Thursday, January 31, 2013

Exclusive Sneak Peek at A Divine Life

Okay my beautiful readers, this is a quickie – my mother in law is visiting this week, so my usual "boring" has been thrown in a blender and turned on. I'm in and out, but not on much this week.  However, my blog tour forges ahead and my next stop was with the lovely Nails233, who is a fanfiction writer and asked me to talk about what has gone into reworking the fan fiction version into it's own series. To whet your appetites, I also gave her an unseen excerpt from book 2, A Divine Life.  So head over, read up, and leave your thoughts!



Tuesday, January 29, 2013

It's Been One Week . . .

Hehe . . . anyone else hearing Barenaked Ladies now?

Soooo . . . One week since the release of To Serve is Divine has passed, and I'm pleased. I have no idea what sales numbers look like, but from the few reviews it has received I can't complain!

Amazon Kindle has a current rating of 4.7
Amazon Paperback has a current rating of 5
Goodreads has a current rating of 4.14
Barnes & Noble doesn't have any reviews at this time.


And to mark the first week in publication, today I visit with Laura Braley, author of Smoky Rooms, because for some ungodly reason she wanted to know what a typical day was like for me. Short answer: boring, but I did try to make it as entertaining as possible! 

* This schedule does not account for out of town guests, mysterious illnesses with children, or solicitors knocking on my door.



Monday, January 28, 2013

Sharing cake with B.F. Betty

Welcome to a new week! Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. Mine went well: we ended up planting a second peach and plum tree in our backyard along with a pomegranate bush, and plans are well under way for a 25x5 foot raised garden bed. My culinary mind is in a whirlwind at the idea of all the fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs that will be at my disposal! But, enough about that! Today my blog tour stop is with the talented B.F. Betty, author of The Apartment, and we talked CAKE!




In other news, I'd like to congratulate the winner of the To Serve is Divine giveaway on Goodreads: 
Karisa in New York 



Sunday, January 27, 2013

TSID Review by LJ Harris

Good Sunday to everyone! 
My dear friend, and fellow author (see my review on Second Chances), has been ready to ride a kangaroo or wrestle a crocodile (or whatever they do "down under". . . hehe) to share her review of To Serve is Divine. When I heard she'd signed up for the tour, to do a review no less, it made me nervous. Lisa is a lovely woman with a heart of gold, and I honestly was worried whether she'd like what I'd done with the first book. She offered to "put me out of my misery" and share her thoughts with me once she'd finished reading, but I declined, opting to wait and see the review same time as everyone else . . .


Step into The World of LJ Harris to see what this awesome Aussie thought!
Don't be afraid to leave comments with YOUR thoughts!



P.S. The Goodreads Giveaway ends TONIGHT ~ Have you entered?
If you aren't the lucky winner, never fear! 
You can still get a copy by checking out the links on the GET IT HERE tab. 
Have a fabulous day!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Saturday at Jason's Writing Corner

How is everyone enjoying their weekend? It's overcast and cool here (a nice little reprieve from the 70's weather we've been having – I'm holding a grudge that we were overlooked for winter this year apparently).

I'm still looking forward to reader pics – you and one of my books – coming in (email me at: rehargrave@gmail.com and don't forget to caption them!)

Just a quick reminder that the Goodreads giveaway for an autographed copy of To Serve is Divine will be ending tomorrow at midnight and is open to ALL countries. I've had an excellent turnout and am considering hosting another one here on my website, but we'll see.


And in bigger news . . . Today's tour stop!
Jason invited me to stop by for a very lengthy interview . . . 
go check it out and don't be shy, leave your thoughts in the comments! 


Friday, January 25, 2013

Another day, Another tour stop . . .

Howdy darlin's!  Ready for another stop on the blog tour? 
Today I got to visit with one of my favorite "stalkers" (her words, not mine!) 
for an in-depth interview. 
Somehow it's really easy to chat with her and I don't hold back!


Also! In case y'all didn't notice, I've added a new tab for my "Rockin' Readers"--send me pictures of yourself reading one of my books, caption it, and I'll share it on my blog!

Don't forget the Goodreads Giveaway (link in upper right corner)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

TSID Blog Tour Continues


I think To Serve is Divine has hit the ground running. Posted reviews on Amazon and Goodreads (none as of yet on Barnes & Noble) have me a little above a 4.5 star average and I couldn't be happier! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it! The best compliment you can give me is to share your excitement with your friends and anyone who likes to read!

