in
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Guest Post with Author Heather Snow and Giveaway


Today I am happy to welcome back to the blog, author Heather Snow. Heather is all sorts of nice and I just love her books! Heather is celebrating the release of Sweet Deception, the second book in her Veiled Seduction series and has stopped by to share some behind the scenes info. But before I give the floor over to Heather, lets get to know her some.

Heather Snow is a historical romance writer with a degree in Chemistry who found she much preferred creating chemistry on the page, rather than in the lab! She is forever trying to wrangle her left and right brain to work together (some days with more success than others!), but if her two sides had to duke it out, left would win every time--which can be a creative challenge. Luckily, she loves challenges...she just goes about solving them analytically.

She lives with her husband and two sons in the Midwest and truly hopes you find her stories have just the right chemistry...
Places to find Heather:
| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |


Pesky Characters…

Hello! Heather Snow here and I am thrilled to be continuing my blog tour for Sweet Deception here at Ramblings From This Chick. Thank you, Danielle, for having me! What I am doing for this tour is pulling back the curtain of Sweet Deception a bit, sharing a few of my favorite passages from the book each day while letting you in on the thoughts behind them. You can keep up with the stops (or go back and read ones you missed) either on my website (www.HeatherSnowBooks.com) or my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AuthorHeatherSnow).

Yesterday, I talked a bit about how I had planned Sweet Deception as a heroine-centric story centered mostly around my feisty and brilliant lady criminologist, but how Derick (a fan favorite from Sweet Enemy) swooped into my opening lines and changed my mind. By the time I neared the end of the first chapter, I knew Derick was going to play a much different role than I had intended. But imagine my surprise when this is what came out next…

Emma lifted her chin in challenge. “I hadn’t thought you would—”

“Wish to help?” Derick returned her challenge, raising a brow. Damn. Her assumption irked. And the fact that he’d been stung by it irked more. He’d long ago grown accustomed to not caring what anyone thought. “Feel responsible for a member of my household?”

Emma blinked. “Your household?” She sputtered. “You haven’t been to Derbyshire in fourteen—”

“No, but I am human, Miss Wallingford.” Derick stepped closer, bringing his other arm around and planting it on the door behind her, trapping her. Only so that she would listen to him, of course. Not at all because of her tantalizing scent, a heady mix of lavender and . . . something he couldn’t quite place. “I may not agree with your assumptions, but it is clear you strongly believe the maid is in danger. If there is a chance you are correct, I would like to do what I can.”

A huff of exasperation escaped her lips, a gesture Derick took to mean she didn’t think too highly of him or his offer. He allowed a half-cynical smile to curve his lips. What did he care if Miss Emma Wallingford disapproved of one of his many alter egos? It wasn’t him, after all.

Besides, he doubted she’d like him any better if she knew his true purpose in Derbyshire.

To investigate her brother for treason.


What??? The original idea for this story centered on a missing maid that led to the discovery of other missing women. It featured Emma as an early geographical profiler hunting a serial killer. However, as characters are sometimes wont to do, Derick showed up on the page and insisted that this was his story as much as it was Emma’s, and that he was a traitor hunter, thank you very much. (See Sweet Enemy) He hadn’t spent fourteen years behind enemy lines just to show up at his family home and get drawn into someone else’s murder investigation. He wanted to be there for his own reasons. He was all fine and good with letting Emma work out most of the crime, but he fully intended on bringing his expertise to bear, as well. Therefore, they would be hunting a traitor—end of story.

Pesky characters.

Still, I was able to put most of the research I had already done to use. I just had to come up with a different set of bodies for them to find—rather than missing women, they were now looking for missing couriers and War Department agents, etc., and my killer was killing for a much different reason. But I am completely jazzed about how it all turned out in the end. I hope you are, too!

I’ll be happy to give away a copy of my debut, SWEET ENEMY, the first book in this series. Please look out for SWEET DECEPTION, which came out in bookstores yesterday! To enter, simply leave me a comment and answer the question: What’s the last thing that surprised you? Did it turn out to be a good surprise, or a bad surprise?



In the dark, the greatest lover can become the most dangerous conspirator...

Footsteps In The Fog

Lord Frederick Aveline, otherwise known as Derick, has successfully kept up appearances as an English nobleman. What no one knows is that he's a full-blooded Frenchman—a double agent for the British against the French. But there is something else no one knows about Derick. Deciding to leave behind his days of espionage, he's arrived home in Derbyshire to finish one final order of business: to find and expose a dangerous traitor in their midst.

