(Yes, it’s next to a bottle of Diet Pepsi. That’s so y’all know it’s really my desk.)

Some of you may remember the story of how I got Vicki Pettersson to give me an ARC by talking about dead puppies.  (No puppies were harmed in the procurement of this ARC. It was just an unexpectedly effective strategy.)  The short version of the story is that I fell in so much love with this cover and am happy to report that the words inside the book are every bit as beautiful as the cover.  Really, this book has some stunning prose, and I think anyone who has been looking for some dark, gritty noir with a paranormal edge might really enjoy this one.

Because I know some of my romance lovers will ask: yes, there’s a romance arc, AND it’s told from the 3rd person POVs of both the hero & heroine. This is one of those books where I think you could make arguments over genre, but it felt just a little more urban fantasy than paranormal romance to me.  However, it hit a nice place along that line, and I think romance readers could really enjoy it.  (And Griff is pretty damn awesome, y’all.)  My understanding is that this couple will continue in the next couple books, so there will be more of them!

Now that I’ve blathered a bit, how about the official blurb?

Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was back when gumshoes hoofed the streets . . . and he was still alive. Fifty years later, he’s a celestial Centurion, assisting the recently, and violently, dead. Yet just because he’s an angel doesn’t mean he’s a saint. One small mistake has altered fate, and now he’s been dumped back onto to the mortal mudflat to collect another soul—Katherine “Kit” Craig, a journalist whose latest investigation is about to get her clipped.

Bucking heavenly orders, Grif refuses to let this sable-haired siren with hairpin curves come to harm. Besides, protecting her offers a chance to find the truth about his own mysterious death — and wreak some vengeance for the murder of his beloved wife, Evie.

Joining forces, Kit and Grif’s search for answers leads beyond the blinding lights of the Strip into the dark heart of an evil conspiracy. But a ruthless killer determined to destroy them isn’t Griffin’s biggest threat. His growing attraction to Kit could cost them both their lives, as well as the answer to the greatest mystery of his long afterlife …

Who killed Griffin Shaw?

This contest is for a paperback ARC (which is an uncorrected proof copy, and could contain some minor changes from the finished book.)  I’ll ship it anywhere in the world, so it’s open to my international people too.    

TWO STEPS to enter:  first fill out the form below so I’ll have your contact information if you win, and then leave a comment and tell me what part of the book you find most intriguing.  (For me, it was TOTALLY the noir/50s feel of the cover, and that was conveyed beautifully in the book, too!)

Last week we signed contract #20 with Samhain (and with Anne!) and it was for a new book in this universe.  Going back to reread and writing about where Keith & Abby are a few years later has made me all nostalgic, so I’m going to be doing some contests & excerpts over the next few weeks as we finish up the first Green Pines book.

So here it is… almost four (four! ACK!) years later!

Cry Sanctuary

Length: Category Novel | Rating: Hot | Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Themes: Werewolves, Magic, Guns & Explosions, Ex-Military, Dominance Games, Badass Alphas, Witches & Wizards

* * *

For the seventh time in as many minutes, Abigail Adler checked her cell phone’s display. “Still no service.”

“I told you.” Dylan grunted as he tried to wrestle the blown tire off his car. “I don’t think you can use cell phones up here. Even if you got reception, the magic they use to keep humans out would screw it all up.” He spoke calmly, but the tension in his voice provoked a reaction she didn’t understand.

Abby took a deep breath and distracted herself by counting the lug nuts lying in the upturned hubcap. Finally, when she had her frustration under control, she spoke again. “Does anyone know where we are?” Do you know, Dylan? Please say yes.

The tension grew worse, prickling tangibly against her skin. “I told someone we were coming, but I didn’t exactly have time to call ahead and make hotel reservations, Abby.”

“I know.” She closed her eyes and leaned against the side of the car. “I know this wasn’t easy for you.” He’d put his life on the line to get her out of Helena, defying his alpha. It was something she could still barely wrap her brain around. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” he responded, his voice almost harsh. “It’s my damn fault you’re in this situation. My fault you’re–” He wrenched the tire free and sent it skittering back down the road in a show of temper and inhuman strength that would have shocked her a few weeks ago. “Damn it, I should have protected you before it happened.”

She closed her eyes again and tried to calm her pounding heart. “It’s not your fault.” He couldn’t have helped what happened. He couldn’t have stopped it.

Only a month earlier, Abby had lived a quiet life. She’d had work and family and friends, and she’d known nothing of Dylan’s secret. In the years they’d been friends, she’d known him as a funny, sensitive, compassionate man.

She hadn’t known Dylan Gennaro was a werewolf.

She’d met Alan Matthews one night at a restaurant. Dylan had gone out with Abby and a group of friends, and Alan had come over to the table. He was tall, blond and gorgeous, and she’d been mildly flattered by the attention he’d shown her that evening. Only Dylan’s obvious discomfort had kept her from accepting the date he offered.

