BBT: Mine Until Dawn Book Tour & Giveaway
We are thrilled to be hosting the Mine Until Dawn Book Tour today. E. B. Walters is quickly becoming a favored author here (both her adult and YA novels). After enjoying Slow Burn, Book One of The Fitzgerald Family, I have delved right into the second, Mine Until Dawn. E.B. Walters is sharing a gust post with us today. Read on and don't forget to enter our giveaway for one ebook copy and to check out the author's contest as well.
Blurb:
She's armed with a new attitude and a kick-ass wardrobe....
By age twenty-eight, art historian Jade Fitzgerald has had a marriage from hell and an equally nasty divorce, worked hard to control her weight and her arrhythmia. The last thing she needs is another man messing with her head or shooting her heartbeat off course. That is exactly what she gets when an aloof and mysterious stranger storms into her life.
He's cynical and don’t take crap from anyone....
Former investigative reporter Vince Knight is on a quest to recover a priceless, ancient Mayan artifact, which he believes Jade’s mother stole. He’s skilled at gathering information while remaining emotionally detached, until he meets Jade. The voluptuous woman stirs in him a hunger he hasn’t felt in a long time and a protectiveness he can’t explain.
Neither of them expects passion to flare so fast or danger to dodge their footsteps. To defeat a ruthless art collector with a twisted agenda, Jade and Vince must learn to trust each other and embrace their growing feelings.
Until, an insane man plots to add Jade to his collection of beautiful and rare things.
We welcome E.B. Walters.
MEMORABLE SCENES
What is the most memorable scene you’ve ever read in a book or seen in a movie? Is it when star-crossed lovers reunite? When they say goodbye and there seems to be no hope of them ever being together again? Or is it something as simple as a hero rubbing the heroine’s feet? Bringing her flowers just because they reminded her of her smile?
All of the above are sweet and romantic moments. We see them in books we read and in movies we watch. They make us ooh and aah, and cry. Yeah, I’m a crier at sappy moments, but what stays with me after I close the book, after I drive home from the theater, is when the hero steps outside his comfort zone because the heroine needs him. I don’t know about you, but I find such scenes unforgettable, and I love writing them. Think about Richard Gere (Pretty Woman) climbing up a fire escape, a rose between his teeth, to give Julia Roberts her ‘moment’ when he was scared of heights. That’s what I’m talking about.
To make a scene like that work, you have to set the stage, so it doesn’t come across as contrived. In Pretty Woman, Julia dreamed of a hero rescuing her from the attic after her mother locked her there for being naughty. That sets up the stage for the scene later. Then there’s the hero’s part. He already mentioned the fact that he hated heights, yet he crawled up that fire escape to reach her.
In every book I write, I always make my hero and heroine do a selfless act. You know, do something that makes them uncomfortable, but they do it anyway because they need to step up and be there for each other. Those are the most memorable moments in a book.
In SLOW BURN, there’s this scene when Ashley has worked herself into a state because Ron is coming to her place to pose for her, yet as soon as she opens the door, she notices how tired and tense he looks. She assumes he’s been out partying…actually, he more or less hints at it when in actual fact he caught the red-eye to make it to their appointment. Instead of getting irritated, Ashley offers to relax him with a massage.
Sweet!!!
The there’s the scene at the hospital. Ron hates hospitals. The few times he stepped inside one, someone he loved died. Yet when Ashley needs him, he braves a panic attack to be by her side. Poor Ron was sweating and hyperventilating, the walls closing in on him. Ashley, clueless about what he was going through, just assumed he was in a crappy mood, until he blurted out how much he hated hospitals.
In Mine Until Dawn, Vince steps up when Jade needs her during her cousin’s bachelorette party. Even though he hates what he’s doing, he does it anyway because she needs him. I agonized about adding that scene in the book, but I just couldn’t get rid of it.
Later, there’s the scene at the club, after Vince and Jade had their fight, and she thinks he’s hurt and goes in search of him. She does this not because of the plans they had that night, but because she thought he might be hurt. Then she has an arrhythmia attack and his worst nightmare.
HERE’S THE SNIPPET FROM THE COUNTRY CLUB SCENE:
“Jade. Don’t.”
