L.H. Nicole's Blog, page 5

Yummy-fun Gelatos

I don't do a lot of posts about food, but after spending the day (at my day job) working on a special project I couldn't help but show off my latest yummy creations.
We have a very VIP group coming in for a tasting (a way for clients to taste the items they like from our menus before their function) at the hotel in a few days and they want a gelato and Popsicle bar!
When people find out that I am a pastry chef they always ask me what my specialty is. My answer is always the same: Ice cream and frozen sweets. They are so much fun to make and play with; the possibilities of flavors is literally endless 0_0. When Arthur (the event manager for this group--not my king Arthur, lol) came to me with this project I was SO excited. The clients specifically requested gourmet flavors, which in my book gives me carte blanche with flavors and the level of creative genius I get to unleash.
After calming myself down I got to the business of choosing flavors, with the help of one of the best food books anyone can ever own.
Here's the list of eight I came up with for the tasting: (pictures are below too!)

Pineapple Basil MojitoCoconut LimeadeLavender Peach with CherriesBlood Orange DreamsicleBlackberry GingerSalted CaramelEspresso LatteChocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
This first batch is to test the flavor combinations and see what--if any--changes need to be made.A little bit of a Gelato back story: Gelato is an Italian creation I fell in love with a few years ago on my first trip to Europe: Rome, Italy. There were gelato shops EVERYWHERE. My favorite was by the Pantheon that had 150 flavors--> OMFG! Died and went to stratospheric-sugar-over-load-heaven. For those who are wondering the difference between gelato and ice cream, here's an easy comparison
Gelato is made of milk and sugar and flavors as well as some sort of stabilizing element.
Ice Cream is made of heavy cream and egg yolk in addition to sugar and flavors.
Ice cream legally (USA) has a minimum of 10 percent fat, gelato is made with milk as opposed to cream giving it nearly 1/2 the fat of ice cream. Gelato is also churned at a slower speed than ice cream making it denser --- about 35% percent air vs what could be up to 50% in ice cream. Flavors are also more intense in gelato because you don't have the fat coating your mouth like with ice cream, giving the flavors more of the spot light, not to mention the color!!
Both of these fun spun treats are delicious and relatively easy to make--as long as you have good recipes. (If anyone would like mine, sound off in the comments with your email and I'll be glad to send it on to you!) You also need the right equipment and fortunately it's not too expensive to buy at a bed bath and beyond or some other appliance place like that.
Now that you've seen what I've been salivating about, go out and get some of your own gelato or ice cream. My suggestions: use Yelp or another site like that to find good local shops that sell gelato. Places like that will usually make their own or have very fun and cool flavors to try.
Happy eating!
<3 always LH

Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop: My fav YA couples

Hey Hey! This is my first giveaway hop and I am so happy that it is a Romance one! This giveaway hop is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer. I have a great giveaway for it too: A $10 gift card to the online book store of your choice AND an ecopy of my book LEGENDARY. This prize is open internationally sine it's all digital so anyone over the age of 13 can enter and win.

I checked out the last hop a friend of mine was on to figure out what to post and it seemed varied so I decided, since this is all about Romance, to tell you about my favorite YA romantic pairs!

Shadow Falls series: Lucas and KylieArt by Vira pulled from pintrest                                                                                art credit: Deviantart






Mythos Academy series:  Logan and Gwenart credit Linneart on Deviantart                                                                      Art credit Burge pulled from Pintrest

Art credit: Burge pulled from Pintrest



Tigers Curse saga: Ren and Kelsey       art credit: Deviantart
art credit: Deviantart 


The Mediator series: Jesse and Suze           art credit: Deviantart                                                                                  art credit: Deviantart                          art credit: Deviantart                                                                                                         art credit: Deviantart  Okay, we know I am a sucker and can't resist dropping a little about my own romantic characters so here is a little art and goodies for my characters from LEGENDARY SAGA! Click on each image to go to a very special treat: the scenes where Aliana first meets her two heroes!

