The Business of Writing: A DIY Facebook Party in 7 Steps #ampromoting

Today on The Maze I am pleased to present the expert wisdom of my in-the-flesh author-friend, K.R. Thompson, on the subject of DIY Facebook parties.

In a recent email exchange, when she demurred about being labeled an "expert," I shared with her the original meaning of the word, from the Latin expertus: "one who has been tested." I have been involved in one of her Facebook parties, and I know she most certainly qualifies by this definition! 

7 Steps to an Awesome Facebook Party
by K.R. Thompson

1. Create an event on Facebook.
   I suggest setting this up well in advance. At least a month, if possible. This will give everyone a chance to see what you are doing. It also builds suspense and anticipation for your book.
   
   [Note: The day of the week that you select will of course be governed by your schedule, but the common wisdom from professional tour coordinators is that weekdays work best to maximize participation. KR has not observed any significant attendance difference in the party's day of the week among the many parties she has organized and attended, but she has noticed that evenings seem to consistently draw the highest numbers. In any case, it is best to avoid the days before, during, and after holidays, when people are likely to be busy—or playing catch-up. ~kih]
2. Set up your first game.
   For me, the best thing that has worked to get people to attend is to post a game of “who invited you?” The person who has invited the most people at the end of the party wins. (Amazon gift cards work well for this.)
3. Decide how long you want this party to last and if you want guest authors to attend.
   I've done a few parties and I've found that if you can last for five or six hours, you'll have one heck of a party. Granted, your bum will go numb at some point and you may lose a bit of your sanity by the end, but your guests will have a ton of fun and you'll get some great publicity for your new release.
   
   Now, here is where the guest authors come into play. Having a party with only yourself as the author is going to be tough going if you have to come up with prizes and games for five or six hours. If you are planning on being the sole author at your party, I strongly suggest decreasing your party time to 2 hours, 3 tops. Unless, of course, you are a superhero and simply do not care about your blood circulation. Having those guest authors “take over” at their time slot will give you the chance to get up and stretch, grab a bite to eat, and use the restroom. (Trust me. You'll want to do at least one of these things at some point.)
4. Guest authors. (If you're the superhero with the steel bladder, skip this step.)
   Decide who you would like to invite for a time slot. (As far as how long each author should come and talk about their books, I suggest half-hour slots. You can get more authors to participate this way, plus it keeps your guests engaged. I've found hour long slots tend to get a bit dull, with long lapses of silence. One thing you don't want is for your guests to be bored.) Do you want to invite authors who write the same genre as yourself or do you want mixed genres? It's something to think about, but either way works.
   
   A tip to keep in mind is that an author's fans tend to follow them wherever they go. If their favorite author is going to be at your party, you'll have those loyal readers who may have not heard of you and you'll have the chance to meet them and hopefully make new fans out of them.
5. Prizes and Games.
   I typically post a “grand prize” and pin it to the top of the page. The grand prize can be anything. (Gift cards, books, jewelry… whatever you want.) Post details on how to enter the contest, such as “to enter, purchase a copy of my new release, and comment below with a copy of your Amazon receipt number.” I always leave this particular prize open until well after the party has ended to give everyone a chance to enter.
   
   During your party, you should also have other chances to win prizes. Everyone loves to play games and have the opportunity to win something cool. These prizes should be smaller than your grand prize, such as an e-book from one of your backlisted titles, autographed swag, etc.
   
   Games can be anything, from “caption this” contests, to posting an excerpt of your new book and having the guests fill in the blanks, or anything else your heart desires. Be creative and try to have the game relate to your book in some way.
6. Reminders.
   A few days before your party, touch base with your guest authors and make sure everyone is still planning to attend. (Life happens, and sometimes people forget. :) )
   
   Also, post something on your event every day or two to get your guests amped up to party with you. It can be something as simple as “Three days left until we party! Who's getting excited?” The more interaction you have with people on that page, the more it will be seen by others.
7. Have fun!

K.R. Thompson is the author of Pan, one of the Untold Stories of Neverland, and other fantasy/fairy tale/folklore novels.

Thanks, K.R., for all the great advice!

If anyone else has tips or tricks to share, 

please post them in the comments below. 

We would all love to hear about them. :)

***

All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

Review: The Princelings of the East by @jemima_pett fantasy #MG #giveaway

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – The Princelings of the East
SERIES – The Princelings of the East  
AUTHOR – Jemima Pett  
GENRE – MG/Fantasy/Scifi  
PUBLICATION DATE – November 2011 (paperback June 2015)  
LENGTH – 158 Pages/ 37,300 Words  
PUBLISHER – Princelings Publications  
COVER ARTIST – Danielle English

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

The Princelings of the East
is an adventure set in a world of labyrinthine castles, bustling inns, and the curious Isle of Hattan.

Princelings George and Fred leave the security of their isolated castle to solve the problem of the Great Energy Drain, meeting the dubious businessman Hugo, the young barkeeper Victor, the impressive Prince of Buckmore, and other movers and shakers. Who should these two innocents trust? Their wits and teach other, for sure, but when something comes between them, each is left to his own devices, and some of those devices are very strange indeed – and time is of the essence.

The Princelings of the East is the start of a saga where friendship and intelligence are rewarded, even in the face of treachery and deceit.

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EXCERPT

Fred sat staring at the tunnel, lost in thought. George waited. This might take a while. He could hear soft sounds of crackling flames in the fire on the other side of the wall, and in the distance the occasional pitter-patter of footsteps echoing down the corridors. He wondered what would happen if they ventured out of this castle into the tunnels. When he had been out in the marshes, he’d never gone a long way from home; the castle was always visible in the distance, light glinting on its spires. He’d never been out overnight, either. He identified a strange feeling inside him. They might be on the edge of a Great Adventure, but he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t rather be safely tucked up in bed.

