When The Darkness Falls G!veaway

Welcome to my stop on the When Darkness Falls Blog Hop and Giveaway!  So I think I might have to enter some kind of rehab for my addiction to giveaways. I swear I can't say no to these things! LOL  Well, it's nice to meet new readers and give prizes away, so what the hell, right? And this hop is celebrates Friday the 13th. ;)

Since this is a "dark" giveaway, of course I'm giving away something vampire--a copy of my newest book, Vampire Dreams Revamped and some great swag from the Sons of Navarus series (bookmarks, cover flats).  Vampire Dreams Revamped is a new book from an old one I published last year. It was always the unofficial prequel to the Sons of Navarus series, but now I've added to the story, giving readers more Brandon, more Arden, and more Vasilije, in addition to cameo appearances by two of the Sons and a few new characters. 

Here's the blurb:

A vampire for hundreds of years, Brandon Ridley is surrounded by others of his kind who enjoy their world to the fullest. Orgies, debauchery, and sensual delights leave him empty, though. What he wants is that one woman who will share his life.

Homeless and without any family, Arden Stephens must live on the streets of mid 19th century London, never a safe place for a young woman.  One night, as she is running for her life from an attacker, she is rescued by Brandon and offered a place in his home as his maid.  Brandon is enchanted by Arden from the moment they meet and yearns to make her one of his kind.

Nightly, he visits her in her sleep, preparing her for the night he will finally make her his own.  For Arden, the wanton dreams she has about her handsome employer seduce her and each day when she wakes up, she finds herself more drawn to him.  But love and desire aren't enough for Brandon to sire her.  He must first obtain the approval of his own sire, an ancient vampire named Vasilije who has thwarted his chance for happiness before.

But if Brandon can convince him, he may finally find the love he's been without for centuries.

To enter, leave a comment with your email address and do as many extra entries in the Rafflecopter thing as you like to increase your chances. The contest is open internationally, and the giveaway runs from July 13 through midnight July 21. Be sure to hop around to the other blogs for more great prizes. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Sapphire Phelan Guest Post

A welcome to author Sapphire Phelan today who's here to talk about her new book, The Witch and The Familiar.

There’s something about hot, humid Southern heat and romance. Maybe it’s the essence of Tennessee Williams, with his themes of repression and yet, sexual desire, like in A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Southern belles as they fan themselves, the beading of sweat—especially on a man’s hard, naked body, and the heat intensifying the passion. Maybe it’s a need to relieve the heat in the lovers more than anything else. A fleshy form of thunder and lightening.

More than anything, a romance author who lives in the South, can finds inspiration writing passionate love stories, most especially during the summertime. Though said author admits to writing it indoors, in cool air conditioning. But with hot humidity sometimes going up to 100 degree weather lately and when storms rush in, hitting the area with violence and passion, an author can see how this would work with passions erupting between lovers in a romance.

What kinds of things does summer make you think of romance? Leave a comment and you can be entered to win from my backlist of erotic paranormal romance eBooks, in honor of hot summer heat and also for my new print release that came out at the end of April, The Witch and The Familiar.

Sapphire

Dark heroes and heroines with bite...sink your teeth into a romance by Sapphire Phelan today.

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Blurb:

Mortal woman Tina discovers she is part of a prophesy that says she and Charun, her demon Familiar, must make love so she can become the witch she is fated to be. If she doesn't do it and stop the demon army bringing Armageddon to the Mortal Realm on Halloween, she won't stand a chance in Hell.

A year later, just when Tina and Charun thought it was all over and that their life would be normal—another prophesy pops up. If Lucifer snatches Tina and mates with her before the last chime before midnight of the new year and gets her pregnant with his son, that the real Armageddon would begin, spelling the end of life as they knew it. This time they get help from an archangel, Jacokb, but with demons, Lucifer, and a cute demon bunny with fangs out of a Monty Python nightmare, out to stop them and Heaven not lending a hand, will Tina this time lose the battle and become the mother of the Antichrist and the start of a new Hell on Earth?

Excerpt from The Witch and the Familiar (adult in nature as is the book, so only 18 and older can read):

A year later, Charun stood in front of the mirror on the wall and whispered a few words. The glass warped in and out, becoming something not unlike a television monitor. In it, he saw his witch working in the Cup of Tea and a Book bookstore, handing a bag of books over to a customer.

"She's gorgeous," he whispered.

