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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Author Guest Blog & Contest with Kimberly Frost

Author Kimberly Frost joins me today to tell us about her third Southern Witch Novel, Halfway-Hexed! Kimberly has visited Amberkatze's Book Blog before and I am happy to welcome her back again.

I love this series and the covers are amazing. If you haven't already tried them then I can only highly recommend you give them a go. Maybe you can even win a copy? Check out the contest at the bottom of the guest post. Kimberly is giving away some books!

* * *

Hi everyone,

It’s wonderful to be here for the release of my third Southern Witch novel, Halfway Hexed. For those not familiar with my Southern Witch series, it’s a blend of paranormal romance, mystery, and action/adventure.

The main character, Tammy Jo Trask, is a young woman who’s descended from a long line of witches, but whom the family magic seems to have skipped. In the first book, Would-Be Witch, Tammy comes into her powers. Unfortunately for her, they don’t work properly, and all her spells go hilariously wrong.

As an author, one of the things I enjoy doing is putting parallel elements in each book to tie them together thematically. For example, in each book, there are spells that go wrong, Tammy learns new things about herself and her love interest, and there’s a magical piece of jewelry that drives the story forward.

In Would-Be Witch, Tammy Jo must recover a family heirloom (a locket) that’s been stolen. In the second Southern Witch novel, Barely Bewitched, Tammy Jo realizes that to survive the deadly spells cast by a fire warlock, she desperately needs to recover a pair of pawned emerald earrings. And in Halfway Hexed, there’s a brooch with attached magic that acts as a catalyst for Tammy’s latest adventure.

Here’s an excerpt from the opening scene of Halfway Hexed where a mysterious package from England has just arrived.

* * *

I took a pair of scissors and carefully opened the box. There was a double layer of bubble plastic, which I unfolded to find a disc-shaped object, heavily wrapped in white foam packing sheets, making it about three inches in diameter. I raised it. Concealed underneath was a folded piece of thick stationery. I lifted the corner to read the note.

Never let it be taken from you. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

A chill ran down my spine. I turned the paper over. No signature. Nothing written on it besides the three sentences in fancy black script. I flipped up the box flap to look at the label. No return address. I set the note down carefully and returned to the mystery object.

I pulled off the tape and slowly unrolled it. Peeling away layer after layer, I finally uncovered a beautiful antique cameo brooch. It was about two inches tall. The carved white image of a young woman’s profile stood out from the pinkish-red background.
There were flowers tucked into her upswept hair, and she had delicate features, angelic and pretty. The oval rim of the brooch was laced in gold and dotted with the tiniest pearls I’d ever seen. So many precious details. It made me feel like factory-manufactured jewelry ought to be outlawed.

Could Momma or Aunt Melanie have sent it? If so, why hadn’t they written a longer message? And why would they be in England? Or, if it wasn’t from them, who else in the world would have sent it to me?

I reached down to touch it, and a jolt of electricity shot up my arm. My brain seemed to rattle in my skull for a moment and then my vision blurred, the bakery receding.

I staggered, blindly catching myself on the counter just as she appeared. A woman with thick chestnut hair and high cheekbones. Her disheveled clothes, a blouse and skirt, flared out as she ran. I heard her panting breath, the clicking of her heels, and I smelled damp, rain-soaked streets. The haunted look in her wide eyes made my heart contract, and her fear consumed me. I reached out to her, to rescue her, but she went past me and disappeared.

I stood, staring at the spot where she’d been, but there was only black. Trying to catch my breath, I sank shakily to the floor.

Who is she?

The darkness faded, and the bakery reappeared around me. The smell of melted chocolate and baking bread. The ticking of the wall clock that was shaped like a country apron. I shook myself. I was safe at home in Duvall. The girl had been part of a premonition—my first ever. Were they always like that? Yikes. I hoped not.

And who or what had been chasing her? She’d been terrified, running as if her life depended on it. I’d felt what she was feeling. I wasn’t sure if that was normal with psychic visions or not, but it didn’t really matter. Only one thing was important; I had to
find out who she was so I could save her from whoever or whatever was chasing her.

* * *

For a chance to win an autographed copy of the Southern Witch novel of your choice, visit the comments and tell me about a keepsake or piece of jewelry that’s precious to you.

Warm wishes,
Kimberly Frost

http://frostfiction.com/

* * *



--------------------------

Contest Time

Kimberly is not just giving away one book but FIVE!!! 5 books to 5 separate winners. The winners get to choose which book from the series they'd like an autographed copy of.

