Guest Post with Author Joan Swan and Giveaway

Today I am happy to welcome Debut author Joan Swan to the blog. Joan is the author of Fever and is scheduled to release at the end of February and I can't wait. This book looks hot, hot, hot. So everyone please help me in welcoming the lovely Joan Swan to the blog. 

Hey everyone!

Danielle, thanks so much for inviting me over here to hang with you and your...would they be chickadees?

Some of you may already know me pretty well (condolences), but for those I’m meeting for the first time, don’t believe anything those others tell you. Unless its good stuff, then they’re right on the money.

I’m the debut author of FEVER, a paranormal romantic suspense, which releases this spring from Kensington Brava. I’m very excited about this milestone, more so with each passing week.

Someone recently commented on one of my blogs that getting a book published is such a long process it must be a lot having a baby. I can’t quite equate the two, but then my babies were born so long ago, that could simply be memory problems. I do have to say one part of the two journeys that are similar is how after the fact you look at your results and say, “That wasn’t so bad. Look how beautiful this is. I hardly remember all the pain and suffering and worry and pain and suffering and…”

Of course, I’m in the midst of writing another novel, so the process turns over and over again, but for any one particular book, I often can’t remember the day-to-day trials and tribulations. Just as with pregnancy you don’t remember every back ache, every cramp that led to fleeting fear, every morning spent kneeling at the toilet – well, okay, maybe you do, but just go with me here – as an author, I don’t remember every revision, every plot block, every rejection letter – okay, maybe I do remember the rejection letters. (I mean, there were so many.) Over time, the hardships seem to congeal into that familiar burden you may hear voiced when two or more authors get together, the same way mothers lament about pregnancy and tell endless stories about childbirth.

Yep, it’s all fun and games until someone turns up pregnant…or in my case, turns up with a twisted plot and characters that won’t leave me the hell alone.

Honestly, throughout the lengthy process, now going on two years from the time I signed with my agent, I have to say that to date, this – being out here and actually connecting with readers who are excited about FEVER’s release – is the best part of the trip. The other highs of the journey, signing with my agent, selling to my editor, and so many more, have been fabulous. But this is different. And very hard to explain. If I was to bring the analogy back around, it would be a little like looking at your new baby, thinking she is the most beautiful thing on earth, but fearing that when you bring her out into the world, others may not quite think she’s all that. And when you bring her into the grocery store for the first time, strangers’ exclamations of “Isn’t she beautiful?” and “What a sweet baby”, and “Precious”, are balms to a nervous soul.

Truly, I don’t think of my books as my babies. It really is just an analogy. I’ve worked in one creative capacity or another for decades and have long since learned to separate myself from my work after it is complete. I take the lessons I’ve learned from crafting the end result, hopefully grow and improve and move on to the next project with the intention of pushing the envelope.

So, this is a very long way of illustrating (or at least trying to) how much you, as readers, mean to us little people debut authors. I’ve gained more fluttery thrills from your simplest accolade than almost any other experience during the trip. You are that powerful. And deeply appreciated.

What are you deeply appreciative for?

Firefighter TEAGUE CREEK is not the man he used to be. Six years ago while on a routine call, a warehouse explosion left him with burns over eighty percent of his body. When he awoke in a hospital, his injuries had miraculously healed, leaving him with the burning question: what really happened in that warehouse? Subsequent events added to his suspicions: forced separation from his engine company, interrogation by mysterious military personnel, restricted visitation with his wife and, ultimately, her suicide.

But the bizarre circumstances didn’t end there. Two years after his wife’s death, he has been convicted of murdering the first woman he dated since, incarcerated at San Quentin State Penitentiary and denied an appeal. He’s lost the daughter he lived for, Kat, and the career as a firefighter he loved. Believing the original warehouse fire is somehow linked to everything that’s happened since, Teague gives up on the system. Instead of fighting an invisible enemy, he scrapes together a plan to escape prison, reclaim Kat and flee to South America.

Doctor ALYSSA FOSTER is only two weeks away from attaining her loftiest goal to date: securing an attending radiologist position at one of the finest hospitals in the country. Her success means status, respect and proving her worth to her family. But Alyssa’s future is forever altered when she is abducted by one of her forensic patients, Teague Creek. Early on Alyssa realizes this is no ordinary man. He has a strange ability to create heat within his body, which he uses to both hurt and heal.

It doesn’t take Teague long to figure out he’s grabbed the wrong woman. Instead of a bargaining chip to use in exchange for Kat, he’s saddled with a witness. And she’s picked up on his developing pyrokinetic abilities. As the two reluctantly grow closer and she eventually believes his story, a bond emerges between them. And that bond only strengthens as Alyssa helps Teague both embrace his powers and demystify their origin. During their trek across California to find Kat, they both find themselves attracted to each other in ways neither of them expected. But that attraction may just get them both killed. Because this isn't about a missing little girl anymore. Someone wants Teague gone. And they're willing to do whatever it takes to get rid of him.


FEVER is available for preorder at the following locations:
| Amazon (print & Kindle) | Barnes & Noble | Books*A*Million |

**Author Info**

Joan Swan is a triple RWA® Golden Heart finalist, and a double Kiss of Death Daphne Du Maurier finalist. She writes sexy romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, and her first novel, FEVER, with Kensington Brava debuts February, 2012. Currently, she works as a sonographer at a one of the top ten medical facilities in the nation, and lives in magnificent wine country on the central coast of California with her husband and two daughters.

Find her online and say hi.
| Site | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads |

**Giveaway**

Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win 1 of 5 beautiful cover flaps of FEVER and 1 of 5 custom handmade bookmarks!

BONUS: All comments count as 3 entries into my Book Buzz Giveaway. This week’s 2 prizes are an early copy of FEVER and a mini box of Godiva Red Velvet Cake truffles. All you have to do is fill out the form so I can have an entry to attach your points to.

Also, I’m running my ESCAPE & ENJOY MEGA GIVEAWAY as a celebration for the preorder availability of FEVER! Simply fill out a short form to enter for your chance to WIN a 7 day stay in 2br/2ba condo at Red Wolf Lakeside Lodge over spring break 2012! With a rack rate of $429/night, this stay is valued at over $3000!

So I don't know about you, but aren't those are some awesome giveaways? And aren't those bookmarks beautiful? Make sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form to be entered to win one.