Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Walking for the Cure!


My daughters and I recently again accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the Komen Columbus Race for the Cure® on May 14, 2011 in the fight against breast cancer. This pic is from last May - it was such a special day! I'm especially excited because I've dropped about 25 pounds in the last nine months, so walking this year will be even easier! One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and the more we raise, the more the Columbus Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® can give back to fund vital breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs in our own community and support of the search for a cure.
Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund breast cancer research, innovative outreach, and awareness programs for the underserved in our community.
It is easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send me your tax-deductible contribution written out to Komen Race for the Cure. Email me at ljodamron@gmail.com for mailing info. Any amount that you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.
Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!
I am walking this year in memory of two much-loved, very courageous women - my Aunt Loey, and my family's lifelong neighbor and dear friend, Betty Shaw. Interested in making a donation? My Komen page can be found here: http://columbus.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/CLM_ColumbusAffiliate?px=9850145&pg=personal&fr_id=2104

Thank you!
Laurie

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Announcement: The winner of a Pamela Clare backlist book is ...

The winner is Laurie G! Congratulations, Laurie! Please contact me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your book choice and the email address you'd like the download (Kindle copy) sent to.

Thanks to everyone who commented! Those of you who haven't read Pamela Clare, I have no idea what's keeping you! For those who adore her (like me!!), you're going to love, love, love BREAKING POINT!

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

BREAKING POINT - the latest from Pamela Clare. I'm doing a giveaway!

Pamela Clare will soon have a new release, BREAKING POINT, and I think I can hear her reader fans panting for it! I was extremely fortunate in getting a review copy for Romance Junkies and I could barely keep from gushing on and on about it rather than write a sensible review! I've decided to do a "reader's choice" giveaway of a Kindle copy of any one of the previous books in the I-Team series. See details on that below.
About BREAKING POINT: While investigating border violence in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Denver journalist Natalie Benoit is caught in a bloody ambush and taken captive. Alone in the hands of ruthless killers, she will need every ounce of courage she possesses to survive. Betrayed by another operative, Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride has endured a week of torture and interrogation at the hands of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Ready to give his life if he must, he remains unbroken—until he hears the cries of an American woman. Although Natalie is only a voice in the darkness of their shared prison, her plight brings renewed strength to Zach's battered body. With her help, he overpowers their captors, and they flee through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun. But past loss and tragedy leave both of them reluctant to follow their hearts, even when the passion between them reaches its breaking point. Faced with feelings neither expected, they fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both…


Need more temptation? Here's a great excerpt!


My (5 blue ribbons!) Romance Junkies review:
The latest release in Pamela Clare’s “I-Team” series, BREAKING POINT is undoubtedly romantic suspense at its best. This series is one I’ve recommended countless times when asked for well-written suspense suggestions. Readers should allow themselves ample reading time for this book because they won’t want to put it down.

Natalie Benoit is in need of a break from her job as a journalist for the investigative “I-Team” for the Denver Independent. Traveling to Juarez, Mexico for a journalism convention, she never would have imagined their tour bus coming under attack, or being taken prisoner by a ruthless drug cartel. She aches for her friend Joaquin, a DI photographer also attending the convention, as she witnesses his shooting. Thrown into a dark, dingy cell that also houses spiders, rats and scorpions, she is understandably terrified. When she hears her captors repeatedly torturing a fellow American in a neighboring cell, she calls out to him. He soon devises a plan for them to escape and despite the fact that she thinks he’s knee-deep in the drug trade, she’s desperate to escape the thugs that are holding them captive.
Having been mercilessly tortured for a week, Zach McBride was prepared to die, but finds new strength once he hears Natalie’s sweet voice. He knows that he is likely Natalie’s best bet for staying alive. When Zach’s plan for escape works and they’re on the run in the sweltering Mexican desert, both soon realize that their fight for survival has likely just begun. Zach lets Natalie believe that he’s a drug dealer and that he did indeed steal the cocaine as accused, thinking she’s safer not knowing he’s a Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal.
As Zach and Natalie work their way across the unforgiving desert to the U.S. border, an attraction quickly grows and soon blazes as hot as the Mexican sun. Natalie’s soft femininity and gentle nature masks an underlying, finely tempered determination. Despite being battered and tortured, Zach is blatantly male and his strength gives the emotionally fragile Natalie fierce determination to survive. Both are tortured by personal tragedies, but once they confide in and lean on each other, they discover that even the most powerful nightmares and insecurities are a little less painful.
Characters from the previous books in this series make appearances in this book and their presence at no time feels forced or awkward. Their concern for Natalie is a heartwarming example of the beauty of true friendship and their initial mistrust of Zach and his intentions is excellently written. Those familiar with this series will undoubtedly thrill at this latest installment. Those unfamiliar owe it to themselves to start at the beginning and read the entire series. Ms. Clare pulls readers into each and every scene, richly layering emotions and tension to the very end. Pamela Clare has earned a spot at the top of my favorite author list.


Now for that giveaway! I'll draw a name from those who comment here on Tuesday, April 12th. I want to hear about any Pamela Clare books you've read, which of her amazing covers you love, and what you like most about her website. I appreciate that it's so easy to navigate - I like being taken where I want to go instantly, with no searching! Remember, this giveaway is for a KINDLE copy of your choice of one of Ms. Clare's books. Remember too that you do not have to have a Kindle to read Kindle books - they are accessible via PC, iPhone, Ipod, Ipad, etc. Send your friends - for each friend who mentions your name in their comment, I'll toss your name in an extra time! Good luck!
Laurie