Congrats to Marie C., who won my “Wicked” contest with Christine Wells. Marie wins signed copies of A HINT OF WICKED and Christine’s WICKED LITTLE GAME! Here are Marie’s favorite wicked characters:

“Wicked-yum! — Right now I’m lovin’ two men, Lucas from Nalini Singh’s ‘Slave to Sensation’ and Viscount Vale from Elizabeth Hoyt’s ‘To Seduce a Sinner’.

Wicked-eeeuuuwww! — Prince Humperdinck (from the ‘Princess Bride’)”

LOL! I love the “Wicked-eeeuuuwww” answer! Congratulations, Marie!

Wow, what a month. Between baseball, end-of-school craziness, and the book release & blog tour, I think the dust is finally beginning to settle. Well, except for the fact that my agent called to let me know book #3 is now due a month earlier, because my publisher would like to schedule 2 books for me in 2010! Yay! But…eek! For the next few months I’m going to be The Little Engine That Could…

I have a GREAT contest in the works! (Hint: It involves my agent and/or a barrel of awesome signed books!) So please check in often! I don’t know exactly when we’re going to get started, but I do know it’s going to be a blast.

I’m holding a contest with the amazing Christine Wells, whose next book, WICKED LITTLE GAME, is releasing in July. I’ve had a sneak peek at this story, and it is absolutely fabulous. If you’d like to be entered in the drawing, just visit my extras page.

Though my books generally are more about characters than they are about actual historical events, I spend a great deal of time researching the historical backdrop. When I researched A HINT OF WICKED, I spent a lot of time neck-deep in divorce and separation laws of the period, and I read some really interesting case studies! I blogged about one of them today:

My Book Addiction and More

Come by to read the wild story of the 3rd Duke and Duchess of Beaufort’s nasty divorce and comment to win a copy of A HINT OF WICKED!

Also, just a reminder, through June, the publisher is offering A HINT OF WICKED in ebook format for just $1.99 (or even less). Check the Sony eBook store, Books on Board, the Kindle store, the iPhone App store, Fictionwise (where it’s only $0.85 for club members! WOW!), or anywhere ebooks are sold.

Thanks to everyone who entered the scavenger hunt! The winner of the Victoria’s Secret products is….(((drumroll)))….

Mary P!

Mary, please email me with your snail mail address by next Friday, and I’ll get these in the mail!

BLOG TOUR UPDATE

Today, you can find me at two great sites!

http://www.thebookgirl.net – review and giveaway
http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/ – review and giveaway

The second site talks about what happens on page 18 of the book. Are you curious what that might be? Well, head on over to Barnes & Noble, where you can click “see inside” and read up to (and beyond) page 18. It’s a great way to see whether you think A HINT OF WICKED is for you!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Well…a year and a half after I was offered my first contract from Hachette, A HINT OF WICKED is officially out! You can find it wherever books are sold. I’m so far beyond excited, I don’t even know what to say! I had this dazed, dreamlike moment when I saw my name on the sale tag at Target. Totally, completely surreal…

It’s also my anniversary, so another reason to celebrate! I’m not exactly low maintenance, so it’s a true miracle my husband has put up with me for the past (*cough*) eighteen years (*cough) (I was a BABY when I got married, really, I was!).

I’m having an ongoing release celebration…and this means plenty of opportunities for you to reap the benefits of my excitement! (I love to give stuff away when I’m in a good mood, lol!) Plus, my publisher and bloggers across the internet are giving away copies of A HINT OF WICKED.

Here are some opportunities to win stuff:

My Wicked Sexy Scavenger Hunt-giving away about $60 in products from Victoria’s Secret

My contest with amazing author Christine Wells–enter to win a copy of both our books!

Interview and Giveaway at Examiner.com

Ongoing Freebies Offering - Sign up for my newsletter as well (look on the sidebar of my blog page), because on June 20, I’ll be giving away a signed copy of AHOW, along with copies of Simply Perfect by Mary Balogh, Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione, and To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt to random newsletter subscribers!

Today’s blog tour stop:Drey’s Library (they’ll be giving away several copies of AHOW!)

Hi, everyone! I’m in huge state of excitement, because A HINT OF WICKED is being sighted everywhere around the country, in Canada, and even in Australia! So I think it’s time for a little celebration!

So here it is: A Scavenger Hunt. Browse around this website and find the answers to the questions below. When you’ve found them, go to my contact form. In the subject field, put “Scavenger Hunt.” In the message field, answer the following questions:

(1) In the first chapter of A HINT OF WICKED, Sophie has been kicked by a horse, and she’s bruised. Where is the bruise located? (Hint: Read the excerpt…)

(2) In the step back of A HINT OF WICKED, what color is the ribbon that binds Sophie’s wrists? (Hint: Put your mouse on the book cover…)

(3) When will A TOUCH OF SCANDAL be out? (Hint: Check the FAQs…)

(4) Can I add you to my email and snail mail mailing list? (you can still win if you say no, lol!)

