I have to admit to being more than a little envious of today’s guest. Why? Because she’s funny, and there’s nothing I like more than a good laugh. So today I’m happy to introduce Renee Bernard. Over to you Renee… Hello! Thank you so much for having me here! It’s always fun to stop on a tour and meet other authors and new readers especially stepping out of my comfort zone with historicals and now trying paranormal romantic comedy. (By the way, try saying ‘paranormal romantic comedy’ ten times really fast. It turns into Klingon sweet nothings really fast.) DEVIL TO PAY is the first book in my new Eternity Gambit series and I’m very excited about it. Don’t get me wrong! I love writing historical romances and I’m not giving them up but it was nice to take off the corset and touch my toes again… For four years, I’ve been hosting a weekly internet radio show called “The Romance Bookmark” (formerly “Canned Laughter and Coffee”) which Ms. Marlow Kelly needs to come on as a guest by the way… Anyhooo! Every Tuesday night, a different author comes on the show to hang out with me for fifteen minutes of non-professional, non-marketing, unrehearsed conversation. We laugh, we chat, we pretend it isn’t live radio and say things we shouldn’t. It’s a lot of fun and so far, no one has complained. I mention it because I think it’s important not to take ourselves too seriously out there. And promoting yourself is always hard. Whatever insecurities we have, we have to put them aside, raise our hands in a class of thousands and hope that someone calls on you and that when they do, you don’t pass out. It’s a joy ride. Not that I’m shy. The opportunity to host “The Romance Bookmark” was tailor-made for me but I don’t ever, ever shove my books in people’s faces with the platform. I see it more as a chance to help other authors, debut and veteran, to have more of a voice and presence with their fans. I think readers want to connect with us and hearing us laugh and be able to relate to our ordinary lives is a great way to do it. I want them to hear a person who reminds them of themselves or someone they know and then when they are looking for the next book to pick up for their TBR piles, they see a name that means more than an author in a genre. They remember how her radiator overheated in July with an ice cream cake in her back seat and how she let her giant black lab “clean it out” only to learn that large dogs aren’t meant to consume that much sugared frozen milk products before having a different crisis on the upholstery… See? Pure magic. Humor is my greatest personal asset, defense, weapon, party accessory and mediation tool in a crisis. I don’t think I could have survived this long without it. I have always consciously made it a part of my life. I did open amateur mike nights at local comedy clubs after college and let’s face it, if your brain works a certain way, a trip to the grocery store can provide you enough comic material to keep you afloat for months. So the jump to romantic comedy was fairly obvious. I needed an outlet. The nearest comedy club is over two hours away and I have two young children. Mama needs to sleep and she’s too old to pretend she doesn’t. But every Tuesday night, Mama gets to relax, hang out with better, brilliant minds and make the most of a simple truth: We’re stronger when we laugh. Workplace comedy is always fun but when the company in question in H.E.LLc (Hades Enterprises LLc) and your job is being Lucifer, let's just say, there are some unique challenges beyond Casual Fridays and who keeps taking your lunch out of the break room. Even if Hell really is just a place where evil is tracked and analyzed in endless cubicles-no brimstone and not a human soul in sight-there's no room for error. This Lucifer (who is the seventh unlucky archangel to get the position behind the black onyx desk) is about to have his entire world rattled when a very sweet and likable mortal woman crosses his path. After all, angels can't lie. And when Jayne Hamilton wants to know what he does for a living, all bets are off. Because "dating" isn't exactly in the cosmic scheme of the Eternity Gambit, but Love... Well, Love is never really off the table. Now, if Lucifer can just figure out how to win the girl and get himself fired, he'll be one very very happy angel. "Filled with sparkling wit and devilish charm, DEVIL TO PAY is a delightful visit to the Shangri-La of Hell!" -- Erin Quinn, The Three Fates of Ryan Love, NYT Bestselling Author. "Only Renee Bernard could make dating Satan sexy as sin! Funny, fresh, irreverent and utterly adorable!" - Dakota Cassidy, National Bestselling Author First book in the new Eternity Gambit series from USA Today bestselling author Renee Bernard. This is a romantic comedy series with an original paranormal twist that defies categorization and turns every notion of Heaven and Hell on its ear. Excerpt “Jayne!” He shook his head. “I didn’t expect to see you—ever again.” “Didn’t you?” She decided to jump in full steam ahead before her courage evaporated. “You deliberately drop a bombshell of an announcement on a woman about being some mythical ruler of