THANK YOU GIVEAWAY!!!

Kay Springsteen and I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has supported us by purchasing our Regency Romance A Lot Like A Lady. We know you have hundreds of books to choose from, and we’re honored that you picked ours. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! To really show our gratitude, we’re going to hold an amazing giveaway from now until Sunday night at midnight (EST). And boy, what a giveaway it is! We’re going to have SIX winners!! Yes, you read that right – SIX WINNERS!! And what are the prizes? Three lucky winners will receive swag packs that will include pens, bookmarks, and…books! The winners will each receive TWO surprize paperbacks by assorted authors. SQUEEEE! The other three winners will receive swag packs with pens and bookmarks and an ecopy of any book of their choosing available on the Astraea Press website! YIPPPEEE! There are a couple of ways to enter and you can either enter through me on this blog or through Kay Springsteen on hers by clicking HERE (NOTE: We will choose a total of SIX winners from our combined entries): 1. Email your receipt # to me at kimbowman2008 @ yahoo (dot) com showing you purchased A Lot Like A Lady for two entries in the contest. Leave a comment below that you’ve emailed me so I don’t miss it! 2. Post on a social media site of your choosing that A Lot Like A Lady is on sale for $.99 along with either the Amazon buy link) or the Barnes and Noble buy link. Leave a comment below that you’ve done this to be entered in the contest. That’s it! Simple and easy and our way of saying a HUGE thank you for supporting us. Good Luck and Happy Reading! Kim

SPRING FLING BLOG HOP


   Welcome to the Spring Fling Blog Hop! I’m going to make this short and sweet and easy – just the way I like it!

The theme for this blog fits my and Kay Springsteen’s new release A LOT LIKE A LADY. The story is set in London, England, 1813, during the Season – specifically April and May. What a wonderful, magical time that was! Attending balls, dancing, searching for the perfect marriage match…It is the inspiration for several of my favorite books! So I thought it would be fun for commenters to share their favorite historical book that includes the London Season.
For me, I have to say it’s my own book A LOT LIKE A LADY! Hey, why would I not pick my own book? Kay and I made the plot what we wanted, created characters we fell in love with, and check out how awesome our cover is!! LOL! But if I have to pick a book besides my own, it’s gotta be Judith McNaught’s Whitney, My Love. Once I read that story, I was hooked on the genre.
So what’s your favorite book that is set during the London Season? Leave a comment below (be sure to include your email address) for a chance to win the Grand Prize of a paperback copy of A LOT LIKE A LADY or a second place prize of an Ecopy of A LOT LIKE A LADY. And for a third place prize, an Ecopy of Rachel Van Dyken and Leah Sander's Waltzing with the Wallflower.*

I’m so glad you stopped by! Click on the Spring Fling Icon above to return to the list of blogs on the hop!
Kim
*Contest runs from April 30 to May 8 at midnight. Winners will be announced May 9th. Must leave email address in order to win.

Ednah Walters Book Tour!

