The Man She Hated to Love ~ Author Blog Hop

"Dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire."  ~Robert Frost

Elenya knew the stranger she was going to meet would be someone special, no doubt one of the King’s finest warriors. She’d dreamed about him for fifteen years, ever since she’d been ceremonially injected with his blood, altering her chemistry and binding her to him. She’d been his since she was three.

Hope filled her as she traveled to the gathering of the maidens, though her dreams were quickly shattered when she realized she’d been chosen for a man who belonged to a family at odds with hers for many years. Could she ever learn to love him? Would his blood flowing through her veins be enough to unite their hearts?

Enjoy an excerpt from Dance With The Enemy:

Elenya had no experience in these matters, she only knew her heart hurt and her pride pushed her to try to free herself from him. As she pushed against him, he rolled her to her back and pressed himself on top of her holding her flailing fists above her head. He tried to kiss her, though a quick jerk of her head landed his lips on her jaw. He merely nibbled his way from there to her earlobe instead.

“Unhand me!” she demanded.

“I think not.” His voice rumbled against her ear. He pressed her back to the bed as her hips bucked against him in her attempt to free herself. He stifled a chuckle knowing in her innocence she had no idea the rivulets of electrical currents her gyrations exploded within him.

“I will not be used in this manner,” she squeaked.

“I will use you in any way I please. Though I can scarce fathom why you fight me so when moments past it was you who tempted me.” He was assaulting her collarbone with tender kisses. She cried out when his tongue darted out to trace the bone line.

“You have betrayed my honor,” she managed to say on a mere breath, her senses reeling.

Tahruk stopped. He reared back to stare down at her. Elenya froze as well, frightened by the look in his eyes. Again she wished she could read his looks. All she knew was that the fight drained from her, the only sound between them was the heavy breathing remaining from their exertion.

“Honor!” he roared at last, releasing her and pushing away. “First you run, then you fall asleep. Twice, no less. Now you fight me and accuse me of betraying your honor?”

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DK3AN5G
Trailer Link: http://youtu.be/B9feaBQXNnw
   ~Designed by the amazingly talented, Pat Sipperly - Arizona Video Company

A random winner will be chosen from the comments below to receive an ebook copy of Dance With The Enemy and a "blood vial" purse charm. (That part is open to US Residents only). Two additional ebooks will be given away to randomly drawn commenters. (The ebooks can go anywhere!). Please be sure to leave your email address and if you're a US Resident.

Be sure to check out the other authors in the hop and comment for a chance to win. Thanks for stopping by!

Contact Links: Website: http://www.LindaBoulanger.com
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/TheShelfLifeOfLindaBoulanger
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Boulanger/e/B002NPYDC6
Romance Novel Center: http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/lindaboulanger
Email: lindaboulangerauthor@gmail.com

Chance to Win 1 of 5 ebook copies of Dance With The Enemy...

Jennifer Labelle has so graciously invited me to visit her blog. Find out more about Dance With The Enemy ... enjoy an excerpt, find out where the idea came from, and enter for a chance to win one of five ebook copies being given away! Share the link, and let me know in your comment over at her blog, and you will be entered for yet another chance at an ebook copy:http://labellebooks.blogspot.ca/2013/07/a-5-e-book-giveaway-new-release-with.html?zx=a278d6dfc1ea18f7 ♥

Bittersweet...

So I spent the evening making sure all the shorts that ended up as part of the full length Dance with the Enemy novel were removed so I could enroll it in Kindle Selects. It was hard to see some of them disappear along with the wonderful comments from readers who then encouraged me to continue on with that story. The final ended up at just over 77,000 words ... expanded from the original 1,152 word short story. I have to say, Elenya and Tahruk's story turned out so much better than I ever expected. I love the twists and the turns and wanted to share a couple of things with you.

First, here are the comments from a few of my beta readers:

*What a vivid and delectable imagination!

-Gayla Catrett: Sculptor~Artist~Reader

*I giggled, I cried, and I fell in love with these characters.

-Nissie Lambert: Blogger~Book Reviewer

*OMG this was so good!  I'm ready for the next one, RIGHT NOW! 

-Kerri Wood: Teacher~Avid Reader

*Can I give this book an OH MY GOODNESS! I love the way it’s all threaded together.

-Patricia Green: RoomWithBooks.com

And last, here is the final blurb:

The time has come for Elenya to meet the man she’s belonged to since she was three, the man whose blood flows through her veins. In the midst of the maidens, the King’s warriors are released, each forced to find the woman chosen for him through her scent (or rather his scent mixed with hers through the mingling of their blood), resulting in a half-mad frenzy that heightens already aroused animalistic needs. Elenya is terrified of the ordeal, especially when she realizes what the warrior searching for her does not – that she’s been marked with the blood of her family’s enemy.

As the leader of the King’s elite forces makes his way toward her, she ignores the pull of the marking and darts out into the night … into his territory. She has to get to the Masters so they can right this wrong. A mistake must have been made. Surely fate would not force her to dance for a lifetime in the arms of her enemy. And if it did, would his blood flowing through her veins be enough to unite their hearts?

