The Next Big Thing

Kasia James, one of my favorite writers and bloggers, tagged me for the next big thing, a tag-you’re-it game among writers on the web.  I’d love to retag Kasia, whose lovely book, The Artemis Effect, offers a hopeful post apocalyptic quest for survival following a natural disaster.  As an optimist by nature, I appreciate a book that reinforces my long term hopes for humanity. That also explains my love of Star Trek but that’s for another blog.

In addition to Kasia’s wonderful book, I’ve got a host of crit partners whose works I have no doubts what so ever you will all enjoy.  Here goes in alphabetical order:

• Sarah Cass, Masked Hearts. I was lucky enough to critique this poignant, deep and wonderful book. Historical romance fans, this one’s for you.
• Tonya Cannariato, Dust to Blood. Smart, fun, and thought provoking book mixes history, mythology and fantasy. Unique  mixing of genres and very, very cool.
• Fiona Druce, Ace’s Wild. Want to fall off the couch laughing, get sassed by the heroine and get your happy ending. Go no further.
• Jennifer James, Hunger Embraced.   Hold onto your hat for this fast paced, funny, and very smexy paranormal romance. The heroine is a succubus, the hero a vampire, need I say more.
• Ellie Heller, A Matter of Fate. Enter a creative, new paranormal world, full of imagination, romance and one sexy hero. ~sigh~
• Milly Taiden, Wolf Protector. This sexy paranormal suspense is just the thing to spice up your night or your day, or whenever you need it.

Now, I get to answer several questions about my current book.

What is the title of your book? Fires of Justice

Where did the idea for the book come from? A curiosity to merge western myth of witches and shifters with eastern philosophy centered on the elements and energy.

What genre does your book fall under? Paranormal romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Scarlett Johannsen and Jeremy Renner because I loved their chemistry in The Avengers.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  Forced to mate to undertake a task required by the guardians, a witch and shifter must overcome their past to cleanse the magic in the world and learn to love again.

Who published your book?  Ellora’s Cave.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Its a novella, but I write in bits, so probably five months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  It’s part of a series by Ellora’s Cave called Hex Appeal. Most of the books in that series have similar elements.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  My favorite character is the guardian, Argenta, who forces our couple to work together. When she pops in, she steals the scene. Below is her description.

The unsmoked cheroot always dangling from her mouth, the white flannel nightgown that hovered midcalf to make sure everyone got a good look at those muddied combat boots, laces untied. Disheveled silver hair stuck out in odd clumps around her head, creating a wild halo effect around the unending wrinkles that crisscrossed her face. She could choose any avatar in the universe and she opted for defiant old prune.

Sabrina

Lucky in Love Blog Hop: How do you make your own luck?

Welcome Hoppers to Carrie  Ann’s Luck in Love Blog Hop.   Join almost 300 bloggers celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the ephemeral concept of luck.

As usual, I’m going to do this blog hop my own way.  I don’t really believe in luck–not completely. Luck seems to show up most often when people are working hard to achieve a goal, making new friends, doing new things–finding ways implicit and explicit–to trip over that door that just had not yet been in their vision.  Luck often seems to be an unseen opportunity or barrier revealed when someone marches forward with steel determination, kindness in their heart, a sense of purpose and a little Karma thrown in for good measure.

Yes, things like lotteries work on luck, but you have to be a ticket to have access to it. So even that requires an action first, before the luck comes.   Still not convinced?  Let’s see if I can prove it with the prize I’m giving away.

I have a fabulous group of writer buddies. We help each other grow as writers.  All have published or about to publish wonderful books and stories. Like me, on the newer end, most of us having our first books within the last year.  One person who comments on the question “How do you make your own luck,” chosen by random.org will win one book written by one of these authors, that I will buy.  Which author will be chosen by random.org.  Here’s the amazing group in alphabetical order by last name:

Tonya Cannariato

Sarah Cass

Fiona Druce

Ellie Heller

Jennifer James

Milly Taiden

Mary Terrani

Luck, through random number generation will decide which new author you get to read. But they are all out there working hard to write great stories and spreading the word about them. I’m just a door that opened to help them out and you get a free book.  Pretty good deal–Good Luck.

