Free Read: Valentine's Style

I know it's a day early, but I'm gearing up for Cozy's February blog event in celebration of Valentine's in which some of my favorite fellow authors of romance, women's fiction, and erotica answer 20 random Valentine's-related questions with excerpts and prizes! It's an extravaganza you won't want to miss - and that starts tomorrow so be sure to check back in for our first guest!


In the meantime, this time last year the 2nd book in the Ridges of Wayback, Texas trilogy was being released in e-format. Now the beloved characters of Bluest Heart - Casey Ridge and Josie Brusky - are fresh from their audio book debut! During February 2010 at AJ's Notes, they shared their answer to the intriguing question: "What do cowboys give their cowgirls for Valentine's Day?". I thought I'd bring back this free read to celebrate Casey and Josie's one-year anniversary! Enjoy!


Josie Brusky had been on her feet pretty much since dawn. Valentine’s Day made Josie’s Treasures—Wayback, Texas’s solo gift shop—the one-stop place for every cowboy with a sweetheart from a hundred miles around. Now she was finally home and her arches were screaming for some downtime.

As she walked into the house, she kicked off her heels then frowned. The jars of candles around the room were lit. A vase-full of bluebonnets overflowed with fresh blooms on the coffee table. And the scent of something zesty tickled her nostrils. Following the sound of country music, she made her way back toward the kitchen.

Her jaw dropped. Standing at the counter, beer at his elbow, white Stetson pulled low over his eyes, Casey Ridge poured marinade over two thick, juicy-looking steaks.

It wasn’t the fact that the man was cooking that stopped her in her tracks. What astounded her was the fact that he wore a starched, white KISS THE COOK apron…and nothing else but the Stetson and cowboy boots.

Josie clapped a hand over her mouth as a wide grin broke over her face. Thoughts of a good glass of wine and a quick nap flitted out of her head as she stepped across the tile floor.

He turned his head and grinned, dimples digging into his sun-bronzed cheeks and blue eyes gleaming. “Hey there, pretty lady.”

“Well, well.” She shook her head, skimming her eyes from his hat to his boot-clad toes then back up again, enjoying the view. Sliding her hands up his chest and onto his shoulders, she beamed into his face. “You really know how to make a cowgirl happy on Valentine’s.”

He bent his head to kiss her. “Like the apron?”

“I’m thinking about untying it, actually.” She pursed her lips, considering. “You know, I think I’ll dress to match.”

He smirked as she backed away, hand slipping from his. “Wear the red boots.”

She threw a suggestive wink over her shoulder. “You betcha.”

© Amber Leigh Williams


See more of Casey and Josie in Bluest Heart, available now in ebook along with Judd and Stela from Blackest Heart and Keefe and Calli from Bet It On My Heart at The Wild Rose Press. All three books in the Ridges of Wayback, Texas trilogy are also available in audio at AudioLark! 1st Place More Than Magic Novella Blackest Heart is featured in the paperback anthology The Way Back Home!

20 Questions Valentine's Event Schedule

Hi Cozies! Sorry for the delay on this post. Wednesday evening I was feeling sneezy. It occured to me, somewhat ironically, that I should probably get my flu shot this year. I woke up the next morning with a sore throat and sinus ickiness. Last night both the hub and I got about two hours sleep thanks to fever, chills, body aches, and all around ick. This morning I am feeling a bit better, but now that we're three days away I don't think there will be a Valentine's Day Event banner.

I can, however, say for certain that there will be some awesome prizes handed out from Febuary 1st to the 14th! I've already received the answers to several of our guest authors' 20 Questions. Let me just say - it's going to be a blast! I also have a special volunteer to help get things going - my muse, Tink. Well, she didn't actually volunteer. I figure as long as she isn't helping me write, she might as well put herself to good use :)

Here's the official list of participants for the 20 Questions Valentine's Day Event here at The Cozy Page....


February 1 -Mariposa Cruz

February 2 - Eve Knight

February 3 - Linda Morris

February 4 – Ella Vines

February 5 – Alexandra Kane

February 6 - Jerri Hines

February 7 – Paty Jager

February 8 – Laura Breck

February 9 – Lisa Lipkind Leibow

February 10 – Gwyneth Greer

February 11 – Elaine Cantrell

February 12 - Shona Husk

February 13 – Judy Jarvie

February 14 - Taryn Kincaid

The party kicks off on Monday, January 31 with a special Valentine's Day free read from yours truly! Recurring characters will be here with spurs on. Hint, hint ;)

The giveaways and 20 Questions hooplah begins Tuesday, February 1st! Don't miss out on some great prizes - and I encourage readers to ask the guests of our Valentine's Day Event random and quirky questions of their own!

Since I won't get to post these on Valentine's, I thought I'd share these vintage valentines with today's post! Don't you miss the days of little paper bags and cards? I know I do....

Website & Banners

Hi Cozies! This week I'm doing a number of promotional projects. The Cozy Page's 20 Questions Valentine's Event is well underway. Within forty-eight hours, the fourteen guest spots were booked tight. I'm excited to announce that there are tons of surprises and goodies in store. In a day or two, I'll pin up the official guest author list and more details!

Secondly, I finally decided to take the plunge and design a website through Wordpress. It's an intense, learning process, but it's the best option for me. This way I'll be able to do updates on a regular basis. The good news is that I'm confident my current website domain name (http://www.amberleighwilliams.com/) will not change. As soon as Wordpress is mapped to my existing domain, I'll get started on building my new ALW Website! Of course, as soon as I'm satisfied with the new site there will be a big announcement here at Cozy and I'll send out a reader newsletter!

Last on my to-do list this week is a promotions workshop administrated by fellow GCCRWA member and TWRP author, Sayde Grace. I'm always excited to learn new skills, especially in the book marketing milieu. I now have several website and book banners to show for it. Readers, if you'd like to grab a banner, be my guest. I've uploaded a few to the Miscellany album on Facebook. As soon as I develop an 20 Questions Valentine's Event banner, I'll be posting it here!

20 Questions Blog Event...Coming Soon!

Great news, Cozies! I have booked thirteen spots for my special February blog event. I always try to do something special here at The Cozy Page for Valentine's Day because it's one of my favorite holiday - yes, I'm one of those people :) This year I'm going all-out with an interview extravaganza. Authors of romance, women's fiction, and erotic romance will be guesting from the first of February to Valentine's Day. Each guest author or their characters will answer 20 fun, Valentine's-related questions as well as share blurbs and excerpts from their latest releases - and did I mention giveaway goodies? The fun starts on February 1st so mark your calendars!

(Special Note: for those who show up a day early - January 31 - I'll be sharing a Valentine's-themed free read with cameos from a favorite cowboy and cowgirl. You won't want to miss it!)

Friday Funny: Happy Hour

Ladies, ask yourselves the following questions...

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
Do you suffer exhaustion from the day to day grind?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Those who use Margaritas should not drive. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor controll, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing karaoke!

Warnings:
The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.
The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas! TGIF!

Under the Covers...at Lynne Roberts' Blog!

Today I go under the covers with a really fun guest interview at Lynne Roberts! Stop by to read a steamy excerpt from Blackest Heart and find out everything from my sheet of choice, favorite hero and pick-up lines....

Here's Your (New) Sign!

So the powers that be decided to announce today that the Earth has wobbled to such a degree that the astrological signs have changed, too! And not only that - the twelve zodiacs have company in the name of lucky number thirteen, Ophiuchus. Prize to anybody who can pronounce it for me. How I went to bed as a Taurus and woke up as an Aries is really beyond me, but by all accounts the change has been known among astrologists for some time...they just forgot to tell us about it.

Here are the new sign dates...

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11
Pisces: March 11-April 18
Aries: April 18-May 13
Taurus: May 13-June 21
Gemini: June 21-July 20
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20

The question is whether a majority of the people embrace this change. I liked being a Taurus, so much that I considered getting a zodiac tattoo of the bull. Now I'm certainly glad I decided against it. My sympathies to those who didn't....

Almost everyone in my family's sign shifted. The hub actually stole my sign - going from Gemini to Taurus. My sister and father shifted from Libra to Virgo. My mother, luckily, is still a Taurus. How 'bout you, Cozies? Did your sign change, too? Any new Ophiuchus-ians out there? From what little research I've done over the years of the zodiac, Ophiuchus is associated with the snake and is known to some as "the serpant bearer."

The above Aries figurine is from the Royal Copenhagen collection. View it here!

Update on the Muse (or "Where Art Thou, Tinkerbell?")

So it's a new year and I'm determined to tackle at least two of my unfinished WIPs this month. As many of you know, I'm in the midst of a Regency romance I began writing last spring. I'm also working on my fourth paranormal romance. The holiday season was busier than expected so I didn't reach my goal of a completed contemporary revision but I'm so close it hurts! I'm confident I will have the latter at least done by January 31! *fingers crossed*

As much as I don't believe on waiting for the muse to be present before beginning a writing session, it does help and that fickle little lady in the green dress has been absent for some time. She came back briefly last week to toy with another contemporary premise and to do some light edits on the Regency WIP but hasn't really been seen since. I'm convinced she's gone off with Captain Jack to some desserted tropical island in the Carribean and refuses to come back until the rum has gone. In fact, I heavily suspect her sitting on the other side of the table in the latest POTC: On Stranger Tides trailer. Judge for yourself....



So that's the skinny for those of you who were wondering where I am on the writing front. If any of you pass by a tropical island and happen to see her green-slippered self, be sure to give me a holler. In other news, I have signed on to be a part of fellow TWRP author Sky Purington's Celts and More Blog Event in March. I love Sky's work and Celtic heroes so I'm thrilled to be a part of this. Event dates and more info coming your way soon via the ol' Cozy blog....

Also on the radar is the LoveRomance Cafe "Best of..." Awards! Readers have until January 16th to nominate their favorite titles. If you'd like to vote for Bluest Heart or Bet It on my Heart for "Best Contemporary," visit Dawn's Reading Nook for more details! I also highly encourage you to vote The Wild Rose Press for "Best e-Publisher." I know I will!

This week the winner of the 50 States from 50 Authors guest post will be announced. If you commented, be sure to check back there to see if you won a free audio book version of Blackest Heart!

1st Reader Newsletter Goes Out Tomorrow...

Hi Cozies! Just a short note about tomorrow's excitment. First of all, I'm sending out my first reader newsletter very early tomorrow morning so if you haven't joined my mailing list, now's the time to do so. All you have to do is click on the big pink button on the right sidebar and fill out the very short information form. I'm pretty sure it takes about five seconds. The newsletter includes all my latest book news as well as a list of recommended reads and even a promo op for authors with 2011 book launches!

There's another reason tomorrow is a special day. Tomorrow evening the BCS Championship will be take place in Arizona and my favorite college team will be there! My family made plans to fly to the dessert to see our boys battle it out in person but due to some scheduling conflicts, we will instead be watching avidly at home on the Gulf Coast. To anyone who is making the trip, be sure to yell loudly for the Williamses. I'll be offline for most of the day but will definitely be back Tuesday!

News & Updates...

Coffee Time Romance is bringing in the New Year with a bang! The extravaganza starts Monday, January 10. The Wild Rose Press is joining the party all day Saturday, January 15 with new releases, excerpts and possible giveaways! Be sure to join the fun! For more author/publisher dates, click here for the party schedule. (I'll post a reminder next Friday or Saturday morning....)

This week at The Roses of Prose is our first foray into our new resourceful format. We're also introducing our newest rose, Jerri Hines! Stop by any day this week - we're reviewing book-related social networking sites. To read my Monday post on Shelfari, click here!

Guest Blog Appearance + Giveaway

Hi Cozies! My first guest blog appearance of the year is up at Annette Snyder's Fifty Authors from Fifty States blog. I'm not only talking about the inspiration of my Gulf Coast hometown - I'm giving away a free audio book from the Ridges of Wayback, Texas trilogy! Click here to read and enter!