♥ E-book Sale at Smashwords! ♥

Every year, Smashwords has their July Summer/Winter sale. I've decided to participate this year by enrolling all my titles in the promotion. That means you can get Honor, Betrayal, Deception, Intrigue, Spellbound, Heartless, Redemption, and Forgotten, and other Heartless tales for only $1.50 (USD) each by using coupon code SSW50 in your shopping cart. The 11th Commandment and The Dragon's Birth are FREE using the same code, and My Lady Coward is always FREE. ☺

Thank you so much for all your support, my lovelies! ♥

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪  Sick Puppies ~ Don't Walk Away 

~Snippet Saturday~ Redemption

I almost forgot about today’s post. I woke up with a smile on my face and a song in my head (see below), and it hit me just as I opened my eyes: “Oh crap. It’s Saturday. I have a full day planned and I totally forgot to schedule a snippet.” So here I am and I’ve chosen a snippet from one of my older books. Enjoy! ♥ 

---

(Redemption, from chapter six...)

Jenny wished she possessed a tiny bit of her mother’s poise. She had always loved her mother and wanted to be her when she grew up. Now, seeing the disappointment slowly unfurl in her parent’s beautiful blue eyes, she wished she were anywhere but there.

She cast her eyes to her twin, questioning her. Gwen’s smile was strained and after a moment, faded completely.

“We are concerned for you, my love,” the duchess said softly. She took her daughter’s hands in a comforting clasp, squeezing gently. “You have been spending much time at the Prestwich’s residence.”

“Gwen has visited too,” Jenny offered, confused.

Her grace nodded. “Yes, dear, I know. What concerns me is your association with Mr. Darius Prestwich.”

Jenny didn’t say a word. She just looked at her mother, waiting.

Lady Denbigh sighed. With a little tug, she pulled her child over to the bed and sat down. Gwen joined them.

“If I ask you about your feelings for Mr. Prestwich, will you be honest, I wonder?”

Since it appeared to be a rhetorical question, Jenny said nothing.

“I am your mother, Genevieve, and I love you. I know you have very strong feelings for this young man and I’m not sure you understand exactly what it is about him that worries your brother.”

“Con spends too much time with his nose in other people’s affairs,” Jenny retorted bitterly.

“Perhaps,” her mother allowed magnanimously. “But I think he has reason to be concerned, Jenny.”

Jenny realized her mother would not leave it be until she’d revealed the cause of all the worry. So, with a heartfelt, bone-weary sigh, she invited, “Tell me what he’s done, Mama.”

---

Thank you for stopping by. If you liked what you read, you can read another excerpt on my site HERE, or get the e-book from Amazon (US or UK), B&N, Apple, Smashwords, or Kobo. Have a lovely day! 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Five Finger Death Punch ~ Far From Home

Redemption is FREE April 13-17

Have you been hoping Redemption would be free so you can add it to your e-library? Now's your chance and it will be your ONLY chance to get the revamped version FREE. I'm not enrolling this one in KDP Select so getting it from Amazon will cost $2.99. If you stop by Smashwords between April 13-17 and use code TY54M in your cart, however, you can grab the format of your choice absolutely free. Take advantage while you can! Click HERE to go to the site. 

*To take advantage of this offer, click HERE, add the book to your cart, enter code TY54M in the space provided in the cart, click apply, then checkout. Make sure it lists your cart total as $0.00 before you click checkout, or you will be charged the regular price of $2.99. ♥

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Staind ~ Safe Place

~Cover Reveal~ Redemption Gets New Threads

Many of you know my older Regency romances have been picked up by TreasureLine Publishing, so I've been working on giving them new coats, as well as better formatted interiors. Heartless was the first to get that, though it took me over a year to accomplish it. I haven't taken nearly so long with Redemption, though the cover is something I've been working on for quite a while. 

Before I get to the point, let me refresh your memory....

◄This was the very first cover I made for Redemption, way back in 2008, when  CreateSpace's self-published books department was still pretty new and the number of Kindle books was about 40,000. My graphics program was one of the earlier versions of Microsoft's now defunct Picture It! program. The photo was one I took myself.

