We're only a week away from announcing the winner of the kindle but while you're entering that giveaway, enter this one too! 

We Have a Winner of the Ecopy of Blissful Tragedy:  Louisa Fae Dent. Congratulations Louisa and Thank You to everyone that entered.  Don't despair though ... we have a new giveaway coming up tomorrow. Make sure you stop back to enter for a chance to win a print copy of Blissful Tragedy. 

On top of the Birthday Bash there's a great giveaway going on over at goodreads. Make sure you enter to win over there too. 

My Birthday is coming and I thought we'd celebrate by giving you all some gifts. There will be three weeks with three giveaways. You all can win everything from ecopies of Blissful Tragedy to Print copies of Blissful Tragedy to the GRAND PRIZE of a kindle paperwhite (separate entry form). Keep checking back for updates.

When I walk into my house after a long day of work I feel like
Snow White. Loud purrs fill the air as six cats rub against my legs, and then
quickly disperse when a golden retriever barrels through the furry crowd almost
tackling me and smothering me with sloppy kisses. Is there any feeling in the
world equal to the unconditional love of a treasured pet?

 My pets are not only members of our family but also my best
friends. I tell them my deepest, darkest, secrets and the good, the bad, and the
ugly parts of my day. I share my works-in-progress, and read my dialogue to them
aloud. Yeah, I know they can’t critique my work but it helps to hear the
conversations between my characters aloud, especially when I’m editing. Life is
better when my furry friends are by my side.

 Then again, sometimes my furry friends are way too close. My
male Ragdoll cat Jasper, who would look like Brad Pitt if he was a human, has an
undying need to step on my laptop and then collapse on the keyboard, rolling
around as if he’s making a snow angel. If I take a break I better bring my
laptop with me or there will be some interesting lines added to my manuscript
when I return.

 Chloe and Daisy, twin sister Ragdoll cats who look completely
different, along with the Bluebell and Strypes, who decided to show up at my
doorstep and adopt me, have a fetish for anything made of paper. Whether I’m
plotting out a new novel, completing my character worksheets, or reading the
daily paper, they all find it necessary to lie on any paper that’s near me.
Don’t think the newspaper if off limits if you’re holding it. Nope, they swat at
it with their paws and slowly force it to the tabletop or couch before launching
themselves onto it. 

Our newest rescue, Tabitha, is tortoise shell Persian with a
heart of gold. She can’t get enough love and I’m thrilled she finally has the
home she deserves. She lends her support by lying right next to me and placing
her paw on my leg. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and it really does make
me feel like she’s genuinely there for me.

 Last, but certainly not least, is my Golden Retriever puppy
Sadie. At six months old she’s full of energy (I wish I could bottle some of
that energy up and use it when I’m drained). Like most dogs, she loves attention
and finds it very confusing as to the reason I’d be doing something other than
playing with her or petting her on the couch. She must think I’m lonely when I’m
writing because she gathers all of her toys, one by one, and sets them by my
side. Then she places her head on my lap and gives me the saddest puppy dog eyes
you’ve ever seen. How can anyone resist that?

Bone-rattling drums vibrating through your chest, the scream of
an electric guitar sending sweet melodies along the air waves, a crisp raw voice
cutting through the dark of the night, Is there anything more magical than
experiencing your favorite rock anthem? 

I’ve always thought of music as pure emotion. A story played out through melodies and lyrics
to create an audio version of exactly what a person in that situation would be
feeling. Fast hardcore chords mimic frustration and anger while slow soft
melodies imitate love and sometimes heartbreak. Music expresses the human soul
in a unique way, just like a book can.

When I started my journey as a writer, I combined my passion for
music as well as my love of romance to create Blissful Tragedy. I was never the
girl who wanted to ride off into the sunset on a white horse with Prince
Charming. I was the girl who wanted to hop on the tour bus and ride off with a
hot rock God that everyone wanted, but was all mine. What better way to start a
story than with your own personal fantasy? I sat down with my laptop, fired up
my IPod, and placed my ear buds in my ears. I was ready to snag my rock
God.

As I plotted out my story I thought about my favorite songs, the
stories that I can’t get enough of and can listen to over and over again. What
would it be like to be in one of those songs? Would capturing the heart of my
hot, sexy, rock God be everything I thought it would? I sank back into my couch,
closed my eyes, and drifted off into the fantasy music world. As my mind
experienced the adventure, the storyline for Blissful Tragedy played out like a
movie in my head. I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and began to
type.

Every night I couldn’t wait to submerge myself back into my
fantasy rock world. I repeated the same process night after night, writing while
gathering inspiration from my favorite tunes. I needed some new material, so I
rummaged through the shelves of my closet and checked out the inventory. I’ve
gathered quite a collection of cd’s, records, and cassette tapes over the years.
I pulled out the oldies but goodies and played a variety of different tracks,
some happy and some sad but all of them creating new emotional adventures for
Lexie and Van. As the music flowed through me and onto the pages, I thought
about my fairytale. Is there always a happily ever after or do real fairytales
contain some type of tragic force that just won’t let life be perfect, a
blissful tragedy.