He ached to reach his hand through the glass and finger the long, blonde strands of hair. He itched to stroke the skin of her face and see if it felt as soft as it looked. He took a few steps back, for if he didn't he would jam his head through the glass and kiss her on the lips. His cock expanded, growing longer and harder than ever before. Lust tore through him like a ravenous animal ready to devour its prey.

The time had come.

About time, too.

Taking spirit form and not looking back, Charun rose from the bowels of Hell to the mortal realm. He touched ground just down the street from Cup of Tea and a Book bookstore and became a handsome, naked man. His staff waved before him like a proud, hissing snake, spitting even as precum beaded at the slit. He shook his head. No, it was too soon for him to assume the man form. He frowned, thinking.

A cat!

He would become a cat. That would do—for now. Just not a horny tomcat, as the pain of his arousal washed over him. He dodged into a nearby alley and worked his organ, biting his lips when he came.

Withdrawing his hand from his flaccid penis and using the other to prop himself against the building, he spoke in demon, "Denoch er nomonaty."

A strange feeling slammed into him and he cried out as he dropped to his knees on the pavement. Thrusting out a hand against the ground so he wouldn't topple over, he began to metamorphose, growing smaller and smaller as he did. Black fur sprouted all over his body and head. His ears sharpened into points and shot up over his head, while his hands and feet became paws edged with sharp claws. Whiskers pinged out of his cheeks, and from his buttocks snaked a long tail. He hunched over and then fell over onto his ass. Within seconds, his metamorphose completed, he was a black cat. Resisting the peculiar urge to wash his face, Charun stretched and rose onto all four paws. He padded over to a puddle of rainwater to inspect the change.

He sat down and viewed his reflection. Not bad looking as far as cats went. Lifting a paw, he splashed his image. Then he trotted to the street and paused to sniff the air. He sneezed as the full force of odors hit him. A multitude of different things, from the smell of blasted sunshine to the grime of city life. The lack of moisture in the air revealed that it would not rain for days. The last time it had stormed was last week. He had arrived a day over.

He needed heavy rain to make his first appearance to his witch, as a reason for her to feel sorry for him and take him in. From what he remembered, she would not leave any animal drowning in a torrential downpour. But, from all the viewing he did of her growing up, he knew she wasn't an impulsive person, either. She loved animals, but felt that she couldn't afford one right now in her life. He might end up in an animal shelter. This kind of operation needed the right things in place.

Timing was important, too, even now. His witch's survival was the true equation here. If she died before he made her a witch, he knew the fate for Earth if the demons took over. There was the matter of his lust for her, too. Relieving it wouldn't be bad, either.

He cocked his head and twitched his ears. He was a demon with strong magic. Closing his eyes, he let his magic surround him with a shimmering golden light.

Lano'ste. Na la por lestano.

His fur stood on end, crackling. He widened his eyes as the magic burned within and outside with a violent heat close to atomic. It clenched his insides with an excruciating pain. He fell onto his side and barely noticed when it shot away from him, heading toward the blue skies. It dusted the few white clouds drifting along and they became obsidian and pregnant with rain. Still unsteady, he rolled onto his stomach and waited until the power quieted. Charun breathed in the rain's odor and gave a Cheshire cat grin. He rose to his paws and padded off as the sound of thunder vibrated in the air.

Fuck the weather forecasters and their predictions. With magic, he'd just turned their Doppler radar upside down.

About Sapphire Phelan:

Sapphire Phelan has published erotic and sweet paranormal/fantasy/science fiction romance along with a couple of erotic horror stories. Her erotic urban fantasy, Being Familiar With a Witch is a Prism 2010 Awards winner and a Epic Awards 2010 finalist. The sequel to it is A Familiar Tangle With Hell, released June 2011 from Phaze Books, Both eBooks were combined into one print book, The Witch and the Familiar, released April 24, 2012.

She admits she can always be found at her desk and on her computer, writing. And yes, the house, husband, and even the cats sometimes suffer for it!

Find out more about Sapphire Phelan at http://www.SapphirePhelan.com.

Buy The Witch & The Familiar at Phaze Books , BarnesandNoble.com and at Amazon . For those in Uk, it’s available at  AmazonUK .

A Mid-July #WIP Wednesday #amwriting

It's another WIP Wednesday here at my blog, so I thought I'd chat a little about the short I'm writing for the September issue of the BTS Magazine. When Myra asked if I'd like to write a short story no more than 1K words for the issue focusing on erotic romance, I said "Sure!" Minutes later, I was sitting in my usual spot where I write with not a thought in my head. Not a very auspicious beginning, to say the least.

