More Friends & Photos & a Sexy Video Debut

Sharing some more photos with you from RT!

This is me and the Wonderful Wendy from My Book Addiction and More!

Wendy and Caridad

Check out my”Gangsta” outfit and the lovely Heather from Decadent Publishing.

Now are you ready for some sexiness? Turn up the volume to share in this sexy video debut for some of my current and upcoming releases! Many thanks to Book Candy Studios for their awesomeness!

Countdown to 2012 # Giveaway

First of all, thanks to all of you who dropped by last night to the Paranormal Pajama Party with Laurie London! We had a blast. If you weren’t able to make it, do not despair. We’ll have a recording of the event up shortly so that you can watch it at your leisure.

Today, please join me at Mare’s Place for a guest blog and giveaway as we count down to 2012!

There will be a chance to win some goodies as well as see more photos from my Christmas Pasts!

Fun Friday #Giveaway #Santa #Monsters

Guest Blog and Giveaway

Visit with me at the Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog later today as I talk about the inspiration behind AMAZON AWAKENING and share some of my “bucket list.” Leave a comment at the Harlequin blog for a chance to win.

Help a Deserving Family This Holiday Season


The DWW Authors want to play Secret Santa this year ~ we’d love to help out a family with children and make their Christmas as special as this year has been for us!

If you’d like to nominate a family, just send us an email at [email protected] telling us why and how you think we can help this family out.

We’ll pick 5 families from the entries, and randomly draw our Secret Santa recipient from those!

Entries must be received by the 14th so our recipient can be chosen in time for the holiday.

Thank you!

Putting Some Scare Into the Monster

Yes, it’s an ad for Bing.com, but I love Rudolf and this was kinda cute so I had to share! I’m hoping it’ll leave you with a smile to start this weekend.

Double Pleasure, Double Fun #Kindle #Giveaway

We are so lucky to have here today Melinda Leigh and Robin Perini who are going to share with us some Thursday 13 facts about their new Amazon Bestselling releases! Plus …. drum roll…

Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win a Kindle and some free books!

But first, to visit other Thursday 13 participants, you can click here.

Also, I’ll be picking the winners of the AMAZON AWAKENING release party later today and will announce the winners tomorrow!

Without further ado, here are Melinda Leigh and Robin Perini.

MELINDA LEIGH

In my debut novel from Montlake Romance, SHE CAN RUN (released November 28), Beth Baker is on the run from her violent and powerful husband when she takes refuge at a secluded mansion. There she finds herself under the watchful eye of former cop Jack O’Malley. Her secrets, his suspicions, and their desire clash when a killer strikes nearby.

Here are Thirteen random facts about me and SHE CAN RUN.

    1. SHE CAN RUN is the first book I ever wrote.
    2. It took two years to learn the craft and business of writing well enough to turn that crappy first draft into a marketable book.
    3. I wear pajama bottoms whenever possible. Everyone in my neighborhood has seen me in them, including the UPS guy, the mailman, and once, when my then eight-year-old suddenly remembered at 9 pm she needed 30 cupcakes for school the next day, the night shift at the local supermarket.
    4. After 20+ years on the police force, Jack is injured in a car accident.
    5. Five is the number of complete rewrites SHE CAN RUN went through before I was signed by an agent.
    6. I require, at minimum, half a pot of coffee in the morning before my brain is fully functional.
    7. I often have a hard time picking titles for my books. Some go through a dozen before I settle on one. Most spend months on my computer entitled, “Current POS.”
    8. Henry, the police dog reject in SHE CAN RUN, is named after Henry Tudor, who defeated Richard III in 1485 and won the crown.
    9. Beth’s first husband was a fire-fighter.
    10. I work best in organized clutter. Color coded note cards are strewn across my workspace. White cards are for character descriptions. Colored cards are for plot notes. I haven’t seen the surface of my desk since June.
    11. I watch The Dog Whisperer. A dog will likely appear in everything I write, and you can be assured the pup will alive at the end of the book. The human characters have so such guarantee. Just sayin’.
    12. In SHE CAN RUN, Beth is hiding from her violent husband. It’s estimated that 1.3 million women are abused by their husbands or boyfriends in the US each year.
    13. 50% of protection orders granted to domestic violence victims are violated, and one-third of female homicide victims are killed by their intimate partners.

Find out more about Melinda at MelindaLeighAuthor.com. Connect with her on Facebook & Twitter.