I hope you've had fun and manage to hit all the blogs participating in this hop! I know I plan too :)<3 always LH
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Disclaimer the two images from Legendary are only fan interpretations. The original art does not belong to me and was pulled from pintrest

My New Years tradition

Hey guys!!! Happy New Year! 2014 was a pretty spectacular year for me, though it did have it's drama moments. But those moments are not what matter really. I took those experiences, learned from them and am moving on. Before I tell you about my own New Years Tradition let's recap my top 10 moments of 2014

LEGENDARY releaseCLAIMING EXCALIBUR release (and high rankings ;P)My trip to Vienna, Austria with my DaddyA night out dancing with my friends from ViennaOSU winning the Big 10 championshipMeeting great people at RT in NoLa--> Tamora Pierce! (one of my hero authors)Starting 2 new series and actually making progressFinishing and turning in book 3 of the Legendary Saga---RELICS OF CAMELOTSeeing all of my family during the holidays, including all my cousins!Learning so much about the writing industry and experiencing the good and the bad so I can learn from it all
All in all a very nice year! New Years has never really been a big holiday for me, even as a kid. (I really only cared because it got us out of school!) After a few years of making "resolutions" and most of them failing I kind of gave up on it.
But a few years ago, during my first New Years in VA/DC I started my own tradition. I remembered a friend from Disney telling me about something she and her husband did at their wedding (A family superstition) --they wrote down their greatest wishes for their marriage and then placed the folded pieces of paper on top of a burning candle and let it burn through out the whole reception.
The point of it, she told me, was a way of releasing your wish and desire into the universe so that it would come true.
Sounded pretty cool to me. So that next New Years I decided to do my own version of that same "wish ceremony"
     
 I have done it every year for the last six years. In my first few moments of the New Year I write down my wish and one "resolution". Though I always make it a non traditional type of resolution.
And then I light a candle and let the paper and candle burn until it goes out on its own.

And there you have it, my own non traditional New Years tradition. Like I said, 2014 was a great year, now I am hoping that 2015 will be an even better year. It's going to be a journey, one way or another, that's for sure. I hope everyone had a great and safe holiday. Of course, you can't have New Years without fireworks, and no one does it better than Disney!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2015
<3 always LH
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Why I love writing dancing scenes

If you've read LEGENDARY or CLAIMING EXCALIBUR you know I have several dance scenes throughout both books. I can't help it. Really I can't! So many of the tv shows or movies or even other books I love have romantic or fun dance scenes that never fail to inspire me. It's just so romantic and pretty and intimate and just........sigh.
I myself am not a good dancer, think cliche white girl and you've got me, but when I was in Vienna in October I did learn how to Waltz! Very exciting :) I remember in High school gum class we did a week on dancing and learned a few 16th century dances, but heck if I remember the steps. LOL




The dancing in Sailor Moon and Labyrinth I think have had the most resounding impression with me. Mostly because Tuxedo Mask/Darien/Mamoru and Jareth represent two of my favorite types of heroes.

And who wouldn't want to dance with Prince Eric. Honestly I think he's one of my fav Disney princes!


I personally can't really think of 2 more iconic animated dance scenes for me  outside of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast. It also helps that Prince Philip and Prince Adam (yes, that is the beast's name!) are my other top 3 Princes along with Eric from above!!!! Can I meet someone once upon a dream and dance through the forest? SIGH


 Disney is good at making these scenes intimate that's for sure! Then again so are Channign Tatum--YUMMY--and Antonio Banderas. I mean both guys could easily set off all the fire alarms in the in a five block radius with how they dance! SEXY






When I think of dance scenes I always think of Footloose and Dirty Dancing. My bestie and I used to watch these movies all the time when we were kids! I'm obsessed, really I am.
As I imagine scenes and plots in my head, I can always see some of my favorite characters dancing together either romantically or possibly in some kind of battle like scenario. (Though they normally turn into straight up fight scenes)
Even my two WIP's have dance scenes already written!
Sailor Moon, Labyrinth, Disney movies, Dirty Dancing, Step Up, Footloose, and so damn many more.............
I blame the dance scenes on them...seriously...I do

