Sarah Ballance's Blog, page 53

$10 Amazon or B&N #giftcard #giveaway

Did You Know?

Every week I give away a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winner’s choice, and there is only ONE way to enter: subscribe by email. Easy, right? But it gets BETTER! Once you subscribe, you are automatically entered every single week for as long as you remain an email subscriber. To enter, sign up using the subscription box at the top of the left hand sidebar. One entry today means one chance to win EVERY WEEK! That’s all there is to it–no, really, it’s that easy–but if you want the fine print, please click here.

Other Benefits for Subscribers

I offer a LOT of giveaways, and by subscribing you’ll be among the first to know about each and every one. I also keep almost all of my giveaways open to international addresses, and this does include paperbacks. Okay, enough yappin’. I know why you’re here. *wink*

Drumroll please …

This Week’s Winner

Congratulations to christinajmichaels, random.org’s choice for this week’s prize. Winners are announced here each week (most often on Saturday) and contacted via their winning email address, so keep an eye on my blog AND your email to claim your gift card.

10.14.2012 #SixSunday with Last Call

       Coming soon to FTMP!

In this six, one of the bad guys has broken into Rhys’s hotel room and has her pinned against his chest in a choke hold. She’s facing away so she can’t see him, and the amount of force he’s applying to her throat has her seeing stars.

Was the voice familiar? She didn’t waste time trying to figure it out. Instead, she rammed the towel bar into the man’s business district.

He spewed profanity, indicating she’d guessed the location well, but the grip didn’t loosen as she hoped it would. If anything, the punishing force tightened. “I think you’ve misunderstood how to play this game,” he growled, yanking away her weapon and tossing it to the floor.

 

*warning: this segment has not yet met the brutal hand of my editor*

Enjoy your Sunday six sentences at a time!  To see other participating authors, click here.

Spotlight: “Demon’s Kiss” by Laura Hawks

Demon’s Kiss

When her family was murdered, Clarissa found her life altered. As the new guardian for a very powerful gem that could change the very fate of the Earth and its inhabitants should it be lost, she willingly accepted the responsibilities to keep it safe.

A demon named Xon was after the abilities the gem would afford him should he get his hands on it.

Azamel protected the world from demon kind. A demon himself, he was appointed judge and if need be, executioner to protect the various races that roamed the Earth. Now he had to hunt Xon and prevent him from obtaining a stone that could give him the edge he would need to rule, but to do this Azamel would have to work with a young wolf who had a chip on her shoulder. Could he succeed in time to save both of them… before it was too late? Or would Clarissa’s mistrust doom them all?

Coming October 13, 2012 to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords in ebook and paperback.

Excerpt

“How do you know so much about the stone? Only a small few know it is in more than one piece.” Her wet lashes caressed her cheeks as she blinked, her breath caught with his tenderness. Again she got lost in those baby blues.

Azamel mentally cursed himself for letting that slip. His mind scrambled as he tried to think of a suitable reply that would placate her and repair the fragile trust they had between them. Thinking that this was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done in his endlessly long life, he leaned forward and took her mouth in a hard kiss. The intention was to distract her from her train of thought. However, the moment their lips met, everything changed. Her soft sigh as he pressed his tongue against hers jolted his body and mind. Keeping his hands in her hair, he deepened the kiss feasting on her soft mouth with a hunger that burned through his entire being.

Laura Hawks

I have always been interested in writing in some form or other. A few years back, I was involved with and then ran a Star Trek Interactive Writing Group which was successful for a number of years. Yes, I am a trekker and proud of it.

Then a few years back, I got my Master’s Degree in Ancient Civilizations, Native American History and United States History.

It was at this time I got involved in role playing on FaceBook, which gave me ample opportunities to grow and hone my writing ability.

A published friend encouraged me to write my own book, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Learn more @ website

New Release: Mae Clair’s “Weathering Rock” (Give@way)

Today it’s my honor to introduce Mae Clair, a talented author I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know through her Six Sentence Sunday snippets. She’s here to introduce her debut novel, WEATHERING ROCK, which is now available from Lyrical Press, and is going to give away a copy to one of our lucky readers. Stay tuned to find out how you can win, but in the meantime, please meet Mae Clair!

