Not one, but TWO new releases and FOUR giveaways!

I am so excited! Both of my new, short medieval Christmas romances have been officially released, and you know what that means? I'm all revved up to celebrate, which as usual, means some giveaway goodies for you!

The anthology, Timeless Romance: Winter Collection, which includes my short story "Caroles on the Green", and my short single, A Candlelight Courting, are both available this very minute on Smashwords and before the week is out, will be available in Kindle format on Amazon and Nook format on Barnes and Noble. Watch my side margins for links as they appear. The awesome Regency romance author, Donna Hatch, also has a short story in the Timeless Romance anthology, "A Winter's Knight," so Donna and I decided to team up together for our celebration and offer the following giveaways:

An e-copy A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance, by Joyce DiPastena - 1 winner: format of the winner's choice on Smashwords

An e-copy of Mistletoe Magic: A Christmas Regency Short Story, by Donna Hatch - 1 winner: format of the winner's choice on Smashwords

An e-copy of Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection, multiple authors (including Joyce DiPastena and Donna Hatch) - 1 winner: format of the winner's choice on Smashwords

And one grand prize winner to receive one each of the above: A Candlelight Courting, Mistletoe Magic, and A Timeless Romance Anthology - 1 winner: formats of the winner's choice on Smashwords.

Yes, that is FOUR WINNERS in all!!!! (So I used four exclamation points. :-) )

Since they're all e-formats, I'll open this up to international entries. Deadline for entries will be midnight EST October 7th. The winners will be announced on Monday, October 8th. Please enter via each Rafflecopter form below! (GOODREADS FOLLOWERS, PLEASE BE SURE TO ENTER VIA RAFFLECOPTER ON MY BLOG)

Here are summaries of each giveaway prize. You'll find the Rafflecopter forms at the end of the summaries, so keep on scrolling down!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to international entries. Entrants must be 18 years or older. Winners will be selected on October 8, 2012. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win. Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawarded. Sponsor name and contact info: Joyce DiPastena, jdipastena@yahoo.com.

A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance, by Joyce DiPastena

When Burthred comes courting on Christmas Eve, Meg rejects his advances. She has her heart set on becoming a nun and insists that he call her Christina, the spiritual name she has chosen for herself. She tries to make him swear on her box of holy relics that he will not pursue her, but he carefully words his oath to allow him to stay in her candlelit chamber and try to change her mind.

What Meg does not confess is that her reliquary box holds a secret.

Burthred needs a wife, and no one will satisfy him except Meg. He swore on his father’s deathbed that he would marry her. But Burthred has a secret, too. When they come together before the Yule fire, their shared revelations will either join their hearts together or tear them apart.

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Mistletoe Magic: A Christmas Regency Short Story, by Donna Hatch

At the Christmas Eve masquerade ball, Evelyn plans to lure the charming and handsome Michael underneath the mistletoe and show him just how much she likes him. With a single, earth-shattering kiss, she's certain he'll finally realize she's the only girl for him. Little does she know, her childhood friend, Colin, has the same plans for Evelyn. Neither her crush on another man, nor her near escape from falling through the ice in a frozen pond will stand in Colin's way. They'll both need the magic of a mistletoe kiss, but only one of them will succeed in their plans.


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A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection, Sarah M. Eden, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, Joyce DiPastena, Donna Hatch, Heather B. Moore

Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed brand new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection. A collection unlike any other, readers will love this compilation of six sweet historical romance novellas, set in varying eras, yet all with one thing in common: Romance.

The Road to Cavan Town by Sarah M. Eden, set in 1864 Ireland, combines Eden’s sense of humor with her signature sweet romance. Alice Wheatley walks each weekend into town, accompanied by Isaac Dancy. And while Alice finds herself falling in love with the gentleman, unfortunately he has his eyes set on the belle of the town, Miss Sophia Kilchrest. Alice must find a way to turn Isaac’s eyes toward her.

