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The Key of Amatahns Blog Hop

debut novel blog hop banner03

To celebrate the re-release of The Key of Amatahns by Elisabeth Wheatley, Inkspelled Faery is hosting ten days of visiting your favorite authors as they talk about their very first novels, topped off by an all-day Facebook party with fun, games, and giveaways. Check out the full line up of authors and don’t forget to join the Facebook party on the 25th!

You Are Mine CoverSerena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.

Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.

Amazon || Kobo || Smashwords|| Barnes and Noble || CreateSpace || Goodreads

To start us off, can you sum up your first novel in a tweet, 140 characters or less?

Serena lives in a world where only men have magic and women are sold off for how much magic is in their blood.

What are you most proud of in this title?

I love the development of Serena. Of how strong she becomes through the story.

Do you think your writing has changed since your debut? In what way?

I feel like, and hope it’s gotten better, stronger. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about writing and have tried to implement it in my newer books.

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself when you were writing your first book, what would it be?

I’d tell myself not to stress so much. I worried a lot about different things related to publishing, and I think it would have been good to calm down and take a breath.

Anything you would do different if you could do it over again?

I would write faster! I would have started writing book #2 sooner. I didn’t start it until about six months after I finished You Are Mine, and I’d have started it right away.

If you thought this was fun, drop by the Facebook party going down on the 25th for more interviews with your favorite Fantasy authors as well as games and goodies galore!

 

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YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt!

Want to win a paperback of all these books?

Pink Team

One lucky winner will receive one paperback book from each author on the hunt in my team, all of the books above! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Team Pink

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are eight contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the PINK TEAM–but there is also a red team, a gold team, an orange team, a red team, a teal team, a green team, and a blue team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the blue team, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday April 5th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Now to the fun stuff!

SCAVENGER HUNT POST
Jennifer ComeauxToday, I am hosting Jennifer Comeaux author of Ice Series: CROSSING THE ICE on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. There aren’t any ice rinks near her home in south Louisiana, but she’s a diehard figure skating fan and loves to write stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating. One of her favorite pastimes is traveling to competitions, where she can experience all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing.

Find out more information by checking out the author website or find more about the author’s book here!

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Jennifer Comeaux

Description: Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though…

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?

 

CROSSING THE ICE begins when Courtney and Josh are 21 and 22, but they’ve known each other since they were young teenagers. Here is a bonus scene that takes place six years earlier!

January 2004

“What do you want to do today to celebrate?” Mom asked as we finished breakfast in the hotel restaurant. “A national championship deserves something very special.”

I smiled and drank the last of my chocolate milk. My partner Mark and I had been skating together for four years, and we’d finally reached the top of the podium, winning the junior title in pairs. It had been the highlight of my fifteen-year life.

“Maybe we can go shopping… and look at iPods?” I gave Mom a hopeful grin.

“We might be able to do that.”

I did a jig in my seat and folded my linen napkin. “I’m gonna get some more fruit.”

I headed over to the buffet but stopped when I saw Josh Tucker, one of my competitors, looking at the fruit selection. He was a year older than me and so freaking cute with his shaggy dark hair and clear blue eyes. But we’d hardly spoken since we’d played Seven Minutes in Heaven (or rather, Seven Minutes in Hell) two years ago. I’d wanted him to be my first kiss so badly, but all we’d shared were seven minutes of near silence. Even though Josh was a super quiet guy, I’d hoped he would make just a little move on me. I’d gotten nothing.

Normally I didn’t go out of my way to talk to him because I still felt weird about that night, but I was feeling especially confident with my new champion status. I grabbed a small plate and hopped up to Josh’s side.

“I’ll fight you for that last piece of cantaloupe.”

He looked startled, and he fumbled the silver tongs and dropped them on the bar, causing a loud clang. “You can umm… you can have it.”

“I was just joking,” I said with a little laugh.

He echoed my laugh but with a nervous edge. “I know, but you… it’s yours.”

He offered me the tongs, keeping his head down. I reached for them, and our fingers brushed, sparking tingles from my scalp to my toes. Josh finally looked up at me, for only a few seconds, but the light in his eyes was enough for the tingles to flush my cheeks.

“Thanks.” I dipped my own head, suddenly not feeling so confident anymore.