ENJOY.

SABRINA

There are  over 300 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger during the hop so visit them by clicking this here.

And that’s still not all….

We have TWO grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

 1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

 

If you are in the market for a new shifter story, consider my recent release Fires of Justice from Ellora’s Cave.

Fires of Justice Book Blurb

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

Buy Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Ellora’s Cave

Dying Magic, Dead Land on #SneakPeekSunday

Hi there. I’ happy to participate on another Sneak Peek Sunday. Is this excerpt from my paranormal novella Fires of Justice, Calista is coming to terms with the truth of her parents. You can read the snippets from all the other wonderful writers here.

In the morning they recharged their magic and borrowed Ledo’s truck, driving two hours on unpaved roads through a forest that degenerated exponentially each mile they covered. Barren tree branches pockmarked by age and disease scratched at the truck windows. Smoke hung heavy in the air and the stench of decay wafted from circles of scorched earth, choking them, forcing tears to their eyes.

“There’s been no life for miles. The pattern of burnt circles gets smaller as we get closer, the land more desolate.” Calista covered her nose with a handkerchief, trying to escape the fetid odor.

“The circle pattern ends at the contaminated node. The destruction of the land, life and magic began at that point and emanated outward.”

“My parents did this, didn’t they?”

“Yes, Callie, they did.”

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you enjoyed it.

Sabrina

Sabrina Garie is on a journey to create the most kick-ass heroine in romance fiction. You can meet the first heroine in Fires of Justice at Elloras Cave, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Meet Aunt Esmy in Fires of Justice #SneakPeekSunday

Hi there. This is my first Sneak Peek Sunday and I’m happy to be sharing. Is this excerpt from my paranormal novella Fires of Justice, the heroine Calista is talking with her Aunt Esmy, who raised her.  As you’ll see, they have an interesting relationship. You can read the snippets from all the other wonderful writers here.

Esmy ignored her outburst as she habitually did. “The Covens Council always believed you’ve been touched by Argenta and had some hidden purpose.”

“Is that why you agreed to raise me?” A tic appeared in Calista’s jaw.

Esmy nodded, her face, carved in stone, displayed no indication that she noticed her niece’s distress. With typical brisk efficiency, she shooed Calista forward. “Upstairs, niece, serve some wine and give me all the details so I can decode the message.”

Pinot noir poured and crackers laid out in neat rows, Calista plopped herself down on a tan suede couch pushed against the far wall in her living room.

Esmy wiped the cushions on the adjacent matching loveseat and rearranged the pillows before sitting. “You may begin.”

As her highness commands.

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you enjoyed it.

Sabrina

Sabrina Garie is on a journey to create the most kick-ass heroine in romance fiction. You can meet the first heroine in Fires of Justice at Elloras Cave, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Heartbreakers of the Furry Kind: The #Hearthop (#Shifters are included)

Welcome Hoppers to Carrie  Ann’s Holiday Heartbreaker Blog Hop.   Join over 300 bloggers celebrating Valentine’s day and the joy of love.

I am going to do this a little differently and focus on heart breakers of the furry kind–animals and you got it, shifters (people who become animals).

I want to share my two favorites.  The first is my furry baby, who is beyond adorable, and a world champion nuisance. Aww. Look at him wrapped up like a pink package (my daughter’s handiwork).

The second heart breaker is Cullen McMahan, fire shifter, hero of my paranormal novella Fires of Justice and all around heart breaker.  I thought I’d share an excerpt of him with his own heart in a twist.  I find pain in a sexy dude downright irresistible.  In the snippet below, Cullen and Calista, who are not exactly on speaking terms at the moment, are required to work together to complete a mission and find themselves sharing a room at an inn.

They made fast work of dinner. Both taking refuge in the window view, they scarfed the food down, polished off the white wine and exchanged very few words.

After surviving the meal, Calista planted herself in the shower, leaving when she started to shiver from water that had long since turned cold. Dressed in a plain red t-shirt, she dried her hair, and exhausted, headed to bed.

