Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Wednesday Promo- Anna Kathryn Lanier

Today, I'm proud to promo Anna Kathryn Lanier. We've been online acquaintances for a while as we are both members of Hearts Through History an online RWA chapter for historical writers.

Here's a little about Anna Kathryn and then we'll get into the good stuff- Her stories!

BTW- if you leave a comment she will pick two winners- and each will receive one of these stories! Enjoy!

Bio:
Anna Kathryn Lanier started writing while still in high school. Her first novel was a futuristic Armageddon tale and she had several poems published in the school’s literary magazine. She also started reading romance novels at that time. Anna Kathryn wrote her first romances in her early twenties, but her only submission was rejected. After putting her writing on hold for nearly two decades to raise her two daughters and play housewife, she picked up the pen again, so to speak--this is the computer age--four years ago. She has completed three historical romance novels to date and is editing the last of those in hopes of submitting it soon. She has discovered she enjoys writing short stories and will most likely continue with that venue as well. She is published in short story format under both Anna Kathryn Lanier and M. J. Sager. Her contemporaries short stories are: Happily Ever After published in the Bay Area Writers League 2005 Anthology, That Thing You Do, Second Chance at Forever in No Law Against Love, Enchantment By the Sea in Blue Moon Magic, and Soup d‘ Amour in Recipe for Love. Her debut historical was Tempt Me Twice in Holiday in the Heart. Her most recent release was The Priceless Gift, an e-book available through The Wild Rose Press.

She has two additional e-books due out soon: A Cowboy’s Dream, December 17, 2008 and Salvation Bride, January 21, 2009. Both will be available through The Wild Rose Press.

Anna Kathryn lives in Deer Park, TX with her husband and two cats. She is attending college, working on a double degree in history and education. You can learn more about Melinda at her website or at her blog


THE PRICELESS GIFT by Anna Kathryn Lanier
The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=635&
zenid=a29f8705ea8872cb3a0fa95beadc3121

Excerpt:
The last thing Christina Scott expects Santa to bring her is a sexy—and very familiar—cowboy. Gavin Holloway’s just as shocked to discover she’s the woman he’s sent to pick up from the airport for a Christmas visit with her brother. They'd spent one hot week together months ago—a week where they both left their identities and individual problems behind. Neither ever expected a reunion.

Little do they know, Santa's elf has more than coal up his sleeve. Ho ho ho and a badgering we'll go before reindeer two-step on their rooftop and deliver THE PRICELESS GIFT that will leave their snowy days sizzling.

Unedited Excerpt

After she hung up the phone, Christina took a relaxing shower. Just as she slipped into a pair of Jacob’s sweatpants someone pounded on the front door. Only one person would disturb her peace in such a manner. She slipped into the matching overlarge sweatshirt, wrapped a towel around her wet hair and went downstairs.
The pounding didn’t stop until she opened the door. Gavin stood huffing and puffing on the porch.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling for the past fifteen minutes.” He pushed past her and tramped into the great room.
She shut the door and followed.
“I was taking a shower. So sorry I didn’t get your permission first.”
He whirled on her and his dark eyes grazed over her body. She stood transfixed, remembering, as she was sure he was, the several showers they’d taken together while on the cruise.
She hugged her arms around herself. “Did you want something?”
“Jacob called and said the roads were too bad for him to make it in tonight. I wanted to make sure you were all right and knew where the emergency supplies were.” He slipped out of his coat and tossed it on a nearby chair.
“Jacob said the generator was outside.”
“Yeah, it is. I’ll come over and start it if you need it. But if the electricity goes out, it’s best just to hunker down in front of the fireplace.”
His aftershave triggered memories of sensual nights, while his jeans hugged his hips and legs like a second skin. Naked images of him caused desire to whip through her only to pool low in her belly.
He went to the den and opened a closet. “Jacob keeps the supplies in here.”
She stood in the doorway and nodded. She had no desire to get within touching distance. If she did, she just might do something really stupid, like kiss him.
His handsome face rose and he sniffed. “What smells so good?”
You. She shook off the arousing thoughts.
“I baked. It’s a family tradition.” She started for the kitchen. “I made plenty. You can take some home.” Leave and stop being a temptation.
He fell into step behind her. When she reached for the plastic bags, his hand gripped her arm and whipped her around. Before she could react, his lips were hot and demanding on her own. She opened her mouth, eager to taste what she knew so well.
The towel fell to the floor and her wet hair tumbled to her shoulders His hands slipped around her waist, pulling her close. Fire shot through her as a whirlwind of emotions engulfed her—desire, need, love and a bit of fear of the known—and unknown.
His fingers slid under the sweatshirt, brushing her bare skin, sending shivers of delight up her spine. He deepened the kiss with a sensual glide of his tongue.
Yes. Oh, God, yes. She needed this as much now as she had six months ago. She molded her body against his, feeling every rock hard inch from breast to thigh. She heard a moan, but wasn’t sure if it was hers or his.
He broke the kiss to feather his lips down her neck and lick the skin behind her ear. Her whole body shivered. He cupped her bottom, holding her against his length.
And another blurb and excertp from Anna Katharine

