And we have a WINNER for my August/September contest!

Congrats,  sue_mcwhirter !!   You've just added to your personal library six fabulous SIGNED books!  Enjoy!  

If you didn't win, no worries!  My blog party starts Monday!   Lots of giveaways!  More signed books!  Check out the details HERE   See you there!  

Are you ready to BLOG PARTY?...*SQUEE*

Are you ready to join in the October Blog Party?  I'm counting down to the release of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, the next book in my Fiery Tales series!  Steamy retellings of classic fairy tales--as they've never been retold before!

Publishers Weekly says THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED is, "...hot enough to warm the coldest winter night."

"Sophisticated and decadent...DiPasqua writes with a comfortable elegance and grace, and in turn, crafts a sexy collection that readers will love." -  Fresh Fiction (The Princess in His Bed).

Blog party starts here Monday, Oct. 4 and ends Nov. 1st.   THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, my sexy historical romance from Berkley Sensation hits the shelves Nov. 2nd.  My historical fairy tale retellings are scandalous!  Do read at your own risk. ;)

READ MORE ABOUT THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED.

READ A YUMMY EXCERPT.

READ A JUICY EXCERPT TO AWAKENED BY A KISS (1st book in the Fiery Tales series! In stores now!) 

You are hereby cordially invited to join in the fun!  Don't miss out!  LOTS OF AUTHORS & GIVEAWAYS----daily!  LOTS OF CHANCES TO WIN!  Scroll straight down to the very bottom of this blog for ways to increase the odds.   I'm personally giving away a signed copy of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED and *signed* copies (yes, you read that correctly. SIGNED!!) of Nora Roberts's BLACK HILLS and Eloisa James's A DUKE OF HER OWN!

Look at this impressive guest list!

See you at the party! 

Maggie Robinson
Kimberly Killion
Kris Kennedy
Tiffany Clare
Courtney Milan
Michelle Rowen
Eve Silver
Miranda Neville
Monica Burns
Christina Phillips 
Skhye Moncrief 
Ann Macela
Margie Lawson
Anna Campbell
Juliana Stone
Sarah MacLean
Carrie Lofty
Kathryn Smith
Donna Grant
Evangeline Collins
Delilah Marvelle

THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED

A Fiery Tales Collection

Berkley Sensation

Historical Romance

Nov. 2, 2010

The author of Awakened by a Kiss returns with a new collection of erotic fairy tales that would make even the Grimm Brothers blush, inspired by "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Princess and the Pea."

The Marquis’ New Clothes: To save her cousin, Aimee de Miran must retrieve a jeweled ring from the most sinfully seductive man at court, the Marquis de Nattes. But to search his considerable wardrobe she’ll have to get very close to the notorious rake…and soon she finds herself very close to him indeed, with his clothes—and hers—utterly forgotten…

The Lovely Duckling: Reputed for his carnal skills, Joseph d’Alumbert prefers amorous encounters without emotional entanglement—until a quick-witted lady stirs tender feelings as well as hot desire. Emilie de Sarron suffered burns to her body as an infant, and keeps her scars—and her heart—well hidden. But Joseph is determined to peel away her inhibitions, one slow steamy kiss at a time, to reveal the beautiful swan inside…

The Princess and the Diamonds: Princess Gabrielle can’t sleep at night. There is something hard in her bed. No, not just the stolen diamonds tucked under her mattress, but the handsome Marquis on it….whose carnal talents she can’t resist. But he threatens her secret mission, and worse, she stands to lose far more than the diamonds—her heart is at stake….

WINNER... AND A WINNER REVIEW!

Dearest readers, the first review for THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED is out. And it's wonderful! ---describing THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED as,

"sophisticated and decadent"

and

"deeply delicious and satisfying".     

Here is what else Fresh Fiction had to say about THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED...

". . .strong- minded heroines you can relate to, breathtaking carnally gifted male leads. . .DiPasqua writes with a comfortable elegance and grace, and in turn, crafts a sexy collection that readers will love."

You can read the rest of the review HERE.