How To Enter

Just answer the question Kimberly added on her guest post!

No answer = No Entry

Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!


Amberkatze's Book Blog


You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site!


The Book Depository


The contest will stay open until Wednesday 16th of February 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.

65 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

I can't say that there is any piece of jewellery that is precious to me...or even a keepsake. Things come and go.

Though I do like my Shiva statue

Unknown said...

My mother gave me a pair of earrings that belonged to my grandmother who died when I was four. The earrings are shaped like flowers with little green rhinestones in the center. They're costume jewelry so have no real value but they were my grandmother's and they were actually one of my first pairs of earrings so it has a lot of sentimental value for me.

Barbara E. said...

I love turtles, and had a lot of pins and earrings that were stolen when my house was broken into. My son has since bought me a beautiful turtle pen and two turtle necklaces that I cherish. Not only because he bought them for me, but because he knew how much I missed the pieces that were stolen.

Cindy McCune said...

We have a Civil War era doll which is passed to to the GIRLS in my family. She has always been wrapped and stored away. When I inherited her I had a display case made for her so others can see her.
I remember my Mom raking her out and sharing her history with me when I was a child...

elaing8 said...

I have a necklace with my initial on it that my Dad gave me when I was a kid that I have as a keepsake.

tweeted
http://twitter.com/elaing8/status/35511807439282176

Beverly said...

Thanks for the giveaway! This looks like a great series!
Special jewelry/keepsakes?
I have a chainmail bracelet that a student made for me and I have added charms and pendants from other pieces of jewelry that I have gotten from my children to it. It is my favorite piece of jewelry, it gives the the opportunity to wear all kinds of pieces all at once by only wearing the one!

Meredith said...

I have a ring with sapphires my fiance gave me that is very special to me.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

JenM said...

My mom passed away a few years ago and I didn't keep much of hers, but I have her wedding ring and I'd say it's my most prized possession. That ring never left her finger from the moment she woke up in the morning until she took it off to go to bed each night.

jen at delux dot com

Shelbycat said...

My most precious piece of jewellery is a necklace given to me by my boyfriend. It's a piece of green amber in a triquetra from a holiday we took together in France. It's the only piece of jewellery that i wear every day.

Anonymous said...

I have a beautiful gold ring inset with emeralds that I hardly wear for fear of losing. It was given to me by my mother, from her mother, etc.

Posted at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Parakiss25
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=684905075

Livejournal: http://faefever25.livejournal.com/9174.html

Michelle M. said...

my class ring from college is my most precious keepsake because I was the first of my family to go to college and graduate

mdmartin076 at bellsouth dot net

debbie said...

My grandfather would collect and polish stones. He made me a catseye necklace that is very special to me.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Julie S said...

I don't know that I have a keepsake jewelry from family or anything, but my wedding rings are pretty important.

juliecookies(at)gmail.com

jen7waters said...

There's this little gold charm in the shape of a corncob that I treasure the most because it belonged to my grandmother who passed away several years ago. She loved it and wore this all the time in a necklace. When she passed away it was given to my mother, who gave it to me. I don't wear it because I dread the thought of losing it. But I keep it safe :)

Ina said...

some years ago I got a ring from my grandmother that belonged first to her and then to my mother :)

inale87 at gmx dot at

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Curling up by the Fire said...

I have a necklace with an angel on it that was given to my mom when she was pregnant to give to me. My mom was a nurse and helped this lady through a difficult time and the woman gave the necklace to her to thank her. She also told her I would be a girl and it would bring me luck. I wore the necklace for years.

icewoman96 at gmail dot com

Amy said...

I got a citrine necklace from my grandma and it was her last gift to me.

angeldream3(at)gmail(dot)com

SandyG265 said...

My parents gave me a signet ring for my 16th birthday.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sharon S. said...

would love to win the first book in this series! I have a princess ring. It was given to my mom by grandma when she was 16 and I got when I was 16. When my oldest daughter turns 16 (this Dec.) I will give it to her :)

LuAnn said...

I have a gorgeous watch my son gave me. I used to just wear cheap watches because of the cost of changing the battery in my regular one. That also meant a new look on my wrist every year or so. But my son -- bless his heart -- didn't like his mom wearing cheap jewelry, so he gave me a Fossil for Mother's Day one year.

Aurian said...

