Laura K. Curtis's Blog, page 16
November 26, 2013
Giveaway of the Day: Red Planet Necklace
This is a long necklace – the pendant would sit nicely in the vee of a fancy holiday dress! I call the beads in this one my “red planet” beads because the base glass is red. When you add silver to red (due to the way glass works), you get that golden-yellow color. The red planet beads are combined here with Czech cut-glass beads in a variety of colors and styles and sterling silver beads from Bali. Just the think for your holiday parties!
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
The post Giveaway of the Day: Red Planet Necklace appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 25, 2013
Cliffhanger Vs. To Be Continued? (And Giveaway of KT Grant’s The Gate)
Today, I have a guest on the blog! I’ve followed KT Grant (@katiebabs) on Twitter for ages, but recently met her in person at a conference in Rhode Island. We had a great conversation about cliffhanger endings and I asked her if she’d like to write about them for you guys. I’ll be giving away her most recent erotic romance, The Gate at the end of the post.
As a reader I’m a big fan of the cliffhanger ending. This usually happens in a book series, where one of the ongoing stories continues into the next book. Sometimes a cliffhanger can be small and not that shocking. Perhaps a character hasn’t made a decision about something, or a certain plot is unresolved. Some cliffhangers can be jaw dropping shocking, just like the one cliffhanger for Suzanne Collins’ Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Two of my all time favorite cliffhangers that had me wanting to tear my hair out is the heart breaking emotional one in Paullina Simons’ The Bronze Horseman or the, “oh no she didn’t!” Carolyn Crane pulled in Double Cross, the second book in The Disillusionist Trilogy. JR Ward always has some sort of cliffhanger in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series or rather I should say the “to be continued…” device that I’ve noticed more authors use instead of an old fashioned cliffhanger.
Back when I outlined The Gate, the first book in the Dark Path series, I knew the end of this book would be unresolved. My plan wasn’t to have a traditional cliffhanger. I treated it as more of a “to be continued…”, which is used on television, usually when a show goes on hiatus for the summer, and the audience has to wait until the fall on how certain stories would be resolved. In some cases, the story would continue with no solution in sight, or create new unresolved stories to keep the viewer interested. The very popular show, Lost that aired on ABC is a perfect example of having a cliffhanger at the end of every episode. Each week I would end up screaming (a few times I threw something at the television) because there was always a, “to be continued…” for some storyline or character. Even the series finale left some questions unanswered, to the dismay of the viewers.
The Gate has two continuous storylines, featuring five characters, which will span the entire series. The main storyline is that of Max, the millionaire media mogul who owns The Gate, a BDSM sex club, and his on again, off again romance with Erika, a sweet and sometimes naive woman who writes children’s books. There’s Chris, the man Erika has had a long time crush on and once fantasized about marrying. Chris and Max are bitter enemies who want Erika for their own purposes. Then there’s Catherine, Max’s best friend and partner in The Gate, and her relationship with Bryan, a twenty-one year old virgin who turns to her to help heal his inner demons be introducing him to what some may feel are questionable sexual acts that Catherine is skilled in. Since I’m planning on writing four books in this series there’s a good chance I’ll have a “to be continued…” at the end of each book.
Why would I do such a thing? An obvious answer is that I want to keep readers coming back for more. But there’s always a possibility that I may give one of the characters an HEA earlier than planned.
In the immortal words of Carolyn Keene, author of the Nancy Drew mysteries: “Do act mysterious. It always keeps them coming back for more.”
Are you a fan of cliffhangers or “to be continued…”? Do you hate them? What are some of your favorite book cliffhangers?
KT Grant is a self-proclaimed eccentric redhead who not only loves to read a wide variety of romances, but also loves writing it. Under her alter-ego, she is a well-known book blogger who doesn’t shy away from voicing her opinion. A proud native of New Jersey, KT is multi-published and writes Gay, Lesbian and Straight romance. KT has been a top ten best-selling author at Amazon, as well as being a multiple All Romance Ebooks best seller and a Night Owl Reviews Top Author Pick.
You can find KT at these fun places:
Website
Blog: Babbling About Books, and More!
Twitter: @Katiebabs
The post Cliffhanger Vs. To Be Continued? (And Giveaway of KT Grant’s The Gate) appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 24, 2013
Sunday Showers Bring Monday Flowers
Yesterday’s bracelet design was abstract. Today’s is more garden-themed. I made these green glass beads with purple flowers on them early in my beadmaking career. They’re very simple, but I still love them. They’re combined here with sterling silver beads and clasp from Bali and tiny, purple Swarovski crystals. Bring a little spring into your winter with this bracelet that fits approximately a 6.5″ wrist.
It’s cheap to ship these little bracelets, so this one’s a worldwide giveaway.
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
The post Sunday Showers Bring Monday Flowers appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 23, 2013
Giveway of the Day: Sunday is for Small Bracelets
Today I am giving away another handmade bracelet. I actually made the glass beads in this piece and the reason the bracelet is so small (again, 6.25″ wrist) is that I only made three! They are copper dichroic glass, and I’ve combined them here with sterling silver beads from Thailand and small copper washers. The clasp is sterling from Bali. The silver has a patina on it, which I think goes well with the copper, but if you win and decide to polish it to shiny, go with a polishing cloth, not a dip.
And, hey, you don’t need to be in the USA to win! Enter at will!
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The post Giveway of the Day: Sunday is for Small Bracelets appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
Giveway of the Day: Sunday Brings and Small Bracelet
Today I am giving away another handmade bracelet. I actually made the glass beads in this piece and the reason the bracelet is so small (again, 6.25″ wrist) is that I only made three! They are copper dichroic glass, and I’ve combined them here with sterling silver beads from Thailand and small copper washers. The clasp is sterling from Bali. The silver has a patina on it, which I think goes well with the copper, but if you win and decide to polish it to shiny, go with a polishing cloth, not a dip.