“Excuse me.” An older lady tapped the arm of Josh’s Team USA jacket. “Can I get a picture with you and your partner?”

She motioned to me, and Josh and I both stammered while talking over each other.

“I’m not–“

“She’s not–“

“I’m not his partner,” I finished.

“Oh, sorry about that. Too many faces to keep straight,” she said.

“We can still take a picture with you,” Josh said.

I raised my eyebrows, but the lady was already handing her camera to the elderly man with her.

Josh and I set down our plates, and I waited for the lady to stand between us, but Josh led her to his opposite side so he was in the middle.

Next to me.

He hesitated a moment and then stretched his arm across my shoulders. It was wiry but solid. I inched closer and curved mine around his waist, slotting perfectly into the nook of his body.

Holy Romeo, he smells good.

The scent of his cologne was slightly sweet and made me light-headed. I barely registered the camera flash firing. I was too busy picturing Josh putting his other arm around me and giving me the kiss he owed me.

“Thank you, kids,” the lady said.

Josh slowly let his arm fall away from my shoulders, and he shuffled backward and shoved his hands in his jean pockets.

“That was hilarious,” he said. “I don’t look anything like Mark.”

“And I sure don’t look like Stephanie,” I said of his partner and sister. I was about to add, Don’t act like her either because she was a first-class snob, but I stopped myself from being rude.Josh’s eyes focused on mine, and it felt as if he was saying something to me he couldn’t say out loud. From the way he was looking at me, it had to be important. My pulse picked up more speed every second he waited to speak.

“Congratulations, by the way,” he said.

That didn’t seem like what he’d wanted to tell me, but I smiled anyway.

“Thanks. I saw you guys had a good comeback.”

He shrugged and looked down at his sneakers. “It wasn’t our best competition.”

“Josh!” Stephanie marched over to us and gave me a sidelong scowl. “What are you doing? We
have to go.”

“Oh… yeah… I forgot.” He turned back to me. “We have a meeting.”

My heart sank that he was leaving just as we’d actually started talking. Should I hint we could talk more later? How am I going to smoothly pull that off? And with Stephanie giving me the stink eye? I chickened out and said quietly, “Have fun.”

They walked away, and Josh glanced quickly at me over his shoulder. Stephanie didn’t give me another look (nor had she congratulated me, but that didn’t shock me). She was so easy to read. Unlike her brother.

I picked up my plate and plopped the slice of cantaloupe onto it. Standing so close to Josh had made me wonder for the millionth time what kissing him would’ve been like. He was so quiet and gentle that I imagined his kiss would be soft and sweet. The perfect first kiss. Not like the one my Homecoming date had given me. He’d practically cracked my teeth he’d crashed his mouth into mine so hard.

Why am I even still thinking about this? It had taken Josh and me two years to say more than five words to each other. At the rate we were going, we’d be thirty by the time we got to first base.

 

And don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Jennifer Comeaux, and more!

To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 13.

Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author! Find Melissa Giorgio HERE.

Extra Giveaway

Enter to win ebooks of all my books!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

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MineToTarnishYou Are Mine CoverMine to Spell Cover

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Mine Series Signed Paperback Giveaway

Wonderful news! The paperback for MINE TO SPELL is (finally!) available for purchase. Online it is available at most major retailers or you can request it ordered in at most book stores.

If you haven’t entered yet, there’s still a chance to win one of 2 signed paperback package of all three books, MINE TO TARNISH, YOU ARE MINE, and MINE TO SPELL. All you have to do is ask me a questions to be entered to win.

Ends June 10. Open Internationally!

Now Closed

2 pack 3 book giveaway

 

 

Or if you can’t wait to see if you win, you can buy MINE TO SPELL now.

Purchase Links:

Amazon ||  Barnes & Noble || CreateSpace

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Chardonian Biscuits a.k.a Biscotti

For anyone that has read You Are Mine, you know that Serena likes drinking hot chocolate, often accompanied by a biscuit.

Biscuits and chocolate. I devour them, not even taking the time to dunk the thin, sweet wafer in my thick drink.

Chardonian biscuits are a type of biscotti. If you’ve never had them before, what are you waiting for? They’re super tastySAM_0371, and I love them dipped in nice, thick Chardonian hot chocolate. The original recipe is from Allrecipes, but has been modified for a more Chardonian taste. The biggest change is using vanilla flavoring instead of anise, but if you like a licorice sort of flavoring, then by all means, go with the original recipe.