Regency author Heidi Ashworth’s delightful story, It Happened Twelfth Night, set in England 1812, follows Luisa Darlington who discovers the man of her dreams, Percy Brooksby, isn’t in love with her as much as she thought he was. When Percy’s friend, the mysterious foreigner, Mr. Flynn, visits for the twelfth night holiday, he promptly sweeps Luisa off her feet, quite literally. Luisa is left catching her breath in more ways than one.

An Unexpected Proposal by Annette Lyon is a captivating romantic novella, set in remote Wood Camp, the snowy canyon of Logan, Utah, 1880. When Caroline Simpson is forced to thwart the aggressive advances of Mr. Butch Larson, she discovers that her long-time friend, James, has genuine affection for her. But as stubborn as Caroline is, she minimizes the feelings he’s awakened in her, and it takes almost losing James to admit her true feelings for him.

In Joyce Di Pastena’s charming medieval story, Caroles on the Green, we enter England of 1151, in which Lady Isabel has a dilemma. She promises herself that she’ll marry the man who sent a ring hidden in her pastry since the man she truly loves, Sir Lucian de Warrene, has proved to be impossible and exasperating. To forget him, Isabel sets her eyes on other eligible men, only to face another confrontation with Lucian—who isn’t about to back off and leave her to her newest plot.

Donna Hatch’s enchanting novella, A Winter’s Knight, begins when Clarissa Fairchild’s coach just happens to break down in front of the most forbidding estate in the county, that of Wyckburg Castle, a place where young brides have been murdered for generations by their husbands. Clarissa is horrified yet curious all in the same breath. When she meets widower Christopher de Champs, Earl of Wyckburg, she must decide if she should flee or uncover the greatest secret in the county about her handsome rescuer.

In Heather B. Moore’s exciting turn-of-the-century story, A Fortunate Exile, Lila Townsend finds herself the victim of a broken heart—broken by the most notorious bachelor in 1901 New York City. If that isn’t bad enough, her father sends her to Aunt Eugenia’s remote farm where Lila must wait for her father’s anger to subside and the gossip columns to find new fodder. When Lila meets her aunt’s boarder, Peter Weathers, she discovers a man who isn’t afraid to stand up to her formidable family and take a chance on a woman with a sullied reputation.

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GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!

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Under the Sea Giveaway Hop: Winner!

Congratulations to Liza Vladyka! Liza has won a gently used paperback copy of The Wanderings of Odysseus, by Rosemary Sutcliff, in the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop here on JDP NEWS.

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with “cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I’ve borrowed it from LDS Women’s Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post a teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book from me. Here's my second teaser from The Nonesuch, by Georgette Heyer:

She stared up at [Sir Waldo] incredulously. "But--but don't you think I'm beautiful?"

"Are you trying to warn me, ma'am, that Sir Waldo is a libertine?" asked Ancilla bluntly.

"Oh, good gracious! No!" exclaimed Mrs Chartley. "You must not think--my dear, I beg you won't say that I said that! No doubt he has had his--shall we say his adventures?--but pray don't imagine that I suspect him of--of--"

"Offering me a carte blanche? That, I believe, is the term, is it not?"

(From The Nonesuch, p 209)

If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading.

Under the Sea Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop, sponsored by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Musings of ALMYBNENR. The Under the Sea Giveaway Hop features books with mermaids, sirens, selkies, divers, swimming, boating, dolphins, or...well, pretty much something to do with the sea.

Here at JDP NEWS, I'm giving away a gently used paperback copy of the YA novel, The Wanderings of Odysseus, by Rosemary Sutcliff. A YA retelling of Homer's Odyssey, the voyage of Odysseus (also known as Ulysses) is the original sea faring tale. Odysseus has to contend with dangerous whirlpools, great smashing stones, the beautiful but deadly Sirens, witches, nymphs, and even a one-eyed Cyclops before he finds his way back to the safety of hearth and home.

Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below. (NOTE TO READERS OF MY BLOG ON GOODREADS. TO ENTER THIS CONTEST, PLEASE CLICK OVER TO MY BLOG AND ENTER VIA RAFFLECOPTER)

The hop ends at midnight EST September 20. Winner will be drawn on September 21. Since this is a paperback, the giveaway is open to USA only.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

USA entries only

Entrants must be 18 years or older

Winners will be selected on Sept 20. Winners have 48 hours to respond to an email notifying them of their win.

Prizes not claimed within 48 hours will be reawarded

Sponsor name and contact info: Joyce DiPastena, jdipastena@yahoo.com.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

a Rafflecopter giveaway All entered? Then hop along for some more great clean giveaways below!

Reading Clean Giveaway Hop: Winner!

Congratulations to Darlene at Darlene's Book Nook, winner of the Reading Clean Giveaway Hop on JDP NEWS! Darlene has won a copy of my sweet medieval romance, Dangerous Favor.

Thank you to everyone who entered! New giveaway hop coming up at midnight tonight. :-)

Cover Reveal: A Candlelight Courting

I just received the cover art for A Candlelight Courting from the always amazing Jaimey Grant at An Author's Art! I think it's beautiful. I hope you do, too!

When Burthred comes courting on Christmas Eve, Meg rejects his advances. She has her heart set on becoming a nun and insists that he call her Christina, the spiritual name she has chosen for herself. She tries to make him swear on her box of holy relics that he will not pursue her, but he carefully words his oath to allow him to stay in her candlelit chamber and try to change her mind.

What Meg does not confess is that her reliquary box holds a secret.

Burthred needs a wife, and no one will satisfy him except Meg. He swore on his father’s deathbed that he would marry her. But Burthred has a secret, too. When they come together before the Yule fire, their shared revelations will either join their hearts together or tear them apart.

A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance

Coming October 2012

Win a copy of "Dangerous Favor"!

Lexie at The Book Bug Blog is spotlighting my publisher, Walnut Springs Press, during the month of September, and Walnut Springs is giving away FOUR of their book titles: The Keeper's Calling, Lydia, Defenders of the Covenant, and my own sweet medieval romance, Dangerous Favor. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on the various blog posts throughout the month. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

The Book Bug generously spotlighted me twice, once for my books, and once through a guest post I was invited to write about researching my novels. Click on these links if you'd like to leave a comment and enter the giveaway:

Walnut Springs Press Month: Spotlight on Joyce DiPastena
Walnut Springs Press Month: Guest Post by Joyce DiPastena

And here's the link to the rest of the month's schedule so you can comment on all the other posts and increase your chances to win!

Walnut Springs Press Month: Event Schedule

Tuesday Teaser

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly bookish meme (rhymes with “cream"), hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. (I’ve borrowed it from LDS Women’s Book Review.) Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I'm adapting the rules slightly. I'll be quoting some random lines from the last chapter I read before I post a teaser. I'm a slow reader, so you may get multiple teasers per book from me. Here's a teaser from The Nonesuch, by Georgette Heyer:

She stared up at [Sir Waldo] incredulously. "But--but don't you think I'm beautiful?"

"Very!"

"Well, I know I am," [Tiffany] said candidly. "Ancilla thinks I shouldn't say so--and I meant not to, on account of losing some of my beauty when I do. At least, that's what Ancilla said, but I don't see how it could be so, do you?"

"No, indeed: quite absurd! You do very right to mention the matter."

She thought this over, darkly suspicious, and finally demanded: "Why?"

"People are so unobservant!" he answered in dulcet accents.

(From The Nonesuch, p 84)

If you'd like to share a teaser from a book you're currently reading, I'd love you to do so in the comment section. And you don't even have to share it on a Tuesday! Be sure to include the title, author, and page number in case others would like to check out the book you're reading.