To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt Winners

*cherdon

*Dina

Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winner and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

It Happened One Night by Lisa Dale Winners

*Hannah



*Estella

*Karen H in NC

*edmontonjb

Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winner and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold Winners

*Linda Henderson



*library pat

Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winner and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan Winners

*Beth (BBRB)



*Sheila

Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winner and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

Bitten by Cupid by Lynsay Sands, Pamela Palmer and Jaime Rush (Terra's Review)

Bitten by Cupid by Lynsay Sands, Pamela Palmer and Jaime Rush is a lusciously lip smacking dessert for Valentine's Day. Readers will delight in all three stories equally as each one is just a different Valentine prop and ever so important in its own right. Just think of Lynsay's story as the Perfect Red Rose, Pamela's story as the Silky Red Sheets and Jaime's story as the Dedecant Chocolate to be savored as you climax. Oh-la-la! Merci beau coup!

Vampire Valentine by Lynsay Sands is a petite delight about the Argeneau family. Dear Aunt Marguerite is back at it in full spades with her match making and it's unlikely victims. This time our story tries to match up a giant angel of patience and I swear the Devil's own female twin. Both very passionate, both complete opposites to the extreme which leads our heroine in for the surprise of her life. A must have not to be missed.

Hearts Untamed by Pamela Palmer brings out the beast in all of us. This delicious installment will have cupid blushing brighter than a neon light. Our heroine is caught in a web that will make her deceive those around her that she loves all in hopes of saving their lives. Our hero is everything a hero should be, a knight in white shinning armour but in his case a with few rough sharp edges that can be deadly when push comes to shove. Will our hero still love our heroine when he finds out the truth? What will our heroine give to keep her secrets?

Kiss and Kill Cupid by Jaime Rush will really keep you guessing. Our heroine can hear what other's think but what happens when she overhears the most horrid thoughts that one person can possibly think and how will she deal with this knowledge when no one knows of her gift. Can she possibly stand up to the Kiss and Kill Cupid when she is sooooo distracted by a luscious piece of eye candy dangling right in front of her eyes. Especially when this eye candy wants her with an intensity of a Tom Cat chasing a Putty in Heat? Yowzer! Sizzle, sizzle!

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (January 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061894451
ISBN-13: 978-0061894459

Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout (Terra's Review)

Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout is a Romantic Fantasy at its ultimate best. A story that could be considered an adult fairytale reveals the best and the worst of the Fantasy world.

Ayla is a half faery, half human who spent her childhood as a thief for her human father. Coming of age Ayla goes to the Faery World and appeals to the Queene to allow her to live among them. The Queene's brother is immediately smitten and begs his sisters indulgence with the provision that he be her mentor. Ayla thus begins her life as an Assassin for the Queene of Light.

Malachi is an Angel of Death. A creature of the Dark World, he collects souls of all who are to depart their current existence. One never knows when he will show up and one will never see him coming until it's too late. All know of him and his kind and all fear the touch of the Angel of Death.

Can an Assassin finally develop a conscience? Can an Angel really fall from favor and plunge into a living Hell? Hmm...good questions!

Ayla breaks her oath while on assignment in the Dark World and upon return to the Light World neglects to confess to her mentor and best friend that which could cost her the position she has worked so hard for. Will his love for her allow him to forgive her this transgression should he find out? Will the Goddess allow Ayla to keep her secret for the sake of a prophecy so long ago predicted?

A brush with the Angel of Death leaves both Ayla and Malachi stunned beyond belief with it's outcome. What will become of their hatred for each other in the face of temptation?

The author has given us a story of many creatures, good and evil that live together but hide from each other. A story of hatred, fear, corruption, deceit, beauty and darkness and a love so true and pure that it will challenge the strongest of barriers. An intense story that is action packed and not lacking for imagination on any level. A first installment of a trilogy that is sure to fire up a longing in us like a glass of water quenches our thirst.

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Mira Books (September 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778326624
ISBN-13: 978-0778326625

Congrat's To This Week's Winner

*Patti ~ Sold to a Laird Book, Tote Bag by Karen Ranney

Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winner and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

Sold to a Laird by Karen Ranney

When Terra sent me the guidelines for the blog, she said that my post should be two pages. Two pages? Two pages could be 1000 words. Two pages? What in blazes am I going to say for two pages?

Okay, truth time. I write a daily post on my blog. Yes, one every day. Sometimes, more than once a day. Evidently, I don’t have a problem finding something to say.

But what to say about me that I haven’t already said? Hmm. Okay, here’s something I bet you didn’t know. I’m a computer game nut. I play those hidden object games and computer Mahjong every day. Games allow me to stay at the computer and completely move my brain from the 19th century to something else while I’m subconsciously working on a writing problem. Besides, I’m a writer and puzzles are natural to me.

