Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Bitten By Books Promo for Broken Shine


Today, I'm doing an interview over at Bitten By Books featuring Broken Shine (of course... I just love this book), as well as a contest to win gift certificates to Lyrical Press's online bookstore.

First Prize is $20 gift certificate
Second Prize is a $10 gift certificate
Third Prize is a $5 gift certificate.

Come over, comment, say hey, and see all the ways you can win over at Bitten By Books!

See you there!

Monday, February 01, 2010

I Can't Believe I Forgot...


My own release date! For one of my most favorite books I've ever written! How is that possible? I feel like such a goofball.

Yes, life has been super busy, the world zooming by me and I hardly realize that it's yet again another Monday, I've missed some scheduled appointment, didn't get to the gym like I wanted to, and today I realize that Broken Shine is releasing today!

Talk about feeling out of my mind.

Anyway, though, I am proud to announce the release of Broken Shine, the third in the Moonlight and Shadows series, the conclusion to the story arc, the one that pulls all the pieces together, and brings more insight to the Immortal Knights Templar.

Especially Liam

(Everyone's favorite Templar...)

Here's a blurb, and I'll post an exclusive excerpt as well:


Love will be the death of him.


Felicia Hunter earned herself the nickname Leeza early in life, and well as the reputation for being a klutz. How she landed a job in a glass store was a miracle. The bigger miracle is the mysterious designer who brings in the most beautiful glasswork she’d ever seen. Little does she know, he’s an Immortal Knight Templar.

Sir Liam has spent the last 700 years as a Knight Templar, faithful to the Balance Mandate. His charge is to protect humans from all manner mythical creatures. In the past 24 years, he’s become more attached to Leeza than his vows of chastity allow.

The closer Liam gets to Leeza, the more love and need surge through him. His feelings for her bring him to the very edge, but if she pulls him over, he may end up broken.

Content warning: This story contains unbounded passion, a little bite-and-bleed love action and a Knight to die for.


Exclusive Blurb:

A knock resonated on the inner door to her office, the one that came up from the shop.

“Come in,” Leeza said. Though she was pretty sure she knew who it was.

Sure enough, Sir Liam walked through the narrow door, tilted slightly to the side to fit through.

She could smell the cigar on him as he invaded her little office. “Hello, Sir Liam,” she said, smiling at him with her best professional expression.

“You have something for me?” His face revealed nothing. He looked as big and menacing as he had in her lawn. Maybe more so, since the small office felt much smaller with him in it.

“Yes. I don’t know what happened to these glasses,” she said, heading to the door near the hallway where the box was still sitting. “They were fine earlier, and then they just got warped.”

Liam followed her, and every sense in her body tingled—his presence enough to make her body sensitive.

Trying to ignore the overwhelming sensations, she pulled one of the bent glasses out of the box. “See, they’re just…warped.”

Liam took the glass, and when he did, his finger grazed hers.

Electricity fired through her. Not like the vibe from the lawyer guy, but something else entirely. It wasn’t the same, but more. More powerful, more mystical maybe?

Whatever it was, it was more.

It made her want to touch him everywhere. To grab his hand and start there, working her way up his body, in a slow, methodical pattern, examining every part of his skin. With her fingers, her eyes, her lips…

What was wrong with her?

She glanced up at Liam’s face.

His lips were pressed into a tight line, a little crease in his brow, like he was ready to hit something. And he was staring at her.

“Sorry,” she said, though she didn’t really know what she was apologizing for.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, a slow blink, like he was trying to sort out his thoughts. “It is fine,” Liam said. “You just… There are things I shouldn’t be thinking about.”

“What things?” Leeza asked.

Again, the little crease revealed itself in his brow. “It is not your concern.” He shifted the box in his arms. “I will bring you new glasses.”

“Liam,” she called out as he turned his back to her.

“Yes?” He didn’t face her.

Like some unknown force propelled her, Leeza closed the gap between them, and put her hand on his back; a feather-light touch, but the muscles seemed to dance beneath her fingers, his body tensing.

