Virtual Book Blast Tour: Untangling the Knot by Deanne Wilsted

Dear friends,

What’s better than starting the day with a great book? Have you been wondering what to read during the upcoming weekend? How about Untangling the Knot by Deanne Wilsted? Well, read on to find out more about the novel. 

Or you could be lucky and also be one of the randomly drawn commentators to be awarded a $10 Amazon or BN.com Gift Card. To enter, use the Rafflecopter at the end of this post. To increase your chances, follow the tour and comment. The tour dates can be found HERE.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

“I did what?”

Twenty-eight year old Gabriella Bessu is St. Therese’s meticulous wedding ceremony coordinator. So the fact that she has mistakenly signed her newest couple up for an annulment, rather than a wedding, sends her Catholic guilt into overdrive.

But who can blame her? The groom is gorgeous and his two kids tug at Gabriella’s heart in a way that overcomes all her best intentions. Before long she’s in over her head, fixing her mixed-up plans and helping the children and dad come to terms with their haunting grief for the mother and wife they lost years earlier.

Can Gabriella untangle her own fears and accept the messy life that God has handed them?

EXCERPT

“Umm, Gabriella,” Chloe said, “I don’t think that’s the plumber. It sounds like . . .”

The last thing Ryan had expected to see when he’d entered the cottage was Gabriella flat on her back in a puddle of water, inspecting the rear of the toilet. Chloe was holding a bucket and a sopping wet towel, and Peter was nowhere to be seen.

“Hi, Chloe,” he said quickly. “Where’s Peter?”

“Dad!” Peter came flying from another room and flung himself into Ryan’s arms.

“RYAN?” Gabriella yelled and quickly sat up. The thump of her head smacking the toilet bowl echoed around the tiny room.

“Ow,” she cried. “Damn it! Ow, ow, ow.”

Ryan grimaced. Gabriella sat on the wet floor, near tears, rubbing at the welt already forming on her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” she said, clearly at the end of her rope. “I can’t believe I said that in front of the kids. It’s just, everything has gone wrong today.”

She hung her head in her lap and began to cry for real.

Ryan had to hold back a smile. She looked so much like a wet cat. And, to top it off, she had yet to hear how wrong things had really gone with the day.

“Come on, now. It’s not that bad,” he finally said. “We’ll get it all fixed. Don’t worry.”

Chloe’s face lit up with an expression he hadn’t seen in years. For a few moments at least he was back to being her superhero dad.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

With an English teacher for a mom, DEANNE WILSTED, grew up reciting conjugation instead of nursery rhymes. Now, forty years later, she's sharing that special skill through her writing and her mothering. Her first book, a contemporary romance called BETTING JESSICA, was released October 2011. Her second Novel, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, is due out in February 2013 from Soul Mate Publishing. She is currently marketing her third book for publication and writing her fourth, fifth and sixth while blogging about the crazy stuff she overhears while writing.

AUTHOR LINKS

www.deannewilsted.com

http://www.facebook.com/DeanneWilstedAuthor

@dwilsted - https://twitter.com/dwilsted

Goodreads  author page- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5294824.Deanne_Wilsted

Amazon author page - http://amzn.com/e/B005YHFBQ2

PURCHASE LINKS

www.deannewilsted.com

www.soulmatepublishing.com

http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/untangling-the-knot/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: For Love of Sarah (Guest Post & Giveaways)

Hi everyone,

I’m excited to announce that today another author is visiting Novel Moments. Hazel Statham, the author of For Love of Sarah would like to introduce us to her novel. And also to tell us about her typical day as an author and where she gets her inspiration.

      Hazel was also kind enough to bring along some prizes. She will be awarding winner's choice of either a Cream Coin Freshwater Pearl necklace or a digital copy of DOMINIC or HIS SHADOWED HEART (international giveaway) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a Choice of either Rhinestone Crystal Butterfly and Pearl earrings or a digital copy of DOMINIC or HIS SHADOWED HEART (international giveaway) to a randomly drawn host. I guess it’s good luck to you and me also.

Please follow the tour and comment to increase your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE.

Hazel, welcome to Novel Moments. Over to you.

I have the luxury of being able to write as and when the muse strikes me, although I prefer to take to the computer when the house is empty so I can listen to my characters and the story they have to tell.

Being semi-retired, my husband now only works two days a week and it is these two days I can make my own.  Mollie, our lovely Labrador, is usually the only one to bear me company, but she is very undemanding with only the occasional foray into the kitchen to see if there’s any food on offer.  Other than that, a cuddle suffices and she’s content to sit on her chair in the window and watch the world go by.

