Congrats to the Gilles Marini Calendar winner!

Judy Scott wins the calendar!!! Congrats Judy! I'm sure you'll love Gilles!

Also, reader Caffey posted a review for A CHRISTMAS WISH on her blog and is giving away a prize. Check it out here.


Don't forget my December contest to win a $10 gc from Amazon, BN or Fictionwise is still going on at www.holliwinters.com

Christmas is getting closer......Hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday!!!!

FRENCH KISS is available!!!!!!!!!!!

Check it out here:

http://www.whispershome.com/book_pages/french_kiss.html

You can also find it at Amazon:

Purchase for Kindle

Holli's Twelve Days of Christmas

I’m sure everyone is familiar with the Christmas classic The Twelve Days of Christmas. I thought for fun that I’d post my own version of the song. :D Who needs six geese a-laying? Or hens??? Why have a hen when you can get the rooster?


With my apologies to purists who don’t think it’s funny, well, get a life. :)

Without further ado…



On the first day of Christmas I want…

A Pear tree.

Why? Because I like pears.

On the second day of Christmas, I want…

Two Dove chocolate coated ice cream bars.

Um…yummmmmmm is all I’m going to say.

On the third day of Christmas, I want…

Three French Men.

If they’re like Gilles Marini, then I want more than three.

On the fourth day of Christmas, I want…

Four prepaid credit cards.

So I can shop to my heart’s content.

On the fifth day of Christmas, I want my true love to give me…

Five pairs of gold earrings.

Because I normally wear earrings and not rings. :)

On the sixth day of Christmas, I want…

Gilles. :)  

On the seventh day of Christmas, I want…

Seven days a week of writing production.

Got to work on that one, but hey, hopefully somebody up there will grant me my wish.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Eight maids to do my housework (so I can be productive for number 7).

On the ninth day of Christmas, I want…

To combine with the tenth day of Christmas with the ladies and lords dancing and having fun with me!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, I hope to see…

Eleven months with books out. I’d go for twelve, but a writer does need an occasional break…

And finally…on the twelfth day of Christmas, I truly want…

All of the above!!!

Merry Christmas from Holli Winters

Don't forget there is a party going on at the Whispers Readers Yahoo Group! Click below to join the fun!





Click to join whisperyourfantasies

Another release date!

Finally got the release date for Reconstructing Cady. It will be April 30, 2010. Now, just need the cover to show everyone. Will post when it comes.

It's beginning to look a lot like......

I could say Christmas, but that's too obvious. :D  It's been cold where I live and when the temp dips below 25 degrees, it makes me long for Hawaii. Honestly, I don't mind the cold except, well, there isn't any snow. When I think of December and winter, it is snow and cold air. Then the Christmas lights and decorations look pretty as they sparkle in the crisp coldness. At about this time last year we had both the snow and cold air and I was happy. Of course, by January I was sick of both. lol

It's less than ten days to release day for FRENCH KISS. If you haven't gone over to http://frenchkissbyholliwinters.wordpress.com/ to check out more information, then I suggest you do so.

My December contest is up and running at http://www.holliwinters.com/ and....the Gilles Marini calendar contest is down to the final days, as it ends on release day. Be sure to enter!!!!

Once 2009 rolls out the door, I'll be thinking about SUMMER DRIVE. Now, that is a story to get warm with..... ;-)

PS....don't you love that picture above? It's a Thomas Kinkade picture. He does wonderful paintings.

Holidays are upon us!

Thanksgiving has come and gone in my family. It was fairly quiet. I ended up getting edits for Reconstructing Cady on Tuesday, so spent three of the days working on those. No release date yet.

But, FRENCH KISS is getting closer and closer... :) Release date is 12/18/09 and I'll be doing some blog appearances, as well as a couple of chats. As I've said before, this story is like a book of my heart. As I began to plot it out, I knew my hero had to be based upon Gilles Marini. I <3 him! My fingers flew across the keyboard the weekend I wrote it and when it was done, I sat back and smiled, happy with the result.

I hope you enjoy it too.

