Dani Collins's Blog, page 45

October 24, 2015

Last Chance - A Montana Born Christmas for 99c

It's been such a busy week with the release of our Christmas boxed set I almost forgot to post today! I hope you took advantage of this deal or are grabbing it now! The price goes up on Monday to $2.99.

A Montana Born Christmas

Last Chance - A Montana Born Christmas for 99c

Other News

There's not much else to report, to be honest. We've been working hard to get the word out about the boxed set and I hope you'll let your reader friends know about it, too.

In between promoting that, I've been working on my next Presents, jabbing away at the word count which is always two hundred words forward, a hundred backspaced while I punch out the first draft. I can't wait to hear what you think of Maksym.

Life here at home is finally, finally, returning to normal as my husband goes back on his regular shift. This is our first proper weekend home together in ages, but we both have appointments today so I'm finishing up my work here, getting my errands out of the way and hopefully catching up with the love of my life over a nice dinner tonight.

Giveaways

A quick note to watch for a Goodreads Giveaway starting at the end of next week for The Marriage He Must Keep. I'm also part of Tawny Weber's Trick Or Treat Treasure Hunt. Watch my Facebook Page for details on that one starting Monday.

Have a great weekend!

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Published on October 24, 2015 12:24

October 17, 2015

Boxed Set - Christmas Novellas - 99c!

It's almost Christmas! A Montana Born Christmas releases on Tuesday. Even if you've read my Blame The Mistletoe, you'll get seven more heartwarming stories with rugged heroes and spirit-filled heroines. Click the image or any of the links below it to have it deliver auto-magically the moment it goes live.

A Montana Born Christmas

Photo Proof of Thanksgiving = Zero.

I was so determined to get photos of our family dinner last weekend, especially because my last truly great photo of my kids is from my daughter's graduation from high school two and a half years ago. They were both spit-polished and snuggled in for a selfie that I have since absconded. But when I tried to get them to do something similar last weekend, I got a lot of crossed-eyes and bared teeth.

I was also determined to get some photos of the table and the turkey, if for no other reason than it can be useful to have these backgrounds for future posts about holidays or what-have-you. Wouldn't you know the turkey failed to cook?

It was a fresh one, so being frozen wasn't the problem. I even had a thermometer in it and it showed it was done to perfection (looked golden brown and lovely!) So I pulled it out and mashed the potatoes and ran around putting the rest of the veggies on the table and the carver shouted that it wasn't done. Ugh.

Bird went back in the oven for forty minutes, veggies were all cosied with tea towels and whatnot. We all poured a fresh glass of wine and waited. Sigh.

But we eventually ate and had a ton of fun. I do love our family dinners. Then, funnily enough, my Mom called the other day to talk about the roasting pan.

Mom: "I remember Grandma gave me an aluminium roaster that she got from Auntie Jen. They both said it didn't cook the bird properly and I had problems with it so I got rid of it."

Me: "Pretty sure I took it."

She has an enamel one she has now promised me so, fingers-crossed, the next time I cook I'll have a cooked bird and decent photos.

Have a great week!

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Published on October 17, 2015 08:46

October 10, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving (Canada!)

My daughter is home for Thanksgiving weekend, but has to leave on actual Thanksgiving, which is Monday. My mom offered to cook, but then she and my dad had to make an unexpected trip out of town. They'll be home Sunday, but I said I would cook so we could eat that night. It's been a while since I cooked for a crowd. Heck, if my husband happens to be working, I don't cook at all.

99c! A Montana Born Christmas Boxed Set

Have you pre-ordered this boxed set yet? We're really excited by the enthusiasm readers are showing! We're hoping it helps us reach new readers too, so if you know some friends who might enjoy Christmas stories, or who love great romance, I hope you'll share this with them.

Please Vote!

Since the advance polls are open here in Canada this weekend, I'll urge my fellow Canucks to please vote. I'm always hugely annoyed when politicians claim that 'the majority clearly wanted' but it turns out, when you do the math, that only a third of Canadians voted at all and of those, many voted for the other parties. Please, make yourself heard!

I'm keeping it short. Today is the Big Shop when I get the brussel sprouts and bread crumbs for stuffing. Also, run around the house to find enough chairs to get us all around the dining table.

If you're here in Canada, I hope you have a great weekend with family and friends! If you're elsewhere, I hope you also enjoy a great weekend with family and friends. Take care,

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Published on October 10, 2015 08:37

October 2, 2015

Cover Reveal - Baby Swap!

