Saturday Smackdown: Fairy Tale Style

In honor of The Princess and the Frog today, our Saturday Smackdown features two classic princesses that have inspired generations of girls for more than half a century each. Arguably, since both are based on classic fairytales that are centuries older than their animated counterparts, their influence is considerable on classic and modern romantic literature.

Fairy Tales

The beauty of a fairy tale is the transcendence from everyday life to a magical place or time where happily ever after is not only possible, it is required. As a culture, we love fairy tales; we love the idea of the underdog triumphing, of true love's first kiss and of love at first sight. We believe in men who will slay dragons to be with the one they love and of men who see beyond the shallow and innocuous to the true beauty that is within. You will find all of these qualities in our two superb fairy tale contenders. However, it is up to you to choose which one is the better.

One lucky commentator will win a $10 gift certificate to Amazon next Saturday just in time for that last minute shopping!

Click here to read more and see how to enter

Sara Reyes | Celebrating the Holidays...with a tea!

Our book club has an annual Holiday tea. It's a great time and usually very memorable. Some of our members come to every activity and some come to most and some to just a few a year so the Holiday Tea is when we get to see all our friends. And we have fun. Our monthly teas take place in public establishments but our holiday tea is usually in one of our homes. We've toyed with having it in a public place -- less stress on the hostess -- but it always is better for us to have it in a home. We get noisy and happy.

The tea breaks down into four distinct parts: the tea, the checking out of the "goodies" or the door prizes, the book swap, and the White Elephant exchange. When it's at my house my daughter is in charge of the food. She sets the menu, makes the stuff and does all the fretting. She's getting very good at this, maybe not as fancy as some but the food is delicious, and no one goes home hungry! My men do all the heavy lifting (and the clean-up which is worth their weight in gold). So every thing looks pretty and stays under control. Somehow they manage to handle 35 odd people in our house on one noisy afternoon. This year the dogs are staying home too, but they'll be upstairs observing the festivities.

The part that makes our tea special is the big book trade and the "goodies." Members have been saving up books all year or now find the excuse to clean out a few bookcases so we have boxes and boxes and crates of books to trade. We strongly encourage everyone to bring a bag -- a big bag -- to take home their treasures. In addition, because most of our readers like to start at the beginning of a series, we have a couple of booksellers and collectors who put together series sets which are assembled to be sold as a fund raiser. We also have door prizes that include not-yet-released books which are a HUGE hit. And we also have beautifully wrapped book bundles that can be used as presents for others (or enjoyed by a reader). Each attendee also gets a BIG bag of bookmarks, notepads and other author supplied materials. All in all, every reader at the party goes away with a collection of book related goodies to keep them going through at least two weeks, maybe the rest of the year!

So I'm curious, do you have the opportunity to have a special celebration with your fellow readers during the holidays? If so, what is it? If not, then what would be your perfect celebration?

Until next time...

Get out there and READ a book...

Sara Reyes

DFW Tea Readers Group

Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 12-14, 2010!

To share our fortune, this weekend prize will be a collection of signed books from our giveaway collection. All thos who comment will be entered!

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: Come to Ashby and See

The Daily Dose
Smattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations

REMEMBERING ASHBY is a tale of love and passion that began as the backstory for the upcoming novel THE FORGOTTEN. As with all stories, it took on a life of its own. Melanie and Adam are very dear to my heart and their love story is one of sweet romance, rich history and tender passion. Today, I want to share this romance with someone you love. You may also enjoy the free short story that follows it and leads to the sequel. Discover Forget to Remember on my website.

REMEMBERING ASHBY

Peace among the clans has been nonexistent for the past centuries. But now that clan Lairds have decided to summon the God-touched people from their magical Isle to perform the rituals of Beltane to bless the peace talks between the clans, peace is within reach.

Melanie is honored to be chosen as one of six maidens to represent the Goddess at this important event. She is meant to be a vessel for the power of the Goddess while forgetting the failures of humanity during the festival. She knows should be concentrating on her part as a Maiden of the Hunt, yet she cannot banish the handsome Scot from her mind. Running in the Hunt is as sacred as the Goddess herself, and should her desires be known, there could be dire consequences for her and the clansman. However, she can’t find the will to deny his pull.