Now that I’ve confessed something you probably didn’t know – and something not remotely interesting – let’s segue to something that IS interesting. The Book. I’m torn between being naturally modest and being honest. What the heck, let’s give up the modesty stuff and let me tell you the truth.

I love Sold to the Laird. I love the characters, love the time frame, the locales, and the plot. I normally don’t say that about a book before its launch date. I tend to be very restrained and modest (really, I do). This book, however, is different. I absolutely, totally, completely love this book. Is that too gushing?

Once in awhile, a book seems magical to write. Sold to the Laird was one of those books. When it was done, I started smiling.

I love it so much that I want to stand in front of a bookstore, grab your arm and lead you to a copy, get down on my knees and beg that you buy it, read it, then tell me what you think. That’s a whole lotta love.

I know, I know, I should be more restrained. I should be blasé. I should be unaffected. I’m not. I’m excited and enthusiastic, and I consider that a blessing since this is my twenty-fourth book. (Can you believe it? Twenty-four.)

Okay, I hated the title. But let’s be honest here – again. Writers don’t get a choice in titles. The marketing committee or the sales committee or the editorial committee decides what they’re calling a book. It’s out of my hands. After a few months, however, I decided it didn’t matter. The title was distinctive. People would remember it. Isn’t that what counts?

Besides, I hope the story takes over and readers remember Lady Sarah and Douglas Eston.

Douglas is a self-made man, which wasn’t exactly an easy feat in the 19th century. Sarah is the daughter of a duke, trying to do the best for her ailing mother. On the surface, they have absolutely nothing in common but they’re forced to marry to save the life of a woman already on her deathbed. Lady Sarah is one of those indomitable women who never stop. She’s been responsible for the family estate since she was a young woman. When she’s overwhelmed by circumstances, she finds it difficult to depend on anyone, especially Douglas. Douglas has never had anyone rely on him before now. How the two of them support the other, falling in love along the way, is the premise of Sold to a Laird.

I truly hope you remember the name – Sold to a Laird – the story, and that you love it as much as I do.

Warm fuzzies!
Karen

Make sure and leave a comment for Karen along with your email addy as she is giving away a copy of Sold to a Laird as well as a book tote to one lucky commenter.




Sold to a Laird Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Late Spring, 1860
London, England

“Good afternoon, Simons,” she said, pulling off her gloves. “Is my father at home?”

“I shall inquire of His Grace, Lady Sarah,” the majordomo said, taking her gloves as well as the bonnet she removed. He placed them on a table she recognized only too well. Two months ago, it had been in the Winter Parlor at Chavensworth.

Lady Sarah surveyed herself in the mirror. She was presentable.

“Never mind, Simons,” she said. “You know as well as I that my father will probably refuse to see me.”

The majordomo didn’t respond. Simons was, if nothing else, exquisitely tactful.

Without waiting for him to precede her, she strode down the corridor. Her father was partial to emerald green and it was obvious here in the dark carpet and the wallpaper. She felt as if she were in a lush cave made of leaves, the smell not unlike that of forest undergrowth, dank and dark. No doubt the result of the tobacco he smoked in his study.

“Lady Sarah,” Simons whispered, following her.

Deliberately ignoring the rest of what the man was saying, she halted in front of the study door, then resolutely grabbed the latch and opened it.

“If you send Mother to Scotland, she will die,” she said, entering the room.

A second later, she halted, stunned into silence by the presence of the man seated on the other side of her father’s desk, a man even now rising from his chair. A look of surprise marred his features. The expression was infinitely preferable to the frightening look on her father’s face.

The words needed to be said, and even though they’d exploded from her with none of the tact or grace she’d been taught, they were the truth.

“She is dying,” she said, ignoring the stranger in favor of her father who, unlike the man opposite him, still remained seated. His square face was florid, his blue eyes narrowed as they stared at her without a glint of recognition. “She won’t survive the journey.”

He didn’t say a word, merely inclined his head, a gesture that inspired Simons to put his hand on her arm. She shook it off, determined not to be moved from the room.

“Why Scotland? Why now?” If she was going to be punished, she might as well truly deserve it.

The stranger glanced at her father, then over at her. She deliberately didn’t look in his direction. What on earth would she do if there was pity in his glance? She’d dissolve into tears, pleasing her father and shaming herself. So, she did what she always did in her father’s presence, blocked out the emotions she was feeling.
Instead, she concentrated on the reason she was here, in London, in her least favorite place on earth – her father’s home.

“She’s weaker each day. Why send her away?”

Nothing altered his expression – not sorrow, or regret or any type of remorse. If anything, his expression steadied and solidified, human flesh taking on the impression of stone.

He looked down at the papers in front of him, suddenly pushing them away with one finger.

“You say you need investors, Eston?” he asked, addressing the man standing in front of him. “But you believe this invention of yours to be profitable?”

Was she being dismissed? With no word at all?