Don't forget to enter my contests over at http://www.holliwinters.com/

Oh, and Whispers is having a Christmas Bash at the readers yahoo loop in December. You can join by going here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whisperyourfantasies/

I'll giving away some prizes for the bash.

Hope to see you there!

Yes, I'm bad....

What can I say when real life forces me to abandon my blog. ::sigh:: I've been really busy lately. However, I do have a few things to mention...

I have two contests going on at my website. Head over to http://www.holliwinters.com/ to check it out!

I've also created a site just for FRENCH KISS over at Wordpress. My first time creating a site in that format, so it was all new (and painful) for me.

http://frenchkissbyholliwinters.wordpress.com/

However, I do like it. I'm thinking of doing one for either or both - Summer Drive and Reconstructing Cady.

It's now just over a month for the release of FRENCH KISS and I'm getting excited. I think I have mentioned how fond I am of this story. I'm sure readers will enjoy it too. :)

I think Gilles will like it too. :)

Video for French Kiss is now available!!!

Banner for French Kiss

Busy Busy Busy!

Well, Thursday was a busy day for me news wise.

Learned that French Kiss will be released 12/18/09 and Summer Drive 2/19/10. Seems like forever!!! But that is the way the publishing industry works sometimes. A long time till the book it out as it goes through edits and proofing, before "final production."

And then, later that day, got the news that Whispers wanted to contract Reconstructing Cady! Which means another release upcoming, most likely in 2010.

Now you understand the title of this post. Busy busy busy!!!!

French Kiss cover is here!

Updated website....

After much revamping, I have a new website. It's still in need of tweaking, but for the most part this is it:

http://holliwinters.com/index.html

I'll be running a contest soon!

French Kiss blurb

Here is the blurb for French Kiss, out in December 2009:

Alone with a man she can’t forget...

Two years ago, Lauren and Nic kissed at the wedding of her sister to his brother, but she couldn’t face the prospect of being only a one-night stand for racecar driver Nic and turned him down. Now they’re headed to his family’s French Chateau on Christmas Eve, where a fierce snowstorm has stranded them in a hotel room alone.

It’s up to him to convince her that she’s the woman he’s always desired...

For Nic, sweet librarian Lauren should be off limits, and when she turns to him for a night of sex, what can he do...but agree. Their lovemaking is sizzling and sensual, with neither wanting the morning to arrive and burst their private world.

Will their night of shared passion lead to more? Or will the desire for each other melt away like snow?

A Lucky Penny…and a new Sale!

 

The other day, I scrounged in my purse looking for the exact change when I pulled out a penny that appeared to be fairly old. It had the "wheat design" on the back. I checked the year and lo and behold…it was the year of my birth! Immediately I kept the penny and tucked inside my purse. Then, not five hours later, I got the email that Whispers Publishing bought my International Christmas themed short story called French Kiss! Yah! Makes two now that I have "Coming Soon" from Whispers. Believe me when I say I'm hanging onto that penny as long as I can. Maybe I should frame it???

 

To give you a hint of French Kiss, let me tell who the hero is sort of based on. Two words. Gilles Marini. :) My hero, Nic, is dark, handsome and charming—and French. He also is a racecar driver who's an international celebrity. My heroine, Lauren, met Nic two years ago—and he wanted her then—but she turned him down, afraid it would just be a one night stand when she wanted more. On a snowy Christmas night in France, forced to spend the night in a booked solid hotel until the roads clear. When you get a couple attracted to each other, and they're alone, well, you can guess what happens.

 

French Kiss is passionate and sensual. I'm sure if you like your stories like that too, then you'll enjoy mine. It's due for release in December, as part of Whispers special International Christmas Romance series.

 

I wanted to share my happy news now that the contract has been mailed off. :)

Holli’s Ramblings

Sorry! I meant to post before this, but life got in the way. I think hot weather tends to fry out creative brains sometimes by the time evening comes. J

I've had a productive weekend. Submitted another story to Whispers that if it sells, will be out for Christmas. You know how much I love the Christmas holidays! In the meantime, my thinking cap has been on my head as I think up another story idea. Hopefully something a little original or something readers will buy. As you know, I write contemporary romance with a steamy edge. I've decided to make Sweeter Romance with a Steamy Side as my logo. What do you think? I hope to get a revamped website up soon in the coming months. At that time, I'll link my two websites to make it easier to find all my stories.

