Promo and Excerpt for UPON YOUR HONOR on Some Like it Hotter blog

Friday, April 25, 2014

UPON YOUR HONOR

Book Info:

Upon Your Honor is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and CreateSpace.

Genre:  Historical Romance

Era:  Victorian

Setting:  New York, Nassau, New Orleans
Themes:  Suspense, maritime, dueling

Book blurb for Upon Your Honor

​:​

Deception is a dangerous path…

New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms.  As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.

Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life.  But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.

​Purchase Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Honor-Marie-Lavender/dp/1625260423/​

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/upon-your-honor-marie-lavender/1119268362

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430789

https://www.createspace.com/4762748

Excerpt:

​

He paused outside the door of the cabin, rested his forehead lightly against it. He turned his body slightly; his ear against the wood, and wondered if he could hear anything on the other side. Was she sleeping now? What was she doing? Had she actually been affected by the events that occurred today? She had certainly not shown it. Her courage was astounding. He wanted to hold her against him, reassure himself that she was well, that she had not come within a hair’s breadth of losing her life. It was not to be.

No, he should not bother her. He turned away, but stopped. Something drew him back, though. The desire to see her again won out. He returned to the door, grasped the handle and turned the knob. It didn’t budge. He shook his head in a wry fashion. So she thought she could defeat him. He unearthed a key from his pocket and inserted it in the lock, and the sound grated for a moment. He opened the door and stepped inside, shut the door behind himself.

A mass of blonde curls splayed across the bed. With real concern, he stepped forward to check on her. Her eyes were closed as he leaned over her, and her breath stirred over him. She was obviously all right, but he did not immediately step away. She was asleep, and his heart constricted in his chest as he watched her. She looked like an angel. He paused over her for a moment, inhaling her feminine fragrance, then brushed his lips over her cheek. He froze as she twitched slightly, then went still. “Ah, mon ange, if only this were possible.”

Finally, he stepped away, knowing full well she would be outraged if she knew he was there. He saw a letter on the desk and curiosity got the better of him. When he saw who it was addressed to, he picked it up.

Dearest Gabriel,

It pains me to say this, but I must. There is much you do not know about me, and I am only endangering you if I stay. If you receive this, I have most likely found a way off of La Voyageur. Believe me, it is nothing you have done, and the last thing I want is for you to feel responsible for my abrupt departure.

If I have left, it is simply because I see no other way. There are things in this life I could not have anticipated, and if I stay any longer, I will place you in unnecessary danger. It may affect all of you. I feel, in fact, that I am an omen brought upon this voyage, an unlucky passenger. I should not be welcome into your open arms and hospitality. You have all been so kind, and this betrayal of mine is more than I can bear.

So with a heavy heart, I must leave you. I am truly sorry it has come to this. I never intended to…but, never mind that. Forgive me, if you can.

Your loyal companion,

Chloe Ann Waverly

His heart raced with true panic. Mon Dieu, she could not leave, not now that he’d found her. He’d have to show her that her presence was not unwelcome, but instead encouraged.

She obviously had secrets, many she hinted at but did not reveal in the letter. It did not matter. He could not let her go.

He grasped the letter in his hand and crumpled it in his fist. He shook with an emotion he could not place. Then he left the room abruptly.

​

Author Bio:

Bestselling author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 18 other books. Finalist and Runner-up in the MARSocial's Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader's Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013. Top 50 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child's play. Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted - to be a writer. While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.
Since then, Marie has published nineteen books. Marie Lavender's real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories. Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them. She just released Magick & Moonlight, a paranormal romance, in March. Upon Your Honor is her second historical romance. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return; Magick & Moonlight; Upon Your Honor

Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace

Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

​Author ​

 Links:

http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://twitter.com/marielavender1
https://plus.google.com/u/0/104926404745289477307/posts
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/

What Is This Weird "Twitter" Thing, Anyway?

I just had a fellow writer ask me how in the world to do this Twitter thing so I thought I'd give my thoughts about it.  I've written about it before in other social networking related posts, but this is a bit more detailed.

"So, what is this weird Twitter thing, anyway?  What do I do with it?"

As someone who used to be very new at it, I totally get why it seems overwhelming.  I even know people who avoid it because they think it's silly.  But, it's not silly; it can be very useful for a writer or anyone who wants to get out there in the social networking hemisphere.

