Thursday, September 18, 2014

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Hale Maree by Misty Provencher




Hale Maree by Misty Provencher
(Crossed & Bared Series #1)
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

 Synopsis:

NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG ADULT READERS

 Hale Simmons’s life is already bottoming out and she’s only eighteen. Struggling on welfare, while trying to keep her alcoholic father on track, her dreams of having a better life fade a little more each day.

 But, when her dad witnesses a brutal accident at the bar one night, it changes the entire course of Hale’s future.

 Thrust into an arranged marriage with Oscar Maree, the playboy son of a wealthy man, Hale must learn to trust a stranger to give her the life she’s always wanted.

 First, Hale needs to figure out if love can ever happen by accident.
EXCERPT – HALE MAREE

Oscar puts the mug on the counter. I think he’s going to tell me I’m a spoiled brat, or that I don’t know a thing about how relationships work, or that I’m just plain impossible, but instead, he leans forward with one hand on the countertop before he says, “Done.”

My fingertips slip from the door handle.

“I would notice you, Hale,” he continues, “if you walked into a room behind a 500 pound lion that was charging straight at me. I would notice you if the room were full of naked women, and I was in deep conversation about my own death. I will always come running, I’ll eat the dinner, and wear the shirts and I’ve already thought that if you put on ten more pounds, it’d be a sure bet that I would never let you out of my bed. I’ve been trying to soak up every word you’ve said since the first time we spoke, so I think it’s only fair that you try just as hard to hear me now. I think you are perfect for me, Hale, and I’m just waiting for you to realize that I’m perfect for you too.”

It’s like the entire room disappears and all I see is Oscar with his level gaze. He drops his voice to a whisper as he says, “Come here.”

But I stay where I am, with the sun warming my back through the windows, and I shake my head at him.

“No,” I say. “Come running.”


EXCERPT – FULL OF GRACE

“She’s a good girl,” Oscar says.

“Very good.”

“No, I mean good,” Oscar repeats with a pointed stare.  It’s not just the booze that makes me look at him the way I do.  Good.  He can’t mean good.  His words must’ve gone cross-eyed.

“Not good…as in good.”  I shake my head slowly, thinking of how Sher’s eyes were squeezed shut, how she kept biting down on her lip, how my shoulders are probably bleeding through the dress shirt beneath my jacket from the way her fingernails shredded my skin.  I think of how she seemed so nerved-up afterward, how she insisted on walking so ridiculously slow all the way back to the wedding tent.  Oh shit.  “Not that kind of good.  Tell me you don’t mean that kind of good.”

But Oscar shakes his head sadly.  “I mean exactly that kind of good, my friend.”

“Shit,” I say.  I want to bash my own head against the bar.  I want to scream at her. 

That kind of good and I just jack-hammered her with a quickie?  Why didn’t she tell me?  Now, I’m a part of this girl’s life history.  I’m not just some ‘good time’ she did at a wedding; I’m her first.  That’s an epic load of responsibility.


GUEST POST #1

Hiya!  Thank you for inviting me over to your blog for a little guest posting.  I figured I’d mosey on over and talk about 10 Things You Might Not Know About Me. 

I always find this kind of post a little goofy, because, I mean…you don’t know me and why would you want to?  I feel like I should be breaking out in dance with a tophat…it’s all about Me, Glorious ME… and the truth is I’d rather it be about YOU, because I’d like to know who YOU are!

Ok, but we’re stuck, so let’s make this quick and painless.  I’ll give you some stuff that maybe you know (you stalker) or maybe you don’t (who the heck is this Misty Provencher??) and then, in the comments- be fair and tell me about YOU.  Deal?  Alright, here we go-

1) I was a high school drop out and runaway once.  It would be odd if I still was, wouldn’t it?
2)  I know the best people on Earth.  And I keep adding names to that ring of friendships.
3)  I have two dogs, one of which is a rescue named Larry, who is part Border Collie and part Llama.  The other is Pooh.  She’s half beagle and half I-Kill-You.
4)  I took collegiate level ASL, French & Spanish…and can no longer speak any of it enough to find a bathroom.
5)  I have been flat, busted broke in more ways than one.
6)  I have something clinical for men’s cologne.  I wear it sometimes and have to CONSTANTLY refrain from throwing me down and making sweet love to myself.
7)  Nothing I say should be read or repeated or even thought without laughter.
8)  I spend a LOT of time trying to sneak feral kittens into the house, under my allergic husband’s nose.
9)  I believe in living.  Living in your house, in your skin, in your neighbor’s hot tub, if you can manage it.
10) I’ve been told I’m psychic, but I think I just pay attention more than the average bear. 