Anyhoo . . . on with the tour.


Yesterday I had the privilege of stopping by fellow author (and co-owner of RenRom) Michele Richards' blog to answer the question: 
Why erotica? 

Today I'm being spotlighted on author Estelle Mars' blog HERE.



Consider checking out the DVW Book Club as well:  
". . . dedicated to Bringing Authors and Readers Together." 

About 3 days left to ENTER TO WIN an autographed copy of TSID.

Last piece of business to attend to:
Renaissance Romance needs for Bloggers for Lorenz Font's Hunted Blog Tour, 3/5-3/18 For more information and to sign up, CLICK HERE 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Post Release Hangover

Wow. What more can I say than that? Yesterday's release of To Serve is Divine was head spinning and fantastic . . . and the party last night? Well, I did up in "jail"! *winks*  So many of my awesome readers came out to the Twitter release party and were firing questions at me left and right; it was almost impossible to keep up! Then the Twitter police came and said I'd met my daily limit for tweets and gagged me. (Pun intended)

For those that had technical difficulties joining us, or were just in parts of the world where it was the beyond the witching hour, I thought I would attempt to do a recap of what went down. Also, let me add that with regards to A Divine Life's release this summer: I've talked with the ladies at RenRom and we'll most likely be doing an all day Facebook group party to try to accommodate time zones better, in addition to avoiding gag restraints!

An AMAZING 4 STAR review was also posted yesterday by Martini Times. 
You can READ IT HERE


To kick off the recap, allow me to congratulate the winners!

  • @MReyes139 ~ ebook
  • @MiaIsabella4ff ~ ebook
  • @electrogill ~ ebook
  • @movie_lover_92 ~ ebook
  • @credoroza ~ TSID mouse pad
  • @KMYork ~ TSID key chain
  • @twibaker ~ TSID notebook
  • @MAuburnCullen ~ GRAND PRIZE: autographed copy of TSID
Some of my favorite questions I was asked:
  • Fandom Fanatic ‏@credoroza @REHargrave I love the cover, the purity of it,very Catherine, how involved were you w/the design? @credoroza I came up with the vision and hunted down the pics, then handed it over to JC to put it together and bring it to life!
  • LOLO ‏@Lolosofocused @REHargrave okay, I got one!! What topic was the most fun to research while writing the Divine Trilogy? @Lolosofocused I'd have to say flogging was my favorite.
  • Wartorn Wench #2 ‏@MiaIsabella4ff What is the worst place you could ever get stocked in? @MiaIsabella4ff Smells bother me, so if it were a locker room or something, I'd lose it. 
  • MrsAuburnCullen ‏@MAuburnCullen Was it difficult to decide how to end TSID, so it would run smoothly over to ADivineLife? Loved the end btw ;-) @MAuburnCullen It was tricky figuring out how I was going to merge from the first into the already established second book 
  • Sarah ‏@drpharmgrl Can you speak another language? @drpharmgrl Does mumbling teenager count?
  • MReyes139 ‏@MReyes139 The one legacy you wish to leave behind for your children @MReyes139 to be honorable and moral for the sake of it, not because of some higher power
  • Wartorn Wench #2 ‏@MiaIsabella4ff What is one of the things you will put on your "bucket" list? O_o @MiaIsabella4ff Getting to Sweden. Vikings are my ancestors and I want to see the homeland.  
  •  Elizabeth Lawrence ‏@ELawrenceAuthor What's your stance on mountain oysters? @ELawrenceAuthor Not fried, not boiled, not braised, just NO
  • LOLO ‏@Lolosofocused @REHargrave how would you describe your dream guy? @Lolosofocused My husband
  • Judith Ouvrard ‏@smilyjude When I write, I can never decide on the names of the character. Were you inspired by people in your personal life? @smilyjude some of them, yes. Eilene is my middle name. Woody was my dad's
  • Martini Times ‏@Martini_Times People have strong feelings about p2p stories. Was that something that you thought about b4 publishing? @Martini_Times Absolutely-That's why I went to my readers and asked for their OK before I accepted the pub house offer. :)

  • And those are just highlights! If you want to see more Q&A feel free to follow me on Twitter and read through my profile.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

And TSID is LIVE!

Though some of you caught on earlier last night that some of the links had gone live prior to midnight. *giggles* The energy and love for this is overwhelming!  Thank you, guys, so much. So, yes, if you hop over to the GET IT HERE tab and scroll down to the TSID cover, you'll find the links for your shopping leisure.


