Update: The winner of TRUE VISION and TRUE COLORS is…Diane Sadler! Congrats, Diane! And thanks to everyone for the comments!

I love parties. Have I mentioned that a time or twenty today?  Thanks so much for coming by to celebrate with me.  🙂

The next author that we are spotlighting at the party is multi-published, romantic suspense (with great paranormal elements!) author Joyce Lamb. Before I talk about the  books,  I have to share something I read on Joyce’s “About Me” page:

“Besides writing, I love to play tennis and board games and grill out with friends. My guilty pleasures include The Real Housewives of New York, Project Runway and So You Think You Can Dance. I don’t have time to be ashamed.”

I don’t have time to be ashamed. Oh, Joyce, that made me smile–and it may just be my new motto!

Today, Joyce is offering up a copy of  TRUE VISION and a copy of  TRUE COLORS to a commenter.  Very cool.  Here are the details for these great books:

And here’s the TRUE VISION blurb:

Newspaper reporter Charlie Trudeau is living an ordinary life, until witnessing a fatal hit-and-run accident gives her an intense psychic power she has no clue how to handle—and brings a Chicago police detective to her doorstep…

Noah Lassiter wants nothing more than to find the driver who killed his good friend. But his only lead is the beautiful Charlie Trudeau, who gets prickly when he starts nosing around town. Charlie’s clearly hiding something, but Noah needs her help unraveling the mystery of his friend’s death—even if the electricity between them complicates things.

But the more Noah and Charlie uncover, the more they realize they’re looking for a desperate killer—and the more danger they’re in. And if Charlie can’t gain control over her psychic powers, they may not survive long enough to explore the full sizzling potential of their desire…

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And here’s the cover of  TRUE COLORS:

Alex Trudeau has everything she ever wanted. She takes pictures for the local paper, she’s rescued a family of mutts, and hot police detective John Logan has finally asked her out. But then a near-death experience unearths an intense psychic ability she never knew she had…

John Logan moved to Lake Avalon, Florida, to escape a lifetime of hardship. When his darkest secret comes to town with revenge in mind, Logan lands the woman of his dreams in a serial killer’s crosshairs…

With their lives on the line and Alex’s hallucinatory flashes dragging her deeper into the twisted mind of a maniac, Logan and Alex face the ultimate test.  The tension is electric, but to survive they’ll have to look more than skin-deep—they just might not like everything they find…

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Want to win?  These books deal with psychic powers (something that has always fascinated me).  Often, people are asked which psychic power they’d like to have…well, this time,I want to know the psychic power you’d NEVER want.  Leave a comment and you could win these great books! (Giveaway will run until noon on 6/29/11.)  Thanks!!

Update: Mary picked the lucky winners and they are:  Maria Smith and Stacy Fox! Congrats!! Since Mary linked this giveaway with her Facebook Fan page ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Wine/133965836120), you can find the full details there.

It’s my pleasure to welcome awesome historical author Mary Wine to the party.  Mary writes wonderfully sensual and romantic tales that I adore. Mary, thanks for joining us!

It’s release time!

Always a favorite time for us authors. You see, we turn in our babies, edit and polish them and then…move on to another book before they come out and we get to share them with anyone. Congrats Cynthia! Excellent reason for a party!

My last release of Highland Heat and my coming one is ‘My Fair Highlander’, both Scottish historicals, so I thought I’d blog about men in kilts.

What is it about men in kilts?

I think it isn’t so much what they wear as who they are. Those Celts are tough people, Scotland itself isn’t the easiest place to survive. The soil is thin in many places and it rains…a lot! But these northern lands have been home to people that flourish where I fear I might raise my white flag of surrender.

The kilt itself is a garment that comes from practicality. First of all, it’s wool. For centuries, this was one of the only textile fibers being produced in the area. It is the easiest one to cultivate because sheep can graze freely. Wool maintains ninety percent of its insulting factor when wet when cotton keeps only ten. Something very important if you are talking about surviving in a time when there is no central heating. The kilt was a length of wool, which might be sheered off a sheep, carded by hand and spun into yarn which could be woven by even the most rural family.

But that’s not what draws me to the Highlands for my stories. I do love reading the historical facts because it puts me in touch with the time period. I think that’s vital to a good historical novel. As a reader, I want to have enough detail to believe I’m there and as an author, I try to make sure that happens. There’s a delicate balance to maintain it but Highlanders are worth the effort.

They were hardened by the land they lived on but had a great sense of humor too. These men held themselves to noble ideals and that is what brings to my mind as my heroes. The kilt, that so many poke fun at is actually another detail of their ability to preserver. Textiles were hard to produce, meaning you had one garment and they belted it during the day and unpleated it at night to use for bedding. Rather ingenious of them in my opinion.

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Update: The winner of MARKED is Krissy Holstein, and the winner of ENTWINED is Raonaid Luckwell–congrats!!!

Party! Party! Party!  I love a day of non-stop giveaways.  Prizes are awesome. I just love them. Don’t you?

And you know what else is awesome? The next author and book that I’m spotlighting.  The author is Elisabeth Naughton, a woman who writes both great suspense and paranormal romances. The book we’re spotlighting? Well, that would be…

TEMPTED

Eternal Guardians Book 3
Sourcebooks
September 6, 2011
ISBN-13: 9781402260469
ISBN-10: 1402260466

DEMETRIUS—He’s the hulking, brooding warrior his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it’s best to keep everyone at arm’s length.

Isadora is missing. The words pounded through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection, Demetrius had done all he could to avoid the fragile princess, his soul mate. And now she was gone—kidnapped. To get her back, he’ll have to go to the black place in his soul he’s always shunned. As daemons ravage the human realm and his loyalty to the Guardians is put to the ultimate test, Demetrius realizes that Isadora is stronger than anyone thought. And finally letting her into his heart may be the only way to save them both.

Read an excerpt:  http://www.elisabethnaughton.com/books/tempted/

Pre-Order Links:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• B-A-M
• Borders
• Chapters
• IndieBound
• Powell’s

Demetrius’s Free Read & Downloadable wallpaper: http://www.elisabethnaughton.com/extras/demetrius/

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Thanks for all the great info on TEMPTED, Elisabeth!  Now, it’s comment time.  What tempts you?  In addition to the hero of TEMPTED, chocolate tempts me (I have no will at all when it’s near).  🙂 Tell me what tempts you.  Two winners will be selected randomly–one person will win a copy of Elisabeth’s MARKED and one will win a copy of her book, ENTWINED. Ready? Set? Comment!

Update:  The winner of GAME FOR LOVE is…Maria (pronounced Mariah) and the winner of CANDY STORE is Khelsey.  Congrats!

Author extraordinaire Bella Andre is my next guest–Bella is one busy woman who as written some fabulous books!  She’s here to introduce  you to a great new family…one that you will find in the pages of her books. Bella is also offering 2 giveaways, so read on for more information! Welcome, Bella!

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Meet the Sullivans!

I’m so thrilled to be introducing you to the fun, sexy siblings in my new contemporary romance series with Chase Sullivan, the hero from The Look of Love. A successful photographer who travels the world and has his pick of beautiful women, Chase thinks life is great just as it is – until he finds Chloe and her totaled car in a ditch on the side of the road in Napa Valley. She’s utterly lovely, both inside and out, and he’s soon willing to move mountains to love – and protect – her. But will she let him?

Unfortunately, a wrecked car is not the worst thing to happen to Chloe that day. The bruise on her cheek can attest to that. She’s vowed never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Surely, the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of a rain storm is too good to be true. Or is he? Because with every loving look Chase gives her – and every sinfully sweet caress – as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception.

And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.

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Update:  The winner of BREAKING POINT is…Rachel Elizabeth! Congrats!!

Are you gearing up for a fun 4th of July weekend?  You know what will make that weekend awesome? Winning a copy of Pamela Clare‘s BREAKING POINT. Oh, yes, that would make it awesome because the book is phenomenal.

Blurb:

While investigating border violence in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Denver journalist Natalie Benoit is caught in a bloody ambush and taken captive. Alone in the hands of ruthless killers, she will need every ounce of courage she possesses to survive.

Betrayed by another operative, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride, a former Navy SEAL, has endured a week of torture and interrogation at the hands of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Ready to give his life if he must, he remains unbroken—until he hears the cries of an American woman.

Although Natalie is only a voice in the darkness of their shared prison, her plight brings renewed strength to Zach’s battered body. With her help, he overpowers their captors, and they flee through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun.

But past loss and tragedy leave both of them reluctant to follow their hearts, even when the passion between them reaches its breaking point. Faced with feelings neither expected, they fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both…

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