So there it is.  Now, on to the FUN STUFF.  Tell me about YOU.

GUEST POST #2

You may never have heard of me before (hiya, I’m Misty Provencher, author of nine books that people find kinda cool) but you may never hear of me again, so let’s make this time together fun, shall we? 

If you’re a writer, a reader, a potato-peeler…I figured I’d come by and say hello and talk to you about 10 things I’ve learned while being an Indie writer.  There’s probably less than ten, but I’ll do my best to stretch them out and talk slow so this post will last.  Hee hee.  Alright.  Enough horsing around.  Here we go—

10 Things I’ve Learned While Being An Indie Writer

1)  I’ve learned what BRAND means.  It means that people will pick up your books, expecting a certain kind of story out of you.  You might be the paranormal girl.  Or the Queen of the kinky-sex-scenes.  Or the guy that makes us laugh.  For me, I’ve swept all of my brands into one big heap and call my brand The Unexpected Twist.  You can expect it all from me.
2)  I’ve learned that looking at reviews can KILL YOU.  There will be people who love our work, people who hate it, people who blow smoke up our fannies, people who are just miserable trolls.  When I’m feeling crappy, I go check out J.K. Rowling’s slew of 1 star reviews and realize it ain’t no thing.
3)  I’ve come to understand that the battles over comma placements have gone on long before I was born and will continue long after I am gone.
4)  I’ve learned: OMG! I can format a book!
5)  OMG! I can make an ebook cover!
6)  OMG!  I can learn to plot stringently…I’m sure of it!
7)  I’ve learned I need to just keep writing.  You can get trapped in quality vs. quantity; Indie vs Traditional; smut vs. sweet, and it all comes down to this:  WRITE A BOOK.
8)  I’ve learned that every single person I meet, upon hearing that I am a writer, tells me that their life story would make a bestseller.  And they are right.
9)  I’ve learned that writing has to be for the joy.  And when it is, we can’t lose.
10)  I’ve learned that every book is a bugger, but also better than the last.

I hope it helps you too!  Thanks again for having me over for the guest post spot!



GUEST POST #3

Thank you for having me over to your blog! 

I don’t know about you guys, but I began as a pantser and I’m constantly trying to perfect the art of plotting.  I like the idea of it increasing the amount of writing I can produce in a day, creating a tighter book, and helping me to catch the loose ends even before I go into edits.  I’ve been reading goobs of books on plotting and I’ve learned a few things that might help you too, if you’re on the same path.

1)      Know this: index cards take the fear out of what can be an overwhelming process.  I start each book by scratching down ideas on index cards.  It doesn’t feel like plotting—therefore, it must not be.  That little lie relieves the pressure of plotting on a big ol’ sheet of paper, knowing I’ve got to fill up the whole thing. 
I collect index cards the whole time I’m writing my current book, because I never want to be writing my current book.  (insert my whine: it’s hard!)  I’m always uber excited about the next though, and this gives me a way to have some work done on that next book when I get there.  (Less whining!)
2)      When I finish up the last book, I finally pull out my pile of index cards.  Now’s the time to shoo the dogs and kids out of the living room or do the tablecloth trick to clear the kitchen table.  I lay out all the cards and try to put them into a logical order.  Some cards will be silly ideas of character traits or details about a setting, so they get stacked beneath the cards that depict the action that furthers the plot.  Other cards will be duplicates (I let Larry Dog eat those).  Everything gets sorted until I have a line of plot.
3)      Once the cards are in order, now comes the ominous paper with the printed grid.  I made the grid on Excel and there is absolutely nothing fancy at all about my grid- you can do the same with a ruler. 
I put the number of chapters I want to have in the book into the blocks of my grid and, using my cards, I fill in the grid boxes.  There are always empty spaces (sigh) but usually it is easier at this point in the game to see the spaces and figure out what needs to bridge the gaps.
4)      Once I’ve got my grid filled up, I staple it into a notebook.   Because I like procrastination?  Why, yes, indeedy, I do.  However, my notebook does serve a useful purpose too.  If I feel like the story isn’t fleshed out enough still, I mess with it in the notebook.  It’s a paper playground.  I draw pictures and use crazy inks and don’t stay in the lines.  I CANNOT BE CAGED BY BLUE LINES!
Although I’m usually ready to start writing the story at this stage, there are always more notes that pop up.  Ideas about characters.  Changes.  That goes into the notebook too.
When I head out anyplace, where I’m going to have down time (waiting for the kids, waiting for my oil change, waiting for a hair cut…do you know how much time you spend waiting?  You can write a book!) I take the notebook and play with the ideas inside.  My purse weighs about 800 pounds with notebook, pens, highlights, clips, stickies, etc.  Ridiculous, really.
I also have used waiting time for doing what I think of as NEXT writing.  It’s fast and meant to be quick.  To do it: I think of where I’m at in the story and start writing some of what comes next.  Sometimes it is in bubbles, sometimes it is a list, sometimes it is simple lines.  Whatever it is, the whole point of NEXT writing is to get me from one spot to the next in the story.  It might look as simple as this:

