Enter to win 25+ #baseball #romance novels

by with No Comment Contests

To celebrate the end of summer—and the start of postseason play, I’ve teamed up with more than 25 fantastic baseball romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels, PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!

You can win my BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER, plus books from authors like Kate Curran, Mindy Klasky, Kasey Michaels, Sloane Howell and Celia Aaron, C.D. Reiss, Rebecca J. Clark, Alessandra Torre and Pamela Aares.

baseball-giveaway-hittle

The contest runs from Oct. 3-10. One grand prize winner will get a Kindle Fire and an ebook from each of the authors. A runner up will receive each of the participating books.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/baseball-romance

Be sure and pass the word and tell all your friends.

Baseball romance rules!

Giveaway: A Duke’s Wicked Kiss

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Confession time: When I’m not writing contemporary romance, I LOVE to read historicals.

One that I’m looking forward to diving into just as soon as I finish my current pick, Ruby Kim Law’s CAUGHT ON CAMERA, is my friend Kathleen Bittner Roth’s A DUKE’S WICKED KISS. She has graciously offered me an ARC copy to read and a second ebook to give away to a lucky reader.

The blurb:

A Duke's Wicked Kiss | Kathleen Bittner RothWhile on a secret mission for the Crown, a proper duke falls for an improper daughter of an Indian royal and British noble.

Miss Suri Thurston knows the pain of abandonment. Intent on confronting the grandmother who tossed her to the lions, she travels from England to her birthplace in India. Her plans run afoul when she encounters the man who, ten years prior, left a mark on her soul with one stolen kiss. But he is a duke, and far beyond the reach of even her dreams.

The Duke of Ravenswood, secret head of the British Foreign Service, has no time for relationships. His one goal is to locate and eliminate key insurgents involved in an uprising against the British East India Company before it’s too late. But when Suri appears in Delhi, his resolve is tested as he finds his heart forever bound to her by the one haunting kiss they shared once upon a time.

With Suri’s vengeful Indian family looking for her death, and insurgents intent on mutiny tearing their world apart, can their love rise above the scandal of the marriage they both desperately want?

Intrigued as I am? Hop on over to my Facebook author page and comment on the post pinned to the top of the page. I’ll pick a winner a week from today, on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

Party time!

by with No Comment Blind Date BrideContests

I’m celebrating the release of BLIND DATE BRIDE with a Goodreads giveaway.

Three print copies of the book are up for grabs. The giveaway ends July 10 and is open to readers in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. (Expanding my reach this time around …)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Blind Date Bride by Arlene Hittle

Blind Date Bride

by Arlene Hittle

Giveaway ends July 10, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

If you don’t want to wait that long to read Kari and Damien’s brush with reality TV stardom, you can snag a copy from your favorite e-bookstore.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

One reviewer on Amazon gave BLIND DATE BRIDE a 5-star review and said:

“Ms. Hittle’s books are sassy, sexy and easy reads, perfect for the summer, the beach, a cabin, or just about anywhere.”

Celebrating with a giveaway

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To celebrate the impending releases of BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER (this month) and SLIDING INTO HOME (April), I’m doing a Goodreads giveaway. Enter to win one of 5 print copies of my debut DIVA IN THE DUGOUT.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Diva in the Dugout by Arlene Hittle

Diva in the Dugout

by Arlene Hittle

Giveaway ends April 30, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

So I think I can write …

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Every year (at least for the last few years), the folks at Harlequin sponsor a contest called So You Think You can Write.

Well, this year, I decided to enter. Yes, I think I can write — I just need to find enough people agree with me.

That’s where you come in. You can find the full text of the SYTYCW2012 contest rules here, but here’s a brief rundown:

Public voting begins Oct. 2 and continues through Oct. 11. The 25 submissions with the most votes, along with three “wild card” submissions chosen by the judges, advance to the next round, in which they submit their full MS to the judges’ panel, who evaluate voice, content and writing skills. The top three manuscripts will be put back to another public vote.

You can vote once a day, Oct. 2 – 11.

I’d love it if you’d vote for my entry, OPERATION SNAG MIKE BRAD.

Don’t worry: I’ll tweet/Facebook plenty of reminders. How many is too many before y’all relegate me to the “spam” folder?

P.S.: My awesome CP, Jennifer Faye, has also entered SYTYCW2012. If you don’t like my entry, cast your vote for her.

 

Still on Cloud Nineteen

by with 7 Comments ContestsMeg & Matt

Yeah, I’m saying there has to be something higher than Cloud Nine, and I’m on it. I am a 2011 Golden Heart finalist. I’ve been fielding congratulatory calls, tweets and e-mails all day — and I’m glad to get them.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought to myself “OMG, OMG, OMG” today. Good thing they just added that phrase to the dictionary, eh?