Hell, play with her sense of reality and then what? Did you expect me to just laugh it off and go on with my life?” Luke froze. “I don’t think I had any expectations and I don’t think I proclaimed to be mythical, Jayne. But perhaps we should let Malcolm leave before we finish our conversation.” “I don’t mind staying!” Malcolm protested. “I can be very quiet over here in the corner and you won’t even know I’m in the room.” Jayne blushed furiously. “I…I apologize. I shouldn’t have…started in…” “Oh, don’t apologize.” Malcolm’s look was nothing short of incendiary admiration. “This is priceless.” Lucifer came around the desk effectively rescuing her from the smoldering look Malcolm was giving her. “Jayne, I was about to introduce you to Malcolm, but I’m starting to think that that would be a mistake.” “Not at all!” Malcolm protested. “I’m the soul of courtesy, Miss Hamilton.” Lucifer began again. “Jayne, this is Malcolm. My right hand, so to speak.” “How do you do?” Jayne held out her hand, determined hold her own in the world of weird she’d just reinvaded. “Are you an angel, too?” Malcolm’s warm hand enveloped hers, his smile brightening at the question, amping up his charm to an almost bone-melting level. “Oh, I’m no angel! But I’m flattered you would think so.” He gave Lucifer a preening look and a wink of a challenge. “I like her.” “I like her more. Behave, Malcolm. And let go of her hand.” “I apologize.” Malcolm released his grip, stepping back to defer to his boss. “I forgot myself in the moment. “Okay, that’ll be all, Malcolm.” Lucifer dismissed him more firmly, and Malcolm bowed and obeyed, retreating to the elevator and disappearing behind its doors. “You were saying, Miss Hamilton?” “I…” Jayne took a deep breath. “I believe you.” AUTHOR Bio and Links: What in the world is a retired Navy chaplain’s daughter doing writing scorching hot historical romances and paranormal romantic comedies and even comic books? Renee Bernard is applying a great education from traveling all over the world to story telling and doing her best to keep her father proud. Truthfully, her father is her number one fan, even though he has sworn never to read a single word of her books (a vow he has kept to this day!) Nothing stops him from telling everyone he knows that his daughter is now a USA Today Bestselling author or from handing out bookmarks on the golf course. Love can make even a minister do strange things! Renee Bernard is a freelance writer and host of “The Romance Bookmark” on Readers Entertainment, as well as a contributor to Romantic Times BookReviews magazine. Renee currently lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California. (Note an interesting proximity to great wineries!) DEVIL TO PAY is available now online wherever books are sold and is coming soon to Audio! The Eternity Gambit series is a fun departure from her well-known Victorian set historical romances and creates a new world for readers unlike any other. DEVIL TO PAY is the first book in this new series and is gathering up 5-Star reviews and momentum as more readers discover that office politics can hit a whole new level of crazy when you work at Hades Enterprises, LLc (or H.E.LLc). For more information, please visit her website at http://www.reneebernardauthor.com or http://www.eternitygambit.com . You can also find her at: FaceBook at Renee Bernard Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renee-Bernard-Fan-Page/85990572539 Twitter: @ReneeBernard Renee will be giving a $50 B&N or Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter.
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/2014/12/vbt-devil-to-pay.html Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Or in this context, the research or the story? OK, I have a confession to make. I kind of fell into the medieval time period. I didn’t intentionally set out to write a historical story set in the year 1070. So, how was it that I ended up towards the end of the Norman invasion of England? Simple. I blame England! I lived there for sixteen years. And if you have ever been to England it’s pretty hard to avoid anything historical. Even the university I worked at has some impressive history. In 1829, the Duke of Wellington dueled with the Earl of Winchilsea in defence of his role in the foundation of King's College, which then led to King George IV signing the royal charter of King's College London. As I said, it’s pretty hard to escape history in England. It was while I was on a weekend trip to York, in the North of England, escaping the hustle and bustle of London, I came across this (I should point out, I am a writer, NOT a photographer!): It’s the ruins of a medieval Monastery, destroyed by Henry VIII when he destroyed Catholicism in Britain. It’s pretty impressive in its own right. After hundreds of years it is still standing. It has stood the test of time – even the effects of modern Britain! But, this is what started it for me. I must have wondered around this ruin for many hours. I walked along side it. I touched the cold stones and marveled at the fact that I was touching stone that someone had touched hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I started to think of the battle that must have taken place between Henry VIII men and those who defended the Monastery. What were their lives like? What were the lives like of those who lived in York and the nearby villages? After three hours, I had to drag myself away. But those questions, and many more, still bounced around in my head. I tried to quiet the ‘what if’ questions by siting in the park for more than an hour. I focused my attention on this little cutie - a 21st Century Squirrel (I thought he had gone on the attack as he was running straight for me!): Yet, would you believe, that only made things worse because I started to think – would have they eaten such a squirrel in medieval times? I was getting hungry and I needed food. It was while I was heading out of the park the following piece of dialogue entered my head… “Will you at least wait until Carac arrives before you betray me to Diggory?” What? Where did that come from? Who was Carac and Diggory and what had ‘he’ done? Who were these people and why were they talking to me? Well, as a writer it’s not my place to question when imaginary people start talking to me! It’s my job to get their story down on paper. And that is exactly what I started to do as soon as I got back to the B&B I was staying at. But the characters that had invaded my head weren’t from Henry VIII time period. No, they went way back to the Norman invasion. Which was perfect because what does every story need? Conflict. And that period was rife with conflict. Because I had accidently stumbled into this period I really didn’t know much about it. I didn’t fancy the idea of spending endless hours doing research, all I wanted to do was write. And that’s what I did. When I got to a point in the story say, how did they amputate a limb in medieval times? I went and researched medieval surgeons. Yet, while doing research, it can actually trigger some ideas for a story. For example, it was while I was reading about King William’s father, Robert I, Duke of Normandy, that I got the backstory for Aymon – the hero in my latest release, Of Love and Vengeance. So, to answer the question, which comes first, the research or the story? Well, it depends… Happy writing! Happy reading! OF Love and Vengeance by Louise Lyndon Forced to marry Lord Aymon to ensure her young nephew’s survival, English Lady Laila vows undying hatred for the Norman she holds responsible for the deaths of so many innocents. Discovering Aymon has committed an act of treason gives her the chance to seek vengeance he deserves. But can Laila let Aymon die at the hands of the king once she learns the truth? A hardened Norman warrior, Lord Aymon has lived through atrocities no man ever should. With the invasion of England over, all he wants is a quiet life and a wife who will give him heirs and obey his every command. Instead, he finds himself wed to feisty and outspoken Laila. But when she learns the truth of his treasonous act, can Aymon count on her to keep his secret? Excerpt: Laila heard them long before she saw them. Their angry, frenzied shouts and thunderous roars filled her ears. With her hands tied securely behind her, she was dragged up the lane toward Tyburn Gallows, where she was to be hanged for a crime she did not commit. The mob sounded blood thirsty. Large. Frightening. There was no sign of Aymon. Or Hugh. Had they left her alone to die? Her chin trembled and her nails dug into her palms. She suddenly fell to her knees and screamed until she tasted blood at the back of her throat. She kicked out and tried to crawl free as her hair was almost torn from the roots as she was pulled up and shoved along the lane. Her eyes burned with her tears. “I am innocent!” Laila screamed. They came around a corner, and that’s when she saw them. There must have been a least two thousand men, women, and children, hungry for her blood. And when they saw her, they erupted into a wild fever of roars and cries for a slow and painful death. Their thirst had been piqued, and now it must be sated. Laila was shoved into the center of the clearing. She glanced wildly around in a desperate search for Aymon’s towering, bulky frame. She could not see him. But what she could see was the Tyburn Tree. The gallows she was to be hanged from. The executioner, hooded, stood beside the tree as he waited patiently for her. Laila’s mouth suddenly went dry. AUTHOR Bio and Links: Louise grew up in country Victoria, Australia, before moving to England, where for sixteen years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England. She has since returned to Australia and now lives in Melbourne. She has been writing the moment she picked up a copy of Diana Gabaldon's first Outlander novel twenty something years ago. She thought to herself, 'this is what I want to do' - not travel back in time, but become a novelist! She has always had snippets of dialogue and scenes floating around in her head with characters screaming at her to bring them to life. In 2013, Louise won first prize in the Crested Butte Sandy Writing contest – Historical category for her story, The Promise, which is now called, Of Love and Vengeance. When not writing, she can be found covered in mud, crawling under barbed wire and hoisting herself over twelve foot walls - under the guise of competing in Spartan races all over Australia. AUTHOR LINKS: EMAIL: louise_lyndon@yahoo.com Website: http://www.LouiseLyndon.com Blog: http://www.LouiseLyndon.com/blog Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Louise-Lyndon/1472910852955051 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouiseLyndon1 Pinterest: llyndon3513 Louise will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host.