Fred stirred. “We need to go and investigate this Great Energy Drain,” he said. “We must find out whether it is a widespread phenomenon, and whether the causes are known.”

George nodded; this was elementary procedure for an investigation. “And then?” he asked.

“And then,” answered Fred, “we shall come up with some ideas for how to solve it.”

“Good idea!” said George, knowing that you can never know exactly how you are going to do something until you have made the preliminary investigation and tested out a few theories. But the aim was set, and all they had to do now was decide... to go or not to go?

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My Review ~ 5*

The Princelings of the East is the first installment of a fun fantasy trilogy chronicling the adventures of twin time-traveling young royals Fred and George.

The year is 2009. Or is it 2021? Hm... whatever the year, no one can argue there are Strange Doings afoot. The King's birthday celebration has been ruined by a mysterious Energy Drain. Princelings Fred and George, two bright kids with too much time on their hands to just sit and Think (in Fred's case) or build ingenious machines (that would be George), decide their august adult counterparts have leapt to all the wrong conclusions, and they want to take matters into their own hands.

The question is... how? They are just two mere (if industrious in their own ways) lads; what can they possibly do to solve this Vexing Problem for everyone's benefit? Especially when they have trouble convincing anyone to listen to them, let alone to believe what they say. To say nothing of the possible consequences if they make too much trouble for the King—perhaps even banishment from the only home they have ever known!

In the midst of their ruminations, they find a mysterious tunnel, which in due course leads them to all manner of amazing wheres and whens and whats and whos, many of whom are not who they seem. Most amazing of all, they meet adults who not only listen but even value what they have to say.

Fred and George, in essence, get to live every ingenious, thoughtful kid's dream.

In the book's synopsis on Amazon, it's likened to The Wind in the Willows, and I can most assuredly see that in the characters' interactions and relationships to one another. However, the literary similarity that struck me most, from the very first page, was A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. Everything from Fred's propensity to sit and Think (Pooh), to various characters' fussing (Rabbit) and pontification (Owl) about the cause of the Energy Drain and how to solve it made me smile all throughout my reading of the book.

The main—and laugh-out-loud zany—scientific issues presented in The Princelings of the East, especially regarding how the world's diet cola becomes "diet" and the process's effect upon the environment, pleasantly brought to mind The Starlight Barking by Dodie Smith, sequel to her much more famous work, The Hundred and One Dalmatians.

The synopsis also describes The Princelings of the East as being "suitable for good readers aged 10 and over," emphasis mine. Girls as well as boys will enjoy following Fred and George's adventures to other castles and eras, but it does require some mental calisthenics to keep everything sorted.

And I view that as a Very Good Thing. In today's culture where the propensity is to dumb down children's programming and literature, the world could do with more Princelings to help our kids hone their mental faculties while presenting fun puzzles and fascinating scenarios. The good news is that there are several more Princelings novels in this series!

Brava, Jemima Pett, and do please keep up the great work.

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BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US | AMAZON KINDLE CA | AMAZON KINDLE UK | AMAZON PAPERBACK | BARNES & NOBLES NOOK | SMASHWORDS | ITUNES | GOODREADS | SHELFARI | BOOK DEPOSITORY PAPERBACK

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AUTHOR BIO

I’ve been writing since I was 8 years old. I still have a small booklet I found in my mother’s box of treasures, written in a very childish hand, entitled The Little Stream. It reads very much like the story of Smetana’s Vltava, or The Moldau as it was called when I was young, so I must have been into classical music at an early age (I blame my brothers’ influence). My early fiction attempts failed for want of suitable inspiration: I couldn’t get characters or plot that seemed interesting, and my first attempts were derided by a ‘friend’. I had the bug for writing, though, and wrote articles and event reports for newsletters and magazines whenever I got the opportunity. My career in business and in environmental research kept me chained to a desk for many years, but also gave me the opportunity to write manuals, reports, science papers, blogs, journals, anything and everything that kept the words flowing. Finally the characters jumped into my head with stories that needed to be told…

I now live in a village in Norfolk, UK, with my guinea pigs, the first of whom, Fred, George, Victor and Hugo, provided the inspiration for the Princelings stories.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ | PINTEREST | GOODREADS | SHELFARI

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GIVEAWAY PRIZES

1 x $25 gift card/PayPal cash (paypal cash is much easier for me to deliver) 1 x set of the six Princelings of the East paperbacks 5 x 1 signed print of a chapter illustration of the winner's choice (approx. half letter-sized/A5, unmounted)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

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TITLE – The Princelings and the Pirates
SERIES – The Princelings of the East
AUTHOR – Jemima Pett
GENRE – MG/Fantasy/Scifi
PUBLICATION DATE – January 2012 (paperback June 2015)
LENGTH – Pages 181 / Words 39,000
PUBLISHER – Princelings Publications
COVER ARTIST – Danielle English

BOOK SYNOPSIS

The second book of the Princelings of the East series shows our heroes, Princelings Fred and George, enjoying life with their inventions at Castle Buckmore. Oblivious to the kidnap of a princess from Chateau Dimerie, they are despatched there by Prince Lupin to discover why the wine hasn't been delivered and solve the case of the missing messengers.

What follows is the stuff of nightmares. Captured by pirates, sent off on different ships, Fred endures hardship and shipwreck while George has a dangerous night escape. They discover treachery at their home castle, and lead the people they have rescued to safety, only to end up fighting for their lives in the Battle of Dimerie.

EXCERPT

“Right, you lubbers!” said the black guy. “My name’s Frankie and if you know what’s good for you you’ll listen hard, work hard and keep your mouths shut.”

He passed round eight bits of stale biscuit and a bucket of fairly clean water and a scoop. They each took a drink, and some of them nibbled the biscuit. George found his stomach settled down a bit, and tried to see whether Fred and Victor were among the party in the darkness. He rather thought they weren’t, and frowned. The haughty guy refused the biscuit, saying it was disgusting, and one of the other guys took it off him, and wolfed it down.

