Before the Season Ends
Before the Season Ends
Written by Linore Rose Burkard
About the Book…
England, 1813: Romantic woes at home send Ariana Forsythe to her Aunt Bentley’s town house in the fashionable Mayfair district of London. There she finds worse troubles than those that prompted her flight from home. Under her aunt’s watchful eye, Ariana is soon steeped in high society–and at odds with Mr. Phillip Mornay, London’s current darling rogue.
Then, unexpectedly, rumour of a scandal changes Ariana forever. Her faith and her future are at stake in an unexpected adventure that gains even the Prince Regent’s attention.
Will Ariana’s faith survive this test? And what about her heart? For it is Ariana’s heart that most threatens to betray the truths she has always believed in. When she finds herself backed against a wall, betrothed to a man who cannot share her faith, how can it ever turn out right?
You may purchase this title from Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com!
About the Author…
Linore Rose Burkard creates Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul. Her characters take you back in time to experience life and love during the era of Regency England (circa 1800 – 1830). Fans of classic romances, such as Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Sense & Sensibility, will enjoy meeting Ariana Forsythe, a feisty heroine who finds her heart and beliefs tested by high-society London.
Ms. Burkard’s novels include Before the Seasons Ends and The House in Grosvenor Square (coming April, 2009). Her stories blend Christian faith and romance with well-researched details from the Regency period. Her books and monthly newsletter captivate readers with little-known facts, exciting stories, and historical insights. Experience a romantic age, where timeless lessons still apply to modern life. And, enjoy romance that reminds us happy endings are possible for everyone.
Visit her at her website!
Angel’s Fire, Demon’s Blood – by Tamela Quijas
Angel’s Fire, Demon’s Blood, written by Tamela Quijas, will be released later this week with Wild Horse Press.
Lucien D’ Angel is a celebrated paranormal detective with a lucrative television show and numerous best selling books pertaining to the world that may exist beyond the human experience. He’s managed to keep the proverbial low profile over the decades and has purposely stayed out of the public eye, due to a secret that he harbors. His life was perfect. Low keyed, private (except for the television shows) and orderly.
This amazing story will be available on the Wild Horse Press site as well as Amazon Kindle. It’s also being reviewed by Satin & Lace Reviews.
Angel’s Fire, Demon’s Blood is sure to be a shining star in the realm of paranormal romance… be sure to check the Wild Horse Press site this weekend to be the first to own this fantastic, stunning, dazzling tale that is unlike any I have read before!
That was, until Evangeline Keegan enters his life and disrupts the perfect facade that he had erected over the centuries.
Good News Today!
I was checking on my titles listed with Amazon Kindle when I noticed that Whispering Lake was listed at 5,574 out of 225,000 books listed on Kindle. In addition, it was ranked #5 out of 100 books listed under “Ghosts”…
Moonlight Protector hasn’t been on Kindle long enough for a rating apparently, but it did show me that 82% of the people who view my book purchase it. That has to be a good thing. 
All in all, today was a pretty exciting day as far as books go. I was pleasantly surprised. The paperbacks aren’t doing as well as I had hoped, but e-books seem to be the future. I was astounded at the number of e-books sales my titles were receiving.
If someone had asked me previously e-publisher verses regular publisher, I would have told them I was using an e-publisher as a stepping stone. Now I’ve changed my tune! Yes, it’s nice to have the paperback option for those fans who prefer to have the book in hand so to speak, but I sell way more e-books than paperbacks each month. With the various e-reading devices available, people are now able to read e-books where ever they go. I think e-books are definitely the way to go right now.
Winter Reading…
I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold outside I tend to stay inside more than usual. And what’s the best thing to do when indoors? Read of course!
This winter I discovered Michele Bardsley and Gerry Bartlett. Both of these talented women write humorous vampire romance novels. Their characters are as real as you and I, which is what makes them so wonderful.
If you haven’t already read them, give Ms. Bartlett’s Real Vampires series a try. You won’t be disappointed! The heroine is a size 14 vampire who trys to blend with the times… the fact that the heroine wasn’t a size 6 always disparing of her size was a relief! I personally am tired of teensy tiny women in every romance novel you pick up. It’s about time the heroine was the size of a real woman! (not that those born with a smaller frame aren’t real women , but the average size woman in the US is a 12 – not a 2)
In Ms. Bardley’s series, you will fall in love with the characters of Broken Heart, Oklahoma. You can even hear the Oklahoma accent when the characters speak. The women manage to get themselves into absurd situations that will have you laughing from beginning to end, and yet they still manage to fall in love some where along the way – as all good romance heroines should.
