Please vote! Biting Oz up for LASR Book of the Month

Biting Oz is up for Book of the Month at Long and Short Reviews! Voting is September 1 & 2. Please help a vampire and vote :)

More information at LASR. http://www.longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/

Stardust Miracle Plus Giveaway! Edie Ramer on Evoking Real Emotions

Warm welcome today to best-selling fiction and paranormal romance author Edie Ramer! Edie writes "Books that leave readers with a warm glow because they touched their hearts and a small ache that they ended." Her storytelling is compelling and rich, and sparkling with a magic and fun that I love. I'm so happy she's agreed to visit here. Enjoy!

For my Miracle Interrupted series. I planned to write lighter books, with humor in them. Instead, the novella and two books I wrote so far are turning out to be a mix of dark and light. But then I look back at some of my favorite shows – going waaaaay back to Casablanca and a bit closer in time, Love Actually – and I see a mix of happy and sad, poignancy and attitude, danger and sexual tension.  A lot like my book.

In real life, I love to laugh. But on The View last week, a man was talking about a foundation he started in the name of his three daughters who died young. Though I’d turned on the TV too late to hear why the little girls died, when he talked about them, I cried. Despite the sadness, there was something satisfying and human about those tears. It was real emotion. I think that’s why my stories turn out the way they do despite my intentions. I’m evoking real emotion, in all the many senses.

That’s why I loved Black Diamond Jinn by Mary. It has humor and sex and sadness, too. And a great ending. My favorite kind of book.

In STARDUST MIRACLE, the first novel of the series, a miracle is prophesied in a Wisconsin village with a population of 629. In every story after this, either the hero or heroine thinks the prophesy applies to him or her. My next book, MIRACLE LANE, should be out next month. I have two more books planned after that, and more on the way.

Here’s an excerpt from STARDUST MIRACLE:

Becky ran across the grass and laughed at her brashness. She wore her tan trench coat – her church coat – over her red negligee. Tonight she felt free. With a sexual appetite and playfulness she hadn’t felt for a long time.

She couldn’t swear that what she planned had never happened in the church, people being what they were. But it had never happened in the church before with her and Jim.

Laughter spilled out of her mouth, and she only stopped because she was breathless from an overload of excitement. The need to experience something more with her husband had been building inside her for a long time. Now it was finally boiling over – leaving her lightheaded and unlike her usual self.

She liked these feelings. Liked this side of her a lot.

When she’d stepped out of the car tonight and looked up at the stars, something happened. Something changed. For so long, she’d been carrying a dark weight around with her. Going through the days and nights trying to say and do all the right things, when inside something had felt all wrong.

She’d lost the joy in her life. Hadn’t been fully living...just going through the motions. At only thirty-six, she’d felt old and dried up.

Now she felt young again. Free.

Jim wouldn’t know what happened to his proper wife.

She reached the church’s back door, using it instead of the front entrance because she didn’t want anyone passing by to see her. Not that there was anything wrong with going to see her husband. But if anyone mentioned her late night visit, her face would probably turn the color of a ripe tomato and give away what they’d done.

She slipped the key into the lock but it turned easily. She stepped inside. Jim must’ve come in this way and forgotten to lock the door behind him. He was always preoccupied with his work and his parishioners.

She admired that. She did. But once in a while, she wanted his mind, plus a few body parts, to be on her.

And not just when her body temperature was right for conception.

She started toward Jim’s office, and her heels clicked on the laminate floor that looked like wood. Laughing under her breath, she stopped and took them off. She wanted to give Jim a surprise he’d never forget. A good surprise. No. A wonderful surprise.

His door was closed. Habit, she supposed, since no one was here except him. She heard him speaking. Couldn’t make out the words. Just his voice. Probably saying lines from the sermon he was preparing. Then his voice stopped, and she imagined him frowning at his computer screen while he wrote the next line.