Also, today kicks off the blog tour, and my first stop is with fellow author, M.B. Feeney 
where I answer the question:

You’ve never hidden the fact that the series started out as a fan fiction, where did the inspiration for the original story come from and how did you decide to adapt it for publication?



Monday, January 21, 2013

Less than 24 hours to TSID!

Reality is starting to sink in, meaning the emotional roller coaster ride is about to take off. I have no doubts I'll run the gamut over the next 48 hours – and beyond. I'm excited, nervous, scared, proud, anxious ... you get the idea. The countdown clock has begun to the official release of 
Book 1 in the Divine Trilogy: To Serve is Divine.


So I wanted to leave y'all with some reminders and information about what's going on and where you can find the goods!

  • The giveaway is still open over on Goodreads until midnight of the 27th. Run over and enter for your chance to win an autographed copy. It is open to ALL countries. ENTER HERE
  • Join me tomorrow, January 22 from 8-9 pm EST for the twitter release party. Amongst the prizes given out will be an autographed copy of the book. Get your questions for me ready and stop by using tweetchat.com and hashtag #RRPTSID  The more the merrier!
  • The To Serve is Divine blog tour begins tomorrow and will run through February 5. I've been quite busy writing up guest posts on a wide range of topics and answering interview questions, so this is y'alls chance to get a deeper look inside my head!  I will be adding tour stop links over on the UPCOMING EVENTS tab as I get them. 
  • Speaking of tabs, be sure to keep your eye on the GET IT HERE tab because that's where I'll be adding the retail links as they go live.
  • Lastly, I don't bite (unless you want me to) so feel free to visit me over on my Facebook page. I love to "meet" my readers and hear what y'all think. Pictures of you reading TSID would be awesome and I'll proudly share them here on my blog!
To everyone that has taken this journey with me: 
THANK YOU from the bottom of my Texas-sized heart.






Friday, January 18, 2013

REVIEW: Second Chances


Anthology - 70,000 words

A Collection of male/male stories on finding love again.
Published 8/31/12 by Bottom Drawer Publications

Non-Negotiable by T. D. Green

Jacob Kerns is due a promotion, but his ambitions are at risk when he learns his next contract will be handled by Alexander Corey, his ex. Jake tries to put personal feelings aside to do his job, but Alex won't let him. Will they find love again or is the whole thing non-negotiable?

Heart of Glass by L. J. Harris

When Zack Doherty comes to Australia on a working holiday, he is uncharacteristically forward in pushing Heath Connors, a man he barely knows, for a date. Heath, who has only recently begun to live life his way, wonders if Zack will be the one to mend his heart of glass.

Better Together by DaNay Smith

Greyson Welles followed Dominic Nash to Baltimore for his dream job, putting his own on hold. Dominic can see that Greyson's unhappy, but never expects him to turn down his proposal and return to New York. Will Greyson be gone forever or will he decide they're better together?

Dirty Martini by Bette Browne

When Daniel Fletcher runs into his ex with the man he caught him in bed with, vodka seems like the answer. Nathan Smith is used to men drowning their sorrows at the bar he tends, so the connection he feels to one is unusual. Will a means to forget turn into something more?

Notice to Appear by C. C. Lorenz

Josh Campbell is handed a notice to appear in court for a traffic offence, but his humiliation is complete when he comes face to face with his schoolboy crush, Carter Sullivan, in the court room. Could this be the start of something with Carter now that age is not an issue.

MY OVERALL RATING FOR COLLECTION: 4.2/5
Second Chances ~ An interesting concept to be given to write on. As a whole I think this anthology explored  the theme quite well.

Two of the five stories really stood out for me, Heart of Glass and Dirty Martini, because these authors took a different approach in addition to their tales being well written. Where the other stories took the angle of the "second chance" being a rekindling of old flames, these surprise you with two men who go on to establish better lives and find happiness with new love interests so the reader is given that experience of "first rush" as they get their "second chance" at love.

While Better Together had a great premise, I had to give this one such a low rating because as a reader I felt it difficult to keep track of who was who. It wasn't until near the end that it dawned on me why: the author does rapid POV shifts while using multiple names (Greyson/Grey and Dominic/Dom) and it gets confusing.

My favorite in the collection was easily the final story: Notice to Appear for the simple fact that it was the least angsty, and I'm a wimp. Notice to Appear was light-hearted and sweet. In addition, it was a happy medium between the situations I mentioned above – yes the main characters knew each other previously, but they are not rekindling an old relationship, just getting the chance at last to act on old, unspoken feelings.

