Day EIGHT! Demon's Heart

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

This Christmas, I’m pleased to give away a signed copy of my YA fantasy novel Demon’s Heart (Sweetwater Books). Enter here for your chance to win—and get it read before the sequel comes out March 2016!

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Rustav is carrying a dangerous secret—one his uncle won’t hesitate to kill for. Now on the run, Rustav has only two options: turn and fight his uncle and the bloodthirsty demons of the island, or flee into the unknown and face the mysterious dangers of the forest. Forced to choose between following his destiny and saving his life, Rustav soon discovers that his only hope of surviving lies in the mysteries of his past . . . Get lost in this fantasy filled with a daring combination of action, adventure, and a hint of romance.

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Praise for Demon's Heart

“A talented writer can convince a reader that fantasy is real; a gifted author makes it look easy from the opening scene. This was Emily Hall Bates’s novel Demon’s Heart! It’s a creative story that simply doesn’t stop. Intense action sequences, along with a brave and selfless hero, make this book highly addictive. Every reader who loves original, powerful fantasy will be absorbed in this compelling read.” —Rachel McClellan, Amazon best-selling author of the Fractured Light series and Confessions of a Cereal Mother

“Bates’s style is striking and sophisticated. Her mastery of storytelling grabbed me from the beginning and still hasn’t let go! Demon’s Heart is a fantastic new fantasy that will appeal to fans of author R. K. Ryals and Rothfuss’s very popular King Killer Chronicles.” —Hannah Clark, author of Uncovering Cobbogoth “Demon’s Heart takes the reader on a colorful adventure through lands of peasants and kings, soldiers and demons. Rustav’s tragic past and his solemn destiny make his journey one of poignant self-discovery.” —Adrienne Quintana, author of Eruption “Bates has created a world rich in history and originality—a perfect backdrop for an epic romance.” —R. C. Hancock, author of An Uncommon Blue

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About the Author

Emily lives with her husband, 2 daughters, and a goblin that sleeps in a cupboard. She can usually be found reading voraciously, writing madly, crocheting sporadically, or eating chocolate behind the fridge so she doesn’t have to share. Visit her Twitter, Facebook, and website for more news and excessive love of words and books. And don't forget to check out the rest of our 12 Giveaways of Christmas!

Day SEVEN! The Firethorn Crown

12 Days of Giveaways

The Firethorn Crown (Firethorn Chronicles 1)
by Lea Doué


Princess Lily, the eldest of twelve sisters and heir to a mighty kingdom, desperately seeks a break from her mother's matchmaking. Tradition forbids marriage with the man Lily loves, so she would rather rule alone than marry someone who's only after the crown. Fleeing an overzealous suitor, Lily stumbles into a secret underground kingdom where she and her sisters encounter a mysterious sorcerer-prince and become entangled in a curse that threatens the safety of her family and her people. Lily can free them, but the price for freedom may be more than she's willing to pay.

About the Author: A native of south Georgia, Lea currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her husband, their two boys, a rescue greyhound, and a cat. But, sadly, no dragons. Homeschooling and writing take up most of her time, but she also enjoys directing a small puppet team at her church. The Firethorn Crown, a re-imagining of Grimm's “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” is the first novel in the Firethorn Chronicles, a series inspired by fairy tales and other stories.
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What can I say—I love fairy tales! Enter to win a paperback or Kindle copy (winner's choice) of The Firethorn Crown! A Rafflecopter Giveaway.


The winner will be contacted on December 26. In the meantime, you can learn more about me or the Firethorn Chronicles here:

Website
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter


Merry Christmas and good luck

Day SIX! Phoenix Element, Mages of Vane

During the Twelve Giveaways of Christmas, you will have a chance to win the second book in the Phoenix Element series, Mages of Vane. This giveaway will take place over at Amazon, so be sure to bookmark this page (http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Element-Mages-Vane-2/dp/1516842235/) in preparation of the giveaway. Best of luck!

If you are a member of Kindle Unlimited, Mages of Vane (http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Element-Mages-Jennifer-Kibble-ebook/dp/B014E2Y44W/) is free to read on your kindle. Want a physical copy? Use coupon code 68K4VN9J to get $4.00 off from Createspace (https://www.createspace.com/5669886)!

