Monday, October 29, 2007

Night Owl Romance Review of Riding the Thunder


Riding The Thunder by Deborah MacGillivray
Score: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Susan of Night Owl Romance Reviews

Deborah MacGillivray has beautifully penned a hauntingly romantic story of timeless love and breathtaking passion with Riding the Thunder. This is the second novel in her Sisters of Colford Hall series and Jago Mershan and Asha Montgomerie's story of love, betrayal and redemption. Jago is one of the brothers out to avenge his father's death with the downfall of the Montgomerie family. His desires for Asha complicate his plans. Will he find a way to honor his plans and hold on to the one woman who could fill his heart and complete him? Asha cannot resist the temptation of desire that pulls her into Jago's arms or the fear of risking her heart to a man who has intentions of buying out some of her family's holdings. Magic and betrayal are in the air of this small Kentucky town. Will Jago and Asha survive the coming storm to find their happy ever after?

Deborah MacGillivray weaves a heart-wrenching story of love and passion with paranormal twists that are sure to captivate the reader. This is an emotionally touching story with characters you'll fall in love with. The story is enhanced with the paranormal events and the interesting secondary characters. Riding the Thunder will make you laugh, make you cry, and then leave you feeling nostalgic with an endless love that will touch the reader's heart. This is a great romantic story and a delight to read. I look forward to reading Deborah's next novel in this series with Jago's twin brother Trevelyn and Asha's twin sister Raven.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Hats off to a caring author - Joy Nash!!

If you read my previous announcement, you would have seen my notice for the raffle I am running to benefit author Dawn Thompson. Dawn fell recently, due to having a high temperature from an infection. Complications have caused very high medical expense.

I know a lot of you assume because you are an author you are rolling in big money. Some writers do. A few. The sad fact: less than 15% of all romance writers make enough money to live on. That means 85% are scrimping by, most working a day job, just to make ends meet. In Dawn's case, she has no family to help her in this time of troubles, and it on a fixed income. Yes, she has a lot of books out last year and next, but as a new writer she must wait for over a year or more to see money start to come in for her books. The books you see written by her this year, she won't see money until late next year or even 2009. Something had to be done to help Dawn, so my editor - the wonderful Hilary Sares - suggested the raffle. She and three other editors (Chris Keeslar and Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing; and Leanne Burroughs of Highland Press) offered themselves as "prizes." I won't repeat details as they can be found here.

My topic today is the secondary ground swell of authors and those connected to publishing that are now helping. Smart Bitches Reviews has blogged about this. Many RWA chapters are sending the notice to their members. It's just so good to see people helping people. At Christmas we talk about helping the less fortunate, but life has a way of intruding and making us forget that pledge. Well, this is Christmas happening NOW! People caring. It's beautiful.

And no where is this demonstrated more than with author, Joy Nash. Joy is best-selling author for Dorchester Publishing. She has considered all the struggling writers out there wanting to get a chance but doesn't have the money for the raffle ticket. So she has stepped up to help these people, and in turn helps Dawn.

Dorchester author, Joy Nash is running a contest using my raffle for Dawn. This is so neat! It gives people who cannot afford the $100 a chance to enter too. This is true giving from the heart! (I thank you, Joy!!)

~~~

Deborah,

Everybody, please let anyone interested in Deborah's editor raffle that to help the cause, I'm sponsoring a contest through Nov 30 - the prize is one $100 entry fee in Deborah's raffle to help Dawn Thompson.

Details are on my blog at http://joynash.blogspot.com/Joy www.joynash.com

Joy Nash
IMMORTALS: THE AWAKENING a USA Today Bestseller
DEEP MAGIC: Druids of Avalon #2 January 2008
THE GRAIL KING: Druids of Avalon #1 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award

~~~~


So anyone interested in the raffle but cannot afford the entry free, please check out Joy Nash's contest.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

I am raffling off editors for a worthy cause!


I am raffling off editors!!!

Listen up!!


Tired of submitting to slush piles and getting rejected before
the editors even see it?

Want a chance to get your book before a print editor???
Want a guaranteed that the editor actually reads it?
You don't ever get that request for a FULL manuscript??

Well here is your chance!!

Win a chance to have your completed or nearly completed
manuscript read and receive a one page critique from

Hilary Sares
Kensington editor
(Debut, Brava, Approdisia lines)

YES!!!!


FIFTEEN people will win this amazing opportunity.