She started to undo the buttons of her coat, then decided it would be sexier to do it inside with him watching. Kind of like a stripper.

Stifling a giggle, she turned the handle and flung open the door.

“Surprise!”

Edie Ramer

http://edieramer.com

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Edie Ramer is funnier on the page than in real life. A multiple award-winning writer, she writes stories with heart, attitude and magic. She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two dogs, and one important cat. She loves hearing from readers. 

***I’d love to give away an e-copy of STARDUST MIRACLE to a commenter. Can you think of a film or a book that made you laugh and cry and end with a smile?

Giveaway open through Wednesday, August 30!

3T Writing Tidbit

I've been published since 2009 but I've been writing for a lot longer. Over the years I've accumulated various items of wisdom from all over. Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit will showcase these items one at a time in no particular order.

Here's a big one for me: Never answer a question before the reader even knows there is a question.

Oversimplified Example:
Wrong: We can't paint a racing stripe down John's face because he'd throw a fit.
Right: Let's teach John never to race trucks on I-80 by painting a racing stripe down his face. / No, we can't, he'd throw a fit and he has an awesome right cross.

Promotional Book Tours Biting Oz Tour--and Giveaway!

Join me today as the awesome Promotional Book Tours Biting Oz Release Tour kicks off! Now through the end of the month there'll be an interview, excerpt, reviews--and of course a giveaway!

Follow the Tour

August 20-Review Mommy Reads Too Much
August 21-Giveaway entry form Generations of Savings
                   Excerpt Generation of Savings
August 22-Review Books and Other Spells
August 23-Review Couponing With Boys
                  Giveaway Couponing With Boys
                  Review My Crafty Life
                  Giveaway My Crafty Life
August 24-Interview and review – Identity Discovery
                  Giveaway Indentity Discovery

August 27-Review More From Mom
August 28-Review My Cozie Corner
August 29-Guest Post- Pretty Opinionated
August 30-Review Niki's Book Corner
August 31-Review -  http://andisbookreviews.blogspot.com

We're having a contest for all 5 of the ebooks in this series and a $20 Amazon or B &N Gift Card. The contest is open Internationally! Fill out the form at Promotional Book Tours to enter.

Biting Oz Releases Today!

And I'm going on a tour! Please join me on the awesome Author's Angels tour bus as I visit 7 great blogs!
Features:

• A completely new blog from me at each stop
• A giveaway at each stop
• Grand prize package for the tour

8/14 - Readheads Review It Better
8/15 - Ravishing Romances
8/16 - Brunette Librarian
8/17 - Harlie's Books

8/20 - Black Raven's Erotic Cafe
8/21 - Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
8/22 - My Odd Little World

Also, a bit of background on playing Reed II in a pit orchestra and how it shaped Biting Oz at the Australia Romance Readers blog. Giveaway for ARRA members who comment.

August 1T Giveaway!

Welcome to the First Tuesday giveaway! Each first Tuesday of the month I'm offering a contest where I choose one winner (who hasn't won in the past twelve months) by random number from all comments on that post--please comment at my blog here (http://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/2012/08/august-1t-giveaway.html).

The winner will receive his or her choice of one Biting Love ebook (including Biting Oz) *or* a $5 gift certificate from Amazon or Samhain!

If you're a 18+ and an adult, and if you consent to having your name listed on the rotating 12-month winner list, just comment on this post to enter! Void where prohibited. Please note, the Biting Love books contain explicit sex and violence. If you win please consider that when making your prize selection. Winner chosen at the end of the month and posted as part of next month's contest.

And July's winner is -- shadow! Congratulations shadow! I'll be contacting you at the email you left about your prize.

Free is good! Oz Bites is now FREE on Amazon!

Oz Bites, the short story with Nixie and Julian that's a prequel to Biting Oz, has finally gone free on Amazon! Downloads appreciated.

http://www.amazon.com/Oz-Bites-ebook/dp/B008MAJ3JE/