Flash Giveaway: In honor of Jane Porter's Christmas at Copper Mountain

Giveaway: $10 Starbucks gift card & some Christmas goodies in honor of the release of Jane Porter's novella, Christmas at Copper Mountain Bonus: Christmas at Copper Mountain is free on kindle today!

The scoop: Since the loss of her family in a plane crash, Harley Diekerhoff has led a quiet life and keeps to herself. Taking the temporary job at the Copper Mountain Ranch as widower Brock Sheenan’s housekeeper seems perfect for her. But her calm cocoon is invaded with the arrival of Brock’s pre-teen twins, Mack and Molly who’ve never experienced a proper Christmas and before she knows it, Harley’s determined to make their holiday perfect.

Annoyed at first by Harley’s interference, Brock is secretly pleased she’s changed Mack and Molly’s world. It doesn’t hurt that he finds Harley incredibly attractive, fierce, smart and passionate. It’s also an added bonus that she’s not afraid to challenge him and get his blood heated! But when sparks fly and the attractions sizzles between them, Harley’s not so sure she can handle something permanent with this dark, taciturn cowboy who doesn’t know how to let her in. But Brock is determined to hold on to her and praying for a Christmas miracle…

Our thoughts: Reading this felt like receiving an early Christmas present!

To be entered to win, leave a comment by Friday, December 5th at 12PM PST

Jane Porter Flash Giveaway!

Today's author: Jane Porter Why we love her: Because she's Jane Porter! Duh!

Her latest: Take Me, Cowboy

(Only .99, get your copy of Take Me, Cowboy >>)

The scoop: When Jenny Wright’s fiancé leaves her standing at the altar in a Vera Wang bridal gown she can’t afford, she’s humiliated and heartbroken. To have Marietta hero bull riding champ Colton Thorpe witness her shame makes the rejection even more devastating.

Jenny and Colton grew up in the same rough neighborhood and they both left home right after school to pursue big dreams. Now they're both back, with Colton as the celebrity chair for the 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo, and Jenny in disgrace. Sexy, rugged Colton didn't get to be a national champion by chance. He's a man that takes risks and goes after what he wants. During the rodeo weekend, Colton makes it clear he wants Jenny. Flustered but flattered, Jenny finds it difficult to resist his charm. But what happens when the rodeo ends and Colton leaves town? Will she dare to dream again?

Giveaway: A $10 Starbucks gift card + a signed copy of THE GOOD WIFE!

Where you can read more about Jane: Her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winner on Saturday, November 2nd after 12pm PST

5 Things We Didn't Know About...Jane Porter

Today's guest: Jane Porter Why we love her: She's one of our faves for good reason. Since we read Flirting With Forty, we've been HUGE fans!

Her latest: The Good Wife (The third of the Brennan sisters novels.)

The scoop: Is it possible to love someone too much?

Always considered the beauty of the family, the youngest Brennan sister, Sarah, remains deeply in love with her husband of ten years. Boone Walker, a professional baseball player, travels almost year-round while Sarah stays home and cares for their two children. Her love for her husband is bottomless—so much so that her sisters say it will end up hurting her.

Living apart most of the time makes life difficult, especially since Sarah often wonders whether Boone is sharing his bed with other women on the road, even though he swears he’s been true to her since his infidelity three years ago. While she wants to be happy and move forward in her life, Sarah constantly fears that Boone will break his promise. Now with Boone facing yet another career change, tension rises between the two, adding more stress to an already turbulent marriage. Emotionally exhausted, Sarah can’t cope with yet another storm. Now, she must either break free from the past and forgive Boone completely, or leave him behind and start anew...

Our thoughts: A great book. A wonderful series. You will love these characters!

Giveaway: TWO SETS of ALL THREE books from Jane's Brennan Sisters series! Leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, September 22nd after 12 pm PST.

Fun fact:This is the 4th time Jane has been our guest. She's also shared her 5 Best Evers, 5 Things she'd tell her teen self and What's on her Bucket List.

Where you can read more about Jane: Her website,her blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

LIZ & LISA PRESENT...5 THINGS WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT... JANE PORTER

1. I love a steak dinner.  A thick, juicy steak, roasted potatoes and a crisp green salad – heaven!  My grandfather was a Texan who owned three ranches and I grew up in cow country.  In fact, it was my love for ranching that inspired me to write She’s Gone Country a couple of years ago.

2. When I was young, I wanted to be an architect.  I love to create and build new things.  I guess I’m still doing that now – creating and building… but with words.

