Updated Winner Informatoin!!!!! Our Winner of the Holly Jolly Blog Tour -- Congrats Susan!

We tried to find Susan O'Malley but no response..... so we've reshuffled all our commenters and Joye is the recipient of the $50 Holly Jolly Blog Tour Amazon gift certificate!!! Congratulations Joye! Well, it seems incredible, but our Holly Jolly Blog Tour has come to an end - for this year anyway! Thank you so much to everyone who visited my blog and took the time to leave a comment - it was great to hear from you and thank you for being part of such a fun, successful tour. The winner of our drawing for a $50 gift card is: Susan O'Malley. Congratulations, Susan! Again, thanks to everyone for getting in the holiday spirit of the Holly Jolly Blog Tour. We hope you'll keep visiting our blogs and reading our books! Happy 2013!

Fast Forward from the Holly Jolly Blog Tour with Kelley Heckart!

Hi Regan! Thanks for having me on your blog.

So now it is June 2013: what have you accomplished since Christmas 2012?

I should have my 3-book series completed by then and I should be on the 2nd or 3rd book in the other series I am working on. If not, I am going to be very displeased with myself.

What would you give Santa for Christmas other than cookies and milk?

I would give him some Jack Daniels (to keep him warm and pleasantly buzzed) and a large pepperoni pizza (to help balance the sugar high). And some cool Christmas tunes on an IPod to listen to while he is delivering presents.

Kelley Heckart writes historical fantasy romances set in ancient on up to early medieval time periods. Her stories reflect her passion for history, storytelling and the supernatural. Inspired by the ancient Celts, her tales are filled with fierce warriors, bold women, otherworldly creatures, magic, conflict and romance. Kelley can be found online at http://www.kelleyheckart.com/.

Her latest release, Daughter of Night, is set in ancient Greece where two mortals are caught in the midst of the battle between the Titans and Olympian gods. Also, all three books in her Dark Goddess trilogy are now available in print, Kindle & Nook. Set in Dark Age Scotland, an Irish clan is tormented by a vengeful goddess and their only escape is to break an ancient faery curse. Buy links for all of Kelley’s books can be found here: http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

 

Please visit all our wonderful blog hop authors. Leave a comment and be entered to win a fifty dollar gift certificate!

Ann Tracy Marr - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts

Kelley Heckart - http://www.kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

Christine London - http://www.christinelondon.com

Regina Andrews -  http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/

Angie Dobson – http://www.loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/

Sharon Poppen - http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com

Let's Talk Resolutions as Part of Our Holly Jolly Blog Tour

   I've invited Christine London to kick off a discussion on holidays resolutions but first....

Christine says: Thanks for hosting me on your blog this last week of 2012, Regan. It makes lots of sense that we talk about resolutions so let's get started:

I asked her are any of your books centered around Christmas? Tell us a bit about them please.

    My first in a series of short stories was published a couple weeks ago. Nottinghill Scrooge speaks to loss keenly felt at this time of year as well as love newly found.

   Sara Wright needs this holiday job at Nottinghill’s historic Coronet Cinema to pay her tuition, but her handsome boss Robert is a thorn in the side of every usher who breathes. She knows there must be more to a man who breaks his own rules to rescue a child. Can she figure out the puzzle before he self-destructs along with her job?

   Why is Robert so cross? Why does Sara never see him smile?

   I hope this short read will warm many hearts. Nottinghill Scrooge is set in the same wonderful London neighbourhood as the beloved film, Nottinghill. Who can forget Hugh Grant as the lovelorn bookshop owner and Julia Roberts as world famous film actress isolated and lonely because of her fame?

   You are invited to fall in love with Sara and Robert in Nottinghill Scrooge.

And for the New Year, of course: what are your 5 New Year's writing/reading resolutions?

Our tour ends soon with a $50 gift certificate to one lucky commenter.  Check out our other stops at:

Ann Tracy Marr - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Tracy-Marr/114711658247?ref=ts

Christine London - http://www.christinelondon.com

Sharon Poppen - http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com

Regan Taylor - http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com

Regina Andrews - http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/

Angie Dobson – http://loveromancesandmore.com

Reading, Writing and Holiday Festivities with Sharon Poppen

Regan, Thank you for hosting me this Christmas week of 2012. It’s always a pleasure to be visiting on your exciting blog. I appreciate this opportunity to meet new readers.

