Friday Fun: Meet Megan Kelly! + Give*Away!

Please help me welcome my friend and RWA chapter mate, the talented MEGAN KELLY!

Thank you for having me here, Jennifer.

I'm offering two items today to one commenter who will be drawn at random. 1) a .pdf version of either Holly & Ivey or Santa Dear (winner's choice) and 2) a hand-knit scarf resembling one featured in Holly & Ivey. There's a fun scene when this comes into play. I wanted to honor the story and give the readers a little something extra. (I'll need the winner's email and home addresses to award both items.)

Now, what do you want to know, Jennifer?

 Do you have critique partners?

Let me shout a resounding YES to this. My crit partners supported me through the writing of HOLLY & IVEY. They steered me back on the path, told me when I was being too cute or obscure, read fast and read through the holidays for me. I had extra helpers this time, including a beta reader.

One of my techie partners held my hand through the self-publishing part. Me, formatting and uploading? Pass the tequila!  Someone rushed me emergency chocolate. Others cheered from the sidelines. It takes a village for me to produce a book.
Tell us about your real life romance. I have the most supportive husband on the planet. He's grown used to my odd hours. In fact, he's often rising for work when I'm going to bed. Earlier this week, I told him my character was unexpectedly injured and it screwed up my entire idea for the next chapter--that now this really cool thing couldn't happen. He asked why and I said because my character sprained his ankle!  "Why did he sprain his ankle?" my DH asked. My response: "I don't know. I didn't plan for that to happen."  He nodded and said, "I understand."

And he does.

 Now, that's love.

 If you could time travel would you go forward or backward? No. [grinning]

I wouldn't go forward because I'd worry about messing with the time continuum. If I went backward, I wouldn't change things, but I'd spend time with my father who died when I was too young to appreciate him.
 If you could switch places with one of your characters would you? I don't think so. I've already been them, in a sense, when they emerged from my fingertips. My characters all find everlasting love, and I have that. (I'm sounding like a total dweeb, aren't I?)
 Tell us a little about your WIP. "Holly & Ivey: Christmas in Stilton" came about due to a publisher's call for a holiday story. Three friends helped me brainstorm it one night in a hotel. I believe wine was involved. Since I'd planned a vacation already which overlapped the deadline date, I chose to publish it myself instead of rushing the writing. I learned so much during the process, but it never would have come together so well without the help from my friends. As stated in disclaimers in the front of books: all screwed up parts are my fault (or words to that effect).

Thank you for having me, and thanks to everyone for reading along. Please visit my website at http://www.megankellybooks.com.

  

BLURB:

"HOLLY & IVEY: Christmas in Stilton"  Holly MacDonald rushes to the town she left as a child to prevent her friend from marrying an unfaithful groom. Her old buddy, Luke Ivey, is the best man and intends to stop her interference. She's no longer his tomboy pal, and he's no longer her nerdy sidekick. They fall for each other despite their different views on the wedding. But when "The Wedding March" fades and Christmas is over, will they stay together?

Holly & Ivey buy links: http://www.amazon.com/Holly-Ivey-Christmas-Stilton-ebook/dp/B00AFGKDU6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354246453&sr=1-1&keywords=holly+%26+Ivey

Holly & Ivey excerpt:

http://www.megankellybooks.com/excerpt_H&I_Megan_Kelly.pdf

Santa Dear buy links:

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Santa-Dear-ebook/dp/B006LSLXOC/ref=sr_1_9?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323888317&sr=1-9

Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/santa-dear-megan-kelly/1107967081?ean=9781618426543&itm=1&usri=santa%2Bdear

Apple (iProducts) https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/santa-dear/id488841113?mt=11

Santa Dear excerpt: http://www.megankellybooks.com/excerpt_Santa_Dear.pdf

Holiday Reads and Giveaway!!

Happy holidays, everyone! I'm continuing the December fun. Today my guest is LAURA BROWNING. (Check out the cover!!!) Please leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for an e-copy of SANTA'S HELPER.

Now, help me welcome, Laura -

Are you ready for Christmas? I think my teenager has been ready since birth. Combine the proximity of Christmas with the end of exams and the break from school, and his excitement’s reached darn near torturous levels. Torturous for me. I finally told him if I heard one more word about how I need to wrap gifts and not leave it until the last minute I would return all of his, so there would be no need to wrap gifts. I am the Grinch. He is Cindy Lou Who.

Now I only have to listen to the countdown to school being out. Sigh.

I need some help from the heroine of my newest Wild Rose Press release, Santa’s Helper. Merry has plenty of Christmas spirit. In fact, she works part time as an elf at the local mall. That’s where she meets Jack, the unlucky sucker who lost a bet with his employees and now has to ring the bell out front.

Here’s an excerpt from Santa’s Helper:

 Merry sipped her coffee and angled her head at him. “You know, the first night I saw you, you didn’t look like the bell ringer type. And even though you’ve changed out of the fancy clothes, you still don’t look the type. How did you end up doing it…and doing it every night?”

Jack laughed. “I lost a bet with my employees and had to take over all their shifts.”

He watched in fascination as color stained her creamy cheeks. “Well, I’m glad. I’ve liked being able to bring you coffee and getting to know you.”

“I have another week, Merry.”

Her eyes widened. Was that hope he saw there? Gladness? “You do?”

He nodded before touching the delicate skin inside her wrist. “I want to kiss you. Will you let me?”

He watched her hesitate, and then she nodded. He smiled and scooped the last bit of brownie and ice

cream. “Here. It’s yours.” Her eyes held his as she slid the sweet from the spoon. Jack dropped the spoon into the bowl. “Let’s go,” he growled.