3. I’m really into sports.  I come from a family of athletes.  My siblings and I were always involved in some way with sports and for me it was swimming.  I love to swim and I also love ball games, especially football and baseball.  I’m very happy joining my guys to watch a football game on TV but I’m happiest going to the stadium to watch a baseball game.

4. I make a mean hot fudge sundae.  I don’t have a recipe as such to follow, I like to change it up by using different flavors, powders or cream and lots of different chocolates each time so it tastes different every time.  Sometimes it’s really thick and other times, not.  But it’s dang good and my boys love it when I make them!

5. I’m a historical romance junkie.  I love to read books by my favorite authors like Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Joanna Bourne, Stephanie Laurens, and so many others.  Every time I travel or need to unwind, reading historicals is my favorite thing to do.

Thanks, Jane!

Jane Porter's 5 Best Evers

Today's guest: Jane Porter Why we love her:  Jane has written some of our all-time faves, including She's Gone Country & Flirting with Forty!  And we felt she was the perfect author to help us celebrate CLIND'S 4th birthday! (PS: As a part of our celebration, don't forget to enter our CONTEST to win ANY 4 books of your choice!)

Her latest: The Good Daughter (The second book in her Brennan Sisters series.) Out today! Happy pub day, Jane!

The scoop on it: Love was given to all, except herself . . . Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself . . .

A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight . . .

Our thoughts: Loving this series! Jane has such an incredible talent for creating characters we fall in love with.

Giveaway: A copy of The Good Daughter and The Good Woman--both SIGNED by Jane! Plus, a $5 Starbux gift card & some yummy chocolates. Good books +caffeine +chocolate= perfection! Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners on Sunday, February 10th after 3pm PST.

Fun fact: She also writes romance novels! She's a super star!

Where you can read more about Jane: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JANE PORTER'S 5 BEST EVERS

MY ALL-TIME BEST, MUST DANCE-TO-IT SONG: Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry.  This is the song I must dance to.  My surfer guy does not dance, but when this song comes on, I must get down....and groovy.  I will dance with anyone I can to make sure I’m moving.  (A close second for best dance is Brick House by Commodores...).  I feel fifteen when I hear it, and in my mind I look hot when I’m shaking everything.  My kids say I’m just embarrassing myself but that’s just their opinion.

MY BESTEST FAVORITE AUTHOR is Jane Austen.  Yes, I know, I’m not original.  But  I do love comfort reads and I love Austen’s characters and stories.  My favorite re-invented Jane Austen is Georgette Heyer.  And she might not be taught as part of the classics, but she wrote a lot more books than Austen, which means I have a lot more gorgeous stories to get lost in, and sigh over, and daydream about.

MY BEST EVER TOOL TO HELP ME WRITE is a lit candle.  I like vanilla, pear, melon, and mango for writing.  I will burn the candle all day—for as long as I’m writing and it makes my office smell really good and keeps me relaxed.

MY BEST EVER ALBUM: It would probably be a toss up between U2’s Joshua Tree and Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell.  I struggle between being spiritual and evolved and corny and emotional as hell.  Usually corny and emotional wins out.  I was born with a massive soft spot on my head that’s not gone away.  Family and close friends know if you can survive my prickly exterior, I’m a total mush head....crave good, kind people who are funny, but ultimately champions of the underdog.

BEST EVER MOMENT IN REAL LIFE: It would probably be the news that I was pregnant with my first son.  All three of my kids are either IVF or ART, and have taken years of fertility treatments, shots, appointments, hope, faith , $$ and pain, and discovering I was pregnant with Jake—I was at school, in the middle of teaching my 7^th grade class—just blew me away.  Learning I was pregnant with the other two was great, but then I ‘expected’ to get pregnant.  The first time was so new and experimental that I was in a fog of joy for days.

Thanks, Jane!

Click to win signed books by Sarah Jio, Jane Porter and Anita Hughes!

Helloooooo CLINDers!

We hope 2012 has been treating you well.  We can't begin to tell you how excited we are for 2013-we'll be doing lots of new and exciting things in anticipation of The Toast, as well interviewing a ton of kick-ass authors.  And you know what that means-- a sh*tload of giveaways!

We know many of you come to us through our Facebook page.  However, recently, Facebook has changed some policies and wants pages like ours to PAY them to ensure our posts make it into your FB feed!  This isn't a hoax. (Trust us, we wish it was!)

Wondering why you saw this post come through your feed? We gave in and paid them this one time, and we feel so dirty about it.  *hangs head in shame*

But never fear, there is a way you can make sure you get our notifications in your feed.  And if you're kind enough to do that, we'll make sure not to post a bunch of BS stuff into it, mmmmkay?

