Nikki Duncan's Blog, page 7
October 28, 2012
A Scavenger Hunt with S.M. Boyce
[image error]So today, S. M. Boyce—paranormal romance and fantasy author of the Grimoire Trilogy—is here to lead us on a scavenger hunt as part of her Treason Blog Tour. It’s really easy to win. Just click the provided link on each clue and follow the hints to get to a secret giveaway page.
The first clue is below. But before you start the tour, make sure to take a look at the Grimoire Trilogy (book descriptions and links are below).
Have fun!
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Clue #1
On Boyce’s Blog, where would you go to see Boyce’s blog tour calendar?
Link: http://blog.smboyce.com/
—-
Lichgates
Grimoire Trilogy #1
The Grimoire turns its own pages and can answer any question asked of it…and Kara Magari is its next target.
Kara has no idea what she’s getting herself into when she stumbles across the old book while hiking along a hidden trail. Once she opens it, she’s thrown into Ourea: a beautiful world full of terrifying beings that all want the Grimoire’s secrets. Everyone in this new world is trying to find her, but most just want to control the new-found power the Grimoire bestows upon her.
Braeden Drakonin grew up in Ourea, and all he’s ever known in life is lying. The Grimoire is his one chance at redemption, and it lands in his lap when Kara Magari comes into his life. He has one question to ask the book—one question that can fix everything in his broken world—and he’s not letting Kara out of his sight until he gets an answer.
There’s no escaping Ourea.
Grab Your Copy:
Amazon: USA | UK | Germany | France | Spain | Italy
Bonus Features
Goodreads | Book Trailer | VIP List
Win a guest appearance in Heritage (The Grimoire Trilogy #3)
The Grimoire Store
Real Grimoire Pendant | Blank Grimoire Journals
Treason
Grimoire Trilogy #2
Ourea has always been a deadly place. The lichgates tying the hidden world to Earth keep its creatures at bay—for now.
Kara Magari ignited a war when she stumbled into Ourea and found the Grimoire: a powerful artifact filled with secrets. To protect the one person she has left, she strikes a deal that goes against everything she believes in. But things don’t go as planned.
Braeden Drakonin can no longer run from who—and what—he is. He has to face the facts. He’s a prince. He’s a murderer. He’s a wanted man. And after a betrayal that leaves him heartbroken, he’s out for blood.
To survive, both Kara and Braeden must become the evil each has grown to hate.
Grab Your Copy:
Amazon: USA | UK | Germany | France | Spain | Italy
Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple iBooks
Bonus Features
Goodreads | Book Trailer | VIP List
Win a guest appearance in Heritage (The Grimoire Trilogy #3)
The Grimoire Store
Real Grimoire Pendant | Blank Grimoire Journals
About S. M. Boyce
Boyce writes fantasy and paranormal fiction with a splash of humor. She’s a sarcastic twit, but she still has friends because some people seem to like that. Her B.A. in Creative Writing qualifies her to serve you french fries. Feel free to connect with her online or check out more about writing on her blog.
Connect with Boyce
Website | Blog | Advice for Writers
Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Pinterest | Youtube
October 24, 2012
Are you ready to play the Let’s Make Miracles game?
Her Miracle Man releases in just over a month. This book is like my other books, but is also considerably different which has me super excited. To celebrate, and to kick off a month long blog party where I’ll be giving away some awesome prized, it’s contest time!
11 Month Old Drowning Victim Survives – Now That’s a Midweek Miracle!
Miracle is defined as 1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause 2. such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God 3. a wonder; marvel 4. a wonderful or surpassing example of some quality: a miracle of modern acoustics.
A miracle is often thought t of as intervention by God or a good Samaritan. Some people want to investigate a miracle and figure out how it happened. Others simply want to accept that it did.
Just a few days ago there was a story in the Dallas News about a young boy, not even a year old, nearly drowning. He should have died according to the known results of the accident, but several things lined up to keep this little guy alive. First, he was found quickly. Second, his uncle is an EMT and was there to do CPR until the ambulance arrived. Third, and this could be the most important, they ended up taking him to a hospital where a doctor on staff decided to try something new.
Now, his family is planning for Halloween. “He was going to be Spider Man for Halloween, but now he’s going to be Super Man,” says Sammy’s father.
