SO MANY CHANCES TO WIN!

By Caroline Clemmons

Great news for those who love prizes and Christmas stories!

The month of December is filled with special deals from every store imaginable. Authors don’t want their readers to lose on the spectacular buys and giveaways. Here are some sites that offer you a chance to win a great prize while exposing you to the Christmas stories you’ll want.

Beginning December 2, Cathy Brockman is hosting a Holiday Giveaway. From December 2-26, the Rafflecopter on her blogsite will allow readers to enter for prizes. My day on this blog is December 2. The url for this is https://cathybrockman.com/?p=14224 Prizes include a 7-inch Blue Kindle Fire, gift cards, and books.

All month every month, Romance Gems host a giveaway on their blog. This month the contest is titled Candy Cane Kisses. Each day on this blog, an author greets readers with a post and an opportunity to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. What a deal! My day to post is December 20. http://RomanceGems.blogspot.com 

 By the way, while you’re at the blog, why not follow us to get each post by this group of great authors? We also have a Facebook page.

Loving the Book’s Christmas Countdown runs from December 2-20 at http://lovingthebook.com  I’ll be on the blog on December 18. Posts are on weekdays only, not Saturday or Sunday.

Iris Bloebel is hosting a Christmas Romance Book Fair from December 6-20 to bring you Holiday Cheer. Check this one at - http://irisblobel.com/bookfair122019/  I’ll be on this one December 6.

These are just a few of the many opportunities for readers this month. Have a great month and a Merry Christmas!

PRIZES, PRIZES, PRIZES - ANOTHER BLOG HOP!

Happy April Fool's Day! Yes, here's another chance to win prizes from over 200 blogs. Don't let the staggering number dampen your enthusiasm. You have two full days to comment on as many blogs as possible. The hop is sponsored by  "I Am A Reader, Not A Writer" and "The Bookish Snob." Each of the more than 200 hosta is offering a prize. Most blogs offer a free e-book, but there are several other types of giveaways as well. Here's the link to the complete list of giveaways and blogs:
http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/gratitude-giveaways.html


My giveaway is one PDF download of SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME, a March release from The Wild Rose Press. To qualify, just leave a comment and include your email address. Easy, right?

But wait! There's more! (Hey, it works on TV.) Signing up for my newsletter with the form on the sidebar at right counts as a second entry. If you sign up for the newsletter or if you're already a subscriber, please mention it in your comment so I know to put your name in twice for my drawing. The monthly newsletter also includes a drawing for a free book or other prize, a recipe, news, and miscellaneous stuff I think is interesting.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll read all of my blog and return many times in the future.

Here's the 5 HEARTS Review from Vicky at SIZZLING HOT REVIEWS:




Gorgeous cover by Rae Monet



SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME by Caroline Clemmons


Sometimes, the past can haunt us too much! “Just get over it” is easy to say, but much harder to do. Both Beth and Matt have real issues to overcome in Save Your Heart for Me. They both are special people and are worth the necessary effort to deal with any problems each has so they can be together.

Six years ago Beth Jeffers fled her abusive husband. Now, she wants nothing more than to protect her son Davey and help her mother operate a boarding house. The women in her family have no luck with men, and she has no intention of letting any man mar her son's life. Not even Matt Petrov, no matter how much her heart urges otherwise.


Federal Marshall Matt Petrov fell in love with Beth the first time he saw her. She was another man’s wife, so he kept his longing to himself. But when he and the lovely widow cross paths again, he intends to seize his chance at happiness.

Beth made one very big mistake years ago. She fell for the charms of a man and married too quickly only to learn the hard way everything was lies. Turned out Lionel Jeffers had married her for her ‘nest egg’ thinking she had more money. The abuse, both physical and mental, started even before he gambled away what
little money she had. When she ended up pregnant a few months later, he sent her away, not wanting a ‘brat’ around. She is still ashamed over this while being glad her son has never been exposed to the abuse.

She helps her mother run the local boarding house and raises her son much as she was raised: an absentee father with the town gossiping about the mother and never knowing if the drunken father is going to show up. So she holds herself to the highest standards, giving the busybodies nothing to talk about (not that that stops them).

Matt Petrov is haunted by his own past. At one time, he had a small ranch but married a (semi) rich girl more suited to city life. His wife never adjusted to ranch life and when she got pregnant wanted to return to town. He didn’t see the need and she, and the baby, died when the baby came early. He has never forgiven himself. This is why he was a gambler and drunk when he knew Beth and her husband six years ago. (Later) Beth’s husband framed Matt for his own counterfeiting and the judge happened to be Matt’s dead wife’s father. Still blaming Matt for her death, this judge accepted any evidence to send Matt to prison, but let him use a different name to spare everyone’s families. Between how poor a husband he was and that he has been in prison, he doesn’t feel like he deserves to be around decent people. He helps, does good in general, as a Federal Marshall, but doesn’t stay in one place long.

