Friday, December 23, 2016

Decadent Decem-brr Reads Kindle Giveaway!

Welcome to the Decadent Decem-brr Reads
Kindle Giveaway! 


PRIZES
·GRAND PRIZE – Kindle eReader + $15 Amazon gift card
·1st PRIZE – $50 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·2nd PRIZE – $25 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·3rd PRIZE – $10 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·4th PRIZE – $5 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·5th Various swag items (3 winners – US only)



And please join our FaceBook Party for more chances to win!




Find my name (Jana Richards) on the list of newsletters and subscribe to my newsletter for your chance to win!

Contest open from December 1 - 31, 2016!


Friday, December 16, 2016

#MistletoeHop Naughty or Nice?


Welcome to my blog! The theme of this year’s hop is naughty or nice – which kind of author am I? And which is more fun?

If we’re talking about my personality, of course I’m nice! If we’re talking about my books, I’d say they’re mostly nice, too. Heroes to fall in love with and heroines to cheer for. But I haven’t forgotten the naughtiness!

Take my heroine Meg from A LONG WAY FROM EDEN; she’s definitely a heroine to cheer for. She’s had it tough. After an unplanned teenage pregnancy and an abusive marriage, she runs for her life with her young son. She works hard to make a good life for them. For seventeen years, her only goal is to keep her son safe. To protect him, she makes up an elaborate story about how his father, his parents and her parents all died in a plane crash. But the lie starts to unravel when her son Tom and his girlfriend Erin discover they’re having a baby and Tom decides he wants to learn more about his own past. Meg faces another crisis when she finds herself falling in love with Zane, Erin’s father. She hasn’t had good experiences with love and sex and it takes a strong, loving man to help her find her way. I love Meg because she’s a survivor and a warrior, and though she’s had some tough times in her life, she hasn’t lost her compassion or her ability to love.


My books have a little naughtiness, and enough spice to give them some heat. And like I said, my heroes are men to fall in love with. Finn Cooper from THE GIRL MOST LIKELY knows Cara is the one for him as soon as he meets her. But Cara is hung up on numbers – the one on her scale and the one on her calendar. She thinks she’s too fat, and at eight years his senior, she believes she’s too old for him, too. But none of that matters to Finn; he thinks she’s perfect the way she is. Finn’s persistence and his ability to look beneath the surface to the person inside has always made him a favorite of mine. That, and as Cara says, his “to die for” good looks!


Alex McKenzie from ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is another swoon-worthy hero. He’s a dedicated doctor who’s working on contract in a small town in order to pay off his medical school debt. His plan is to fulfill his contract and then go back to his real life in San Diego. He doesn’t count on falling in love with the high school principal, Julia Stewart. Or her beautiful six-year-old daughter Ava. He’s even falling in love with the small town and the kind of medicine he does there. But Julia’s marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Alex has to work hard for her to give him, and love, a second chance. But he does because he knows she’s worth it. I love the compassion Alex shows his patients, and the way little Ava wraps him around her finger. There’s nothing sexier than a man who loves children.


These are a few of my nice characters. Sometimes they're a little (or a lot) naughty, but they're always fun. I think you’ll love the books because they’re good stories. As for me, sometimes it's fun to put the nice girl on the sidelines and bring out my naughty side! Merry Christmas!

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win some great prizes. The Mistletop Hop ends on December 20, and I'll be picking the winners sometime after that and posting their names here by December 23. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Decadent Decem-brr Reads Giveaway!

Welcome to the Decadent Decem-brr Reads
Kindle Giveaway! 


PRIZES
·GRAND PRIZE – Kindle eReader + $15 Amazon gift card
·1st PRIZE – $50 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·2nd PRIZE – $25 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·3rd PRIZE – $10 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·4th PRIZE – $5 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·5th Various swag items (3 winners – US only)



And please join our FaceBook Party for more chances to win!




Find my name (Jana Richards) on the list of newsletters and subscribe to my newsletter for your chance to win!

Contest open from December 1 - 31, 2016!


Wednesday, December 7, 2016

K.K. Weil tells an Embarrassing Story!

K.K. Weil is my guest today and I'm excited because she's here with an embarrassing story for Amazing Story Wednesdays. I love embarrassing stories, especially when they happen to someone else! This story is one told by her character James Garrison from BETTER TO GIVE. I can't wait to hear your story, James!