I was excited to receive the cover art for The Consequence He Must Claim this morning. I was able to finalize this postcard I'm planning to send out to any reader who asks! Would you like one? Click on the Contact button here on my website and send me your postal address. I'll mail them in December.

Postcard Offer

Cover Reveal - Baby Swap!

Would you like to know more about these books? Here are the blurbs and preorder links:

The Marriage He Must Keep - January 2016

Claiming his heir

When Alessandro Ferrante dutifully married shy heiress Octavia, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that his convenient bride was as sweetly sensual as she was beautiful. But when their newborn baby is swapped at the hospital, their fragile marriage reaches crisis point.

…and his wife!

With her baby safely back in her arms, the revelation that Alessandro's family was involved leaves Octavia wanting nothing more to do with him. But Alessandro won't take no for an answer…after all, in the bedroom she always said yes! He will seduce his wife again and ensure Octavia—and his child—are his forever!

The Consequence He Must Claim - February 2016

Her boss…

Sorcha Kelly fell head over heels for her impossibly irresistible boss years ago. When she discovered he was dutifully engaged, she had to leave to protect her heart. However, her resignation broke the seal on the dangerous chemistry that always simmered between them, and that evening it consumed them both.

His baby!

After surviving a violent car crash, Cesar Montero lost the memories of the ardent hours he shared with his effortlessly seductive PA. So when Cesar discovers that their time together resulted in a lasting consequence, he's determined to claim his child and relive the white-hot night he can no longer recall…again and again!

I'll start #SampleSundays for these books in mid-November. First I have a couple of boxed sets back to back to promote. Speaking of which... Have you preordered your copy of this amazing collection yet?

Other News

That's a bit of a misleading subtitle. I don't have any real 'other news.' I spent September on the road and planning my writing schedule for the next while. Today (Oct 2nd) I began working on my next Presents. I won't predict when I'll have that finished. I don't want to jinx myself, but I like the characters so hopefully that means the book will progress without too much hand-wringing.

It will be Canadian Thanksgiving next weekend. Our daughter will be home so I'm looking forward to a big family dinner. Those are always fun. Tonight I'm thinking of going to see The Intern. This was how that conversation went in our house when I brought it up with MrC:

Me: I'm thinking about going to see The Intern

Him: I don't want to see Robert DeNiro in that kind of role

Me: That's why I said, 'I'm thinking of going,' not 'Do you want to go...'

I don't mind seeing a movie by myself. Do you ever go alone?

Final Plug - Newsletter

I just remembered my newsletter will go out on Tuesday. Are you subscribed? If not, join now and you'll get Cruel Summer, a free short story ebook romance, as a welcome gift!

Cruel Summer is getting some nice reviews over on Goodreads which kind of makes me laugh because it's not for sale on Amazon or anywhere else. I published it myself specifically to thank my subscribers, so I hadn't planned to add it to my book list. A reader must have wanted to track it, though, because it appeared! And people are saying nice things so that's not a bad thing.

Click on the image to sign up and claim your copy or click here! You'll get the link to download right away.

Have a great weekend!

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Published on October 02, 2015 16:24

September 26, 2015

Welcome To Fall - Gingersnap Recipe

Good morning. I almost forgot to write this post. I was searching for the Netflix release date on my most recent guilty indulgence. I've started watching The Fosters and I binge four and five episodes at a time! As of last night, I have finished Season Two and need--I mean addicted like Anna need--Season Three.

99c - Pre-order now!

Have you grabbed your copy of this yet? Eight sweet, sexy, heartwarming holiday stories by eight award-winning and best-selling authors. Only 99c!

Road Tripping

This week I took two more road trips, but much shorter ones. The first was overnight to my inlaw's holiday home in Osoyoos. Don't get excited. It's not a glamorous mansion on the lake shore. It's a relic of a house where my mother-in-law sent all her furniture, gadgets, and bedding to live out their retirement years.

This means the bed was rock-hard--which told my husband and I how old we are becoming. We joked that this was our version of camping, since we had to rough it without internet or television for almost twenty-four hours. Rather than bring groceries to cook, we went out for dinner across the line in Oroville, just for funsies, then decided to hunt and gather a DVD at the grocery store.

"Or we could go to the movie store," my husband said as we drove by what is probably the last video store in existence. We picked up Nic and Nora's Infinite Playlist for five dollars, since we'd never seen it, and watched it on my laptop. (It's cute.)