That is why Matt is in Winton Crossing. His friend, Ivan, has sent for him after being shot while trying to claim the land/ranch the king of his country (Bayergrovenia) gave him. But Matt was also sent undercover in his Marshall capacity it see what is going on at this ranch that has so many solider-like men at it. When Matt arrives in town, Ivan is missing. And Beth, the woman he still pines for but feels he can’t have, is running the boarding house where his friend has been staying. Matt figures that the people at the ranch have Ivan. But he will have to find a way to save him before they kill him. And fight his attraction to Beth. When the boarding house is broken into, Matt moves into Ivan’s old room to keep an eye on things and make sure everyone is safe. But this puts Beth and Matt too close together…

Will Matt be able to save Ivan? Will Beth be able to get over her issues with her drunken father and abusive husband to see how great Matt is? Will Matt be able to forgive himself his past to offer Beth a future?

Save Your Heart for Me is unexpectedly good. The abusive husband has left a strong impression, yet we don’t have to deal with ugly flashbacks. Matt has always longed for Beth, yet doesn’t feel good enough for her. It is nice to have the guy be the one with angst for a change, and you can really feel it here. He is not 100% blameless; after all he did drown his guilt in drink for a few years. That he ended up framed for a crime and in prison is a hard way to learn any lesson. And there is no doubt he has become a hero. Beth has had it hard. Given the facts above, she sounds bitter, but really she is more scared than anything.

Scared for her son, scared that her husband will come back, and worried about the future. She is not afraid of hard work and doesn’t blame her mother for her childhood issues (gossip or her father). And she is doing an amazing job with her son on her own. The surprising thing is that these two are not bitter after everything that has happened to them. In fact they still have a sweetness to them, not obvious but it still comes across. And together, they just make me want to go ‘ahhh’ and smile.

Save Your Heart for Me is a good western historical (not really cowboys this time). The ‘adventure’ aspect is light (so it doesn’t take away from the character story) but still very entertaining. Caroline Clemmons has written rich characters with issues we can relate to even today. With a full cast of supporting characters
adding detail and humor, I was pulled in and didn’t want to put Save Your Heart for Me down until finished.

My thanks to Vicky for "getting" my book. If you're interested, here's the buy link: www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-clemmons-m-638.html from the publisher, The Wild Rose Press. It's also available at Digi-Books Cafe, Amazon, and other online stores.

SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME is set entirely in Central Texas, but refers to the country of Bayergrovenia. Since no one but me had ever heard of Bayergrovenia (because I made it up), here's a map my sweet Hero husband made for my fictional country. The grandfather of the book's hero and Ivan, the man Matt is sent to help, are from Bayergrovenia, the tiny country in red in the map's center. I wanted Bayergrovenia to border French and German speaking countries.

There's Bayergrovenia, snuggled in
below Germany and above Switzerland,
and between Austria and France

Thank you for stopping by. Please come back again.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes! Last Day for Big LASR Nook Hunt

We all want an e-reader, right? Get moving then! Check out the authors participating in the Great Anniversary Celebration at Long and Short Reviews for a chance to win one of THREE Nook e-readers, each of which will come loaded with books from participating authors. Win, win. Mine is easy to find. Some are harder. Totally worth searching for, though--unless you already have an e-reader.

As they say on TV commercials, "But Wait! That's not all!" Right. Comment by tonight and I'll enter you in my weekly drawing for a book. Yeah, one book. Makes that LASR contest look better and better, doesn't it? (Okay, but my book, OUT OF THE BLUE, is a great one, really it is. You'll love it--all my friends and family did. LOL And Siren Reviews gave me 5 Siren Stones in their review! )

The winner of Aileen Harkwood's free download of WOLF'S DEN is Cienna. Aileen will be contacting you, Cienna, to email you your copy of her book. You're still in the running for the Big Prize Basket from our Wild Rose Authors Blog Tour. That winner will be announced on August 31st. Lisa Dawn, marketing director for The Wild Rose Press, will draw the winner's name from the list of all those who commented on the August blog tour.

Is that all there is on blogs--prizes? No, I have great content with author interviews, book reviews, research information, writing tips, and miscellaneous drivel, um, I mean great stuff going on in my life. Next week I'll be reviewing Margo Candela's new book, GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT followed the next day with a blog post by Margo. Great book, so come back to learn more about the book and learn what she has to say about writing.