Sarah forced herself to remain in place, hands clenched together in front of her. Simons stood behind her, implacable and silent.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Her father stared down at the blotter, picking something up between two fingers and stretching them toward the stranger. The other man extended his hand, palm up, to receive something small and glittering in the afternoon light.

“You can replicate it, then? And make them larger?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Her father glanced at her then, and Sarah realized he’d not forgotten her presence at all.

“You’ve asked for a great amount of money, Eston.”

“Not for the return, Your Grace.”

She took a few steps forward, toward her father's desk. Did she imagine that the older man tensed the closer she came? She could not relent. None of her letters had been answered. Nor had her father deigned to answer any of the handwritten messages she’d sent with a footman. All she had left was this, a personal appeal. If he wanted her to beg, she would. Her mother was dying, what was a little humiliation?

Her father held up his hand as if to forestall her advance. She halted, ever conscious of her father's temper. She’d learned several lessons when dealing with her father, lessons that she’d never forgotten. Don’t incite his anger. Never insist or demand. Never tell him he’s wrong.

Today she was flouting all those lessons.

She remained where she was, determined that he would not discover that she clasped her hands in front of her to still their trembling. Or that her lips were clamped firmly shut for the same reason.

Her fear always seemed to please him in some horrid way.

He turned to the man who still stood in front of the desk. Not a supplicant, merely someone who looked, strangely enough, like her father’s equal. The Duke of Herridge was a formidable figure, yet the man who faced him was as tall and as commanding in his own way.

If she hadn’t been so worried about her mother, Sarah would have been more curious about him.

"How desperate are you for funds, Eston?” her father asked.

"Not desperate at all, Your Grace. If you decide not to invest, there are other men who have made overtures. You’re the first I’ve met.”

"I have not said that I refuse to invest in your invention. Instead, I propose that our venture be a more permanent one."

"And what permanent venture would you propose?" the stranger asked.

Her father glanced over at her. "I have a daughter who insists on remaining unmarried. Two very expensive seasons have proven what I’ve always known. No one else can abide her. I will enter into a bargain with you, Eston, but instead of money, I’ll give you my daughter.” His eyes narrowed. “You aren’t married, are you?”

“No, Your Grace,” the stranger said.

“Then take her as your bride.”

Congrat's To This Week's Winners

(One Judi Fennell winner did not claim their prizes so a new winner has been chosen. 11/22)

*stephmartin71 ~ Wild Blue Under and In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell

*shaunesay ~ Wild Blue Under and In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell

*suehussein ~ Amazon Gift Certificate by Karen Fenech


Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winners and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell (An Interview)

Thanks Judi for being with us today. Your books are a hoot and I for one just can’t seem to get enough.

Thanks for having me back! Always fun to visit.

Terra ~ What possessed you to start writing about the undersea world of mers?

Judi ~ I’d love to say that I was planning this all along, but, sadly, I can’t. It was pure serendipity. I thought I was writing a series of twists on fairy tales. Beauty and The Best was in the American Title contest and went on to be the only Romance among the Top 20 finalists (out of almost 2700 entries) in Gather.com’s First Chapters contest. I’d written Cinda Bella and had started Fairest of Them All, all featuring a bumbling fairy godfather. But when I hit a snag with Fairest , I thought, “What other fairy tale can I twist?”

I love The Little Mermaid, so I thought I’d give that a try. The easiest way to twist it was to make him the Mer. Voila, In Over Her Head was born. Then, after the First Chapters contest was over, Gather announced they were going to do First Chapters Romance. I hadn’t planned to enter. Those online voting contests take a lot out of you, a lot of time and work. BUT the day the contest was announced, I received over 100 emails from people I didn’t know personally, asking me to please enter the contest. When you’ve got people asking to read your work, you listen. J So, I quickly finished In Over Her Head (I hadn’t wanted to enter the same story they’d already seen in the original contest), submitted it and went to work finding votes. When that story made it to the Top 5 finalists, which were going to be read by two editors and Sue Grimshaw, the Romance Buyer from Borders, I wanted them to see that I wasn’t a one-story pony, so I sat down and fleshed out two more stories based on the world I’d created.

I didn’t get a publishing contract from that contest, but Sue became a champion of my story, gave me an idea to make it sell-able, and pitched it to editors for me. Once my editor, Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks Casablanca, heard that it was part of a planned series, she jumped on it, asking me to send her the partials for the other stories. It was one month from the day I sent them to her until the day I accepted her offer. So, total serendipity. Never started out to write a Mer series.

Terra ~ You write more of romantic comedy than the usual serious and deadly type of romance, do you find this harder to do with constantly having to think of comedic situations?

Judi ~ The funny thing is, I never would have said I would write comedy. I don’t think I’m particularly funny, as in stand-up comedian-type funny. But, apparently, my thoughts are hysterical. (Which makes me question my rationality at times, but hey. At least the zany thoughts are productive these days!)

