Saturday, May 21, 2011

FOREVER FREED Release Day & Giveaway & Reviews!

It's release day for my debut paranormal romance, FOREVER FREED! I'm so excited because this was the first novel I wrote and the first I sold, and it's so scary and thrilling to have it out there in the world!
And quite a release day it is!
  1. I'm doing a giveaway over at My Eclectic Books, and my appearance is part of their month-long Author Extravaganza!
  2. Forever Freed has already received four excellent reviews!
  3. For the third day in a row, the Kindle ebook of Forever Freed has held a place on the Paid Kindle > Books > Gothic list! It's #80 right now, but has been as high as #49!
  4. As per the picture above, my box of books arrived in the mail today so I actually got to HOLD my book (and smell!) on release day! *grins* Truly thrilling!
To buy Forever Freed, with a discount no less!, just go here:
The Wild Rose Press: Available from TWRP in PRINT or EBOOK! + get 25% off through 5/31 on all formats/titles! Use code 18b632d0b0 (those are zeroes)!
BLURB:
A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.

I stalk my new neighbors, a single mother and her child, drawn by the irresistible scent of their joy and love. I crave their blood, starved for some healing respite from my ancient grief. Now to lure them into my grasp.

But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation—talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man within me. They lure me instead.

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can…

Thanks for reading!
Laura Kaye


Friday, May 13, 2011

Regency Ladies and Double-Barrel Flintlocks

In my Regency Romance, The Guise of a Gentleman, my Regency lady was faced with a group of bad guys. Since I'd done my research, I knew if she were to defend the man and boy they were trying to kill, she'd only be able to get off one shot because of the time and difficulty loading guns. So, I'd decided to either have her ride with two loaded guns or have a groom riding with her. Then I found just what I needed: a double-barrel flintlock which could fire two shots, without having to reload. Huzzah!!!


Most Flintlock pistols were from 10 to 16 inches long, from butt to barrel muzzle. They would weigh from one to four pounds, depending on the caliber and the number of barrels. There were a number of double-barreled pistols during the Regency, but they were generally big and heavy. There were two types, the over and under, with a revolving lower barrel, but only one hammer, so that the pan had to be primed before firing again. Ladies’ pistols were generally six to eight inches long. Here is a small example that was only eight inches long, making one of the smallest of it’s kind and close to a ladies’ pistol.A bullet would be no wider than this: / /.

The real problem was that the flint, amount of powder, and mechanisms has to be smaller, which made them firing them successfully more difficult.

Here's a picture of small or woman’s pistol. It's is six inches long. You can see that too small to hold a ramrod. The ladies’ pistols weighed between 12 oz to one and a half pounds.


Here's a shotgun, circa 1798 to 1804. Overall length is 44 1/2", barrel length is 29", and the gun weighs 7.3 pounds.

It has a side-by-side barrel, like a double-barreled shotgun . And like the shotgun, it has two hammers, though you can't see the second one behind the first. It also has two triggers, one for each barrel. It's a .54 cal. and the damascus barrel is nine inches long and weights close to three pounds.


This Double-Barrel Flintlock Pistol of Napoleon is a replica of the original of this side-by-side double-barreled flintlock pistol from Napoleon's private armory and bears his insignia on both sides of the grip. Made by Gribeauval, Napoleon's personal gun maker, the pistol originated in the French unmaking center of St. Etienne in 1806. Unusual for its day, the double-barrel configuration provided a decided advantage over its single-barreled counterpart, given the notoriously slow reloading procedure for flintlocks. The barrel is just under eight inches long and it weighs about 2 pounds .

Even though ladies’ pistols and double-barreled pistols look different, they were loaded the same way as all flintlocks. Most all flintlocks were smoothbores. Some were rifles, with spiral rifling in the barrels. They were difficult to load because the bullet had to be seated against the rifling groves to actually spin the ball, so it was hard to ram home. Cloth or leather was wrapped around the ball, and the cloth against the rifling was easier to get down the barrel.

So, if you wondered what Elise used to save the hero and the boy from the cutthroats about to kill them, here you are, proof and everything.

The Guise of a Gentleman, winner of the Golden Quill Award

"Combining Jane Austen with swashbuckling adventure, The Guise of a Gentleman is a fine specimen of pirate romance!" NY Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley

The widowed Elise is a perfect English lady living within the confines of society for the sake of her impressionable young son. Her quiet world is shattered when she meets the impulsive and scandalous Jared Amesbury. His roguish charm awakens her yearning for freedom and adventure. But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret.

But his irrepressible grin and sea-green eyes hide a secret. A gentleman by day, a pirate by night, Jared accepts one last assignment before he can be truly free. Elise gives him hope that he, too, can find love and belonging. His hopes are crushed when his best laid plans go awry and Elise is dragged into his world of violence and deceit. She may not survive the revelation of Jared’s past…or still love him when the truth is revealed.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Forbidden love and Champagne

I'm giving away a copy of my novella, Let's Misbehave, over at Minxes of Romance today. Stop by and leave a comment on today's blog post to win: http://minxesofromance.blogspot.com

This Vintage Rose novella is the tale of a forbidden love, set against the backdrop of London in the Jazz Age, when champagne flowed, jazz music played, and girls with bobbed hair danced the Charleston.

You can read more about Let's Misbehave here, including reviews and excerpts.

The winner of this ebook will be announced at the end of the week.
Good luck!

