#Contest Central #Giveaways Galore

Good morning readers and authors. I've just returned from a two week plus road trip vacation, opened my laptop, and realized I have three contests going on. Yes, I knew...but I'm not sure how I forgot and scheduled multiple ones. Too much on my plate, I suppose. But how great for you. Enter all three (they're all easy) and you could win gift cards, books, Kindles, and I forget what all else there is. Good luck!!

For the month of July, Coffeetime Romance:
http://coffeetimeromance.com/contests/

Also until the end of the month:
https://www.booksandmore.club/bookbub-hop

And there's only six more days to enter this one. Hurry! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unusual Character Names~~Shake Your Family Tree by Ann Everett

What's in a name? Read on and let Ann's post entertain you. Then leave a comment and maybe you'll score a book. Please welcome our guest, Ann Everett.

Nobody works harder at coming up with unusual names than famous people.  Other than celebrities, who names their kids, Heiress, Audio, Rocket, and Honeyblossom? Weird, right? And—unforgettable.

As authors, we, too, strive to have memorable characters. Not just their personalities, but also monikers. Who can forget Ebenezer, Sherlock, Katniss, and Scout? Granted, those are from super-famous books, but still, we want the names we choose to stand-out—just in case our story hits the big-time.

There are tons of name generator sites. All you have to do is type in (your genre) name generator and Google will show you the way. Need the most popular boy or girl names for a particular year? There are plenty of those on the internet. I have a writer friend who uses dog and cat sites to find bizarre names. I suppose Fleur, Caramel, Magness, and Ammo will work for humans as well as pets.

However, a bit of family research may be all you need to find the perfect name. In my 2011 debut novel, Laid Out and Candle Lit, Saint, Pattiecake, Sugarpie, Synola, and Tizzy are just a few of the characters gracing the pages. One reviewer commented how stupid those names sounded. Guess what? They are all real family members!! Yes, Saint was in my family long before Kim and Kanye came up with it.

Other than checking my heritage, I have two favorite places for reference. Obituaries and cemeteries! Call me morbid, but those sources have a treasure trove of uncommon names. Here are just a few I have in my notebook: (men) Jap, Clete, Early, Tarlton, and Oochie. (Women) Aslin, Nelia, Kelby, Meade, and Swinn.

In my current WIP, Swan and True, take center stage. They aren’t family members, but women I know. They are much, much older than my characters, but their names are timeless. 

Chirp by Ann Everett

A woman hiding from her future…..

Heiress to the largest steel company in America, twenty-year-old, socially awkward Blaze Bledsoe hides out at Dessie Bishop’s farm. For the last three years, Blaze has eluded one investigator after another, but just when she thinks she’s safe, a PI closes in. Her luck is about to run out in more ways than one.

A man running from his past….

Rance Keller, a tough, hard-living ex-con, fresh out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit, arrives to claim the house his grandmother left him. Finding a strange girl living there, his plans for a solitary life take a turn. Her lack of modesty, no filter, and word of the day fetish baffles him, but those big green eyes and sweet mouth have him losing sleep.

Welcome to Bluebird, Texas

Where two damaged people with secrets, discover trust can lead to passion.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT7DXF4

Excerpt:

Blaze

Blaze reached room three and referred to the next list: Blue eye shadow. Black mascara. Mauve lip gloss. Enhance beauty mark at corner of mouth.

Only thirty-nine years old, Ginny Elliott had met her demise when her biker boyfriend failed to negotiate a turn. Thank goodness she’d worn a helmet. Camouflaging a mangled face presented a challenge. Being tossed ten feet into the air before landing on the hard pavement had proved too much for the rest of her bones.

Ginny was dressed in a leather jacket and low-cut tank, her voluptuous breasts swelling over the top. Nothing like formaldehyde to pump up a woman’s upper thorax. Blaze tugged at her own T-shirt, conscious of the small boobs she’d been blessed with. Removing the pencil from behind her ear, she scratched out part of the note and made changes.

Proper shading and contouring made women appear pounds lighter and years younger. Once Blaze had finished, Ginny looked like a Harley Harlot. Blaze always regretted the client couldn’t witness the magic. She jotted another message, tucked it into Motorcycle Momma’s pocket, and zipped it. “When you get to heaven, give this to Larkin Montgomery. You’ll recognize her because we look alike.” With only a few pictures for comparison, she wasn’t sure about that. The older she got, the less she remembered about her mother.