But Aveline Castle holds its own share of secrets—including murder—and an unexpected lure in the brilliant and fiesty Emma Wallingford. Emma's loyalty lies with acting as the town's magistrate, and she doesn't welcome an unanticipated, though appealing, intrusion like Derick's. As the two of them are drawn closer, the sordid past of Derick's family comes to light, as does the true nature of his arrival. But when deception, however sweet, is the name of the game, no one can be trusted. And every love— and every life—is at risk.

Check out the first chapter here.

Places to Purchase:



Check out the other books in the Veiled Seduction series:
Click on cover for more info.


1 lucky commenter (International Shipping Available) will win a copy of  Sweet Enemy.

To Enter:
  • Leave a comment answering Heather's question: What’s the last thing that surprised you? Did it turn out to be a good surprise, or a bad surprise?
  • Fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  

55 comments :

  1. I'm always pleasantly surprised when my dogs actually listen to me and obey a command. That's a very good thing! Makes me think the time and money spent on training classes and practicing at home was worth it. :)

    Kelli
    krolvaag@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kelli,

      That's awesome. I have a cat...no obedience training known to man works on those fickle creatures. :) Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. The last thing that surprised me was my phone bill turned out to be lower than I thought:)

    CONGRATs on your latest release, Heather!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks *yadkny*! And money savings is ALWAYS a nice surprise :)

      Delete
  3. When I checked my email last night I had an email telling me I won a book that I have been wanting for a while now. Now that was a nice surprise!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary D - the only thing better than money savings is free books! Congrats :)

      Delete
  4. good news, just won 6 books :)

    ups.. i just saw this giveaway is ebook for sweet enemy, i have the book so no need to count me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, Eli! That's quite a haul :) Happy Reading!

      Delete
  5. I am terrible with surprises. I never react the way I should lol. The last surprise I had was meeting my father's new girlfriend. Talk about awkward ambush. But it worked out ok, I'm a planner and I always like to be prepared. I must be boring lol But it keeps me calm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you, SharonD. I like to plan and be prepared as well. I don't think that makes us boring! :)

      Delete
  6. I came home from work and the house was actually clean. I was speechless, lol. Good surprise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my...even though I do like things planned out, I could come home to THAT surprise everyday!

      Delete
  7. The last thing that took me by surprised was when during our prelim examination, 5 of my classmates were openly cheating (looking for answers in our books) and they were so proud that they got high scores. Bad surprise since I thought they were good people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no :( That's awful. And to be proud of their score when it was unearned? Sorry you got such a bad surprise from people you respected.

      Delete
  8. My last surprise is when my brother called me 2 weeks ago after almost 3 years - he was on his way to the hospital. So I went & spent the day with him in the ER. He's out of the hospital now & has been calling me every day. I suppose it's a good thing he's reconnected, but I'll be even more surprised if he actually changes his life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Di, it's always nice when something good comes out of something bad. I hope that continues to be a good thing for your brother. Hopefully he'll surprise you to the good!

      Delete
  9. Surprises come from my 3 yo daughter every day, which is good and not good ... She is learning new skills by the hour and she doesn't always put them to good use. I guess you have kids too Heather, so you know what I am talking about.
    minadecaro@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mina, absolutely! I'm constantly amazed by the things that come out of the Heir's mouth! And the complex conversations we have at 4...

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. The last thing that surprised me was my husband actually listened to what I wanted for my birthday and not only got it for me but gave it to me a week early just because he was so excited LOL! So yes good surprise. Carin
    mawmom(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I recently spent 4 weeks in Helsingborg, Sweden for work. I've traveled quite a bit in Europe, but never really planned to go to Scandinavia. We were about 1 hour from Copenhagen, Denmark which turned out to be a very fun and beautiful city. That was a very pleasant surprise. Helsingborg was very nice also, and I'd never even heard of it prior to my trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll take that kind of surprise any day. I miss traveling :) Waiting for the boys (4&1) to get a little older before we go too far from home again

      Delete
  12. I found out last week that my manager is leaving and bringing in a new management team. This is. Big change. I have now met the new manager. She is a nice lady and I think that she is going to be a good asset to the team. Thanks for the giveaway.
    Christinebails@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christine, I hope it turns out to be a great change :)

      Delete
  13. The last thing that surprised me was Walmart actually having all the new books that came out that I wanted! Thanks for the chance to win!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That IS nice. Our Walmart has such a small book section. I tend to just hit B&N these days

      Delete
  14. The last thing that surprised me was when my washing machine stopped working.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, bad surprise :( Hope you really like your new one at least!