The mists of the Black Mountains enhance the excitement of their forbidden love while providing an escape from the Islanders encampment. Can they give in to their desires at the expense of their destinies?

Especially once The Sorcerer discovers their dalliance…

Click here to read more and learn how to win!

P.D. Martin | Readers Watch Their Plot Choices Come To Life

I admit, my latest project probably verges on madness – at the very least it’s
a little bit crazy...

A couple of weeks ago I launched a website called Coming Home – the start of a new book in my
Sophie Anderson series. But there’s one key difference...instead of writing this book in the "normal" way, each week you tell me how you want the next chapter to unfold, using different scenarios I put forward. At the end of the short voting period, majority rules and I’ll have six days to write that chapter.

Click to continue reading.

Fresh Pick | PLUM PUDDING MURDER by Joanne Fluke

Hannah Swensen #12

October 2009
On Sale: September 29, 2009
256 pages
ISBN: 0758210248
EAN: 9780758210241
Hardcover
$24.00

Mystery Woman Sleuth
Buy at Amazon.com

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

The yuletide season in Lake Eden, Minnesota, guarantees a white Christmas, delectable holiday goodies from Hannah Swensen's bakery, The Cookie Jar—and murder.

As a shadow hangs over her friends' Christmas wedding, Hannah's determined to cook a killer's goose before anyone else gets burned... The Cookie Jar's busiest time of the year also happens to be the most wonderful time...for Christmas cookies, Hannah's own special plum pudding—and romance!

Holiday orders are high, and Hannah's slated to provide dessert at the Reverend Knudsen's upcoming nuptials. She's busy as can be and loving it. She also gets a kick out of “Lunatic Larry Jaeger's Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot,” a kitschy carnival taking place smack-dab in the middle of the village green. Larry thinks he's crazy like a fox with his wild business schemes, but this time, the entrepreneur may have bitten off more than he can chew. Rumor has it that Larry's in the red—an idea that takes a sinister turn when Hannah discovers the man himself dead as a doornail in his own office...

It seems quite a few people would have liked to fill Larry's stocking with coal and then bash him with it— including his bitter ex-wife, his ex-partner's daughter, a woman he was wooing, and the Crazy Elf Tree lot's extremely exasperated investors...

Now, with so many suspects to investigate and the twelve days of Christmas ticking away, Hannah's running out of time to nab a murderous Scrooge who doesn't want her to see the New Year...

Previous Picks

Fresh Pick | THE SOLEMN LANTERN MAKER by Merlinda Bobis

November 2009
On Sale: October 27, 2009
Featuring: Noland
272 pages
ISBN: 038534113X
EAN: 9780385341134
Trade Size
$14.00

Fiction
Buy at Amazon.com

The Solemn Lantern Maker by Merlinda Bobis

From the award-winning author of Banana Heart Summer—“[a] wonderful debut…[that] resembles Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street and is destined to be a hit among book club members”*—comes a wondrous tale of hope, secrets, and family devotion.

It’s six days until Christmas, and on the bustling streets of Manila a mute ten-year-old boy sells his version of the stars: exquisite lanterns handmade with colorful paper. But everything changes for young Noland when he witnesses an American tourist injured in a drive-by shooting of a journalist and imagines he’s seen an angel falling from the sky.

When Noland whisks her to the safety of the hut he shares with his mother, the magical and the real collide: shimmering lanterns and poverty, Christmas carols and loss, dreams of friendship and the global war on terror. While the story of the missing tourist grips the media, Noland and his mother care for their wounded guest, and a dark memory returns. But light sneaks in — and their lives are transformed by the power of love.

*Library Journal (starred review, “Editor’s Pick”)

A thought-provoking tale that will tug at the reader's heart long after the last page is turned.

Previous Picks

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: Frolic and Play, the Paranormal Way

The Daily Dose
Smattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations


Good morning, the weather outside is truly getting frightful as the cold snap seems to be here to stay in the United States. It was 25 degrees Fahrenheit in Texas yesterday morning -- brrrrr cold. But we've been handing out some hot books to ward off the chill all week and today is no exception. Joining us for today's giveaway is author Shirin Dubbin.

