Romance isn't about flowers and hot sex? #Romancing the HopBlogHop

Romance is Being Part of a Team



    This is going to sound soooo unromantic coming from a romance author, but I think that often romance isn’t about flowers and jewelry. Not even about a spicy bedroom life or passionate kisses.

    Often, the most romantic thing about a relationship is being a team. Individually, each partner is pretty good. Together, they can be downright unstoppable. You know that expression “two heads are better than one?” Well, what if those two “heads” were not only committed intellectually, but also romantically? That bond—that close-in-a-way-you’ve-never-been-with-anyone-else-bond—can be the force that makes it easier to get things done.

    Whether it’s dealing with a personal battle, brainstorming ideas for a book (yep, my awesome hubby does this for me!), painting a room, or making an important financial decision, working as a team can strengthen a relationship and bring more power to a situation.

    Of course, flowers, jewelry and passion add a nice layer to the team. Showing you care, and that you’re thinking of the other person even when they’re not around, is very romantic, too!

    What makes your relationship romantic? I’d love to hear from you!! Leave a comment, and you'll be entered to win in lots of awesome ways:

1. $5 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift certificate! I'll pick one commenter (chosen by random.org) from all comments left between now and midnight September 3rd from my blog.

2. Blog Hop prizes! Your comment here also makes you eligible for:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Large Swag Pack (open to U.S. only)

 

Check out all the particpants in A Romancing the Hop Blog Hop  The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to win a Kindle Fire/Nook Color Grand Prize, $130 gift card, and large swag pack. PLEASE COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so we know how to contact you.

Thanks very much for stopping by!

Joya's Books:
Amazon   Barnes and Noble  The Wild Rose Press
 

 

Check out all the participating bloggers in Romancing the Hop Blog Hop. The more you visit and comment, the higher your chances of winning the grand prize. Please remember to leave your email address.
 



CONJURE cover reveal! #LeaNolan

   The highly anticipated cover for Lea Nolan’s upcoming novel CONJURE is here and it’s a beauty! After you finish drooling over the intriguing design, be sure to check out the blurb.

   And if that’s not exciting enough, Lea’s offering a giveaway today. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

About CONJURE: Be careful what you search for…

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

 

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.

Where to find Lea:

CONJURE on Goodreads

Lea's Website 

Lea on Twitter  

 

 

CODE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lack of Air Conditioning Turned Me Into a Reader!

I'm the guest author today at Long and Short Reviews! We're celebrating LASR's 5th Anniversary! Hope you'll stop by to find out how the lack of air conditioning turned me into an avid reader. Comment for a chance to win Amazon gift certificates.

Click here:  Joya's Guest Post on LASR

Long and Short Reviews Anniversary Celebration

Michael Phelps and I are Book Title Twins!

Joya's Beneath the Surface Buy Link

Phelps' Beneath the Surface Buy Link

   Beneath the Surface! A fitting name for Michael Phelps' autobiography since he's spent so much of his life under water. Also a fitting name for my debut romantic suspense because Brooke Richards, the heroine of my debut romantic suspense, is an underwater archaeologist who spends a great deal of time under the water's surface, too.
   To celebrate my *book twin's* Olympic swimming successes, I'm giving away a swag pack (pictured below) for each Olympic medal that Phelps wins at the 2012 Summer Olympics!! Go, Michael, Go! I hope I give away lots of swag packs!

Joya's swag pack includes tote bag, pen, autographed
bookmark, Romance Trading Cards, pens and
sticky notepad.

Rules:
Leave a comment here on my blog telling me about your favorite Olympic moment so far (be sure to leave your email so I can contact you) to enter.  That's it!! Winners will be drawn August 13th. Contest is open to US only.

Thanks so much for stopping by, enjoy the Olympics, and hope you're reading lots of books this summer, including any and all versions of BENEATH THE SURFACE!

Cover Reveal: LM Preston's THE PACK

Please welcome my friend and fellow Maryland Writers’ Association member LM Preston to the blog today for her cover reveal of the new edition of THE PACK.

LM Preston is a YA Science Fiction Author. She loves to blog about books, movies, writing, teen topics and more. Check out this awesome release information:

The Pack (Book 1) Cover Reveal for New Edition. The Pack-Retribution (Book 2) available for review via netgalley.com, comes out in print this September, 2012 and the publisher updated the cover of The Pack to match.

The Pack

Description:

Shamira is considered an outcast by most, but little do they know that she is on a mission. Kids on Mars are disappearing, but Shamira decides to use the criminals most unlikely weapons against them the very kids of which they have captured. In order to succeed, she is forced to trust another, something she is afraid to do. However, Valens, her connection to the underworld of her enemy, proves to be a useful ally. Time is slipping, and so is her control on the power that resides within her. But in order to save her brother's life, she is willing to risk it all.

Praise for THE PACK

- I was most impressed by the author's world building abilities. Mars felt real right from the beginning. I gave it to one of my sons to read. lHe did tell me that "the fighting moves were interesting" and he thought "her sword and weapons were cool.".~By Kristien Howell

- A treasure for scifi readers ~ Midwest Reviews

-This sci-fi for YA jets along, full of action and humor and pathos and even a bit of romance. ~Darby Karchut


Excerpt:

She decided then and there that she would give the Security Force just two days before she would attempt to find him herself. Kids of various Security Force Elite members and the Mars Planet Police were sporadically kidnapped over the years, never to turn up again. Shamira swore she would find them and bring pain to those that took them. As she sat there daydreaming of what she would do to those who hurt the missing kids and Officer McCann, she heard a crack. Without realizing she was doing it, she’d pressed her fork so hard onto her plate that the plate snapped in two.

Purchase your copy here:

AMAZON   Barnes & Noble   Books A Million  Smashwords