Since hot chocolate season is starting again, I thought it’d be the perfect time to share the recipe. Enjoy!

 

Chardonian Biscuits

Recipe derived from Biscotti Recipe on Allrecipes. They also have a video on their website that does a great job showing you how to make them.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix:

3 1/4 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

Combine with:

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 T. vanilla

Place half of the dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a log the length of your cookie sheet. Roll out to 1/4″ thick. Repeat with the other half on its own cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. When cool enough to touch, cut into 1/2″  sticks. Toast in the oven an additional 5-8 minutes on each of the newly cut side.

When cool enough to touch, dunk in Chardonian Hot Chocolate and enjoy!SAM_0383

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Pass Along Paperback of You Are Mine

Closed!

Pass along copy was won by commenter #1 Havalah!

Because I totally forgot to ask for email addresses (derp! I blame being buried in Mine to Spell edits ;), if you would email your mailing address, Havalah, I’ll get it shipped out to you!

I have a paperback copy of You Are Mine that I can’t sell because it’s technically a proof. The thing is, it’s exactly like the final version, except for the word proof printed on the last page. I debated what to do with it when the idea hit me that hopefully some readers would enjoy. A Pass Along Paperback!

Details:

  • You can read it if you haven’t already, but by saying you’d like to receive it, you’re promising to pass it on when you’re finished. If you’ve already read it and just want to pass it on, that’s fine, too.
  • It can be passed on to anyone, so long as you think they’d enjoy it AND they are willing to pass it on when they finish it.
  • I will pay postage to a US address for the first time only. Any other time it gets mailed, the mailer will have to pay the cost. (fyi, it can go as media mail which is only a couple bucks). Or you can give it away in person. 🙂

Bonus Details

  • You will have the option of writing your name and location in the book.
  • You will also have the option of taking a picture with the book and sharing it with me on facebook, twitter, or email if you so desire.

Obviously I can’t make you pass it along, but please, if you don’t want to pass it along, either purchase a copy for yourself or wait until I have another giveaway. I will be giving away more paperback copies in the future, one of which will be soon.

If you’ve read over the list and would like the pass along copy, please leave a comment below. If more than one person would like it, I will use random.org to choose a winner.

Pass Along Paperback
Pass Along Paperback
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Woman’s Canon Rules Voting

It’s time!  Second round of the Woman’s Canon contest is here! The ideas you came up with were incredible! You guys are so, so awesome! You made it very difficult to decide which ones to pick. From funny to serious, they were just so amazing! You guys made me laugh and made me think. Thanks so much to all who participated!

Vote on your favorite rule. Answers are in random order to help make it fair. If there is a tie for the most votes, there will be a revote for the top picks next week.

Voting Ends August 23rd at Midnight!

Winner will receive bookmarks, postcards, $20 Gift cad from Amazon or B&N, a chance to name a character in Mine to Spell , and, a paperback copy of You Are Mine with notes written in from the author.

EDIT: Poll is closed, but results temporarily removed due to technical glitch.

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Woman’s Canon Contest

You asked for:

And:

$$4books
Amazon and B&N Giftcards Galore!

It’s all here, plus extra swag, and one lucky person will also get:

SAM_0704

Not the pen though, I’m using that to do lots of this:

SAM_0705
Writing the inside scoop for You Are Mine

How do you earn some of these

awesome prizes?

 

Make your own rule for the

Woman’s Canon

 

Submit Woman’s Canon Rules Here

 

 

Grand Prize

Janeal will pick her favorites to be voted on August 19-23. The creator of the rule with the highest votes wins.

1 signed paperback copy of You Are Mine with notes written in by the author

You Are Mine bookmarks and postcards

$20 Amazon or B&N Gift Card (winner’s choice)

A chance to name a character in Mine to Spell

 

Runners Up

Everyone (number will vary depending on how many good ones there are. There is NO limit) who is chosen as a top pick by Janeal to be voted on, except the grand prize winner, will receive the following:

A signed paperback copy of You Are Mine

You Are Mine bookmark and postcard

$10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card (winner’s choice)

 

Everyone Who Enters

Will make Janeal tickled beyond belief over your awesomeness

 

Rules

1. You may enter as many different rules as you like.

2. Rules must be NEW. They cannot already be located in the Woman’s Canon. *see trailer and list below.

3. Rules must begin with the phrase ‘A woman’

4. Rules must be in by August 12, Janeal will pick her favorites which will be voted on August 19-23. The winner will be determined by YOU!

