Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Howloween Blog Winners!

Yeah, I know some of you are looking at the title of this post, shaking your heads and thinking, "There she goes again. Making another typo in her writing. It's supposed to be winner, not winners. She was only going to pick one person." Surprise! That's not a typo! I played a Halloween trick on everyone! I picked THREE winners! Tricky, aren't I? Okay, I know it was the same I pulled last year, but hey, it was fun then, too!

As usual for selecting my winners, I used Random.org, because it's easier for me to just go with what the unemotional computer program says than trying to do it myself. And the three winners are:

Nancy - Please send me an email at s.j.frost3@gmail.com with an addy where I can send your prize.
Christopher
DiannaKay

Congratulations, you three!

And many thanks to everyone who stopped by for this giveaway and all your sweet words. There were a lot of entries between posts here and emails! I greatly appreciate all the interest and support you guys give me for my work. I usually do a couple giveaways around the holidays, so please do keep an eye out for those to have a chance to win again!

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!




Friday, October 26, 2012

Howloween Blog Hop Giveaway!

Hey, guys and girls! Yep, it's giveaway time again! Woo hoo! I'm taking part in the Howloween Blog Hop, organized by the lovely, Drea Becraft, with 300 other talented authors, and I'm offering up a free ebook, winner's choice of title. If you'd like to check out the other authors' giveaway, just click the button below to be taken to a list.

To be entered in my giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. In your post, please an email address where I can contact you if you win. Also, if for any reason Blogger won't let you post a comment, you can email me your entry at s.j.frost3@gmail.com, or catch me on Facebook or Twitter. The giveaway runs from the 26th - the 29th, and I'll be announcing my winner on the 30th!

I gotta admit, I love Halloween. Which is surprising since I'm about the biggest chicken you'd ever meet. I watch the scary parts of horror movies peeking through my fingers, and if you were to ever go to a haunted house with me, it's guaranteed I'll make you go in first. I'd have to! How else would I be able to scream in your ear and jump on your back to make you carry me back out? Okay, those are slight exaggerations ..very slight, but that's what makes this holiday so much fun! I do enjoy a good scare :-)

On a final note, unfortunately, the winner from the GLBT Madness hasn't gotten back with me, so I paid Random.org another visit and have a new winner from that contest. Congratulations, Tina! I'll be getting in touch with you soon! And I've yet to hear from the winner of my second giveaway, but I'll give them through the weekend, then will select a new winner if I don't hear from them by Monday the 29th . I just wanted to give a head's up to those of you who entered in that contest.

Thanks so much to everyone who's stopped by for this giveaway! Much good luck to all! Here's wishing you a happy, spooky, and safe Halloween!



Monday, October 22, 2012

Winner of my Birthday/Conquest Anniversary Giveaway!

So often I think to myself how fortunate I am to be an author and what a wonderful thing it is to have people who want to share in my words and worlds. Reading so many of the sweet comments and kind praise on the giveaway post reinforced that. I truly have the most wonderful readers! I can never thank you all enough for the support you give! It's one of the reasons I love holding giveaways, so that way I can give something back to at least one of you. I wish I could give a free book to everyone!

For this giveaway, like with all my others, I let the computer do the work using Random.org to select a winner. And that winner is....

Virg! Congratulations! If you could, please send me an email at s.j.frost3@gmail.com :-)

And don't worry, guys! There's still going to be one more chance to win a book of mine this month. I'll be taking part in the Halloween Blog Hop, running from October 26th - 29th. I'll be offering up winner's choice of any title from my backlist, in ebook. So be sure to swing by for that!

My dear readers, thank you again, so very much for all your kindness and support!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Birthday and Conquest Anniversary Giveaway!

Hey, ladies and gents! I know right now a huge number of the M/M community is partying it up in Albuquerque for the GayRom Lit convention, and many giveaways are going on there and free books handed out, but I wanted to hold my own little giveaway for my birthday and the three year anniversary of my first novel, CONQUEST. I'm not at GRL this year. I decided to pass since I wanted spend my birthday with my little guy, and even had I gone, I would've left early to come home to be with him :-)

So for my little giveaway, I'm offering up a free book, winner's choice of title and format. I was originally just going to give away print format, but I thought that wouldn't be fair in case the winner would prefer ebook. If the winner does pick print, I'll sign the book, if you'd like. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post! Please include an email address where I'll be able to contact you. And if for any reason you have trouble leaving a comment, you can also message me your entry on Facebook, tell me on Twitter, or email me at s.j.frost3@gmail.com  I'll run the giveaway from October 19th through the 21st, and announce the winner on the 22nd.

And if you'd like to know my backlist and what books are available in what formats, here you go. I do have other stories besides these, but they're free reads or included in anthologies:

Conquest - available in print and all ebook formats.
No Fear - available in print and all ebook formats.
Keys to Love - available in print and all ebook formats.
Finding a Dream - available in ebook only.
Black Heart Down - available in print and all ebook formats.
Beautiful Harmony - available in ebook only.
Heartstrings - available in print and all ebook formats.
Natural Instincts - available in print and all ebook formats.
Enduring Instincts - available in print and all ebook formats.
Loving Instincts - available in print and all ebook formats.

