Tag Archives: heather hiestand

July 4 to 11th: Historical Romance Multi-Author Giveaway with Five Winners

contestimageTo celebrate July 4th, I’ve teamed up with more than 50 fantastic authors to give away a huge selection of historical romance novels, PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!

I’m giving away my book Trifling Favors. This is the last book in my Redcakes series. It is a standalone novel, or you could start the series from the beginning, with The Marquess of Cake, on sale for $.99 right now.

We’re each giving away five copies so there are going to be a lot of winners!

Enter the contest by clicking here: http://bit.ly/july-4th-historical

Remember, the contest starts July 4th and ends on July 11th!

 

Grand Hotel Romance! Pre-order I Wanna Be Loved By You by Heather Hiestand #20s30s

I Wanna Be Loved By You

“Looking forward to the cover for I WANNA BE LOVED BY YOU? I know I am! Meet me here on Thursday, 6/30 for the reveal. You can pre-order the book at these outlets now!

https://www.amazon.com/Wanna-Loved-Grand-Russe-Hotel-ebook/dp/B01FPGT24S

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-wanna-be-loved-by-you-heather-hiestand/1123805668?type=eBook

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/i-wanna-be-loved-by-you/id1128182572?mt=11

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/i-wanna-be-loved-by-you-2

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Heather_Hiestand_I_Wanna_Be_Loved_by_You?id=Y_gqDAAAQBAJ

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Wanna-Be-Loved/Heather-Hiestand/Q730672920?id=6639573881238

 

Cover Reveal! A Treasure in Laguna (contemporary romance) by Heather Hiestand

A Treasure in Laguna coverComing July 7, 2016 from the Laguna Beach Kindle World based on the series by Kaira Rouda:  While searching for gold in Laguna Beach, treasure hunter Crowe Erickson finds the real adventure is love…

Heather Hiestand returns to contemporary romance with a new series of novellas!

Learn more about Heather’s books on Amazon at:  http://www.amazon.com/Heather-Hiestand/e/B004NG0A98

Blurb:

Add a dose of treasure hunting danger, mix in the excitement of finding true love when you least expect it, and you have A Treasure in Laguna

Failed teen reality TV star Crowe Erickson comes to Laguna Beach looking for gold, redemption, and a new treasure hunting reality TV show. What he finds is another kind of treasure:  Jenny Craft, the sexy television star who was his first crush.

While intrigued by his hunt for gold, Jenny left Hollywood and its shallow people far behind and is now running a successful restaurant of her own. She wants nothing to do with a younger, fame-seeking man.

One bad day in front of the cameras cost Crowe his first career. But he’s determined that this time it isn’t going to cost him the girl.

 

 

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Cinderella in the Jazz Age! Pre-order Sale for “If I Had You” by Heather Hiestand #historicalfiction #romance

IfIHadYouIf I Had You is out on September 27th and the usual price is $3.99 but my publisher has just lowered the price to $2.99 so make sure to pre-order!

Barnes & Noble

http://www.amazon.com/Had-You-Grand-Russe-Hotel-ebook/dp/B01A4ANY5I

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/if-i-had-you/id1088652508?mt=11

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/if-i-had-you-7

https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781601835796&c=books

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/33422

blurb:

Inside the glittering walls of a famous hotel, an ingénue experiences first passion . . .

As she stands before the gilded doors of The Grand Russe Hotel, Alecia Loudon is poised on the threshold of a profound awakening. It is the Roaring Twenties, and London is buzzing with opportunities for adventure . . . and indiscretion. The young personal secretary knows nothing of the ways of men, but a chance meeting with the hotel’s handsome night watchman sets her imagination afire.

Ivan Salter has noticed the quiet Englishwoman and wonders what delicate beauty might be lurking behind Alecia’s plain clothes. As the handsome Russian draws Alecia further into the hotel’s luxurious world, he introduces her to fine food, cool jazz, and forbidden assignations. Their dalliance is tested, however, by a surprising link between Ivan’s family history and Alecia’s bosses. Tangled up in international intrigue, the lovers must decide if their sparkling new romance is worth the cost . . .

Announcing Heather Hiestand’s July 7th release and a new @Kindleworlds @KairaRouda

laguna beach graphicI’m so excited to announce that I’ll be joining Kaira Rouda in Laguna Beach for the launch of her Kindle World! Yes, it’s my long awaited return to contemporary romance…

More than 10 of your favorite authors will be writing stories in beautiful, sunny Laguna Beach and some of the beloved characters from the series will be making an appearance. All books (including my A Treasure in Laguna) will be launched on July 7, just in time to fill your Kindle before heading to the pool or the beach! More soon and, I’ll see you in Kaira Rouda’s Laguna Beach world.