Please help me welcome the talented Ednah Walters and her new release Betrayed. This book sounds amazing! Here’s the blurb:
Lil has come to terms with her life as a Guardian/demon hunter and the wielder of the Nephilim most powerful weapon-the Kris Dagger. She trains everyday to master her growing powers, gets along with her Guardian trainee friends, most of the time, and cherishes the time she spends with her human friends.
Just when she feels she belongs, her nature-bender father contacts her and warns her about a betrayal by someone close to her. Then Bran, the boy she loves, starts to act strange and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability. While Lil struggles find a connection between these three things, she begins to realize that someone is manipulating her and will stop at nothing, including hurting those she loves, to lure her to the dark side.
She’s also provided her awesome BOOK TRAILER!
This book sounds amazing, Ednah. Thank you for sharing. Now, some fun questions!
What’s your favorite Disney Movie?
Mulan—I love kick-ass heroines.
Oh, good one! Who’s your favorite villain either from a book or a movie?
Megamind—how could anyone not love him?
You got me there! So true. Where’s the one place you’d love to visit?
Italy
What genre do you love to read but would never write?
Steampunk-the research would be mind-boggling.
Yes it would, but so worth it. Name one thing on your bucket list that would surprise people. Why?
Go parasailing. I have pathological fear of heights, so that would be a major feat for me.
I think I’ll keep my fear of heights. Where’s the one place you’d love to live?
France
Who’s the one person you’d love to meet?
Nelson Mandela
What book do you read over and over again?
Whitney my Love, by Judith McNaught
ME TOO!!! I’ve read it at least 50 times! Twice this year. I LOVE Clayton. Do you prefer to read a book written in first person or third person?
First person
Do you prefer to read stand alone books or a series?
A series—I always love to catch up with my characters.
Thank you for sharing, Ednah. Congrats on the book, it sounds awesome. Ednah has brought along an excerpt for us.
Instead of heading toward the entrance, Bran stopped. “I’m taking you home so I can search for Remy and the others.”
“Why?” Scowling, I faced him. I hated when he used that arrogant tone, like he knew what was better for me.
He pointed back at the alley. “Remember that? Demons are after you, Lil. I had no idea how badly until tonight. Soon, Valafar won’t have Dante on the sidelines watching over you. He’ll send Dante to come for you, and there’s no way I’m letting that happen.”
“You? But you saw what I can do. What we can do together. I’m stronger and keep getting better at controlling my powers every day. The demons don’t know that. Even Valafar’s people don’t. That’s why they keep acting like I’m helpless, like I’m someone who needs to be protected all the time. I don’t expect that from you, too,” I griped in an uneven tone, so annoyed I could zap him. He needed to stop treating me like a helpless person.
Bran took a deep breath and winced. “Forgive me for seeing you as the girl I love first and the Chosen One second.”
He didn’t fight fair. When he winced again, I reached for his arm. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine.”
“The dagger is healing me, Bran. Maybe if we blended our energies, just this once, we can share its healing power.”
He took a step away from me and shook his head. “No. We can’t.”
I blinked, throat thickening at the rejection. “Why can’t we link or blend our energies. What’s going on?”
He just forked his fingers though his hair and grimaced. “I can’t make you understand.”
“Try me,” I retorted.
“Not now, Lil,” he said impatiently, glancing around.
I took a deep breath, anger churning inside of me. Why couldn’t he tell me what was going on? Blending energies was the purest form of connection, especially for him and me because our energies matched. It was more intimate than kissing or anything we’d ever done. I clamped down on the anger and the pain.
“You know what, Bran? Fine,” I snapped. “Keep your stupid secrets.”
“Thank you,” he answered flippantly.
I can tell you, this is one you don’t want to miss! Purchase now at Amazon ~ Smashwords and Ednah is hold the official release party HERE on July 31 where she’ll have great giveaways and a great time!
Ednah has graciously offered one lucky poster an arc (paperback) copy of Betrayed so leave a comment below as well as an email address to be entered to win.
Also, Ednah would love to hear from you. You can visit her at her Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
And as an added bonus this week, Ednah is part of the Treasure Quest Blog hop so visit her  Blog as well as the others for a chance to win some other great prizes.
About the author:
I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, before I graduated to Mills & Boons (starting with Janet Daily's Shutter the Sky) and the rest is history.
I enjoy good love stories, tingly mysteries and wondrous adventures. When I finished my college and decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I devoured books, until reading just wasn't enough. So I started to write.
I've written picture books, contemporary and romantic suspense, biracial/multicultural books, and finally YA fantasy. AWAKENED is the first YA book in The Guardian Legacy series. It was released in September 2010. BETRAYED, book 2 in the series, will be out August 1^st 2011. I also write adult contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, book 1 of the Fitzgeralds, was out May 1^st 2011, MINE UNIL DAWN is due July 1^st. Book 3, KISS ME CRAZY, a contemporary romance, is with my editor. I'm presently working on book 4, Faith Fitzgerald’s story and book 3 of my YA Guardian Legacy series.
When I'm not writing, I do things with my family, five children or my darling husband of 19 years. I live in a picturesque valley in Utah, the setting for my YA series.
 

Treasure Quest: Discovery Lies Between the Covers

It's that time again! YIPPEE. First, let's cover a few rules.

TOUR RULES:

1)  HAVE FUN!!!

2)  INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3)  THIS TOUR STARTS:  Monday, July 18, at Midnight (Arizona Time)

     THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, July 25, at Midnight (Arizona Time)

4)  MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!! YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE ENTERED IN CONTESTS. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR CHECK BACK May 24, to see if you were a winner.

5) PARTICIPATION AT EVERY BLOG IS RECOMMENDED. BUT REMEMBER: THE MORE YOU HOP, THE MORE CHANCES YOU HAVE TO WIN. EVERY AUTHOR IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW EVERY AUTHOR SOME LOVE!

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN?  WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!

THE QUEST FOR CAGE



I decided to make this Treasure Quest a bit personal and talk about a hunt for a priceless treasure that my husband and I spent years on.

When Tony and I got married in August of 1999, we embarked on a journey for the most precious treasure of all. Although we had three wonderful children from Tony's previous marriage, we desperately wanted a child together to complete our family.

This is definitely like finding a needle in a haystack. We were soon being treated for infertility and our excitement and joy at the prospect of becoming parents together started to fade.

Sadly, as weeks turned into months and months turned into years, our attempts were all in vain. It seemed our infertility was a mystery that no one could solve.

Tony and I decided that we had already been blessed and we were fortunate, so we got our two wonderful dogs, Tess and Derby, and together with Todd, Tye, and Jaci, we devoted our time to us.

