Thursday, August 16, 2012

Today's Special - - Heather Snow

PJ here!  I'm so excited to welcome Heather Snow back to The Romance Dish today!  Heather's debut book, Sweet Enemy is fresh, original and one of my favorite books released in the first half of 2012.  When I finished it I immediately started counting down the days until  Derick Aveline's story, Sweet Deception.  I'm reading it now and loving every minute of Emma and Derick's adventure!  

Heather is a historical romance author with a degree in Chemistry who discovered she much preferred creating chemistry on the page, rather than in the lab.  She lives in the Midwest with her husband, two rambunctious boys and one very put upon cat.  Find out more or connect with Heather at:






When Characters Surprise Us…

Lady criminologist, Miss Emma Wallingford, unknowingly finds herself tangled in the dangerous final mission of Lord Derick Aveline, a spy who also happens to be her long lost first love. But when deception, however sweet, is the name of the game, no one can be trusted. And every love—and every life—is at risk.



Hello! Heather Snow here and I am thrilled to be continuing my blog tour for Sweet Deception here at The Romance Dish. Thank you for having me back again! What I am doing for this tour is pulling back the curtain of Sweet Deception a bit, sharing a few of my favorite passages from the book each day while letting you in on the thoughts behind them. You can keep up with the stops (or go back and read ones you missed) either on my website (www.HeatherSnowBooks.com) or my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AuthorHeatherSnow).

As I mentioned in earlier posts in the blog tour, Derick was very much an enigma to me when I started writing. You see, he was a spy working for the War Department in Sweet Enemy. He had a very specific mission to accomplish in that book and could be whoever I needed him to be.  But when he stepped onto the page of his own story? He surprised me throughout…

Derick released a long breath, but it did little to relieve the arousal humming through him. How long had it been since a woman, any woman, affected him so? Maybe such a reaction was to be expected, given this was the closest he’d come to touching a woman in two years. But this was Pygmy, for God’s sake. Pygmy! Where had his control gone?
It was that damnable scent, he decided. Lavender mingled with something more . . . earthy. He always had preferred earthy. Or perhaps it was that even her shapeless overcoat couldn’t hide the curve of her hips or her surprisingly rounded bosom. Or maybe it was the way she moved with him, the backs of her thighs rolling with the motion of the horse, flexing and relaxing against him much as they would if she were—
Derick swallowed, hard. He’d never had a woman across his lap on horseback before, hadn’t known how alluring it could be. That must be it. Not the woman herself.
He had to find a way of distracting himself from his inconvenient awareness of her softness nestled so close to his . . . hardness.

What was that, Derick? You’ve been celibate by choice for two years? I had no idea until I wrote that line. You see, I’d envisioned him as sort of the Regency James Bond, wooing his way through Europe, devil-may-care. I had intended to write that light-hearted character I thought he was. And yet Derick had other ideas…as he started whispering in my ear, I realized he was a much darker character than I’d thought. Yes, he was devil-may-care on the surface, full of flashing grins and witty repartee, but underneath churned shame and guilt and a soul in search of redemption that he didn’t even think was possible—much less in the arms of Emma, his childhood nemesis, who as it turns out, was the only woman who would be able to reach the man he used to be and help him find his way back into the light.

Luckily, as characters sometimes do, he knew better than me and became a much richer hero because of it. I hope you enjoy reading Derick and Emma’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Please look out for SWEET DECEPTION, available now, wherever books are sold.

I’ll be happy to give away a copy of my debut, SWEET ENEMY, the first book in this series. To enter, simply leave me a comment and answer the question: Did you have a childhood nemesis? And are you still friends today?



  
SWEET DECEPTION Available NOW:


79 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new release, Heather. I didn't have a childhood nemesis. I think I got along with most of my classmates.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you got along with everyone, Jane. I searched my memory but I can't remember anyone I didn't get along with in school.

      Delete
    2. Hi Jane. Thank you! That's lovely to hear...I had a few different nemeses along the way, and I can't say I enjoyed the experience with any of them.

      Delete
  2. When I was in grade school there were a couple of neighborhood boys who would qualify as my nemesis. However we moved away in 6th grade and I don't even remember their names. At our new home in the country, my family made a big deal about the only other child who lived near us was my age (there had been none before). Well, we were like oil and water. I was the oldest of 6 and she was an only child, we both had the same name, etc. She got along well with my younger sister, but we barely tolerated each other. As adults we see each other whenever i visit home and aren't close friends but rather friendly acquaintances.

