Interview & Contest: Leigh Michaels

Jen:  Please help us welcome Leigh Michaels to Romancing the Book. Leigh, will you share a short bio with us?

Leigh: I am a native Iowan and now live in Ottumwa, home of the fictional Radar O’Reilly from M*A*S*H. My husband and I live on the outskirts of town where we can watch white-tailed deer and wild turkeys from the bay window in our living room – which is also a nice spot when it snows because it feels like sitting in a snow globe. I am the author of 80 contemporary romances and now write historicals set in Regency England.

Jen: Tell us about A Wedding Affair and where it can be purchased.

Leigh: The Duke of Somervale’s sister is getting married – but the guests who have gathered for the wedding are much more interested in their private affairs (and I do mean affairs!) The Duke is dodging bridesmaids who are doing their best to trap him, so he sets up a pretend betrothal to the impoverished widow Olivia Reyne, while Olivia bargains to secure the future for her small daughter. Meanwhile, Olivia’s friend Kate desperately needs a job; perhaps a wedding guest needs a governess or secretary – if only adventurer Andrew Carlisle will stay out of her way. And Penelope Townsend sees the wedding as her last chance to turn her marriage of convenience into a real union – if she can figure out how to seduce her husband.

Book Tour Review & Contest: Missing In Mexico by Stuart Gustafson

Missing In Mexico by Stuart Gustafson
Release Date: May 2011
Publisher: Stuart Gustafson Productions, LLC (Smashwords)
Page Count: 322
Source: Partners in Crime book tour

Missing in Mexico is a mystery novel set in Los Cabos, Mexico. Sarah is a 19-year old who wasn't on the return plane trip from a family vacation. Her parents hire Stan, a Private Investigator, to find her. Even with local help and some promising leads, Stan returns to Seattle to tell her parents that he can't find her. Months later he receives a letter from someone who says she can help him find Sarah, and he jumps on the next plane to Los Cabos. Will this be the break that he needs to find her, or will she remain missing -- Missing in Mexico?

Release Day Blitz: The Last Rising by Rachel Firasek

The Last Rising by Rachel Firasek

She reached for his hand, her nails scraping along the sensitive flesh before settling into his grip.

Lesson Number One in controlling a man: find his weakness. Every man had one.

His nostrils flared, and his quick intake of breath confirmed he was at least mildly interested in her. She tipped her head to the side and grinned, hoping he’d read the “let’s slink down the aisle to the lavatory” in her eyes. “Ice.” Her smile widened. She bit her lower lip and dropped her lashes.

He leaned forward, his face inches from hers. “Now, that’s different. Why Ice?”

“Why not?” She moved closer, until their lips almost touched. His aftershave wrapped around her. The sandalwood and vanilla scent cramped her stomach with a need threatening her sanity.

The pesky flight attendant chose that moment to interrupt her ploy. “Excuse me, would you like a pillow and blanket?”

Imaginary daggers pierced the helpful attendant. “Yes, please,” Ice gritted through clenched teeth, fighting to maintain the false smile plastered across her face. The blanket might come in handy. Ice paid the woman and

gracefully snatched the parcel.

Blog Tour Review: Ardeur by Danielle Gavan

Ardeur by Danielle Gavan
Series: Abbey of Angels (#1)
Release Date: August 15, 2011
Publisher: Red Hot Publishing
Page Count: 190
Source: Bewitching Book Tours

Born a necromancer.

Sold by parents who wanted a normal child, Ardeur Lisle now hosts a demon and was trained to be a killer for hire. As an adult possessed, dreaming of escape and of a kind face from her childhood helps keep her sane.

If she breaks free from her captors, what will this new world full of paranormal beings hold for her? Ridding herself of her demon parasite will be her first priority.

A promise kept...

Brody Callaghan never forgot the angelic blonde from his childhood. After years of military service, he swears to track down the face still haunting him from his youth.

But Brody has a furry secret of his own; one unveiled with each full moon. Will the two hold onto love with danger, deception, and an obsessed angel driving them apart?

Are you a winner?

It's that time of the week when we announce all our contest winners from the past week.  As always we thank all our readers for supporting RtB and our guests... and the authors for guesting with us and offering up contests.  All winners have been contacted.