It's hard to believe that three years ago in 2009, on my birthday, October 21st, CONQUEST went live and everyone was introduced to up and coming rock star, Jesse Alexander, famed singer, Evan Arden, and their love for each other. It was a long road to bring their story to that point. I had started writing CONQUEST back in 2005, during my last year in college at the University of Toledo. But saying I graduated in 2005 makes me sound younger than I am. I had actually taken a few years off to work, then went back to finish my Bachelor's degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. It was during that last year in school when Jesse came to me.

In one of my last creative writing classes, the professor gave an assignment for a dialogue exercise, but we couldn't use characters or a story line we'd already used in class. After class let out, I was walking across campus, mentally complaining about the assignment because I didn't know what the hell I was going to write about. That's when he showed up.

Jesse burst to the front of my mind with so much force, I literally stopped walking. In my mind's eye, I could see him more clearly, more vividly, than any character I'd ever worked with. I asked what his name was, and the name Jesse floated back to me. He said he had something to say, and everything started unfolding.

For my assignment, I wrote what would eventually become part of CONQUEST's first chapter, where Jesse's brother, Brandon, takes Jesse to the diner, and they talk about life and music. The story, as many of you know, was far from over. Even after I turned the assignment in, I kept writing, and writing, and writing. I didn't know what would come of the story. All I knew was I was driven to write it. And through it all, Jesse and Evan stayed strong and clear in my mind. When I did get my assignment back, my professor looked at me and said, "This is your best work."

With Jesse feeling pretty proud of himself and my young writer confidence boosted, I kept working on CONQUEST, and when I finished, went directly into NO FEAR. It took a few years of courage building before I sought a publisher, but in early 2009 I was sent that coveted acceptance letter by MLR Press.

CONQUEST has come a long way in that time. It's been voted for in many reader favorite awards and polls, was a finalist in the Epic Ebook Awards, and has earned several wonderful reviews. From it came an entire series, which still blows my mind. Back in those days as a new author, my biggest hope was to see it and NO FEAR published. That was all. I never imagined that three years later, I would be getting the seventh book in the series ready to go live and I would have an entirely different series focused around vampires. There are times when it still feels dreamlike. But I can say without a doubt, every book I've written has been thanks to Jesse and Evan. They started it all and gave me the confidence to continue.

And to you, my dear readers, thank you so incredibly much for being a part of my journey over the past three years. I can't express my gratitude enough for the time you take to read my words and share in my characters lives. For what you give to me in doing that, I'll continue to the best of my ability to give you a good reading experience with every book I write.

Thanks to everyone who's stopped by! Good luck in the giveaway!


Monday, October 15, 2012

Giveaway News and New Cover Art: FEELING THE RHYTHM

Hey, Brad! Can I get a drum roll, please?

Ladies and gentleman, it's with great happiness that I reveal the cover of my upcoming novel, FEELING THE RHYTHM! This is another beautiful cover crafted and designed by the wonderfully talented, Lex Valentine of Winterheart Design. I think she did a fantastic job, and she was even able to capture the spirit of some of the earlier covers, NO FEAR and KEYS TO LOVE, with the lights and stage faded in the background.

As some of you may know, FEELING THE RHYTHM, will technically be Book 7 in the Conquest series. If you're new to the Conquest series, the order goes:

Conquest - Book 1 - novel
No Fear - Book 2 - novel
Keys to Love - Book 3 - novel
Finding a Dream - Book 4 - novella (all royalties from this story continue to be donated to The Trevor Project)
Black Heart Down - Book 5
Beautiful Harmony - Book 5.5 - short story
Heartstrings - Book 6 - novel

As of right now, my editor and I are still hoping to have FEELING THE RHYTHM ready for a December release. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Also, I do just want to take a brief moment to let y'all know that this week, I'm going to be holding a giveaway for not only my birthday, but also CONQUEST's three year anniversary. Three years! It's hard to believe it's been out that long. I'll be offering winner's choice of one of my books in print, and if the winner would like, I'll sign it for them :-) I'll be getting the giveaway post up on the 19th and running it through the 21st.

And now for the cover! I hope everyone likes it, and I hope when FEELING THE RHYTHM releases, that you'll all enjoy spending some time with Brad, Remmy, and the Conquest guys!



Blurb:

Brad Delfini once had the world in his hands, but misfortune and bad decisions showed him just how quickly the spotlight can go dark. For years, he was struggling to get by, when a fateful phone call brought him to famed rock band, Conquest. Since becoming their drummer, he’s hit the top of fame again and he has all he could ever want. Except for one thing. As Conquest’s world tour draws to the close, that missed chance leaves him filled with regrets.

