|
Posts tagged with: prizes
The Love List WINNER!Posted by Caren Crane May 20 2013, 11:40 pm in Alisha Woods, Caren Crane, Deb Marlowe, free book, prize winner, prizes, The Love List As you’ll recall, Deb Marlowe promised to give away a copy of her latest release, The Love List, to a luck commenter on her visit Sunday. I am happy to announce that the winner is…
Congratulations, Alisha! Please drop Deb a line at deb AT debmarlowe DOT com and let her know whether you prefer a print or e-book. If e-book, just let her know the format you want. Congratulations and thanks for visiting! Repeats – Yea or Nay?Posted by Kate Carlisle Apr 25 2013, 12:05 am in books and TV shows, contest, Kate Carlisle, prizes
“Yes,” I reply, “and it was good, so now I’m watching it again.” When a story is good the first time, it’s good the second time, too. Sometimes it’s even good the third and fourth time. And sometimes, even after that. Bones, Castle, Friends, NCIS (any of its iterations), How I Met Your Mother… I’ve seen every episode, but I still stop on these shows when I’m flipping through the channels. And I still laugh out loud at every joke.
He just doesn’t get it. I feel the same way about books. Some books, I read once and I’m done. But the really good ones… I can easily read them twice, or more, and enjoy them just as much as the first time. Knowing the ending doesn’t ruin it for me. In fact, sometimes I discover things on subsequent readings that flew past me the first time around, and those little discoveries are just as joyful for me as the surprise of knowing how the story will turn out. Part of it is because I’m a writer, a storyteller. So when I watch a show or read a book more than once, I pay attention to the structure of the story being told. How did the writer or writers take us from the opening line to the last? With a mystery, which were the red herrings and which were the clues that led to the legitimate killer? With a comedy, how were the jokes set up, and how did the comedy crescendo?
What about you? Are there any TV shows that you enjoy watching more than once? What is the last book that you re-read? Are there any books that you’ve read more than twice? By the way, I’m running a contest right now on my Facebook page. Enter today for a chance to win a $25 gift card to the bookstore of your choice, or a great selection of mystery novels by me and three of my favorite cozy mystery writers. Enter here: April Showers Contest V.R. Marks and Military HeroesPosted by Caren Crane Mar 27 2013, 12:22 am in Caren Crane, guest blogger, military heroes, prizes, Special Forces, The Hostage, The Thief, The Witness, VR Marks Banditas and Buddies, you may recall I had VR Marks here in the Lair as a guest in December as one of three authors of the A Season For Romance anthology. According to Alfred Hitchcock, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” V.R. Marks feels the same way about writing romantic suspense. Marks combines a passion for suspense films with a passion for writing to create adventurous romantic suspense novels. You may also recall that Marks confessed a penchant for military stories when he was here before. Today, he is here to talk to us about his romantic suspense novels and why military heroes are so appealing to him as an author. V.R., welcome back to the Lair!
No, I expect not. Still, it’s a cozy sort of Lair and the boys regularly check around corners and in the broom closets for bad guys, so it should be safe enough. Even for one as naturally suspicious as yourself! If you say so… Please, have a seat and make yourself comfy. I would normally offer a mojito or perhaps a glass of sangria to a visiting guest, but you strike me as a beer kind of guy. Sven, a beer for the manly man, please! Now, do tell me more about your military heroes. I, for one, adore a military hero and I know many of my friends here do, as well. We adore the uniforms and muscles, mostly, but…er…what do you see in military heroes? Have you served in the military yourself?
My books The Thief, The Witness and the latest, The Hostage, all feature lead characters who served together in a Special Forces unit for the U.S. Army. Once they left the service, Ross, Rick and Eva regrouped and combined their skills into a cutting edge investigations team for private clients as well as local law enforcement. When I’m writing a novel, the military heroes (or heroine in The Hostage) always seem to bring a world view or experience to the situation that the rest of us who haven’t “been there” just can’t fully understand.
Military heroes do seem to have a universal appeal, something for both male and female readers of all ages. Yeah, what is the universal appeal of a military hero to readers? It has to go beyond the uniform or a fascination with Captain America or NCIS (I’m a fan of both). Military heroes show up in all of my favorite books and movies, and what I like best is the inherent code of honor they all share: the willingness to stand tall in the face of danger, the drive to defend the innocent and the courage to do what’s right and to hell with public opinion. That code of honor and selfless commitment to helping others are the heroic traits I admire most, and it leads characters to make the most intriguing decisions along the course of their adventures.