Here‘s the link to the story. If you need something to lift you up, read the story. It’s amazing.
October 22, 2012
Counting Down to the HER MIRACLE MAN November Blog Party
The days are ticking away until I kick off a BIG blog party next week! This is a month long blog party with lots of guests and giveaways, as I’m celebrating the release of HER MIRACLE MAN.
How the party will work:
~ Each day a guest or myself will have a post. Some guests will do their own giveaway, some will just be chatting.
~ You comment on any post during the week to be entered for the Saturday Gift Giveaway.
~ Each Sunday begins a new week of comment entries that will be eligible for the Saturday Gift Giveaway.
~ The last day of the party will be December 1st. That day will be the biggest giveaway drawing and everyone who comments during the month will be entered into that drawing.
The prizes that have been confirmed so far include:
~ An ARC of HER MIRACLE MAN
~ An ARC from Vivi Andrews
~ A HER MIRACLE MAN Amethyst ring made by Anara Bella – this is a replica of a ring in the book
~ A sterling silver and diamond, dolphin shaped necklace – the dolphin is important to the story
~ 2 Locks of Love teddy bears
~ Gift cards to Amazon, B&N, Samhain
~ Vouchers for Airline tickets for 2 to one of 50 destinations (choices include Acapulco, Calgary, Cancun, Honolulu, Montreal, Puerta Vallarta, Naples, and many more)
The guest lineup:
Oct 28 – SM Boyce
Oct 29 – Phoebe Conn
Oct 30 – Lynn Miller
Oct 31 – Midweek Miracle
Nov 1 – Meg Benjamin
Nov 2 – Catherine Noon / Rachel Wilder
Nov 3 – Gift Giveaway
Nov 4 – Nell Dixon
Nov 5 – Tera Kleinfelter (my editor)
Nov 6 – Cathryn Cade
Nov 7 – Midweek Miracle
Nov 8 – Casea Major
Nov 9 – Vivi Andrews
Nov 10 – Gift Giveaway
Nov 11 – Marie Harte
Nov 12 – Sara Megibow (an amazing agent)
Nov 13 – Sidney Bristol
Nov 14 – Midweek Miracle
Nov 15 – Donna Alward
Nov 16 – Missy Jane
Nov 17 – Gift Giveaway
Nov 18 – Lissa Matthews
Nov 19 – Angie Waters (cover artist for HER MIRACLE MAN)
Nov 20 – Heather Long
Nov 21 – Midweek Miracle
Nov 22 – Jenna Bayley-Burke
Nov 23 – Denise Patrick
Nov 24 – Gift Giveaway
Nov 25 –
Nov 26 –
Nov 27 – HER MIRACLE MAN Releases!
Nov 28 – Midweek Miracle
Nov 29 – Candace Havens
Nov 30 – Jodi Redford
Dec 1 – Final Gift Giveaway
October 19, 2012
Screaming… A Musical Approach to Bullying
Bullying is not a new issue, and it’s one that gets my blood boiling. It’s also one we’ve seen in the news and online a lot recently.It’s always been tough to deal with and society isn’t making it any easier. For this reason, a bunch of authors have gotten together to do a blog hop today to raise awareness and to show our support of those being bullied. This of course had me thinking of a recent American Idol contestant.
James Durbin, who suffers from both Asperger’s Syndrome and Tourette’s Syndrome, and was bullied often, has found some great miracles. One was love. Another was music. He has found a way to overcome the bullying he faced when he was younger. He’s using his new career to bring awareness to the issue.
From James’ website: “Meanwhile, “Screaming,” co-written by James and ‘Idol’ Season 7 winner David Cook, tackles a very topical issue and that’s the epidemic of bullying that’s rampant among the youth of the nation and something Durbin himself experienced. “There are a lot of songs that look at and deal with being bullied and singled out, and that’s definitely one. We went at it with a ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ feel, but it’s about how there is light at the end of the tunnel.” Again, ‘Screaming’ could join ‘Higher Than Heaven’ and ‘Outcast’ as the rock anthems for the plugged in generation.”
James is a real hero, someone today’s kids should definitely look up to. Read the rest of James’ amazing story here.
Check out the rest of the blogs on today’s blog hop!