Yes, 15 people will have their full or nearly completed
manuscripts read and will receive a one page
critique from editor Hilary Sares.

How do you win this amazing chance??


RAFFLE -- $100 per entry.
Enter as many times as you want.
(all money is going to a worthy cause)
~~~~~~~~~ Rules: ~~~~~~~~~

You may enter as many times as you want at $100 a "ticket".
The more times you enter, the better your chances are.

Winners will be randomly selected from a drawing of names.
on
December 21st, 2007

~~~~~~~~ What do you get? ~~~~~~~~

15 people with completed or nearly completed manuscripts
(any genre!) will have their manuscript read
by
Hilary Sares
(Impress her and she could even want to buy you
~~ if you are what she's looking for!)
All 15 will get a one page critique of their manuscript.

But that is not all....

RUNNERS up will get....

2nd place Runners up.... (#16 and #17 winners)

Chris Keeslar
Senior Editor, Dorchester Publishing
(Leisure Books and Love Spell)

~~ will read and critique 100 pages ~~
you get to put a proposal of 100 pages before
Dorchester's editor, and receive 1 page critique.
Again, he will consider buying if you impress him!
(Historical Romances, Magna, Contemporary, Paranormal)


Leah Hultenschmidt
Editor for Dorchester Publishing
(Leisure Books and Love Spell)

~~ will read and critique a 100 pages ~!
you get to put a proposal of 100 pages before Dorchester's editor,
and receive 1 page critique.
Again, she will consider buying if you impress her!
(Historical Romances, Contemporary, Paranormal)
3rd place Runner up (#18, #19, #20 and #21 winners)


Leanne Burroughs
Publisher/Editor of Highland Press, will read and
critique 4 full manuscripts -the publisher/owner of
Highland Press
will read and giveeach a 1 page critique.
Again, she will consider buying.

(Historical Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary,
Mainstreams YA, Childrens)Trade size PRINT Books


Details....The raffle runs through midnight EST December 15, 2007

The random drawing will be held on:
December 21, 2007

so 21 people will have a very Merry Christmas!!!
winners will be notified by phone and email on that day.

All monies raised go to help author Dawn Thompson's hospital
and medical bills.Dawn recently had a bad fall. She is a new
writer so has to wait for nearlya year or more to start receiving
her royalties. She doesn't have family to help herand has a lot of
needs not being covered by her insurance. Money will go to
help her pay for medicine not covered, and other needs
arising from her recovery.



All drawings will be final. No Refunds

Any questions about the contest
email
Deborah Macgillivray
Kensington, Dorchester, & Highland Press author
writer@deborahmacgillivray.co.uk

To enter



Name:

email address (working email addy for you will be billed $100 through Paypal):
Penname, if any:

Your full address:

Your Phone number:

The Title of your manuscript:

The genre of your manuscript:

Is your manuscript completed? Yes NO

If no - expected completion date



Once your email application is received
you will be sent a "ticket" bill through
Paypal at $100.00 for each entry.
You pay enter has many times as you want to increase your odds.




You will be helping a fellow writer get back on her feet
after trauma, and you finally get that GUARATEED
chance to be read by some top print editors.
This note from Hilary Sares:
I promise a two-week turnaround or less for all that I receive.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Vote for Faery Special Romance and help a worth cause




The New Covey Awards is having an October contest for the most eye-catching cover. If the cover of Faery Special Romance is way behind at the moment with only days to go.

Vote for Faery Special Romances (under both sections on the right)

Children's Tumor Foundation has endorsed Faery Special Romances and author Jacquie Rogers has donated her royalties go to CTF, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research.

http://thenewcoveyawards.blogspot.com/


So a vote for the cover gives attention to fighting a very worthy cause.

My friend Monika Wolmarans did the delightful cover!!

Monday, October 22, 2007

The sad passing of the lady who loved ghosts

The odd phenomena of loops and groups that gather people together for a common purpose, you make friends. When these groups endure, you become close to people you have never met, may never meet. Yet, that lack of physical contact, doesn't mean you aren't good friends, even become a part of an extended family. The Ladies in Waiting is a writers' groups that was formed as several dozen writers were preparing to launch their careers in publishing--hence the title for the group. Writers and authors are perpetually waiting. As with all families, we must face illness of members, tragedy, and even the loss of one of us. This weekend The Ladies in Waiting lost their first family member - Ruby Jewel Kelsch. The name might not mean a lot to some of you, most you, but Ruby also wrote under the name of Anna Marie Bradley.

