Good morning all! Please help me in welcoming Kiki to my blog today! It is great to have you here!!!
A destiny unfulfilled is an affront against the universe.” ~Anonymous Greek Philosopher
This is one of my favorite quotes. I found it a few years back when I was reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes along with many other of the authors that appeared in the book. I am a huge believer in this ‘secret’ which isn’t much of a ‘secret’ anymore! And, one of the greatest things I have learned from it is to be grateful and how this one thing can change your life.
“In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Have you ever made a gratitude list? It is a wonderful exercise. One thing I have learned from my studies into the law of attraction is to get your mind set correctly, and gratitude seems to be a great way to go about this. I challenge you, make a gratitude list and see how happy you feel. And, I don’t mean one with three things on it like your husband, your kids and your car. I mean a long, nitty gritty one, of just about everything in this life you have been blessed with no matter how small.
Okay, here goes, my kind-of stream-of-consciousness gratitude list, you know like those writing exercise you had to do in school where you just write everything that comes into your head – only this time the theme is gratitude!
My husband, my boys, my car, LOL, laughter, joking, funny movies watched as a family, movies that give me that good cry, the Practical Magic movie, paranormal romance books, Teresa Medeiros, Hannah Howell, Annette Blair, inspiration, writing, my computer, creativity, my own writing published, good reviews, dancing, yoga, music, Nickelback, Pink, old 80’s hits, Def Leppard, Guns and Roses, Bon Jovi, MP3 players, old records, Stevie Nicks, James Taylor, Steven Howell – listening to my husband sing, singing while I bake, the radio to sing to when I drive, Hemi-Sync music, dogs and sweepers, long bathes, long sweaters – the ones that go to your calves (carpet dusters they used to be called), snow, snowmen, hot chocolate, mochas, twilight on the snow, the moon, Feng Shui, candles, water, lake, oceans, fountains with candles, knitting, the click of the knitting needles, all the beautiful yarns to choose from, knitting magazines, pizza, cheeseburgers and chocolate cake, recipe books, trips to Borders, extended family gatherings, old friends, new friends, Facebook for both – to keep in touch, emails, nail polish, perms, the smell of vanilla, my fireplace in my writing room, creativity, passion…
Okay, you get my point! Try it. I know it can lift you out of a bad mood and increase a good one. I like to do this at night as I am tucked in all cozy and then once my list is done, I fall off to sleep dreaming of the things I want in this life: safety and happiness for those I love - I see my family achieving their goals in life, big smile on their face- then I envision me getting mine. Of course, I have gotten a lot of mine already, a testament to the fact this works.
So, while I am in a grateful kind of good mood and all, I am going to give away a few books. First, leave me a comment listing just a couple of the non-obvious things you are grateful for that you came up with in your list. It’s Thursday, so I will give you the week. Then come Friday, Feb. 4th, I will randomly choose a winner who will get a PDF copy of Torn Asunder and one other book from my backlist, their choice. So, make sure you leave your email in case you win. After that, anyone who commented on this post will be eligible for a buy one get one free deal. If you decide to purchase Torn Asunder, just forward me the receipt with the words, “Ashley’s Bookshelf Commenter” in the subject line to howell.kiki@gmail.com. Give me the name of the book from my backlist you want to read, and I will send you the PDF for free. All books are listed at my website, http://www.kikihowell.com
Have An Attitude of Gratitude,
Kiki
Torn Asunder
Kiki Howell spins a wonderful tale of passion, magic, betrayal, and a love that conquers all. Enjoy." ~NY Times Bestselling Author, Hannah Howell
Blurb: Aubrey Griffen is a witch whose true reasons for coming to London soon fall to the wayside when she catches the eye of Edmund Bryant, the Marquess of Dalysbury. He seduces her into a whirlwind romance until the lies and threats of his mother force her to flee to Triaill Brimuir, a secret island of her ancestors off the coast of Ireland. Edmund goes after her only to be hit by Aubrey’s confusion and anger when she magically transforms him into an elemental beast of her own creation.
However, it is when Edmund’s lust mysteriously turns him back into a man that the couple are forced to deal with a family secret and untold of powers. Now, Edmund must learn to shift himself into the beast in order to save her in a battle of black verses white magic.
Fraught with scenes of explicit intimacy, romantic spells and mystical shapeshifting, Torn Asunder is a unique blending of the age of manners with sexual magic.