Yet she couldn’t stop herself.

Each muscle, she drew a line with the tip of her finger, feeling the curve of them—how strong he was. His body was powerful, massive, a force to be reckoned with; that much was certain.

Slowly, she increased her pressure, running her hand down his spine, and touching the indentation of each of his vertebrae.

“Leeza, you shouldn’t,” he said.

But he didn’t move.

She slid her hand down to his jeans, then ran it back up, the tone of the muscles under the shirt sending shivers through her. His body was rigid, hard as marble under her fingers—she wondered if he was even breathing.

She didn’t think she was.

She touched across his shoulder, down his arm. She brought her other hand up to caress him, now both her hands running over the surface. She didn’t want to stop—she couldn’t stop.

“Leeza, please, I beg you.” Liam took a step away from her. The box dropped as he faced her, the shattering of glass a strained accompaniment to their dance.

But she was on a mission. She had to feel him, she had to touch him. The box was kicked out of the way; whether she did it or he did, she didn’t know. She just stepped into his body, her hands running over his chest. Her palms grazed his nipples, and they puckered, Liam inhaling a sharp breath.

She caressed the curve of his biceps, his triceps, his forearms, all of him, even the lines of his fingers.

He squeezed her hands, and she brought her head up to meet his eyes. They were feral, dark, like he didn’t know what he wanted.

“Touch me back,” she whispered.

“I can’t.” He didn’t let go of her.

So Leeza did it for him.

She brought their clenched fingers up to her face and ran his palm down her cheek. He jerked at first, but he didn’t stop. His warm hand slid down, his fingers caressing the corner of her mouth.

She didn’t dare move.

The urge to kiss his fingers almost overwhelmed her, but in her gut, she knew she couldn’t respond—she couldn’t do anything back, or he’d run away.

He released her hand, letting his fingers graze over her face, delicate, soft touches smoothing over her skin, feeling her. They slid up by her eyes, and she closed them, just as he passed over her lids.

It was like he’d never actually touched a woman before.

He reached into her hair, feeling the strands. “So soft,” he whispered as he stroked her locks. “I didn’t know…” He continued down the back of her head, stroking her neck, around to the front, his fingers sliding across her shoulders. Down her arm he moved, and every nerve in Leeza was on fire.

She’d never been so turned on in all her life.

His finger skimmed back up her arm, across her shoulder, pausing at the center, just under her neck, where her blouse neckline was open, revealing her skin. His focus was completely on her skin, that tiny flash where her shirt was unbuttoned, and he traced the small half-moon of the bone in the center.

She let out a shuddering breath—his touch was warm, so delicate for someone so massive. Since she’d met him, she’d wondered how someone so large and powerful could blow glass, such a fragile process. Yet feeling how his calloused finger barely touched her, she knew. He touched her with the same care that he used with the glass.

Part of her wanted to yank him to her, to wrap her arms around him and kiss him until their worlds erupted, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to break the trance he was in. His name lingered on her lips, but she didn’t expel it. Instead, she rolled her lips into her mouth, wetting them, scraping them with her teeth, something that wouldn’t break his concentration.

Yet it did.

His gaze flicked from her neck to her lips.

One of those fingers reached up and caressed her lip, the moisture making it slide a little. He paused, his finger lingering on the center of her mouth.

And she couldn’t stop herself. She wrapped her lips around that fingertip and placed a kiss on it.

It was enough to break the spell.

He snapped his hand back, his eyes wide, like he’d been burned. “No.”

The force of his words had her stepping backward, and he grabbed the box at their feet and in a flash he was gone.


Get your copy of Broken Shine in ebook from Once Upon A Bookstore.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I'm around the Net


It's my regularly scheduled post over at Shades of Suspense blog, and I'm talking about Heart Music, and the discovery (for me, anyway) of Country Music. Stop by and say Hey...

Sunday, January 03, 2010

I am getting cynical in my old age.

