Justine Davis--EPIC Finalist!

I'm thrilled to welcome Justine Davis back to the blog and announce that Lord of the Storm is a finalist for the prestigious EPIC award in the Science Fiction Category.

Shaylah Graymist, ace fighter pilot for a brutal intergalactic Coalition, is given a slave as a reward for heroism in battle. The incredibly virile slave named Wolf wears a collar which controls him completely, allowing her to make him do anything she wants. Yet Shaylah has an old-fashioned belief in love and refuses to take advantage of him. A tense friendship grows between her and Wolf, along with deep desires he refuses to admit. The Coalition destroyed his people. He won't betray their memory. 

When Shaylah returns to battle, Wolf rebels and is sold to a prison colony. She frees him, and together they journey to his home planet. As she learns more about Wolf, she begins to question her loyalty to the Coalition, and the passions between them burn out of control.

Find out more here: Lord of the Storm

Jan: What is your definition of romance?

Justine: Ironically, this question really stopped me. Since you said romance, and not love—two different but related things—the words that come to mind are thrilling, balancing act, too fast or too slow. All parts of the process, I think. Nothing matches the thrill, the balancing act between your life Before and your life Now, and wavering between wanting to jump ahead and being afraid enough to want to slow down. . .it's all in there. But just recently I read a quote from the greatest baseball announcer of all time (there is no arguing this, sorry) Mr. Vin Scully who, when encountering someone on the way to a wedding, said, "Ah, marriage. The most optimistic of man's endeavors." I have to agree.

Jan:  What’s on your bucket list?

Justine: The main item on my list is to live long enough to tell all the stories I want to tell. That's also unachievable, so I'm not sure what that says about me.  

Jan:  You’ve won FOUR RITA awards from Romance Writers of America and are a Hall of Famer to boot!  When you first started writing, how did you define success?  

Justine: That could have a long answer since I started writing. . .well, as soon as I could write. Before that I told stories in my head. I thought everyone did. Later I would write endless sagas, because I didn't know how to bring things to a close, and because those people were my friends and I didn't want to leave them. I think that's why I love romance, because I know my people are happy and I can picture where they are now and smile. I love it when I get mail asking how/where characters are now, because it means they're as alive to that reader as they are to me. But I digress. . .  I think the first real success for me was when I wrote a story that had an actual beginning, middle, and end. It was only eighty pages, but it was a triumph. I took that thing out and just looked at it often. When, thanks to the encouragement of my husband and a new computer purchased with a small inheritance from a much beloved aunt who shared my love of reading, I began to write with an eye to publication, I told myself I wanted to sell my first book by the time I was thirty. I was a bit late on that, but in my thirties was close enough.

Jan: In your spare time, you knit and enjoy photography.  What sort of writing schedule works best for you to balance your world?

Justine: I'm still looking for that balance. I've found having a dog that requires attention and walks is crucial. Otherwise I'd be in my office all day and half the night. My schedule is completely reversed from what it used to be. I used to be the proverbial night owl. (hence the graveyard shift) I would get off at 8AM, go home and sleep from nine to about one or two in the afternoon, get up and write until 9PM when it was time to start getting ready for my duty shift. My brain didn't really kick into gear until evenings, and at midnight I was just hitting my stride. But when my husband became ill everything changed, I had to hit the ground running first thing in the morning. Over the next three years my inner clock got reset, and it seems to have stuck. I'm up and working by six most mornings, often earlier. About 1ish the dog reminds me she exists, and it's off for a long walk. And wherever I go I take my phone to make notes, so I guess I'm never really not working in some way.

Jan: What's next for you?
Justine: Besides new Cutters, I've just signed to do a book in the Whiskey River series for Tule Publishing. I'll get to write in a world created by two long-time writing friends, Eve Gaddy and Kathy Garbera. It's been a long time since I've gotten to write a pure romance, and I'm looking forward to it. 

It's always a pleasure to visit with Justine.  Please scroll down to the Rafflecopter and enter for a chance to WIN a copy of LORD OF THE STORM!!

FIND JUSTINE DAVIS: 

Contact: Justine's email

Website: justinedavis.com

Facebook:  JustineDareDavis

Twitter: @Justine_D_Davis

Pinterest: pinterest.com/justineddavis

                               Blogs: justinedaredavis.wordpress.com

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GET LOST THIS FALL IN A GREAT ROMANCE

Today, we’ll get an update on our current projects and exciting announcements, as well as discover what’s inspiring our authors as we go through the fall season and into the holidays.

Clover Autry

I love the fall. It's the beginning of cooler weather, rich color, and of course, the beginning of the holiday season, almost like a culmination of celebrations one after the other that finishes off with the newness of a bright shiny new year. 

My only daughter is getting married so it's been a recent flurry of gown shopping, picking colors and floral arrangements, but through it all, the romance and young love surfaces like a delicate shining crystal amid all the busy details.

