Friday, December 12, 2014

Addictive Reads Holiday Giveaway Event


***See below for Prize details***

A few of my favorite things...

1. As I wrote this, I was a week into a stubborn cold, so one of my very favorite things are TISSUES WITH LOTION!

2. Another favorite thing of mine would be toads. And I'm adding squirrels. Just because I think they're so cute.

3. romantic movies and books

4. Thunderstorms

5. Cinnabons - ooohh, the gooey, cinnamony heaven that they are

6.  the glorious Rocky Mountains

7. All those are great, but my most important favorite thing is Giving Back in December

This year, my Giving Back in December sales drive benefits Wounded Warrior Project.

Mallory can't wait to get out of town~until she meets the one man who tempts her to stay. Still she fears if she stays, she'll lose herself forever. Army veteran Levi can't leave~but then Mallory steals his heart and takes it with her when she goes. Will they learn to compromise, or is a Happily Ever After doomed from the start?

Grab a copy of AUTUMN BLISS, and 100% of my author profits benefit the brave men and women who've been wounded while serving in the US Armed forces.


 Amazon US UK CA AU 
BN  iBooks  ARe  Kobo Google

"As a Wife of a U.S.Marine veteran I highly recommend this book. LOVE LOVED IT." ~ Marine'sGirl, Amazon reviewer 


And now for the prize details!

For my individual Blog Prize:
$15 gift card (winner's choice)

To Enter: leave a comment with your #1 favorite thing AND your email address!
Earn 5 EXTRA entries by buying a copy of Autumn Bliss and emailing the receipt to staceyjoynetzel@gmail.com 

For the EVENT PRIZES which include:
  • Grand Prize: Kindle Fire HD 7 w/30 preloaded books from AR authors
  • 1st prize: $50 gift certificate
  • 2nd prize: $20 gift certificate
  • 3rd prize: $15 gift certificate


To Enter: Visit the Addictive Reads Holiday Giveaway event page by clicking HEREand enter via the Rafflecopter

Additional prizes??? YES

Visit the rest of the Addictive Reads authors to see who else is offering individual blog prizes of books and gift cards!


***
Thanks for stopping by,
best of luck with the prizes, and



Stacey's First in Series ebooks that are FREE at most retailers:
1. Evidence of Trust, Colorado Trust Series
    (full length romantic suspense)
2. A Fair to Remember, Welcome to Redemption Series
    (small town romance)
3. Mistletoe Mischief, Romancing Wisconsin Series
    (small town romance)

Monday, December 1, 2014

Giving Back in December - Year 4

Update: 4/2/15   Thanks so much to all my readers...I'm late in tallying the sales and donating, but I did get it done!

Sales as of 12/31/14
Amazon: 96 (200.00)
iBooks: 7 (13.00)
BN: 14 (28.00)
Kobo: 2 (4.00)
Smashwords: 1 (2.00)
Google: 1 (2.00)