Ah, Twitter.  The wonderful Twitter where you can “tweet” like crazy.  You can create your author account here.  Yes, it is an advertising tool for the most part.  Or it seems like that.  It doesn’t have to be.  If you are a new member, you will need to “follow” your interests.  Most likely, Twitter will offer a tutorial.  Once you have established what interests you, Twitter will make suggestions based on that.  You can also search for what you want to follow.  If you like healthcare, follow the CDC, NIH or companies like Beckton Dickinson (BD) or Covidien.  If you like a band or artist, follow them.  If you like writing, follow other authors and their books.  In most cases, people will “follow” you back.  

You want to get as many followers as possible. This may seem hard.  It will look as if you follow more than you’re followed.  Keep pushing forward.  You will also receive notifications about Tweets the people you’ve followed have posted.  Yes, it does make your inbox crazy.  I believe you can change the notification settings here too.  Another tip.  With Twitter, you can customize your profile with your book cover, author pic or other background to make it look nice.  Other people will see this when they follow you.

Twitter is a pretty neat tool to use.  You can tweet about pretty much anything from your book to interviews to where you went to eat last night to how you took your dog for a walk.  I’m not kidding about the last two.  People actually do that.  Nowadays, it’s becoming the standard to talk about things besides what you really want to post.  That is why you see the celebrities you follow tell everyone they just ate a bag of Doritos or painted their toe nails.  Really?  That’s nice.  I know.  Not very exciting.  And not very hopeful for the burgeoning writer.   

So, there are a few things you can do to ramp up your presence on Twitter.  Sure, you can post news about your writing.  I recommend it.  But, do more.  Try to gain a following by following other authors or your own interests (i.e. companies or brands you like, people you admire).  Chances are they’ll follow you back.  And on the left side of the page, Twitter gives you recommendations, kind of like the age old, "if you like this, you'll like this" notion.  And always try to follow those who have followed you on Twitter.  If someone direct messages you, asking a random question like, “What is your favorite food?” or maybe they want to talk about how they just finished a needlepoint project, go ahead and reply back.  This puts out the idea that your efforts are not self-serving and you actually do want to talk to people, which is most likely the case.  The downside of Twitter is this:  some of the people you follow are not exactly professional, and you may get some pretty nasty comments or propositions.  The best way to handle this is to go through your list of followers and unfollow those rude people.  They may still follow you, but by unfollowing them, you have just saved yourself a big headache and a ton of embarrassment.  

Oh, Twitter.  It’s beautiful if you spend 24 hours a day in front of your PC.  Retweet, post, retweet, post, get a little creative, post, reply to a witty remark, reply to a lovely quote, reply to someone’s suggestion on what movie to see, retweet, post.   

Okay, I think I’m getting dizzy.  Follow a ton of people.  I have.  So you say, “Well, I have a lot of followers now.  But, are they all following me?” No?  Then you have to ask yourself, “Should I unfollow someone, and will that have a major impact?”  Possibly.  See, the problem is that Twitter likes to freeze you.   They block you from following anyone else at around 2000.  From there, you have to boost your followers until you can follow more.  So, you think, “I’ll just stay where I am.  I’ve followed who I’ve followed.  I’ll do what I can to have them follow me.  But, if they don’t, what can I do?  If my numbers change and I’m able to follow more, great!  If not, I guess I’ll just keep doing the Twitter thing.  Hopefully that helps.” 

Eventually, you want to get to the point where most of the people that you follow on Twitter follow you back.  Well, how do you do that?  There is a nifty tool at http://unfollowers.me/  Yes, you will have to sign in with your Twitter account, but it is SO helpful.  And I mean that.  Currently, I am following back 100% of my followers because of this tool and people like that.  It did take a while to get to that point though.  The nice thing about it is that it does tell you by email when people unfollow or follow you.  So, whenever you want, you can go into the tool and check the latest activity.  Twitter always has limits on how many people you can follow, of course, so you have to do what you can.   There is a section for ‘recent unfollowers’.  Click on that.  Here, you have a choice of unfollowing them or you can try to do a shout out on Twitter (i.e.  something like, “Follow and RT @---- @----- @----“).  That may not always get them to follow you back.  You also have to really take stock of who you are following.  Prioritize it a little.  Are you following random businesses like VISA or Microsoft or Verizon (whoever your provider is)?  Well, that’s great.  But, it’s not going to win you any points.  And unless you want to see their tweets coming up all the time when you click ‘home’, it’s pointless because they most likely will not follow you back.  You can look at who is not following you back by clicking on ‘Not following back’.  Take stock and decide if these companies or individuals are the kind that would follow you back.  I have a few that I follow because I like them, but I don’t imagine any big names would actually follow me back because they’re too busy.  For the rest, I prioritize.

