Monday, December 3, 2012

Welcome Author KC Klein


You've heard me say it before, but I can't help it--it's true.  One of the best things about being a writer is knowing other writers and being able to introduce them to you.  KC Klein is a fellow romance writer and one of the nicest people I've ever met.  It's my pleasure to host her here today to talk about her novel, TEXAS WIDE OPEN.  Leave a comment and win a free download of this great book!

So, without further ado....  From the backcover of TEXAS WIDE OPEN:

“A tortured hero, a love that defies distance and time…this is a book you won’t soon forget.” –Cat Johnson 

Katie Harris loved growing up on a ranch. She had her horse, the beautiful Texas prairie, and Cole Logan, the cowboy next door. But there are a lot of secrets hidden under a Texas sky…

Katie always knew she’d marry Cole one day—until he broke her dreams and her heart. But now that Katie’s father is sick, she’s back home, older, wiser and nowhere near the love-sick fool she once was.

Cole knows Katie doesn’t want anything to do with him. But after so many years, he can’t pretend she’s no more than a neighbor. Holding his ground was hard enough when she was seventeen. Now that she’s her own woman, Cole’s heart doesn’t stand a chance…

“Passionate, gritty and fast paced…with a hot blooded, honorable hero to make every woman's knees go weak.”—Diane Whiteside

Don't forget to leave a comment to win a free download of TEXAS WIDE OPEN!

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Excerpt:


Katie watched as Cole slowly turned, and at the sight of his bare chest, smooth and ripped with muscle, she locked her knees to keep upright. Instead of his inviting smile, there was a hardness she rarely saw that contrasted with the desire in his eyes.

Cole stood and stared. The silence between them crackled as if a whole conversation could be said without words.

Her breathing quickened as her nipples contracted into small, tight buds, sensitive to the brush of the cotton across them. She refused to hide her body’s reaction even as a flush of heat rushed to her cheeks. She’d been waiting all of her life for this moment. She was tired of hiding. She was ready. Unashamed, she gazed in his eyes and let the wealth of her feelings pour into her face.

Cole was no coward—he returned stare for stare—but she could see his jaw flex and knew he was pissed. She’d pushed him hard, but this was where the women separated themselves from the girls.

“I’m not a child any longer.” She took a step closer.

“And I told you, if you wear that shirt again, I’ll burn it,” he growled.

But Cole would have to do more than display a little anger to scare her. Before she lost courage, Katie crossed her arms and pulled.

She threw her shirt in his face, along with her challenge. “Go ahead and do it.”
_______
KC Klein has lived most of her life with her head in the clouds and her nose buried in a book. She did stop reading long enough to make a home with a real life hero, her husband, for over sixteen years. A mother of two children, she spends her time slaying dragons, saving princesses, and championing the belief in the happily-ever-after. Her debut novel, Dark Future, is a finalist in the 2012 Prism contest and has been honored with a reviewer’s choice award. Her other titles include a science fiction romance anthology, Hotter on the Edge, and a new contemporary romance, Texas Wide Open. KC loves to hear from readers and can be found desperately pounding away on her laptop in yoga pants and leopard slippers or more conveniently at www.kckleinbooks.com.
To buy TEXAS WIDE OPEN at:
Amazon (on sale for $2.99!)

Monday, November 26, 2012

Comment and Win Special Edition Giveaway

Fabulous Contest at Books We Love
 
Hi Everyone, thought you might be interested in this giveaway from Books We Love. 

Note--leave your comment at:  http://bwlpp.blogspot.com/ to enter.  Comments left on my blog won't be included in the drawing.

Details below:
*****
 
As our holiday gift to you, Books We Love has released a sleigh full of Special Edition Collections featuring many of your favorite BWL authors!

Each day from Nov. 26 to Dec. 23 we'll feature one Special Edition on our blog: http://bwlpp.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment with your email address. One comment each day will be randomly drawn to win a copy of that Special Edition!





11/26 Joan Hall Hovey
11/27 Jamie Hill
11/28 Renee Simons
11/29 Ann Herrick
11/30 Sydell Voeller
12/1 Ginger Simpson
12/2 Jude Pittman Triple Threat
12/3 Vijaya Schartz
12/4 Shirley Martin Secrets of the Night
12/5 Jane Toombs Golden Chances Collection
12/6 Jamie Hill Triple Threat
12/7 Kat Attalla
12/8 Shirley Martin
12/9 Roseanne Dowell
12/10 Janet Lane Walters
12/11 Juliet Waldron
12/12 Lee Killough
12/13 Margaret Tanner
12/14 Erin Quinn
12/15 Pat Dale
12/16 Rita Karnopp
12/17 Tina Gerow
12/18 Betty Jo Schuler
12/19 Kathy Fischer-Brown
12/20 Sheila Claydon
12/21 Jamieson Wolf
12/22 Jane Toombs Hallow House series
12/23 Gail Roughton's Dark Series

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Erin Quinn's [Un]Sexy Business of Writing Tracker

I've given several workshops on how I juggle all that I do (working full-time and writing full-time and a family).  One of the "tools" I use is a spreadsheet to help me keep track of my page and word count.  Not only does tracking give me a goal, but it also gives me a quitting time which is just as important.