Laguna Beach Series: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016YNR4KA/

When Historical Fiction Gets Real: Finding Emotional Truth

greekcomedytragedyThe terrorist attacks in Belgium today settle on me uneasily as an author of historical fiction. As I blithely changed the timeline on my work in progress , I wondered what historical events I might be missing that might distract the characters in my novel, or even affect them. Characters live in larger worlds than our plots. For instance, my current hero is from Sicily. What might have been happening in his hometown during that week I just added to my story because I realized my plot timeline was too tight?

The other issue that concerns me is how I write about circumstances like what happened in Belgium today. My upcoming series (debuts 9/27/16), The Grand Russe Hotel, is concerned with Russian immigrants in England. Most of them are solid citizens trying to restart their lives after the Russian revolution, but some are Bolsheviks hoping to disrupt the British government. There are bombers and bomb threats and even actual bombs. Danger for all, a very real situation. As I writer, I need to make sure to keep the emotion tangible. It’s not just a plot. My characters need to feel the fear that is present in Europe today in the midst of so much sorrow, uncertainty, and despair. I must remember to keep my world of 1925 London three-dimensional. The terrorists of 2016 are different than those of 1925, but the emotions of those living through the experience are the same as those suffering today.

If we want readers to bond with our characters, understanding the mindset of people in crisis is very important. And if we can give our characters happy endings despite the traumas they live through, hopefully it can give readers a feeling of closure and hope that all is not lost, no matter how dark the sky that day.

https://heatherhiestand.com/books/if-i-had-you/

IfIHadYou

The Importance of Passion in Our Writing

curseRecently, the historical romance market hasn’t been all it could be. Early in my career, I wrote contemporary romance, but about six years ago I mostly turned to writing historical, first Victorian, and then 1920s romance. I’ve had a blast, releasing contemporary only in sexier Anh Leod titles like Tempting Josie and Wet Christmas (In Christmas Nookies, an anthology). I haven’t wanted to chase the market, even though I’ve been encouraged to return to contemporary.

I plotted out a standalone contemporary. I plotted out an eight-book contemporary arc using my favorite tropes. I even started book one, but I wasn’t feeling it. I kept going with a passion project set int the 1920s. But then, something changed.

I was offered an opportunity to write something contemporary, and for some reason, that idea set my creativity on fire. It had roots in the kind of historical fiction I was writing, in terms of location and characters. And, I could bring in a naughty pleasure I’d been enjoying in my relatively non-existent free time. That’s a reality TV show my father hooked me on called The Curse of Oak Island. It’s about a treasure hunting team working in Nova Scotia.

When I combined this opportunity with a treasure hunting hero and a reality TV setting, all of a sudden I had a novella I plotted in a couple of days, and a book I was drafting less than a week later. The timing was right and this time, I had a new found love for a contemporary project.

I love this story! It will be out in July, so it will be a while before I share much about it, but I wanted to tell the story of its birth. Sometimes, when we can’t drum up enthusiasm, it’s because we haven’t quite landed on the right idea yet. It’s there though. Just take a look at what currently is interesting to you. The answer might be hiding in your hobbies, favorite shows or books, in the garden…wherever you might care to look.

Coming this month with my newly revised Anh Leod story, Aphrodite’s Necklace:

UTS_ScandalouslyYours_BoxSetKindleSize

Coming in March…Trifling Favors…book 7 in the Redcakes series

Trifling Favors cover200x300

Need a Quick Dip? #recipe #cheese #vegetarian

carawayI created this delicious dip while using up leftovers, but my husband absolutely adored it.

Caraway-Jalapeno Dip

  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shreds
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
  • 4 diced jalapeno slices, seeds removed (I used “tamed”)

Microwave on medium heat for about two minutes, stopping a couple of times to stir.

I served this with tortilla chips, tater tots and roasted Brussels sprouts. It went well with bean dip.

This made three generous servings (your household may vary).

Need more quick fixing ideas? Check out:

wedratherbewritingWe’d Rather Be Writing is available for a $.99 preorder. It releases on October 30th!

Raspberry Cranachan #recipe from Wedding Matilda blog tour

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This was my husband’s favorite new recipe of the summer. Since I became a vegetarian this summer, I’ve done a ton of fresh cooking, so that’s saying a lot. I’ve modified this recipe a tiny bit since it was on the tour, but we ate it every day for quite a while during berry season.

Raspberry Cranachan

  • 2 tbl rolled oats
  • 2 tbl coconut flakes
  • 2 tsp vanilla or whiskey
  • Honey (to taste)
  • 8 oz Cool Whip, any variety
  • 12 oz raspberries

Serves 4

Toast rolled oats and coconut on the stove in a dry pan until lightly browned, about four minutes. Fold the vanilla or whiskey into the Cool Whip. Layer just under half of the raspberries into four serving dishes, then cover with just under half of the Cool Whip mixture. Sprinkle rolled oats and coconut over the top, then repeat. Top with the last little bit of Cool Whip, one raspberry, then drizzle honey over the top. Voila! One easy but very delicious dessert.

Note:  A mix of toasted coconut/oatmeal blends fantastically into breakfast cereal for a morning pick-me-up!