Then, two nights later, something attacked her in the parking lot outside her apartment building, and her world exploded.

She wanted to scream at the injustice of it. Instead, she helped Dylan roll the spare tire into place and lift it onto the axle. “It’s not your fault,” she repeated. She touched his shoulder lightly.

He stiffened under her touch, and she knew he was fighting not to shrug her hand away. He’d been drowning in guilt for weeks now, choking himself with it as he struggled to help her adapt to the life that had been thrust upon her.

The hardest part had been watching his reactions change, as if some instinct that had lain dormant while she was nothing but human had shoved its way to the surface. He acted antsy whenever she got too close, and withdrew when she touched him. Their easy, open friendship was gone.

Dylan focused on the spare tire and said nothing until he had it fixed into place. The line of his jaw tightened as he took a breath. “Hand me the lug nuts?”

She wiped her palms on her jeans and gathered them with both hands. “Have you ever been to Red Rock before?”

“No.” The word came out short and rough. “Alan would have killed me. Even talking about Gavin Hamilton is treason, as far as he’s concerned.”

She handed him the first lug nut. “Because Hamilton takes people in?”

“Yeah. Because he’s fighting for the old ways.”

He’d tried to explain it to her before, but it hadn’t made much sense. She opened her mouth to question him, but a faint noise tickled her ears. A car or a truck was somewhere down the road and coming closer. “Dylan–”

He was already on his feet. “Do you know how to use a gun?”

“No.” The thought that Dylan did shocked her. “I-I can try.”

Dylan strode around the side of the car and reached through the passenger window to open his glove compartment. He pulled out a small, compact gun, and the ease with which he handled it alarmed her even more. “This is the safety.” He showed her how to switch it off. “If someone gets close to you, point and squeeze the trigger. I’m going to deal with whoever’s in that car, and you’re going to run. If anyone comes after you, do your best to shoot them.”

* * *

Want to enter to win a copy? Just leave a comment with your preferred ebook format and we’ll draw one winner next Monday. 

It takes a real man to wear a kilt. And a real woman to charm him out of it.

It might be modern times, but Kate Simmons isn’t willing to live a life without at least the illusion of the perfect English romance. A proud member of the Jane Austen Regency Re-Enactment Society, Kate fulfills her passion for courtliness and high-waisted gowns in the company of a few women who share her love of all things heaving.

Then she encounters Julian Wallace, a professional Highland Games athlete who could have stepped right off the covers of her favorite novels. He’s everything brooding, masculine, and, well, heaving. The perfect example of a man who knows just how to wear his high sense of honor—and his kilt.

Confronted with a beautiful woman with a tongue as sharp as his sgian dubh, Julian and his band of merry men aren’t about to simply step aside and let Kate and her gaggle of tea-sippers use his land for their annual convention. Never mind that “his land” is a state park—Julian was here first, and he never backs down from a challenge.

Unless that challenge is a woman unafraid to fight for what she wants…and whose wants are suddenly the only thing he can think about.

Warning: The historical re-enactments in this story contain very little actual history. Battle chess and ninja stars may apply.

This contest is easy!  Put your name & email in the form below, and on Sunday I’ll pick 5 people to win a copy of the book.  The book will be gifted via All Romance eBooks’ gifting function, so you’ll need to have or create an account there to retrieve your prize. 

UPDATED: 4/16 – The winners are:

1) erinf1
2) Tamsyn
3) MJB
4) Jen B
5) Little Lamb Lost

You’ve already been sent your prizes!  Enjoy! 

I made up our cover flats back before kindlegraph, when people wanted us to be able to autograph something in place of our ebooks.  So anyone who’s looking for something fun now that Hunter’s Prey will be out tomorrow can fill out the form below and get their own signed cover flat PLUS a Bloodhound Guild sticker & a Hunter collector’s card.  Seen here:

This is not a contest. We’ll give these away until we run out–and I’m hoping we don’t run out any time soon.

I'm sorry! Release month is over. This offer is closed until our next new release.

Wheee! And we’ll be back tomorrow with celebration and huzzahs and all sorts of fun.

As part of our celebration we ordered up a bunch of new shiny swag. Next week we’ll be giving out autographed cover flats of Hunter’s Prey along with collector cards & Bloodhounds stickers to everyone who asks. (Unless we run out!) This week, though, I figured I’d give a few of you a chance to snatch up the same goodies for Wilder‘s Mate.

The first 30 people to fill out the form below will get a signed cover flat from Wilder’s Mate, the Wilder Harding trading card and a Bloodhounds logo sticker. International entries welcome.

Sorry, we've reached the 30 entry limit! Check back on March 6th, where everyone will get a chance to get release day swag for Hunter's Prey.

EDIT: And they’re all gone! I’m going to close up comments on this post to avoid confusion, since commenting won’t enter you.  Thanks y’all, and come back next week for your chance to win Hunter swag!