ROBIN PERINI

In my debut novel from Amazon’s Montlake Romance, In Her Sights, (released on November 29, 2011), Colorado’s lone female SWAT sniper finds herself in the crosshairs when her past is exposed and an old enemy returns with a vengeance seeking to destroy her—and everyone she loves.

So, thirteen unusual facts related to In Her Sights and author Robin Perini.

    1. There is actually a town named Truth or Consequences (aka T or C), New Mexico. The town’s name was changed from Hot Springs during a national contest to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a television show of the same name.
    2. Robin is training in small-bore silhouette shooting and has discovered holding a rifle as steady as Jazz is not as easy as it looks.
    3. Jazz’s favorite candy is Butter Rum Life Savers.
    4. Luke Montgomery, the hero, has five brothers: Seth, Zach, Gabe, Caleb and Nick.
    5. Robin’s ‘how-to-write’ workshops have been included on the Top 24 Workshops CD from the Romance Writers of America’s® National Conference CD five times (Bill Stephens Productions).
    6. Jazz played basketball at Metro State in Colorado.
    7. There were between 1000 and 2000 Russian female snipers in World War II. Approximately 500 survived the war.
    8. The windage knob on a rifle controls the movement of the scope setting, usually in minutes of angle or actual inches, to move the bullet’s point of impact to the right or left.
    9. The New Mexico state question is “Red or Green?” and refers to what type of chile sauce should be included with a meal. If you want both, simply ask for ‘Christmas’.
    10. Jazz moved from New Mexico to Colorado just after she turned sixteen.
    11. In Her Sights was a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® award finalist in 2011.
    12. Luke Montgomery was an Army Ranger before he became an investigative reporter.
    13. In Her Sights is Robin’s first published novel

Get more information about Robin on her website, robinperini.com. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Last Day Amazon Awakening Release Party #Giveaway #Ereader

Today is the last day in the AMAZON AWAKENING release party although we’ll still be celebrating this release for the rest of the month of December.

As you might know from the last few days, AMAZON AWAKENING is my first foray into writing erotic paranormal romance.

Why go sexier? Well, there are some stories that just lend themselves to a sexier story line and I have to admit, I like edgy stories. But I also like romance and seeing the developing relationship so I’ve made it a point in all of the stories that I’ll be doing for Nocturne Cravings to provide that romantic arc.

But I also know that some people don’t like the sexiness. They’d rather close the door on what happens with the couple. I guess that’s one of the reasons why Inspirationals and Young Adult books are so popular. Many readers have told me they look to these for stories that are sweeter.

Today’s question for you is: Do you like sexy or sweet or both? What do you like or not like about stories that are erotic (especially since I have another 3 to write for Nocturne Cravings!)?

Leave you answer below to earn some points on this final day of the release party!

Now for more on the giveaway! Here are the prizes:

Grand Prize: A SONY E-reader (or a $25 GC for those of you who already have e-readers) loaded with copies of AZTEC GOLD, THE FIFTH KINGDOM and ROOKIE OF THE YEAR.

2 Second chance prizes: THE LOST T-shirt and copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS

So how do you get a chance to win the above prizes? Collect 10 points between now and midnight PST on December 7 (today!) by doing the following:

1 point: Tweet or share on Facebook, Tumbler, Google+ the following (only one per day- 5 points maximum):
AMAZON AWAKENING #Erotic #Paranormal Romance Caridad Pineiro http://awe.sm/5apFk

5 points: Send me a link to your review of AMAZON AWAKENING.

1 point: Stumble, Digg, Delicious or Reddit this website or this blog post.

1 point: Follow me on Twitter or at my Facebook Fan Page (one point for each)

1 point: Leave a comment on this blog post or any other blog post up until the end of the contest (one point for each- 5 points maximum).

1 point: Share the excerpt below on your website, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Google+, etc. and send me a link to where it is on your site!

WARNING

This excerpt contains mature subject matter so do not open unless you are at least 18.

If you can’t see the widget below, you can cut and paste this link:
http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/72902685?access_key=key-7hf866rrigwutty0jsg

Erotic Paranormal Romance Amazon Awakening Excerpt

Sharing My Weekend Writing Retreat

I wish that Google+ photos actually allowed you to do a slideshow. For the life of me, the little create slideshow link just isn’t showing up! So, you can go to visit the album here, but in the meantime…

I headed out on Saturday with my friends Melinda Leigh and Rayna Vause for a writing retreat weekend! Our destination: The Inn at Boonesboro and the Turn the Page Bookstore where we got to meet Nora Roberts as well as a number of authors.