Her eyes wide, she slumped against the wall.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Vince offered her his hand, but she cringed, confirming what he already knew. With his bruised face and bloodied shirt, he reasoned he must look a sight. Angling his head so his injuries weren’t visible to her, he scowled, noting the helpless, cornered look in her eyes. She appeared to have trouble breathing. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” Her words were disjointed, barely audible. “It won’t last long.”
What wouldn’t last? She took in a mouthful of air, held it until her eyes swum with tears. Was she having a panic attack? His mother’s face floated in his mind, eyes rolling in the back of her head, body jerking, and limps twitching. The years he’d spent blocking the past melted into nothing. Horror, huge and powerful, pulled at him, sucking him straight into a place so dark and scary he couldn’t think or breathe.
Stop it. It is not the same.
Vince’s heart beat hard and uneven, his face damp. His gaze found Jade, and reason returned. She was conscious, on her feet, even managing a word or two. Not lying on the ground, thrashing about. This was just a panic attack, and he wasn’t a child anymore. He needed to be strong, not relive a crippling past that was best forgotten. He took another deep breath, put his own demons aside, and concentrated on Jade.
Vince ignored the way she stiffened when he gripped her shoulders and peered into her eyes. “What can I do to help?”
She wiggled her shoulder, trying to dislodge his hands, and it dawned on him. She was still angry.
“I’m sorry for what I said earlier, baby. Okay? Just tell me what to do—”
“Privacy,” she cut him off, her voice low and strained. “Go.”
Vince knew the right thing to do was turn around and let her be, but he couldn’t leave. He didn’t want to. The haunted look in her eyes called to him, told him that she needed him. Just like his mother had needed him before every attack. He pushed the thought aside.
Their eyes locked in a duel of sort, Jade’s flashing with anger, his apologetic yet reassuring, he hoped. He felt so inept. Doing nothing went against his nature. Every gulp of air she took squeezed his heart, caused his chest to ache. He held his breath, waiting anxiously until she exhaled before he did.
Watching her struggle, so brave but vulnerable, a realization hit Vince hard in the plexus. He would willingly put his life on the line to protect this woman.
He let her go long enough to unbutton his bloodied shirt, shrug it off, and let it drop on the floor, leaving him in his white cotton undershirt. He reached for Jade and hauled her into his arms, wincing at his throbbing bruises. He ignored his own pain and concentrated on her.
She was stiff and unyielding, but he didn’t care. Later, she could kick him from here to hell and back, or refuse to have anything to do with him. But he’d be nuts if he let her deal with this alone.
Tucking her head under his chin, he rubbed her back and murmured soothing words. He added apologies—for scaring her, being a jerk, involving her in his investigation, accusing her mother of stealing his statue. He couldn’t believe she came upstairs to look for him after what he’d said, but was happy she did.
SO WHAT IS THE MOST ROMANTIC SCENE YOU’VE EVER READ OR WATCHED? WHY DID IT STAY WITH YOU?
Thank you E.B. Walters.
About the author: I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, before I graduated to Mills & Boons (starting with Janet Daily's Shutter the Sky) and the rest is history.
I enjoy good love stories, tingly mysteries and wondrous adventures. When I finished college and decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I devoured books like they were going out of production, until reading just wasn't enough. So I started to write.
I've written picture books, contemporary and romantic suspense, biracial/multicultural books, and finally YA fantasy. AWAKENED is the first YA book in The Guardian Legacy series. It was released in September 2010. BETRAYED, book 2 in the series, will be out August 1st 2011. In my adult romance series, SLOW BURN, book 1 of the Fitzgeralds, was out May 1st 2011, MINE UNIL DAWN is due mid July. Book 3, KISS ME CRAZY, a contemporary romance, is with my editor. I'm presently working on book 4, Faith Fitzgerald’s story and book 3 of my YA Guardian Legacy series.
When I'm not writing, I do things with my family, five children or my darling husband of 19 years. I live in a picturesque valley in Utah, the setting for my YA series.
Find E.B. Walters here:
The finale is happening at Ednah's blog, where you will win goodies.
3 winners will be chosen at random at the end of the tour.
Winners will be announced on 22nd.
