Showing posts with label Diana Cosby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diana Cosby. Show all posts

Friday, June 16, 2017

DIANA COSBY'S LATEST RELEASE, FORBIDDEN KNIGHT!




I'm so pleased to have Diana Cosby on the blog this weekend. She is just as sweet and friendly as she sounds in her post. Diana is one of the most generous and thoughtful people I've ever met. For instance, on Thanksgiving, she has frequently taken a turkey dinner to the firemen on duty near her. She routinely takes pies and cookies to firemen and police to thank them for their service. She also builds a Habitat for Humanity house each year--or as much of one as she can raise funds to complete. Diana is an accomplished photographer who shares her photos on Facebook. I don't know about you, but I enjoy a book more when I know the author is a genuinely nice person. You can enjoy Diana's books with that assurance.

Please welcome Diana to A Writer's Life!



FORBIDDEN KNIGHT
by
Diana Cosby
Genre: Historical Romance

Pub
Date: 6/6/17





Deep within Scotland, a healer and a
warrior join forces to protect Scotland’s future . . .


There is an intruder in the woods near
King Robert Bruce’s camp, but when Sir Thomas MacKelloch comes
face-to-face with the interloper, he is shocked to discover his
assailant is a woman. The fair lady is skilled with a bow and arrow
and defiant in her responses. The wary Knight Templar dare not allow
her beauty to lower his guard. Irritated by his attraction, he hauls
her before his sovereign to expose her nefarious intent.

Outraged Sir Thomas dismissed her
claim, Mistress Alesone MacNiven awaits the shock on the arrogant
knight’s face when he learns that she has told the truth. But it is
she who is shocked, and then horrified, as it is revealed that her
father, the king’s mortal enemy, has betrothed her to a powerful
noble, a deal that could jeopardize the king’s efforts to unite
Scotland. Robert Bruce orders Sir Thomas to escort Alesone to safety.

As they embark on a harrowing journey through the Highlands, Alesone
tries to ignore her attraction to the intimidating warrior, but as
she burns beneath Thomas’s kiss she realizes this fearless knight
could steal her heart.



Author Blog Post:

by Diana Cosby, and creating baked goods as Scottish Medieval Historical Romance

In addition to my love of crafting stories, I enjoy baking. I admit that I tend to look at a recipe as a suggestion and often stray to a great degree from the ingredients listed. So in essence, like writing a story, when baking, I find that what I often planned to do takes a different and creative path.
While writing the bestselling MacGruder Brothers Series, I had fun making up a dessert for each of the heroes. I thought readers would enjoy making their favorite hero’s dessert, or a reader’s group could choose to make each of the deserts to bring to their next book discussion.
As well, I love sharing baking tips that I’ve learned over the years:

-When a baked dessert recipe calls for cooking oil, as long as allergies to apples aren’t an issue, I substitute natural apple sauce, measure for measure, in place of the oil.

-If alcohol content isn’t a concern, I substitute amaretto for vanilla.

-When a recipe calls for a sprinkle of butter, I freeze a stick of butter and then grate it over the item.

If you’d like to see some of the recipes I’ve created, please check out Hobby Reads at Kensington Publishing Corp.: https://hobbyreads.wordpress.com/?s=diana+cosby

As with writing FORBIDDEN KNIGHT, book #2 in The Forbidden Series, when I’m in the kitchen mixing together a batch of cookies, a cake, or any other dessert, I’m having a blast. Thank you so much for stopping by, and if you choose to read one of my books or try one of my recipes, I hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,

Diana Cosby, AGC(AW), USN, Ret.

FORBIDDEN KNIGHT Excerpt:

A frustrated exhale sounded behind Lady Alesone.

“Do you always interrogate the people you meet?” Sir Thomas asked.

Though tired, Alesone smiled.  “Only the interesting ones.”

Ice crunched beneath the horse’s hooves as his destrier picked his way through the litter of rock and snow down the incline.

At her protector’s silence, she glanced back.

In the cloud smeared moonlight his gaze held hers.

At the intensity, a shiver swept through her.  From their less than cordial start, she’d doubted they’d ever come to a point where she’d look at him more than a man to avoid.  Yet, something about Thomas drew her.

Drew her?

An understatement.  In truth, from the way his eyes held hers, his direct manner, and how he moved with predatory stealth left tingles of awareness sliding through her body.  He was unlike any man she’d ever met.

Off balance by the needs he evoked, she shifted to a safer topic.  “I want to apologize.”

“You have done naught to apologize for.”

“I have.  Although praised by our king, I doubted you.”

“Lass,” he said, fatigue weighing heavy in his voice, “your belief in me is irrelevant.  Once you are safely delivered, never will we see the other again.”