Mages of Vane is the second book from the Phoenix Element series. Anya has now made her home at the Vane Magic School on the planet of Zerron. She is honing her abilities, and learning about auras. Behind the scenes, the Order of Blood is working to take down Vane. The mages must hold the magic school or the threat to the known galaxy will be that much greater.

Day FIVE! Raft 9 of The Peninsula Series

 (Episode 1)

The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways is here! Yippee!

Two dozen authors are giving away goodies. Each day one of the authors will be featured and I’ll be sharing about their giveaways on social media.

I’m going to be the featured author on the 18th December, but you can access my giveaway for the whole 12 days leading up to Christmas.

This is an exclusive giveaway. You won’t find it anywhere else.

I’m giving you a book! FOR FREE! Merry Christmas!There’s always Plan B…

One hundred years from now accomplished aerospace engineer, Sara Ahmed, and the crew of Raft 9 are forced to flee from impending nuclear holocaust to the Peninsula, a space station waiting just beyond the moon. Chased by the blast, with no means of communication, and unsure of what the future holds, their launch seems doomed to fail.

Will they escape in time?

This first episode in The Peninsula series will have you perched on the edge of your seat.

See for yourself why advance readers are saying of Raft 9:
“I felt like I was racing along with the characters to hurry and get off the planet!”
“Can’t wait to find out what happens next”
“Exciting!”

Warning!This face-paced, action-packed story will leave you wanting more… but you’re in luck! Episode Two is coming soon.

Day FOUR! Dream Series

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year, by far, and I’m happy to be joining with several other fantastic authors for an event we’re calling the Twelve Days of Christmas giveaway! 

If you’ve read any of my Dream Series novels, you know that several of them are set around Christmas (DREAM STUDENT, DREAM CHILD, WAKING DREAM and DREAM HOME, to be exact). Christmas gifts, obviously, play an important role in the stories, and I’d like to share a gift with all of you. 
I’ve got two neat prizes to give away: a signed paperback copy of one of my novels (winner’s choice), and a USB flash drive with ALL the books preloaded on it. All you have to do for a chance to win is CLICK HERE and enter your name and email address. And just for doing that, I’ll also send you one free Dream Series ebook or audiobook of your choice. You really can’t beat that! 

And in case you’re new to the books, here’s the basic idea in a nutshell: what if you could see everyone else’s dreams?

DREAM STUDENT answer that question as we follow Sara, a young woman who has the ability to do just that. Over the ten books of the Dream Series, we see Sara wrestle with this gift (or curse!) and try to balance it with all the other responsibilities in her life. There’s romance, suspense, humor and plenty of heart, and i think you’ll really enjoy the books! 


Here are all the authors invoiced – be sure to check them all out for the fantastic giveaways! 

December 14: Britney Mills & Tamara Passey 
December 15: Jason Zandri & Melanie Mason 
December 16: Nicole Zoltack & Ava Mallory 
December 17: Writing Dreams (you’re here now!) &, KJ Traynor 
December 18: AJ Harred & Rachel Skatvold 
December 19: Jennifer Kibble & Kari Trumbo 
December 20: Lea Doue & Brenda Anderson 
December 21: Emily Bates & Stacy Monson 
December 22: Peggy Urry & Anna Del C. Dye 
December 23: Cassie Sheils & Valerie Ipson 
December 24: Angela Carling & Frances Hoelsema 
December 25: Tara Ellis & Marianne Sciucco

Day THREE! Love before Honor

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Nicole Zoltack here. I'm so glad to have this chance to talk to you, readers. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I love the sense of hope and peace it brings, the family togetherness, and, of course, giving.

But I'll get back to the giving in a moment.

First, I wanted to talk to you about two of romances, both Christmas romances.

LOVE BEFORE HONOR

A medieval knight. A Regency lady. The magical Christmas that brings them together.

It's only 99 cents!

MISTLETOE, MARRIAGE, & MAYHEM

In this collection of novellas, the Bluestocking Belles bring you seven runaway Regency brides resisting and romancing their holiday heroes under the mistletoe. Whether scampering away or dashing toward their destinies, avoiding a rogue or chasing after a scoundrel, these ladies and their gentlemen leave miles of mayhem behind them on the slippery road to a happy-ever-after. 

