Cassandra Dean's Blog: Blog of Bloggy Blogness, page 22
December 17, 2012
Special Christmas Surprise – an excerpt from FOOL’S GOLD!
Hi peeps,
Tis the season of giving and so I give 
Check it out, the excerpt for FOOL’S GOLD!
FOOL’S GOLD EXCERPT
December 16, 2012
Author Interview: Joanne Renaud
Hey peeps!
Today we have author Joanne Renaud on the blog, chatting about her new release, A QUESTION OF TIME. Make sure you read all the way to the end, peeps, for there is A Giveaway 
Cassandra Dean: Congratulations on the release of A QUESTION OF TIME! Would you tell us a little about it?
Joanne Renaud: Thanks, Cassandra! It’s about a sci-fi author, Celia—I guess you’d call her a Successful Nerdy Everywoman—who still grieves for her beloved high school English teacher, Alan Forrest, who died in a tragic car accident back in 1989. During a car accident of her own, she’s mysteriously flung back in time to the late ‘80s, where she has the chance to meet Alan for the first time as an adult. Attraction sparks between them—but Celia struggles with the impulse to save his life, as well her tenuous grip on time itself.
CD: What inspired you to write A QUESTION OF TIME?
JR: A couple of years ago, I was mired in the middle of one of my huge historical novels, when I had the overwhelming urge to write something quick and contemporary. I thought, “aha! I know the late ‘80s, as I lived through them!” I also wanted to write time travel, as I have always been obsessed with time travel stories since I was a kid.
In A QUESTION OF TIME, Celia comes back to her old hometown, searching for a book that Alan recommended to her when she was fifteen. I based this on something that happened to me when I was a kid. My fifth grade teacher (a woman) recommended a fun, pulpy SF novel to me in 1985. I found it, read it quickly, and enjoyed it greatly—but I remember NOTHING about it. Except perhaps a vague idea of the cover, which was airbrushed and had lots of shiny spacesuits and rocks. I used to think that the only way I could find this book again, was to time travel back to my own library, and look in the paperback section. This little tiny embryonic idea—where I imagined my modern, 2010-era self wandering around a library in the 1980s– grew into what became A QUESTION OF TIME.
CD: A QUESTION OF TIME is a time travel romance. How do you go about writing in this genre?
JR: Very carefully! My influences tend to be more on the SF side of things, I think—I love authors like Tanith Lee, Connie Willis, Charlie Jane Anders, and Ted Chiang. On the romance side of things, I love Jude Deveraux’s A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR, which is epic timey-wimey romance at its best.
Personally, I don’t like to use the usual time travel ‘fantasy’ method of time travel, though I don’t use time machines or gizmos either. I can’t say too much, but I’ll explain the method of time travel more in the sequel, which I’m writing right now.
CD: Do you have plans to write a book in any other another genre?
JR: I have a few ideas for a few fantasy/fairy tale/romance crossovers, but let’s see if they actually get written. My brain births more plot bunnies than I can actually keep up with.
CD: What is your writing process?
JR: Man, I wish I knew. I write in a frenzy sometimes, trying to get something out of my head; sometimes I write in pained dribs and drabs. Usually I outline stories to death, though I have been known to be a pantser. It’s hard for me to say.
CD: What do you believe to be the most important factor in portraying a believable romantic relationship?
JR: I think mutual respect and an ability to be friends is very important. Years ago, I tried writing the standard romance novel love/hate relationship, but I found it difficult and tiring. Once I started imagining a hero and heroine as friends, it made things much easier. This is why I love beta heroes; I don’t have to deal with the usual “alpha asshole” nonsense.
CD: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
JR: “To thine own self be true”? “Don’t take any wooden nickels”? I’m not sure, honestly.
CD: What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
JR: In the words of the late Susan Garrett, “butt in chair.” Or: “Get it done.” Yup. Yup. YUP. Nothing I can add to that, really.
CD: Who is your greatest writing influence?