She stiffed, hurt that he could dismiss her with such ease when he lingered on her mind.  Why?  ‘Twas nae like she wanted him to stay.  Still, a foolish part of her needed to know.  “And when you ride off you will forget me?” she teased.

Thomas grunted.  “Anyone who drives an arrow paces from my heart I remember.”




A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an
international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic
suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series are
translated into five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of
Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day,
on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com,
Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.
After her career in the Navy, Diana
dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves
behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the
amazing cultures and people she’d met throughout the world. Her first two
books in her Scottish medieval The
Oath Trilogy, AN OATH TAKEN and AN OATH BROKEN, both hit
bestseller lists in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. 
Diana looks forward to the years of
writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this
journey.



Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

Friday, November 16, 2012

DIANA COSBY'S FOOD BANK CHALLENGE


3rd International Food Bank Food Drive Challenge
By Diana Cosby

Diana Cosby, Author

It's the holidays again, an emotion-filled time where it seems there are not enough hours in each day to fit everything in, not to mention dealing with the struggling economy.  But, in this time of financial challenges, I ask each of you to please consider one more stop on your crazy to do list, that of making a donation to a local food bank.  Your donation can be a dollar, a can of corn, whatever you can give.  Anything you can offer to those with nothing is a gift they didn't have.

I volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, and something amazing happens when you allow a person a flicker of hope, that somehow, incredibly, even a stranger understands that at times life shoves us on a road we never asked for.

In 2010 in addition to my personal donation to my local food bank, I decided to start a Food Bank Challenge.  Except, it wonderfully got out of hand.  Once I posted The Food Bank Challenge on my Facebook page and my Facebook fan page, people from across the U.S. began donating to their local food banks.  Then, my Facebook pages received posts of donations from Canada — the Food Bank Challenge went international!  In 2011, donations for the International Food Bank Food Challenge were made in the USA, Canada, Australia, & Indonesia.  And you know what, this is truly a blessing.  In this venture, we all win.  Gifts from the heart do that, they fill you, remind you there is good in the world, and that you can make a positive as profound difference in others lives.



How it works:  Starting on the 1st of November, when you donate to a local food bank, post on my Facebook page or Facebook Fan page, (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author/150109024636?ref=ts), beneath the daily International Food Bank Challenge post, add your donation along with your name and contact information.  On December 5th I will use www.random.org to draw from all of the names I received of people who donated. The winner will receive an autographed set of the MacGruder brother series to date; HIS CAPTIVE, HIS WOMAN, HIS CONQUEST, and HIS DESTINY.  Also, a copy of the BORN TO BITE, a Highland vampire anthology featuring Hannah Howell, Erica Ridley, and myself.   I will sign the set, and then send them priority to whoever you want to make a personal holiday present.


***For this blog:  If you post on this blog that you donated to a local food bank and contact info, you’ll be entered in the drawing.

2012 International Food Bank Challenge – Goal:  1000 donations.


Diana and a male model prove
reading is sexy. Ah, the up side
of being a romance author!

I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season.  May your every dream come true!

Diana Cosby, AGC(AW), USN Ret.
International Best-Selling Author of the MacGruder Brothers series
Highland vampire anthology
www.dianacosby.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 11, 2011

DIANA COSBY'S GIFT OF THANKS

Diana Cosby
Please welcome my friend, Diana Cosby, author of historical romances set in Scotland. Diana is an amazing person who gives back in both time and money, and in large ways and small. She does everything from taking a neighbor a pie to organizing people for a Habitat For Humanity site. Last year, she originated a Food Bank Drive. This year, her goal is to make this an Annual International Food Drive. And her books are selling like crazy. HIS WOMAN and HIS CONQUEST are listed in the, ‘Best Historical Romance Novels,” on Best Romance Novels Today! HIS CONQUEST remained on Amazon's Bestsellers in Historical Romances list for 145 days strait! Diana appeared in the April 17th issue of Woman's Day Magazine in a story about "Achieving Your Dreams Over 40!" She was honored by the United States division of the Scottish National Trust for her donations to that organization. Now, she's looking forward to her 2012 booksigning at a Scottish castle. Well, you get the idea that she's a terrific writer as well as a terrific person. Here’s Diana to explain her philosophy, a recipe, and information about the food drive.


                  A GIFT OF THANKS
              THIS HOLIDAY SEASON


Gifts come in many shapes and sizes, but I believe the most precious ones are those delivered from the heart. It's so easy to get caught up in the mayhem of life, particularly during the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, but every day, there are people amidst the chaos who help you, who take time out of their busy lives to make a difference in yours. This year, why not return that gift?


