Spook-A-Palooza Contests!

The Samhellions are sponsoring a couple of contests to celebrate the season, and I'm participating in both. Want to win an e-book -- or a Kindle? Check out the details below!

ebook contest – Runs from October 26 – November 1 Midnight EST

The Prizes (13) are ebook downloads of:

Alison Paige – Little Red

Anne Hope – Broken Angels
Lissa Matthews – Cracklin’ Rosie

Lynne Connolly – Richard & Rose book – Reader’s Choice
Kate Davies – Ritual Love

Meg Benjamin – Be My Baby
Mari Carr – Happy Hour

Vivi Andrews – Winner’s Choice
Sydney Somers – Primal Pleasure

Julia Knight – Wicked Lady
Lexxie Couper – Death, The Vamp

Shelley Munro - The Bottom Line
N.J. Walters A Touch of Magick

How to Play: Go to the websites of the participating authors (above) and look for their Spook-a-palooza icon.

(HINT: The icons are on of the following: Candy, Costume, Ghost, Skull, Scarecrow, Broom, Witch, Bats)

Once you find all 12 icons, in an email list all twelve authors and their corresponding icons then send it to samhellion.contest at gmail.com.

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And the second contest is to win a Kindle!

How to Enter - Visit each of the websites of the participating authors and write down their name and the book title of their latest Samhain release or upcoming (print or ebook). In an email list the author name, book title and email that to samhellion.contest at gmail.com. Good luck!!

Participating Authors

Vivi Andrews / Leah Braemel / Cathryn Cade / Mari Carr / Kaye Chambers / Lynne Connolly
Lexxie Couper / Kate Davies / Nikki Duncan / Madelyn Ford / Anne Hope / Mary Hughes
Sloan Mcbride / Tilly Greene / Carolan Ivey / Myla Jackson / Beverly Rae / Jodi Redford
Moira Rogers / Jayne Rylon / Sydney Somers / J.C. Wilder / Amanda Young

For more info on both contests, and links to the participating authors' websites, visit http://www.samhellion.com/. Contests end on October 31. Good luck!

It's a Book BIN Week!

Just a head's up that there will be a LOT of Book BIN recommendations this week, because it's just filled with fabulous new releases and I can't choose! So keep an eye out, be sure to comment, and there may be a prize or two at the end of the week!

Also, the winner of last week's tote bag contest will be announced near the end of the week as well. So be sure to stop on by!

Readers At Home Conference - The Details!

What do tons of authors, tons of prizes, tons of hotties and tons of readers have in common? They’re attending the first ever Readers at Home Conference! During the week of April 26-30, authors and readers will converge on Lucy Monroe’s blog, to celebrate their favorite genre – romance! We are giving away Swag Bags to the first 50 readers who register for the conference. To register, all you have to do is send an email to Lucy Monroe with your name and mailing address (for the Swag Bag) stating your intention to attend the RAH Conference. The Swag Bags are for conference attendees only and we are trusting that you truly intend to attend the conference and interact with the authors and other readers on the blog. :)

Lucy is shipping the Swag Bags at her own expense, but many authors have donated loot for you all, and each Swag Bag will have a free book inside. Yes, that's right - the conference is FREE. How cool is that? Every day there will be multiple authors visiting and guest blogging, with new posts going live every 3 hours between 6 AM and 6 PM. Lucy will post a hottie who is definitely hunky enough to be a cover model and there will be daily drawings for multiple prizes (more than 50 over the week!!!), including dozens of signed books, a B&N gift card, a t-shirt, 3 prize tote bags filled with books and goodies (from Sue G at BTRB and Becke Davis), free online subscriptions to Affaire de Couer magazine and 2 more Swag Bags given away each day. What could be better? Hope to see YOU there!

Readers at Home Conference Sponsors

~ Guest Blogging Authors ~

Elizabeth Amber

Jules Bennett

Jenna Bayley-Burke

Leigh D'Ansey

Jami Davenport

Kate Davies

Helen Kay Dimon

Diana Duncan

Cynthia Eden

Kimberly Fisk

Barbara Freethy

Tricia Jones

Nicola Marsh

Kaylin McFarren

Susan Meier

Helen Scott Taylor

Karen Van der Zee

Mary Wine

Other Readers at Home ConferenceSponsors

(donated prizes, items for the Swag Bags, etc.)

Affaire de Coeur

Borders True Romance Blog

Monica Burns

ChristieCraig

Lori Foster

Donna Grant

Faye Hughes

MargaretMallory

Becke Martin

AlexisMorgan

LaurieRyan

J.L. Wilson

Big E-Book Bash At Writeminded!

Whether you love e-books or are just curious about them, the place to be this week is the Writeminded blog. They have over 100 e-books to give away, and my book The Devil Inside is one of them! (I just checked, and it hasn't been posted yet, so it's still up for grabs.)

The contests are posted at random times, so the more often you stop by the blog, the better your odds of winning. Good luck, and happy reading!

