Heartbreaker Blog Hop!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner lovelies! It's time for some fun blog hops!! Don't forget that Milly Taiden and I also have the Reader Appreciation Giveaway going on where one lucky winner could win a Kindle Paperwhite stocked with ebooks! 

Are our heroes heartthrobs or heartbreakers? Or are they just the same thing? Yummy right? Valentine's Day is just around the corner for this blog hop and we're gearing up to see what exactly is a heartbreaker. Is the song playing in your head line mine? "Cuz he's a heartbreaker!" We love those sexy men, but what about those times in the story when they aren't perfect. Because come on, we know they aren't perfect. What makes those men heartbreakers? What can those guys do to make it better? Is there a way to grovel? Come on! Tell me about your heartbreaker!!

Almost 300 bloggers have giveaways and posts about those men we love! 

But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

On my blog you can win a $5 Amazon gift card! Be sure to enter the rafflecopter and leave a comment below with your email address answering the question:

"What's your favorite Valentine's Day story?"

Be sure to also enter my Reader Appreciation Giveaway while you're here!

I recently published my first paranormal romance, Breaking the Nexus, and this March I'm hoping to release a novella in my Mythrian Realm series, tentatively called Warrior Unleashed. This hero, Achaius Rilke, is a sexy panther Chimerae (shifter) who's a heartbreaker for sure. Don't worry though, he has a soft side too. Check out this snippet from Warrior Unleashed and be sure to snag your copy of Breaking the Nexus! It's on sale for a LIMITED time only! Just $2.99!!

Achaius Rilke could rile her temper faster than anyone she knew, but at the moment he wasn’t trying to annoy her or tempt her competitive streak. No, he was being nice to her and that was worse. She didn’t need nice, she needed to control her emotions and focus on revenge. 

Sighing, she dropped her arms and stepped out of the ring of power used to protect observers of training sessions. When activated, no magic or weapons could leave the circle. Without a word, she walked past the wall of chiseled muscle and grabbed her towel, scrubbing it hard over her face Working out on in the training room wasn’t helping to stop the grief roiling inside and she was perilously close to giving into it.

The air shifted and she sensed him moving to stand next to her. Wild energy emanated from him and she knew his panther was straining to be let free. Of all the Chimerae she’d ever encountered, she had only ever been able to sense Achaius’ beast. The man intrigued her as much as he infuriated her, challenged her even as he pushed her to the limits of her patience. 

He moved closer, warmth teasing the wisps of hair at the back of her neck as he exhaled. His musky scent curled around her, enticing her to lean against his strength.  Get a hold of yourself, Saia Makan. 

“Please, Achaius, just go away.” Exhaustion weighed upon her and she dropped to the bench, her head falling into her hands. Gods, she didn’t need this. Couldn’t he get it through his skull she wanted to wallow in self-pity alone?

“Contrary to what you may think, I’m not here to give you a hard time, Saia. I’m here as a friend. Let me help.”

She lifted her head, her gaze meeting his in surprise. “I don’t need your help. I’m fine.” 

Was that hurt that flashed in his eyes? “You’re not, but if you want to be miserable, go for it. When you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, come find me."

Don't miss Breaking the Nexus...on sale for just $2.99!

A warrior trying to save humans. A detective searching for a killer. And a romance neither expected.

Throughout history, myths and legends of extraordinary creatures have been told and retold. Fantastic tales of demons and banshees, gryphons and dragons, and of course, magic. Stories that every child grows to learn are nothing more than fantasy…or are they?

Beyond the world you see lies a hidden realm, the Mythrian Realm, inhabited by all of the creatures you’ve been told are mere fiction. Only one thing lies between humans and the truth: the Nexus. A magical barrier erected millennia ago to separate the two realms, it has stood the test of time. Until now.

For Mythrian Sha Phoenix, magic is nothing new. But when she stumbles upon a portal on the verge of collapse, her fate will forever change. Pulled through the portal into the Human Realm, she lands in the middle of Detective Connor Flynn’s brutal murder scene. Soon it is obvious someone is using blood magic to try to bring down the Nexus. Together, Connor and Sha must work to unravel the secrets before the barrier falls and the realms collide.

The Nexus is breaking and all hell is about to unleash…literally.

*** Warning this book contains graphic sex scenes featuring a sexy detective ***

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Keep Hopping!

Guest Post from Jenna Roads + GIVEAWAY!!

This giveaway is for people who review the book between now and the 19th of Jan.

     

This starts today and closes the day after blog tour on Jan. 20, 2013

Win this ring that Logan gave to Isabella in my book a $220 value or take the cash!

This is for readers and bloggers alike. All you have to do is review my book and post

on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews will be verified. Enter your name in the rafflecopter that will be set-up

 for reviews on my blog here: 

 http://www.jennaroads.com/road-to-heaven-giveaways.html

Isabella Reed is a fast-track twenty one year old from a small Florida town. She flees to the Land of Enchantment, Albuquerque, NM, where the beautiful painted skies go on forever and hold hope for a fresh start.