As writers, we often think we should be writing every free minute we have.  That makes it very difficult to have one of those things called a life.  If you are able to set reasonable goals for yourself and stick to them, you won't have to work like a maniac when it comes to crunch time.  Tracking will help you make sure you stay on schedule.



Another wonderful thing about tracking?  It lets you know just how fast (or slow) you write.  When you get a contract and they ask, can you have the book done in six months?, it's very tempting to say "of course!"  But how will you know if you can do it, if you don't have some method of measuring how long--in the REAL world--it takes? Knowing in advance what your output is can save you untold stress down the road.



Hope this helps you as much as it helps me!

Instructions on how to use the tracker.
Tracker spreadsheet.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Dearly Beloved, 
We are gathered here today, to join two awesome things in a state of increased awesomeness.
Today, we're bringing together an author/reader mini-con, and the chance to WIN YOUR WAY IN FOR FREE!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen... you have 7 days to hop around from author to author, blogger to blogger, and enter at every stop to win one of 3 FREE REGISTRATIONS to Olde City, New Blood, the upcoming urban fantasy/paranormal romance mini-con in St. Augustine, FL next February.

You can check out the official website for the complete list of Featured Authors (I'll give you a hint... one of them is ME!!) and Featured Bloggers. There's also a main contest post with all the participating authors, bloggers, and dates for the contest. It's super easy. Visit each of the spotlight blog posts and author websites listed, fill out the Rafflecopter link on each one (one entry PER POST, not per day... and yes, they will be checking), and POOF, multiple entries to WIN!!

The prize is one of 3 FREE REGISTRATIONS to see me and about 49 other authors on the sunny beaches of St. Augustine, Florida, from Feb 8th-10, 2013. We're going to be doing panels, readings, meet & greets, and just generally having a fun weekend with our incredible fans!! Please keep in mind, if you win, you'll have to cover your own travel and hotel expenses, but your ticket into the party will be on Olde City, New Blood!!!

The contest runs from September 30th - October 6th, and the 3 winners will be announced on October 7th. Don't forget to click the Rafflecopter link above  before you hop off to check out the rest of the contest posts!! Good Luck, everyone!! I hope to see you ALL in Florida this February!!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

SEVENTH ANNUAL FALL WRITERS WORKSHOPS (FREE to the Public)


Hope to see you there!

SEVENTH ANNUAL FALL WRITERS WORKSHOPS
Saturday, November 10, 2012 – 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Open to all writers of fiction – free admission – No registration necessary

Location: SCOTTSDALE CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY - Downstairs
3839 Drinkwater Boulevard – Scottsdale, AZ 85251

9:30 am: Morning coffee and rolls – getting to know other writers

MORNING WORKSHOPS:

10 am to 10:50 am:
Silver Room: Laurie Schnebly Campbell – Building Conflict from the Head Down
Gold Room: Morgan Kearns – The Importance of Cover Art
Auditorium: Erin Quinn – Building a Career as an Author

11 am to 11:50 am:
Silver Room: Shelley Coriell – The Editing Waltz
Gold Room: Janeen O’Kerry – Show vs. Tell and why You Should Care
Auditorium: Kris Tualla – The 4 Paths to Publishing

12 noon to 1:15 – Lunch Break – lunch on your own –

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS:

1:30 pm – Auditorium – Featured speaker:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author: JENNIFER ASHLEY

2:30 pm to 3:20 pm
Silver Room: Gini Koch – From Idea to Bookshelf
Gold Room: Annette Mahon – Writing the Cozy Mystery
Auditorium: Vijaya Schartz – Handle the Social Media Circus Without Losing Your Mind

3:30 pm to 4:20 pm
Silver Room: Pamela Tracy – The Hero’s Journey
Gold Room: Calista Fox – Writing the Novella
Auditorium: Connie Flynn – Surviving Publishing in the 21st Century

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Simply Ali Salutes Erin Quinn (aka, me) Today!

Stop on over to Simply Ali where the Saturday Salute is all about the SDSU Writers Conference scholarship I've given away every year for the past seven years!  It's a great conference and not too late to enter.  For more information, go to http://www.simplyali.com/2012/09/simply-ali-saturday-salute.html.



Tuesday, September 18, 2012

It's Plotting Month

Over at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, we've been talking about plotting and the different approaches to it that we all have.  Stop by and listen in.  :)

Also, don't forget to enter my scholarship for the San Diego State University Writers' Conference.  I'm giving away a conference registration and 1 appointment to a lucky writer.  All you have to do is enter at www.ErinQuinnBooks.com.  The scholarship link is on the lower left hand side of the page.