Diana, 3rd from left with five
Texas writers she recruited for
Habitat for Humanity last year
This holiday season, as wrapped gifts exchange hands, I ask you to pause, reflect on those who’ve truly made a difference in your life, and if possible, find a special way to say thank you. This can be a simple gesture—something as simple as a greeting card, a bouquet of flowers, or a heartfelt poem. Maybe you bake someone their favorite cookies? Or, you present them a coupon book filled with everyday chores they can tear out and give you to do on those trying days when they really need a helping hand. The absolute best gift you can offer another person is one given from the heart; and when special-delivered, without any strings attached, it touches their own.


This Christmas, I’m making gift baskets filled with my favorite things, most homemade, a few being macadamia-butterscotch chip cookies, shortbread, Vermont maple syrup, orange-lemon-maple syrup marmalade and more. With each one, I'm sharing a part of myself with the other person.


My gift to you is one of my favorite recipes, Peppermint Ice-Cream Pie!



          Peppermint Pie



Oreo pie shell
½ gallon peppermint ice cream
Coolwhip
Chocolate fudge ice-cream topping
Small candy canes crushed [*Three crushed per pie]
Place 1 quart of softened peppermint ice cream [1/2 tub] into Oreo pie shell and smooth out flat. Place a ½ inch or slightly more thick layer of cool whip. Pour on a layer of chocolate fudge ice cream topping. Sprinkle top of fudge with crushed candy canes. Put plastic top on and freeze.


*I usually make this a couple of days in advance and leave it on a flat shelf in the freezer.

**This takes less than 5 minutes to make. Amazingly, each of the ingredients balances the other. It’s wonderful. (And I’m not even a peppermint lover. :)

Let me share a couple of reviews for my latest release, HIS DESTINY, before I tell you about the Annual International Food Bank Drive:

Latest Release
5 STAR REVIEW
"Every once in a while a story comes along that makes me run the full gamut of emotions. HIS DESTINY by Diana Cosby is one of them. This amazing story is the fourth in the MacGruder series and yes I will say it, my favorite. It is a story of danger, deception and redemption all wound into one turbulent ride." - Kimberly, Book Obsessed Chicks
-For the complete review:
http://book-obsessed-chicks.blogspot.com/2011/10/his-destiny-by-diana-cosby.html?spref=fb


4 1/2 BOOK REVIEW
"HIS DESTINY is a journey back in time that enchants with an awesome love story of two wounded hearts and souls that find redemption and love together. Good reading!" - Camellia, Long And Short Reviews
-For the complete review:
http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2011/10/his-destiny-by-diana-cosby.html


And now, to the main purpose for appearing on Caroline's blog today and a way you can give an easy, inexpensive gift of thanks on your own:

  INTERNATIONAL FOOD BANK DRIVEThe holidays are an emotion-filled time where it seems there are not enough hours in each day to fit everything in, not to mention dealing with the struggling economy. But, in this time of financial challenges, I ask each of you to please consider one more stop on your crazy to do list, that of making a donation to a local food bank. Your donation can be a dollar, a can of corn, whatever you can give. Anything you offer to those with nothing is a gift they didn't have.


Donate to your
local food bank
Last year, in addition to my personal donation to my local food bank, I decided to start a Food Bank Challenge. Except, it kind of wonderfully got out of hand. Amazingly, once I posted The Food Bank Challenge on my Facebook page and my Facebook fan page, people from across the U.S. began donating to their local food banks. Then, I read posts of donations from Canada. Holy cow, the Food Bank Challenge went international! And you know what, this is truly a blessing. In this venture, we all win. Gifts from the heart do that, they fill you, remind you there is good in the world, and that you can make a positive and profound difference in others' lives.


How it works: When you donate to a local food bank, post on my Facebook page or Facebook Fan page, (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author/150109024636?ref=ts), beneath the daily International Food Bank Challenge post or, for this blog only, your donation along with your name and contact information as a comment, then I'll add your name in a drawing. On 6 December I will use www.random.org to draw from all of the names received. The winner will receive an autographed set of the MacGruder brother series to date; HIS CAPTIVE, HIS WOMAN, HIS CONQUEST, and HIS DESTINY. I will sign the set, and then send them priority to you or whoever you want to make them a personal holiday present!


2nd Annual International Food Bank Food Drive schedule:


November:
-11th Blog: Making A Positive Difference In Others’ Lives
http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/

-15th: Interview at USA Today's Romance Blog, Happy Ever After.
http://books.usatoday.com/happyeverafter/index


-21st: FIRST for women's magazine interview about how I started the Annual International Food Bank Food Drive. The article is scheduled to hit newsstands on 11/21/11 and run until 12/12/11.

December:
-6th: The winner’s name is drawn using www.random.org, and they are notified.


*If you haven’t signed up for my Facebook Fan page, please sign up today!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author/150109024636?ref=ts


2012 International Food Bank Challenge – Goal: 1000 donations.

I sincerely wish everyone health, friendship and happiness this holiday season. As I mentioned above, this is a time when the best gift of all is the gift of yourself—that one-of-kind present that can make a difference in the life of another. And I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season filled with friends as laughter. May your every dream come true!