To ensure CLIND is in your FB feed:

1. Go to CLIND's Facebook page.

2. Click on the box that says "Liked"

3. Make sure  "Show in news feed" and "Get notifications" have checks next to them.  If they don't, click them.

4. Come back and leave a comment here and let us know you did it. You'll be entered to win a SIGNED copy of either Sarah Jio's Blackberry Winter, Anita Hughes' Monarch Beach or Jane Porter's The Good Woman. We have one copy of each and we will choose winners next Sunday, November 25th after 3pm PST.

Sooo freakin' easy, right?

Thanks so much for helping us out.  We just want to make sure you're in the know, because we have some cool sh*t coming up in 2013, including a COMPLETE website makeover.  Don't miss out, yo!

xoxo, L&L

Jane Porter's 5 Things I'd Tell the Teen Me

Today's guest: Jane Porter Why we love her: Her novels, Flirting with Forty and She's Gone Country are two of our faves!

Her latest: The Good Woman (Out today: September 4th.)

The scoop on it: Is it possible to leave it all behind? The firstborn of a large Irish-American family, Meg Brennan Roberts is a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother who prides herself on always making the right decisions. But years of being “the good woman” have taken a toll and though her winery career thrives, Meg feels burned out and empty, and more disconnected than ever from her increasingly distant husband. Lonely and disheartened, she attends the London Wine Fair with her boss, ruggedly handsome vintner, Chad Hallahan. It’s here, alone together in an exotic city, far from “real” life, that Chad confesses his long-standing desire for Meg.

Overwhelmed, flattered, and desperately confused, Meg returns home, only to suddenly question every choice she’s ever made, especially that of her marriage. For Meg, something’s got to give, and for once in her life she flees her responsibilities—but with consequences as reckless and irreversible as they are liberating. Now she must decide whether being the person everyone needs is worth losing the woman she was meant to be.

Read chapter one and two here.

Our thoughts: Engaging and heartfelt, we hated to reach the final page. But there's good news: This is the first book of three!

Giveaway: FIVE copies! Leave a comment and be entered to win. We'll pick the winners after 3pm PST on Monday, September 10th.

Fun fact: Jane also writes romance novels.

Where you can read more about Jane: Twitter, Facebook, her blog and her website.

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...JANE PORTER'S 5 THINGS I'D TELL THE TEEN ME

(NOTE: Photo of Jane as a teen also included! She looks exactly the same!)

1. You are not fat and you do not have a big butt.  In fact, your thighs and butt are the smallest now they will ever be so stop obsessing about your body and enjoy the fact that it doesn’t jiggle and ache.   And while we’re discussing your body, lets talk about something that’s a little nit picky but its been bothering me for awhile:  Please, please stop using flesh colored Clearasil.  It doesn’t look natural and its not invisible and it its obvious you’re trying to cover up a pimple.   You’re not hiding anything, you’re just making the zit look worse.

2. Jane, Jane, Jane...you’re a swimmer, not a cheer leader, a book worm, not a model.  The football players don’t dig you and you’re never going to be popular.  But that’s okay.  It’s okay to not be popular.  In fact, being unpopular will prove to be very good for you.  It will a) give you stories for the future, and b) help you push yourself harder, dream bigger, and take greater risks because you’ve got something to prove, and you can, because you’re not constantly worrying about what the popular crowd thinks.

3. Those guys that seemed so hot in high school?   A little secret, teen Jane: they’re not so hot later.   Sure, they look great now to your 16 year old eyes because they hit puberty earlier than others, and have been shaving since they were thirteen, but those skinny, short, nerdy guys you don’t even notice right now?  They change.  They become the real heartbreakers.  They’re the hunks of the future, as well as the brainy, cool mavericks who transform the world as we know it.

4. To have the life you want to have, to get to where you want to go, you’re going to have to fight hard.  You’re going to have to work hard.  Really hard.  There will be a lot of obstacles in the way, and a lot of naysayers telling you that you’re wrong, and you can’t succeed, but they don’t know you, Jane.   I do, though, and I’m going to tell you something that’s really important: gird yourself.  Be prepared to take some hard hits on the way.  The hits won’t feel good, but they won’t destroy you.  Some hits will hurt more than others, and you might fall down and cry, but you’re tough.  You’re strong.  Get up.  Shake yourself off.   And keep going.  As long as you’re resilient and tenacious you really can do anything.  You can be anyone you want to be.  It’s your life.  It’s your dream.  Fight for it.  Always.