The GH final wasn’t the only piece of good news I received today. I also found out that “Beauty and the Ballplayer” won the Beacon contest, too. And the final judge/agent requested a full MS. I’ll be getting right on that, contacting her Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See? I’m not imagining all this good fortune. It’s really happening!

I’ve been writing off and on since I finished my first draft of my first MS back in 1995 or 96, but I’ve gotten serious about it in the past two years. I entered the GH for the first time in 2010; my entry earned solidly mediocre scores. This year I entered two (in series contemporary and single title contemporary) and finaled once.

You can find a full list of Golden Heart® and RITA® finalists here. (I’m excited to have found the ® symbol I’ve been instructed to use in reference to the GH and RWA.) It was nice to see so many familiar Ruby sisters (from my adopted GH class of 2009) on the lists.

There’s so much to think about, though. The Boyfriend said, “What’s next?” Well, the most immediate concern is getting a flattering headshot by April 8. I also need to find a way to pay the conference registration fee/airfare/hotel, and think about business cards. And I need to update my website … and take a “crafting the perfect pitch” workshop so I’m ready to meet with agents/editors at Nationals.

Simply put, I need to ramp up my writing efforts while remaining grounded enough to hold onto the day job … and start a new diet to lose weight before July.

None of these things are impossible tasks. I’m just thankful to be faced with such dilemmas.

The Golden phone call

by with 9 Comments ContestsMeg & Matt

My phone woke me up — and this time, it was THE call … well, the call that I’m a Golden Heart finalist, at least.

“Beauty and the Ballplayer” finaled in the contemporary series category.

More later, since I’m sure this is the beginning of a long, wild ride!

My immediate dilemma: How can I get a flattering headshot for the Jumbotron? Well, I do work with a bunch of photographers. Maybe one of them will be up to the task.

Countdown is on

by with 4 Comments ContestsMusings

I’m sure I’m not the only one counting down the days hours until Golden Heart finalist calls go out.

To keep my nerves at bay, I’ve been checking in with the gals at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. They’ve been on GH countdown all week, and will have a big e-party on Friday.

I scheduled myself a massage Friday morning and (inadvertently) a chiropractor’s appointment. (I realized that when I went to enter the massage in my cell phone calendar.)

Maybe I should go shopping for some consolatory chocolate — or a celebratory tiara, as Anne Marie recommended in Wednesday’s post.

And I’ll definitely keep in mind the advice in Thursday’s entry: Not finaling in the GH doesn’t mean your story is no good. Maybe one of your judges was having a bad day … or a bad hair day. Or they hated your hero/heroine.

I hope that none of those things are the case, and that my sparkling prose earned me a lot of high scores, securing me one of those coveted calls and a spot in the 2011 class of GH finalists.

But if it didn’t, don’t worry: I’m not going anywhere. What is it they say? If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Riding the whirlwind

by with 4 Comments ContestsMeg & Matt

Today just might go down as the highlight of my writing career to-date. It could be the start of something big.

Today, I was one of the lucky 125 entrants selected to submit to the Knight Agency’s Author Speed Date contest. You should have heard the excited whoop I let out when I saw my name on that list. (Everyone in the newsroom sure did. A few people even came over to my desk to see if I was OK.)

Panic quickly supplanted the initial excitement: Which of my novels do I send them? (I have so darn many to pick from — six completed MSs in all.) After some thought, I chose the one with the proven track record, my Beacon finalist, “Beauty and the Ballplayer.”

When I received word a few hours later that “Beauty and the Ballplayer” did not final in the Write Stuff contest, I second-guessed my decision. Big time. Lucky for me, I hadn’t had a chance to ship off my entry yet.)

The score sheets sat in my Gmail inbox, waiting for me to decide: Do I read them now, before I send my entry to the Knight Agency, so I can try to “fix” it?

A coworker convinced me to go ahead and look. “If they make any suggestions for the first three pages, use them if you think they have merit.”

So I took a peek. I couldn’t believe my eyes: Two perfect scores! The last judge gave me a 66 of 100, though. (Hope I didn’t get that judge for the Golden Heart. 😉  ) None of them wanted to make substantial alterations to pages 1-3.

I literally just shipped off my entry (the first three pages). Now, I wait … just like I’m waiting for the Golden Heart calls. The Speed Date results will come back faster, though. I’ll know by Thursday if I advance to the next round. (Just 25 of 125 will be so lucky.)