Or read a yummy EXCERPT!!

We have a WINNER!  Congrats, gamistress66!!

You have won one of the gifts I purchased on my trip to England! Email me HERE with your snail mail address.


Lastly....

I just received my new bookmarks for THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED---and they're lovely!

Here it is, front and back.  CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

 

If you want one, you can email me HERE with your snail mail address.  *North America only*.  No P.O. Boxes. 

Have you subscribed to my blog?  October is around the corner and so is the beginning of my October Blog Party.  While counting down to the release of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, I'm hosting lots of authors and giveaways! Perfect for Christmas gifts -- for yourself or others. Subscribe so you're all set to participate in the fun!  Details are found at the bottom of this blog.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

We have a winner....A NEW GIVEAWAY...AND a little bit more of The Tower of London

The winner of one of gifts I purchased on my trip to England is ---

drum roll...Modokker -- Lisa B!

Congratulations!

I know I mentioned in my last post I'd have pics of Bath today. I'm going to finish giving you more pics of the TOWER OF LONDON first. There are just a few more. If you want to read a little more about the Tower, look below at the last blog post.

By clicking on any of the photos you can enlarge them for better viewing.

INSIDE THE WALLS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON:









SMILING...

She's smiling for the camera. These people are at the Tower, there for visitors to ask questions. They also had a woman dressed up in medieval garb, talking to children and posing for photos.





Yes, he marches back and forth all day at the Tower...



Windows at the Tower of London:

View from the outside.

As you can see, they're quite narrow--for optimum protection.




View from inside the windows:

Inside the Tower, the windows are angled so one can easily maneuver while shoot arrows.



Ravens at the Tower.

Yes, to this day, they still keep ravens at the Tower. It's the stuff of legends. Legend has it, if the ravens ever left London, the realm would collapse. They used to clip the wings of the birds so they could only fly in a circle and never leave.






******************************************************************************

GIVEAWAY - ANOTHER GIFT from my trip to England to a random commenter who leaves a meaningful comment or answers the question below....

NOTE: You *must* be a follower of this blog to qualify.

QUESTION: If you could go anyplace in the world, where would you go? What do you want to see there?

Winner will be selected next Friday (Sept. 24, 2010)

*******************************************************************************

Tower of London and GIFT GIVEAWAY!

As I write this, I'm afraid I have a terrible cold. I had planned on posting this earlier. My apologies, dearest readers!

For those who have read my bio, you know that I love to travel. I've had the good fortune to visit a number of countries, and have seen some incredible cities and places. I even stood on the top of a volcano once and looked into its mouth. It was dormant, of course. Yet still it was a little scary and exhilarating.

And yet, despite having been to four continents, I'd never been to England. I don't know why, really. It's always been on my radar. And I was excited this year to go! My husband, the kids and I spent 8 days touring around London and the south of England. We had a fabulous time! We explored London, ate enough fish and chips to last several lifetimes, did the Jack the Ripper tour (at night!) and saw Stonehenge, Bath, Brighton, Hampton Court Palace - just to name a few.



For now...Let's step into the infamous, TOWER OF LONDON.





Approaching the entrance...See it there on the right?




Inside the Tower of London visitors are met with two wooden signs that offer a concise description of the Tower and it's history. The first read as follows:

"PRISONERS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London was not built as a prison. Yet ever since its construction as a fortress and royal residence, people have been imprisoned here. Over the centuries the Tower has become a symbol of state authority and an object of fear."

The next:

"SENT TO THE TOWER

The story of imprisonment at the Tower of London is not simply the popular one of heroes and heroines forced to cower in rat-infested dungeons. The Tower has housed the nation's most important prisoners of state, including kings and queens, as well as ordinary men and women caught up in momentous historical events. Royalty and aristocrats were usually held in luxurious and comfortable lodgings. Many prisoners were released after they won back royal favor. Others were set free after providing information. Some even escaped. However, if the government of the day considered that your religious or political beliefs posed a threat to national security, you could be locked up in solitary or 'close' confinement. Your next sight of the outside world may have been during the short journey to your execution.