Frankie waited for them to recover their senses a bit more, then started talking again.

“You are now aboard the Golden Guinea, the prettiest barque that ever sailed the seven seas. You will do as you are told, you will work hard, and if you don’t, you will walk the plank. That means you will find yourself swimming, possibly in shark infested waters, a thousand miles from the nearest land. You won’t last long.” And he laughed again. It was not a pleasant laugh.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US | AMAZON KINDLE CA | AMAZON KINDLE UK | AMAZON PAPERBACK | BARNES & NOBLES NOOK | SMASHWORDS | ITUNES | GOODREADS | SHELFARI | BOOK DEPOSITORY PAPERBACK

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TITLE – The Princelings and the Lost City
SERIES – The Princelings of the East
AUTHOR – Jemima Pett
GENRE – MG/Fantasy/scifi
PUBLICATION DATE – May 2012 (paperback June 2015)
LENGTH – Pages 270 / Words 58,600
PUBLISHER – Princelings Publications
COVER ARTIST – Danielle English

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Book 3 in the Princelings of the East series is the completion of the trilogy. A mystery is uncovered in the Prologue (which is unravelled in Book 5), then the story moves to more familiar territory as our heroes, Princelings Fred and George, wait at Castle Buckmore for the arrival of Princess Kira from Dimerie in a flying machine. George's power plant invention is overtaken by his enthusiasm for flying, but Fred is upset by Kira's strange behavious after the visit a legendary 'lost' castle in the middle of a forest.

What is the secret of the Lost City? Are the old wives' tales, of a civilisation ruled by females where no male dare set foot, true after all? Will Fred and his friend escape with their lives? How many times can Princess Kira be kidnapped in one story? The path of true love runs anything but smoothly in this tale of love, bravery, cruelty and loss.

EXCERPT

A strange noise crept into their consciousness, a sort of buzzing. It changed tone, skipped a beat and sometimes stopped altogether. The princelings looked out, straining to see what was making the noise. Fred stared down the road as far as the bridge; George gazed up into the sky as if he was dreaming.

“There… there… they… ther…” he stuttered and pointed for Fred to locate.

“What?” said Fred, following the direction and wondering why he was pointing into the sky. There was some sort of bird flying towards them.

“I w-wond-ered … a ffly-ing ma-ma-sheen.” In his excitement, George was having trouble getting any words out at all. He slipped off the window seat and went over to a pile of papers beside his bed. He selected one near the top of the pile and brought it back to Fred.

“M. Bleriot demonstrates flying machine at Fortune,” read the headline. Underneath was a picture of a very dashing French person with a helmet and goggles standing next to a funny tube with two boards sticking out of it on either side.

Fred glanced at it, held it close to look at the machine in more detail and dropped the paper to look at the sky. A very similar machine was now approaching the last stretch of road before it turned to come into the castle itself.

“Oh my goodness,” said Fred, his eyes wide in panic. “She’ll be killed!”

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US | AMAZON KINDLE CA | AMAZON KINDLE UK | AMAZON PAPERBACK | BARNES & NOBLES NOOK | SMASHWORDS | ITUNES | GOODREADS | SHELFARI | BOOK DEPOSITORY PAPERBACK

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This Event Was Organized & Hosted By:

Special Thank You To Carly's Book Reviews For The HTML Creation

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Musings from Morgan le Fay aka Morghe in RAGING SEA Ch 7/Sc 4 #amwriting #Arthurverse

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee.

Hm. The way I've been creating these excerpt posts, I wait until a character first appears before preparing their blog graphic. 

I didn't realize till just now that Arthur's youngest sister, Morghe (Morgan le Fay), doesn't get a viewpoint scene in Raging Sea until chapter 7! 

Not that it's a bad thing, mind; this is just the first I've noticed it in the mumbledy-some years that I've been working on Raging Sea.


Fans of my work will recognize Morghe's glyph from the cover of Morning's Journey. It is a vector drawing I made from a photograph of the Brough of Birsay stone found in Orkney, Scotland, one of more than three dozen ancient Pictish (or Pictish-inspired) designs that I have either adapted or created outright for use in The Dragon's Dove Chronicles.

Although Morghe herself is most certainly not Pictish, this design spoke her name to me with its embedded M, its asymmetrical alignment, and its regal, warlike embellishments.

And in today's excerpt, you get a glimpse of Morghe's regal—and secretly warlike—character as she reacts to the surprise appearance of former-enemies-cum-wedding-guests.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 

 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 |

Raging Sea Chapter 7, Scene 4

©2015 by Kim Headlee

All rights reserved.

What a disappointment.

The litter resumed its lurching, swaying gait. Morghe closed the curtains and settled back against the cushions. As entertaining as the meeting of Arthur and Gyanhumara with Urien was expected to be, she would have liked to have seen her brother and sister-by-marriage bloodied by those Scots, even though Fergus and others of his ilk had terrified her half out of her wits last year.

But Gyanhumara had made a valid observation: why were they here?

Morghe resolved to find out. As Urien’s wife, she deserved to know what was transpiring inside Clan Moray’s borders. And if Urien didn’t agree, she had a plan for changing that too.

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...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Dawnflight. Please enter often, and good luck!

Pre-Release Blitz: Katie in Denver by @AuthorRColora #contemporary romance

The Business of Writing: Quoting Song Lyrics in Your Book #amwriting #ASMSG #RLFblog

Music is—quite literally—in my blood. My great-great-grand uncle was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer of what is arguably the most famous 90 seconds in all of music history: "The Flight of the Bumblebee."

Much as Nikolai as a 4-year-old was already becoming accomplished at playing the drums, I began singing in choirs at a very young age. Later in life I would gravitate toward groups that performed classical oratorios and even helped to found an oratorio society in North Carolina in the early 1990s.