5. Lastly, Jane, you don’t have to please everyone.  In fact, you don’t have to please anyone as long as you’re happy with you.  (Hard to believe when you’re a pleaser, but it’s true).   But how to be happy with yourself?  Stop apologizing for being yourself.   There’s nothing wrong with you.  Sure, you’re geeky and emotional and socially awkward, but that’s part of your charm.   It’s who you are, and your real friends accept the real you.  So stop looking outward for truth, and those answers you think everyone has.  (They don’t...at least, they don’t have the answers you want for you.)  It’s time you realized you have the answers already.  They’re there in your head, and your heart, and lucky you, it’s a good heart.   And it’s a heart that needs to be protected.  So protect yourself, and your heart, and be the person you want to be because that’s the only way you’ll ever be happy.  Loving yourself will allow you to love everyone else and you’ll have the happy ever after you’ve always wanted.

Thanks, Jane! xoxo,

Liz & Lisa

Author photo credit: Kira Stewart Photography

What's On Jane Porter's Bucket List?

When we got our mitts on an advanced reader copy of She's Gone Country (debuts today- buy a copy here!) it was love at first read. *Sigh* There's just something about the way Jane writes that makes us feel like we're sitting right there in the scene. (And that's saying a lot because it's hard to keep our focus for long- especially Liz who can often have the attention span of a gnat!) We've been a huge fan of Jane Porter since Flirting With Forty and were excited to crack open her latest. She's Gone Country is the story of former Sports Illustrated model, Shey Darcy, who moves back home to Texas with her three teenage sons after her husband tells her he's in love with someone else. Enter Shey's ex-crush, sexy Dane Kelly (don't you just love these names?) a national bull riding champ (Lisa pictures a Tim McGraw type--ooh, ahh!) and the drama begins to unfold. It's a beautifully written, compelling story about a mother trying to do her best raising her sons after divorce while also trying to figure out what she deserves in life.

She's Gone Country makes you want to buy some cowboy boots and head down to Texas... or at the very least, a country western bar for some two steppin'!  In fact, Jane's running an amazing contest for those who want to experience their inner cowgirl- yee haw! Click here for the fun deets!

And for some lucky commenters, we also have 5 copies of She's Gone Country to give away! Y'all (y'all seems appropriate considering the book) know the drill. We'll randomly select the winners this Wednesday! Now, here's Jane!

5 Things on Jane Porter's Bucket List....

I'm a travel junkie. It's my poison. I literally work so I can plan my next trip and so everything on my bucket list is related to a new travel adventure. So the top 5 on that bucket list would be--

1) Go to Morocco!

Spend a month exploring Morocco from the coast to the cities to the Atlas Mountains. I've written 5 romances set in Morocco so actually going there would be heaven.

2) Visit Dubai.

Another place I've used as a setting that I'd love to visit in real life. How does reality compare to my sheikh inspired fantasies? Could I even afford to the hotels? And where are those great shopping deals?

3) Do a luxury African safari

I spent a year living in South Africa at 17 and studied African lit while attending UCLA so Africa is definitely in my blood. I'd love to go to Botswana, Zambia or South Africa for one of those decadent Out of Africa type safaris where they set up tents and you eat by candlelight with real china and crystal. I'd wear wonderful khaki clothing that would make me look like Katherine Hepburn and then at night slip into a lovely chiffon like dress that would catch on the thorn bushes. I know, I know not very eco travel friendly but I love the idea of finally being interesting and glamorous.

4) Take one of those round-the-world cruises that last 180 days with my man.

In all honesty I don't think my surfer guy would enjoy being cooped up with me on a cruise ship in a small cabin (or even a large cabin) for 18 days much less 180, but I love being on a ship at sea and picture myself sitting on the deck wrapped in something or other (soggy beach towel?) reading great fiction and fascinating biographies while taking in the fresh salt air.

5) Greece - all of it

I want it all. A month in an Athens apartment. A couple weeks sailing from island to island, and then a couple weeks on different islands to really understand the country and the culture. And because I have a wonderful guy, I'm not looking for another, but what is a bucket list without one lustful thought? If I'm actually going to embrace all of Greece, I'd really like to have a gorgeous Greek male in his prime, that's blessed with broad shoulders, thick dark hair (on his head, not his back) who gives me the slow, smoldering once over. Ah, heaven.

And that's my bucket list. Rather sad because there's no mountain climbing involved, no heli-skiing, or sweating in a hot yoga hut. I'm not trying to learn a foreign language or come up with a cure or make the world a better place. I'm just spoiling me. Not at all altruistic but it is my list and heck, it all sounds really really fun.

It sounds fun to us too, Jane. (And if it makes you feel any better, our bucket lists would be all about spoiling ourselves too!)

To find out more about the fabulous Jane Porter, visit her website, and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

xoxo,

Liz & Lisa