She meets Logan Hayes, a sexy guide who has been hired to show her all the sights of her new city. He shows her much more than that. Something Paranormal happens to Isabella that she is unaware of when touring the Petroglyphs and her life takes a downward spiral into a supernatural captivity that no one will believe except for Logan. He vows to protect her with his life after seeing for himself.

jennaroads@gmail.com

www.jennaroads.com

www.facebook.com/AuthorJennaRoads

https://twitter.com/JennaRoads

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9992120-jenna-roads

http://pinterest.com/jennaroads/

ABOUT JENNA:

YA/ New Adult Paranormal Romance Author 

I am a Registered Nurse who is now devoting my time to writing fiction, reading, making scrapbooks, taking pictures, traveling and enjoying family and friends. I am a mother of two. When I'm not writing, I'm dreaming up characters for my next book. I love cotton nighties and comfortable shoes. My dream is to one day have an island of my very own where I can hold up there and write until my hearts content.

And Last but not least is the release party on Jan. 9th during the tour with many prizes to be given away.

Interview with Cinta Garcia

Welcome!! Today we have another exciting interview :) This time I'm sitting down with the wonderful Cinta Garcia to talk about her first children's book called The Funny Adventures of Little Nani! Now I bought my own copy of this book so I'll update the blog to let you know a little more about it when I get it! I'm looking forward to giving it to my nieces and nephews for Christmas :)


Thank you so much for sitting down with me Cinta! Let's begin shall we? When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I have always wanted to be a writer. Since I was very small, my head was always full of stories, maybe due to my compulsive habit of reading books. I have written stories and kept journals since I learnt to write, and I won a contest when I was 8. I wrote a story about the importance of taking care of the environment and I won. The prize was a collection of classic books and a desk. I have never stopped writing since then.



Oh wow that is so awesome you won!! I never had the courage to submit my writing to any contests, certainly not so young! What has been the most difficult part about being a writer?

I think the most difficult part is when people undervalue what you do. I mean, when you spend nights without sleeping because you want to finish a story, you tell your friends, and they look at you in a pitiful way, you feel kind of depressed. The most difficult part about being a writer for me is to acknowledge that I have a talent for writing and to understand that I shouldn’t listen people who say writing is not a real job. And then formatting. Formatting is a pain.


Yes, I have heard many authors share your pain in this aspects *hug* Who are your favorite authors?

My favourite authors are Jane Austen, Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Tess Gerritsen, Gabriel García Márquez, and Isabel Allende, among many many others. I cannot choose just one.


I have a hard time choosing just one too! What authors inspire you?

Jane Austen is a big influence. Indeed I am writing a Regency novella, and some people have told me that my Little Nani stories are written in an Austenesque way :D It is quite a compliment to me.


Jane Austen is a wonderful writer and that must be such an honor to have your work complimented like that! Do you like to plan your scenes out or do you just wing it?

I don’t really plan scenes. I know what I want to happen in my stories, but I let the characters lead the way. Sometimes the story follows a different path than the one I had in my mind. So planning doesn’t work for me.


I'm so glad I'm not the only one who follows that style lol. What type of books do you like to read?

I am a very eclectic reader, so any type of book works for me, as long as it is well written. The only books I tend not to read are horror ones, but because I am a hypersensitive person and I get scared very easily. However, I have read some horror books along my life.


I'd like to focus on The Funny Adventures of Little Nani for a few minutes. Why did you choose 
to write a children’s book?

Well, I didn’t choose to write a children’s book. It is more likely that I was chosen by Little Nani to write her stories. I wrote a short story for my blog, starring Little Nani; people loved that story and asked me to write a second one. I was amazed, but the fact is that Little Nani started to be all over my mind. I had lots of ideas and I was suggested to write a collection of stories. And that’s what I did.

That is simply fantastic. Funny how sometimes writing comes when we least expect it! What ages would most enjoy this?

The fact is that I didn’t write the stories thinking of a specific range of age. I think it can be equally enjoyed by little children, who will enjoy the funny situations Little Nani gets involved in and will love the chance of drawing their own illustrations; also by YA readers and adults, who will remember the tales they used to read when they were kids.

I have nieces and nephews ranging in age from infant to eight years old and I plan to sneak some peeks before I wrap it for them. This sounds like the perfect gift for a family with many different ages! How did you come up with the character of Little Nani?

Little Nani is pretty much a reflection of my own personality. I write mainly short stories, but my stories were always about feelings, and they were starting to sound too sad and intense. I wanted to write something different, something reflecting my positive and smiling personality. I started writing, and the result was the first story in the book. Why I named her Little Nani? I worked as an au-pair in London long time ago and the little girls introduced me as the Little Nanny, since I was their nanny and I am very small.

Ok now I definitely must sneak a peek if Little Nani is based on you :) Will there be any other books featuring Little Nani?

Yes, I am already writing “Little Nani and her Friends”, which will be Book 2 in the series. I am also working on a series of short stories featuring Little Nani and different characters from Book 1. These stories will be “choose your own adventure” ones, and I will publish them for Kindle.