Cullen had cleaned up the dinner dishes and sat in the brocade chair, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, and stared out the window. Dark circles ringed those pain-filled, too-old eyes, his body rigidly alert. Pain sliced through her heart, stabbing it into shreds. Before she could think better of it, she found herself kneading his shoulders to release the grief tensing his muscles into iron-hard knots.

He glanced up, questioning, but his body leaned into the massage like a flower to the sun. Watching those chocolate-brown eyes and hard planes of his face soften under her ministrations melted her like butter.

Got a furry critter or sexy shifter who’s broken your heart?  Or in the case of my big boy, the stove, drinking glasses, plates, bowls and I could go on.  Let me know and leave your email addy. For one commenter, I will adopt an endangered species in your name from the World Wildlife Fund. You get to pick which one and receive the $25.00 adoption packet.

There are over 300 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger during the hop so visit them by clicking this here.

And that’s still not all….

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

 

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! Just look at it.

Good Luck. Have a love-filled Valentine’s Day.

Sabrina

If you are in the market for a new shifter story, consider my recent release Fires of Justice from Ellora’s Cave.

Fires of Justice Book Blurb

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

Buy Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Ellora’s Cave

A Grab Bag of Good Stuff (Hop Winners, Good Reviews, and whats coming up next)

I’m going to grab the new year with both arms and welcome the good stuff it has to offer with a big smile.  Lets start with congratulations to Vicky B who won the kiva loan on my site the New Year Blog Hop.

Next on the list, are some good reviews I’ve received recently.  One of the hardest things about being a writer at least for me is promotion. I know I’m not alone here when I say that I’ve received some good reviews but I’ve been a bit shy about sharing them.  Friends now pushing Sabrina onto page.  Hands waving me forward.  Voices repeating–you can do this, you can do this.  Breath caught in lungs, knees locking, I close my eyes and start typing.

I am thrilled  that Jodie Smith at Riverina Romantics and Kasia James on GoodReads gave me five star reviews of Fires of Justice (also available on Amazon).   I have so much respect for these two amazing ladies, that I am humbled by their praise.  We all want to be liked, especially by people for whom we hold a deep respect.  So visit these great ladies, whose activities on the web are worth anyone’s time, and take a look at the review, and maybe read it too.

Whew, wipe sweat off brow. I’ve done it.  I’ve tooted my horn. I am grateful to  Jodie and Kasia for helping me do it. It really does take a village to build an ego.

And finally, there is another great blog hop coming up. Next in the cue is the Heartbreaker Blog Hop. Valentine’s Day is coming.

Sabrina

Book Blurb

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Happy New Year Blog Hop, Shining in #2013

Welcome Hoppers to Carrie  Ann’s Happy New Years Blog Hop.   Join over 200 bloggers celebrating and sharing what we want for the new year. My goal is to live life to its fullest without fear, to keep being the best I can be, learning to shine and helping others to do the same.  For the new year, I am sharing my all time favorite quote from Marianne Williamson.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

What do you want to do next year that will help you shine and become the person you dream to be or do the thing you dream to do?

Answer the above question and I will give one commenter a $25.00 Kiva loan to invest in an entrepreneur of your choice any world in the world. As you help someone else better their life in the new year, you better your own as well.  The loan will return to you, once the entrepreneur is off the ground, which you can then reinvest in a new entrepreneur or use the money to do something for yourself and your family.  And don’t forget to leave your email. And then please visit the other hop sites.

Life

There are over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger during the hop so visit them by clicking this here.

And that’s still not all….

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

 

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $300 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Good Luck. May you shine in the New Year in your own light and those of others.

Sabrina

Over the holidays, if you are shopping for an ebook, consider my recent release Fires of Justice from Ellora’s Cave. Just the right amount of hot for a cold, wintry night.

Fires of Justice Book Blurb

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

AmazonBarnes and Nobles

A Love of Nature at the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop # Holiday Love

Welcome Hoppers to Carrie  Ann’s Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop.   Join over 200 bloggers celebrating the holiday season and the joy of love.

