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Showing posts with label Christmas gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas gifts. Show all posts

Monday, November 30, 2015

A Little Bit Thankful. . .

It’s been quite the month, hasn’t it? So much has happened. I’m not even sure where to begin, lol.

On a global level, we had several terrorist attacks, the most famous were the attacks in Paris. I don’t know about anyone else, but watching the news unfold on television and social media made me realize just how thankful I was for family living close by and my health.

On a national level, we celebrated both Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving, two holidays that make us reflective and grateful for what we have. We always have Thanksgiving at our house, and it's nice to have all of us under one roof - even if it's only for a little while.

On a personal level, my oldest’s Cross Country Team finished for the year, and her Basketball team started practice. I was very thankful that he basketball schedule is a little less demanding than her running schedule. She also managed to finish a major school project about her ancestors, a project that made me realize just how far we have come from our humble roots.

On a professional level, I got some big news on two fronts, neither of which I’m allowed to share yet. (dang it!) If you want to be one of the first to know, then you might want to sign up for my newsletter here. I’llannounce it here first, as well as give subscribers a special surprise inDecember. So stay tuned!

The news has made me reflective as to how far I have since I started writing in 2008, and all of the amazing friendships I have made along the way. So I’d love to take a moment now to thank all of you, writers and readers, for an amazing 2015. Here’s hoping that 2016 is even better!


How about you? Is there anything you’re thankful for this holiday season? Tell me about it in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you!



Buy from the following vendors:
More vendors coming soon!
“A fast-paced plot, appealing lovers awakening to their true feelings, unnerving antagonists, and entertaining sex scenes make this an absorbing, satisfying romance.” – Publishers Weekly
A sensual tale about the risks and rewards of falling in too deep-and loving it.
PASSION COMES WITH A PRICE.
Tired of living a lie, Arianna Perconti leaves her fiancĂ© at the altar and runs into the arms of her family’s fiercest rival, Jason Stone. Hoping to cash in on their ‘friends-with-benefits’ arrangement while hiding out from bitter relatives, Ari instead finds herself falling deeply, desperately in love with the sexy hotelier. Jason is everything she never knew she wanted-yet she will do absolutely everything to show him she means business. In bed…
CAN THEY AFFORD TO LIVE WITHOUT IT?
Jason lives in the fast lane and has the race cars to prove it. A born adrenaline junkie, he must admit that Ari is the perfect partner for his heart-pumping bedroom games. The problem? The relationship is starting to deepen, but is Jason really cut out to be a one-woman kind of man? The question haunts his days, only fueling the passion he and Ari share during those hot, hot nights. But when an estranged sibling enters the picture, threatening to take away everything he holds dear, Jason is forced to make a decision: Say goodbye to his wild ways or risk losing Ari forever?

A lifetime New Englander, Suzanne married her college sweetheart and has been with him for over twenty years. Every summer she drags her husband and two daughters to Maine on a quest for the perfect lobster dinner. Every fall she can be found down in Foxboro, Massachusetts cheering on her favorite football team. In between those trips, she’s a chauffeur, a maid, a chef, an event planner, a hairdresser, a wardrobe stylist, a tutor and a sometimes masseuse. To keep her sanity, she often drinks copious amounts of coffee and stares at the blank screen of her laptop, dreaming of great adventures. Sometimes she even writes them down for others to enjoy.


Thursday, November 26, 2015

Your Readers - What Have YOU Done for THEM Lately? by Sam Cheever


Tis the season for giving and appreciating what you have. And it's a time for authors to nurture the important relationship between us and our most faithful readers. It's a time for us to think about what we've done for them lately to show them how much they mean to us.

But wait, you might be thinking, I give them books. I give them hours of entertainment. I give them a chance to escape into the pages of a carefully crafted world with characters they can fall in love with. I hand them my heart and soul on a platter and pray that they handle them with care.

All of that is absolutely true. But let's be honest. Unless you're an extremely rare bird, you're not writing just for the fun of it...or to share your creative largess with a lucky public. You're writing for money and hopefully fame.

There's nothing at all wrong with that. I freely admit that's what I'm doing. But that reality doesn't take away from the beauty of the friendships I've formed in my writing journey. It doesn't make me appreciate the relationships I'm building any less. So it makes sense, especially at this time of year, to think about how I can give back to them for their love and support. This year I'm doing that by giving my newest release, a collection of fun Christmas short stories based on my Bedeviled & Beyond world to my approximately 1,200 member newsletter list. It's my Christmas gift to them and I've asked them to share the book with their own families and friends. This is a one time offer but it's given from the heart. It's a season of giving so I'm giving to them and allowing them to give, if they want to, to their loved ones.

But the giving doesn't always have to come at Christmas. Throughout the year, I also send each of my newsletter subscribers a note and a gift on their birthday. Along with my heartfelt birthday wishes, I offer to send them either a free book or box of promotional goodies as my birthday gift to them. Yes, this costs me money and time. And it would be much more spendy if I didn't own rights and control for most of the books I send out, but it's an investment in my relationship with them so I figure it's well worth it.

