Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Jasper and Callie's Holiday Gift

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Please enjoy this special scene between Jasper and Callie from FAR FROM BROKEN and I'll see you in the new year!


Callie finds Jasper in the salon early one afternoon. “What are you doing?”
He steps aside, revealing a neat little metal square on the floor, about the size of a large gift box. “A present? From who?”
“It came express. I think it might be from the general.” He frowns. “Which means it might not be entirely safe to open.”
She chuckles. “There’s only one way to find out, I suppose.” Stepping closer, she kneels down in front of it. It’s plain. Just an ugly gray metal box. “How does it open? It looks seamless.”
Reaching out, she picks it up. It’s heavy, but Jasper kneels with her and together they tip it over. “There,” he says, pointing. “A button.”
Looking into one another’s eyes, they share a spark of childlike excitement. Callie smiles. “Who gets to push it?”
“Shall we shoot for it?”
She’s been practicing with his Tesla gun, but knows she’s still no match for Jasper. Shaking her head, she holds out her gloved hand. “Arm wrestle?”
He breaks out into laughter, knowing there’s no contest in that. Her mechanical hand has the strength of ten men. “Why don’t we just push the button together then?”
He reaches out, but Callie stops him by leaning in for a kiss.
It starts sweet and soft, but soon becomes hot and deep, and he’s lost himself in her.
She breaks away suddenly, leaving him breathless and reaching out to pull her close again, but then he catches the glimmer of mischief in her eye, and the grin that curls her swollen lips. “Don’t you dare—”
But she’s already pushed the button, laughing joyfully. He shakes his head, but inside he’s pleased. Every day she grants him a smile is a gift, but when she actually laughs aloud he thanks God for miracles.
The box starts to rumble, and they both turn their attention to it. It shakes across the floor. Standing, he pulls Callie up and they step a few feet back. The box is unfolding itself. As it opens, they see that inside is a kaleidoscope of greens and reds, silver and gold.
“Goodness,” she says. “It’s so beautiful!”
“But what is it?” He peers closer. The box is no longer a box. As it continues to shift, he’s still not quite able to pinpoint what it is.
She grabs his arm, and looks up at him with stars of wonder in her eyes. He’s completely captivated. “A tree! Jasper, it’s a tree. Complete with Christmas decorations. Look!”
And then he recognizes it too. The box has indeed transformed into a kind of tree. Made of metal tubes shooting every which way, it’s both the oddest looking and most unique Christmas tree he’s ever seen. On its limbs there are small rings, and each ring holds a pretty little ornament. Some are gold, some silver, and some red.
Once it’s fully formed, the room falls silent. They stand together. He takes her hand, and she leans into him. “It’s lovely,” she whispers.
He agrees. “Whoever put this together is a genius. I wonder if—” He reaches out to touch it, and as soon as he makes contact, the whole tree lights up. Light shoots out the ends of each of the metal tubes until it is completely enveloped in a golden glow.
“Oh, Jasper.”
He turns to his wife. The woman who held his heart and warmed his soul. “Merry Christmas, my darling.”
She looks up at him with a teasing grin. “It’s no sprig of mistletoe, but I still think you should kiss me.”
He smiles. “I think after this, the response should be more than just a kiss, don’t you?”


© JK Coi 2011


FAR FROM BROKEN now available from Carina Press

Soldier. Spymaster. Husband.

Colonel Jasper Carlisle was defined by his work until he met his wife. When the prima ballerina swept into his life with her affection, bright laughter and graceful movements, he knew that she was the reason for his existence, and that their love would be forever.

But their world is shattered when Callie is kidnapped and brutally tortured by the foes Jasper has been hunting. Mechanical parts have replaced her legs, her hand, her eye...and possibly her heart. Though she survived, her anger at Jasper consumes her, while Jasper's guilt drives him from the woman he loves. He longs for the chance to show her their love can withstand anything...including her new clockwork parts.

As the holiday season approaches, Jasper realizes he must fight not just for his wife's love and forgiveness...but also her life, as his enemy once again attempts to tear them apart.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Blog Hop

I'm still hopping around all over the place.

Visit Books-N-Kisses and join in her Christmas Countdown to win prizes, and check out my post about favourite treats of the holiday season.

