Lily Graison's Blog, page 28
April 24, 2013
Writer Wednesday # 15 :: His Brother's Wife Release Date!
It's been a long time coming but the time is near! If you received my eNewsletter yesterday, you will have seen that there has FINALLY been a release date associated with this book.
I've purposely held off announcing the release date. I know, that's mean, right? Well, not really. Back last year before THE RANCHER was to be released, I ran into a few personal problems (not worth mentioning 'what' they were) but...I missed the release date. The book wasn't finished when I 'thought' it would be and it pushed my schedule way behind. Add that stress on top of what was already wrong and the later part of 2012 was one big cosmic wedgie!
The emails pouring in didn't help, either. Well, they did in a way. It let me know readers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the book but with every email, I felt just a little bit more desperate. I was letting my readers down and that guilt only made the stress more severe.
Fast forward a few months to my actively working on HIS BROTHER'S WIFE. I 'had' a date set on my website for this book but I promptly removed it. I didn't want a repeat of the release date mistake because I honestly didn't know what would happen. Good thing I did too. I again missed my projected date.
I decided the best thing to do was wait until I at least had a first draft completed before even thinking of release. I now have that completed, plus rewrites, so only editing remains and I can safely say the book will be more or less ready in the very near future so without further ado.....May 27th, 2013 is the magic date some of you have been waiting on!
The book is the first full-length novel in the Willow Creek Series, ending up around the 77,000 word mark, and it won't be the last. I have plans for a few more and as with everything, I'm sure more characters will keep popping up. So far, here is what's in store for our favorite little frontier town:
There's a new Doctor in town, who you will get to meet in HIS BROTHER'S WIFE. His book will be coming up in the near future. There's also an upcoming Christmas book (that's being written now) to look forward to and everyone's favorite tomboy, Alexandra Avery, will be stirring up trouble when she's of age to find that husband everyone is worried about she'll never find. Trust me, there IS a man out there for her and he's as ornery as she is. *wink*
So, that's three more 'planned' stories and I 'think' I have the makings of one other historical but its too fresh of an idea yet to say if it's solid enough. Time will tell. After that...I have this insane desire to see that Avery clan in a contemporary setting. I'm almost positive those Avery cowboys are just as sexy and head-strong in the twentieth-first century as they were in the nineteenth...and probably a whole lot more sinfully wicked!
Anyway, that's the plan thus far. There's more books coming, more sexy cowboys and more adventures to experience.
For those eager for HIS BROTHER'S WIFE, here's a small snippet to hold you over!
His Brother's Wife
by
Lily Graison
Copyright © 2013 by Lily Graison
"Are you cold?"
He pulled the blanket around her tighter, holding the ends together. Something in his eyes as he looked at her warmed her, made her feel precious in that moment. His touch, the very nearness of him leaving her limbs tingling. "I'm fine now," she said. "It's hard to be cold when you're so near."
Something heated moved behind his eyes at her admission. She felt it along her skin as his gaze roamed her face. When he leaned in and kissed her, his tongue sliding between her lips in one forceful movement, that same heat traveled her flesh until her knees went weak.
He followed her to the ground, laying her back against the grass as the sun heated their wet skin, their clothing sticking to them as his demanding kiss drew a gasping breath from her throat. "Rafe."
Breaking the kiss, his lips moved along her jaw, down the column of her throat to the top of her dress. He lingered, Grace's breath hitched and she prayed he'd take advantage of the situation.
Rafe released a breath, the warmth of it caressing the flesh on her throat before he laid his head to her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Grace."
"For what?"
He chuckled and held her tighter. "For wanting you so much." He looked up, raised a hand to caress the side of her face. "I'll have you here by the creek like some untried school boy if you're not careful.
She licked her lips and stared him in the eye. "And if I don't object?"
To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!
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April 23, 2013
THE LAWMAN, historical western romance, now FREE!
Book 1 in my historical, western romance, The Willow Creek Series, is now FREE on Amazon.com! I'm not sure how long the deal will last so grab your copy while you can.
The Lawman
by Lily Graison
On the run from her ex-lover…
Jilted by a no-show husband…
And now mistaken for a whore in the Diamond Back Saloon…
Abigail Thornton doesn't think things can get any worse. That is until a single slap to a man’s face starts a barroom brawl that lands her in the last place she expected to be.
Town Marshal Morgan Avery wants nothing more than to wash away the trail-dust and sleep for a week, preferably with a soft, willing woman by his side. Instead, he gets Abigail Thornton – all one hundred pounds of her thrust at him seconds before a fist connects with his face. Breaking up the fight takes more effort than he wants to admit and when the last man falls he finds Abigail still standing and not looking the least bit contrite.
