Sarah Ballance's Blog, page 34

No Strings Attached #Giveaway Hop May 21st – 27th (INT)

Welcome to this month’s edition of the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. To enter, the only thing you need to do is leave a comment with your email address. (If you put your email address in the comment form, I will see it. You do NOT need to post it publicly).

The Prize

The winner (who will be chosen by random.org at the close of the giveaway) may select the ebook of his or her choice from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The book may be of any genre, but it must be priced at $10.00 or less and must be delivered electronically.

For dozens of additional giveaways, head to the linky list by clicking here to see all participating blogs.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. For full giveaway rules, please click here.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE BLOG HOP!

May.19.2013 #WeWriWa #SnipSun with Hawthorne

Welcome to Sunday and another round of short snippets! Last week we finished up with LAST CALL, my new 99-cent romantic suspense, so I thought today we’d stick with the 99-cent theme and take a look at HAWTHORNE, a sweet romance set in a haunted house. Here are the opening lines.

The car slowed to a stop and a decade’s worth of memories  tumbled onto the sun-­blanched asphalt.

Hawthorne Manor.

The hand‑painted sign hadn’t changed in years. In the thick,  damp air filling the Louisiana landscape, the wood display

remained inexplicably unaffected. There it sat—every meticulously  scripted letter as crisp and clean as the stark white walls of the  manor it lauded, oblivious to the passage of time.

Emma Hawthorne tensed in the seat of the Mustang  convertible, staring at her past with ice sluicing her spine.

HAWTHORNE is available from: Astraea Press, Amazon, Paperback, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes,Kobo, Books on Board, and more! Click here to add to Goodreads or here for reviews.

Just Do It: A Guest Blog from Michael Bray, author of Whisper

Michael Bray: Just Do It! (A Guest Blog)

For the budding author, the idea of taking the plunge into tackling writing a book can be a daunting task. I should know, it took me 14+ years of indecision before I convinced myself that it was something I wanted to try. In hindsight, I hate that I wasted so many years chewing over it, because as I write this now on an icy March morning in the UK, I can hand on heart say it was the best decision I ever made.

Is it hard work? Of course it is. But that only makes the rewards for completing the book all the sweeter. A few people have said to me recently that they don’t think they could ever write a book for their own, and have even offered me their ideas to turn into stories.

Universally and without exception, I decline, and advise the person to at least give it a go for themselves. If they need assistance, I’m happy to share what I know (even though as writers we never stop learning), but that they should at least try.  Make no mistake, it won’t be easy. Completing a novel is an exercise in discipline, commitment and patience. But when that time comes, be it months or years down the line when you look at your work and can proudly say to yourself that it’s finished, it is a feeling unlike anything else.

A few years ago, I could never imagine being able to write a book, and yet here I am now with Three already released (including my first feature length novel WHISPER) and another two in the pipeline. Yes it takes dedication, and yes its hard work, but when you reach that place where the story is writing itself, and you become something of a passenger as the story unfolds, is the greatest feeling in the world.

In closing, to anyone reading who thinks they have an idea but not the confidence to write it, I say: YES YOU CAN! Turn off the TV, ignore the phone, lock yourself away and start writing. You never know, you might surprise yourself.

Good Luck!

Whisper

It was supposed to be a fresh start, a place for Steve & Melody Samson to start their new life together away from the noise and crime of the city. However, their new home an idyllic cottage nestled deep within the dense solitude of Oakwell forest has a disturbing history, hidden for generations by the local villagers, who are desperate to keep their sleepy town free from potential media attention. As Steve and Melody begin to notice the strange and bizarre things that are happening to them, they begin to unravel the complex web of lies and deceit perpetrated by the locals.

Told both in a modern day narrative and flashbacks to the Buildings construction in the 1800′s, we learn of the terrible things that reside within Hope House, and the reasons for the history of murder, suicide and insanity for the previous owners of the house.  As Steve and Melody delve ever deeper, they are plagued by not only the malevolent forces that reside within the house, but also the very real attention of the increasingly unstable realtor Donovan, who has horrific secrets of his own that he will go to any lengths to keep a secret.

