rebecca is busy with her day-job as a practicing attorney.

Rebecca is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Florida Romance Writers, RWA Contemporary Romance, and Florida Writers Association. She and her mountain-climbing husband live at sea level in sunny Florida.

Awards:

2013 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence Winner (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Virginia Romance Writers Holt Medallion Award of Merit (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Georgia Romance Writers Published Maggie Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Shooting Star Award (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers' Awards Finalist (The Promise of Change)
2011 Royal Palm Literary Awards Finalist (The Promise of Change)

Website: http://www.rebeccaheflin.com/wordpress/
Blog: http://www.rebeccaheflin.com/wordpress/blog/
Twitter: @RebeccaHeflin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaHeflinBooks


Rebecca will be awarding an author-graphed ebook to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during this tour and the NBtM Review tour, here.
 
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Book Tour Blast: FOUR-LEAF CLOVER by Charmaine Ross

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Charmaine will be awarding a copy of the book to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A sexy, sugar-laden David vs Goliath story about a local bakery, a national chain, and what really matters.

Clover Loveday has worked hard to get her café Four-Leaf Clover up and running, her ticket out of an increasingly alarming financial situation and her dream come true. When she literally falls off her ladder into the arms of national bakery chain Upper Crust owner, sexy-as-sin Liam Sinclair, who owns the new bakery being built just across the road, she decides that no matter how nauseated she is about the idea, it is best keep your enemy close, rather than leave things to fate.

Liam has never put too much thought into the competition when he opens a new outlet, other than taking their customers and strengthening the Upper Crust brand. But here in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, Clover Loveday’s cafe is a little too close for comfort, and Clover Loveday a little too good-looking. So Liam asks his PA to put together a Fact Sheet about his new competition. He has a business to run, a father to please, and hundreds of people to keep in jobs. Surely information can keep an unwanted strong sexual pull at bay…

A sexy, caffeinated, satisfying story about unexpected temptations, forgiveness, and putting love before money.

Enjoy an excerpt:

‘I thought this might happen.’ The voice was bemused, and also very male. So deep and warm it clung to her bones. Which was absolutely ridiculous. She blinked away the spots and looked into a pair of striking eyes. What she thought was just light brown was now more sienna, with streaks of cinnamon spearing the inky iris. The eyes were keenly intelligent, and she felt as though she were under an intense spotlight. Maybe it was the way they didn’t flicker from her face, or that they held a sprinkling of disapproval, but his gaze also irritated her.

‘What sort of a man frightens a woman who’s up a ladder?’ She couldn’t help the words that tumbled out.

The eyes widened, his brows arching high. ‘Why was this woman up a ladder?’

‘A woman who needs to gets things done!’ She sounded more snappish than she wanted, but the amused way in which he watched her fuelled her aggravation.

His lips turned up slightly at the edges. ‘And how does this woman plan to get things done when she’s sprawled across the floor?’

‘I wasn’t about to sprawl across the floor, as you put it, until you barged through the door and yelled at me.’ She narrowed her eyes, trying to be her most severe, which she probably wasn’t doing a very good job of. Her friend, and now waitress, Holly said she was about as frightening as a wombat, even when she’d fully lost it. Which rarely happened. And it was this infuriating man’s fault she’d now lost her usual good humour.

‘I didn’t barge through the door, and I certainly didn’t yell at you. I was just trying to get you to be careful.’

‘What? By startling me so much I fell off the ladder?’

‘You shouldn’t have been up there, especially in boots like those.’ He indicated her boots with a tip of his head. She noticed how ruffled his hair was. Spiking in all directions, as though he’d just run his hands through it.

‘There’s nothing wrong with my boots.’ She’d got them at the Beggar’s Bazaar at the end of Main Street on a sale. Black leather cowboy boots, floral patterns imprinted into the leather and practical flat heels. She loved these boots the moment she’d seen them and after she’d finally plucked up the courage, and the savings, to buy them, she’d worn them just about every day since.

His eyes flowed from her ankles to her thighs. His gaze was as intimate as a touch and as though hypnotised, she watched his eyes travel to hers.