Welcome, Mae! I’m so happy to have you here. Before we get into your new release (which looks AWESOME), I want to dig a little. I stalked you and found you’ve wanted to be an author for as long as you can remember. Looking back, what was the first book you read that really ignited that desire?

Thanks for having me here, Sarah. I’ve found so many great books and authors through your blog, it’s wonderful to be appearing and discussing something I love –books and writing. And yes, your stalking paid off, LOL. I’ve been addicted to writing since I was a child, making my first clumsy attempt at six.

The book that ignited a passion in me during my childhood years was THE WICKED PIGEON LADIES IN THE GARDEN by Mary Chase.  It had a haunted house, time travel, young (albeit bratty) heroine, and seven sisters who paraded about in flowing Victorian gowns. I was enthralled.

Oh, wow. You had me at “haunted house,” LOL! What has been the greatest challenge thus far in your career as an author? 

Finding balance. It’s hard juggling a full-time job, marriage, home life, writing, promotion and social media. I was fortunate enough to have a contract offer the first time I submitted, but that meant scrambling to build an online presence. Boy was I clueless!

When WEATHERING ROCK was picked up, I didn’t even have a Facebook page. Not only did I have to develop an online presence, with a blog, website, twitter, etc., but I had to learn HOW to go about it. It was a steep learning curve, especially as I was working through edits on the book at the same time. Looking back on it, I’m not sure how I managed to stay sane.

Oh, boy. I know exactly what you mean, as I was in an identical spot with my first release. It appears things have come together for you in a fabulous way, and I love the look of WEATHERING ROCK. Can you tell us about the book? 

I’d be delighted! My hero is Caleb DeCardian, a former colonel for the Union Army during the Civil War. He’s a man who’s used to being in charge and having others respond to his orders without question.

Shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, he’s transported to the 21st Century by a shower of ball lightning. When the novel opens, he’s already been living in the present for three years, hunting for the man who doomed him to life as a werewolf. Seth Reilly is his former friend, now a bitter rival, and the man responsible for cursing him with lycanthropy.

For someone who thrives on being in control, Caleb finds himself at the whim of a curse he’s powerless to resist, while facing the challenges of a new and confusing century. He has a highly defined sense of right and wrong; is noble at heart, but conflicted by what he’s become.

Then he meets Arianna Hart, my heroine, and suddenly he’s battling a different set of feelings. Romantic feelings. The path to true love and an HEA is never smooth, but these two have enormous odds stacked against them!

Wow. What a complex and fascinating plot! What might readers be surprised to learn about your book’s plot or characters?

Oooh, that’s so tempting to answer! There is an unexpected twist involving two of the characters, but I would rather it come as a surprise for the readers.  Let’s just say there’s more to the time travel element than appears at first glance.

I love a good tease! Let’s have some fun with WEATHERING ROCK. What’s the first sentence?

The June moon rode a ragged ridge of bone-white clouds, filmy and pale as the translucent skin of an onion.

Powerful visual, and it certainly sets the mood! What’s your favorite line in the book?

“Are you going to sully me now?”

LOL! I love that one! How about an excerpt … three sentences long! Yep, that’s it. Three!

You’re tough, LOL.  Okay, how’s this:

She tipped her head back, her breath a gentle ghost-whisper against his ear. “Make love to me, Caleb.”

He made a sound low in his throat, half growl, half groan, and his arms tightened around her.

Oh, yum. *Sighs.* Which scene of WEATHERING ROCK was most difficult for you to write? Why?

When Arianna realizes Caleb is from another century. I had to guide the reader through the progression of her reasoning until she believed the impossible. Let’s face it, time travel isn’t an everyday occurrence!

I can see how that would be difficult, and I love how you point this out, as it tells me you took care with convincing the characters and the readers. ;c) Which scene would you most like to experience for yourself? From whose POV?

In a romantic story I always love the first kiss so I’d have to go with that, especially given there was moonlight involved. And I’d want to experience that sensation from Arianna’s POV without a doubt!

The moment of the first kiss is one of my favorites in any story! What inspired the title of WEATHERING ROCK?

Weathering Rock is the name of the home Caleb’s father built in the early 1800s. I love old homes, especially when they come with legends. This one does, but I’ll let readers discover that on their own.