Thus it was only natural that I also developed a talent for composing original lyrics to popular tunes. Some are reverential, some humorous, and some are designed to drive telemarketers crazy. :D

Since I write mainly historical fiction, the only lyrics I ever feel compelled to include in my books are those I write myself, such as "The Caledonian Warrior's Lament" referenced in Morning's Journey and intended to be sung to the Scottish folk tune "Gloomy Winter."

I have included a copyright notice in the frontmatter of Morning's Journey to avoid any confusion.

But what about quoting someone else's lyrics in your book?

Kathryn Goldman of The Better Novel Project blog covers this scenario in quite some depth and breadth of legalese here:  http://www.betternovelproject.com/blog/song-lyrics/

The takeaway I get from Ms. Goldman's article is that unless the song is of critical importance to your story or its characters, it's best to err on the side of caution and refrain from including its lyrics in your book. Quoting lyrics—or any other type of poetry or prose, for that matter—without the express written permission of the copyright holder exposes you and your work to legal action under current copyright laws, unless the quoted work can be proven to exist in the public domain at the time of your book's publication.

And, yes, that awful pun in the preceding paragraph was indeed intended.

Now I'm off to compose the lyrics to a tavern song I reference only by title in Dawnflight, "The Seven Saxon Sisters." :D

May all your musical interludes be inspiring ones!

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...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Dawnflight. Please enter often, and good luck!

Stormy from Devon Drake Cornerback by @JeanJoachim gets her say #football romance

Welcome back to the second character interview from Devon Drake Cornerback by Jean Joachim. This time I'm pleased to feature the heroine, Stormy Gregory!

KH: Welcome, Stormy. Devon has already shared a bit about himself. What is your proudest accomplishment?

SG: I’d have to say striking out on my own, moving to a new city, Bolton, IL, getting a job and supporting myself. No one in my family thought I’d amount to much. But I finished school on scholarship with a degree in nutrition and found a job. My parents don’t think much of what I do. They call it “glorified cook”, but I know it’s a lot more than that. My work with seniors helps them to live longer, healthier lives.

KH: I say that counts as a proud accomplishment, and I'm sorry your parents don't think so. What is your most embarrassing moment?

SG: Embarrassing or humiliating? I’ve had many in my life. The most important one is in the book and Jean won’t allow me to tell you about it. She thinks you should read the book if you want to know.

KH: Fair enough!

SG: Actually there are two there. Don’t ask me about the striptease. (Laughs) That’s in there, too.

KH: Ah, yes. I see Jean has outed you Big Time on that one. :D
What about any events that happened before the book starts?

SG: I’d have to say when one of the seniors, Mr. Magilicuddy fell to his knees and proposed to me in the lunchroom at the senior center. He was eighty-nine years old and didn’t want to take “no” for an answer. I tried to explain to him that I wasn’t Megan Fox, but he was confused and didn’t understand.

KH:  (Laughs) I should like to have seen that episode! On a more serious note, what is your most troubling fear?

SG: Now don’t laugh –

KH: I won't, I promise.

SG: I’m terrified of storms. Yes, that’s how I got my nickname. My real first name is Allison. But nobody calls me that. I don’t know why or how I became so afraid of storms, but when it starts to thunder outside, I start to tremble. I used to crawl into bed with my big sister when I was a kid, maybe four years old. Thunder rattled me and lightning? Forget about it. I was terrified. That’s when she gave me the nickname Stormy. And it stuck.

At first I was mad when it stuck. But I grew to like it. Nobody had the same name. When I got older, I loved it. Guys think it’s cool, sexy. I have made a little progress with my fear of storms. I can handle small ones, but big blows, hurricanes and such –well, I still want to crawl under the bed.

KH: And what is your greatest dream?

SG: Is Jean looking?

KH: No, I think she's busy checking the other tour stops! (Whispers) Go ahead; I won't tell her. :)

SG: Okay, here goes. My greatest dream since I was a kid was to marry my childhood crush, Devon Drake. I’d save my allowance and buy a bride magazine and imagine myself in each dress, walking down the aisle to Devon. I’m not supposed to tell about that because it’s in the book, but hey, you asked and I like to give honest answers.

KH: And I do appreciate your honesty very much.

SG: Of course that dream was shattered when I was fourteen, but it was always my greatest dream.

KH: What an awful thing to have happen to a teen. I do hope you get your happily-ever-after with the man of your dreams; it sounds like you deserve it!

BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Devon Drake - Cornerback
SERIES – First & Ten Series
AUTHOR – Jean Joachim
GENRE – Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance

BOOK SYNOPSIS
Devon Drake, star cornerback, has it all: hot super model girlfriend and pro football career, or does he? A childhood friend wanders back into his life, upsetting his ideal existence. Is it finally time to tell her the truth about what happened fifteen years ago?

Stormy Gregory is on the run from an abusive man. Her best friend offers her a safe place at the shelter for abused women and children. Grateful to be out of harm’s way, Stormy helps with a charitable event, not expecting to run into Devon Drake, her friend’s brother. Will she run again rather than face rejection?

Cracks in his perfect world threaten the cornerback’s starting lineup status. An unwelcome surprise short-circuits Stormy’s attempt to build a new life. Can they pull together or will the secret that separates the former friends keep them on a downward spiral?

BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE US – KOBO – BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – ITUNES

EXCERPT
But the last thing Stormy wanted was to hang around Devon Drake any longer than necessary. He had filled out since high school with pure muscle. Like Chutes and Ladders, Devon Drake had taken the big ladder from handsome to gorgeous. Hanging around might mean the revival of old feelings, leaving her vulnerable to rejection again. It was destined to happen, since he had a hot, high-powered girlfriend. Stormy needed to watch her step. He wasn’t available, but nobody had told her heart that.