I met Shirin via Twitter over the summer when her book KEEPER OF THE WAY released. The story was delightful and the author even more so. I now count Shirin among my very dearest friends, few others out there really get me and she is definitely one that does. We often joke we're sisters from another mother. Her giveaway today is a wonderful combination of fae and vamps and weres, oh my! So let's frolic and play, the paranormal way! All books will be sent via Buy This Ebook For A Friend option on Fictionwise.

Check out the great eBooks that Shirin has picked out:

Keeper of the Way


Aftermath cleaner, Nia Mora, is destined to die--tonight. Severin, the inscrutable and utterly delicious harbinger of death has already arrived to bear witness? but damn his duty. He will not stand by and watch. Not when Nia Mora may be the Fae's last hope of survival. Damn Severin and his heroic delusions. Fae-tech mogul, Zan Wynn, is equally drawn to Nia'Mora and as the quintessential--yes, those are your panties dropping--bad boy he can't be bothered to play fair. Oblivious to her doom, Nia Mora's concern is for the missing Way, the very essence of the Fae and the reason they are trapped in the mortal world. That and the small matter of remaining single when she can't deny Severin's power over her or Zan Wynn's hypnotic pull. But is the nefarious Wynn a second potential mate or the prelude to her destruction?

BLOOD VICE


Business has never been better for hit man Karl Vance. Boston is awash in mafia blood, and Vance has a certain fondness for blood. He's a master vampire--one of the most powerful of his kind. Having sworn to never again feed on the blood of innocents, Karl preys instead on Boston's criminal underworld. Which makes him a valuable asset to those who deal in death. Maria Ricardi intends to use that asset to its full extent in order to gain power within her patriarchal crime family. Vance thinks he's been hired to keep track of the family's princess, but she's got a plan to get her hands dirty and earn the respect she deserves. And she's not above using their instant attraction to get what she wants. That driving ambition draws the attention of a rival clan's newest and most dangerous 'consultant.' Alejandro Delgado, Vance's centuries-old nemesis. Delgado zeroes in on the one chink in Vance's armor--his fondness for the headstrong Maria. When she becomes enslaved by Delgado's unnatural kiss, only one thing is certain. Vance has to decide which he wants more. To settle the score--or rescue her soul.

MOON CALLED


Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.


Click here to read the rules and nominate

WENDY NELSON TOKUNAGA | BEING A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Thank you, Fresh Fiction, for inviting me to write a guest blog!

In my new novel,Love in Translation, 33-year-old fledgling singer Celeste Duncan, after receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms, is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. The book is about many things: identity, the meaning of
family, and finding one’s own voice, but it’s also about how it feels to be a stranger in a strange land.

To read more of BEING A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND and to comment for a chance to win please click here.

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: Do You Hear What Ian Hears?

The Daily Dose
Smattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations

Personally, I'm having so much fun with our Holiday Blog giveaway and today we are featuring author Nikki Duncan and her tremendous SOUNDS TO DIE BY. Nikki is a great writer, a fun friend and definitely someone I enjoy talking to and reading. Give this tremendous e-book to someone you love this holiday season. The best part of the book is it is just the first in the series of her Sensory Ops so there are more hot tales to come.

What did I think of Ian and rookie FBI agent Kieralyn?

SOUNDS TO DIE BY has a pulsing, rhythmic beat that mixes Boston sensibility with Miami sound machine to create a passionate movement that sustains throughout the novel.

SOUNDS TO DIE BY

Rookie FBI Agent Kieralyn Beckett is in a delicate position. Her team refuses to buy into her theory that a string of kidnappings is connected. If she pushes too hard, they’ll discover the latest victim was her college roommate and boot her off the case. A garbled recording is the only evidence, and there’s only one man who can decipher it. The hard part will be convincing him to take the case.

Blinded as a child, NSA “listener” Ian Cabrera spends the majority of his time analyzing data while secretly searching for his father, a missing CIA operative. His plate is full, but Kieralyn’s passion and determination, as well as the erotic beat of her heart, spark his interest. So does the mention of his father’s code name on her recording.

There’s only one way to follow this new crumb-trail of clues without tipping her off about what he’s really after. Convince her she needs him to be her undercover partner, despite his handicap. Between her eyes and his ears, they make one beautifully orchestrated team. Every time they touch, though, the arousal they generate creates one red-hot element of distraction…

Book Trailer



The Rules

1. You comment on the blog in order to be entered into the drawing.

2. You must include whom you want to give the gift. You do not have to name names or post their email information, just a short blurb about what they mean to you or why it’s important they receive it. You can be a real secret Santa as well.

