Come join ‘we happy few, we band of sisters’ in celebrating our first year as published authors under the Crimson Romance banner. What sets us apart from other romance writers? The diversity of story, the quality of writing and the amazingly original concepts of our writers are unlike any found in usual formula romance. We are unique, as people, as storytellers, as women. So Blog Hop with us, share a comment, sign up to win free book giveaways and prizes, follow the original round-robin story from chapter to chapter and read excerpts from books that capture the imagination, scratch your itch for a really good love story and take you on journeys of the heart and soul. We’ll have a Blog Hopping Blast together! S
potlight Book:Montana MustangsChapter 11 (Right before the LOVE scene :} )Chapter ElevenThe sun slipped over the horizon, casting long shadows over the ravines and valleys that rested around the mountain. The blades of the helicopter chopped through the air as the EMTs loaded Ryan onto a stretcher and into the bird.One of the male life-flight nurses turned to Dane. “You sure you don’t want a ride out? We can send someone for the horses.”Dane shook his head. Aura had been adamant about staying with the horses and getting them down the mountain and back to some level of safety.“Hell of a day you picked to come up on the mountain. Didn’t you hear there’s another storm coming in?” The man looked at him like he’d lost his mind.Hell, maybe he had lost his mind. He’d spent his day on the frigid peak of a mountain, looking for a woman that was more than likely dead. The shit he did in the name of a good looking woman…What was wrong with him?Aura was sitting on a stump away from the chopper’s wash; she slumped down and kept glancing over, almost as if she was afraid of the helicopter. A woman was looking at her arm. The EMT shrugged as if she too was just as confused with the state of the new wound. Aura smiled and pulled her arm back and shoved her tattered coat’s sleeve down. His officer senses kicked into high gear. Something about her was just wrong.“Did you hear me?” the EMT yelled.He shook his head and looked back to the man standing at his side. “What?”“You and your friend need to get off the mountain as soon as possible. They’re giving a winter storm warning. I bet this place will get three feet of fresh snow by morning.”Any goddamned evidence that hid under the snow would be hidden until the spring now. Their odds of finding a trace of Natalie up here was as likely as his brother deciding to not be an asshole—which wasn’t ever going to happen.“We’ll get down the mountain as soon as we can.”The pilot pointed toward the horizon where the sun had disappeared, but a thin line of light still permeated the evening. “You sure you can get out in the dark? I don’t want to be back up tomorrow on a recovery mission where we try to find your bodies.”The man was right, it would be precarious heading back down the steep mountain trail in the dark, but he had a flashlight and blankets if they were forced to stop. He was a Montanan and a former Boy Scout—he didn’t go anywhere unprepared.“We’ll be careful packing out. If we aren’t out by mid-day tomorrow send in the cavalry.”The man smiled. “Will do.” He motioned for the other nurse.Dane walked over to Aura and put his hand on her shoulder. “You okay? You sure you don’t want to ride out with them? I can get the horses out on my own, you know.”She glanced over at the helicopter. “There’s no way I’m getting on that damned thing. At least not while I’m alive.”If they didn’t get out before the storm broke it was possible that she would be getting the ride she didn’t want. They needed to get moving...To See Other Crimson Romance Titles Taking Part in the hop, you can find the master list on Denyse Cohen's Blog!One lucky commenter will be the winner of a Montana themed package. To Take Part, please leave a comment or question below! Good Luck!
Authors In Bloom Blog Hop
Spring is upon us and the showers are here--which means the blooms are coming. What is the best way to spend a warm, wet Spring day? For me, it's spending time with a great book and good food (oh, and don't forget the people I like and love). Even better than just any book is a book about love! If you are interested in a great read I wholeheartedly recommend The Nymph's Labyrinth the first book in the Nymph Series. The second book Montana Mustangs will be released May 6th, but is available for pre-order now! These books have been well received by critics and have been featured in USA Today! I would love to have your support in reading my books. You keep me writing :)Okay, as for the food.... (Mmmmm...) One of my favorite recipes this time of year is a
Chocolate Strawberry Torte:Ingredients
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup butter, cubed
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups water
- STRAWBERRY FILLING:
- 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- GLAZE:
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
- In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Cool. Transfer to a large bowl; beating sugar until blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with water beating well after each addition.
- Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 28-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
- In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients; set aside. For glaze, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla until smooth. Cool slightly.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with half of the whipped topping; drizzle with half of the glaze. Top with half of the filling. Repeat layers. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 10-12 servings.
Recipe thanks to Taste of Home.NOW THE BEST PART!! To take part in my Giveaway (for a $20 Amazon Gift Card and Book Swag) please take part in the Rafflecopter below!a Rafflecopter giveaway
Black Lion Book Tours Presents The Nymph's Labyrinth! #Giveaway!
Welcome to the New Year Book Extravaganza!
We're featuring 15 authors, all with book giveaways AND you'll have a chance to enter at each stop for the $100 Grand prize Giveaway!