I’d like to hear what your readers here think. How about we give away some prizes as an incentive to share their thoughts? Ooh, we LOVE prizes! All right Banditas and Buddies. Let us know what you think makes a military hero believable, relatable, or memorable to you and you’ll be entered to win one of today’s three giveaways:
And while we’re all here chatting, I’ll just let you know that I have FINALLY set up an author page on Facebook. I know, I’m the slowest writer on the planet, right? But if you get a chance, I would love for you to check it out and Like it! http://www.facebook.com/CarenCraneAuthor Seventh Bandita Day Of Christmas Prize Winner!Posted by Caren Crane Dec 20 2012, 11:46 pm in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, Caren Crane, Kimberly Hope, prize winner, prizes, The Billionaire Bachelor's Revenge Thank you all for joining in the conversation about Kimberly Hope’s fantastic new novel The Billionaire Bachelor’s Revenge. The winner today receives a Kindle download of Kimberly’s book plus either a rooster ornament (embracing the spirit of the Golden Rooster) or a dragon-shaped cookie cutter (rather like dear Ermingarde) and sugar cookie mix. Whew!
Congratulations, LEAH! Please send me your mailing address to caren AT carencrane DOT com so we can get your prizes out to you forthwith! Christmas Don’tsPosted by Beth Andrews Dec 20 2012, 2:00 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, A Marine For Christmas, Beth Andrews, Christmas cards, Christmas don'ts, Christmas movies, eggnog, gift wrapping, prizes, recipes, tinsel So many people have holiday traditions, things they do each and every year, and while we definitely have more than our fair share of Dos, today I’d like to talk about a few of my Don’ts. I don’t: Use tinsel. Not one sparkly strand. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-tinsel – as a matter of fact, growing up, we always had tinsel (or what we called “icicles”) on our tree. We’d grab the glittery stuff and toss it willy nilly all over that beautiful evergreen. It was so ingrained in me that during the first few years of marriage, my husband and kids and I repeated the tradition. Until I actually had to clean up all that shiny stuff – from the floors, the furniture, our clothes…so, yeah. No tinsel. Not even the garland kind. I’m now used to a less sparkly tree. *g* (I’ve also outlawed any and all Easter grass during Easter but that’s a whole ‘nother post) The tree pictured here is my mom’s, hence the sparkle.
Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Year Without a Santa Claus. They (and a few others) freak out my children (who, I might add, are 21, 18 and 15 but still…) It’s the artwork for some reason *shrug* It’s such a deep-seated fear that the other night when I found The Year Without a Santa Claus on TV, Big Sis wouldn’t come into the living room until I’d turned the channel. I tried to talk her into watching the part where Heat Miser sings but she’d have none of it. Send Christmas cards early. Ever. I always plan on having them done weeks ahead of time but it never happens. Some years I’ve barely made it On Time. Oh, and I always save my kids’ school pictures to include in the cards but I don’t always remember to actually put them in the envelopes. Put ribbons or bows on wrapped presents. I used to. I used to spend hours wrapping presents, curling ribbons and making perfect bows (I even got a wooden bow-maker one year – you wrapped the ribbon around it somehow…wonder if I still have that?) and being creative with my wrapping. Now I’m lucky if I don’t run out of wrapping paper, tape and/or gift tags. Seriously. I’ve been known to use the Sunday comics for wrapping paper, stickers (yes, stickers) in place of tape and folded pieces of scrap paper for tags. It’s not pretty. Let my kids step one foot into the living room on Christmas morning until my husband and I have coffee in hand, Bing playing on the CD player and the camera ready to snap a picture of their reactions at seeing all the presents Santa left. As I mentioned, two of them are now legally adults and yes, we still do this. And yes, Santa still leaves presents AFTER they’ve gone to bed Christmas Eve.
