Showing posts with label Author's Taproom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Author's Taproom. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2013

[Book Tour] Turn on a Dime by Tiffany Snow #giveaway



Title:  Turn on a Dime - Blane's Turn
Author:  Tiffany A. Snow
Publication Date:   AUGUST 6, 2013
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
ISBN/ASIN:  B00COPTUD2
Book Format:  Ebook
Buy Link:  Amazon

Blane Kirk is a Navy SEAL turned high-powered attorney with old money and an even older pedigree. Yes, he plays the field, changing women as often as he changes his ties, but they’re not complaining. He has only two rules – 1) Don’t date employees and 2) Don’t get emotionally involved. Those rules have served him well. He sees no reason to change his ways, until his Runner, an employee in his law firm named Kathleen Turner, does an unexpected face plant in his lap.Kathleen’s too young, too innocent, and suddenly much too vulnerable when her friend is murdered and Blane knows she could be next. Keeping her alive means keeping her close, but can Blane keep her safe...from him? Kathleen’s like no woman he’s ever met, and protecting her could be the one thing he never expected that would make his life turn on a dime.

TURN ON A DIME – BLANE’S TURN is a companion novel to NO TURNING BACK, Book One in The Kathleen Turner Series.
TURN ON A DIME – KADE’S TURN will be released in the Fall of 2013.


TURN ON A DIME – BLANE’S TURN

EXCERPT

It was a matter of minutes before Blane was pulling into Kathleen’s parking lot. He’d used the Jag’s speed to his advantage, the streets deserted at this time of night. He grabbed his gun from the glove box, checking the clip to make sure it was loaded, then shoved it the back of his pants. Its comforting weight against the small of his back eased Blane’s peace of mind. He hated having to go unarmed.
He knocked on Kathleen’s door, waiting impatiently for her to answer. His skin was practically twitching at the idea that she wasn’t safe. It was with relief that he saw the door open and she stood there, unhurt.
Kathleen didn’t say anything, just stepped back so Blane could enter. He could tell at once she was in shock. Her face was stark white, her eyes barely seeming to focus on anything.
Blane took her arm and led her to the battered couch, sitting next to her and taking her hands in his. They were freezing and fine tremors shook her, though she seemed wholly unaware of it.
“Your hands are like ice, Kathleen,” Blane said. “Tell me what happened.” He gently rubbed her hands, trying to ground her before she recounted her tale. Blane had lost count of the times he’d done this with family members and friends of victims of a violent crime. Their reactions were almost always the same. Shock, horror, fear, grief.
She looked up, her eyes wide. Haltingly, she spoke.
“I was asleep. Something woke me. I heard arguing. I thought it was Sheila and her boyfriend, Mark. Then it stopped.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep. I was worried about her. So I got up and went over to her place.”
Tears started slipping down her cheeks, tracks that spilled from eyes made even more brilliant blue from the saline. She wasn’t sobbing or making any noise at all as she told him what happened. She just cried. It was like a punch to Blane’s gut, and he was forcefully reminded of the supposed power of a woman’s tears over the opposite gender. He’d always thought himself immune.
Guess not.
“The door was open, so I went in,” she continued. “And she was in her bed. And blood was everywhere—” She couldn’t continue. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to take her in his arms while she cried on his shoulder, her small form shaking with the force of her grief.
Blane held her closer than appropriate, but couldn’t seem to help himself, running his hands up and down her back and cursing himself six ways from Sunday for enjoying holding her a little too much for a situation such as this. He justified it by reminding himself that she was alone. She needed him.
He liked that. A lot.
When her sobs had died down, he asked, “You went into the apartment by yourself?”
She nodded, her body still clinging to his.
“Did you see anyone?”
“No.”
Blane’s eyes slipped shut in dismay and the next question was said more curtly than he intended. “So the person who did this could have still been there when you walked in?”
Kathleen didn’t answer, but a violent shiver ran through her and Blane instinctively tightened his hold.
Had this been some random thing? Was it a matter of luck, of the capricious whim of fate that the killer had chosen the door on his right rather than the one on his left? Had Blane nearly lost Kathleen tonight, before she’d ever been his to lose?
The thought had him pulling back. The need to make sure she was safe, that no one lurked nearby waiting to hurt her, was riding him hard.
“I’m going to check things out,” he said, unable to resist the compulsion to act.
“No,” she said, grabbing a fistful of his jacket. “They might still be out there!” Her eyes were wide with panic.
Ouch. It might take a while for his ego to cope with that direct hit.
“It’s all right,” Blane said, removing his Glock. Her eyes widened at the sight of the weapon.
“Why do you have a gun?” she asked.
Her naiveté was kind of sweet, refreshing. Blane had seen too much of the world to have any illusions left as to the people he sometimes defended. “Have you met our clients? Don’t worry. I know how to use it.”
The obvious doubt on her face was another blow to his pride. What, did she think he was some pansy-ass that needed protecting rather than being the one who provided the protection? He was definitely losing his edge.
“But… how?” she asked.
He was starting to get seriously offended. “Military,” he replied curtly. Enough of this conversation. They were wasting time. He stood. “Stay here,” he ordered.