This is the walk I took the next morning to fetch our coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

Welcome To Fall - Gingersnap Recipe

As much as I enjoy the warm winds of Osoyoos, I was happy to know I'd be heading straight home and not leaving my desk for anything but my daily walk and groceries. Nope. The service light came on in the Hyundai on the way home. Le Sigh. So I trucked over to Kelowna yesterday to have that taken care of. At least it was a beautiful drive. Here's a couple snaps as I was homeward bound:

Welcome To Fall - Gingersnap Recipe

Gingersnaps

I promised you my Gingersnap recipe, didn't I? I've dedicated my life to finding the best gingersnap recipe and this one is my favourite. If you have one you like, I'd love to try it. Here's mine:

Cream together:

1 1/2 c white sugar

1 c butter or marg

Add:

2 eggs

1 c molasses

Sift together in a separate bowl:

1 Tbsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp ground ginger

4 c flour

1 tsp ea: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, all spice

Stir dry ingredients into wet (can use electric mixer)

Roll dough into balls 1 inch in diameter

Dip top into white sugar

Place on greased cookie sheet – Do Not Press

Bake at 350F for approx 15 mins

Tops crack when done

Cool on wire rack

Have a great week!

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Published on September 26, 2015 09:06

September 19, 2015

Montana - Great Anytime!

Is it Saturday? My days are all mixed up again. But this deal is still on. And keep reading! I'm sharing my recent visit to Montana!

99c - Pre-order now!

This week, we went to Alberta to see our daughter. Since my husband had the whole week off work, we took the long route through Montana so we could drive the Going To The Sun Road. It's something I've always wanted to do so I can now cross that off my bucket list.

Montana - Great Anytime!

We could have driven straight south to Spokane, but chose to cross the border at Creston. I had books to deliver to their library anyway. You'll see that the trip says just under five hours. Being Dani and Doug, we took all day.

We got some nice shots, though. Check out the full album on my Facebook Page, but here are a few highlights:

Montana - Great Anytime!

The fall colours were pretty amazing. We then drove to Calgary and stayed a few days in my sister's empty apartment. She was visiting our other sister in Australia, but we had a lovely time with our daughter. I'll be uploading another album from the rest of our trip onto Facebook shortly, but we took the long way home from Calgary, too, driving from Creston to Kaslo. (I had books I was donating to the Kaslo library, too.)

Montana - Great Anytime!

It was getting dark when we arrived in Kaslo so I don't have any photos, but it is the prettiest little town. They have a jazz festival there in the summer and we are seriously thinking of going in 2016. It looks so fun and who doesn't want to hang out by a lake in the sunshine listening to music?

These shots are from the drive up Kootenay Lake to the ferry:

Montana - Great Anytime!

We got home around nine p.m. and I was pretty wiped. Is there anything better than sleeping in your own bed after a long trip away?

But it was a fantastic trip, I feel recharged, and I pretty much plotted an entire book on those long drives. We have one more overnight trip planned, then I'm hibernating and writing for the rest of the year. I think.

FYI, I was going to post my gingersnap recipe here today, but I had all these lovely photos to share. Come by next week and I'll have it typed out for you. Now that the weather is turning, we can start thinking of baking and crock pots and curling up with a book or eight.

Have a great week!

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Published on September 19, 2015 09:34

September 12, 2015

Quick Catch Up

Good morning! How is your Saturday?

99c - Pre-order now!

My husband usually works Monday to Friday, but for the last few weeks he's been working odd hours and weekends. This week for the first time in forever, he was home all week. We caught up on some house chores, had his cousin visit, sorted the snow tires... That's always fun! But I wound up in a state we call "unstuck in time."

We coined this phrase years ago. Actually, we probably stole it from a movie, but I couldn't tell you which one. It usually refers to those times when you wake up, go about your day and suddenly realize in the middle of the afternoon that it was the Daylight Savings switch and you forgot to change the clocks. Now you've missed something important.

Today I almost missed my blog post. It doesn't feel like Saturday. I'm unstuck in time from our really long weekend that lasted from Tuesday to Friday.

Not that I have a lot of news. We had this visitor through the week, until MrC picked all the fruit. This is taken from my front step. Yes, I went outside long enough to click!

I've posted video of him climbing the trees on my Facebook page. People have asked if I'm scared and no. Not really. I'm more afraid he'll wind up shot. Bears can definitely habituate and begin breaking into cars and houses, but climbing trees to eat fruit is pretty normal behaviour and I hope he just eats his fill and goes away to hibernate.

Quick Catch Up

That's all I have for news this week. We're planning a small road trip to see our daughter and drop some of my author copies at 'local' libraries. Canada is a big country. Some of these places are five hours from here.

But if all goes well, we will cross an item of my bucket list: The Going-To-The-Sun road. There is a small chance it could close due to snow, but if we get there, I will post photos. Stay tuned!

