Best Laid Plans...Last Minute Shopping...Books!

Drop by the Celebrate with a Book event at Regency Square Mall on Saturday, December 21st, from Noon to 4pm! I'll be with a group of talented authors braving the last minute shopping frenzy to offer a dazzling array of books to help round out that Christmas list. 

 

 

 
This will be the first public appearance the paperback version of COLLECTOR'S ITEM. I'd love to see it nestled underneath Christmas Trees or tucked into Christmas stockings this year!

Stop by and say hello.

Conflict, Story, and Your Monday Fortune Cookie 11/4/13

EVERY GOOD STORY REQUIRES A LITTLE CONFLICT

SNARKY RESPONSE: Oh, yeah. I'm even getting critique instructions in a crunchy cookie shell.

Every Good Story Requires A Little Conflict

And every good romance needs a bit of conflict between the hero and heroine. It's all about that "will they or won't they" that keeps a romance reader reading.

In COLLECTOR'S ITEM, the conflict between KT Marant and Peyton Allers is a struggle for supremacy. Two strong-willed people facing off over the best way to get to their individual goals.

Peyton

Peyton Allers struggled to contain his temper as he faced the "princess" of the Marant clan, AKA Katarina Teresa Marant. Because a high-blood princess had slipped her leash and made herself a target for the Collectors, his cover and his operation were blow. No simple "chip & tip" would do for this Collector's Item, damn it!

KT

KT finally lost her temper. She slammed her hands onto the floor and leaned forward to thrust her face toward his. "And just like that, you let your best chance at catching Douglas Torne slip right through your fingers? As well as my best chance to find out who has my aunt? Not happening. I won't allow it." 

When they finally resolve this contest of wills to join forces, I hope you'll agree that they truly do become greater than the sum of their parts.

COLLECTOR'S ITEM is now available in paperback at Wild Rose Publishing and on Amazon.

Good News! Options, We Love Options!

Wishes do come true! Indeed they do!

SNARKY RESPONSE: That's not a fortune cookie fortune

Yes, Snarky Me has called me out, but she doesn't mind because we're throwing ourselves a little party today!

Why?

Because I just got official word that COLLECTOR'S ITEM is now available in paperback! Isn't it BEE-U-T FUL?

Alpha were-jaguar, Katarina "KT" Marant is trained to protect the pride so when her aunt disappears, KT naturally takes up the hunt. Her suspicion settles on the Collectors, humans who view shapeshifters as the ultimate big game.

Peyton Allers can't believe he's got to blow his cover to rescue a shapeshifter "princess." Even harder to believe is that she wants to stage her own kidnapping in order to catch the leader of the Collectors and find her aunt.

Everything goes sideways when KT is kidnapped for real and by someone she never suspected. Will Peyton find her before time runs out? Or will she become a true Collector's Item?

Available NOW at

The Wild Rose Press

 and on Amazon

It's truly yet another dream realized. I've got a book in paper!

Novellas in paper are generally not considered a profitable price point, which is why I resigned myself to not realizing this dream for a while. THEN, TWRP, who had granted my First Wish of publication, granted my Second Wish of print publication!

I have to thank my editor, Callie Lynn Wolfe, and my publishers, RJ Morris and Rhonda Penders at The Wild Rose Press, for what they do to support me and all the Roses.

I hope that if you or someone you know prefers reading physical books, you'll consider picking COLLECTOR'S ITEM to Place On Your Book Shelf!

Wow! I actually get to say that!

COLLECTOR'S ITEM can be put on your book shelf!

Happy dancing!

Sizzling Summer Reads Event! Let's Play!

Have you lined up your Sizzling Summer Reads!

Well, I'm here to help!

http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

I'm participating in a spectacular promotion over at The Romance Reviews blog. About 400 authors are participating and there are loads of wonderful prizes. I'll be offering a copy of Collector's Item to one lucky soul who plays my game on June 17th. 

TODAY!

So, go on, pop over to The Romance Reviews and register to play. You can't win if you don't play and, honestly, what have you got to lose? Nothing. And even if you don't win a prize, you're still a winner because you'll be piling up a list of TBR books for your summer enjoyment.

COLLECTOR'S ITEM
Available from The Wild Rose Press

Alpha were-jaguar, Katarina "KT" Marant is trained to protect the pride so when her aunt disappears, KT naturally takes up the hunt. Her suspicion settles on the Collectors, humans who view shapeshifters as the ultimate big game.

