Showing posts with label claire contreras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label claire contreras. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Untied Anthology




UNTIED ANTHOLOGY IS LIVE!
 **100% of the proceeds go to the
The Breast Cancer Society**
**Available for a LIMITED TIME - ONLY $0.99**

Amazon US | B&N | iTunes | Kobo


What do you want?
Do you want sex?
Do you want love, happiness?
Or maybe you want a little suspense?
Could it be you don't know what you want?
Could you be in just the right frame of mind to get mind-fucked until you're looking at your kindle with tears in your eyes asking … What the hell just happened?
Maybe you're ready to have it all?

Good. Because you've come to the right place.

These six best-selling authors have bound together the hottest romance novels of 2014.

Get ready to get Untied.

***************************

Books Included are:

BANG by E.K. Blair, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT by Claire Contreras, Bestselling Author
TAKE ME FOR GRANTED by K.A. Linde, USA Today Bestselling Author
BELOVED by Corinne Michaels, Bestselling Author
Features an EXCLUSIVE Bonus Chapter only available in this Anthology
KICK by C.D. Reiss, USA Today Bestselling Author
PHENOMENAL X by Michelle A. Valentine, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Also featuring bonus chapters from Corinne Michaels and Claire Contreras 

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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Catch Me by Claire Contreras

In the past, I've always been given everything I've wanted, but nothing that I truly needed. I've experienced a lot of things in my twenty-five years, everything except the one thing I want. It's the one thing that can’t be bought. It can't even be taken, it has to be given. And nobody has ever given it to me, not really anyway.

Not until him.

Music is the center of both our lives, but as he found his place in it, I lost my way. He soared, while I spiraled down a destructive path.
I lost myself in more ways than I can count.

The ironic thing is that I didn’t realize how lost I was until he found me.

And now that he has, I have to wonder if he'll stay around long enough to catch me.


 
Add to your Goodreads list! 


So some of you may not know, but Claire Contreras is actually a good friend of mine I met through the book world by chance. I was asked to beta read her first book and agreed simply because I didn't know her. Well, it's also because her book sounded intriguing too. :) Anyway, we quickly hit it off, which surprised me. Most authors aren't open to such criticism of their books, but she was and that was what I liked about her. She took it like a champ (I can be pretty tough at times) and would comment right back with revisions sometimes adding in a line of sarcasm or two at times mainly for me. I quickly learned she has a wicked sense of humor and a BIG heart. Claire and I have not met yet, but when we do, well, she better be prepared for little ol' me to maul the shit out of her. ;)


When the tour invite came out, I jumped on it. I really loved Catch Me and planned to post a review but then realized in all this time I had never interviewed her. What kind of crappy friend/blogger am I? Then I planned to do a fun, different, friend/book kind of interview, but I couldn't get it to flow. So here is the interview Claire did for us, but I'm going to add my two cents in. Enjoy!!



Taryn: What do you have planned for 2014? Anything you can share?

Claire: Definitely Prisoner and a spin off from Catch Me (just not sure which character’s spin off yet).

Taryn: Seriously, get on that shit. Dean needs his book written, like now.


Taryn: What’s your writing process like? Typically, how long does it take for you to write a book? Better yet, how many drafts do you start with?

Claire: I start with one draft. I think by the end of the process I’ve gone through at least 5 of them though.

Taryn: She's lying. She had like 20 for Catch Me. Trust me. I got all the revisions! lol It's all good though. I liked seeing the email with a subject like "LAST ONE." I laughed and shook my head knowing it wasn't the last one.


Taryn: I know this is a questioned asked often, but what inspired Catch Me? It's not a light and easy read. It's gritty and emotional with a touchy theme.

Claire: My life. The past.

Taryn: That makes me kind of sad yet happy. :/ Happy because Brooklyn came out strong and confident in the end.

Taryn: What is something about Catch Me that most people wouldn’t know?

Claire: Hmmm… I have all of Hendrix’s mugs.

Taryn: Wasn’t Catch Me suppose to be a standalone novel? Not that I'm complaining, but why did you decide to change it?

Claire: It was. As I was writing and introducing characters I thought, “I really want to tell this person’s story…”


Taryn: Nick and Shea... I personally loved them both! They’re two totally different characters. What are you favorite lines from both of them?

Claire: “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more to you.” – Shea
Taryn: Ughhh You gut me with that line!

“I want to show her that my day begins starts with her running through my mind and ends with her sleeping in my arms.” –Nick


Taryn: If Nick and Shea were to come with a warning label, what would it say?

Claire: Shea – handle with care. Nick – doesn’t wash off.

Taryn: *sigh* And here I'm thinking only Shea was for me.


