Vicky Dreiling's Blog, page 10
June 17, 2012
Katharine Ashe- WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY Giveaway
Hi everyone! This week up for grabs is a copy of WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY by Katharine Ashe plus another signed copy of HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE.
WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY
A Falcon Club Novel | Book 1
Avon | February 28, 2012
London gossips are asking: What use has society of an exclusive gentleman’s club if no gentlemen are ever seen to pass through its door?
After years as an agent of the secret Falcon Club, Lord Leam Blackwood knows it’s time to return home to Scotland. One temptation threatens his plans—Kitty Savege. The scandal-plagued lady warms his blood like a dram of fine whiskey. But a dangerous enemy stands in the way of desire, and to beat this foe Leam needs Kitty’s help…
Kitty never wanted to spend her holidays in a wretched country village! With snow up to the windows, escape is nowhere in sight. A roguish Scottish lord, however, is.His rough brogue sends tingles of heat from Kitty’s frigid toes to her chilled nose, but she’s confident she can withstand that. What she cannot control is the reaction of her carefully guarded heart when she discovers this beast is, in fact, no beast at all…
Leave a comment for a chance to win WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA only). Giveaway ends 6/24.
If you have found this blog post on Vicky’s Goodreads site, please visit her blog to leave a comment.
The American Library Association’s Booklist named Katharine Ashe among its “New Stars of Historical Romance.” She is a two-time nominee in the Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Awards, and her novella, A Lady’s Wish, launched Harper Collins Publishers’ e-book imprint, Avon Impulse, to rave reviews.
Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast with her husband, son, two dogs, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European history, she has made her home in California, Italy, France, and the northern US. She loves hearing from readers!
Find Katharine:
Website | Facebook | Twitter
June 10, 2012
Miranda Neville- CONFESSIONS FROM AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE Giveaway
Hi everyone! It’s another week of a two book giveaway. This week, you can win a copy of CONFESSIONS FROM AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE by Miranda Neville as well as a signed copy of my latest release, HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE.
Confessions From An Arranged Marriage
The Burgundy Club | Book 4
Avon Romance | March 27,2012
They couldn’t be more different, but there’s one thing they agree on.
In London after a two-year exile, Lord Blakeney plans to cut a swathe through the bedchambers of the demimonde. Marriage is not on his agenda, especially to an annoying chit like Minerva Montrose, with her superior attitude and a tendency to get into trouble. And certainly the last man Minerva wants is Blake, a careless wastrel without a thought in his handsome head.
The heat and noise of her debutante ball give Minerva a migraine. Surely a moment’s rest could do no harm … until Blake mistakes her for another lady, leaving Minerva’s guests to catch them in a very compromising position. To her horror, the scandal will force them to do the unthinkable: marry. Their mutual loathing blazes into unexpected passion but Blake remains distant, desperate to hide a shameful secret. Minerva’s never been a woman to take things lying down, and she’ll let nothing stop her from winning his trust … and his heart.
Leave a comment for a chance to win CONFESSIONS FROM AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA only). Giveaway ends 6/17.
If you have found this blog post on Vicky’s Goodreads site, please visit her blog to leave a comment.
Photo by Thomas Ames Jr.
I grew up in Wiltshire in southwest England. During my misspent youth I devoured the works of Georgette Heyer, Jean Plaidy and any other historical novels I could lay hands on. As a result I attended the University of Oxford to study history, ignoring all hints that economics might be a more practical subject. I spent several years writing catalogues of rare books and original letters and manuscripts for Sotheby’s auction house in London and New York. Much of my time in this job was spent reading the personal correspondence of the famous. This confirmed my suspicion that the most interesting thing about history is people. I’m also a sucker for a happy ending: I howled in the back of geography class when I was supposed to be learning about German coalfields because I hated –HATED — the end of Gone With The Wind. I still haven’t forgiven Margaret Mitchell.
A few years ago I decided to write an historical romance. How hard could it be? Wrong. Several manuscripts under-the-bed (or deep in the hard drive) later, HarperCollins bought NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION, published in 2009 by Avon Books. Since then I’ve completed the four books in the Burgundy Club series. I’ve embarked on a new writing adventure, a series set in the very beginning of the nineteenth century with a whole new cast of characters. At this point all I can say is that it will be romantic, sexy, and fun.