$249.00 rounded up to $300, donated 4/2/15



~~~

Thanks to my awesome readers (YOU), my donation total is now at $8300.00

This December 2014, 100% of my author royalties for the Romancing Wisconsin book AUTUMN BLISS will be donated to Wounded Warrior ProjectI've chosen WWP again, in honor of my son in the Army, my veteran husband, father, and father-in-law...not to mention all the other brave men and women who serve or have served in the US Armed Forces. I am grateful for their service, their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of their families every day.

I can't help the veterans without you, so how can you help?


Buy the book for just $2.99
To put it in perspective, that's less than the cost of a greeting card at Hallmark or a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Gift copies to friends
Share with other readers on social media

I make approximately $2* off of each book sale, and every penny will be donated to WWP. Last December I rounded up to send Wounded Warrior Project an even $1000. I'd love to increase that donation this year, but I can't do it without YOU.

If you already have a copy of AUTUMN BLISS, then consider gifting a copy to all your friends who enjoy reading. Every sale will help!

AUTUMN BLISS

 Amazon US UK CA AU 
BN  iBooks  ARe  Kobo

After a string of bad luck, Mallory Parker is convinced her future lies way beyond the streets of the small home town that stole her mother’s hopes and dreams. As soon as she saves enough money at her new job, she’s going to get out and get a life, and no one can tempt her to stay—until she meets the man who does.

Army veteran Levi Jenkins is still dealing with the aftermath of his last tour of duty. Working in the background as a maintenance man at Whispering Pines Lodge gives him the peace his soul craves. The last thing he wants is the distraction of a woman who charms his heart while teaching him to smile again. Or maybe, that’s exactly what he needs.


Levi fears loving her and losing her would be too much to endure—and yet, asking Mallory to stay could destroy the very essence that makes her so special. If either of them are to be happy, he must find the courage to set her free.

I picked Autumn Bliss this year because Levi Jenkins is a Army veteran who works at Whispering Pines Resort. Whispering Pines is owned by Major Mark Riley (Mistletoe Magic, book 2), who operates the resort half as a business, and the other half as a donation funded retreat location for veterans, military members, and their families. His wife, Janelle, also runs a non-profit no-kill animal rescue on the same property. (See my Dec. 2012 charity drive HERE.)

Mallory teaches Levi how to smile again, and he helps her see that home is where the heart is.


Grab a copy for yourself, or gift one to a friend (or both) and help me help the veterans

 Amazon US UK CA AU  
BN  iBooks  ARe  Kobo

"As the wife of a Vietnam Vet it is great to see books that go into some of the wounds these Vets from all wars suffer that are not all physical. I also love the setting of a place where Vet family's can come to help heal. Not all people who need to heal their soul are vets and it is wonderful to see two damaged souls come together and help each other find happiness. I loved this book and all of the books in the Romancing Wisconsin Series." ~ Darlene, Amazon Reviewer

"As a Wife of a U.S.Marine veteran I highly recommend this book. LOVE LOVED IT." ~ Marine'sGirl, Amazon reviewer

"I have now read all the Romancing Wisconsin series to date, & have to say I've loved them all, but Autumn Bliss is my favorite." ~ Jaqueline, Amazon Reviewer.

Sharing this post with friends on FB, Twitter, Google Plus and all your other social sites would be a big help as well.

Thank you very much ~

May you have a safe and healthy
Merry Christmas!

(*sales in some countries only receive 35% royalty -vs- 70%, in which case the amount is $1 per book)



Saturday, November 15, 2014

The Auction, by Anna Erishkigal - sales benefit HSUSA

Proceeds for this book during the month of November 2014 will benefit the Humane Society of the United States to help in the protection of all animals, including the fight to protect horses from being slaughtered.

As an author myself, I don't usually write reviews for business reasons, but as a horse owner, this one is special, and for a great cause.

My thoughts: Anna did an awesome job with The Auction. I was instantly drawn into the characters' lives, and felt like I was right alongside Rosie as she struggled to keep her life from falling apart, and then also the lives of the adorable, Pippa, and her father, Adam. The book is long, but Anna's writing style had me settling in to read with pure, relaxing enjoyment instead of paging forward to see when I'd get to the good stuff. It's ALL good. The courtroom scene is especially well crafted. Great job, Anna!

I loved the whole book and highly recommend buying a copy to enjoy while helping out a great cause. 


The Auction
by Anna Erishkigal

