Amanda's BIRTHDAY BASH WILD DEADWOOD READS weekend!

Amanda McIntyre here, welcome to the weekend!

I'm fast approaching one of those milestone birthdays coming up next week and to celebrate, I’ve invited some of my WILD DEADWOOD READS author buddies to help me out! What’s WDR, you ask? Well, it’s a unique, new author/reader weekend being held June 9,10,11 in beautiful and historic Deadwood, South Dakota!

This is just a sampling of the wonderful authors who are attending this multi-genre booklovers weekend. With a bevy of events designed for both authors

and readers to experience together, this weekend boasts a variety of options, from a 188o’s train ride through the Black Hills to a ghost hunt at one of the old hotels. A PBR rodeo, book signing, trip to Mt Rushmore area also on the docket. You can learn more about this fantastic conference and how to register at WILD DEADWOOD READS. Some authors and readers are even bringing family and rolling into a vacation themed conference!

My giveaway is my Time-travel romance!

Back to birthdays…think about the best birthday you ever had. I had a tough time thinking back on *cough cough* six decades(whaaat?) of dern near anything, much less birthdays! Suffice it to say, over the years, I have made out like a bandit in the flower department since Valentines falls a week before my birthday! There are so many favorites—but the best for me have and always will be those spent with all of my family around me. This “milestone” year is extra-special because in about forty-five days I will become a first-time GRANDMA. I am SO excited to start reading to his little “jellybean.” Again, I digress…birthdays.

To make things interesting, I thought it’d be fun to ask my WDR author compadres to share what THEIR favorite birthday memories--

AMAZON

LIZBETH SELVIG-author of the Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys series

Best birthday present: a lovely, simple little heart necklace with a diamond in the center of the heart—got it from my then boyfriend/now hubby on my 17th birthday. We’ve been married 42 years and it’s still so special to me!

AMAZON

TINA SUSEDIK-author of historical western Soul Mate Tree series

My best birthday present ever was a trip to Hawaii. I was on Waikiki beach for my 40th birthday.

AMAZON

SABLE HUNTER-author of the HELL YEAH cowboy and Cajun series

Best Birthday Gift - Black Jaguar S Type - loved, loved, loved that car

*editor's note: two words. Hell Yeah!

 

AMAZON

 E.E.BURKE-award-winning author of historical and soon-contemporary romance

 My best birthday present ever was a ring my husband bought for my 40th birthday. When we first got married some 30+ years ago my wedding ring was a gold band. I'd commented at the time that I would love to have a channel set diamond ring if we could ever afford it. Twenty years later, he outdid himself! He's always outdoing himself when it comes to showing me how much he loves me.

AMAZON

 MADDIE JAMES-author of contemporary romance

My best birthday present ever was... a pony!



AMAZON

LYNDA COX-author of romance novel and professional dog show handle

Best birthday present was signing the contract for my first book.

AMAZON

GINGER RING-author of the       

 Genoa Mafia series

Best birthday gift ever-- For my 40th I said I wanted to do something that I had previously said I would never do. So I got a tattoo and I love it.

AMAZON

 RANDI ALEXANDER-New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Autho who  writes smokin' hot cowboy romance

 My best birthday present ever was... a family trip to the beautiful, tropical island of Sanibel, Florida.

AMAZON

BROOKE MAY-author of contemporary western romance

My best birthday present ever was ten days after my birthday my oldest son came into the world just one day before his due date. The same due date my mom had with me twenty years prior. He brought a whole new purpose to my life and continues to amaze me even nearly nine years later.

AMAZON

JUNE KRAMIN-author of contemporary romance

My best birthday present ever was: A swatch watch from my son that looks like a candy bracelet! I saw a picture and really wanted it! It was discontinued and he found one!

AMAZON

PJ FIALA-author  of steamy romance

Best Birthday Present Ever:  So many to choose from. Each year I get a gift certificate for a massage from a local spa.  It's one I look forward to.

AMAZON

  
 PATY JAGER-author of contemporary western romance

My best birthday present ever was a dachshund puppy.

AMAZON

WYNTER S.K.-romance with razor-sharp edge

My best birthday present ever was dinner in Cinderella's castle at Disney World in 2009, while I was on my honeymoon :-) I married a romantic!

Now it 's your turn to join in the fun!

These authors are giving away the best present ever by way of offering ONE WINNER a whole stack of new eBook reads!!

All you have to do is answer the following question--

MY BEST BIRTHDAY EVER WAS...

THEN, CLICK /LIKE/FOLLOW the authors links and be entered into the rafflecopter drawing! The more links you follow, the greater your chance to win!



