Hello lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Diane
Demetre and her new book, “Retribution”!
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 $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Diane
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Retribution
by
Diane Demetre
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
A gripping romantic suspense of betrayal,
hope and love.
Jessie
Hilton is tough. Since the age of fifteen, she has dreamed of being a principal
dancer with the Australia Ballet Company. Now at twenty-four, she stands on the
brink of fulfilling her dream unaware of a secret buried deep within her.
Ex-military
officer, Brad Jordan is rebuilding his life with the help of his boisterous
Border collie, Whiskey. After helping Jessie out of a tight spot, he discovers
a kindred spirit in the ambitious ballerina.
But
with the sudden attention of an unwanted admirer, Jessie’s life begins to spin
out of control. Called back to her family home in country New South Wales due
to her father’s unforeseen illness, she is torn between career and family. As
her dream of being principal dancer fades, her stalker edges ever closer. But
there is more to overcome than a lurking psychopath. Can Jessie and Brad
confront their own past demons and finally be free?
Award
winning author, Diane Demetre writes genre-busting stories which delve deep
into the human psyche, and Retribution is no exception. Winner of Romance
Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript,
Retribution is her first romantic suspense. If you love a cast of complex
characters, a slow simmering romance and an intriguing plot, don’t miss this
page-turning romantic suspense with a twist.
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EXCERPT TWO:
“But
I did find this.” He held up a sealed pink envelope that he’d skewered on the
tip of one of Jessie’s kitchen forks. The wary expression on his face kindled a
spark of fear in her.
She
eyed it with suspicion. “What is it?”
“I’m
not sure, but it was propped up on the pillows on your bed and it’s addressed
to you. I haven’t touched it.” His flinty gaze riveted her to the spot. An icy
shiver skidded down her spine, leaving a path of cold, clammy apprehension.
“You
open it.” She rubbed her arms a little too fiercely.
“Do
you have any gloves? If this has got fingerprints on it, I don’t want to
contaminate evidence.”
“Yes.
Under the sink in my bathroom. There’re disposable gloves in a box.” She cocked
her head in the direction, indicating he should go and find them. Her legs felt
like jelly, and she feared that if she tried to go and get the gloves herself,
she’d fall flat on her face.
Within
a minute or two, he returned with a pair of gloves that he offered to her.
“You’ll have to put them on. They’re too small for me.”
Jessie
rubbed her hands, stalling for time. She reached for the gloves and braced
herself as if expecting them to send an electric shock up her arms. Doing her
best to remain calm, she pushed her hands into the gloves, finishing each with
a snap.
He
stared at her with an expression of grim determination. “You have to open it,
Jessie. If you don’t want to read it, leave it on the table and walk away. I’ll
read it if you like.”
Her
hands trembled as she plucked the envelope from the fork. The back of it peeled
up effortlessly, and she imagined the person who had left it licking it with
their vile tongue and sealing it with just enough of their wetness, but not so
much as to stick it tight. She swallowed down her revulsion before she gagged
on it. Reluctantly, she opened the envelope and eased out an innocent piece of
squarely folded pink paper. Flattening it out, she wrenched her gaze away,
before she accidentally read its contents.
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GUEST POST:
The Craft, Business and Joy of Being an
Author
Although
I’d written articles for numerous magazines, stories for my children,
professional documents, teaching curricula and business proposals for decades,
I came late to my professional writing career. In 2014, I began writing fiction
novels in response to reading Fifty Shades of Grey, the premise of which
disturbed me. Having been a woman of the 1970’s feminist movement, the idea of
a young woman giving away her power away to a damaged, abusive man irked me.
Passionate about writing a counter book to FSOG, I wrote Dancing Queen; an
erotic romance about a feisty empowered 42year old woman who goes out and has
sex on her terms and lives life to the fullest. Published in 2015, Dancing Queen, Dance of Love, Book One was voted Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice
Best Book and Best Cover for 2015. Tiny Dancer, Dance of Love, Book Two and Dance to a Gypsy Beat, Dance of Love, Book Three were published the following
year and won Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Best Book and Best Cover for
2016. I had never envisaged myself writing erotic romance, but these books just
beamed in, giving me the opportunity to score a publishing contract which put
wind under my authorly sails.
Being
an author is firstly about the craft of writing. Initially, I enrolled in
writing courses and programs, learning about story structure,
characterisations, pace, tension, timing and development. The time and money
spent was invaluable to what I learned and then applied. Honing my writing
skills is something I practise every day with every sentence I write and read.