I sounds like a great series, nice interview Amber. I have a silver necklace with a big piece of amethist in it, really beautifully made. It was the first I have bought for myself, and I still love it. It looks very old.

myrandaroyann said...

My great-grandmother's watch. I didn't really know her so the watch gives me a connection to her.

Taffy said...

The book covers are cute!
My daughter made me a necklace out of sea shells from our family vacation. SWEET thoughtful girl!

clynsg said...

I have 2 pieces of jewelry that are precious to me. One is my mother's engagement ring--she was buried with her wedding ring; the other is a filigree child's necklace that also belonged to my mother.

cgclynsg0 at gmail dot com

Victoria said...

I guess I'd say my plain gold wedding band.
vsloboda(at)gmail(dot)com

daniellehall30 said...

i love my promise ring my bf gave me because it has brought me so much happiness



daniellehall30@yahoo.com

Dovile said...

I have a silver ring that's quite special to me: not because it's expensive or even very pretty, it's just that it was the very first piece of jewelry that I bought for myself with my own money, so it kind of has sentimental value for me.

Thanks for the chance!

spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

Nancy said...

Hi Amber and Kimberly!

Kimberly, tho I'm behind in reading the series (now by books 2 and 3), I adore your series. I special ordered Would-Be Witch and it's waiting on my self. Can't wait to get into it!

I've had a number of special pieces of jewelry, but one is a pearl ring passed down from mother to daughter for several generations on the daughter's 16th birthday. My daughter has it now, but I still have the gold watch and chain my dad gave me on my 18th birthday.

May the new book sell thru the roof! I'm eager to catch up with your series and be ready for #4!

Nancy said...

Sorry, I should've signed off with my name. Duh!

Nancy Haddock
www.nancyhaddock.com

Anonymous said...

My grandmother who was a rather tall woman had a beautiful cameo ring that she left to me. My grandmother was about 6 feet tall, I on the other hand am just over 5 feet tall with very small hands (my ten year old has the same size hands and feet as me) so it's safe to say the ring is waaaaaaaay to big for me, but I like to just look at it and remember her.
-Crystal S.

justpeachy36 said...

Please enter me in the giveaway.

I have a mothers ring that really means a lot to me. It has my birthstone in the center and both of my daughters birthstones on the sides and each side has one of my daughters names engraved on it.

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

Amber said...

My grandma's heirloom pearl pendant is very precious to me!
Thank you for the giveaway :)
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

Hmm...I don't have a specific jewelry piece that is precious to me, but I do like to find unique jewelry. I do a lot of shopping at Etsy at a few shops. I like the uniqueness to the jewelry there. When I see these awesome unique items I tend to buy the ones that I see being in one of my novels I write (just need to find an agent than publisher!). So when I see the unique jewelry I HAVE to buy it so I can study it in detail and put it into my own writings!!

Have banner on blog: a GREAT read

Follower

jessbess2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

Ladytink_534 said...

I have a cheap little jewelry box that my grandmother gave me before she died (I was 9 I think) that has a lot of costume jewlery of hers and a few other keepsakes in it. There's a friendship pin I made in 3rd grade, feathers from my cockatiel and African Grey, tiny ballerinas that were on mine and my mom's birthday cakes, and my great-grandfather's wedding ring.

Ladytink_534(at)yahoo(dot)com

Ladytink_534 said...

I advertise on www.ladytinksblog.blogspot.com

Ladytink_534(at)yahoo(dot)com

StyleVamp said...

I have pendant that's an opal which I love and was given to my by my Step-mother who recently past away.
It's beautiful and it brings back memories when I used to admire it when I was a kid.

donnas said...

I ring that my mom gave to me that has my birthstone in it. I always wear it.

tweet - http://twitter.com/#!/DonnaS1/status/35900809501745152

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Unknown said...

While i dont actively wear jewelry.. i do have a diamond ring that is my mothers. We have had some hard times and had to sell some pieces of jewelry. She however gave me this one ring stating it was something she wanted me to have to give my own daughter one day. Although i dont wear it on a daily basis (for fear of losing it.. i'm very clumsy with myself) I do find it my most precious belonging.

Unknown said...

I have my mother's wedding band that I wear on a chain around my neck. She died in 2003 and that is the last thing she gave me.

Pam P said...

I have a beautiful black pearl ring from my grandmother,one she got out of the oyster shell visiting Hawaii years ago and then had set. As she got older and not getting out to dress up as much, she decided to give a piece of her jewelry each year to one of us on our birthdays, picking out which one she think would suit them. She said she'd like us to enjoy it while she was still around and not after, and she's still going strong today at 95.

