Vivian Arend's Blog, page 65

Look who joined the pack!

Hi!

I'm having a wonderful time at RT 2012, and I've got all kinds of swag with me. Today was the FAMILY FEUD event -tons of fun- followed by the Western Readers event.

One of  the attendees is a lovely little service dog, and he's decided to join the Wolfie Pack! See the purple dog tag hanging from his vest?

Rocky Mountain Heat voted #1 Western Romance

Readers and reviewers at The Romance Reviews have named Rocky Mountain Heat the Best Book of 2011 in Romance – Western Romance.

What a fun surprise to start my time at RT!

Thanks to everyone who read and voted for Blake and Jaxi, and I'm so pleased by how much people are enjoying getting to know the Colemens.

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Rocky Mountain Heat

Six Pack Ranch, Book 1

He's the one who taught her to ride. Now all he wants is to ride her.

Blake Coleman is old enough to know that acting on impulse causes nothing but a heap of trouble. But when trouble's a western-hat-wearing blonde with slim legs that go on forever, what's a man to do? Wanting the sweet girl next door is just wrong. The responsible thing to do is keep his hands off.

Jaxi has other plans for Blake's hands, and his heart. She may have once considered him a big brother, but that was a long time ago. She's all grown up now and ready to convince him that she's perfect for him. Except he can't seem to see past the big "don't touch" sign that's apparently still hanging around her neck.

When Jaxi ends up living right under Blake's nose, the undeniable heat between them slides off simmer and leaps up to barn-burning levels. However, a few of the younger six-pack Colemans have decided Jaxi's brand of trouble is worth risking a few busted bones.

That is, if Blake's finally ready to let go the reins and fight for what he wants…

Warning: Sexy cowboys seducing and being seduced in trucks, pool halls and barns. Droolworthy country charm, a little double-teaming, a few secrets and a whole lot of brothers to look forward to. Anyone wanna go for a ride?

Buy Links: Samhain | Amazon|Barnes & Noble | Kobo | All Romance Ebooks

Romance Times Conference

It's Monday, and I'm going into silence mode because I'm headed to the RT conference. This means I'll be busy talking w people in real life and spending less time online visiting, although chances are I'll still nab a  little Twitter and/or Facebook time.

Here's where you'll find me for the week of April 10-15. If you can, stop in. I'll have swag and hugs, for those who like such things.

ALSO! Starting WEDNESDAY: Collect author signatures for prizes

Together with a group of authors we will have fun brochures for you to gather signatures during the con. People who get all of them and show it to one of us at the end of the Saturday book signing will be in the running for great prizes including a Nook, B&N giftcards, and a box of books/swag. Track me down, and I'll give you a brochure!

The Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel

9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue

Rosemont, Illinois, 60018

(847) 696-1234

My Schedule:

WEDNESDAY

(WEDNESDAY, 1:00-2:00 pm) ROMANCE READERS FAMILY FEUD

Join these bestselling authors for a romantic take on a game show classic with plenty of prizes and lots of laughs. Survey says you'll giggle your way through this fun-filled game made just for romance readers!

Hosts: Zoë Archer, Vivian Arend, Tessa Dare, Louisa Edwards, Nico Rosso

(WEDNESDAY, 2:15-3:15 pm) WESTERN ROUND UP

Join these western writers and a special hunky guest for TV/movie western trivia, line dancing and prizes. Pull on your boots, grab your hat and come along to the roundup.

Hosts: C.H. Admirand, Vivian Arend, Lori Armstrong (aka Lorelei James), Cindy Holby (aka Kassy Tayler), Cat Johnson, Janette Kenny, Amanda McIntyre, Bobbi Smith, Beth Williamson (aka Emma Lang)

ALSO! Starting WEDNESDAY: Collect author signatures for prizes

Together with a group of authors we will have fun brochures for you to gather signatures during the con. People who get all of them and show it to one of us at the end of the Saturday book signing will be in the running for great prizes including a Nook, B&N giftcards, and a box of books/swag. Track me down, and I'll give you a brochure!

 THURSDAY

(THURSDAY, 4:00-6:00 pm) E-BOOK, INDIE PUBLISHER & GRAPHIC NOVEL EXPO

Meet more than 125 e-book authors and dozens of graphic novel authors. Get autographs, chat with some of your favorite writers and graphic novel illustrators and more.