I got up at 5, was on the road by six and picked up my friends shortly after 7. We hit the road and got to Boonesboro just before 11. It was the open house day at the Inn so we got to visit all the rooms, but first we met my friend Lora and then headed to the book store to pick up our books and get ready for the signing. Here’s a picture of my buds in front of the Inn.

Rayna Vause and Melinda Leigh

At the bookstore, we got our purchases and since Vesta’s pizza was packed, headed to Crawford’s Guns, Ammo and Restaurant for a bite before the signing. Where else can you pick up ammo, check out the rifles and get some delicious sweet potato fries?

Crawford's Guns, Ammo & Restaurant

Then it was time for the signing!! I had my books for research (nothing better than Eve and Roarke to get me inspired!). I also had a J.D. Robb “book lamp” that I had made and Nora was so nice and signed it as well. Here’s me and Nora!

Nora Roberts & Caridad Pineiro

Then we were back to the Inn for the open house. Such gorgeous rooms and bathrooms. I loved the Galahad pillow on the chair in the Eve and Roarke room! The rooms were totally romantic and did any of you guess which room I would choose for Rey and Paola from AMAZON AWAKENING?

If you guess that it was the Westley and Buttercup room you were right. I could so imagine a big bed like this made of a sustainable rainforest wood like Ipe.

Westley & Buttercup Room

After that we headed for a walk through Boonesboro and then to dinner. We returned to the site of the Inn with all its lovely Christmas trimmings.

Inn at Boonesboro

Ducking inside the inn to take off the chill, we had some wine and cheese and also celebrated my friend Melinda’s debut book (more on that on Thursday!).

In the morning, we headed to the Antietam battlefield for a bit of history and research. Since Ryder from THE CALLING/REBORN Vampire Series was a physician during the Civil War, I’m toying with the idea of bringing back someone else from that era. You may remember that Samantha Turner from TEMPTATION CALLS knew Ryder back then (and was the one who turned him). Not sure whether this someone is a hero or villain, but walking/driving the fields of Antietam certainly gave some ideas for a new character.

I even managed to climb the Observation Tower! The trip up was quite a hike, but the trip down was interesting as my fear of heights kicked in. Luckily Rayna lent me her shoulder to hold so I could keep my face to the wall and not see the big open scary hole in the middle of the stairs!

Antietam Observation Tower

I hope you enjoyed this little travel journal!

Also, if you need some tips on writing short fiction, come and play with me today at my friend Catherine Bybee’s blog where I am talking about how to move from writing long fiction to short!

Heroes & Heroines & Amazon Awakening

AMAZON AWAKENING Paranormal Erotic RomanceThanks to all of you who have been participating in the AMAZON AWAKENING release party! Woo Hoo! It’s so nice to have you coming to visit.

It’s Guilty Pleasure Monday and I’ve got not one, but two Guilty Pleasures – Benjamin Bratt and Sofia Vergara.

Why these two you might wonder? Well, if I was going to cast Rey Peralta and Paola Lopes from AMAZON AWAKENING, these are the two actors I’d pick to play the leads.

I loved Benjamin in his role as Rey Curtis on LAW AND ORDER and as Sandra Bullock’s partner and romantic interest in MISS CONGENIALITY. He is sooo sexy! I can totally picture him as Rey, guiding Paola through the Amazon rainforest to the Sacred Space he is honor-bound to protect.

As for Sofia Vergara, so beautiful and so funny. I love her in MODERN FAMILY. She is such a hoot. It would be interesting to see if she could play the very serious and complex role of Paola, a woman who has family issues and is not sure if she should take up the mantle left empty by her father’s death and being passed to her by her grandmother’s illness.

Tomorrow I’ll have some pictures for you of what Rey’s luscious bedroom might look like in AMAZON AWAKENING. Take a moment to visit the photo album today. See if you can pick out which bedroom I would choose for Rey and Paola to share and let me know by posting your comment to earn some points.

On Wednesday I’ll be visiting the Romance Book Craze Blog where you can leave some more comments to earn points!

Finally, something very special is happening this Thursday 13. I will have my dear friend and fellow author Melinda Leigh here to talk about her debut bestselling romantic suspense novel, SHE CAN RUN. Melinda will also be offering up the chance to win a KINDLE!

Hope you all had a nice weekend.

Benjamin Bratt Photo Credit: Frank Kovalchek
Sofia Vergara Photo Credit: Keith Hinkle