Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Goddess Fish Promotions Guest Post: Alison Stone W/Giveaway



Thank you for having me on A Chick Who Reads. I love the images on the masthead of your website. Very eye-catching.


Today I’m sharing a little bit about the heroine, Danielle Carson, from my debut release, Random Acts. Danielle is a workaholic lawyer. She craves the security of a steady paycheck and a roof over her head. Who doesn’t, right? But Danielle had a particularly rough childhood. Her alcoholic mother bounced from apartment to apartment until Danielle’s grandmother stepped in to raise her granddaughters. All grown up, Danielle avoids her hometown because she knows everyone expects her to screw up just like her mother.
When her sister is in a horrific car accident, Danielle is forced to return home—a thousand miles away—and face her past and the man who broke her heart. Besides her concern for her sister’s well-being, Danielle is worried about taking a leave from the law firm because she’s on track to become a partner. More than that, she hates leaving her most important case, one her boss doesn’t even know about. Danielle is working on her own time to help a young mother save her home from foreclosure. Having been on the brink of homelessness herself, Danielle can’t bear to think of this family out on the streets. Without giving away any spoilers, Danielle is eventually able to make her passion her full-time job.
So many people tolerate their “evil day job” to pay the bills. Have you ever dreamed of chucking it all to follow your passion? Is there a way you can combine your skills with your passion to find a job you love going to everyday? I think this is a constant struggle for a lot of people. I’d love to hear from you in the comment section.

Random Acts
by Alison Stone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:

Second chances can have a terrible sense of timing.

As a child, watching her mother always pick the wrong man left Danielle Carson wary of opening her heart to anyone—except Patrick Kingsley. But circumstances came between them and left Danielle with a broken heart. Now she buries the pain of what might have been by channeling all her energy into her career. When a family crisis brings her back to her hometown, she is forced to face the past—and the disturbing fact that her sister’s car accident was staged to mask a brutal beating.

A police officer and widower, Patrick guards his heart as fiercely as he guards his beloved daughter. Seeing Danielle again unexpectedly reignites their old flame, but no way will he introduce a woman into his daughter’s life. Certainly not one whose values on faith and family are so different from his own.

Despite their best intentions, they are drawn together—until Danielle learns Patrick had a hand in putting her sister in harm’s way. Her fragile trust is crushed, but Patrick is the only man who can help her stop the villain before everything they both love is destroyed. Faith, family…and their second chance at forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPTS :


Opening scene Random Acts by Alison Stone:

The Protector yanked open the back door of the girl’s beat-up car. The door groaned in protest, the loud sound splintering the stagnant night air. He pulled at his collar, cursing the heat. October nights usually meant fleece jackets and first frosts, not suffocating mugginess. He swiped the back of his hand across his forehead but didn’t stop. He had to work fast.

The dome light stood out like a beacon, making his pulse spike. He reached in and punched the plastic cover, casting them once again in darkness. A twig snapped behind him. He jerked to a stop and listened. Hard. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck prickled to life and a bead of sweat rolled down his back. As if in slow motion, he turned on his heel, the loose gravel shifting under his weight. Complete darkness. A chorus of crickets and night critters, but nothing else.

He drew in a deep breath and forced his attention back to the vehicle. The girl lay unconscious. Her head lolled at an awkward angle over the edge of the narrow back seat. A trickle of blood snaked out from one of her nostrils, her delicate lips swollen. His stomach clenched and he cursed under his breath. Tamping down the swirl of emotions, he crouched down into the vehicle and jammed his hands under her armpits. And pulled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Growing up, Alison Stone never imagined becoming a writer. She enjoyed math and science and ultimately earned a degree in engineering. Go Yellow Jackets!

After the birth of her second child, Alison left Corporate America for full-time motherhood. She credits an advertisement for writing children’s books for sparking her interest in writing. She never did complete a children’s book, but she did have success writing articles for local publications.
Finally, Alison got up the nerve to try her hand at full-length fiction. After completing a handful of manuscripts, she sold her first book to Samhain Publishing in 2011, followed a few weeks later by a second sale.

Now, Alison has the best of both worlds. From her home office in Western New York, she writes fast-paced romantic suspense while her four children are in school. It never fails to amaze her how soon the afternoon bus arrives.



Website: www.AlisonStone.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alison_Stone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlisonStoneAuthor
Blog: http://alisonstone.wordpress.com/
E-mail: Alison@AlisonStone.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Alison will be awarding autographed bookmarks at every stop, as well as a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

13 comments:

Mary Preston said...

I am looking forward to reading Danielle Carson's full story.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting Alison today.

Alison Stone said...

Morning! So happy to be here on A Chick Who Reads! Thanks for hosting me.

Thanks, Marybelle. I hope you enjoy Danielle's story.

MomJane said...

Your story sound absolutely great. It has everything to make it a great read.

Alison Stone said...

Hi MomJane,

Thanks for taking the time to visit me on a few of my blog stops! I appreciate it.

Catherine Lee said...

From the blurb and the excerpt, I really like Danielle. NOW, have I ever dreamed of chucking it all and following my passion? My gosh, I am so lucky to have a fulfilling, professional job and career that I love (I'm a librarian). NOW, I have said to my husband, many times, that I don't want to be so dependent on my salary that I couldn't chuck my job and go work at Walmart.

Alison Stone said...

Catherine Lee,

You are so fortunate to have a career you love! I think you have the right attitude.

Karielle Stephanie said...

Random Acts sounds like a great read! Followed this tour for a while now — thanks so much for the chance to win!

Stephanie
thestephanieloves AT gmail DOT com

Alison Stone said...

Thanks, Stephanie. If you decide to pick up Random Acts, I hope you enjoy it.

Stacy S said...

Random Acts is a great read! Loved it!

bas1chs said...

Thank you for sharing more about the heroine of the book. This is on my TBR list.

bas1chsemail at gmail dot com

Alison Stone said...

I appreciate all the comments. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Alison Stone said...

Okay, my first ever virtual book tour has wrapped up. The winner of the autographed bookmark from this stop is Stacy S. If you happen to read this Stacy, contact me at Alison AT AlisonStone dot com.

The winner of the $25 Amazon gift card is "Mary" who posted on JC Martin's blog: http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/2012/05/alison-stone-motivational-lines/#comment-24265 (The winner was chosen via a random number generator across all 10 blog stops.)

Thank you to everyone who stopped by. I truly appreciate your support.

 
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