JR: Tanith Lee (in her less purple moments). Gillian Bradshaw. L. Sprague de Camp. Sylvia Baumgarten (aka Louisa Rawlings and Sylvia Halliday). Kathleen Duey, Lois Duncan and Mary Stewart. Lesser known noir authors like Katherine Tomlinson. Jacqueline Susann (should I be admitting this?)
CD: What do you enjoy reading?
JR: Romance, SF, fantasy, occasionally some YA (though usually the older titles at this point—the new wave of YA is leaving me a bit cold). Undefinable cross-genre work is usually my favorite, though. “Slipstream” is probably my favorite genre name ever.
CD: What’s your favourite television show? Favourite movie?
JR: Well, you know how much I love “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”! I also love “Game of Thrones,” “Burn Notice,” and “Quantum Leap,” as well as new shows like “Revenge,” “Nikita,” and “Continuum,” the hottest dystopian time travel show to hit the small screen since “Journeyman.” Like Alan Sepinwall says, we really do live in a Golden Age of TV, and it’s wonderful to behold.
CD: You also create wonderful illustrations. Would you tell us a little about this side of your life?
JR: I’ve been a commercial artist forever, though I didn’t start doing illustration professionally per se until 2005-2006. As they say, practice makes perfect—I look at my early work now and I cringe! I work usually in children’s or educational publishing, though I also do editorial, promotional and concept work. I love historical costume, and I often get hired because of my knowledge in this field.
CD: If you were stranded in the 1980s, what three things would you wish were with you?
JR: I would definitely want to have a few grand in 1980s currency on hand, so I can invest in companies like Apple; I would also want something like “Gray’s Sports Almanac” (the MacGuffin from Back to the Future II) to make savvy bets as to increase my wealth. I think I’d also want my Macbook and a power cord. I wouldn’t be able to chat, surf the web or download anything, but it would be nice to have Office on hand. Going back to the paleolithic word processing programs from MS-DOS days would drive me nuts.
I would enjoy jumping onto a Commodore and playing old Sierra games like King’s Quest and Leisure Suit Larry though…
CD: Where can readers find you?
JR: My main portfolio site is www.joannerenaud.com. I used to have a blog attached to it, but it is down due to technical problems. My other sites are my deviantART page and my Tumblr.
My Facebook page is here and my Twitter is here.
Years later, successful author Celia Cavalotti is still mourning the death of her favorite teacher, who died in a car crash in 1989. But when a car accident of her own hurtles her back in time to the week of his death, she has a chance to change the future.
Finding herself in the 1980s is a shock to the extremely modern Celia– but even more shocking is seeing her dead English teacher, Alan Forrest, alive and well before her very eyes. Alan is far more handsome than she remembers, and she can’t resist the urge to flirt. After all, they have so much in common, like writing and a shared love of science fiction. Celia knows she’s falling in love with him– but can she use this opportunity to prevent his tragic death? What is happening to her? And why can’t she seem to stay in one place and time?
~ Excerpt ~
As she walked into the library, her eyes wide, she could feel her gloom and lassitude quickly dissipating. In fact, her pulse sped up as if she’d just downed several shots of espresso. It was just a library, but Celia felt as amazed as if she were entering Rivendell. It looked just as she remembered it, although it had seemed like a veritable palace of books when she was little. Now it seemed rather ordinary. But compared to many of the cramped brownstone libraries in Manhattan, it was spacious. It was quite modern for the time, having only been built in the late ‘70s. There were large skylights, aqua-blue decorative girders, deep windowed alcoves filled with aqua-upholstered chairs, and carpets where little pink rectangles floated in a sea of gray.
Somewhat dazed, she wandered about, looking at the people sitting around quietly reading. Wow, her subconscious was quite detailed. She saw a boy with a quiff as tall as Rick Astley’s, in a hideously blue leaf-print camp shirt, a black kid with unlaced high-tops, wearing a gold Africa chain and a baseball cap turned sideways, and a girl with big blonde hair and dressed in a garish orange and yellow Benetton ensemble.
So… the late ‘80s or the early ‘90s, by the look of everyone. The very sight made her want to rub her chin and say, “Fascinating, Captain,” in her best Spock imitation. But again she restrained herself. The girl with the big hair did give her an odd glance, her eyes skimming over her boots.