You see, 1K is a very short story. It's more like a scene. I had to adjust my thinking to get my head around that first. Then I had to chose a topic. Myra suggested I make it something associated with my Sons series. Since I eat, drink, sleep, and breathe the Sons, I agreed, but because my series is still unfolding, choosing one Son to highlight soon became an issue. So for the last week, I've been mulling over ideas as I finished Blood Spirit and published Vampire Dreams Revamped.

Nothing came to me that I loved a ton until last night. I blame the alcohol. Well, actually, I thank the alcohol. :)  Through the haze of a few beers, I found my way over to Pinterest and began looking at pictures. I should have been writing, but Pinterest was calling me. I guess I should thank Pinterest too since I found my inspiration over there...with the alcohol, of course. (Don't want to slight any of the muses.)

There, in that sea of hot, shirtless men and desserts (I have friends on there who have the most delicious taste in both!) I saw this picture on my mythology board:

Source: sandara.deviantart.com via Gabrielle on Pinterest

The image is of Hades and Persephone. Hades is often seen as an old, shriveled up god stuck in the bowels of the Earth or thought of as the guy in the Clash of The Titans movie (Ralph Fiennes did a great job with him, BTW).  This picture, however, shows a different side of the god of the Underworld and his stolen wife.

The story of Hades and Persephone has always intrigued me. Hades, one of the three ruling males in the Olympians, seems to play the part of aggrieved brother-turned-unhappy-ruler of the realm of the dead.  His brother Zeus tricked him out of his birthright, so while his youngest sibling gets to rule the world and have sex with anyone he chooses, Hades is stuck underground with the dead and no damn woman, goddess or otherwise, wants to hang out there. So he stalks Persephone, the goddess of Spring and other fine, dainty things and grabs her, forcing her to live with him in the Underworld.

Artists have given their take on the abduction of Persephone by Hades (sometimes called the Rape of Persephone), but the most famous is probably this sculpture:

Like his brothers Zeus and Poseidon, Hades is portrayed as virile and pretty well built, actually. If he's not doing it for you, just put your finger over his head. See?  Now he's looking a little better. That big shaggy beard thing doesn't help anyone. And Persephone? Well, let's just say she's not a willing participant in Hades' plan to end his loneliness.

So, with the romantic and classical images in my mind, I began to have ideas about what my short could be about. What if I wrote about Hades? I'd still be writing something concerning my Sons series since Hades is the father of Macaria, the goddess of the blessed death and the mother of the vampire race, and will make his appearance in the storyline soon.

In a flash, I had an idea and had about 300 words written. The short involves Hades but with a different woman. I'm giving him a sensuality that fits in with my Sons series, and his story has a really sexy feel to it. My goal is to stay on the cleaner side of erotic since those are the guidelines for the magazine, but the short will give readers an interesting look at the god of the Underworld and another goddess (who I'll leave as a mystery, for now).

I hope to have the story finished for this weekend so my editor can give it the "red pen" treatment and then it's just a matter of revising and sending it off.  Here's to hoping your week is going well too!

Author Elizabeth Morgan Guest Post

Welcome to Elizabeth Morgan today to talk about her new book, Cranberry Blood. Take it away, Elizabeth!

Cranberry Blood
(Book 1 in The Blood Series)
by Elizabeth Morgan

Cranberry Blood is the first book in The Blood Series and the sequel to last year’s release, She-Wolf (The Blood Series Prequel.)

Now, for those of you who are new to the series, it doesn’t matter if you have read She-Wolf, you can read Cranberry Blood first. Yeah, I mean it, the events in She-Wolf are linked to Cranberry Blood, but book one isn’t dependant on its prequel. 

The order in which you read these two books is completely your choice, either way, welcome to the world of The Blood Series.

~ * ~

Blurb:

Killing Vampires? Easy. Tracking someone? Simple. Helping, and protecting a Vampire slayer... Bloody hard work!

Thirteen years ago, Brendan Daniels made a deal with a psychic. In exchange for information on the whereabouts of a Rogue Werewolf, he promised to help and protect Sofia's granddaughter. Unfortunately, he had no idea what he was getting himself, or his Pack, into.

Nothing about Heather is simple, from her weird dietary needs to her life’s mission. The girl can handle herself, but the promise to protect her soon becomes a need, and one that he can't fully understand.

