Annie Nicholas's Blog, page 12

Daedalus Romance Trading Card

This my favorite cover model. *happy sigh*

I'm gearing up for the RT Convention in Chicago. If you're in the area come say 'hi.' This is one of the goodies I'm giving out. I'll post the others this week.

Hailey Edwards' Evermine is Live!

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He can be a slave to his past…or allow her love to free him.---There's such a thing as too much change. Emma's sister is mated. Revolution is brewing in her home realm. The last straw: her would-be mate is back from the dead and back under her skin—yet when it comes to the last five years, he's not talking.---Desperate for a chance to start her own life, she answers the queen's call to ensure equality for all of Askara's newly freed slaves. It's the perfect opportunity to escape a heartbreak in the making named Harper.---Harper loses a piece of his fractured soul when Emma walks away. His lies were meant to protect her from torturous years that drove him to the point of madness. Instead, when he comes to her a year later to help avert a crisis in a freed-slave community, the wedge those lies drove between them is firmly in place.----As their new lives collide with old wounds, they race to stop a threat that could not only destroy the queen, but send Harper back to the hell he escaped. Emma must decide if the man she still loves deserves equal rights to her heart.----Warning: This title contains torn pants, ripped gowns, and sand in uncomfortable places. It also includes one overcompensating villain, one gnarly priest, and two battered hearts willing to give this thing called love one last chance.

Excerpt

They Got Me

Publisher Weekly reviewed Omegas in Love and I survived.

"The backdrop of shifter politics provides an intriguing twist to this otherwise conventional story, and readers will long for a more in-depth exploration of the various clashing cultures."

For full review: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-61650-360-4

I can breathe again. I've been waiting for this review for months.

Koishi

I'm so excited for this projected!

Gatekeepers will be a new series at Lyrical Press and my dragon hero Koishi is the Gatekeeper of the east.  Releasing in 2013 though, so we all have a bit of a wait.

Some News

I've accepted a contract with Carina Press for a new series titled Confessions of a Succubus! First book should be due out this fall.  I'm very excited about this series. It's sexy, it's fun, and full of naughty things.

And this morning, I signed the contract for The Sigma book five of The Vanguards series!  Release date has not been shared with me yet since the ink is still drying but I'd say before the end of the year.

It's been a busy month. :)

Looking Back and Looking Forward

It's that time of the year again where I check my goals.

This was 2011 list:
Save some money to take the boys on a real vacation. Not a camping in the backyard kind of deal. The destination is not as important as the time together so I won't worry about it. Make excercise a priority and try to get in shape enough to jog. *eek* (I've already been working on this goal for three months so I cheated a little.)Promote my two new novellas releasing in 2011.Write two novellas and one novel this year.Find either a new to me publisher or agent.

Re-evaluation:

We took the boys to Colorado for a week last June.BIG MAJOR FAIL on the excercise. Promoted the booksI wrote two novellas and two novels this year. (high fives myself)I found a new to me publisher, which I am unable to disclose at this time.I'm pleased with this except for still being out of shape.

For 2012

I really need to get healthy. I've been very career focused in 2011. This year my health is taking priority. I'm in an excericise program and have started small changes in my diet. I'll check back in a month instead of a year to see if I'm still on track.Organize promotion for release in March and trip to RT convention in Chicago.Hope to have two more releases this year. I'm just waiting for paperwork and time frames to be confirmed before I can share.I will write three novellas and one novel and hopefully have another novel started by the end of the year.Go away somewhere tropical for my 40th birthday.

Happy Holidays

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I love the Holidays. I love preparing for them and I love enjoying them with family, friends, and co-workers. As my kids age I try to create new traditions for them to carry to their future family. This year we are starting with going out to nice dinner on Christmas Eve just the four of us and then tomorrow will be an all day PJ party.

As a writer I started the tradition  a few years ago of having the Boys of  Christmas visit my blog and I haven't forgotten.

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Lola wishes you a Merry Christmas too!








Cookies for Christmas

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Shortbread Cookies:


2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads:

6 ounces (180 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.




In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.



On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.



For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads: Place 3 ounces (90 grams) of the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted and is smooth and glossy. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.



Shortbread cookies with keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.



Makes about 20 shortbread cookies.





Here's the video with more detailed intructions from Joy of Baking.













Read more: http://joyofbaking.com/shortbreads/sh...

Nook Lovers

I own a Nook.

I chose it over a Kindle ages ago because I wanted to be able to hold one in my hand before purchasing it. This was before Kindles were being sold in stores. I love my e-reader but there are not many website dedicated to Nook readers like there are to Kindle users. Until now...

Nook Lovers


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This blog is showcasing cheap reads with link for the Nook. Finally, someone is listening.

Jingle Bell Hop

Six Men A Working



Welcome to the Jingle Bell Hop! If you arrived here by accident or have fallen off the bus click this link to get back on. There are lots of giveaways with a grand prize of a Kindle Fire! Some of us are going the twelve days of Christmas and, as you can see, I'm doing the Six Men A Working.

Nothing is sexier than a man at work.  I also have a present for everyone this year!


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Construction

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Cowboy after a long day.

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Do-it-yourselfer

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Fire Fighter

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Gardener
Now, for the present. I'm giving away free downloads of my full length novel Bait.
Nook:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bait-annie-nicholas/1100245217?ean=2940011209499&format=nook-book&itm=2&usri=annie+nicholas
All Romance Ebooks: (which has all formats for Nook and Kindle and iPads and computers)http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bait-516185-139.html

or on my website, you can download the just the .pdf version http://annienicholas.webs.com/apps/documents/


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!  

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