And, hey, you don’t need to be in the USA to win! Enter at will!
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The post Giveway of the Day: Sunday Brings and Small Bracelet appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
Saturday’s Giveaway: Hot Historical Hunks in eBook Form
If you follow me on Twitter, you probably also know @meganf and @isobelcarr. What you may not know is that both of these wonderful ladies write historical romances! You may also not have known that historical gentlemen ran around bare-chested. But hey, if they look like these guys… no, just kidding.
What Not to Bare:
Lady Charlotte Jepstow certainly knows how to make an impression—a terrible one. Each one of her ball gowns is more ostentatiously ugly than the one before. Even she has been forced to wonder: Is she unmarried because of her abysmal wardrobe, or does she wear clashing clothing because she doesn’t want to be pursued in the first place? But when Charlotte meets Lord David Marchston, suddenly a little courtship doesn’t sound so bad after all.
David will be the first to admit he’s made some mistakes. But when he gets yanked from his post by his superiors, he is ordered to do the unthinkable to win back his position: woo his commander’s niece. If David wants his life back, he must use his skills as a negotiator to persuade society that Charlotte is a woman worth pursuing, despite her rather unusual “flair” for color. But David does such a terrific job that he develops an unexpected problem, one that violates both his rakish mentality and his marching orders: He’s starting to fall in love.
Ripe for Seduction:
A secret society of younger sons, sworn to aid and abet each other, no matter the scandal or cost . . .
After the scandalous demise of her marriage, Lady Olivia Carlow knows the rakes of the ton will think her fair game. So when a letter arrives bearing an indecent offer from the incorrigible Roland Devere, she seizes the opportunity. Turning the tables on the notorious rogue, she blackmails him into playing her betrothed for the season. But no matter how broad his shoulders or chiseled his features, she will never fall prey to his suave charm.
When Roland boasted he’d be the first into Lady Olivia’s bed, he couldn’t have imagined that behind those brilliant blue eyes lurked a vixen with a scheme of her own. Still, Roland is not about to abandon his original wager. If anything, learning that the lovely Olivia is as bold as she is beautiful makes him more determined to seduce her into never saying “never” again.
I’m giving away both of these hot historicals in ebook form to take you on a trip back to the past.
The post Saturday’s Giveaway: Hot Historical Hunks in eBook Form appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 22, 2013
Friday Fun: The Glam-Girl Makeup Kit Giveaway
When I was young, I really wanted to wear makeup. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even wash my hands with liquid soap because I was so allergic to whatever chemical made it “liquid.” If I tried to wear blush, I got a rash on my cheeks. Eye makeup would make my lids swell. I could wear a little lip gloss, but that was it. So I never really learned how to wear makeup. It’s still a big production for me to put it on (and I still have to be very careful about the brands I use), but I still yearn for it. So when I saw this kit by Beaute Basics, I thought about how very, very much I wanted it and what a terrible idea it would be, and knew I’d found my next giveaway.
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The post Friday Fun: The Glam-Girl Makeup Kit Giveaway appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 20, 2013
Giveaway of the Day: Yay for YA!
If you know me, you know I don’t read YA. In fact, I even wrote a rant more than two years ago about how I am tired of people telling me “oh, you have to read this great YA.” But here’s the thing. Two years ago, my nieces were kids. Now they’re the market for YA fiction. So while it’s still not my thing, I have been trying to read more so that I know what to buy for them. Mostly, the books they read fall into a couple of categories: dystopian and “daily life.” So today I am giving away two YA books by a friend of mine, Bria Quinlan, that fall into the “daily life” category. (And the “romance” category because, face it, I love romance!) Because I am assuming you’ll want to give these to someone else, I’ll be sending the physical books unless you specifically tell me you want ebooks.
So if you, or some young person you know likes to read, this is one not to miss! Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
The post Giveaway of the Day: Yay for YA! appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 19, 2013
Giveaway of the Day: Vintage Swarovski Bead Bling!
Back in the day when I used to make beads, I went to a lot of trade shows. And at many of them, I would big bead my beads for other people’s beads, or just outright buy beads. I was completely addicted to Swarovski crystals, especially the vintage ones. A friend of mine and I would go in on box lots and vintage cases (these often came 12 beads to a case) and we’d sit in the hotel room laying them out on the bed and watching all the pretty colors sparkle.
Anyway, I still have a goodly number of Swarovski crystals, and even some of the vintage ones. The smaller blue-black cubes on these earrings are modern, but the all the rest are pre-1980. The fittings are all sterling silver. Perfect for those formal occasions!
Don’t forget that if you already belong to the mailing list, tweet, or leave a comment on the website, you need to click the Rafflecopter entry form to get your “+1″ entry!
The post Giveaway of the Day: Vintage Swarovski Bead Bling! appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
November 18, 2013
It’s Release Day! And a Colorful Fountain Pen Giveaway!
I know, I know, you’re fed up with me jumping up and down and shouting about Twisted. I don’t blame you. But today it’s out! *tosses confetti*
You can read an excerpt or see the hilarious Lego trailer on the Twisted page. But enough about that…back to the giving!
Today, I am giving away something really cool. Many of you know that I like to write with fountain pens. I think more people should try it, so I am giving away a set of Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens in black, blue, pink, purple, turquoise, red and green. There’s also a nifty leather carrying case! Under normal circumstances, this set is exclusive to Levenger, as far as I know. So cool, right?
The post It’s Release Day! And a Colorful Fountain Pen Giveaway! appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.