A few years go by and our oldest son Todd graduated from high school, our beloved Tess was killed when she ran onto the road and was hit by a car, Tye was getting ready to graduate from high school and go to college, and Jaci was busy with her friends and planning on where she would be going to college in a year and a half. So...it was going to be just me and Tony.

I'm not going to tell you that we didn't get depressed and start talking about how we'd have a kid in elementary school still if we'd only been able to get pregnant. But, we didn't dwell on that. Instead, we focused on how great the kids were and how cool it was to watch them planning for their future and we decided to plan for ours as well.

We bought a Harley and started thinking about all the places we wanted to ride to.  We also planned on several vacations and visiting friends and family we hadn't seen in awhile.

THEN...

Well, I'll see if you can figure out what happened. Can you find our "Discovery between the covers" or stuffed animals as it is in this picture????

After almost 10 years, our Treasure Quest ended with the arrival of Cage Crit Bowman on November 20, 2008! He's amazing and he's the best gift in the world!

Hope you've enjoyed my journey. Have a similar story to share? I'd love to hear it.  What's the one treasure that means everything to you?

PRIZES!!

Speaking of treasure!! Here's the awesome treasure I'm offering! You have four changes to win on my blog. Here are the awesome prizes:

1st place: $10 coupon to use on the Astraea Press website plus a paperback copy of my novella Wayward Soul plus 2 awesome bookmarks

2nd place: a paperback copy of my novella Wayward Soul plus 2 awesome bookmarks

3rd and 4th places: a PDF copy of my novella Wayward Soul plus I'll mail you 2 awesome bookmarks

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my Quest. Now head on over to the next blog for another exciting post with:

Jennifer Alli

BLOGFEST GIVEAWAY 2011

Welcome to BLOGFEST 2011! And thank you A Journey of Books for hosting!

I LOVE books. Reading is my favorite past time, aside from writing and playing with my kidlet. Of course, I certainly have my favorites. I thought I'd list my top five for you guys, in no particular order.

I still get chills when I think of Jessie Burlingame being tied to that bed in Gerald's Game by Stephen King. Even more so when she realizes she hasn't been imagining that she's not alone...

I know when most people think of Audrey Niffenegger, they think of her debut novel The Time Traveller's Wife. I have to tell you, as much as I loved that book, it pales in comparison for me next to her novel Her Fearful Symmetry. I read it, read it again, and then read it again a month later.

I'm tempted to say all of Jodi Picoult's books, but since I said I'd list five, I'll pick one of hers. I will tell you one of the funniest scenes ever came from her book Keeping Faith when Faith's grandma is on the stand and she's looking for her death certificate in her purse. HA! I love that scene. But...my favorite of her books is Mercy. Not only is it a tear-jerker that reminds me a lot of my very good friend Kay Springsteen's books, you gotta love a woman who gets revenge on her husband by selling all his stuff in a garage sale. including his favorite chair.

A book that might surprise some people is christian novelist Ray Blackston's Flabbergasted. What a hoot! I loved every minute of it and loved the sequels just as much.

This last book is near and dear to my heart. Yes, I'm a little biast since I wrote the story that's helping it make my list, but, hey, it's a good story:) I had the awesome privilege of working with five other great Astraea Press authors on an anthology titled Matrimonial Mayhem. I got to honor two very special people with my contribution. My mom and dad. My story The Ballad of Brenda and Willard is funny as well as near and dear to my heart. I love it and I'm so glad I wrote it for them. The proceeds from the sale go to benefit the tornado victims, so hop over to Astraea Press and for $5 get a great book and help a wonderful cause.

So that's a few of my favorites. How about you? Leave a comment telling me what your favorite book is and why and I'll enter you in a contest to win a paperback copy of my novella Wayward Soul plus your pick of FIVE ebooks from the list below. I'll also have a second, third, and fourth place prize of an ebook copy of Wayward Soul. Winners will be randomly chosen using randomizer.org

~Jean (Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights)
~Bri Clark (Cafe Seduzione)
~Stephanie Taylor (Lucky For Her)
~Stephanie Taylor (The Picture)
~Kay Springsteen (Heartsight)
~Lisa Kumar (Through the Rabbit Hole)
~Stephanie Smith (Lizzie and the Rebel)
~Monique O’Connor James (The Keepers)
~J. Gunnar Grey (Deal with the Devil, part one)
~Felicia Rogers (The Perfect Rose)
~Kristine Cheney (Spartan Heart, part one)


Also, don't forget about the grand prize and make sure to stop at the other blogs in the fest! Here are links for other participants.


Return to A Journey of Books


<a href="http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com/">KMN Books Blogspot</a>

<a href="http://www.krittersramblings.com/">Kritters Ramblings</a>

<a href="http://littylady.blogspot.com/">Lady Lit Reviews</a>

<a href="thelifeoflale.blogspot.com">Lale on Lit</a>

<a href="http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com/">Laura Kaye</a>