Mandy M. Roth | Yasmine Galenorn | Lauren Dane | Michelle M. Pillow
Kate Douglas | Shawntelle Madison | Melissa Schroeder | Jaycee Clark
Leah Braemel | Aaron Crocco | NJ Walters | Jax Garren | Shelli Stevens
Shawna Thomas | Ella Drake | E.J. Stevens | Ashley Shaw | Jeaniene Frost
Rachel Caine | Kate Rothwell | Jackie Morse Kessler | Jaye Wells | Kate Angell
Melissa Cutler | PT Michelle | Patrice Michelle | Julie Leto
Kaz Mahoney | Cynthia D’Alba | Jesse L. Cairns | TJ Michaels | Jess Haines
Phoebe Conn | Jessa Slade | Kate Davies | Lynne Silver | Taryn Blackthorne
Margaret Daley | Alyssa Day | Aaron Dries | Lisa Whitefern
Rhyannon Byrd | Carly Phillips | Leslie Kelly | Janelle Denison | Graylin Fox
Lee McKenzie | Barbara Winkes | Harmony Evans | Mary Eason | Ann Aguirre
Lucy Monroe | Nikki Duncan | Kerry Schafer | Ruth Frances Long
October 17, 2012
It’s TIME FOR MIRACLES on Midweek Miracle Day
You may or may not believe the world is going to end. You may or may not have seen the movie 2012. You may or may not be an Adam Lambert fan. None of that really matters in the great big grand scheme of things. To me, what’s important is knowing what to hold on to. Opening your eyes to the world around you and helping those who need you. Sometimes that means going above and beyond. Sometimes that just means giving someone a smile or a hug.
It’s 2012 and It’s Time For Miracles.
What other songs have you heard that have a great message or meaning?
October 15, 2012
There’s a Weremoose on the Loose in Hickeyville!
Hickeyville, Canada isn’t just any small town in Canada. It’s a small town that man and time and technology seem to have forgotten. It’s also the town a weremoose calls home. By day he’s an Inspector in the Mounties. At night, when the moon is full, he shifts into a weremoose and roams the bogs.
Now, you may wonder where I came up with the idea of writing a weremoose / Canadian Mountie story. Well, you see, I was at this conference in a bar… Yes, I know, if you’ve been to a conference you’re getting a little scared. lol
Anyway, (some editors and agents and authors) were chatting about stories where the woman is in trouble and friends someone in law enforcement. We played with questions like why is the hero always a Fed or a PI or a cop or even a spy? Why can’t he be a Canadian Mountie. That led us to the wilds of Canada which led to shifters which led to OMG, I want a Weremoose Canadian Mountie!
Well, if you’ve spent any time around authors you know there is always one who is willing to write anything just because they hear an agent or editor say it’s what they want. Well, this time, and I told them sitting there, I was that author. The difference is, I thought the idea so outlandish that I knew it had to be a joke. It became more outlandish when I was sitting at breakfast the next morning telling a friend about the weremoose and the waiter chastised me for not eating my fruit, claiming that was criminal. Hello crazy idea! I suddenly had a story alive and kicking in my brain, and after I wrote it, I immediately sent it to the editors and agents who were there because I wanted them to laugh as much as I had.
It’s been awhile now, but I have tweaked the story a little bit and put it up on Amazon. I’m thinking it will be fun to make it a serial type story, but I have to know, do you want to spend more time in Hickeyville?
Buy the ebook
Amazon – Kindle | Smashwords
October 12, 2012
Writerly Tips: Momentum Matters
“They shouldn’t have rejected that. What do they know?”
“I’m still fine-tuning my first book so it’s perfect.”
“I just finished my first book. It took me 4 years.”
“I’ve written this great story. I can’t wait until it’s published.”
These are a few of the things I’ve heard people say since I entered the world of writers. Each one is driven by a dream, which makes them admirable. Each one is also a little narrow in focus and each one always has the same thoughts popping into my head. They’re what worked for me.
“They shouldn’t have rejected that. What do they know?” For starters, they know the market and what is selling at the moment and what they’ve just contracted for their house. A rejection doesn’t mean your story is garbage. It could be a perfectly clean, perfectly good story. A lot of these are simply missing a special spark to make it stand out. As the creator, it’s hard for us to see that.