Authors: See the list of authors signing

(THURSDAY, 6:15-7:15 pm)  SAMHAIN WESTERN STAMPEDE MIXER

Join the fun as Samhain Publishing celebrates all things western romance at the Samhain Stampede! Meet western romance authors Vivian Arend, Mari Carr, Delilah Devlin, Desiree Holt, Myla Jackson, Lorelei James, Cat Johnson, Mackenzie McKade, Jayne Rylon, Beth Williamson and many more. Featuring a barbecue buffet, games and prizes — including the grand prize, a year's worth of Samhain digital releases! This mixer is fixin' to be a boot-scootin' good time!

 FRIDAY

FRIDAY, 10:00-11:00 am) Publishing Spotlight: SAMHAIN

Samhain Publishing editors share what they're looking for and how to submit a manuscript.

(FRIDAY 4:00-6:00 pm) RT AWARDS CEREMONY

Winners of the 2011 RT Reviewers' Choice Awards will be announced!

SATURDAY

(SATURDAY, 11:00 am-2:00 pm) GIANT BOOKFAIR

 Meet more than 300 authors who will autograph books, posters and bookmarks. Bring your "keepers" and have them signed!

(SATURDAY, 9:00 pm-Midnight) HARLEQUIN'S NIGHT OF THE STARS

Harlequin invites you to join the stars of romance for an evening of fun, glamor and lot of dancing at the 2012 RT Booklovers' Convention.

And when I'm not at these events you'll undoubtably find me hanging out somewhere and chatting with people.

Two bars! I go for the conversations. Really.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adrenaline- I haz it!

Adrenaline–that rush of chemicals through your body when something scary or exciting is happening. Well, I've got both. The scary and the exciting.

I'm pleased to be able to announce that I've got a new series that will start in April 2013. The "Adrenaline" series revolves around an elite Search and Rescue squad based out of Banff, Alberta. Specializing in high-risk alpine rescue, this award-winning team utilizes helicopter, rock climbing, skis or other back-country techniques as required.  Each book will revolve around a different member of the team.

The books will be published through Berkley Sensation. I am very excited to be working on these with Cindy Hwang at Berkley, who is one of the NY editors I've heard so many wonderful things about over the years.

I'll have more details out to you as I get them!

Yes, I will continue to publish with Samhain. Currently working on ROCKY MOUNTAIN ANGEL, Six Pack Ranch #4 that will be out December 11, 2012. There's WOLF LINE coming in June, and SILVER MINE in September, and I've got at least three more wolfies and …well, a few cowboys to share their stories.

I hope you'll be as excited as I am by this new adventure. Because really, it's just a new place to share my stories.

 

 

Nick Blackthorn's World Tour (Love's Rhythm by Lexxie Couper)

 

I'm happy to welcome my sweet friend from Down Under to the blog. Lexxie Couper is taking her incredible hero on a WORLD TOUR, and this is the eighth stop. She's given us an exclusive excerpt PLUS a line from Nick's International Number One bestseller, Night Whispers. (You need that line for a special contest!!)

From Lexxie:

If you're not sure what Nick Blackthorne's World Blog Tour is, check out contest details here at Lexxie Couper's blog  There are prizes galore including right here! To be in the running to win an ebook from Lexxie's backlist make sure to leave a comment or ask Lexxie (or Nick) a question. A winner will be announced at the end of the day.

~~**~~

His music moves the world. Can his love move her heart?

Nick Blackthorne knows all about words of love. They're the reason he's the world's biggest rock star. The irony? He turned his back on love a long time ago, lured away by the trappings of fame.

An invitation to a friend's wedding is a stark reminder of how meaningless his life has become. When he enters that church, there's only one woman he wants on his arm—the one he walked out on a lifetime ago. But first he has to find her, even if all she accepts from him is an apology.

Kindergarten teacher Lauren Robbins once had what every woman on the planet desires. Nick. Their passion was explosive, their romance the stuff of songs…and it took fifteen years to get over him. Then out of the blue Nick turns up at her door, and all those years denying her ache for him are shattered with a single, smoldering kiss.

But molten passion can't hide the secret she's kept for all these years. Because it's not just her heart on the line anymore…and not just her life that'll be rocked by the revelation.

