I am sooooo Shameless Blog Hop & #Giveaway

Many thanks to Jen at Red Hot Books, Brie at Romance Around the Corner & Michelle at Michelle’s Book Blog for starting up this blog hop for those of us with more mature subject matter. I am so looking forward to visiting with everyone to check out their fabulous offerings!

If this is your first time at my blog a big WELCOME to you! I write paranormal suspense and romantic suspense and have now dipped my toes into the waters of erotic paranormal romance. In fact, my first erotic paranormal novella, AMAZON AWAKENING, hit the stands in December and my second, NOCTURNAL WHISPERS, hits the digital shelves on February 1. Come back on Feb 1 for the start of my release party.

But for now, welcome to the Shameless Blog Hop which wouldn’t be complete without some delicious Man Candy!

For those of you visiting on the Blog Hop, please put SHAMELESS ANSWERS as the subject and send an e-mail to cpsromance at att dot net with the answers to the following questions:

What is the name of the hero in AMAZON AWAKENING?
What is the name of the heroine in NOCTURNAL WHISPERS?

I will pick a winner from all the correct answers and the winner will receive a $10 Itunes Gift Card as well as an ARC for THE CLAIMED (Book 2 in the SIN HUNTER series, coming out in May 2012).

If you cannot see the list of participating blogs below, you can click here for the complete list.



After Hurricane Irene

First of all, to all those who suffered damage or injury during Hurricane Irene, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope things get back to normal for you soon!

I hope you all had a fine Labor Day weekend. We had fairly nice weather along the shore and spent lots of time out of doors savoring the last “official” weekend of summer.

Hurricane Irene took its bite out of the towns I visited this weekend. Lots of erosion and sand pushed up beyond where it normally is. The dunes in Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove held up and seemed to have kept the waters from the boardwalk areas. Belmar, Avon-by-the-Sea and Asbury Park, where the waters rose up quite a distance, seem to have already gotten things back in shape for the big Labor Day weekend.

Here are some photos of what things looked like. The water was relatively clear and not too cold. Shells up on shore, but not as many as you would expect. I did pick up some nice bits and pieces that I plan on using to create some memory boxes to giveaway to you guys. I am going to get to work on them as soon as I finish up some writing deadlines.

Anyway, here are the photos of the Jersey Shore this weekend! If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can click here or use this link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150292972395913.332073.178249385912&l=7c803da088

THE LOST Release Party


It’s finally here! THE LOST has hit bookshelves and is available online at various vendors. Join me for the rest of this month and all of August as I celebrate the release of THE LOST with some very special contests and an assortment of giveaways! But first, take a moment to watch the exciting new video for THE LOST. If you can’t see the video below, you can click here to see the video premiere.

Starting today you can sign up for my newsletter and be entered for the DISCOVER THE LOST Exclusive Prize contest (as well as all future monthly contests!).

For a chance to win the Grand Prize, just post a comment on any of the blogs on this website or those that I am visiting during the month of August. The contest will end on August 31, midnight PST.

Grand Prize in the contest is a SONY PRS300SC E-Reader Pocket Edition, $25 Gift Card, copies of AZTEC GOLD, THE FIFTH KINGDOM, t-shirt for THE LOST, bookmarks, cover flats and other goodies, including this wickedly cool Lumin disk that will allow you to handle energy just like Adam, the hero in THE LOST.

Exclusive Newsletter Member Prize!

Newsletter members will have an exclusive prize that will be added to the Grand Prize if they are the lucky winner. What’s the exclusive prize? How about a $25 gift card to your bookseller choice.

Not getting the newsletter yet? You can click here to sign up!

Second Chance Bonus Prize $25 Gift Card

You can be eligible for a Second Chance Bonus Prize. Start gathering bonus points right now and you’ll have a chance to win a $25 Gift Card! The winner will be selected from all individuals who have entered the main contest and have also hunted up 5 bonus points. To get those points, you can do any of the following:

  • Post a review of THE LOST at one of the online bookstores for 4 points. Just e-mail me a link to the review at caridadpineiro @ gmail dot com.
  • Leave a comment on any of the blogs I’m visiting for THE LOST. You can find the visits listed on my calendar. (Maximum 3 blog comments for 3 points. Each comment must be on a different blog). Some blogs are also doing giveaways, so this is another chance to win a fun prize!
  • Like Caridad’s Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/Caridad.Author and get
    2 points for the Like
  • Twitter this phrase exactly: PLZ RT @CaridadPineiro THE LOST Release Party/Contest https://www.caridad.com #giveaway
    1 point per tweet (maximum 3 points for 3 tweets. Please don’t tweet them all at the same time. Please spread them out throughout the day or they won’t count)
  • Place one of these banners on your website or blog for 3 points. Just e-mail me a link to the banner at caridadpineiro @ gmail dot com.



13 Things I Love About the Jersey Shore

Jersey ShoreBeing a Pisces, you know I’m a water baby and so the Jersey Shore is such a lovely place for me to be. Being near the ocean spurs my creativity in so many positive ways as does soaking up the sun. So here are the 13 things I love about the Jersey Shore.

1. Long strolls along the Boardwalk.
2. DAYS ice cream. The short shot is the absolute best way to end the day.
3. Sitting beneath an umbrella and watching the ocean.
4. Seeing the little kids playing in the sand and water. Such unabashed joy.
5. Taking a nap beneath my umbrella (something I rarely do the rest of the year).
6. Reading lots and lots of books beneath that umbrella and on my little balcony.
7. The assorted fairs and craft events in all the nearby towns.
8. Fishing. Maybe this year I’ll actually do instead of just watching.
9. Watching the tents go up in Ocean Grove.