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/2014/11/nbtm-tour-of-love-and-vengeance-by.html I’m always humbled and amazed at the generosity of my fellow authors. I’m also grateful to those who read our books. It’s these readers who make a writers life worthwhile. So when Lynda Coker, author of Stormee Waters, came up with the idea of a writer’s Honorarium I jumped at the chance to be involved. What is a writer’s honorarium? It is a giveaway where authors show their appreciation to their readers by donating books and gifts throughout the year. I have to admit as an emerging writer I don’t have much to offer, but I am awarding a free copy of a woman of Honour. I will also give away a free copy of A Woman of Love once it is released. Here is a list of participating authors: Lynda Coker (Lynda will be sending a gift to everyone who enters this giveaway) Stormee Waters Between The Pages Blog Pinerest Debra Doggett (Debra will be sending gifts to 12 of our entries) Ghost of a Clue Debra Doggett's Blog Marlow Kelly (Marlow will be sending gifts to 2 of our entries) A Woman of Honour Website Laura Strickland (Laura will be sending gifts to 6 of our entries) Daughter of Sherwood Website Vicki Batman (Vicki will be sending gifts to 6 of our entries) Man Theory...and Other Stories Website Andrea Downing (Andrea will be sending gifts to 2 of our entries) Dances of the Heart Website Amazon Author Page Tessa Berkley (Tessa will be sending gifts to 6 of our entries) Castillo's Fiery Texas Rose Website Barbara Bettis (Barbara will be sending gifts to 6 of our entries) The Heart of the Phoenix Website To enter to win just click on the button below, and login to the rafflecopter giveaway using Facebook or enter your email address. No purchase is necessary. This is a thank you to all our readers. I will also leave the link in the sidebar of this page. Good Luck Victorian England c. 1870 Operating as a British spy, Tristan St.James, the new Marquis of Wrenworth, barely escapes Afghanistan with his life in the spring of 1869. He plans to seek vengeance against the traitor who exposed him and for the agent he’s forced to kill. Returning to England, as a lord, he must marry. Haunted by guilt from the horrors of war, he avoids love at all costs, but finds himself drawn to the only woman who is disinterested in him. Lady Evelyn Hurstine has waited over two years for the return of her love, a man who left for war in the East. But during that time, she suffered a brutal assault, resulting in a child and fear of any man touching her except for the man she once knew. The pursuit by the marquis scares her but her excuses against his proposal dwindle. Their marriage strengthens into love until she discovers her husband isn’t the safety she believed but the one who killed the man she once loved. Caught in a world of intrigue and mayhem, Tristan must prove his love to her before the traitor destroys them both. Excerpt “I shall talk to him shortly.” Evelyn raised her brows, eyeing over his shoulder. “Shortly may be now, my lord.” Tristan turned. Barreling down the lawn, creating a wake in in his path, Evelyn’s father stormed toward them. Not far behind him was Huntington and his son. Tristan gauged their pace and the distance. He had a few seconds and could hear Evelyn’s foot tapping against the grass. Frankly, he was surprised she hadn’t crossed her arms in anger or left him. With every second, her behavior and decision to stay put only made him more interested in her. Damn! Her dowry and position made her exactly what he needed his English bride to be like, with a ramrod backbone and a defiance of societal rules. As Evelyn’s father got closer, there was only one thing Tristan could think of to ensure she become his. In one swift move, he turned, pulled her close, bent her backward, and pressed his cheek to hers. She gasped. “Considering the situation, you need me as much as I need you. We are the perfect match,” he whispered, smiling and gesturing as if to kiss her. They both knew in that moment she became his forever. The compromising position between two single people in a public setting was shocking to the ton. Tristan heard the grass crunching under the footsteps of the Baron and his party. He didn’t look in their direction but eased back from Evelyn, watching her reaction. Suppressed fury blazed in her eyes, and her body was rigid. “Naught, naught, naught,” he murmured. “To slap me would be appropriate but would serve you no purpose.” Despite the fire in her gaze, she relaxed a little within his