Oliver Shaw’s Journal

This 1901 hardcover edition of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo was used as Oliver’s journal while in captivity.

Hidden throughout the journal are some of Oliver’s most revealing thoughts and drawings. Here’s a sample of two:

Also up for grabs, beautiful pendants made from Cambodian money:

And, of course, no contest would be complete without books!

Win copies of EDGE OF LIGHT, as well as the first two books in my REMNANTS series (Her Own Best Enemy and Intrusion)

Details:

Please note, this contest is open to anyone, however, due to the cost of shipping, the hardcover edition of The Count of Monte Cristo will only be awarded to a U.S. winner.

Prize Breakdown:

One GRAND PRIZE winner will receive: Oliver’s journal, the first choice of pendants and a digital copy of EDGE OF LIGHT.

Six FIRST PRIZE winners will each receive: a Cambodian money pendant and a digital copy of EDGE OF LIGHT

Three SECOND PRIZE winners will each receive: A digital copy of their preferred book (winner’s choice, either EDGE OF LIGHT or something from my backlist).

Ready? Set? ENTER!

GIVEAWAY ENDS on May 25th! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

If for some reason, the Rafflecopter form is not loading for you, PLEASE leave me a note in the comments and I will make sure you are entered manually into the drawing! I’m keeping a list of all entries (both comments and Rafflecopter) in case I have to do the pull the name out of the hat trick. ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

First, the paintings:

This is J’s (son #1) Sonic-the-Hedgehog esque character drawing. I love the shoes and the scarf and the sword.

This is G’s (son #2) dot painting. My favorite part of this painting is the elephant off to the right and the trees. Kind of like a re-imagining of Dr. Seuss, combining Horton Hears A Who with the Lorax. At least, that’s my take. :)

Now, for the sculptures:

J loves all things dragon! I absolutely adore this very special ceramic sculpture of this blue dragon–from the yellow horn, to the blue spikes and scales, to the sharp teeth. We proudly display it on the table in our living room. So much of J’s personality shines through in just this small little dragon head.

This is the only magnet on my fridge. Made by G out of salt dough and painted by him. This is a very special gift, given to me while I was going through chemo. I love the combination of the blue and the red (with glitter). It’s happiness and sadness combined in one heart, and shows so much of what he was feeling at the time.

Okay, I’ve showed you mine. Go forth and admire some more artwork at my friends’ sites:

Rita Henuber
Autumn Jordon
Liz Talley @ Diana Layne’s
Anne Marie Becker

Living in Northern Arizona, the blue skies and pine trees are plentiful. So, of course I had to nab a picture, even though technically I couldn’t say either of those things were blooming.

And once I grabbed this picture, I couldn’t resist grabbing a picture of a fort someone has been building in the woods. There’s actually quite a few of these in this small patch of forest, and every once in awhile a new one pops up. We have no clue who puts them up. Children or elfin wood gnomes? You decide!

The thing is, we live at an elevation somewhere between 6000-7000 feet, so we’re late bloomers. In fact, we just got a foot of snow a week and a half ago. It melted within a couple of days, but things are just starting to bud and sprout as evidenced by this bush…which I have no idea what it is called. Anyone know?

At last! Evidence of Spring in the garden around our house! First, lilies:

And then…um…violets…I think. Can you tell I don’t have a green thumb?

Go see what’s blooming around

Florida @ http://www.ritahenuber.com
Texas @ http://blog.dianalayne.com
Pennsylvania @ http://autumnjordonnotes.blogspot.com

And let me know what’s blooming where you live! :)

RULES:

Don’t forget to click on the graphic above to visit Romance at Random and enter the Grand Prize Drawing!

Be sure to check out SEPARATION ANXIETY in the Mystery/Suspense category while you’re there! To save Becca’s life, hostage negotiator Jack Martello will have to break his top five biggest negotiation rules:

1. Never say yes to unreasonable demands, no matter how much you’re backed into a corner.

2. Do not give the perpetrator the upper hand, even if he is crazier than a four-eyed monkey (and they usually are).

3. If the perp forces you into a car for a little joyride, say no.

Loudly. And with much bloodshed.