Dumped at the altar and left without a home, Rosie Xalbadora takes a job as a governess at the edge of the Australian outback. There she meets Pippa Bristow, a sensitive child who copes with her parent's bitter divorce by escaping into a magical world of fairy queens and unicorns. Pippa's enigmatic father, Adam Bristow, is willing to endure whatever he must to keep his daughter safe from his oil heiress ex-wife.

Struggling to shield Pippa from her mother's games, Rosie must face the ghosts of her own painful past while fighting a growing attraction to her handsome, emotionally unavailable employer. When Rosie and Pippa save a small, white pony from slaughter, their ill-timed compassion puts Adam's custody dispute, Pippa's fantasies, and Rosie's worst fears all up for bid in an epic showdown.

The Auction is a sweet, contemporary romance styled with the heart-wrenching, Gothic undertones of Jane Eyre and just a hint of the supernatural.

Here's what Anna had to say when I asked her why she wrote this book:

Beginning last year, one of my Australian friends became involved in a legal case to rescue horses from an owner who had essentially turned their horses out into a field to starve.  Because most unwanted horses go to a slaughterhouse, the government is put in the untenable position that intervention is often worse than the neglect itself.

Now nobody wants to read a story about horse slaughter.  So as I was daydreaming about how to cast this difficult social issue in a palatable, hopeful light, I asked my daughters about what kinds of human characters I should set into this story.  My 10-year-old wanted a little girl who got a pony, so thus Pippa was born.  My 12-year-old, on the other hand, is into 'dark' young adult novels, so she suggested a girl whose mother didn't like her.  Since it's infeasible for a 10 and 12 year old to go to an auction to buy a horse, I made Rosamond older, and made her a teacher/governess because, if she was Pippa's mother, she could simply buy the horse for Pippa.

That, of course, got into the issue of Pippa's parents, who they were and why they needed to hire a governess who had enough leeway to sneak the little girl to an auction in the first place, so thus was born Adam Bristow.  At that point, I had three characters (one of them a governess) and a horse, all living on a cattle station in drought-ridden Australia, so they took over.  I claim no responsibility for my characters actions!!!  Once they start whispering to me, they take me down some strange rabbit-holes of fascinating research, hijack my life and won't shut up until I write down all the sordid details!

I set the story in Australia because that was where the horse rescue case which initially caught my imagination happened and I was under the impression that here, in the United States, horse slaughter was illegal.  Boy, was I wrong!  As I researched real-life horse auctions, I discovered we (in the USA) ship 200,000 horses a year to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses in horrifically inhumane conditions. The worse thing is that most American's are blissfully unaware they have just condemned their family pet to a horrific death.

Since I live in the USA, I will donate any royalties I earn during the month of November to the Humane Society of the United States so that 100% of the royalties can go to help the horses (when you donate internationally, the tax-man takes 30%).

You can donate to the Humane Society of the USA and learn more HERE:

There are many wonderful organizations worldwide, ranging from national RSPCA organizations to tiny rescue organizations that peruse the auctions and save one horse's life at a time.  They are all worthy of your support.  It's my hope, by writing an entertaining love story with a horse rescue hidden in the middle that more people will become aware this problem exists.

Sincerely,
Anna


You can grab your copy of The Auction at any of the following links:


Kindle (Amazon)

Australia     Brazil     Canada     France     Germany     Italy     India     Mexico    Netherlands     Japan     Spain  United Kingdom 
United States

Nook / B&N

B&N    Nook.UK    

 Apple iBooks

Australia     Austria    Belgium    Bolivia    Brazil    Bulgaria    Canada    Chile   Columbia    Costa Rica    Cypress     Czech Republic     Denmark     Dominican Republic     Ecuador     El Salvador     Estonia     Finland   France     Germany     Greece     Guatemala    Honduras     Hungary    Ireland     Italy     Japan     Latvia    Liechtenstein     Lithuania    Luxembourg     Malta     Mexico     Netherlands    New Zealand     Nicaragua    Norway     Panama    Paraguay     Peru     Poland     Portugal     Romania     Slovakia     Slovenia     Spain    Sweden     Switzerland     United Kingdom     United States      Venezuela 

 Flipkart

GooglePlay


KOBO
Smashwords


About Anna:  Anna Erishkigal is an attorney who writes fantasy fiction under a pen-name so her colleagues don't question whether her legal pleadings are fantasy fiction as well. Much of law, it turns out, -is- fantasy fiction. Lawyers just prefer to call it 'zealously representing your client.' 