I'm also visiting Urban Fantasy Reviews on December 15, to talk about FALLING HARD and offer a copy of the book, as well as a set of Romance Trading Cards. They've also done a really lovely review here, so check it out!

On December 19, I'm blogging at Manic Readers and sharing a favourite cookie recipe, and on December 21, the Clockwork Christmas authors will be there to talk about steampunk gadgets their characters would love to have for the holidays.

On December 22, please visit me at Deborah Cooke's blog for my guest post about writing a holiday-themed story.

But don't forget to come back here to the blog before Christmas for a very special holiday treat from Jasper and Callie, the hero and heroine of Far From Broken!

Friday, December 09, 2011

Winner! and Friday Fun!

Congratulations to Cristal Ryder who was randomly chosen to win a print copy of AGONY/ECSTASY!

Thanks so much for the support, everyone! I hope you love the stories in this great anthology!

_______________________________

And now for some Friday fun stuff. When I saw this on Facebook, I just had to smile. It's awesome (and makes me want to go buy Buble's new Christmas Album :)

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Oh, the Agony!

It's release day for Agony/Ecstasy - a fantastic anthology published by Berkley Heat and edited by Jane Litte of Dear Author. To celebrate I want to give away a PRINT copy, so leave me a comment with the name of one of the authors included in this fantastic compilation of stories.


Monday, December 05, 2011

RELEASE DAY!!


TODAY is release day for FAR FROM BROKEN and A Clockwork Christmas!!! And tomorrow the Agony/Ecstasy anthology releases, which has my story CAGED.

We’re all so excited, so you’ll find Jenny, PG, Stacy and me all over the net pimping these fantastic holiday novellas—and giving copies away!

All week you’ll be able to find us at Long And Short Reviews – we’re in the SPOTLIGHT with Clockwork Christmas!

We're also being featured at Books On Board. There will be stockings hung by the fire, hot chocolate and other treats, and be sure to check out the Author Q&As! 

Today I’m visiting the ladies at the Romance Writers Revenge to talk about Far From Broken, the Agony/Ecstasy anthology, and some of my other new and upcoming releases. I always love visiting the pirate ship.

Tuesday all the Clockwork Christmas authors are blogging about the stories on the Carina Press blog, and Maggie Robinson and I are talking about the Agony/Ecstasy anthology on the Vixens blog. This was a fantastic anthology to be a part of, and I especially enjoyed Maggie’s story (I ALWAYS love Maggie’s stories, OMG)

Then on Thursday I’ll be at Steamed! with a blog about what I’ve learned (and still have to learn) about writing steampunk.  


But that’s not all….the party continues next week too!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Crime Wave in a Corset


When I finally got my hands on all the novellas for A Clockwork Christmas, CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET was the first that I read, and that was because I’d gotten to know Stacy online and I loved her vibrant enthusiasm. I was certain that energy would translate into her work…and I was right. In my opinion, her story was the most Christmas-like of them all. There was a definite holiday feel with an old-style holiday lesson to be learned by each of the characters. Not to mention, it was sweet and sexy (very sexy). I loved the idea of a Lady-thief who steals from the stodgy professor and finds that she’s not as bad as she thinks she is, and he discovers he’s not as proper as he tries to be.

You’re going to love CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET, and I would love to give away some more trading cards, so tell me…what is your favourite holiday movie? The one you watch every single year, and Christmas can’t be over if you haven’t seen it yet? For me, it’s White Christmas. Ah, Bing. I love Bing.

Blurb:

Roderick Coddington is on a mission to make Cornelia Peabody pay. After identifying her as the thief who stole a priceless Fabergé egg from his dying sister, he finds her and shackles a deadly timepiece to her arm. If she doesn't return the egg by Christmas morning, she will die.

Normally seven days is more than enough time for Cornelia to carry out the perfect crime, but Roderick's intrusion into her life is beyond distracting. He challenges her mind, and ignites her body with desire she's never felt before. But worst of all, he threatens the independence she values above all else...