Taryn: Since this book has a large music aspect in it, what would be the theme song for this book? Or, maybe a theme song for one of the characters?

Claire: For the book…Homesick by Sleeping At Last

Brooklyn- Skyscraper by Demi Lovato

Taryn: Brooklyn’s mother was a real piece of work! Was she purely fictional, or was she modeled after someone?

Claire: She was modeled after someone.

Taryn: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Claire: Biggest compliment: Your writing just keeps growing. Criticism…as a writer in general I haven’t gotten any. It’s VERY difficult to tear me down. I kind of embrace or ignore criticism (depending on who’s giving it to me), so maybe that’s why?

Taryn: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Claire: There are a couple of things I hope they grasp, but I feel like saying what they are defeats the purpose of the story. I hope they read it and after they’ve let the entire story sink in they take a couple of things from it.

Taryn: Did you learn anything from writing this book and if so, what was it?

Claire: I learned that sometimes letting go is the only thing left to do.
Quickie Questions!

Snickers or Twix? Twix
Shorts or Skirts? Shorts
Country or Rock n roll? Rock n roll
Jack or Jose? Jack
Oreos or Pizza? BOTH
Tattoos or piercing? Tattoos
Summer or Winter? Summer
Sleep in or get up early? Sleep in. IF MY KIDS WOULD LET ME.


 
Claire Contreras graduated with her BA in Psychology from Florida International University. She lives in Miami, Florida with her husband, two little boys, and three dogs.
Her favorite past times are: daydreaming, writing, and reading.
She has been described as a random, sarcastic, crazy girl with no filter.
Life is short, and it’s more bitter than sweet, so she tries to smile as often as her face allows. She enjoys stories with happy endings, because life is full of way too many unhappy ones or ones that will scare the daylights out of her and have her looking over her shoulder at every turn. Like I said, she's very random.



Claire is giving away a kindle paperwhite! To be entered in the giveaway, please fill out the rafflecopter and leave a comment! 

I will also personally give away a copy of CATCH ME with this giveaway. But in order to get that, you must comment with your email address so I can contact a winner. Thanks!! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Catch Me by Claire Contreras


In the past, I've always been given everything I've wanted, but nothing that I truly needed. I've experienced a lot of things in my twenty-five years, everything except the one thing I want. It's the one thing that can’t be bought. It can't even be taken, it has to be given. And nobody has ever given it to me, not really anyway.

Not until him.

Music is the center of both our lives, but as he found his place in it, I lost my way. He soared, while I spiraled down a destructive path.
I lost myself in more ways than I can count.

The ironic thing is that I didn’t realize how lost I was until he found me.

And now that he has, I have to wonder if he'll stay around long enough to catch me.




TEASER:
He never takes his eyes off of me as he crosses the street. He walks around a group of people, purposely stepping to my side. There’s no time for formal hellos in the middle of the street, and I’m glad for that because I don’t want to introduce him to my brother and do the whole shebang in a crowded street. My smile is fixed on my face as he approaches, also smiling at me, his eyes crinkling in mischief. When he brushes past me, he takes my hand and squeezes it slightly. It’s just a squeeze. Just. But it’s enough to get my heart pumping, my blood tingling, and my eyes widening as if I’ve been caught doing something wrong, which I know is ridiculous, but that’s how his touch makes me feel.     


Bio: Claire Contreras graduated with her BA in Psychology from Florida International University. She lives in Miami, Florida with her husband, two little boys, and three dogs.

Her favorite past times are: daydreaming, writing, and reading.

She has been described as a random, sarcastic, crazy girl with no filter.

Life is short, and it’s more bitter than sweet, so she tries to smile as often as her face allows. She enjoys stories with happy endings, because life is full of way too many unhappy ones or ones that will scare the daylights out of her and have her looking over her shoulder at every turn. Like I said, she's very random.
Facebook
@ClariCon
Website

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, April 29, 2013

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Darkness Before Dawn by Claire Contreras

Is love ever enough?

Faced with obstacles she could have never imagined, Blake is brought to darkness and back by forces in her past she never knew existed. Desperate to stay connected to the only thing he loves, Cole is forced to revisit his past and align himself with the people who knew about Blake’s disappearance.


Separation has forced both Blake and Cole to learn how to live under the worst circumstances, each of them alone in their own hell. When they reunite, can they be the same two people they were before darkness swept upon them?


Told in separate points of view, Darkness Before Dawn is the continuation of Blake and Cole’s fight to make it to the light.