Peanut Clusters 2 – 12 oz packages of white chips 1 – 12 oz package of milk chocolate chips 1 – 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips 5 cups Spanish peanuts. Combine chips in a large bowl. Melt. (Can melt over low heat of a double boiler – I use a glass or metal bowl over a saucepan of an inch or so of simmering water) or in the microwave (med heat for 2 minutes, stir, then microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth). Add Spanish peanuts, stir until coated. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto wax paper lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. (We love a salty/sweet treat so I sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top of half of these *g*) What are some of your Christmas Don’ts? I’ll draw one name to win a set of The Diamond Dust trilogy which kicked off with A MARINE FOR CHRISTMAS! And you DON’T want to miss out on the 12 Bandita Days of Christmas! From now until December 25th we’re celebrating the holidays with daily recipes and PRIZES! It’s all leading up to a HUGE Prize bundle of books and goodies on Christmas Day! Tomorrow’s guest, Jeannie Watt, is giving away THREE copies of her latest release for SuperRomance, CROSSING NEVADA! Kimberly Hope Introduces Her Billionaire BachelorPosted by Caren Crane Dec 19 2012, 12:26 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, billionaire bachelor, Caren Crane, Category Romance, free book, Kimberly Hope, prizes, reunion romance, second chance at love Banditas and Buddies, I am thrilled to welcome my dear friend Kimberly Hope back to the Lair today for the 6th Bandita Day Of Christmas! You may recall she was with us on Dec. 2 as one of four authors from the eclectic holiday anthology A Season For Romance. Well, today Kimberly is here to talk to use about her new romance The Billionaire Bachelor’s Revenge. I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this book, so I have known for a while now how fabulous it is. I insisted Kimberly come tell you all about it so you can enjoy it, as well. Kimberly, welcome back to the Lair! Pull up a chair by the fire. Cookie? We are awash in them these days. Really, take three, they’re small. Sven, can we get some eggnog over here? Thank you. So, we’re talking billionaires and cookies today instead of Disney princesses?
Sven, cancel the eggnog! Looks like we’re having vodka tonics – olives, no lime, please. That should be divine with pralines! Well, maybe not, but it is my go-to drink. Anywho, back to the cookies and billionaires! When Caren told me we’d be celebrating the 12 Bandita Days of Christmas with holiday recipes, the only thing going through my mind was 11 pipers piping. OK, well, I was humming it anyway, while wondering what recipe I could share, because I love to bake. And baking over Christmas is the best! Some of my favorite memories are of baking gingerbread cookies with my grandmother. But what recipe? Irish Cream Truffles take 3 days (and about as long to explain the process). Pralines, as I rediscovered this morning while testing the recipe for you, are not easy. Butterscotch Shortbread…ooh, my favorite cookie this year! My favorite thing about this cookie dough is that, unlike sugar cookie dough you have to refrigerate for half your life before you can struggle to roll it out and cut it, you can work with this dough immediately. Now that’s my kind of cookie!
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (Yes, butter. It’s Christmas. It’s Shortbread. It needs butter.) 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 4 Tbls white sugar 2 cups, plus 4 Tbls flour 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 300° F. Cream the butter and sugars together. Mix in flour and salt. When it’s done you’ll have well-mixed clumps of dough. You should be able to form a ball with it. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper to 1/4 inch thick. I’m guessing on that. Roll it until it’s cookie thickness because these guys don’t spread. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters. My kids like to decorate the cookies with sugar and stuff at this point, but this cookie tastes fantastic without the added sugar. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until set. You need to be careful with these guys because they don’t like over-baking. At all. The original recipe called for them to bake longer, but for my over, it’s 15 minutes. It could be as many as 25 minutes depending on how thick you roll the dough. Keep an eye on them because due to the color of the dough, it may be hard to tell that they’re browning. This ends the cookie portion of our presentation. Now, Kimberly, let’s move on to the billionaire bachelor!!