Peyton Allers can't believe he's got to blow his cover to rescue a shapeshifter "princess." Even harder to believe is that she wants to stage her own kidnapping in order to catch the leader of the Collectors and find her aunt.

Everything goes sideways when KT is kidnapped for real and by someone she never suspected. Will Peyton find her before time runs out? Or will she become a true Collector's Item?

Congrats to All Party Winners!

The Virtual Release Party for

Collector's Item

Spin The Mug Winner

Susan White!

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this important week! Susan, I'll be sending your mug and postcard next week.

A final reminder that COLLECTOR'S ITEM is available from The Wild Rose Press in all eformats. To get your copy in your choice of pdf, mobi and epub, just click this Buy Link or go to The Wild Rose Press Website and search for Collector's Item.

Vistaprint.com

PICTURE PERFECT WINNERS:

Postcard winners:

Sharon Chalk
Andrea Cooper
Susan White
Amber Hall
Stanalei Fletcher
Suzanne (who commented on the party blog)
Leah St. James


Again, thanks for playing along and if you've made the leap to purchase COLLECTOR'S ITEM, I hope you let me know what you think.

The Party's Over But One Thing Remains

Add caption

It's been great fun, but all good things must come to an end
The Virtual Release Party for
Collector's Item Ends Today


COLLECTOR'S ITEM has been released by The Wild Rose Press in all eformats. To get your copy in your choice of pdf, mobi and epub, just click this Buy Link or go to The Wild Rose Press Website and search for Collector's Item.

First and foremost a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this important week! It's been a lot of fun, and I hope that you've been entertained, intrigued, and enlightened by the various tidbits I've shared about Collector's Item. 


Alas and alack, tonight I must draw the curtain on the festivities.

Consider this your Last Call to participate in my Virtual Release Party Games!

SPIN THE MUG: The lucky winner will get a mug to create their own coffee-flavored kisses. I've been accumulating names and TOMORROW, May 24th, I'll pull a lucky winner for this delightful Collector's Item coffee mug filled with caffeine and chocolate.

 
This lovely 11oz, ceramic mug comes in a universally coordinating white to match any kitchen or office decor. The stunning cover of Collector's Item appears on one side and on the other, we pose the question on everybody's lips: 

 
To find her missing aunt, a headstrong shapeshifter joins forces with a cynical Alpha to investigate an illegal hunt club, but when their plan backfires can she escape a trap of her own making?

To earn entries in this contest, you just have to do a few things for me:

• LIKE my fb Author Page - Denise Golinowski/Author - 1 Entry
•  TWEET something about Collector's Item using BOTH @DGolinowski and #collectorsitembook in the tweet. - 1 Entry
• COMMENT on this blog post and mention that you did #1 and/or #2 - 1 Entry
• WAIT - I'll be posting the winner here on this blog on May 24th!
• EXTRA ENTRY - LIKE my fb Book Page - Collector's Item/Golinowski - 1 Entry 

Easy Peasy!

PICTURE PERFECT PICKINGS: Every day until May 24th, I've been picking random commenters, Likes, and tweets to win one of these signed Collector's Item Cover Postcards:

Vistaprint.com

Postcard winners to date:

Sharon Chalk
Andrea Cooper
Susan White
Amber Hall
Stanalei Fletcher
Suzanne (who commented on the party blog)

One more Picture Perfect Winner to go. It might be you!

Again, thanks for playing along and if you've made the leap to purchase COLLECTOR'S ITEM, I hope you let me know what you think.

From the heart - Monday Fortune Cookie 5/19/12

GREAT THOUGHTS COME FROM THE HEART

SNARKY RESPONSE: Then again, it could just be heartburn.

Great thoughts come from the heart.

As a romance writer, I'm partial to this fortune. Afterall, my tagline is: Fantasy With A Kiss Of Romance. I love stories that involve romance. Always have. Always will.

In Collector's Item, KT's heart tells her that her aunt is in trouble and despite her father's doubts, she insists on finding out. Her heart tells her that something's not right, and she puts everything on the line, including her own safety for that feeling. For her, it's about family. That's the heart of her story.

Peyton Aller's heart tells him that his best friend's death cannot go unavenged, and he puts aside his own career to do so. He goes undercover to track down the responsible party even when the authorities have set the case aside as unsolved. For him, it's about friendship. That's the heart of his story.