“I’m still fine-tuning my first book so it’s perfect.” It’s never going to be perfect. Finish the story. Set it aside and write the next one. When that one is finished, go back and edit the first one while the second sits. When the first is edited, get it critiqued while you’re editing the second. After you’ve edited the second and gotten the first critiqued, make your final changes and begin submitting the first while the second is getting critiqued and you’re writing the third. Always have another idea in the works.
“I just finished my first book. It took me 4 years.” See the response to “I’m still fine-tuning…”.
“I’ve written this great story. I can’t wait until it’s published.” Be ready to wait. In publishing, you never stop waiting. You write your story, submit it and wait. You get the contract offer and you wait. You sign the contract and you wait. You get your edits and you wait. You get the cover and you wait. You get your ARCs and you wait (for reviews). You get the reviews and you wait (for reader reactions.) Rinse. Write. Repeat. Somewhere in this waiting game you should have submitted that second book. Maybe the third.
So often, people look at publishing with the view that one great story is all that’s needed. That might have been true at one time. In this instant gratification world we live in, where we can get millions of books with a single mouse click, or ereader touch, that is not the case. We have to stand out. We have to be prolific.
Don’t believe me? Think of your favorite authors. How many of them release one book a year? Many of them might. Now. Look back at their career. How long have they been writing? How many books have they written? How many books per year is their average? Get the picture?
Authors, like musicians, can no longer be a one hit wonder. Yes, one great hit will get you in the game. Then you have to repeat the process. You have to create another one. And then another.
There is nothing easy or fast about this business. But when you get that email or the call saying an editor wants to work with you, when you get your first reader email saying they’re either looking forward to your book or that they loved it, every moment of frustration, pain, anger and every other emotion we feel on the roller coaster to publication becomes worth it.
Know the process for you, but enjoy it. Enjoy the little victories.
October 10, 2012
Guest Author Meg Benjamin: The Bald Truth
Welcome Meg Benjamin to the blog!
My hero in Fearless Love, Joe LeBlanc, is bald. Well, not bald exactly I guess—he’s a chef and he shaves his head because he spends all his time in hot kitchens. I never really thought about whether baldness was sexy or not before I started working with Joe. He showed up as a secondary character in Don’t Forget Me (in fact, some readers seemed to think he should have been the one the heroine ended up with, rather than her former boyfriend). But once I had Joe’s story down on paper, I started to wonder if readers would accept a hero with a naked dome.
There are lots of chefs with shaved heads, of course. Michael Symon, Joe Bastianich, Hosea Rosenberg, and Tom Colicchio among them. And then there are the sexy non-chefs with shaved heads: Michael Jordan, LL Cool J, Dwayne Johnson (at least some of the time) and Andre Agassi among them. I’m also one of those who prefer Bruce Willis without a wig and Jason Statham with fuzz—to me they both look a lot tougher without hair.
There’s something very…masculine…about a shaved head. Which isn’t to say I don’t like too. Still, variety is the spice of life you know, and I’d hate to eliminate a hero just because his hair was too short (or nonexistent).
So I hope you’ll be willing to give a bald guy a chance. Of course, there’s more to Joe than just his bald pate. He’s loyal, honest, and sexy as hell. Plus he can cook—what more can you ask?
Fearless Love Excerpt
Here’s a quick introduction, when Joe rescues the heroine from an angry rooster:
The rooster gave a cackle of triumph and she dove for the gate, fiddling frantically with the latch. Already she could feel the air from his wings. Any second, it would be accompanied by pecks around the ankles and, if she was really unlucky, a few scratches from those talons on his feet. “Shit, shit, shit.”
“Allow me.” The voice at her side was close to basso profoundo.
MG started so violently she almost dropped the basket, which would have been a victory for Robespierre even if he hadn’t caused it.
The man standing on the other side of the fence was massive. Or maybe he only seemed massive because he was blocking her path to freedom. His bald head shone with perspiration, along with his face and his biceps. Now that she looked at him, she could see the damp sweat marks on his T-shirt stretching down his broad chest. Running shorts. New Balance shoes. Okay, that at least explained what the hell he was doing up and around this early in the morning, although how he came to be standing outside her chicken yard was still a bit of a mystery.
“Who are you?” she blurted.
