Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 42

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with "cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I've borrowed it from LDS Women's Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare at least two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post a teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's a teaser from Letters in the Jade Dragon Box , by Gale Sears:
She rolled the scroll, tied the ribbon, and placed it back in the drawer.
"Are we sure we want to know all about them?"
Slowly her uncle nodded.
Wen-shan went off to bed, forcing her mind to remember the noodle story.
From  Letters in the Jade Dragon Box , p 126
If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading.

What Am I Reading Now?

I finished Killing Lincoln last week (and enjoyed it very much--learned a LOT!), but haven't had time until now to post about what I'm reading next. I've decided to read all the finalists in the historical category for the 2011 Whitney Award. I'm starting with Letters in the Jade Dragon Box, by Gale Sears.


Here's the back cover  blurb:


Truth. In mainland China from 1949 to 1976, truth is all but eradicated, suppressed and supplanted by the iron will of Mao Tse-tung. Millions of people suffer untold anguish as their history, their culture, and their lives are brought under communist rule. Many flee to Taiwan and Hong Kong. 

As a child, Chen Wen-shan was taken from her family home in mainland China and sent to live with her great-uncle — a former general in the Nationalist Chinese army who had become one of the first converts to the LDS Church in Hong Kong. For ten years, Wen-shan has carried the sorrow of abandonment in her heart, with few memories of her life before. But at the death of Chairman Mao, fifteen-year-old Wen-shan receives a mysterious wooden box that holds a series of beautiful paintings and secret letters that reveal the fate of the family she has not heard from in more than a decade. 


Stop back in on Tuesday and I'll share a Tuesday Teaser with you from Letters in the Jade Dragon Box!

Winner: "Romancing Olive"

Congratulations to LAWonder, winner of an e-copy of  Romancing Olive , by Holly Bush!
Thank you to everyone who read my interview with Holly and entered her giveaway!

Author Interview and Giveaway with Holly Bush

Today we have an interview with Holly Bush, who writes about the Western United States in the late 1800s. She's graciously agreed to give away a copy of her historical romance, Romancing Olive , at the end of the interview, so stay tuned for details!
JDP: Thank you for joining ustoday, Holly.
Holly: Hello Joyce and thanksfor having me.
JDP: Tell us a little aboutyour historical romance, Romancing Olive.
Holly: Spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of herbrother's violent death at a saloon gaming table. Compelled to rescue and raisehis children, Olive travels to Ohio, intending to return to her Philadelphiahome with her niece and nephew. Little does she know that the children havecome to love their caretaker, widower Jacob Butler. Will Olive return homewithout them or learn to love Jacob as well?
JDP: Romancing Olive is set in 1891. Is there a particular reason youchose that year?
Holly: Yes, actually thereis. At one point in the book, Olive asks a friend to ship her new Singer sewingmachine from her home in Philadelphia to Ohio so that she can quickly makeclothing for her niece and nephew and Jacob's children. Singer machines werefirst manufactured in 1851 but became much more popular towards the end of thecentury. Train travel was still the most typical means of transportation andthe Civil War had been over for 15 years.
JDP: What did you find mostfascinating about this time period? 
Holly: The U.S. was settledbut not tamed. We were on the cusp of the industrial revolution which wouldbring huge changes to a mostly agrarian lifestyle. But at that time war woundswould have been healing, and a small town culture flourished prior to theautomobile. This was a happy period for the U.S.
JDP: I'm always interested inhow authors research their historical novels. Could you tell us a little abouthow you researched the historical background for Romancing Olive?
Holly: I read about the timeI'm writing about, historical facts and events, and then I like to read aboutthe mundane or not famous during that period. That's always where charactersget fleshed out. What did the average women or mother do during her day? Howmany children went to school? What was a holiday tradition? What did familiesdo to relax or for entertainment?
JDP: Those are all excellentquestions when trying to find ways to bring characters and a historical era tolife. Can you share with us your top three favorite research books or otherresources?
Holly: I'm on the board of mylocal library so I spend some time there reading general history books. And ofcourse I use the internet for much of my research. I've found Wikipedia to bean amazingly accurate source. College libraries are often completely on-linenow as well and are a great source for me.
JDP: Are there any historicalfigures from the era of Romancing Olive who particularly intrigue you?
Holly: It was an era of theAverage Joe.