All in all, the anthology as a whole was entertaining to read and I would definitely recommend it!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

TSID Twitter Release Party


Join Renaissance Romance Publishing 
and R.E. Hargrave on Twitter 
to celebrate the release her newest book, 
To Serve is Divine! 

The best, and easiest, way to attend a twitter party is to go to Tweetchat.com. Log in with your twitter name and authorize the app. Once you're back on tweetchat, put the hashtag, #RRPTSID, in the box at the top. All of the tweets that are using that hashtag will be filtered through Tweetchat. Get your questions ready and have fun! We have a lot of great prizes to give away including e-books and a signed paperback from me, R.E. Hargrave!


Guest Post from Michele Richards for Affirming the Faith Blog Tour


I'm excited to participate for the first time as a Blog Tour host with an official Jitterbug PR book release tour! Please welcome Michele Richard as she tells us a little about her new book Affirming The Faith and what it's been like bringing the Mocked By series to life.



Unlike with most series, the Mocked by series is divided by titles. The characters you meet in Mocked by Destiny have no connection to those characters in the Mocked by Faith Trilogy or the up-coming Mocked by Fate. They can be read independently without losing any information.

Even my up-coming Mocked by Silence, which is a spinoff from Mocked by Faith, will be independent, so readers will find out all the details around one specific character without having to read the trilogy to connect. 

I absolutely adored writing all the Mocked by series. Having each couple struggling with different parts of their lives mocking them has been so free from having to stay in one grouping. From teen pregnancy to a faith, everyone feels like something is mocking them, I just put it in a book for all to read.

I’ve been told by other authors this is a unique concept. Who knew when I started it with different circumstances it would become such an unheard of concept? Not me that’s for sure. To me it made perfect sense.

Research has been very insightful for this series. Each title has its own needs and required knowledge.  

Honestly, it’s been a little sad for me to say goodbye to the characters from Mocked by Faith. I love them so. But their time had come to be set free. Originally Mocked by Faith was planned to be one book. Next thing I knew there were two, then three. They’ll forever be part of me, though now, they’re free to fly.

In a way, I’m thrilled that their story has finally been told to its completion. It now opens up my time to finish a few more works that are already started. Okay so maybe there are ten new works already started. What can I say: sleep is highly overrated. 

So you may be wondering: what’s next in the Mocked by series? As I have mentioned earlier, Mocked by Silence is in its starter stages, and so is Mocked by Destiny ~Joshua’s Journey. The idea for Mocked by Fate is still brewing, but will hopefully be started soon.

Synopsis for Mocked by Faith: Affirming the Faith by Michele Richard

The time has come for Alexia and Justin McNear to move out of their beloved home at The Gates, a hidden gated community where time doesn’t change the way of life. It's time for a new start with the birth of a new community, and children to raise in the faith they cherish. Alexia and Justin’s challenges are far from a thing of the past. Life’s not always perfect. This is a fact these two know all too well. Together they’ll have to remind each other nothing is ever perfect.

Alexia has grown to accept her husband and her role in life, but now, new issues will arise, and force her to fight to keep her family together and safe. Her days of insecurities may be behind her, but she’ll be tested to see if she’s really ready to be a minister’s wife.

Justin has learned the error of his ways and will stop at nothing to protect his family and faith. Now a minister, he must show his parishioners he’s more than capable of leading them. There are no challenges or disabilities too great to overcome.

Together they’ll have to select the perfect spouses to contract for their children and lead L’île d’anges, the new community left in their trust to build. In a world of arranged marriages and dominating husbands, things are not always as they seem. Even with the small progresses their faith has made, they’ll cling to the ways of the past generations.

They’re in for an uphill battle when Mother Nature sets her eye upon them. Locked away from anyone to help them, they’ll have to rely on each other and their faith to see them through.

Is history repeating itself? When one son has no match, what then? Can they beat the clock before it’s too late?

About the author: Michele Richard



Michele Richard lives in a suburb of Boston, Mass. She’s the mother of two pre-teen daughters and the wife.

Michele Richard has created the Mocked series. From Mocked by Destiny to the trilogy Mocked by Faith, she writes what comes from the heart. A wife and the mother of two preteen girls, she spends her days spinning tales about what happens when what you believe in mocks your every turn.