I also don’t try to inject humor into it. I think if I tried, it would seem forced. I just have a strange way of looking at things, I guess, that people are finding humorous. So I just put myself in my characters’ positions and wonder what I’d think if the impossible happened right in front of me.

Terra ~ When you are writing do you often find yourself chuckling and coming up with one liners to throw back at your characters?

Judi ~ If I come up with a one-liner, I don’t throw it back at my character; I let another character throw it back at them. Like I said, I never would have thought I’d write comedy—didn’t think I was writing comedy when I wrote In Over Her Head. I was just writing a heroine who was trying to deal with her greatest fear without losing her mind. I guess maybe I use humor in my own life and that’s how I had her deal with it? Not sure. I haven’t over-analyzed myself like that – and frankly am afraid to. I don’t know that I want to know that much about my motivations. LOL. And when Chum showed up in In Over Her Head as the hero (Reel’s) sidekick, I just thought Chum was the perfect name for a fish. Then add the fact that he lost the sucker on the top of his head in an unfortunate boat-propeller incident… Honestly, I have no idea where that came from. It just kind of sprung from some sarcastic part of my brain.

But, yes, I do laugh at the silly lines I come up with. Before Deb bought In Over Her Head I had no idea if anyone else would ever get the humor, or if it was marketable. Now, thank goodness, I know that it is. So when I’m writing and something pops into my head, I no longer wonder if I should add it; I just do. If it’s too over the top, my editor will tell me and it’ll come out. (I still miss the “Hey, guys? Yoo whoo! Sponge Bob? Patrick?” line she made me take out.)

Terra ~ If you could have only one person to thank for your success who would it be and why?

Judi ~ One? That’s it? I’m going to have to go with my husband. He was the first to believe in me; to think that I could do this. He is always in my corner, rooting me to go to Borders and write, or to do something with the kids so I have the time to write. He’ll cook, clean, do the laundry… whatever needs to be done so that I can meet deadline. He’s incredibly supportive. I couldn’t have done any of it without his encouragement and support. He’s actually the one who found my local chapter of RWA, found out the meeting times, told me to go, then when I came back and told him about the National conference, he encouraged me to go, saying, “You’ll never get a comfort level if you don’t go.”

But I’m also going to add Deb Werksman, Sue Grimshaw, my agent Jennifer Schober, my critique partner, Stephanie Julian, the ladies of the Valley Forge chapter of RWA, the Writing Wombats… It takes a village.

Terra ~ In your newest book who is your favorite character and why? What is your favorite scene in the book?

Judi ~ My latest book, Wild Blue Under, is about Mer Prince Rod and the half-Mer Princess, Valerie, who doesn’t have any clue she’s half-Mer, and thinks she’s allergic to the ocean. There’s Livingston, the talking seagull who is Chief of the Air Security Agency, the mercenary albatross, JR, the misunderstood Mer, Drake and his water-head sisters, Andrea and Doria, there’s Rod’s sister Angel, and his father Fisher. Fisher’s wife Kai, his advisor Charley… A whole ocean-ful of characters.

As to picking my favorite… I’m claiming Mommy Privileges. Just like you can’t pick which child you love most (though, granted, you do like certain ones more than others on any given day), I can’t pick between them. I have to love each one as I write them so that the reader will as well. If I don’t find them heroic/lovable/likable/funny/dastardly/ etc. while I write them, I can’t expect the reader too.

Favorite scene… again, a tough one. I do love the car chase scenes. They were so much fun to write. I love the scene on the beach when Rod is telling Valerie what they both are. And I do love the scene where she’s reading the letter. And the ending… I don’t know. I like the whole book. :-)

Terra ~ How hard of a struggle was it for you to get Rod and Valerie to at least think about what they have to gain from each other in each of their unique situations?

Judi ~ Each one of them is struggling with a feeling of self-doubt in respect to where they are in their lives: is this where they want to be, what they want to do with their lives? There are a lot of exterior pressures on Rod by virtue of being the Heir to the Throne. Valerie has no exterior pressures since her mother has died and her dad left ages ago, so hers are all internal. Is this the life she should be leading? Is it what she wants to do? If it is, why doesn’t it satisfy her? Because of these issues, because they’re not sure that what they’re doing, or if the path they’ve chosen is the right one, they are curious to look at each other’s life and see how that’s worked for the other. Val sees the path Rod has set for himself and is a bit jealous that he knows what he’s doing. But, conversely, when he’s all “but this is what I have to do,” she ribs him about “loosen up a little, will ya?” And Rod, too, likes watching Val grab hold of her life for herself, something he’s never had the opportunity to do because of all the pressure on him to be the leader of a civilization. If they were each so convinced that their way of doing/seeing things were the best/only/right way, then they wouldn’t have been able to appreciate in the other what was missing inside of them.