I just watched Julie and Julia tonight, going in with the good reviews from two of my girlfriends who'd seen the movie, and thought it was good. One was a huge Meryl Streep fan, and swears the woman can do no wrong.

I tend to agree with this most of the time--rarely have I been disappointed in her job in any movie, whether she's the zany Mom in Momma Mia or the ultimate horror boss in The Devil Wears Prada, she doesn't do a bad job. (Even if the story's kinda wonky=Death Becomes Her).

But anyway, I watched Julie and Julia, hoping to find this great story about two women's journeys through life, how they grow, change and become better people through cooking.

WOW, was I disappointed.

While the background on Julia Childs was interesting--I knew very little about the famous chef, pretty much just who she was--the storyline about Julie, to me was stupid.

The woman didn't evolve. She was just as self-centered and narcissistic at the beginning as she was at the end. She was throwing a fit over food not turning out right, yelling and screaming at her husband, and oh yeah, at the end, she got a book deal out of it.

Really?

Really?

Yeah, I know the movie's supposed to be a true story.

Yeah, I know things happen in strange ways, but really? I have a hard time believing that one little blog would get a book deal like they did it in the movie. You know, what they don't talk about in the movie is the hours and hours of work this gal would have had to do to translate a blog into a book, not to mention the unbelievable amount of editing involved.

And copywrite stuff? I thought, and correct me if I'm wrong, but most publishers won't touch anything that's been published on a blog already.

Her husband was an editor? Big whoop. Editing articles in a magazine is not the same thing as editing for fiction. Yeah, grammar is grammar, etc, but there's a huge difference in writing non-fiction than writing fiction. And really, are her books even considered fiction?

I think it's supposed to be memoirs. And she had another book! Which doesn't seem any more interesting than Julie and Julia.

Guess I'm just a cynic--I didn't like this movie at all, even with all of Meryl Streep's efforts.

Thumbs DOWN.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

New Reviews for Mission of Christmas


I'm always excited to get new reviews, and to be honest, I was getting paranoid that Mission of Christmas wasn't doing well, since I hadn't recieved any reviews for it yet.

And then, poof, two ones came in, with another coming tomorrow. I'm very excited about them.

Got Romance Holiday Reviews:

4 Candy Canes:

"This tale is a heart-warming little Christmas story. It contains all the best elements of its type, including a heroine who needs to see what’s in front of her before it – it being Andy, a conveniently studly childhood friend – disappears. Christmas spirit can be ours, we are reminded, if we are only willing to open our hearts and let it in." This was written by Kate at Got Romance Reviews

Click here for the full review

Dark Divas Reviews:

5 Delightful Divas and a Recommended Read

"Mission of Christmas is a can't-put-it-down Christmas story. ... Candice Gilmer delivers a magical Christmas story bound to make anyone who reads this book believe in Christmas again."

This was written by Deb at Dark Divas Reviews. Click here for the full review

And now I get to put up this:

Friday, December 11, 2009

Agent Appreciation Day


Before anyone gets exited, no I don't have an agent. I wish I did. However this being Agent Appreciation Day, I thought I'd send a shout-out to the few agents so far in my fledgling career who've helped me out even without being my agent.

1. Lucienne Diver, of Knight Agency. When I met Lucienne, she was still working for Spectrum Agency. She'd given a talk about contracts at a conference in Dallas, (my first, btw) what each section is about, etc. I do remember it was the class I took the most notes in, because I didn't know anything about contracts.

After the class, I walked up to her, waiting very patiently for everyone in the class to leave. She was picking up her things, and I finally approached her. I remember she wore a turquoise necklace, and I think matching earrings. There was turquoise on her, anyway. I pitched a novel I'd completed to her, and she listened very patiently, as I tried to spit it out, since I had never done a pitch before. But when I was done, she turned me down. HOWEVER, she recommended two other agents that she knew were interested in that particular genre. She even wrote their names down for me.

I've never forgotten that piece of kindness to me. She didn't know me from anyone, and she helped me, stepping farther than I would have thought, by recommending others.

