Friday Freebies!

As you know, I'm running a MERRY CHRISTMAS BALL CONTEST from now till Dec. 1st. (The prize is $100 B&N gift card and who couldn't use that just before Christmas?) Turns out, several of my writing buddies are running some great contests too! So I thought I'd share them with you.

Preparing for the holidays can leave you with little time for yourself. My friend Gerri Russell's contest will take care of that!


Just in time for the holidays... Win One, Give One As a Gift! One lucky winner will receive two Warrior’s Bride “Relax in the Bath” gift baskets. Each gift basket includes an autographed copy of Warrior’s Bride, a bath pillow, a bath sponge, and bubble bath, one for the winner and one to give to a friend. The contest runs until December 1st. Enter HERE!


This one is not exactly a contest, but it is a FREEBIE! My friend Bonnie Vanak has a free online read at eHarlequin starting Monday, Oct. 19! It's called Seducing the Vampire and it's about a half-vampire, half-werewolf who teams with his former love, a sexy vampress, to save a magick amulet from falling into the wrong hands. Each Monday for eight weeks will feature a new chapter.

What a great way to try out a new author! Be sure to check out Bonnie's latest release Immortal Wolf, which is out this month from Silhouette Nocturne. And say a little prayer for Bonnie herself. Her day job takes her into some rather dicey 3rd world countries. It's taking her to Haiti on Monday. I admire her so much for the way she helps others. You can read a bit more about that in her latest post at THE CHATELAINES.

You may remember Caroline Fyffe. She was here blogging about her debut release a few months ago and now she has a killer contest that gives you a chance to unleash your creativity. I know lots of my readers are also writers, so be sure to enter:


Caroline Fyffe's Under A Western Sky Contest
Don’t miss your chance to win a night’s stay at Slide Mountain Ranch in beautiful Tuolumne, CA. All you have to do is watch a 2 minute book trailer and write your version of the last line of the story. Here's your chance to write a happily-ever-after.....



If you haven't started the Tairen Soul series you have some serious catch up reading to do! From now until October 27, my friend C.L. Wilson is hosting a daily “countdown” blog on her website’s blog. Visitors who post a response to the Question of the Day are eligible to enter a weekly drawing for an autographed copy of QUEEN OF SONG AND SOULS (book 4 in the Tairen Soul quintet) and other great prizes. I love these books! So join the fun!

Hope you enjoy visiting my friends' websites and good luck in all the contests! This weekend my DH and I hope to attend an artshow. What are your plans?

PS. Today is my regular day to post at The Chatelaines. I'm talking about "saving the ta-ta's," starting with your own!

Playing Santa!

I've been priviledged to have 3 lovely guests this past week and today I get to announce the winners for their give-aways.

A week ago Monday, romantic suspense author Elisabeth Naughton was here, talking about her latest release, STOLEN HEAT. Elisabeth has received glowing reviews for her work from the bible of the industry, Publishers Weekly! The winner for that day is MARY from San Benito, TX. Congrats!



Then on last Thursday, debut author and my WisRWA Chapter mate Ilona Fridl visited to share the news about her 1920's set SILVER SCREEN HEROES. Gangsters and bootleg hooch and silent movies, oh my! Ilona's winner is CHEEKY GIRL!





And last but definitely not least, yesterday Caroline Fyffe dropped by to share some booksigning tips and introduce us to her WHERE THE WIND BLOWS, a sort of "Lonesome Dove meets Little House on the Prairer" story. (Caroline, I have no idea why blogger turns your cover blue. For those of you looking for it in the bookstore, the book is actually more in tones of fall.) The winner of Caroline's book is HEATHER D from Georgia!



Giving away things is so delightful, I can't stop here! Please pop over to my website and enter my CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST contest. It's free. It's easy. And it's fun. The winner (who will be announced Sept 1st) will win his/her choice from my backlist. (As a side note: I got into trouble the other day when I said if there was anyone out there who'd read everything I'd written besides my mother, I'd do a backflip. My beta reader Marcy sent me an email demanding pics of the flip! I think I appeased her with a promised peek at the new WIP.) Anyway, please pop over and enter!

And here's my question for the day: Times are tough and authors and publishers are looking for ways to reward faithful readers. Several publishers are starting to give away e-versions of a title from an author's backlist prior to a new release. Is this something that interests you? Would it make you more likely to try a new author? To buy their new release? What do you think?

Where the Wind Blows . . .

I met Caroline Fyffe in DC at RWA Nationals this summer and she impressed me so much. She's as bubbly and happy a person as you'd ever want to meet. Her debut title WHERE THE WIND BLOWS is out right now. Her enthusiasm reminded me how exciting that first book is. And along with that first title there are lots of other firsts. Today she's sharing about her first book signing. So you can keep us straight, my words today will be in Bold face and Caroline's in regular type.

Book Signings! Friend or Foe?

My very first, all-alone, book signing was so much more than I expected---which was a relief because it started out as rocky as they come. I’d been working with the wonderful Stockton Barnes & Nobel for several months and had pestered poor Lee almost every week. Being a debut author, I really didn’t have a clue how these things worked, but he walked me through the process calmly and patiently. As my date arrived, I tried to be composed. I just decided not to think about it until that day arrived. (I was signing from 7-9 PM.) Around three in the afternoon, there was a number on my cell I didn’t recognize and promptly returned the call. It was Lee. The books hadn’t arrived. Would I like to come and do a meet and greet? Not really! What would I talk about especially since I didn’t have the books in hand? We’d just reschedule.

Okay, that was that. Actually, I was more than relieved. Around five, I got another call. You guessed it, the books HAD arrived so I pulled myself together and headed over! I took my laptop so I could play my book preview, and a bag of Lindor Truffles to entice possible readers over. I arrived early and set everything up. I waited.

It wasn’t long before I saw a familiar face. A friend had checked my web page and brought a few friends along with her. More people than I imagined came over and talked. It was great. Almost all, after a few moments of conversation, bought my book. I felt triumphant!!

Here are a couple of pictures from that night….







I’m totally thrilled that my Lonesome Dove meets Little House on the Prairie story, Where the Wind Blows, is really finally here. I’m giving away a copy to someone who leaves me a comment. (Emily popping in for a moment! Did you get that? You could win a copy of Caroline's book just by leaving a comment or question for us here today!) Also, please visit my website at www.carolinefyffe.com to see how to enter my contest, Under a Western Sky, for your chance to win an overnight stay in a bunkhouse. And, while you’re there, take the time to sign up for my ‘announce only’ newsletter. On the last day of every month I will be giving away a free book!



For all the authors out there, I’d like to ask you what your ‘first’ book signing was like? Or, on the other hand, if you’re a reader, what helps to pull you over to a table where an author is signing? Is there something that actually turns you away?