Watching her face light up at the mention of her fiance's name is a wonderful reminder of all the things young love represents. No wonder we revisit it in romance novel after romance novel. And being able to write that blossoming love on a daily basis is such a treat. 

Donnell Bell

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. While everyone was trick or treating, I was dressing up my November release, Betrayed, brought to you by Bell Bridge Books. 

Betrayed will be available for purchase November 18, 2014.  But right now it’s available for preorder on Amazon.

Here’s a little reveal about the book.   

Betrayed by Donnell Ann Bell

When Oklahoma City resident, Irene Turner learns the incomprehensible, that the stillborn baby she delivered 28-years earlier is alive, she takes the evidence to where her daughter now lives—Denver Colorado. 

Detective Nate Paxton can’t believe what Irene’s evidence shows him.  Kinsey Masters, a world-class athlete, raised by a prominent Denver family, an unattainable woman he’s known and loved for years, was stolen at birth. 

Irene Turner, Nate Paxton, and Kinsey Masters are united in a sordid conspiracy.  But, it’s who the conspirators turn out to be that will leave the trio shaken and in disbelief.  Irene’s foundation of trust will be ripped from its core, as kidnapping, murder, and a thirst for revenge lead her to learn she’s been betrayed.

Also, good things have been happening for my sophomore release Deadly Recall. 

I’m pleased to announce that Deadly Recall is a finalist in the 2014 EPIC Awards for Suspense/Thrillers. 

Alexa Bourne

Believe it or not, what's been inspiring me lately is Eminem's song Lose Yourself. Why? Because it's about pushing to make your dream come true. I am making my dream come true with every book, so when I get overwhelmed with edits and promotion and I feel like I've been run over by a truck, I play that song while I'm working. Then I'm able to focus and act like a professional again. 

At the moment I'm working on edits for my next 2 books and making plans to revamp my website. In the meantime, I'm reminding everyone I have a holiday book out. 

Simple Treasures, one of my romantic suspense novellas, takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland during New Year's celebrations and is a great contemporary romance for your holidays!

Okay, I think I better get back to those edits so I can meet my deadlines! Have a great weekend!

E.E. Burke

This fall, I’ve been rubbernecking. Seriously, I’ve been driving around gawking at the beautiful color. Let me give you a sample:

You’ve probably guessed by now, my inspiration comes from nature. Sometimes I sit on my screen porch so I can see and hear and smell the outdoors as I write. Sometimes I go to a park, or an outdoor café. I relish being outdoors because it energizes me.

When I’m getting ready to write, I like travel to the place I’m writing about so I can connect with it. Yes, I really do connect with places. They have their own personality, just like people. 

For instance, when I started researching Her Bodyguard, I visited Fort Scott and went all over town looking at old homes, visiting the Fort, taking pictures of old buildings, as well as researching the history and looking at photographs. 

I’ve just released Her Bodyguard, part of the series Steam! Romance and Rails, and I’m running a Goodreads giveaway this month, as well as special promotions on my website.

Up next are True Tales from Buffalo Creek. The first two books are about brothers who take very different roads during a time of war and must come to terms with their decisions as they try to rebuild their lives. 

These stories are set in the foothills of the Ozarks and based on oral history handed down through my husband’s family. Interviewing his parents and relatives while researching these books has given me (and our children) an unexpected blessing.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Maureen McGowan

Fall is off to a great start for me. 

On October 18th, I was thrilled (and shocked) to learn that Compliance won the 2013 Golden Leaf for best YA. 

It's especially gratifying since Compliance is book 2 in The Dust Chronicles trilogy. I really hoped Compliance wouldn't fall prey to "middle book syndrome". I also learned a few days later that Compliance would be included in the Fall 2013 "Best Books" list put out by the CCBC. 

Compliance is available on Amazon 

I'm also giving my website a much-overdue renovation. Stop by and take a look if you have a chance. I'd love to hear what you think!

Angi Morgan

I’m currently working on a three-book series for Harlequin Intrigue: West Texas Protectors

The Sheriff has a fun couple: Pete & Andrea. Pete is the Sheriff (or as he refers to himself, the “acting” sheriff). He’s been in law enforcement his entire life, following in the footsteps of his father. He’s been raised around the MarfaLights, the university studies and those who believe in extra-terrestrial visitors. The phenomenon dating back to 1883 generates tourism, kooks and legitimate studies—and for my hero, a major distraction sometimes.

Andrea is working at the McDonald Observatory on her PhD in Star Studies. Researching what an astronomer would be interested in has been fun. It’s brought all sorts of discoveries to my attention.  For instance, a Texas astronomer recently discovered “Most Distant Known Galaxy.” Reading a paragraph about their study is sometimes like reading a foreign language. The trick when writing the book is to have the character use the knowledge they have without overwhelming and boring the reader. Authenticity without boredom is sometimes a tricky balance, but I’m working on it. 