2. Nephele Tempest, of the Knight Agency (there's not a theme here, I swear... it just worked out this way). I had met Nephele at a conference in Dallas (not the same one where I met Lucienne, I don't think) and had pitched to her in a little ten minute session. She offered to read a partial of one of my stories, and later rejected me with probably the nicest rejection letter I'd ever gotten.

Time went by, and I had a problem. I had a book that was electronic, (the sci-fi novel I mentioned above), and the company had folded, the rights reverting to me. And I didn't know what to do with this book. I wanted it in print, and I was considering resubmitting it to agents, and starting the whole process over again. Before I started, I emailed Nephele, explaining my situation and what would she recommend doing.

She answered very promptly, giving me some very wonderful advice, and I have always treasured that. Again, she helped me out without having to, and I greatly appreciate it.

3. Kristen Nelson, The Nelson Agency. I submitted a novel to them in Spring of 07, and got a paritial request, literally in days after my submission. I submitted the partial, and recieved my rejection in about a week. This was roughly a month before the RWA Nationals in 07, which I attended that year.

And who did I see, but Kristen. Because I have no manners, I walked right up to her, even though she was having a drink with a client, and introduced myself. I wanted to thank her for her quick return time with my submission. She smiled, introduced me to her client, and asked me what my submission was. I told her the name, and she asked what it was about.

I think she wanted to see if she remembered it, and from her expression, I had a feeling she was going to tell me more of why she rejected it. I told her it didn't matter the particulars of it, I just appreciated the fast turn-around. That in a business where it can take literally months, sometimes even a year (I have recieved rejections a year after submission, I kid you not), to hear back from someone, a quick turn-around made the work a lot easier.

She may have told me what was wrong with my submission. She might not have even remembered it. But the fact that she tried said a lot to me--it wasn't my intention to get a critique, but I appreciated her at least asking.

4. Scott Eagan, The Greyhaus Literary Agency. Met him at the same RWA National conference in '07. I pitched two novels to him, right there, standing next to the escelator, and while he wasn't interested in the contemporary I pitched to him, he did ask some questions about the paranormal. And he gave me a piece of advice for that, telling me the importance of writing it in a darker realm, since it was intended for a more YA audience, and that audience liked the darker stuff.

I appreciate each and every one of these agents, and in little ways, they've helped out my career.

Monday, November 30, 2009

It's Amazing


It's amazing what happens when you start working on a project. I was having some serious writer's block there for a while. I'd start a project, and whatever love or interest I had in it died out in a matter of days. Nothing seemed to resonate with me--either it was not thought out enough, not interesting (read=complicated) enough for me, or too twisted and complex that I was getting migraines trying to figure out all the details, (Or even where to start the story--one in particular I had that issue).

I was writing synopses to help me sort things out, making spreadsheets, all sorts of things. Anything I could think of to help me focus on a project and really work on it.

Nothing helped.

Then my husband gave me an idea--make a priority list, organize all the "open" projects I had, and sort them, from top to bottom, use whatever criteria I wanted. So I put everything I could think of on note cards, with a few minor notes, what my goals were, even word counts if I knew that, and started sorting them.

I picked the "which project will require the least amount of work" organization method. That was project one. And on through the list. When I finish project one, I'll tear off that card (I stapled the stack together--it took two staples, one on each side, to secure them all), and throw it away, and on to the next.

The irony of it? I am getting all sorts of ideas and things about the other projects. However, it's taking some discipline to not jump into the other projects. I just scribble the notes down on the index card, and go back to my current project.

And amazingly, it's working. I am approximately 30K into a story that I'm hoping will hit about 70K before it's done, (which means it'll probably hit about 85K, but that's just me), but I'm plugging along, writing anywhere from 2-5K a day.

Also I'm doing galleys for a new PRINT book coming out in the spring--Lyrical Press is putting Unholy Night and A Darker Trinity into print, followed by Broken Shine next summer. So I'm UBER excited about that.

More PRINT BOOKS! YEAH! When I have more info, I'll let you know...