Sunday, December 29, 2013

12 Smart & Savvy Days of Christmas - Day 9, Day 10 & Day 11


 
 
Hi! Thanks for stopping by and joining in the celebration!
 
 
On the ninth, tenth & eleventh days of Christmas, Stephanie gave to me...a triple feature!
 
Featured Authors: Megan Crane, Jane Porter & Melissa McClone
Featured Books: Tempt Me, Cowboy (Megan Crane), Home For Christmas (Melissa McClone), Take Me, Cowboy & Christmas At Copper Mountain (Jane Porter)
Giveways: E-books by Megan, Jane & Melissa
 
 
Megan Crane
 
 

Stephanie: What Christmas movies are a must watch?

Megan: I like to watch Love, Actually and A Christmas Story.  And if I'm really feeling the holiday spirit, A Sound of Music.

 

Stephanie: Fresh or fake Christmas tree?

Megan: Fresh!  I love how it fills the house with that lovely scent!


Stephanie:  I personally have on my wish list to visit New York and London during the holidays to see each city lit up and decorated. Do you have any place you'd like to see during the holidays?

Megan: I have seen both New York and London at this time of year, and they're gorgeous.  Now I live in California where it's never cold enough or lit up enough to suit me… so I suppose I have to do my best to make my living room pick up the slack!

 
Stephanie: Would you rather have a winter Christmas or summer Christmas ?

Megan: Winter, hands down.  My family celebrates Christmas in Vermont with snow and sleigh rides… I really need to book a trip back home to enjoy that!

Stephanie: Do you read outside the genre that you write? If so, what genres?

Megan: My favorites are paranormal, romantic suspense, erotica, and mysteries.

 
Stephanie: Are you from a reading family?

Megan: Oh, yes.  It's not uncommon to find lots of us sitting around reading on a lazy afternoon at some family gathering or another.  We're all big readers--and there are a lot of us!

Stephanie: What do you prefer e-book, paperback or hardcover?

Megan: All of the above.
 

Stephanie: What's your favorite place and or time to read ?

Megan: After I've handed a book in, so I have nothing I ought to be doing instead.  In front of the fire.  Bliss.
 

Megan's All Time Favorites!
 
Television Show: My all-time favorite show is Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Color: I'm a fan of blue: oceans, summer skies, my true love's eyes.
Book, Song, Movie: The rest is subject to change at that next great book or song or movie.



 Jane Porter
 
 
 
Stephanie: What Christmas movies are a must watch?

Jane: White Christmas and Holiday Inn.  I love the old fashion musicals!

Stephanie: Fresh or fake Christmas tree?

Jane: Fresh, fresh, fresh!  (But I do have a fake one for the Hawaii house!)

Stephanie: I personally have on my wish list to visit New York and London during the holidays to see each city lit up and decorated. Do you have any place you'd like to see during the holidays?

Jane: I love Germany during the holidays.  Two years ago I took my then 13 year old to Munich for the christkindlmarkt, and would love to go back next year and visit Nuremberg's, as I used to live there as a thirteen year old.

Stephanie: What was the best and worst gift you have ever received?

Jane: Best gift was my baby boy on Dec 22nd one year and the worst gift?  A butter dish that my brother gave me every single year.  He's a very funny guy.

Stephanie: Would you rather have a winter Christmas or summer Christmas ?

Jane: Winter Christmas with snow!  (But I usually end up in Hawaii since my husband has a surf school there and needs to work during the holidays.)
 

Stephanie: Do you read outside the genre that you write? If so, what genres?

Jane: I read historical romance and paranormals, but my fav is historical because nobody gets hurt (well, dresses to get damaged and reputations bruised) but they are romantic and hopeful and beautifully written without gore and violence.  But I am addicted to Kresley Cole and JR Ward paranormals. 

Stephanie: Are you from a reading family?

Jane: Yes.  My mom and dad were huge readers and my older brother was a sci fi/fantasy reader when we were kids and I read everything I could get my hands on.  My sister and older brother still read voraciously.  Sadly, my sons aren't big readers.  At least not yet.

Stephanie: What do you prefer e-book, paperback or hardcover?

Jane: Paperback is preferred, then ebook, and hardcover last.

Stephanie: What's your favorite place and or time to read ?

Jane: Airplanes, hotels, vacation, bed, couch…but I have a hard time reading at home when on deadline.  Just can't unplug from my own book enough to read then.

Stephanie: When you have a new book go “live” on release date, how do you feel? Nervous, excited?

Jane: Excited. Not nervous since the work is done.  But I'm, hopeful.   I want readers to love it as much as I loved writing it.


Jane's All Time Favorites!

Song: U2's Pride (In the Name of Love)
Book:  Little Women
Movie:  Shanghai Noon …love Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson together!
Television Show:  can't remember an all time fav, but I do love all the reality series with singing and dancing
Color:  red
 


 

Melissa McClone

 


 

Stephanie: What Christmas movies are a must watch?

