Merry Christmas Deals!

Christmas is coming up quickly! Do you have family and friends who still prefer reading PRINT books to ebooks? If so, 6 of my sweet medieval romance titles are 20% off through December if you order your copies directly through CreateSpace! All you have to do is enter the discount code VZ7B2WGL when you check out.

The 20% discount is available for the following titles at the following links:

Loyalty's Web - CreateSpace

Illuminations of the Heart - CreateSpace

Dangerous Favor - CreateSpace

Loving Lucianna - CreateSpace

Courting Cassandry - CreateSpace

The Lady and the Minstrel - CreateSpace

Also, if you sign up for my newsletter, you will receive a FREE download of my medieval Christmas short story, A Candlelight Courting, as a thank you gift.

You can sign up for my newsletter here.

Thank you all so much for your friendship and loyalty throughout the years. I hope you each have a sweet and beautiful Christmas!

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Illuminations of the Heart is back in print!

Illuminations of the Heart is finally available once more in print, as well as e-book, format. Copies are available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  and will soon be available at other online book stores, like The Book Depository (free shipping world wide). Jaimey Grant of An Author's Art has made me a beautiful cover for the print edition.

Isn't it lovely? :-)

Illuminations of the Heart can now be ordered from your local bookstores, too!

Illuminations of the Heart is back!

After a seven month hiatus, my 2008 Whitney Award finaling medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart, is back in print with its shiny new cover! E-copies are again available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble at a special .99-cent relaunch purchase price through March 15. (Regular price: $4.99)

Siri de Calendri was trained in the art of illumination in her brother’s workshop in 12th century Venice, but when her brother dies his will sends her far from home. Siri travels to the faraway county of Poitou in France, where she enters the guardianship of her brother’s friend, Triston de Brielle. Once settled, she hopes to find employment in an illuminator’s shop— until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of his wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife's shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri's face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then Triston's past returns to threaten them both. Trapped between the rivalry of the king's sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman’s shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and paint, but can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston’s soul and make his heart beat for her alone?

Illuminations of the Heart continues the story of Triston de Brielle from Loyalty's Web.

Buy your copy today on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Cover reveal: Illuminations of the Heart

Look what Santa brought me! A shiny new cover, via An Author's Art, for Illuminations of the Heart!

What do you think? Doesn't it go nicely with the cover of Loyalty's Web?

Stay tuned! Updated e-version of Illuminations of the Heart coming in 2014!

My books on sale for Kindle!

My publisher has made all three of my sweet medieval romances available at sales prices for Kindle through April 13! Each is now only $4.99, a $5 savings off the regular price. Just go to Amazon and type in any of the following titles:

Loyalty's Web

Illuminations of the Heart

Dangerous Favor

And check out my publisher's website for more great e-books on sale! Walnut Springs Press

My first live interview!

I've been interviewed on Blog Talk Radio! Don't go away when the line goes dead. It's only temporary. Canda Mortensen gets me back on line and I babble a little longer about writing, research, and more.

Listen to internet radio with iWriteNetwork on Blog Talk Radio

Online Book Launch Party for "Dangerous Favor"!

7 AM February 13 – 7 PM February 14!

Dangerous Favor is having a launch party, and all of you are invited! I’ll be sharing a romantic excerpt in honor of Valentine’s Day, and giving away prizes, of course! And just so more people can attend, I’m starting a day early…Monday, February 13! Entries will remain open through Valentine’s Day right up till 7 PM MST.

My new medieval romance, Dangerous Favor, can’t celebrate without her sister romances, of course, so I’ll be giving away a gift bag each of the following to three lucky winners:

A Loyalty’s Web tote bag containing a Loyalty’s Web mug, a Loyalty’s Web notebook, a copy of Loyalty’s Web (winner’s choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag

An Illuminations of the Heart tote bag containing an Illuminations of the Heart mug, an Illuminations of the Heart notebook, a copy of Illuminations of the Heart (winner’s choice of print or Kindle version), a box of candy, and some swag

And of course the star of the party!

A Dangerous Favor tote bag containing a Dangerous Favor mug, a Dangerous Favor mouse pad, a copy of Dangerous Favor (only print version available), a box of candy, and some swag

And EVERYONE who visits will get a 2 oz box of candy and some swag (bookmarks, magnets, pen, and a special Dangerous Favor white ribbon)

The party begins at 7 AM Monday, so mark your calendars and be sure to drop by!

More reader pics!

Since I extended the deadline for my Dangerous Favor giveaway, a few more reader pics have rolled in. The new deadline is January 31st, so there's still time to get your picture into me if you'd like! My computer is a little fussy, so please send in JPEG, GIF or PNG formats only. Thanks!


Click here for complete details on how to enter.

Heidi Sorensen with Loyalty's Web

Heidi Sorensen with Illuminations of the Heart. Remember that ebooks like this count as entries, too!

Alesha Gurney with Loyalty's Web

Becki Kress with Illuminations of the Heart








Heidi Murphy in a lovely medieval outfit that has me longing to trade in my Renaissance dress...holding Loyalty's Web

Donna Hatch with Illuminations of the Heart and a rare first edition of Loyalty's Web!