Seeing the dark underbelly of life makes for some interesting fictional characters. The kind you either want to incarcerate, or run home and write about. In fiction, you can fudge facts without worrying too much about the truth. In legal pleadings, if your client lies to you, you look stupid in front of the judge.

At least in fiction, if a character becomes troublesome, you can always kill them off...



Thank you, Anna!

Readers, again, I encourage you to enjoy this book and help out.

~Stacey




Friday, October 10, 2014

Autumn Kiss, Romancing Wisconsin #6

To everything there is a season...

Love finds a way during the four seasons in the Romancing Wisconsin Series. Starting with the Christmas holiday/Winter, then moving on to Autumn, check out the first six books in this bestselling, heartwarming series set in small town Wisconsin. Meet the Rileys, the Walshes, and best of all, Butch...a.k.a. Santa Butch. The mischievous matchmaker makes a cameo in each story—adding a touch of magic to the lives of everyone he loves, and even those he's just met.


AUTUMN KISS
RELEASE DATE OCTOBER 21, 2014

Amazon US  UK  CA  AU 

For eight years, Josie Sullivan has managed to keep memories of Nash Riley buried in the past. When he moves into the apartment above her bakery, she doesn’t know how the hell she can keep her distance when she runs into him every time she turns around. Especially when she realizes her traitorous heart never let him go.

Nash made the mistake of leaving Josie behind, and now she won’t give him the time of day. Buying the building that houses her business seemed like a good plan to win her back, but Josie refuses to believe he’ll stick around. Seeing her every day becomes pure torture as she stubbornly maintains the defensive walls she built when he left. Somehow he must find a way to make her believe this time is forever.

EXCERPT:

Ignoring the surprise in the older sister’s eyes, he moved around to the side entrance so he could speak more privately with Josie.

Tessa moved with him and blocked his way into the booth. “Leave her alone.”

Nash spoke around her. “Can we talk?”

“No,” Tessa snapped.

Josie laughed without facing him. “Oh, now you want to talk?”

She picked up a knife and slit a pumpkin pie in half with one sure stroke. Probably wished it was his gut. Or lower. Judging by Tessa’s glare, she wouldn’t stop her, either. Lora had returned her attention to their paying customers after depositing his hundred in the cash box.

Tessa crossed her arms over her chest. “You need to leave.”

His stubborn streak took a defensive stand. “I’m waiting on my pie.”

“I got this,” Josie tossed over her shoulder.

“But I thought you were going to—”

Tessa broke off when Josie whipped her head around to meet her gaze. With obvious reluctance, the second oldest Sullivan moved back to the counter to help take orders.

He stepped inside the booth as Josie’s attention returned to the table in front of her. She spun the pie a quarter turn and sliced again as she accused, “You’re only eight years too late, Nash.”

“You’re right.”

Her hand wavered, then continued its motion with a swift jerk. He heard the cringe-inducing screech of aluminum on steel as the knife powered straight through the pie tin.

“Well, good for me. You’re one hell of a selfish sonofabitch, you know that?”

He didn’t deny it. Even though he knew he’d made the right decision back then, he’d screwed up the execution. “I was hoping we could sort this out like adults.”

She finished cutting the pie, then turned toward him, knife raised between them. Her smile was cold and nasty as she stepped closer. He took an involuntary step back and felt the side wall of the booth against his shoulder blades.

“As opposed to the coward you used to be?”

She was right about that, too, but that six inch knife in her hand was making him more nervous than the conversation they needed to have. “I, ah, had my reasons.”

“Too bad you couldn’t explain them in person back when it actually mattered. Or even over the phone the one time you bothered to call.”

She shortened the distance between them to less than a foot, putting the tip of that knife about three inches from the underside of his chin.

Sonofabitch, she’d changed all right. Feisty. Unforgiving.

A deep inhale slammed his senses with the sweet scent of her that he’d never quite forgotten.
He swallowed hard and flicked his glance past her, to the wide eyes of an older woman watching from the other side of the booth. Others were starting to pay attention, too—even though Lora and Tessa seemed to have no problem ignoring the very credible threat to his life.

Then he noticed Shane Parker headed their way. In his police officer’s uniform. Shit.

In one swift motion, Nash lifted his hand to encircle Josie’s wrist. His firm grip forced her arm down to their sides while his other arm wrapped around her and pulled her against his body.

She stiffened, outrage flashing in her blue eyes a second before he dipped his head, whispered a heartfelt, “Sorry,” for more than what was to come, and covered her mouth with his.

