Hi Everyone…thanks for having me over today for a little chat.

With the start of 2013 comes what I think may be my best book yet.  Once in a while I find a story where the characters take off and write the book.  With a young lawyer who thinks someone is trying to kill him and another couple building love from a childhood friendship, CHANCE OF A LIFETIME isn’t going to let you put it down.

In this visit to Harmony, you’ll see people from the town that you’ve met in other books, but the plot begins with a quiet librarian, Emily and her former childhood friend, Tannon Parker.  While he’s grown cold and hard over the years, she’s become afraid of the world.  He comes to the library every Friday night because he knows she’s afraid of the dark and though they barely speak as he walks her out, he thinks his heart only beats when she’s near.  For Tannon and Emily this may be their last CHANCE OF A LIFETIME.

With Emily forming a writing club to draw people into the library and a kid named Beau Yates about to hit it big as a singer, you’ll feel like you’ve lived in Harmony forever and love all the folks.

So, come along with me to Harmony.

Jody has a gift for one lucky commenter today!                         

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Now I know all you readers out there can’t resist trying to win the free book, BUT just in case you don’t win…or if you just want to check out all her other wonderful books, click on the link to  Amazon.

In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY, the first book in the Harmony series, won a RITA, the highest award for women’s fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

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You can read more bout Jodi and her books at:

 www.jodithomas.com

Or you can comment and/or follow her at:

www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

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NY Times

Twenty-five-year-old Rose McMurray may be beautiful, smart, and capable of running her adopted family’s ranch at Whispering Mountain, but she’s backed away from marriage three times without giving any reasons. Everyone thinks Rose is a coward, afraid of any adventure, including falling in love. She’s never done a single wild or reckless thing in her life…until now.

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A note from Jodi:

I love climbing back into Historical Romance. I think from the day I saw GONE WITH THE WIND, I’ve always loved love stories set in the past. In my new book WILD TEXAS ROSE, I returned to a time period I know well, Texas in the 1870’s. Only now after twenty-five years of writing historical novels as well as contemporaries, I decided to write in a slightly different style I think all my readers will enjoy. So, come along with me on a fast-paced, laughter filled ride across Texas.

When I sat down in my study and traveled back to Texas in the 1800’s, I began with Rose McMurray. As a child she drove everyone crazy organizing her world and as an adult nothing has changed. She’s twenty-six and traveled from Whispering Mountain to Fort Worth to help a friend with her wedding plans.

From the first, Rose knows something is very wrong and of course, she sets out to correct the problem. The adopted son of her uncle, Duncan McMurray, has his hands full with a gang of killers in Dallas, but he rides over to help Rose.

As Rose builds her forces, not only the bride’s life falls in dangers but so does Rose and Duncan’s.

I had great fun mixing up the stories of people in this book. So often when people think they are all alone in the world they find they are surrounded by friends when trouble rides in. The love stories were also fun to write, for with the exception of one lady who took her clothes off for a living, most of the people were new to loving. On August 7^th when this book hits, I’ll be like a proud parent standing outside the nursery windows looking at a newborn.

Hope all of you enjoy WILD TEXAS ROSE.

Jodi Thomas
Connect with Jodi here: Website, Facebook, Twitter

If I could plan the perfect getaway, I’d go to Kisimul Castle on the Isle of Barra. Of all the castles I’ve read about, Kisimul is the most fascinating. Here’s why:

First of all, the name. Kisimul Castle came from the Gaelic phrase ‘castle of the rock of the small bay.’

Second, the castle dates back to 1427 when Gilleonan Macneil built Kisimul on a rocky island in the center of Castle Bay. From some angles, the castle appears to float in the center of the bay.

Third, though the bay is saltwater, the castle has a fresh water well, which means it can withstand a seige. The Macneils were a smart clan.

Fourth, there’s a lovely three story tower that comprised a portion of the castle. The tower once served as the residence of the clain chief. In addition to the tower, there are a number of other buildings, including a feasting hall, a tanist’s house, and more. Jane, in THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS, explains about the various buildings as she and Michael sail past it.

Fifth, the Macneil Clan had salt water coursing through their veins. From the earliest recorded clan histories, the Macneils owned the seas around the Hebrides. One Macneil was called Ruari The Turbulent and was arrested for piracy during King James IV reign in the later 16th century.

Sixth, Kismul Castle passed out of the Macneil hands in 1838 when the entire Isle of Barra was sold because of heavy debts. The estate was repurchased in 1937 by the 45th chief, Robert Macneil, who restored it to its former glory. The castle was passed into Historic Scotland’s care in 2000 and is open for tours.

At the time of THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS, Kismul was in a state of disrepair. I took great liberties in the book and said the castle had been ruined by a fire, when in reality it had been abandoned for centuries and was ruined by simple neglect. I love that the family came back and rescued their treasure and took the time to restore the castle to its former glory.

If you had to list your Top Ten Dream Destinations, would a Scottish Castle be one? Have you ever visited a castle? If so, which one? Are there any castles you’ve dreamed of visiting? I hope Kisimul is now one of them!

By New York Times bestselling author, Karen Hawkins, THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS hits the shelves MAY 22nd! Don’t miss the final book in the Hurst Amulet Series! View a list of her books on Amazon.com.

Leave a comment and be automatically entered into the drawing for a free copy of Karen’s book, A MOST DANGEROUS PROFESSION.

About Karen

Karen Hawkins writes. Full-time. At her home in Orlando, FL. Sitting on a lounge chair on her lanai. While drinking diet coke. And watching HGTV.

In the nude.

Ok, ok. She’s kidding about the ‘in the nude’ part, but the rest of it is true.

A New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of over 20 humorous historical and contemporary romance novels, Karen doesn’t have time for ‘friends’, although she’s been known to haunt the yards of a few, select well known actors, particularly a sexy Australian with the initials H.J.  Fortunately, the two actors who filed injunctions against Karen don’t live in her home state so she’s free to travel within the borders of Florida and can, with permission of the court, even visit Southern Georgia and 3/4ths of the state of Tennessee.

For now.

Several years ago, Karen married a handsome cop she met while researching her first contemporary romance novel, Talk of the Talk.  Her husband, aka Hot Cop, has turned into an exemplary Writer’s Husband. He has learned to ‘talk writing,’ knows the fastest routes to all of the major mail carriers, and can tell the difference between an erasable colored pencil and a regular one. He also knows not to ask for meals during Deadline Dementia Week.

Like all good Writer’s Husbands, Hot Cop has learned the value of a good glass of Merlot during dreaded Release Week.

When not at home working her fingers to the bone, Karen frequently visits her two grown children who attend college in Knoxville, TN, doing what she can to remind them that they would not be walking this earth without her and that they must wash behind their ears every single day of their life or something very, very bad could happen to the world.

They, naturally, look forward to her visits with great excitement.

An award-winning author, Karen is working alternately on two series – her historical Hurst Amulet series set in Regency-era Scotland and her contemporary Glory, NC series, which combines the best of the romance genre with the best of the mystery genre.

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