Alicia said...

A keepsake? Hmmm, I guess I'd have to say the necklace I made for me and my four sisters. All five are identical, made out of black hemp and and crescent moon danging from the center.

I tweeted about the contest here: http://twitter.com/#!/aliciacald

katzkids by Kathy D. said...

I have a bracelet that my dad bought me when I was in 8th grade.It is my favorite keepsake.
Thanks for the giveaway:)
kats7960@gmail.com

Deirdre said...

I have various pieces that I love but the necklace with a girls head where her hair comes into celtic knots and the matching earrings that my folks gave me for my 21st birthday hold a special place in my heart. The earrings were specially commissioned to match

wyvernfriend at gmail dot com

tweeted here: http://twitter.com/#!/wyvernfriend/status/36166047748857856

angie said...

My precious keepsake I have is my grandpa's dog tag from WWII. It is on my keychain so it is always with me!
Thanks for the giveaway!
bangersis(at)msn(dot)com

mariska said...

My mother gave me a ring that belonged to my grandmother. She said that Granny asked her to pass this ring to me.

- i tweeted : http://twitter.com/#!/becunique/status/36640174217773056

uniquas at ymail dot com

Magaly Guerrero said...

I LOVE the covers! And I want all her dresses!! Guess that's not part of the contest, huh? Oh well, a girl can't get everything.

Anyhoo, to answer the question. I have two possessions I truly love and would hate to live without. A small old broom made from a crooked ash stick and bristles I collected from friends. And more recently, a solar clock, which my Piano Man gave me for All Hallow's Eve. It has the words "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to come." I really love those words...

Andra Lyn said...

I don't think I really have any precious keepsakes...I think my scrapbook would come the closest. Pictures of my life since my freshmen year in high school...SUCH a trip when I go back and look lol

hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu

Linda Henderson said...

I have a mother daughter ring that I dearly love but I can't wear it any more due to my arthritis. I keep it in a special place. My daughters have rings just like it.

seriousreader at live dot com

LSUReader said...

How have I not heard of this series? It sounds like so much fun...Must read!

On to the question. I love jewelry and have a lot of normal pieces that I wear every day. My silver James Avery charm bracelet is very special. Charms represent people, pets, places and hobbies that I love.

Unknown said...

I can't say there is anything precious to me either. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

Melissa B. said...

I have a small Irish Cottage figurine that my daughter gave me when she was little. I keep it on my bedside table and would never part with it.

Unknown said...

I received for my 18th birthday a family heirloom jewellery: a necklace more than 180 years old! It has been in our family since generations and always handed over by female ancestors. My grandma gave it to me, and besides its rich family history and it being a family heirloom, I'm really lucky because it is stunningly beautiful! I can so imagine my ancestors wearing it to balls to complement their ball gowns :-)

+1 tweeted here: http://twitter.com/Stella_ExLibris/status/37529988311818240

+1 posted on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=163891563663847&id=100000899165880

thank you for the great giveaway!

stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

Nikki said...

I have a ruby ring (my birthstone) that my aunt gave me when I turned 13 that I love.

AEKZ2 said...

A pearl necklace that my mom gave to me means the world to me.

annettekz2@yahoo.com

saturdaynightfever said...

I have a silver ring with a dangly heart that was my Mother's that reminds me of her.

edgenemmers@gmail.com

Erin Cook said...

The one peice of jewelry that is valuable and meaningful to me is the locket that my husband brought for me for christmas. It was engraved and is 14 kt gold.

Erin Cook said...

My email address is cookster77@aol.com and great giveaway

Unknown said...

Thr diamond tennis bracelet my husband gave to me on our first anniversary is precious to me. garrettsambo@aol.com

Susan said...

this classic ring my husband gave to me is priceless to me. suelee1998 @ gmail.com

dvice12 said...

My most precious keepsake is the hospital's birth notice when my kids were born

susansmoaks said...

i love my wedding ring, it's the only jewelry that i have that is special to me
susansmoaks at gmail dot com

cpage2323 said...

My best friend is a metalsmith and she made me a necklace that has 3 goats that look like dancing kokopeli guys that are symbolic of our friendship and it is quite cherished by me!:}
trixie420247 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

I have a charm bracelet from when I was a baby. I am saving it for when my daughter is a little older. rach60504@gmail.com