A Perfect Match! Cowboys and Christmas

Welcome to the 2nd annual

Cowboys and Christmas

Blog Tour!

Raising funds and awareness for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

Ring in the Holidays with a Helping Hand

November 1 through Dec. 24, 10 percent of the net proceeds from all Shanna Hatfield book sales will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period. Every book purchased during this promotional period adds to the donation total. Books also make great gifts!

New Releases

To kick off the second annual Cowboys and Christmas Blog Tour and the JCCF campaign, two brand new holiday romances will release Nov. 12!

Capturing Christmas is the third installment in the sweet holiday western Rodeo Romance series.

Life is hectic on a good day for rodeo stock contractor Kash Kressley. Between dodging flying hooves and babying cranky bulls, he barely has time to sleep. The last thing Kash needs is the entanglement of a sweet romance, especially with a woman as full of fire and sass as the redheaded photographer he rescues at a rodeo.

Determined to capture the best images possible, rodeo photographer Celia McGraw is fearless and feisty. Not one to back down from a challenge, her biggest risk isn’t in her work. Danger lurks in the way her heart responds to one incredibly handsome stock contractor. Will Kash and Celia capture the spirit of the season?

Pre-order your copy today! http://amzn.to/1FC8ZQj

Get all three books in the Rodeo Romance series!

The Christmas Vow is the fourth book in the Hardman Holidays sweet Victorian romance series.

Columbia River Pilot Adam Guthry returns to his hometown of Hardman, Oregon, after the sudden death of his best friend. Emotions he can’t contain bubble to the surface the moment he sees the girl who shattered his heart eleven years ago.

Widow Tia Devereux escapes her restrictive life in Portland, returning to the home she knew and adored as a girl in Hardman. She and her four-year-old son, Toby, settle into the small Eastern Oregon community, eager for the holiday season. Unfortunately, the only man she’s ever loved shows up, stirring the embers of a long-dead romance into a blazing flame. When her former father-in-law, a corrupt judge, decides he wants to raise Toby, Adam may be the only hope she has of keeping her son.

You can pre-order your copy today for only $2.99! http://amzn.to/1KQHhvI

Don’t miss out on the Hardman Holidays series!

You’re Invited to PARTY!

You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party, Thursday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PST). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more (many of the giveaways will stay open until the following morning)!

Here’s the link to the party: http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasparty2

The talented guest authors joining in the celebration include:
10 a.m. – Carmen Peone
10:30 – Kayla Dawn Thomas
11 a.m. – Melanie D. Snitker, Author
11:30 – Julie Cerniglia Lence
Noon – Author CJ Samuels
12:30 – Rachel Rossano
1 p.m. – Author Kristin Holt
1:30 – Dani Harper

Enter to Win Prizes!

To enter the drawing for an Amazon gift card, Wrangler Tote Bag, Rock & Roll Cowgirl T-shirt, autographed books, chocolates, and more fun goodies, fill out this form. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced Nov. 16. http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes2

Where to Find The Books

Start the Rodeo Romance Series with The Christmas Cowboy.

Kindle | Amazon

Travel back to a time of grandeur in the old west

with the Hardman Holidays series.

The Christmas Bargain begins the popular series

and is available free for a very limited time!

Kindle | Amazon

About Shanna Hatfield

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with characters that seem incredibly real.

When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

This USA Today bestselling author is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Sweet Romance Reads, and Pioneer Hearts.

Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online:

Make sure you sign up for her newsletter to get the latest on new releases and exclusive giveaways!

Newsletter

Go West~Chapter 39

Go West

by DiVoran Lites

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ellie and Vera

Vera kept talking long after Ellie’s heart had slid into her stomach. Now she wanted the tale to go back to being a secret, but it was too late. Elegant Mr. Louis Norton had used her mother and discarded her. The result was that Ellie was illegitimate. She knew bad names existed for children whose parents weren’t married, but she never dreamed that they would apply to her. And to have had her mother hurt like that – to have such a wholly self-centered man for a father — well, she wanted to crawl under the bed and stay, never to be seen again.

“Mr. Norton had his chauffer drive me to the convent, and that’s how you came to be born there,” said Vera. “Now, maybe you understand why I never told you.”