Celia also noticed the bins of records, the VHS tapes in clamshell cases up in front near the new books, the ancient card catalog collecting dust off to the side, while people browsed the brand-new computer VAC terminals for catalog information. As she walked by, she observed the green type flickering against the black screens.
Interesting. I dream that I go back in time to… what is this? 1988? 1989? 1990? Goddamnit, I’m a science fiction writer. You’d think my imagination would be more… imaginative. Where are the laser guns? The faster-than-light spaceships? Bizarre aliens in Bedouin robes riding lizard horses? Instead of that… I have women in high-waisted mom jeans reading magazines with Barbara Bush on the cover. Clearly, my imagination sucks.
She glanced at an open copy of the Washington Post, lying on a nearby table. Saturday, June 10, 1989, it said. Well, that settled it. One of the headlines read, “Soviet Jet Fighter Pilot Defects to the United States.” Heh, the Soviets. She smirked, remembering when the Soviet Union actually existed.
But wait a second. Celia frowned. What was she doing, actually reading in a dream? She didn’t think that was possible—or at least, not possible for her. She used to have nightmares where she was stuck in a room, about to die unless she actually read this manual that would allow her to free herself. And of course she could never do it. The text would get all blurry, and although she’d try to escape, she’d feel like she was stuck in a tub of molasses, and just as she knew she was about to die—
She would always wake up. But here she was, reading without a hitch.
Just to check herself, Celia reread the headline, but it was still the same. She shook her head. This was clearly a highly unusual dream.
Well, if there was nothing stopping her from reading, then she might as well head over to her usual hangout. She made a beeline to the science fiction and fantasy paperbacks, all shelved on white industrial shelves, right near the biographies. Leaning down, she peered at the books, wondering how detailed her subconscious would get. Would there be any modern authors, like JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer?
Nope. It was all books, written 1989 and before. Isaac Asimov, Harry Harrison, David Eddings, Robert Silverberg, Rose Estes, Simon Hawke, Alan Dean Foster, and a pile of Dragonlance novels. There was nothing photo-shopped on the covers; it was either delightfully fussy (or hideous) paintings, airbrushed or painted traditionally. Not only that, but these books were clearly new; the paper was still white. They didn’t have the yellowed, dusty look of books from a used bookstore. Man, this is sure an astonishing glimpse into the utter banality of my subconscious.
But wait a second. She snapped her fingers. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Shouldn’t the book Mr. Forrest had recommended be here?
She examined the spines of the books more carefully—bingo. She pulled out a fat paperback depicting a sultry brunette in a gold spacesuit against a rocky moonscape, a blond man glowering at her in the background. In a bold font, the title read: Medra.
She flipped through the pages excitedly. She remembered now. The woman on the cover, who called herself Medra, was a mysterious psychic off-worlder who’d come to this isolated war-torn colony on the edge of the Galactic Republic. The blond man was the head of the rebels, and he didn’t know whether she was a spy or not—and he had to fight his growing attraction to her, while violence grew and the localized rebellion increasingly destabilized the region.
“Awesome,” she breathed. She’d been looking for this book for so long—and here it was, in her hot little hands! God, she couldn’t wait to read it. It felt like Christmas or something—
“That’s a great book,” a voice said behind her.
She was so startled she almost jumped. Whirling around, a bespectacled young man stood behind her.
Could it be? As her eyes grew huge, the blood drained from her face. “Uh, miss,” he said, clearly concerned. “Is everything all right?” “I—uh—yeah, sorry. I’m all right,” she managed to say, but still continued to stare. He was hardly as fashionable as the metrosexuals and neo-preppies back in New York. With his gray corduroy sports coat, pressed blue shirt, and belted brown high-cut trousers, he looked very much like a teacher from twenty-one years ago. He wore his dark blond hair mid-length and feathered, in a left side part; and he had a serious, earnest sort of face, narrow, but with a firm jaw, defined chin, and a long, straight nose.
But the most noticeable thing about him was his glasses. His huge brown-tinted plastic frames seemed to cover half his face. They looked ridiculous, but they somehow intensified his eyes, which were very blue.