 

 

Melissa: I'm a Christmas movie junkie so this is a hard question for me to answer. But my must watch list included: The Christmas Card, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn and It's A Wonderful Life.
 
Stephanie: Fresh or fake Christmas tree?
 
Melissa: We have a fake tree. I have very mixed feelings about this given we live in the Pacific Northwest and drive past tree farms daily. But a few years ago, my husband had knee surgery in November. He was still on crutches in December so cutting down a tree, as was our tradition, wasn't going to happen. I decided to get a fake one that year and we'd use it on the porch or upstairs in an arched window next year. That Christmas was the first year I didn't get sick. I realized I was allergic to something with a live tree so we've continued using the fake one.
 
Stephanie: I personally have on my wish list to visit New York and London during the holidays to see each city lit up and decorated. Do you have any place you'd like to see during the holidays?
 
Melissa: I've been to New York at Christmastime. That's where we spent my oldest child's first Christmas visiting my husband's family. It was lovely with the lights and decoration. I'm a homebody when it comes to the holiday, but I'd really like to visit Disneyland sometime between Thanksgiving and New Years to see their decorations. <~~~Disneyland is awesome at Christmas time! -Stephanie
 
Stephanie: Would you rather have a winter Christmas or summer Christmas?
 
 
Melissa: Winter Christmas! I've had summer Christmases growing up in California and white Christmases after we moved to Spokane, Washington when I was in junior high school. For me nothing beats a white Christmas. It's hit or miss whether we get Christmas snow (or any white stuff) where I live now, but that's always on my Christmas list!
 
Stephanie: Do you read outside the genre that you write? If so, what genres?
 
 
Melissa: I have always read outside of the genre. I love to read thrillers, fantasy and an occasional horror.
 
Stephanie: Are you from a reading family?
 
Melissa: We are most definitely a reading family. All five of us (two adults and three kids) have Kindles and books are everywhere in the house.
 
Stephanie: What do you prefer e-book, paperback or hardcover?
 
Melissa: I have a Kindle Fire HD that my husband gave me a year ago so I'm finally reading eBooks. Until then it was only paperbacks (my preferred reading though e-book is much easier for me). Hardcovers are saved for my favorite authors such as Nelson DeMille.
 
Stephanie: What's your favorite place and or time to read ?
 
Melissa: If I have free time, I don't care where I am, I'll read. But if I could choose, I love to read in our red chair in the Great Room while the dogs sleep at my feet and a cat or two are on the ottoman and the chair back.
 
Stephanie: When you have a new book go “live” on release date, how do you feel? Nervous, excited?
 
Melissa: Release days are a mix of emotion for me—anticipation, nerves, excitement. You have no idea the response you'll get or if anyone will want to read your "baby." It's like sending your child off to school for the first time. You want to let them go, but a part of you wants to hold onto them and keep them home. I just sent my two youngest kids, 5th and 8th graders, to full-time school this year after homeschooling for five years and the feelings were more intense than a release day, but similar!
 
 
Melissa's All Time Favorites!

Song: Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison
Book: The Stand by Stephen King
Movie:  Star Wars
Television Show: Battlestar Galactica (the original one)
Color:  Red


 
 
Today, instead of featuring just one book, we are going to feature books from all three of our featured authors. They all have stories in Montana Born Books Copper Mountain/Marietta, Montana series. If you love small town settings and cowboys you'll definitely want to check them out! 
 

Buy It On Amazon

Too much temptation…
 
Chelsea Collier wants nothing more than to save the old depot built by her railway baron ancestor and turn it into a museum—until it’s sold out from under her!
 
Jasper Flint made himself filthy rich in the Texas oil business by the age of 35. Now he wants a quieter life and building a microbrewery in Marietta, Montana is the perfect project.
 
Neither one of them knows what to do with the passion that explodes between them! But Chelsea knows a man like Jasper will never stay in one place for too long. Can he convince her that this time, he means to stay?





  


Ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon...the smells of Christmas. The smells of home.


Buy It On Amazon

Rachel Murphy longs for home and family. Since childhood, she's dreamed of owning her own pastry shop, but after being burned by a celebrity chef and losing her new bakery in Arizona, Rachel's spending the holidays with her brother in Montana. To keep her dream alive, she's creating custom gingerbread houses and selling them around town. All she needs is a bigger kitchen...and to stay away from her brother's handsome boss.

 

Former venture capitalist Nate Vaughn has embraced his inner cowboy and now runs a successful dude ranch where Rachel's brother works. Nate's commercial kitchen is perfect for Rachel's baking needs, and seeing the cute blonde's business acumen, Nate knows she'd be the perfect partner for a new venture. When he makes her an offer she can't refuse, he discovers he's interested in more than her gingerbread.

While Nate could make her dreams come true, Rachel's heart, as well as her head, tells her mixing business with anything else could be a recipe for disaster. Should she return to Arizona, and leave Nate and her new eager-for-more customers behind? Or can Nate convince her that, here with him in the mountains of Montana, she's already home? For Christmas...forever.