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HOWDY! Melissa Keir !

Say HOWDY! to author Melissa Keir & her book, Crashing Into Love

Melissa Keir. For my wedding in Vegas, my books and computer came with me but there wasn't enough room for my wedding shoes. It’s all about priorities! As an avid reader, I was probably born with a book in hand. Luckily my mom was also an avid reader, so it was easy to "borrow" her books when my books were finished.

I was reading from an early age about dashing men on horseback riding to the rescue of strong willed and capable women who didn't really need rescuing. I came to expect that women in fairy tales should have fought their own battles. When I was older, I found Margaret Atwood and realized that women could re-tell history in their own way and I experimented with changing those basic fairy tales.

Fortunately for me, my husband allows me the opportunity to be myself (spend my salary on books) and still takes care of the really important things for me like killing spiders and opening jars. As an elementary teacher, teaching children about the many worlds inside of books is a gift that I’m lucky enough to do for a living. Teaching the next generation to love reading is a lot of fun! Reading the right book can make a new world come alive!

Currently living in the suburbs of Ann Arbor, Michigan with my darling husband, way-too-grown-up children and spoiled dogs, I enjoy getting away through a book to escape the harsh winters or summer road construction.

Can Rob and Keira's second honeymoon lead to romance

or will it crash and burn?

On the verge of a divorce, Rob and Keira Matthews book a second honeymoon at the urging of their counselor. Unable to conceive, they've pushed each other away in an effort to protect their hearts. Will a romantic holiday be the ticket to love or a plane crash in disaster?

Find the boxed set Crashing Into Love at: Amazon   Amazon UK   Createspace

And now for the fun part, questions for Melissa!

Vicki:  I’m a huge handbag girl. What is your favorite accessory? Melissa: My favorite accessory is lipstick. I love to buy lipstick in a variety of shades. After all, one can’t have too many lipsticks! It makes me feel so sexy!

Vicki: What’s the first book you remember reading? Melissa: The first romance that I remember reading was Johanna Lindsey’s Captive Bride. I fell in love with the hero and set out to find my own prince. Vicki: You picked a winner! 

Vicki: What’s your favorite cartoon character? Melissa: Sailor Moon or Jem. Both were important parts of my life. My kids fell in love with Sailor Moon and we had to get all the dolls, cards, swag! I liked the idea of girls who were superheroes. Jem was one of my favorite shows when I was a teenager. I had the dolls and then introduced them to my daughter. She ended up becoming as big of a fan as I was.

Vicki: Who’s your favorite villain? Melissa: My favorite villain is Loki from Thor and The Avengers. He’s dangerous but certainly has some reasons for being the bad guy.

Vicki: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up? Melissa: I’ve always wanted to be a race car driver. No not the Nascar type but the funny car like Cha Cha Muldowney.

Vicki: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children? Melissa: My family always made dilly beans together. I remember my grandmother, aunt and mother together in grandma’s kitchen canning and pickling them. My dad still makes them each year and now I’ve passed that onto my own children. My daughter and I have done this for the last few years. Of course, the beans don’t last very long (and they taste wonderful in a Bloody Mary).Vicki: I don't know dilly beans.

Vicki: Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? Melissa: While I love the early America time period, I’ve always laughed that I’d be a horrible Native American. I love their history and share many beliefs with them. In fact, I used to share native studies with elementary students. Yet, I hate the idea of killing animals for food. I’d probably be the first vegetarian Native American. Not to mention the whole part about the hot skins and no air conditioning. I’d probably have to be naked.

FIND Melissa at: Website   Facebook   Twitter

What's UP NEXT, Melissa? I’m working on the sequel to Protecting His Wolfe. I also will write a third Cowboy story.

PREVIOUS RELEASES: Cowboy Up and Cowboy Up 2 book bundles.

MELISSA IS DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING their email in the COMMENTS: I’ll give away a copy of Cowboy Up 2 book bundle.

NOTE: Please leave an email address for notification. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

Thank you, Melissa, for sharing with me today!

E.E. Burke's BEST OF THE WEST with Award-winning Author Laura Drake

Today, my Best of the West guest is Laura Drake. A Texan at heart (now in residence), she writes women's fiction and contemporary Western romances featuring uber-hunky bull riders. Check this one out.

A Love as Bold as a Texas Sunset . . .

Ex-army medic Katya Smith has always healed other people's pain. Now she has to deal with her own. Taking a job as an athletic trainer on the Pro Bull Riding circuit seems like the perfect escape from her grief--except Katya doesn't know anything about bulls, and even less about the tough men who ride them. She doesn't expect to fall for the sport, or for one tantalizing cowboy who tumbles her defenses.

