Update: The Kindle winner is…Bernadette! Congrats!

I’m back with more giveaway fun as we countdown to the August 28th release of HOWL FOR IT!

 

Today’s prize?  A Kindle.  This lovely one described right here. 

To win the prize, you’ll have to comment on this post. I’ll let this contest run until noon on Saturday (so everyone who wants to do so will have a chance to enter–and that’s noon Central time).

The story of Little Red Riding Hood was the inspiration for “Wed or Dead” (my contribution to the HOWL FOR IT  anthology).  I’ve always had a thing for the big, bad wolf. Poor guy. To me, he got a bum deal in that tale.  So I wanted to change things up for him…and for Little Red. I figured she deserved a harder edge, so I decided she needed to be a hunter in my take on the story.  And my big, bad wolf?  Of course,  he had to be a werewolf.

But what happens when a hunter falls for that big, bad wolf?  Well, she’ll find herself either wed or dead.

Now tell me…what do you think about the Little Red Riding Hood story? Did you love hearing the tale as a kid? Did you imagine a different ending for any of the characters?

And, in case you’re curious…here’s an excerpt from “Wed or Dead” to get you in the werewolf mood:

***

Kayla glanced at the knife. Was she really supposed to just shove it into his heart? Then walk away while he bled out?

You know what he is. Don’t be fooled.  Gage’s kind was so good at deceit. She had to remember that. He’d been born to lie. To deceive.

She’d met others like him before.  So many over the years. More than most people realized.

Her own family had been attacked by someone like Gage. A man, hiding a beast inside. One dark night, he’d killed her mother and father. Left her brother in a pool of blood, struggling to breathe. Attacked her.

Monsters lived and breathed in this world. Most folks didn’t know that truth. They thought the world was all happy and shiny and full of birthday parties, play dates, and football games.

She knew better. Monsters are real. And her handsome husband, with his slow smile and strong hands…he was a monster.

Kayla took a step forward. One foot in front of the other. The mantra was the same one she’d used when she walked down the aisle. Only no minister waited for her this time.

The robe she wore rustled around her feet as she took another slow step.  Another.

And she felt something wet on her cheek.  Kayla stopped. What the hell?  Her left hand lifted and swiped across her face. Was she crying?  She never cried.  She hadn’t, not since they’d put her parents in the ground.

“Come back to bed,” Gage said, his voice rumbling out and making her jump. He faced the window, not her as he added, “I miss you.”

He wouldn’t miss her for long.

Kayla took a deep breath and forced herself to keep walking.  A few more steps, and her legs brushed against the edge of the bed. “Th-there’s something you should know about me…” His back was still to her. Why did he have to make such an easy target?

This should be better for you. You don’t have to look him in the eyes when you attack.

But stabbing a man in the back had never been her style.

Liar. The insidious whisper came from deep within. Her secret shame.

Her hand clenched around the knife’s handle. Gage was supposed to be dangerous. Lethal. The strongest paranormal bad-ass to claim Vegas in years.

Because he was a paranormal. The supernaturals were real and breathing…and many were hiding in the shadows of Sin City.

He was the perfect target right then. Tousled hair. Sated male. Defenseless. It would be so easy. Just lift the knife. Drive the blade into his flesh.

“Oh, I think I already know all the secrets you have, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice a low and sexy rumble.

Kayla shook her head. Damn tears. “No, you don’t—”

In a flash, he rolled toward her.  He leapt up and came at her with claws ripping from his fingers.

Not defenseless.

Claws…because Gage Riley wasn’t human.

Shifter.

His blue eyes shined at her with the light of the beast and he put those too-sharp and too-long claws of his right at her throat.

The move actually seemed only fair, considering that she had her knife pressed over his heart.

“Hello, hunter,” Gage whispered.

***

I’ll be back tomorrow with more giveaways!!