Meet featured authors and learn more about them and their books on the dates below. You may also enter their giveaways at any time on the kick-off post! Scroll down for glimpses of the books!
The Nympth's Labyrinth
Aworld shrouded in mystery and intrigue, the Sisterhood of Epione must not beexposed.Shape-shifting nymph, Ariadne Papadakis, is tasked with keeping the truth ofthe group’s existence and their ancient mysteries far out of reach of theAmerican archeologist, Beau Morris and his troublemaking son, Kaden. Whenforgotten and forbidden passions are awakened, Ariadne is forced make achoice—fall in line and continue to be overrun and pushed down by thesisterhood, or follow her heart and put Beau and Kaden’s lives in danger.Can she have the man she loves or will the pressure and secrets of her pastkeep her from her heart’s desire?Their quest to find each other across a treacherous wilderness will test thelimits of courage and endurance, guided only by their dreams--and by the beliefin the true love they share.
Chapter One Present Day
Shoveling dirt in a dark, forbidding hole wasthe last place Ariadne Papadakis wanted to be. She used the trowel in her handas a weapon to scrape the clay away. A drop of sweat trickled down the ancientblack tattooed snake on her arm, past her elbow, over the serpent’s weavingbody, and stopped at the base of her wrist as if it was afraid to enter herpalm where the head of the snake was poised for attack.
The city of Gournai sat at the base of a Cretanhill, a blister of light in the callous night. Ariadne could remember when thetown had been nothing but a few villas and a market, perfectly rural—a greatlocation for a secret. Now it bustled with modern life and somewhere within thepublic maze, sat an archeologist who wanted to expose the Labyrinth she and hersisterhood of nymphs had kept hidden for so long.
How had Beau Morris found their secret…a secretthat had been hidden for thousands of years? She couldn’t know for sure, butnow she had been ordered to deal with the consequences of his action.
Earlier that day, while Ariadne had been workingat the museum in Heraklion, a braying couple from Alabama had been amongst thehandful of visitors. They had laughed at the bare breasts of the statue ofEpione, the snake goddess. They had snickered and made jokes of the serpentsthat graced her arms and her ample breasts. They never paused to consider whatthe woman had once meant to so many and still meant to Ariadne’s sisters andall nymphs. They had just laughed and gawked at the oddity before them. StupidAmericans.
Did no one revere what is sacred anymore? Hadculture changed that much?
Ariadne pushed the thoughts from her mind. Therewere some things about the modern world that she just didn’t understand, andDr. Morris’ ardent desire to destroy the nymph culture by exposing the secretsof the Labyrinth was at the top of her list.
Couldn’t he just leave some things alone?
If he found the Labyrinth, the artifacts wouldsit in the museum, and like the statue of Epione, be pointed at and mocked—orthey would be misused. The sacred Labyrinth needed to stay exactly as it was,hidden from science, from prying eyes, mocking laughs, and greedy hands.
She jabbed the trowel into the hard earth.
The trowel-marked square walls around her seemedto move in a little closer as Ariadne worked. She swallowed back her fear asshe looked up at the night sky. When she was done, she could get out of thisplace and never come back.
Her gaze fell to the exposed light gray columnat her right. For a moment she stared at the moonlit carved stone, it remindedher of the thousands of years that had passed since she had been born. Eachyear brought a new challenge, a new set of problems. She ran her finger againstthe arid dirt and brought her fingers to her nose to smell the burnt sage, thecitric aroma of oranges, and a hint of olive.
To have an archaeologist sticking his nose whereit didn’t belong was an invasion tantamount to war. Subterfuge was the game andnymphs had thousands of years of practice.
DanicaWinters is a best-selling author who is known for writing award-winning booksthat grip readers with their ability to drive emotion through suspense andoften a touch of magic. When she’s not working, she can be found in the wildsof Montana testing her patience while she tries to understand the allure ofvarious crafts (quilting, pottery and painting are not her thing). She alwaysbelieves the cup is neither half-full nor half-empty, but it better be filledwith wine.
Also enter for a chance to win the grand prize!
Giveaways last through 1/14/2012
**Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Participating Blogs
Jan 7th - Black Lion Tours Blog
Jan 7th - MK McClintock Blog
Jan 8th - Melissa's Midnight Musings
Jan 8th - I am a Reader, Not a Writer
Jan 8th - My Escape
Jan 8th - Journey with Books
Jan 9th - A Writer's Life
Jan 9th - Deal Sharing Aunt
Jan 9th - My Syreniti
Jan 9th - Open the Page
Jan 10th - My Devotional Thoughts
Jan 10th - Romance Meets Life
Jan 11th - Oh Chrys!
Jan 11th - The Bunny's Review
Jan 12th - Books, Books, the Magical Fruit
Jan 12th - Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
Jan 13th - Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
Jan 14th - Kimberly Lewis Novels
Jan 14th - MK McClintock Blog