My day job centers on real estate marketing, and sometimes that includes naming roads in new home communities. Weathering Rock Drive was a name I dreamed up a few years ago when my boss asked me for a list of potential street names. It wasn’t used, but I liked the sound of it so much, I tucked it away with the intention of writing a story around it.

One of those rare occasions when I had a title before I wrote the first line of the novel.

Wow, what a neat story! And I’m with you — I love old houses and their stories. Before we find out more about WEATHERING ROCK, can you share with us what you’re working on now?

I just signed a contract with Lyrical Press for a contemporary romantic suspense novel called TWELFTH SUN.

It revolves around a treasure hunt for a valuable marine artifact. My heroine, Reagan Cassidy, has been asked by her uncle to work with a friend who’s a renowned authority in the field of marine archeology. She agrees, thinking he’s going to be a stodgy old man, close to her uncle’s age. Instead, she gets Dr. Elijah Cross, a quirky twenty-five year old who looks like a grunge musician and who has held a Ph.D. for several years. Reagan is an ‘older’ woman at thirty-five, but once they start working together, the sparks and attraction fly.

Weathering Rock

Drawn together across centuries, will their love be strong enough to defeat an ancient curse?

Colonel Caleb DeCardian was fighting America’s Civil War on the side of the Union when a freak shower of ball lightning transported him to the present, along with rival and former friend, Seth Reilly. Adapting to the 21st century is hard enough for the colonel, but he also has to find Seth, who cursed him to life as a werewolf. The last thing on Caleb’s mind is romance. Then fetching Arianna Hart nearly runs him down with her car. He can’t deny his attraction to the outspoken schoolteacher, but knows he should forget her.

Arianna finds Caleb bewildering, yet intriguing: courtly manners, smoldering sensuality and eyes that glow silver at night? When she sees Civil War photographs featuring a Union officer who looks exactly like Caleb, she begins to understand the man she is falling in love with harbors multiple secrets–some of which threaten the possibility of their happiness.

Finding a decent guy who’ll commit is hard enough. How can she expect Caleb to forsake his own century to be with her?

Find it @ Amazon | Barnes and Noble |  Kobo | Lyrical Press | iBooks

Mae Clair

Mae Clair knew from the time she entered grade school that she wanted to be a writer. She credits her parents with instilling in her an insatiable love of reading through weekly trips to the library when she was a child. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create characters and make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.

Inspired by folktales, legends and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, she loves to blend the fantastical with the ordinary. Her heroes are known to be flawed and complex, her heroines capable, independent and sexy.

Throughout the years she has been actively involved in various writing and critique groups and is a past President of the Central Pennsylvania Writers’ Organization.  She lives in Pennsylvania and is married to her high school sweetheart (a.k.a. the Love of Her Life). In her downtime she enjoys reading, digital scrapbooking and unwinding with her husband by the pool when the fickle PA weather permits.   A self-admitted idealist, Mae is passionate about writing, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.

Learn more @ Website | Blog | Twitter (@MaeClair1) | Facebook Author Page | Lyrical Press Author Page | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Book Blogs

Giveaway

If you’d like a chance to win an e-copy of WEATHERING ROCK, please leave a comment with your email address and you’ll be entered in the drawing. Thank you all so very much for being here, and a special thanks to Mae Clair for sharing with us her debut novel. I hope you all have a fantastic day!

10.07.2012 #SixSunday with Last Call

       Coming soon to FTMP!

If you’ve been following this story, you may remember Cutter, a former police contact Nick wanted to call when he found out about Rhys’s “death.” Problem is, both Nick and Rhys are off the force, which makes the use of Cutter and his resources a no-no. In this six, Nick and Rhys have made it away from the wharf and are trying to figure out what to do next. The first line of speech is Nick’s.

“I’ve got Cutter on it.”

She frowned, inwardly sidestepping the twinge of discomfort lingering over Nick’s association with their former colleague. “You seem to forget, Cutter isn’t ours this time.”

“Yeah, well, guess what, Rhys. I no longer have any contacts in this town. Next time you get yourself killed and your body snatched, perhaps you could suggest someone else to get tied up in this with you.” 

*warning: this segment has not yet met the brutal hand of my editor*

Enjoy your Sunday six sentences at a time!  To see other participating authors, click here.