Throwing her into the town jail for the night would salve his wounded pride and then he will let her go. Or that was the plan. When morning comes he finds himself oddly reluctant to do so. Miss Thornton is hiding something and he aims to find out what, even if he has to bed her to do so. But will one night in her bed be enough?
Get it FREE on Amazon.Com and Smashwords!
Amazon.Com US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CA | BR
» Smashwords
All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
April 21, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday #33 - His Brother's Wife - Historical Western Romance #sixsunday
Welcome! This week's six again comes from my soon to be released, His Brother's Wife.
Grace woke surrounded by heat. She flexed her fingers, feeling warm skin beneath them, and blinked her eyes open. She wasn't alone.
Rafe laid beside her, his eyes closed. The fact he was sleeping didn't surprise her as much as the knowledge that they were in bed together. And if she hadn't lost every ounce of her wits, she was almost positive they were both very much naked.
His Brother's Wife
by Lily Graison
A Willow Creek Novel
When Grace Kingston accepts a wedding proposal through a mail-order bride agency and travels across country to be married, she has no idea her bridegroom is a fourteen-year-old boy. There’s no way she can accept his offer but with depleted funds, and winter coming on, Grace has little choice but to stay. Things go from bad to worse when she meets Jesse’s older brother, Rafe. The attraction is immediate. He’s surly, rude and downright pig-headed but he makes her pulse race with a single glance.
Rafe Samuels thought to teach his brother a lesson by making him take responsibility for his rash behavior but one look at Grace and his plans go up in smoke. She isn't the dowdy spinster he imagined and having her live in his house and not be able to have her is the worst kind of torment. But putting her out of his mind is impossible.
As fall turns to winter, Grace finds that living with the two brothers isn't as simple a thing as she once thought. Jesse still thinks marriage is in the cards, and Rafe is a devilishly handsome distraction she doesn't need. She can’t decide if he hates her or wants to kiss her. How can she avoid breaking Jess’s heart when it becomes clear that the attraction between her and Rafe is mutual?
His Brother’s Wife is a full-length, stand-alone novel that takes place (in) Willow Creek.
>>Releasing Spring 2013
To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!
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March 10, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday #32 - His Brother's Wife - Historical Western Romance #sixsunday
Welcome! This week's six again comes from my soon to be released, His Brother's Wife.
Just the thought of her
heated his blood. The scent of her skin stirred him and
made he feel like a man possessed. He wanted her with an urgency that scared
him shitless. It willed him to do anything he had to do to have her.
And fight just as hard to
see that it never happened.
If he'd learned anything about his failed attempts
at relationships in the past, it was that he wasn't capable of being loved.
His Brother's Wife
by Lily Graison
A Willow Creek Novel
When Grace Kingston accepts a wedding proposal through a mail-order bride agency and travels across country to be married, she has no idea her bridegroom is a fourteen-year-old boy. There’s no way she can accept his offer but with depleted funds, and winter coming on, Grace has little choice but to stay. Things go from bad to worse when she meets Jesse’s older brother, Rafe. The attraction is immediate. He’s surly, rude and downright pig-headed but he makes her pulse race with a single glance.
Rafe Samuels thought to teach his brother a lesson by making him take responsibility for his rash behavior but one look at Grace and his plans go up in smoke. She isn't the dowdy spinster he imagined and having her live in his house and not be able to have her is the worst kind of torment. But putting her out of his mind is impossible.
As fall turns to winter, Grace finds that living with the two brothers isn't as simple a thing as she once thought. Jesse still thinks marriage is in the cards, and Rafe is a devilishly handsome distraction she doesn't need. She can’t decide if he hates her or wants to kiss her. How can she avoid breaking Jess’s heart when it becomes clear that the attraction between her and Rafe is mutual?
His Brother’s Wife is a full-length, stand-alone novel that takes place (in) Willow Creek.
>>Releasing 2013
To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!
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All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
March 7, 2013
Thursday 13 :: 13 Things You'd Find In An 1800's General Store
It's been a while since I've done a Thursday 13 and I actually miss them. They were a lot of fun so I'm going to bring them back for a while. Today's 13 are things you'd find in my Willow Creek Series. More specifically, things you'd find in Mrs. Jenkins' Mercantile which is located in the town of Willow Creek.
13 Things You'd Find in Mrs. Jenkins' Mercantile in 1860!
(click each photograph to enlarge it to better see the detail)
Tools, Harnesses & Cloth Goods
Pots, Baskets and Beans
Sewing Notions (thread, needles, buttons, etc.), Boots and Dresses
Fine China, Coffee & Tobacco
Even a wooden casket to bury your dead!