Update: The winner of the Amazon.com gift card is…Shonna! Congrats! I will email you with your prize info. 😉

In less than a week (on August 28th!), my anthology with the awesome Shelly Laurenston will release! HOWL FOR  IT will be in the wild! So, from now until that date, I’ll be posting giveaways here on the blog (and doing some on Twitter and Facebook).  And, on the actual release date (again, we’re looking at August 28th! Woot!), I’ll be posting giveaways throughout the day then.  I did an informal survey a while back, and I asked readers if they would prefer for me to have one big release day party or if they would prefer for me to split the giveaways up more over time.  The responses I got were in favor of both options…so I decided to do both this time. 😉  I’ll still have a release day party, but I’ll also offer giveaways as we lead up to the release, too.

For today’s giveaway?  I’ve got a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate up for grabs.  Want to win?  Then you’re gonna have to talk werewolves with me.

 

The hero of my story (WED OR DEAD) is a werewolf. I have to confess…I just love werewolves. Or rather, I love the idea of them. (If I met a real werewolf, I would–of course–freak out.)  But…in fiction, werewolves are powerful. They’re savage. They have a wild sensuality. And they’re incredibly loyal and protective.  They’re a combination of men and beasts.  Primal instincts and human intellect. A great combination.  And I love werewolves for all of these reasons.  Now, sure, the change from man to beast may not be the sexiest thing ever, but it’s the man inside the beast that gets me.

What gets you? What do you like (or not like) about werewolves? Tell me, and you’ll be entered in my giveaway.  I will leave this giveaway open until noon (Central time) tomorrow. Then I will randomly pick the winner.

And, in case you haven’t read the blurb yet for HOWL FOR IT, here it is…

WED OR DEAD – by Cynthia Eden

Gage Ryder knew his human bride had a wild side. But spending their honeymoon night on the run from hunters out to finish him and his pack is sure not the kind of fun he was looking forward to. No problem–Gage will do whatever it takes to lay bare Kayla’s secrets and find the truth.  If he can keep from being captured by his own seductive game.

 

LIKE A WOLF WITH A BONE – by Shelly Laurenston

Quiet little Darla Lewis couldn’t be happier when the most-feared member of the South’s rowdiest pack kidnaps her.  A girl gets real tired of being overprotected by her own shifter family, and there’s nothing like an oh-so-big bad wolf to start a pack feud, unleash her instincts–and have her surrender however and whenever she wants…

 

Update:  I’m giving away a copy of HOWL FOR IT over at the Brava Blog.

Giving up the blog today for some guest posting fun...Zoe Winters asked if she could take over my blog today, and I was happy to have her come by and visit. She’s running a cool contest–hope you can check it out!  Take it away, Zoe!

 

Summer is heating up, and we’re making it even hotter with a sizzling summer promotion you won’t want to miss.

 

Win a Kindle Fire and six signed paperback books from authors Zoe Winters and Kimberly Kinrade, and get ready to enjoy some sexy hot reads while having fun in the sun.

From August 5-18^th, Winters and Kinrade are giving away two sets of each of their paranormal romance series (all signed) to two lucky winners. The Grand Prize winner will also receive a Gift Certificate for Amazon.com to cover the cost of a Kindle Fire (but we won’t tell if you just want to buy $200 worth of books instead!)

Join us in celebrating the launch of the newest in Zoe Winters’s Preternatural Series, Life Cycle (how much do we love love love Tamara and Cain? So freaking much!) which now includes one novella compilation and three novels. If hot & steamy paranormal romance is your thing, then you’ll fall in love with all the hunks in this series, whether they be demons, vampires, werewolves or mages… they’re all so deliciously bad they’re good!

Life Cycle is book 4 in the Preternaturals series. However, new readers can read this installment first with no problems. Most of the books work as stand alones, and each book focuses on a different couple. The main theme of the Preternaturals is: “Everybody is the hero of their own story.” Some characters start out villains and become heroes. Some are heroes and turn into villains. Some are heroes to some characters and villains to others.

The series world has multiple dimensions, heaven, hell (which is earth), demon dimensions, and others. Magic, reincarnation, witches, vampires, demons, werecreatures of all sorts (called therians), gods, and angels all play an important role in the Pretverse.

It’s a world where blood is magic, authority is questioned, and soul mates always find each other, no matter how many incarnations it takes.

