Jaci Burton's Blog, page 47

Access Romance Holiday Scavenger Hunt!

A fun holiday contest, and a chance to win tons of prizes, or a Kindle 3G!

Access Romance is sponsoring a holiday scavenger hunt, and several of their authors, me included, are participating.

Click on over to Access Romance to read the rules. You could win a couple of my books, several other prizes from many authors, or a Kindle!

Have fun hunting [image error]

Naughty & Nice Holiday Giveaway!

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Welcome to the Naughty and Nice Holiday Giveaway!

This giveaway is sponsored by authors Jaci Burton, Lauren Dane, Megan Hart and Shannon Stacey. We all have holiday novellas releasing at Carina Press on December 6th, individually and as part of a collection. Please check out the collectionhere, and click on our names to see each of our books.

In preparation for the release of our books, we're offering up a blog tour and awesome prize package!

Each author is offering up the following prizes:

Jaci Burton – A $25 Amazon gift certificate, plus a digital copy of ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS.

Lauren Dane – A copy of SECOND CHANCES and BELIEVE

Megan Hart – A copy of THE CHALLENGE

Shannon Stacey – A $25 Amazon Gift Certificate, plus a digital copy of HOLIDAY SPARKS

Visit each of our blogs (links below), and you not only have a chance to win the prize that each author is offering on her individual blog, but you also have a chance to win the grand prize:

A 3G/Wi-Fi Kindle!

We'll be drawing for the Kindle from all the entries on all the blogs, so be sure to visit and enter at all the blogs. That way you're eligible to not only win the individual blog prizes, but also the grand prize!

To be entered in the contest here on my blog, tell me some of your favorite holiday romantic reads, or a new holiday romance you're coveting or just bought. I'm in the mood to buy holiday romances right now.

Contest will end on Friday, December 3rd at noon eastern and winners will be posted that day. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Contest void where prohibited.

Authors' blogs:

Jaci Burton

Lauren Dane

Megan Hart

Shannon Stacey

Pre-Order The Perfect Play At A Discount!

Heads up, folks! Great price on THE PERFECT PLAY

Right now you can pre-order THE PERFECT PLAY at Amazon for $9.61 which is 36% off the cover price!

Not sure how long it'll be at that price, so order now, now, now! [image error]

Giving Thanks

I know many of you here in the US will be hitting the road today or are busy in preparations for tomorrow's Thanksgiving holiday.

If you're traveling, stay safe.

I hope you all enjoy the company of your family and friends.

And whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving this week or not, this is my week to give thanks. Thank you for being a part of my life, for hanging here with me, for reading my books. I'm so grateful for all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekend & Week Ahead

Whew! What a busy weekend. Did some work on a book, then some other behind the scenes work which is always an evil necessity but incredibly time consuming. Working with my web designers on the new website, which should be up and running very soon. Can't wait for you all to see it. It's going to be incredibly awesome!

Went shopping on Saturday both in person and online and got a start on the Christmas shopping. It was exhausting (both online and in person…heh). But at least I've got a start on it now, so I'm not feeling as panicked about the approach of the holiday. And I bought myself a new purse! Yay for me!

Lots of sports this weekend. My Sooners won, my Rams lost, and Jimmie Johnson proved he's a dynasty unto himself in NASCAR, but the final race was a nail biter and Biker Dude and I enjoyed the race down to the final minutes.

Today I turned in the proposal for my second suspense book to MIRA, and now I'll be digging into revisions for HEART OF A KILLER. I can't wait to share details about this book with you! (I do have the back cover copy, but the book doesn't release until November of next year, so…..) [image error]

Did y'all have a fun weekend?

Preorder!

ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS is now available for Preorder at the Carina Press site!

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Also, the entire Naughty and Nice collection can be preodered at a discount, if you want to order the contemporary books by me, Shannon Stacey, Lauren Dane and Megan Hart, instead of buying them individually. Lots of yummy contemporary goodness! Click here to preorder

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Writing Update & Other Randomness

Time zooms along here like a comet sometimes. I bury my head in work and then realize I haven't blogged for like a week.

I'm working on the proposal for book 2 of my suspense series. I turned in Heart of Killer a few weeks ago, and already have edits sitting on my desk from my editor (ack!) so as soon as I turn in the proposal for book 2, I'll have to dive into edits. (See why I don't know what day it is?). I'm hoping to have back cover copy for Heart of a Killer to share with you soon so you'll at least know what the hell I'm talking about when I talk about this suspense series. Heh.

Thanksgiving is next week. How the hell did that happen? Is anyone as wholly unprepared for the impending avalanche of the holiday season as I am? It crept up on me when I wasn't looking. Wasn't it just Halloween? Jeebus. I've done no Christmas shopping at all yet. Don't even want to think about it. Guess I'd better pull my head out of the sand and start thinking about it. Ugh.

However, if you do want to think about the holidays, there are only two and a half weeks until ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS is released! You can read an excerpt here on my site

Does anyone watch Dancing With The Stars? Brandy was robbed! I was stunned. That being said, these shows where you leave it up to the audience to vote? You never know what you're going to get. Boggles the mind.

Back to work for me!

Happy Veterans Day!

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First off, Happy Veterans Day to all who are serving now and who have served. Thank you for protecting our country and putting your lives on the line to do it. Thank you to your families who waited behind while you went off to serve, and for the sacrifices they made.

Second, thank you to #1 son who served in the Marines. I'm so proud of you for deciding to take that road and change your life. It made you the man you are today. I love you.