Vampire Slayer. Born Infected. Blood addict... but not by choice.

Heather Ryan is the most recent slayer in a long family line. Like all before her, she has spent her life searching for her ancestor, Marko Pavel, the Vampire her family has sworn to kill. If that isn't complicated enough, Heather is also a born "Infected", and to keep her from becoming insane or giving in to her darker side, she is on a very strict diet.

Grandmother Sofia has passed, so now it is up to Heather to take the family legacy into her own hands, all alone: or at least, it would have been, if her Grandmother hadn't sent a Werewolf to help her.

What is the irritating Brendan supposed to help Heather with? Sofia never told either one of them. But it doesn't take long for Heather and Brendan to find out that the Vampires have big plans, and that the fiends have waited a long time for them both.

Buy Link: https://www.nobleromance.com/

~ * ~

Excerpt:

(Taken from Chapter One)

The sudden sound of rustling paper snapped me from my thoughts. I tensed, the awareness crackling sharply beneath the surface of my skin.

Someone is in my house.

I walked through the open living room door. A new scent invaded my nostrils. Tangy, manufactured, smelled like expensive cologne. An unfamiliar, black, travel bag sat tucked away between the red leather sofa and TV stand. The papers rustled again. I stepped lightly toward the archway that lead into the dining room, my sword still gripped comfortably in my right hand.

"Your breakfast is getting cold, Heather. I suggest you stop trying to sneak in here and just come in so that we can get this over and done with," said the deep male voice in my kitchen.

What the hell is going on? Who is he? Why is he in my house? How does he know my name? And why the hell has he cooked me breakfast?

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. I slowly walked through the archway into the empty dining room and turned my head to the left to see a strange man seated at my kitchen breakfast bar. He sat casually, in jeans and a forest green T-shirt that clung to his broad, sculptured back and defined biceps. The sun flooded into the kitchen through the side window and glinted off his copper-blond hair, which brushed his shoulders.

"Are you going to come in to the room or stand there drooling all day?" He turned a page of his newspaper.

I inhaled again; nothing new amongst the scent of dog, pine, bacon, and coffee, which meant he wasn't a Vampire. I knew because leeches smelled like mouldy, wet earth; not an overpowering smell, but hidden underneath the products they wore. A huge part of me felt relieved he wasn't a Vamp. A Vampire couldn’t get in here, anyway. They could only come in with a personal invite, and since they all wanted me dead . . . . No matter what state I'd been in last night, I wouldn't have invited one in. So, who the hell is this guy?

I walked toward him, my sword glinting in the sunlight as I gripped the hilt firmly in both hands.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my house?" I stopped three feet behind him.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Wrong answer." I pressed the tip of my sword into the firm space between his shoulder blades. "I said who the hell are you and what—"

"Killing me isn't going to help." He turned another page of his paper.

"I disagree. I think killing the stranger who broke into my house is a very good idea."

"I did not break in," he replied calmly. "My name is Brendan and I'm actually here to help you."

I snorted. "Like I believe that."

"It's the truth. Besides, if I really wanted to hurt you, I would have. I also wouldn't have left your weapons with you."

"Well, you're obviously an eejit."

He laughed. "You have serious trust issues."

"Trust issues? Says the complete stranger who broke into my house and—"

"I used your house keys. They were in your jacket pocket," he said. "And yes, trust issues, says the stranger. The stranger who promises he isn't here to hurt you."

"Just because you say you're not here to hurt me doesn't mean it's the truth."

"True. But why go to the trouble of killing you when I could have left you lying in the car park the other night and let the seven greedy leeches looking for you find you and bleed you dry."

~ * ~

Bio:

Elizabeth started life wanting to be an actress because she loved entertaining people. She enjoyed nothing more than being able to make people laugh and to help distract them from reality for a few hours.

She studied Musical Theatre in college, but during her second year, her mind started to overflow with story ideas, so she began writing plays. Slowly, over the following three years, she was writing more and more, channeling every ounce of her imagination into the written word.

Now here she is, years later, hiding away like a hermit in her little cottage in Cheshire, England, writing like crazy and loving every minute of it.

~ * ~

Elizabeth Online:

Blog: www.xxxxmyworldxxxx.blogspot.com  
Joint Blog: www.notjustastiffupperlip.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: Elizabeth Morgan
The Blood Series Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/TheBloodSeries
Twitter: @EMorgan2010
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/ElizabethMorgan
Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Morgan/e/B006WR1WLQ/ref=sr_tc_2_rm?qid=1339876094&sr=1-2-ent

Dear Gabrielle...

