Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 44

"Dangerous Favor" on Amazon!

My new sweet medieval romance, Dangerous Favor , is now officially for sale on Amazon!



Here's the official back cover blurb:
Mathilde is in need of 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?

Here's the link, if you'd like to check it out:
http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Favor-Joyce-DiPastena/dp/159992806X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327347936&sr=8-1

Author Interview & Giveaway with Felicia Rogers

It's been awhile since I've held an author interview and giveaway, but I have one today with Felicia Rogers, who writes sweet romances. Stay tuned after the interview to learn how you can win a copy of Felicia's inspirational historical suspense novel, There Your Heart Will Be Also. (E-book, PDF)
JDP: Welcome, Felicia! There Your Heart Will Be Also is set in the 1550s, during the reign of Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII. What did you find most fascinating about this time period?
Felicia: The most fascinating thing about this time period for me was discovering the Wedding Ceremony.  While I was researching for my book, it came to my attention that the wedding ceremony we use today originated in the Common Book of Prayer.  This book was written by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and accepted by Edward VI in 1558-1559.
JDP: I'm always interested in how authors research their historical novels. Could you tell us a little about how you researched the historical background for There Your Heart Will Be Also?
Felicia: How I researched information for my novel was by using internet sources such as Wikipedia.  I also used Foxes' Book of Martyrs, and the Bible.
JDP: Can you share with us your top three favorite research books or other resources?
Felicia: Two research books or resources I use on every book I write are the Holy Bible and Wikipedia.  I do use other materials depending on what I'm looking for.  One book I wrote recently concerned flowers in a different country.  I used various websites to answer those questions but I couldn't point to anyone in particular. Also, two books that I use regularly are Scotland, The story of a Nation by Magnus Magnusson and King and Queens of England and Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry.  JDP: Are there any historical figures from the era of There Your Heart Will Be Also who particularly intrigue you?
Felicia: There is no way I could pick one historical figure from this time in history and say they alone intrigued me.  From Henry VIII until the end of Elizabeth I's reign there is one interesting figure after another.  From young Lady Jane Grey taking the throne for right at a week only to be ousted by Mary and eventually beheaded for the attempt, to Mary Queen of Scots who desired the throne at eighteen yet was beheaded before achieving her goal. 
The entire monarchy of the time intrigues me.
JDP: What inspired you to write There Your Heart Will Be Also?
Felicia: My inspiration for There Your Heart Will Be Also is hard to pin point.  I had just stopped reading a wonderful series of historical romance novels and I emailed my cousin, who is a genius with words, and asked her if she would like to write a novel together.  She agreed.
So I sat down and began writing bits and pieces of a story and sent them along to her.  Due to a busy schedule she was unable to help with the project and in the end I finished the entire story alone. 
The book honestly started out as something vastly different from what is has become.  In the beginning, I only wanted to see if I could actually come up with a complete story.  Could I get from the beginning to the end and have something that still made sense.  But overtime my ideas changed and developed into wanting something more.  Something that if put out there I would be proud to say was mine.
I guess you could say I took a little bit of all my knowledge combined it with what I like in a book and thus my story a born.  
JDP: Tell us a little bit about There Your Heart Will Be Also.
Felicia: Only daughter of an English lord, Sarra of Greenbriar, is used to getting her way. So when her father passes and the King begins sending suitors, she feels justified in taking matters into her own hands. Through a series of harmless pranks, Sarra works to keep the potential husbands at bay.
Cedric MacNeil is a Scotsman that has lost it all. Death claimed his parents and jealousy claimed his entitled position as Laird of his clan. Since his mother was a familiar of the English court, he leaves his native land and heads to England to fight on behalf of the English King. Tournaments are won, earning honor and glory for the crown. Cedric's reward is the opportunity to gain what he wants most in this life, land.
But as he gets to know Sarra, he realizes he might get more than he bargained for.
JDP: Are you working on any new projects?
Felicia: Currently, I'm editing a chick-lit and a contemporary inspirational romance which should be out close to the first of 2012.
JDP: Where can readers obtain copies of your books? 
Felicia: Copies of my books can be obtained at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press, Bookstrand, and other ebook retailers.
JDP: Thank you for visiting us today, Felicia. It was delightful to get to know a little about you and your book.
More about Felicia! : Felicia Rogers, born and raised in the southern part of the United States, is a Christian wife and mother. She is just your average, ordinary woman, with a side interest-- writing. For eleven years, every waking moment of her life was consumed with changing diapers, wiping noses, and kissing scrapes. But now that her children have grown and she enjoys a modicum of freedom, in addition to taking care of hearth and home, she writes!  She enjoys adding a flavor of realism and humor to her all too real romance stories. For what is love without a little laughter! Read more about Felicia and her books at http://feliciarogersauthor.webs.com/Okay, now for the giveaway! Felicia is giving away 1 PDF copy of There Your Heart Will Be Also. I've been alerted to new rules (well, new to me) for conducting such things as giveaways, so all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your email address so I'll know how to contact you if you win. Since this is a PDF, the giveaway is open to International entries. The deadline to comment is January 29, midnight PST. I'll draw and announce a winner on January 30.OFFICIAL RULES:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARYEntrants must be 18 years or olderGiveaway opens January 23, 2012 and runs through January 29, 2012Entries may be left in a comment or sent via email to jdipastena@yahoo.comPrize: 1 PDF copy of There Your Heart Will Be Also, by Felicia Rogers, retail value $2.99.The number or eligible entries received determines the odds of winningWinners will be selected on January 30. 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

More reader pics!