 

 

 
Buy It On Amazon
When Jenny Wright’s fiancé leaves her standing at the altar in a Vera Wang bridal gown she can’t afford, she’s humiliated and heartbroken. To have Marietta hero bull riding champ Colton Thorpe witness her shame – makes the rejection even more devastating.

Jenny and Colton grew up in the same rough neighborhood and they both left home right after school to pursue big dreams. Now they’re both back, with Colton as the celebrity chair for the 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo, and Jenny in disgrace.

Sexy, rugged Colton didn’t get to be a national champion by chance. He’s a man that takes risks and goes after what he wants. During the rodeo weekend, Colton makes it clear he wants Jenny. Flustered but flattered, Jenny finds it difficult to resist his charm. But what happens when the rodeo ends and Colton leaves town? Will she dare to dream again?


 



Buy It On Amazon
Since the loss of her family in a plane crash, Harley Diekerhoff has led a quiet life and keeps to herself. Taking the temporary job at the Copper Mountain Ranch as widower Brock Sheenan’s housekeeper seems perfect for her. But her calm cocoon is invaded with the arrival of Brock’s pre-teen twins, Mack and Molly who’ve never experienced a proper Christmas and before she knows it, Harley’s determined to make their holiday perfect.

Annoyed at first by Harley’s interference, Brock is secretly pleased she’s changed Mack and Molly’s world. It doesn’t hurt that he finds Harley incredibly attractive, fierce, smart and passionate. It’s also an added bonus that she’s not afraid to challenge him and get his blood heated! But when sparks fly and the attractions sizzles between them, Harley’s not so sure she can handle something permanent with this dark, taciturn cowboy who doesn’t know how to let her in. But Brock is determined to hold on to her and praying for a Christmas miracle…
 
 



There will be four lucky winners for Days 9, 10 & 11!
 
Giveaway #1 - E-book of Tempt Me, Cowboy by Megan Crane



Open Internationally (as long as you can receive a gifted e-book from the US)
 
 
Giveaway #2 - E-book of Home For Christmas by Melissa McClone
 




 
Open Internationally (as long as you can receive a gifted e-book from the US)
 
 
Giveaway #3 - E-book Take Me, Cowboy by Jane Porter
 







 Open Internationally (as long as you can receive a gifted e-book from the US)
 
 
Giveaway #4 - E-book of Christmas At Copper Mountain by Jane Porter
 






 Open Internationally (as long as you can receive a gifted e-book from the US)
 
 
**All winners will be announced on January 1st**
  
 
 

10 Most Popular New Year Resolutions (via parade.com)

Lose weight
Improve your finances
Exercise
Get a new job
Eat healthier
Manage stress better
Stop smoking
Improve a relationship
Stop procrastinating
Set aside time for yourself
 
Are you planning to make any resolutions this year? If so, what are your goals?


 

Be sure to check out all 12 Smart & Savvy Days of Christmas for more great author & book features and giveaways! 









Day 1 ~ Day 2 ~ Days 3 & 4 ~ Day 5 ~ Day 6 ~ Day 7 

















 

 

 

 


 




 

15 comments:

  1. I've stopped doing resolutions.... I set goals

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  2. I don't do resolutions, but I have decided to start the new year the way I am ending the old one and that is being kinder to myself and to meet the goals I have set for myself.

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  3. I try not to do resolutions because many of them are a daily fight not just a yearly type of thing, and by not doing them as a resolution I don't get down on myself for not succeeded if I were to fail at one. I tend to beat myself up when I let myself down. I try to set goals that are reachable, instead of ones that aren't. I find it easier to meet my goals. I love all 3 of the authors you are featuring, in fact I just finished reading two of Melissa's books. Thank you for a chance to possibly win another book from any of them. B

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  4. i just try to make each year better than the one before.

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  5. I doesn't do me any good to make resolution because I don't stick with them. I always say I am going to loose some weight but it doesn't happen not much any way. I am going to get back into exercising more because I have slacked on that these past couple of months. I enter under the name of Virginia

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  6. My New Year's resolution is to get serious about starting my photography business. It's something I've wanted to do for a long, long time and have always put everyone else's needs and wants first, well this year I'm focusing on me.

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  7. I call them goals not resolutions. It always seems easier to break a resolution whereas a goal is more difficult to get out of. I'm going to make time for myself a priority this year because the last few years I've put everyone else before me.

    Lori P

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  8. Well I really don't call them resolutions but I am going to try and have a healthier 2014.

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  9. to read more books.have a wonderful week.

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  10. I am going to continue last years resolution - eat a salad a day. I hit this one for over 50 of the 52 weeks of the year. This year I am going to add carving out more family time (games, discussion, movies, etc.) The girls are getting big fast!

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  11. I just try to appreciate what is surrounding me.

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  12. Oh man I hate resolutions because I feel like if I make them and I fail to live up to them that would be a bad thing. Of course I always want to lose weight and get healthier.

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  13. I'd like to work on strengthening my marriage. There are some days I feel like more of a roommate than anything else and I'd like to change that. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  14. Stop procrastinating & lose weight. Thanks for the chance!

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