Thursday, December 8, 2016

My Website and Newsletter!

Have you checked out my website lately? It's up and running!

And I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter. Word on the street is that you might get a free book if you sign up. Maybe. Just maybe. ;) LOL You can sign up here!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Fantastic Creature Anthology Release and Scavenger Hunt!

Hi, everyone! I'm so happy to be one of the authors in an epic fantasy anthology! To kick things off, we're having a scavenger hunt with a super cool prize. Each of the twenty stories in the anthology focuses around a fantastic creature from folklore or mythology. My contribution is called An Adventurer's Heart. Be sure to visit all the stops and collect the clues--a number featured in each post--and you could win a Kindle Fire plus a digital library of ebooks from participating authors. Read down to the bottom to find out how to enter.


Now let's hear from one of the other authors in the anthology, A. R. Silverberry:.​


Tall Tall Tales

It’s surprising where a funny story can come from. Take Three Steaks and a Box of Chocolates, for example. The idea came to me while driving my cat to a veterinary specialist. The down-on-his-luck Doc Turner and his friend, Burt McCall, chaser of crackpot dreams, sprang to life pretty quickly after

that. McCall’s rickety, backfiring old tow truck and the near empty town of Dead End, which sees no more action than a few rolling tumbleweeds, soon followed. What I didn’t anticipate was that I would end up writing a tall tale. If you come right down to it, you can’t plan something like that. The seeds blow in from somewhere, take root, and grow all on their own.

Now that I’ve written one, I thought I’d find out more about them! The main element of a tall tale is that one aspect of the story is larger than life. In fact, we want our tall tales to have something preposterous or unbelievable. That’s what makes them fun. Pecos Bill just wouldn’t be the same if he didn’t lasso a tornado or chow down on a stick of dynamite. Tall tales will usually have a larger-than-life hero, like the giant lumberjack, Paul Bunyan. And of course, Paul has to have the impossibly big and impossibly colored, sidekick, Babe, the blue ox. Paul’s exploits don’t stop at the fifty flapjacks he gobbles in one minute. A hero of his stature leaves his mark on the land he strides through, leaving the Grand Canyon, the Finger Lakes, and the Mississippi River in his wake.

Not all tall tales are preposterous, though. They can take place in familiar settings and be based on real people. Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and John Henry are examples of such heroes, whose exploits have become legend and are immortalized in American folklore. Similar traditions are found the world over, from Australia’s Crooked Mick to Canada’s Big Joe Mufferaw. Deep down, we want our funny bones tickled, and larger-than-life heroes have a knack for doing it.

How tall of a tale did I write? Crack open a copy of Fantastic Creatures to find out! I’ll tell you one thing, I scrawled the story in the sands of the Mojave using a three-hundred-foot redwood tree. Afterward, it made a good toothpick.

Sign up for my mailing list during this scavenger hunt, and I’ll enter you to win a free eBook copy of my award-winning fantasy novel Wyndano’s Cloak. You can follow me at the cantinas below, and happy reading!



Twitter: @arsilverberry

A. R. Silverberry writes fantasy fiction for children and adults. His novel, WYNDANO’S CLOAK, won multiple awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Awards gold medal for Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction. THE STREAM, his second novel, was honored as a Shelf Unbound Notable Book, and was shortlisted in ForeWord Review’s Book of the Year Awards. He lives in California, where the majestic coastline, trees, and mountains inspire his writing.


Scavenger Hunt Clue:



Here's the anthology!

Here be dragons ... and selkies and griffins and maybe even a mermaid or two. 

Twenty fantasy authors band together to bring you a collection of thrilling tales and magical monsters. Do you like to slay dragons? Or befriend them? Do you prefer to meet cephalopods as gigantic kraken or adorable tree octopuses? 

Each story focuses around a fantastic creature from folklore or mythology, and they range from light and playful tales for the whole family to darker stories that may make you wish to leave the lights on. These stories carry the Fellowship of Fantasy seal of approval. While our monsters may be horrifying, you won't stumble into graphic sex and constant swearing. 

Perfect for the fantasy lover who can't get enough of mythical beasts.


The Grand Prize!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, October 8, 2016

A Kitten From Hollystone Hall Needs a New Owner - Giveaway and Excerpt

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Holly and Hopeful Hearts

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever marriages she can. Eight assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?