Warning    Remember your first crush on a rock star? Now add smoldering sex, a raw and undeniable passion, soul-shattering orgasms. And secrets… 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

~~**~~

With a snort and a shake of his head, Nick shoved his pyjama trousers down over his hips. The black silk pooled at his feet and he kicked the garment aside and shoved his legs in his jeans without bothering with boxers. He tugged up the zip, buttoned the fly and it hit him. A simple sentence on a simple rhythm.

I'll hold you till you let me.

He straightened, the line whispering through his head again, but this time, there were more. So many more. Words on a rhythm. Words he couldn't ignore. He ran to his overnight bag, dug around in its contents, the words not just whispering to him now, but singing. Singing.

I'll hold you till you let me.

And then plead for time…

"Yes!" he shouted, finding what he was looking for. A pen. His notebook.

He spun to the bed, dropped to his knees and opened the book, uncaring that it wasn't to the newest clean page. It didn't matter. The words, he needed to get the words down.

I'll hold you till you let me.

And then plead for time

To let you know I'm sorry

To make you mine.

I never should have left you

Never should have caused you pain.

But in the hearts of fools and men

Love will come undone again.

I can't promise no tears

But I promise utter truth

And in that truth I'll show you how

I'll hold you for all time.

My heart, I give you mine today

Today.

My heart, I give you mine today

Today.

The words flowed from him, coming so fast his hand could barely form them. He scratched out notes, indicated inflections, pace, but it was the words that made him burn. The words that spoke of his soul.

They kept coming. Verse followed by chorus. Chorus followed by bridge. Bridge followed by verse and back to bridge again.

Words that promised. Words that sang.

An outpouring beyond constraint.

He saw the music and heard the words, writing it all down, notes and rests marked on a hastily drawn staff, key signatures indicated, time signature likewise. A song called "Today".

He was still writing, his knees beyond numb, his hand beginning to cramp, when the door to his room opened and his bodyguard stepped across the threshold.

~~**~~

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

~~**~~

Nice, eh? Things you might not know about Nick–he's also in the series that I got to work on with Lexxie–Bandicoot Cove. He's got a cameo in PARADISE FOUND and a staring role in TROPICAL SIN.

And that missing line of text you need? It's April Fools. I have to make you work for it. It's RIGHT here on the blog page, RIGHT in recent posts, RIGHT before your very eyes. *wink* find it? If you didn't you can use the contact button to ask me the answer, but I bet you CAN find it! lol

==>Searching for an answer

Yes, the title of this post is the line of the song that you need to fill in for the Lexxie Couper's World Tour.

Well done!

Searching for an answer

Yes, the title of this post is the line of the song that you need to fill in for the Lexxie Couper's World Tour.

Well done!

Saturday Snippet

Just something from Silver Mine, since the cover is now official. And the blurb. I'm in the middle of edits for this Sept 11 release, and totally in love with Chase and Shelley.

Silver Mine

Takhini Wolves, Book 2

If a tree falls in the forest, duck…

Life in isolation is the safest place for Chase Johnson, a crossbreed who doesn't know which form he'll assume next—cougar or wolf. Once a year, his unelected position as spokesman for the Yukon outcasts forces him to visit civilization. This time he runs across someone unexpected. She's not his mate, but she pushes all the right buttons.

It's taken years for Shelley Bradley to gather the courage to return to her home pack. In spite of being the lowest of the low—a shifter who can't shift—she's determined to make a place for herself as the Whitehorse locals' new vet-slash-doctor.

There's definite electricity between her and Chase, but sex with fellow shifters and the inherent mind games got old a long time ago. Ignoring him seems best. When he shows up at her office with a wound that won't heal, she's stuck—yet drawn to solve this medical mystery.

As they journey deep into outcast territory in search of answers, their powerful sexual attraction crumbles her resistance. But time is of the essence. If a cure can't be found before his human and cougar succumb to his injury, he—and others like him—will die.

Warning: Contains a silver-tongued, hairy-chested, lean-muscled Alpha who's got what it takes to lead in the wilderness and in the bedroom. Yeah, I know…not really much of a deterrent, is it? Throw in continuing territorial wars and a domestic cat. Stir and enjoy the chaos.

~~**~~

"You sure you're not a politician?" she asked.

