Monthly Archives: March 2012

Book Launch Jitters

Posted on March 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

My Fair Princess

Friday April 13 quickly approaches, the day my “sweet & spicy” romance hits the web in print and digital formats. The best thing about the launch are the free gifts!

Buy My Fair Princess from my eStore with CreateSpace, on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and get your choice of a variety of free gifts! All you need to do is email me with your name, email, and order number.

Support your “local” author and tell your friends!

My Fair Princess

About the Book:

Nia Alaera is the only daughter of the Alaerian King Thaedis. As such, she stands as heir to the throne. To benefit the realm she is betrothed to the mayor of a neighboring district, sight unseen.

After all her childhood fantasies the betrothal is a bitter pill to swallow, but her dedication to her people and her family offers her silent courage… until the day she meets her mysterious husband-to-be.

With his unruly shock of auburn curls and eager smile, Shamus O’Neill reminds her more of a boy than a mayor. And those rich emerald eyes cause a flutter different than she has ever experienced before. Will her role be forever his fair princess?

Or will her heart finally burn with the passion she has longed for?

About the Author:

Nona King has been writing young adult fiction and inspirational romances since 1988. Raised on a 30-acre homestead outside Aurora, Oregon, Nona’s passion for story-telling blossomed from imaginary adventures with her siblings to feature-length plays and novels. A prolific writer and blogger, her stories focus on faith, honor, and the importance of communication in relationships.

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Posted in A Writer's Life, book launch

Tagged amazon.com, book launch, edgy romance, fantasy, fiction, kindle, marketing, nook, publishing, sweet romance

The Covering, by Dana Pratola | #fictionfridays

Posted on March 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Covering, by Dana Pratola

The Covering

Christian romances are a challenging balance of sexual tension and purity. Many times, sexual tension never comes into play, resulting in a feel-good romance where the boy gets the girl and they all live happily ever after. It’s a modern revamp of the fairy tales from our youth.

Don’t get me wrong, those are fun to read, but what does a Christian lady do when she wants a little spice between the pages? Something that reads a little closer to what she really goes through while encouraging her with a realistic happy ending?

You read The Covering by Dana Pratola.

Tessa, the female protagonist, is a lady after my own heart. More than anything she wants to be the “Jesus Example” to those around her, and to live in a way that He would be proud. Like me, she battles with her temper, of putting her foot in her mouth, and she is tormented by the poor decisions of her life. However, she moves on, determination and faith pressing her onward.

Then Gunnar strides into her life and pushes every hot little button he can get his hands on.

Not-so-figuratively speaking.

The attraction is heady, physical, and enough to cause Tessa more than a single moment of temptation and confusion. After all, Gunnar isn’t a believer. In fact, he makes it blatantly clear he has no desire to become one. But that doesn’t usher away the attraction. Later, when Gunnar begins to show a more tender side to his nature, it definitely does not alleviate Tessa’s inner turmoil.

This zing and clash of emotions is one of the best aspects of the novel. It injects a powerful feel of realism to the romance. In fact, Dana has used this tension as a poignant reminder of our own personal challenges, regardless of our belief system, and how we should and could face them in victory.

Tessa learns much about her character because of her willingness to look herself in the face and see her failings as God sees them: a work in progress. Thus challenged, she attempts to do better at treating Gunnar with respect and understanding, and admitting when she is out of line. It is this humility which continues to attract Gunnar, and allows God to begin softening his heart until he, too, becomes a believer.

Dana handles the conflicts and romance in The Covering from a common-sense/Christian world view, spinning an edgy and powerful story. I would recommend this novel to my Christian and non-Christian friends alike, and isn’t that the best type of witnessing tool?

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Posted in book reviews, Fiction Friday

Tagged books, dana pratola, reviews, romance, the covering

Savor | CWBC

Posted on March 23, 2012 | 29 Comments

This month the topic for the ChristianWriters Blog Chain is ‘Savor’. My friends have posted some incredible reactions to this topic this month, and I hope you take the time to visit the other blogs on the chain (see the links to the left or at the end of this article).

From the day we first arrive our senses are bombarded with inputs, our synapse forming new pathways throughout our central nervous system moment by moment just so we can learn how to… relate to and interact with our environment. Some things we savor with relish. Other things we reject and repress, leaving the memories and the darkness to our sub-conscious… a completely darker side of the same savor coin.

Both, however, contribute to our character. Our image. Our view of ourselves as well as that of the world surrounding us.

Daily we are faced with the choice of how we will interact and react with our surroundings, and daily we fit another piece of our character-puzzle. Did we savor a long, slow commute, relishing the beauty of another day? Or did we reject the possibilities and grumble and grouse and fume?

Did we savor our blessings, giving thanks for what might have been a very different ending to our life story? Or did we gripe about something we wanted but couldn’t get?

I must confess that this week I suffered from the latter. I wanted something unnecessary and found a way to sneak and get it, apologizing after the deed had already been done. My husband, bless his heart, “holds no beef” but his poignant warning of needing to face my fear which causes this behavior… yes, that struck home. A deeply seated fear has begun to taint my view of my blessings, sabotaging a sense of awe and wonder… stealing my ability to savor the simple things.

So, tomorrow I will begin a new prayer journey to tackle a new obstacle and conquer another fear. I look forward to the challenge because I know that, at the end, when victory is mine [through the Lord], I will hold a new level of appreciation for what I have… and a heightened ability to savor what waits around the corner.

What about you? What challenges have taught you to savor?

Nona King