Meg looked up at the man who hated her almost as much as her father did, and said the four words that would change her life forever. “I need your help.” Evan Alton’s slate blue eyes flashed like a cat who just received a mouse for Christmas. But he didn’t slam the door in her face. Which was either a really good sign, or the end of her peace on earth. Guessing which was more likely, she plowed on. “May I come in?” “Why?” She brushed her wet hair off her forehead. “Because it’s raining and you’re a nice guy.” Evan let out a grim laugh. “I haven’t been a nice guy for a long time. And I don’t have meetings at home on Friday nights.” He shot her a pointed look, which she completely ignored. She’d passed proud months ago. “I can’t imagine you have many at the office since you won’t take phone calls.” “Most people would take that as a hint.” She didn’t say a word. Nothing she could say would change anything. “Give me one reason why I should listen.” “Because you loved me once and I did the right thing.” He glared at her again, but didn’t misread her reference. The way she left him eight years ago had been completely unforgivable. She could only hope her recent actions would count for something. “If that’s the case, why are you standing on my doorstep?” “Because you won’t let me in.” She gave him a weak smile, and for once was rewarded with one from him as well. Butterflies erupted in her stomach. She should have eaten lunch, but the thought of this meeting had ruined her appetite. The butterflies were not because of his grim smile. “Evan, please.” Her gaze locked with his and didn’t waver. She couldn’t afford to back down. There was too much at stake. “If you’re the devil you’re claiming, making me stand in the rain is hardly payback. It’s just frustrating for me and costly for you to keep the door open.” ”Currently it’s money well spent.” Meg blew out a harsh breath. This was going worse than she’d imagined in the thousand possible scenarios she’d run through over the past week. She’d counted on his curiosity, but apparently that had disappeared over the years. ”You’re the only one I can turn to,” she blurted. He raised an eyebrow. Just one. The glint in his eyes told her he remembered how much it irked her. He was playing with her. Fine. She could play too. She stood quietly, matching his gaze, and waited. It was like playing chicken with a lion. She just prayed he didn’t extend his claws before she begged for help. She didn’t kid herself. It was going to take begging. And from his vantage point, after the way she’d left him, she deserved it. His other eyebrow joined the first, and he stepped aside to let her in. A small victory, but she took it. Meg gave a mental sigh of relief before walking into the lion’s San Francisco County lair. Stepping into the foyer, she brushed her wet locks off her face again, and tried to ignore the puddle she was making on the hard wood floor. Evan walked towards the living room, then paused. “Aren’t you coming?” She could see the gleaming white carpet from where she stood. “I’ll make a mess of your floors.” “I’ve got a service. If you want to talk to me, you’re going to do it where I’m comfortable. It’s been a long day.” Meg watched him walk away and swallowed hard. The man was as sinfully built as she remembered, especially in the suit pants and crisp, white shirt. His black hair grazed his pristine collar. He’d shed his tie and undone a few buttons, teasing her with a hint of his strong chest. And now, looking like a drenched rat, she was facing down the one man she’d hoped never to have to see again in her life. Wonderful. She grumbled to herself about not bringing a raincoat with her. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard the weather report this morning. But as usual, she ignored common sense and rushed out the door. She hadn’t planned on having to track Evan down at home. Coming here was crazy, but he was the only person who had both the money and a reason to help her now. No one else would take her calls. Not that he had either. Her name was tainted and no one wanted a Taylor anywhere near their business. She didn’t blame them. She slipped out of her heels, as much for her own safety on the slick floor as for the floor itself. The Celtic design of light and dark woods had clearly been hand-laid by a master and she couldn’t bear to leave wet footprints across it. Not that her wet stocking feet were doing much better. Meg followed the path Evan had taken into the living room that was three times the size she’d thought from the entryway. The walls were stark white, and blank, except for a Chagall in one corner. It was as if the house had recently been purchased and the owner didn’t know what to do with the room yet. But she knew he moved in several years ago. The only thing breaking up the room was a wall of solid windows, giving her a phenomenal view of the rocky California coast and Pacific Ocean below. From here you couldn’t tell the city was fifteen minutes away. That wasn’t what she was here for. She shook her head and tried to get her thoughts in order. Evan’s interior decorating –or lack thereof – wasn’t her problem. She turned and jumped. While her mind had been wandering, so had he. From the bar to her. His eyebrow floated again. “Nervous?” he asked as he handed her a glass. Irish whiskey. He remembered? She only drank it with him. Only when she was worried. This was never going to work if she was that transparent. She took a sip. “Thank you. You’ve got a beautiful home.” “You didn’t come here to talk about the house, so get on with it so I can say no and get back to the game.” Meg glanced at the black TV screen, but didn’t contradict him. All the words she’d practiced left her and she was unsure how to begin. She’d already said what needed saying. And, years ago, a lot of things that didn’t. That bridge was toast, but there was nothing she could do about it now. “I need you to buy into Jennings.” Ooh, I love that part! This really is a fantastic book. The conflict and stakes are so high. I was rooting big-time for these two strong-willed people to get together, but they had all those darned ethics forcing them to live by their individual codes of honor! You’ll love them, too. Promise! Oh…back to Kimberly. Happy Holidays, everyone! Tell me your favorite thing about the holiday season and you’ll be entered to win a free Kindle copy of The Billionaire Bachelor’s Revenge. Even if your favorite thing is Christmas carols in October (that would be Snarky Daughter’s answer)! And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more of the 12 Bandita Days Of Christmas! (Plus, you need to check the Treasure Chest to see if you are a winner from one of the previous days.) We are building up to our Christmas Day giveaway of a huge bundle of books and goodies from Banditas and friends like Lydia Dare, Dianna Love, Liz Carlyle, Annie West, Deb Marlowe, JD Tyler, Addison Fox, Sabrina Jeffries, Miranda Neville, Marquita Valentine and Sandy Blair. This is big, people! Tree Topper Denied!Posted by Caren Crane Dec 18 2012, 12:13 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, angels, Caren Crane, Christmas tree toppers, Christmas trees, cookie recipe, date cookies, easy date drop cookies, prizes, stars Every year, I look forward to putting up our Christmas tree. It’s artificial, so it’s just a matter of removing and sorting limbs, fluffing them out and sticking them in the pole. But still, it’s a wonderful time for me. I love the lights and all my ornaments: the shiny, the sentimental, the store-bought, the handmade. They are all special and beloved. When the lights are on the tree – and I think there were 8 strands this year – and the poor thing groans with snowmen, Santas, bells, angels, doves, crosses, candy canes, mice (which, for some reason, we have lots of on the tree!) and reindeer, I am blissfully happy.