Writing a Series

I love writing a series.  One of the things I love best about reading is continuing on with the same characters for more than just one book.  Call me crazy (and many have), but I love to get so invested in characters that I chat about them as if they were real!  So deciding to write a series was a no-brainer for me.

What was important to me as I planned out the series was that it had a definite beginning, middle, and end.  I didn’t want to stretch it out forever, so determined ahead of time that it would be a five-book series.

It was also important for me that my characters grow and change over the series.  That’s rather the point.  All the things that happen in their lives and relationships change them, as anyone who’s ever fallen in love, had their heart broken, or met a new best friend can tell you.  The bad things that happen serve to make them dig deep and figure out who they really are, and who they want to be.
Writing a series is very rewarding and I know I’ll be sad when I write that last page and type THE END, but I hope to have made Blane, Kathleen , and Kade come to life for not only myself, but for all the readers who love them as much as I do. 

About the Author

TiffanySnowI love to write and am thrilled to be a part of the Amazon Montlake family. My debut novel, NO TURNING BACK, is the first book in The Kathleen Turner Series. I write about things I love to read myself - a heroine who could be a neighbor or best friend; two men who each portray their own version of darkness and light, each vying for her affection; and a story that focuses as much on the characters as it does the suspense. NO TURNING BACK, TURN TO ME, and TURNING POINT currently comprise The Kathleen Turner Series. The fourth book, OUT OF TURN, will be released 12/17/13. There will be a total of five books in the Kathleen Turner Series.
As for me, I've been reading romance novels since I was way too young to read such things, have an unhealthy obsession for all things Doctor Who, prefer Pepsi to Coke and Absolut to both, think men who drink girly cocktails are wusses, have learned to never stop believing in my beloved St. Louis Cardinals, and can recite the entire scripts of When Harry Met Sally and Apollo 13. George Washington is cool, Bon Jovi still rocks the house, and Bruce Willis is the ultimate alpha-male hero. Most of all, romance never, ever gets old.

Visit my website www.Tiffany-Snow.com for more information and special extras.
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/tiffanyasnow
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/tiffanyasnow


Giveaway

Each tour stop will give away a kindle copy of both TURN ON A DIME and NO TURNING BACK.  Leave a comment below with your email to enter to win!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

[Book Tour] Secret Maneuver by Jessie Lane










Title: Secret Maneuvers 

Series: Ex Ops - Book #1

Author: Jessie Lane

Format: eBook

Expected Publication Date: June 15, 2013

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance


Blurb:

Some mistakes from the past haunt us forever... unless fate steps in with a second chance.

One 'dear John' letter haunts Bobby Baker's every living moment. It’s the letter he stupidly wrote to his high school sweetheart, Belle, right after he left to join the Army. The letter that he told her that he wasn't so sure if they were ready for forever yet. But before he can let her know that the letter, and his second thoughts, are nothing but a mistake, she up and disappears from the small Georgia town they were both raised in.

Fifteen years later, Belle unknowingly walks back into Bobby's life when her job as an ATF Agent forces her to work with a group of men secretly headed by the CIA to help her track down whoever is involved in funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico.

Bobby will use this mission to try and soothe Belle's hurt feelings while proving to her that their love is still meant for forever. He'll use every dirty trick he's learned since he joined the Army to maneuver her back into his life for the long haul. But Belle's not making it easy as she keeps him at arm's length in the hopes that mistakes of her own never come to light.


Secret Maneuvers – Release day – June 15, 2013



Prize Information

  • Secret Maneuvers ebook
  • Custom designed bag
  • Custom designed dog tags
  • $50 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble
  • REV IT UP by Julie Ann Walker
  • IN THE AIR TONIGHT by Stephanie Tyler
  • FREE FALL by Catherine Mann
  • Catherine Mann bookmark

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author


     Jessie Lane is the writing team of Crystal Leo and Melissa Pahl. The two sisters-in-law share a passionate love of naughty romance, cliff hanging suspense, and out-of-this-world characters that demand your attention, or 

threaten to slap you around until you do pay attention to them. Because really, it is ALL about the characters. (They're kind of megalomaniacs - but don't tell them that we said that.)
  Their first YA novel, The Burning Star, was released in May 2012. Big Bad Bite is their second novel, but their first adult paranormal romance, and was released in January 2013. Their third book, Secret Maneuvers, releases on June 15, 2013, and will be the start of a new adult contemporary romance series (Ex Ops Series). They are now working on their next three novels, Walk On The Striped Side (Big Bad Bite Series #2), Stripping Her Defenses (Ex Ops Series #2), and The Frozen Star (YA Star Series #2).
  With these projects underway, they are looking forward to showing the rest of the world their crazy stories, heroes and heroines that often plague their minds until written, and hope you will join them on their journey!
Social Websites:

