Monday, April 15, 2013

To Have and To Hold by Charlene Raddon - Virtual Tour and Giveaway


Today we're spotlighting author Charlene Raddon on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the historical romance, "To Have and To Hold". She's sharing an exclusive excerpt with us.

Charlene will give away a free copy of one of her other books at each stop and a $15 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner at the top, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a prize!

A woman without a prayer…

A widow with two children, Tempest Whitney had to mortgage everything to repay the money her husband had stolen. But even as she struggles to hold onto her Utah homestead, a scheming rancher buys up her debts, demanding she either get off his land or marry him. Then a dark-haired stranger shows up, claiming to be her dead husband…

A man without a past….

Buck Maddux spent two years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Now a death bed promise has brought him to Tempest’s dugout. A man without roots, he doesn’t plan to stay—or to feel so fiercely protective of this feisty beauty he saves from a forced marriage. Suddenly, Buck yearns for a home, a family, a lasting love. But what can he offer Tempest? The surprising answer lies in the forbidden canyons of an ancient Anasazi tribe, where fortune and danger await—along with a passion more precious than gold…


Utah – 1888

Tempest Whitney stilled as the dogs barked and raced off toward the road. The freshly washed diaper she'd been about to hang on taut cord strung between cottonwood trees slid from her fingers to the dirt. The clip-clop of horse hooves sounded on the road beyond the curve. Someone was coming. Her heart drummed fiercely at the thought of company—in hope as well as in trepidation. Life was lonely at Hearts-ease.

Overhead, branches thrashed in a gush of wind, announcing a change of seasons with a shower of golden leaves, and exchanging the smell of lye soap for that of sagebrush. In the house twenty-two month old Ethan wailed, as if he sensed his mother's unease. Angel's childish voice mingled with his cries as the four-year-old tried to soothe her brother.

Shading her eyes with her hand, Tempest peered into the distance, torn between the need to go to her children and the need to see who was coming. Shadows from the canyon walls hid the rider’s features when he rounded the curve in the road. Not her father; the dogs never barked at Ronan Carmichael. Besides, now that he worked at Jonas Creedy’s saloon in Harper, Ronan rarely came home anyway, except to beg for money.

Thoughts of Jonas increased her apprehension. The obnoxious man wanted her and didn't care a fig if she were willing or not. So far she’d managed to evade his grasp, but she feared her luck would run out.


Charlene first serious writing attempt came in 1980 when she awoke one morning from an unusually vivid and compelling dream. Deciding that dream needed to be made into a book, she dug out an old portable typewriter and went to work. That book never sold, but her second one, Tender Touch, became a Golden Heart finalist and earned her an agent. Soon after, she signed a three book contract with Kensington Books. Five of Charlene's western historical romances were published between 1994 and 1999: Taming Jenna, Tender Touch (1994 Golden Heart Finalist under the title Brianna), Forever Mine (1996 Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee and Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist), To Have and To Hold Affaire de Coeur Reader/Writer Poll finalist); and writing as Rachel Summers, The Scent of Roses. Forever Mine and Tender Touch are available as e-books and after January 24, To Have and To Hold will be as well. When not writing, Charlene loves to travel, crochet, needlepoint, research genealogy, scrapbook, and dye Ukrainian eggs.

Links:

http://www.charleneraddon.com/
http://www.charleneraddon.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CharleneRaddon?ref=hl

To have and to Hold:

20 comments:

  1. Historical Romance - my favorite genre. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD sounds fabulous.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  2. Good morning. I want to thank both Goddess Fish Promotions and It's Raining Books for having me here today. I love the idea of raining books. Today, here, it's snowing instead.

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  3. Mary, so nice to meet you. Historicals are my favorite too. Don't you love learning what it's like to live in a different time?

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  4. Love the excerpt, sounds like a good read.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  5. Thanks, Ingeborg. To Have and To Hold is my favorite of all my books, though it's hard to choose.

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  6. Sounds like a complicated story full of twists! Thanks so much for sharing!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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    1. I tend to right complicated stories, Andra. I like to get into the character in depth, and I like subplots. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Hi Charlene,

    It's so nice to meet you today and learn about you and your work. In days gone by, I used to read historical western romances all the time. For a long time, that's all there was on the market. I can't for the life of me figure out how I missed your work. We'll fix that!

    Question for you: You mentioned your first book didn't sell. I take it it's still in a drawer someplace but what would need to be done to that novel to bring it back to life and make it publishable?

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  8. Hi Karen. Thanks for stopping by. I'm thrilled to meet you. Regarding my first book, two reasons why it didn't sell in the first place: They weren't buying time travels at the time and the book is 975 pages long. So I am working now to cut it down to size and hope to see it published next year. It's a really great story and has an unusual but thoroughly satisfying ending. If you like, I'll put your email address in my newsletter list so you'll know when it, and my other books, comes out.

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  9. love historical novels! Congrats on your brand new release, looks good :)

    lilypondreads at gmail dot com

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  10. Thanks Lily. Historical novels are my favorites.

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  11. What an interesting story! Enjoy historical novels with a romantic twist. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  12. Hi BookLady. Thanks for dropping by. I'm glad you think my story is interesting.

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  13. Charlene...You're a new-to-me author and I look forward to reading more during the tour.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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  14. Sounds interesting

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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    1. Thanks bn100. Glad you dropped in.

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  15. Now this sounds like a story I could get sucked up in. I love me a tortured hero ;-)

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  16. You'll definitely love Buck, Chelsea. He's strong, tough, funny and yet soft as whipped cream inside.

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  17. I'd like to thank It's Raining Books again for having me today, and Goddess Fish for setting up this tour. Now it is my pleasure to announce the winner for today.

    KAREN H IN NC, you have won a $15 gift certificate to either Amazon or B&N. Please contact me at charraddon@pobox.com to arrange for your prize.

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  18. Thanks to Charlene. I have responded to your email.

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So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?