Hats, Crocheted Lace & Feathers for Hats
Hats, Bonnets and Evening Coats
Drawers full of...uh, I actually have no idea what this was used for. I just thought it was
interesting! I'm assuming small things like nails, or buttons, or ...tiny things?
Curling Irons for your hair.
(I'm not sure if you can see it or not, but the 'end' of that has a 'bowl' where a hot
coal from the fire was placed. That's where your heat came from! Neat, huh?
Ribbon for your hair.
Elixirs and Salves. Modern Medicine for the times.
Barrels and Tins
And last, but not least, a Hot Cowboy or two!
(The cowboy alone is worth making the trip!)
And there you go. Things you'd find in Mrs. Jenkins' Mercantile,
located in Willow Creek Montana circa 1868.
If you'd like to visit Mrs. Jenkins and the other residents of Willow Creek,
Head over to LilyGraison.com and see The Lawman first!
These photographs were taken by me at an area event held by Dr. Robert Hart. He's rescued, and restored nineteenth century structures, the largest collection of original, historical log structures in the United States, for the last forty years, and has furnished each building as it would have been in that time.
Hart Square opens once a year, the 4th Saturday in October, to the public and the limited number of tickets usually sell within minutes. The thing that makes Hart Square so unique, are the local historians who 're-enact' how life would have been in that time. I've had the privilege to be one of those historical reenactors for the last two years and its an event I look forward to all year long.
If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Harts life-long project, visit the Catawba County Historical Society.
All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
March 6, 2013
Join My Street Team For Exclusive Goodies!
Hello my Lovelies,
I'd like to invite you to become a member of my street team!
What is a street team, exactly?
Readers and bloggers who help spread the word about me and my books.
What's in it for you?
ARC's (Advance Reader Copies of New Releases)
Book Swag
Cover Flats
Exclusive Contests for Gift Cards, book related gifts and Free Books!
Exclusive Goodies
Exclusive Excerpts
New Release promo items with every new book release - (book swag, trading cards, book marks, etc...)
The blog banner (above) distinguishing you as a member of my Exclusive Team
And an invite to a secret group created just for you
What can you do as a member of my team? Here's a few suggestions!
Like my Facebook Page and tell your friends I'm there. Don't forget to mention the Free Book Giveaway with every '50' new LIKES.
Buy my books the first week of release, which helps its ranking. Hitting those bestsellers lists make it easier for others to find me.
Tell your friends about me and my books.
Share the promo items (bookmarks, cover flats, postcards, etc...) you receive from me with friends.
Leave promo material in your local libraries, coffee shops and local stores.
Feature interviews, reviews, excerpts, and book covers on your blogs or websites.
Share promo posts I make on Facebook with your friends by clicking on the 'Share' button under the posts.
Share your 'honest' review of the ARC's you receive on Amazon & Barnes and Noble.
'LIKE' the books on Amazon and B&N using the 'LIKE' button on the books page.
Add my books to your Goodreads lists and Recommend them to your friends.
You don't have to do every item I listed but do what you can to spread the word about Lily and her books. However much you can contribute is appreciated and I can't wait to see how far we can go!
If you'd like to be a part of my team, then Join Here!
All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
March 3, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday #31 - His Brother's Wife - Historical Western Romance #sixsunday
Welcome! This week's six comes from my current work in progress, His Brother's Wife.
She was wearing pink and green stripes. Rafe saw her the moment he stepped out of the barn and could only stare. The dress was an eye catcher but the hat sitting on her head looked like it had a bird's nest perched on one side, complete with feathers and a thin gauzy veil. Her golden hair was pulled into some fancy concoction with ringlets falling down her back and she carried a little umbrella embellished with lace.
Tugging on a small pair of gloves, she turned her head, giving him a look that said she was used to men gawking at her and he could see why they did. He didn't think he’d ever seen anything so ridiculously gaudy and tantalizing as her in his entire life.
His Brother's Wife
by Lily Graison
A Willow Creek Novel
When Grace Kingston accepts a wedding proposal through a mail-order bride agency and travels across country to be married, she has no idea her bridegroom is a fourteen-year-old boy. There’s no way she can accept his offer but with depleted funds, and winter coming on, Grace has little choice but to stay. Things go from bad to worse when she meets Jesse’s older brother, Rafe. The attraction is immediate. He’s surly, rude and downright pig-headed but he makes her pulse race with a single glance.
Rafe Samuels thought to teach his brother a lesson by making him take responsibility for his rash behavior but one look at Grace and his plans go up in smoke. She isn't the dowdy spinster he imagined and having her live in his house and not be able to have her is the worst kind of torment. But putting her out of his mind is impossible.