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter Goodreads

If she didn’t stop flailing around like this, she was going to fall and hurt herself. “Stay still and calm down.”
Ignoring me, she continued waving her arms around. “Don’t you get it? We’ve been over for fifteen years!”
Her body tipped dangerously the other way and, for a second, I thought for sure she was going to go head first into the wall now, instead of the carpet. The thought of her accidentally hurting herself was driving me crazy. I ground out between my teeth, “Calm down and give me your attention, dammit.”
Instead of doing as I asked, she screeched, “What in the world do you think we need to talk about?”
I grabbed her by the hips to keep her from falling on her ass. The gesture clearly wasn’t appreciated since she started trying to pry my hands off her. Ignoring her attempts to remove me, I pulled her closer until we were only an inch apart and she had no choice except to look me in the face.
The pupils were dilated in those big, beautiful, green eyes of hers. She was panting 
and clearly more nervous than outraged. Most of all, she was vulnerable and doing her best to hide it. What she didn’t understand, yet, was that I had no intentions of hurting that vulnerable side of her. I wanted to do the exact opposite. I wanted to protect it and her, so that nothing could ever hurt her again the way I had.
“Do I have your attention now?”
Eyes wide, she nodded.
“Good, now listen closely because this is important and I want to make sure that it penetrates somewhere through that thick skull of yours. We were never over, Belle, not as far as I’m concerned. Maybe on hold until I found you again, but never really over. I’ve been looking for you since the day you left Sylvania so I could tell you that 
I fucked up. I should have never sent you that letter.”
Belle’s breathing was ragged now. Eyes watery, threatening tears at any given second. Still, she didn’t say a word.
“Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you, baby? I’m trying to say I’m sorry. I was so fucking stupid and I will go to my grave regretting how badly I hurt you, but I didn’t just hurt you, I hurt us both. I’ve been walking around all these years in pain with what feels like these chunks of my soul missing. Moving through life with a heart that felt as if it wasn’t actually beating and how could it? It wasn’t possible because everything that was ever good about me was missing and it was missing because I didn’t have you.”



What was the first romance novel you read that made an impression on you?
Crystal: Oy. I’ve read close to a thousand books since starting to read the romance genre around four years ago, so it’s hard to remember exactly which one it was. I want to say it was the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. If it wasn’t that, then I think it was the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris. One of those series got me hooked on reading romance in general and I’ve been devouring books ever since.

Melissa: I’m actually still a newbie in the romance genre. I would have to say Lori Foster’s Jude’s Law.

What is your writing environment?
Crystal: In my dream world my writing environment is quiet with a zen like calmness. There are no distractions and I’m sitting somewhere beautiful like the beach. In reality my writing environment includes two little girls whose favorite phrase seems to be, “MOM! My sister said _____!” Thankfully reality also comes with music and headphones.

Melissa: My music blaring in the background or on my headphones. I need to tune out the hubby and his video games. But I would love a Chaise lounge with soft pillows, a chenille throw and the dog at my feet.*hint, hint Hubby*

One of your favorite quotes.
Crystal: "Every woman is a rebel, and usually in wild revolt against herself." – Oscar Wilde

Melissa: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou

Top three things on your bucket list.
Crystal: 1) Go swimming with sharks (in the safety of a cage because I’m only slightly crazy).
2) Go on a vacation to some place overseas. Ireland, Greece, Rome… somewhere!
3) To hit the NY Times Bestseller list. Even if I only do it once in my life, it’s a dream of mine I’d love to achieve.

Melissa: 1) Swimming with dolphins.
2) Watch the Pipe Masters tournament live in Hawaii. (I love surfing and staring at the guys in their board shorts. Yummy.)
3) Indoor Skydiving.

What is your favorite scene in your new release?
Crystal: My favorite scene of Secret Maneuvers involves the hero’s best friend, Declan, his flooded house from busted pipes, a shop vac, and some very interesting dialogue. *cheeky grins*

Melissa: I remember when you first sent me that scene. LOL! I about peed myself I was laughing so hard. I do believe I spit my drink all over the table when I read the first few lines. I think one of my favorite scenes in the book was when Annabelle started sharing some embarrassing memories of Bobby from high school to the guys on the Ex Ops Team. There’s two of those particular scenes one that involves Bobby sleeping in nothing but his boxers with a beach ball underneath a trailer, and another where Bobby had to complete his high school football hazing. Each of them were inspired by something my brother did before he met Crystal.