But… But. This year, I find myself with no tree topper. Since the tree in question is artificial, we have only a bare branch sticking straight up at the top. The benighted branch has been bent over on itself to accomodate various toppers over the years. And there have been toppers. All beloved in their day. All tossed aside when the new kid came to town.
First there was a STAR. No lights, no shiny bits. Just a gold star with a conic base. It was my first tree topper and I enjoyed it for years. It happily adorned the top of the live trees I bought when my son was little (despite the fact that I was allergic to them all). Then the top of the artificial tree we bought when it became apparent that the baby (my second child, older daughter) was allergic as well. Eventually I grew restless, though, and was eventually lured by…
The ANGEL. The angel was sweet and, well, angelic. She had lovely blond hair, rosy cheeks, a flowing white gown (covering a conic base, of course). She was slightly shinier than the star but, alas, she could not hold my affections forever. She lacked…color. I’m afraid I was after something a bit more spicy than my angel tree topper provided. Several years ago I was shopping in one of those Christmas stores that pop up like mushrooms at the mall in what used to be a shoe store or a card shop. At the Christmas store, I found the greatest tree topper of all time…
The SHINY, LIGHTED STAR WITH REFLECTORS! Oh, how I loved the shiny, lighted star with reflectors! It dazzled the eyes at the top of my tree, practically blinding in its Christmasy glory. Stare at that puppy too long and you’d come away with singed retinas. It really gave our tree some extra pizazz, a little KA-POW! for the holidays. Alas and alack! The star was, perhaps, a bit ambitious in all its shininess. It was, for all its handsome reflectivity, cheaply made. It stopped lighting up after 3 years and no tweaking, bulb replacing, cussing or fiddling would make it light up again.
This year, I gave up on the shiny, lighted star with reflectors and threw it in the garbage can. Which left me with no tree topper at all. The top of my tree is a bare, bent limb so far this year. But I feel the newly-sprouted Christmas store at the mall calling to me. What I need, though, is to approach my purchase with a cool head and a firm idea of what I want before I get there. So tell me, Banditas and Buddies, what adorns the top of your tree? Have you been faithful to a single topper or have you been seduced by a series of increasingly-flashy toppers as I have? And what would you recommend for the Crane tree topper, to augment our panoply of ornamental goodness? Help a sister decide! And never forget, we are deep in the throes of the 12 Bandita Days Of Christmas! Every day, the cabana boys are pulling the name of a lucky commenter to win Bandita treasures. On Christmas Day, there will be a HUGE grand prize awarded, including books from Banditas and favorite authors like Sabrina Jeffries, Liz Carlyle, Deb Marlowe, Marquita Valentine, Lydia Dare (who are all friends of mine, btw, and sweethearts!). So check back each day and keep on commenting! And while you’re thinking, enjoy these EASY DATE DROP COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened 2 cups brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 c. water or buttermilk 3-3/4 c. flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp. cinnamon filling: 2 c. chopped, pitted dates 3/4 c sugar 3/4 c. water 3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and blend. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and add them alternately with the water or buttermilk. Boil the filling ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until thick. Drop a spoonful of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Top with a slightly smaller spoonful of filling and then top that with about half the amount of dough you used on the bottom layer. Bake for 8 – 10 min. Let cool on a wire rack. Yummy and they look like you worked really hard on them! More Christmas AddictionsPosted by Christie Kelley Dec 17 2012, 1:01 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, Christie Kelley, cookie recipe, cookies, Kringlas, prizes While Trish admitted to having a Christmas decoration addiction, which I share, I have to admit to another Christmas related addiction. My name is Christie and I’m