Now, that’s all just the opinion of one person. However, Library Thing has Ms. Bardsley listed with 3.75 stars (average for all of her titles) and Ms. Bartlett has a 3.83 rating with Library Thing. This site will allow you to click on the individual titles to see the reviewers opinions of each book.
New Publisher
I’m sure we’re all tired of the infamous “publisher hunt.” We find one, think it’s great, then find out things aren’t as wonderful as we thought. So we begin our search again. The plus side? Your books are published by various publishers. Why is this a good thing? Each publisher has their own marketing strategy. By being published by various places, you get more exposure. A good publisher will not have an issue with you submitting to other places (as long as it isn’t the manuscript you sent to them!).
A new publisher for romance and erotica is Wild Horse Press. You can find them at www.wildhorsepress.webs.com or you can google them. They have published my latest novel, Moonlight Protector, and will be doing the whole series. However, Whispering Lake is with Hearts on Fire Books.
Does this mean Wild Horse Press will publish all of my future novels? I’m not sure. I may still submit non-series titles to other places just to keep my options open and get my name out there a bit more. After all, marketing at Hearts on Fire is different than marketing with Wild Horse Press, just as I’m sure the marketing at places like Wild Rose Press and Samhain Publishing is different than other places. Each publisher is unique in their own way.
Bottom line? If you write romance or erotica, check out Wild Horse Press. Yes, they’re new and therefore unknown, but you’ll get a “yes” or “no” out of them quicker since they won’t be back-logged like a lot of places. In addition, you may find they satisfy all of your publishing needs. Worse case? You give them one book and send your next one elsewhere.
Personally, I think I’m going to aim for 3 or 4 different publishers. The more the merrier (or maybe the more publishers, the more insane I’ll become). Only one way to find out!
Blogging with Tamela Quijas!
Tamela’s latest release, Dante’s Lady, is published by Hearts on Fire Books. It has received rave reviews thus far and I’m sure we will see many more in the future! I’m happy that Tamela could join me today.
Now, on with the show! It’s time for me to stop hogging the spotlight and give the reins over to Tamela.
—————————————————————————————————————————
From Tamela Quijas, Author
In 1840 England, the death of the Earl of Ravensmoor weighs heavily on the entire household. Many regrets flash vividly through the dying man’s mind, but none as painful as the lost love of his life. In his youth, he had fallen in love with a maid in his mother’s employ but, due to his station in life, he had been unable to follow the true direction of his heart. With a heavy heart and his dying breath, he extracts a sacred vow from his grandson and every last one of his yet unborn male heirs.
Somewhere, somehow, in some time, his beloved Kaitlyn’s soul must be found.
Nearly two centuries later, Leslie Dante Jonathan Burroughs, the last Earl of Ravensmoor and owner of BAI, LTD, continues his ancestor’s quest. One trusted relative from each descendant was given the task of finding Kaitlyn’s soul, or the embodiment of the love that had been so cherished. Dante is the last and the search must be completed and the dreams of his ever elusive siren’s soul will torment him until the end of time. Aided only with the story passed down by word of mouth and a beautiful portrait, Dante continues his quest for the woman that has become such an integral part of his life.
When Dante travels from England to Phoenix, Arizona, he is in for the shock of his life. Working in one of his warehouses is the spitting image of Kaitlyn. From her beautiful green eyes to her luscious lips, Dante knows he must find some way to get her to England, to return her to his estates and into his arms. As he finds himself lost in her eyes, he understands the full force of the love that had been granted to his ancestor and craves the same for himself.
Dante’s Lady can be purchased at www.heartsonfirebooks.com, www.fictionwise.com, www.target.com, and at www.amazon.com.
Please visit me at my website http://www.myspace.com/tamelaquijas for more information about what I’m working on!
Author Interview with Jenna Petersen
Ms. Peterson kindly consented to an interview. I hope that you will find it entertaining and informative. Be sure to check out her newest release, Red Hot Valentine’s Day, which released today!
What first interested you in writing?
I always loved writing and wanted to be a writer for a living for as long as I can remember, really. As for romance writing, I have to say I was one of those horrible people who thought it would be “easy” to write one of “those books”. I learned quickly that “those books” were often wonderfully engaging and well-written and really DIFFICULT to write and sell. But I kept at it and here we are.