3. Each drawing will last 24 hours unless otherwise noted. (7 a.m. to 7 a.m. CST)

4. Winners will be notified by email so make sure I have that or access to it via your profile. Upon notification, you let me know whom the gift is going to.

5. You may only win one giveaway, once you win one you cannot enter into anymore.

6. Spread the holiday cheer for everyone celebrating Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Christmas and more.

Let Nikki Duncan and the The Daily Dose be a part of your holiday plans. Enter to win this fantastic book for someone you love! Entries close at 7 a.m. Central on Thursday, December 10.

---

A lifelong writer turned author, Heather Long's first book Remembering Ashby is available for purchase at Sapphire Blue Publishing. Coming soon is the urban fantasy: Prime Evil. The Daily Dose explores books, television, writing and more -- all topics that Heather enjoys.

NOTE: all comments posted on Fresh Fiction will be included in the Daily Dose giveaways so you can leave your nomination below or on the Daily Dose blog. If you comment and nominate someone on the Fresh Fiction page for the Daily Dose you'll also be entered in our special Secret Elf sweepstakes, the winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate and the person they nominate will also receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate on December 20th.

Fresh Pick | A BLUE AND GRAY CHRISTMAS by Joan Medlicott

Covington

November 2009
On Sale: November 10, 2009
336 pages
ISBN: 1416597352
EAN: 9781416597353
Hardcover
$19.99

Women's Fiction
Buy at Amazon.com

A Blue And Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott

In this stunning holiday story, a cache of Civil War-era letters and diaries sweeps the ladies of Covington up into a dramatic and heartwarming historical saga that inspires them to plan an unforgettable Christmas for two families forever changed by war.

When a rusty old tin box is unearthed at the Covington Homestead, longtime housemates Grace, Amelia, and Hannah discover that it contains letters and diaries written by two Civil War soldiers, one Union and one Confederate.

The friends are captivated by the drama revealed. The soldiers were found dying on a nearby battlefi eld by an old woman. She nursed them back to health, hiding them from bounty hunters seeking deserters. At the end of the war the men chose to stay in Covington, caring for their rescuer as she grew frail. But while their lives were rich, they still felt homesick and guilty for never contacting the families they'd left behind.

Christmas is coming, and the letters inspire Amelia with a generous impulse. What if she and her friends were to fi nd the two soldiers' descendants and invite them to Covington to meet? What better holiday gift could there be than the truth about these two heroic men and their dramatic shared fate? With little time left, the ladies spring into action to track down the men's families in Connecticut and the Carolinas, and to make preparations in Covington for their most memorable, most historic Christmas yet.

Previous Picks

C.J. LYONS | HOMICIDAL HOLIDAYS

Hi guys! Thanks to the folks at Fresh Fiction for inviting me!

I’m CJ Lyons, a former pediatric ER doctor turned thriller writer and I love talking about the really important things in life: namely, the best ways to kill someone and get away with it.

So, given the winter holiday season, I thought I'd throw out a few ideas on Homicidal Holiday Hazards.

1. O Tantebaum—not only do they make for excellent firestarters (arson, anyone?) but think of the possibilities of actually obtaining one. Imagine: deserted tree farm, you and your victim far out of sight of anyone else, it's getting dark, and there you are with hatchet and saw in hand….or better yet, cutting down and hauling a live tree is a great time to induce a heart attack and given the holiday rush, it probably would go undetected as the medical examiner would be too busy to do more than a cursory examination.

To read more of HOMICIDAL HOLIDAYS please click here.

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: Red Kissmas

The Daily Dose
Smattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations

Smoking hot romance and fierce Spartan warriors are the main ingredients in these two tales of red-hot passion by Deidre Knight. Discover fresh characters and vibrant, emotional storylines. Knight's RED FIRE and RED KISS are tremendously smart and fun books to read. They kindle the imagination and are ideal for snuggling up with on a cold winter's night.

These books are ideal for fans of paranormal romance that like their stories engaging and smart heroes and perceptive heroines. Deidre has graciously offered to give away these two outstanding novels to someone you nominate. Give the gift of passion this holiday season.

