Favorite Heroines Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Favorite Heroine Giveaway Hop, hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.  We're sharing our favorite kickass heroines with you! So come join the fun, meet some awesome ladies, and find out why they're the best of the best. 

I have always been a huge fan of strong, kickass heroines, which is why you will find one in every novel or novella I write.  As much as I love horror movies, those that feature women who trip over their own feet, then lie there and whimper as the murderer or monster slowly walks toward them always make me roll my eyes and sigh.  Either that or shout, "Oh, come on!  He's moving so slowly you can't even consider it a stroll!  Get up and run already!"  :-)  

So today I thought I would introduce you to Alyssa, the heroine of A Sorceress of His Own, the first book in my new series The Gifted Ones.  Alyssa is as tough as they come, even riding into battle alongside the hero.  She will always be favorite of mine not just for this reason, but also because her book inspired my Immortal Guardians series and the kickass women those books feature.  :-)

A USA TODAY Bestseller

Amazon • Audible • Kindle • iBooks • Kobo • Nook

Amazon UK • Amazon Canada

Since the day Lord Dillon earned his spurs, rumors of his savagery on the battlefield have preceded him into every room, stilling tongues and sparking fear. Weary of battle, he wishes only to find a woman he can wed who will approach him not with fear, but with the tenderness that has been absent from his life for so long. Yet only the wisewoman seems invariably at ease in his presence. Perhaps because she garners the same fear in others that he does himself.

For seven years, Alyssa has been by Lord Dillon's side, counseling him from the shadows, healing him with her hands, and staving off the worst of his loneliness while his fearsome reputation keeps others at bay. Blessed—or cursed—with gifts that label her a sorceress, she is forced to conceal her youth and the love she harbors for him beneath umbral robes that lead Dillon and his people to believe she is the same aged wisewoman who served his father.

All is revealed, however, and passions flare when an enemy threatens Dillon's life and Alyssa sacrifices everything to save him. When Dillon discovers that the wisewoman is far from elderly, he is instantly entranced. And, as he and Alyssa work together to defeat an enemy bent on destroying them both, Dillon will risk anything—even the wrath of his king—to be with her.

My Giveaway

A kindle copy of A Sorceress of His Own.  Note:  If you don't have a kindle, you can still read it on your iPad, iPod, computer, etc.  Amazon offers free kindle software and app downloads.)

Details

The Raining Romance Books Giveaway Hop runs from June 17, 2015, 12:00am EST through June 24, 2015, 11:59pm EST.  My giveaway is open to anyone who can receive a kindle book from Amazon.com.  (I've run into problems in the past gifting books from Amazon's foreign retailer sites.)

Mandatory entry

Leave a comment on this post during the hop (please include your email address) and tell me who one or two of your favorite heroines are.  :-)  Also mention extra entries.   

Extra entries

For extra entries you may do any or all of the following, but be sure to mention them in your comment.



+1  Follow my blog. 

+1  Like My Facebook Page.

+1  Share my giveaway on Facebook.

+1  Follow me on Twitter.

+1  Share my giveaway on Twitter.

+1  Friend or Follow me on tsu.

+1  Share my giveaway on tsu.

Selecting a Winner

I will use random.org to choose my prize winner after verifying all entries and will announce it here by Friday, June 26th.  If the winner's email address is included in her/his comment, I will email her/him, too.  The winner will have one week to contact me.

Have Fun on the Hop!

Favorite Quote Friday—A Sorceress of His Own Sneak Peek

Happy Friday!  This was another great week.  :-)

Thank you, all of my friends in the UK, for pre-ordering A Sorceress of His Own, the first book in my new series The Gifted Ones.  You've made it a #1 New Release in Medieval Historical Romance on Amazon.co.uk!!  Woohoo!!!

The good news doesn't end there.  My A SORCERESS OF HIS OWN PRE-ORDER EXTRAVAGANZA is still going on.  And I'm happy to say that—with your help—I've passed the 4500 pre-orders milestone.  Hooray!!  As you know, I'm thanking readers by giving away goodies every 500 pre-orders (prize packs at the 500 marks and gift cards at the 1000 marks).  

And the winner of the next prize pack is . . . Sonja Enser!  Congratulations!!  This prize pack includes an awesome A Sorceress of His Own canvas tote bag, a signed copy of Night Unbound (Immortal Guardians Book 5), a pen, a magnet, 3 postcards, 8 bookmarks, and 8 trading cards.

Next, I'll give away a $50 Amazon Gift Card when I reach the 5000 pre-order milestone.

TO ENTER:  Pre-order A Sorceress of His Own before June 2nd, then fill out this form — http://bit.ly/1DQTXTd.  You can find buy links (and the special limited time low price) under the book cover below.  :-)

Thank you so much for your pre-orders!  They're so important to authors.  I appreciate every single one and hope you'll enjoy the new series!

And, on the home front, I'm going to finally find time to transplant my seedlings this weekend.  We had the most wonderful cloudy day yesterday with a lovely cool breeze that was strong enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay.  I'm hoping the nice weather will continue while I get my hands dirty.  :-)

An Amazon #1 Best Seller

Special Pre-Order Price — $2.99

(50% of Reg. Retail Price — $5.99)

Kindle • iBooks • Kobo • Nook

"Book after book, Duvall brings her readers complex,

fascinating tales of romance, danger and loyalty."
—RT Book Reviews

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Less than a month to go until the June 2nd release of A Sorceress of His Own.  Yay!  So I thought I would give you another peek into its pages today.  The following is a narrative quote told from the POV of Alyssa, the heroine:

His large, rough, battle-scarred hand gripped hers with an almost desperate need for contact.  Or mayhap reassurance.  One would think that, after seven years of serving him, such a simple touch would no longer speed her pulse or make her breath catch.  Yet, as always, she had to struggle to keep her hand from trembling within his grasp.