addicted to making Christmas cookies. I have no excuse. My kids only asked me to make three kinds of cookies, but I couldn’t stop at that. So far, I have made chocolate chip cookies, mint M&M cookies, brownies with Andes Mints on top, two batches of pumpkin bars (the first batch didn’t make the Christmas cut and went to my son’s friends), and eggnog cookies. I still have the ginger snaps and the sugar cookies to get done this week. Now, if I didn’t work a full time job, plus have another writing contract to finish and have a 15-year-old part time, this wouldn’t be a big deal. But it is! Of course, I will give a bunch of these away as presents to people I work with and my critique partners. But there is no reason I can’t just give them a card and a small present. It is what most people do. I must pause for a minute to take another batch of eggnog cookies out of the oven. Okay, I’m back now…did you miss me? The next batch is in the oven and I already put the powdered sugar on the finished batch. See what I mean? Even as I write this blog, I’m still making cookies. Even as I cleaned my house yesterday, I was baking cookies. This is out of hand! Help! But in case you share my addiction, here’s my eggnog cookie recipe: Kringlas 4 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp nutmeg ¾ cup unsalted butter (not shortening or margarine) 1 egg 1 cup eggnog In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until softened. Add sugar and egg, beat until fluffy. Alternate the dd dry ingredients and eggnog. Chill 4 hours. Roll teaspoons of dough into pencil-like strips about 8 inches long and ½ inch thick. On an ungreased cookie sheet, form pretzel shape. This is how they’re supposed to be done. Personally, I roll them into balls and put them on the cookies sheet. The pretzel thing is a lot of work. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and nutmeg. They are delicious. So now In the spirit of Christmas and giving, I’m giving away an e-copy of Bewitching the Duke to one lucky commenter. Check back tomorrow night to see if you’ve won! The fabulous Caren Crane will be here tomorrow so stop by and see what’s on her mind! In fact, come back every day between now & Christmas for your chance to win prizes, books and gifties leading up to a HUGE GRAND PRIZE of books and goodies on Christmas Day!! Holiday Anthology For Everyone Winners!Posted by Caren Crane Dec 5 2012, 11:36 pm in A Season For Romance, Jay Keelan, Kimberly Hope, prizes, Regan Black, The Heiress and Her Fake Fiance, VR Marks Thanks to everyone who stopped by to celebrate the release of the fabulous, multi-genre romance anthology A Season For Romance. We are pleased to announce the following winners from our commenters on Sunday!
DIANE SALLANS has won the download of V.R. Marks’ The Thief !! And last, but certainly not least… EC Spurlock has won the download of the fabulous anthology by Regan Black, Kimberly Hope, Jay Keelan and V.R. Marks, A Season For Romance!! Well, it certainly is a season for romance and prizes in the Lair! Ladies, to claim your prizes, please send an e-mail to Regan Black at black DOT regan AT gmail DOT com and let Regan know what format of download you prefer! A Holiday Anthology For Everyone!Posted by Caren Crane Dec 2 2012, 12:20 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, A Season For Romance, anthology, Caren Crane, guest blogger, holiday anthology, holiday book, holiday stories, Jay Keelan, Kimberly Hope, Pixie Chicks, prizes, Regan Black, The Heiress and Her Fake Fiance, The Thief, VR Marks I’m excited to host some old Romance Bandits friends here in the Lair. Some of you may recall a previous visit from the gorgeous Regan Black. Well, Regan is back with a great anthology she’s put together with three other fabulous writers! Joining Regan is my long-time friend Kimberly Hope, plus new friends V.R. Marks and Jay Keelan. Guys, we adore anthologies here in the Lair and we also adore holiday stories. So a collection of holiday novellas is sure to delight Banditas and Buddies alike. What can you tell us about this promising collection? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kimberly Hope: I’m writing a Christmas story.
Jay Keelan: I’m writing a Christmas story, too.
Regan Black: {blushing} My story’s YA.
VR Marks: Mine’s a Thanksgiving story. Don’t give me any grief. You know we men are all about the food.