What’s my most embarrassing moment? Well, as a dad of eight-year-old twins who publicly argue over just about anything, I’ve got plenty. Off the top of my head, I’d have to say the one that stands out the most would be the day I met Jenna.

It was my first four-day weekend alone with my children since my divorce was finalized. The kids were running amuck in my apartment. All I wanted to do was find something fun to keep them occupied, and keep them from destroying every piece of furniture I owned, at the same time. I found what I thought would be the perfect activity. My town was having a party at the community center to kick off the holiday season. What better way to let my kids expend some energy than building gingerbread houses and putting decorations on a Christmas tree?

For a while, everything was okay. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Maggie and Blake still ran around like two headless chickens. But so did every other kid, hyped up on sugar and the promise of holiday treats.

Then I saw it – a Christmas tree decorated with index cards instead of ornaments. Each card had the age and gender of a child in need, for whom you could buy a present. This was just what my kids needed. A little giving in their lives instead of receiving.

I called them over, all ready to be Dad of the Year with my great idea. Instead, my kids bickered over who would pick the card. In case it wasn’t bad enough that they were making a scene over what was supposed to be a charitable moment, my daughter shoved my son into a little girl.

For a second, everything moved in slow motion. I watched as the girl started to fall headfirst into the index-card-adorned tree. I watched as her mother caught her, seconds before she made contact. And I watched as her mother, with eyes as pale as ice, gave me the most chilling glare I’ve ever received.

Have you ever wanted to crawl under a rock so badly your skin itched? That’s how I felt at my lack of control over my kids. I mean, seriously, who has so much trouble managing their own children for a minute that they can’t do some charity without impaling someone else? Since there were no rocks around, I apologized to the woman.

But here came problem number two.

The woman had no interest in accepting my apology. She shot me some snarky remarks about my bad parenting. I should have left it there. I should have just muttered a last ‘I’m sorry’, and walked away. Instead, something held me. It might have been the black lashes that surrounded her pale blue eyes. Or it might have been the fact that she looked like she didn’t give a damn what anyone thought, dressed like she just came from a workout when everyone else was dressed to the nines. Or it might have been the long, sleek, black ponytail hanging down her back. Regardless, instead of becoming offended by her nasty comments, I flirted with her.

What embarrassed me more, you might ask? My children’s poor behavior or the fact that I was attracted to a woman who wanted nothing more than to tear me apart? It probably should have been the latter. However, there was something behind those ice cold eyes that told me I might not be alone in my reaction…

Maybe embarrassing moments aren’t always so bad.
- James Garrison, Better to Give




Blurb for BETTER TO GIVE:

For most people, the holidays are a time of warmth, happiness and celebration. But to Jenna Samuels, they mean only one thing. Mounting debt. A single mother, Jenna struggles to make ends meet and to her, it’s a season of excess and distress.

James Garrison is in over his head, too. His ex-wife said he wasn’t equipped to take care of his twins, and now that he’s got joint custody, he fears she was right. They’re wild, spoiled, and always fighting. When they knock Jenna’s daughter into the “Gifting Tree,”—a part of their town’s charity collection—the parents are immediately attracted to each other. But James has had his fill of cold women and Jenna won’t make the mistake of falling for another man who disappears when life gets too heavy.

As their paths cross, James and Jenna must decide whether first impressions are accurate, or if sometimes, people are not what you assume at all.

Amazon – http://Amzn.com/B01M16JTPS

Excerpt:

I needed some air. I just attacked a man for no good reason. Sure, one of his kids almost send Nora tumbling into a tree, but I could tell he was overwhelmed and I pounced anyway.

While his kids fought, the guy covered his face with his hands - the international sign for losing parental control. As he removed his hands, though, an awful thing happened. I got a good look at him and heat ran through every crevice of my body. No one should be as handsome as that guy was. Plus, I always had a thing for guys who were in over their heads, and he was definitely drowning with those kids.

I hadn’t reacted that way to a guy in a long time and I didn’t want to. My life was on track. I didn’t need some annoyingly smoky-hot, anti-super-dad screwing up my plans.

It was a problem because he clearly enjoyed the view, too. I knew what guys were thinking when they looked at me, and spoke to me, that way. When I mixed the way he was engrossed in me with my reaction to him, plans got derailed and things like Nora happened. Those smouldery guys don’t stick around once the Noras of the world arrive. So even though they’re still scorching hot, they no longer act like you are.