For rodeo champion Cam Cahill, fifteen years of bucking bulls have taken their toll on his body. Before he retires, he wants a final chance at the world title--and he doesn't need some New Age gypsy telling him how to do his job. But when the stunning trainer with the magical hands repairs more than his worn muscles, everything changes. Soon Cam finds himself trying to persuade Katya to forgive her past so she can build a future . . . with him.

Here's an excerpt

Katya’s heels echoed as she entered the white tiled hallway. The long, emotional day left her wilted, feeling as if she’d worn this suit for days. And she still had to nail this job. She rolled her shoulders. This next hour would be the crossroads of her future.

Buck up, soldier. She straightened her spine, tightened her core muscles, and marched.

She turned the corner of the white tiled hallway. Her step faltered. A cowboy strode ahead of her, head down, spurs jingling. What Maydelle had called chaps hugged his slightly bowed legs, fringes bouncing. She hadn’t seen a cowboy from the back before. Wide bands of smooth leather curved from between his thighs to cup his butt, creating a frame for a perfect picture. Not that the jeans were tight. They were a working man’s jeans, used and dusty. Which made them all the sexier.

Wowzer.

He held the vest the riders wore in one hand and a rope in the other, a bell on the end dragging behind. The bright red Western shirt he wore tightly tucked at his small waist widened to broad shoulders, his blond hair was cut short beneath the dark brown hat.

Nice. A muscle under her ribs fluttered. Walking behind men in those chaps would be a sweet perk of this job.

He hurled the rope in a sudden vicious burst. The bell clanged and echoed as it hit the wall.

“Shit!” The cowboy squatted, clutching his shoulder and swearing like a drill sergeant.

She almost stopped, to see if she could help. When he rolled his shoulder, she knew he hadn’t dislocated it.

Dr. Cody was waiting. If she didn’t nail this job, she’d never be able to help anyone.

He swore viciously.

“Well. Excuse me.” Figures. No matter how studly they may look, star athletes were at heart tantrum-throwing toddlers. She had two years of locker room stories to prove it. New sport, same infantile behavior.

“Pardon me, ma’am.”

He sounded sincere, but she glanced back, just to be sure.

God save the world from baby-faced men. Washed, blue-sky eyes with sun-squint lines at their corners, a strong jaw, and full lips. Lips, that as she watched, quirked as his eyes took a long, slow trip up her legs.

She faced forward so fast her neck popped. Why do the good-looking ones have to be assholes?

Meet Laura 

Laura Drake is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways, or a serious cowboy crush. She writes both Women's Fiction and Romance.

She sold her Sweet on a Cowboy series, romances set in the world of professional bull riding, to Grand Central. The Sweet Spot (May 2013), Nothing Sweeter (Jan 2014) and Sweet on You (August 2014). The Sweet Spot won the 2014 Romance Writers of America^®   RITA^® award in the Best First Book category.

Her 'biker-chick' novel, Her Road Home, sold to Harlequin's Superromance line (August, 2013) and has expanded to three more stories set in the same small town. The Reasons to Stay released August, 2014.

In 2014, Laura realized a lifelong dream of becoming a Texan and is currently working on her accent. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write full time. She's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.

Website:  http://LauraDrakeBooks.com

Twitter:  @PBRWriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraDrakeBooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/247709.Laura_Drake

E.E.: What’s the first book you remember reading?

Laura: Aside from the obligatory Dick and Jane stuff, I remember getting Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry for my birthday. Loved the story, and especially the watercolor paintings of that round-belly pinto with flowers woven in her mane, standing on a beach with a blue sky background. Sigh. Horse stories were like crack to a horse-crazy little girl from Michigan!

E.E. What sound or noise do you love? 

Laura: The sound of water. Fountains, rain, the ocean . . . but my favorite is the sound of water, chuckling over rocks in a stream. I fly fish (catch and release only-and I still feel sorry about hurting the trout!), I think fully half the reason is just to be out in nature with the shadows of leaves sliding over me, and the sound of the water… Oh, this is making me want to go fishing!

E.E.: What do you do to unwind and relax? 

Laura: Aside from fishing, I love to ride my motorcycle. I rode 100,000 miles behind my husband before learning to ride my own, and I now have more than 100k under my belt!  All our vacations were taken on the motorcycles at one time and we were putting more than 10k a year on them. I’ve been to all the Western states, and Western Canada as well. It’s an amazing way to see the country. Your destination is just an excuse to go – the important part is the journey going there! 

E.E.: Do you have stories that inspired your books?