An Excerpt from Christmas Kisses (my contribution to Holly and Hopeful Hearts):


“Looking for the Duke of Barnet?” a light-tenored voice asked from behind her in the hallway.

She whirled around, her heart beating fast and strong. “No, actually.”

Weasel Winderfield nodded with a smirk. He was prone to gossip, and Anna felt her cheeks flushing. She had encountered him in London at various functions, and she did not like the man and did her best to avoid him.

“If you must know,” she said, slipping back a step, “I was looking for someone else entirely.”

“Has someone else finally caught your eye?”

She bristled. The last thing she needed was for rumors to fly about concerning her. Many spoke about the duke as it was, and she would hate for Florentina, whom she did not know all that well, to become the source of gossip as well. If word were to leak out about her condition…

“I find it rather peculiar that there was talk of Barnet having a quick marriage to his lady, but that hasn’t happened yet, not to my knowledge.” Weasel puffed out his chest, and immediately the image of a peacock flashed in Anna’s mind. “Is the duke having second thoughts? Is he finally willing to glance in your direction long enough to wish for more than merely two dances with you?”

Anna managed to smile. “You would have to ask the duke that himself, but I can assure you of this—I will not deign to be second in the eyes of the one I…” She broke off.

“In the eyes of the one you…love?” Weasel grinned broadly. “And who is it you love?”

“I must confess…he is not you. If you will excuse me.” Heart hammering, Anna all but dashed away. She ignored the onlookers and the questioning glances from other partygoers and hurried to her guest quarters.

Standing by her door was the one she had sought all along.

Anna smiled widely at him, her heart beating fiercely, and she suspected that was not solely due to her rushed flight to her door. “Lord Pershore. May I have a word with you?”

“A word. No. You may have three.”

Her cheeks warmed. Weasel had the right of it—she had been about to say love, but surely that had only been a slip of the tongue. She didn’t know Lord Pershore well enough to love him.

Yet.

She glanced up and down the hallway. It was empty, and she grabbed his arm and yanked him inside an empty small sitting room and shut the door.

“Lady Anna, what are you doing?”

“I wish to talk to you about a personal matter, and there are more gossips here than there are… Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I thought I heard… a meow.” Anna walked around the sofa and kneeled down. Sure enough, she held up a small kitten. “Oh, isn’t she just darling?”

Lord Pershore was staring at her. “Yes,” he murmured.

Anna snuggled the kitten to her and tried to keep her wits about her. What she would have to say to Lord Pershore would not be easy but said it must be.

She might risk losing him, but it would be better, far better, for him to learn the truth now than to hope he would never learn it.

Christmas Kisses Blurb:


Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts. When Lady Exeter insists on Anna befriending a marquess’s son, a man Anna thinks is far too crude, Anna learns all about the trials her mother went through to find love herself. Only time will tell if Anna can find true love this Christmas season.

A New Home for a kitten:


Rat, Anna's kitten, is looking for a home. Enter here!

The winner will be announced at the Book Launch Party on November 13th. The twins from the other kittens in the novellas are also looking for new homes, so be sure to keep an eye out for them! Good luck!

About the Bluestocking Belles

The Bluestocking Belles, the “BellesInBlue”, are seven very different writers united by a love of history and a history of writing about love. From sweet to steamy, from light-hearted fun to dark tortured tales full of angst, from London ballrooms to country cottages to the sultan’s seraglio, one or more of us will have a tale to suit your tastes and mood. Come visit us at http://bluestockingbelles.net and kick up your bluestockinged heels!

Look for us online



The Bluestocking Belles proudly support the Malala Fund charity. You can find out more on our website: http://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/the-bellesinblue-support-the-malala-fund/

Friday, September 16, 2016

Cover Reveal: Holly and Hopeful Hearts by the Bluestocking Belles and a Bonus Excerpt by @NicoleZoltack


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About Holly and Hopeful Hearts

