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Thursday, February 8, 2018

To Entice an Earl by Naomi Boom - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hello lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Naomi Boom and her new book, “To Entice an Earl”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Naomi and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


To Entice an Earl
by Naomi Boom

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GENRE: Regency Romance

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BLURB:

Miss Alexandra Farris lost her heart to her older brother's friend, Lord Maxon Collins, long, long ago. Despite her girlhood attempts to win him, he never noticed her. Now that her first season is underway, she understands why. He prefers willowy blondes, not curvaceous maidens with darker coloring like herself. Rather than wallow in self-pity, she forgets love and focuses on something more attainable—an advantageous match.

Lord Collins is plagued by an uncomfortable feeling whenever he goes near Miss Farris. One of annoyance. And yet, he can’t seem to stop thinking of her, touching her, kissing her...He must act in her brother’s stead, which means he has to approve her suitor and ensure her safety. Unfortunately, he can’t seem to find a worthy gentleman.

Wedding her off should be a simple task, but not if he can’t let her go.

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EXCERPT ONE:

“I have too given you compliments.”

“Really?” She exhaled. “Name one.”

He contemplated the matter for a moment and then said, “I told you your hair was prettier in disarray.”

She had forgotten that. “So you said one thing. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” He swept an exaggerated bow and smirked up at her.

“That is not something to be proud of. Why, it’s not even that monumental a compliment.”

He straightened, and a light flared in his eyes. There had always been an easy mood between them, but he had never looked at her in such a way before. It was almost, well, sinful.

“Allow me to remedy my error, then.” He caught her hand in his, and gazed deep into her eyes. “Your eyes remind me of a summer storm.” Her gaze faltered from his, but he continued. “Your skin is as smooth as fine porcelain, and your hair is made of the most enticing curls I have ever seen. I can imagine your freed hair would make a man lose his senses. And lastly, you have deliciously kissable lips.”

She swallowed. His ridiculous, probably oft-used lines had the most amazing effect on her. Her knees had grown weak, and her mind was slow to focus. “I-I d-don’t think…” Her voice trailed off as he chuckled.

“With that said, you also possess a tremendous ability to irritate me beyond comprehension.”

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GUEST POST:

Guide to Writing a Romance Novel

“The goal of good writing is to keep the reader immersed in the story.” – Eilidh MacKenzie, my wonderful editor. This quote is one of the most useful pieces of advice I have received, and sadly, it was included in an email rejecting my first manuscript. But my rejections are a story for another day.

I’ve learned a lot in my writing career. Some through trial and error, some from my editor, and some even from reviews of my novels. I’d probably need to write a book to cover everything, which I will never do, so I’ll limit myself to a few main points.

1)   Story LineGirl meets boy. Girl and boy fall in love. Girl dies. As a reader, I would never, ever, ever touch a romance novel like this. Just… no. This example, while extreme, shows how important a good story line is. I want my books to be different and memorable, but I do not want to alienate the reader. So, when I write my novels and get a gut feeling that my story is going in a wrong direction, I listen. Don’t write crazy scenes just because you can. Ensure each scene adds to the story.

2)   Info Dump – Turns out, info dumps are bad. What are info dumps? Well, they are a lengthy back story of a character or situation in a novel. While they contain a ton of useful information, they also bore readers senseless unless done in some remarkable way. I tried using an info dump in my second novel. My editor destroyed that notion so now I avoid them like the plague. Instead, I toss out bits and pieces throughout the novel whenever applicable.

3)   Head Hopping -  Don’t change point of view’s all willy-nilly in the same section. I had no idea this was a thing until my editor told me to stop in my first novel. At first, my pride told me not to listen to my editor, but then my rational side kicked in. Publishers know what sells much better than I.

4)   Heroine – Must have one of these. She should have likeable qualities, but not sound perfect. Perfection makes for an uninteresting story line.

5)   Hero – Have one of these too. He can be perfect, though. Just kidding, kind of. I like my Hero’s dark and brooding with their own issues but they seem to receive a bit more leniency. Could just be my opinion, though.

6)   Physical DescriptionsShe has brown hair, blue eyes, and full lips. Boring. Her blue eyes flashed as she shook her head, her brown hair falling as the last of her pins fell out. He couldn’t wait to slip his hands into her tresses, pull her to him and kiss her full lips. Much better. Granted, I cheated by using a kissing scene, but still, it’s difficult to write something more boring than a straight-forward physical description of anything so get creative with it.

7)   Character Development – This kind of goes back to how the Hero and Heroine should have flaws. Flaws add character, adds personality, and requires some history. I like to decide on certain attributes for each character and then write the story. The Hero’s responses should align with his beliefs and tastes which will show his personality. Sometimes, I discover something new about him as I write, and then I have to add that throughout the story. I do this until he feels like a real person. I edit a lot.

8)   Romance – Must have romance in a romance novel. But here’s my own creative approach to infusing emotion into my novel. When I finish editing, I go back and put a hefty dose of my soul into the book. I tweak parts until I feel like crying in hopes the reader will feel at least a smidgen of what I feel. It’s a bit emotionally draining but worth it. Even though it takes about a week to recuperate.

9)   The Black Moment – A good romance novel will always have something dramatic happen where all hope of a happily ever after dies. A giant misunderstanding could cause a black moment, or lovers could get torn apart, or someone gets sick and dies but doesn’t really die. There’s many more options out there but something terrible must happen. This engages the reader and makes the ending so much better. Fun fact, I just learned this term existed for the dramatic, angsty event recently.

10)  The End. I love writing those two words but I hate writing the ending. I really am just using this point to complain about writing endings.  

I feel like I’m leaving a lot out, but hopefully, that gives a fair amount of tips, or at least insights, into my writing process. But now I’m kind of curious. What do you think of a perfect Hero? Would a man that is good at everything, rich, kind, and handsome be boring in a romance novel?

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AUTHOR BIO:


Naomi Boom never expected to love writing. Her inspiration struck while searching for the perfect historical romance novel to read. Nothing sounded appealing, so she decided to write her own. That one novel has morphed into a series, and hopefully many, many more.

She resides in her home state of South Dakota with her husband and toddler. Her dream is to someday find an acreage where she can raise chickens and, naturally, continue her writing.

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CONNECT WITH NAOMI:

Website:

Email:
naomi@naomiboom.com

Facebook:

Twitter:

Pinterest:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

Barnes and Noble:

Kobo:

Google Play:

The Wild Rose Press:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Naomi will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

16 comments:

  1. I enjoyed getting to know your book; congrats on the tour and I hope it goes great for you :)

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  2. I just love your cover and I would love to read your book.

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    1. Thank you! I won't lie, I was stunned when I first saw my cover. Definitely did not disappoint me.

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  3. Great post and awesome giveaway - thanks for sharing :)

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  4. I was wondering what the author might be working on next?

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  5. Is this your favorite time period to write and read from? Victorian?

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  6. What's your writing process/routine like?

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  7. Do you write in different genres or focus on one?

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