Find it @ Amazon UK | Amazon US

Michael Bray

Michael Bray is a Horror author based in Leeds, England. Influenced from an early age by the suspense horror of authors such as Stephen King, and the trashy pulp TV shows like Tales From The Crypt & The Twilight Zone, he started to work on his own fiction, and spent many years developing his style. After completing his debut novel in May 2012, he signed a deal with the highly reputable Dark Hall Press to print and distribute the book, which was released in September 2012.

 

 

Jenna Jaxon: Medieval Pastimes & “Betrothal” Blog Tour (#Giveaway)

Today we are joined by Jenna Jaxon, who is not only incredibly talented but one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. (Seriously, y’all, I’ve met her a few times now and she has yet to hit me with anything.) You guys are going to love this glimpse at medieval pastimes, especially as you simultaneously get to know Jenna’s newly released historical romance BETROTHAL. And the fun doesn’t stop there–keep reading to find out how you can win something made of awesome. Jenna, take it away!

Jenna Jaxon: Medieval Pastimes

I often wonder if readers view the medieval period as being dreary, too serious, full of deprivation.  There is a lot of evidence that even for noble households times were certainly hard in the area of creature comforts.

After some research, however, I’ve found that the people in the middle ages knew how to have a good time.  They did indeed work hard, but they could play hard when time permitted. In fact, they indulged in a variety of pastimes, some particular to the time, some that we ourselves enjoy today in 2013.  Here’s a list, in no particular order, of some of the pastimes the nobles in my medieval romance might have played.

1.  Board and card games.  Most popular were backgammon, checkers, and chess.  In Betrayal, Book 2 of Time Enough to Love, Alyse and Thomas while away some time playing chess.

2.  Dancing.  Dancing was a favorite court activity in the medieval period and later.  Some of the dances mentioned in Betrothal are the carole, like a stately march, a lively hopping dance called the estampie, and a fast-paced dance called the farandole that wound all around the dance floor.

3.  Minstrel entertainments.  Wandering entertainers were welcomed at court.  The oral tradition of storytelling was usually their stock-in-trade, though they often played music, juggle, and perform gymnastic feats as well.  These minstrels would frequently perform at banquets for the nobility as their means of sole means of employment.

4.  Hunting.  One of the most prevalent pastimes of the medieval nobility, hunting was as much sport as it was means to feed the castle.  Both men and women hunted during this period. Game hunted with bows included foxes, deer, rabbits, badgers, birds.  Wild boars were hunted with spears. As is common today, dogs were used in the sport.  And these dogs often had a better life than most people of the period, living in heated kennels. A noble often had dozens of hunting hounds–King Edward III took 60 pairs of dogs when he invaded France.

5.  Hawking.  Falconry, the sport of hunting with falcons or other predatory birds, was extremely popular.  Again, men and women enjoyed this sport and castles employed a falconer who raised and trained the birds in a specific place called a mews.

6.  Archery.  Another pastime that was both fun and utilitarian.  This popular sport was mandatory for men ages 15 to 60 as training for longbow defense in battle and actually mandated by law.  But men loved this sport and archery contests flourished.

7.  Gambling.  Games of chance played with dice made of bone, wood, knucklebones, or small stones have been popular since ancient times.  And the medieval period was no different.  Dice games were portable, easy to arrange and played by all manner of men–everyone from the peasants to nobility to clergy indulged. Then as now gambling could become addictive.  Games included odds or evens, hazards, Marlotta, Pair & Ace, and Triga. In Betrothal Thomas mentions “there is to be a game in Sir John Claymore’s apartment this evening.”  That would have been a dice game.