Booksignings and Blog Tours

Last night I went to debut author Margaret Mallory's first booksigning. It was, by all accounts, a rousing success, with long lines and sold-out stock. It was loads of fun chatting with other RWA chapter members, watching the crowd, and seeing just how thrilled--and a little stunned--Margaret was with the event. Congratulations, again, to MM!

I picked up two copies, one for me, one for a lucky reader. All you have to do to be entered to win is post a comment sometime this week. Easy-peasy, right?

So on the topic of signings, the question of the day is: what author would you most like to meet at a booksigning? Or what's the most precious signed book you own?

Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, I'm guest blogging over at Leah Braemel's place today, talking about beach reads. There's a giveaway there, so drop on by and say howdy!

Monday Random Links --- Contest Edition!

Happy Monday! Hope everyone's having a great day.

Since it *is* a Monday, I thought I'd try to sweeten things up with a couple of links to contests that are going on today. First, my book HOOKED is one of the featured prizes in The Romance Studio's Book-A-Day Giveaway. Hop on over to their contest page for a chance to win!

And in celebration of her first print release, Maia Strong is holding a blog party and contest. You can read all about it on her blog or over at Lucy Monroe's place. Be sure to take a peek at the info on her upcoming release, Client Privileges. It's a scorcher!

So there you have it -- the extent of my contest knowledge on this gray Monday morning (at least in my neck of the woods). Anyone have other contests to share? Post them in the comments!

Read an E-Book Week, Coming Soon!

Are you looking forward to next week?

Well, you should be! It's a whole week set aside to celebrate e-books, and the celebration is happening all over the web!

I'll be chatting on the Samhain Cafe loop on Monday at 12:30 EDT, with some fun info about my books and a giveaway or two. There will be some fun here on the blog as well. Keep an eye on the blog to see other activities as well.

Other fun stuff? There are links on this page to a boatload of free books, contests, and other nifty activities that are going on all week. So mark your calendars and join us next week for Read an e-Book Week!

Freebie Friday! Contests Ending!

Is it Friday already? Man, time is flying. First, congratulations to Robyn L, for winning last week's Freebie Friday giveaway. Robyn, email me with your address so I can send out your copy of Flirting With Forty.

Next, today is the last day for the 12 Days of Holiday Hell contest being run on my editor's blog. Stop by Nice Mommy-Evil Editor to enter the last contest, and don't forget to enter to win the two Kindles as well!

The Winter Wonderland contest is drawing to a close as well, with the last day scheduled for the 15th.

And today, my Friday freebie is for everyone! I'm offering a sneak peek at my upcoming e-book release, The Devil Inside. I've hidden a never-before-seen excerpt somewhere on my website. Just e-mail me the answer to the following question, and I'll send you the link!

Who is HOOKED dedicated to?

If you don't have a copy of HOOKED, you can pick one up here. And of course I'll have the excerpt up for everyone in the next few weeks.

Have a lovely weekend! We're going to decorate the tree and get started on the Christmas cards. What are you up to this weekend?

Happy December! New Contest!

It's the last month of the year, and I'm going to be all over the web this season. I've already told you about the 12 Days contest (reminder and linky coming soon), plus there are a few places I'll be blogging as well. But today, my lovely editor Angie is opening her Holiday Hell contest!

You'll want to check back at her blog daily to enter the great giveaways (you'll notice books from me popping up from time to time!), especially since the grand prize(s) are so fabulous -- two, count 'em, TWO Kindles!

Today, all you have to do to enter is promo the contest. Stop by Angie's blog for more details. And no, I'm not entering -- I just want to help get the word out about this fabulous opportunity to win! (Plus, there's that whole not-eligible-because-I'm-a-participating-author thing.) :)

Stay tuned for more giveaways, contests, and fun right here!

Siren/Bookstrand Readership Drive!

Are you a member of the Siren/Bookstrand yahoo group yet? If not, today's the day to join! Tons of prizes are scheduled to be given away during the Membership Drive from 9:00 am-Midnight EST. Go here to sign up -- and read on to see what's happening!

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Blog Scavenger Hunt at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, and 10pm. Answers can be found at http://blog.sirenbookstrand.com/. Display all posts made by any author by clicking on their name at the bottom of their most recent post (Labels: Author's Name).

Author Page Scavenger Hunt at 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm, 8:30pm, and 10:30pm. Answers can be found at the author's page at either http://www.sirenpublishing.com/ or http://www.bookstrand.com/ website in bio, the interview Q&A, or the book reviews.

Excerpt Scavenger Hunt at 11am., 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm, and 11pm. Answers can be found at http://www.sirenpublishing.com/, http://www.bookstrand.com/, or the author's own website.

INSTRUCTIONS: From each scavenger hunt, participants have 90 minutes to send in the answers to ALL the questions posted by the hosts. Post your answers in one go either in this loop http://readers.sirenbookstrand.com/ or send an email to SirenBookStrand@yahoogroups.com. The winners are the FIRST four participants who sent in the correct answers to all questions in each hunt session (not 1 answer can be wrong). The 4 winners in each round win an e-book of choice from either Siren or BookStrand, including available ARCs of upcoming releases. Not responsible for delays in postings. We go by whatever Yahoo sent through.

Hope to see you there!

