Giveaway: Timeless Romance Anthology

Christmas is just around the corner. Do you have family or friends who still prefer old fashioned print books to ebooks? Then here is an opportunity and giveaway for you!

Four of the Timeless Romance Anthology series are now available in paperback in Seagull Books (Utah only) and Deseret Book stores (everywhere)! You can win a FREE BOOK by helping the authors to celebrate! (In full disclosure, my short medieval Christmas story, Caroles on the Green, is included in the Winter Anthology edition.)

Details for how you can win a free book as well as be entered for a chance at a $50 Amazon gift certificate are below. Don't know where your closest Desert Book or Seagull stores are located? Click here for the Deseret Book location finder for multiple states and here for the Seagull Books location finder for Utah stores.

Thanks to you all, I'm a RONE Award finalist!

Thank you to all of you who took the time to vote for one or all of my 2012 stories, Dangerous Favor, A Candlelight Courting, and/or A Timeless Romance: 2012 Winter Edition (which included my medieval short story, "Caroles on the Green") for a RONE Award sponsored by InD'Tale Magazine! Thanks to you, ALL of my stories passed the "reader preference" phase of the competition and are finalists for a 2012 RONE Award! Dangerous Favor, A Candlelight Courting, and A Timeless Romance each now advance to a panel of professional judges who will determine the best overall book of 2012.

The winner and runners-up will be announced and presented at the 2012 RONE Award Ceremony on August 9th at the Romance Novel Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. I don't know if I'll be able to attend, but I am thrilled even to be in the running, and I owe it all to you, my dear, faithful, supportive readers.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Sweet Saturday Samples

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Samples, where authors share sweet, clean excerpts from their works with you!

Last week I shared with you an excerpt from my short Christmas story, A Candlelight Courting: A Short Christmas Romance. (Click here if you haven't read it and would like to.) This week I'd like to share an excerpt from a second short Christmas story of mine, called "Caroles on the Green." This story is one of six sweet short romances included in A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection.

Here is an excerpt from my contribution to the collection, where the characters are preparing to dance a medieval Christmas carole. (Yes, that was the spelling when it was a dance.)

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Caroles on the Green

England

December 24, 1151

“We are to dance sinister, eh?”

Isabel stiffened. Amidst all the shuffling, she had not seen Lucian maneuver into position on her right. Or perhaps it was mere coincidence. He would have been on the opposite side of Ronwen had they been dancing the other direction. Ronwen certainly looked unhappy to see him take Isabel’s free hand in his. Lucian lifted her fingers lightly and gazed for a moment at the pale yellow stone. Did he remember that she preferred the deeper hues of emeralds and rubies to set off her dark coloring?

“They begin the circle to the right in the East,” he said, as he slipped her fingers into the strong grip that she remembered so well.

She felt herself recoiling ever so slightly from Sir Theo’s weak clasp on her other side and silently chastised herself. She would teach him that he need not be so diffident, once he knew that she wished to marry him.

“I do not see that it matters which direction we circle, so long as we all move in unison,” she said.

She tossed Lucian one of her haughty looks and felt a little hitch in her breath. He had recovered quite splendidly from their last encounter, when he had sported two black eyes and a swollen nose. The latter cast slightly sideways, a departure from the arrogantly straight nose she remembered in his youth and in the proud young crusader who had returned from the East. Judging from the dagger looks Ronwen threw at her, the flaw in his otherwise absurdly handsome face had not dampened her cousin’s welcome of Lucian’s courtship one whit. Then why did he not gaze at Ronwen, instead of holding Isabel’s eyes with a weighing look that she refused to break first?

The hollow thump thump thump of a drum finally broke the spell for them both. Isabel saw the confusion that flooded the circle as the music started. They surely wondered which way Sir Theo would decide to step first. She would have leaned over to him, but felt the subtle pressure of Lucian’s hand guiding her into a gentle bounce on the balls of her feet in rhythm to the beat of the drums. She fought back waves of memories at his touch, even as she watched Sir Theo’s face flame when he realized himself the center of attention. All the watching eyes seemed to freeze him into place.

Isabel’s bounce grew more impatient until at last she tugged on Sir Theo’s hand, trying to signal him to begin. Sir Theo gave a visible start and apparently thinking she wished him to move her direction, lurched so suddenly to his right that he crashed into Isabel’s shoulder and sent her stumbling into Lucian.

Lucian’s fingers fluttered around hers, as though instinct commanded he release her hand and steady her with his strong arm around her waist. Or so rose the unbidden vision to her mind. A vision which the crack of his chin against the top of her head obliterated. She heard the clack of his teeth before his chin snapped up. The blow reverberated through her skull and left her leaning against his chest, momentarily stunned. The decorative band of embroidery that ran around the breast of his deep blue tunic swam before her watering eyes.

His hand tightened on hers and he nudged her upright with his shoulder—but not before he lowered his head and murmured into her ear on a soft note of mockery, “The same old Isabel.”

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A Timeless Romance Anthology: Winter Collection contains six short, clean winter romances by Sarah M. Eden, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, Joyce DiPastena, Donna Hatch, and Heather B. Moore. This ebook is available for only $3.99 on Kindle, Nook and Smashwords. To learn more about A Timeless Romance Anthology, visit our blog and like our Facebook page.

Now click here to read more Sweet Saturday Samples by more great authors!

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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Short stories update

I have a few exciting bits of news to share with you! Isabel's story has finally received a shiny new title, Caroles on the Green, and will be appearing in October in a new romance anthology series called Timeless Romance. The first release will feature six sweet winter romance short stories by the following well-loved historical romance authors: Sarah M. Eden, Heidi Ashworth, Annette Lyon, Donna Hatch, and Heather B. Moore. These lovely authors were kind enough to invite me to join them. The cover has been designed and I'm excited to share it with you. Ta-dah! What do you think?

No, I didn't design it, but I admire the person who did.

Meg's story also finally has a title: A Candlelight Courting. Stay tuned. Cover coming soon!