When the Duchess of Haverford sends out invitations to a Yuletide house party and a New Year’s Eve ball at her country estate, Hollystone Hall, those who respond know that Her Grace intends to raise money for her favorite cause and promote whatever marriages she can. Eight assorted heroes and heroines set out with their pocketbooks firmly clutched and hearts in protective custody. Or are they?
A Suitable Husband, by Jude Knight
As the Duchess of Haverford’s companion, Cedrica Grenford is not treated as a poor relation and is encouraged to mingle with Her Grace’s guests. Surely she can find a suitable husband amongst the gentlemen gathered for the duchess’s house party. Above stairs or possibly below. 
Valuing Vanessa, by Susana Ellis
Facing a dim future as a spinster under her mother’s thumb, Vanessa Sedgely makes a practical decision to attach an amiable gentleman who will not try to rule her life. 
A Kiss for Charity, by Sherry Ewing
Young widow Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Can she learn to forgive Lord Nicholas Lacey and set aside their differences to let love into her heart?
Artemis, by Jessica Cale
Actress Charlotte Halfpenny is in trouble. Pregnant, abandoned by her lover, and out of a job, Charlotte faces eviction two weeks before Christmas. When the reclusive Earl of Somerton makes her an outrageous offer, she has no choice but to accept. Could he be the man of her dreams, or is the nightmare just beginning?
The Bluestocking and the Barbarian, by Jude Knight
James must marry to please his grandfather, the duke, and to win social acceptance for himself and his father’s other foreign-born children. But only Lady Sophia Belvoir makes his heart sing, and to win her he must invite himself to spend Christmas at the home of his father’s greatest enemy. 
Christmas Kisses, by Nicole Zoltack
Louisa Wycliff, Dowager Countess of Exeter wants only for her darling daughter, Anna, to find a man she can love and marry. Appallingly, Anna has her sights on a scoundrel of a duke who chases after every skirt he sees. Anna truly thinks the dashing duke cares for her, but her mother has her doubts. 
An Open Heart, by Caroline Warfield
Esther Baumann longs for a loving husband who will help her create a home where they will teach their children to value the traditions of their people, but she wants a man who is also open to new ideas and happy to make friends outside their narrow circle. Is it so unreasonable to ask for toe curling passion as well?
Dashing Through the Snow, by Amy Rose Bennett
Headstrong bluestocking, Miss Kate Woodville, never thought her Christmas would be spent racing across England with a viscount hell-bent on vengeance. She certainly never expected to find love…

Coming November 8.

Eight original stories, 578 pages of diverse characters,  complex relationships, and happily-ever-afters for $2.99.

Pre-order Now!

Excerpt from Christmas Kisses:

Jasper did his best to not scowl. “I think that those who would lie to sell papers should be hanged.”

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back on the rock.

He held out his hand to help her down. “I do not care for the likes of The Teatime Tattler especially. It grates me that—”

“Have you read Aunt Augusta’s column? She gives ladies and gentlemen hope and advice about love and more. I, myself, find it a kind read. Surely even you can find no fault with it.”

He scoffed. “Every week, Aunt Augusta repeats herself. ‘Love will find a way.’ ‘Love is worth the wait.’ She oversimplifies love.”

“So you think love is complicated?”
Belatedly, he realized their hands were still clasped, and he released his hold on her. “Matters of the heart are complicated, trying…very difficult.”

“It sounds like there might be a story there,” she said with a teasing smile.

He couldn’t tell her, wouldn’t, but for a brief moment, he did consider it. Why bother? It was trying to move on as it was, and he was having difficulty doing so. Talking about it would not help, and of all people, why should he tell her?

For once, though, conversation with her did not feel forced or awkward.

A sudden gust of wind blew a few papers from Lady Anna’s hand. Laughing, they chased each one down, and when they captured them all, Jasper held out a hand to secure them for her. They stood far too close together—their chaperone seemed to be missing—and he stared down at her. He couldn’t understand why she hid herself away from gatherings, like he did. If she went to all the balls and gatherings, she would be betrothed herself. She was a fine, beautiful lady…

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Cover Reveal - Caroline Warfield's THE RENEGADE WIFE




Love is worth the risk...
New cover, new release, new series! Coming in October
The heroes and heroines of Caroline Warfield's DANGEROUS SERIES overcame challenges even after their happy ending. Their children seek their own happiness in distant lands in Warfield's new CHILDREN OF EMPIRE SERIES. In THE RENEGADE WIFE, first of the new series, reclusive Rand Wheatly finds contentment in his remote cabin in Upper Canada, intent on making his fortune in timber, until his precious solitude is disrupted by a woman running from an ugly past. He quickly realizes she wasn't what she claims, but now she's on the run again and time is running out for him to save her.