As fall turns to winter, Grace finds that living with the two brothers isn't as simple a thing as she once thought. Jesse still thinks marriage is in the cards, and Rafe is a devilishly handsome distraction she doesn't need. She can’t decide if he hates her or wants to kiss her. How can she avoid breaking Jess’s heart when it becomes clear that the attraction between her and Rafe is mutual?
His Brother’s Wife is a full-length, stand-alone novel that takes place (in) Willow Creek.
>>Releasing 2013
To be notified when this book is released, sign up for the Lily Graison Newsletter by filling in the form below!
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All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
February 24, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday #30 - The Rancher - Historical Western Romance
Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! This week's six comes from Book 4 in the Willow Creek Series,
The Rancher featuring Holden Avery and his leading lady, Laurel Montgomery.
"If I wasn't a lady, I'd be tempted to ask you up to my room."
Holden's fingers clenched into fists at his side. "If you weren't a lady, I'd take you up on it."
She licked her lips and Holden's gaze was drawn to her mouth while every nerve in his body jumped, screamed, and demanded he forget his manners. To take advantage of the situation, damn his conscience and take her to bed. Spend the rest of the night between her thighs and make his way home come morning with a memory he'd have a hard time forgetting.
The Rancher
by Lily Graison
Laurel Montgomery wanted a new life, one that didn't include a man. She’d had enough of their pretty lies and broken promises but one night of reckless abandon weeks before taking a job as the new schoolteacher in Willow Creek would come back to haunt her. The man she thought to never see again turns out to be the father of one of her new students. A man so handsome and rugged he takes her breath away. Too bad she’s sworn off men forever. If only the stubborn man would take no for an answer.
Holden Avery was love-struck the moment he saw Laurel Montgomery and cursed himself for a fool every waking minute since letting her walk out of his life. When she turns up in Willow Creek he’s handed the second chance he didn't think he’d ever get but thoughts of pursuing Laurel are cut short when a stranger shows up in town. A man who claims to be Laurel’s husband.
The happily ever after Holden thought to finally have is plagued with obstacles but he sets off to prove he’s the man Laurel wants. Convincing her to give him a chance is nearly impossible but he’s waited too long to find her to give up now. One way or the other, Laurel Montgomery would be his wife.
Buy Now or Read and Excerpt
Amazon.Com US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CA | BR
» Barnes & Noble
» Smashwords
» Diesel
» Sony
» Kobo
Also available in the Apple iBook Store
All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
February 21, 2013
Romancing the West Blog Hop
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Welcome to the Romancing the West Blog Hop, hosted by Cowboy Charm. This hop will run Feb. 22nd - 25th and celebrate's all things cowboys! Whether it's a historical setting or a modern day romance, each western we read brings us something truly unique.
My own love affair with the west started a few years ago when my husband and I joined a local historical group. We do several living history events a year and living out of a tent and cooking over an open fire are experiences one never forgets.
Our 1800's Kitchen Home away from Home
Making and wearing period garments is the highlight for me. I'd never sewn before I tried my hand at this but once I completed my first project and got to slip it on, I was hooked! You're able to transform into someone else wearing period garments and for a few hours a day, I got to do just that as I taught others what it was like to live in the past.
You see those big beautiful dresses in movies and TV but until you've worn one, you just can't appreciate what those ladies a hundred years ago actually went through. The number of layers under those elaboration dresses are hot even with modern air conditioning. Imagine nine layers of clothing and nothing to cool you but a small hand held fan?
This is the first 'fancy' dress I made. It took me a little over a month to create. All the ribbon around the sleeves and front of the coat were hand ruffled and took two days just to complete. Its two pieces with detachable sleeves. (my slip is showing!) And for those curious, yes, I DO have on a corset, even 'period' pantelettes, which were *gasp* crothless! I love this dress and feel like a real southern belle when wearing it.
I also tried my hand at coat making and crafting my own hats.
This passion of mine is what drew me to writing westerns. I love the time period. Things were hard but compared to the hustle and bustle of today's world, it was a much easier time. Family's stuck together no matter what, friendships lasted the whole of one's life and cowboys are what made the west come alive.
I try to show as much in my Willow Creek Series, set in the late 1860's Montana. The Avery men are each as different as the next. The Lawman, The Outlaw, The Gambler and The Rancher. Four brother's who have all taken a different path in life but realize home is where his heart is. It's in getting there that they find the women they've spent their life searching for.
Keep reading to see how you can win the first two books in my Willow Creek Series!
