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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

"When I'm not writing..." with Thea Harrison + giveaway!

Thea Harrison

I'm very excited about today's visitor because it's the talented Thea Harrison! She's joining us today as part of her blog tour for LORD'S FALL, her latest release and the fifth book in her delicious Elder Races paranormal romance series. I discovered her earlier this year and think Thea's work is absolutely delightful so I was pleased as punch when I found out that Tynga's Reviews was going to be included in her tour. Penguin has also offered up a giveaway of this spankin' new novel so be sure to stick around to the very end of the post.

Without further ado, here's what Thea Harrison does when she's not writing!

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When I was asked to write a piece on what I do when I’m not writing, several things immediately leaped to mind.

This year, on June 1st, I just became a grandmother for the very first time. My new little granddaughter is beautiful, funny, and a joy to visit, so visits with family have become an important part of my life. Because I can’t resist posting photos on my author Facebook page and on Twitter, I’ve had people from all over the world tell me how adorable the new baby is. Aside from postings about my new releases, Baby Doll’s photos are the most popular things I post on Facebook.

Also, with this writing job can be very sedentary, which has led me to become much more plump than I am comfortable with, so I invested in a treadmill. Now I’m focusing a lot of my attention on getting in an hour of exercise each day. That includes walking my two little dogs, so that THEY get the exercise they need. I’m starting to feel the benefits of the hard work, and it’s manifesting in increased energy. Also, I have my treadmill positioned so that I can watch TV shows while I take a walk, which helps to while away the time. I love it!

Coffee (Wiki Commons) The third thing I’m hoping to develop is a coffee group with members of my local RWA chapter. While I love my job, writing is a solitary profession, and it’s important to try to balance social needs with the professional.

We’re going to try to meet twice a month at a local bookstore, with people attending as their own individual schedules allow. I’m quite looking forward to it, and I hope others enjoy it as much as I know I will.

And that leads me to one more thing that I do when I’m not working—read! The choice for the coffee group to meet at a local bookstore was not at all by chance. The trip will allow me to browse the bookshelves, look at new releases, and indulge in one of my favorite past times, which is shopping for books. Like a lot of people, I often allow myself to get too busy to go to a bricks-and-mortar bookstore. Instead I jump on a major bookseller website like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and I settle for the “quick fix” of buying books online and having them delivered either to my doorstep or to my ereader.

Unfortunately, this means I don’t get the visceral pleasure of exploring a physical book, along with the wonderful experience of discovering a new author who is a complete surprise to me. Online booksellers have search programs, and they can make suggestions, but those only take a reader so far. They cannot completely replace the experience in a physical bookstore of turning a corner and seeing an intriguing book quite by accident. Nor would I want them to. I love my ereader for the convenience and instant accessibility it gives me, but after having used it for over a year now, I know that my first love is also my best experience, that of holding a physical book in my hands, opening the pages for the first time, the sight, smell and weight of it, and reading those first intriguing words.

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Thanks for visiting us, Thea, and have fun with the rest of your blog tour!

For more information about Thea and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on LORD'S FALL:

Thea Harrison Lord's FallIn the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them…

Before she met Dragos, half-human half-wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now, she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyr’s frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners, in more places than just the bedroom.

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear…

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

You should also check out the rest of Elder Races series.

Novels:

Thea Harrison Dragon BoundThea Harrison Storm's HeartThea Harrison Serpent's KissThea Harrison Oracle Moon

E-novellas:

Thea Harrison True Colors novellaThea Harrison Natural Evil novellaThea Harrison Devil's Gate novellaThea Harrison Hunter's Season novella

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giveaway

The lovely folks at Penguin are generously offering one (1) lucky reader a copy of LORD'S FALL!
(I wish I could enter this giveaway.)

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

US only

Ends Monday, November 26, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Jenn

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.

32 People left their mark' :

  1. I buy my books online and in stores. Thanks for the giveaway! :)

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  2. I buy almost all of my books on line. We don't have any bookstores nearby anymore :(.
    vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. i buy my books in stores in the bargain section

    kmichellec87(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  4. I always loved browsing in the bookstore, but I have to admit that I mostly read ebooks these days. I have some carpal tunnel in wrists and I find it more comfortable to hold my reader than to hold a book open.

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  5. I buy my books mainly in stores but sometime online too. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  6. I prefer to buy them in stores because then I get to hold the book -- but sometimes I buy them online as well!

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  7. I have a Kindle so I usually buy them online. I do have some books that I have on my bookshelf that are keeepers so I always buy the actual book when it comes out. I love Thea's books and I can't wait for more.

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  8. Both I buy them online and in stores.

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  9. Hi everybody!