More contest pics!

There's one more week to enter for a chance at one of 3 copies of my soon-to-be-released medieval romance, Dangerous Favor. All you have to do is send me a picture of you with one of my books (print or e-book, personal or borrowed) by January 15th. 


Each of these people have entered. I hope you'll join them soon!


Click here for full details on how to enter.

Gayle Humpherys with Loyalty's Web
















Gayle Humpherys with Illuminations of the Heart

I can't lie. This has got to be one of my favorites: Gayle Humpherys with future readers of my books. :-)

Here's Jeannette J with a copy of Illuminations of the Heart

Jeannette J with Loyalty's Web











And here's Jeannette J with my short e-story, An Epiphany Gift for Robin. (See how easy it is to send me a picture of you and any of my ebooks?)

Cindy Wiser with Loyalty's Web

Cindy Wiser with Illuminations of the Heart






Thank you for sharing your pictures, ladies!

More people reading Joyce's books

Here are some more people who have been reading my books! They've all been entered (well, almost all) for a chance to win one of 3 copies of my new medieval romance, Dangerous Favor, when it comes out in January. Click here to find out how you can enter, too! Deadline is January 15, midnight PST.





Author Joan Sowards, with Illuminations of the Heart.

Canda Mortensen also with Illuminations of the Heart. 










Tina Scott sent me three pictures, which means she's been entered three times in my giveaway. She added her own captions to the photos she sent me:

"So good I can't put it down."

"

"Dreaming of sweet romance." (Tina promises me she's daydreaming about Illuminations of the Heart, not sleeping!)

"So good, I bet you can't read just one." (And no, I didn't bribe her to say that. Honest!)




Here's one more, from Lisa Messegee. Lisa isn't actually entering my giveaway, but she generously shared this photo with me. Why does she have double copies of my books? You'll have to ask her. She is the artistic genius behind Designs by Lisa Messegee, and has shared some of her wonderful holiday designs in some of the recent blog hops I've participated in. Check out her Facebook page at Designs by Lisa Messegee.

See that copy of Illuminations of the Heart Lisa is holding up on her Kindle? You can enter my giveaway with a Kindle copy, too! Just snap a picture, like Lisa did, of the cover on your Kindle, iPad, laptop, or any other e-reading device and send it to me at jdipastena@yahoo.com!

Illuminations of the Heart & Dangerous Favor in the News!

Two of my books are highlighted today on other blogs.


History Undressed (a blog that posts historical research on all historical ages) has posted a guest blog I wrote on medieval bestiaries, which includes an excerpt from Illuminations of the Heart. You can read my guest post here.

And EnglishRose of Clean Romance Reviews has posted an advance review of my soon-to-be-released third medieval romance, Dangerous Favor. Here's an excerpt from her review:


"DiPastena has done it again!  I can't get enough of this series.  The rich world of medieval France continues in it's tangled web of loyalties of love." Click here to read more. :-)


I'd love you to drop by both posts and leave a comment.

Sweet Saturday Samples

Click here for the September Blog Hop

Click here for the author interview & giveaway with Victorian author Debra Brown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now on to my latest Sweet Saturday Sample! Last week, I re-introduced you to my heroine Siri's rival suitor, Raynor. Here is one more encounter between Siri and my hero, Triston. This excerpt is from my sweet medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart (rating PG).

She blissfully obliged him with a delicate tremor.  A soft, seductive heat spread through her body. She did not want him to stop, but…

“Triston—”

“I know.” He lifted his mouth. “You are more delicious than honey, sweet Siriol, and if I am not careful, I will devour every inch of you here and now. Just one more, and then we will return to the castle and seek Father Michel’s counsel about Raynor’s cursed oath.”

He possessed her lips in a quick, fervent kiss. She wound her arms around his neck again. She wanted only to succumb, to lie forever in his embrace and—

Snap.

Her eyes, closed against their passion, flew open at the brittle crack of a twig. She saw a blur of movement over their heads, an arm swinging in the air and a glint of steel…

She wrenched her lips away and screamed. Triston tensed instantly, but his reaction came too late. The arm swooped down and she heard a horrible thud as something cracked into Triston’s skull.

Her second scream was one of pure panic. His body slumped atop her and pinned her in a limp, suffocating weight. That glint of steel, she knew, had betokened a sword, and now Triston— 

A shudder of terror slammed through her. Frantically she tried to free herself, wild with dread of what she might see when she did, but desperate to know how grievously he had been wounded. He was so heavy—so limp—

She had wriggled herself halfway out from under him when hands grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her the rest of the way to set her on her feet.

Hope you enjoyed my little snippet! Now click here to read some Sweet Saturday Samples from some other amazing authors!

Sweet Saturday Samples

Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Samples! Here's another excerpt from my sweet medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart (rating PG). My hero, Triston, has a rival for Siri's affections. Read on to make his further acquaintance. (Yes, he appeared briefly in one of my excerpts before.)