Saturday, May 07, 2011

apology from Lynnette Baughman

I'm trying to post to my OWN blog -- I haven't done it for a LONG time. And apparently, I accidentally did all this work -- and it went to The Wild Rose Press blog instead. I apologize. (And I don't know how to move it!!!)
Lynnette Baughman

WHAT "Rainshadow"??


May 7, 2011. First, I'm not complaining about our weather. No, no. Not when I turn on the TV and see the Mississippi River flooding and Texas dry as tinder (the part that hasn't burned yet, that is), and utter, horrible tornado devastation over so much of the southeast. No, our weather in the northwest is beautiful. But the name of this blog, and our famous weather pattern, is "rainshadow." Port Angeles, only 15 miles to our west, gets substantially more rain than we do. Well, that has changed this winter/spring. The Olympic Mountains (always snow covered, including glaciers at the center) have almost 200% of average snowpack now. Sequim (often called Sunny Sequim, as if that's our town's full name) has a little more than 8 inches of rain so far this year, and Port Angeles has a litle LESS than 8 inches. Strange.
Sequim's usual is 12-15 inches per year, 12 last year. And even though it seems very wet so far, a dry summer might bring us closer to the average. It has been chilly, though. Crops and flowers are coming in late. But hey -- at least they're coming in! Look at poor Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, etc.
My rhododendrons haven't bloomed yet, but I'll post a picture from last May. The dog is Bailey, our mostly black Lab. She's a sweet girl. We rescued her in September 2009. We figure she'll be 5 in September this year.

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Enter the HEARTS IN DARKNESS Sizzling Read Giveaway!

HEARTS IN DARKNESS won the distinction of Sizzling Read of the Month over at Sizzling Hot Book Reviews! 

I'm beside myself with excitement!!!!!!!!

Look for me all month at Sizzling Hot Book Reviews:

May 3: Bag of Hearts Giveaway Announcement
May 6: Hearts in Darkness Book Feature
May 13: Author Interview
May 22: Caden Grayson Character Interview
May 27: Hearts & Heroes Guest Blog (meet all of Laura's romantic heroes!)
May 31: Author Feature & Giveaway Winner Announcement!!!

Here's how the giveaway will work, quoted from the Sizzling page:

Laura Kaye is giving away a bag of Hearts in Darkness stuff from her Cafe Press store, and print copy of Hearts of Darkness. The contest will last until May 31st since we are spotlighting Hearts of Darkness for the month of May.

Contest is only open to US and Canada residents.

To be entered to win you must fill out this FORM.

Extra entries:
+2 for being a follower of Sizzling Hot Books site
+2 for being a follower of Sizzling Hot Books on Facebook
+1 for filling out the form
+1 entries for tweeting about this contest, blogging about it, etc. 

Visit Sizzling Hot Book Reviews to enter, and participate in all the fun!
PLUS, follow my blog--I broke 10,000 site visitors today and I'm doing a special giveaway tonight at 8 p.m. in appreciation, and all blog followers are eligible!
Thanks for reading,
Laura

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN!

THE FIRST REVIEW IS IN!
JEZEBEL'S WISH RECEIVES FOUR STARS!
And in celebration, Tattered Pages is hosting its first ever...
MAY-HEM CONTEST!
(see details below)
Jezebel has returned home from Chicago to heal, not from a physical trauma, but from a mental one. Hiding the true depths of her trauma is a task that seems beyond her capability. Compounding her distress is the fact that her mother recently sold the family home and moved to a small ranch. Jezzy doesn’t like the situation at all and is afraid of horses. As if that wasn’t enough, her mother is trying to fix her up with the local vet, Matty.
Matty sees Jezzy as a puzzle to unravel. His teasing pushes her out of her comfort zone, into bonding with one of the horses and into a relationship that is so supportive and unwavering that she cannot avoid comparing it with her previous one. Ms. Nuest does a great job showing that Matty and Jezzy are a perfect match.
It was somewhat hard to like Jezzy at first because she was so hurt and angry with herself. I liked the way she pushed back against Matty’s teasing and the wonderful way she opened her heart to the beautiful horse who befriended her. I especially liked Jezzy for wanting to know for sure what her deceased fiancĂ© was up to before she closed off that part of her life, even though Matty, the sweetest hero ever, offered Jezzy a way to completely forget.
Ms. Nuest does a great job of handling a heroine who is both deeply depressed as well as determined to recover her life, even if she avoids reaching out for help at first. Matty is a great classic hero, steadfast and willing to stand by Jezzy no matter what she decides.

MAY-HEM CONTEST PARTICIPATION AND RULES
Contest runs through May 31st.
Each time you enter, increases your chances of winning!
Friend or Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, comment on this blog, write me a review!
Each time your name will be entered into the drawing where you will have the chance to win a
 GIFT BASKET FULL OF FABULOUS PRISES!
(Candles, bath accessories, chocolate, books, jewelry
and a bottle of bubbly to share with your significant other!)

All entries count, but the more you do, the better your chances of winning:
Comment on blog - 1 Entry
Like or Friend me on Facebook - 1 Entry
Tweet me - 1 Entry
Review Jezebel's Wish - 5 Entries
Purchase a copy of Jezebel's Wish in either print or e-book format - 10 entries
No limit to the amount of times you enter!

Keep track of your entries and email me before June 1st at: ajnuest@yahoo.com

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/ajnuest
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Tattered-Pages/259835887466
The Wild Rose Press: http://tinyurl.com/446f7r3
Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/3b89ogb
LET THE MAY-HEM BEGIN!