It is a continual improvement process. Being a better writer is critical to
writing better books. When authors first start out they want to get their books
out there as quickly as possible. I know I did! But here’s what I learned and
my tip to any aspiring authors. Even if you’ve had a professional editor edit
your work. Stop! Do not submit your manuscript! Do not publish it…Yet. No
matter how good you think it is, or your editor thought it was, you can always
improve what you’ve written.
1. Leave your MS alone,
2. Learn more of your craft,
3. Go back and tweak your MS again,
4. Read voraciously,
5. Go back and tweak your MS again,
6. Leave your MS alone,
7. Learn more of your craft,
8. Go back and tweak your MS again,
9. Read voraciously,
10. Go back and tweak your MS again, and so
it goes. There will come a time when it’s ready. You’ll feel it in your gut.
Then submit and or publish.
Coming
from a business background helped enormously when I then decided to
self-publish my fourth book, Retribution, my debut romantic suspense. It won
the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro Award 2017 for Best Unpublished
manuscript, and I wanted to give it the best chance in the marketplace. That
meant I had to have full artistic and business control over Retribution. Only
self-publishing offered me that opportunity. A word of advice though. The
self-publishing industry is fraught with conflicting information and loads of
hard work if you want to produce a quality product. So, take your time, go slow
and outsource to professionals. Always have a terrific editor, book cover
designer and become self-educated. Learn from the experts, do courses, get into
groups, hang out with other SP authors and ask questions. The business of being
an author actually takes up more time than the writing. So be prepared to put
in those hard yards to build your business.
Lastly,
the most important aspect of being an author is the joy of writing. It is the
joy which inspires us to write in the first place. And it is the joy which
keeps our writing alive, emotive and sustainable. Once the joy fades, so too
will the stories. So if you intend to go down the gnarly path of being an
author, remember be joyous every time you write. Then the muse will never fail
you!
Happy writing and reading!
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AUTHOR BIO:
Being
a passionate woman who’s always done things a little differently, Diane’s diverse career began as a
school teacher before she moved into a full-time career as a professional
choreographer, director and dancer, strutting her stuff on many stages throughout
Australia. She was responsible for the original multi-million dollar
extravaganzas at Conrad Jupiter’s Casino, Gold Coast—Starz & Galaxies.
Following
her onstage career, Diane’s thirst for knowledge led her into the field of
self-development. Using her highly developed communication skills and love of
people, she spent many years as a stress & life skills therapist and life
coach, teaching individuals, couples and groups the methodologies of personal
success and fulfilment.
With
her business acumen, Diane launched into the corporate arena, working in a
variety of positions as a consultant in marketing, special events, tourism,
business strategies, quality management and human resource management.
Combining her entertainment and business backgrounds, she returned to the stage
as a keynote speaker and corporate facilitator, educating business leaders in
the ‘new mindset’ for business and relationship building in the 21st century.
Assuming
the pseudonym of the Goddess of Love, she appeared as a guest presenter on Gold
FM radio, Gold Coast, a national radio program broadcast to 1.4million
listeners. Her weekly program proved popular with Diane providing empowering
advice on life, love, sex and relationships, sprinkled with a good dose of
humour. Her passion for life and compulsive sharing nature made her a great
inspiration to her listeners. As the Goddess of Love she also appeared as a
regular guest on the national television program Beauty & the Beast, where
her practical insights were televised to viewers across Australia.
When
she launched into a writing career, Diane’s debut erotic romance series, the
Dance of Love was voted Luminosity Publishing Readers’ Choice Best Books and
Best Covers for 2015 and 2016.
Her
romantic suspense, Retribution won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Pro
Award 2017 for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Diane loves to write genre-busting
stories with a twist. Her works are packed with emotional punch and feature
empowered heroines who live life to the fullest, much like the author herself.
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CONNECT WITH DIANE:
Website:
Blog:
Email & Mailing List:
Facebook:
Twitter:
BookBub:
YouTube:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page #1:
Goodreads Book Page #2:
Goodreads Book Page #3:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
The Book Depository:
BAM! Books-A-Million:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Diane will be awarding a $25 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.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteHello Ally, thank you for having me on your blog. I'm delighted to be able to say hello to your readers. Unfortunately, I'm about to get on a plane to go on holidays, but I'll be back on deck in 24hours. I hope that's not too late to answer any questions your readers may have. But I'm more than happy to reply to any questions via the contact form on my website. Happy Reading Everyone.. and remember Leaders are Readers.
ReplyDeleteWith Love xxx
Thank you for this giveaway and the book description. It's always great getting to hear about a new book we didn't previously know about. Lots of readers in my family.
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book, thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks to all the above readers for your comments....... If you want a Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek into Retribution, including my inspiration for the story and characters, you can grab your free copy here https://dianedemetre.com/sneakpeek/retribution/
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really intriguing story.
ReplyDelete