When she’s not writing, her days are filled with her family, her bunny Geneva, and friends. Her greatest passions are learning new languages and traveling. She currently resides in the Northeastern part of the United States however; her family members live down the east coast as far as North Carolina.

She’s currently learning French and Spanish, and one day hopes to be fluent in both. Learning new things is always something she enjoys.





Monday, January 14, 2013

ENTER TO WIN: To Serve is Divine





Starting today through midnight EST of January 27th, I am running a giveaway over on Goodreads for 1 paperback copy of To Serve is Divine to be autographed by me!
This giveaway is open to ALL countries so run over and enter for your chance to win!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Affirming the Faith Twitter Release Party



Join us on Tuesday by signing into tweetchat.com and using hashtag #RRPATF to celebrate the release of the final installment of the Mocked By series: Affirming the Faith.
Michele will be on hand to answer questions and great prizes will be given out.

To learn more about Michele Richard and the other books in the series, please visit her website 


At last!

Well, I finally was able to sit down and read all of Sugarplum Dreams. Though I co-authored the book with three other ladies, I'd only read mine and Right Click, Love (before it went to editing), so it was a pleasure to check out the other talent! In my humble opinion, each story is worthy of standing on its own, but it would be more economic to just go ahead and get the full collection (links on the Get It Here tab) I assure you that you'll enjoy every tale.

Through Jan. 11th you can ENTER TO WIN a paperback copy of Sugarplum Dreams autographed by Michele Richard on Goodreads!

Allow me to share my personal reviews:

 ***** I finally got a chance to sit down and read this novella, and I have to say I was sucked in from the first page. What followed was a tale of love that runs much deeper than lust as the main characters were childhood friends first. From two completely different backgrounds and upbringings, Natalie and Riley still find a connection that transcends years and as the reader you find yourself rooting for them. I won't deny that some parts were tear jerkers, but shouldn't a well told story make you feel? So grab a warm drink, your favorite snuggy, and curl up in your favorite spot for a story of survival and true love.





*****     This was a fun present day story about the ups and downs of dating life. While that seems like a common enough plot, where this story differs is in the telling. Feeney has a way with words that will suck you in and have you feeling like you're right there in Jodie and Lou's shoes, living their lives. What's even better are the surprises that wait as they strive to find Mr. Right. 
Looking forward to more great stuff from this author!! 


*****      
"Wearing a sympathetic smile, the women's clinic doctor said the one thing Daphne didn't want to hear: "You're pregnant, Ms. Hobbs." 

This is the opening line to The Roommates and the pace doesn't stop from there. Daphne is instantly likable, and the Sweet brothers? Well, Richard pulls you along and lets you first learn to like them, then love them right alongside Daphne.  

So get cozy, grab a couple of tissues -there are some mushy moments- and settle in for a sweet tale of fighting for love. 

Friday, January 4, 2013

Are You Ready for TSID?


Summary:

 Catherine O’Chancey is a reserved, demure, and graceful submissive. All traits she trained hard to enhance when she discovered the world of Dominance and submission in college. In an attempt to start fresh after the unexpected death of her last Dom, Catherine moves to Dallas, TX to escape the shroud of darkness he left behind in her life. She has tried to fight the need that resides deep within her to submit, but finally has to admit she can’t for it is not a choice, but part of who she truly is. After months of mental preparation, she ventures back into the lifestyle by attending a coveted open-night event at Dungeons and Dreams, an exclusive BDSM club.

 Is it fate or coincidence that Catherine garners the attention of one of the club’s board members who happens to be on the hunt for the perfect sub – a partner who enjoys receiving pain and pleasure as much as he enjoys doling it out?

 Jayden Masterson is many things: a firm Dom, a shrewd businessman, and a gentleman. What he isn’t, is someone who partakes in relationships outside of contractual ones with his multiple, uncollared, regular submissives. While he likes rough sex, he is not an animal, and can find pleasure only if it is consensual. What his harem is missing is a pain slut, could there be one in his future?

 Upon meeting Catherine, Jayden feels an instantaneous spark inside him that has him wanting to know not just her body, but her mind. He wants to unravel her mysteries and discover her secrets. Through pain can they find the pleasure they seek? Can part-time pain lovers find full-time fulfillment when it’s not in their contract?

Coming January 22, 2013
~Cover art by JC Clarke~


Stay tuned for Twitter release party details on the Upcoming Events tab. 
The To Serve Is Divine blog tour will be taking place January 22 - February 5 
(If you would like to be a host blogger for this tour, please see details HERE



Author Links