He sat up, his gaze glued to her. She hummed the tune “The Stripper” as she unzipped and peeled off her jacket. The man slid his chair closer to the window. She began to dance slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see people on the sidewalk had stopped moving. She took a deep breath and eased her sweater up as slowly as possible.

Now, the man in the headphones was gesturing and talking. The others in the room turned to stare. Stormy kept humming and dancing. She was getting into it. Ignoring the cold, she pulled her sweater over her head, twirled it around, and flung it at a man standing nearby. He caught it and applauded.

AUTHOR BIO
Jean Joachim is a best-selling romance fiction author, with books hitting the Amazon Top 100 list since 2012. The Renovated Heart won Best Novel of the Year from Love Romances Café. Lovers & Liars was a RomCon finalist in 2013. And The Marriage List tied for third place as Best Contemporary Romance from the Gulf Coast RWA. She was chosen Author of the Year in 2012 by the New York City chapter of Romance Writers of America.

Married and the mother of two sons, Jean lives in New York City. Early in the morning, you’ll find her at her computer, writing, with a cup of tea, her rescued pug, Homer, by her side and a secret stash of black licorice.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE  – BLOG –  FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ – PINTEREST – GOODREADS –

***
Devon Drake Cornerback giveaway:
$25 Amazon Gift Card

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All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Dawnflight. Please enter often, and good luck!

Author @Jemima_Pett Reviews #KASIWC by @KimHeadlee time travel #SFF Twain sequel

Whatever is a queen of
magic and minions to do?

Next week on The Maze I am excited to introduce you to the first installment in the wonderful middle-grade kids' fantasy-mystery series, The Princelings by Jemima Pett, titled The Princelings of the East.

Jemima and I "met" this past May during my blog tour for King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court (#KASIWC), wherein she posted her terrific and amusing review, reblogged here for your reading pleasure:

May 13, 2015
I confess that my knowledge of Arthurian legend is not as good as some people’s; mine is heavily biased by the musical Camelot, by Disney’s The Sword in the Stone, and by, er, not finishing The Once and Future King.  Maybe I should finish it.  But I have the basics.  I wasn’t entirely up to speed with Morgan Le Fay’s part in proceedings.  I may be closer now.

Queen Morgan is in the middle of some critical negotiations when she gets waylaid and moved forward in time to a mediaeval pageant.  She quickly works out that this is false… in fact it’s being put on for her benefit to settle her in – she’s actually way in the future, about 2079, in fact.  I was disappointed to discover that the power suit with high heels is still the armour of the successful businesswoman, but style and practicality aside, I love the developments of both technology and society that Queen Morgan aka Morganna encounters, and her rationalisation of them to parallels with her own universe.  In fact, this rationalisation is so good, for us poor beings in the middle of UK Election fever, it leaves me positively in favour of Morganna’s solutions to all sorts of political nonsense.  Vote Morganna – or at least, vote President Malory for life!

For someone allergic to baseball (and pretty much to all overpaid sports that are worshipped by people spending too much money for a pathetic seat in a stadium for the benefit of an already superrich owner) the emphasis on the sport and its game play could be tedious.  Note the ‘could be’.  I give Kim Iverson Headlee 5 stars for managing to write a baseball book I enjoyed, let alone the superb world-building, dry wit and sarcasm of the political shenanigans, and the heady combination of gangsterism, time travel, social insight, and historical fiction.

I suspect all the people who enjoy the more offbeat books I review on my blog will love this!

Thanks again, Jemima—Vote Morganna, indeed! :)

Next week on The Maze: my review of The Princelings of the East by Jemima Pett.

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En route to the royal wedding in RAGING SEA Ch 7/Sc 3 #amwriting #Arthurverse

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee.

Some of the constants I maintain in my vision of the Arthurian legends, while turning every other aspect upside down and inside out, include the major relationships. 

One of the major relationships is the marriage of Arthur's sister (usually Morgan le Fay; sometimes Margause or Margawse, depending on the source) to one of his most troublesome enemies, Urien (or Uriens). Whether their forced union is coldly polite, fraught with friction, or engenders an entirely different alliance also depends upon the literary source.

In today's excerpt, Gawain offers a glimpse of his thoughts about riding escort duty for his aunt, Morghe (Morgan le Fay)—and the unexpected wedding guests they encounter along the way.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 

 Chapter 7: Sc 1 | Sc 2 |

Raging Sea Chapter 7, Scene 3

©2015 by Kim Headlee

All rights reserved.

Rather than individual oath swearing, which would have tried the patience of people and animals alike, Uncle Arthur addressed the assembled troop:

“Do you swear by all that is holy to protect Gyanhumara nic Hymar, Comitissa Britanniam, on and off the battlefield and to obey all lawful orders given by her either directly or through your superior officers, even unto death?”

“Even unto death!” chorused the Comites Praetorii, Gawain included.

The trouble was, he mused days later as the procession plodded at the pace of the horse-drawn litters carrying Ygraine and Morghe toward the Clan Moray stronghold of Dunadd, no one had ever said anything about the possibility of dying of boredom.

That changed in a blink as they neared a fork in the road to find a band of mounted Scotti warriors approaching them on the intersecting trail, which originated at the seacoast.

“Praetorii, alert!” ordered Gyan in Latin, sword drawn. Arthur had already done likewise, countenance darkening.

Gawain and the other soldiers drew their swords and closed ranks around the litters.

The Scots halted and fixed their attention upon Morghe’s escort but seemed otherwise unperturbed.

Gyan and Arthur nudged their mounts forward, as did the Scotti leader. A second Scot detached himself from their formation, a spear clutched in his left fist. From its shaft rippled an undyed, unadorned linen flag.

Gawain’s aunt and uncle sheathed their swords, but neither relaxed in the saddle.