Enjoy your week!

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Published on September 12, 2015 07:45

September 5, 2015

Cover Reveal, 99c Deal

So much news! First, if you received my newsletter, you know I'm participating in a Christmas anthology with seven other authors called A Montana Born Christmas. I'm thrilled to see it's up for pre-order!

99c - Get yours now!

Cover Reveal, 99c Deal

If you haven't read my Blame the Mistletoe, this is your chance to get it for 99c. If you have read it, look at all the other amazing authors you get. For 99c!

Quick links to pre-order A Montana Born Christmas for 99c:

Next, remember last week when I said I was waiting for the cover of my January book? It's here! What do you think? You'll have to trust me when I say this is a perfect depiction of Sandro and Octavia. If you haven't heard yet, it's Book One in a duet called The Wrong Heirs. It's a baby swap!

Want to pre-order? Here are your quick links:

And here are the links for the second book (and baby!)

In other news, I'll be participating in my first Tweet Chat on Tuesday, Sept 8th at 11:30 am (Central time. That's 9:30 Pacific, 12:30 Eastern) I've checked the time conversion three times. I hope I have it right! And I hope you'll join me!

Cover Reveal, 99c Deal

Finally, just for fun, I made a playlist to go with CRUEL SUMMER. If you already subscribe to my newsletter, you should have your free download. If you want a free download, subscribe to my newsletter! You'll get the link to download it right away.

And if you love all the music mentioned in Cruel Summer, you can listen to the full playlist here.

That's it! I wrote this Thursday night, after running around all day dropping off copies of my Large Print and foreign editions to local libraries. I was thrilled that one wanted French, Spanish and Italian. I'm guessing it can be a challenge to find ESL reading material in rural locations like ours so I'm glad these went to good homes.

I don't have a lot of other news. I spent the last ten days of August planning my writing schedule through 2016. It's fairly solid. Not much wriggle room to add or change much! And it means that I have to knuckle down right away and start achieving all these goals I've set for myself.

So I'm planning to work even though it's Saturday. It's raining hard out there so that makes it easy. Have a great weekend.

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Published on September 05, 2015 07:32

August 29, 2015

#SampleSunday - Vows Of Revenge (6)

Happy Saturday, Dear Readers! The full moon today makes a nice big punctuation mark on the end of summer, doesn't it? Technically there are three more weeks, but I'm ready for the shift in gears. How about you?

Available Now from Amazon

Some of my desire for change stems from the fact we are still socked in with smoke here. Check out this comparison of the view from our deck. You can't see the water at all. We often have misty days through the winter when visibility is low due to cloud cover (we're in the mountains), but this is all smoke and is really starting to feel claustrophobic. We're expecting some rain this weekend (finally!) so hopefully that settles the fires in Washington and cleans the air for all of us.

#SampleSunday - Vows Of Revenge (6)

Along with the end of summer, we have reached the end of my #SampleSunday excerpts for Vows Of Revenge. I have some fun things planned for next week, but after that, I'm not sure what you'll get. I do have some boxed set opportunities coming up in October and November so watch for those. The October Christmas-themed one will be an absolute steal.

Also, if you don't belong to my newsletter list yet, please consider joining. I post excerpts and other exclusive news and photos. I've spent this week planning my writing schedule and I'm trying to book time to write a sequel short story to follow Cruel Summer. (Brock's story!) If you haven't downloaded this freebie yet, it's here:

Get Cruel Summer!

Ready for #SampleSunday?

SampleSunday

Have you missed any posts? The previous ones are here:

Melodie arrives to plan a wedding
Roman doesn't plan to get married, ever
Roman realizes who she is and plots his revenge
Melodie has a fall from grace
Roman gives Melodie the kiss of her life

Here I've jumped ahead again to the moments after Ingrid leaves. Melodie is wearing borrowed clothes and goes to tell Roman she's leaving. FYI, she doesn't. Not yet:

~ * ~

“I’m afraid I have to ask you to call me a cab.” She tried to act casual as she moved forward. “I didn’t bring my phone and…”

She came even with the open doors of the office and discovered him standing before his clear screens. He had changed, dispensing with a shirt altogether, and now wore only a pair of drawstring linen pants that hung with rakish sexiness off his hips, accentuating his smooth, powerful back and the curve of his buttocks.

“I’d ask Ingrid for hers, but she and Huxley just left…” She could hardly speak. Her throat had gone dry.

He turned. His flat abs and nicely developed chest fixated her. Animal attraction gripped her.