8.  Feasting.  Who among us doesn’t like to eat?  The nobles of the middle ages were no different and could afford to entertain a lavish number of people.  Royal tables were loaded with dish after dish and feasting lasted long into the night.  There were up to seven courses, although three was more usual.  Each course had a combination of meat and fish, sweet and savory dishes. Often there were interludes–short plays–given between courses.  The original dinner theatre! J

9.  Pitching Quoits.  The game from which it is said the game of horseshoes derived.  Metal spikes were placed at a certain distance from each other.  Then participants threw a metal disc to fall as close to the spike as possible.  It eventually became more popular than archery.

10.  Tournaments.  Medieval tournaments were a version of War Games.  They could be one of several different types of mock combat:  pas de armes, melee, and jousting.  Pas de armes was a tournament where one Knight took on all comers in hand-to-hand combat. A melee a pied was teams of knights fighting on foot; melee a cheval was teams fighting on horseback.  Joust a plaisance was a series of elimination rounds over three days with one overall winner would be announced.  The joust in Betrothal is a joust a plaisance.

I hope you enjoyed these pastimes and found some refreshingly familiar.  Please leave me a comment telling me what your favorite medieval pastime would have been, leave your email address, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Betrothal!

Learn more! Head over to Jenna’s blog for a photo post on jousting @ J is for Joust — click here.

Betrothal | Blurb

Lady Alyse de Courcy has fallen in love with Lord Braeton, a nobleman in King Edward III’s court and a man to whom she has barely spoken. Fate, however, has decreed her betrothal to his best friend, Sir Geoffrey Longford—a handsome and imposing knight, yet hardly the man she wants to wed.

When Sir Geoffrey is bound in betrothal by his father, he could not have expected the beautiful stranger to win his heart the moment they meet. Nevertheless, the fascinating Lady Alyse has done exactly that, and his feelings for her only grow as he learns more of her gentle yet spirited nature. But Alyse’s infatuation with his friend casts doubt on whether she can ever return his regard and their wedding day is fast approaching…

Will he have time enough to win her love?

Betrothal | Excerpt

“What do you require of me, Majesty?” Her mouth so dry she could taste sand, Alyse fought to speak in a normal tone. With a sigh of relief, she dropped into a deep curtsy, hiding her face in the folds of her skirt. If only she could remain bowed thus before His Majesty for the remainder of the evening.

King Edward laughed. “Obedience, Lady Alyse, as I require of all my subjects. As your father requires of his daughter.”

Her heart thumped wildly in her breast. That could mean but one thing.

“Rise, my lady.”

She did so on unsteady feet. “I am ready, as always, Your Majesty, to obey my father as I would you.”

Holy Mary, let it be Lord Braeton.

King Edward lifted an eyebrow toward Alyse. “A very pretty answer, my lady. And are you ready to accept your father’s decree for your betrothal? His messenger has today reached me with the contract, as I am to stand in his stead in this matter.”

Alyse took a deep breath and hoped her voice did not tremble. “Yea, Majesty, I will obey my father.”

King Edward nodded and leaned over to whisper something to Queen Phillipa, who sat beside him, heavy with their twelfth child.

Mere seconds before she learned her fate. She could scarce affect an indifferent pose before the court when inside every inch of her quivered with anticipation of the name. His name, pray God, on the king’s lips.

Thomas.

In her mind, she heard the word.

The king straightened, glanced at her then at the man by her side.

“What say you then, Sir Geoffrey? Does the lady not speak fair? I vow she will make you a proper wife and a dutiful one as well.”

Alyse turned, until that moment unaware that Geoffrey Longford stood beside her. Chills coursed down her body as the king’s words echoed in her mind. The sensation of falling backward assailed her, as though she rushed away from the tall man at her side even as his figure loomed larger and larger in her sight.

Not Lord Braeton.

Her numbed brain repeated the phrase, trying to comprehend that instead he would be her husband. Geoffrey Longford.

God have mercy on me, for by the look of him, this man will not.

Fearful, she cringed as her gaze climbed higher, over his chest, over his chin, finally resting on the dark blue eyes turned toward her.