I am going to do this a little differently and focus on the love of nature.  We all have one  to some extent although it  expresses itself so differently–a love of animals, water, hiking, starlight skies, organic foods, hanging out at the beach, or making snow angels.

Life

For me, I have been trying to build a love for nature into my life in an every day way–through pets, remembering to look at the stars, eating as close to nature as possible, talking walks to feel the sun on my face.  I think the need to do this more consciously is getting more important. Jacques Cousteau may have captured this feeling best, when he said. “For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.”

How is a love for nature expressed in your life?  For one commenter, I will adopt an endangered species in your name from the World Wildlife Fund. You get to pick which one and receive the $25.00 adoption packet.

There are over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger during the hop so visit them by clicking this here.

And that’s still not all….

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

 

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Good Luck. Have the happiest of holidays.

Sabrina

Over the holidays, if you are shopping for an ebook, consider my recent release Fires of Justice from Ellora’s Cave. Just the right amount of hot for a cold, wintry night.

Fires of Justice Book Blurb

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

AmazonBarnes and Nobles

[S]Hop Until You Drop at the Black Friday Blog Hop # BkFriHop

Welcome Hoppers to Carrie Ann’s Second Annual Black Friday Blog Hop.   It’s ONE DAY only and we’re giving away prizes and talking about books we love.

As Black Friday is one of our biggest shopping days before the winter holidays, it seems practical to discuss which books make great gifts.  I’m always struggling for gift ideas.  So with that in mind,  I’m discussing books I like to give as gifts and some fun ones I’ve received.

Books I Give to Friends and Family

• If on a Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino (a homage to book lovers that I gift to those who love books as much as I do).
• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (for those who write, want to write, or appreciate writing).

Gifts for colleagues (perfect for the Secret Santa or Grab Bag Party)

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Zagats Guides (for the city, state or country, depending on where you live)

Children’s Gifts

• Oh the Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
• Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton (for young children)

Books I’ve Received that I’ve Appreciated

• Idealists by Hans Scherfig (one of Denmark’s most famous writers that I’d never heard of until a Danish house guest gifted this to me)
• Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler (who’d have thunk, great Channukah gift)

I’m giving away a $5.00 gift card to Amazon or Target (your choice) as both are places where you can shop for just about anything you need. To win, tell me either which book (s) you like to gift or the best book you ever got as a gift and why.  Maybe by the end of the day, we’ll have some great ideas for our own holiday lists.

There’s more….

There are over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger during the hop so visit them by clicking this here.

And that’s still not all….

There are also  THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

 1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Good Luck. Happy Shopping

Sabrina

If you are shopping for an ebook, consider my recent release Fires of Justice from Ellora’s Cave. Just the right amount of hot for a cold, wintry night.

Fires of Justice Book Blurb

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

Link to Excerpt: http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419941542.htm

 Ellora’s Cave

Amazon

Barnes and Nobles

And the winners are…

Between my blog tour and a couple of blog hops, I’ve had a wonderful time meeting new people, hanging out with my peeps, and learning some cool stuff.  Now, I get to say thank you.  Below are the winners from this frenzy of activity.  Prizes include ebooks and gift cards.  Winners were chosen by rafflecopter or random.org.

Riverina Romantics:   Becky White 

Jennifer Jakes: Warm Days, Cool Nights & Hot Guys:  Eden Summers

Alpha Male Blog Hop:   Yvette

A Blue Million Books:  Christina Livingston

A Book a Day. Tonya Cannariato on Reading & Writing:  Vanessa N.

Cassandra Carr:  Carin W.

Sarah Cass: Redefining Perfect.   Mary Terrani

Jennifer James:  Sexy Men, Strong Women, General Hilarity   Ellie Heller

Wicked After Dark Blog Hop:  Michelle OBoyle

 

And is the swag over? No its not. Coming soon, the Black Friday Blog Hop, on  November 23. Its one day only so mark your calendars.  In the meantime, stop on by just to say hi.