$10 Amazon or B&N #giftcard #giveaway

Did You Know?

Every week I give away a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winner’s choice, and there is only ONE way to enter: subscribe by email. Easy, right? But it gets BETTER! Once you subscribe, you are automatically entered every single week for as long as you remain an email subscriber. To enter, sign up using the subscription box at the top of the left hand sidebar. One entry today means one chance to win EVERY WEEK! That’s all there is to it–no, really, it’s that easy–but if you want the fine print, please click here.

Other Benefits for Subscribers

I offer a LOT of giveaways, and by subscribing you’ll be among the first to know about each and every one. I also keep almost all of my giveaways open to international addresses, and this does include paperbacks. (I am so thrilled to say my books have found their way to Ireland and Poland in just the last month!) Okay, enough yappin’. I know why you’re here. *wink*

Drumroll please …

This Week’s Winner

Congratulations to ilovebooksblog (9/28) and synlab1 (10/5), random.org’s choice for this week’s prize. Winners are announced here each week (most often on Saturday) and contacted via their winning email address, so keep an eye on my blog AND your email to claim your gift card.

Fangs, Fur, & Fey Blog Hop (Oct 2nd – 8th) INT

Welcome to another fantastic giveaway hop hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and co-host Reading Lark! Today I’m offering a choice of books from Entangled Publishing’s Covet Line, which fits perfectly with this hop’s theme. The winner, who will be chosen by random.org at the hop’s close, will receive *one* of the following titles in the available format (Kindle, Nook) of his or her choice.

Please note: the winning copy will be sent directly from Amazon or Barnes & Noble as a gift copy. If you do not have an ereader, Amazon offers a Kindle for PC download FREE. Click here to learn more.

Take it Like a Vamp by Candace Havens

Vampire Nick Christos might have been born in the Middle Ages, but those days seem tame compared to the last eight years spent ruling the Supernatural Council. The only respite in his long days of governing is with his sweet neighbor Casey Meyers. Sure, he’s forced to take a cold shower after every encounter, but no way will he risk anything more with a human. Not with his blood thirsty ex on the prowl and out to ruin Nick’s life.

But when said crazy ex shows up at the ball and flies her freak flag high, Nick has more to worry about than keeping his hands off his neighbor. He’ll have to stay closer than ever if he hopes to keep her alive, but will she want to leave him forever when she learns the truth?

Deceiving the Witch Next Door by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez

Storie Bell has a little secret—she’s a witch. But magic hasn’t exactly kept her life from being a complete mess—her love life is non-existent and the town thinks she’s a total nutter. Plus there’s her neighbor Reid Malone who runs hot one minute and cold the next.

Reid Malone can’t wait to escape Bloomington, Texas. Unfortunately, he’s stuck where he is unless he helps his father hide a very illegal secret. The only key to Reid’s freedom lies with the eccentric Storie…and he’ll do whatever it takes to get the information he needs from her.

But Reid’s holding something back. Something big. And if he’s not careful, he’ll find out exactly what happens when you try to deceive a witch…

Tall, Dark, and Divine by Jenna Bennett

Eros, the Greek god of love, swore off the useless emotion after his ex ran off with some Viking godling. He’s lost all interest in his matchmaking business, Made in Heaven, until he spots the sweet baker who works across the street. Before she stirs his sullen heart, he’ll match her and get back to his ambrosia-laced wine in no time.

Lonely baker Annie Landon has given up on finding Mr. Right. What she needs is Mr. Right Here, Right Now, and this so-called “Greek God” she’s heard is on the rebound sounds exactly like the perfect kind of distraction. But picking up the bitter, workaholic is easier said than done…especially when he seems unreasonably determined to match her with someone else.

Can a woman looking for love—and the matchmaking god who wants her to find it with someone else—have a shot at a happy ending? May the best god—or mortal—win.

Enter Now for a Chance to Win!

Would you like to win your choice of these books? Leave a comment with your email address and you’ll be entered for the giveaway. Also, please consider following my blog or liking my FB page by using the boxes to your left. Thank you, and good luck!

Click here to return to the Fangs, Fur, & Fey Giveaway Page

09.30.2012 #SixSunday with Last Call

       Coming soon to FTMP!

In this six (which was supposed to go before the one I posted last week … oops), Nick is helping Rhys onto a boat.

Once she made it on board without incident, he dropped from his perch, bumping against her when a gust of wind threw him off balance.

Rhys grabbed his arm, dragging him into full body contact. In the split second it took to steady, her touch had him on fire. He froze, drinking in the startling shade of blue behind her appraising stare, the heat therein quenching a thirst for her he’d long suppressed. Emotions he’d spent a lot of months trying to bury rallied, setting him back a few years in the whole getting-over-Rhys department.

Falling headfirst into the frigid water would have been less excruciating.

*warning: this WIP has not yet met the brutal hand of my editor.*

Enjoy your Sunday six sentences at a time!  To see other participating authors, click here.

Call for Submissions: The Ubuntu Line from Decadent Publishing – an Interview with Zee Monodee

[image error]Decadent Publishing is soon to launch an exciting new line, and managing editor Zee Monodee is here to tell us all about it!

Welcome, Zee! I’m excited to help you get the word out about your new project. Can you tell readers about the Ubuntu Line? What inspired it?

Hi Sarah; hi everyone! Lovely to be here today with ye all.

And yes, I have a new project to tell you about *grin* In fact, I’m in this along with the co-owners of Decadent Publishing – Lisa Omstead and Heather Bennett. The Ubuntu line is one of the latest lines to emerge from Decadent Publishing, and its focus is entirely on African romance and stories set in Africa.

Like I like to say it, I came on board this project by being in the right place at the right time (and totally not having a clue I was in said right place at the right time J).  Through an innocuous email conversation, Heather found out I hail from Africa. She started asking me about Africa, and basically, if there was scope and potential for romance set in Africa and/or with African themes and plots. Motor-mouth me started talking the hind leg off the donkey when I told her (I’ll give you the short version!) that, yes, there was indeed a market for African romance, and a demand by African authors (or authors who want to write about Africa) for a publisher catering to such a niche.

That’s when Heather brought me on this project for a line dedicated to Africa – she and Lisa had been wanting to set this up for some time, but they also wanted someone who was knowledgeable about Africa to head it. They, too, had seen the unanswered demand by authors for a publisher to cater to African romance and storylines. It’s also true that people outside of Africa, who have never been here, have notions about the continent that can sometimes happen to be very far from the reality. We want to show modern Africa and all its facets through the stories of the Ubuntu line.

I’m still grinning over “talking the hind leg off the donkey,” LOL, but I’m going to pull myself together to continue because this sounds absolutely amazing. What types of stories can readers expect? 

Basically, we’re going after romance. J So readers can definitely expect a HEA (or HFN, in the worst case!) Whether sweeping sagas spanning over generations, or sassy and flirty category-style plots, we want to showcase African romance in all its glory. Expect lightness and breeziness in the storylines; we are taking a huge leap away from the dry and boring, literary tone every writer has given to Africa in literature. Think exotic, fulfilling romance, set in Africa and threaded with African sensibilities and context.

IR/MC is our focus, as well as women’s fiction with romantic plots. We want to see the African setting and context in these stories, and these two genres will cater for that.

But any other type of romance is welcome, too. J

Length-wise, we are looking mostly at full-length novels (around the 50K mark) and novellas (30-40K long). There is, however, scope for short stories too, but so far, everyone who’s expressed an interest to submit for this line has been going for the longer end of the spectrum.

Heat levels are running the gamut – from sweet romance to really hot ones, there will be something for every taste. We have not yet seen any erotica for this line in pitched projects, but we expect that too will make its appearance soon. J

This is so exciting! I’m thrilled to help get the word out. What do authors need to know about submitting to the Ubuntu Line?

That Africa isn’t simply Black culture. J Africa is made up of native Black populations, of colonist white populations, of immigrant Indian and Chinese groups, of Muslim and Christian religions mostly, of native Arab people in the north where countries of the Maghreb are located. Mauritius is a good example of Africa – every race and religion under the sun co-existing on a tiny speck of an island in the Indian Ocean. After the demise of Apartheid (post-1995), South Africa has become another flagship country boasting multiculturalism and integration between different races and cultures.