JDP: What inspired you towrite Romancing Olive?
Holly: I had picture in myhead of Olive riding on the train to Spencer, looking out the window and imaginingher brother had been a model citizen, terrified to raise his children yet readyto face the challenge. Those fears paled in comparison to the reality she wasforced to deal with on her arrival. There's something about those huge turns inone's life where comfort ends and a new world begins that is both terrifyingand exhilarating. For Olive, it was a catharsis.
JDP: Are you working on anynew projects?
Holly: I'm working on awomen's fiction book that is untitled and about 30,000 words in length at thispoint. About 50,000 or so more words to go!
JDP: Where can readers obtaincopies of your books?
Holly: Romancing Olive is available at Good Reads, Amazon and Nook Book. Ihave 3 other historical romances that I will be making available over the next6 months. 
JDP: How exciting! Then your readers have a lot to look forward to. :-) Thank you again for joining us today.
More about Holly! : Holly Bush was born inwestern Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home thatdid not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning arestaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketingdirector in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with buildingtraffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-twostates, booked two years out.  Holly has been a marketing consultant tostart-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.
Holly has been writingall of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction andnon-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written fourromance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800's. She frequentlyattends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer's group.
Holly is a gardener, a newsjunkie, and vice-president of her local library board and loves to spend timenear the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a manmore than a few years her junior. Visit Holly's website at www.hollybushbooks.com to learn more about her and her books.


Now for the giveaway! Holly is offering an e-copy of Romancing Olive to one lucky reader who leaves a comment on this interview. Be sure to include your email address so I'll know how to contact you if you win. Deadlines for entries is February 26, midnight PST.



OFFICIAL RULES:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARYUSA entries onlyEntrants must be 18 years or olderEntries may be left in a comment or sent via email to jdipastena@yahoo.comPrize: 1 e-copy of Romancing Olive, by Holly Bush, retail value $2.99.The number or eligible entries received determines the odds of winningWinners will be selected on February 27. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win.Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawardedSponsor name and contact info: Joyce DiPastena, jdipastena@yahoo.com or PO Box 673, Kearny, AZ 85137VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

And the winners of my book launch party are...

Cheryl 
has won the Dangerous Favor gift package consisting of: A Dangerous Favor tote bag containing a Dangerous Favor mug, a Dangerous Favor mouse pad, a copy of Dangerous Favor (print version), a box of candy and some swag



Marjorie Cullen 
has won the Loyalty's Web gift package consisting of: A Loyalty's Web tote bag containing a Loyalty's Web mug, a Loyalty's Web notebook, a copy of Loyalty's Web (winner's choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy and some swag



Aimee 
has won the Illuminations of the Heart gift package consisting of: An Illuminations of the Heart tote bag containing an Illuminations of the Heart mug, an Illuminations of the Heart notebook, a copy of Illuminations of the Heart (winner's choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy and some swag.





Congratulations ladies!


The following "attendees" will also each receive a 2 oz box of chocolate and some swag. (I only included your name if you sent me your mailing address or included your email address with your comment. If you left a comment my book launch but don't see your name listed but want the chocolate, please contact me at jdipastena@yahoo.com.)


HeidiJaimey GrantJeannetteJennifer GriffithtravelerpetiteChristine AKristee RichardsonValerie IpsonLisa and RandybrendajeanCindy A. ChristensenMaryColleen CMeganPeggy Urryblackroze37Debra BrownCathyMariaDanielle ThorneBonnieRachelleLisa~Bookworm LisaAnna ArnettBooks Are Sanity!!!Pat CochranC. WolfeJulie W.Jennifer MathisLexie@BookBugLarry HammersleyGaylemomTera MechamMelprincessD. Ogden HuffCindy M. HoganSmall Town Shelly BrownAnahGinger PhillipsKari PikeAnna W.Cindy RogersMary

Wow, what an awesome book launch party, thanks to all of you! I hope you all have/had a spectacular Valentine's Day!

Let the "Dangerous Favor" party begin!

Happy Valentine's Day! (Or almost-Valentine's Day, if you're here on Monday.) And welcome to my online book launch of  Dangerous Favor ! I couldn't think of a better time to share my newest sweet medieval romance with you. I'm giving away prizes, of course, and gifts to everyone who visits (think chocolate!). But first, a little bit about Dangerous Favor :


Here is the back cover blurb:


Mathilde needs a champion.
Her father has been accused of stealing from the king, an allegation that has reduced her family to poverty. She has one chance to find and marry a man who can help her prove her father's innocence. Lord Therri, heir to a rich barony, has the wealth and connections Mathilde needs to delve into the mysteries of her father's past. Furthermore, Therri embodies all her romantic dreams. 
Etienne, the younger son of a disgraced family, has neither wealth nor connections, but is smitten with Mathilde at a glance. She finds the knight intriguing, but believes he is only out to seduce her. While she seeks for a way to win Therri's attention, Etienne tricks her into granting him her favor, an embroidered white ribbon, for a tournament, setting in motion a dangerous chain reaction of events. Can Etienne save Mathilde from a nightmare from her past and prove himself the true hero of her dreams?




And of course, I can't let Valentine's Day go by without sharing a sweet, romantic excerpt with you. (Okay, so I snipped just a couple of words out so as not to give away a tiny bit of the plot, but this scene reads true without them.)
It occurred toMathilde that Etienne might interpret her remark as evidence of herown lack of skill in the kitchen.