Think of what you’re interested in (books?  Great!  Follow people who write books or people who like books).  People will naturally follow who their connections follow.  You will find more people to follow.  But, always follow someone back if they have followed you unless they directly offend you.  You can follow back your followers on that great tool I just mentioned by clicking on the ‘fans’ section.  Follow as many people listed as you can before Twitter gets insane and says, “ Hey!  No more today!”  LOL.

Also, keep track of who is retweeting you or doing mentions of you.  It’s a good practice to try to follow them back as well.  You can check your notifications for that.  Always tweet a thank you to them.  It is the nice thing to do.

For more tips on Twitter, I would recommend Anne Bayes’ article:  http://annabayes.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/twitter-what-not-to-do/

She also mentions another article that is useful:  http://www.molly-greene.com/10-tweets-you-should-never-send/

Twitter can be a crazy marketing tool, but it can also be rewarding.  For myself, I enjoy reading some of the posts when you click the home button.  For those not familiar with Twitter, that shows the tweets of the people you are following.  Some people post pics and I try to respond to those.  The number one thing is that because my time is pretty limited, I only do what moves me.  If something is really interesting, catchy or worth retweeting, I will always do it.  If a picture or saying makes me really think, I am going to reply to that person.  I can’t be on Twitter 24/7, but I can try to do my part.  And yes, I do promote my books, but I also help my followers by retweeting. 

And the other thing?  Find something interesting to say.  Whether you are sticking to a certain theme (something you do professionally) or you just want to mention how great the weather is (or whatever else that strikes you), just say it.  A long time ago, I got into the habit of putting my thoughts about romance on Twitter.  I created my own hashtag, #iloveromance.  I have created other hashtags as well (#WritModAge or #HeiressesinLove or #histrom). Learn more about how to create your own hashtags here:  http://socialmediatoday.com/victoria-ipri/1417901/creating-your-own-twitter-hashtag-7-steps).  If you’re just starting out, sometimes it’s best to use the ones that are already out there.  Based on your genre, there is probably a hashtag for it.  When you’re promoting a book, using #bookplugs is helpful because they always retweet you.  I have also included @wemarketbooks and @kindlepromoter in tweets because I know they do free retweets of book tweets.  Also, get in the habit of using URL shorteners because you are only allowed to use 140 characters on Twitter.  The best one I have found is https://bitly.com/  Enter the URL you want and click 'Shorten'.  Then use the shortened link in your tweet.  But, don’t advertise all of the time.

The point is that you have something to say besides advertising your book or service.  You want to be human too.   

If someone is having a bad day and they state that, don’t hesitate to respond.  Just like on Facebook or any other place, it is more about the “social” in social networking than anything.  Take a bit of time and read the tweets.  Click on the blog links to articles that appeal to you.  If you like their sites or articles, retweet their tweet or use the Twitter button on that blog post.  I have found a TON of useful information on there.  Do your part and help your followers by retweeting. 

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts on Twitter.

Official book release of UPON YOUR HONOR!

Hi, readers!  I just wanted to announce the exciting release of Upon Your Honor, the sequel to Upon Your Return!  Here is the blurb and cover:

Book 2 of the Heiresses in Love series 

Upon Your Honor

Deception is a dangerous path…

New York City, August, 1891 – Orphaned after the death of her father, Chloe Waverly stows away on La Voyageur to escape the clutches of her cruel fiancé, Lamonte Beckett. Gabriel Hill, a strange and compelling gentleman, comes upon Chloe and promises to protect her without knowing the true circumstances of why she is running away. During their journey, Gabriel doesn’t bargain on being distracted by her fair beauty or succumbing to her many charms.  As their attraction to each other grows, so does the danger and Gabriel suspects things are not as they should be.  

Both are determined to get to New Orleans, where she can start a new life.  But, once they reach their destination, events spin out of their control and Chloe is captured by the fiancé she escaped. Gabriel is left wondering if he can overlook her betrayal. Soon he finds himself in a race against time, to reach her before Beckett can exact revenge.