It was him. It was definitely him. Mr. Forrest. Her knees weakened.
GIVEAWAY#!
Joanne is giving away an ebook copy of A QUESTION OF TIME. Comment below, leave your email address and you’ll go in the running!
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# The small print: Comment before midnight on 24 December 2012 (Australian Central Standard Time) to be entered to win an ebook copy of A QUESTION OF TIME by Joanne Renaude. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on this blog within three days of the close of the giveaway. Joanne will also contact the winner by e-mail.
Only one entry per ISP address. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. By entering, you agree Cassandra and Joanne can use your name when announcing the winner if you should win. If potential prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, prize will be re-awarded, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. All prizes will be awarded. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law.
Guest Post: Victoria Blisse!
Hi peeps,
Well, we’re super lucky today in that we also have author Victoria Blisse stopping by, chatting about her Christmas release, PROVING SANTA EXISTS! There’s also a giveaway, so make sure you read to the very end.
Take it away, Victoria!
Christmas Traditions
We all have traditions and in my family many of them centre around Christmas. From little things like getting the Festive Radio Times (I never buy a TV listings magazine otherwise) to baking my Christmas cake and Christmas pudding to a precise recipe and visiting the pantomime to the way we decorate the house and what we leave out for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve!
Jenny in Proving Santa Exists has her own set of Christmas Traditions and she pulls the new guy at work into them too. Here’s the blurb:
When Jonathan transfers from the U.S to the Manchester branch of Computers Inc., Jenny is the first person to make him feel at home. Finding out about his bleak Christmases as a boy, she makes up her mind to involve him in all her English Christmas traditions.
Passion sparks between the two as they decorate the Christmas tree. Who would have thought such an innocent activity could become so sexually charged? Can Jenny succeed in seducing the hot American and also prove to him that Santa really does exist?
And here’s a little excerpt full of tradition:
“Mince pies?” Jonathan looks a little horrified and a lot terrified. My explanation about dried fruit and suet in a pastry case doesn’t seem to alleviate the fear at all.
“You’ll love them.” I reach my hand from the gear stick to his knee. “Trust me.” Squeezing, then lingering, my fingers only leave the warmth of his jean-clad leg when use of the gear stick becomes imperative. Really, it wants to slip higher and higher up his thigh…
“Then what?”
I try to focus on the question. I was thinking about sex, but I’m pretty sure Jonathan isn’t asking me about that.
“Erm, well, we’ll need something to eat, then we’ll watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. It’s a tradition, you know. It won’t be properly Christmas until we do. Then, we’ll go to see the Nativity at Tom’s before going on to midnight mass.”
“Just a few things to do then.”
“Aye!” I laugh heartily. “I’ll keep you busy all night long.” I blush as I realise how that might sound.
“I certainly hope so,” he replies, a wicked teasing light in his eye, sparkling white in the depth of his Guinness-coloured corneas. I giggle nervously then gasp aloud.
“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” I do a little dance in my car seat, wiggling my hips whilst endeavouring to keep the steering wheel straight. “Oh, goody. I really want a white Christmas.”
“Why, so it is. It’s falling fast, too.” We’re just pulling into my drive, so thankfully I don’t have to drive any farther through the flurries of excited snowflakes.
“I do so love it when it snows!” I dance through the swirling flakes and catch Jonathan’s hand. He twirls around with me, laughing and whooping right along with me. Then he stops twirling and I end up rolling up his arm and bumping into his chest. I am about to apologise when his lips fall onto mine and silence me with a cold but rapidly warming kiss. I melt in his embrace. I wish we didn’t have so many layers between us. I want to feel his skin next to mine. I want to snuggle into him properly, hold him close and make love to him.
We pull apart with a gasping pop.
“Better get inside before we turn into snowmen.” He smiles and brushes snowflakes from my cheek. I return the grin and pull him into the house out of the swirling snow.
I slip off my thick brown coat, and hang it on the end of the stairs. Laying Jonathan’s over the top of it, I linger a moment, appreciating the sweet, musky smell lingering on the material that sparks off images of him on top of me… Oh, stop it girl! Get your hormones in check, there’s mince pies to bake.