They disappear.

At least that was my experience. One I didn’t intend to repeat.

Author Bio:

K.K. Weil grew up in Queens, but eventually moved to New York City, the inspiration for many of her stories. Weil, who attended SUNY Albany as an undergrad and NYU as a graduate student, is a former teacher. She now enjoys writing her own dramas and lives near the beach in New Jersey, where she is at work on her next novel.


Saturday, December 3, 2016

Friday, December 2, 2016

An Interview with Author Erin Bevan!

Today is Friday and that means it's time for an interview with another interesting and talented author! My guest today is Erin Bevan and she's here to talk about her new holiday release, among other things. Please welcome Erin Bevan!


Where did you get the idea for your new novel, WRAPPED UP IN YOU?

I’m not really sure.  I remember reading a Christmas story and it got me in the spirit of writing my own Christmas story. I then basically combined The Santa Claus with The Selection and came up with a new and different twist to the North Pole!

Why did you choose this genre?

This Christmas story falls more in the line of sweet romance. Honestly, I wanted to give them a little something extra in the end, but my editor cut the scene. So, my somewhat spicy turned to more on the sweeter side. I’m okay with that. Maybe now, Hallmark will come knocking on my door! I could only wish.

Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book you’d like to share?

Maybe not unusual, but I did recruit the help of my daughter when I envisioned the North Pole. She told me the North Pole would have trees with jewels on it. So, I added trees with jewels.

That's very sweet, Erin! What was the most difficult thing about writing this book? 

My pilot has amnesia. That was very difficult. I would forget he couldn’t remember things. There were many rewrites of him rejoicing over recalling memories.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I procrastinate. Oh, but I don’t think that is very unusual for a writer.

What do you want readers to come away with after they read WRAPPED UP IN YOU?

I just want them to come away with a light, feel-good kind of feeling.

What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?

Something in the paranormal realm. Paranormal would expand my mind and my muse for sure.

If you could change something about one of your books that’s already released, what would it be?

I would change Cupid’s Angels. I would make Ellie’s reason for dating Robert much stronger. I know what the reason would be, but I won’t tell you. When I get the book back in a few years, I will make the changes, however, I don’t want to give it away!

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Yes. Not always because I want to, but because I have to. I finish one book, send it off, then start on another one. In the middle of book two, my editor will send me revisions for book one, and so on. I’ve had up to three projects going at once. I don’t do well with that. I like one thing at a time, but that never happens.

Do you have any words of advice to beginning writers?

Absolutely do not stop. No one wins by quitting. Ever.

Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing? 
I live in the Houston area. I’ve been writing for five years now, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. If I can help it at least.

If writing is your first passion, what is your second?

I’m not really sure. Probably shopping!

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it? Does it help you with your writing?

I’m a mother. I have three small children, and they keep my extremely busy. Most people think working is hard. Stay home with children. Hardest job ever! But, my kids do give me inspiration for my stories. And they help keep things real.

I remember those days, Erin. A very tough job! How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?

I don’t. I wing this each and every day and pray I don’t look like a total phony.

If you could get rid of something in your life that would give you more writing time, what would it be? 

Sleep.

What are your hobbies away from the computer? 

Working out, shopping, eating. I do love eating. Driving through the Starbucks drive thru, or any drive thru for that matter.

Name two authors we might find you reading when taking a break from your own writing.

Lori Wilde, Mary Kay Andrews


How can readers reach you or find you online?

www.erinbevan.com
www.facebook.com/erinbevanwrites/

Tell us a little about your current work in progress.

I’m working on something very different from sweet Christmas romance! I’m working on a biker club sequel. Hard men, big Harley’s, need I say more?

What’s your tagline? Why did you choose it?

Erin Bevan
Author of Women’s Romance
I chose it because it’s pretty vague. I write for women. Sometimes I write sweet, and sometimes I write not so sweet.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why? 

Wedding Day. It’s probably the best written so far, and it walks the line of sweet and steamy. Some of my books are very sweet. In the future some will be steamy. I want readers aware of that.

Tell us a little more about your current release. 

WRAPPED UP IN YOU released on November 30. It’s a sweet Christmas romance about the North Pole. Santa’s daughter, and an amnesiac pilot.