4. Never get emotionally involved, even when the hostage is the subject of all your teenage fantasies.

5. Above all, do not kiss the hostage. You’ll only want to go back for more, and let’s face it, even the deterrent of a touchy bomb won’t stop your wandering hands.

It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Literally.

Coming September 27, 2011
Length: 106 pages (30,000 words)

Blurb:

Becca Cooper’s home is her haven. Suffering from an acute panic disorder as a result of a past rape, her house is the one place she truly feels safe. When a crazed escaped convict breaks in and takes Becca hostage, he shatters her sanctuary and forces her to take part in his explosive revenge plot.

Hostage negotiator Jack Martello rides a desk instead of riding to the rescue after losing his heart for the job in a negotiation-gone-bad. When a shortage of negotiators puts him back on the front line, he discovers the hostage is Becca, his once best friend and the first girl he’d ever loved. Remaining detached becomes impossible.

Lured into the mad man’s scheme, Jack and Becca are linked by a dirty bomb rigged to detonate if they separate. Now, Jack must call on his negotiation skills to coax Becca from her fears and encourage her to embrace her inner strength. But first he must convince her to trust him—even when he no longer trusts himself.

Also, look for an exclusive sneak peek of Intrusion, Cameron Scott’s book, at the end of the novella for an extra little treat! Intrusion is slated for an October 25, 2011 release date.

This year, there were no fireworks due to the wildfires in Arizona.

But I felt them. Deep down in my soul, there were colorful explosions and whirling sparklers. I am cancer free. Words I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to say at this time last year now bubble up on my lips with increasing frequency, and with them, my smile is never far behind. God has been so good to me. He has healed me, given me strength, and walked beside me on every step of this difficult journey. Who knew that the toughest year of my life could also be one of the most rewarding? I’ve learned that laughter is precious, that life is too important to take for granted, that dreams, no matter how small, are worth pursuing, and that above all, love makes everything so much sweeter.

On July 4th, one day out of the year, America stops to celebrate the country’s independence. And so it goes for me, one day out of the year, in the quiet of my heart, as I sit and watch the fireworks light up the night, I’ll be celebrating an independence of a different kind.

Happy Cancerversary.

One year and counting…

10. The cutest cover in the world! The cover alone drew me in and made me want to know more.

9. Codename: Dancer is set in Arizona. I love a great book set in the state where I live.

8. The ballerina in you will thank you.

I loved all the references to dance steps and gear–I finally got to fulfill that dancer dream in me.

7. It’s fresh! It’s fun! I guarantee you’ll smile.

6. Dani Spevak is a spunky heroine and you’ll root for her from the first page.

5. Nancy Drew in Toe Shoes — How could you resist a tag line like that?

4. Twists and turns galore. Think you know who did it? Think again.

3. Maya and Analisa are perfect as Dani’s fearless pals. I can’t wait to see if they’ll get their one story one day.

2. Re-live the first time you fell in love–the angst, the sweaty palms, the racing heart, the sweeping emotions, and the embarrassing faux pas as you try to get your first crush to notice you.

Amanda Brice captures all these perfectly.

1. Unputdownable. Yes, that is a word. I swear it! :) I don’t read a lot of YA, especially younger YA, and I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Amanda Brice has made a YA believer out of me!

I can’t wait for the further adventures of Dani Spevak!

an official hiatus from the blog until August 1st for a couple of reasons.

One, I’m working hard on writing some new material to share with you all. I’m very excited about it and can’t wait to get it out there in the world, so I’m keeping my head down and getting to work. And two, as some of you know, this year has been a tough one and I find that I still have a few more rocky uphill climbs to make before I can reach the plateau.

So, blogging has to take a bit of a backseat to health and family for awhile.

But as good ‘ole Ahhnold would say: “I’ll be back.” :)

My birthday is on Easter this year. That’s both weird and cool at the same time. So, in honor of turning another year older, the Easter bunny has slashed the price on my thrilling action adventure romantic suspense to only $0.99. This book is full length, action packed, and a great way to enjoy a sunny spring day.

Get it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

LIMITED TIME ONLY!