The Preternaturals contains a blend of snarky humor and angst that fans of the series have come to expect and enjoy.

As an extra bonus for this exciting launch, get signed copies of Kimberly Kinrade’s award winning Forbidden Series—a YA paranormal romance/thriller.

 

“…a thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and eagerly awaiting the next installment.” – Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews

 

While light on sex (it is Young Adult after all) it’s packed full of romance and a fast-paced thrilling adventure. Think X-Men meets Dollhouse if Professor X has been an evil human trafficking geneticist.

 

Paranormal teens with unimaginable powers. An evil organization with deep secrets. When Sam, a girl who reads minds, meets a boy who controls minds, she discovers her future isn’t what she thought.

Together they must escape and free the others… or risk losing everything–and everyone–they love.

 

Learn more about Zoe Winters’s Preternatural Series here:

http://zoewintersbooks.com/books/

Book 1: Blood Lust

Book 2: Save My Soul

Book 3: The Catalyst

Book 4: Life Cycle

 

And more about Kimberly Kinrade’s Forbidden Series here:

http://kimberlykinrade.com/books/forbidden-series/

 

Book 1: Forbidden Mind

Book 2: Forbidden Fire

Book 3: Forbidden Life (coming Oct. 2, 2012)

 

 

About Zoe Winters

 

Zoe Winters writes quirky and sometimes dark paranormal romance. Her favorite colors are rainbow and clear.

To receive updates on new releases from the author, send an email to: zoewintersbooks AT gmail DOT com with “Subscribe” in the subject line. Newsletters go out only when there is an actual new release or a big contest. Your inbox will not be cluttered, newsletters won’t go out more frequently than once a month, and you may unsubscribe at any time.

You can visit the author at: http://www.zoewintersbooks.com

Be sure also to visit http://www.theriantype.com for some fun supplemental material.

 

Twitter Page

Like her on Facebook

Amazon Author Page

 

Goodreads Author Profile

 

About Kimberly Kinrade

 

Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. She writes all things paranormal and fantasy, including award-winning young adult and children’s books.

 

Visit her at http://KimberlyKInrade.com

Also visit http://IPIAcademy.com to participate in a fun fan-based site with swag and info on all things paranormal. You even get to be a secret agent!

 

Twitter Page

 

Like her on Facebook

 

Amazon Author Page

 

Goodreads Author Page

 

About the Giveaway…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Update:  Thank you for all the great comments! I got all of the comments together and randomly picked the swag winner. And that winner is…Kathleen Charles. Congratulations! I will email you this afternoon with prize details.

And if you didn’t win…I’ve got lots more contests coming. With the release of HOWL FOR IT on 8/28/12, I’m busy planning for a release party. So there will definitely be more giveaways posted soon. Have a great afternoon!

 

To share my AAD love, I’m giving away a bag full of swag that I picked up in New Orleans. Want to win? Just leave me a comment. Can be any kind of comment at all. Ask me a question. Tell me how your day is going. Anything. See–easy.  I’ll leave the contest open until noon Central time on 8/14.  Then I’ll pick a random commenter to win.

And here’s the swag…

I had a wonderful time at the recent AUTHORS AFTER DARK event in New Orleans. I want to thank Stella Price and all of her fabulous staff members for organizing such a fun event.  I know a ton of work goes into creating a con like AAD, and I am very grateful for all that Stella and her staff accomplished. Thank you!!!

While at AAD, I met so many wonderful people–readers, bloggers, writers.  Strangers on the street. 😉 Everyone was nice and excited and just happy to be talking about books. The atmosphere seemed so incredibly charged with great energy–loved it!

I was also thrilled to receive a Bookie Award for Werewolf Novel of The Year (NEVER CRY WOLF) during the conference. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for NEVER CRY WOLF! I was honored to be nominated in that category and–seriously–beyond thrilled when I heard my name called.  So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

And to share some AAD love, I am going to come back in a little while and post a giveaway here on the blog. I’ll be giving away all the great AAD swag that I picked up at the con (and some awesome books).  So, please check back soon in you want to enter the giveaway.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday!!!