Now if this has caught your attention and you're curious to see the dance scenes I've written you can click any of the links here! And LEGENDARY is on sale for only .99 cents so don't miss an inexpensive chance to get to know my King Arthur, his Knights of the Round Table and my Destined One: Aliana!
LEGENDARY: AMAZON  LEGENDARY: B&N  LEGENDARY: iBOOKS
CLAIMING EXCALIBUR: AMAZON  CLAIMING EXCALIBUR: B&N CLAIMING EXCALIBUR: iBOOKS

And then there is the little matter of my giveaway that's gonna be running until the end of the year! Be sure enter for the gift card or the signed copies of Legendary and Claiming Excalibur or the eBook pack!
<3 always
LH
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Music #Legendary #99cents #giftcard Claiming Excalibur

Hey hey lovelies! Today has already been a great day, despite getting up at dumb o'clock in the morning for work. And it got even better when I was notified the Legendary is on sale for $0.99 on Amazon!!!!! I am so excited for this because I wasn't sure it would happen.
But you need to hurry, it's only on sale for a limited amount of time so don't miss your chance.

AMAZON

Plus you can add it on Goodreads by clicking the button here Goodreads Book Giveaway Legendary by L.H. Nicole Giveaway ends December 16, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
Since I've been so focused on Claiming Excalibur and it's pre-orders and promoting it, I though a flash back teaser, or two, for LEGENDARY would be in order!


“Who are you?” Aliana and Galahad demanded at the same time.The lady cackled. “My dear, you did not think that you would simply walk in and awaken him, did you?” She stepped closer. “You have done well with the first two tests, but there is one more you must pass to prove yourself worthy of claiming the title of the Destined One.” Her aged smoky, sultry voice scraped over Aliana’s skin. “What do you mean test? Are you responsible for that disaster zone back there?” Aliana could almost feel the old woman’s cold smile.  “That disaster zone as you call it was to test your wit and ability to think under dire circumstances. There are still tasks ahead that require both. Your first test was to find the courage to face the unknown and free the lord knight and your guardian. King Arthur’s champion cannot lack the traits he had in abundance.”
Aliana wanted to roll her eyes, but she wouldn’t put it past this lady to do something terrible to her for it.
Aliana followed the woman down the corridor, taking in every detail she could. The cave walls had been covered with elegant, beautiful drawings. Standing side-to-side, eight valiant knights formed a line facing a small army of thirty or more black-armored knights. “What are these drawings?” Aliana asked, fascinated by the ancient art.“You have searched a long time to know the truth of Camelot and its king, but the truth may not be what you wish it to be,” the woman answered cryptically.“No disrespect,” Aliana said, glancing back at the woman, “but I have just found out that Dragons, Elves, Nymphs, and Goblins are real. I had to save a legendary knight, escape those crazy Sidhe, and I’ve been told I have to awaken one of the most famous men in history. I’ve kinda accepted that everything I thought I knew about Camelot and King Arthur is nothing close to the truth.”
 “You have spirit, girl. That is good. You will need every ounce of it and all the courage you can muster to do what is needed of you.” The woman looked past Aliana to the drawing on the walls. “This shows the Fae’s account of Arthur and his men during their last battle with the evil Mordrid.” The woman held out her aged hand. Colored sparks of magic burned under her skin before they jumped to life, circling tightly in her palm. The old woman blew a gentle breath. Aliana watched, transfixed as the magic sailed from her fingers to the drawings, giving them life before her eyes.