Learn more about the Gods of Midnight:

RED FIRE

A thrilling new series featuring seven immortal Spartan warriors protecting mankind— and confronting passion along the way...

Eternity has become a prison for Ajax Petrakos. Centuries after he and his Spartan brothers made their bargain for immortality, Ajax struggles to maintain his warrior's discipline. His only source of strength is his hope that he will soon meet the woman once foretold to him--the other half of his soul, Shay Angel.

Ajax searches for his destined mate on the haunted streets of modern-day Savannah, but he isn't the first to find her. Shay, the youngest of a powerful demon-hunting clan, can see the monsters that stalk the steamy Southern nights-- an ability that draws the deadly attention of Ajax's worst enemy. As Shay and Ajax race to solve a chilling prophecy--one that could spell Ajax's death if they don't succeed--a fated passion arises, threatening to sweep away everything in its path.

RED KISS

The Spartans wage fierce wars-but nothing matches the battle within their hearts...

Spartan slave River Kassandros can transform into any weapon. After a bloody battle, he's forever a dagger-until a mortal can release him. Drawn to this blade, Emma Lowery draws blood with it and frees River. But even as they fight off intense passions, a sinister power arises to destroy them. To protect humankind, they may have to make the ultimate sacrifice-and lose their chance at love...

The Rules

1. You comment on the blog in order to be entered into the drawing.

2. You must include whom you want to give the gift. You do not have to name names or post their email information, just a short blurb about what they mean to you or why it’s important they receive it. You can be a real secret Santa as well.

3. Each drawing will last 24 hours unless otherwise noted. (7 a.m. to 7 a.m. CST)

4. Winners will be notified by email so make sure I have that or access to it via your profile. Upon notification, you let me know whom the gift is going to.

5. You may only win one giveaway, once you win one you cannot enter into anymore.

6. Spread the holiday cheer for everyone celebrating Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Christmas and more.

Let Deidre Knight and the The Daily Dose be a part of your holiday plans. Enter to win these fantastic books for someone you love! Entries close at 7 a.m. Central on Wednesday, December 9.

---

A lifelong writer turned author, Heather Long's first book Remembering Ashby is available for purchase at Sapphire Blue Publishing. Coming soon is the urban fantasy: Prime Evil. The Daily Dose explores books, television, writing and more -- all topics that Heather enjoys.

NOTE: all comments made at Fresh Fiction will be included in the Daily Dose giveaways. If you comment and nominate someone on the Fresh Fiction page for the Daily Dose you'll also be entered in our special Secret Elf sweepstakes, the winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate and the person they nominate will also receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate on December 20th.

Deb Stover | Favorite Holiday Memories

The holiday season triggers memories for all of us--some good, some not-so-good. If we're lucky, the good memories far outnumber the bad.

When asked to name my best holiday memory, I have a very quick response--December 24th, 1981 at 11:20 AM. That's the day and time I gave birth to my birth daughter, Barbi. I had been in the hospital since the day after Thanksgiving, because I had a very "high risk" pregnancy. This was my third pregnancy, and my doctor called it "prime," since the longest I had carried before was when I delivered twin girls at 26 weeks. Emily and Erin were born alive, but died within minutes. They were beautiful and perfect, but in 1980, too tiny and immature to live outside my womb. My second pregnancy ended in miscarriage at ten weeks. I had already spent two of those weeks in the hospital with clots in my legs and lungs.

So this pregnancy in 1981 was, indeed, prime. Stay in the hospital from Thanksgiving until I delivered? Sure, no problem. So it was Christmastime. My husband, Dave, and I only wanted one gift, and she was growing bigger and stronger every day in my womb. Back then ultrasounds didn't reveal the baby's gender, so we didn't know she was a she. All we knew was she was almost full-term, and all indications were positive for a healthy baby.

You need to read the rest...click here

Fresh Pick | THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber

October 2009
On Sale: September 29, 2009
Featuring: Cassie Beaumont
288 pages
ISBN: 0778326829
EAN: 9780778326823
Hardcover
$16.95

Romance Contemporary
Buy at Amazon.com

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

What would make your Christmas perfect?