As Roderick spends time with Cornelia, he realizes there's a lonely soul hidden beneath her beautiful but criminal veneer. Falling for a thief wasn't part of Roderick's plan, but plans can change and he has no intention of letting another priceless treasure get away from him.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

This Winter Heart


PG Forte’s steampunk story for the Clockwork Christmas anthology made me cry. She has a way of presenting you with one character and making you feel for that character, so much that you live in that character’s shoes and understand exactly where they’re coming from. In THIS WINTER HEART, I felt for Ophelia, completely. I was firmly on her side…until PG showed me the other side of the story, and then I was torn.  Because the other side of the story is his side. I’d already decided Dario was being ridiculous and unreasonable and the heroine had every right to be pissed…but then she started to reveal his reasoning, his hurt and how badly he felt betrayed. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotion, and I’m so lucky to have gotten the “advance” ticket.

So today’s question is about emotional journeys. Please comment for a chance to win a complete set of the novella trading cards. The characters from your favourite stories, the ones that stay with you for a long time…do you think it’s because their journey was deeper, emotionally? Their baggage harder to overcome? What is it about a character that makes you remember them?

Blurb:

Santa Fe, The Republic of New Texacali, 1870

Eight years ago, Ophelia Leonides's husband cast her off when he discovered she was not the woman he thought she was. Now destitute after the death of her father, Ophelia is forced to turn to Dario for help raising the child she never told him about.

Dario is furious that Ophelia has returned, and refuses to believe Arthur is his son—after all, he thought his wife was barren. But to avoid gossip, he agrees to let them spend the holidays at his villa. While he cannot resist the desire he still feels for Ophelia, Dario despises himself for being hopelessly in love with a woman who can never love him back.

But Dario is wrong: Ophelia's emotions are all too human, and she was brokenhearted when he rejected her. Unsure if she can trust the man she desperately loves, she fears for her life, her freedom and her son if anyone else learns of her true nature...


Monday, November 28, 2011

Wanted: One Scoundrel

I've been so lucky to be a part of this fantastic anthology called A Clockwork Christmas. If you haven't heard about it yet, it's a collection of wicked steampunk novellas with a holiday theme, available on Dec 5 -- just in time for Christmas!

Jenny Schwartz's contribution, Wanted: One Scoundrel,is beautifully told. She draws you into her story so deeply you can feel the breeze on your face, you can see the small town of Swan River and you follow Jed and Esme's journey with a smile on your face for their snappy back and forth. Jenny also has a way with the steampunk gadgetry that is absolutely brilliant :)

I loved this story and I have to admit -- I'm already counting the days until the sequel.

For a set of romance trading cards for all of the novellas in A Clockwork Christmas, please comment. Today's question is about gadgets. What steampunk accessory MUST you have? (I heard the most amazing idea recently for a steampunk coffee machine that I don't think I could live without)

Blurb for WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL:

All suffragette Esme Smith wants is a man. A scoundrel to be precise. Someone who can be persuaded to represent her political views at men-only clubs. As the daughter of the richest man in Australia, Esme can afford to make it worth the right man's while.

Fresh off the boat, American inventor Jed Reeve is intrigued by Esme's proposal, but even more interested in the beauty herself. Amused that she takes him for a man who lives by his wits, he accepts the job—made easier by the fact that he already shares her ideals. Soon, he finds himself caught up in political intrigue, kidnapping and blackmail, and trying to convince his employer he's more than just a scoundrel...






Tomorrow, I'll be sharing THIS WINTER HEART by PG Forte

Sunday, November 27, 2011

One More Week!

I can't believe A Clockwork Christmas is going to be available to buy from Carina Press in one more week! All this week I'm going to be talking about the stories and giving away sets of our romance trading cards, so I hope you'll join me.

Monday: Wanted: One Scoundrel, by Jenny Schwartz
Tuesday: This Winter Heart, by PG Forte
Wednesday: Crime Wave in a Corset, by Stacy Gail


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

My Thank You Letter

I wanted to say thanks to someone special. Someone who's been there from the beginning and really gets where I'm coming from and why it's all so important today. Please check out my special letter on Rachel Firasek's blog as part of her Thanksgiving event.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Holiday Giveaways!

Carina Press is doing a giveaway this week for ebook and exclusive print copies of their holiday anthologies. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/CarinaPress?sk=app_121121694568521

now to 11/22, 6 pm EST: HOLIDAY KISSES
11/23 to 11/24, 6 pm EST: MEN UNDER THE MISTLETOE
11/25 to 11/26, 6 pm EST: A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS
 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Hot Angels

As part of the Hot Angels/Cool Demons blog tour, I figured I should show off my "hot angel", Gabriel, from FALLING HARD.