However, if my characters are particularly forthcoming with their story and the house is occupied, I can retire to the bedroom if necessary.  I wish I had the luxury of an office where I could lock myself away from all interruptions, but sadly, it’s not to be, so I have to make use of what space is available and write with my laptop on a small glass table in the lounge.  I don’t write to a formula and am able to just go with the flow.

Inspiration comes from many sources, but especially from my characters who demand to tell their own story.   I have a very fertile imagination and need only a line from a song, a dream or just a few words in a totally unrelated play to set thought in process

For Love of Sarah

by Hazel Statham

BLURB   

How many times can a heart be broken?  How many times can love be denied? Sarah and Alexander were destined for each other but after just four short weeks of marriage, their lives were torn asunder.

   

Alexander, Earl of Thorne thought he had found his ideal mate but, when Sarah absconded shortly after their marriage, his world came crashing down.  Now, five years later, he discovers her in a remote Yorkshire village.

  

Sarah had thought she was safe, but when, severely injured in a freak accident, her husband is thrust once more into her life, she fears her dark secrets and the fact she has a son, will become known. 

  

Despite her own desperate longings, she continually repudiates Alexander’s efforts of reconciliation. However, fate conspires against her, and when her home is made uninhabitable by floods, she and her young son are forced to accept his aid and return to her former home.

   

Discovery threatens and, despite her breaking heart, she plans to leave Alexander’s life.  What is this secret that makes it so imperative that she should abscond from him yet again?  Can two broken hearts cleave and emerge victorious or will life's cruel forces tear them apart forever? 

EXCERPT

“There is no man with whom I live. I am thought to be a widow by the villagers.”

   

“A widow? By God, you would feel so, in fact, if I were able to leave this accursed bed. He would find no place to be safe from me!”

   

“There is no one,” she cried, her voice rising to the verge of tears.

   

“Then he has left you,” stated the earl, coldly. “Taken what he desired and left you to bear the consequences alone. Or did he discover your duplicitous nature and decide he would not play the fool to your deception?”

   

“My nature is not at all as you suppose, sir. I merely fell prey to a circumstance that has blighted my life.”

   

“Infidelity and desertion are definitely circumstances that blight your life, and those who are associated with you. When I sought your brother, it was reported that he had gone to India. Even your grandfather is in ignorance of your whereabouts. I thought you may have flown to him, but when I looked for you there, he had no more information than I and the poor man is desperate for knowledge of you.”

   

And if he should have that knowledge, he would disown me and his life would be in ruin. “It is best that you and he should forget my existence. I have built a new life far removed from your world.”

  

“You are still my wife, Sarah!”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Hazel Statham began writing at the age of fifteen, finally committing to paper the stories she spun as a child. Writing has been her passion ever since, although marriage, motherhood, and career left time for little else. Once she retired, however, she was able to devote herself to writing full-time, publishing her first novel in 2007. A long time student of history, she writes mainly in the Regency and Georgian eras, though she has been known to dabble in the medieval as well. She lives in Staffordshire, England, with her husband, Terry, and their beloved yellow Labrador, Mollie.

Hazel loves to hear from her readers and promises to answer all mail.

Author Website: www.hazel-statham.co.uk

Purchase links (available from all Amazon domains)

Amazon.co.uk

Paperback:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/For-Love-Sarah-Hazel-statham/dp/1612186831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344777843&sr=8-1

Kindle

http://www.amazon.co.uk/For-Love-Sarah-ebook/dp/B008RBTPZ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344778014&sr=1-1

Amazon.com

Paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/For-Love-Sarah-Hazel-Statham/dp/1612186831/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1344778163&sr=8-1

Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/For-Love-Sarah-ebook/dp/B008RBTPZ0/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1344778163&sr=8-1

Blog tour: To Dance in Liradon (Guest post & Amazing Giveaways)

Dear friends,

Have you ever wondered how a typical day in an author’s life looks like? This is your chance.

Author Adrienne Clarke has agreed to pull back the curtains of her life, allowing us to take a peek. Not only that, she would also like to introduce us to her novel, To Dance in Liradon.

Get to know the author and her book, and leave a comment for a chance to win one of the amazing prizes Adrienne brought along. She will be awarding winner's choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card, and one crystal Faerie necklace similar to what Brigid wore to the Faerie ball to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour to increase your chances of winning. The more you comment, the higher your chances. Good luck to you. You can find the tour dates HERE.

 Adrienne, welcome to Novel Moments. It’s so great to have you here today. How does your day look like?