Why? She didn’t understand it and lifted her gaze to his, trying to work out where this attack of sexual craving was coming from.

He was scanning down her low neckline, taking in the outline of tiny triangles that barely covered her nipples beneath the translucent cotton, eyeballing the towel that she gripped around her hips.

His Adam’s apple worked. “Why are you here, Melodie?” His tone was graveled with intolerance and something almost erotic. Desire?

“I— What do you mean?”

“Here, in my home.” He joined her on the balcony, confrontational and ominous, arms and shoulders tanned and powerful, bare feet planted firmly. “Why are you here?”

“The wedding,” she stated, nerves strummed by the suspicion in his tone.

“Be honest.”

“What do you mean? I didn’t plan this,” she said, waving at her borrowed garb, suddenly realizing how it could look. But she hadn’t made this happen. She wasn’t using it as an excuse to stick around and throw herself at him. Not really. Okay, maybe she was throwing herself at him a little, but—
Oh, good grief. Could this get any worse?

“I didn’t bump you,” he bit out, eyes narrowing. “I didn’t even touch you.”

“No, I know. I was just…nervous,” she stammered, attacked by the same hit of discomfiture that had made her avoid him by the pool. She’d instinctively known his touch would have a devastating effect on her. She’d leaped back from his reaching hand as though he could have burned her. He had burned her. When he’d kissed her in the cabana, the contact had seared all the way to her soul.

“Nervous,” he charged, brows elevating like he’d caught her out. “Why?”

Because he was a force, not a man. Her reaction to him was so strong it petrified her.

“You’re different,” she hazarded, but couldn’t explain it even to herself.

“How?”

Boy, he was like an extension of his technology with those robotic commands for more information.

She crossed her arms, annoyed, but Ingrid’s words were ringing in her ears. Was he reacting to her and feeling as out of sorts by this situation as she was?

The thought brought a soaring of buoyancy that she quickly tried to tame. A million things were running through her head, all her thoughts coming back to the fact that she was finally meeting a man who made her feel alive. She was interested and excited. Running away like a teenage girl too shy to speak to him would be silly. She’d kick herself forever if she did that. They were grown-ups. She was, by nature, an honest person.

“I find you attractive,” she admitted, and immediately blushed. It was as if she’d deliberately stepped onto a gangplank high over the concrete. Her footing seemed wobbly and threatened to drop her into a hard fall.

“Do you,” he disparaged.

His tone peeled a layer off her composure. She told herself she was being mature and didn’t have enough invested to have anything to lose, but her self-respect grew thin and strained. She heard her half-brother's voice all over again. Bug eyes. Don’t talk to my friends. They all think you’re ugly anyway.

At the same time, she put herself into Roman’s shoes and thought she knew the source of his cynicism. “If you think I’m making some kind of awkward play for the rich guy, that’s not true.”

“You’d think I was just as attractive if I lived in a cardboard shack in a back alley?” he scoffed, arms folding and chin coming up with arrogant challenge.

Dear Lord, he was attractive. Like a Greek god with all that burnished skin over toned muscle, his aura one of superiority and might.

She almost blurted out how she’d walked away from the sort of wealth and education that would have made any job unnecessary for the rest of her life. If he only knew how much contempt she reserved for powerful men and how sorry she felt for the women who loved them…

But all of that was behind her, and this moment was only about her and him. Who they were in this moment.

“I might,” she allowed with a weak shrug. This was a physical thing. She suspected no matter where she had encountered him, she would still be unable to control her response to him.

“You don’t even know me,” Roman derided. “Why—?” he bit off the word, looking out to the water, gripped by an angry frustration that went beyond his response to her. He closed his hand on the rail, trying to retain his grip on the situation.

But his gaze tracked unerringly back to Melodie. The low neckline of her shirt accentuated her slender neck and delicate collarbone, offering a teasing glimpse of the upper swells of her breasts. Her damp hair fell in waves around her bare face. She had the sensual innocence of a maiden from a primitive jungle culture, pure temptation in her open regard, Eve-like in her patience for him to succumb to the desire drumming through him. The message was subliminal and as irresistible as a siren’s.

Come to me.

All he could think was, This is a damned sight more than attraction. He was blind with lust, trying to hang onto a cool head while his body still felt the writhe of hers nudging against his erection. She’d inflamed him with their kiss, promising untold pleasure, appealing straight to the basest part of him and completely undermining his capacity for logical thought.

~ * ~

Tuesday is the official launch day for Vows Of Revenge! You can order the print version from Amazon here. The ebook is on the Mills & Boon's website now or you can pre-order it here and it will download to your device September 1st: