RLF great for promotion! And chance to receive a kindle copy.

Romance Lives Forever is a great site for helping get the word out about your books. Today, I'm excited to be talking up my newest release, The Rose Hunter. I would love for you to visit and check out the site, both for my book and to see what a great place it is to visit or schedule your own guest blog.

http://romancelivesforever.blogspot.com/2015/11/Gold.html

I think in this overwhelming digital age, it's especially difficult for new authors to break into the market. One of the best ways is to guest blog. Hopefully, that blog's readership will take a gander at what you have to offer and learn more about you and your book but your own readership will hopefully follow you to that blog and find other authors they want to read. It's a win win!

Nowadays, most readers don't comment like they used to. I imagine time is a factor as one navigates the safeguards put in place to make sure you aren't a robot. Darn bots anyway. But....

If you comment on my guest post and leave me your e-mail address, I will gift you a free kindle copy. If you've already read, the Rose Hunter (then I thank you kindly), I will gift you a kindle copy of another of my books. There are 14 in all. You might want to start with The Keeper of Moon Haven as it precedes this current book.

The Rose Hunter is here!

Today is the big day!  The Rose Hunter is now available for purchase through Champagne Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and All Romance Ebooks.

Blurb:

Lucian Willshire is plagued by thoughts of a fey world and the disappearance of his aunt some nineteen years past, but when his friend drags him back to Hamingjur Castle, he stumbles into Alfheim Haven once more where mystical beings become more than a distant memory.

Lyerra Ahdia is baffled by the sudden emotional changes she’s experiencing until she discovers she’s the only witch to suffer “the change” since her mother stole the Rose, a special talisman with the power to perpetuate life among those in her coven. Tasked with finding and bringing the Rose home, she begs Lucian’s help in navigating the human realm. Against his better judgement, he agrees.

Though neither set out to find anything except the Rose, fate has other plans. Will love be more elusive than hunting the Rose?

Excerpt:

Lyerra’s mouth gaped. She scanned the contents again. Surely he was wrong, but as she reread the letter from the new viewpoint, she had to agree. “Even so, he still claims he laid a trail to the Temple Church in Bristol.”

“If I had possession of a treasure as valuable as the Rose, and I had to hide it in a safe place, I’d leave clues perhaps, but I wouldn’t just blurt out its location. The probability of thieves and unscrupulous folks getting a hold of it would be too great to chance with such a missive.” He tapped the parchment. “Gareth paving a path to the Temple Church only means danger follows in that direction.”

“Oh, he’s trying to be clever.”

“Quite right. Your father was a smart man, one who must have loved you and your mother very much. I think we’ll find answers in Somerset.”

“Isn’t that where your friend, John, resides?”

“Pretty convenient but yes, we’ll pay him a visit in the morning and beg a few nights stay at his summer home at Runsford Hill. Perhaps he’ll have some books regarding the history of the area.”

She stared at the letter in wonder, and her eyes misted with tears. Brushing them aside, she tried to make light of her emotional reaction. “The smoke is making my eyes water. Perhaps we best take our rest.”

“There’s nothing wrong with crying.”

“Unless you’re an elfin …”

“Damn it, Lyerra, you’re half ...” He lowered his voice. “You’re half human. The fact you can cry gives me hope.”

“Hope for what?”

“Hope that should I succumb to your charms, it won’t be because of some magic you possess. It will be because your humanity speaks to mine.”

She slipped a hand across the surface of the letter, transforming it once again into a piece of antique jewelry. “I no longer wish to seduce you, Lucian. I see now that consorting with you in such a manner would be wrong.”

“Wrong for whom?”

“For both of us.” She latched the locket back into place. “The change forced me to make undue advances for which I humbly beg your pardon. That you were a gentleman of strong morals saved us both from sure heartache.”

“Lyerra, I …” The deep timbre of his voice sent tingles down her spine.

“No, let me finish.” She pushed her chair back and stood. When he’d done the same, she continued. “The strength of the physical attraction we seem to share frightens me. I know I tempt you each time I’ve need of your kisses or even your touch, but Lucian, you tempt me as well. And each time you walk away without taking more, you give me strength to resist my desires. For that I’m deeply in your debt.”

She had no idea what demons she’d stirred when Lucian pulled her into his arms. “Perhaps, I’m tired of resisting.”

 

 

 

Gearing up for Release Day!

Tomorrow is the big day!  The Rose Hunter will be available for purchase through Champagne Books, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and All Romance Ebooks.

I'm so excited about this story and being able to share it with readers. I love taking characters from another story who might have been a wee bit hard to love and giving them their own story. It's fun finding ways to redeem them. For this story, it was Lyerra from The Keeper of Moon Haven. It wasn't that she was horrible or anything, but she was a bit loose with her affections. That's because she was an elfin witch and commitment wasn't in her vocabulary.

In The Rose Hunter, things change. She's struck with what other elves in her coven term as "the change". No longer is she content to live life one day at a time. Instead, the change is interfering with her emotions and stripping her of her powers. One day she's able to heal with just her touch and the next she's lost this ability. Finding a cure involves hunting the elusive Rose, an item of great worth that was stolen from Alfheim Haven years ago by her own mother. Unfortunately, her search will take her out of the safety of Alfheim Haven and into the human realm. Her story if one of sacrifice, of trials contrary to who and what she is, but the end result will have her finding true love. Yep, I'm a sucker for the HEA (happy ever after) endings.

So - in preparation for the release of The Rose Hunter, I've scheduled a few ads here and there and a few blog spots. I would love for you to check out the guest blogs.

Sept 9 - I had a wonderful interview on Katrina Marie's blog. You can read it here.
Nov 2 - There will be a Release Day Announcement on Books Glorious Books, Sue Horsnell's blog.
Nov 8 - I have a wonderful interview/announcement on Romance Lives Forever blog.
Dec 2 - Another lovely blog post on  Romance Lives Forever blog.
Dec 11 - I have a featured author spot on Susan Noble's blog.

Would love for you all to pop in and visit some of these great places.

Behind the Scenes - the creation of Alfheim Haven

I don't know where I got the idea for Alfheim Haven but I thought it might be fun to talk a little about the world I created for my fantasy series.

I had just read Susan Carroll's the Bride Finder, and I fell in love with the blending of historical and fantasy. I guess you can call her book an inspiration, a catalyst for writing The Keeper of Moon Haven. In addition was my grand scheme to connect all my previous books in some way. That was a bit more daunting and challenging, and still a work in progress. I have written science fiction futuristic, time travel, fantasy and historical westerns. The Dragon King does reference the magic as do my time travels.

I have also always had a fascination with astrology and the myths regarding moon phases. A blue moon is a second full moon in one month. But I wanted something more special so I discovered a time table for all the blue moons occurring in the month of October. Most occur at a span of nineteen years but there are a few special cases. This gave me my timeline.

Old fairy tales are full of tales of the fey, leprechauns, elves, gnomes and the like. But as the years progressed, sightings faded. It made sense to build an alternate realm where these creatures could co-exist. Having two full moons in October created the perfect window of time when the faery realm was accessible to the human realm. But there had to be an escape route, an alternative method of reaching both worlds which is where Beletania's Diary comes into play. When read aloud in the human realm, the creature being read about will appear in the human realm.

I also had to create characters who had a reason for traveling between worlds. So - if you're wondering why Surt took a human baby into Alfheim Haven to raise as his own, it's because eventually Melody will want to know more about her human origins. Or why I left Christopher with the Keeper when he needed more than Lucian could give? I'm hoping Christopher and Melody will have their story some day.

Oh, hmm and why did I put Beletania's Diary back in the human realm? Who knows but again, I needed another bridge between both worlds for upcoming tales. Unfortunately, I write slow but I have begun two more in this series. Not sure when I'll get them done but ....

The Rose Hunter releasing in November!

The Rose Hunter will be available for purchase on November 2. Right now, you can pre-order a copy from Champagne Books and ARe.

Blurb:
Lucian Willshire is plagued by thoughts of a fey world and the disappearance of his aunt some nineteen years past, but when his friend drags him back to Hamingjur Castle, he stumbles into Alfheim Haven once more where mystical beings become more than a distant memory.

Lyerra Ahdia is baffled by the sudden emotional changes she’s experiencing until she discovers she’s the only witch to suffer “the change” since her mother stole the Rose, a special talisman with the power to perpetuate life among those in her coven. Tasked with finding and bringing the Rose home, she begs Lucian’s help in navigating the human realm. Against his better judgment, he agrees.

Though neither set out to find anything except the Rose, fate has other plans. Will love be more elusive than hunting the Rose?

Excerpt:

             After a frozen moment, she trudged up the stairs and to her room. When she entered her temporary sanctuary, something felt quite wrong but try as she might, she couldn’t put her finger on the problem. Shrugging, she sank onto the plush mattress and removed the locket. She was about to spread the parchment out on the bed when the dangling bird cage caught her eye.

She jumped from the bed. The tiny door on the cage gaped wide. Charl was gone.

Clutching the paper to her breast she hurried out the door. “Lucian!”

She ran down the stairs and skidded to halt. At the foot of the steps, Lucian stood beside Mary Elizabeth. The child held a limp Charl in her palms.

“I broke the doll.” Mary Elizabeth hiccupped and sniffed back tears.

Charl dead? No. Lyerra had locked him up in the cage to keep him out of the cat’s way and keep him from following her and Lucian into the city.