 

Don't forget to check out www.whispershome.com for things which are happening there and to check my fellow authors. I'll keep you posted on future sales!

Holli Winters

Editing...Again and Again....

Last week I finished a short story for Whispers. Right now I'm editing, which involves going through each and every word, sentence, paragraph and checking for grammar, spelling, story flow, etc. While editing can be tedious, it is part of writing and something every writer has to deal with at some point in the writing process. After a while, you just might get sick of your story. LOL!

For fun, I took this quiz. What can I say....

You Should Be a Romance Novelist

You see the world as it should be, and this goes double for all matters of the heart. You can find the romance in any situation, and you would make a talented romance story writer... And while you may be a traditional romantic, you're just as likely to be drawn to quirky or dark love stories. As long as it deals with infatuation, heartbreak, and soulmates - you could write it.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Sunny Sunday

It's been hot all weekend, which has prompted me to stay inside. That being said, I got caught up on reading and began editing a short story I finished on Tuesday.

Oddly, I felt like I was almost at the Romance Writers of America conference in Washington DC this year via all the Twitters from those attending. Technology is fabulous and instant. Last night, I got to see the winners announced on Twitter as even RWA was twittering the results. Other twitters commented on the gowns, bling and the interesting moments of the RITA/GH ceremony.

But all in all, I am glad I didn't attend this year. While it would've been nice, my pocketbook would have ended up stretched.

If you want to see what went on during the conference, then I suggest you head on over here and check out the National Blog.

RWA

This year, I'm missing the RWA (Romance Writers of America) national conference. Flying into DC would be a big trip for me and I decided I'd rather stay home and write. I thought I would share some of the fun things I remember from past conferences.

First off, it's meeting all those famous authors and realizing they are just like you and me. I still remember running into Nora and having her ask me (ME) how I was enjoying the conference.

Secondly, the conferences can be trying, and downtime is highly recommended. But people watching (and chatting) is fun to do. Just don't drink too much or an editor or agent will likely remember you in a not so nice way. Thankfully that has never happened to me.

An excursion during NYC in 2003 when we hit sex toy shops and Chinatown on the same night. Loads of fun and an eyeopener for 'lil me. I thought sex toys only could be found in catalogs. :)

Eating Chinese food in San Francisco last year. Yes, something simple but it was the first time I had ever eaten authentic SF Chinese food. One word... YUMMY!

I hope to go next year when RWA visits Nashville. I'm not a big country western fan, but the city excites me and I have been looking forward to 2010.

Has anyone else been to a conference?

News!

I have a new sale to Whispers Publishing to report! I've sold Summer Drive. It's a short story and I don't have a release date yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post the information.

I'm really thrilled to have it sell, since this was one of those off the wall stories I wrote first draft of one Sunday. It came to me and awayyyy I went typing and typing. I hope you, the reader, enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Here's a blurb:

Natalie Joyner didn't expect her solitary highway drive to turn into the hottest sex she could remember having. Then again, she hadn't expected to run into Deputy Sheriff Logan Sheffield. She savors their sizzling passion in the blazing heat. Little does she know that he intends for what they had to be so much more than A Summer Drive...

To help celebrate, I'm posting another picture of Gilles.... yummmmm...

Whispers Scavenger Hunt!!

What I have learned about Twitter

1. It can be addictive. After a while, I just shut it off and there have been days I’m not even on Twitter. Much like other social networking, “Twittering” can be a time waster.

2. However, it’s fun to follow favorite authors or celebrities, as you get to know them a little better. Some are very entertaining...while others are...Do you ever tweet???

3. Twitter is starting to be invaded by Spammers much like MySpace and other social network places are. Sometimes it’s hard to figure who is a spammer and who is just new to Twitter.

4. Then there are the writers/authors who think the only purpose of Twitter is to promote themselves and their writing. Come on, lighten up. Let us get to know you a little. I know you are only tempting me to unfollow you if I have to get another round of “Here’s my book and how you can buy it” tweeting.