‘No. There’s not.’

About the Author:

I live in Upwey, a very leafy suburb of outer Melbourne. I can hear most Melbournians say, ‘Where?’ Think Puffing Billy, the hills and inexcusably steep driveways and you're there. We have a house with room for the kids to play in the backyard, the cat to sleep wherever and the husband to lounge on a bean-bag in front of the telly. I love romance because it adds so much to the story. Everyone needs a little love to take them away.

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Learn more about Charmaine Ross at www.CharmaineRoss.com.


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Interview with Mia Kayla

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?My debut novel MARRY ME FOR MONEY follows a young woman’s journey of moving from her small town to the big city of Chicago, escaping her drama of the past and finding love where she least expected to find it. 
This can be read as a standalone and ends in HEA. I didn’t expect to write another book but the characters had other plans and have another story to tell.
What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)? What influenced me heavily was following hybrid authors and their take on the pros and cons of both worlds. With the self-publishing route, I liked that I had full 100% control over my creation. One reason to take the traditional route would be to gain exposure in an already saturated market.  From what I’ve read, marketing monies are spent on the moneymakers and since I’m a newbie, a publishing firm could not offer me anything I couldn’t do on my own.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?My writing process is weird. I get random scenes that play in my head like a movie. They are so vivid that I need to get it down right away so I’ll write on notepads and on my IPhone. Funny thing is that I never write in order.  I write the scenes as they come to me and fill in the blanks later. I know I have a complete story when I have the beginning and the end. Right now I have four stories that have a beginning and a HEA ending. I will need to fill in the middle as I go.
I write in silence. I see writers on FB with their playlist and I wonder, how they can get it done. That’s pretty awesome. I do listen to music to spark emotion but when I write, it is in complete silence on the silent train to and from work. My commute time is almost three hours round trip so I try to pound out those words before I have to go to my second job as mommy.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I totally let my muse take me wherever they want to go. MMFM was supposed to be a standalone. I didn’t expect to write another story but the characters had other plans. And by popular demand, another character in MMFM is also getting their own story.
What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey? What I’ve learned is that this is a hard business. I knew this was going to be difficult, but I really had no idea until I was in it. I’m constantly doing something for this business when I’m not writing. It’s promo or social media or setting up my accounts.  This is a whole different world and I think if you really want to be successful you have to keep up on the trends.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale? Yes, here are my buy links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1kVNyYYB&N: http://bit.ly/1stIu8bIbooks: http://bit.ly/1oW9YBPKobo: http://bit.ly/SXYHSq
What kinds of marketing [twitter, Facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)? My time is limited. I’ve hired different blog tour groups to find bloggers who’d like to review my book.
What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena? Advice from a newbie author:
Write the story you want to read. Write for yourself. Ask for feedback from fellow writers to make your manuscript the best it can be.  Trust your gut. It’s your story and everyone is going to have an opinion but you wrote it a certain way for a reason. If the majority points out something listen to what they have to say but at the end of the day, it’s your story to tell. Remember, everyone is going to have an opinion.
Make writer friends. It’s hard because it seems as everyone already has their own set groups. Keep asking questions, give back to the writing community and make your own friends where you can grow together as writers.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions? Where do I even begin? Obviously, I love to read but I also love to scrapbook, knit and design flowers for weddings. I’m also a big time celebrity gossip whore.
What’s next for you? I’m currently editing my next novel, which is called “Everything has changed.”  I’m anticipating a release date of Fall 2014. It’s a stand alone novel about childhood friends, their struggles and their life into adulthood.
Be sure to add it to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22559484-everything-has-changed


Book & Author details:Marry Me For Money by Mia Kayla
Publication date: May 4th 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:Leaving her small town behind, Bethany Casse moves to Chicago in search of a new life. Working at a top financial bank brings her into contact with two men who are as different as night and day.

Kent Plack, heir to Plack Industries, has no interest in being with a woman for longer than one night. A spoiled and lazy man-whore, he is completely content with his playboy lifestyle, and Beth is surprised when they form an unlikely friendship.

