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.