5. On the other hand, how many times have I had a bit of “sqeee” realizing someone I admire is following me??? Makes you feel like you’ve arrived. Yeah, baby!!!

6. Tweeting by phone and other applications—I haven’t yet figured out how they do it, and I envy those who do. But I suspect that if I did get tweetdeck, iphone or other Twitter platforms, I’ll be sucked big time into Twittering.

7. Sigh...I need to get back to writing... and tweeting...

Holli can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HolliWinters
If you happen to see her on Twitter, be sure to give her a tweet hello!

Updated Video

I don't think I've mentioned that Marly Mathews updated the video for A CHRISTMAS WISH.

Here it is. Can you figure out what she did?

Quick Announcement

There is another "Holli Winters"running around who reviews for a review site that is fairly new. However, I wanted to let you all know that it is not me. So, if you saw that reviewer's name on a review and thought it was me....NOPE

Leaving you with another picture of the wonderful (and hot!) Gilles....

When Covers Duplicate

Imagine my surprise recently while reading the July RT Magazine when I spotted *my* cover. Only problem was that it wasn’t my book. Boohoo!! *g*

I’m sure you’ve heard of covers being recycled and reused on other books. One month there were two releases with the same cover out at the same time! Just like titles get reused, so do covers. Two good friends of mine once had *shared* covers even though they wrote their books for two different publishers.

Oh, and which book did the cover for A Christmas Wish appear on? None other than that of Wolf Tales IIIV by the fabulous Kate Douglas. Actually, I’m honored she has my cover. *g* I emailed Kate about our shared covers and she, like me, had a good laugh. It makes for great blog fodder.




They both look wonderful, don’t they? And if I had to share a book cover with anyone, then Kate would certainly be on my list. She's a truly nice and gracious lady.

Can you remember seeing the same two covers on other books?

Whispers Publishing is having a Writing Contest!

Beginning june 15, 2009, Whispers Publishing will be hosting the “Pack a
Punch” writing contest. The contest is open to all writers published and
unpublished.



THE DETAILS



Whispers Publishing is looking for first lines that really pack a punch. Entice
us. Surprise us. Engage us. In other words, capture our attention with the very
first lines of your story.



Any genre or time period is acceptable. Be creative and don’t limit yourself.



There is no entry fee.



There will be three winners chosen as well as two honorable mentions.







Requirements:



* Entry must be from a never before published novella/novel.
* Entries should not be longer than twenty-five (25) words in no more than
two sentences. Entries exceeding the word count will be disqualified.
* Entries should not include any subject matter which Whispers Publishing
does not currently accept. Please visit our submission guidelines for further
information.
* Entries should not include any obscenities or erotic material. We’re
looking for creative, imaginative submissions that think outside the box and
make us want to read more.
* Prospective entries should be submitted no later than midnight (12:00
a.m.) EST on JULY 1, 2009.
* Entries should consist of the title of your story, the genre, a brief bio,
and the entry itself pasted within the body of the e-mail. No attachments will
be accepted.
* Limit two entries per person for two separate works of fiction.
* Each entry should be emailed to whisperssubmissions@... with the
words pack a punch Entry in the subject line.
* Your name (both real name and pseudonym if used), address, telephone
number, and a valid email address must be included with your query.



JUDGING:



All entries must be received by July 1, 2009.

Judging will begin on July 2, 2009 with the top three winners and two honorable
mentions notified by July 31, 2009.

All entries will be judged by published authors and established editors.





PRIZES:



First Place Prize winner will receive $25.00, an award certificate, and a
critique of the first ten pages of the novella/novel used for entry.



Second Place Winner: $10.00, an award certificate, and a critique of the first
five pages of the first chapter of the novella/novel used for entry.



Third Place Winner: $5.00 and an award certificate.



Honorary Mentions will receive an award certificate.

We have a winner!

Congrats to Barbara V. who correctly identified Gilles Marini's picture!

Isn't he yummy??

:-)~~

Okay, wiping the drool off my face. :)

Congrats, Barbara!!!!