“Commander Fergus,” said Gyan, switching to Brytonic with a slight dip of her head. “You survived.”

“As did ye, Chieftainess, though ye both”—he jerked a contemptuous nod toward Arthur—“made it damned hard for me sword-brethren and me.”

They were referring, Gawain realized with a start, to the First Battle of Port Dhoo-Glass, after which a small number of Scots escaped by stealing Brytoni fishing boats two nights after the battle.

“Next time, we’ll make it easier for you to meet your gods,” Arthur growled. “What business brings you onto Brytoni lands under the banner of truce?”

“Business that be nae concern of yours, Scarlet Dragon.” On the Scot’s lips the title became an insult.

Arthur scowled and seemed about to speak, but Gyan shot him a look. He desisted but remained wary. She smiled at the Scot named Fergus. “And yet it appears that your party and ours are bound for the same destination.” By the tilt of her chin, she appeared to scan the enemy troop. “With your womenfolk?”

Blinking, Gawain eyed the Scots closer. True enough, as many women rode in their ranks as men, and not a sword or even a dirk in the lot that he could see. And each woman, he noted, shifting in the saddle to relieve the sudden pressure, was prettier than the last. At the first moment of danger, Gawain had seen only the spears and swords.

Gyan continued, “It seems my brother-by-law has invited you to attend his wedding.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Why would he do that, I wonder?”

“Urien’s counsel is his to keep,” Arthur said. “The fact remains that these folk are here, and so are we.” He turned a predatory grin upon Fergus. “And I imagine that Urien’s—guests—shall not mind a bit of added protection as they travel to Dunadd. Attacks can be ever so unpredictable at this time of year.”

Fergus had the ballocks to laugh, as did some of his men. “We shall indeed rest easier knowing that the great Scarlet Dragon guards our backs.” With upraised fist, he signaled his party forward.

And as we choke on their dust, and gag on their horses’ stench, and tread through their cac, Gawain grumbled to himself, stifling a cough with the back of a gloved hand as Gyan gave a similar order to her men. But with that treacherous lot, white flag or no, Gawain wouldn’t have had it any other way. He could well imagine that Arthur and Gyan and everyone else in their group felt the same.

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Spotlight on Sparks Saga #fantasy series by @RSMcCoy1 Rachel McCoy

Release Party THE CHALLENGE - #FREE for 3 days with #Giveaways! #MFRWOrg

Now Gyan must face all her demons—
public as well as private.

The Business of Writing weekly blog feature on 
The Maze has the day off in order to celebrate the release of my newest novella,  
The Challenge and its German edition, Die Herausforderung!

Best of all, both versions are a free Kindle download September 16-18, whether you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription or not. :)

So pull up a chair, don a zany hat, pour your favorite beverage, and snag this fabulous historical fantasy story set in the world of The Dragon's Dove Chronicles.

Please don't be shy, even if you are not a US resident: all of the Kindle links in this post will open the product page in the Amazon store in or nearest to your country, courtesy of Booklinker.net.

Don't have a Kindle? Don't despair!

Another, related title that's now permafree is The Color of Vengeance. In addition to Amazon, this gripping story is a free download on Nook US, Nook UK, Kobo, iTunes, Scribd, Inktera, Smashwords, and Oyster—and its German (Die Farbe der Rache) and Spanish (El Color de la Venganza) Kindle Unlimited editions are free on September 16th too!

The party's in full swing; what are you waiting for?? :)

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Football musings and character interview of Devon Drake Cornerback by @JeanJoachim

I used to hate—I mean HATE—football growing up because my dad would glue himself to the TV, especially on Sundays. It was so unfair! Then I married another football aficionado. I was doomed.

My worst fears played out when my husband got transferred to the US Air Force Academy to be a math professor. One August day during our first semester there, he came bouncing home from work brandishing not one but two envelopes of season tickets. "C'mon!" he said. "It'll be fun!" he said.

"Yeah, right," I said.

Much to my astonishment, it was fun. The math department (the largest at USAFA) has a long tradition of throwing the most awesome tailgate parties, my husband took the time to explain to me what I was watching on the field, and Air Force had an extremely good team in those days (the mid-1980s team that boasted ex-Cowboy Chad Hennings and Heisman Trophy candidate Dee Dowis).

I won't go as far as to say that I love football now, but… well. I have developed a killer method of recording play-by-play offensive stats, and I still have the files containing the Westfield (VA) high school stats of NFL wide receiver Eddie Royal (now with the Bears as of this season) and ex-Redskin Evan Royster, among others.

And to be frank, those tight pants do look mighty good on my favorite players. :D

So when the opportunity arose to host a spot for Devon Drake Cornerback by Jean Joachim, I leaped on him—er, it. :D :D :D

Oh and for the record, Devon dear, I do know what a cornerback is. I thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule (apparently, very busy :D) to answer a few of my questions!

KH: What is your proudest accomplishment?

DD: Are you kidding? Making the NFL, then getting picked to play in the Pro Bowl –that’s the NFL’s all star team game, in case you didn’t know. Then becoming top pick for cornerbacks two years in a row by the press. I always loved to run but never dreamed I’d get the chance to do it for a living.

KH: What is your most embarrassing moment?

DD: Laughs. There are so many, it’s hard for me to pick just one. Let’s see, in high school it would be getting shoved out of the locker room naked after the cheerleading practice. As an adult? There are several I can’t mention because they’re “x-rated”. (Chuckles) How about calling a movie star for a date and having her think you were Griff Montgomery, our star quarterback? Yeah, and she didn’t even know what a cornerback was. She thought I’d said hunchback and hung up on me. From the book, having my old girlfriend show up just as I’m about to go on a date with my new girlfriend.

KH: What is your greatest dream?

DD: I have three. Is that okay?

KH: Sure; go for it!