Geoffrey returned her appraisal, his gaze sweeping her figure as a smile crept over his face. “Your Majesty.” He spoke to the king but his attention remained fixed on Alyse. “When my father told me of the betrothal contract before I left his home, I resolved to play the dutiful son. Now, however, I find I do not wish to act that role after all.” His eyes held hers as he paused.

Dear God, does he mean to renounce me here before the entire court?

Alyse stared at the man beside her, willing herself to remain upright, despite the waves of ice and fire alternating through her body.

“Now I find I would rather play the ardent lover.”

An amused murmur ran through the Hall at his words. Sir Geoffrey grinned, his eyes sparkling with humor and something more. Despite the uneven light, Alyse saw an unfathomable promise in their dark depths. She took a shaky breath and looked away.

Jenna Jaxon

Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance.  Her historical romance, Only Scandal Will Do, the first in a series of five interconnecting novels, was released in July 2012. Her contemporary works include Hog Wild, Almost Perfect, and 7 Days of Seduction.  She is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America as well as a member of Chesapeake Romance Writers. Her medieval romance, Time Enough to Love, is being published this summer as a series of three novellas.  The first book, Betrothal, released on April 19th.

Jenna has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager.  A romantic herself, she has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise.  She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories. She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets.  When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director.  She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.

She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can’t stop.

Buy Links

Amazon 
Smashwords

Published Works

Betrothal–Historical Romance
Only Scandal Will Do–Historical Romance
7 Days of Seduction–Contemporary Erotic Romance
Almost Perfect–Contemporary Erotic Romance
Hog Wild–Contemporary Erotic Romance
Heart of Deception–Historical Romance

Love in Bloom #Giveaway Hop May 16th to 22nd (INT $10 GC)

Welcome to the Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop sponsored by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and co-hosted by Portrait of a Book. For this hop I am giving away a $10 GC for Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice).

To enter, please leave a comment with your contact info. (If you put your email address in the comment form, I will be able to see it. You do not have to post it publicly.) I would also greatly appreciate if you’d consider following my blog (email box at the top of the sidebar) and liking me on facebook (“like” box a bit further down in the sidebar) but the only requirement for entry is to leave a comment.

For 150+ more fantastic giveaways, head to the linky list by clicking here to see all participating blogs.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. For full giveaway rules, please click here.

Cover Reveal: “Working It Out” by Rachel Renee Anderson ($25 #Giveaway)

Author Rachael Renee Anderson

Rachael Anderson is the author of four books: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She’s the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.

Blog * Facebook * Twitter

Working It Out

A chance encounter . . . 

Grace Warren’s life is safe and predictable—exactly the way she likes it. But when she gets roped into going to an auction to help out a friend, everything changes. She meets Seth Tuttle—a guy who unexpectedly kisses her then disappears, leaving her flustered and upset. If she never sees him again, it will be too soon.

A chance for love . . .  

Weeks later, when Seth limps into Grace’s rehab clinic post surgery, she immediately recognizes him. Unfortunately, he’s every bit as frustrating and annoying as she remembered. Yet there’s something about him that makes her second-guess her carefully placed boundaries even though he’s everything she’s sure she doesn’t want in a man. But maybe Seth is exactly what Grace has needed all along—assuming she’s willing to risk safe and predictable for a chance at love.

Giveaway Details

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/31/13 - Click here to enter Rafflecopter giveaway

$100 Book Blast: “The Enemy” by Larry Bograd ($100 #Giveaway)

The Enemy

A red-hot political thriller from a blue state author.

Buried among the thousands of financial transactions he reviews each day, analyst Randy Duncan finds a secret web of laundered money financing the assassination of the President, which, in turn, will lead the country into war. Can Randy and his law-student daughter Clare follow the money and stop the enemy in time? In a political thriller worthy of Dan Brown, Richard Condon, and Allen Drury, award-winning novelist Larry Bograd charts a political thriller sure to keep you reading and leave you sleepless wondering and worried about who really controls America.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Goodreads

Author Larry Bograd

Larry Bograd has published more than two dozen books, primary for children and young adults–and now his first eBook original, “The Enemy.”