In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox is weekly meme hosted by Kristi, The Story Siren. This meme lets bloggers socialize and network their blogs, it’s also a great way for bloggers to share upcoming releases! Here's what's new to me these past couple weeks:

Cross Currents Giveaway

Releasing on Tuesday, September 6, CROSS CURRENTS by John Shors tells the remarkable story of three Americans and a local family in Thailand whose personal dramas play out against the landscape of the devastating tsunami of 2004 in Ko Phi Phi Island.

John’s writing is informed by his own personal travels to Ko Phi Phi and he says his latest novel is “a tender love story and a testament to the strength of the human spirit.” John plans to donate a percentage of the proceeds from book sales to the International Red Cross.

Release Contest for The Taker by Alma Katsu

This Tuesday, September 6 marks the release of The Taker by Alma Katsu.  To celebrate, Alma is holding a huge contest over on her Facebook fan page.  To enter, become a fan and then join her mailing list.  She's giving away copies of both the US and UK versions of the book, along with a vial necklace, custom-designed by Janet Cadsawan of Cadsawan Jewelry (pictured here).  Those already on her mailing list are already entered... and the more people to join, the more prizes she'll give away.

Interview & Contest: Lucy Kevin

Today we welcome Lucy Kevin to Romancing the Book.  Lucy is the author of GABRIELLE, a Young Adult Paranormal Romance.

Jen: Tell us about Gabrielle - it's so much more than just a book! 
Lucy: Thank you! Gabrielle is a modern Gigi retelling about a music student who discovers she comes from a long line of women cursed to only find true love as a courtesan. I used to be a performing singer-songwriter so it made sense to me that Gabrielle would work out her emotions through music. The ebook includes embedded songs that Gabrielle writes and performs whenever she's struggling to figure things out in her life.

Interview & Contest: Toni LoTempio

Jen: Please help me welcome Toni LoTempio to Romancing the Book. Toni, will you please share a short bio with us?

Toni: Why, certainly and thanks for having me!

In 1995, I joined the staff of SUSABELLA PASSENGERS AND FRIENDS, where I have been a staff reporter for over 10 years, winning their Margaret Sutton Award for Distinguished Writing in 1998. I joined the staff of NIGHT OWL REVIEWS in January 2011 as the suspense reviewer/columnist. My column, DARK STREETS, is featured on a monthly basis.

In 2007, Whiskey Creek Press published BOUND BY BLOOD, a tale of possession, and EBONY, which deals with zombies and the dark side of man. EBONY was #2 on the Fictionwise bestseller list for e-books for the month of July 2007, beating out Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story. In 2010 I self published NO REST FOR THE WICCA, which made Amazon’s list of top one hundred in Occult in March 2011, and my short story, THE SACRIFICE, appears in the e-published anthology KISS ME KILL ME.

Excerpt: Raven's Kiss by Toni LoTempio

The Hellhound took a menacing step towards me. “We all have our crosses to bear,” he leered. With a snarl, he snapped a hand on my shoulder, the other on my hip and pulled me close to him. I caught a whiff of his fetid breath and almost gagged. I felt his sharp claws rip my blouse as he lifted me off the ground. Damn. My new Leslie Fay, too. The one that’d cost me almost a week’s salary. Damn. And I was still paying it off on my Visa, too. Now that really bit.

Headache gone, I let out a low growl and twisted around in his grasp. He wasn’t expecting that, and loosened his grip, enough for me to jab the heel of my boot straight into his leering mouth. Startled, he staggered back and dropped me. I rolled over to the far wall of the building and stood up shakily, brushing the alley dust and grime from myself as I did so.

September RAK

First, I want to thank Danielle from Ramblings from This Chick for the copy of Awaken the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney.  I can't wait to get reading. 

And I sent a copy of Delirium by Lauren Oliver to Stephanie at ¡Miraculous! who also celebrated her birthday in August. 


Now it's time to RAK in September.  And I'm excited to be celebrating my birthday this month!!!  If you want to check out my Amazon wish list, check out the widget in the right hand sidebar or go here.

Back to the Books Blog Hop

Welcome to the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Buried in Books.  We're approximately stop number 20 of 300 blogs participating in this hop. All contests on the hop will end on September 7.

We decided to do things a little differently this time around.  We have 4 different books offered up by the authors for this giveaway.  All 4 contests have separate entries and are open to international readers.  The only requirement for all the contests is to be a GFC (Google Friend Connect) follower.  If GFC is down, just note it in the GFC name box on each form.