Thursday, July 31, 2014

GIVEAWAY: Come celebrate Read-A-Romance Month!

My lovely friend, L.C. Giroux, asked me to participate in Read-A-Romance Month at http://www.readaromancemonth.com/. All throughout the month of August, romance authors are celebrating romance by recommending their favorite authors and giving away cool prizes. 

The theme of this year's Read-A-Romance Month is "Celebrating Romance." Since my one-year wedding anniversary is coming up in August, this is an easy one for me. My wonderful husband and I have been together for over five years now, but last year we decided to make it official. The funny thing was that we'd been talking about getting married within a few weeks of when we met. We just always knew that was where we were headed. But how did we know? 

All I can say is that for the both of us, this was the first relationship we'd had where we felt "solid" from the start--no games, no moodiness, no doubts. I never questioned his motives or behavior because he never gave me cause to. We both laid our cards on the table, said take it or leave it, and that has remained true to this day. And while we both have strong opinions and have butted heads time and again, we've also worked hard to resolve our differences. An important part of that is apologizing when we're in the wrong. (And hey, making up can be really fun!)

But the most important thing? Cherishing each other and saying "I love you" every day. Maybe it's because we're both older and know that we don't have all the time in the world anymore, but we both feel it's important to express how we feel and show our love all the time, whether it's through abundant kisses, little "just because" gifts, or supporting each other when we're feeling down. I feel so incredibly lucky to have met the love of my life. Our only regret? That we didn't meet in our twenties! 

As part of Read-A-Romance Month, I've been asked to answer the following three questions: 

1 - Describe the most daring, adventurous or inspiring thing you ever did. 

The most daring thing I ever did was join an online dating service. It took me quite a while to work up the nerve to do it, but I'm so glad I did--I met my hubby there the first week! And even luckier: He was about to quit the service, but decided to take one last look before closing his account, and that's when he spotted me. (It's just like a romance novel!)

The most adventurous thing I ever did? Taking a trip to Italy with a group of complete strangers! I fell in love with the country, and it inspired my first full-length romance novel and my current romantic suspense series, Blood and Honor, about the blood feud between two powerful Mafia families and the star-crossed romances that occur along the way. 


2 - Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer. (How did you decide to get started? Did you always know or was there a specific moment when you knew?)

I started writing romances when I was teenager. They were all about the rock stars I and my friends had crushes on. I wrote tons of them, and my friends couldn't get enough of the stories I dreamed up. I was hooked! However, reality intruded, and I had to find a "real job." So even though I majored in writing in college, I took a job in the software industry, and stayed there for almost twenty years. (*cue montage of late nights staring at a computer screen) The job was all-consuming, but my writing bug was always there in the background, waiting to be let loose. 

After my first trip to Italy, I decided to write my first full-length romance novel. I didn't have a lick of spare time, but I powered through, working on it during the wee hours for months and months. Even though it wasn't the greatest thing ever (and I haven't published it), it showed me that I could in fact write an entire book that actually made sense. Most importantly, I fell in love with writing romance all over again. I was fast approaching forty, and I realized then that I could either spend another twenty years in software, or I could spend the rest of my life doing what I loved. I chose romance! 

3 - Tell us about The (or A) Book That Changed Your Life. (Why?)

Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. I'd always been an avid reader, but there was something about these lush, richly imagined, wildly romantic novels that nurtured my writing bug. I was especially taken by how Rice managed to take a character I'd thoroughly despised in Interview and turn him into a character I adored in Lestat. I realized then what was possible in the hands of a gifted storyteller and that made me want to be one someday.






Recommendations

Yay! We've made it to my favorite part: recommending writers I love! 

First up is Kristine Cayne. She's my critique partner and an awesome award-winning romance author. She writes both exciting, steamy romantic suspense and naughty, sizzling erotic romance. 

Her latest release is Deadly Betrayal, a thrilling story set in Afghanistan about an American soldier and a woman's rights activist trying to save a twelve-year-old girl from marriage to a savage warlord. I've read this book three times now, and I *still* laugh, cry, and fan myself every time! 

And if you love erotic romance with dirty-talking CEOs, I highly recommend Everything Bared



I also must recommend Delilah Marvelle. She writes steamy historical romance with swoon-worthy heroes and unusual heroines and settings. These aren't cookie-cutter stories and often have edgy (sometimes dark) subjects in them, and I've loved them all. 

Her latest release is Night of Pleasure, part of the highly enjoyable School of Gallantry series. 

I'm also a huge fan of J.R. Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood books. Imagine lethally sexy alpha vampires with a hard edge and hearts of gold. I love them all! 

If dark, angst-ridden paranormal romance is your thing, start with Dark Lover, and don't look back! 








Giveaway

I'm giving away two ebook copies of Revenge


A woman on the run. A damaged Mafia don. A rival bent on revenge... 

Kate Andretti is married to the Mob--but doesn't know it. When her husband uproots them to Italy, Kate leaves everything she knows behind. Alone in a foreign land, she finds herself locked in a battle for her life against a husband and a family who will "silence" her if she will not do as they wish. When her husband tries to kill her, she accepts the protection offered by a wealthy businessman with Mafia ties. He's not a mobster, he claims. Or is he? 

Enrico Lucchesi never wanted to be a Mafia don, and now he's caught in the middle of a blood feud with the Andretti family. His decision to help Kate brings the feud between the families to a boil. When Enrico is betrayed by someone in his own family, the two of them must sort out enemies from friends--and rely on each other or die alone. The only problem? Enrico cannot reveal his identity to Kate, or she'll bolt from his protection, and he'll be duty-bound to kill her to safeguard his family's secret. 


Attacks from without and within push them both to the breaking point, and soon Enrico is forced to choose between protecting the only world he knows and saving the woman he loves. 

*** Revenge was a double-finalist (Romantic Suspense and Best First Book) in the 2013 Booksellers' Best Awards! ***

To win a copy of Revenge, fill out the Rafflecopter below. 

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About Dana

Dana Delamar is the author of the Blood and Honor romantic suspense series, which is set in Italy among the Calabrian Mafia. Her first book, Revenge, received 4 stars from RT Book Reviews, was a Top Pick at The Romance Reviews, and was a double-finalist for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense in the 2013 Booksellers Best Awards. Her second book, Retribution, received 4 stars from RT Book Reviews and was a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review's 2013 Best Indie Book Awards. Her third book, Malavita, was a quarter-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, and her fourth book, Redemption, is a semi-finalist in the 2014 Kindle Book Awards. Dana is also the editor of a number of fiction and nonfiction books, and co-owner of By Your Side Self-Publishing, a company that provides editing and other services to self-publishers. 

An avid traveler who loves to learn about different peoples and cultures, Dana often sets her books in exotic locales. She grew up in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, and today makes Seattle her home. She's an omnivorous reader with overflowing bookshelves, a passionate love of "Supernatural," "Firefly," "True Blood," "Mad Men," and a zillion other TV shows. Where she finds the time to sleep is a mystery. You can learn more about her at http://www.danadelamar.com.

Find Dana's books at: 

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