What ideas can you think of to share thanks with others? Remember—the more original and inventive, the more fun! :) I can't wait to hear your ideas!
 Diana Cosby, AGC(AW), USN Ret.
International Best-Selling Author of the MacGruder Brothers series set in Scotland
Highland vampire anthology: Title/Release date TBA
http://www.dianacosby.com/
 
Diana, I'm thankful you're with us this weekend and motivating us to share something of ourselves to those less fortunate.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Writers' Meetings Provide A Morale Boost!

Winner of last week’s drawing is Ashley, and I’ll be contacting her to send her the download of THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE. Thanks to all those who commented.

Please comment again for another chance to win each week. I continually (so it seems) offer prize drawings for PDF downloads of my books.


Today was the monthly meeting of Yellow Rose RWA. What an energizing and inspiring meeting! Diana Cosby was our fabulous speaker. Her topic was research, especially for historical romance, but she also touched on creating a synopsis. I picked up pointers, even though I’ve been writing since Abe Lincoln was a kid. That’s one of the great things about writers’ meetings. No matter how long you’ve been writing or how many presentations you’ve heard on a subject, it’s always possible to pick up a new pointer or two and be reminded of others. Diana was so great that we invited her to come back next year and give a program on promotion. I’m looking forward to her next visit.

After the meeting, we reconvened across the interstate in a restaurant for one of the other things we do well—eat. We lingered over lunch talking a mile a minute about various aspects of writing. Imagine ten to fifteen women all talking at once. No, maybe a third to a half of us were talking at the same time and the others listening. I sat by different people at lunch than I had at the meeting, so I was able to catch up with several friends I hadn’t seen since the last meeting I attended.

Meeting with friends
provides a
genuine boost!
I’ve mentioned in other posts how much this sort of camaraderie, networking, and craft discussion helps writers. Those of us who write full time tend to hibernate in front of our computers. Online communication is great, but it doesn’t substitute for personal face time. Ever see Sandra Bullock in “The Net?” Scary! But those are not the dangers writers face, at least as far as I know. We do face isolation, depression/moodiness, writers block, and our writing becoming stale if we sit in our self-made caves and hibernate. We need this face-to-face interaction to balance us, refresh and relax us. Not only does joining with friends create the same endorphins as exercise and antidepressant medication, the effect lasts for up to three days! Go out with friends and quite literally give yourself a big boost.


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Book Review of HIS WOMAN by Diana Cosby

Yesterday I wrote about first lines that hook the reader. Today, I want to add one more from the book I’m reviewing in this blog, HIS WOMAN, by Diana Cosby from Kensington's Zebra.


“He thought her a whore.”

The statement is made by Lady Isabel Adair about Sir Duncan MacGruder. Captured my interest, and the fast pace of Diana Cosby’s HIS WOMAN held my interest for the entire book. In order to save her gambling and drinking father, Isabel has agreed to be mistress to the ruthless Earl of Frasyer. Her life has been a living hell, but she has not admitted that fact to her father, Lord Caelin, or her brother Symon. She longs for the man she loves, Duncan MacGruder. Duncan is lost to her, or so she believes. This book contains intricate plot points and a real surprise (for me) ending.

Diana has researched the medieval Scottish/English era so thoroughly that a reader becomes engrossed in the period. Her writing is exceptional, with complex plots that keep the reader turning the pages. Whether you rooted for William Wallace or King Edward, any reader who enjoys historical romance will love this book. Of course, you’ll love HIS WOMAN more if you rooted for William Wallace!

Diana is a former Navy Chief Meteorologist/Oceanographer whose retirement allowed her to write romance novels. She has lived around the globe, so she has rich stories and characters to relate. Her first love, though, is writing and reading Scottish medieval romances. HIS WOMAN is the second of the MacGruder brothers series. HIS CAPTIVE was her debut novel for Kensington Publishing. HIS CONQUEST, the third of the MacGruder series, will be available in November.

Diana donates a tithe of her royalties to the various charities in which she is active. She firmly believes that each of us can make a positive difference in another person’s life. In the midst of raising children, moving across the country, and writing terrific books, Diana manages to work with Habitat for Humanity. She organized a group of writers from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex to help with a Habitat project. One Thanksgiving she took a traditional dinner to the fire station near her home because the men had to work away from their families on a holiday. She bakes pies and cookies to take to others. I’m honored to call this compassionate woman a friend and hope you will enjoy her writing as much as I do.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter my weekly drawing. This week I'm givin away a fun book, WILD, WICKED, AND WANTON: 101 WAYS TO LOVE LIKE YOU'RE IN A ROMANCE NOVEL, by Christie Craig and Faye Hughes. Please leave your email with your comment. A follow counts as a second entry. You know all that, right?