Kimberly: I’m writing a contemporary reunion story.
Jay: I’m writing a contemporary reunion story, too.
Regan: Mine’s a contemporary story. With a paranormal angle.
VR: No reunion. Sorry. But it is contemporary.
Are you sensing a pattern here? This is what happens when you throw four independent authors into one mix. Contemporary. Paranormal. Suspense. Multiple holidays. Yeah, our cover artist loves us. But there’s something in A Season for Romance for everyone.
All of the stories are set in small town North or South Carolina. Except Snow Covered Resolutions by Regan Black. That’s set in the Midwest.
So as release time closed in, we searched for any common ground beyond ‘contemporary’ and started shooting random interview questions back and forth via email. Here are the highlights:
Which Disney character would you be?
Jay: Rapunzel, because I have a frying pan and I’m not afraid to use it.
Regan: Mulan because she can kick butt like my daring, adventurous heroines.
VR: The Genie from Aladdin. (short answer wins!)
What kind of pets “help” you write?
Kimberly: My Doberman keeps me at the keyboard, sometimes she even lets me type.
Jay: Like Kimberly, my dog keeps my toes warm after she steals my slippers.
VR: Two cats. {crickets chirp in the silence} But they’re manly, Maine Coon cats.
“Common ground” might be a pipe dream in this anthology. Clearly, we’re all a little whacked. But the one thing that ties all our short stories together is that they’re all about discovering what matters most about heart and home.
So, it’s the holiday season. While you’re playing ’12 Days of Christmas’ on your iPod, we’re playing Sesame Street’s ‘Which One of These Things Is Not Like the Others?’ As illustrated here:
Kimberly: In my first sassy contemporary romance, The Heiress and Her Fake Fiancé, Jessica’s Grandma Violet is the town matchmaker. In my Meddling with Mistletoe in the anthology, we see Violet’s first matchmaking attempt, involving Jessica’s parents and a wine cellar. Jay: In Finding the Focus, when Ethan Myers, an award-winning photographer who is short on inspiration, leaves his studio for the road, he never predicted he’d run into the one woman he had never forgotten.
VR: We meet Sheriff Cochran in my romantic suspense novel, The Thief, but we don’t learn exactly how he feels about Ruth Williams, the owner of the local diner, until her annual Thanksgiving feast in The Sheriff’s Proposal in the anthology. Regan: In Snow-Covered Resolutions, it’s New Year’s Eve and all the Pixie Chicks from my previous YA novels have someone special to kiss at midnight – except Austin. In this season of resolutions will she stick to hers, or will the snow-covered magic of Hobbitville sweep her up in a whole new adventure? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In addition to the short stories, Kimberly Hope and VR Marks have both added the first chapters of the first books in these series to the anthology. And in the spirit of the season, we’re giving away one copy of the anthology and one of each full-length novel: A Season for Romance, Kimberly Hope’s The Heiress and Her Fake Fiancé, and VR Marks’s The Thief. To enter, all you have to do is post a comment telling us which Disney character you’d be and why! Okay, Banditas and Buddies, which one will it be? I’m off to do some animated movie watching…I mean, research… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be sure to come back to the Lair on December 13 when we kick off the annual 12 BANDITA DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! Prizes and recipes every day!! Roosters. Books. Starbucks goodies. Books. Dragons. Books. Cookies. Books. Godiva. You know you want the cookies, for sure, so come home to the Lair for the Holidays! Who knows, you might win something, and you’ll be guaranteed to have fun!! (Did we mention there might be books?)
|
 
12 Bandita Days of Christmas
Anna Campbell
Anna Sugden
Annie West
Aunty Cindy explains it all for you
Australian Authors
Bandita Booty
Bandit Booty
Beth Andrews
Caren Crane
Cassondra's blogs
Cassondra Murray
Christie Kelley
Christine Wells
Christmas
coming attractions
contest winner
debut
Donna MacMeans
guest blogger
historical romance
Holidays
interviews
Jeanne Adams
Joan Kayse
Jo Beverley
Jo Robertson
Kate Carlisle
Launch Party
movies
paranormal romance
prizes
prize winner
Romance
romance bandits
Susan Sey
Suzanne Ferrell
Suzanne Welsh
T-shirts
Tawny Weber
travel
Trish Milburn
Uncategorized
writer's life
writing life |
 resized.jpg)
.jpg)
_cropped.jpg)
