Friday, January 20, 2017

News, a Giveaway, and a Favorite Quote

Happy Friday!  It looks like a lot of us experienced some pretty wild weather this week.  I hope you all stayed safe.  It stormed for hours here a few days ago.  You know how much I love thunderstorms.  The noisier the better.  And this one was pretty noisy.  So I had a great writing day.  More than one actually, since it rained the next day as well.  I don't know what it is about storms, but they really spark my creativity.



I'm very happy with the way Aidan's book is coming along.  Aidan and his heroine are entertaining me as much as Ethan and Heather did in Shadows Strike.  :-)  And some very interesting things are brewing in the Immortal Guardians world.  

Pretty cryptic, right?  πŸ˜€  I know.  I'm rather obsessive when it comes to avoiding the mention of anything that might be considered a spoiler.  I have some fun quotes in mind, though, for future Favorite Quote Fridays.  πŸ˜‰



Which reminds me . . .  

A lot of readers have been asking if I have a newsletter.  I don't have one at this time, but—because of the many requests—was thinking about starting one.  I can't have both a blog and a newsletter, because it would take too much time away from writing.  So I thought I would ask:


Which do you prefer—Newsletter or Blog?

If you prefer newsletters, how often do you
like to receive them from authors?

I'm always interested in your thoughts.



Since Facebook continues to limit the reach of Author Pages, I've begun to mention posts here and provide links in case you missed the fun and would like to join the conversation.  Here are some of my latest posts:







I'll also be giving away two more Immortal Guardians and The Gifted Ones Swag Packs on my page this weekend, just for fun.  So if you'd like one, hop over to My Author Page and enter to win!



More fantastic reviews continue to roll in for Rendezvous with Yesterday.  I'm so glad readers are enjoying Robert and Bethany's story.  And I'm particularly thrilled to see so many readers who don't usually care for time travel romance giving it 5-star reviews.  πŸ˜Š  Here are a few of the latest on Amazon:

"Wow!  If you like time travel romance, you should definitely read this. It's so different than all the rest out there! I enjoyed it so much . . ."
— CharlotteSP

"Great second installment in the gifted ones series . . . Can’t wait for the next one."
— Katrina

"Dianne Duvall has created an amazing fantasy world . . . The whole series is absolutely captivating from beginning to end."
— K. Smith

"Very entertaining, loved all the characters in the book."
— Monica Lindemann

"This story was perfect. The characters were perfect. Can I please have my very own Robert . . ."
— Milagos

"Best book this year!  One of my favorites."
— cyn




It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Today I thought I would share a snippet from Rendezvous with Yesterday.  If you're unfamiliar with The Gifted Ones series, Dillon and Alyssa (who can heal with her hands) are the hero and heroine of A Sorceress of His Own (Book 1) and Robert and Bethany are the hero and heroine of Rendezvous with Yesterday (Book 2).
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Chuckling, Robert drew Beth up against his side and kissed her hair.  “The day has been a long one, love.”

“For all of us,” Alyssa added, kindly wiping the shock from her expression.  “May I congratulate you, Lady Bethany, on your victory over Robert’s men?  My husband told me of your contest.”

“Thank you.  And please, call me Beth.”

“Then you must call me Alyssa.”  She smiled.  “I wish I could have been here to see Sir Faudron’s and Sir Stephen’s expressions.”

They turned as one to look across the hall at Stephen just as little Ian’s wooden sword hit Stephen squarely in the groin.  Dropping his own sword, the irascible warrior slammed his knees together, cupped himself with both hands, and—whimpering—toppled over onto the floor.

Robert and Dillon both winced.

Beth pursed her lips.  “Too bad he wasn’t still wearing his armor.”

Michael and the other men in the great hall found it wildly amusing, their laughter swelling and echoing off the walls.  

Alyssa narrowed her eyes at Dillon.  “Do not dare laugh.”

“I would not,” he said with a grimace.  “Ian has done the same to me on numerous occasions.”

Robert grunted.  “I will not ask if Alyssa healed you with her hands.”

Alyssa’s cheeks flushed while Dillon donned a naughty grin.

“Perhaps now would be a good time for us to retire to the solar,” Beth suggested brightly, hoping to alleviate the other woman’s embarrassment.

The others agreed, and—with lighter spirits all around—they exited the great hall.
_________________________________

Have a wonderful weekend!  I'll be spending mine with my Immortal Guardians. 😊

Dianne

Friday, January 6, 2017

News, Reviews, & Favorite Quote Friday

Happy Friday!  The first week of 2017 has been a productive one for me, as was the last week of 2016.  I’m loving Aidan’s book (Immortal Guardians Book 7).  I think Aidan and his heroine have made me laugh as much as Ethan and Heather did in Shadows Strike.  :-) 


I also got an idea for what I think will be a great Immortal Guardians novella.  And this time, since I’m not going to traditionally publish it, I won’t have to adhere to a word count.  For the first two, I was given a word count limit of 20,000—25,000 words (or 80–100 manuscript pages), which I admit I exceeded both times.  LOL!  But now there will be no limits, so I’m even more eager to write it.  

I’ll keep you in suspense as far as who the hero will be.  And for those who have already begun asking, I intend to finish Aidan's book first.  I don’t like to work on two projects at once, so—once I start one—I keep going until I finish it.  :-)



I also received more good news from Kimberly at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.  A Sorceress of His Own made her Top Ten Romances of 2016 list.  Woohoo!!  Here's what she had to say:

"I loved this tale from the setting to the characters.  Duvall is an auto-buy for me.  Dillon and Alyssa are one couple you'll want to spend time with."

You can read her full review HERE.



If you don't have a business page on Facebook, then you may not know that Facebook is letting fewer and fewer of the people who like an author/business page see that page's posts in their feed.  So I've begun to post links here to some of my posts for those who may have missed them.  :-)  Here are the most popular recent posts:


I also thought I'd kick off the new year with a giveaway this weekend over on Facebook.  You can find it on My Author Page.  


A USA Today Bestseller
eBook
Kindle • iBooks • Kobo • Nook • Amazon UK
Paperback
Audiobook

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Since A Sorceress of His Own was on my mind a lot this week, I thought I would share a narrative quote from it today:
His eyes returned to her face, taking in every detail of her features, struggling to come to terms with the fact that this lovely young woman was the same treasured friend and companion who had been by his side for the past seven years.  The same one who had seen through his formidable facade to the quiet man beneath.  Who had advised him so wisely, never once thinking him weak for seeking her counsel.  Who had argued with him, challenged him, comforted him, brought laughter into his life, and been there for him in so many ways.   
The wisewoman had possessed every quality he desired in a bride save youth. 
Now she possessed that, too.
Have a wonderful weekend!  And stay warm.  It looks like it may be a chilly one for many of us.  Perfect weather for curling up with a good book in front of a crackling fire.  :-)

Dianne

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Happy New Year!


I know 2016 was a tough year for many.  I admit it was a particularly challenging year for me.  So I'd like to thank you all for the countless times you made me smile with comments, messages, emails, reviews, and more and the many times you made me laugh.  I'm so glad I've been able to make some of you laugh and smile as well. 

I hope 2017 will bring you and yours great happiness, health, love, laughter, and prosperity. :-)


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One thing I've always loved about the holiday season is the lighting.  Since much of that is taken down shortly after we ring in the new year, I thought I'd share some of the lovely displays that caught my eye this year.






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I'd also like to thank Kimberly, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, for choosing A Sorceress of His Own as one of her Top 10 Favorite Audiobook Listens of 2016.


That was such a wonderful surprise and a great way to end my year.  :-)

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Have a fantastic week!

Dianne