BOOK BLURB:
Aliana Fagan spent her childhood traveling the world, dreaming of legendary heroes and mythical lands. But after the sudden death of her parents, she hides behind the safety of her camera and her art until a vivid recurring dream compels her to dig into her father's research about Avalon and Camelot. When she is hurled into a magical realm by forces she thought were only the stuff of fairy tales, she finds herself thrown into an adventure she could never have imagined. Nearly everything she thought she knew about Arthurian legend was wrong. The independent eighteen-year-old is shocked to find that the people of Avalon think that she is the Destined One, the only person who can summon King Arthur back to life from his hidden chamber. Most surprising of all is that it's up to her to lead the Knights of the Round Table on an epic quest-an adventure that will transport them across the seven magic realms to reclaim all that has been lost so they can defeat the evil Mordrid for good. But first, she must bring the ancient warriors into her world and reunite them with their lost brothers. Chaperoning the legendary knights-with-a-chivalry-complex as they navigate the modern world is a constant challenge, and she certainly never thought she'd be caught between her intense feelings for the noble Sir Galahad and her growing friendship with the King. To fulfill the prophecy, Aliana will have to discover the meaning of friendship, bravery, loyalty, true love, and forgiveness. But can she do it all in time to save the realms from Mordrid's impending Armageddon?
I am so excited for this and the fact that Claiming Excalibur has already gotten some good rankings being on pre-sale! I am nervous to see what it looks like when it releases! Here are your chances to get your hands on Claiming Excalibur after buying Legendary for only $0.99!
AMAZON   B&N  iBOOKSSince it is the holiday season, I am doing one last raffelcopter giveaway. Enter this one now because I won't be doing another until may 2015!

Last but certainly not least--THANK YOU to everyone who has gone out and bought my books, supported me, visited me on my sites, come to signings to see me and all the authors who have helped support me! Not to mention Omnific Publishing and my whole crew there too ;P
I am so excited to know what people think of my Saga!
<3 always LH


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ATO- Colleen Houck

Today is another very special #ATO for me because the fantastical Colleen Houck is taking over with an interview and more about the novella for her A-maz-ing Tigers Curse series: TIGERS PROMISE. I was so excited to read this story and I loved it, just like this entire series! If you haven’t heard about, or read this series–you so should! I was actually reading TIGERS QUEST (book 2 of the series) as I started pulling together and planning everything for my Legendary Saga. Just another reason I love this series so much. But enough from me, time to hear Colleen’s answers to some of my interview questions and learn more about her wonderful series.

Take it away Colleen!

As a writer, we have to do a lot of research to make sure our stories are rooted in facts. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever researched?

I had to research a place called The Body Farm. It’s a site, I can’t remember where exactly where they dump bodies that have been donated to science and they place them in various locations such as a swamp, a forest, in a woodshed, etc. Then they study the rate of decay. The reason I was researching it was so that I would understand how zombies would look for a chapter in Tiger’s Destiny called The Cave of Sleep and Death.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Battle scenes are tough for me. My little brother actually acts them out and explains to me how when you swing a sword a certain way there has to be follow though and you can’t have it coming down on the bad guy’s head in the next move.

Tell us about a unique or quirky writing habit of yours.

I always light a candle as I write. It reminds me to add the five senses into my book. If the character doesn’t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear something, then neither does my reader.

If you were attending a Halloween party, what would your costume be and why?

I’ve always wanted to be the Queen of Hearts. The dress is fun and I’ve been ordering people around since I was a kid so I’d be a natural at it.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? And how did you handle it?

The toughest criticism comes from ordinary people leaving reviews. At some point every author needs to learn to turn a blind eye to it. I once got a very detailed email from someone with pages full of bullet points explaining why I was a terrible author. I was crying by the middle and then, when I got to the end, the person said, “By the way, I’m 13.” I wiped my eyes and vowed never to take that stuff seriously again. Ultimately, the person we are writing for is ourselves and all you can do at the end of the day is your best. If you end up with lots of readers who love to read your story then fantastic! But you’ll always have a group who want to cut you up in little pieces and throw you to the wolves. It comes with the territory.

If I wasn’t afraid I would _________ (What?)

Skydive

If you could eliminate one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be and why?