Boy, that sentence looks like it needs some serious editing, but it’s true!  Ashleigh Raine is another writing team made up of BFFs Jen & Lisa, and Donna & I were lucky enough to meet them a looooong time ago, when we were just wet-behind-the-ears n00bs in the world of publishing.

They recently rereleased the first book in their steamy Hollywood Heat series for the bargain price of 99 cents and the third book in the series comes out next week!

And if you’d like to try the first book in the series, you can pick up your sexytiemz weekend read for 99 cents at any of these places: Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Diesel, Kobo & Sony!

Let the commenting begin!

We’ve got two winning posts & two winning comments.  Remember, the winning posts get $50 gift certificates to Amazon or B&N (their choice) and the winning comments get $100 so they can buy a nook, kindle or kobo touch of their very own.

And the winners are…

Thanks to comment….

&

Thanks to comment…

Winners: you will be contacted within a week with more information on your prizes!

Thank you everyone for entering, and woohoo!

Thank you everyone else for entering!

Speaking of, she’s here today to give you her advice on how to visit your local Renaissance Fair. (Not that I’ve ever held a season pass to one of these events. Just that one time. Ahem.)

What to Wear to a Renaissance Fair

So. You’ve finally decided to attend a Renaissance fair.

Good for you. Even though one of the characters in Love is a Battlefield refers to her local Renaissance fair as “a pulsing orgy of shafts and breasts,” I’ve always been a proponent of any event that allows grown up, educated people to wear costumes and guzzle ale by the full light of day.

Now, I know it can be a little intimidating to be a spectator at one of these events. They are usually run by such a tight-knit group of improv actors and history aficionados that bursting onto the scene with your $10 ticket and no idea where to start can be a barrier to you having a good time.

Don’t be scared.

Hand your ticket to the wench at the gates, head over to the ale and pickle house (this is a real thing), and relax. You’ll know where you fit once you take a survey of the clothing and compare it with your own attire for the day.

Costume #1: The Performers

The actors and actresses who run the fair are your hosts for the day. They almost never drop out of character and go by names like Sir Baldrick Goodfellow and Amanda Plunder. You’ll know them from their plumed headdresses, heavy velvet fabrics (even on a hundred degree day), and, if your Renaissance Fair is as awesome as my town’s is, the lone grey wizard who walks around welcoming the hobbits.

Costume #2: The Hangers-On

My favorite part of the Renaissance fair, these are the people who aren’t part of the production but are always prepared to bring their own party. Don’t be surprised to find handcrafted chain mail from head to toe, Halloween pirate-whore costumes, and a surprising abundance of robes. (It seems lots of people are hiding hooded mage robes in their closets. Who knew?)

Costume #3: The Contextually Appropriate T-Shirts

I suspect these people are a regular part of a Renaissance fair but, for personal reasons, have chosen to opt out of that particular day’s events. My favorites include My Other Shirt has Puffy Sleeves and I Drink Dragon Tears. I want both these shirts. A lot.

Costume #4: The Bystanders

This is where I can be found. As much as I love the ambiance of the Renaissance fair, I’m an introverted writer given more to people-watching than participation. Since our fair is always in August, when the sun is doing its best to end me, I’m the one in shorts and a tank top, sweating over my notebook. Wave to me or buy me a pickle. I’m nice.

Costume #5: The Noobs

You can always spot the first-timers at a Renaissance Fair. I’m not saying they all have fanny packs and cameras, but, well, they all have fanny packs and cameras—and they’re usually the ones stepping up to try and throw an axe at a tree stump. (Hint: This is a lot harder than it looks.) Don’t give in to the urge to mock these people. They’ve been transported to a new and magical world where peacocks and belly dancers mill about in equal abundance, and it’s going to take some time for them to get used to it here.

You know what? Wave to them and buy them a pickle, too. We’re all family here.

About Tamara Morgan

Tamara Morgan is a romance writer and unabashed lover of historical reenactments—the more elaborate and geeky the costume requirements, the better. In her quest for modern-day history and intrigue, she has taken fencing classes, forced her child into Highland dancing, and, of course, journeyed annually to the local Renaissance Fair. These feats are matched by a universal love of men in tights, of both the superhero and codpiece variety.

You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Would you like to enter to win an eARC of Tamara’s battle-of-the-sexes debut?  Leave a comment below and tell us which costume category you’d fall into if you visited a Renaissance Fair.  (Me? I was always a #2. The best part of any group trip to the local Ren Fair was stopping at McDonalds in chain mail & corsets on the way home.)

This book is just…sweet.  Sweet and fun and funny, but not in a slap-stick trying-too-hard sort of way, just in a natural wit and banter between two wary adults who don’t want to be attracted but can’t help the sparks.  And so Donna & I are going to give away 5 copies to 5 lucky winners so they can enjoy the delightful haunted antics of this poor love-cursed witch and her many ghostly ex-boyfriends.