Laura: Boy, do I have stories! In fact, the first book I wrote, Her Road Home (first book in my Widow’s Grove series), was sparked by coming around a sweeping turn on the back of my husband’s motorcycle in Central California, and seeing an old Victorian on a grassy hill all by itself, shabby and abandoned. Its white paint was gray with age, but it was still regal, sitting atop that hill. I wanted to stop and buy it. Hubby nixed that idea, so I gave it a fictional family, instead.

E.E.: What one thing about your hero drives his heroine crazy? And what one thing about your heroine drives her hero nuts?

Laura: In Twice in a Blue Moon, my heroine, Indigo Blue, makes Danovan DiCarlo nuts because he wants her - but not only is she his boss, she’s a widow, grieving for her septuagenarian husband. Why would a Hollywood ‘arm-candy’ wife want to run a winery, when she admits to knowing nothing of the business? She doesn’t even drink, for cripes sakes! He just doesn’t ‘get’ her at all. Danovan makes Indigo crazy because he keeps lying to her! Every time she relaxes, and starts trusting and caring for him, she discovers another untruth. And a lie out of kindness is still a lie.

E.E.: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go?

Laura: The old West, of course! But I’d want to come back as a man – I’m not sure I’m tough enough to be a woman back then. I’d just love to know what it was really like. 

Cribs Birdcage, licensed under GFDL via Wikipedia

The best glimpse I ever had of that past was when I visited the Birdcage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona. Have you ever been? It is amazing. It looks like the patrons locked it up and walked away, a hundred years ago. There are poker tables on the main floor, a stage up front with the original red velvet drapes, dusty and falling apart. On both sides, above your head, are the ‘cribs’ where the soiled doves plied their trade. Oh. My. Gosh. Each was about seven feet long, and five feet deep, and had only curtains covering the view to the floor below! Can you imagine? Below the stage is a small room where the world’s longest poker game was held. One continuous game went on there for 8 years, 5 months, and 3 days! If you ever get the chance to visit, don’t pass it up.

E.E.: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Laura: I’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch of them – from signing at conferences to meeting real live fans (they like me! They really like me!) But the biggest thrill of my life (but don’t tell my husband, he thinks he is) was winning the RITA for Best First Book at the RWA National conference last year! In case you don’t know, the RITA is the ‘Oscar’ of the Romance writing industry, and they are given away at a black-tie dinner for 2,000. 

I figured it was my only chance in my life to legitimately ‘go glam’, so I rented a sequined dress that looked like molten gold in the lights – when they called my name, I couldn’t believe it was actually happening! It was the high point of my life. Here’s a link to my acceptance speech, and that gorgeous dress! 

https://youtu.be/d641Hq_iZw8

E.E.: What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do?

Laura: I write romance and Women’s Fiction with uplifting outcomes. Books have sustained me through some very hard times in my life. I’d like others to know that though it may not seem like it in those moments, things do get better, and there’s always an HEA just waiting to happen . . .

Today, Laura will offer three autographed copies of Sweet on You (mailed in the U.S. only). Just comment and enter the drawing.

Where would go on a "dream trip? and why?"

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E.E. Burke's Birthday Bash featuring Kim Rocha's top picks for BEST OF THE WEST

This weekend I celebrate my birthday. I love giving gifts as much as getting them, so I wanted to share with you, our readers, the gift of some great recommendations in Western romance, and to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card so you can go out and buy them!

For a top five "must reads" list, I reached out to KIM ROCHA, who blogs and reviews books on her site, Book Obsessed Chicks as well as being a feature columnist on Romance at Random. She has a passion for romance, a soft-spot for Westerns and a love for great books.

So, take it away, Kim.

Thanks for inviting me to Get Lost in a Story, E.E.!

Many don't know that I am quite the recent romance reader. I used to strictly read horror before I finished school, and when I had my first child, my reading days were over. I sporadically read here and there, but didn't really get back into it until 2008. Even then I was only reading paranormal until I met Beth Williamson in 2011 and she sent me her novella, A Cowboy's Muse. My obsession with the West began. Sometimes trying to explain to other romance readers that Western romance isn't always about the cowboy can be frustrating, but when I can give them examples and sometimes they take my advice, it's a wonderful thing!

Trying to whittle my way into giving you my Top 5 is like asking which is your favorite child, but I will do my best! These are in no particular order by the way.

Check out this book on Amazon

Cowboy Take Me Away 

by Lorelei James

This last book in Lorelei James' Rough Rider series can also be a gateway to the series. This is how the McKay clan began with Mom and Dad McKay, Caroline and Carson. Cowboy Take Me Away is one of those books that makes you want to go back and read the entire series over again despite the fact that you may have a TBR pile a mile high. These rough and tumble McKay and West people are unique and engaging and Ms. James has given them a legacy for readers to devour.