He gave her a lazy grin. “Darlin’ you’re being attacked by a rooster. Does it really matter who’s getting you out of there?”
Something sharp hit the back of her leg. She glanced over her shoulder to see the enraged leghorn rooster dancing around behind her.
“Ready?” the man asked, his hand on the latch.
MG nodded, dodging around Robespierre’s forays. “Don’t let the rooster out, okay?”
“No ma’am,” he rumbled, then pulled up the latch and opened the gate slightly. MG darted through, then turned to see him pull the gate closed behind her before Robespierre could adjust, flipping the latch across.
“Got yourself a mean one there.” He gave her another slow grin that suddenly made her toes curl.
She nodded. “He’s got attitude.”
“Joe LeBlanc.” He extended his hand in her direction.
MG blinked. “Pardon me?”
The grin became slightly dry. “My name. Which you requested.”
Fearless Love Blurb:
Sweet music doesn’t come without a few sour notes.
Konigsberg, Texas, Book 7.
MG Carmody never figured her musical dreams would crash against the reality of Nashville. Now the only thing she has going for her is her late grandfather’s chicken farm, which comes with molting hens that won’t lay, one irascible rooster, and a huge mortgage held by a ruthless opponent—her Great Aunt Nedda.
With fewer eggs to sell, MG needs extra money, fast. Even if it means carving out time for a job as a prep cook at The Rose—and resisting her attraction to its sexy head chef.
Joe LeBlanc has problems of his own. He’s got a kitchen full of temperamental cooks—one of whom is a sneak thief—a demanding cooking competition to prepare for, and an attraction to MG that could easily boil over into something tasty. If he could figure out the cause of the shy beauty’s lack of self confidence.
In Joe’s arms, MG’s heart begins to find its voice. But between kitchen thieves, performance anxiety, saucy saboteurs, greedy relatives, and one very pissed-off rooster, the chances of them ever making sweet music are looking slimmer by the day.
Warning: Contains hot kitchen sex, cool Americana music, foodie hysteria, and a whole lot of fowl play.
Buy link: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/fearless-love-p-7011.html
Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her Konigsburg series for Samhain Publishing is set in the Texas Hill Country. Book #3, Be My Baby, won a 2011 EPIC Award for Contemporary Romance. Book #4, Long Time Gone, received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Indie Press Romance. Book #5, Brand New Me, won the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers and was nominated for Book Of the Year at Long and Short Reviews. Meg lives in Colorado with her DH and two rather large Maine coon kitties (well, partly Maine Coon anyway). Her Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com and her blog is http://megbenj1.wordpress.com/. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin/), and Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.
October 9, 2012
A Live, Laugh, Love Midweek Miracle
“What do you think? Is it a miraculous love?”
All my life, though I haven’t always recognized or admitted it, I’ve admired my sisters. Their spirits and kindness inspire others and draw friends to them in droves. We haven’t all had smooth lives. We’ve made mistakes and really stupid decisions, but all of those mistakes and decisions led us to where we are now.
Take my younger sister for example. She’s always had a responsible streak. She’s been a hard worker and her morals have always been on the right track, even when she went through a party phase of her life that I have never fully understood, probably because I spent that same age as a new mommy. She has always been true to herself and her friends and family, but after last weekend I have to admit that she wouldn’t be where she is now without that phase. She met several new people in that party phase of her life. Some of them have gone different ways. Some have stuck. Some helped lead her to the amazing man she just married.
Watching her get ready to walk down the aisle, then watching her say I Do, it hit me just how great she and her new husband are together. They balance each other out. They make each other laugh. They look at each other (even when the other isn’t looking back) with love and respect. They drive each other crazy and argue passionately over who’s going to mop the floor. They work as a well-oiled team. They’re great friends.
Every one of these things I have witnessed in their relationship (the same things I’ve seen in my older sister’s marriage and my own) made me realize how miraculous love is.
The love I saw shining in my sister’s eyes this last weekend is the same love I I hope my children hold out for and it’s the love I try to put on the pages of my stories. It’s certainly the love I hope I weaved into Her Miracle Man.
After all, what’s more miraculous after all than finding the person who completes you? Who will always stand by your side and support you? Who will pick up when you’re at your lowest and show you that there’s more to life.