A Typical Day in the Life of Adrienne Clarke, Author

6:00 am

Answer emails and try to decide what writing project I’m going to tackle: Revisions on work-in-progress? Or start outlining the new novel I spent all night thinking about? Wait! Is it garbage day? Whatever happens – do not forget to TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE. MUST GET RID OF DIAPERS!

7:15 am

Panic because I forgot to go grocery shopping and my daughter will be having a jam sandwich for lunch – again.

8:00 am

Cajole my nine-year old of bed and try to convince my two-year old that she really does need to take off her Tinkerbell pajamas.

8:20 am

Frantically pick raisins out of the raisin bread because daughter number one has decided raisins are “totally gross.” Explain yet again why I will not buy chocolate chip Pop Tarts.

8:30 am

Chase my youngest daughter around the house so I can get her ready for daycare before her sister is late for school – again.

9:00 am

Both girls are gone! I heave a huge sigh of relief and make an enormous cup of coffee.

9:30 am

Write like a madwoman for as long as I can. On a good day I can go for about 2.5 – 3 hours. On a bad day I’m distracted by EVERYTHING. If I’m convinced the muse is gone for the day I fret about all the other things I should be doing: Social networking, blogging, laundry, grocery shopping......

12:30 pm

Inhale a bagel and more coffee and worry about the muse. Where has she gone? And more importantly – when will she be back?

1:00 pm

Revise. Revise. Revise.

2:00 pm

I forgot to take out the garbage. Another week of smelly diapers in the garage.

3:00 pm

Send out query letters to agents, editors, and everyone else I’m trying to get to read my work.

4:00 pm

Make a stab at catching up on a flood of tweets, emails, status updates etc. while feeling faintly resentful that I could and should be writing.

4:30 pm

Writing day over! Time to silence the imaginary people inside my head and rejoin the real world.

To Dance in Liradon

by Adrienne Clarke

 

BLURB

 

Seventeen-year-old Brigid O'Flynn is an outcast. A chance encounter with the Faerie Queen left her tainted in the eyes of the villagers, who blame the Faerie for the village’s missing women and children. Desperate to win the village’s acceptance, Brigid agrees to marry her childhood friend: Serious, hardworking, Connell Mackenna. But when Connell disappears before their wedding, Brigid's hopes are shattered. Blamed for her fiancé’s death, Brigid fears she will suffer the same fate as the other village outcasts, the mysterious Willow Women. Lured into Faerie by their inhuman lovers, and cast out weak and broken, the Willow Women spend their lives searching for the way back into Faerie. When Connell suddenly reappears, Brigid is overjoyed, but everything is not as it seems. Consumed by his desire for beauty and celebration, Connell abandons his responsibilities, and Brigid soon finds herself drawn into a passionate, dangerous world of two.

When Brigid discovers the truth behind Connell's transformation she’s forced to choose between two men and two worlds. Brigid’s struggle leads her into glittering, ruthless Faerie, where she must rescue her true love from a terrible sacrifice or lose him forever.

EXCERPT

Brigid allowed herself to be dragged to the edge of the circle before she raised her right foot and kicked backwards as hard as she could. Midir released his hold long enough for her to remove the horseshoe from her bodice. When he tried to seize her again, she shoved him away, the object gripped firmly in her hand.

Midir stumbled backwards, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. A desperate, keening sound rose up from the circle before it broke apart and every Faerie man and woman rushed towards her. Long slender arms grabbed hold of each of her limbs, and Brigid felt certain they intended to tear her to pieces. A violet-eyed woman sat on top of Brigid’s chest, crushing the air from her lungs. Brigid watched the beauty leak from her face until it was a hollow masque of rage.

“Release her!” the Faerie Queen screamed.

Whining like disappointed children, the Faerie reluctantly retreated, and Brigid rose shakily to her feet.

The Faerie Queen’s eyes flashed cruelly. “If you want him, come and claim him!”

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links

I think I became a writer because the world inside my head was so real and vivid, sometimes more so than the outside world. In some sense I have lived parallel lives, present in my real and imaginary lives in different ways. Because much of my childhood was spent searching for faeries or reading about them, it is natural that my work encompasses fairy tale themes and other magical elements. In the words of Tennessee Williams, forget reality, give me magic!
 

Adrienne has previously published short stories in The Storyteller, Beginnings Magazine, New Plains Review, and in the e-zines A Fly in Amber, Grim Graffiti, Les Bonnes Fees, The Altruist, The Devilfish Review, and Rose Red Review. Her short story, Falling was awarded second place in the 2008 Alice Munro short fiction contest. To Dance in Liradon is her first published novel.