***All proceeds benefit the Malala Fund.*** 

Again, only 99 cents!


And now, back to the giveaway!

I'm giving away a print copy of BLACK HELLEBORE. It's the first book in a trilogy, the Heroes of Falledge. Hey, even superheroes need love too, right? 

Note from Peggy: I cannot get the Rafflecopter link to work, so go to Nicole's beautiful blog and enter! You will definitely want to after you read the book description: 

Once a year for the past decade, Nicholas Adams returns to Falledge and leaves a black hellebore on his girlfriend's grave. While fleeing Falledge, he spies a shady man sneaking into the laboratory. Nicholas chases after him and dies for his trouble. A witch brings him back to life, only Nicholas is not the same man. Turns out, magic combined with a black hellebore in his pocket changed him into a kind of a super man.

Julianna Paige, his girlfriend's twin and deputy of Falledge, struggles to solve several murders. Nicholas, and his alter ego the Black Hellebore, helps her, even as she helps him move on and start to truly live again.

Unfortunately, Nicholas wasn't the only one changed in the laboratory explosion, and now a super villain is bent on destroying Falledge, and killing the Black Hellebore. But falling in love might prove more dangerous than any super villain.

See? Doesn't that sound intriguing? So go to Nicole's blog and enter!

Day TWO! by Jason Zandri

As part of my involvement in the Twelve Giveaways of Christmas Blog Tour I am doing a couple of things. 

I am, of course, posting my own post and promoting all the others and I am also doing a Rafflecopter giveaway. That is what this post is. 

Each day, I am going to kick off with this same summary information (that you've just read) and then I am going to cross post the links to the blogs on the tour. 

I am going to ask each of the readers to my blog and everyone I hit across my social networks, to follow the links to the other blog posts. Catch the writings and the spirit of the season. 

For each post of mine (including this one) I am going to offer one part of the "10 Painfully Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets Too Soon" posting (Credits: by Marc Chernoff, marcandangel) and my own thoughts on it. 

Today's is:

1. The average human life is relatively short. 

We know deep down that life is short, and that death will happen to all of us eventually, and yet we are infinitely surprised when it happens to someone we know. It’s like walking up a flight of stairs with a distracted mind, and misjudging the final step. You expected there to be one more stair than there is, and so you find yourself off balance for a moment, before your mind shifts back to the present moment and how the world really is. 

LIVE your life TODAY! Don’t ignore death, but don’t be afraid of it either. Be afraid of a life you never lived because you were too afraid to take action. Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside you while you’re still alive. Be bold. Be courageous. Be scared to death, and then take the next step anyway. 

A number of things come to mind when I read this, but I suppose it's the simple thought of "plan your life like you might live forever but live it as if it might end tomorrow." 

Yes, you want to make sure to take the time to save for a house, a vacation, retirement, and so forth, but no one ever lay on their deathbed saying "damn, I really wish I could have put in 100 more hours at work." 

* Take the vacation. 
* Go for a walk. 
* Buy an ice cream cone for yourself. 
* Step outside on a sunny day; soak in the rays. 
* Step outside into the rainstorm; let the water wash over you. 
* Grab an extra hour of sleep. 
* Call a loved one and just BS on the phone. 
* Go over and see them. 
* Buy a bag of dog food and bring it to the animal shelter. 
* Clear out the canned goods that are about to expire at home and donate them to a food pantry for the less fortunate. 
* Sing or dance like nobody is watching / listening. 
* If there are people around, do it anyway. 
* Play with your kids / grandkids. 
* If they are older, take them to lunch (or that ice cream cone). 
* Forgive someone for their trespass; you do not have to forget what occurred, but perhaps it's time to let part of it go. 
* Ask for forgiveness for a trespass of your own; if you are not forgiven by them, at least forgive yourself. 

I will close my thoughts by looping back on what I said prior - "plan your life like you might live forever but live it as if it might end tomorrow." 

You want to do whatever you can that is timely and practical as far as working and savings so that you can have the best chance to have the same kind of life in your final years as you experienced your working adult life. 

With that I emphasize two additional 'moderation' thoughts: 

Do something 'small' tomorrow for yourself, in case it does in fact end up being your last day. 

You are never going to see an armored car follow a hearse; find a balance in what you are putting off for 'down the road' and what you could do, streamlined, next weekend.