Snippet:

“I didn’t know you were awake,” I reply turning my body toward him and caressing his arm.
He gives me a lopsided smile. “I just woke up. How can you be so pretty in the morning?” he muses as his eyes scan my face.
“I’m not,” I groan throwing my head back on to the hard mattress. “This bed sucks.”
He chuckles. “You are,” he replies as he covers my body with his, opening my thighs with his and settling his weight between my legs. “You’re the most beautiful creature ever made...and you’re right, this bed sucks ass.”
“You’re just saying that because you want to have sex,” I say with a laugh as I look at him, thinking the same about him.
He tilts his head as he regards me. “Nah, we’re going to have sex anyway, I don’t have to sweet talk you into doing that.”
My laughter is cut short when he grinds against me, the hardness in his boxers making me gasp and tilt my pelvis toward it.

To read a longer snippet from DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN CLICK HERE.


Claire is giving away one custom made bookmark made by Oh Whimsical Me!! To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment with your email address and add to your Goodreads list.


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Giveaway & EXCLUSIVE Sneak Peek from Darkness Before Dawn!!!!


For those of you who haven't read THERE IS NO LIGHT IN DARKNESS by Claire Contreras, you really need it. What the hell are you waiting for?? Because there's a tiny little cliffhanger? Stop being a baby. Suck it up and read it! It's where you meet Cole, who's madly in love with Blake.


Madly in love...FML. I want him for myself. I know, I know...he's a fictional character and all, but he's so real, and sweet, and addicting, and a jerk, and the sweetest jerk. LIKE EVER. You'll fall for him immediately. I remember telling Claire when I read the first book that she wrote a drool worthy male (I never say things like that either. lol). She laughed and said, "I did?"

She doesn't even know how much we drool over him.

Anyway, Claire's in the process of writing the second book in this series, DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN. She knows there are some very strong Cole fans out there dying for a piece of him, er...more of his story. ;)

So.....she has decided to release an exclusive excerpt in his point of view....on my blog!!! I nearly fainted when she told me she would. I, like never, get exclusive stuff!  Thank you, Claire!!!

It's delicious and it's going to leave you wanting more. But I'm sure you already are. haha I was nearly salivating over reading Cole's POV. He curses in it. I love when he does.

After I read this snippet, I sent Claire a text and told her she needed to send me all of what she's written so far.