During the Medieval and Tudor period, the Tower of London was a secure citadel where royal or aristocratic rivals could be kept out of sight. It was a place where religious opponents could be incarcerated during the turbulent years when Protestantism battled with Catholicism for national supremacy. Later still, the Tower housed political radicals, prisoners of war and disobedient soldiers."

The famous TRAITORS' GATE.

This is the gate prisoners entered the Tower, many never to return home again. The first photo is the outside view of the gate. The second is what the gate looks like inside the Tower grounds.







Most prisoners were marched outside its walls to the streets for a public execution. Only very important people were executed inside its walls in private. Our tour guide said, "You must be very well connected to be disconnected inside the Tower."

Both wives of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were executed on the Tower green.

THE TOWER GREEN --INSIDE THE WALLS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON



MORE OF THE TOWER GREEN - INSIDE THE WALLS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON



NEXT TO THE TOWER GREEN - INSIDE THE WALLS OF THE TOWER OF LONDON




The approximate spot where executions were done inside walls of the Tower of London. In the middle of this monument is a glass pillow and around the circle are the names of those executed on the Tower green. (Including King Henry VIII's two unfortunate wives).




The Tower of London is made up of various towers and also houses the incredible, royal crown jewels of the monarchs of England. They date back to Cromwell. I don't have any photos of them. For security reasons, photographing them is prohibited.


Apparently, they're uninsured because they're irreplaceable. Understandably, they don't want any jewel thieves photographing their security system and plotting to steal the royal jewels. Talk about great stuff for a novel!

I did see this crown (stunning in person)...




...as well as many others including the small crown Queen Victoria had made (seen in this pic) because the larger ones gave her a headache. It's breathtaking!



One of the views outside The Tower..."



There were wonderful gift shops in the Tower of London. I purchased some items, and I'm going to give one of the little gifts away to a random commenter who responds to the question below.

******************************************************************
NOTE: You *must* be a follower of this blog to qualify.

I'll select the winner and announced it on Friday. Sept. 17.

QUESTION: What's the best vacation you've ever taken?

******************************************************************

Next time...I'll be talking about beautiful Bath!

England Gifts Giveaway and a Wonderful Secret to reveal!

Hello, dearest readers.

ENGLAND AND PRIZES...

I'm back from my trip to England! I had a fabulous time and can't wait to share the details with you. On Friday I'll be posting pics about my trip! Do make sure to come back and take a peek. I might just make it worth your while (hint, giveaway). While I was in England, I shopped -- I couldn't help myself. *grins*

I purchased a number of pretty little gifts in various places like the town where Shakespeare was born, St Paul's Cathedral where Lady Diana married Prince Charles and a number of other English locations! I will be giving my little gifts away every so often -- selecting at random from those who follow this blog!

So if you'd like to be included in my England Gifts Giveaway, scroll down to the bottom and on the right-hand side, click FOLLOW.

A WONDERFUL SECRET TO REVEAL...

The Book Club, English rights to my upcoming November release, THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, have been sold!! That means there will be a book club edition for BOTH my books! --HARDCOVER!!! Both the books in the Fiery Tales series will be featured on Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Yay!





ONE MORE THING...
Don't forget that in October I'll be having a Countdown Party to the Nov. 2nd release of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED right here on my blog. A number of your favorite -- utterly awesome -- authors will be here EACH DAY!


AND THERE WILL BE GIVEAWAYS. LOTS OF THEM!

So mark October 4th on your calendars and tell your friends. Oh, and sign up to follow this blog (yet another excellent reason to do so!) so that you won't miss a thing! With Christmas coming, what better gift to someone or yourself than signed books? There will be plenty of opportunities to win enough to keep and share!

LASTLY...

My August/September contest is still running. Six books - all SIGNED - by a number of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors! Still plenty of time to enter!

Don't miss out. The details are HERE.




AND NOW THE WINNER OF MY FIRST GIFT FROM ENGLAND IS...


Jenni Grubb!! Email me lila@liladipasqua.com with your snail mail address. Congrats!