How many novels do you currently have published? What genre are they? Where are they published?
As of tomorrow, January 6, I will have 11 books published. Under my Jess Michaels name, which is erotic romance, they are:
A RED HOT VALENTINE’S DAY (Anthology), January 6, 2009 – Avon Red
SOMETHING RECKLESS, May 2008 – Avon Red
EVERYTHING FORBIDDEN, November 2007 – Avon Red
PARLOR GAMES (Anthology), June 2006 – Avon Red (Line Launch book)
SECRETS, Volume 12 (Anthology), July 2005 – Red Sage Publishing
SECRETS, Volume 11 (Anthology), December 2004 – Red Sage Publishing
And I have another one out this year called TABOO, which comes out in May 2009.
Under my Jenna Petersen name, which is historical romance, they are:
LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN, July 2008 — Avon
SEDUCTION IS FOREVER (Lady Spies Book 3), October 2007 — Avon
DESIRE NEVER DIES (Lady Spies Book 2), January 2007 — Avon
FROM LONDON WITH LOVE (Lady Spies Book 1), August 2006 — Avon
SCANDALOUS, October 2005 – Avon
I also have a new book coming out in April called HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT.
All my books are widely available in stores and online retailers everywhere.
Do you write full-time or do you have another job as well?
I write full-time and have since I started 10 years ago. I’ve been lucky enough to have a financially as well as spiritually and emotionally supportive husband who believed in my wacky dream.
Where do you see yourself, as far as writing goes, in five years?
I hope I’ll still be an actively publishing author. I really love historical romance and erotic historical romance, so I’m sure I’ll still be writing them.
What goals or dreams do you have for your writing career?
I think I have the same dreams most writers do. I want to keep selling books and growing my readership. Of course I’d love to rise up to USAToday and ultimately NYTimes Bestseller status. But those things are really out of my control in a lot of ways. So my biggest hope is to keep writing and improving my craft and hope that the readers keep coming and multiplying.
What is your favorite genre to read?
I love to read what I write, which is historical romance. I also read outside of the romance genre when I have time (which seems like never right now LOL).
Do you have any favorite authors? What do you like about them?
I really enjoy the sensual storytelling of Lisa Kleypas. I like the sparkling wit of Julia Quinn. I like the emotional rawness of Kathryn Smith. I adore the magical quality of Jacquie D’Alessandro.
How hard was it to become a published author?
Hard. I actually have a diary of my journey from 2001 until… well, this morning, up at my site for writers, The Passionate Pen. http://www.passionatepen.com I think it gives a pretty accurate view of the wonderful highs and pretty crushing lows of five years and over probably… 15ish books or so before I published.
Do you have any suggestions for writers who wish to be published?
I think my best suggestions for writers are at the same site. The Passionate Pen is ten years old this year and we’re having a huge celebration! All kinds of prizes for writers, interviews with top editors and agents, big fun. But the site is, at its core, a site for aspiring romance authors. You’ll find a list of romance publishers there, one for agents, articles I’ve written for writers, links, and of course that famous diary I talked about above. http://www.passionatepen.com
Do you recommend using more than one publisher?
I think it really depends on the writer, what genres they are writing, how quickly they can write and if they have a strong agent. There aren’t really great answers to these kinds of questions because of so many variables. Writing for multiple publishers can give you some level of job security, an increased income and a broader promotional plan. It can also make things complicated and occasionally double your work. So it all depends.
How do you typically promote your books?
I have a website, http://www.jennapetersen.com , as well as a Facebook and a MySpace account (http://www.myspace.com/jennawrites). I do a lot of online promotion, as well as drive-by signings of stock, interviews and whatever my publisher sets up for me.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
I write sexy, emotional romances whether they’re erotic like my Jess Michaels books or highly sensual like my Jenna Petersen books. I write in the Regency period. If that appeals to you, I’m your girl!
Book Reviews
I recently signed up for a free account at Good Reads. I’ve spent the past half hour or so reviewing books I’ve read over the holiday break. Feel free to check them out!
Fish Out of Water by MaryJanice Davidson
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
Mary Janice Davidson has done it again! She has created a funny, romantic, witty tale. Fish Out of Water, the next book in her mermaid series, was a delightful read. There were times when I laughed out loud, and times when I wanted to smack one or two of the characters. I would definitely recommend this book!