Since I extended the deadline for my Dangerous Favor giveaway, a few more reader pics have rolled in. The new deadline is January 31st, so there's still time to get your picture into me if you'd like! My computer is a little fussy, so please send in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats only. Thanks!


Click here for complete details on how to enter.








Heidi Sorensen with Loyalty's Web












Heidi Sorensen with Illuminations of the Heart . Remember that ebooks like this count as entries, too!











Alesha Gurney with Loyalty's Web












Becki Kress with Illuminations of the Heart








Heidi Murphy in a lovely medieval outfit that has me longing to trade in my Renaissance dress...holding Loyalty's Web






Donna Hatch with Illuminations of the Heart and a rare first edition of Loyalty's Web!

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 My Fair Godmother , by Janette Rallison:
The part that made my stomach sink--about four feet down the parchment roll, near the end--was a statement that all wishes were considered permanent and binding. That meant I couldn't undo wishes.
From My Fair Godmother, p 108
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've met YA author Janette Rallison at several writing-oriented functions and found her to be amazingly talented, witty, and kind. I've had one of her books, My Fair Godmother , in my TBR pile for quite awhile now. I thought it sounded like a fun book to kick off the new year. Here's the back cover blurb:


Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!
After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah's gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she's only Fair—because she's not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah's class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy.


Stop by on Tuesday and I'll share a Tuesday Teaser with you!

"Dangerous Favor": cover unveiled

Okay, here it is! The cover for my new medieval romance, Dangerous Favor . I love it! What do you think?

Deadline for "Dangerous Favor" giveaway extended

It's going to be a couple more weeks before I have any physical copies of my new medieval romance, Dangerous Favor , to give away, so I decided to extend the deadline for my giveaway till the end of the month. The new deadline will be January 31, midnight PST. I'll announce the three winners on February 1st. Which means you have a little over two more weeks to send me photos of yourself with copies of my first two books, Loyalty's Web and Illuminations of the Heart . I know some of you are shy, but I also know that all of you are beautiful. So start snapping away. :-)

For complete details on how to enter, please click here.

Loyalty's Web Book Trailer

The lovely and talented Rachel Rossano has made me a book trailer for Loyalty's Web . Learn more about Rachel and her books on her website, The World of Rachel Rossano, and blog, Rachel Rossano's Words.

More contest pics!

There's one more week to enter for a chance at one of 3 copies of my soon-to-be-released medieval romance, Dangerous Favor . All you have to do is send me a picture of you with one of my books (print or e-book, personal or borrowed) by January 15th. 


Each of these people have entered. I hope you'll join them soon!


Click here for full details on how to enter.








Gayle Humpherys with Loyalty's Web
















Gayle Humpherys with Illuminations of the Heart










I can't lie. This has got to be one of my favorites: Gayle Humpherys with future readers of my books. :-)










Here's Jeannette J with a copy of Illuminations of the Heart












Jeannette J with Loyalty's Web











And here's Jeannette J with my short e-story, An Epiphany Gift for Robin. (See how easy it is to send me a picture of you and any of my ebooks?)
















Cindy Wiser with Loyalty's Web






Cindy Wiser with Illuminations of the Heart






Thank you for sharing your pictures, ladies!

Books I Read in 2011

Here are the books I read in 2011. I know many of you read twice or triple (or even quadruple!) as many, but as I said, I'm a slow reader. The important thing isn't how many books you read, though, it's that you read at all and found a few new and old gems through the year!

Books marked with a ** in blue signifies that it was a rereading of an old favorite. My favorite "new" book of the year is marked with 3 ***'s in red.


Hand of Fate, by Lis Wiehl with April Henry (fiction)Knight's Fee, by Rosemary Sutcliff (fiction)The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff (fiction)***Dearly Departed, by Tristi Pinkston (fiction)The Chariot of Israel, by James S. Sangster (fiction)**The Silver Branch, by Rosemary Sutcliff (fiction)Wrong Number, by Rachelle J. Christensen (fiction)Mark of Royalty, by Jennifer K. Clark and Stephonie K. Williams (fiction)Abinadi, by H.B. Moore (fiction)Constant Hearts, by Donna Hatch (fiction)Loving Lydia, by Amy de Trempe (fiction)Counting the Cost, by Liz Adair (fiction)King John, by W.L. Warren (non-fiction)Lydia, by Wanda Luce (fiction) The Lantern Bearers, by Rosemary Sutcliff (fiction) The Amber Treasure, by Richard Denning (fiction) The Reluctant Widow, by Georgette Heyer (fiction)**Free Men and Dreamers, Volume 1: Dark Sky at Dawn, by LC Lewis (fiction)Here Lies Arthur, by Philip Reeve (fiction)Crown of Anavrea, by Rachel Rossano (fiction)A Very Merry Chase, by Teresa Thomas Bohannon (fiction)
Goal for 2012: Read at least 2 non-fiction books and four old favorites. (Hmm, maybe I'd better write that down somewhere so I'll remember!)