Check out this book on Amazon

Train Station Bride by Holly Bush

Back in 2012 when I picked up Train Station Bride by Holly Bush, I didn't know what to expect from this new author to me. The original cover was a sepia tone photo of the inside of a train car, sort of nondescript, but as a photographer, I wanted to know more. This is one of the best stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. It takes a down-on-her-luck girl from the East and brings her out West in hopes of a better life as a mail-order bride. The whole "getting to know you" theme is so amazing and the story that Ms Bush brings to light is a lasting one. Train Station Bride has recently been re-released and is a must read, as are the rest of Holly Bush's books.

Check out this book on Amazon

Three Weeks with a Bull Rider

by Cat Johnson

Author Cat Johnson has been thrilling readers for years with her hot cowboys and military men. In her Oklahoma Nights series Cat brings us a fresh new take on cowboys and some pretty amazing reads. Cat's third book in the series, Three Night's with a Bull Rider is my favorite in this series to date, and not only because it's got a pretty hot cowboy in it. Let's face it, what girl wouldn't want a handsome bull rider? Jace and Tara's story is striking because it takes two unlikely to be together characters and give them so much passion that cannot be denied. Cat Johnson's ability to make the pair who have such disdain for one another come to desire one another so deeply is what I love about this book and Ms, Johnson.

Check out this book on Amazon

The Sweet Spot 
by Laura Drake

The Sweet Spot by Laura Drake hit me hard. It's right up there with my favorite Bertrice Small book and that is saying something. Ms. Drake takes a couple who were once in love, separates them with the ultimate tragedy for parents and then after a time rekindles that love. This book teems with so much emotion and hope that it has earned its permanent place on the top of my favorites list. Laura Drake is a brilliant writer, she engages the reader from the first line to the end.

Check out this book on Amazon

Brody by Emma Lang

Beth Williamson writing as Emma Lang's Brody in the Circle Eight series is still my favorite because the character Brody himself is the epitome of my alpha hero.To date, I base all my opinions on alpha heroes on Brody. When I first began this series with the first book, Matthew, I knew Brody's book was going to be something else with the spitfire Olivia Graham and the dedicated Texas Ranger. Their quest brings danger as well as romance and it's another book not to be missed.

Meet Kim

Kimberly Rocha is the founder of Book Obsessed Chicks book blog. She lives on Long Island with her family who patiently moves out of the way on book club night.  They lend a hand for the Book Obsessed Chicks annual BBQ, bringing authors and readers together on Long Island, NY. Kimberly is also a talented photographer with an infectious laugh. She contributes the monthly “Western Roundup” column to the Romance at Random blog, works full time for www.MyAuthorBiz.com and www.MyBookCRAVE.com on the marketing team.

Here's where you can find Kim:

Blog: www.BookObsessedChicks.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Book-Obsessed-Chicks/163870460350960

Website: www.MyAuthorBiz.com http://myauthorbiz.com/info/index.php

Newsletter: www.MyBookCRAVE.com

E.E.: I love reading your reviews because you've got such a passion for this genre. How did you get started as a reviewer/blogger?

Kim: In the Summer of 2010 I went to my very first author event in Boston for Lara Adrian. When I left that weekend I was so inspired that went home and started the Book Obsessed Chicks blog with another reader and also started my book club of the same name, which now has 5 chapters. The reviewer part came naturally since growing up I loved to write and loved to give my opinion! Well I found out that I am not an author, but I do love to tell people about the books I enjoy. 

E.E.: What do you love most about Western romance?

Kim: What grabs me most about Western romance is the state of mind. I live in New York where things happen so fast, it's hard to slow down sometimes, but the kicking up my heels and reading a Western brings me to a place I'd really like to get to know. I love the cowboy/ranch culture and the differences between East and West.

E.E.: What will always make you smile, even on a bad day?

Kim: My Facebook friends are a constant source of smiles. Just from one post I can get a crowd of faithful followers to make me feel great. A great book will do that to me as well!

E.E.: Where do you read and how often?

Kim: I read everyday that I am home. When I am at a conference I can never concentrate, but there isn't one night at home, lying on my sofa, I don't have a book or my iPad in hand. I am also really OCD about finishing a book in a sitting. It doesn't matter if the birds are chirping and my eyes are burning when THE END appears, I have to get it done.

To celebrate my birthday, I'm giving away a $25 Amazon gift card, as well as autographed copies of three of my books. Just comment and enter the raffle.

We want to know your favorites. What Western historical or contemporary romance should be on our list of "must reads"?

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