I’ve visited the observatory, near Fort Davis, Texas. I want to return again and spend more time in the region. It’s beautiful, harsh country and at night, the sky sparkles like nothing you’ve ever seen. 

Up next: The Marine's Last Defense 

To the rest of the world, Sabrina Watkins doesn't exist. But to this cop, she is very much alive in Angi Morgan's The Marine's Last Defense.

After escaping a killer, playing dead was the only way Sabrina Watkins could get out of Amarillo alive. Now she's living in Dallas, where no one knows her true identity. Until homicide cop Jake Craig shows up. 

A half-frozen pup he finds at a crime scene brings Jake to Sabrina's doorstep. Suddenly, the former marine is playing hero to a desperate woman on the run. Sworn to clear her name, Jake's already falling for the stunning brunette with the amethyst eyes. Can he keep her safe and turn a rescue mission into a last chance at love?

The Marine's Last Defense is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Lizbeth Selvig

I’m busy on the next book in my small-town series about the folks in Kennison Falls, Minnesota. Anyone who’s read my brand new release Rescued by a Stranger has met David Pitts-Matherson, the owner of Bridge Creek Stables where Jill Carpenter rides and teaches.

David is an accidentally transplanted Brit, and he’s the hero of this next book. His heroine is a feisty inner city girl named Rio (short for Arionna) who is raising her younger sister and gang-member brother, working toward her goal of leaving the city and its violence and broken promises, and finding a quiet, secluded place of her own—preferably far from too many other people.

David has a strict, ten-year plan to make his business a success, and he’s almost there. But when his world collides with Rio’s, their goals fly almost out of reach.

Some of the things I’ve been looking at for inspiration these days are, surprisingly, tattoos. I’m not a fan of all-over body art, but I do have one tattoo of my own and my new heroine Rio has five of them—a couple fairly good-sized, much to David’s uncertainty—until he gets to, um, trace them!

But, what are Rio’s tats? 

I know three of them for sure: a gorgeous, elegant horse head on the small of her back...

A feather—somewhere—to remind her that her troubles are lighter than a lot of peoples’.

And an owl so she remembers to keep her head and be wise. 

The other two I’m still looking for. She doesn’t like dark or macabre images, she eschews violence and she loves color. So—what do you think?

Any ideas of wonderful tattoos for Rio?

Here’s wishing everyone a gorgeous fall and a blessed Thanksgiving.

Cover Reveal for Crew Member -- Betrayed

Hello everyone!  It's almost November.  Do you know what that means?  I'll turn another year older, AND my third book from Bell Bridge Books becomes available. 

BETRAYED was my first chance to delve into emotions I've never personally experienced.  I've never known what it's like to suffer one of the cruelest emotions of the human condition.  To trust another completely and have that individual or individuals conspire against you  -- to be BETRAYED. 

I have a bit more understanding thanks to my protagonist Irene Turner.  Irene is vulnerable, yet tough as nails.  She's also someone I'd be proud to call friend.  I'm still writing around the theme TOO CLOSE TO HOME, and the places I've lived.  Where THE PAST CAME HUNTING takes place in Colorado Springs, DEADLY RECALL in Albuquerque, I place BETRAYED in Denver, Colorado.

I hope you'll join me as I introduce a new cast of characters in this single-title Suspense as they fight to earn their well-deserved happily-ever-afters.

About BETRAYED:

When Oklahoma City resident, Irene Turner learns the incomprehensible, that the stillborn baby she delivered 28-years earlier is alive, she takes the evidence to where her daughter now lives—Denver Colorado.

Detective Nate Paxton can’t believe what Irene’s evidence shows him. Kinsey Masters, a world-class athlete, raised by a prominent Denver family, an unattainable woman he’s known and loved for years, was stolen at birth.  

Irene Turner, Nate Paxton, and Kinsey Masters are united in a sordid conspiracy. But, it’s who the conspirators turn out to be that will leave the trio shaken and in disbelief. Irene’s foundation of trust will be ripped from its core, as kidnapping, murder, and a thirst for revenge lead her to learn she’s been betrayed.

November 18th can't get here soon enough for me, and I'm pleased to announce that Bell Bridge has made the story available for preorders.

http://www.amazon.com/Betrayed-Donnell-Ann-Bell-ebook/dp/B00G12Z4KM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383026129&sr=8-1&keywords=betrayed+by+donnell+ann+bell


Today one commenter will be entered to win an e-book copy of BETRAYED upon its release, and their choice of my backlist, Deadly Recall, a 2014 Epic finalist in the suspense/thriller category, or my debut book, The Past Came Hunting.


Follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Donnell-Ann-Bell/285286321485019

Twitter: @donnellannbell

or my website:  www.donnellannbell.com

Questions for Readers:  I like to write about the places I've lived.  What is the most interesting place you've ever visited or lived, and do you prefer books to be set in fictitious or actual places?  

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. 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.

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