"Hell, no. They eat politicians where I'm from."

Shelley discovered her hands stroking him. Bad hands, to take control like that. "You're very reasonable. Far more reasonable than most men. Or shifters."

"I'm not typical."

He said it so dryly Shelley lost control and snorted in amusement. "No. No, you certainly aren't."

Chase brought them closer. His fingers in her hair, smoothing the strands away from her face. "So does that option interest you at all?"

"The no-sex sex?"

"Fooling around. As far as you want to go. I'll follow your lead, but I want to touch you. Make you feel good."

A shiver of temptation struck. And when he brought their mouths together again, part of the decision was made.

Damn, the man could kiss. He was so sneaky she didn't even register when he picked her up and carried her across the room. He must have, though, because suddenly she was sitting on his lap on her couch, straddling him in fact. That wicked tongue of his brushed along the rim of her ear before he dipped inside, and she shivered.

Goose bumps, check. Body aching for a touch, check. He kissed the hollow of her throat, and she was lost.

No-sex sex was awesome. This? This she could totally do.

Winners!

All in one place- the winners from my anniversary bash and the Tessa Dare love-fest. (Man, book 2 was GOOOOOD!!!) and… the winner from my newsletter contest for Six Pack Swag. Yes, there was a SPECIAL contest in my newsletter. Did you miss it?

Sign up and don't miss the next one! (sign up is at the bottom of the website, and I promise not to spam you)

Onward!

NEWSLETTER Six Pack Swag:  Including a Six Pack Ranch bottle opener and other goodies. Jennifer Berg

ANNIVERSARY

-stuffed monkey: Louise

-glass half full: Jennifer Bell

-little stuffied buddies: Sullivan McPig

-coffee cup: KittyKelly

TESSA LOVE-FEST

Website winners: ClaudiaGC , CrystalGB , azteclady , Pamiam , Maria E

Facebook winners: Pam Schwartz Pennell , Jennifer Jones Beyer , Claudia Arendt 

Goodreads winners: *yadkny* ,  Jennifer ,  Stacey

 ~~**~~

I've contacted Jennifer Berg, but I need everyone else to use the contact button at the top of the page and include for me (making it easy on my brain!)

a) what you won and

b) your mailing address if I'll need it

c) or in the case of Tessa's book, the format you'd like (ebook or print) and delivery information

Thank you for joining me during March- it's been a pretty amazing month. (And it's not quiet over yet!)

Cool New Books- A Week to Be Wicked- Tessa Dare

 

During the book signing in Vegas, Tessa read a snippet from the first book in the Spindle Cove series. I was so enticed I bought the book myself and read it on the way home. I LOVED it. LOVED. I had read the Christmas novella Once Upon a Winter's Eve back in December, but the fact this was a novel meant I had more time to really get into Tessa's amazing setting. And her writing! Oh. My. I'm in complete envy at the way she works with words. I totally forgot I was reading, and that to me is a sign of a great author.

Enough gushing. Book 2 is out today, and it looks full of more of all the things I enjoyed about the first. The hilarious banter between hero/heroine, the always interesting plotline. The smexy times…I'm going to become a historical junkie, and it's it's going to be Tessa's fault.

You want this book. WANT. Like now…

But since I know some of you are order-reading freaks, I'm going to help your addiction ('cause I'm nice that way ) and I'm giving away copies of the first book in the series, just to get you hooked. **A Night To Surrender has also been nominated in the 2012 Ritas! Go Tessa!** I'll give away 5 copies to each location this posts- ie, 5 at my blog, 5 at Facebook, 5 at Goodreads. Just leave a comment for your chance to win and I'll be back Friday to give away the prizes. In the meantime, buy book 2 so you'll have it ready to roll.

When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin…

Time is not on their side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove's confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.

Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be… anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week

to fake an elopement

to convince family and friends they're in "love"

to outrun armed robbers

to survive their worst nightmares

to travel four hundred miles without killing each other

All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don't have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble.

And maybe…just maybe…love.

 Spindle Cove, Book Two

March 27, 2012, Avon Books

ISBN-10: 0062049879   ISBN-13: 978-0062049872

Print: Amazon | B & N | Indiebound | Powell's | Books-a-Million | Chapters

Digital: Kindle | Nook