Brian Burcham, a finance banker, is gorgeous and respectful. A man plucked from Beth’s dreams, he is definite husband material. Unfortunately, Beth has a hard rule against dating coworkers, but Brian is determined to change her mind.

When a deadbeat mother and money problems follow her to Chicago, Beth is offered a solution that could fix everything. Marrying for money seems simple enough, but when lines become blurred, Beth faces difficult choices, making her realize that the easy way out just made her life even harder than before.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18777683-marry-me-for-money?ac=1Purchase:--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Me-Money-Mia-Kayla-ebook/dp/B00K5AEN7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403630437&sr=8-1&keywords=Marry+Me+for+Money--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marry-me-for-money-mia-kayla/1119437164?ean=9781497310599
AUTHOR BIO: Mia Kayla is a New Adult/Contemporary Romance writer who lives in Illinois.

On the weekdays, she can be caught wearing a suit, commuting to her corporate job in downtown Chicago and raising three beautiful munchkins in the suburbs, four if you count the husband.

In her free time she loves reading romance novels, jamming to boy bands, catching up on celebrity gossip and designing flowers for weddings.

Most of the time, she can be caught on the train with her nose in a book sporting a cheeky grin because the main characters finally get their happily-ever-after at the end.

She loves reading about happy endings but has more fun writing them.To find out more about my upcoming release, sign up for my newsletter. Click here to sign up.
Author Links: http://www.miakayla.blogspot.ca/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7382805.Mia_Kaylahttps://www.facebook.com/authormiakaylahttps://twitter.com/authormiakayla  a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
 

Book Tour Blast: THE LABYRINTH WALL by Emilyann Girdner

 

Araina’s isolated teenagelife is forever altered when she witnesses a man emerge through a rippling wall into the dark labyrinth she calls home. As a result of the stranger’s arrival, Araina’s Creators have unleashed a series of magical attacks using the labyrinth against its inhabitants. Now Araina must decide if she will trust potentially deceitful allies in order to reach safety on the other side of the labyrinth wall. The Labyrinth Wall is the story of a young woman who discovers that although labyrinth walls confine her and her enemies try to repress her, the power of hope can set her free. Will the walls that confine her be the walls that set her free? Young Adult Fantasy Novel. Hit #2 on the Amazon Best Seller list in its category the day after release and hit #26 on the Top 100 Amazon Free Best Seller List. Only $.99 Grab it today

Buy on Amazon | B&N Meet the Author: Though she was born in Germany and raised in Turkey until the age of five, Emilyann Girdner spent the majority of her grade school years in Tallahassee, Florida. She discovered early she had a love for stories. Reading books, watching movies and then acting them out with friends or toys gave living an extra flavor. This is likely why she spent the first part of her college career studying Creative Writing, before switching to Graphic Design and then graduating with a BFA in Digital Art from Missouri State University in 2011. 

Her writing has appeared on websites and blogs including Center for Work Life, Easter Seals Florida, MU Museum of Art & Archaeology's Musings and Examiner.com. She is best known for her Amazon Best-Selling novel, The Labyrinth Wall. Emilyann is now living and working in Florida. Given her three focus transitions as an undergraduate, it isn't a shock that she is a multi-medium lover, exploring writing, digital art, photography and design. She finds that her creativity is most fluent when given the opportunity to bounce between artistic outlets. To truly understand this Author, there are two things to know about her. Emilyann hopes to share a love for others and God in all she does. She believes that imagination sparks beauty in the soul.

Follow Emilyann:Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Literary Addicts 
Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card from the Author.
Must be 18+
Open internationally. Ends 7/27/14 @ 11:59 PM EST