    I am so glad you are making your heroines women of science. It is a great field and we were denied access for such a long time. You have to admire those ladies that fought to study and be recognized in the early years. Most young women studying today don't realize how very different it was just 45 years ago. I can remember being the only woman in a group of 50 to 60 people working on an environmental field day with both government and private agencies. I am sure the split would be closer to 50/50 today. Keep bringing us those stubborn, intelligent women.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you on loving Heather's heroines! Keep them coming!

      Delete
    2. Thank you, librarypat :) I'm so glad people are enjoying my stubborn lady scientists :)

      It is sometimes hard to fathom not having the opportunities we have as women. I am grateful for every one of us who came before who paved the way!

      Delete
  3. Hi Heather, I think I'm going to love your next book! When you grow up with one older sister and two younger brothers you have your own built in nemesis'. Need I say more? LOL! But all that is past and we are a close family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, Flora, even growing up with five younger brothers, I didn't really have a nemesis among them. Okay, there was the time brother #1 threatened to auction off my diary (I think I was around 14 at the time) but other than that, nope. No nemesis. ;-)

      Delete
    2. Hi Flora! My brother and I love to talk about the rotten things we used to do to each other...well, mostly rotten things he did to me ;) Still, it was all good bonding, I guess!

      Delete
  4. I never had a childhood nemesis. Something I'm very glad to say.

    The entire series looks wonderful!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are wonderful books, Marybelle! Hope you give them a try!

      Delete
    2. Thank you marybelle. I've certainly had fun writing them :) I'm very glad to hear you were nemesis free!

      Delete
  5. I never had a childhood nemesis, unless you count my sister and brother, lol. Being the middle child, I was often in arguments with both of them. Now, we all get along perfectly.
    I have been wanting to read Heather's books since the first time I saw the first one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now's a good time to give them a try, June. Hope you enjoy!

      Middle children seem to get it from both sides, don't they?

      Delete
    2. Hi June! Oh yes, brothers and sisters definitely count! I'm glad to hear you are all fast friends now!

      Delete
  6. Hi Heather! Welcome back and congratulations on the release of Sweet Deception! I'm reading it right now and loving it.

    I'm happy to sat that I never had a childhood nemesis - nor an adult one either!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi PJ! Thank you so much for having me :) I'm glad to hear you are loving Derick and Emma's story...I've been interested to hear what people who loved Sweet Enemy thought, as SD is a bit faster and darker.

      That is wonderful that you've not had any! Sadly, I had a couple along the way, but none now. Who has time to put that much negative energy into another person? ;)

      Delete
  7. Hi Heather. This is good book. I never had a childhood namesis, lucky for that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dian! Welcome to Romance Dish!

      Delete
    2. Hi Dian. Thank you for stopping by. That is nice to hear that you were nemesis free :)

      Delete
  8. Yes, I have a nemesisz. It's a boy , we started as a good friend and then when we were on 5th grade his attitude totally changed. He turned into a brand new hellboy who terrorize my life at school . He taunted and bullied me and no I refused to be his friend after that . I already have the sweet enemy please do not count me in. Aretha ,arethazhenATrocketmailDOTCOM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aretha, I think a lot of boys turn into unrecognizable creatures around that age. Sorry you had to go through it though.

      Delete
    2. Hi Arethazhen -- oh no :( How awful. Hopefully he grew up to be a kind person, but I'm sorry he wasn't to you

      Delete
  9. Hi Heather! This is a great book - and thank you for the opportunity to win - I don't recall ever having a childhood nemesis - LOL - of course, there was the usual teasing when we were kids, but I am still friends with many of my schoolmates from long ago!

    Felicia
    mrschopchop@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Felicia, how wonderful that you've been able to maintain those friendships. There's something very special about having a friend who's known you since childhood.

      Delete
    2. Hi Felicia, that's so nice that you've maintained such long friendships. I envy that :)

      Delete
  10. Good morning and welcome back, Heather! We are so happy to have you dishing with us today. :) Congrats on the new release!

    My friends and I had a nemesis when we were pre-teens. The girl was a year or two older, an only child, totally spoiled, and got away with everything. Not sure what she's up to today as we eventually moved and it wasn't like I wanted to keep in touch. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a girl like that too, Andrea but, luckily for me, we got along. Others were not so lucky.