Caroline is celebrating with a GIVEAWAY on her website.
http://wp.me/p5qiDD-vj

Friday, May 13, 2016

Free Boxed Set!



20 Novellas + 20 Bonus Freebies means 40 Great Reads!

Magick After Midnight is the collection you've been waiting to sink your teeth into... because all the best things happen after dark.

Escape into 20 bewitching novellas from your favorite USA Today and International Bestselling Paranormal authors. From witches to shifters, to fae and vampires, this scintillating set will have you reading well into the witching hour.

This collection also comes with an opportunity to receive 20 MORE full-length novels by the same authors for FREE. That's 40 spectacular stories all for free today only!

Grab your copy now!

My contribution is GUNS AND FANGS.

She won’t rest until they’re all dead… but then she meets him, and everything changes. 

Vanessa Lockhart is a vampire hunter, like her father before her, ever since those foul beasts murdered her mother. When she stumbles upon Anton, a vampire who doesn’t kill humans, she doesn’t relent. He protects himself from her onslaught, but even though he doesn’t fight hard, Vanessa is injured. That he doesn’t kill her, that he heals her instead, leaves Vanessa baffled. 

A vampire clan hunts Vanessa, intent on killing her for slaying their leader several days ago. Anton manages to save her…but only by turning her into a monster like himself. 

In retaliation, the clan kidnaps Emma, a young friend of Vanessa’s. She’ll need to accept her new second life, and Anton’s help, if she’s to save Emma…and maybe, just maybe, she’ll also find a way to forgive Anton for making her a vampire.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Love YA Paranormal? Enjoy Regency Romances? Check out Two New Releases from @NicoleZoltack

Hi, everyone! Big news today! Not one, but two new releases!




Haven't had a chance to read A Question of Faith yet? 11 5-star reviews so far!

and








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In addition to the new releases, I also have two books up for pre-order!

A Balance of Power - Magic Incarnate #3 (All of the books in the Magic Incarnate series are free with Kindle Unlimited!)

and


Joy to the World - a Regency Christmas novella. Only 99 cents!

Unbeknownst to Eliza Berkeley, the second daughter of a baron, the man she thought she was going to marry was not Stephen Huntington, the Duke of Wyndale. Thankfully, the reprobate does not appear for the wedding. The true duke arrives instead. Will a match formed originally through deceit blossom into love this Christmas? Or will the imposter ensure neither experiences happiness ever again?

Joy to the World originally appeared in the Bluestocking Belles' Mistletoe, Marriage, & Mayhem box set.

***

So much good stuff coming up! I still have to do the cover reveal for A Balance of Power. Want to be one of the first ones to see it? Sign up for my newsletter or join my street team! And then there's at least three boxed sets I'll be in before the end of the year, and Starry Love, Beyond Boundaries Two, will come out in June. Oh, boy, is 2016 a big year for me!

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What's new in your world?

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Cover Reveal - Amber Argyle's Daughter of Winter



Daughter of Winter

Daughter of Winter will be released April 21st. Here's the new synopsis:

Bargains. Only the truly desperate make them. Only the truly desperate need them. And always, the desperate pay.

The silence and never-ending dark of winter are all Elice has ever known, for she is the daughter of the Winter Queen. Isolated in a northern queendom with only the seals for company, she dreams of color and music and life. So when a whaling ship crashes just offshore, she doesn't hesitate to rescue the lone survivor, Adar, who quickly becomes her friend. She must keep him hidden from her mother at all costs, for if the Winter Queen discovers him trespassing, she'll kill him.

But when her mother reveals just how dark her soul has become, Elice realizes she is as much a prisoner as Adar. To ever know true freedom—ever to become the woman she was meant to be—she must flee with him. But in their flight, she begins to see hints of something more nefarious. The darkness that has taken hold of her mother is spreading, staining the world with its influence.

Unbeknownst to Elice, a bargain was made long ago. A bargain she was born to fulfill.
To celebrate the upcoming release, the first book in the series, Of Ice and Snow, is free for a limited time. In exchange, for your free copy share this post on facebook and/or tweet this tweet and/or pin this pin. An author's success depends upon word of mouth, so sharing my freebie will draw attention to the series. Also, feel free to copy and paste any information in this blog into your own to help spread the word. Thank you in advance!