Winners will get:
1. A signed copy of Mine Until Dawn (print)
2. Slow Burn tote bag
3. Slow Burn mousepad
4. Slow Burn Bookmarks.
MEMORABLE SCENES
What is the most memorable scene you’ve ever read in a book or seen in a movie? Is it when star-crossed lovers reunite? When they say goodbye and there seems to be no hope of them ever being together again? Or is it something as simple as a hero rubbing the heroine’s feet? Bringing her flowers just because they reminded her of her smile?
All of the above are sweet and romantic moments. We see them in books we read and in movies we watch. They make us ooh and aah, and cry. Yeah, I’m a crier at sappy moments, but what stays with me after I close the book, after I drive home from the theater, is when the hero steps outside his comfort zone because the heroine needs him. I don’t know about you, but I find such scenes unforgettable, and I love writing them. Think about Richard Gere (Pretty Woman) climbing up a fire escape, a rose between his teeth, to give Julia Roberts her ‘moment’ when he was scared of heights. That’s what I’m talking about.
To make a scene like that work, you have to set the stage, so it doesn’t come across as contrived. In Pretty Woman, Julia dreamed of a hero rescuing her from the attic after her mother locked her there for being naughty. That sets up the stage for the scene later. Then there’s the hero’s part. He already mentioned the fact that he hated heights, yet he crawled up that fire escape to reach her.
In every book I write, I always make my hero and heroine do a selfless act. You know, do something that makes them uncomfortable, but they do it anyway because they need to step up and be there for each other. Those are the most memorable moments in a book.
In SLOW BURN, there’s this scene when Ashley has worked herself into a state because Ron is coming to her place to pose for her, yet as soon as she opens the door, she notices how tired and tense he looks. She assumes he’s been out partying…actually, he more or less hints at it when in actual fact he caught the red-eye to make it to their appointment. Instead of getting irritated, Ashley offers to relax him with a massage.
Sweet!!!
The there’s the scene at the hospital. Ron hates hospitals. The few times he stepped inside one, someone he loved died. Yet when Ashley needs him, he braves a panic attack to be by her side. Poor Ron was sweating and hyperventilating, the walls closing in on him. Ashley, clueless about what he was going through, just assumed he was in a crappy mood, until he blurted out how much he hated hospitals.
In Mine Until Dawn, Vince steps up when Jade needs her during her cousin’s bachelorette party. Even though he hates what he’s doing, he does it anyway because she needs him. I agonized about adding that scene in the book, but I just couldn’t get rid of it.
Later, there’s the scene at the club, after Vince and Jade had their fight, and she thinks he’s hurt and goes in search of him. She does this not because of the plans they had that night, but because she thought he might be hurt. Then she has an arrhythmia attack and his worst nightmare.
HERE’S THE SNIPPET FROM THE COUNTRY CLUB SCENE:
“Jade. Don’t.”
Her eyes wide, she slumped against the wall.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Vince offered her his hand, but she cringed, confirming what he already knew. With his bruised face and bloodied shirt, he reasoned he must look a sight. Angling his head so his injuries weren’t visible to her, he scowled, noting the helpless, cornered look in her eyes. She appeared to have trouble breathing. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” Her words were disjointed, barely audible. “It won’t last long.”
What wouldn’t last? She took in a mouthful of air, held it until her eyes swum with tears. Was she having a panic attack? His mother’s face floated in his mind, eyes rolling in the back of her head, body jerking, and limps twitching. The years he’d spent blocking the past melted into nothing. Horror, huge and powerful, pulled at him, sucking him straight into a place so dark and scary he couldn’t think or breathe.
Stop it. It is not the same.
Vince’s heart beat hard and uneven, his face damp. His gaze found Jade, and reason returned. She was conscious, on her feet, even managing a word or two. Not lying on the ground, thrashing about. This was just a panic attack, and he wasn’t a child anymore. He needed to be strong, not relive a crippling past that was best forgotten. He took another deep breath, put his own demons aside, and concentrated on Jade.
Vince ignored the way she stiffened when he gripped her shoulders and peered into her eyes. “What can I do to help?”
She wiggled her shoulder, trying to dislodge his hands, and it dawned on him. She was still angry.
“I’m sorry for what I said earlier, baby. Okay? Just tell me what to do—”
“Privacy,” she cut him off, her voice low and strained. “Go.”
Vince knew the right thing to do was turn around and let her be, but he couldn’t leave. He didn’t want to. The haunted look in her eyes called to him, told him that she needed him. Just like his mother had needed him before every attack. He pushed the thought aside.