Social Media. There’s an aspect about it that I love and it’s great to interact with fans but it takes up so much of my time that I often feel chained to it. The expectations that come with it are very high. There are some people who will poke, prod, and pester you, demanding that you acknowledge them in some way. A fan wrote me a long letter that I actually took the time to read and at the end I responded with a, “Thank you so much!” The next day they cursed at me saying I should have written them back something equally as long. That was one of 200 emails I looked at in one day. Social media draws us closer than ever to the people we admire but I think it also creates pseudo relationships that can be damaging in a way, too. And it definitely shrinks or makes invisible the boundaries of where you have a personal space.

Your books all take place in many different countries; did you travel to any of these places for your book?

No. I wish I had and have plans to go visit at some point.

If you could change ONE thing about your Tigers Curse Series, what would it be?  Why?

I wish that I’d been able to write Tiger’s Dream immediately following Tiger’s Destiny. It’s hard for me to put that on hold while I write my new Egypt series. Retaining the details of an entire series while adding a new one is not an easy thing for my brain to do.

BOOK BLURB:

  

Before the curse, there was a promise. A prequel to the bestselling Tiger’s Curse series, this much anticipated novella recalls the beginning of Ren and Kishan’s story. Before Kelsey there was a girl, raised by a villain, whose love for a hero changed the course of history.

Trapped under the thumb of her abusive and powerful father Lokesh, Yesubai struggles to keep her own magical abilities secret while evading his dark powers. When Lokesh promises Yesubai to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, she becomes the central pawn in his plot to destroy the ruling family and take power for himself. Yesubai is trapped by her father’s threats and desperate to protect the man she comes to love, but she knows that any decision she makes will have dire consequences. As dark forces gather around her, Yesubai must decide if she’s willing to reveal that somewhere deep within her she has the power to change everything.

 

 

New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, science fiction, and romance. Her first four novels, Tiger’s Curse, Tiger’s Quest, Tiger’s Voyage, and Tiger’s Destiny were New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestsellers. Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, she worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years before switching careers to become an author. Colleen lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.  TWITTER   FACEBOOK    WEBSITE    

 

I am so happy Colleen was able to stop by and take over today, and I hope you all enjoyed her interview! I’m serious, her Tiger series ROCKS! I am also super excited because next week’s #ATO will be me and the release of CLAIMING EXCALIBUR!!!!! Just wait until you see what I’ve got for the release

<3 always LH
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ATO- Colleen Houck

All the holiday fun giveaways!

Hey lovelies! I've got a lot happening what with the release of Claiming Excalibur in 11 days!!!!!
YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!Dec 16th is the big day for Claiming Excalibur e-book addition and Dec 30th is when Simon and Schuster will start sending out the print copies!!!
Pre-order links: B&N  Amazon iBooksAdd to your Goodreads TBR list  
Since there is so much going on, and since it is the holiday season, I've got a lot of giveaways going too! If you've been following, you'll have seen some of them already, but I've had a few readers reach out and ask so here are all my current giveaways through rafflecopter and Goodreads, and I'm including a raffelcopter for one of my #ATO that's still going on for Author Elizabeth Langston
Let's start with Goodreads
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Goodreads Book Giveaway Legendary by L.H. Nicole Giveaway ends December 16, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

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Goodreads Book Giveaway Claiming Excalibur by L.H. Nicole Giveaway ends January 05, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
Now for the rafflecopters!
This Giveaway is my promo giveaway!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And this one is for #ATO author Elizabeth Langston!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Each of these are pretty cool and I hope totally worth taking a few minutes to enter! There will, most likely be one more giveaway coming during Christmas that will include more e-books and an Amazon or B&N or iBooks gift card :) ----All the places you can buy LEGENDARY and CLAIMING EXCALIBUR....imagine that  =^_^=  

Until then, I hope everyone enjoys the holidays, the time with family and friends & the end of college football regular season games and the start of the playoffs and bowl games #GoBucks (I was born and bred bleeding the Scarlet and Grey of Ohio State)

<3 always LH

Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts: Claiming Excalibur

Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts: Claiming Excalibur: This week is the promo tour for Claiming Excalibur by LH Nicole, the upcoming sequel to Legendary (featured here during the Realms...