This is the remade cover it got a year or so later. Not much difference, though an improvement, if only a slight one. I believe at that time I was still using Picture It! for my graphic design needs and it's the same photo I used in the first version of this cover. ►

And this is the new cover, one that I hope will be the last cover for this book. I've come a long way in cover design, haven't I? LOL This one was made using Corel's Paint Shop Pro and some stock photos I acquired from Dreamstime. ▼

If you'd like to read more about this book, you can visit my Redemption page on my website. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Joelle (FFXIII-2) ~ Plains of Eternity

~Sweet Saturday Sample~ Redemption

Redemption is one of my first published books. It met the world back in '08. At just over 30k words it's not really considered a novel, but it is packed with a novel's intensity. After reaching the decision to rework all my older books (new covers, new formatting, a bit of editing), I also decided to add a bit to Redemption, if I can—sometimes stories/characters don't cooperate. 

All that said, here's a scene from the current edition, before anything has been reworked. Twin brothers Miles and Darius Prestwich haven't seen each in years. This snippet is taken from the middle of chapter one. Enjoy! ♥ 

---

Instead of returning to the drawing room on the first floor, Dare decided to do a little exploring. He eased his way past the open doors of the room containing Bri and hurried down the rest of the stairs. He supposed Miles was about somewhere and if he knew his twin at all, he was willing to bet he was in the study poring over paperwork.

Dare shuddered. He hated paperwork. In fact, he could barely read and that suited him just fine. He had no use for books or newspapers and less use for writing.

Miles, on the other hand, had a flair for making sense of chaotic offices, studies, and libraries and simply thrived on literature. He usually had his nose in some book or other or his hands in papers that made no sense to anyone sane. Another shudder snaked through Dare’s body at the mere thought of organizing anything.

Making another turn, Dare faced a closed door. He was willing to bet he faced the study, as it was farthest from the noise of the street and house traffic. He pushed it open and walked in.

Miles looked up with a guilty flush, thinking it was Bri who had caught him daydreaming. He frowned when he saw his wandering twin.

Dare grinned, his face looking even more handsome than normal. “Please, Miles, your excitement over seeing me again after all these years is unbecoming in a man. Restrain yourself.” He crossed his arms over his chest and advanced into the room, gazing about in interest.

Miles frowned even more heavily at his brother’s levity but remained silent for the moment. Then he noticed Dare’s choice of garb. “What the devil are you wearing?”

Dare looked down with an expression of feigned wonder on his face. “Oh, dear father in heaven! I’m wearing clothes! I left my room naked. Where did these come from?” He pulled at his shirt, making it billow out away from his muscular chest. His look of bafflement was something to behold.

Miles almost smiled at Dare’s playacting. Instead, he gave him a stern look. “You are dressed far too casual for London and our cousin’s house, Dare. What if someone calls on Bri and sees you dressed like that? You could ruin all of our social cache in just one sitting.”

“What if, shwat if,” remarked Dare carelessly. “I will wear what I want until I am forced to go about in Society. And if the ladies who visit will be frightened by my dress I will simply hide until they go away.”

“Will you cut your hair?”

That wiped the grin off Dare’s face. “Why should I?”

“You look like a pirate, Dare. All you lack is the eyepatch.”

A gleam of interest lit Dare’s expressive face. “Indeed. I’ll look into that.”

---

♥Thank you for stopping by and reading this older snippet!♥ 

Please take a moment to check out the other 

Sweet Saturday Samples 

posted this week. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Lee Ann Womack ~ A Little Past Little Rock

Read an Ebook Week (March 6-12, 2011)...Continued

Wow. Not only is Redemption FREE this week, but TreasureLine has enrolled Deception for 50% OFF, too!! Get over to Smashwords and take advantage of these deals! The promotion ends March 12.* 

Don't forget to take a look around at some of the other books available for 25, 50, 75, and 100% off in the Read an Ebook Week site-wide promotion.

Deception:
England 1818. Determined to find love, Aurora Glendenning hides her wealth and status, wanting a man to love her for her...one who will overlook her mistakes. When she meets Levi, Lord Greville, she thinks her prayers have been answered. There's just one problem: he needs wealth to right his wrongs. Can love make everything all right in this tale with so many lies and unanswered questions?

Redemption:
1821. Lady Jenny is the pampered, beloved daughter of a duke. Becoming a little jaded after several Seasons, Jenny flirts shamelessly with the newest rogue to grace London, Dare Prestwich. The situation gets out of hand, Dare flees, and Jenny must face judgmental Society alone. The one left to pick up the pieces is Dare's twin, Miles, who is in love with Jenny's twin, Gwen. Oh, the scandal.

*Pictures link to the respective books at Smashwords. All links will open in a new tab or window, depending on your browser settings.

Read an Ebook Week (March 6-12, 2011)

Redemption is up for FREE download at Smashwords! Go snap it up before it's too late! Read an Ebook Week ends March 12. There are a ton of other great titles up for grabs too, so go check it out. You won't be disappointed!

Ebook Description

1821. Lady Jenny is the pampered, beloved daughter of a duke. Becoming a little jaded after several Seasons, Jenny flirts shamelessly with the newest rogue to grace London, Dare Prestwich. The situation gets out of hand, Dare flees, and Jenny must face judgmental Society alone. The one left to pick up the pieces is Dare's twin, Miles, who is in love with Jenny's twin, Gwen. Oh, the scandal.

I Made a Mistake. I'm Sorry.

With the receipt of a less than glowing 3-star review, I have come to the realization that I may have made a tactical error. In releasing my books out of order, I have caused preventable confusion. In failing to market them as a series, I have caused even more. This was nearsighted of me and I apologize for it. 

Since I can't undo the damage I've done, here's a list of my currently released titles in the order they *should* be read: 

1. Betrayal (1816-1817)
2. Deception (1818)
3. Spellbound (early 1820)
4. Heartless (late 1820)
5. Redemption (1821)

It seems, however, that I've made the mistake of setting myself into a course that I can't alter. The next book up for release is Honor, a story that takes place a year or so before Betrayal. Part of me never wanted to release Honor but readers have demanded Connor's story. He is an intriguing secondary character and probably deserves his turn in the limelight. It will be taking another step back in time, however, to make his story available. You see my dilemma. 

In conclusion, I apologize for this error. I pray my readers are not too upset with me for overlooking the possibility of this result. 

Summer Treasure Hunt : My Winner

My day in the Summer Treasure Hunt was June 24. The winner of my donation is Cydni Tongish of Utah! Cydni has won an autographed copy of my Regency romance, Redemption, and a 19" string of hand-knotted freshwater pearls ($45 value) made by Jay T Lyons of JaysDesign Jewelry!

Check the original post for more prizes waiting to be won!!

Paperback Update

I am in the process of updating my currently published titles. Stupid? Maybe. Pointless? Hardly. Do I have control issues? Most definitely!

The Kindle versions are done. The regular eBook versions are done. Now, I'm updating the paperbacks, which takes longer, as I have to approve the new copies. Look for a title or two to be down for a week or more at one time.

As of posting this message, Heartless and Spellbound are taking a breather. Betrayal is finished. The new copy is what is now available on CreateSpace and Amazon, despite appearances to the contrary. I expect my proof copy of Spellbound to arrive any day, at which point it will be approved--fingers crossed--and then Redemption will take a break. In a week or so, Heartless should be back up for sale.

What are the differences between 1st and 2nd editions?

1. First and foremost, the artwork. I updated the cover art. The other covers all had some aspect I found mildly annoying. (Why were they published that way in the first place? I am impatient. I am an impatient control freak. How does that translate in regard to my overall health? Stress, stress, and more stress. LOL)
2. There were a few things I overlooked that my husband thought were rather important. I fixed those.
3. And, of course, I noticed a couple little typos that were overlooked in the billion edits these all went through before publication. There is always at least one, no matter how many different people go over the manuscript however many times. Even "professional" editors miss things.
4. I also cleaned up the formatting a bit. This altered the page count. The books seem longer now. They are not. The word count is the same. Ex: Betrayal went from being 144pgs to 172pgs. The word count is still about 60,000.

All that aside, here is an example of the new & old covers

I think you see my point...