Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 84

Winners of my "Celebrate the Season" Contest!

Congratulations to Melanie Hahn and Joy Isely! Melanie and Joy have each won a hardcover copy of Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season. I know they'll enjoy this touching, humorous, and all round delightful little book of short Christmas stories. (Including, of course, my own humble contribution, "An Epiphany Gift for Robin". :-) )

Thank you to everyone who entered! If you weren't one of the winners and would like to order copies for Christmas (have I mentioned that they make incred...

Illuminations of the Heart at Barnes & Noble

Hunting for a copy of  Illuminations of the Heart  for Christmas (or Christmas gifts) this year? All is not lost! While no longer available at Costco, copies are in stock at the following Arizona Barnes & Noble locations. (Don't live in Arizona? Go to your nearest Barnes & Noble and ask them to order a copy. It's in their system! And if they're sold out at these locations, ask them to order more!)

Barnes & Noble
San Tan Village
2150 E Williams Field Rd
Gilbert, AZ

Barnes & Noble
Crossroads Towne...

Bye-Bye Costco: Thanks for the Memories!

Well, my Costco run has come to an end. As of November 28, I finished my book signings for copies of my medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart . It was, indeed, quite the interesting adventure!

I learned that standing four hours a day, three to four days a week on a cement floor can do quite the number on your feet and back.

I learned that there really are people out there who will snap up a romance as soon as they hear the words "clean romance" attached to it.

I learned that (especially i...

Excerpt from "An Epiphany Gift for Robin" in Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season

Here's just a short excerpt from my medieval short story, "An Epiphany Gift for Robin", included in the new Christmas anthology, Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season . I have to keep it short, since it's from a short story. Too many words and I'd give the whole story away! :-)

Excerpt:


    The food was long gone now, along with the merry games played by the villagers to keep warm in the winter snows. The ivy and holly so gleefully gathered and hung by the children to brighten their...

Omigosh!

So I picked up my sister at the airport yesterday for Thanksgiving. We stopped by Tempe Marketplace to grab a bite for lunch. While we were there, we decided to step inside here:



While there, I checked out this section:




And look what I found!




I had to take pictures, because I knew I'd wake up this morning and think I'd dreamed the whole thing. For years I've wandered through stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders, dreaming of seeing my books on the shelves, but somehow never quite believing it w...

Book Review of "The Ball's In Her Court", by Heather Justesen

Back Cover Blurb:


She's got a great job, a loving group of family and friends, and basketball skills like you wouldn't believe, but Denise DeWalt's life is far from perfect, and she's about to come face-to-face with a past she hoped to leave behind forever.


Twenty-six-year-old Denise thinks she's come to terms with her childhood in the foster care system, but when her old nightmares return, Denise realizes that she must deal with her past once and for all if she ever wants to move on to a...

"An Epiphany Gift for Robin" (and other splendid Christmas short stories) is now available for order!

The new Christmas anthology, Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season  (one of those other stories being my own medieval Christmas story, "An Epiphany Gift for Robin") is now available for order. If you just can't wait for my contest, or if you'd like to order extra copies to share with your family and friends (and let's be honest, why wouldn't you?), this link will take you directly to the order page.

BUY LINK

Here's a reminder of what you'll get when you order copies of Stolen...

Costco Week 4

Thanks to my friend, Marjean, for these pictures from my latest Costco book signing!

Winner of "Melissa and the Wild West" and "Stolen Christmas" Contest

Congratulations to Danyelle Ferguson of Kansas! She has won an autographed copy of Linda Weaver Clarke's sweet historical romance, Melinda and the Wild West .

Thank you to everyone who entered!


And don't forget, I have a brand new contest up and running for TWO copies of the Christmas anthology, Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season . Stolen Christma s includes a short medieval Christmas story, "An Epiphany Gift for Robin", written by myself. :-) Here's a description of Stolen...

Let's Celebrate the Season with a Contest!

Does anyone else feel like November is whizzing by? December will be here soon, and we all know what December means...Christmas! And this year, I have the honor of having one of my short stories included in a Christmas Short Story Compilation, called Stolen Christmas and Other Stories of the Season. 

In the spirit of complete disclosure, even though the subtitle lists these as "award winning stories", my selection, "An Epiphany Gift for Robin", didn't actually win an award. I just entered it...