Claiming Excalibur week part 1

Hiya! With the release of Claiming Excalibur drawing so close you've been seeing a lot of promo stuff for the book, I am trying to keep it as varied as I can, at least with my sites, so that you won't get bored with all the same things over and over again. Thus why I've got a very special EXTENDED scene clip that you won't find anywhere else!
I've said from the start that I hated the love triangle between Guinevere and Lancelot because it just never felt right to me and I always believed the Guinevere belonged with Lancelot. So I changed the legend in LEGENDARY and gave the knight and beautiful woman the happily-for-now I always wanted them to have...but you knew it couldn't last, and as we learned in book 1 of the saga, Lancelot lost the love of his life, but there's so much mystery surrounding that loss that ties in directly to why he abandoned Arthur in Avalon and brought down the wrath of the Fae Queen Titania on his immortal head.
It's been a point for Aliana to find out this secret, why the most honorable of Arthur's knights would abandon him after swearing a magic oath to protect him. And guess what, she finally gets her answer!
Here is the extended scene:

A soft noise drifting up from downstairs caught her attention. It sounded like someone was playing her mother’s piano. Curious about whom it could be, she turned and headed down the stairs. She stopped just outside her mother’s old music room and listened to the notes as they floated through the small space where the door was cracked open. Whoever was playing was very gifted. The more she listened to the beautiful song, the more she heard the underlying sadness to it. The music flowed around her, telling a story of heartbreaking love and aching loneliness. Tears pricked at her eyes. Aliana had to know who was so hurt, so she peeked through the opening. Her eyes landed on the profile of a raven-haired man with a lean build. He swayed as he played with his face turned away from her. He slowly turned forward. His eyes were closed, his mouth slightly tilted down, his face etched with sorrow and solitude. A single tear slid down his cheek as he started the song again. How could Lancelot be in so much pain without everyone here knowing?His head snapped up, his pale green eyes burning with uncontrolled anger, rooting Aliana where she stood. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” He shoved the piano bench back as he stood. “I…” Aliana stammered as he advanced on her. His body moved with the lethal grace of a jungle cat. He crossed the room in a flash, yanking the door open and roughly grabbing Aliana’s arm. He viciously yanked her into the room, nearly pulling her off her feet completely. “Why are you spying on me?” he demanded, still gripping her arm, pulling her so close she could practically feel the rage rolling off him. “I wasn’t… I was… I heard music,” Aliana tried to explain, but her words tied themselves on her tongue. “Answer me Destined One! What the bloody hell do you think gives you license to spy on me?” “I wasn’t spying on you!” she finally got out. “I was going up to bed and I heard the music. I didn’t know who would be in my mother’s music room so I checked it out.” She gulped down the dry lump in her throat. Lancelot had yet to relent on his crushing grip. Every word she said seemed to only fuel his ire. “I was surprised to see you. I didn’t mean to intrude!” He roughly pushed her back, releasing her arm and turning away from her. Stumbling to catch her balance, Aliana watched his shoulders hunch forward, his hands scrubbing roughly over his face. “Did you write that song for Guinevere?” Aliana chanced asking him. This could be the key to knowing why he’d truly left Arthur’s side after Titania had created the prophecy. She’d never believed the reason he’d given—that he merely went looking for Merlin.He wheeled around, pinning her with his angry gaze. “Do you think just because Arthur and Galahad defend you, you have the right to pry into everyone’s private life?” “No, but…”Lancelot cut her off with a slashing motion of his hand. “You need to go upstairs and keep your nose out of others’ private affairs. Guinevere is none of your concern!” His face flushed with fury.  Aliana’s temper flared. “Do not talk to me like a child!” she whispered angrily, not wanting to yell and wake the whole house. “I’m as much a part of this as you are. It’s been obvious since we first met that something has closed you off to everyone around you. All you do is lash out at us.” Lancelot stood with his body ramrod stiff, his balled fists shaking. Aliana felt like she should be buried in a thirty foot grave by now. Despite his anger, she didn’t back down. She wanted answers and thought that in this state, she might be able to force him to admit why he’d abandoned Arthur and Galahad. There had to be a better reason than that he’d wanted to look for Merlin. There had to be! “Why did you really leave Arthur’s side in Avalon?” Lancelot’s face turned a deeper red and his pale eyes raged with so many emotions: anger, betrayal, confusion, and endless heartbreak. “Get out of here right now, Aliana,” he ordered in a low, shaky voice. With her trembling hands on her hips, she stood her ground, her body between him and the door. “No. I’m not leaving ’til you answer my question!” “If you won’t leave, I will. Step aside.” She refused to move. “Answer my question. Why did you really leave Avalon and Arthur?” “Step aside or I’ll make you.” His face was directly in front of hers. “You won’t hurt me. It goes against everything the Knights of the Round Table stand for.” Aliana wasn’t sure how it was possible, but his face got even redder. She could almost see steam blowing out of his ears.  “Clearly I was willing to go against the code before. I could easily do it again. Now, move!” “Why did you leave Arthur and Galahad? Was it really because you wanted to make sure Morgana hadn’t killed Merlin after he left or was it because you wanted to try to find Guinevere? Did you really think she’d still be out there alive? ” Lancelot snapped. He grabbed her shoulders, roughly shoving her against the wall and knocking the breath from her lungs.   “What do you want me to say?” He growled like a dangerous, wounded animal. 