She addedhastily, "I am not in the habit of burning something as simple as gruel. Sincemy father was forced to let our cook go, I have been responsible for all ourmeals. Father teases me that if he had known he had such a talented cook for adaughter, he would have turned Gilles off years earlier."

"You cook?" Aflicker of surprise animated his drowsy gaze. With an effort, he drew his rightelbow under him to prop himself up. "Nay, your fragile fingers never wielded aflesh-hook or turned the weight of a boar on a spit."
"Father drafteda scullery boy from the fields to help me lift the heavier pots and to dressgame as large as boars. And my fingers are not fragile!"
"They are soslight I wonder their delicate bones have not shattered 'ere now. Such etherealextremities were intended only for the gentle drawing of an embroidery needleor the sweet plucking of a harp's strings."
"I play theflute, not the harp. And I will prove to you that my fingers are quite strong!"
She crossed thetent, set the bundle of bread and cheese on the stool next to the cot, thengrabbed Etienne's hand and squeezed.
"Mercy, mylady!" he cried.
But his greeneyes twinkled as they had that first night she had met him in Grantamur's hall.Her squeeze had as much effect on his strong, broad palm as she imagined itwould have had on a stone. She flushed with embarrassment at her boast—and withconfusion at the disturbing tremor she felt as his long brown fingers wrappedthemselves about her own.
"Let me go," shewhispered.
"Afraid Therri willsee me holding [your] hand?" he said, echoing her earlier warning. "I supposethat would give him a bit of a jolt."
He laughedsoftly, an utterly disarming sound that caused a catch in her breath.
"I'm not holdingthem tightly, you know," he said after a moment of flustered silence on herpart.
"What?"
"Your fingers. Idon't want to break them. I am only holding them lightly—see?" He lifted herhand, bouncing it slightly as though weighing it in his.He was right. Hecradled her fingers as gently as a mother might cradle her cherished babe.'Twas not by force of strength that he held her trapped, though quiet poweremanated from his touch. If her fingers continued to nestle in his, 'twasbecause she willedthem to.
Somewhere insome far corner of her mind the word seducer whispered. But 'twas more than hismysterious charm that held her now. She did not know why she thought suddenlyof the grey-haired knight and his menacing gaze. But with her hand inEtienne's, the threat of that memory seemed to ebb, replaced with a warmpromise of safety.
To celebrate the release of Dangerous Favor (available now on Amazon), I'm giving away not one, not two, but THREE prize packages!
(1) A Dangerous Favor tote bag containing a Dangerous Favor mug, a Dangerous Favor mouse pad, and a copy of Dangerous Favor (print version), a box of candy, and some swag.

(2) A  Loyalty's Web  tote bag containing a  Loyalty's Web  mug, a  Loyalty's Web  notebook, a copy of  Loyalty's Web  (winner's choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag
(3) An  Illuminations of the Heart  tote bag containing an  Illuminations of the Heart  mug, an  Illuminations of the Heart  notebook, a copy of  Illuminations of the Heart  (winner's choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag
And EVERYONE who enters will receive a 2 oz box of chocolate and some swag (bookmarks, magnets, pen, and a special Dangerous Favor white ribbon).




(**If you already own a copy of Loyalty's Web or Illuminations of the Heart , you may still enter for the other prizes in the package. Just leave a comment with your entry letting me know you already have the book.)
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post.To get your box of chocolate and swag, you must also email me your mailingaddress to jdipastena@yahoo.com, because obviously I can't send you your candyif I don't know where to send it. J (Addresses will not bekept and you will not be added to any mailing lists)
Deadlines for entries is February 14, 7:00 PM MST.



OFFICIAL RULES:NO PURCHASE NECESSARYUSA entries onlyEntrants must be 18 years or olderGiveaway opens February 13, 2012 and runs through February 14, 2012Winners will be selected on February 14. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win.Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawardedSponsor name and contact info: Joyce DiPastena, jdipastena@yahoo.com or PO Box 673, Kearny, AZ 85137Legal venue: Arizona (no, this doesn't mean you have to be from Arizona to enter!)VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

Online Book Launch Party for "Dangerous Favor"!

7 AM February 13 – 7 PM February 14!

Dangerous Favor is having a launch party, and all of you are invited! I'llbe sharing a romantic excerpt in honor of Valentine's Day, and giving awayprizes, of course! And just so more people can attend, I'm starting a day early…Monday,February 13! Entries will remain open through Valentine's Day right up till 7PM MST.
My new medieval romance, Dangerous Favor , can't celebrate without hersister romances, of course, so I'll be giving away a gift bag each of thefollowing to three lucky winners:
A Loyalty's Web tote bag containing a Loyalty's Web mug, a Loyalty's Web notebook, a copy of Loyalty'sWeb (winner's choiceof print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag

An Illuminations of the Heart tote bag containing an Illuminationsof the Heart mug, an Illuminations of the Heart notebook, a copy of Illuminations of the Heart (winner's choice of print orKindle version), a box of candy, and some swag


And of course the star of the party!