I now live in beautiful rural Vermont. I have a grown daughter and a large ginger cat. I am always happy to be distracted from gainful employment by cooking (3o minute recipes only), gardening (don’t look at the weeds), cross-country skiiing, arguing about unimportant topics, and general procrastinating.
Find Miranda:
Author Site | Facebook | Twitter
June 6, 2012
Suggestions for Aspiring Writers
I signed some Kindlegraphs for Kindle users today and came across one person who asked for writing advice. The Kindlegraph application isn’t set up for responding, so I thought I’d make a few suggestions, some of which you may have heard. First, I’ll tell you how I started writing.
Like all of you, I was a voracious romance reader. One day, I ran out of books to read. While my daughter was at school, I decided to write a historical romance just to entertain myself. It was terrible, but of course, I didn’t know it. I was just having a good time writing whatever popped into my head. Then one day, my friend Becky called, and I confessed my new hobby. Here’s the clincher. She had just been to a suburban branch of a local university where she saw a class advertised for how to write a romance. Becky gave me the phone number, and I called. I’d never heard of the author Patricia Kay, but I decided on a whim to sign up anyway. That class changed my life.
These days, most romance writing classes are taught online. Probably the best way to learn about them and everything else related to writing and publishing a romance is to join Romance Writers of America. Here’s a link where you can explore everything that’s available via RWA: http://www.rwa.org/ Depending on where you live, there may be local chapters of RWA with meetings that you can attend. It’s really great to meet other writers who love romance. You’ll also learn a great deal about the business aspects over time as well.
Probably, the best advice I can give you is to read lots of books and develop a writing schedule. You may meet friends who are new to writing and decide to form a critique group. Critique groups meet to discuss new material and to help authors figure out what’s working and not working in a story.
If you’ve been writing a romance or seriously considering doing so, check out the information on RWA. It’s the best place to start. By the way, I’m still friends with my first writing teacher, Pat. She’s a wonderful teacher! I don’t think she’s got a class scheduled this month, but you can check out her website periodically to see what’s coming up. Here’s the link: http://www.patriciakay.com/classes/index.php
Maybe one day, you’ll see your books on a shelf like this!
June 3, 2012
Amanda Stevens-THE RESTORER Giveaway
Hi everyone! This week, I am giving away another signed copy of HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE as well as a copy of THE RESTORER by Amanda Stevens.
The Restorer
The Graveyard Queen Book 1 | April 19,2011
Harlequin Mira
Never acknowledge the dead
Never stray far from hallowed ground
Never associate with those who are haunted
Never, ever tempt fate.
My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.
It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer–and to his other victims–like in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.
Leave a comment for a chance to win THE RESTORER and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA only). Giveaway ends 6/10.
If you have found this blog post on Vicky’s Goodreads site, please visit her blog to leave a comment.
Amanda Stevens is an avid reader, a wannabe taphophile, and a collector of all things Alfred Hitchcock. When she’s not writing, she likes taking road trips to Austin. And to Marfa. And to old cemeteries.
Find Amanda:
May 29, 2012
The Best Marriage Proposal Ever!
I Loved, Loved, Loved this! Thanks to Amy Nichols Pfaff for sharing on Facebook! I dare you not to tear up a little!
May 27, 2012
Sophie Jordan- VANISH Giveaway
This week I am giving away another signed copy of HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE as well as Sophie Jordan’s YA novel, VANISH.
VANISH
A Firelight Novel | September 6,2011
Harper Collins
ISBN-10: 0061935107
ISBN-13: 978-0061935107
An Impossible Romance.
Bitter Rivalries.
Deadly Choices.
To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.
Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?
In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.
Leave a comment for a chance to win VANISH and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA only). Giveaway ends 6/3.
If you have found this blog post on Vicky’s Goodreads site, please visit her blog to leave a comment.
Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.