Okay........so what do you think? Did I leave you hanging or have you figured it all out? I love this part of CLAIMING EXCALIBUR, which is why I wanted to share it here. There is so much going on in the lives of every member of the Round Table and getting the chance to tell you all more about their individual stories is amazing! And wait until book 3 of the saga is released. You really get to know the others stories then.
Now, like every post, I'd be remiss if I didn't add in all the book information so here it is:
 Aliana Fagan has done what many thought impossible: she’s awakened King Arthur from his fifteen-hundred-year sleep, reunited the Knights of the Round Table, and even beaten Mordrid and Morgana LeFay in battle.But the Destined One’s quest has only begun.Before the knights can "unearth and reclaim their lost relics" they must survive the trip to Charleston, South Carolina and meet the newest member of the Round Table. If King Arthur’s men thought Aliana and Lacy were tenacious, they'll be even more surprised by Dawn, the third member of the fem-trio. Deadly secrets, unexpected allies, and a traitor lurking in the shadows await Aliana and the new Round Table as they continue their search for Excalibur. Their only clue is a beyond confusing poem from a mysterious book that speaks of a terrifying creature guarding the legendary sword. Trying to build a somewhat normal relationship with Sir Galahad adds a whole new level of complexity to Aliana’s task, especially when several among them suspect the White Knight may not be wholly himself. Her friendship with King Arthur grows closer, and when circumstances become intense, he may finally get the chance with Aliana that he’s been pining for.Mysteries, legendary quests, and haunting memories will either unite the members of the New Round Table or fracture their bonds. Aliana and her crew only have seven months before the planets align and Mordrid can seize the power he needs to conquer the seven realms. Can the Destined One keep her new family together and lead Arthur to his destiny of saving the realms? Or will a centuries-old plot for revenge finally spell the king’s end?Head on over to Goodreads to add it to your TBR list or pre-order it on Amazon  Barnes & Noble iBooks which ever e-reader or print service you prefer :)I love giveaways, so I talked with one of my critique partners and several of my sister Omnific authors who have all agreed to put up copies of their books in one huge giveaway. One lucky winner, at the end of the week, will win all 9 --yes you heard me 9--eBooks including an ARC of Claiming Excalibur! Scroll down, do the easy entries and enter for your chance to win! There will be only 1 winner so give yourself your best chance ;) I will announce the winner through both my sites and over all social media once the giveaway had ended!
PLUS I am also giving away 2 signed copies of LEGENDARY of Goodreads with swag packs! You can enter that one too!

