Jul 5, 2012

Artful Dodging

  
Author:  M. S. Spencer
Book:  Artful Dodging:
The Torpedo Factory Murders
Release Date:  04/24/12


Waiting out the rain, Milo Everhart takes stock of her widowhood and the handsome man standing in the door to the bar.  Little does she know she will meet that man again and again under both passionate and terrifying circumstances.
Tristram Brody waits for his date, too conscious of the beautiful woman sitting by the door. Little does he know that she will hate him for trying to destroy her beloved art center, and even suspect him of murder. Nor that she will be drawn inevitably into his arms.
Little does either of them suspect they will be embroiled in not one, but two murders, in which the fate of the Torpedo Factory, an art center housed in an old munitions factory on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, will be decided.

Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61885-250-2
Genre: Contemporary Suspense
Warnings: None
Heat Level: R
Format: E-Book
Linked-In:  yes (m.spencerellsworth@yahoo.com)

Apr 14, 2012

Outside the Box Contest Entry

Promoting Outside the Box
By
Jannine Corti Petska


When my Italian medievals began to sell, I looked for a way to promote them using an Italian theme. And what's more Italian than biscotti? I buy mini biscotti at Cost Plus World Market. I can't recall how many are in the box, but it's probably about 3 dozen. They're around $12 for a box. I buy small plastic bags found at Michaels in the craft section and the cake decorating section. (Walmart sells them, too.) I slip one biscotti into a bag, fold the top over (you can also get bags that seal like a sandwich bag.), then attached a business card (see photo) with a staple. You can also attach bookmarks or postcards. I found that people love snagging a bag. They are very popular at conferences.


Biscotti Promo Bags



SURRENDER TO HONOR
Book 2
Italian medieval series


Surrender to Honor

Blurb

Prima Ranieri seeks retribution for her family's death and loss of home and land. Her plans go awry when the heir to the powerful Massaro family returns home. After only one glance, Prima's attraction to him undermines her furor toward those she blames for her plight.

After a fifteen year absence, Antonio Massaro returns to Palermo to find a war raging between his family and the evil Falcone. His refusal to accept his rightful position as the head of the Honored Society carries serious consequences. The welfare of the people of Palermo is at stake. But one look at the beautiful woman Prima has become costs him his heart. She's a deadly distraction...one that jeopardizes her life as well as his own. 

Excerpt

Setup: Prima and Antonio are out for a pleasure ride and stop in an orchard. Prima sets Antonio straight on the matter of her marrying.


“Think you age is on your side?”

She bristled. “I am not yet beyond marriageable age, or hindered like  an old
hag. But do tell, why must I have a husband?”

“You need a man, Prima, for you are like a wild horse before it is  captured
and tamed.”

“Such an insult! I’ll not be compared to an animal. And neither  must I be captured or tamed.” She jerked on Amica’s reins, startling the horse. Antonio held the leather lines, preventing the horse from bolting.

“You act as if you are the only person ever to lose family. This bitter revenge you
carry will one day turn you into a mean  and spiteful old woman. Give up your fight. Marry and have children.”

“And bring them into a world of greed and senseless killing? I’ll  not birth a son who is expected to rule and dominate solely because  he is a man. And I’ll not birth a daughter who will be forced to bend to a man’s will simply because she is a female. Marriage is not a path I favor. I want the freedom to choose how I ride a horse and to decide on the clothes I wear.”

“Those ideas will bode ill for you, Prima. You alone cannot change a society.”

“No, but I alone can choose my path in life; and no man will ever  take that away from me.”



The Wild Rose Press Buy Links
            eBook
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Apr 9, 2012

Outside the Box Contest Entry


Outside the Box Contest Entry
By
Nancy Marie Bell

Hmmmm, outside the box, eh? Yup, I’m as Canadian as they come. Anyone who knows me knows I am an animal lover. I help out with a dog rescue and have re-homed all kinds of critters over the years. When Laurel’s Miracle was set to release I wanted to do something special to commemorate my first full length novel. What better way, I thought, than to give my royalties from the first quarter sales of the book to a horse rescue.

So I promoted Laurel’s Miracle through Karen Cote’s Writer’s Pen for Charity Lounge, for each comment left one dollar was donated to Dare To Dream Horse Rescue here in Alberta. We raised $150.00 from the comments, and other donations came in as well. I held a book signing and launch at the picturesque Balzac Community Hall with proceeds going to Dare To Dream as well.

I visited the horses at Dare To Dream and promoted the book to the volunteers who give their time so generously there.

My latest release is Christmas Storm, which is a romance set in Longview, Alberta. This one has a scene stealing injured dog who is the catalyst to throw the two main characters together. The outside the box thinking on this one is the fact that the group who sings at a concert Michelle and Cale go to is a real life trio called The Travelling Mabels. They recently won the Group of The Year at the Alberta Country Music Awards show in Red Deer. They graciously agreed to be part of my novel. Eva Levesque kindly allowed me to use lyrics from her song Smolder Blues in the story. The Travelling Mabels will also promote the book on their website and promotional material was distributed pre-release at their concert last June at East Longview Hall. Hopefully this will get my name in front of a whole new sector of the population and will do the same for the Mabels. I recently hosted a contest where the prize was The Travelling Mabels first CD.  The dog in the story is based on a momma dog I met who didn’t get rescued in time, Storm is my tribute to her and the countless others who are not as lucky as some. I have a young mother dog and five puppies in my care right now, the puppies are eight days old today. Momma is socializing slowly but well. These are the lucky ones. Please support your local animal rescue.

I have donated a gift basket aimed at the YA crowd to Brenda Novak’s online auction to benefit the Diabetes Foundation. Bidding opens May 1st, 2012. The basket includes a print copy of Laurel’s Miracle, and ebook formats of Laurel’s Miracle and A Step Sideways, which is the second story in the Cornwall Adventures series. There are bookmarks, coffee mug, bumper stickers, chocolate and other goodies in the basket. This is a win win, as it gets my books in front of lots of viewers and benefits a wonderful cause at the same time.

I hope you will visit the auction site and place a bid. And if you feel so moved please look up Dare To Dream Horse Rescue and help the horses.

Thanks for listening to me ramble on about my books and the causes near and dear to my heart.




Nancy Marie Bell lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters.  She is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. She enjoys writing poetry and fiction and non-fiction. Nancy is an editor with MuseItUp Publishing Inc. 

Please visit her webpage  http://www.nancymbell.ca

You can find her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/NancyMBell

Follow on twitter: @emilypikkasso

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