Prize
One winner will receive eBook copies of The Lawman and The Outlaw, Books 1 and 2 in my Willow Creek Series
The Lawman
Lily Graison
On the run from her ex-lover…
Jilted by a no-show husband…
And now mistaken for a whore in the Diamond Back Saloon…
Abigail Thornton doesn't think things can get any worse. That is until a single slap to a man’s face starts a barroom brawl that lands her in the last place she expected to be.
Town Marshal Morgan Avery wants nothing more than to wash away the trail-dust and sleep for a week, preferably with a soft, willing woman by his side. Instead, he gets Abigail Thornton – all one hundred pounds of her thrust at him seconds before a fist connects with his face. Breaking up the fight takes more effort than he wants to admit and when the last man falls he finds Abigail still standing and not looking the least bit contrite.
Throwing her into the town jail for the night would salve his wounded pride and then he will let her go. Or that was the plan. When morning comes he finds himself oddly reluctant to do so. Miss Thornton is hiding something and he aims to find out what, even if he has to bed her to do so. But will one night in her bed be enough?
Read the entire first chapter
The Outlaw
Lily Graison
Sarah Hartford always dreamed of a grand adventure. She just never expected to find it in the arms of an outlaw.
When her father’s bank is robbed, Sarah doesn't make the gunslingers’ escape easy. Putting her own safety behind those she hopes to protect backfires when she’s kidnapped by one of the escaping men. Now her only hope for survival lies with the same arrogant man who laughed at her while staring down the barrel of her gun.
Colton Avery spent months planning the perfect heist, every detail fine tuned and executed with precise timing. Nothing could go wrong. That is until he comes face to face with a determined woman holding a shotgun. She aimed at his head and never flinched when she took a shot at him. He wanted her the moment the smoke cleared and he saw her face.
Robbing the bank, and handing over the gang of notorious outlaws to US Marshals, would be routine and boring. Sarah Hartford made it anything but. Taming the woman who stole his heart the instant he saw her was a challenge he was more than willing to take on. All he has to do now is escape the gang of outlaws he just double-crossed, hideout from an Indian raiding party and elude the town marshal who just happens to be his little hellion’s new fiancé.
Read the entire first chapter
How To Enter
1. Comment on the blog and tell me what you love about western romance stories.
2. Fill in the Rafflecopter form. Winners will be picked using the form so follow the directions.
3. If you'd like extra chances to win, feel free to do the additional tasks on the Rafflecopter form.
Commenting on the blog is the only requirement to enter BUT you HAVE to click the Rafflecopter form saying you commented or your entry won't count.
This Giveaway is International and open Feb. 22nd - 25th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Click on any of the following blogs for more chances to win!
All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
February 10, 2013
Six Sentence Sunday #29 - The Gambler - Historical Western Romance
Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! This week's six comes from Book 3 in the Willow Creek Series,
The Gambler featuring Tristan Avery and his leading lady, Emmaline Hunt.
"I promised to
protect you, Emmaline, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. Hate me if you
want but I'm not letting you go."
Something in the way
he said those words made her think they meant more than the obvious. The look
on his face was intense, his hand fisted into her hair held her captive against
him and the warmth of his breath against her damp lips caused goose bumps to
pimple her skin. "Why?"
He blinked and some emotion she couldn't name
moved in his eyes. His hold on her loosened but he didn't let go of her.
"Because I don't want to."
The Gambler
by Lily Graison
Emmaline Hunt only had one thing she could call her own. A piece of land that held a secret not even her drunken stepfather knew about. When he gambles it away in a high stakes poker game, Emmaline does the only thing she can. She tries to steal the land deed back.
Tristan Avery has seen his share of bloodshed while sitting at a gaming table and knows its time to lay low when he wins a wad of cash and a piece of land. Especially after his opponent ends up dead at his feet. High tailing it out of town is his only option but things take a drastic turn when he finds a woman in his hotel room trying to rob him blind.
The botched robbery attempt is only the start of his troubles when Tristan finds his new land occupied by the same girl who tried to rob him. When he realizes he’s left her homeless, and killed her stepfather, his conscience forces him to do the right thing. Taking her to his hometown and setting her up with a new life will make up for all he’s taken from her.
But Emmaline has other plans. She wants her land, and Tristan’s money, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get them. All she has to do is convince him she’s there to stay, outwit him, find a way back home and not let a single soul know she has a gold mine bursting at the seems with untapped wealth.
Buy Now or Read and Excerpt
Amazon.Com US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CA | BR
Barnes and Noble.Com
Smashwords
Diesel
Kobo
Sony
Also available in the Apple iBook Store
All material ©2005-2012 to Lily Graison