~~~



Get your copy here:
Apple  BN  Kobo


Thank you and Happy Reading!

~ Stacey

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Autumn Bliss, Romancing Wisconsin #5

To everything there is a season...

Love finds a way during the four seasons in the Romancing Wisconsin Series. Starting with Christmas/Winter, then moving on to Autumn, check out the first six books in this bestselling, heartwarming series set in small town Wisconsin. Meet the Rileys, the Walshes, and best of all, Butch...a.k.a. Santa Butch. The mischievous matchmaker makes a cameo in each story—adding a touch of magic to the lives of everyone he loves, and even those he's just met.

 AUTUMN BLISS

BN  iBooks  ARe  Kobo

After a string of bad luck, Mallory Parker is convinced her future lies way beyond the streets of the small home town that stole her mother’s hopes and dreams. As soon as she saves enough money at her new job, she’s going to get out and get a life, and no one can tempt her to stay—until she meets the man who does.

Army veteran Levi Jenkins is still dealing with the aftermath of his last tour of duty. Working in the background as a maintenance man at Whispering Pines Lodge gives him the peace his soul craves. The last thing he wants is the distraction of a woman who charms his heart while teaching him to smile again. Or maybe, that’s exactly what he needs.

Levi fears loving her and losing her would be too much to endure—and yet, asking Mallory to stay could destroy the very essence that makes her so special. If either of them are to be happy, he must find the courage to set her free.

EXCERPT:

Splintered pieces of her favorite mug lay drowning in the mess. Might as well be her life. The weight of the past couple months pressed down. Years wasted with Doug. Losing her job. People looking at her as if she’d done something wrong. Her car. Her pathetic savings account.

So far, she’d managed to hold it all together with a smile. But now that smile was becoming too brittle to contain her swelling fury.

She spun around as the walls of the little cabin closed in on her. The emotions were too immense to be contained and if she didn’t get out, she would explode.

Outside, she turned the opposite direction of the lodge, and instead, marched along the trail that led toward Levi’s cabin. She’d never been this far before. The twin grooved tire tracks didn’t end at his place, but veered off, up into the woods, and she didn’t hesitate to follow them.

By the time she came across a small clearing that was clearly where Levi cut and chopped a lot of the lodge’s wood supply, she was one hundred percent officially pissed off.

There was a large ax propped up against a wide, flat stump. It looked like a sledge hammer with one end tapered to a sharpened point. Nearby lay a pile of larger chunks of wood that needed splitting. She walked over and grabbed the ax handle. It was heavy, but she didn’t care as she lifted it and swung it at the stump.

It missed by a couple inches and the weight of it threw her off balance. The side of the steel head banged into her ankle. She gasped as pain radiated up her leg, bringing instant tears.

“Mallory!”

She jumped about a foot, then spun around to see Levi striding up the trail toward her. Shit. She couldn’t deal with him right now. Didn’t want him to see her cry. Besides, the way he made her feel only added to her current frustrations.

“Go away,” she called out.

Adjusting her hands on the wooden handle, she turned back to the stump and swung again. This time she hit it, but the weight had rotated the handle in her hand mid-swing. Instead of the sharpened edge hitting the wood, the flat side of the ax bounced off the stump.

The force jarred her arms and shoulders, making her grit her teeth at the sting.

A moment later, Levi was beside her, his large hand reaching for the handle when she would’ve raised it again.

“Stop.”

She shook her head. “I said leave me alone.”