What happens when their stories cross becomes the heart of Collector's Item's story.

My hope is that you'll enjoy reading Collector's Item as much as I enjoyed writing it for you. Exploring KT and Peyton's world led me down a lot of interesting paths. Writing romance always offers me lots of new ways to imagine life and love. That's the heart of my story.

COLLECTOR'S ITEM VIRTUAL RELEASE PARTY!

Add caption

Today's the Day!
Welcome to The Virtual Release Party for
Collector's Item!


COLLECTOR'S ITEM has been released by The Wild Rose Press in all eformats. To get your copy in your choice of pdf, mobi and epub, just click this Buy Link or go to The Wild Rose Press Website and search for Collector's Item.

All day today, you can help me celebrate the formal launch of Collector's Item, a suspenseful paranormal romance enovella. Follow along on Facebook and twitter as I share tidbits about Collector's Item--the world, the characters, the story.

I'm also guesting over at Delilah Devlin's blog today -  http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/
sharing some fun information about my shapeshifters in COLLECTOR'S ITEM.


And as at any self-respecting party, physical or virtual, There Are Party Games!

SPIN THE MUG: The lucky winner will get a mug to create their own coffee-flavored kisses. I'll be accumulating names from now until May 23rd to put in a drawing for this delightful Collector's Item coffee mug filled with caffeine and chocolate.

 
This lovely 11oz, ceramic mug comes in a universally coordinating white to match any kitchen or office decor. The stunning cover of Collector's Item appears on one side and on the other, we pose the question on everybody's lips: 

 
To find her missing aunt, a headstrong shapeshifter joins forces with a cynical Alpha to investigate an illegal hunt club, but when their plan backfires can she escape a trap of her own making?

To earn entries in this contest, you just have to do a few things for me:

• LIKE my fb Author Page - Denise Golinowski/Author - 1 Entry
•  TWEET something about Collector's Item using BOTH @DGolinowski and #collectorsitembook in the tweet. - 1 Entry
• COMMENT on this blog post and mention that you did #1 and/or #2 - 1 Entry
• WAIT - I'll be posting the winner here on this blog on May 24th!
• EXTRA ENTRY - LIKE my fb Book Page - Collector's Item/Golinowski - 1 Entry 

Easy Peasy!

PICTURE PERFECT PICKINGS: Every day until May 24th, I'll be picking random commenters, Likes, and tweets to win one of these signed Collector's Item Cover Postcards:

Vistaprint.com

I hope you'll stay to play. The party won't be the same without YOU!

Luck, Collector's Item Release Party, and Monday Fortune Cookie 5/13/13

YOU WILL BE SHOWERED WITH GOOD LUCK!

SNARKY RESPONSE: Wow! I hope it doesn't leave a stain.

You will be showered with good luck!

Actually, I'm feeling VERY LUCKY this week. Why, you ask?

Because on Friday, May 17th,

COLLECTOR'S ITEM is being Formally Released

by The Wild Rose Press in ALL eformats!

In case you haven't picked up my various posts, hints, blogs, and such about my new paranormal romance, let me share once more the totally fabulous cover and a little hint about the story:

To find her missing aunt,

a headstrong shapeshifter joins forces with a cynical Alpha

to investigate an illegal hunt club,

but when their plan backfires

can she escape a trap of her own making?

In honor of this momentous event, I'll be hosting an all day VIRTUAL RELEASE PARTY on Friday, May 17th! I will posting here, on facebook, and (gasp) tweeting all manner of things COLLECTOR'S ITEM related. And since I can't offer you libations or edible delectables via the www, I'm going to be offering a variety of fun prizes.



Also, All Week (May 17th through May 23rd), I will be offering chances to Enter to Win one of these truly Collectible COLLECTOR'S ITEM mugs filled with various forms of caffeine and oh so yummy chocolate. I'll be sharing all the particulars about the contest on Friday, May 17th here on this blog.

And, as luck would have it, I'll also be Guest Blogging over on the Delightful Delilah Devlin's blog that day! Talk about being showered with luck!




I hope you'll join in all the fun beginning on May 17th!

Surprises, Taxes, and Monday Fortune Cookie, 4/15/13

THERE WILL BE MANY SURPRISES; UNEXPECTED GAINS ARE LIKELY

SNARKY RESPONSE:  On Tax Day, just surviving may be the biggest surprise. After meeting with my tax accountant the only unexpected gain is going to be on the scales. Comfort food is so high-cal.

