Bill Hiatt's Blog, page 16
March 17, 2013
Reminder!
Today is the last day for the St. David’s Day giveaway. Entry closes at 8 pm, Pacific time.
Don’t miss this opportunity!
March 10, 2013
Guest Blog Post from Tammie Clarke Gibbs
Behind the Scenes with Author Tammie Clarke Gibbs
and her new Time Travel Romance, Sworn to Secrecy
From the moment, I saw the movie Somewhere in Time; I was hooked. As a young girl I already dreamed of traveling to faraway places and meeting my one special love. I guess you could say that I’ve always been a romantic. My mother would say I’ve always had a flair for the dramatic and sometimes she wasn’t being complimentary. Regardless, I’m thrilled that my love of the romantic and dramatic have both culminated into the career of a novelist.
On the road to published, every author makes decisions that ultimately affect their careers. Choosing the right agent, no agent, the right contract or even going the indie route. All the choices an author makes help mold and determine the author that they’ll ultimately become. Some are nurtured through external assistance and others won’t ever reach their potential because of a lack of outside influence.
So what sort of author am I? I’m a creative one that dreams big even in the context of everyday life. I love taking otherwise ordinary characters and plopping them in the middle of a story that is anything but ordinary. In Island of Secrets, my gothic/ time travel and debut novel, Lila Fitzpatrick is an simple small town girl thrust into a situation where she discovers she’s not who she thinks she is. In my second book Keeping Secrets, I took a small-town girl and dumped her right in the middle of a Secret Service investigation in the late 1800s, and she realizes that with the right motivation, she’s capable of some extraordinary things.
Sworn to Secrecy, my newest release is very special to me.It’s the first of my books that wasn’t written over the course of years during my pre-publication days. It’s a special blend that I think all my fans will love. As book two in the new Undercover Heroes series, it takes characters from Keeping Secrets and merges them with the paranormal element of time travel. I love suspense so readers can expect plenty of it in this new book.
Fans of my time-travel Island of Secrets have been waiting two years for this book. I hope that they will enjoy Dak and Elizabeth’s story as much as I’ve enjoyed telling it.
Be sure to visit all of the bloggers and authors that arehosting me during the Book Launch Celebration for Sworn to Secrecy for yourchance to win prizes and read more about me and my books. I have somethingspecial planned with each of them.
During the launch, you can grab a copy for just .99. After March 20th, the price goes to its list price of $3.99.
An unlikely alliance…a love born from the ashes ofadversity…. Dak Bartholomew is a US Secret Service agent. When he wakes up locked in a dark room it’s just another day until he realizes that he’s not alone.
Elizabeth Porter would like nothing more than to plunge
her knife through the stranger’s heart for all the trouble he’s caused.
Together they’ll take an unexpected journey to a time and place they
could never have imagined and discover a secret they’ll be sworn to
protect.
Don’t miss Tammie’s other novels-
ISLAND OF SECRETS: GOTHIC TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE
KEEPING SECRETS: HISTORICAL ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Buy on Barnes and Noble
Help spread the word by visiting my blog and participating in the giveaway.
http://www.tammieclarkegibbs.com
Follow Tammie on Twitter
Scroll down for to read an excerpt
Tammie Clarke Gibbs is the author of the #1 Kindle Best Selling Gothic/Time Travel Romance Island of Secrets which has been consistently on three of the Amazon Best Seller Lists for over eighteen consecutive months. She is the author of three novels and multiple non-fiction titles. Tammie resides with her husband, son, and a very spoiled Maltese in South Georgia. She loves to hear from her fans and can be reached at her website and via email
Click
on the links below to visit participating
Launch Partners & Read more…
Author Barbara Ivie Green - Live on March 12, 2013
Author Bill Hiatt – Live on March 13, 2013
Author SJ Byrne – Live on March 13, 2013
Author Michelle Hughes – Live on March 14, 2013
Author Brian Bigelow - Live on March 15, 2013
Author Sheila Deeth – Live on March 16, 2013
Author Regan Black – Live on March 16, 2013
Author Pamela Foreman – Live on March 17, 2013
Author Olivia Martinez -Live on March 18, 2013
Wordlovers by Melissa Bowersock – Live on March 19, 2013
Author Andrea Buginsky - Live on March 19, 2013
Confessions of a Reader -Live on March 19, 2013
Author Gemma Wilford – Live on April 7, 2013
Click Here to go to the Giveaway Post and enter for some great prizes
Excerpt of Sworn to Secrecy Copyright Tammie Clarke Gibbs
Dak Bartholomew felt a trickle of blood run a cold wet trail down the side of his
face from the open gash at his temple.