A little about me, usually I write historical romance novels. My first three books focus on strong women in the old west. However, my latest novel ‘Regardless’ is a step in a new direction for me into the sci-fi/gay genre. It’s the story of two men in the future who, against all odds, find themselves in love. As with all my novels, it is very character driven. These characters have many good points, but they can also be very human. By human, I mean they often follow their hearts versus their minds. And, this sometimes brings them to do some naughty things, which make my books adult reading. They are not of the ’50 Shades ….’ naughty, just true to adult relationships.

Now, on to our questions of the week.

How do you manage your writing/reading schedule with all the other activities around the holidays?

I once had a professor ask me if I was a writer. When I said yes, she asked if I wrote every day? When I said no, sometimes life just gets in the way, she insisted that true writers write every day. She said to compare it to exercising. If one overdoes it for a few days and gets behind with daily life, the writing gets set aside and it may be days or weeks before we get back to it. So, if one sets up a time, like maybe 30 minutes each day, and faithfully adheres to it, one can manage their daily responsibilities like getting to our appointments, paying bills, returning phone calls and such. Then, once the daily chores are completed, a writer can go back to their work and write for hours. I took her advice and set aside at least a half hour each day for my writing and I pretty much stick to it.  Oh, there are some days when what I’ve written gets tossed, but quite often I’m surprised at how quickly I can get back in to my stories. She gave me that advice about ten years ago and I now have 10 full novels and over 350 short stories written. So, thank you, Professor Thwig, wherever you are these days.

How about traveling during the holidays: do you go visiting or have you in the past. What has that been like? Have there been any absent family members during the holidays? How has it effected your writing’ have you used any of that in your stories?

As for traveling, I drive from Arizona to the San Francisco area every Christmas to be with my children, grandchildren, siblings and their children. The drive is long, but well worth it. Sharing the season with my kids, grandkids, and other family members is filled with multiple traditions and I wouldn’t miss them for the world. A funny tradition is our Secret Santa gift exchange after Christmas dinner. The gifts are often crazy and can be ‘stolen’ twice before being retired. I have a really fun one this year that is sure to bring some smiles.

As for absent family members, it has happened when someone has passed away. This year we lost my brother in October and it will probably bring a certain melancholy during the day. But fortunately, we are blessed that his twin sons are both going to be new fathers in the next few months. I just know that talking about the new additions will bring much gaiety into the day.

Thanks so much for stopping by Regan’s blog. Please leave a comment on these questions or share with us how you would answer them. Your comment might just win a $50 Amazon gift certificate when we draw one lucky winner at the end of our blog tour. Then, stop by my blog www.poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com where you will meet book reviewer Angie Dobson.

 

Congrats to Avon Addicts Blog Tour Winner Connie!

After scrambling the names I asked Mel

to pick a winner and he chose Connie!  Connie, please write me at regansreads @ gmail (dot) com with your address so I can send you:

The Trouble with Valentine's Day by Rachel Gibson

Tarnished by Karina Cooper

Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman by J B Lynn

Further Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman by J B Lynn

How to Deceive a Duke by Lecia Cornwall

White Tiger by Kylie Chan and

In the Pink by Susan McBride!

Holly Jolly Blog Tour Week 3 - Meet Ann Tracy Marr

Blog buddy Ann Tracy Marr writes paranormal Regency romances. She may pretend to be a Christmas bah humbugger, but if she had $150,000 floating around, she would give the twelve gifts of Christmas as prizes for following this blog tour. (She would keep the ten lords a'leaping for herself.)  Anyone up for French hens?

Leave a comment, answer one of our questions for yourself and be entered in out contest for a $50 Amazon gift card. 

Visit her at www.AnnTracyMarr.com

Which charity is most deserving of your holiday generosity and why?

Pick the Red Cross to donate money. Everyone knows of them; no one thinks they are a waste of money. Just don't hogtie the charity by saying what they have to spend the money on. By law charities have to push the money where you say it should go, but what if they have more than enough for that cause already? Slightly worn goods from my house always go to the Salvation Army. They sell them in their thrift stores and put the money to good use.

What is your favorite holiday tradition in literature?

We all do my favorite tradition one way or another. We buy presents, as the Bible says is proper. 

Matthew 2:11  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.



Come and meet the rest of the bloggetts, leave comments and answer questions at: 

Christine London - http://www.christinelondon.com

Sharon Poppen - http://poppensthoughtsonwritingandstuff.blogspot.com

Regina Andrews - http://worldofgood-gina.blogspot.com/

Angie Dobson – http://loveromancesandmore.com