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Goodreads Book Giveaway Legendary by L.H. Nicole Giveaway ends December 16, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win Later guys
<3 always LH


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FUN AND THOUGHTS

Today's post is going to be a rant and a rave. I know I'm cra-cra, but lets go with it for now. Let's start with the rave, because I always like my dessert before my veggies :)  --haha get the Pastry chef joke?-- **ducks Raspberry Lemon Roulade thrown at her head**

Okay seriously. I love telling people that I am a pastry chef at a hotel in DC and a published author because people's faces are hilarious! I recently went with my dad to Vienna on a business trip of his, met tons of people because it was a huge conference that people bring their families too--thus my going! It was tons of fun, and during the conference I spent my days with the other family members, so naturally we all got chatting. Here are some of the A-maz-ING pics       
 We gotta have a picture of this one playing the accordion!


But I digress-SQUIRREL-though it does tie into my rave here. Anyways, I was telling people about my book and that the second book in the Legendary Saga was coming out in a few weeks. I just found out yesterday that CLAIMING EXCALIBUR is now available for pre-order of Amazon and B&N!!!!!!!!!! Totally psyched. Print copies will run Dec 30th, e-copies will go live Dec 16th!!It's a tiny thing, I know, but it didn't get to happen with LEGENDARY so the fact it happened this time is so cool! Also we just revealed the cover for CLAIMING EXCALIBUR--which my girls at Omnific did FANTASTICALY with-- and it's up on Goodreads for people to start adding it to their TBR lists--and since I love giveaways I am also putting up 2 signed print copies of LEGENDARY through  Goodreads so be sure to enter that :)What's also cool is this Buzzfeed list a blogger friend of mine told me about! And guess what LEGENDARY is on it! Right with C.C. Hunter and Meg Cabot--two of my favorite authors :)CLICK ME TO SEE THE BUZZFEED FANTASTICAL MAGICSo that's three really amazing things for me to rave about and I can't tell you how those good things have gotten me through the stupidity of real life.
Which brings me to my rant..................*SIGH*I love what I do, cooking, baking, wedding and specialty cakes, playing around with different foods and flavor profiles. I have to other wise I wouldn't have been in the Food industry for 15 years!In those years I've been crazy privileged to rub shoulders and or work for 5 star chefs, 3 Michelin star chefs, The largest fortune whatever company (Disney) and the only chef owner in the world to be 5 star 5 diamond ranked for over 26 years consecutively! That's almost as long as I've been alive! Yes, I started way to young in my business :)Now it hasn't been all edible glitter, cupcakes and guilt free ice cream; believe me I've met enough jack-asses, egotistical-pig-headed-napoleon-complex-I think I know what I'm doing but really I just have my thumb up my butt--jerks!WAHOOOOOO.......that took some breath.To say I've developed a titanium skin would be an understatement, so I can take the trash talk, the disses, the back stabbing, the degrading comments and mean looks like a MMA Champ. But the thing that never fails to get under my skin is hypocrisy and ignorance.I am very sure I'm not alone in my destestment of these two things, but sadly, many people in "position of power" fall dead center into this target's bullseye.It can be overwhelming at times and even after a decade and half of abuse I still have trouble coping on a rare occasion. Finding new ways to cope, I realize now, was probably a big factor for me to start writing again. It was a fresh challenge, let's me show off my imagination and most of all gives me an escape from the stupid and crazy. Not that the publishing industry doesn't have that too...we all know it does...If you've read LEGENDARY or have been one of the people to recieve ARC's of CLAIMING EXCALIBUR you'll have noticed I have some pretty strange monsters and I like to skewer/chop off head and body parts/impale creatures with magic vines..........can you say anger management? I can :DThis always reminds me of one of my favorite author quotes, pictured below for your convince
Yeah, that's me. You should see what I do in book 3 **laughs evilly** 


And that ends my rant. If you've got a rant you want to share or thoughts--random or related-- please feel free to do so in the comments section :)I love being a writer <3 always LH