Gifts to your readers can come in many forms. You can send them the spicy scene you were forced  to cut from your latest book. Or write a short story based on a popular series that only newsletter subscribers will receive. You can offer monthly newsletter contests, as I do, so they have a chance to win a gift of your choice (I offer a $10 gift card to each month's winner.) You can offer new releases to them early and/or at a special discount only for them. The list goes on and on. You're limited only by your imagination. The old adage, it's the thought that counts, has never been more true. Readers who know that you're thinking of them and wishing to make them happy will be committed, loyal readers. And in return you get to sell books and make more friends. It's a win-win for all involved!



Bedeviled & Bah Humbug - 4 Fun Christmas short stories to make the season bright!

Based in the Bedeviled & Beyond world, this fun collection of Christmas short stories will put a smile on your face and turn every day into a Hell-i-day!

#1. Astra Takes out the Grinch: Astra’s been conscripted to deal with a hairy, green demon who’s stealing presents and creating havoc. The Big Guy has grown increasingly tired of the Grinch’s antics and, this Christmas, has called out the big guns.

#2. Astra gets a Lump of Coal – Thumps an Elf: Astra is forced to spend Christmas in Satan’s backyard, helping the angels figure out how the green dragons are escaping Hell to terrorize the human realm on Earth. But in true Astra form, she figures out much more than that!

#3. The Year the Grinch Stole Santa: Astra is determined to take Christmas off so she’s been ignoring the nearly constant calls from the North Pole to help them find Santa, who’s disappeared just days before Christmas. But Astra learns the hard way that Santa’s minions will not be ignored!

#4. An Elvish Catastrophe: Astra and Darma are Christmas shopping at the mall when a pack of ninja elves invade the place and demand the execution of all faux Santas. Talk about little man syndrome…these ninjas have it in spades!

iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1061451223



USA Today Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes romantic paranormal/fantasy and
mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 50+ books and has been writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.

If you haven't already connected, Sam would love it if you Liked/Followed her wherever you enjoy hanging out online. Here are her online haunts:

Newsletter: http://www.samcheever.com/newsletter.html Subscribe to my newsletter and win a free copy of the fun and sexy Honeybun Fever Box Set
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Website: www.SamCheever.com
Blog: http://samcheever.com/blog/
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Friday, November 26, 2010

Seasonal Gifting

Tis the season for gift giving and my daughter Nikki and I devised a way for me to give away my entire backlist. Yep, that's right, the ENTIRE backlist. In addition, since I didn't have enough books to give away a book a day during December, I asked some friends to help me out. Now, I'm giving away books every day for 30 days. THIRTY. Starting today, the day after Thanksgiving and going through all the way to Christmas Day when I'll give away the entire series (to date) of Christmas Cowboys short stories.

See, Nikki and I thought about all the nice fan mail I get and the comments on blogs and in chats and on loops. People are usually pretty nice to me. They don't have to be. They can just read my stuff and move on. No one has to go out of their way to speak up and tell an author that they loved their book. But people DO. And in this age of instant gratification and out of sight out of mindness, I appreciate the time and effort it takes for someone to tell me they liked my work. Now, it's my turn to tell all of YOU that I appreciate you.

My way of appreciating readers is to give you more to read. And give you things to read that don't cost you anything except a few minutes to read a blog post and post a comment. Think of it as my way of participating in seasonal gifting. I'll be gifting 30 people with books that are the effort of my hard work as well as the hard work of some very talented authors who appreciate their readers just as much as I do.

This is also a neat way of introducing my readers to authors who may be new to them. Maybe someone has heard of Jennifer Leeland but never read one of her BDSM themed books. Maybe they want to, but never got around to getting one. Or maybe they never thought about picking up one of Selena Illyria's IR books. Or something M/M by Z.A. Maxfield. Or one of Regina Carlysle's shifters. These books span the genres from romance to spooky dark tales, from M/F to M/M, from contemporary to paranormal, from sweet to erotic. There's something here for everyone.

And it is all my gift to you this holiday season. With a little help from my friends. :)

My daughter thought it would be a neat tradition for me to do this every year now. Businesses send out holiday cards. Families and friends exchange gifts. I am going to give readers an escape from holiday stress. The chance to escape into a book. I like the idea of making the 30 Days of Christmas into a Lex Valentine tradition. It makes me feel warm and happy inside to be able to join together with my friends and give something back to readers.

Now, I'd like to see all of you take this idea and run with it. Oh, not give away books (don't want anyone to be a pirate!), but maybe get together with some friends and pool your talent, time and/or money and do something nice for someone who isn't expecting it. Working together to make something happen can be its own reward sometimes. The satisfaction you receive will make you feel as if you're the one who has been given a gift.

I know that I am excited to do this and not one of the 30 posts I'll have to prepare will be a chore. I cannot wait to read the happy exclamations of the winners. I think I'm as excited as a five-year old on Christmas Eve. And I can totally relate to the old adage that it is better to give than to receive.

So come on by the Lex Valentine blog over the next 30 days and maybe you can win a book. I know I will be more than happy to give you one should I draw your name from the comments.

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons.

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