Raynor pressed a hand to his chest. “Carissima, you wrong me. It was for you alone that this poor heart of mine kept beating while my life otherwise threatened to flow away. Send me away from the bright beam of your smile and I shall dwindle and waste like a rose in the merciless snows of winter.”

“Don’t be absurd,” she said. “You cannot stay here any longer. I do not think I can keep you safe of Triston’s temper.”

“Sooner would I take that risk than lose the sweet light of your face. Carissima.” 

He held out his hands. She did not know why, but she put her own in his. There was no laughter now in his eyes, but an earnest glow that startled her. 

“You are the breath of my life. I knew from the first hour I saw you, when I unveiled your face on that dusty road, that I should never rest until I could hold you in my arms and speak to you every inadequate word of love from my soul. I will cherish you forever. Please—” he bowed his head and kissed her hands “—come with me to Belle Noir.”

He sounded more fervent than she had ever heard him before. But…

“Come with you?”

He raised his head and his mouth lifted in the depths of his beard. “It is customary for a wife to reside in her husband’s home.”

“You mean marry you? Truly?”

His smile grew rueful. “This shock of yours does not please me, carissima. Have I been so clumsy in my praises that you did not realize how deeply I am in love with you?”

Now click here to find links to more Sweet Saturday Samples.

And if you'd like to help me celebrate the upcoming release of my next medieval romance, Dangerous Favor, click here. There's chocolate involved if you do. ;-)

Sweet Saturday Samples

It's Sweet Saturday Samples time again! Here's another excerpt from my sweet medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart (rated PG). My heroine, Siri, finds herself caught between the attentions of two men, Sir Triston and Sir Raynor. (Acelet is Triston's cousin.) Here's a pleasant little encounter between them all. :-)

The accusation stunned her. “Triston, it was an accident.”

“The devil it was. I knew he’d be back out for mischief the moment I heard he’d returned to Belle Noir.” He pointed an unsteady finger at the now rumpled knight. “If I find you anywhere near the Lady Siriol again—”

Raynor pulled himself out of Acelet’s hold, his face as red as Triston’s was white. “You’ve mistaken the matter, Triston. I was only—”

“Nay, it is you who have made the mistake. I know what you have in your mind, but it will not work, Raynor. You cannot harm me through her. She is not Clothilde.”

The implications of this ominous allegation troubled Siri as much as the mocking smile that broke across Raynor’s mouth, but she said, “Triston, he was not trying to harm me.”

“No? Then how was it you came to be standing so near the water with him at your side?”

“He was showing me his fields.”

She thought the sneer that curved Triston’s lips ill-became him. “Indeed. No doubt he believed you could see them more clearly from beneath the waves.”

“It was an accident, as she said,” Raynor insisted. “Acelet mentioned my fields and she slipped as we were trying to show them to her.” Again that smirking smile. “You understand how accidents happen, don’t you, Triston?”

Thanks so much for stopping by! Click here to read some more Sweet Saturday Samples. (All samples are rated G-PG13.) And if you'd like to click here, you'll discover a book giveaway currently in session. :-)

Sweet Saturday Samples

This week, my Sweet Saturday Sample is again taken from my sweet medieval romance, Illuminations of the Heart (rated PG). My heroine, Siri de Calendri, has journeyed from Italy to France to enter the guardianship of Sir Triston de Brielle, at the command of her late brother's will. Her first meeting with her new guardian is a bit of a surprise, as you'll discover if you read on. :-)

Lucianna broke off as the man strode abruptly across the hall and caught Siri’s chin in his hand. Siri gasped a little as he forced back her head. She saw the way the blood washed away behind his tan. She had an impression of strong, passionate features and a mass of coal-black curls, before she found herself engulfed in the swirling agony of his eyes. They embraced her like two deep ebony pools, drawing her into an eddy of pain so poignant that she thought she must drown in its depths. From some great ringing distance, she heard him utter a name, not her own, but one spoken on a breath like a prayer.

“Clothilde.”

And then the dark eyes closed and he lowered his lips to hers.

His mouth covered hers in a soft but urgent caress, and in his kiss was a need so great that Siri had not the power to deny him. Curiously, she found that she had no desire to try, but allowed her lips to warm in a wonderfully spontaneous response.

“Signore, please!”

Lucianna’s sharp voice pierced whatever mad fancy had seized this man. He lifted his head with an unsteady breath.

“Clo—”

Siri was certain no one could hear the whispered name but she. She felt a queer twinge of regret that she must disillusion him.

“I am Siri,” she said.

“Siri—?”

“Siriol de Calendri. You knew my brother, Simon Geraud.”

For a moment his fingers lingered on her chin, his dark eyes clouded with a mist of confusion.

“Simon.” He released her and stepped back a pace, then raised his hand to rub at his eyes. “Of course. You must forgive me. Your resemblance to—someone I knew—is remarkable.”

Thank you for stopping by. You can read more about Illuminations of the Heart on my website. And click here to find some more Sweet Saturday Samples.

Illuminations of the Heart (Historical Romance Novels) is available at Amazon.