Oh wow that is so exciting!! It has been forever since I read a "choose your own adventure" book! I'm going to be so impatient waiting for it to come out. Let's switch gears for a moment and find out a little bit more about the real Cinta. What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time? What is that? LOL Well, I love watching films and cooking. Cooking is very relaxing for me, so I cook anytime I am feeling stressed or a bit blocked with my writing.


Haha ok fair point. Free time is something that some people seem to have, but I have not actually witnessed this phenomenon. Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Oxford. I love that city. It gives me peace, it inspires me, and I write quite a lot anytime I am there. It is lovely to wander around its streets, feeling as if you were transported to the 14th century.


I've never been to Oxford, but it sounds gorgeous. I may need to convince my husband to travel there :) What's next for you?

Apart from the Little Nani projects, I am also working on a Regency novella and a romantic semi-autobiographic novel. I have almost finished a collection of short stories and I will publish them soon. I don’t want to be known only as a children’s author. I am a versatile writer.


Anything else you want your readers to know?

Apart from writing, I also read compulsively, and I have a place in my blog devoted to book reviews. I accept submissions for reviews, so have a look at my blog. I don’t know what else I can tell my readers, really. If they have any questions, just contact me. It is very easy and I love talking to my readers. You can find me in the following places:

Twitter: @Austenite78
Facebook: Cinta García de la Rosa
Blog: Cinta’s Corner
Website: www.cintagarciadelarosa.com

Createspace
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Amazon (ES)

I want to thank Lindsay for letting me be in her blog. I have loved answering the questions in the interview. Thank you ever so much.


Cinta, it was truly a pleasure having you! Everyone be sure to check out this wonderful book! The buy links are just above!

Beautiful Handmade Gifts by Coryographies

I wanted to share something beautiful I found recently and fell in love with. I'm sure you can all guess that I adore books. Obviously I must or else I wouldn't be writing them right? :) Well I discovered by chance a fantastic little Etsy shop with some of the most beautiful and intricate pieces of jewelry ever. But it gets even better...many of the pieces revolve around BOOKS! Oh but wait, there's more. I also adore drinking tea, as some of you may know, so imagine my surprise when this store also had a piece that combined books and tea!!

This lovely little shop in cyberspace world is called Coryographies and is based in the UK. Naturally I couldn't pass up on a piece of jewelry that could convey my love of books and tea! I decided on a bookcase necklace that has pretty little books and a teapot with tea cup. Then I saw an adorable pair of teapot studs and definitely couldn't pass those up either ;) Can you tell I love to shop??

The best part is that Cory's work is all hand painted which means if you want to tweak the colors shown in her pictures, just ask! She matched the blue of my teapot earrings to the blue of the bookcase and it turned out fantastic. I'm seriously so in love with her stock, I've already found a few other pieces I plan to buy. 

Here's a picture of the items. My hands are child-sized so this should give you a pretty good indication just how small her items really are. You'd think a bookshelf would feel bulky and awkward as a necklace but its small size is simply perfect.

Oh and did I mention that when Breaking the Nexus is finally ready, I plan to feature one of her items in a giveaway??

Now for the nitty gritty details I'm sure you all want to know. Here are a few key points:

Price:
Considering the intricacy of her work, the amazing details and painting, and the fact that these are TINY pieces, I was quite amazed at the extremely reasonable cost of the jewelry and shipping. Here's a breakdown of my order:

   - Tea Shop Bookshelf Necklace with custom color: 25 GBP

   - Tiny Blue Polkadot Teapot Earrings: 6 GBP

   - Shipping: 3 GBP 

   - Total cost in USD: Right around $50 

Communication: 
Cory responded to my questions quickly and was so helpful. She notified me when my pieces were done and that she had shipped them. So many sellers can be hard to track down or you have to nag to find out whether they've shipped your item. Not so with Cory! An added bonus was a handwritten thank you note included in my order with a small discount good on my next purchase!!

Quality:
These pieces feel very well made. The painting is very clean and you can really tell she took her time. Many of the pieces presumably are glued into place but everything looks pretty seamless with no globs or anything to detract from the beauty. The colors are vivid and so gorgeous

Shipping: 
Turn around time for shipping me the items was within a week. Shipping took a little while to reach me but that's not surprising considering she mailed it to me from the UK and it had to pass through US customs. I would say the wait time was standard.

Overall Impressions: 5 Blue Duckies!

This is one amazing seller. Not only are her pieces quality workmanship at a very affordable price, she truly believes in customer service. Twice I've seen her listings state that she will be unavailable to fulfill orders for a given set of dates. To make up for this she offers a discount on any order placed during that time frame. Most sellers just kind of drop of the face of the earth if they have to be away, so it is quite refreshing to find one that clearly states what is happening.

If you're looking for some beautiful jewelry, definitely check out Coryographies! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Etsy Site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Coryographies
Blog: http://coryographies.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to keep an eye out when Breaking the Nexus comes out for your chance to win one of these beautiful pieces!