He struggled to open his eyes, and after several moments succeeded. Focusing on
his surroundings took several more, but eventually, he could see the small,
dank-smelling room in more clarity than he even desired.
The only light came from a single window, its pane’s blackened all but for one small
section.
He pulled himself off the filthy mattress and felt his way toward the light. The window
had been painted from the inside, and it appeared that someone had literally
scratched at it until a small stream of light was allowed in from the outside.
Instinctively, he reached into his pocket for his knife, but it wasn’t there.
Nothing was there.
There was a faint cry from the corner of the room. Startled, Dak stepped back into the
darkness.
He felt his way along the bed until he came to what he thought was a wall.
The darkness was deep and black, and the light cut only a sliver through it,
leaving the rest of the room engulfed in an ebony sea.
He was weak from having been drugged or loss of blood. He wasn’t sure which. Either would
have given him an excuse to forget he wasn’t alone and cower, but the pitiful
whimpers stoked within him a steely determination.
“You there,” he called and waited for an answer.
The room was quiet in response. No whimpering. No breathing.
“Are you hurt?” Dak asked this time, and his voice was softer. Still there was no
answer.
He took several short steps, feeling his way along the wall in the direction he’d heard
the sounds coming from.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said, this time louder. “I…”
Dak felt a dirty hand on his mouth and something sharp at his side.
Daydreaming
Stay tuned!
Shortly I will have a special treat for you–a guest post from romance author Tammie Clarke Gibbs.
March 5, 2013
“Living with Your Past Selves” Available for Free–for a Short Time!
Until March 9, you can get “Living with Your Past Selves” free at Smashwords as part of their “Read an Ebook Week” promotion.
Take advantage of the opportunity! (You can’t argue with free!)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/263653
March 3, 2013
I Just Got a New Five Star Review!
(Sorry, I don’t want to sound narcissistic, but I really couldn’t resist.)
You can read the review at http://readersfavorite.com/review/8418 .
February 25, 2013
My Review of “The Inbetween”
The author’s ability to create an engaging storyline is at least equal to her command of the language. The struggle between paganism and Christianity in early medieval Europe has had many literary treatments in the past, and will have more in the future. Inevitably, each writer has a different take on that friction. Ms. Kendricks’ portrayal of a virtuous pagan female elder and a downright evil monk who share a complicated past is an original twist on this popular subject matter.
My only reservation about the content of this story is that it absolutely begs for prequels and sequels. Such a short story barely scratches the surface of the imaginative world that Ms. Kendrick has created. If I thought that was all there were ever going to be, I couldn’t give the story five stars, but I have every confidence that the author will continue to explore the world she has begun to create.
February 22, 2013
Enter to Win a Free Book!
Visit Book a Day Giveaway on Facebook for a chance to win an autographed copy of Living with Your Past Selves. https://www.facebook.com/#!/ABookADayGiveaway
(Who knows? It might be worth something some day! But Regardless of its collectible value, it is still a good read.)
Results of the “Love Your Library” Contest
The YouTube video advertising the contest got over 2,000 views. The contest page got over 5,000 views. How many people actually entered the contest? Exactly one.
I think perhaps the entry process was too complicated. Next time I’ll try for something simpler.
In any case, congratulations to grand prize winner Dominique Spencer and to Midlothian Library (a branch of the Chester County Public Library System) in Richmond, Virginia.
Check back every so often to find out about new opportunities to win prizes!
February 14, 2013
The “Love Your Library Contest” Ends!
As of February 14 at 8:00 pm Pacific time, the contest closed. There were fewer entries than I had hoped–more details about that later–and announcing the results will therefore happen sooner than I had anticipated.
Despite the low entry rate, this is not the last contest that I intend to run from this site, so come back periodically to check for contest-related announcements.
Thanks to all of you who promoted the contest through Facebook and Twitter, as well as the many of you who took the time to like at the details on this site.
February 11, 2013
“Love Your Library” Contest Update
The good news is that I am starting to receive actual entries in the contest.
The bad news is that there are not very many yet. It would certainly be a shame for some of those prizes to end up unclaimed.
For contest details, go to http://billhiatt.com/?page_id=140 .