Find Sophie:
Author Site | Facebook | Twitter
May 20, 2012
Sabrina Jeffries- The Truth About Lord Stoneville Giveaway
It’s week 4 of the two book giveaway and this week, I’ve got a copy of THE TRUTH ABOUT LORD STONEVILLE by Sabrina Jeffries as well as a signed copy of my latest release, HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE up for grabs. Both books will go to one lucky reader.
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The Truth About Lord Stoneville
Book 1, The Hellions of Halstead Hall
Pocket | January 19,2010
The oldest of the scandalous Sharpes—five hell-raising siblings tainted still by the gossip surrounding the “accidental” deaths of their parents two decades ago-—Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, like his brothers and sisters, has lived life on his own terms. In his case, as an unrepentant rakehell. Or so life had played out until Grandmother Hetty got a bee in her bonnet. Now the five Sharpe siblings face a daunting ultimatum: Marry by year’s end—or kiss their inheritance good-bye.
Oliver vows to fulfill the bargain in true Sharpe style—by bringing home a fake fiancé from a brothel! But his scheme backfires when he foils a robbery and rescues an American beauty instead. Maria Butterfield came to London to find her missing fiancé, but her prior engagement won’t stop Oliver from getting what he wants: Maria in his bed. His rebellious charade may just call Hetty’s bluff, but not before it become all too real—stirring up a love that tempts him to be a hellion no more.
Leave a comment for a chance to win THE TRUTH ABOUT LORD STONEVILLE and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE. Giveaway ends 5/27. US/CA only.
If you have found this blog post on Vicky’s Goodreads site, please visit her blog to leave a comment.
In the last 13 years, New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries has penned 20 Regency romances, three novellas and three short stories — becoming a regular on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and winning more.jpg)
than a dozen industry awards in the process.
New Orleans-born, Thailand-reared, Jeffries attributes her success to listening to what peers, her publisher and her own common sense told her she should be writing: “I write what I enjoy reading: lighter, sexier historical romances, with more dialogue and more sensuality.”
Writing about 19th-century English life comes naturally for Jeffries. Not only is she a lifelong Jane Austen fan, but she has a doctorate in English lit from Tulane and a specialty in Early Modern British literature. Yet the impetus for her stories, Jeffries says, is always “what if” — not what if her hero likes this or that, but what if this happened and this happened … what would it do to a person?
And she writes, she says, because “I can’t not write . . . I have stories in my head, and I have to get them out.”
Today, the novelist has more than 5 million Sabrina Jeffries books in print. She writes at her home in Cary, N.C., where she lives with husband, Rene, and their son, Nick. When not answering e-mails as she logs miles on her treadmill or doing jigsaw puzzles (“my reward for finishing a book”), Jeffries can be found championing the cause of autistic children in the name of her son.
Find Sabrina:
Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goddess Blogs
May 13, 2012
Lorraine Heath- She Tempts The Duke Giveaway
Week 3 of the 2 book giveaway! This week I am bringing you Lorraine Heath’s SHE TEMPTS THE DUKE. (Book 1, The Lost Lords of Pembrook). One lucky reader will win a copy of this book as well as a signed copy of my latest release: HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE.
She Tempts The Duke
Book 1, The Lost Lords of Pembrook
Avon | January 31, 2012
Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.
Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is betrothed now to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution to fight for a love that could once again set him free.
Leave a comment for a chance to win SHE TEMPTS THE DUKE and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA only). Giveaway ends 5/20.
When Lorraine Heath received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She writes for both adult and young adult readers. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Americana historicals. Her novels have been recognized with a RITA, Romance Writers of America’s most prestigious award for excellence; a HOLT medallion award honoring outstanding literary fiction; a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Americana as well as Best British Isle Set Historical; five Texas Gold Awards; the Golden Quill Award; the Rising Star Award; and many other awards and recognitions. Her novels have been selections of the Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.
At the invitation of Laura Bush when she was the First Lady of Texas, Lorraine served on a romance panel at the Texas Book Festival in 1998. She gave a presentation at the Texas Library Association Conference in 1999. She also served on a panel during RWA’s 2001 Librarian Appreciation Day. She often speaks at local libraries, to writers’ groups, readers’ groups, and at small conferences.
The author of more than 30 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers. Under the name Rachel Hawthorne, she writes popular contemporary romance for teens readers.
Find Lorraine:
Author Site | Facebook | Twitter
May 6, 2012
Lori Wilde- The Welcome Home Garden Club Giveaway
Wow! Y’all loved vampires last week. This week I am bringing you Lori Wilde’s THE WELCOME HOME GARDEN CLUB (Book 4, Twilight, Texas series). One lucky reader will win a copy of this book as well as a signed copy of my latest release: HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE.
The Welcome Home Garden Club
Twilight, Texas Series | Book 4
Avon | March 29, 2011
Caitlyn Marsh stopped believing in happily-ever-after when high-school sweetheart, Gideon Garza, left for Iraq. Now she raises her small son while her matchmaking gardening club members drive her crazy. Then Caitlyn’s world turns upside-down when Gideon swaggers back to Twilight.
Gideon left town in the middle of the night with threats ringing in his ears. A lot of things have changes since then. This bad boy-turned-Green Beret bears scars from the war, the timid girl he loved is an idependent mother, and the father who refused to recognize his son in life has, in death, left him a vast cattle ranch.
He still aches for Caitlyn, and now there’s a dark-haired boy who looks exactly like Gideon did at that age. Could the child be his? And can this war-weary soldier overcome the scars of the past to claim the family he so richly deserves?
Leave a comment for a chance to win THE WELCOME HOME GARDEN CLUB and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA only). Giveaway ends May 13.
USA Today bestselling author, Lori Wilde has sold fifty-six novels to four major New York Publishing houses. She holds a bachelors
degree in nursing from Texas Christian University and a certificate in forensics. She volunteers as a sexual assault first responder forFreedom House, a shelter for battered women. She has served as the RWA National conference workshop chair and PAN retreat chair. In 2009 she was the pacesetting author for the Cystic Fibrosis annual fundraiser.
She is an instructor for a company who provides online community education to over 2100 colleges and universities internationally. Lori is a past RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. She’s won the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, The Lories, The More Than Maggie, the Golden Quill, The Laurel Wreath, The Beacon Award and The BestBooks of 2006 Book
Award.
Her books have been translated into 22 languages and excerpted in: Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Complete Woman, All You and Quick and Simple magazines. She lives in Texas with her husband, Bill.
Find Lori:
Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Blog
April 30, 2012
Kerrelyn Sparks- Wanted: Undead or Alive Giveaway
Winner, winner… Lindy!
Hello everyone! This coming month, I will be giving away a different book each week along with a signed copy of my latest release: HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE.
This week I am giving away a copy of WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE by Kerrelyn Sparks.
Love at Stake book #12
ISBN# 978-0061958069
E-book price only $4.99!
He’s a vampire from the big city . . .
Phineas McKinney thought New York City was tough, until he was attacked by Malcontents—evil vampires who consider mortals to be snacks. Saved by the good vampires, Phin swore to devote his now undead life to stopping the Malcontents. He’s got his job cut out for him when word comes that their enemy may be hiding in Wyoming. What does a city boy like him know about horses and campfires? Good thing he’s got Brynley Jones with him . . . if only she didn’t hate every vampire on earth.
She’s a werewolf princess . . .
Bryn believes vampires are seductive and charming, and that makes them dangerous. So she’s more than a little annoyed about teaming up with Phin, even if he is the only bloodsucker able to make her inner wolf purr. But as they hunt down the new leader of the Malcontents, danger threatens . . . and Phineas and Brynley discover a passion that will rock the foundation of their supernatural world.
Leave a comment for a chance to win WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE and HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (US&CA Only). Vampires and rakes, oh my! Giveaway runs May 1-6.
Kerrelyn Sparks’ first paranormal romance, How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, zoomed out of the bat cave so fast it became Borders bestselling debut romance of 2005. Each book in the Love at Stake series has become aUSAToday bestseller. When the fourth book,The Undead Next Door, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, even the Undead sat up and took notice, which made Kerrelyn a bit nervous. She lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband, children, and a house full of garlic. So far, there are no vampires in her family. Werewolves are another matter entirely.
You may email Kerrelyn by using the link on the sidebar. She would love to hear from you! Most email will receive a response, except on the night of a full moon.