He is also a playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He is president of Roundtable Media Group, which produces documentary films, Web shows, and events.

Website * Twitter

Book Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/31/13 - Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participat author/publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Prize value $100 US.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal and #Giveaway: Bachelor’s Special by Christine Warner (Entangled Indulgence)

YAY! I am so excited to share this amazing contemporary romance (and its cover!) with you! It releases June 11 from Entangled Publishing’s Indulgence line, but you can pre-order RIGHT NOW from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Ready to fall in LURVE? Check it out!

Bachelor’s Special

Jill Adgate wants three things from life: a successful catering business, a family, and the love of an exceptional man. What she has is no job, a mounting pile of bills, and her outspoken best friend—who sets her up on a blind date with the man who inadvertently ruined Jill’s life.

Chet Castle is a businessman who has everything, except the ability to trust. Burned by a money-hungry fiancée, he refuses to get involved in any relationship that has a shelf life longer than a head of lettuce.

Intrigued by her ambition—and determined to get her in bed—Chet offers Jill the chance of a lifetime: work as his live-in chef and he’ll help her get her catering business off the ground. When sparks fly in the kitchen, Jill realizes what’s cooking is a recipe for disaster…

Pre-order NOW from Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Title: Bachelor’s Special

Author: Christine Warner

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 2013

Imprint: Indulgence

Purchase from Amazon |  Purchase from Barnes & Noble 

Christine Warner

Christine Warner is living her dream in Michigan along with her husband, three children, one laptop and a much loved assortment of furry friends.

Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, writing but no arithmitic.  A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities.  She loves to read and write about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy, heroines.

A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on facebook, twitter and her website at christine-warner.com.

My blog/website – click here  
Twitter under ChristinesWords – click here 
My Facebook page…stop by and give it a LIKE to stay up to date with the latest – click here 
Goodreads – click here   

I love to hear from readers and other authors

Giveaway

Christine is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card! To enter, please click here and you’ll be whisked away to Rafflecopter. Good luck!

CLICK HERE FOR GIVEAWAY ENTRY

May.12.2013 #WeWriWa #8Sunday #SnipSun with Last Call

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there! My own monsters are 14, 12, 9, 7, 6, and 2 (though she turns 3 this month) and I’ve got to tell you, every day really is Mother’s Day. Especially homeschooling. Talk about bonding time!

Today brings us to the last week of LAST CALL, and just in time, the print version is available. It hasn’t made it to Amazon yet, but you can grab it now in paperback from Createspace for just $5.99. And as always the ebook version is just 99 cents from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords (formats: .mobi, .epub, HTML, PDF, RTF, LRF, PalmDoc, and Plain Text).

 

Now Available: romantic suspense for only 99 cents!

Last week Rhys found out the hard way BadGuy wasn’t dead when he grabbed her and hit her in the head. We continue from there.

“You bastard.” She lunged from his grip, but he quickly reeled her in.

“Not so fast, Detective. I have a gun and clearly no opposition to using it. How about we go somewhere intimate and wait for Massey?”

“How about you go to hell?” Rhys hissed. Pressed tightly to him, she felt the Kevlar that staved off the gunshot. A bulletproof vest. Perfect.

L AST CALL is now available for just 99 cents from For the Muse Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords (formats: .mobi, .epub, HTML, PDF, RTF, LRF, PalmDoc, and Plain Text). Click here to add to Goodreads or here for reviews.

For more 8 Sentence Sunday Snippets, please click the image below.