“No.” His tone brooked no argument. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Despite the fact her ankle still throbbed where the steel had hit, she ground out, “I’m fine.”

He pulled on the handle, but she grabbed and hung on with both hands. Right now, it was about the only thing keeping her grounded. His hands snugged up against hers as they faced off with the ax held horizontally between them. The warmth of his skin registered through the seething emotions whirling inside her.

“I talked to Mark,” he said quietly, concern and understanding clear in his eyes.

“Good for you,” she snapped.

His gaze narrowed. A small part of her felt bad for taking her anger out on him. The rest of her was humiliated to know that he knew she was the reason for Holden’s withdrawal of support for the veterans.

She needed to hit something. Hard.

Holding his gaze without backing down, she silently dared him to take the ax away by force. He could do it easy, and she actually wanted him to force the physical confrontation.

Instead, he gave a brief nod. “Okay. You want to work off some steam, I get it. I don’t want to have to rush you to the emergency room, so let me show you the right way to do it and it’s all yours.”

“Fine.” She shoved the handle toward him and let go at the same time.

Arms crossed over her chest, all her weight on one leg, she waited. He transferred the ax to one hand and let it swing down alongside his leg. Then he walked over for a hunk of wood and returned to set it on the stump, cut side up. Once he moved into position, he glanced back to where she stood.

“Hands like this, then swing back, and around, and bring it down so the sharp edge hits the wood in the center.”

In one fluid motion, he did exactly as he described and split the piece of wood clean in half. Facing her, he asked, “Got it?”

“Yeah. I got it.”

His eyebrow arched at her sarcasm, but she didn’t care. It felt good to not care for once. To not pretend like she was okay with the raw deal life had handed her lately. Felt great actually.

He extended the ax and she wrenched it from his grasp. Only he let go at the same time and she stumbled at the unexpected lack of resistance. His lightning fast steadying grip only annoyed her more.

She stepped into position as he placed a log on the stump for her, then stood back slightly, off to her left.

“No. Put your hands like I showed you.”

She’d seen his swing, and the subsequent play of muscles beneath his T-shirt, but prior to that, she’d been focused on him, not the instructions. She moved her hands closer together.

“This isn’t baseball.”

She moved them farther apart.

“I thought you said you got it?” he huffed as he stepped up behind her.

His arms closed around her, his hands sliding down to adjust her grip on the handle as the front of his body came into full contact with her back. She sucked in a surprised breath and smelled nothing but Levi.

From one heartbeat to the next, all her anger and frustration morphed into intense awareness that literally had her trembling in her boots.

He’d gone completely still. His heat seeped through her clothes. After a moment, he cleared his throat and moved her left hand up one inch. “There, try that.”

His rough voice in her ear sent all kinds of delicious tingles tripping along her nerve endings. Yet he didn’t let go or step away.

Heart pounding, she turned her head far enough to see his face. His gaze locked on hers, a gorgeous green full of the desire she’d desperately been trying to ignore.

She twisted in his arms at the same time his head lowered. His mouth took hers in a wild, possessive kiss that weakened her knees and made her grab on for dear life. His head tilted, his tongue stroking deep, setting off tremors inside her body that begged for release.

It’d been so long since she’d been with a man, and even longer still since she’d felt such unleashed passion. As if he were as desperate for her as she was for him.

As she pulled him closer, the handle of the forgotten ax between them bit into her rib-cage. The painful jab made her gasp against his mouth. It also reminded her of what had brought her to this point.

Kissing Levi didn’t change her situation—in fact, it made it worse. He was just the kind of man she’d stay in Pulaski for.

No.”

A hard shove made him stumble back a step. Confusion and surprise and something else she couldn’t identify dulled the vibrant color of his eyes. She ignored the rush of guilt, and grabbed the ax handle with both hands.

~~~

Get your copy here: 
 Amazon US UK CA AU 
BN  iBooks  ARe  Kobo

Thanks and Happy Reading!

~ Stacey