This week has been a mess for me. Darling 2's oldest dog, Findley, has had cancer, and surgery to remove the tumor has left his shoulder and leg a mess. With Darling 2 hydrating the wound and doing massage three times a day and twice weekly visits to our vet, Findley's leg has been saved and he is recovering. However, she is in education and couldn't get off to take him yesterday for his vet visit--rescheduled because the vet was going out of town. So, Hero and I took care of the little guy overnight and then took him in for his visit. It's harrowing---like keeping a sick child for someone. We are worried he'd hurt himself, or get worse, or something on our watch. Very traumatic. No, Findley was fine; we were the nervous ones.  That's not Findley above right. It's Webster, the black Shih Tzu to whom Hero and I belong. I didn't want to show poor poor little Findley's photo as he looks now. However, Findley is also a black Shih Tzu and his gentle, sweet nature is the reason Hero and I got Webster from a rescue agency. Webster's photos always make him look like a little black alien, but he is actually a sweet, loving, and handsome dog. But on with my story.

Because my glasses broke and I have to have them to do little things like see anything, I had to get my eyes checked. I had scheduled a chat at Coffee Time Romance's karenfindoutaboutbooks' yahoo loop for four. Or so I thought. Turns out it was on the erotic chat loop, karendevinkaren. I don't write erotic romance, just sensual and sweet. Can't figure out how I wound up on that erotic loop, but never mind. When I learned it was at 4 EST instead of CST, I was going to cancel my eye exam. Nope, the big chip in my unbreakable lens made it necessary I see the doctor ASAP. So, Darling 1 filled in for me for half an hour or so until I rushed home in a tizzy because I'd missed part of the chat.

Things were fine for a while and I enjoyed chatting a couple of hours with those who showed up. Time moved along pretty fast, that is--yep, until my server went down an hour before the chat was supposed to end. By this time, let me tell you, my nerves were frazzled--taut as bowstrings. Again, Darling 1 took over to tell the other chatters what happened and bid them adieu for me.

While I was waiting, hoping my server would somehow revive itself, I read an email that said I had messed up payment for a cover contest I'd entered. Yikes? What was wrong with me? Was I going nuts? I was in a deep purple funk. My mom used to say she was "blue" when she was loney or upset. A deep purple funk is even more upsetting than being blue. LOL This was just one of those days when I figured nothing I did was right and my life was NOT under my control!

Here's where Hero stepped in and took me out for Mexican food and a large margarita. See why I call him Hero? He always knows the perfect thing to help me recover from any situation. Not that I get myself into um, situations all that often. (Yeah, right. I'm sure you believe that. If so, would you like to buy this great bridge in Brooklyn?)

I hope you don't have days like mine was yesterday, or if you do that you handle it better than I did. I suspect everyone has days like that one occasionally. Seems life is either feast or famine--nothing happening OR way too much happening at once. You've probably heard that Chinese curse: "May you live in interestng times." Yep, sometimes boring would be nice.

Evolving as a Writer, Evolving as a Reader

June and July are the Summer Reading Trail 2010. I hope you like to read--obviously you do or you wouldn't be here reading this blog. I'm also giving prizes throughout the Trail, so stick around. One comment is an entry and a follow is a second entry.

As long as I can remember I've loved books. My dad taught me to read when I was very young. I think he tired of reading the funnies and comic books. I bugged him to keep up with my favoites--Bugs Bunny, Superman, etc. Once I learned, I read whatever was handy. My mom was not a book enthusiast until later in life. She was unable to attend school for the entire year due to helping on her parents' farm, so she didn't do well in school. Besides, until she was middle aged, she thought too much reading was bad for the eyes. Then her sister insisted she read a book, and she was hooked. She rued having missed so many years of pleasure before then..

I used to haunt the library. Even after I was an adult, I made runs to the library on my lunch hour or on the way to the bus stop to load up on novels. I read on the bus all the way to and from work. I never tired of reading. I still don't! But now I buy most of my books. I reread favorites and pass the rest on to friends.

Once I began writing in earnest, I attended workshops and conferences. Not only did this change the way I write, but--here's what surprised me--it made a substantial change in the way I read. Now I noticed when authors broke the rules. How did they manage this and still continue securing contracts? Why couldn't I break the rules, too? Why were they published and I wasn't?

In the first place, well known authors have earned the right to break those rules. They've worked until they've built up a fan base whose readership guarantees their future sales. Secondly, perhaps a few of those same writers who are now successful would never be offered the first contract in today's tough publishing atmosphere. Isn't that thought a kick in the head? You know which authors I mean, I'm sure. Long, flowery descriptions to open the book. Anachronisms and faulty research in historical novels. Slow pacing. Paragraphs that last a page or more. Yawn.

Generally speaking, we are currently consumers with short attention spans. We want to get to the meat of the story fast. Short phrases interspersed to give us the weather and mood when necessary, but no long descriptions of the weather or the room. We want the hero and heroine to meet early in the book (or movie. How do you suppose Sleepless In Seattle sold as a screenplay? Wouldn't it be a shame if it hadn't?). Quick action, lots of dialogue, no long paragraphs without a break. No sentences that take three or four lines on the page.