Terra ~ Okay, this baffles me but maybe it’s just me. How in the world do you get the human part of them to remember they don’t need to breath like a human under water and that they aren’t going to drown? I know reading this sometimes makes me kind of hold my breath.

Judi ~ Because, usually when my Humans go under water, it’s under duress. They’re focused on something else so that breathing becomes the least of their worries. With Valerie, it’s when she’s focused on saving Rod from the bad guy and then dealing with that first transformation to her tail. Breathing doesn’t really enter into it. It’s natural and instinct takes over. For Erica, in In Over Her Head, she did try to hold her breath when she realized she was underwater. And she did fairly well until she realized there was no way out of Reel’s home and her lungs finally forced her to try for a breath. But when she did, she sucked in water and her body changed it into oxygen the way it could because of Reel “turning” her into a water breather.

But I’m glad I got you to hold your breath. I’ll tell you, that initial scene in In Over Her Head when Erica goes down the dive line in scuba gear? I’ve snorkeled before, which, while not the same as scuba, does require you to hold your breath if you want to check out the sights, so I do know what it’s like, and that feeling of claustrophobia you can get. So, yay, I did my job by having you hold your breath. J

Terra ~ Your third book is on the horizon. How would you compare it to book one and book two? Which of the three would you consider your favorite and why?

Judi ~ Catch of a Lifetime is as different from books one and two as those two are from each other. When I sat down to write those story sketches and then the partials, I knew I didn’t want to write the same story over, and there’s only so many ways you can drop a Human into the ocean and have them freak out about Atlantis. Or have a Mer go on land and notice every little difference. I didn’t want that to be the focus. So, from book 1 to book 2, I decided to make the Human-in-the-sea story of In Over Her Head over to a literal fish-out-of-water story for Wild Blue Under. Then along comes Catch of a Lifetime - now what? Well, now I’ve got a mermaid coming on land, but wanting to. And I’ve got a Human, Logan, who grew up in a circus only to run away from it because all he wants in his life is Normal. A mermaid is so far off the Normal Chart that, well, let’s just say that it gives Logan more than a few things to overcome.

As to the favorite thing, again, Mommy Privilege. Each one is different, each one had its own challenges, I love all the characters… now that the books are all written and edited, they’re all my favorite. J

Terra ~ What’s next on your author schedule? Will you stick with the Mers or move on to another type of paranormally fantastic creature?

Judi ~ I’m actually under contract for another series. This one is about genies. The first book, tentatively titled I Dream of Genies is scheduled for Fall 2010 and is with beta readers as I type this. Book 2, Genie Knows Best, is being written as soon as I finish typing this. J The third one, Leave It To Genie is still a couple of brain synapses away from being put to paper.

But, as I said to my editor, it’s a big ocean out there. I can come up with a few more Mer stories, and already, Mariana is tapping on my brain for her story, so we’ll see what’s up next after the genies.

Terra ~ After reading your work I would think that the ocean is a major part of your life. Do you like riding the waves or being a land lubber better?

Judi ~ I’m actually the world’s biggest chicken when it comes to being on the ocean. I saw JAWS at an early age and it definitely left a mark. I used to LOVE the ocean. My family growing up (and now the one I’m raising) always went to the Jersey shore every summer on vacation. I was one of those kids who’d be out beyond the breakers on a raft with a book and I’d drift 15-20 blocks down the beach, walk the raft to the shore, then back up the beach and start all over again, combining the rolling waves of the ocean with my love of reading.

And then came JAWS.

I soooooooooo wish I’d never seen that movie, and I do know that it’s a completely irrational fear to think there are great white sharks off the coast of New Jersey, twiddling their pectoral fins, thinking, “That’s it. Judi Fennell is just out of attack distance. Another few feet, though, and she’s ours.” I get that.

Doesn’t make it easier to breathe, though, when my “shark meter” starts climbing from my ankles, up over my knees, past my stomach, and lodges somewhere at the base of my throat. That’s the point where I get out of the water. Sometimes it can be after 10 minutes, sometimes after 45. I know it’s irrational. I understand that. And I try to talk myself down. I’m not always successful.

Now, that being said, I do love the ocean. I’m an Aquarius, a water sign. I love to swim in pools and lakes. I love to sit on the beach and just listen to the waves. I love to walk along the shore in the morning and pick up sea shells. I ADORE watching the dolphins breech offshore.

My family has been to Discovery Cove in SeaWorld in Orlando twice in the last five years. You can swim with dolphins, snorkel and ride rays in their lagoon, feed the rays in their pond… all without having to worry about something making a meal of you. I could stay there forever. And I have been snorkeling in the Bahamas and Mexico and the Mediterranean. I’ve been on a boat in the Pacific for a whale watching cruise. I’ve parasailed in Hawaii. But it’s that darn threat of that stupid mechanical shark that sits on the back of my brain, reminding me that shark attacks do happen.