5. Rules must be rated PG. Janeal can and will delete any inappropriate entries.

Open internationally!

 

Submit Woman’s Canon Rules Here

 

For Fun and Ideas:

Made by Barth Entertained

Example list for the Woman’s Canon:

A woman is always graceful.

A woman never raises her voice.

A woman must always look her best.

A woman must always wear gloves when a warlock is present.

A woman must address her owner as Master.

A woman only wants what her Master wishes.

A woman must treat all warlocks with respect.

A woman is always watched by her Master.

A woman does not call out when beaten or hexed.

Please Note:

Open internationally!

Must be 13+ to enter and legally able to win. There MUST be at least 10 entries. If there are less, only the grand prize will be given away.

If your rule is one of Janeal’s top picks, it may or may not end up in a future book. IF it does, credit will be given 100% to you for coming up with the rule, Janeal will discuss it with you first, and Janeal will think you’re the coolest reader on the planet.

Open to everyone except Janeal and her husband. And honestly folks, if her husband ever participated in something like this, she’d give him the grand prize just out of shock. But then she’d make another grand prize for you guys too, so no worries.

Entries will be for Janeal’s eyes only until after she picks her top choices. After that, rules will be open to anyway who would like to take a gander at them.

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Deleted You Are Mine Scenes

You Are Mine is two months old today. Two months! It’s like I sneezed and suddenly had 800 Goodreads adds, over one hundred 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads, and spent a lot of time on Amazon best sellers ranking, including being #29 in the Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Fantasy section along with other best seller lists!

I can’t decide if I’m scared to ever sneeze again or if I should sneeze all the time. Mostly though,

You Guys Rock!

As a big, big thank you for all your support and awesomeness, I’m giving you access to You Are Mine‘s deleted scenes with the inside scoop on them. Danielle over at Coffee and Characters was gracious enough to give a preview of one of them, and now the rest are here.

I hope you enjoy. And if you have any thoughts you want to share or questions about them, feel free let me know.

 

You Are Mine Deleted Scenes

 

Also, there’s some really fun stuff coming up soon! Very, very excited for you guys to see what’s going down and the prize that’s involved…Let’s just say I’ve got a hold of a paperback copy and I’m having a blast with it. You can also help me decide what other prizes should be given away here. Have a great weekend!

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What Prize Do You Want?

Hi everyone! I’m putting together a contest for You Are Mine I think you guys are going to love. I get this giddy, crazy person laugh every time I think about it. Here’s the thing, it will require some thought on your part. I know mean, right? 😛

Because of this I want to make extra sure there are some amazing prizes. I already know what the grand prize will be, and guys, it’s awesome. I seriously want one for myself. But I’d like to have some other prizes to go with it. So here’s your chance to tell me what YOU want.

You can choose up to 3 things and I’d love your suggestions as well. If there are enough suggestions, I’ll do a 2nd poll including those as well. Also, the more votes something gets, the more likely I am to get it for you, so pass the word along if there’s something you really want.

EDIT: Poll has been removed due to technical difficulties 😦

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You Are Mine Excerpt

If you didn’t hear last week , Mine to Tarnish, a Mine prequel novella, will be released Dec. 2, 2013. Very excited about this story. I’ve also been busy with another secret project (more on this soon, and guys, I’m so excited to share! Think contest and with an awesome prize) along with working on Mine to Spell which is going really well. While you’re waiting for fun news, I thought I’d share one of my favorite experts from the You Are Mine. And as always, feel free to drop me a question or thought. Enjoy!

I slump against the wall and slide to the floor. My sisters. I’ve worked seventeen years to protect them. Apparently, I haven’t been doing enough. Yet, the little I was able to do, I’ll no longer be able to provide. Marriage will stop me from being with them more than she thinks. I’ll never be more than I am now. Only less. Less able to help them in any way. My ability to choose will fade. I’ll take on the role of a breeder.

Or worse. I’ll become like that haunted tarnished. Bald. Inked. Barren. Emotionless. Not worth the shadow I cast.

one more