I cannot reveal if I have it or not. <enter evil laugh>



Cole
I rub my forehead trying to contain the impending head ache that I feel coming my way as I pace our empty apartment.
            “Call again,” I growl at Bruce who has been trying to reach Spencer for the past half hour.
            As usual, when my flight landed I called Blake, and to my pure horror she didn’t answer the phone. She hasn’t been answering her phone all day and the one time she did call me, I couldn’t answer mine. Everything is exactly as it was that day. That horrible fucking day and I don’t think I can deal with any more heart palpitations.
            “Let’s go,” I demand. “We’re going to Mark’s. That’s where she was going when I spoke to her.”
I call Connor’s cell phone again and this time he picks up. He tells me that he left Blake with Aubry in the apartment earlier tonight and hadn’t checked in since he’d been busy.
            “I’m going to Mark’s.”
            “Don’t bother, he left the office after we did. Dude, you don’t even know what happened...” Connor says before he proceeds to explain.
            Needless to say, I feel like absolute shit that once again I wasn’t here when she needed me the most. I know there’s nothing I can do about it, my only options are to quit my job or take her with me everywhere I go. Since she’s not going to let me do either one of those, I need to figure out another solution to this. The worst part is, I wasn’t even working today. Not that I was any less busy, but on top of not being here for her, the fact that I was a car ride away and ignoring her calls because I was under pressure to finish shit...it doesn’t sit well with me.
            “So she met her dad?” I ask to be absolutely sure.
            “Yeah, man. It wasn’t pretty. She walked out of there...it was bad Cole. Really fucking bad.”
            “Fuck,” I mutter. “Thanks. I have to keep looking.”
            “Hold on,” Connor says as he switches over the other line.
I put the phone on speaker and place it on the seat next to me as I crack my knuckles and try to figure out who else to call. Aimee! I haven’t called her yet. I’m about to hang up the phone but Connor comes back to the line and apologizes.
            “I know where she is,” he breathes.
            “Where?” I ask on edge.
            “Green’s with Aubry.”
            “Did she just fucking call you?” I growl not able to hide my annoyance about it.
            “Nope. Dean did.”
            My mouth pops open in disbelief. I close my eyes and take deep breaths to control the rage I feel rippling through my body. “I need to get to Jimmy Green’s, Bruce,” I say through gritted teeth.
            “She called him, Cole. Remember that when you get there.”
            I let out a harsh laugh. “Oh yeah, that makes me feel so much fucking better, asshole. Fuck. Why would she call him?” I mumble to myself.
            “I don’t know, but...just be careful. Dean’s nice to Blake, but don’t try him Cole.”
            “Don’t try him? Don’t cross him? Are you fucking kidding me?” I shout.
            “Just be smart. Guys like Dean will shank you if you get crazy with it. Be careful. I wish I could go, but I still have some shit to take care of.”
            I hang up with Connor and place my elbows on my knees while I will myself to calm down. I know I need to be open minded about this, I know Blake wants her answers and he’s one of the only people willing to answer her, but fuck. And what the fuck is Aubry thinking? I’m going to kill him when I see him. I can’t wrap my head around why she would contact him and have him meet her at a bar. I decide to call Aimee, which ends up being a bad idea because she tells me that when she left our place Blake and Aubry were already pretty drunk. So Blake drunk dialed Dean, lovely. This just gets better and better. I’m working my ass off trying to build something for us and she’s calling a guy that helped kidnap her behind my back. I shake my head in amazement and turn my attention to the city lights around me. At least she’s okay, that’s all that matters.
            When we pull up to the bar, I take one more minute to calm down before wiping my clammy hands over my dress pants and getting out. I look inside and see Aubry sitting in the bar watching highlights of the game and I anxiously look around for Blake. When I spot her looking beautiful yet sad, so fucking sad, in a dark booth with a guy sitting across from her I close my eyes and count to ten. I see that Spencer isn’t far away from her and is watching them intently, and that calms my nerves some. I walk in and go straight up to Aubry and smack him in the back of the head.
            “Shit. What the fuck?” Aubry says ducking his head and glaring at me. “Oh. Cole.”
            “Oh. Cole?” I growl. “Oh Cole?! Where the fuck is your phone?”
            “Out of battery,” he slurs, his blue eyes glazed over.
            “You’re so drunk.”
            He laughs humorously. “So is Cowboy!” his eyes widen. “She’s with Dean.”
            I narrow my eyes at him, but make no comment before I walk up to the booth their in and stand with my arms crossed at my chest glaring at both of them. Their hushed conversation seizes and their heads turn to me, when they see me both of their eyes go wide. Dean recovers quickly and raises an eyebrow at me, Blake recovers as quickly and glares at me. She’s pissed at me. SHE is pissed at me? Hell no.
            “What the fuck is that face for?” I ask as I work my jaw and place my hands on the edge of the table, clutching it to try to maintain for chocking Dean and pulling her out.
            “I don’t want to talk to you. You can go home,” she states before returning her attention to Dean, which pisses me off even more.
            “You don’t want to talk to me?” I ask in disbelief. “You don’t want to talk to me? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I’VE BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST HOUR?”
            Her gray eyes thunder before they become cat like slits. “You?” she asks as she slides out of the booth to stand in front of me. I take a step back so that I can see her face better. “You?” she asks again as she pounds one fits on my chest. “FUCK. YOU,” she screams before turning around to storm away. I grab her forearm and pull her back to me. She turns around and glares at me before jerking her arm away and continuing her walk to the front of the bar. By the time I reach her I’m fully aware that every head in this place is turned to us as she sways drunkenly and I shake in rage.
            “Blake, you better turn around and fucking talk to me. NOW,” I shout when I get outside.
            “Go home, Cole,” she shouts back as she continues to walk down the street. Both Spencer and Bruce are scrambling to get on either side of us and I just want to tell them to leave us alone for a goddamn minute. My mind processes her words slowly.
            “I am going home. We’re going home right now dammit!”
            She stops suddenly, making me crash into her back and put my arm around her waist to keep her from falling. She turns slowly and pushes me away from her. I step back enough so that I can see her face.
            “We,” she says while signaling her hand between us. “Are not going anywhere. You can go home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” The mixture of the tone of her voice and her troubled eyes makes my heart begin to beat ten times more rapidly than normal. I feel the air constricting in my lungs, as her thunderous gray eyes continue to suck the life out of me.
            “What do you mean?” I ask quietly. Surely she’s not breaking up with me. God, no. I’ve felt this pain too many times already, you’d think I would be used to her pushing me away. It’s unbelievable that she has the ability to dissect my heart with just words.
            “I mean that I’m not going home with you tonight. You can go home by your damn self.”
            “Blake, just talk to me. What’s wrong? What did I do?”
            She shakes her head somberly as tears pool her eyes. “What did you not do?” she whispers hoarsely. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I can’t even think straight right now.” 

One very lucky person will win a KEEP CALM & LOVE COLE bag (pictured bellow), three different bookmarks (pictured below) and a magnet for the fridge (not pictured below because I am lazy).

To be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment for Claire letting her know what you think of the teaser, LIKE her Facebook page and add DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN to your Goodreads to-read list. Don't forget to leave your email address so a winner can be contacted. Thanks!!!

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