I know I say this every week, but I'm so excited about the new series!  I hope you'll enjoy it!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne

Favorite Quote Friday #167—A SORCERESS OF HIS OWN First Look!

Happy Friday!  Only two months to go until the release of A Sorceress of His Own, the first book in my new series The Gifted Ones.  Woohoo!!  Thank you so much, everyone who has pre-ordered a copy!  This is the first time I've had access to Pre-Order numbers, and I can't tell you how much it means to me each time I see the numbers rise.

And thank you, too, everyone who has helped me get the word out about it!  Writers today have to wear so many hats that it can be hard to reach everyone we would like to with news when we don the Marketing and Promotion hat.  You've all been such a great help!  I appreciate it so much!!

And, speaking of help . . .  Here are some of the goodies I'm getting together to send to my Street Team manager.  So far my care package includes signed paperback copies of Night Unbound, hundreds of postcards, bookmarks, and trading cards, signed Night Unbound cover flats, and A Sorceress of His Own magnets.  Usually, by the time I'm finished putting these packages together, I can barely lift the box.  LOL.

There's still time to enter to win an Amazon Gift Card in the Raining Romance Books Giveaway Hop!  The hop will last through April 18th and offers a prize at every stop!  You can find my post HERE.

Coming June 2, 2015

Only $2.99 for a Limited Time

An Amazon #1 Bestseller

Kindle • iTunes • Kobo • Nook

It's time once more for Favorite Quote Friday!  Today, I thought I would give you a peek into the pages of A Sorceress of His Own.  If this is your first time hearing about it, Alyssa—the heroine—was the first gifted one (someone born with special gifts or abilities ordinary humans lack) I created.  In the following quote, she is speaking with the hero, Lord Dillon, Earl of Westcott:

“You must not say such things when they are not true.” 

“But they are true,” he insisted.  “You are touching me.”  He brought one of her hands to his cheek and held it there.  “Can you not see the truth in my words?  Can you not feel it?” 

She stared at him, unspeaking. 

“Alyssa?” 

“I cannot think clearly when you touch me,” she whispered. 

His heart skipped a beat.  He could feel hers pounding wildly against his chest.  “You must forgive me.” 

“For what?” 

His head dipped.  “For this.”

I'm so happy to bring you their story!!  

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne

Cover Reveal & Launch of a New Series!!!

Happy Friday!  Remember the exciting news I said I would share with you soon?  Well here it is:  I'm launching a new series!!!

THE GIFTED ONES

Book 1

Coming June 2, 2015

50% off—just $2.99—for a limited time!

Pre-Order Today!

Kindle • iTunes • Kobo

Blurb

Since the day Lord Dillon earned his spurs, rumors of his savagery on the battlefield have preceded him into every room, stilling tongues and sparking fear.  Weary of battle, he wishes only to find a woman he can wed who will approach him not with fear, but with the tenderness that has been absent from his life for so long.  Yet only the wisewoman seems invariably at ease in his presence.  Perhaps because she garners the same fear in others that he does himself.  

For seven years, Alyssa has been by Lord Dillon’s side, counseling him from the shadows, healing him with her hands, and staving off the worst of his loneliness while his fearsome reputation keeps others at bay.  Blessed—or cursed—with gifts that label her a sorceress, she is forced to conceal her youth and the love she harbors for him beneath umbral robes that lead Dillon and his people to believe she is the same aged wisewoman who served his father.  

All is revealed, however, and passions flare when an enemy threatens Dillon’s life and Alyssa sacrifices everything to save him.  When Dillon discovers that the wisewoman is far from elderly, he is instantly entranced.  And, as he and Alyssa work together to defeat an enemy bent on destroying them both, Dillon will risk anything—even the wrath of his king—to be with her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Isn't the cover beautiful?  I love it!

One of the questions I'm asked most often as a writer is what inspired my Immortal Guardians series.  Well, the easy answer is:  this book, A Sorceress of His Own.  There were, of course, other sources of inspiration:  a documentary on the water bear, research into possible explanations for the emergence of vampire folklore, and a biography of King George, to name a few.  But, long before Sarah Bingham rescued Roland Warbrook with her trusty shovel in Darkness Dawns, I wrote A Sorceress of His Own . . . and the gifted ones were born.

Alyssa, the heroine of A Sorceress of His Own, was the first gifted one I created.  And she, along with Seth, Roland and Marcus—all of whom appear in this book—fired my imagination and inspired many of the what ifs that drove me to create my Immortal Guardians.  I am so incredibly excited to bring you Alyssa’s story now. I hope you will enjoy it.  And, for those who have read my Immortal Guardians books, I hope you will enjoy seeing Marcus as a mortal teenaged squire.  You'll meet Bethany—the woman he loved for eight hundred years–in the sequel.  ;-)

This book WILL also be available both on Nook and in print.  And, to celebrate the launch of the new series, I've placed the books on sale—half price—for a limited time, so make sure you pre-order a copy to lock in the low price!  :-)

I plan to celebrate A Sorceress of His Own going up for pre-order by holding a giveaway this weekend over on Facebook.  I'm thinking . . . maybe a gift card?  

So drop by and join the fun!  And congratulations to the ladies who won my latest IG swag pack giveaways on Facebook and on tsu!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dianne