Final days of the contest!

Contest ends May 31st....


http://holliwinters.blogspot.com/2009/05/lust-contest-and-win.html

And yes, that is one of my cats....

Blogging Monday!

I'm here on Monday with an interview:

http://www.menagerieauthors.blogspot.com/

Sunday my book video airs, with a slight change, at the same site.


Come learn a little about Holli Winters. :)

I can see my cat here....

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Coming out of the Writer's Closet...Oops!

A couple of months ago, I went to my local post office to mail my Pro app off to the Romance Writers of America. They know me fairly well at the post office, because I’m in there a lot mailing off books, so I’ve have developed a sort of cordial, funny relationship with two post office clerks, one is female and the other male. They know me, what I want and I’m not a pain in the rear to deal with.

Anyway, that one Saturday, I got the male postal clerk. He immediately spotted the mailing address to RWA and asked me if I wrote those ‘love stories.’ I said yes, I did. Then he asked me if I was published? Again, I said yes. Of course, the next question was ‘under your real name or another?’ Ha ha…um…under another name. And no, I wasn’t going to tell him. I’m not sure how he’d reacted if I’d said I write erotic romance. We then had a brief conversation where I told him that he’d be surprised how many romance writers are out there and that I was headed that weekend to a writing conference. At the time, I felt I had ‘come out of the closet’ so to speak.

Well, since that time, anytime I run into him at the post office, he has to ask me questions about my writing. Such as, how was the writing conversation. Were the books I was mailing ‘my’ books? I had a friend tell me that isn’t none of him business and I should tell him so, but I’m one of those people who hate to tell someone to buzz off. I try to avoid him as much as I can, but since he works on Saturdays and I go to the post office a lot on that day, well…um…hard to avoid him. I guess one thing I have noticed is that if he is busy, he won’t ask. When he does ask, it’s usually when the post office lobby is sparse. I jokingly call him my fan.

Coming out of the closet is a big thing for a lot of writers. It’s one thing to tell family and close friends, but what about casual acquaintances? I’ve yet to have a book signing, but if and when I do, then I’ll need to make a decision about whether I want to approach bookstores about book signings.

When that happens, I wonder if I should send an invitation to my post office worker fan?

Lust, Contest and Win!

I am seriously in lust with this guy! Isn't he HOT??? Yum! For a fun contest in May, I thought I would run a contest. Email me at holli@holliwinters.com and tell me who the guy in the picture is. Put Holli's May Contest in the subject line. (P.S. I do know who he is, but let's see how sharp you are)

At the end of May, I'll pick one winner...prize is a $10 egiftcertificate from your choice of BN.com, Amazon.com or Fictionwise.com

Good luck!

I'm on Twitter!

Follow me on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/HolliWinters

Winners!

Congrats to Sonya, who won a $15 amazon gift card on my website contest.

And two congrats to Barb V and JenniferY for each winning a $5 Amazon gift certificate on my Yahoo Loop.

WTG LADIES!

Stayed tuned for more contests coming soon

February Contests!

I have two contests going on right now.

The first one is at my website and one lucky winner will win a $15.00 amazon gift certificate.

Check it out here: http://holliwinters.com/ContestPage.html

Finally, if you join my yahoo loop, I have a loopers only contest going on. One lucky winner wins another Amazon gift certificate! For $10!!

The kicker is that you have to know the answer to a question about my release A CHRISTMAS WISH.

To join my Yahoo loop, click this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HolliWinters_Corner/

A Perfect Setting for a Romance....

I've been getting some teasing from friends of mine who've read A CHRISTMAS WISH.

Fact: The story's location is in Spokane, Washington.

Fact: Spokane gets hit with a record snowfall in December.

Fact: Spokane has a white Christmas.

Am I psychic?

Maybe I am..... :)

But it has been interesting that my story came out just before the snow started flying fast and furious in Spokane. I tell you...what more could an author want than a prophetic event?

By the way, A CHRISTMAS WISH is now out on Fictionwise and you can download it to your Amazon Kindle. I've also put up an author page on Amazon. Check it out!