C.J. Carmichael's Blog, page 3

A Frost Family Christmas Anthology

I’m happy to say that readers are really enjoying the Frost Family Christmas trilogy–so much so that Roxy Boroughs, Brenda M. Collins and I decided to create a boxed set of the stories (including a bonus story, my “The Gift” novella). This is perfect for gift-giving, so even if you’ve read the stories already, consider this for your friends and family members who like to read. It’s appropriate for all ages, from teen-aged girls to grandmothers. And at less than three dollars, it’s certainly a bargain!

Available now!

 

Roxy, Brenda and I want to make the Frost Family Christmas a total experience for our readers–so please visit our Facebook Page where we countdown the days to Christmas, share insights on the members of the Frost Family, and exchange recipe, gift-giving and decorating ideas for the holidays. Also, we have some special gift giveaways happening here. Make sure you enter for your chance to win a Vermont Gift Basket and a specially crafted piece of jewelry.

We’ve also collected photographs that inspired our stories–come see if the characters look the way you imagined!

Wishing everyone a fun, warm and happy December!

C. J.

Original article: A Frost Family Christmas Anthology

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Christmas Warm-Up Giveaway

As a pre-Christmas appreciation for my current readers (and hopefully some new readers too) I’m giving away a delicious Purdy’s Chocolate Giftbasket. You can enter three ways:

1. On Facebook

2. Sign up for my newsletter

3. If you’re already on my newsletter list, tell a friend who loves books about it!

And while you’re here–have you read any good Christmas books lately? I’d love to hear about them. Leave me a comment and I’ll consider that an extra entry to my contest.

 

Original article: Christmas Warm-Up Giveaway

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Holiday Reads and Amazing Deals!

I have never had so much to offer my e-book readers over the holidays–it’s rather exciting! First up is The Gift. This long short story (or short novella, however you choice to look at it) is a perfect read for that day when you have an hour or two for yourself and want to indulge in a story that will leave you with a tear in your eye and a warm fuzzy in your heart. The Gift is going to be Free on Amazon from Thursday November 7 until Sunday November 10. Don’t miss this sweet gift from me to you.

For that day when you have a little more time on your hands, why not visit Carol Falls, Vermont and enjoy A Frost Family Christmas, starting with the first novella in the series: What Child Is This? This romance–with a touch of mystery–is now available for just 99 cents!

And when you need a break from all this Christmas–try a visit to the Rodeo and check out Promise Me, Cowboy. This novella, part of the Copper Mountain Rodeo series which Library Journal calls “a perfect dose of love, romance and hot dates…” is also going to be a tremendous bargain at 99 cents for the next few weeks.

What if you don’t have an e-reader and prefer not to read on a computer? Why then, head on down to Coffee Creek Montana and read Big Sky Christmas. See? Something for everyone this holiday season! Now, let the countdown to Christmas begin.

 

Original article: Holiday Reads and Amazing Deals!

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Frost Family Christmas Giveaway

Snow is clinging to the evergreen trees here in Calgary Alberta, so the timing feels right to announce a new holiday trilogy. A Frost Family Christmas brings you three heartwarming romances with a connecting mystery about a baby abandoned in the manger of the farm’s nativity scene.

The Christmas fun begins with my novella, What Child Is This, followed by Roxy Borough’s Home For Christmas and Brenda M. Collins’s The Holly &  the Ivy. The books are currently for sale at the Amazon Kindle store and preliminary reviews are as sparkling as the snowflakes that grace the covers!

We’re hoping you’ll join the fun by “Liking” our Facebook Page. We hope to provide interesting tidbits about the stories, share photos that inspired the series, and count down the days–and prep work–as we approach Christmas. This will include tips on holiday cleaning, baking, decorating and shopping.

So please join us, starting by “liking” our page right now. Once you’ve done that, click the “giveaway” button under our book covers, tell us your favorite thing about Christmas and you’ll be entered in a draw for a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate. Wouldn’t that help with the holiday shopping this year?

 

 

Original article: Frost Family Christmas Giveaway

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

An Author Interview To Share

To mark the release this month of my novella, Promise Me, Cowboy, I was interviewed by the good people at Montana Born Books. If you’d like to know the answer to such questions as, what was the hardest scene to write in the book, and who would I cast for the hero and heroine in a screen version of the story, please check it out here.

If you’d just like to look at that pretty cover again (and I don’t blame you, it’s one of my favorites) well here it is:

Also, I just picked a random name from my Newsletter List (which I do from time to time) and I’ll be sending Ann an e-book of my Christmas Novella, What Child Is This. If you’re not already on this list, consider signing up as I routinely send out random prizes. All I need is your email address, and I promise I respect your privacy. The only time you’ll ever hear from me is if you’ve won something!