Genres: Historical (Regency), Paranormal (Witches & Shifters), Erotic, Romantic Suspense
Adult Content Warnings: Explicit Graphic Language, Violence
You can purchase Torn asunder in eBook and Trade Paperback online at retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Smashwords, and Excessica Publishing .Author Website
http://www.kikihowell.com/Praise for Torn Asunder:
Kiki Howell I feel has a major hit on her hands with Torn Asunder. I was so glued to this book that I was up til 4AM reading it, and mind you, I had to be up at 7AM to see my kiddies off to school....lol. I was just so captivated… In between all the chaos our couple must endure is the most breath taking love story. Their hearts and minds are linked for all time by an unforeseen connection that real couples only dream of. On a scale of 1-10 I give this book a 10 and encourage everyone 18 and over to get a copy of this book and fall under Aubrey and Emund's spell. It is so worth the ride. ~5 out of 5 Stars, Review by Raquel Vega-Grieder for Sinfully Tasty Reads
“Torn Asunder is what a Regency novel should be. Prior to this book, I have never had a historical romance keep my interest for more than a chapter or two. Kiki Howell has written a historical novel that sings. Her love for the time period is reflected in every part of the story, from the vivid characters to the clear imagery of her settings. I give Torn Asunder five of five hearts.” ~D. Alexx Miller, Book Reviewer for Romance in the Backseat
EXCERPT:
The roses, elegant in their refinement, fell from one another with little grace as she undid the paper around them. Staggering back a few steps until her back met with the wall, she slid down to the floor letting the wrapping and flowers fall where they may. Aubrey wrapped her arms tightly around her midsection. Her chest ached more with each beat of her heart as she swallowed hard, blinked away the mistiness over her eyes, and remembered.
It had been the beginning of the season, a bit over a fortnight ago, when she first encountered Edmund Bryant, the Marquess of Dalysbury. Although she rolled her eyes still at the title, she felt impelled to live through it all again--through the days of fantasy in which she had allowed herself to participate. Love at first sight didn't always give way to rational thinking. It did, however, make possible even the wavering delusions of believing impossible dreams could come true. She had just come to London to live with Lord and Lady Sanderly, her cousins who had paid for her travels under the guise of giving a poor relation of marriageable age a chance to find a good husband.
Whereas, the truth of the matter was, she was a relation who had shown a great aptitude for learning of the magical powers she had inherited. The good Lord and Lady, while holding the public title of Earl and Countess, were actually descendants of one of the notorious Pendle witches. They were to teach her to harness and utilize her innate talents in secret while flaunting her about from various parties and balls in the public eye.
She recalled with a weak smile the first ball Lord and Lady Sanderly had thrown to immerse her into proper society. At the time, she had consciously gripped her hands before her waist to resist fidgeting while trying hard to fix to memory all of the titles of those to whom she was being introduced. Her level of discomfort had increased, however, as an unsettled awareness of someone in the room, a haunting premonition of sorts, had made her heart race and her mouth dry. She had paid mind to ignore the successive shivers which rushed the length of her spine until they pooled as heat in her tightening stomach.
Reminded she was holding her breath only when forced to speak, her ribs had begun to ache. When a chill more pervasive that any she had ever known even in the drafty county cottage she had been raised in permeated her shoulders, she had turned in the direction of the source, and her eyes had met with a man standing just across the room looking back at her. She had immediately felt challenged to not look away from the gaze of his dark eyes. They radiated a raw energy unlike anything she had ever encountered before even among those with her own esoteric abilities.
A connection was made. Her heart beat at a frantic, uneven pace like a horse racing over shoddy roads. At the same time, a vague forewarning had made her break out in a glistening of sweat while she fought the urge to escape as well the need to move toward the man. She had given merit to her reactions based only on the fact she had captured the glance of an aristocratic gentleman with a lady in a lavish satin gown on his arm of obviously higher circumstances.
Engrossed in his fine manners, she watched as his hand removed the one holding onto him from his arm with a slight nod of his head. The lady in return had given him a slight curtsy but glorious smile before turning back to her other acquaintances which Aubrey recognized to be a duke and duchess she had recently met. His tempestuous form fit in posh attire spun on the heel of his expensive footwear to find her again with his haunted and hungry eyes. He seemed an odd mix of rugged and refined. She had felt the thrill and danger of being pursued by a beast which lurked inside of the man.
Fifteen years ago, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision. She couldn't have known that her choice would impact so many. Now in her mid-twenties, she is poised to go to culinary school when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge, the very Amish town in which her long-reaching decision was made, forcing her to face the shadowed past. — Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm with her large and intimidating grandmother, Bertha. It quickly becomes clear that she is there to work the farm--and work hard. The labor is made slightly more tolerable by the time it affords Bess to spend with the handsome hired hand, Billy Lapp. But he only has eyes for a flirty and curvaceous older girl.