A Dangerous Favor tote bag containing a Dangerous Favor mug, a DangerousFavor mouse pad, acopy of Dangerous Favor (only print version available), a box of candy, and someswag
And EVERYONE who visits will get a 2 oz box of candy andsome swag (bookmarks, magnets, pen, and a special Dangerous Favor white ribbon)
The party begins at 7 AM Monday, so mark your calendarsand be sure to drop by!

Sweet Saturday Samples

Here's another sweet sample from my newly released medieval romance, Dangerous Favor (rated PG). If you visited last week, you'll remember that my hero, Etienne de Brielle, tricked my heroine, Mathilde, into giving him the white ribbon in her hair as a favor for him to wear in a tournament. The ribbon belonged to Mathilde's brother, a token from her brother's lover. In this scene, Etienne is indeed wearing the ribbon tied around his arm as he fights in the tournament, despite Mathilde's attempt to make him give it back. :-) According to the tournament rules, the combatants are supposed to be fighting with blunted weapons, but Etienne unexpectedly finds himself confronted by three knights wearing unmarked armor and wielding dangerously sharpened weapons:
"We've no wishto harm you, de Brielle. The ribbon is all we want."
Etienne whirledat the growling voice and found the glistening point of a third lance aimed atthe base of his throat. Fury hardened his voice. "Does your sister know what acoward you are, de Riavelle? Exchanging sharpened weapons for blunted ones togain an unfair advantage over your rivals?"
A pair ofgold-flecked eyes weighed him through the slits of the knight's unmarkedhelmet. "We merely wish to demonstrate the sincerity of our request." Theknight's voice rasped as though spoken through a throat filled with gravel. "Issome wench's trivial favor worth spilling your blood over?"
"You tell me? Youare the one so driven with misguided lust that you would risk what shreds ofreputation you have left with this foul attack on me."
"Drop your lanceand surrender the ribbon."
Etienne's handtightened on his shaft, but defiance was futile with that lance-blade at histhroat. Reluctantly he let his own lance fall into the dust.
"And yoursword."
Etiennehesitated, then drew his sword and tossed it down after his lance. "I don'tneed them to thrash you, de Riavelle," he said. "That I will gladly do with mybare hands. If you intend to turn a sportly match into a game of blood, then doit now. Otherwise I guarantee you will have to crawl back to your tent where Iwill hear you beg your sister's forgiveness on your knees."
The blade nudgedup beneath Etienne's chin. The gold flecks in de Riavelle's hazel eyesglittered eerily. Saints! The man was serious! To turn a friendly competition lethal over awoman's favor—! Either the ribbon on Etienne's arm held greater significancethan de Riavelle had thus far admitted, or the man must be slightly unhinged.
"Now, de Brielle."
Again Etiennehesitated. De Riavelle's companion drew his sword and Etienne saw the sun'sbright rays bounce off its well-honed edge. He looked one last time into deRiavelle's menacingly glistering eyes. Then slowly, he reached around to untiethe ribbon.
Dangerous Favor is available on Amazon. There's also a copy up for grabs in a giveaway over on Clean Romance Reviews, if you'd like to check it out. :-)
Thanks for stopping by! Click here to read some Sweet Saturday Samples from some other wonderful authors!

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with "cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I've borrowed it from LDS Women's Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare at least two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post a teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book. Here's a teaser from Killing Lincoln , by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard:
Booth has purchased other weapons for his various plots, including the cache of revolvers and long-bladed daggers now hidden in his hotel room. But the Deringer with the chocolate-colored wooden grip is his personal favorite. It is not lost on him that the pistol's primary traits--elegance, stealth, and the potential to produce mayhem--match those of its owner.
From Killing Lincoln , p 95
If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading.

What Am I Reading Now?

I greatly enjoyed Janette Rallison's My Fair Godmother ! I'll have to look for the sequel. In the meantime, I haven't forgotten that one of my reading goals this year is to read a minimum of 2 non-fiction books. And since I just happened to get a nice non-fiction book for Christmas, I decided to start with this gift, namely, Killing Lincoln , by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. I don't generally enjoy reading about Civil War battles, but so far, the authors have made it fairly painless. (For me, not for the combatants.) And the battles scenes are nearly over, so I'm looking forward to reading more about John Wilkes Booth and the tragedy he instigates. 


Here's the blurb from the dust jacket:

The anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased.In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth—charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist—murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions—including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller.Stop by on Tuesday and I'll share a Tuesday Teaser with you!