Original article: An Author Interview To Share

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Promise Me, Cowboy Goodies

It’s always a thrill for an author when a story she poured her heart into is finally available to readers. And this week my latest novella for e-readers, Promise Me, Cowboy, is finally here. To celebrate here are a bunch of goodies. First, a contest from Montana Born Books involving chocolate. How sweet is that? Find out how to enter on Montana Born Books on Facebook.

The second treat is a free Copper Mountain Rodeo short story from Lilian Darcy. I promise you, you’ll love Rodeo Sweethearts!

Finally, I’m offering assorted chocolates and an autographed book to anyone who comments below with their favorite chocolate treat. (Mine is any combo that involves almonds, hazelnuts and dark chocolate. Oh, but I also love fruit dipped in melted chocolate. And blood orange caramel chocolate from Vosgers. And…)

Hope you enjoy Promise Me, Cowboy! If you want to start reading today, check it out here.

 

Original article: Promise Me, Cowboy Goodies

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Coffee Creek Montana

With the launch this month of my fourth and final Coffee Creek Montana story I thought I’d share some of the research and planning that went into this series. My goal when I set out on this project was to create a ranching committee that would feel real. A place readers could imagine living in–from going to the local cafe for a cup of coffee, to attending a once-in-a-lifetime wedding at the local church.

There are several ways I made Coffee Creek come alive for me–and hopefully for you, too, as the readers. One was by drafting a map, which was turned into a thing of beauty by Rolf Stengl. Whether in fiction, or real life, I always find it helpful to be grounded by a map. I hope you do, too! Once again, I’d like to thank Rolf for creating this one for Coffee Creek!

 

Another way I like to research and create visuals for my stories, is by collecting great photos on Pinterest. You’ll find one board for each story. I invite you to take a look and get in the mood for another visit with the Lamberts: Remember Me, Cowboy; Her Cowboy Dilemma; Promise From A Cowboy; Big Sky Christmas. Thanks for reading these books and for coming on the Coffee Creek Montana adventure with me!

Original article: Coffee Creek Montana

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Brennan Sisters 24 Hour Book Giveaway

Top of my reading list these days is Jane Porter’s The Good Wife. I’ve read the other two Brennan Sisters books (The Good Daughter and The Good Woman) and there are so many story threads I’m dying to see tied up. If you’ve been following this series, too, you’ll know what I mean. If not–go out and get your hands on the first two books! If you love honest, emotional women’s fiction, then you will power through these two reads, I’m sure.

To celebrate the conclusion of the Brennan Sisters trilogy (though I’d love to see more books one day…) I’m doing a 3 book giveaway: two of Jane’s and one of mine. To be entered, please leave a comment, telling me something you’ve read and enjoyed lately, and I’ll pick a random winner Monday at noon.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend!

CJ

Original article: Brennan Sisters 24 Hour Book Giveaway

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

A Tempting New Read

Picture this, if you will. Four romance authors driving the highway from Bozeman to Livingston, tears welling in our eyes as we sing along to Blake Shelton’s song “Austin.” It was back in May of this year that Megan Crane, Jane Porter, Lilian Darcy and I met in Montana to plan our Copper Mountain Rodeo novellas. And now–I almost can’t believe it–the first of those e-books is finally for sale. Tempt Me, Cowboy is a story that resembles its author in the following ways: it’s funny, sexy, smart and cool. I loved it and I think that you will too.

Here we are, cooking up the stories.

 

 

 

 

And this is Megan’s completed book

 

And you can buy it here! Isn’t that easy?

 

 

 

 

 

Original article: A Tempting New Read

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

Free Books and other Fun Things

September is a wonderful time to start new projects (and I want to tell you about mine) but first I’d like to announce that I sent Emily from North Carolina an autographed book last week. Why? Simply because she’s on my Newsletter Mailing List–and I appreciate that. Once a month (and sometimes more often than that) I select someone randomly  from the list and send them a book. I’m picking a name today. Will it be you? Perhaps–if you’re on the list. And if you’re not, why don’t you sign up now?

It’s been a busy summer. I wrote two novellas which I’m very excited about. One of them is Promise Me, Cowboy. The cover is a bit of a departure from my usual–I’d love you know what you think of it?

In between my writing projects, there was lots of time for fun this summer, such as buying cherries and huckleberries at the Farmers’ Market in Polson Montana. I used the huckleberries in a crisp/crumble for dessert and it was delicious. I’m making my crisps without butter or sugar these days, using the suggestion in Gwynth Paltrow’s new cookbook to make a crust with oatmeal, almond flour, maple syrup and olive oil. Maybe that sounds strange, but it’s really yummy!

And now for the new project…it’s going to be a spin off from my Promise Me, Cowboy novella. The story will be about older sister Mattie Carrigan who lives with her cowboy husband on his family ranch where they raise Tennessee Walking Horses. More on that in future posts.

For now, let me wish you a happy and productive first week of September! (With a little time left over for reading, of course.)

 

Original article: Free Books and other Fun Things

©2013 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.