arms. “But it would give me satisfaction nevertheless,” she whispered defiantly, although she didn’t move. AUTHOR Bio and Links Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Gina Danna has spent the better part of her life reading. History has been her love and she spent numerous hours devouring historical romance stories, dreaming of writing one of her own. Years later, after receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in History, writing academic research papers and writing for museum programs and events, she finally found the time to write her own stories of historical romantic fiction. Now, under the supervision of her three dogs and three cats, she writes amid a library of research books, with her only true break away is to spend time with her other life long dream – her Arabian horse – with him, her muse can play. www.ginadanna.com FB: www.facebook.com/GinaDannaAuthor Tweet: @GinaDanna1 Gina will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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/2014/12/blurb-blitz-great-unfortunate-desires.html Following his stint as a Marine during the Vietnam war, James needs something beyond the mundane conformity of his life in Vicksburg, Mississippi. As he enters the Peace Corps, a political reformer named Benigno Aquino is gunned down in the turbulent Philippines, half a world away. James has no idea fate will interweave events for him to witness the overthrow of a dictatorship and the miracle of a bloodless revolution. Lois has joined the Peace Corps to explore the world outside her staid Ohio upbringing. As a teacher in a remote village she totes her own household water from a distant source, learns to accept locals wandering through her hut at all hours, and even becomes accustomed to gunfire in the jungle night. But when the visit of a suspected spy to her village threatens their lives, she and her friend James must make a decision of lasting import. Excerpt: Lois rubbed my hand softly and affectionately as we lay in the dark. “We’re genetically geared to compete, but also to cooperate,” she said as if in a review session. “For survival of the species. Remember that time we rode the jeepney together going to Midsayap? Where I tried to ride the bumper with you?” “They wouldn’t let you,” I reminisced with her. "You’re a woman. Women tire more easily, but also, women fall off more easily. Or if there’s an accident or ambush, no one wants to see a woman suffer.” “Exactly,” Lois said. “Survival of the fittest includes gallantry of the strong to protect the weak. Remember what that man said to me to get me to go inside? He tapped me on the shoulder. That’s what they do. They tap on the shoulder and say, I will be the one. I will be the one to take the hardship and danger. That is so beautiful, so touching.” She turned fully on her side as if to look at me, even though we were in total darkness. “When we get married someday, Mississippi, that’s going to be our wedding vow. Before you kiss the bride to seal our marriage, we’re going to face each other, look each other in the eyes, hold both hands, and say to each other—” She placed her hand on my cheek for emphasis. “Let’s say it now. I want to vow it right now. Let’s do it.” “I will be the one,” we said to one another. “Whenever one of us is weak,” she continued, “the other will be there. We will always be there for each other. We will always survive.” We sealed our vow with a kiss. About the Author: Born in Harlingen, Texas, on October 7, 1948, where I grew up and worked on a cotton farm, I graduated from Harlingen High School in 1966. I attended Texas A&M beginning in Summer 1966. In January 1970 I dropped out to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, where I served as an enlisted man, attaining the rank of Sergeant, with an honorable discharge after three years. I worked as a computer programmer afterwards in Houston and as a civil servant for a US Air Force Base in Frankfurt, Germany. I traveled and worked in Europe for two years, which included flying to Israel in October 1973 to aid the Jewish State in the Yom Kippur War. I was also in Greece in the summer of 1974 when the war between Greece and Turkey erupted over Cyprus. I was stuck on the Greek Island of Ios for part of that war, until I managed to catch a boat to Athens just in time to watch the Greek military dictatorship fold. I returned to Texas A&M in the Fall of 1976 to finish my Bachelor's degree in Business Management and returned to Europe afterwards, then also to Israel, where I lived for almost a year. I later taught English in Taiwan before returning home to get a Master's degree in Agricultural Economics in 1980, which I received in 1982. I joined the US Peace Corps in 1984 and served for three years in the Philippines. In 1987 I began work for the Swiss government as a computer programmer until 1998. I have worked in the IT department of Texas A&M since 1998. I have three children, am presently divorced, and am Jewish. Links are: facebook - facebook.com/larryfarmerwrites twitter - @LFarmerWrites webpage - larryfarmerwrites.com My buy links are inside of my webpage |
|