Ruby was not old, only 57, she had a lot of life ahead of her. However, Ruby had battled heart disease for years and often spent many trips to emergency. So friends were not surprised at her death, but very deeply saddened. She was a sunny person. Ruby's smile always seemed to shine through her messages.

She wrote beautiful stories, loved her granddaughter, and loved ghost stories. The world is a greyer place for her passing. We are blessed with the stories she left behind.

We will miss you Ruby aka Anna Marie!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Riding Kentucky Thunder

kentucky

When I was growing up, I spent two weeks to a month in early summer on the Kentucky River, before going back to Britain after the school year, and when I came back in the autumn, I again stayed there. Nicholasville, Buena Vista, Lake Herrington, Wilmore, Danville, Camp Nelson…oh, they are still there. Some parts have changed a great deal in the passing years.
This year is the setting for my novel Riding the Thunder.

Nicholasville used to be a very small town 20 miles from Lexington. Urban sprawlky river now sees the two towns nearly joined. However, in the 1960s, there was a lot of farm land between the two places. There were drive-ins, skate rinks — and a restaurant called The Windmill. Kentucky RiversThe setting for my book did once exist. There was a real motel, drive-in, restaurant, swim-club, a horse farm, and a small skate rink. The Windmill in Riding the Thunder drew life from those seeds.



waterfall With splendour such as this, can you not see why I had to send one of my "sisters" to Kentucky to "ride the thunder"? You will see many of these images in my videos for both books.


Hope you enjoyed the "travel" through my memories and what fashioned my novel.







to order http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0505526913

http://deborahmacgillivray.co.uk/Thundercontest.html


You can win copies of my books and Mike Duncan's CD, that has both versions
of "Lost for Words" that I used on my book videos.



http://mike-duncan.org





So watch the videos - discover the cat's name and enter!

Deborah Macgillivray

http://deborahmacgillivray.co.uk

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Highland Press receives RWA approval





Today my one-author anthology, Cat O' Nine Tales, from Highland Press, went to the printers so it won't be long now until the Collector's Edition of my Short Stories and Novellas is out.

It was very special day for me in another way. Not only did this anthology move that much closer to hitting the shelves, I also received a notification from Romance Writers of America that Highland Press now has RWA approval, so all HP writers can enter their novels in the RITA, their award for print authors. This excited me because there are a lot of wonderful authors with novels out that should have this chance to have their novels considered for this honour.

So Congrats to Highland Press owner, Leanne Burroughs

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

National Take a Harley to Bed Day - October 2



New national Holiday: National Take Your Harley to Bed Day (October 2). Mark that down in your calendars! Yesterday saw the release of my fourth book, Riding the Thunder, second for Dorchester Publishing's Love Spell.


Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace


John Kaye of Steppenwolf sang those lyrics...hmm..well, some time ago, one of THE songs of the 1960s! It came to mind yesterday when I saw one of those cool quirks of fate. When two thinks happening at once, evolve along the same lines. Ever notice how Hollywood does movies with the same themes? My editor calls it a cosmic ether of ideas and them something strike different people with a similar notion at the same time. Case in point:

The very talented Catherine Spangler, also had a book release on October 2.

Similarities that show in the odd quirks of Fate?
1) Both book saw the official release of October 2, 2007--
Hers for Berkley; mine for Dorchester Love Spell.
2) Both books are the second in a series. And the biggie
-- 3) both have a man on a Harley on the cover.

To quote Fred Ward from Tremors,
"Is there some higher force at work here?"

So you might grab our books, and take a Harley to bed
-- you could be
Riding the Thunder!
(click on the book covers to order)

Crazy Tuesday with Rowena Cherry

I will be on Crazy Tuesday, hosted by author Rowena Cherry for internet talk radio. October 2nd 10 am EST. You can find instructions how to listen http://www.internetvoicesradio.com

Guest will include, romance authors: Sandra Hill, Madeline Hunter, Susan Kearney, Rebecca York, Judi McCoy, Jacquie Rogers, Renee Fields, and myself. We will be discussing Book Video Trailers and their impact on romance novel sales.

I will be interviewed toward the end on the show and will be talking about the videos I have done, showcasing the my books Riding the Thunder and The Invasion of Falgannon Isle. (Music for both videos is done by Mike Duncan, mike-duncan.org, used with permission)

You can view my videos on Youtube http://uk.youtube.com/profile?user=Scotladywriter