What’s your favorite body part of the opposite sex?
Crystal: I’m not allowed to pick the whole body? *pouts* My favorite body part on a man is a toss-up between a gorgeous pair of eyes or a nice muscular back. Yum.

Melissa: The V! Love me some hips. Nah, actually I love watching the muscles in a man’s back move. *drools*

Hey, baby! What’s your sign?
Crystal: *bats eyelashes* I’m an Aquarius. This means I will not hesitate to pour my glass of water all over your head if you get on my nerves. *snickers*

Melissa: Oh man. Mines gonna bite me in the ass I just know it hoss.*shakes her head at Crystal* I’m a Virgo.

What’s an absolute no-no in a relationship?
Crystal: Cheating. Relationships rarely survive after a significant other cheats.
Melissa: Lying. Be honest from the get go and man up if you get caught.

How did you meet your significant other?
Crystal: Oh my. I fell into one of those tropes that are popular in romance. Actually a trope with a twist. I met my husband while I was dating one of his best friends. Not only were they best friends, but they were also roommates, and I lived with both of them for a short period of time. And no, there was no cheating done on my part. As if that isn’t awkward enough, the man I was dating when I met my husband was also one of my very close friend’s brothers. I did a triple trope! I see a story in my future…

Melissa: We actually worked together when we were teenagers and it just blossomed from a friendship and we’ve been together for over 13 years now.
What’s your idea of a perfect date?

Do you believe in love at first sight?
Crystal: Yes. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen for everyone though. In a perfect world, I think it would.


Melissa: Sometimes. Gotta have that spark.

Boxers or Briefs?
Crystal: HELLO… boxer briefs. It’s the ultimate solution. And the most drool worthy.
Melissa: Commando!

Alpha or Beta?
Crystal: Alpha. With my personality I’d run right over a Beta.
Melissa: Alpha. I need someone to keep me in line.

Planner or Panster?
Crystal: Before kids, I was a Panster. Now that I have my two girls, totally a Planner.
Melissa: Both.

White wine or red?
Crystal: White wine. A good German to be specific.
Melissa: White

Coffee or tea?
Crystal: Coffee. It is the elixir of the Gods.
Melissa: Coffee IV.

Vanilla or chocolate?
Crystal: Chocolate! Gimme the chocolate now and nobody gets hurt!
Melissa: Ohhh Chocolate.


Laptop or desktop?
Crystal: I’m a recent laptop conversion. My laptop is my precioussss…
Melissa: I have a laptop but it’s hooked up to another monitor so now I have two! Multitask!

Beach or mountains?
Crystal: Beach. The mountains are glorious, but anytime I’m at a beach my soul feels like its home.
Melissa: Definitely the beach. Love the ocean.

Winter or summer?
Crystal: Summer. I live in tank tops, jeans, and bare feet. That’s the good life!
Melissa: Summer please!

Spotlight or In the Shadows?
Crystal: Shadows. I’m a people watcher. I’m also a tad bit shy.
Melissa: A little bit of both.

Tour Schedule


June 15th: Under The Covers Book Blog - Review
June 16th: TwoGirls Reading - Spotlight/Review
June 17th: Happily Ever After Reads - Guest Post
June 18th: Flirting With Romance - Interview
June 19th: Addicted to Romance - Guest Post
June 20th: Curse of the Bibliophile - Spotlight/Review
June 21st: Proserpine Craving Books - Interview/Review
June 22nd: For the Love of Bookends - Spotlight/Review
June 23rd: Ramblings From This Chick - Guest Post/Review
June 24th: The Jeep Diva - Interview/Review
June 25th: My Reading Obsession - Review
June 26th: Book Nerds Anonymous - Guest Post/Review
June 27th: Nina’s Literary Escape - Spotlight
June 28th: Mrs Condit & Friends Read Books - Guest Post/Review
June 29th: Fictional Candy - Review

June 30th: Read Me - Review
July 1st: Book Lovin’ Mamas -Spotlight/Review
July 2nd: Romancing the Book - Interview
July 3rd: The Book Whisperer - Guest Post/Review
July4th: Cocktails and Books - Guest Post
July 5th: Book Savvy Babes - Guest Post/Review
July 6th: Book Devotee Reviews - Spotlight/Review
July 7th: Swept Away by Romance - Guest Post/Review
July 8th: Little Read Riding Hood - Guest Post
July 9th: Supernatural Snark - Interview
July 10th: Riverina Romantics - Guest Post
July 11th: A Novel Review - Review
July 12th: Beach Bum Reads - Spotlight/Review
July 13th: Adria’s Romance Reviews - Interview
July 14th: Random Jendsmit - Guest Post/Review
July 15th: Reading Between the Wines Book Club - Guest Post