For more of Jenny and Jonathan antics pic up your copy of PROVING SANTA EXISTS for just 77p from Amazon UK or for 99 cents at Amazon US
GIVEAWAY#!
Now, what are your Traditions at this time of the year? Comment and leave your email address to win a copy of ALWAYS CHRISTMAS IN LINCOLN, another of my seasonal stories!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Victoria. That was a lovely set of Christmas traditions and peeps, make sure you enter the giveaway!
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# The small print: Comment before midnight on 24 December 2012 (Australian Central Standard Time) to be entered to win a copy of ALWAYS CHRISTMAS IN LINCOLN by Victoria Blisse. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on this blog within three days of the close of the giveaway. Victoria will also contact the winner by e-mail.
Only one entry per ISP address. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. By entering, you agree Cassandra and Victoria can use your name when announcing the winner if you should win. If potential prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, prize will be re-awarded, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. All prizes will be awarded. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law.
December 15, 2012
WINNER! Christmas Wishes Blog Hop!
Peeps, we have a winner! Congratulations…
tanna4abak!
tanna4abak has won a signed ROUGH DIAMOND postcard and a ROUGH DIAMOND magnet. Congrats, tanna4bak!
I’d also like to extend a massive THANK YOU to all who participated. I’m so thrilled you all visited the hop, and I hope you had a fantabulous time. Also, don’t forget the Grand Prize! Make sure you stop by Book & Trailer Showcase (BTS Virtual Book Tours), Coffee Beans & Love scenes (CBLS Promotions), or Full Moon Bites (FMB Blog Tours) to check if you’re the lucky winner!
xx
December 14, 2012
REVIEW: A Question of Time by Joanne Renaud
Hi peeps,
Well, this something extra special for all of you – I’m actually doing a review of a book! Crazy, right? Anyhoo, on with it and stuff
Years later, successful author Celia Cavalotti is still mourning the death of her favorite teacher, who died in a car crash in 1989. But when a car accident of her own hurtles her back in time to the week of his death, she has a chance to change the future.
Finding herself in the 1980s is a shock to the extremely modern Celia– but even more shocking is seeing her dead English teacher, Alan Forrest, alive and well before her very eyes. Alan is far more handsome than she remembers, and she can’t resist the urge to flirt. After all, they have so much in common, like writing and a shared love of science fiction. Celia knows she’s falling in love with him– but can she use this opportunity to prevent his tragic death? What is happening to her? And why can’t she seem to stay in one place and time?
This is such an interesting premise for a book. Of course, time travel is nothing new but I’ve yet to read a book that was set in the 80s! I was a kid during the 80s and all of my recollections are coloured with the nostalgic glasses of a youngster, so it was doubly interesting to read a description of that time period.
Celia’s journey is an interesting one. To go from a massive crush on a teacher who died, to travelling through time, to meeting him again the day before he died, to starting a relationship – it was a roller coaster, that’s for sure! Alan wasn’t as nuanced as Celia, which was a bit of a shame, as I would have loved to have known him better.
The time travel elements of the story were very intriguing, but I felt the novella length of the story was a bit too short to adequately explain what occurred. It would be interesting to see what could be done with a longer form story. However, I must admit I’m not science-minded, so some of the ‘harder’ science went straight past me, and while the twist at the end could be termed a cliche, it still had a certain freshness to it.
Technically, the writing was a bit clumsy at times, with a bit too much reliance on telling rather than showing, but this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. Fans of the Time Travel romance will be intrigued by the unusual time period and its authenticity, and those fans of a slightly harder science will enjoy the ideas put forth.
Overall, I give A QUESTION OF TIME 3.5 out of 5 DeLoreans.
And there you have it peeps! My first, and probably only, review! I’m just too much of a slacker for anything else 
I hope you enjoyed and are intrigued enough to check A QUESTION OF TIME out!
Available from these ebook retailers:
Champagne Books ~ Amazon.com ~ BookStrand ~ Amazon.co.uk
Disclaimer: The review copy was gifted to me by the author.
