Monday, September 24, 2012

Second Chance: The Virtual Book Tour




Second Chance – Tanner & Shannon
New Beginnings Series – Book One
By Rachel Hanna

Genre: Contemporary Romance

ASIN: B008SNXQ1G

Number of pages: 105 pages
Word Count: 27,700


Book Description:

When Shannon Harris's husband of 18 years dies, she is left a widow. But, she is glad he is dead after he emotionally abused her for all of those years. Now, she worries that she will never be able to open up her heart to any man again. With her daughter leaving for college, the 39 year old widow is forced to move to the Georgia mountains due to her deceased husband's legal antics.

There she meets Tanner and her world is turned upside down. Can she trust him? Should she? When her worst nightmare happens, she has to make a decision - move forward on blind faith or run away.

Filled with suspense, twists and turns, you will adore this modern love story!


Second Chance Excerpt
After I hung up the phone, I realized that I hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner, and my stomach was growling like a bear. I walked into the kitchen to see if there was anything in there that might suit my fancy. When you’re hungry, just about anything edible will work.

Thankfully, there was some food in the fridge which was weird since no one had been living there for awhile. I found a frozen TV dinner with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans in it. The date was still good, so I figured the former owner may have been there recently and stayed overnight or something.

I fired up the microwave and started cooking the meal. Then, I noticed a radio hanging on the wall. I also saw a bottle of red wine sitting in a wine rack on the counter. I found a wine glass in one of my boxes and poured myself a glass.

I decided a little music was in order, so I turned it on my favorite station but it was full of static because I was so far outside of the range.

I found another station that was playing Southern classic rock and Sweet Home Alabama was on. I love that song, so I turned up the volume in an effort to wake myself up.

As the food cooked, I started swaying and singing to the music. I felt a sense of freedom wash over me for the first time in almost two decades. Sweet Home Alabama had never sounded so good!

I closed my eyes and started dancing around on the hardwood floors. Without thinking, I bumped into the counter and spilled the red wine all over my white lace sundress.

“Dang it!” I said as I pulled the sundress over my head. Realizing I was standing there in just my bra and panties, I had a momentary freak out wondering who could see me through the kitchen windows. Then, I realized that I was so far outside of the city, I could run naked through the front yard if I wanted. Freedom washed over me again.

The song changed to one of my favorites of all time - Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. My newfound freedom kicked into high gear as my exhaustion wore away and my feet began dancing again. Here I was, in my bra and panties wearing nothing but a pair of designer cowboy boots, dancing around this large country farmhouse.

My, how life had suddenly changed…

I danced and danced, eyes closed, singing at the top of my lungs. I never even heard the microwave bell “ding” when my food was done cooking. Instead, I swigged a little wine and kept dancing.

Suddenly, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. You know that feeling you get when someone is watching you? I opened my eyes and turned around to see a man standing in the arched doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

Without missing a beat, I grabbed a butcher knife from one of the kitchen boxes, held it up and said “I’ve got a knife!”

“Well, ma’m, you might have a knife but the blade seems to be missing… And your clothes are missing too, I might add,” he said with a smirk that made me want to smack him.

“Crap,” I muttered as I dropped the knife handle which had broken away from the blade. I quickly grabbed my wine stained dress from the floor and held it in front of me to cover what I could.

“It’s okay, I am not here to hurt you. I live here,” he said walking toward me.






Author Bio:
Rachel Hanna is a wife and mother of three kids living outside of Atlanta. Her lifelong love of writing brought her to the world of romance novels, and hasn't looked back since. She loves to create deep characters who have real feelings and situations that come up in their lives. Her favorite thing to do is hang with her family, read tons of great fiction and create new experiences for her readers.


Twitter @RachelHannaBook










Monday, September 10, 2012

Lancaster House Virtual Book Tour






Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house . . . not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways . . . and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard?

The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House . . . and the love of her life.





Thanks, Dana for having me here on your blog, Book Girl Knitting. I am thrilled to be here!

When I was first asked to write this Guest Post about hauntings, I thought, well, that’s what I get for writing a paranormal romance about a ghost! The funny thing is I am not into scary at all. As a matter of fact, I’m not even remotely into anything having to do with hauntings. They freak me out. My daughter loves to watch those TV shows where people tell their personal stories about their experiences with ghosts and I can’t even watch. I leave the room. I’m a wimp.

Right about now you’re probably wondering, so, why the heck did you write a paranormal romance about a ghost?  The answer is in the question. Romance! A romance novel about a ghost changes everything for me. The idea of a handsome man watching over me, saving me, and falling in love with me appeals to my heart. Suddenly, it’s not scary, it’s romantic. While my hero/ghost is a bit of a dark character, he is more of a guardian angel than scary ghost. Regardless, I still found myself looking over my shoulder as I wrote Lancaster House—much more often than I care to admit. I scared myself. The tag line—Are you ever really alone?—came about because of these feelings. While this concept is not the focus of the novel, the story does beg the question, are we ever really alone? Are there spirits/ghosts surrounding us, unseen and unheard? At the risk of sounding crazy, I will say that I believe there is something to this. I like to think that there are people ‘on the other side’ who love us and care for us, who are watching over us. As a matter of fact, I believe in this.

In this novel, I simply let my imagination run wild. Using the above premise and expounding upon it, I made up a completely fictional story. Hence, PARTS of my story have the ring of truth. (parts being the key word here) Actually, the sequel of Lancaster House, entitled, The Middle Aisle, (to be released in Dec. 2012) delves even further into this concept. What about the spirits of those who are evil? Where are they? Can they influence us? Are they around us? An interesting thought. What if they are around us also? What if they try to whisper in our ears and influence us? What if they want us to be miserable like them? Would you consider this notion to be a haunting?

Are you shivering yet? Has a chill run up and down your spine?

Don’t worry. Good will triumph over evil. In the end, Lancaster House is a ROMANCE and is not a ‘scary’ novel.

It’s the concepts the novel causes you to ponder upon that make it thought provoking.

Are we every really alone?

Here’s what Zoe, my heroine, says: Believe it, know it, accept it.

What do you believe?



What would you do if the love of your life was a ghost and no one believed you? What if they stuck you in a psychiatric hospital and filled you full of drugs to keep you sedated. Welcome to Zoe Grayson's life.

Reading this book, I was not prepared for the strength of voice and the very real grit author Taylor Dean projects in her amazing story. Give me a great ghost story any day of the week. Fill it with kick butt heroines and a spicy romance and you have me at the word go. 

From the first page, the tone of the book compelled me to keep reading. The sarcasm, wit, description of the 1920's Victorian house (Has anyone watched Ghost Story? It made me think of that movie so strongly) and how the events unfold that lead Zoe to be housed in a psychiatric hospital being interviewed by yet another doctor. Is she crazy or did she actually experience a love from beyond the grave?

This book will keep you up nights and take you away from your housework. Yay! It had me hiding in the bedroom with my e-reader and box of Raisinettes, happily turning the pages and marveling at the stunning voice.

If you like a crazy good ghost story with a happily ever after love story, give Lancaster House a try.

Rating:

4.5/5

Taylor Dean


Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it's paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you'll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.