Every so often I have someone ask me what advice I'd give aspiring writers. I know they want quick ideas, but what aspiring writers should know is quite involved. I've seen a number of feel-good posts about just wanting to write being enough.  It's not, so here's my contribution to the topic.

So what advice do I have to aspiring writers?

1.  Reading is good, but it's not enough when you only read in one genre. Writers know a lot about a lot of topics because they read voraciously in many areas. Reading romance if you want to be a romance author is a must, of course, because you have to know the structure and rules of your intended genre. For example, romance requires a happily ever after (HEA). If you don't enjoy the HEA but enjoy the other parts of romance, you need to reconsider your potential genre (unless you're Nicholas Sparks and then don't worry--kill off anyone you choose and make that ending as sad as you like). However, if you only read romance, you won't know enough to write romance. It's a paradox, but it's true.

2.  Develop an extensive vocabulary. The above example is a paradox and isn't ironic.  The adjective ironic has been sorely abused (I'm looking at you, Alanis Morissette). Authors know words. Period. They like the dictionary and use it often. If you don't love words or love knowing the tiny shades of difference that occur when you use one word instead of another, you don't want to be a writer. If words and their meanings don't do it for you, writing is only going to be a chore you'll grow to hate.

3.  If you haven't studied literature, take a course. This is the teacher in me coming out, I know, but you can't write well unless you understand the structural underpinnings of a story. The tools of a writer are those concepts you learn about in literature classes:  characterization, conflict, pacing, point of view, denotation and connotation of words (see #2) and a host of other players on the writing stage. Writing a story isn't merely telling a story.  Another paradox, but it's the truth.

4.  Writing is hard. I know it looks easy, but it's not. It's hard, and it's not for everyone. If you didn't enjoy English in high school or college, then writing isn't for you. That stuff was easy. Now you may say you had a boring teacher or the works they chose were boring. Someone who loves to write doesn't say that. We don't love everything we read, but that doesn't mean those books are boring or poorly written. And no teacher, no matter how dry or dreadful, can make literature and writing boring to someone who loves it. Fight this all you want. It's the truth.

5.  Writing is not something that should be done at warp speed. Now I'm sure there will be those who say this sounds a bit hypocritical from someone like me who seems to have releases constantly. I'll concede that I have released a lot in the past year, but I do little else but write when I'm not home schooling my son or working. All that said, good writing takes time. Words must be chosen carefully to convey the exact idea so the reader can see in one or two sentences what may have taken up a flabby paragraph. Conversely, ideas need to be fleshed out and given room to breathe. These things take time. Now you may say, "But I know what I want to say and all I have to do is get it down on paper."  That's not writing a book.  That's talking on paper. There will be people who like that, but that's not storytelling. It's similar to the difference between eating McDonald's and eating a meal at a fine restaurant.

6.  Write what you truly love. Do not follow trends. I know you're thinking, "But hey, I thought I'd make a living at this and that Fifty Shades stuff looks like it's the way to make some good cash." There's money to be made, no doubt, but trends fade, and in the end, it's quite obvious when an author doesn't care for their subject. ALWAYS write what you love.

7.  You cannot edit your own work.  I taught college writing courses for a decade, and I can't edit my own work.  I can edit yours to perfection, but I can't do mine. It's because everyone lives in a world of denial with their own writing. That's not a bad thing, per se. It's just how it is. Remember, you've just spent months with this piece of writing. You've looked at it so often you think you know it, so you won't see the errors. Find a good editor and let them have at it. You're going to be doing a number of drafts too. Nobody's first draft is great. It may be really good, but it's not the best it can be. Hand that baby over to someone who you trust who's edited before and know when you're done editing, that book is going to be so much better than it was.

8.  Once you publish, the real work begins. Let's face it. If you're truly a writer, you love writing, so it isn't work. But promo is. There's nothing I can add about this to help the aspiring writer.  All I can say is learn to put yourself out there but not too much.  It's a fine line you'll know you've crossed when you cross it.  I wish I could help more with this point.

9.  Writing is quite often not very lucrative. If you're thinking you'll be rolling in the money, think again. Some people make enough to live on, but most don't. I guess I should mention here that there's been at least one study that concluded that the average indie author makes just less than $500 a year, although I have to admit I think romance authors do much better than that as indies. Something tells me they weren't strongly represented in that study. However, the reality is this: If you don't love writing for the mere act of writing, you might want to forget pursuing it. There are very few millionaire authors out there.