    Thanks again for having me guest on your blog this week. :) I really enjoyed writing this post.

    Thank you so much, Sheryl. I'm really delighted you're enjoying the series.

    It seems like most people tend to blend their buying between digitally and the physical copy. Being able to buy books digitally or online to ship can be a godsend to people who are homebound or, like Victoria, don't have a bookstore nearby. And of course the e-readers are wonderful for folks like Jen, who find it uncomfortable to hold books open for periods of time, or folks who need to adjust the font size--which I LOVE.

    I recently indulged my curiosity and bought a Kindle Paperwhite, and there are a few things that bother me (I bought the Paperwhite that was supposed to be without any ads, but Amazon still forces "recommended reading suggestions" on the very first page, unless you change your display to either the 2nd page or a list view).

    Still, overall, I enjoy the Paperwhite enough to not return it. I'll be curious to find out if it coaxes me to read more digitally. Right now the experience of the physical book is still my best love.

    Good luck with the contest, and happy reading!

    Thea

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    1. Thea I read ebooks mostly , and use my android phone ( my son just got the new Samsung Galaxy 3s phone and I'm jealous of its huge screen) and also on my iPad . I have Kindle/Nook/ereader/ibooks/Bluefire/ and Aldiko apps on the 2 combined and thus can read almost ALL the ebooks I've accumulated over the last few year in different formats.... Anyway I mention all of this, because once you click on the device page there are no ads when you open books, only on the main page if you open the app after its been shut down.

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  10. I buy my books online (for convenience and pre-orders) and from bookstores (love the smell of a bookstore and holding books in my hands). Thanks for the giveaway :)
    Damaris

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  11. I tend to buy my books online, the prices are usually cheaper than full retail at the store but I do love browsing at the store. I do have an e-reader but that is mainly for books I can only get in that format. I love holding the book when reading, there is just something about having the book in my hands that I still truly enjoy.

    Mary Jo

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  12. I love Thea's books. Thanks for the giveaway. I buy books in the store and online.

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  13. I buy my books online. I greatly prefer reading books on an ereader. I have been known to go to a physical store and then buy the ebook version of it while standing in the store.

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  14. Hey, theres another Mary Jo around :).. that's a first for me on book blogs etc. I almost always by books online and almost exclusively prefer ebooks, but still love pb's and am a huge fan of Thea's books. Can't wait to read it and would love to win it!

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  15. I do my book buying both online and in stores...yet I have to agree with Thea that nothing replaces the adventure of what new author will I find on the bookshelf that catches my eye :-)

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  16. Enjoy the uber cute pictures you post on twitter and facebook of your granddaughter. They are so sweet! You can tell she is a joy to you. Mostly my books come walmart or amazon since borders closed here. and B&N refused to come in this area. So ...

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  17. I enjoy romance and the paranormal so your books are a super fit for me! I buy mostly for my Kindle, and if I buy a paper copy I end up donating it to my local public library. If they had more books like yours, they'd have more readers! :-)

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  18. I buy most of my books in the bookstore but I order a few online.

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  19. I love Thea's books! I buy from both bookstores and online.

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  20. I books both online and in the store. It depends where I can get it cheaper and which one has the book I want.
    I love the Elder Races series and am patiently waiting to see more of Gray.

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  21. I do both! I love searching for books I'd love to read, but I also buy online when I can't find a book I want. I love These Harrison and her Elder Races. Thanks for the chance to win!!

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  22. I do both! I love searching for books I'd love to read, but I also buy online when I can't find a book I want. I love These Harrison and her Elder Races. Thanks for the chance to win!!

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  23. I do both, but I prefer book form! I love this series and I can't wait to read the new book! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!!

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  24. Ilove my Nook, but have to hold a real book every once in a while. I'm too tactile to be completely satisfied with the e-reader.

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  25. I do a little of both, but I still prefer a book and going the book store is getting harder as more close. So if I order online, I love getting the mail and seeing the book there.

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  26. I do buying both ways! I love browsing books in a bricks-and-mortar store whenever I can, but I also do quite a bit of on-line shopping! And with e-books, instant gratification is always a plus ;)

    f dot chen at comcast dot net

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  27. I can't wait to read more about Dragos!

    I mostly buy from Amazon. Occasionally I will buy from a Barnes and Noble store.

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  28. I buy at both! If I'm ordering for the kindle or not going to bookstore, I'll order online. I love going to bookstores and looking at books to buy. Thanks for the chance.

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  29. I buy most of my books online, but I do buy some in stores, as well. I'm looking forward to reading Lord's Fall.

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  30. love your books and I buy most of my books online.

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  31. I buy them online and in stores.

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