Purchase Links:

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00JTKTODG

http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Honor-Marie-Lavender-ebook/dp/B00JTKTODG/

http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Honor-Marie-Lavender/dp/1625260423/​

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/upon-your-honor-marie-lavender/1119268362

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430789

https://www.createspace.com/4762748

Join our Facebook release party today!   https://www.facebook.com/events/1527635050796677/

 

New 5 Star Review for UPON YOUR RETURN!

Growing up with Fara, April 21, 2014

By 

DD Gott

This review is from: Upon Your Return (Kindle Edition)

I reviewed another book by this author and was so impressed with her writing style that I wanted to read some of her other work. This book struck me as fascinating with all the requirements of a good read. The author has written a compelling, yet beautiful love story, keeping in tune with the nineteenth century and the situation of the women's rights or rather the absolute lack of any woman having any rights. The constraints that society put on all women during that period was maintained through out the story with colorful historical details showing that she certainly did a great job on her research and informed the reader with all the details, staying true with the authentic settings without boring them to death. The best thing I liked about the story was the vivid characters, so well developed and brought to life with the powerful descriptions. Of course the story line was full of interesting people, mysterious plots with surprising twists, romance, delicious seduction, but yet fascinating with the play on all of the emotions. At times I was crying, then laughing, upset with a fierce anger, totally surprised, shocked, full of happiness or in complete despair and then cheering for the good guys or girl but so completely drawn into the story that I read the whole thing at one setting. I just could not stop reading even though I really tried to so that I could get some sleep...it just kept playing in my head and I finally gave up and was so glad I did! Our heroine, Fara Bellamont, starts out as a young child that is orphaned due to pirates attacking her parents ship. She is send to live with her very cold, hard, unloving uncle which immediately sends her off to boarding school at the Cluny Abby. After she returns he coldly arranges her marriage to a man she has never even met, her new fiance proceeds to set her up for what ever his reason, to get rid of her and she is attacked by ruffians. Here enters our hero, handsome, single, ship captain, La Capitaine Grant Hill which saves her from the attack. By the way he also has a few problems going for him, including a colorful past. Now at this time Fara is still very young and our author proceeds to show us the beautiful growth that she goes through, some being, bereavement from the death of her uncle, betrayal, awakening of her body, love, ostracization from society, new found love, danger to her and her family and finally, well I'm not going to give up the ending and there definitely are a few more growths that Fara goes through but I'll leave that for you to discover. Definitely a great read and for me a new found author to add to my favorites list.

 

 

New 5 Star Reviews for Magick & Moonlight!

I just got two new five star reviews for Magick & Moonlight.  Here they are!

5.0 out of 5 stars Magick & Moonlight, April 21, 2014

By 

Rhonda C. - See all my reviews

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Magick & Moonlight (Kindle Edition)

Magick & Moonlight is a sweet vacation book. As Ethan Hamilton and Jessie Anderson find both love and themselves the reader is treated to a nice escape with a good read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beliving in Yourself!, April 19, 2014

By 

DD Gott (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magick & Moonlight (Kindle Edition)

Ethan Hamilton needed peace and thought that he had found that in a small town in Oregon. On his first night at the cabin he had rented, while walking and in thought he noticed a fire in the woods. While investigating he found a beautiful girl dancing nude in the moonlight near a campfire. He was captivated by the sight and in standing there made a noise, Jessie Anderson heard him and demanded to know what he was doing there. She could not understand what was happening but she stood there telling him the truth about everything....everything that her grandmother had drilled into her head that no one should ever know about. Now after Ethan had stolen a kiss and dropped her off at her house she panicked. In her haste she decided the only thing to do was to tie Ethan to her with a love spell and then he would not be able to tell her secrets and ruin everything she had worked so hard to build. This is the beginning to a story that will fascinate you and keep you glued to the story. The story line is very well developed with many twists and turns but strongly tied to the human emotions, love, pain, recovery and belief. I was impressed with the style with which the story was told and the details that were included. The characters were rich and so easy to fall in love with. Believing in yourself and someone else is hard for the best of us but our author made that seem like child's play in the way that she told this story. I enjoyed the way that the love developed between Ethan and Jessie and how they both encouraged each other to believe in themselves. Not to let the everyday interfere but to let the world fall at their feet and grow strong. This is the first time I have read this author but I have already downloaded and read another one of her books and have added her to my favorites list. The other book I downloaded was also as good as this one. Check out Upon Your Return...I loved it along with this one. Both great reads!