“Did you take the doll from my room?”

The little imp nodded. “I just wanted to play with him. Can you fix him?” She extended her arms, offering Charl for inspection.

Lyerra bent and examined the poor pixie. A tear slipped from her eye to think of the creature’s untimely death. Just as she was about to answer, Charl opened one eye, winked, and quickly closed the eye again. Lyerra blinked. The pixie played dead while a young girl suffered.

“Fix the doll? Yes, I know just the cure. If you’ll soak him in vinegar water for half an hour, that should do the trick nicely.”

Charl sprang to his feet, balanced for a moment atop chubby fingers then leapt to the floor. Mary threw her hands wide and screamed. An exaggerated ‘oomph’ escaped Lucian’s lips, and he bent double. Mary’s small fist had connected with a very vulnerable place on Lucian’s anatomy. Lyerra covered her mouth with her palm to stifle the chuckle.

Meanwhile, Charl scampered up the stairs and toward the guest room. Luckily Gremlin must have been occupied with other endeavors.

Though difficult to keep the mirth from her voice, Lyerra bent to reassure the frightened child. “I think the doll is fixed now. Perhaps he’ll want to play later.”

Mary gave her a shy grin. “All right.”

“But if you play with the doll again, you’ll have to be very gentle. Charl doesn’t like being handled too much.”

Mary nodded and took off after the fleet-footed pixie. Lyerra straightened to check on Lucian. “I could kiss you and make it better.”

“Madam?” His eyes widened at her suggestion, and his voice sounded strangled.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you in much pain?”

He slowly stood upright. “I do believe you meant that a kiss would give you the power to heal but by the saints, my rather seedy imagination drummed up a totally different image.”

Now it was her turn to show dismay. “Indeed. But since you’re standing and your words aren’t too breathless, the damage must be minimal.”

“I’ll live.” Warmth suffused his cheeks. “But that pixie might not be so lucky. If he continues to wreak havoc, I’ll be tempted to let the cat ...”

“Surely you wouldn’t be that medieval.”

He sighed. “Probably not, but I give fair warning. Keep that menace from under foot and out of my way while it’s in my home.”

“Pixie’s aren’t easily restrained.”

“Are elfin witches easily restrained?”

“I should hope not.” She turned on her heel. “We have a way of getting what we want no matter the consequence.”

The Editing Process

Edits are probably handled a tad differently with each house but I thought I'd give a glimpse into my history with editors and how each edits have gone.

For my first book, Celestial Dragon, I received my edits and thought wrongly that I had to have them back in record time. (Usually, I have at least 2 - 3 weeks with the first round of edits.) Not only that but at the time I was using Word Perfect which I dearly love and I had only a basic understanding of Microsoft Word. Needless to say I didn't know I could just click accept under reviews. I went through and compared the edited version to mine and made on the corrections necessary or rather, that I could see and find. Can we say argggg? It was a lengthy process.

The next books were a lot easier because I had a better understanding of the process in general. Basically, I go through three rounds of edits. The first round is for mostly content and some line edits. After that, the manuscript goes to a line editor. After I go through those edits and approve or disapprove, I get a copy of the ARC.

I go through the ARC again for any more problems we missed. I then write down the error and correction. This is called the errata. The publisher makes the necessary changes before publishing the book.

With The Rose Hunter, we hit a glitch. I won't go into details but edits didn't go as they normally did. However, even with the difficulties, I had an awesome editor who caught quite a few problems. The line editor did a great job as well. And while I've encountered smoother edits, I'm very happy with the end result. For a while, I wasn't sure The Rose Hunter would be released on time but kudos to Champagne Books for doing all in their power to see the book published on time.

You can pre-order a copy here.

Lots of News!

First, my publisher, Champagne Books, has bundled all of the Orphan Train Books for this month only. My Once Jilted is among the titles. This was a great series and so fun to write. Here's a short review of Once Jilted from Katrina Maria: "Once Jilted by Ciara Gold is a really special and heart-warming read. I first got this book on my kindle after reading a few of Ciara Gold’s other books, and a few years later I got it in paperback because it became one of my favourite books to read...I found this novel emotional and inspiring, the way Shauna Joyce would do anything to give Sarabeth a life full of love and happiness. I would highly recommend this novel, it truly touched my heart with every page. I wasn’t able to put it down for long."

Click here for a link to KOBO.


 

My next news is that Eliza's Copper Penny is now available in print. I got the proof back this week, and I'm really pleased with the result. Click here for a link to Amazon.

Third, and probably most exciting is that The Rose Hunter is on track for release on November 2. In fact, it's available for pre-order. In preparation for it's release, I have lots of things scheduled. I have guest blogs scheduled for Romance Lives Forever, Susan Leigh Noble's Blog Into Another World, and Susan Horsnell's blog.