A COWBOY'S DREAM
by Anna Kathryn Lanier
The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1086

Blurb
Author Leah Smith has fantasized about her neighbor, Houston’s pro baseball player Marcus Slade, for years, but thinks it’s unlikely she’d catch the cowboy’s interest since her IQ is bigger than her bra size. Having already been hurt by a man who wanted size over substance, she’s not in a hurry to play in that ball field again.

When an unexpected opportunity gets Marcus inside his favorite author’s apartment, he’s not about to let a second chance at love pass him by. Their attraction is quick and electric and has him instantly thinking about something more long-term. But when a woman from his past intrudes, his hopes of a cozy Christmas with Leah are buried beneath her cold shoulder. Risking a strikeout, Marcus has one chance left...go for the grand slam of his life and crash Leah's annual Christmas Eve party in hopes of convincing her she’s this Cowboy’s Dream.

Excerpt:

The mouthwatering scents of seared steak wafted around Leah as Marcus escorted her into the world famous Kemah Boardwalk Steak House. Her stomach grumbled, a reminder she hadn’t eaten since early morning.
The hostess greeted Marcus by name and smiled warmly at her. Leah glanced at him, wondering how often he came to the restaurant. Celebration dinners should be rare, not weekly—unless you found an excuse to celebrate every little thing. But what made them special then?
She slid into the booth and mentally shook her head. No matter what Marcus did in the past, this was her celebratory dinner. She smiled as he sat opposite her and determined to enjoy his company for as long as she had it.
The hostess handed them menus. “Would you like something from the bar, Mr. Slade?”
Marcus placed his Stetson beside him on the booth cushion and raised a brow at her.
“Whatever they have on tap will be fine,” she said.
He grinned and nodded. “Two beers, please.”
Glancing at his ‘celebration clothing,” she was glad she’d summed him up right. She’d nearly put on the $900 designer gown she planned to wear to next month’s charity fund raiser and made her look hot as hell, but at the last minute went over what she knew about pro ball player Marcus Slade. Celebrity though he may be, he was obviously still a cowboy at heart. Instead of the silk and satin confection, she pulled on blue jeans and simple blouse. She matched his jeans and western-styled shirt quite well.
Leah opened the menu and looked it over. “You’re a man after my own heart. There’s nothing better to celebrate with than a beer and a good steak.”
He jerked back as if surprised. “You mean to say you’ll actually order a steak?”
“Well, of course.” She laughed, brushing her hair behind her ear. “What’s the point of going to a steak house and not ordering a steak?”
He opened his mouth, but then shut it for a moment before uttering, “Truth be told, most of the women I know don’t eat much meat.”
That was no surprise. Most of the women she’d seen him with were the size of twigs—except in the bosom area—and probably ate weeds.
“Well, I hope you brought along your charge card, because I haven’t eaten much today and I’m starving. I plan to get a really big steak with all the fixings to celebrate.”
Marcus laughed. “Honey, the day I can’t afford to buy a pretty lady a steak is the day I’ll hang it up for good.”
Her heart fluttered at the endearment. Sure, it was common enough for Texans to drop honey and darling like hello and good-bye, but still, hearing it from Marcus made her insides quiver.
He wagged his brows, then glanced down to study his menu. She released a small sigh. Since she was a Roughrider’s fan and had held season tickets for years, she’d known who Marcus was before he moved into The Towers. To say she had a crush on him was probably an understatement, but she’d never suffered from delusions, either. Leah Smith, plain, average daughter of nomad archaeologists just wasn’t the type of woman the major league outfielder dated. As much as she wished she differently, she shouldn’t read more into this ‘date’ than what it was—a friendly, celebratory meal.

Thank you for stopping in today Anna Kathryn!

And don't forget- if you leave a comment she will pick two winners- and each will receive one of these stories!

34 comments:

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Hi, Paty. Thanks for having me today. One thing I should mention about my newest story, "A Cowboy's Dream," is that it's a rewrite of my first published story "Happily Ever After". I more than doubled the word count, made Marcus a cowboy as well as a pro baseball player and changed his last name.

The last name changing was due to the fact I wanted to make him the decendant of the characters in my next release "Salvation Bride," which will be out on Jan. 21, 2009. This way, I'm able to discuss Laura and David Slade in "A Cowboy's Dream" and tie the stories together.

I really enjoyed working with my editor Stacy Holmes at The Wild Rose Press on the rewrite. She had some good ideas and was a big help in meshing the story together with the changes. And I enjoyed adding the cowboy/ranch part to the story.