An avid reader of fairy tales and other magical stories, a thread of the mysterious or unexpected runs through all of her work. When she’s not writing Adrienne can be found searching for faeries along with her daughters Callista and Juliet.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.adrienneclarkewriter.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/ToDanceInLiradon

Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6436251.Adrienne_Clarke

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarkeadrienne

Purchase Links:

Amazon: US: http://www.amazon.com/To-Dance-in-Liradon-ebook/dp/B009F94I3W/ref=la_B009HWWMT4_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349915685&sr=1-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/To-Dance-in-Liradon-ebook/dp/B009F94I3W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1349972228&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-dance-in-liradon-adrienne-clarke/1112975145?ean=2940015710045

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/To-Dance-in-Liradon/book-J5YVsQBAyU26uuplRq4VrQ/page1.html?s=KS-iLsIhp0GoqVUvE-QpvA&r=1"

Book Trailer: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

It's been a while since I uploaded a book trailer, even though I love watching them. Here's one for you to enjoy. Simple but breathtaking. I adore the smoky wings.

Super Book Blast: Eternity by Kim Carmichael

Hi everyone,

First of all I want to wish you a wonderful new year, filled with happiness, laughter, and dreams come true. 

To start off the new year, I’d like to introduce you to a new book, Eternity by Kim Carmichael.

Kim has also brought along some prizes. She will be awarding a variety of prizes to randomly drawn commenters during the tour and this contest is open internationally.

There are necklaces and e-books of Hands on Me, a Kim Carmichael Tote Bag, a set of vintage Harlequin romance books, as well as three pieces of Kim Carmichael Skin Care. Also, autographed cover flats will be awarded at every stop.

As usual, I encourage you to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:

 http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/12/virtual-super-book-blast-eternity-by.html

Good luck and have a great day. 

Eternity

by Kim Carmichael

  

 

BLURB:

Therin Athan faces a choice…eternal salvation or eternal damnation.

After centuries of pining away for a love never realized, Therin's last assignment as a Cupid depends on helping the lonely, shy Lucy Carlton.  The mission's success or failure will determine where he is transferred.  He can study the heavens or be condemned to hell.

Lucy Carlton spent her life searching the stars for answers, but finds them in the form of a gorgeous man who comes in her dreams.  Therin shows her the joys of physical pleasure and encourages her to try to find love.  She wakes with a new found confidence, but soon her timid nature takes over and she retreats back to the comfort of her home…alone.

With only a week to decide his fate, Therin breaks every rule.  What starts as a job to save himself, becomes a love that can never be…except maybe in eternity.

Excerpt:

"Why stars?" He retrieved the bottle and poured her some more, staying quiet hoping she would continue to reveal bits of herself.

"Stars are endless, they are sort of like looking at hope."

He stared at her profile.

She let out another laugh, this one heartier than the first. "Right there." She motioned up at the night sky.

"Where?" He leaned over.

"Right there." She put out her finger and leaned toward him as if to show him her perspective.

He moved the basket to the side and slid over, sighing when he finally focused on what she pointed out. "Pisces." The two fish represented Aphrodite and Eros. A few wisps of her hair tickled his face but he didn't move them away.

"Is she your mother?  Are the stories true?"

"Nothing is ever exactly as it seems." He repeated his words from earlier, but appreciated the way she was fluent not only in the stars but the mythology. "Just like Pegasus, there is more than one Cupid. He was the just the most famous."

"Are you a God?" She kept her eyes on the night sky.

"I am what they call an immortal. I work for the Gods." He lowered his voice as to not scare her.

She finished off her wine. "Why is this your last assignment?  Did I break you or something?"

He put his hand over hers. "I was broken way before you were even born."

"What broke you?"

"Every being has wants and needs." He paused. "Sometimes when they go unfulfilled it's hard to keep going."

She looked at her lap. "What happens after you deal with me?"

"It depends on how successful I am." He balled his other hand in a fist. This was not something to put on a human.

"Do you mean how successful I am?"

From one day in her apartment he knew she was not only intelligent, but also insightful. "Something like that."

"What happens if I don't end up with him?" She stared into the empty glass.

"There are things only Gods know. I need to guide you."

She shook her head. "I don't want to think of you down in Hades."

He almost smiled. "Something like that."

"Must be frightening for you," she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"If you are immortal then you are never really know how or when it will end." She turned her hand over. "Infinite can be as terrifying as finite."

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her need for graphic sex scenes and love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.  She has a weakness for bad boys and techno geeks, and married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep her all her gadgets running.  When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.

Website   http://www.kimcarmichaelnovels.com/

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/kimcarmichaelnovels

Twitter  https://twitter.com/KimCarmichael4

www.kimcarmichaelnovels.com

@kimcarmichael4

https://www.facebook.com/kimcarmichaelnovels