Nalena argues with mother.  Needs to take a break, get out of house.  Nalena goes to library, sits in back corner.  Popular jock comes walking down aisle toward her.  What does he want?  Table?  He sits.  Talks.  Steam between them.  She freaks out, can’t take the pressure, leaves. 

So, that’s the process for my plotting right now.  I play around with Scrivener too, fill up my notebook with character photos, sketches of floor plans, maps, timelines, etc., and make story boards.  I do a LOT of pre-work, but it is also some wicked fun because I can use all kinds of sticky notes, fancy paperclips, highlighters, and all sorts of gimmicky office supplies that feed my fetish.

If you’d like to check out some amazing books on plotting, I have three to share:
·         2K to 10 K: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron
·         Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
·         Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
·         The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson

Oh, and check out Chuck Wendig’s post on plotting!  The guy is seriously got the best writing voice around and my fave tip is “just yarf it up.”  You can’t lose if you’re yarfing.

I hope this helps you a bit with the plotting leg of your journey!  Thanks again for having me over to the blog!


INTERVIEW #1

Hi there!  Thank you so much for having me over for an interview on your blog today!  I’m excited to talk with you about Hale Maree and where the idea came from.  I will do my best to make this wild and raucous fun, so don your lampshades and let’s jump on into it!!

1)      Wait a second.  First, I’ve got to know if this book is religious.  Hale Maree?  Full of Grace?  But the series name is Crossed & Bared…are these books hot and sexy or do they have a religious element?

Oh my goodness!  No, the books are absolutely not religious and by no means meant to be a comment or slight to the Blessed Mother, Mary. 

The name of the book came during a conversation I was having with Michelle Leighton.  I had just left my job and needed to make a good go in the book world, but I’d had only limited success at that point.  I was mired in one of those discouraging, down-with-everything moments and Michelle was trying to yank me out of it.  She mentioned that she’d written a ‘Hail Mary’ story herself and that it changed her career.  She used the term the same way the Deadliest Catch fishermen on TV put out a Hail Mary string of crab pots.  It’s your biggest and best effort, you pour yourself in and hope for the best. 

Well, I wanted to write a hot and sexy, contemporary romance.  I thought, why not name the book after my hope of its success?  And BLAM.  That’s how Hale Maree came to be. 

2)      Okay, then how do you explain the second book in the series, Full of Grace?

Full of Grace (FoG) is a spin off—a story told by Landon Grace, who we meet in Hale Maree.  I don’t want to spoil the surprises, so…when you’ve read Hale and then read the synopsis for FoG, you’ll totally understand the name of the book!

3)Tell me, where did you get the idea of an arranged marriage?  That doesn’t happen these days!

A friend of mine actually did arrange his own marriage to a woman overseas.  When he told me he was going to do it, I was intrigued at how it would work.  I was fascinated at the aspect of marrying a person you’d never met and what it would take to make a marriage like that not only work, but work well with both spouses actually finding love. 

I used much more exciting mechanisms to arrange the marriage in Hale, because my focus was not on depicting the culture gap or the red tape of an arranged marriage, but of explore the relationship between two strangers who must make a marriage work and what it would take to create a true romance under those circumstances. Hopefully, readers will enjoy the fantastical story of Hale and Oscar’s pulse-pumping romance.

4)      You mentioned you had just left your job before writing Hale Maree.  Are you a full time writer now?

I am!  I spend my days plotting and writing and hoping that my books will bring others some joy.

5)      What is your next project?

I’m actually working on three projects right now.  I’ve got a Young Adult manuscript, a New Adult serial, and a New Adult where I let my raunchy humor out of its cage.  Be scared.  Hee hee.

This was a great time! I hope that your readers will help themselves to a free copy of Hale Maree and grab Full of Grace while it is still on sale this week too.  Regularly $3.99, it’s a dollar off right now!  Enjoy!

INTERVIEW #2

Hello!  I’m so excited to be on your blog today for an interview.  Thank you for having me over- I can’t wait to answer your questions about my writing process for Full of Grace!  I just want to warn anyone who hasn’t read Hale Maree, depending on your spoiler-sensitivity-scale, you might think some of these questions and answers are spoilery, so please be warned that you might want to read Hale Maree before proceeding any further with this Q & A!

1)      Where did the idea for Full of Grace come from? 

My readers made me do it!  I wasn’t planning a sequel for Hale Maree when it came out.  I thought HALE was a nice little stand-alone book that people would enjoy, but then I started getting the emails and the PMs and the requests for more.  And how can a writer say no to readers that want more, you know?

So many people were fans of Landon and Sher and wanted to know what happened to them.  At first, I had no idea where to start and then, another writer friend of mine, Annie Hargrove, pulled up a thread of Sher’s character –her annoying giggle—and the whole story blossomed from there.  You can blame Annie for that, guys! 

2)      You totally switched sexes and gave us a male perspective!

Hahaha…I don’t think that’s technically a question!  But yes, FoG is written from Landon’s perspective.  I wanted to see if I could nail a man’s voice, so let me know if I hit my mark, will you?!

3)      A Woman’s Choice is a touchy thing.  Why did you go for the touchy thing?

Ahh- it’s what I do.  Hee hee. 
I think we often talk about a woman’s choice when it comes to having a child, but I started thinking of the other side of that coin too.  An unplanned pregnancy is a tough situation for everyone involved, but I wanted to write about the man’s perspective, from a guy who really wants to be a dad and finds himself at the mercy of his one-night-stand’s decision.  I knew I wanted FoG to be a romance, so I had to find the man who would present this story correctly and there he was…Landon Grace.  I hope you’ll enjoy him!

4)      There’s some pretty sexy sex scenes happening in this story.  Some horsing around, some monkeying around.  Can you tell us more?

I cannot.  There is definitely some wild and hot, passionate mingling going on across these pages, but I can’t elaborate.  It’d be like knocking down a street-facing wall to their bedroom.  Not that they’d mind that.  Eh hem.  I CAN say that Landon has a thing about stealing Sher’s pants.

5)      Why would the readers that come to my page enjoy Full of Grace?  Tell us!

Seriously?  Who wouldn’t enjoy Landon?  Or Sher’s chainsaw giggle?  Or Sher’s mom and her loaded shotgun or Landon’s sister who hits on all the waitresses while Landon’s trying to get advice?  Or how about the unexpected Emo tool box or Sher’s rascally siblings?  Or the tattoos, for goodness sakes!!  There’s humor and sex and an ending that will make you…now wait a second.  I can’t tell you about the ending.  Go snatch your free copy of Hale Maree and grab the sale-priced copy of Full of Grace!  Regularly $3.99, it’s only $2.99 right now!  Enjoy!

Thanks again for having me over to blah-blah with you on your blog!  



Purchase (FREE during the blitz!):


AUTHOR BIO

Misty Provencher is a long-term wife, mama, and author. The first two are a bit more recent, but Provencher's writing roots date back to the hieroglyphics she left in her mother's womb.

 While Provencher can ride a motorcycle, knows how to Karate chop, and has learned enough French, Spanish, and Sign Language to get herself slapped, Misty's life is actually just the ruse she uses to connect with people. She is totally enchanted with them and spends her days trying to translate the soul bouquets of her muses into words.

 Misty Provencher lives in the Mitten. Knock on her internet blog door at: Misty Provencher's Books,http://mistypro.blogspot.com/ or find her on Facebook and Twitter as Misty Provencher.

 Author links:


GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway
--Signed copy of Hale Maree (US only)
--Signed copy of Full of Grace (US only)
--1 eBook copy of any of Misty's books (INTL)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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