When her mother reached for her arm, Ellie steeled herself against moving away. How could anyone be so foolish and naïve, she wondered? Then she recalled that her mother had been only sixteen-years-old when she was duped and manipulated by that evil man. She was pregnant and friendless in the big city.

“The nuns were good to me considering I got myself into all this trouble, but I still felt lonely, and I wanted to keep you. You were the only one born there that week. They planned to send you away to some rich people who wanted a baby. The guard nun, however, fell asleep, so I wrapped you in a blanket and escaped through the courtyard. We needed a place to sleep that night so, right away I looked for a job. I’ll always thank God for sending us to the Williams family who ran a pub on skid row. I reminded them of their daughter, who had recently died in childbirth so they gave me a waitressing job and room and board. They insisted I wait a week to begin work, then because you were a newborn, they let you sleep in a big box behind the bar. You were such a good baby. You were happy and you made everyone who saw you smile.

I wrote my folks and waited for an answer, but instead they came to Chicago to find me. We decided not to meet with Mr. Norton now that we know what a bad man he really was. Dad got a job in the stockyards and mother worked in a general store. By then we had a small apartment and I was able to stay at home and look after you during the day. At night your grandmother and grandad took care of you while I continued to work for the Williamses. The three of us eventually saved enough money to start a small neighborhood store of our own. Here again, the pub owners were a big help. When we began to get ahead and got into the department store business your granddad paid them back many times over for what they had done for us. I’m so ashamed and sorry.” Vera’s voice held tears.

“Dear Mother, I had no idea, A young girl who had never been away from home just wouldn’t know. Shouldn’t your parents have been more wary?” Ellie now patted the hand resting next to her on the bed.

“I’ve thought about it over the years, of course,” said Vera. “But I never have had much confidence in myself since that happened and I keep trying to think what I might have done different. But if I’m honest, I got to say, I’ve always been so glad to have a beautiful and good child like you that I could never regret having you and keeping you.”

“Now I understand why you always warned me about men, especially older men. You wanted me to avoid that kind of a situation. Sometimes I felt confused because it seemed as if Grandmother was trying to marry me off to a rich politician, and you seemed reluctant for me to go anywhere with a boy at all. I am sorry you never married, never had a life of your own. Thanks for loving me and looking after me all my life. You were always there quietly in the background.

Vera took hold of Ellie’s hand and Ellie’s heart was flooded with love and compassion. She gently squeezed the hard-working hand of her mother.

“I love you, Mom,” she whispered.

DiVoran’s Promise Posters, Paintings from Go West as well as other art can be purchased as note cards and framable art

Creative Arts

A Christmas Banquet~Dream Child

Christmas Countdown 49 Reading Days Remaining

We are pleased to have J.J. DiBenedetto, author of the Dream Series sharing his Christmas novel today!

Several of the books in my Dream Series take place around Christmastime. Part of the reason is simple: the Christmas season is my favorite time of year, so it’s natural I’d gravitate towards that. But it’s also a great time of year, story-wise. The holidays are a perfect time for drama – family gatherings or office parties are a great excuse to throw together characters who otherwise would never be in the same room. And as we all know from real life, those occasions can often lead to emotional fireworks.

One of my Christmastime books is Dream Child, the third book of my series. It wasn’t a conscious decision to set the book at that time of year – when I began writing, that’s just when it took place. There are signs of the season all through the book: four-year-old Lizzie helping to decorate the Christmas tree, and picking out a present for her father; and the hospital Christmas party where our heroine, Sara, has her last chance to confront one of the villains of the book.

So what’s the book about?

Dr. Sara Alderson can deal with eighty-hour workweeks as a resident at Children’s Hospital. Dealing with crises in the Emergency Room or the OR is second nature to her. But now she faces a challenge that all of her training and experience hasn’t prepared her for: Lizzie, her four-year-old daughter, has inherited her ability to see other people’s dreams.
After Lizzie befriends a young boy on a trip to Washington, DC, and then wakes up in a panic that night because of a “bad funny dream,” Sara knows exactly what it means: her daughter is visiting the boy’s dreams. Complicating matters is the fact that the boy’s father is a Congressman, and he’s dreaming about a “scary man in a big black car” threatening his Daddy.

Unraveling a case of political corruption and blackmail would be hard enough for Sara under the best of circumstances. But when she has to view everything through the eyes of a toddler, it may be an impossible task.