Thanks again for having me.

Anna Kathryn
www.aklanier.com

LuAnn said...

I always like to read interviews with Anna Kathryn Lanier!

Unknown said...

both stories look like great reads

Vicki H said...

I never really liked cowboy themed stories, but I do like the excerpt for this one. It sounds like a great holiday read!

Eva S said...

Hi Anna Kathryn,
thanks for the great excerpts! I can never resist a cowboy, would love to read your books!
Happy Holidays!

Anonymous said...

The books sound wonderful

tatertot374 said...

Wow! This definitely has me wanting more! Thank you for having this!
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net

Asylumgirl said...

Anna, congratulations on the release of A Cowboy's Dream today.
Happy holidays!

Deidre

Barb said...

I love a good cowboy story and these sound great! I'll be checking them out.

Unknown said...

I like a good cowboy or western story on occasion. Thanks for keeping this genre alive. Happy Holidays.

tholix said...

Hi Anna and congratulations on your new release...they both sound wonderful. I really love Christmas stories and who in the world doesn't just love a cowboy !!
Congratulations again and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas !
Cathy
tholix at pineland dot net

Stephanie said...

Oh! Those are some yummy Cowboys you have there Ms. Lanier!! And having their story during the holiday season is just too sweet and sexy! heehee

kaisquared said...

I love both of the covers, and I certainly would love to find either of the two cowboys in my stocking! WTG Anna!

mamasand2 said...

Hi Anna, both of these stories sound really good.

Congrats on your upcoming releases and on making your dream of writing a reality.

Sandie

LORETTA CANTON said...

Anna,

As I was reading I came to the excerpt from A Cowboy's Dream and realized that it was a book that I had read before and wanted to buy. The day is the 17th.

loretta

Kathy Otten said...

Anna,
I'm amazed by how much you've accomplished in your writing career in just four years. I love Christmas stories and cowboys. Your excerpts are great and love your cover on A Cowboy's Dream. Good luck with your sales!

LJ White said...

Both of these books sound wonderful. Christmastime and Cowboys, a pefect combination!

Happy Holidays!

Stefanie said...

Both stories look great.
Loved the excerpts!:D

Susan Macatee said...

Both stories look great! And I really love baseball players!

Wishing you tons of sales!

Joan said...

I love books about Cowboys. A Cowboy's Dream sound like a good one. Merry Christmas.

windycindy said...

What a fascinating interview. I think Anna Kathryn Lanier I fabulous. Both of the books sound fantastic! Please enter me in your delightful book giveaway drawing. Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Helen Hardt said...

I love westerns, both historical and contemporary, and yours sound wonderful! I look forward to checking them out (and I hope I win one!)

Helen

tigger9 said...

Happy Holidays!
I loved both excerpts, they were great. I love cowboys.
lexeetoste@sbcglobal.net

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Hello, everyong. I'm finally back online. Thanks for all the wonderful comments and for taking the time to stop by and read about my stories.

I should say that there's not a lot of 'home on the range' and cattle roping going on in these books, but both heroes are really great guys who've decided to rope in that special female in their lives. So, or those who don't really like cowboys, you won't be overdosed with them.

I'm not sure if Paty or I will do the prize drawing, but we'll let you all know who one right here. Thanks again.

Anna Kathyrn

Unknown said...

Anna-How..everything--sweet, cute, sensual, uh, sexy, fun, and warm and wonderful. Just in time for Christmas.(Hmm, I wonder what the Pricelss Gift is.)I loved your excerpts. Celia

Martha Eskuchen said...

Nice interview! Interesting to know some of the background and how you started writing.
Thanks for the excerpts! The Priceless Gift seems nice and steamy! I love Historical but who can resist Christmas and cowboys!
Have a Wonderful Holiday.

Paty Jager said...

I'll post the winner of Anna's stories, here, tomorrow.

What a great round up of comments! Thank you all for stopping by.

jer said...

"Ho ho ho and a badgering we will go..."

The excerpt was great but the line above from the blurb had me curious enough to buy the book. Thank you Anna for the excerpt & interview.

Lauri said...

Great interview and your stories sound wonderful!

Congrats!

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Thanks again for all the comments. Jer, I won't give the story away, but there is a badger in the book, who helps things along. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


Anna Kathryn
www.aklnaier.com

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

oops, did my website wrong on the above comment.

www.aklanier.com
(there's a trailer on my website for The Priceless Gift, which talks about the badger a little)

Can't spell my name...lol

a.k.

Kim S. said...

Great excerpts! I've added them to my TBB list!!

Happy Holidays!!

lindseye said...

I always like when stories interconnect. Both excerpts make me want to read more. Thank you for sharing.

Elaine Cantrell said...

Loved the excerpts, Anna Kathryn.