However… if I could find a hunky merman willing to run interference to protect me, well, hey, it could just change my mind.


WILD BLUE UNDER—book 2 in the Mer Series—in stores November 2009!
The underwater kingdom is his as soon as he claims his queen…
Rod Tritone has the looks and charm to snag any queen he wants for his Mer kingdom, but unfortunately, it's not up to him. As fate would have it, the one woman destined to rule with him is terrified of water…

She lives in land-locked Kansas and has no idea she's a princess…
Valerie Dumere thinks Rod is gorgeous and irresistible—but why does he keep insisting she has another side to herself that only he can show her?

Somehow, Rod has to prove to her who she really is. But when she finds out the truth, will she ever forgive him?

About the Author
Judi Fennell is an award-winning author. Her romance novels have been finalists in Gather.com's First Chapters and First Chapters Romance contests, as well as the third American Title contest. She spends family vacations at the Jersey Shore, the setting for some of her paranormal romance series. She lives in suburban Philadelphia, PA.
Make sure and leave a comment or question about the interview with Judy and your email addy to be entered to win one of 2 sets of her books so far (In Over Her Head and Wild Blue Under). 2 winners, US and Canada only! Thanks to Sourcebooks for this generous giveaway.

Gone by Karen Fenech

At its heart, it’s a romance

A gutsy heroine on a quest to find her missing sister.

A strong, sexy hero who was once the love of her life offers to help with the search, but has an agenda of his own.

These are the two main characters in GONE, my latest romantic suspense novel. FBI Special Agent Clare Marshall tracks the sister she was separated from in childhood when their mother tried to kill them to a small town, only to learn that her sister is missing and that someone from the town is responsible for her disappearance. Clare doesn`t expect to encounter her former lover, FBI Special Agent Jake Sutton, in town or expect her strong reaction to him when she does.

Though Clare's focus is on locating her sister, she finds herself unable to put Jake from her mind and her heart. The last thing she wants is to have feelings for Jake. She has not forgotten how things ended between them - a break-up that left her shattered.

GONE tells the story of Clare’s search for her missing sister, a search that puts her in danger and may ultimately cost her life. But GONE also tells the story of two people who lost at love once and may now have a second chance for a happily ever after. So while GONE is filled with danger and suspense, at its heart, it’s a romance.

Clare is scarred emotionally from her childhood. She believes finding her missing sister will make her life complete. Finding her sister is all she thinks she needs or wants.

She doesn’t want Jake.

She doesn’t want to remember Jake’s kiss. Doesn’t want to remember being in his arms while they made passionate, mind-blowing love. She does not want to remember how much she’d once loved him.

But she does remember. . .

Here’s an excerpt from Clare and Jake’s first encounter in GONE:

Clare left the nursing facility and stepped into bright sunlight. She shielded her eyes with the back of one hand and with the other, reached into her purse dangling from her shoulder, digging for sunglasses. A man was walking across the parking lot toward her. A trick of the light, he looked like . . .

“Jake.”

She hadn’t realized she’d spoken his name aloud until she heard it.

He was close enough to have heard as well, though he didn’t speak. His eyes, narrowed against the sun, fixed on her with an intensity she remembered all too well.

Too late to pretend she hadn’t seen him. It wasn’t too late to walk away, though. She wanted to walk away, really wanted to, and because she did forced herself to stay put and meet his gaze.

Jake now stood in front of her, blocking the sunlight. Clare lowered her hand. His chin was at her eye level. He hadn’t shaved. Black beard shadowed his jaw, made his tanned skin look darker.

The last time she’d seen him, from the other side of her bed, he’d looked a little pale. Tired from working too hard. Tired from going another ten rounds with her.

That was three years ago. He didn’t look to be suffering from sleepless nights anymore. He looked rested and fit. The blue T-shirt he wore over jeans showed his hard, tough body. Was he still with the Bureau? If so, by his casual attire, he wasn’t working today.

“I could say the obvious ‘small world,’” Jake said.

It had been big enough for her until a moment ago. But in response, she said only, “Must be.”

In the awkward silence, a group of women in hospital uniforms dashed by, causing a slight breeze that smelled strongly of spicy perfume.

Jake cleared his throat. “Don’t tell me the Bureau’s sent you to make sure I’m not lazing my days away fishing?”

He said it with a smile, an obvious attempt at lightness. Clare didn’t return the smile.

“You’re assigned to the Columbia office?”she said.

“Resident office in Farley, actually.”

That surprised her. After they’d stopped seeing each other, Jake had put in for a transfer out of the New York office. They’d been members of the same squad for a time and had been paired off. Working together after things ended had strained them both. Jake was very good at what he did and had earned the commendations to prove it. He could have aimed a lot higher than Farley. She couldn’t understand why he hadn’t.