***

Watch it, Merry. Jack’s got a whole lot more than kisses on his mind…lol.

You can purchase Santa’s Helper from The Wild Rose Press. It’s also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You can also visit me at my website www.laurabrowningbooks.com or my blog www.laurabrowningbooks.blogspot.com.

Thanks so much for the chance to visit today. If anyone has a surefire way to ramp up the Christmas spirit, I’d sure like to hear it!

Holiday Reads & Giveaway!

All through the month of December I'll be featuring Holiday Reads.
My first guest is Brenda Whiteside with WARM CHRISTMAS WISHES.
Brenda has 2 stories in this wonderful anthology and you can WIN an e-copy by leaving a comment!
Check out Brenda's website for more info on all her work http://www.brendawhiteside.com/ but come on back - Brenda brought some great excerpts :)

WARM CHRISTMAS WISHES Anthology

Buy Link:

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/anthologies/WarmChristmasWishes.html

AN ELFIN SECRET

When five-year-old Candace Cane questions why her father, Henry is an absent parent, her mother is speechless. But when Candace learns Daddy is an Elf named Santa Clause, life becomes magical…until Mommy dies and Henry and Santa cease to exist.

In this Christmas fantasy, Candace discovers magic lies within her heart and she’s never far from her mother or her father.

 EXCERPT:

“You never tire of your picture book, do you? That’s probably the best present your father, Henry, ever gave you.” She stood over me gazing at the book.

Her warm hand glided down my cheek, and I looked at her. “Do you miss him, Mommy?”

“Miss him?” She sat at the foot of my bed.

There must have been a time when Henry did more in this house than drop off presents. Somehow they must have spent a lot of time together, I thought, or I wouldn’t be there. “Like when you were together?”

“Were? Candace you talk as if in the past. Your father is always with us.”

“Not really.”

She looked confused. “Yes, always. He’s always here, in a way, and at other times in another way. Not in the sense Sarah’s father is or…or… Oh! Candace, I seem to be short on words.”

“Why do you call him Henry?”

She tilted her head, her blue eyes grew gray. “Candace you ask the most unusual questions.” She stood. The stone expression I remembered from a few years back flickered across her face. My heart thumped and I rose to my knees, but before I could apologize, tell her never mind, her blue eyes twinkled and the color came back to her face. “Your father is a very special father. Which makes you a very special person. Oh, if only I were so special. But he loves me. What we share is…” She waved a hand in the air.

“You don’t know you’re special, Mommy?”

She sat closer to me this time. “I’m different. You’re still a little too young to understand. Although I have to say, you’ve always been wiser than you should be. You’ve always been wise, and I’ve always been different. I crossed a bridge one night on Christmas nearly eleven years ago.” She sighed and smiled. “My life is like a fairy tale.”

“Happily ever after.”

“See how wise you are?” She patted my leg and stood. “Now get dressed and come down to breakfast.”

I looked at my book, now on the Santa Claus page. The wink. The secret.

ON THE WAY TO THE SNOW BALL

Lovely, rich Marie Louise Le Mare apparently has everything in life. So what can the handsome man in the red suit possibly give her? When they’re trapped in an elevator with only each other for company, a surprise gift exchange makes this Christmas special.

 EXCERPT:

“They must be trying to fix it.” She sounded hopeful.

He stood perfectly still, listening for noise beyond their breathing.

“But could they kill the elevator music?” Her voice came out of the darkness and with each word rose until by the time she said music she was screeching. Barry Manilow crooned softly overhead. “Why should the music play if the stupid thing isn’t moving?” He could understand her irritation. Jingle Bells should not be crooned.

Again, the lights blinked and this time stayed on, dimmer than before. His eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness. She now stood far enough from him to get an overall picture. Her orange dress was form fitting and for someone so young, she was quite curvy.

“Does the music upset you?”

“Yes! It makes me manic!” She threw her hands in the air and took a step toward him.

“What is your name, young lady? Tell me about why you’re here.”

She smiled. “Good maneuver. Change the subject. Distract the crazy person.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned against the railing. “Are you claustro…?” Her scent tickled his nose again. He laid a finger on one side of his nose then the other. “Are you claustrophobic?”

“Are you allergic to elevators?”

“Maybe I’m allergic to you.” He concentrated on her smiling eyes but his peripheral vision took in the seductive curve of her hips. Attraction and reaction. Allergic reactions are caused by the body trying to defend itself against a suspected harmful entity. The mind and the body are not always in agreement on this. The lovely flower. Sniff and the body will convulse. Take a delicious bite and your throat constricts, suffocating you. “What have you got on? The scent?”

“Special holiday blend. Cinnamon and pine needles.

No wonder. Who had decided these things equated to the smell of Christmas? They might have asked him what his allergies were before deciding.

 “That’s quite a suit.”

“Thank you.”

She snickered. “I’ll give it to you – takes confidence to wear something like that. Even this time of year.”

“You don’t like it?”

She ran a quick glance over him, hat to shoes. When she came back for a second look, she paused on his face, then his legs. “Actually, I do. I mean the cut is good. You’re well built so that helps to carry it off. Not sure about the Santa hat. But I guess it’s the season.”

“So if I wore this some other time of year, you might reconsider your opinion?” He didn’t need her opinion, but something about her giving him the once over, the approval, the lingering of her gaze, effected him like sweet caramel apples on his tongue.

“Do you dress like this all the time?”