DD: First, to play in the NFL until I’m forty with no serious injuries. Second, to have a loyal wife and a couple of healthy kids. Third, to have a son who also plays in the NFL, so I can keep pro football in my life.

KH: Very admirable—and ambitious. What is your most troubling fear?

DD: Any NFL player will have the same fear –injury. Getting injured bad enough so that you can’t play or your lose your edge, that’s my worst fear. Football is my life. There isn’t anything else I want to do. Next would be losing my wife or a kid to an accident or disease. I don’t think I could handle that. But since I’m not there yet, I don’t worry too much about it.

Thank you, Devon, for sharing with us today. And do please take your time getting dressed! But be forewarned: Stormy will get her say next week on The Maze. I hope you haven't said anything that will get you into trouble with her. :D

BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Devon Drake - Cornerback
SERIES – First & Ten Series
AUTHOR – Jean Joachim
GENRE – Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance

BOOK SYNOPSIS
Devon Drake, star cornerback, has it all: hot super model girlfriend and pro football career, or does he? A childhood friend wanders back into his life, upsetting his ideal existence. Is it finally time to tell her the truth about what happened fifteen years ago?

Stormy Gregory is on the run from an abusive man. Her best friend offers her a safe place at the shelter for abused women and children. Grateful to be out of harm’s way, Stormy helps with a charitable event, not expecting to run into Devon Drake, her friend’s brother. Will she run again rather than face rejection?

Cracks in his perfect world threaten the cornerback’s starting lineup status. An unwelcome surprise short-circuits Stormy’s attempt to build a new life. Can they pull together or will the secret that separates the former friends keep them on a downward spiral?

BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE US – KOBO – BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – ITUNES

EXCERPT
The cornerback changed his clothes, slammed his locker shut, and turned toward the workout room. The loud bang stopped all conversation. The men shut up and stared. “What? What? What are you looking at? I didn’t lay a finger on that girl.” He yanked the door to the weight room open.

“We know, Dev. We know,” Griff Montgomery put in.

Devon heaved a sigh, stretched his shoulders, nodded to the quarterback, and went to work out his problems on the machines. Stormy. Perfect name. She’s like a tornado in my life. Damned annoying. But if I don’t help her, who will? Where’s Jackie? Living it up on the West Coast. She could confirm I’m not violent. Women.

AUTHOR BIO
Jean Joachim is a best-selling romance fiction author, with books hitting the Amazon Top 100 list since 2012. The Renovated Heart won Best Novel of the Year from Love Romances Café. Lovers & Liars was a RomCon finalist in 2013. And The Marriage List tied for third place as Best Contemporary Romance from the Gulf Coast RWA. She was chosen Author of the Year in 2012 by the New York City chapter of Romance Writers of America.

Married and the mother of two sons, Jean lives in New York City. Early in the morning, you’ll find her at her computer, writing, with a cup of tea, her rescued pug, Homer, by her side and a secret stash of black licorice.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE  – BLOG –  FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ – PINTEREST – GOODREADS –

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Angusel wrestles with myriad emotions in Raging Sea Ch 7/Sc 2

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee.

I take special delight in turning certain aspects of the Arthurian Legends upon their collective ear while leaving other aspects as traditionally portrayed. 

Lancelot, whether you believe he was based upon a historical personage or not, was never described in the ancient literature as being one of the first members of the Round Table, and I have chosen to stick with that angle in Raging Sea.

In today's installment, Angusel must watch and wrestle with myriad emotions as my version of the Round Table, an elite unit known as the Comites Praetorii ("Count's Guards") forms without him.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea 

 Chapter 7: Sc 1 |

Raging Sea Chapter 7, Scene 2

©2015 by Kim Headlee

All rights reserved.

He knew he should remain stoic, as he’d been drilled countless times, off as well as on the practice fields, but he couldn’t help averting his gaze as Gawain rode by. Emotions that had to remain hidden assaulted him: grief, of course, mixed with anger and unworthiness and regret, bound by a taut cord of sadness. Only the determination not to be overwhelmed by the taunts and pranks of the other men of First Ala had kept that sadness from veering into despair during the past turning of the moon.

She had posted him to First Ala, and he would sooner crawl into a hole and die than fail her again.

Her words today had bestowed a glimmer of hope that one day he might earn a place in her “Count’s Guards” elite unit. He nurtured that hope as a freezing man feeds an infant flame with dry grass and twigs lest it die before it gains strength enough to save his life.

He looked up as the last of the Comites Praetorii members approached First Ala on their way toward the central aisle for their investiture. Through the rising dust clouds, he gazed over the heads of the nearest infantry century toward the crowd and blinked, hard.

An absolute vision of loveliness was standing near the rail, bedecked in an overdress dyed an exquisite shade of azure, embroidered with a gold falcon. The same design, in woad, decorated her right forearm. Eileann’s rich brown tresses were plaited with gold and blue ribbons and wrapped around her head. Her cloak, the Clan Tarsuinn pattern of saffron crossed with blue and red, was edged in gold as was her due as àrd-banoigin.

The only missing details were her harp and her smile.

It took him a moment to realize she was attending this event to honor her brother Tavyn mac Dynann, who was one of the Comites Praetorii inductees and had just cantered past them from his position behind Eighth Ala with the handful of horsemen who had transferred from units other than the Horse Cohort. Angusel wondered who might have replaced Tavyn as commander of Second Turma, Manx Cohort, and whether he might have stood a chance at the promotion had he stayed.

Nay. A weanling was more fit to lead a cavalry squad than he was.

He clamped off that discouraging thought and stole another glance at Eileann. To his amazement, she seemed to be looking straight at him and smiling. Mayhap ’twas sheer coincidence, but he felt his lips tug into a half smile. Hers deepened.

His spirits felt lighter than they had in too many sennights.