So if you want to write for the Ubuntu line, you are not limited to writing only about stories that could fit into an African-American romance line in the US. Write about different countries in Africa; different races, religions, cultures. Different parts of Africa can equal different parts of the world, despite being on the same continent – the Maghreb has its own culture and system of values; islanders in the Indian Ocean have theirs; South Africa has its own; central Africa is another microcosm in itself. The sheer scope of potential for Africa-inspired stories is immense!

The possibilities here are indeed breathtaking! What type of stories top your wish list?

Personally, I want to see a multi-generational story reminiscent of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, but with African instead of Asian sensibilities (I’ll also add again here that by African, I don’t mean only Black culture. Africa has whites, blacks, brown, Indian, Asian, Arab, as well as islander populations – any of these cultures can be showcased in this line). I am also actively on the lookout for the African Bridget Jones – yes, chick-lit, but with deeper African values and mores, a work painted upon the canvas of the African physical and social landscape.

Category-type plots and storylines are also more than welcome. Office romances, Alpha CEOs, medical romance, romantic suspense, marriages of convenience, best friends turned lovers, one night stands leading to more… Is it obvious I am looking for light and breezy romance? J

LOL! When does this new line launch? Will this be an ongoing series or a limited call?

We’re expecting to launch the first title in March 2013. I cannot tell you more about which title that will be, as we haven’t signed authors yet (they are working on submissions that we’ve already approved through pitches). We are looking at the launch title being a fulfilling, heartwarming romance that should appeal to a wide readership – that much I can tell you. J

And yes, this is an ongoing series! There is no deadline for submissions – the call for this line will be open all the time. We might occasionally call for specific storylines (for example, for themed anthologies), but on the whole, this line will hold stand-alone stories that will be releasing every month from the Decadent Publishing release schedule.

If a reader or an author has a question, what’s the best way to contact you? 

I am only an email away, at this address zeemonodee@gmail.com

I can also be found on Twitter and Facebook: @ZeeMonodee on Twitter; search for ‘Zee Monodee’ on Facebook.

Authors can find the Ubuntu spec sheet under the Submissions tab on the www.decadentpublishing.com website.

One more just for the authors: How long can an author expect to wait for a response on submissions?

Typically, between 2-4 weeks. J Submissions go to our submissions maven, Valerie, who will then forward the package to me (I expect to receive any submission within 48 hours of it being sent). Depending on the length of the ms, it will then take me a couple of weeks or more to get through it. So, all in all, within 2-4 weeks from the submission date. J

That’s fantastic. Anything else you’d like to add?

That I hope to see a deluge of fabulous stories flood my inbox? J Seriously, I really hope authors will pick up on this opportunity to showcase Africa, and write something for us here at Decadent Publishing.

And if anyone has any question, any doubt, any query, about this line or a story they think would fit but they’re not sure, then please, do not hesitate to email me. I will do my best to help out in any way I can. I love to meet new folks, so don’t hesitate to get in touch – if I can help you, I will. J

Awww, Zee, you’re awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this new line. I wish you all heaps of success with it. From what you’ve told us, there’s definitely a need for these stories and I can’t think of a more deserving person to be in the right place at the right time. *grin*

Thanks again for having me over today, Sarah, and for allowing me to tell the readers some more about Ubuntu. It’s been a pleasure to answer your questions.

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

$10 Amazon or B&N #giftcard #giveaway

Did You Know?

Every week I give away a $10 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes & Noble, winner’s choice, and there is only ONE way to enter: subscribe by email. Easy, right? But it gets BETTER! Once you subscribe, you are automatically entered every single week for as long as you remain an email subscriber. To enter, sign up using the subscription box at the top of the left hand sidebar. One entry today means one chance to win EVERY WEEK! That’s all there is to it–no, really, it’s that easy–but if you want the fine print, please click here.

Other Benefits for Subscribers

I offer a LOT of giveaways, and by subscribing you’ll be among the first to know about each and every one. I also keep almost all of my giveaways open to international addresses, and this does include paperbacks. (I am so thrilled to say my books have found their way to Ireland and Poland in just the last month!) Okay, enough yappin’. I know why you’re here. *wink*

Drumroll please …

This Week’s Winner

Congratulations to marine.mom42, random.org’s choice for this week’s prize (9/21). Winners are announced here each week (most often on Saturday) and contacted via their winning email address, so keep an eye on my blog AND your email to claim your gift card.