Is there anything we haven’t covered here that you’d like to tell readers?

I love to laugh, I love to have a good time, and I love when people engage with me on my Facebook author page. So, go, please like me!

Author Bio:


Erin Bevan was born and raised in Southwest Arkansas. She spent her teenage years working for her aunt at the local gas station, flipping burgers and making milkshakes, dreaming of the day when something better would come her way.

Fast forward ten years later, she found herself stuck inside an apartment in South Korea, while her daughter went to preschool and her husband went to work. Alone and unable to speak the local language, she turned to books for friendship. After reading several in such a short time, she decided to try her hand at writing one.

That first one sucked, but by the fifth and sixth book, Erin started to get the hang of this writing thing. Getting the first contract in her inbox was a dream come true. Now, with three babies at home, she squeezes in stories one word at a time, one sentence at a time, one day at a time.  She’s a full time mom, a full time wife, with a little writer sprinkled in whenever she can get the chance.

www.erinbevan.com
https://www.facebook.com/erinbevanwrites/
Twitter: @ErinBevan

Blurb for WRAPPED UP IN YOU:

Princess Jenny Claus has thirty suitors to choose from to take on the role of Santa and her husband, and only three weeks to do it. When an outsider crashes into and destroys the toy factory, her Gala and the prospect of Christmas for children everywhere are ruined.

Logan Moss awakens from his plane crash, suffering from partial amnesia. Surrounded by a world he always considered make believe, he has a hard time accepting his new surroundings. Except for one snow princess who he’s deeply fascinated with. And when Logan realizes she only has three weeks to pick a husband, he begins to feel compelled to be that man. Problem is, he can’t remember if he has a wife.

With Christmas getting closer, Jenny has to make the hardest decision of her life...duty or love.

Excerpt:

She gazed over the rest of his physique. Broad shoulders strained the stitches of his suit jacket, and from the looks of his chest, she would be willing to bet he hit North Pole Fitness on a daily basis. His grin showed snow-white, straight teeth, and a blush crept up her cheeks at his sparkling, undivided attention.

An answered prayer. At least God hadn’t taken a vacation day.

Her eye twitched again. Benigan must have  thought she winked at him because his smile widened, and he twitched his eye back at her as he strolled away. She’d probably just filled the man with false hope. Then again, his chances seemed pretty great compared to the others, so maybe she hadn’t. Was this small flutter in her stomach love? Was this what all the hype was about?

She’d expected a bolt of lightning to shoot from the sky, something earth shattering that would flip her whole world on its head to point her in the right direction. So far, all she got was a flutter…

A loud BOOM suddenly shook throughout the cottage walls as the lights flickered overhead.
Okay, that was definitely earth shattering.

She sucked in a breath and spun around to glance  at her parents. The orchestra stopped playing while the party guests ceased their mingling and began speaking in startled cries and hushed tones.
Her father stood from his white and gold throne to place his hand on the small of her back.

“Dad, what do you think that was?” she whispered.

“I don’t know.”

Sirens wailed in the distance as Peace and Joy, her father’s assistants, ran for the stage, each pressing a finger to their ear pieces.

“Ladies, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” her father asked.

“It’s the toy factory, sir,” Peace replied, nearly breathless.

“The toy factory? What about the toy factory?” Jenny grabbed her father’s arm and squeezed.

“A plane has crashed into it,” Joy answered.  “It’s on fire.”


Buy Links:

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Wrapped-Up-You-Erin-Bevan-ebook/dp/B01M0D4DI0

The Wild Rose Press:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4701-wrapped-up-in-you.html

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wrapped-up-in-you-erin-bevan/1124780061?ean=2940157103941

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Decadent Decem-brr Reads Giveaway!

Welcome to the Decadent Decem-brr Reads
Kindle Giveaway! 


PRIZES
·GRAND PRIZE – Kindle eReader + $15 Amazon gift card
·1st PRIZE – $50 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·2nd PRIZE – $25 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·3rd PRIZE – $10 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·4th PRIZE – $5 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
·5th Various swag items (3 winners – US only)



And please join our FaceBook Party for more chances to win!



Find my name on the Rafflecopter under "Newsletters". Subscribe to my newsletter for your chance to win!

Contest runs from December 1 - 31, 2016!