My critique partner and friend Jeanmarie Hamilton and I often talk about writing trends. She writes historicals and erotica; I write sweet contemporaries, and sensual historicals and paranormals. Both of us write romance. We are constantly noticing new trends and puzzling over them and how to incorporate them into our writing. As the King of Siam said in The King and I, "It's a puzzlement."

This doesn't mean that I don't like older novels. I do! I love Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Marjorie Allingham, and others of the Golden Age. I can't read some of the older writers--those with heroines Too Stupid To Live. You know the ones I mean. The heroine is wearing a white nightgown and hears a noise. She takes her candle/lantern/flashlight to investigate, even though she knows there's a killer on the loose. Writers call her TSTL--Too Stupid To Live. My friend Sandy Crowley once wrote herself into a corner with her heroine facing killers in an alley. She said, "I just left her there for a day. I figured I'd created someone TSTL."

Since writing has evolved, writers' techniques must also evolve or they'll be left behind. I have to write fast so I'll have time to blog and comment on other blogs and go on Facebook and Tweet on Twitter and go to writer's meetings and speak to community groups. Good grief, no wonder I'm tired. That's why Hero brings me an occasional soda or tea, snack, or meal so I can hibernate in my nice, pink cave and keep writing my heart out and trying to please readers. What a guy!

The whole idea of this is that readers' tastes change, too. How has your taste in books changed in the last decade? Do you still read the same authors you read ten years ago?

Travels With NO Rock Climbing

Hywela Lyn is the winner of the free download of NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES for guessing that I never go rock climbing. Ever! I've hiked over American Indian ruins from Arizona to Tennessee and as far north as Four Corners--then climbed back into an air-conditioned car to proceed to a nice motel. No camping for me, either. As close as I plan to come to camping is the La Quinta. (They even have mini-fridges in the rooms and breakfast in the lobby.) We visit ruins from mounds to pueblos. In fact, Hero an I love visiting ruins of ancient North American cultures. Well, we enjoy seeing others around the world, but the ones in nearby states are most convenient to visit. And cheapest.

On a couple of occasions several years ago, we visited Mesa Verde and were privileged to go to the sites that are now closed to foot traffic.  We've also hiked across Hovenweep, Gila, Chaco Canyon, and lots of others. Trust me, that's as close to rock climbing as I'll ever come! But at times, I felt like a time traveler myself as I walked through placess where families once lived. I've wondered what their lives were like.

As for the other possible "lies," Hero and I live in North Central Texas; we have two Darling Daughters; I used to work for a newspaper as reporter and featured columnist. Although Kensington was my first publisher, I am happy to say that The Wild Rose Press is my current publisher. As for pets, Hero and I have a dog and three cats. At the present time, though, Darling 2 has been staying with us while she recovers from extensive knee surgery. We also have her two dogs and two cats with us. We love her sweet pets as much as ours--well, almost--but sometimes it seems there are way too little animals everywhere! Last, I'm sure all of you know that chocolate and a Dr Pepper make any situation better!

BLOGMANIA DAY HAS ARRIVED!

BLOGMANIA Day is finally here. What a terrible time for my internet to go down. Yikes! But it's all working now, so get ready to click through 123 blogs participating in this BLOGMANIA with a chance to win a prize at each site. This is Blog # 9 on the tour.

This blog is an author blogging about author interviews, book reviews, writing tips, research, and miscellaneous subjects.

We've done all the work for you for this BLOGMANIA day.. No hunting or surfing. Each blog wil have a number and instruction for entering that blog giveaway. If you see a blog that appeals to you, bookmark it for a return visit.

 My giveaway rules. Comment for a chance to win and please be sure to include your email address in the comment. For a second entry, sign up as a follower for my blog and be sure to include in your comment that you signed up as a follower. Of course, include your email address again.

My giveaway prize is a Steampunk necklace made from a pocket watch, along with a few surprises in the gift bag.

Blog 1 Host of Blogmania Between the Pages at http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/
Blog 2 Co-host of Blogmania The Black Sheep Dances at http://theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com/
Blog 43 Co-host of Blogmania, Books, Books Everywhere at http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/
Blog 68 Mama Librarian at http://mamalibrarian.blogspot.com/
Blog 92 Groovy Ruminations at http://groovybell.blogspot.com/
Blog 36 Along The Way at http://a-long-the-way.blogspot.com/
Blog  8 A Mom's Take at http://amomstake.blogspot.com/
Blog 18 Aubut Family at http://www.aubutfamily.com/
Blog 109 Mommy's Minute at http://mommys-minute.blogspot.com/
Blog 118 Designs By Dawn Marie at http://designsbydawnmarie.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by. As we say in the Southwest, "Don't be a stranger."