For Cassie Beaumont, it’s meeting her perfect match. Cassie, at thirty-three, wants a husband and kids, and so far, nothing’s worked. Not blind dates, not the Internet and certainly not leaving love to chance. What’s left? A professional matchmaker. He’s Simon Dodson, and he’s very choosy about the clients he takes on. Cassie finds Simon a difficult, acerbic know-it-all, and she’s astonished when he accepts her as a client.

Claiming he has her perfect mate in mind, Simon assigns her three tasks to complete before she meets him. Three tasks that are all about Christmas: being a charity bell ringer, dressing up as Santa’s elf at a children’s party and preparing a traditional turkey dinner for her neighbors (whom she happens to dislike). Despite a number of comical mishaps, Cassie does it all—and she’s finally ready to meet her match. But just like the perfect Christmas gift, he turns out to be a wonderful surprise!

What would the holidays be without a Christmas story from Debbie Macomber?

Simon says: "The perfect match lights a lasting fire."

Excerpt

Who mails out Christmas cards before Thanksgiving?" Cassie Beaumont lamented to her best friend.

Angie Barber looked up from her microscope and seemed to take an extra moment to consider what Cassie had just said. "You got a Christmas card? Already?"

Cassie wheeled her chair back to her station. "Can you believe it?"

"Who from?"

"An old college friend. You wouldn't know her." Cassie shrugged. "Jill married Tom two weeks after we graduated."

"They have children?"

Cassie caught the wisp of longing in Angie's voice and answered with a nod. "Two, a boy and a girl, and of course they're adorable."

"Of course," Angie echoed.

The Christmas card photo showed the four of them in matching outfits of green and red. The mother and daughter wore full-length green dresses with Read More...

Previous Picks

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: Maggie Christmas

The Daily Dose
Smattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations


Last week, the The Daily Dose gave away Rosemary Clement-Moore's THE SPLENDOR FALLS, this week we're offering the trilogy that earned Rosemary a RITA during the recent Romance Writers of America national convention. Her trilogy of books focusing on Maggie Quinn, a high schooler with a gift, a grandmother, stable parents and a hot young grad student who's interested in her.

The young adult series begins with PROM DATES FROM HELL where Maggie struggles with her awakening gifts and senior year (and not necessarily in that order). HELL WEEK follows Maggie through her first semester at college and the infamous hell week associated with pledging a Greek house. The third and final installment in her Girl vs. Evil trilogy is HIGHWAY TO HELL and a Spring Break gone awry.

These books are laugh out loud funny, deliciously written and terrifically engaging. All three are autographed by the author and available as a gift to the person you nominate. Learn more about these terrific books:

PROM DATES FROM HELL

From School Library Journal: Under normal circumstances, Maggie Quinn would want nothing to do with the vicious, elite clique at her high school. But when the jocks and their girlfriends start falling prey to a series of situations ranging from embarrassing to potentially fatal, not to mention reeking of sulfur, the school newspaper reporter can't ignore the story.

In addition to being a Nancy Drew wannabe, Maggie has inherited her grandmother's sixth sense, as evidenced by the demon appearing in her dreams. Although she is initially reluctant to believe that anything supernatural is going on, her partnership with a paranormal-studies college student who is in one of her father's classes eventually leads her to a salt-throwing showdown with the demon and his minions at her senior prom. Maggie's transformation into a butt-kicking demon hunter is well drawn as is the budding romance with her partner. The pair launch into a routine set of investigations to reveal a weak backstory accounting for the origins of the demon that will not compel readers to suspend disbelief. The main draw of this book, however, is Maggie's sarcastic tone, which is dripping with wit on nearly every page. Sharp writing and a satirical portrayal of the high school social scene make this an enjoyable read in the vein of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."—Emily Rodriguez, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL

HELL WEEK

“[Teens] will devour Hell Week.”—School Library Journal

Maggie Quinn has battled an ancient demon, faced down psychotic cheerleaders, and saved her best friend from certain death, but nothing can match this. Formal sorority recruitment, otherwise known as rush.

And after facing hellfire, infiltrating sorority rush should be easy. But when she finds a group of girls who are after way more than “sisterhood,” all her instincts say there’s something rotten on Greek Row. And when Hell Week rolls around, there may be no turning back.