With her supplies back in place, Blaze peeked into the hallway. The coast appeared clear. No Cameron waiting to walk her out. Maybe she’d finally been rude enough for him to get the message.

Outside, a sharp February breeze cut at her face, but spring hid right around the corner. Almost time to break up the garden spot. Even though she liked living alone, she missed Dessie. The sweet woman had left the place to her only grandson, but Blaze would never meet him.

Since he was serving a fifteen-year prison sentence. She’d be long gone by the time he showed up. 

Rance

Rance stepped outside and followed the aroma of bacon to Bubba’s Diner. Just what he needed after going heels to Jesus all night. He removed his last cigarette and tossed the package into the blue trash barrel at the corner of the building. Really should give up the bad habit, and he would. Later.

It occurred to him, last night’s tag-team event with the BFFs, had fulfilled his goal—fifty-two women in fifty-two weeks. No more pressure. With an early start and few stops, he could make it to Bluebird in one day. Grab a quick breakfast. Crank up the Harley. Hit the road. Couldn’t wait to see the place again. Enjoy the seclusion and relax in his grandmother’s old claw-foot tub. That’s what he loved about the little country town.

Everything remained the same. Never any surprises.

 ****I will be happy to gift a digital copy of “Chirp” to TWO lucky readers who leave a comment.

Are character names important? If so, how do you choose them?

Addicted to #Suspense #Giveaway by Brenda Whiteside

I wanted to let you all know about a really great giveaway that is still going. There's one more week left so hurry on over and get in for your chance to win Kindles, a gift card and a whole lot more!

ADDICTED TO SUSPENSE GIVEAWAY

Enter now for your chance to win! 

March 13-31

Readers of romantic suspense, mysteries, and thrillers, I have a giveaway just for you! Enter now and you could take home a Kindle Fire HD8, Kindle Fire 7, or Amazon gift card. Have you been eager to get your hands on that new suspense bestseller? Win one of 4 ebook prize packs also among the list of prizes and you can tell us which books to buy to feed your reading habit: suspense, mystery, thriller. CLICK HERE TO ENTER THIS FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY

Plus, shop our book fair for some heart-pounding reads from our talented group of sponsoring authors writing in your favorite genres. CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK FAIR

It's a dynamite event you don't want to miss!

This Giveaway is Sponsored by

Alex Gordon • Amanda Uhl • Angela Sanders • Ava Bradley • Brenda Whiteside • BV Lawson • CB Samet • Colleen Mooney • Dara Carr • DiAnn Mills • Donna R. Mercer • Ellen Byron • Ethan Jones • Eva Winters • Fiona Quinn • Greta Boris • Inge-Lise Goss • J. L. Lora • Jacqueline Diamond • JC Andrijeski • Jennifer St. Giles • Judith Lucci • Julie Mulhern • K A Servian • Kris Michaels • Kristy Tate • Mimi Barbour  • Monique Singleton • Naomi Bellina • P. Creeden • PJ Fiala • RM Alexander • Sahara Roberts • Stacey Joy Netzel • Stephanie Queen • Stephany Tullis • Tamara Ferguson • Tamra Lassiter • Taylor Marsh • Tee Smith

Wyne/Wine and a Giveaway by Donna Michaels

**My Winners are...

Debby  and Jannine!

Congratulations! Sorry for the delay! Wine and Dine is on its way!

Thank you all for commenting. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

*******

Hello everyone, I’m excited! In eight days the third book in my Citizen Soldier Series, WYNE AND SONG releases, and a month later the fourth book in the series WINE AND HER NEW YEAR COWBOY releases in the RING IN A COWBOY boxed set!

This series is special to me because it features National Guard heroes and heroines, and as you know, my husband has been in the National Guard for over 30 years. It’s my honor to portray these brave men and women, and their support on the home front.

I’d like to share some Wyne and Wine and offer a giveaway at the end.

Book 3/Ethan features my single father who surprised me. I usually have pretty much alpha heroes, but Ethan has a little beta going on, too, and I enjoyed every bit of that aspect of him.

WYNE AND SONGCitizen Soldier Series
Book 3/ Ethan
Releasing 11/24/15 Available NOW for Pre-Order!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016UV023W

 Single father Ethan Wyne’s trust in women stopped when his cheating wife died while he was deployed. Dating and relationships are in the past. His son is his life now and he’s proud of the stable home he’s created through hard work, determination, and support. But when a family celebration in NYC leads to a moment of weakness with a vivacious beauty, he’s tempted to rethink his reasoning. Especially when she turns up in the Poconos. Can he take a chance again when more than his heart is at stake?