Tents down for the Season at Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove Tent City

10. Listening to music at the Ocean Grove Auditorium.
11. Listening to the music from the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
12. Looking for shells along the beach. Found lots of sand dollars last year.
13. The Bradley Beach Lobster Festival. Yummy yummy I got lobster in my tummy.

What about you? Are you a Jersey Girl? If so, share your favorite shore things to do.

Thursday 13 – Things to do Down the Shore!

There is nothing more that I like to do than to go Down the Shore as the Jersey folk say. (The real Jersey folk and not Gym/Tan/Laundry crowd from that show that will remain nameless). Being down the shore is so relaxing and stimulates my creative juices. I get a mess of writing done whenever I am there.

So today I am sharing with you those things that I love to do Down the Shore. The real Jersey Shore.

1. Walk along the boardwalk from Avon-by-the-Sea up to Asbury Park. Each town along the way – Avon, Bradley Beach, Ocean Grove and Asbury – has a unique flavor and peaceful surroundings.

2. Grab a lobster dinner at the Columns in Avon. The views of the ocean are great and the food is good.

3. Grab a book and a beach chair and relax in Bradley Beach. Much less crowded than at other beaches and totally family friendly.

4. Go for a bike ride along Ocean Avenue. We’ve gone as far as Long Branch and it’s a fun ride with views of the ocean and some really amazing homes.

5. Lunch at Windmill Hot Dogs. Yum.

6. Browse the many interesting shops along Ocean Grove’s Main Avenue.

7. Explore Ocean Grove’s amazing Victorians and the totally unique tent city.

8. Hit Asbury Park’s Convention Center, Paramount Theatre, WunderBar or Stone Pony for some music or the Jersey Shore Roller Girls.

9. Get some tomato pie from Vic’s or Pete and Elda’s.

10. Get a cannoli from Del Ponte’s in Bradley Beach.

11. Take in a movie at the Palace Theatre Beach Cinema, an eighty year old landmark in Bradley Beach.

12. Visit the library for one of their books, art shows, workshops or community events.

13. Stop and listen to the Pavilion Praise on the Ocean Grove boardwalk on Sunday mornings. No matter what your religious bent, you will feel the positive vibes with the melding of faith and nature on a glorious summer morning.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Thursday Thirteen. I welcome you to add any of your suggestions for what you like to do Down the Shore in the comments section.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Friday Five – Things to Do Down the Jersey Shore

I think you all know by now based on the locations for SINS OF THE FLESH and STRONGER THAN SIN that I love being down the Jersey Shore. There is something about being close to the water that just does my Piscean soul a world of wonder, plus there’s the laid back pace. So different from my everyday hustle and bustle when I go to work in Manhattan.

That’s why I’m looking forward to a long weekend at the shore and I thought I would share five things to do down the shore on this Friday Five!

1. Ride a wave, whether with a surf board, boogie board or a teeth-rattling body surf (conditions permitting of course).

2. Spread your blanket beneath the stars and just lay back and enjoy the peace and quiet. Do it on the 4th of July and experience the excitement and wonder of some amazing fireworks.

3. Stroll along the boardwalk and catch the sights. My favorite strip is from the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park down to the Shark River in Belmar, just a few miles of a nice mix of different towns.

4. Satisfy your hunger with a Windmill hot dog loaded with the works.

5. Work off that hot dog with a walk through Ocean Grove and stop for an ice cream at either Days or Nagles, or head to Bradley Beach for ice cream at Beach Plum or an amazing freshly-filled cannoli at Del Ponte’s Bakery.

Hope you all have a marvelous and blessed Labor Day Weekend.

Stronger Than Sin Research Part 2

This is a crazy time of year for me! I’m putting the finishing touches on STRONGER THAN SIN, the second book in the SINS series, while also visiting people to chat about SINS OF THE FLESH which will be released on October 27th! Less than a week away.

Be sure to check the calendar to the left of this blog post for the dates of my various online and in-person appearances. There are a tons of giveaways going on for SINS OF THE FLESH and you might be one of the lucky winners of a copy! Also check out the Contests page on the site for other contests that are currently in progress.

But back to STRONGER THAN SIN which I am absolutely loving. It’s about another genetically engineered patient – Jesse Bradford, a former pro football player. Once from the wrong side of the tracks, Jesse now owns a multi-million dollar home in Spring Lake (more on that town in another post).

The heroine – not spilling the name here so that I don’t spoil anything from SINS OF THE FLESH – is smart and strong, but introspective. I needed somewhere that she would feel safe and also very spiritual since she is a devout Catholic and very connected to family. After spending the summer wandering through the various shore towns, I knew the perfect place for her new home would be Ocean Grove.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit, you must do so during the summer. There is always something going on. Plus it’s a lovely landmark historical town filled with Victorian homes surrounded by carefully tended gardens. Main Avenue has an assortment of shops, galleries and restaurants you will totally enjoy. In addition, it’s just a walk over a footbridge or along the boardwalk to hit the renovated Asbury Park boardwalk and take in some of the sights there.

One of the more unique things about the town is the tent city that goes up every summer season. The tents date back to the revival meetings held in Ocean Grove. Today the tents are leased and occupied through the summer season. Here are some photos of the tents up for the season and some that have been closed for the winter.

Ocean Grove was the perfect place for my heroine and as the setting for some of the scenes in STRONGER THAN SIN which will be out in October 2010. So, I’m sharing some of the photos I took during my research and hope you will enjoy them!

If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can visit this link to see more pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037563&id=1130005412&l=6ac91988b1