THERE WILL BE MANY SURPRISES; UNEXPECTED GAINS ARE LIKELY

Actually, Tax Day was several weeks ago for me and, thankfully, not a disaster.

Preparing my taxes gave me a chance to take a walk down memory lane and so I'm going to inflict a few highlights on you. Brace yourself.

The Virginia Romance Writers 2012 Conference - I actually submitted the winning name for the conference - For The Love Of Writing. It was a wonderful conference and resulted in my finding a home for COLLECTOR'S ITEM at the Wild Rose Press!


A SALE! - I mentioned before that I found a home for COLLECTOR'S ITEM at The Wild Rose Press. My first enovella, THE FESTIVAL OF THE FLOWERS: THE COURTESAN & THE SCHOLAR, is currently in their catalogue.

Tea & Strumpets Panel - My second ever speaking engagement at a lovely little venue in Hampton. Just loved the name! What fun with the authors who helped to form the Words, Women, Wisdom (W3) blog group.

Discovering The Porches Writing Retreat - I was invited to join a lovely group of women (I call 'em The Porches Divas) on a writing retreat. I got the spicy scenes in COLLECTOR'S ITEM written there!

W3 was formed - I joined a creative bunch of ladies to form a group blog. We're an amazingly diverse group of writers covering a wide range of genres. The blog is still evolving, and I feel the best is yet to come! My monthly contribution is Myth Perceptions where I explore myths and fantasy on the third Wednesday of the month. Hey! That's this week! Dew Drop In!

I'd worked harder to develop more of an online presence with facebook and blogs. Twitter, sadly, is just not my venue of choice, though I do tweet occasionally!

Mainly, I'd say that my dedication to my career as a writer continued to expand in 2012 and I've been continuing the trend in 2013 with COLLECTOR'S ITEM's release.

However, the best part has been the folks I've met here on Golinowski's Gambol, facebook, W3, and all points in between. I hope that we all have positive returns and happy surprises on this Tax Day!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

A few weeks ago, I was invited by KyAnn Waters (http://www.kyannwaters.blogspot.com)to participate in this fun blog hop. When I saw the questions being posed, I was more than happy to play. I hope that you'll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

What is the title of your book?

Collector's Item

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've been devouring a lot of paranormals lately and wanted to try my hand at writing one. I've always written fantasy, so paranormal isn't that far of a stretch. When deciding what kind of paranormal, I chose shapeshifters, but not werewolves since they've been done a lot, and very well. I'm a cat person, so a feline shapeshifter made sense. When I imagined my world with shapeshifters living openly among the populace, I knew there would be folks opposed to/frightened by/violently against shapeshifters having a place in society. That lead to the thought of hunters which led to the Collectors and the concept that they saw shapeshifters as the "ultimate big game." And from there we had "lift off!"

What genre does your book come under?

Definitely paranormal romance with a slant toward suspense and just enough heat to make it spicy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

What a fun question! Hmm.

Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) would be KT Marant . Eliza has not only the look, but also the attitude I wanted for KT.

Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight, Hawaii 50) would be Peyton Allers. Alex has the ability to look tough, but remain sympathetic.

Jon Hamm (Mad Men) would be Douglas Torne. For some reason, he can look like he's Teflon coated and ego-driven.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When a headstrong female shapeshifter enlists a cynical Alpha take on the Collectors, can they bring the illegal hunt club down or will she become a Collector's Item?

Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

My publisher is The Wild Rose Press, an epublisher.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The first draft of Collector's Item took about seven months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm hopeful that my story would fall in the same category as Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Reading about Kitty and Mercy motivated me to expand my writing. And the idea that the transition period after the Big Reveal would be fraught with issues.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Oh my, that's a loaded question. I guess I'd have to say that I've put a little spin on the shapeshifter trope by giving the animal side of my shapeshifters their own personality and voice in the story. How this deeper relationship influences the behavior and reactions of my shapeshifters is something I hoped to convey.

Well, that's all folks! Thanks again, KyAnn for the invite.

Please mark your calendar for March 27th to check out the author I invited to participate with The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: Alexa Day

Alexa is not just a friend, but an awesome writer whose debut novel, ILLICIT IMPULSE is now available from Ellora's Cave. Please drop in next Wednesday to visit Alexa Day at her blog - http://alexaday.net/