And last but not least, Biker Dude served in the US Army in Vietnam and didn't exactly come home to a hero's welcome back then. Nor did he ask for anyone to honor or praise him for what he did over there. He did his time in the service because he wanted to, and asked for nothing in return. I love you, and I thank you for your service to our country. You are one of the most honorable men I know. You are and always will be my hero. [image error]

All She Wants For Christmas Excerpt

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ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS releases in eBook on Dec 6th from Carina Press. That's less than a month! I'm SO excited!

How about an excerpt?

Big Star, Small-town Christmas

Country singer Riley Jensen would never have returned to her small Missouri hometown if her publicist hadn't come up with the scheme to tape a Christmas special there. So she never would have known that the man who broke her heart at eighteen—causing her to flee to Nashville—was now a widower with a seven-year-old daughter. Riley has ten years of angst-filled hit songs and Grammy awards to prove she doesn't need Ethan Kent. But suddenly, she can't help thinking of all she gave up by running away…

Ethan Kent knew Riley had the talent and the drive to make it as a singer. He also knew she wasn't going anywhere if she stayed in their nowhere town for him. Then one night and one huge mistake sent her running on the road to fame. Which doesn't mean he ever stopped loving her…

But with so much separating them, can Riley and Ethan find their way back together one magical country Christmas?

Excerpt:

It hovered on the tip of her tongue, the why not me question Riley wanted to ask. But Zoey lay sleeping like an angel on the sofa a foot away from Ethan. Now wasn't the time.

It would never be the right time to ask a question for which there wasn't ever going to be a good enough answer.

Because he'd preferred Amanda, and she'd never seen it coming. She'd spent years going over it in her head—all the times the three of them had been together. Why hadn't she seen it?

Enough. She wasn't eighteen years old anymore. Amanda was dead, and there was no point in rehashing old hurts.

But the question still burned inside of her, desperate to be asked.

She hoped she could get out of this town and soon before the question spilled out.

"Great crowd tonight," he finally said, no doubt to fill the silence in the room.

"Yeah, it was. Who knew everyone would come?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Riley, everyone here is proud of you."

"I didn't think anyone here liked me anymore. I hadn't been back since I left."

"People don't hold grudges like that. You know how this town is."

"I guess I forgot how forgiving folks could be." She'd forgotten a lot of things. Like how to be forgiving.

She lifted her gaze to Ethan, remembered the past, only this time the good parts instead of the bad.

He looked good tonight in his dark jeans and long-sleeved dark blue button-down shirt, his muscles filling out every square inch. He used to be on the skinny side, but strong. Judging from the way he fit the shirt, she could only imagine the muscles now.

He studied her and she wondered what he saw.

Country diva who couldn't be bothered to come home once she'd left.

Ex-girlfriend who'd run and never returned.

Bad friend who hadn't been here when her best friend had needed her most.

What else must he think of her?

Then again, she hadn't created this mess alone, had she? She hadn't been the one to climb into bed with Amanda and ruin what she and Ethan had.

And again, the question burned on the tip of her tongue, begging to be asked.

Why?

Ethan shifted, dragging the smoke of the past away and reminding her that she was a lousy hostess.

"Yeah, well, I should get Zoey home and into bed."

Great job, Riley. "Sure."

He put on his coat and turned to her. "Thank you again for the backstage passes."

She wanted to tell him she hadn't even known about the passes, that it had been Suzie's doing. But what point would that serve, other than self protection?

"You're welcome. Glad you came."

"How much longer are you staying in town?"

She cocked a brow. "Anxious to get rid of me?"

His lips lifted. "No. No, that wasn't it at all. I was just wondering if there was someplace you needed to be, with the holidays and all."

She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "No. I have to hang out here with a few of my people until this…thing is over with."

"Thing?"

"Biography thing."

"Oh. Yeah, right."

She shrugged. "Not my idea. Honest. I'm a little young for a bio."

"The television people seem to think otherwise."

He was delaying leaving. She wondered why. "They said I've lived a lifetime in twenty-eight years, or some nonsense to that effect."

"Haven't you? You've gone through a lot to get where you are now."

Was it her imagination, or was he drawing closer?

"Not really. I just got lucky."

She found herself focusing on his lips, which was such a bad idea, because it got her thinking of how great a kisser he was, and how long it had been since she'd kissed him. And then she licked her lips, and his gaze traveled to her mouth and settled there.

"Luck had nothing to do with your success. Pure talent."

She really wished he'd look somewhere other than her mouth, because now her throat went dry, and she had to swallow. And lick her lips again. She suddenly wanted to kiss him more than she wanted to breathe.

He took a step closer and reached for her.

"Daddy, I have to go potty."

Riley took two steps back and so did Ethan, both of them turning to focus on a very sleepy-eyed Zoey, who sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Sure, muffin."

"Where are we, Daddy?"

"In Riley's dressing room."

Zoey blinked, yawned and grinned at Riley. "Hi, Riley Jensen. You sing good."

Riley laughed. "Thanks, sweetie."

He took Zoey's hand and she slid off the sofa.

"We'd better go find a bathroom, and then head home. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye, Zoey."

Zoey waved. "Bye, Riley Jensen."

Only after Ethan closed the door to the dressing room did Riley sink onto the sofa and exhale.

Ethan had almost kissed her. Even worse, Riley had really wanted him to.

She had to get the hell out of this town, and fast.

~~~~~~~

Text Copyright © 2010 by Jaci Burton Cover Art Copyright © 2010 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and TM are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Riding The Night Winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the contest to win RIDING THE NIGHT! And thank you for the congrats on my RT Reviewer's Choice nomination. I'm so thrilled about it!

I used random.org to select the winner, and it is:

Stacie (comment #2)

Stacie, email me at jaciATjaciburtonDOTcom with your full name and mailing address and I'll get the book out to you asap.

Thanks again everyone!