Then he realized that she was standing next to the man to whom she was betrothed, the man to whom, after another turning of the moon, she would be married. Iomar glowered at Angusel. Heart plummeting, Angusel fastened his gaze upon the Pendragon, who was preparing to speak.

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Character Bios, Spotlight: An American Cowboy in Scotland by Em Taylor @emtaylor_3

TITLE – An American Cowboy in Scotland

AUTHOR – Em Taylor

GENRE – Romantic Comedy/ Contemporary Romance

PUBLICATION DATE – 25 June 2015

LENGTH – 34000 words

PUBLISHER – Em Taylor

COVER ARTIST – Em Taylor

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BOOK INFORMATION

As Rhona Lorimer waits for her new boss to arrive, she reckons things can’t get much worse. The manager of the Scottish estate has to explain to her new American boss that the estate is in ruins and there’s no money left. When the drop dead gorgeous cowboy turns up in full Highland regalia, looking like he fell off a shortbread tin, Rhona knows she has her work cut out.

The locals don’t take to Lord Cole Macallan, so Rhona feels obliged to show him hospitality. But the guy is hot. Can Rhona fight her feelings for her new boss as their worlds collide and they discover just how much Scotland and America are two countries divided by a common language… but brought together by mutual passions?

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CHARACTER BIOS

Cole Macallan.
Cole Macallan is an all-American guy. He’s a cowboy through and through. He grew up on a huge ranch in Texas and is the eldest son of an oil magnate. He has a younger brother and a younger sister. He loves horses, NASCAR and watching the Dallas Cowboys.

At the age of sixteen though, Cole was being prepared to take over the family business and was sitting in on business meetings with his father.

Cole attended Duke University and studied Business. He didn’t have much choice as he was going to inherit the largest share of his family’s business which had a turnover of around $20 million a year. When he was in his second year of college, his father died of a heart attack and Cole became CEO of the company. He finished college as his uncles took care of the company until he graduated. Now he’s one of the GQ’s Top 50 bachelors in America.

Rhona Lorimer.
Rhona Lorimer is smart, sassy and cute but she’s never lived up to her potential. Unfortunately life keeps happening to her and it seems to keep knocking her on her ass. She’s an only child and really was a daddy’s girl. Her mum was never the nurturing type and hated living in the tiny village of Strathdougal, an hour south of Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow.

Rhona didn’t stick in well at school and messed up her exams in her final year, not gaining enough qualifications to go to university. So she became her dad’s apprentice. He was estate manager to Lord Macallan, who owned the Castle, manor house and estate round Strathdougal. It was then she noticed her dad becoming forgetful. That was when her mum upped and left.

To cut a long story short, Rhona’s dad is now in a home, Rhona has his job and Lord Macallan died, leaving the estate to some American guy whom she has never met. To top it all, there’s no cash, the manor house is in a state of disrepair and the castle is a ruin. Once again, she seems to be sitting on her butt in a muddy puddle.

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EXCERPT

We walked out of the castle, Cole carefully ducking his head, and moved around to the side. The sun was weak but there was the promise of warmth and as we crunched over the gravel, I lowered my head and smiled. I had expected him to be a little forlorn that his castle would not become like something out of Braveheart or the Tudors but Cole was excited.

“Do you think we would need one of those balconies?”

“Maybe.”

We turned onto the grass, which was a little damp, being in the shadow of the ancient building. He automatically reached for my arm though I was sure-footed and steady. He moved his fingers down to my hand and clasped it.

Ever so slowly I allowed my fingers to curl as I held my breath, waiting to see if he would realise his mistake. But he didn’t. He stared ahead and continued to walk down to the back of the castle where he brought me back out into the beautiful sunshine. Wind whipped my hair into my face and with my free hand I swiped it behind my head.

“It’s just as purdy down here as it was from the top floor of the castle,” he said—his slow drawl dancing over the word ‘purdy’ and playing havoc with my girly bits. “Almost as purdy as you.” It was then I realised we were standing almost with our backs to the castle wall. He moved in front of me and cupped my chin with his free hand, still holding onto my hand with the other. Had I even breathed since he had clasped my hand? I must have. I would surely have expired by now if I hadn’t. I gazed up into his eyes, the colour of melted chocolate, and bit my lip.

As his head lowered to mine, I let the lip go and breathed out, my free hand moving to rest on his impressive biceps. And then his lips were on mine, soft and gentle, coaxing and urging mine to move in tandem with his. I was relieved he wasn’t one of those guys that come at you with their tongue hanging out as if you were an ice-cream cone.

Instead he was what I like to call a lip-kisser. He used his lips first before he introduced his tongue—flicking it lazily out to meet mine, to tease, to tempt, to illicit groans, to tickle the roof of my mouth and send pulses of need south. I moaned softly and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

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BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US | AMAZON KINDLE CA | AMAZON KINDLE UK | AMAZON PAPERBACK | GOODREADS | SHELFARI

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AUTHOR BIO

Em lives in the small village of Dundonald (which features in An American Cowboy in Scotland) in Ayrshire, Scotland. She regularly visits Dundonald Castle for coffee, cakes, inspiration and chat. When she’s not writing historical, contemporary and vampire romances, she’s trotting around the country to film and TV conventions, hob-nobbing with celebrities and avoiding housework.

Em is still waiting for her own Colonel Brandon to come along but since she’s sick of kissing frogs, she’s quite content to hog the TV remote and have the whole sofa to herself.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | TUMBLR | BLOGLOVIN | GOODREADS

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GIVEAWAY PRIZES

1 (One) Prize Pack Containing:

 

Sterling Silver Scottish Thistle necklace bought from Dundonald Castle Visitors Centre. Signed paperback of An American Cowboy in Scotland Dundonald Castle guidebook and postcard.

Enter the rafflecopter giveaway here!

This Blast Was Organized & Hosted By:

Special Thank You To Carly's Book Reviews For The HTML Creation

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