I put this in the Acknowledgments section of the book, but I want to say it again: Thank you all for being a part of my dream.

It's all about the Enemy ... Dance with the Enemy, that is!

My upcoming release, Dance With The Enemy, is set in a long ago time when kings ruled and wise Masters controlled the strength of future generations. A simple injection – a serum containing a vial of blood and other unrevealed components – is used to mark the women, assuring desire in the man for whom she was chosen. Every year, a Dremis gathering of the maidens is held when the moon is just right. These young women, marked as children and who have now come of age, are sent to the Centrehead – the home territory of the King. When the King’s warriors are released into the midst of the maidens, they are forced to find the woman chosen for them through her scent (or rather his scent mixed with hers through the mingling of their blood), resulting in a half-mad frenzy that heightens already aroused animalistic needs in order to protect the strength of the royal bloodlines.

Elenya, a stunning young woman with honeyed-cinnamon hair and eyes the color of a perfect emerald, is also the answer to a prophecy that releases her family Drille from exile. Just past her eighteenth year, she finds herself among the Dremis maidens and quickly realizes something is amiss in the terrifying ordeal that is nothing like she’d imagined. There were warriors, and they were handsome, just as she’d dreamed, but they were not there to gingerly sweep her off her feet.

It only took a moment for her to realize what the warrior searching for her did not – that she was marked with the blood of her family’s centuries old enemy. Logic failed her as the leader of the King’s elite forces made his way toward her. She darted past the man with the night black hair, ignoring the pull of the marking as she raced outside … into his territory. She would make a run for the house of the Masters’ where she hoped to find the answer to her dilemma. There had to be a mistake. Surely fate would not force her to dance for a lifetime in the arms of her enemy. And if it did, would his blood flowing through her veins be enough to unite their hearts and fulfill the dreams of young love?

Join us for the official release party on July 15, 2013. It's a virtual party so everyone can come! Lots of fun, fraternizing, and giveaways. Hope to see you there :-)

https://www.facebook.com/events/553426354707931/?fref=ts

I'm The Guest and YOU Could be The Winner!

Penelope Anne Bartotto invited me to put on my cover designer hat and kick off the week of her designers in the spotlight event over at Library at the End of the Universe. Seems like a long ways away, but it's only a click or two thanks to modern technology :-)

Stop by and get the inside scoop on what goes into cover design and what I do at Tell~Tale Book Covers. And while you're there, may as well enter for a chance to win one of three pre-made covers! Pre-mades can be a wonderful way for an author to find an economical solution to that perfect cover design or can be a first step to an amazing custom cover.

Hope you'll take the time to read the post and leave some comment love: http://www.libraryattheendofuniverse.com/2013/05/covers-tell-story-too-tell-tale-cover.html.

And for those of you anxiously awaiting my Dance With The Enemy release ... stay tuned! We're on the FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!! A huge thank you to all of you who told me "that short story NEEDS to be turned into a book!" - so glad you did ♥

Impending Release for "Dance With The Enemy" -- the novel!

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

We've made some lists and are checking them twice... Now we're making it official: The Release Party for "Dance With The Enemy" will be held by Lady Amber on FaceBook -- Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/553426354707931/?fref=ts

The Blurb:
She was marked with his blood. She belonged to him! And yet she’d dared to run, leading him on a chase through the dark forest. Had she honestly thought she could escape an elite warrior from the King’s own bloodline? It mattered little to him that she believed their match a mistake and wanted to get to the Masters to confirm her suspicions.

Fear propelled Elenya through the brush, the branches and twigs tearing at her dress and delicate flesh. Still, she moved, refusing to believe fate such an evil taskmaster as to pair her with those who had sent her family into exile all those years ago. If there was no mistake, honor would bind her to him. She would pay for the sins of her ancestors, bound forever, forced to dance for a lifetime in the arms of her enemy.

Hope you'll join us for a day of fun. There will be giveaways: books, bookmarks, jewelry pieces, and other swag :-) We're planning a great day!!!

Time For A Cool Change

The fact that I haven't posted since November is a pretty good indication that my post today is quite timely. You see, I'm making some changes so I can get back to something near and dear to my heart: writing! This blog was supposed to chronicle my path to writing my novel, and while I have several published books, I'm still not where I want to be. But I will be one step closer very, very soon, when my novel, Dance With The Enemy, is released on July 1, 2013.

I've spent the last few years helping others recognize their writing dreams through my many book services offerings, however, effective immediately, I will no longer be offering most of these services, concentrating instead on two things: Book Cover Design and Writing!

All other services are being rerouted and I will be recommending top-rate service providers sure to be able to meet every need with just as much love and care as I would have shown.

Be sure to visit TreasureLineBooks.com to see our recommendations and I hope you'll all be around to cheer me on just as much as I have been there as your champion all these years.