Sweetening the Contest Pot

What I'm reading: Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle; Finding Hope by Katie Reus

If you're taking advantage of the long weekend for the July 4th holiday, have a great one. Normally, I tried to avoid purely promotional posts on this blog, but heck. 1) It's a holiday and 2) It's my blog. And I wanted to share some good news.

A trip through my email inbox. First, I got a notice from The Wild Rose Press saying that NOWHERE TO HIDE is available for pre-orders in paperback. I wasn't expecting that so soon; the release date is officially July 16th, and that's when the digital versions are out. Normally, print comes after digital. So that was good news. You can buy it here.

Then, I was surprised to find an email from "Got Romance Reviews" saying they'd posted a review of NOWHERE TO HIDE. I never expect these before the book is actually released. I opened the email and learned that the site was actually "Got Erotic Romance." Now, I know the publisher casts a wide net for reviews, but I don't write erotic romance. Yes, I have sex-on-the-page, but usually one or two scenes per book, and then, only after my characters have earned it – usually at least halfway through the book. So what was I going to find?




Of course, I couldn't let the email just sit there, so I opened it and found it was a link to the review. Still no idea about what it said. With even more trepidation, I clicked the link.

Fearing the worst, I started reading. I'd never seen this review site before, so I wasn't familiar with how they ranked books. My spirits lifted when I saw 4 ½ Diamonds (and I checked to make sure that was out of 5, not 10!). I scrolled through the review itself, and then came to the last paragraph.

The plot is an interesting twist on a police procedural, giving the reader an insider’s view of the workings of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. But the main appeal of the book is the characters. They are layered and complex—real people with real emotions. The author has taken care to show Colleen and Graham’s developing love affair as much more than just sex. As a result, when they do make love it’s the culmination of an emotional journey from pain to joy.

Okay, so THAT'S what the book is actually about. Characters. Relationships. And I'm delighted that the reviewer understood that and wasn't simply evaluating the sexual content. You can read the entire review here. And they even gave me a cute icon to display.

I believe in sharing the good stuff. So, I'm going to sweeten the contest pot by adding a download of NOWHERE TO HIDE to a lucky winner. Remember, it costs nothing to enter—no purchase necessary. First, go to my Smashwords Page. Then, to enter, all you have to do is email me (DON'T post it here in the comments!) and tell me the color of Amanda's hair in Coping Mechanisms, and the color of the bed sheets in Words. No purchase necessary to find the answers. Put Smashwords Contest in the Subject line. And I'm extending the deadline to July 16th, the official release day for NOWHERE TO HIDE. Who knows? If responses are good, maybe I'll throw in a print copy, too.

And tomorrow, you're in for a treat. My guest, Elspeth Antonelli, has a fantastic blog where she often posts pictorial essays. She's got one for us, so make sure you come back.

Thanks for taking time out of your holiday weekend! I'll be back Wednesday with a more "appropriate" Terry's Place post.