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Interview with Anne Tibbets

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?CARRIER is Book One of The Line Series. It takes place approximately one hundred years from now, when the world governments have fallen and corrupt corporations purchase territories of land. Inside the walled city of Auberge, they have legalized human trafficking, and Naya, a girl who was sold into slavery as a child, and now working as a sex slave, is released because she is pregnant with twins. But there are terms to her release she finds difficult to comply with, and for that, there are dire consequences.
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?There’s a character named Shirel that served a small part in the first quarter of the book in the earlier drafts. And then she just sort of disappeared. During the editing process, and I can’t remember who gave me the note – it was either my agent or my editor – sorry ladies! – one of them suggested Shirel re-appear later on. So I wracked my brain and came up with a way to weave her back into the story (sorry - no spoilers!) and I was so pleased with the way it turned out I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t thought of that myself. It really added so much depth.
Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?Yes. CARRIER is considered a traditionally published book because it was represented by my agent and sold to Carina Press, an imprint of Harlequin. This was the book I queried my agent with, so it was extremely satisfying to have to sell in this way. Plus, Carina and my editor have been great to work with, so I’m pleased with how everything has turned out.
How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?This was not my first novel. CARRIER was my fourth, actually. I queried it to over 70 agents and in the end received three offers of representation. YAY! I was ecstatic because my previous three novels I had queried and never gotten past a request for a partial. I went with my agent, Bree Ogden at D4EO Literary, because she’s editorial, and I wanted that in an agent, and we had similar ideas of what we wanted CARRIER to be. Plus, we got along very well. That’s important. Presumably, you and your agent are going to work together for a very long time, so it’s imperative that not only is your agent a good agent, but someone you can communicate with easily and like on a personal level. Although, some people might disagree with me on that – it’s important to me. We shopped CARRIER for a year as an Upper Young Adult, but the sex slavery theme was simply too graphic for Young Adult editors (and understandably so!), so we decided to have me re-write the book as a New Adult and re-shopped it again. It sold within a few months after that. In my mind, everything happens for a reason. I believe CARRIER found exactly the right editor and publisher. It was worth the wait.
Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish? Are you doing both?I am under contract with Carina Press to write the sequel to CARRIER. WALLED is currently scheduled to be published in December of this year. I am in the middle of edits for that now. Previously, I worked with an ePublishing company to self-publish three other books, but I found that although I was a good writer, I wasn’t necessarily equipped to handle the rigors of self-publishing. I LIKE having an editor telling me what to fix, I LIKE having professional graphic artists wow me with their cover art design and I LIKE seeing my name associated with a publishing house. Mind you, I could have done all those things myself, hired an editor and formatter and graphic artist, etc. etc. etc. But the business aspect of publishing, for me, is better left to the experts. I like concentrating my efforts on writing and connecting with my readers. That said, I will not rule out self-publishing as a whole. I may change my mind in a few years. But, for now, I’m not interested. We’ll see.
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?Every publisher is different, but Carina Press sent me a two-page questionnaire, asking me to list themes, mood, important images and to give samples of covers which I liked. What they came back with blew me away! I love the haunted look of the CARRIER cover. I think they did a fabulous job.
Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?I must confess I have never been a part of a formal critique group. I have a couple writerly friends who sometimes reads my work and offers notes – but we don’t meet regularly and we don’t always have time to read each other’s work which is why we’ve kept the arrangement so informal. It’s also the reason why I wanted an editorial agent. Honestly, my schedule is so crazy I’m not sure I could be in a critique group. Sometimes I barely have time to handle my own stuff, much less offer a critique of value on someone else’s baby.  It deserves respect and time. I have ample respect, but lack time at the moment. But as I always say, never say never.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?I’m an outliner, through and through. I wrote the first fifty or so pages of CARRIER without an outline, just kind of flying by the seat of my pants. But after that I was afraid the story would lag or wander away from me, so I wrote an outline for the rest. It’s like a security blanket for me.
What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?I’m all over the place, for better or worse. I Twitter: @WriteforCoffee, probably too much. I have a professional Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AnneTibbetsAuthor, but I could probably spend more time there. I have a blog that serves as a kind of newsletter: http://writeforcoffee.blogspot.com, a Tumblr: www.annetibbets.tumblr.com and I’ve just started a formal newsletter as well – which I haven’t quite figured out yet. Plus I belong to a New Adult Authors group on Facebook. Social media I’ve got covered! But I try not to pester too much in those areas with marketing. I must admit if I follow an author on Twitter, I don’t want to get bombarded with links: “Buy my book! Buy my book!” It gets old really quickly, especially when most of the people I follow are authors and they are ALL doing that. So I try and keep it more social (it is SOCIAL media after all, not MARKETING media) and market through networking, writer conferences, the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WkEt3VLOs, cover reveals, and blog tours.
Some fun facts about you, which do you prefer – dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? Coffee or Tea? Talk or Text? Day or Night?Cats. Chocolate. Coffee. Text. Night.
Giveaway:Tour wide giveawayOpen INTL - Ends July 22nd--20 $ Amazon gift card--3x eBook copies of Carrier--20x Carrier t-shirts with Auberge pens.
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Fantastic Release Day Sale ONLY .99: TEN BRIDES FOR TEN HEROES

