Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Laura Kaye’s WEST OF WANT Preview and Prizes Event!



Happy WEST OF WANT Preview & Prizes Event, everyone! Today, April 10, was the original release date for Book 2 in my Hearts of the Anemoi series, West of Want. And then some really cool things happened: my publisher, Entangled Publishing, signed a huge deal with the nation’s biggest book distributor, which means for the first time ever, my books will be shelved in brick-and-mortar bookstores. And then, West of Want received a very nice pre-sales estimate by the booksellers and Barnes and Nobles bought it for all their stores nationwide (and it got bought for airports, too—squee!). The only bad news in this whole scenario was this: the release date got pushed back, by three LONG months! LOL So, I thought I’d celebrate the original release date with a preview of the book and a big contest, and give you a small taste to whet your appetite until the actual release date arrives.


"Laura Kaye’s captivating writing and vibrant world-building will have readers hooked on the gods of the Anemoi. WEST OF WANT is steamy, spellbinding, and a must-read for all romance fantasy fans."
~Elisabeth Naughton, author of the Eternal Guardians series

Forty sites are celebrating with me today, and there are different posts at those different sites. To see the whole list of participants, click here. Now, without further ado, here’s the book blurb and one of four different never-before-seen excerpts from the book available for you to enjoy:

WEST OF WANT BLURB:
Betrayal is all he's ever known, but in her, he'll find a love strong enough to be trusted...

When Marcella Raines' twin brother dies, she honors his request to be buried at sea, never expecting the violent storm that swamps her boat. Though she's gravely injured--and still emotionally damaged from her recent divorce--Ella fights to survive.

Zephyros Martius is the Supreme God of the West Wind and Spring, but being the strongest Anemoi hasn't protected him from betrayal and loss. Worse, he's sure his brother Eurus is behind it. When Zeph's heartbreak whips up a storm that shipwrecks a human, his guilt forces him to save her.

Ella is drawn to the vulnerability Zeph hides beneath his otherworldly masculinity and ancient blue eyes. And her honesty, empathy, and unique, calming influence leave Zeph wanting...everything. When Eurus threatens Ella, she and Zeph struggle to let go of the past, defend their future, and embrace what they most want--a love that can be trusted.

WEST OF WANT EXCERPT:
Zeph concentrated and allowed his mind to travel in search of his brother’s unique energy signature. As polar opposites, their energies were connected. Yin and yang. Life and death. West and East. So he found Eurus, easily. Within blocks of Ella’s house. Thunder rumbled around him as he flowed through the air in pursuit.

Corporeality returned in a blaze of light, his seething rage crackling around him.

“Ah, brother. I’ve been expecting you,” Eurus said. In the gloom of twilight, he lay prone on the dock in the middle of the marina where Ella’s boat had been taken that first day. Ankles crossed.
Fingers making lazy designs in the air as if he were conducting a symphony. Cold wind whipped up around them, turning the calm waters of the inlet choppy, jostling the sailboats in their slips.

His brother’s calm, casual repose was more disturbing than if Zeph had found him petulant and ranting. Because it meant he was planning. “What the fuck are you playing at, Eurus?”

He sprung to his feet and tugged the lapels of his leather coat. “You see? I offer civility, and what do I get in return?”

Zeph squared off and braced, ready for anything. “You don’t have a civil bone in your body.”

Eurus pinched the bridge of his nose, shifting the wraparounds up the smallest bit. Though not enough, Zeph was relieved to see, to reveal his dead black irises. “If what you say is true, brother, whose fault exactly would that be?”

“Not. Mine.” It was a fruitless conversation, but it was their little dance, and Zeph’s own special corner of hell.

“Of course not yours. Not perfect Zephyros. Not the god of life and renewal. Gods forbid.”

Zeph ignored the barb. Perfection was the last thing he believed of himself. Eurus was jealous of a figment of his imagination. “What do you want?” he finally bit out, hoping to defuse the other man, to delay the confrontation long brewing between them.

Eurus whipped off his glasses and drilled his disturbing, blank gaze into Zeph’s very soul. “Leave the woman alone.”

Pre-order West of Want on Amazon | B&N

So, what d’ya think? Want more Zephyros and Ella? Visit more participating sites to read all the excerpts, meet the characters, see the the West of Want romance trading cards, and enter to win! Thanks for reading! July 10 can’t get here soon enough for me! *grins*

~Laura Kaye

“Using ancient winter mythology as an allegory for grief, Kaye has written a sexy story that packs a powerful emotional punch. NORTH OF NEED is pure winter magic and Kaye’s sparkling talent warms the heart.”
~Stephanie Draven, author of the Mythica series about
multi-award-winning Book 1 in the Anemoi series, North of Need

WEST OF WANT PREVIEW CONTEST!


Seven participants who enter through the Rafflecopter form will win gift cards from winners’ choice of Amazon or B&N valued between $15 and $100! Those prize winners will be announced on West of Want’s release day, July 10, 2012. As a special thank you to those who have pre-ordered the print West of Want through Amazon or B&N, you'll receive extra entries - just enter your order confirmation number on the appropriate Rafflecopter line. Pre-orders are hugely important for an author because they determine how many books bookstores will actually stock and they count toward an author’s first-week sales which is when most authors have their best chance to hit the big bestseller lists. However, pre-orders/purchases are not required to enter. Commenting is the only required entry. Open to international..





About Laura Kaye:
Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is a bestselling and award-winning author paranormal and contemporary romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella, Forever Freed won the NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

17 comments:

Laura Kaye said...

Thanks so much for hosting me here, Roxanne! Good luck everyone!

Shadow said...

Congrats on your book and thank you for the awesome giveaways! You book sounds great!! Wishing you all the best!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

Anne said...

Congrats to Laura. You have to wonder how much of a sales boost being in airports would be. I've bought more than a few while waiting.

elaing8 said...

Book sounds great.Thanks for sharing an excerpt and for the giveaway.
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

Unknown said...

I can't wait to get my hands on this one. This is going to be one long wait!!

Congrats!!

Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

Laura Kaye said...

@Anne - seriously, I know! I am weirdly uber excited about that! I've bought tons of things in airport stores I might not have looked at in Barnes & Noble (and usually went on to love them...).

Thanks for all the comments everyone! I'm enjoying reading them! :)

Unknown said...

Hopping around to the other sites! Can't wait for the release.

DANIELA said...

Hi Laura
*Waving at you* and congrats on the new release.

Leni said...

My favorite thing about spring is the warmer temperature and getting more time outside along with working in the yard.

lenikaye@yahoo.com

DANIELA said...

BTW, to answer the question, what I love most about spring is that winter is over and I can start using skirts without being cold :)

Julianne said...

I like all the different colors popping up all over. The crocus, daffodils, hyacynth, lilacs, forsythia, and the trees are starting to bud.
I sooo want this book.
luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

Enter me in!!!
email-id: imprintation@aol.com
lively_muzna@hotmail.com

donnas said...

The warmer weather.

Congrats on the release! Looking forward to it.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Laura Kaye said...

Thanks for all the comments guys! And, Daniela, I LOLed at your favorite thing about spring, though it is so true! :)

Z said...

The raffle copter is having fits, I have to come back to the site to get entries once I comment at one. Limits me to once a day on all sites. Oh well, I do still enjoy reading the excerpts.
Congrats on some great pre-sales.
Z
SeawitchReviews @ yahoo.com

miki said...

Thanks you a lot for this excerpt

all the best

isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

Laura Kaye said...

Z - your Rafflecopter difficulties could be entirely my fault since this was the first time I used it on an event this big! So sorry! :)

Thanks for all the comments everyone! You rock!

 
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