“Maggie’s snarky humor and quirky personality keep this novel’s first half light, but the second takes a dark page-turning twist as Maggie is forced to figure out the ancient source of the sisters’ power.”—Kirkus Reviews

HIGHWAY TO HELL


Maggie Quinn was expecting to find plenty of trouble with Lisa over Spring Break. Give a girl a bikini, a beachfront hotel, and an absent boyfriend, and it’s as good as a road map to the dark side. But Maggie doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble has started looking for her. One dead cow and a punctured gas tank later, she and Lisa are stuck in Dulcina, Texas—a town so small that it has an owner. And lately life in this small town hasn’t been all that peaceful. An eerie predator is stalking the ranchland.

Everyone in town has a theory, but not even Maggie’s psychic mojo can provide any answers. And the longer the girls are stranded, the more obvious it becomes that something is seriously wrong. Only no one—not even Maggie’s closest ally— wants to admit that they could have been forced on a detour down the highway to hell.

The Rules

1. You comment on the blog in order to be entered into the drawing. 2. You must include whom you want to give the gift too. You do not have to name names or post their email information, just a short blurb about what they mean to you or why it’s important they receive it. You can be a real secret Santa as well. 3. Each drawing will last 24 hours unless otherwise noted. (7 a.m. to 7 a.m. CST) 4. Winners will be notified by email so make sure I have that or access to it via your profile. Upon notification, you let me know whom the gift is going to. 5. You may only win one giveaway, once you win one you cannot enter into anymore. 6. Spread the holiday cheer for everyone celebrating Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Christmas and more.

Let Rosemary Clement Moore and the The Daily Dose be a part of your holiday plans. Enter to win these fantastic books for someone you love! Entries close at 7 a.m. Central on Tuesday, December 8.

---

A lifelong writer turned author, Heather Long's first book Remembering Ashby is available for purchase at Sapphire Blue Publishing. Coming soon is the urban fantasy: Prime Evil. The Daily Dose explores books, television, writing and more -- all topics that Heather enjoys.

NOTE: all comments here will be included in the Daily Dose giveaways so you can leave your nomination [CLICK HERE] or on the Daily Dose blog. If you comment and nominate someone on the Fresh Fiction page for the Daily Dose you'll also be entered in our special Secret Elf sweepstakes, the winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate and the person they nominate will also receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate on December 20th.





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Caridad Pineiro | How Do You Manage Your Time

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring ting tingling too.

Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you . . .

Lovely weather? It’s freezing! Sleigh rides. Bah humbug!

Okay, maybe not. I do love the holidays, but for a writer it’s probably one of the hardest times of the year because of all the distractions. Especially when you need to be in a dark frame of mind and all around you people are being cheery.

To read more of HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOUR TIME please click here.

Fresh Pick | HOLIDAY GRIND by Cleo Coyle

Coffeehouse Mystery #8
November 2009
On Sale: November 3, 2009
Featuring: Clare Cosi
384 pages
ISBN: 0425230058
EAN: 9780425230053
Hardcover
$23.95

Mystery Woman Sleuth
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Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle

Welcome to the Village Blend, where coffee and crime are always brewing...

There’s nothing cozier than a winter evening in Greenwich Village. Streetlights shimmer through icy flakes. Cafés glow with welcoming warmth. Boots crunch along cobblestones, and a layer of snow dusts historic townhouses like powdered sugar on Christmas confections. Murder has no place in such a pretty picture, until now...

Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi has grown very fond of Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly charity Santa who’s been using her Village Blend as a place to warm his mittens. When she finds him brutally gunned down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince her that Alfred’s death was something more than the tragic result of a random mugging—the conclusion of the police.

With Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn, distracted by a cold case of his own, and ex-husband Matt investigating this year’s holiday lingerie catalogs (an annual event), Clare charges ahead solo and discovers Santa had a list that he was checking twice—and the folks on it were not very nice. Then someone tries to ice Clare, and she really gets steamed. Between baking delicious Christmas goodies and fending off the attentions of a persistent professional elf, Clare sets out to solve Santa’s slaying. But she'd better watch out, because if she fails to stop this stone cold killer, she may just get the biggest chill of her life.

This very special, holiday entry in Cleo Coyle's nationally bestselling series includes an extra-large bonus section of delicious holiday recipes as well as a glossary of coffeehouse terms, instructions on making espressos and lattes without an expensive machine, and tips for creating your own tasty coffeehouse syrups at home.

A delicious mystery treat for the holidays!

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