She didn’t know where he’d gone—didn’t want to know—but she would never have imagined him choosing Farley. He was a city boy. She wouldn’t have figured he would come here voluntarily. He must have been desperate to create distance between them for him to accept this post.

“Just me, one other agent, and an admin assistant,” Jake went on. “How about you? What brings you to our fair town?”

When she’d known him, she’d never mentioned Katie. On the nights he’d stayed at her apartment, she’d stored her cork board and files on her sister in a closet. She had no reason not to tell him about Katie at this time. Her being in Farley and the reason for it was likely climbing the town grapevine at lightning speed. But there was no reason to bring Katie up to him now, when she hadn’t before.

“Vacation,” she said simply.

He heard the lie. The humor in Jake’s gaze vanished and in an instant his gaze grew razor sharp.

“I recall you had a preference for sand and surf,” he said.

No doubt he was referring to the one brief getaway they’d taken together—a spur-of-the-moment jaunt following a particularly grueling assignment. They’d both been wound tight. He’d asked her where she’d like to go.

White sand beach. A pounding surf. No one else around for miles.

Her words returned to her. The next morning, she’d awakened and found he’d packed her suitcase and had found the perfect place for them to go. She didn’t care for the reminder of how perfect it had been between them once.

“Not this time,” she said. “Good-bye, Jake.”

Before he could say anything further, Clare walked away from him.

What was your first encounter with your someone special like? Shy? Silly? Sexy? *g* I'd love if you'd share your story. All commenters will be entered in a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate at Amazon.
Wishing you lots of great books to read,
Karen

Veteran's Day On Wednesday

As Veteran's Day is nearly upon us may we all take a single moment to pray for those who served and are currently serving to protect all of us. A single moment in which to be thankful for what we have....FREEDOM! My Heart and Love goes out to all our Veteran's present and past.

Romance Author Terry Spear (An Interview)

Thanks Terry for being with us today. Your books are delicious and each new one promises a more decadent treat to be savored.

Thanks, Terra, for having me on your blog! And thanks for your great comment. I will definitely have to quote you!

Terra: When you first started thinking about writing was it a Primal Urge or more of an Manic Obsession? What were your first thoughts about it? LOL.

Terry Spear: Hmm, I'd say Primal Urge. I've always loved the underdog, and wolves are definitely that. And then, werewolves are even more so. I relate to being the underdog and want to see other underdogs like me win out. If I were a pack mate, I'd encourage everyone to be a success.

Terra: One thing I would like to know is do you have your own wild wolf, and I’m not talking about your hubby even though I’m sure he’d probably get a chuckle at being considered one?

Terry Spear: Well, truthfully, I'm still looking for that wolfish guy who's just right. I did get asked out by a guy with a wolf tattoo on his arm the other day, and I wondered, is this a sign? Then again, one of my co-workers swears he's a wild wolf--definitely the gray type--gray hair and beard and he's working hard on building up his abs for the next wolfish cover. I'm lucky to work with a lot of good-natured librarians who get a big kick out of my wolfish tales, even if they wouldn't be caught dead reading them. They still help me brainstorm ideas and titles!

Terra: How close do you think the animal world really is to the human world in intelligence? If there were such things as were wolves, what do you think would be the closest physical element?

Terry Spear: Some animals have been tested for intelligence, and shown to have more than humans would expect. I've had trouble with carpenter ants lately, and when I killed them with Scrubbing Bubbles, the only thing I had handy at the moment, I'd return hours later to discover others of their colony had moved their dead to one area, like a burial site. And some were carrying sickly ones to other locations. Is it just instinct? Self preservation? Or something deeper? Feelings for their kind? Made me feel bad, to an extent. Definitely, dogs have feelings. My aunt had two poodles. One was the mother who was two years older than her daughter. When the daughter died, the mother refused to eat and died also. To me intelligence isn't what defines us, but humanity. And some animals show they are just as "human" as we are. :) In a woolly mammoth site here where I live, a professor showed us where a bull mammoth had tried to lift a juvenile out of a mudslide to safety with his tusks. They had never seen where a male like that had tried to rescue a juvenile. Again, it showed something that we might consider human-like in their thought processes. Werewolves would be just like us--human when they're human, except with heightened senses, and wolves, just like real ones. You see, that's why we don't know they exist. They blend right in with us. :)

Terra: If you could have only one person to thank for your success who would it be and why?

Terry Spear: My dad. He knew I'd make it, but it wasn't until he died and I wrote his story, The Thirteenth Mission for the Ex-Prisoner-of-War Bulletin, did I first become published. I received a book from another group of Ex-POW's sharing their stories, and a letter from a Belgian, a boy during the war, who thanked me for sharing my father's story and thanked my dad that he'd come to free him and his people. It was truly heartwarming to receive these and it encouraged me to keep on writing.

Terra: I was taking a gander at your website and see you write YA (Young Adult) stories also. Are they similar to the Adult Romances that you have published dealing with the paranormal world of weres?