Kate Meader: Love and Danger…in the Kitchen (#Giveaway)

 

 Love and Danger … in the Kitchen: a guest blog from author Kate Meader

Thanks to Sarah for hosting and allowing me to chat about Feel the Heat, the first in my Chicago-set Hot in the Kitchen series about an Italian restaurant-owning family and the sexy, sizzling chefs who love them. I was initially hesitant about approaching Sarah because her books are so kick-ass awesome and usually involve guns, secrets, and so much suspense you might expire from the tension. How can my sexy, funny, foodie romance possibly measure up to the high-level life and death stakes that Sarah does so brilliantly?

Well, it probably can’t but I’m going to give it the old college try

So you might be forgiven for thinking restaurant kitchens are filled with like-minded, food-loving individuals who have a special camaraderie unique to the close quarters of a steam-filled environment. Sure they are but they are also hotbeds of intrigue and smoldering tensions. Table 12 never got their appetizers! The steak was supposed to be medium rare, not medium! That cheese soufflé’s looking a touch flaccid… Kitchen disasters are usually poised to strike at every turn, but I give it an extra twist in Feel the Heat, which unfolds against the backdrop of a highly-rated televised cooking contest. Dropped utensils! Sabotaged dishes! Uninvited guests with secrets! Exclamation points ratchet up the tension! Suspenseful? You don’t know the half of it.

Speaking of danger (weren’t we speaking of danger?), there’s nowhere more dangerous than a fast-paced professional kitchen. Brave chefs risk burns and bad hair days to get amazing meals before hungry punters. But the chefs aren’t the only ones jeopardizing their well-being. Cream and butter might be the classically-trained chef’s tools, but they are also his weapons—that’s right, the customers aren’t safe either! Every night in the fanciest establishments, the sound of hardening arteries echoes through the dining rooms as soon as customers slip those Diver scallops in beurre blanc sauce past their lips. Take that, romantic suspense lovers!

Finally, sexy, alpha chef Jack Kilroy, hero of Feel the Heat is as adept as any NYPD cop or FBI agent at making Lili DeLuca’s heart beat dangerously fast. This guy pulls out all the stops to get her to see beyond his tabloid-crafted image. He cooks up orgasmic meals. He feeds her with goat cheese salted caramel gelato (recipe here). He seduces her with food and shows her no mercy. She resists. He’s too famous, too good-looking, too everything. But he also gets her and shows her that maybe it’s time she paid more attention to her own needs—and took a leap of faith with him.

Lili’s heart is in danger … and the stakes don’t get higher than that.

FEEL THE HEAT by Kate Meader

Hot in the Kitchen, Book 1

IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT . . .

Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time managing her family’s Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she’s tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she’s cooked up a recipe for disaster.

. . . GET INTO THE BEDROOM

Jack Kilroy’s celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili’s oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he’s even more aroused by how unimpressed this beautiful, funny woman is with his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his bitch fork-wielding fan base. Now, as he’s about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions – and turn up the heat in his kitchen?

Find it @ Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

About Kate

Kate Meader writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, to-die-for heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. Originally from Ireland, she cut her romance reader teeth on Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills & Boons thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, and she’s there. She has a bachelor’s in law (useless), a master’s in history (not as useless), and another master’s in library and information science (yay, using). When not writing about men who cook and the women who drool over them, she works in an academic library. Her stories are set in her adopted home town of Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter – and where she met her own sexy hero. For news, excerpts, and recipes, check out her website at http://www.katemeader.com.

Links

Contact: kate.meader@gmail.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter: @kittymeader | Goodreads | Blogs

Giveaway Details

During the Feel the Heat release tour, I am giving away foodie-related swag: one Grand Prize and five smaller prize packs! Details and pics on my website.

Click here to go directly to the rafflecopter to enter the giveaway.

Sarah here: ERMAGERD! Amazing prizes, you guys. Go check them out! And seriously, you need to read this book. Kate is awesome, and not only because she managed to give me a killer slew of compliments AND work the word flaccid into the conversation, though neither event hurts my opinion, lol! Seriously, Kate, I am positively *blushing* and possibly drooling. I can’t wait to dig into this book!