Remmy Laurent has been a roadie since he graduated high school, but years of being on the move have worn him down. He decides it’s time to quit and bring some stability into his life. He just wanted to finish out this one last tour with his favorite band; Conquest. It hasn’t been an easy tour, for many reasons, but most of all because no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he lost his heart to a man who he thinks barely knows he exists.

When the last concert is played, Brad and Remmy both believe they’ll never see each other again, but a little friendly intervention brings them together once more. As they begin to know each other in a whole new way, Brad must somehow make peace with his past if he and Remmy are going to have a future.


Friday, October 5, 2012

Prize List for Reader Appreciation Day, Oct 6th


Hey, ladies and gentlemen! This Saturday, October 6th, is Reader Appreciate Day at The Sweet Spot. Many incredibly talented authors have donated prizes as their way of saying "thank you" to all you wonderful readers out there! Here's what you'll have a chance to win if you stop by the group this Saturday! And to learn more about the author or book, just click their name.




K-lee Klein - ebook copy of DOMESTIC RELATIONS

K-lee Klein - ebook copy of winner's choice from backlist

Tam Ames - ebook copy of SUMMER SCHOOL

Kerry Freeman - ebook copy of PINE TAR & SWEET TEA

Tara Lain - ebook copy of HALLOWEEN HEAT IV (three short erotic tales by Tara Lain, A.C. Fox, and Elin Gregory)

Lex Valentine - ebook copy of SCRAMBLING

Erica Pike - ebook copy of THE WALLS HAVE EARS

Vicktor Alexander - ebook copy of THE FAERY TRUTH

L.M. Brown - ebook copy of LET DOWN YOUR HAIR

Missy Welsh - ebook copy of YOUR BIGGEST FAN

Jambrea Jo Jones - ebook copy of ANNIHILATION

Sloan Parker - $15 in eBook Bucks from AllRomance Ebooks

S.J. Frost (me!) - ebook copy of winner's choice from my backlist




And there they are! Sloan, Jambrea, and I give our deepest thanks to all these fantastic authors for donating their work, and helping us to show appreciation to those of you who give so much to us all the time. We couldn't do this with all of you!




If you'd like a chance to win one of these prizes, just head over to The Sweet Spot, Saturday, October 6th, and leave a comment on one of the giveaway threads. The first thread will be posted at 8:00am EST, and then periodically throughout the day, with the giveaway ending at 8:00pm EST. Authors, if you've donated a prize, please feel welcomed to stop by! Say hi to the readers, post some blurbs and excerpts, let us know what you got going on!

Hope to see everyone there!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

October Reader Appreciation Day


Hey, everyone! It's almost time for Reader Appreciation Day at The Sweet Spot, the Yahoo Group run by Sloan ParkerJambrea Jo Jones, and me! We hold it on the first Saturday of every month, and here's the official announcement for October. The list of prizes will be posted this Friday.



SloanJambrea, and I are thrilled to announce M/M Reader Appreciation Day at The Sweet Spot. This is one day every month for authors of M/M romance to say thanks to all you readers out there who support our writing efforts.

Readers, stop by the Yahoo Group  to chat with authors and enter for a chance to win free books and other prizes from a variety of m/m authors.

Reader Appreciation Day will be held on Saturday, October 6th. On that day, we'll post a full list of all prizes available in the group. Just respond to the giveaway thread on the Yahoo Group between 8am and 8pm EST to be included in the drawing.

Authors, if you're interested in participating in the giveaway, send an email to: thesweetspotmm@gmail.com, or shoot me, Sloan, or Jambrea an email directly. You can also message us on Facebook and Twitter.

Please include what you'd like to donate for the October giveaway, a link, and a cover art pic. In the future, we'll include you in our monthly announcement for a chance to donate. You can participate as little or as often as you'd like. During the Reader Appreciation Day event, everyone who donated a prize is welcomed to post to the group with a blurbs and excerpts of their work. Other than books, gift certificates and other prizes are also welcomed!

Hope to see you all there!

Monday, October 1, 2012

GLBT Madness Giveaway Winner!

Hey, ladies and gentlemen! First, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to visit for the giveaway. It was wonderful to see so many folks stopping by. I greatly appreciate the interest you've all shown in my work, and for those who have read my books, I can't thank you enough for that and for the sweet words you've said about them. It's makes me thrilled beyond words to know you've gotten enjoyment from my books :-D

As always with giveaways, picking a winner is the hardest part for me. I use Random.org to select the winner , since the computer has no feelings, whereas I wish I could give everyone a free book. And this time, the computer selected the winner to be...

Urb!

Congratulations! I'll be getting in touch with you soon!

And for those who didn't win, please don't feel bad. I'll be holding more contests soon! October is a special month for me. Not only was I born in this lovely month, but also my very first novel, CONQUEST, was published in October. On my birthday, the 21st, no less! So, I'll be holding a birthday/anniversary giveaway around that time. Following immediately after, I'll also be taking part in a Halloween Blog Hop. Gotta admit, I LOVE Halloween :-) So do be sure to check back here often throughout October for more fun contests!

Thank you again to everyone who stopped by for the giveaway!