      Delete
  15. Aloha, Heather! I am reading SWEET DECEPTION and loving it! Funny and anxty at the same time! Do you watch NCIS? Because Emma has something in common with Ziva!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kim! So glad you're loving it :) No, I've never watched NCIS, though I'm sure I'd love it from what I've heard. But between the Heor, the Spare and the writing, little time leftover for tv!

      Delete
  16. Congrats on the new release, Heather. I got a phone call from someone I haven't spoken to in a while. It was a good surprise. It was nice to catch up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jane! Catching up with old friends is the best :)

      Delete
  17. Congrats!
    My daughter surprises me almost everyday with the things that she say! Some are good words and some not so good...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you! My eldest just turned 4... Isn't it hard not to laugh sometimes when they say something inappropriate though?

      At least the first time :/

      Delete
  18. I think the last thing that really surprised me was my nephew (just turned 7) holding an alligator. It's mouth was taped but it was a good sized alligator (over 2 feet) and he is generally scared of about everything, lol. His brother (5) would not touch it (he told me it had teeth, even if it's mouth was taped).

    Congrats on the new release!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, June! It's amazing how often kids surprise us, isn't it? At least it is with my boys. Ways I am certain I think they will react and they do something different.

      Keeps life interesting! Brave nephew!

      Delete
  19. I caught the dreaded Flu - a very nasty surprise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my...that IS a nasty surprise. Feel better soon :(

      Delete
  20. hi heather! a good one, i got me a new job and will be starting it next month

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sienny, wonderful news! I hope it turns out to be a dream job :)

      Delete
  21. I'm always surprised when my nephews listen to me. I see them more than their parents and they think they know everything. They asked for something, I told them no and gave them an explanation and they actually listened. Shocked the heck out of me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne, that is shocking :) Living with the Heir and Spare (4 & 1), I find myself shocked sometimes, too, when they do what I ask without a fight. Of course, that's not always... :)

      Delete
  22. Hi Heather!

    The last thing that surprised was when we got a new kitten who was almost 6 months old from the local animal shelter. After having dogs but not cats for a few years he seemed to be just a little bit of a thing.

    My surprise came when I was sitting reading at the kitchen table and all of a sudden the large heavy sliding glass door opened and Charlie darted out! We then renamed him to Charlie (aka Atilla the cat) because that door is so heavy I had a problem getting it open!

    Since then we also had to open a hook to the screen door and it worked - for a while - until he figured out how to jump up on the counter, leap into the air, unhook the screen door and ESCAPE OUTSIDE!

    Smart little kitty! The only thing that will get him back inside is to shake his cat treat container then lock the door behind him!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my! Cats are such unpredictable creatures, are then? :)

      Delete
  23. sounds like interesting story, different from others. CSI in historical version, ehmmm looking forward to read this one ^^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi izz! I hope you enjoy it :) Thanks so much for stopping by

      Delete
  24. The last big surprise I had was my son deciding to meow back at the cat, he just turned 1 .. so that was a great and humorous one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my, how adorable! My son just turned 1 as well, so I can imagine how funny that would be. He is a mimic, so he'll just pop out these huge words after he hears us say it and it shocks us! Of course, he doesn't know what he's saying, but we still are very impressed :)

      Delete
  25. Congrats on your latest release, Heather!!!
    My surpeise was my friends in facebook give me, a pig doll. I really love it, especially with colour pink and ribbon :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Filia. Sounds like you have a great group of friends (and a lovely pig doll!)

      Delete
  26. I was surprised by some of the winners for the Olympic events. It was a pleasant surprise.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I was surprised that my mom noticed my new Kindle. She rarely show any interest on my gadgets before :D Actually it's not a really pleasant surprise because in her opinion, it's a waste of money LOL I guess she also noticed my pile of TBR books (on paperback)and wonder how am I supposed to read them all now :D

    ReplyDelete
  28. i was surprised that i get my favorite books as my birthday present

    ReplyDelete
  29. I loved that your characters forced you to change the idea of your story- though I hope you revisit the geological serial killer profile later! The last surprise I remember was getting a Kindle for a Christmas present!

    Thank you for the giveaway,
    Mel Brock

    ReplyDelete
  30. The last thing that suprised me was my dream last night about going somewhere in a plane. As someone who is really afraid of heights and has never been in a plane in her life, it was suprisingly realistic! But my dreams always suprise me. I have the weirdest ones, I sware... No idea where they come from! If dreams are supposed to mean something, I'm scared to find out what mine do! ;-)

    ReplyDelete