Terry Spear: No, although fans have asked if I would write werewolf YAs. :) But I do have some teen wolves in a couple of my stories--Destiny of the Wolf and Seduced by the Wolf (Aug '10). In The Vampire...In My Dreams--it's witches and vampires and a sea demon, oh my!

Terra: Of your releases so far, which would you consider you favorite? The most romantic? The one hardest to write and why?

Terry Spear: My favorite is always the one I'm working on. I have to fall in love with a new set of characters. It's fun, but challenging too. I get stumped and have to keep layering. It's amazing when I work on final edits for an earlier story, Seduced by the Wolf, or like right now, rereading Legend of the White Wolf one last time before it goes to print, and think, wow, this is so neat. While the one I'm currently writing needs so much more work--the layering, the emotions, the heavy breathing. And I keep thinking, it will never be as good as the others. But then...it grows and expands and all the deeper elements are added and voila! I'm working on a new book and getting to know a whole new set of characters and... :) Most romantic? I think Heart of the Wolf--and I'd have to say To Tempt the Wolf also. The one hardest to create is also the one I'm currently writing because I don't have it all in my head when I sit down to write. I'm constantly adding elements, changing them, and strengthening the romance, the mystery, the overall plot. Once it's done and I'm reading the final, final copy, it seems like it was a piece of cake. But not while I'm writing it. LOL

Terra: Do you think there could have been were’s in our ancient past such as with Atlantis, Greece, Egypt and China or would it have been more of a Scottish, Irish, Pagen presence?

Terry Spear: Hmm, anything is possible. Werewolf trials were going on in medieval Europe (France, England). And Russia, Romania, Greece, too. Why? Some insane people thought they were werewolves. Why werewolves? I mean, if I were insane, I'd just figure I'd be insane. But why think you were a werewolf? Maybe because they saw a real one and thought then they wanted to be like that, too? Never know. :) They had stories of them in Egypt also, so I would think they could have been anywhere. :) Just like dragons. I studied about Berserkers, Norsemen, for a YA story, also who were really a form of werewolf, or maybe a werebear...at least as far as legend goes. Although some say they wore animal skins and might have been high on mushrooms. But others swore they turned into werewolves.

Terra: Do you have a favorite quote from your newest book and what would it be? Your reason for that particular quote?

Terry Spear: "Did he really have amnesia? Or was it just a ploy to keep his identity secret? He seemed so dangerous, maybe because he was so powerfully built. Her brother and the men she had dated were scrawny compared to this guy."--To Tempt the Wolf

There's an element of mystery in this quote. Was he telling her the truth after she'd found him half dead on her beach, a winter storm coming in, her electricity out. Is he dangerous? I think that's what's fun--dark heroes that have weaknesses. He's powerful and dangerous, yet lost without his memory. :)

Terra: What are your hopes for the future in your career as an author and the world of were’s?

Terry Spear: Heart of the Wolf made Publishers Weekly's Best Book of the Year for mass market, and Midwest Book Reviews just named To Tempt the Wolf, Reviewer's Choice from Ramsey's Book Reviews, and so next, of course, is New York Times Best Seller. USA Today Best Seller would be good, too. I think were's deserve it. No more being the underdog!

Terra: What genre’ is your favorite when you have five minutes to sit down and read with an nice cup of tea? Do you have a favorite book of all time and if so what is it?

Terry Spear: I love time travels. Love them. :) I really enjoyed Joy Nash's Celtic Fire. And also Karen Moning's Immortal Highlander.Sorry, that's two, but I love a lot of authors and it's just not fair to limit me to one. :) Thanks so much for having me, Terra!
Great interview questions! I had fun and hope you ask me back again soon! :) Terry

Congrats to Our Halloween Winners

*The winner of Hex in High Heels, a broom pen and hexy body lotion by Linda Wisdom is ~ **My Blog 2.0 (Dottie)**

*The winner of SHADOWFAE by Erica Hayes is ~ **Sue (okibi_insanity)**

*The winner of a Biker Witch Party Kit by Angie Fox is ~ **book-of-secrets**

*The winner of a signed copy of Thirteen Chances by Cindy Miles is ~ **ann marie**

*The winner of a signed copy of Thirteen Chances by Cindy Miles is ~ **Cybercliper**

*The winner of a $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com by Terra is ~ **elnice**

Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winners and I hope you enjoy your prizes!

Congrat's To This Week's Winners

*mariska ~ Hot Spell by Michelle Rowen

*Wrighty ~ Demon Princess Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen

*Virginia C. ~ Wild Heart by Lori Brighton

*Rachie G. ~ Wild Heart by Lori Brighton

*Patti ~ Wild Heart by Lori Brighton


Please send your snail mail info to terraontop57 at yahoo dot com. Congrats to our winners and I hope you enjoy your prizes!