10.  Finally, reviews are nice when they love you and can hurt when they don't, but at the end of the day, if you wrote a book and made every effort to be the best writer you can be, then don't bother with what others say. There are many authors who don't read reviews. I only read the ones from people I've come to respect as readers. In this day and age, most reviews are merely opinion anyway (I love this, I hate this, I think this was good...). Take the ones that discuss real issues in writing as useful as you work on being the best writer you can be and leave the opinion for others. Reviews are meant for readers, not writers.

In the end, I don't know if writing is something one must do, like breathing. I'm not one of those people who writes because of voices in my head or a destiny to tell stories about incredibly hot men. LOL I write because I enjoy it and want to share stories with others. It's that simple.  Do I make enough money to live on? Not yet. Will I ever? I don't know. But I didn't get into this thinking I was going to get rich or famous.  I write because I love words and ideas, characters and plot lines, and when they come together in that sweet spot that finally makes a finished book, it's quite magical.

#Paranormalromance Friday #Swag and #Excerpt

Happy Friday!  It's been a busy week here between working on romance trading cards with Talina and getting Vampire Dreams Revamped ready for its release this weekend. I love working with Talina on swag! She always comes up with the most creative ideas.  We've been focusing on the first four Sons of Navarus romance trading cards and as with my other swag, she's really hit the ball out of the park on these designs. Check them out!

Book #1

Book #2

Book #3

Book #4

And coming soon are these fine Sons with their own cards (I'm still searching the stock photo sites for the last Son):

Thane

Sion

Dante

And to make this Paranormal Romance Friday even better, here's a little snippet from Vampire Dreams Revamped.  I've introduced a few new characters into the book, and this excerpt includes a female vampire named Delilah, one of Vasilije's favorites.  I wonder how she and Sasa would get along? Hmmm... Enjoy! And have a wonderful weekend!

"We started without you," Vasilije said with a grin as he caressed his tongue over the razor sharp tips of his fangs.

"That's quite all right. Did I miss anything?"

His sire arched one eyebrow and leveled a penetrating stare at him. "You'd miss everything if it weren't for me, Brandon. You'd stay in that dreary house of yours with those dreary servants and drink your port. You're a vampire, not some boring widower waiting to die."

"Why do you keep me around if you find me so boring? You have other favorites."

Vasilije looked over Brandon's shoulder and smiled broadly. "I do. Here's one now."

Turning, Brandon saw Delilah, another of his sire's favorites. Stunning, with long pale blond hair and a body that Brandon was sure must drive most men to complete distraction, Delilah was as vicious as Vasilije was decadent. And she hated him as much as he did her.

"Brandon? I see you're wearing your coat. Leaving so soon? Too bad."
© 2012 Gabrielle Bisset

Cocked and Loaded G!veaway H0p

Welcome to the Cocked and Loaded Giveaway Hop! Hosted by Ronda over at Queentutt's World of Escapism and Nikki at Close Encounters of the Night Kind, this giveaway hop is to celebrate Independence Day here in the US. With dozens of blog and author sponsors, this hop is BIG! The grand prizes are two Kindle Fires loaded with some of the sponsoring authors books!  I told you it was big.

I love the 4th of July because my birthday is on July 7.  I also shared a birthday with my father (born on his 32nd birthday), so the holiday was always a big deal at our house. We'd celebrate for days with cookouts, cake, fireworks, and swimming for hours on end. I found this picture of a vampire birthday cake and loved it! How cool are the teeth? It's perfect for a paranormal romance author. :)

To celebrate the giveaway hop, I'm giving away what Americans love (sometimes more than anything else):  money and swag. One winner will get a $20 Amazon gift card and a set of Sons of Navarus swag from the first three books in the series:  Blood Avenged, Blood Betrayed, and Blood Spirit.  There will be bookmarks, cover flats, and other goodies thrown in too!

So how do you get your hands on this?  First, leave a comment below with your email address.  The giveaway is international, so an email gets you entered. Then do as many extra entries in the Rafflecopter thing as you'd like to increase your chances. The more you do, the better your chance if winning.  And if you like the Sons of Navarus FB page, you'll be able to take advantage of the giveaways I do there, in addition to finding out all the up-to-date news about the series and those delicious vampire Sons!

Good luck, and be sure to visit all the other blogs participating for other great giveaways!



a Rafflecopter giveaway