Phoebe Weston’s temporary gig in a summer production in the Poconos is just what the Broadway star needs to keep busy while awaiting a Hollywood screen test. The magic of the show reawakens her passion for the basics, and her frequent encounters with the handsome, single father of a young friend awakens something more.

But Ethan’s made it clear he’s not looking for permanent, and for the first time in her life, Phoebe’s not looking for temporary. Maybe what the jaded father’s locked up, guarded heart needs is a little song.

***********************

When I was asked to be in the RING IN A COWBOY boxed set featuring cowboys set around New Years, I knew I wanted to bring a cowboy from my Harland County Series up to the Poconos and create a Citizen Soldier/Harland County Crossover for the set. I immediately thought of Harper, one of my Texas cowboys, then I chuckled gleefully and rubbed my hands together imagining some fun for the displaced cowboy stuck in the snowy north.

WINE AND A NEW YEAR COWBOY
Citizen Soldier/Harland County Series
Crossover Novella
Book 4/ Lucas

Texas cowboy, Lucas Harper relocates to the Poconos when he’s named guardian of a teenager in the will of a father he didn’t know existed. With a new job, new Guard unit, new house, and a new sister, he’s reached his ‘new’ limit, until he meets his sister’s new boss.

A magnet for Mr. Wrong, pizza shop owner, Evie Martelli makes an early New Year’s resolution to go ‘no male’, but the sexy older brother of her employee puts that resolution to the test. Good thing her brother has a ‘no dating rule’ concerning the guys from his unit.

But, everybody knows rules are meant to be broken, and resolutions rarely last more than a few days…

WINE AND HER NEW YEAR COWBOY is part of the
RING IN A COWBOY Boxed Set
Rel. 12/28/15
Available NOW for PRE-ORDER for .99cents at:

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016SIV2T0
iBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1047805946
B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ring-in-a-cowboy…/1122768892
KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/ring-in-a-cowboy

Authors:

Kathleen Ball
Rhonda Lee Carver
Amanda McIntrye
Hildie McQueen
Donna Michaels
Lexi Post
Tori Scott
Gem Sivad
Victoria Vane

***GIVEAWAY***
In honor of my upcoming Citizen Soldier releases, I’m giving away 2 eBooks of the first book in the series WYNE AND DINE! Just answer the following question:

What is your favorite wine?

Two random names will be drawn from the comments tomorrow. Good luck!

Each book is a standalone, but as with any series, I think you get more out of the books if you read each hero’s story.

**Citizen Soldier Series**
Book 1/ Ben – Wyne and Dine
Book 2/Mason – Wyne and Chocolate
Book 3/Ethan – Wyne and Song
Book 4/ Harper – Wine and Her New Year Cowboy (Harland County/Citizen Soldier Crossover Novella/Part of the Ring in a Cowboy Boxed Set)

Thanks for reading,

~Donna

www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

Spring Cleaning and A Giveaway! Win a Signed Paperback from Laura Breck

Laura Breck

Instead of catching up on my writing as I should be, I've been spring cleaning. Impulsively. It started with the car, getting everything clean and shiny for summer, then it grew to encompass the closets, cabinets, drawers, and even those dark, creepy places underneath footed cabinets - ewww!

Not Laura Breck's husband.

The worst was my husband's personal foundation-wear drawer. He doesn't like to throw away socks or underwear, so the old ones migrate to the back of the drawer and keep the darn thing from closing right. The local Goodwill is going to be shocked when they open a whole garbage bag full of boxer briefs! 

Although I have nearly half the house in amazingly tidy order, I do need to get back to what I do all day. Strange, isn't it, when the job I love gets so overwhelming that cleaning is like a vacation? Oh well, that's just a sign that I should get out and walk more, take advantage of the beautiful Minnesota spring we're enjoying.

And to get me out of the house and into town to mail a package, I'm giving away a signed paperback copy of Dancing in a Hurricane. All you need to do to win is to tell me which place in your house or garage is most in need of a good spring cleaning!

Win This Book in Paperback!

Have a wonderful day!

Laura

~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance

LauraBreck.com

~Dancing in a Hurricane is available in digital formats at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace

~Love in the Land of Lakes is available in digital format at Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace