A PLACE WITH BRIAR Book Launch Party (& Contest Winners!)...

Today is the day! A Place With Briar is officially on sale in bookstores, select grocery stores and supermarkets as well as online in mass market and ebook. Yes, finally! If you’re a member of my mailing list, you should have received the April newsletter this morning with a link to the first 10 pages of A Place With Briar. I hope you enjoy!

If you happen to see A Place With Briar on the bookstore or grocery store shelf while you’re out and about today, let me know or send a pic to amber@amberleighwilliams.com or upload it to Twitter (@ALeighWilliams) or Facebook (Amber Leigh Williams)! Be sure to tag me or use hashtag #APlaceWithBriar!  

 

He's in some serious trouble…. 

Cole Savitt does not want to deceive Briar Browning. But if he hopes to see his son again, he has to find the weaknesses in her charming bed-and-breakfast, then get out of town fast! But the quaint inn isn't the only thing charming him…. 

Cole's straightforward plan becomes anything but when he begins to fall for the beautiful innkeeper. Suddenly everything's on the line—his future with his son, a chance at happiness and the love of a good woman. Cole must rethink his priorities…and the stakes have never been higher.

Scroll down the blog for 3 great excerpts from A Place With Briar. Buy links are live at the following online retailers….  

 

Amazon
Harlequin
B&N
Kobo
Google Play

 

CONTEST WINNERS: Now it’s time to announce the winners of the Fool For Romance book bundles. Remember: the overall winner will be able to choose which of these three book bundles they would like to receive. (This person will also be in the running for the $100 Amazon Gift Card drawing. See the Fool for Romance main contest page for more details….) The first runner up of the book bundle contest will choose between the remaining two book bundles. The second runner-up will receive the final book bundle.

I wrote down all the entry names for the book bundles and put them in a hat. My little guy then chose the three lucky names. Here they are….

 

WINNER – BookLady - bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

1st Runner Up – bn100 - bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

2nd Runner Up – Natasha - natasha_donohoo_8(at)hotmail(dot)com

 

Congratulations! Please send a confirmation email to amber@amberleighwilliams.com. The overall winner can go ahead and tell me which of these three book bundles you would like so I can let the runners-up know which ones are available more quickly. Thank you!

I promised to reveal my new official author headshot today. Here it is, readers – chosen by you….

 

Thank you for the valuable input, Cozies! It was a huge help. (I really could not choose….) Just for you, an exciting new feature in coming to Wednesdays here at The Cozy Page! Come back tomorrow for the first edition of Tink’s #HumpDay Heroes. Yes, the ol’ blog muse is back! Did you really think she was gone forever? I couldn’t get rid of her if I tried, LOL

See you tomorrow! My virtual book tour continues later this week so keep checking in at The Cozy Page – the party isn’t over yet!

Cozy Countdown to A PLACE WITH BRIAR: Excerpt #1 (3 Days...)

Great news! Not only is the book launch party for A Place With Briar only three days away…. I have just booked a Facebook chat at the Coffee Time Romance Mocha Milieu Event Room for Saturday, April 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST. I’m planning to give away a special prize to a lucky reader so mark your calendars!

Today begins a 3-Day Excerpt Extravaganza. I’ll be reposting one of the three excerpts from A Place With Briar each day until our April 1st launch party - in case you missed any of the teasers revealed throughout February and March here at home, on Twitter, or at Roses of Prose. The first is the live-tweeted excerpt from Valentine’s Day. Happy reading!

Cole paused, tucked one hand under Briar’s knees and scooped her into his arms. “Put your head on my shoulder.”

Briar turned her face into his neck. The touch of her skin against his stirred something warm and hungry in his blood.

Not hungry by Clint’s definition. Cole wanted to guard her, protect her from the seedy reality of the world. Her scent filtered through him just as the fragrance of her flowers penetrated the tepid night air. When she wrapped her arms close around his neck, he realized he had her full trust.

The knowledge was potent.

He mounted the stairs to the third level where he knew her private rooms were. Stepping into the living room lit by a single lamp, the smell of lavender struck him. He toted her past the small kitchen on the right and into the first bedroom. Its pale green drapes were closed tight over the windows. The mauve spread was turned down in invitation.

He set her on the edge and went to his knees to tug off her shoes. “Lay back,” he advised.

She lowered to the pillows, curling onto her side to face him. He pressed the cloth to the back of her head. “How do you feel?”

“Mmm,” she moaned distantly, her eyes closing. “Sleepy.”

“Don’t fall asleep yet. I need you to tell me if you blacked out at all.”

“I don’t think so.”

He stroked a hand over her hair. “Do you have any Advil? Ibuprofen?”

“In the bathroom cupboard.”

He returned with two pills and a glass of water. “Take these.” Relieved to see color filtering back into her cheeks, he said, “You already look better.”

She gazed at him as he ran the cold rag over her cheeks and brow. “Liv’s right. You’re a nice guy.”

He didn’t feel particularly nice. Protective. A bit shaken. But with hunger gnawing at his vital hold on control, nice wasn’t the word for what he felt.

“What you did to Clint…” She trailed off and swallowed hard. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me.”

“Assault is something I don’t tolerate,” he groaned. “No one should.”

“It was only a kiss he wanted. He was drunk and things just…escalated.”

Cole had seen the greed in Clint’s eyes, the way they’d skimmed her torso, the way they lit up when he touched her skin. Fury slunk into Cole and he worked carefully for a moment to contain it. Cole had seen his like too many times to count. The man had wanted more.

“He won’t touch me again. Not after you scared him like that.” Grinning, she added, “It was sort of funny hearing him scream like a girl.”

Relieved to see her smile, he stroked her cheek and watched her eyes flutter closed. Pulling his hand away as if burned, he cleared his throat. “No, he won’t touch you again. Not as long as I’m around.”

The smile melted from her face and the light in her eyes faded. He knew she was thinking about his check-out date. She cleared her throat and changed the subject, careful not to look at him. “Adrian said you used to be a detective.”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice surprisingly rusty.

“You’d make a good cop.”

Cole dropped the rag from her head, set it aside. “I don’t think you have a concussion.”

She sighed in obvious relief. “Good. I don’t think I could’ve handled the hospital tonight.”

“Still, expect to wake up with a rough headache in the morning. Think you can sleep?”

“Maybe.”

He pulled the spread up and over her, tucking it around her shoulders, and switched off the light. “Good night.”

“Cole.”

As he glanced back, Briar looked too pale in the shadows. Too vulnerable.

“I’d feel better if you stayed a bit.”

 

There isn’t much time left to preorder A Place With Briar but you can do so at any of these online retailers….
 

Amazon
Harlequin
B&N
Kobo
Google Play

Add the Superromance novel to your To-Be-Read list on Goodreads….

Only a few short days left to enter the Fool for Romance Contest – book bundles, gift cards, and more prizes are still up for grabs! Enter before midnight EST March 31st by visiting the contest main page. Learn details about the book bundles here. The winners of the three book bundles will be announced April 1st; so if you do enter, be sure to check back in here at the ol’ blog during the book launch party on Tuesday! The grand prize will be announced before the end of next week.

Cozy Countdown to A PLACE WITH BRIAR: 4 Days....

Visit the first stop on my virtual blog tour and read an excerpt from my latest book today at Much Cheaper Than Therapy!

4 more days! I spent most of yesterday afternoon putting together my April reader newsletter. Those who subscribe (or have already subscribed) to my mailing list before April 1st will not only get the special bonus of being entered into the Fool for Romance Contest and my three totally awesome book bundles (+ the grand prize of a $100 Amazon Gift Card). They will also be the first to see the first 10 pages of A Place With Briar and get the scoop on some great April Kindle deals!

 

If you haven’t already subscribed, do so before midnight EST on March 31st with the pink button on the sidebar so you don’t miss out on any of this fun and/or free, exclusive stuff. (For more details on the Fool for Romance Contest book bundles, click here. Visit the contest main page for more on how to win the grand prize….)  

Recently, I created an inspiration board on my Pinterest page. To get a glimpse of the real life setting of A Place With Briar, Fairhope, AL, be sure to check it out! You’ll also get a feel for the bayside bed-and-breakfast where the heroine works as well as the sexy hero and his Harley Davidson! Visit my Pinterest page to see it all…. 

I’ve put together some hero and heroine quotes just in time for A Place With Briar’s release. Feel free to share on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #APlaceWithBriar! Enjoy!

  

Only a few short days left to preorder A Place With Briar if you haven't already! You can do so at any of the following online retailers:

Amazon
Harlequin
B&N
Kobo
Google Play


Tomorrow will kick off the final leg of the Cozy Countdown to the release day party here on Tuesday. That means you’ll find the first teaser in the 3-day excerpt extravaganza. See you there!

Cozy Countdown for A PLACE WITH BRIAR: 6 Days....

Only 6 days left in the Cozy Countdown to the book launch for Harlequin Superromance, A Place With Briar! Wow, April’s comin’ on quick!

A couple of weeks ago, the hub came home from work and announced, “Did you know there’s a large box labeled HARLEQUIN on the front porch?” I then watched him lug said box inside. My heart began to dance a little. I had indeed heard the UPS man drive up and knock but hadn’t been able to answer and then promptly forgot about it. Horrified I had let my long-awaited box from my publisher sit outside all afternoon, I dove at it, ripping it open without further ado…. In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t torn the box. It would have been a nice keepsake. Alas, the lid tore under my eager hands. But the shiny, new contents greeted me completely untouched! I’ll let you see for yourself what was inside….

And it was love at first sight….

 

Soooo…who would like an exclusive sneak peek into the paperback edition of A Place With Briar? Here ya go, Cozies – just for you: the first page of Briar and Cole’s story….  

 

I hope you enjoyed this teaser! You still have a few days to reserve your copy of A Place With Briar by preordering at Amazon or Harlequin.com….

Don’t forget: the Fool for Romance Contest is coming to an end on March 31st. Don’t miss out on these fantastic prizes: a $100 Amazon Gift Card, your choice of one of three awesome book bundles, and more! Enter today by following this link for more details.

Check back in tomorrow as the release day countdown continues with virtual book tour information, including my first stop at Much Cheaper Than Therapy. See you there, Cozies!

Cozy Countdown to A PLACE WITH BRIAR: 7 Days....

The Cozy Countdown continues. Only 7 more days until A Place With Briar hits bookstore shelves. Holy moly, less than a week. What?!?!
 

I have a bit of a request for readers…. I recently got some new author headshots done by our amazing family photog (@hannahpwills). This has been a long time coming. I’ve been using the same headshot since I was first published back in…well, we won’t go there. Suffice it to say, my old headshot is close to 8 years old. I might have kept on using it if the powers that be at Harlequin had not informed me that it wasn’t the right dimensions. I admit, the quality is a bit…well, dingy. (I cropped it out of a family photo.)

Anyway, I’m really excited about these new headshots. Not only did @hannahpwills do an excellent job. She took the time to do my makeup for me as well. Thanks, chica!

                                            

My request for you, readers, is to help me choose between the color version of the photo or the black-and-white version. They’re the same picture. I’ve just been torn between these two options:

 


Option 1

Option 2

Just leave a comment to this post to let me know which you prefer...or tweet your vote to @ALeighWilliams. 


Thanks for all the help, Cozies! I’ll post the results on release day, April 1st! As a reward for voting, I’ve posted a new Photo Gallery on the BIO page of my website! Head on over to www.amberleighwilliams.com to scroll through. And don’t be afraid to tell me what you think. When you’re finished looking at the gallery, click on the CONTACT tab and shoot me an email. I love to hear from readers!
 

The countdown continues tomorrow here at the ol’ blog! Check back in for an exclusive peek at the first page of the paperback version of A Place With Briar and more fun, book-launch-related stuff….  

 

There’s still time to preorder the book – visit Amazon or Harlequin.com to reserve your copy of Briar and Cole’s Superromance today!

(Don’t forget – there’s only six more days to enter the Fool For Romance Contest. Click here for details on how you can win a $100 Amazon Gift Card, one of three book bundles, and more!)