If you send me the correct answers by midnight (PST) on Friday, June 5, I’ll put you in a drawing to win the following *awesome* wicked-sexy products from Victoria’s Secret (retail value: around $58-click on each product’s name to learn more from the Victoria’s Secret site):

-Rapture Golden Pearl Shower Cream, 4 oz.
-So Sexy Root-Lift Volumizing Spray, 5 oz.
-Very Sexy For Him Hair & Body Wash, 8.4 oz.
-Secret Charm Ultra Softening Body Butter, 7 oz. (brand-new scent!)
-Vanilla Lace Ultra Softening Body Butter, 7 oz.
-Plus Jennifer Haymore’s WICKED Raspberry Crush Hand & Body Lotion, 2 oz.
-And a few fun author goodies!

Remember, you have until midnight, PST, June 5! Have fun, and thanks for stopping by!

BLOG TOUR UPDATE: If you’re interested in winning a copy of A HINT OF WICKED, Isalys has five to give away! Head on over to Book Soulmates and check it out. This is a new-to-me blog, and it’s great. I can’t wait to try the recipe for the brownie-bottom cheesecake…yum…

Hi Everyone!

This is my son’s first baseball tournament weekend. Game at 10:30 today, and if they win, championship game at 1:00! Busy, busy!

But even though I won’t be here much, I’m out and about on the web! Come check out my interview at Robin Bielman’s blog, and my guest blog at Lust in Time, where I’m talking about my personal love triangle experience!

PLUS, my publisher is giving away 5 (count ‘em-FIVE!) copies of A HINT OF WICKED on today’s blog tour stop: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/. There’s a nice review up at that blog as well! I’m still a little bowled over when I hear someone has actually read the book! LOL!

Okay. Must have more coffee… Was up verrrry late last night writing about hot Highlanders…

Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Americans!

Tomorrow I’ll be interviewing Jackie Barbosa, the author of Behind the Red Door, which releases from Kensington next week. Behind the Red Door is erotic Regency romance you don’t want to miss! At the end of the day, Jackie will be giving away a copy of Behind the Red Door to one commenter!

Also, be sure to check out the Wicked contest I’m having with the brilliant Regency romance author and RITA nominee, Christine Wells, for a chance to win a prize pack containing both of our upcoming Wicked releases!
Contest Page: http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/bonus-features/contest/

Finally, take a look at my busy schedule for the next couple of weeks! I’m doing a Blog Tour organized by my publisher, as well as tons of interviews, guest blogs, and giveaways. Some of these book/reading blogs and sites are new to me, and they’re fabulous! So go check them out, and maybe win a book while you’re at it!
Appearances Page: http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/bonus-features/appearances/

I have winners for the Tessa Dare/Evie Byrne contest! They are: RF Long, Aileen Fish, and Wanderer. Congrats!

It was really fascinating reading everyone’s responses. Sometimes I was nodding my head thinking, “Yes, yes, yes!”, and sometimes I was thinking, “Well, I took a little time to warm up to that author, but I’m a big fan now!”

Some other authors mentioned who had me at “hello”:
Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Crusie, Elizabeth Hoyt, Julia Quinn

Some of the mentioned authors I adore now, but might have taken me a few pages to warm up to:
Laura Kinsale, Julie Garwood, Nicole Jordan, Joanna Bourne, Stephanie Laurens, Shelly Laurenston

But see, my evil plan in this post was to get some suggestions for new-to-me authors. And now (insert evil cackle) I have several to add to my TBR pile. So thanks to everyone for your responses!

Looking above at my list, I’m seeing a pattern, at least in my own response to authors. All of the “had me at hello” authors have very strong, witty voices. The others on my “favorites” list have characters and plots I found ultimately compelling and memorable.

Would you say your keeper shelf consists of books with stronger characterization, stronger plots, or stronger author voice? (I know they’re probably mostly “all of the above,” but which element do you find to be most important?)

One commenter will win an early signed copy of A HINT OF WICKED! I’ll post the winner on Monday.

Today marks Tessa Dare’s first release. She’s going to have a huge debut for her novel Goddess of the Hunt in July, mark my words, but there’s been lots of buzz about her novella released today from Samhain Publishing, Legend of the Werestag. Tessa’s voice is exquisite and not to be missed!

Also, as I was browsing around the Samhain site, I realized two books I’ve critiqued (and loved) are currently on Samhain’s bestseller list. Called By Blood and Bound By Blood by Evie Byrne are not your “average” vampire books. Evie is, like Tessa, one of those writers that has a way with wit and words that will just make you happy while reading her books, guaranteed!

I’m so thrilled and excited to have worked with both these amazingly talented authors & to call them my friends. From the moment I opened the document and read the first pages of their writing, I’ve been hooked. They’re both great people, too, who have supported me on this wild journey to publication. So, to thank them, and to thank you for stopping by, I’m giving away three e-books to three different winners. If you win, you can select an e-book of your choice:

The Legend of the Werestag by Tessa Dare
Called By Blood by Evie Byrne
Bound By Blood by Evie Byrne

All you need to do is respond and let me know about an author you’ve been hooked on ever since you read that first page of the first book you ever read by that author. Who had you at “hello”?

I’ll announce the winners on Friday!