A 10-book bundle featuring novels by New York Times, USA Today, and National bestselling authors at the bargain price of $0.99. 
Get ready to toss the bouquet and say, "I do!" as ten brides risk it all to find their happy ever after.

Here Comes the Bride by Theresa Ragan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Samantha Johnston, a reporter for the LA Beat, attends the wedding of one of America's hottest actors in hopes of learning the identity of his mystery bride, and ends up saying, "I do."

Return of the Runaway Bride by Donna Fasano, USA Today bestselling author. Savanna returns to her hometown to explain why she fled on her wedding day, but she never imagined how her escape all those years ago changed Daniel. Can she make him understand and forgive?

Wedding Fever (Serendipity Falls Series) by Patrice Wilton, National bestselling author. Can a jaded bridal consultant and a cynical news reporter uncover the true mystery of Serendipity Falls without being swept away in the madness?

Destination Wedding (The Decorah Security Series) by Rebecca York, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. After a billionaire's daughter, Camille Norland, is kidnapped by a Russian mobster bent on matrimony, Decorah Security agent Nick Cassidy is her best hope of rescue. Nick's never admitted his feelings for Camille. Now he's desperate to save her before the wedding night.

The Army Doctor's Wedding (The Army Doctor's Series) by Helen Scott Taylor, Award-winning and National bestselling author. Major Cameron Knight throws himself into the danger of battlefield medicine to forget his past mistakes. Can an injured charity worker and an orphan newborn baby give him a chance to redeem himself and find love?

Single & Searching by Rita Herron, National bestselling author. A woman looking for love... A reporter looking for a story... A mad rush to find a criminal... When the truth comes out and danger strikes, will they succumb to the passion burning between them?

Wedding Surprise (Holiday Babies Series) by Mona Risk, Award-winning and National bestselling author. Two weeks before the big day, Claire and David receive some startling news that can destroy their relationship. Is their love for each other strong enough to turn the worst wedding surprise into the best?

Summer of Love by Annie Jones, Award-winning and National bestselling author. Brides, Beehives and Barbecue! Can mother daughter mayhem be far behind? Bless her heart, it's 1967 and a determined southern bride isn't sure love is really all she needs.

Tomboy Bride (The Dance 'n' Luv Series) by Alicia Street, Award-winning and National bestselling author. Kendra returns home for her brother's wedding determined to get her age-old crush to finally see her as more than a tomboy. But will her game of making him jealous with a hot and handsome faux-beau make him fall for her--or backfire and leave her in ashes?

Love Me Tender (The "Elvis" Series) by Mimi Barbour, National bestselling author. How could Anne go back to Texas knowing that her son would be meeting a father and grandmother who never even knew he existed? But how could she stay away when a woman who'd been the only mother she ever knew was dying and needed her?
Buy LINKS:Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KXFTOJU/ref=twoen-20Kindle UK : http://amzn.to/UvCpJjNook: http://ow.ly/ynHdHKobo: http://ow.ly/ynHxRiBooks: http://ow.ly/yshEX
There is also a FREE companion cookbook at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/449867

Happy July 4th!

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author.  Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4.

A day later, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more. 



Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

There is no question that July 4, 1776 is the date that the Congress approved the final official document, having voted to declare independence two days earlier. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had also signed it on that day. However, most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.



In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but another Founding Father who became a President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third president in a row who died on this memorable day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, so far, is the only President to have been born on Independence Day.