It’s available on Amazon (Kindle or paperback) and many other ebook retailers. It’s on Audible audiobooks as well. And, finally, you can buy a signed paperback copy directly from me!

Here’s a short excerpt, featuring Sara and Lizzie:

Helen isn’t up for anything more than dragging herself from the bathroom to her bed, but Lizzie is still bouncing off the walls so I take her for a walk around the neighborhood. It’s freezing out, but that might be for the best. Maybe it’ll help Lizzie burn off some of her excess energy a little faster.

As we leave the hotel, I briefly consider going into one of the shops I’ve seen in the neighborhood to look for something new to wear to the hospital Christmas party next Saturday night. But I doubt Lizzie will sit still for that, so I dismiss the idea. We’ll just wander around until, hopefully, she gets tired.

“Do you like Washington, honey?”

Lizzie nods repeatedly. “Yes, Mommy! But I miss Daddy. And Ben and Steffy.”

I squeeze her hand as we walk past the entrance to the zoo. “Me too. But Daddy will be here tomorrow, and then Sunday we’ll be home and you’ll see your brother and sister.”

That’s good enough for her, especially with so many things all around to distract her:

“No, we can’t go into the zoo now, they’re closed.”

“Yes, I’m sure the animals all have someplace nice and warm to sleep.”

“No, the zoo is still closed, just like it was five minutes ago.”

“Yes, I saw that dog. Yes, he was really big.”

“No, we can’t have ice cream now, we haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Yes, that’s a very big Christmas tree.”

“No. Because Thai food makes Mommy have an upset tummy, that’s why.”

“Yes, that looks like Billy’s daddy, you’re right.”

About the author:

Hello! I’m J.J. DiBenedetto, the author of the Dream Series. I live in Arlington, Virginia with my lovely wife and Danny, a white cat who’s trained us both. I’m originally from Yonkers, New York. I love the New York Giants, fondue, photography, travel, the opera and (this will be no surprise!) I’m a huge science-fiction and fantasy geek.

You can follow me at:

Next Friday, Deborah Garner will share be her latest creation.

Mistletoe at Monglow.

You don’t want to miss it!

It is release day for my newest novel!

Christmas Vows

An Ordinary Knight

Now available for pre-order, a new Tween Fairy Tale in the spirit of Ella Enchanted and The Goose Girl. Click below to pre-order on Amazon.

An Ordinary Knight: A Fairy Cursed Fable

A Note From Author H. L. Burke

Debuting on November 9th, An Ordinary Knight will be on a special pre-order price of 99 cents!

This piece is very near to my heart as an author. This is actually one of my older stories, written well before my currently published books. As a new adult struggling with loneliness, I asked myself, “Well, what is the love story I really want to have?” and from that desire sprang a story of a knight who isn’t flashy, isn’t particularly “charming,” but who has the qualities I so desperately wanted in a life partner: loyalty, honor, kindness. Because while super-human characters are fun to imagine, what really makes a character extraordinary are often the very ordinary things.

I was lucky enough to find my one true love shortly after writing this piece. We’re coming up on our 9th anniversary this year, and my Marine is every inch the Knight I was looking for.

I’ve now polished up this dream of a perfect knight to share with my readers, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

A Fairy Cursed Fable

The Knight and the Fugitive Princess/Knight Less-Charming/Charming Quest: Fairy Cursed Fables book One (still up in the air about that title)…

Stuck in a humiliating position as the Royal Kennel Guard, Sir Percy sees little hope for anything other than an obscure fate. After all, in the Kingdom of Ithelia, you need a fairy to guide you to greatness, and fairies just don’t bother with knights like him.

However, when Percy catches the eyes of the sheltered Princess Matilda, his world expands in new and frightening ways.

A victim of an ill-planned Christening, Matty has spent her life in a locked tower, hiding from pixie attacks. Now she’ll do anything to escape. And if that means dragging Percy along for a cross country search for Prince Charming, so be it.

But not all Prince Charmings are what they seem, and as Matty’s plight grows more desperate, Percy finds himself losing his heart. Does a lowly knight have what it takes to uncurse a princess?

Connect with author H. L. Burke and follow her monthly newsletter on her website.