Their eyes locked in a duel of sort, Jade’s flashing with anger, his apologetic yet reassuring, he hoped. He felt so inept. Doing nothing went against his nature. Every gulp of air she took squeezed his heart, caused his chest to ache. He held his breath, waiting anxiously until she exhaled before he did.
Watching her struggle, so brave but vulnerable, a realization hit Vince hard in the plexus. He would willingly put his life on the line to protect this woman.
He let her go long enough to unbutton his bloodied shirt, shrug it off, and let it drop on the floor, leaving him in his white cotton undershirt. He reached for Jade and hauled her into his arms, wincing at his throbbing bruises. He ignored his own pain and concentrated on her.
She was stiff and unyielding, but he didn’t care. Later, she could kick him from here to hell and back, or refuse to have anything to do with him. But he’d be nuts if he let her deal with this alone.
Tucking her head under his chin, he rubbed her back and murmured soothing words. He added apologies—for scaring her, being a jerk, involving her in his investigation, accusing her mother of stealing his statue. He couldn’t believe she came upstairs to look for him after what he’d said, but was happy she did.
SO WHAT IS THE MOST ROMANTIC SCENE YOU’VE EVER READ OR WATCHED? WHY DID IT STAY WITH YOU?
Thank you E.B. Walters.
About the author: I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, before I graduated to Mills & Boons (starting with Janet Daily's Shutter the Sky) and the rest is history.
I enjoy good love stories, tingly mysteries and wondrous adventures. When I finished college and decided to be a stay-at-home mother, I devoured books like they were going out of production, until reading just wasn't enough. So I started to write.
I've written picture books, contemporary and romantic suspense, biracial/multicultural books, and finally YA fantasy. AWAKENED is the first YA book in The Guardian Legacy series. It was released in September 2010. BETRAYED, book 2 in the series, will be out August 1st 2011. In my adult romance series, SLOW BURN, book 1 of the Fitzgeralds, was out May 1st 2011, MINE UNIL DAWN is due mid July. Book 3, KISS ME CRAZY, a contemporary romance, is with my editor. I'm presently working on book 4, Faith Fitzgerald’s story and book 3 of my YA Guardian Legacy series.
When I'm not writing, I do things with my family, five children or my darling husband of 19 years. I live in a picturesque valley in Utah, the setting for my YA series.
twitter: ednahwalters
Giveaways: Reader Girls will give away one ebook copy of Mine Until Dawn to one commenter who answers E.B. Walters' question at the end of her post (contest will run until October 1, please leave your email with your response).
Also, E. B. Walters is holding a BIG TOUR FINALE GIVEAWAY on her blog.
Contest begins September 1st and ends on the 21st.The finale is happening at Ednah's blog, where you will win goodies.
3 winners will be chosen at random at the end of the tour.
Winners will be announced on 22nd.
Winners will get:
1. A signed copy of Mine Until Dawn (print)
2. Slow Burn tote bag
3. Slow Burn mousepad
4. Slow Burn Bookmarks.
We thank E.B. Walters and Bewitching Book Tours.
I'm really torn because I have two favorite movie scenes- which I think are very romantic and funny at the same time- in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You when Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) sings "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" to to "Kat" (Julia Styles) and also in the movie "A Walk to Remember" when Landon (Shane West) takes it upon himself to help Jamie(Mandy Moore) complete her bucket list before she passes away from luekemia (that movie almost killed me when she passed away)...Thanks for the contest!
ReplyDeletejunegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie scene is from Titanic, when Jake and Rose are freezing in the water and he encourages her to live. He stays in the water and gets her in a piece of wood.
It makes me cry everytime I see it.
Thanks for the giveaway
Daniela.
dany7578 at hotmail dot com
Favourite scene:
ReplyDeletetitanic
http://www.titanicuniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/titanic-movie.jpg
Top gun
http://media.windingroad.com/autos_db/lists/top_gun_jpg_667x667_q100.jpg
and italian movie 3 metri sopra il cielo
http://images.movieplayer.it/2004/08/23/pezzi-di-ricordo-74299.jpg
Lovely!!
Thank you for this giveaway!
Beautiful cover of the book.
blogmicia@yahoo.it