December 13, 2012
Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop! #HolidayHop
The Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop is hosted by Carrie Ann Ryan. Let the celebrations begin!
Hey peeps!
Welcome to the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop! Big thanks go to Carrie Ann Ryan for hosting.
My golly, where has this year gone? I can’t believe we’re at the end of 2012, ready to enjoy another Christmas season. Still, I do love this time of year, with the Adelaide Christmas Pageant, the Magic Cave and all the lights that pop up on people’s houses – in fact, we have quite a few notorious light-crowded houses and streets and in the case of Lobethal, towns! There’s also the West End Brewery Lights, a wonderful South Australian tradition (and yet, I totally can’t find a link for it! Okay peeps, if I make it down there this year, I’ll take photos and post them on my Instagram)
Speaking of Christmas (total random segueway) I have for the very first time a Christmas book! FOOL’S GOLD is book 2 in The Diamond Series, and features Pearl la Monte wanting some alone time on Christmas Eve. However, that fool man Ethan Garrett just won’t leave her be and, well, shenanigans ensue… Check it out!
FOOL’S GOLD
Book 2 in The Diamond Series
Christmas in Freewill
Christmas Eve, the Diamond Saloon is empty of its people, and Pearl la Monte has a hankering to retire early. A pounding at the Diamond’s door rids her of such a fool notion. Her irritation rises when she sees the prissy, polite-like Garrett standing outside.
Ethan Garrett has a powerful need to gain succor. When the saloon’s voluptuous redheaded singer scowls at him from the threshold of the Diamond, he doesn’t stop to think on how his ire at her has disappeared. Or how he just wants to spend some time in her company.
When a blizzard storms in, trapping them, will they spend their time arguing or find their irritation for each other disguises something more?
And now, the contest#!
What sort of holiday tales do you like? What are your favourite Christmas moments? I’d love to hear all about them.
Comment below, leave your email address, and you’ll go in the running to win swag from The Diamond Series – a signed FOOL’S GOLD postcard*, a FOOL’S GOLD magnet*, a ROUGH DIAMOND postcard, and a ROUGH DIAMOND magnet. International entries are welcome – if Australia Post can reach your country, you can enter!
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
There are THREE Grand Prizes! You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!
What are those prizes, I hear you ask?
1st Grand Prize:
A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize:
A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize:
A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
(unfortunately only available to US entrants)
So snap to it, peeps!
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN MORE FABULOUS PRIZES!
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# The small print: Comment before midnight on 18 December 2012 (Australian Central Standard Time) to be entered to win one (1) signed FOOL’S GOLD postcard, one (1) FOOL’S GOLD magnet, one (1) signed ROUGH DIAMOND postcard and one (1) ROUGH DIAMOND magnet. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on this blog within three days of the close of the giveaway. Cassandra will also contact the winner by e-mail; the winner will be required to reply with their postal address so Cassandra can send the prize to them.
The Grand Prizes are offered by Carrie Ann Blog Hops. Please refer any queries to http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com.au
Only one entry per ISP address. Entrants must be over 18 years of age. By entering, you agree Cassandra can use your name when announcing the winner if you should win. If potential prize winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, prize will be re-awarded, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. All prizes will be awarded. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law.
*FOOL’S GOLD postcards and magnets are not yet available. This portion of the prize will be sent to the winner once the documents have been produced.
December 11, 2012
Holiday Gift of Love Blog Hop!
It’s a Happy Holiday from your favorite Authors and Bloggers. While we know everyone celebrates a different way, we wanted to make sure that you guys knew how much we treasure you all. So from Dec 14th to Dec 17th, all 200 or so of us will be blogging about the holidays and what they mean to us. We may talk about our favorite holiday traditions, recipes, gifts, reads, heroes, and so much more. We want to hear about what you do for the holidays, what you read, and who you’ll spend it with. We hope to see you here and happy hopping!
And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.
But that’s not all….
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize:
A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize:
A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize:
A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
Make sure you come back on December 14 for the hop, peeps!