Maia's Blog Party!

For regular readers of this blog, you know I host a week-long blog party prior to each new release. Well, new author and friend Maia Strong has her first book release next week, and she's hosting a blog party to celebrate! Just head on over to Maia's Blog and comment for a chance to win some of her fabulous prizes!

Just an FYI -- I've read her upcoming book, The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing and it rocks. It's coming out on June 10 and I highly recommend it.

Diva Contest -- Round Two!

Just in case you've been following the Romance Studio's Diva Contest -- Round One is complete, and they're now on to Round Two. Check out some great websites!

Blog Party -- Official Kick-off Post

Yes, it's true!

Today marks the start of my Lessons in Trust blog party! *tossing confetti*

For the next seven days, I'll be posting excerpts, teasers, fun facts, etc., in anticipation of Lessons in Trust's release on February 26.

Throughout the week, every time you leave a comment on one of my posts, you're entered to win one of the fabulous prizes I'll be giving away at the end of the party. The more you post, the more chances you have to win!

Blog party starts now. Stay tuned!

Book BIN Tuesday -- His and Hers

Tell me what you want…

Sitting in her favorite coffee shop, Jane Ellingson realizes a frappucino can’t fix a broken heart. She used to have a cool job, a best friend, and a fiancé—and she she lost them all in one really bad day. Hey, can she have a do-over? How about a whole new life?

…What you really, really want

But Jane is about to get a second chance when she finds a stone that comes with a wish. With nothing to lose, Jane figures she’ll go for it—and suddenly she finds herself in Victorian England, meeting the dashing Curran Dempsey. Before long she’s smitten—and completely unable to stay in her corset. In fact, she feels just like the heroine in a romance novel, madly in love with a man who’s too fabulous to be real…and too sexy to give up.

I loved Dawn Calvert's debut novel, Hero Worship, and this new release looks to be as much fun as the first. Plus, she's running a contest on her website to celebrate her new book. So bop on over and enter -- and then hit the bookstore to Buy It Now!

Blog Party -- Home For Christmas Week!

...And the Countdown begins!

In just one week, Home for Christmas will be available from Samhain Publishing. And to celebrate, I'm holding a week-long blog party. I hope you'll join me!

So what is this blog party? Well, it's a Christmas-themed celebration, with excerpts, behind-the-scenes facts about the book, recipes...and, of course, presents!

What can you do to win? Drop by my blog any time between now and December 18 and post a comment. Anyone who comments is entered in a drawing to win great prizes -- free books, e-books, holiday-themed gifties...whatever I feel like giving away. And the more you post, the more entries you receive!

So stop by, post a time or two, and you could win!

Scarlet Boa 2007

It's time for the 2007 Stella Cameron Scarlet Boa Contest!

I have a soft spot for this contest. I entered it back in 2005, and it changed my life.

No, really! :)

I finalled in the contest, and after the excerpts were posted on the web, the contest coordinator forwarded me an e-mail from an editor for a new e-publishing company. She was interested in seeing the manuscript.

As it turns out, Angie didn't buy that particular book, but I did end up sending her a couple of novellas. Three weeks later, I received an e-mail with contracts attached, and the rest is history.

Who knows? I may have tracked down Samhain on my own. Heaven knows it's become a real powerhouse in the short time its been in business. But at the time, I'd only been targeting print pubs, and knew very little about the e-publishing side of things.

I can honestly say that Stella's Scarlet Boa contest directly led to my being published. So thanks, Stella! And for all you authors out there -- published and unpubbed -- looking for a venue to try out your work, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Here's a little info on it. And good luck!

2007 Contest: a paranormal interlude.

The revelation that a human character is enmeshed with a vampire, werewolf, or the other-worldly and highly dangerous but completely magnetic character of your choice.

Pour on the emotion, but keep control of your characters. This is your chance to rip the throats out of your competition, heh-heh!

The Scarlet Boa contest is open to published and non-published authors alike. Submit your entry (approximately 500 words). We'll accept submissions until September 1st and start posting links to them below.

So who's going to judge this thing? You are! Scenes will be judged by readers—who knows better what makes them tingle?

The author of the winning scene will receive (apart from kudos, bragging rights and press coverage) the coveted Scarlet Boa, a gorgeous red feather boa that will simply scream "I write Romance!" (well, it will scream something). And since we can't leave out the judges, one lucky voter's name will be drawn at random and they'll receive a sumptious white boa to wear while reading their new romance novels.

Important dates:
August 1 through September 1:
Submissions accepted
September 6:
Submissions posted online
October 15-28:
Voting (first round)
November 1:
Finalists announced
November 1 thru November 10:
Voting (2nd round)
November 14:
Winner announced in a LIVE chat at Writerspace!

It's That Time of Year Again...

...the time for Best Book awards!

If you've read something fabulous this year, hop on over to Love Romances and More and nominate your favorites. They're accepting nominations for the Golden Rose until March 1.

Some of my writing pals are up for awards at LoveRomancesCafe, so if you're a member of that loop, don't forget to vote!

And if you know of other readers' choice contests going on, post them in the comments.

Have a great Friday!