Gabriel is everything you love to hate in a celebrity. He’s a rock star. A hard-living, selfish musician whose music causes radio stations to go crazy with the bleeping, whose dirty jeans and Strokes t-shirt becomes immediate high fashion with misguided teenagers, and whose self-destructive behaviour makes everyone else shake their head. A bad boy of rock and roll--and he has all the angst and baggage that goes along with it. But after a devastating loss a year ago, he's tried to set his life to rights and may finally be on the right track...

Until he discovers he and the devil share a soul and that Lucifer will stop at nothing to use Gabriel as his ticket to living and breathing once more.

The only thing standing between Gabriel and destruction is the angel Amelia. The opposite of him in every way. Light to his dark. Calm to his anger and pain. Gabriel's turbulent emotions too often get the better of him, while Amelia's concrete control over hers only makes him want to work harder to ruffle her feathers.

As the darkness grows inside him, Gabriel begins to think not even Amelia can save him, and why should she? He has never doubted he was no good and he definitely doesn't deserve to be saved. How can Gabriel fight something he can't see, that's inside of him, a part of him? Should he even try?

Find out in FALLING HARD from Carina Press!

"Rocker. Emotionally scarred bad boy. Literal inner demons. Possible apocalypse. OK; truth be told, this book had me at the “rocker” and the rest was just icing on an already tempting brownie." ~ from BJ at Dark Side of the Covers Reviews

Don't forget! Commenters here and on the rest of the blog tour are eligible for great prizes! I'll be giving away a copy of FALLING HARD and a set of my romance trading cards! 

Excerpt:


Amelia circled until she could look into his hard face. Despite his public success and wealth, Gabriel’s was a face that had lived with much pain. She knew better than most what he’d gone through, since she had been there, seen it happen.


She’d experienced it with the detachment of her emotionless existence, but now there were too many feelings warring within her, swamping her with hurt and guilt and loneliness. All the images of 

Gabriel's past came back to haunt her. Amelia didn’t know how to make them stop. Maybe she deserved to feel his pain now as if it were her own.

She did the only thing she could think of. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth softly to his, kissing him.

The sharp electric shock flaring between them was instantaneous. A stronger, deeper expression of the awareness and heat that had been building inside her, simmering just under the surface since their first meeting.

Spooked, she pulled back almost instantly, but Gabriel growled deeply and followed her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing his lips to hers in firm, unrelenting hunger. It felt alien and wonderful at the same time. Amelia couldn’t fight it, however wrong, however forbidden. She wanted to explore these feelings she’d been given, was tired of pretending she didn’t have them.

After only a brief hesitation, she slid her hands up his chest, twined her fingers around his neck. The measured beating of her heart was a deafening hammering in her ears. She felt it pounding away and wondered if Gabriel could feel it too.

His soft lips felt sinful, so incredible. She moaned and Gabriel responded in kind, pressing for more, sliding his tongue over the seam of her lips before slipping inside to sweep her mouth. Again and again until she matched him, giving him her tongue so that they dueled together in a slick, sensual challenge.

Her gasp broke through their heavy breathing and deep kisses as Gabriel’s hands pushed beneath the hem of her shirt. His calloused fingers were rough on the smooth skin of her waist, up the length of her spine, splaying over her back and pressing her closer to him as if they could melt into each other and become one person.


Regret and disappointment. That’s what she felt when he finally broke away to look into her face. Her gaze was caught by the drugging temptation of his mouth, and she self-consciously bit her lip against the urge to kiss him again.


Don't forget to visit all the other participants of the Hot Angels/Cool Demons blog tour!



Nov.13
Misty Malone

Nov.14
Jay Di Meo
Nov.15
 Ellis Carrington
Nov.16
Daniel Christian Juris
Nov.17
JK Coi
Nov.18
Kiki Howell
Nov.19
Michael Mandrake
Nov.20
Angel Martinez
Nov.21
Marie Dees
Nov.22
Sara York
Nov.23
Barbara Elsborg
Nov.24
Hayley B. James
Nov.25
Ryssa Edwards
Nov.26
Andi Anderson
Nov.27
Arlene Webb
Nov.28
Diane Hartsock
Nov.29
Kiernan Kelly
Nov.30
Tour Wrap Up
Jay Di Meo, Misty Malone, & Marie Dees