December 10, 2012
WINNER! Muscles and Mistletoe Blog Hop #musclesandmistletoe
Peeps, we have a winner! Congratulations…
Daniel M!
Daniel M has won a print copy of TEACH ME, a signed ROUGH DIAMOND postcard and a ROUGH DIAMOND magnet. Congrats, Daniel M!
Thanks for hopping with me, peeps, I hope you had a grand time!
xx
December 9, 2012
Huge Massive Decadent Blog Hop! #giveaway
Hi peeps,
To celebrate November, Decadent Publishing are hosting a month-long giveaway! Commencing 15 November and running to 15 December, comment on the blogs listed to win a Nook pre-loaded with Decadent titles for a friend, and all 45 titles for yourself*. THIS INCLUDES TEACH ME, PEEPS!
There also be other fabulous giveaways, so make sure you visit every author participating. My giveaway is at the bottom of the post – make sure you read right to the bottom, peeps!
Just quickly, I thought I’d give you all a little update on FOOL’S GOLD, second in The Diamond Series.
Things are going along nicely. We’re up to the galley proof stage, which is the last stop before publication! I’m hopeful of having a cover and a release date for you peeps real soon – so looking forward to seeing what you think of Pearl and Ethan’s tale.
In the meantime, there’s a special treat for fans of my Facebook page. If you go to the extras section, something real special awaits you!
Right, that’s about it from me, peeps. Make sure you enter the comp as many times as you can and keep on checking back for the announcement of the winner as well as FOOL’S GOLD’s release date!
And now, the contest#!
Comment below, leave your email address, and you’ll go in the running to win!
One lucky commenter will win a signed postcard and a magnet of ALL my Decadent releases – that’s ENSLAVED, TEACH ME, ROUGH DIAMOND AND FOOL’S GOLD**! International entries are welcome – if Australia Post can reach your country, you can enter!
AND REMEMBER, YOU CAN WIN BIG WITH
DECADENT PUBLISHING.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
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# The small print: Comment before midnight on 17 December 2012 (Australian Central Standard Time) to be entered to win one (1) signed postcard and one (1) magnet of ENSLAVED, TEACH ME, ROUGH DIAMOND and FOOL’S GOLD**. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on this blog within three days of the close of the giveaway. Cassandra will also contact the winner by e-mail; the winner will be required to reply with their postal address so Cassandra can send the prize to them.
The Decadent Publishing Reader for a Reader giveaway is hosted by Decadent Publishing. Please direct any queries to http://decadentpublishing.blogspot.com.
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It’s beginning to feel a lot like…
Hey peeps,
I’ve been a busy bee today, meeting new babies, cleaning bathrooms, watching TV (such hard work) and making Mince Pies. Phew, am I right?
Now, because I’m a kind and generous person, I thought I’d share with you peeps the glories of my mince pies. Because I’m Kind and Generous. No, I’m not a braggart at all
Fruit mince recipe:
470g can crushed pineapple
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup sultanas
½ tspn cinnamon
1 cup raisins
½ tspn nutmeg
¼ cup currants
1 tbsn cornflour
¼ cup apricots
¼ cup brandy
1 apple
Peel and grate apple. Combine all ingredients in saucepan except cornflour and brandy. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils, reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes or until fruit is plump. Blend cornflour with brandy, mix into hot fruit mixture. Stir until mixture boils and thickens. Cool before filling into pie shell.
Pastry recipe:
1 cup plain flour
1 egg, separated
1 tbsn icing sugar
1 tbsn iced water (approx)
1 tbsn custard powder
1 tspn finely grated lemon rind
90g cold butter, chopped coarsely
1 tbsn white sugar
Grease 12 round based patty pan (or metal pie shells). Process flour, icing sugar, custard powder and butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk and enough of the water to make the ingredients come together. Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Roll two-thirds of pastry until 3mm thick. Cut rounds to fit patty pan or shells. Repeat until all 12 are filled. Spoon fruit mix into pastry cases.
Roll reserved pastry until 3mm thick. Fashion pie lids in whatever shape you desire. Place over fruit mixture, brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake pies 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Stand for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.
Enjoy the deliciousness!