      Delete
    2. Hi Andrea! Thanks for having me :) It would be interesting to see how some people turned out, though, wouldn't it? Curiosity...

      Delete
  11. I don't remember any one person who was my nemesis, but I was very shy as a little girl and my family didn't have a lot of money, so I had a lot of kids who were not very nice to me. I do not live in that area any more, but if I did I am sure we would be friendly with each other. I have no hard feelings. Kids are just that way for some reason. I would so love to win your book Heather!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, did you see that you're one of our recent winners? We haven't received your mailing info yet.

      Delete
    2. Mary, it is interesting that kids are "just that way". It's so true, generation after generation--the mechanisms may change, but the gist is still the same. Human nature, I suppose. It is nice that people are really shedding light on the problem now, though, more than they used to.

      Delete
  12. Congratulations on the release of Sweet Deception, Heather. I'm reading it now-- more slowly than I'd like since I am again on deadline, but I'm loving Derick and Emma. Reunion stories are my favorites.

    I did have a childhood nemesis--a nasty bully who beat me up once on the way home from school. But I also had a hero who rescued me and gave the bully a taste of his own medicine. I have no idea what happened to the bully, but the hero is still a friend, now a middle school principal, and no doubt still dealing with bullies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Next time you see your friend, please give him a hug and thank you from me! I hate the thought of anyone being mean to you but to beat you up? Unacceptable!

      Delete
    2. Hi Janga! I'm so glad you're enjoying Sweet Deception. Believe me, I understand about deadlines!

      How lovely to hear that there was a hero to rescue you :) And fantastic that you are still friends...and sadly, probably true that they are still dealing with bullies. It's neverending

      Delete
  13. Congratulations on your new release Heather!

    I did not have a childhood nemesis. I can happily say that I am still friends today with the 3 girls I grew up with since we were toddlers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Suzy! How wonderful to have maintained that friendship since your toddler years. Do you all still live near one another?

      Delete
    2. Thanks, SuzyQ. And what a blessing! I wish I still had friendships that were that longstanding. What a gift!

      Delete
    3. Yes, two of us still live in the same town and the other two live one town over. I truly am blessed to have life-long friends.

      Delete
  14. Congrats on your book! Love the first book so looking forward to this one.

    I had one when I was growing up. She used to make fun of me with her friends in grade 6. She apologized to me at the end of grade 8 so people do grow up and mature!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grade 6 seems to be a rough age for girls. I hear many stories of girls being mean and bullying in our middle school.

      Delete
    2. Hi May! Thank you so much...hope you love SD, too! That is nice that she apologized...not all do. I hope it helped you, too. I was reading about this teacher who had kids ball up a piece of notebook paper and then try to smooth it out again, which of course, you never can. She explained that when we bully, we scar people and even when we apologize and try to smooth it over later, those scars never fully go away. I thought that was a great visual.

      Delete
  15. A grade school girl, one year ahead of me was my nemesis. Funny thing - I recently friended her on facebook, and she doesn't even remember she hated me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny how those memories fade over time for the instigators.

      Delete
    2. Christy P, Ha! Isn't that typical :) Ah well, it's nice that you can be friends now.

      Delete
  16. Congratulations on your book. No; luckily I never had a childhood nemesis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kim! Thanks for stopping by. Glad to hear you were nemesis-free!

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Kim. Yes, very lucky!

      Delete
  17. I've heard really good things about your book - sounds wonderful. I can't really say I had a particular nemesis. There, of course, were some girls that I didn't get along with or they didn't get along with me but no words were ever said. We just ignorned each other lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Catslady, I highly recommend Sweet Enemy and am enjoying Sweet Deception!

      Delete
    2. Hi catslady, Ignoring works! :) If you can't say something nice...

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  18. Congrats on the new release! Fortunately, I never had a nemesis. I was pretty shy, so I guess I flew below anyone else's radar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes, flying under the radar can be a good thing. ;-)

      Delete
    2. Hi cheryl c. Thanks! I'm with PJ on this one...nothing wrong with being under the radar :)

      Delete
  19. You know, I didn't. I kind of just made friends with everyone. Not so today. I'm a little more cynical ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chelsea,

      I hit that cynical phase about 25, I think...where I stopped being quite as personable, giving and a bit more discerning. I think it corresponds with how busy our lives start to get, career and family wise. Less time for relationships that aren't mutually beneficial, maybe?

      Thanks for coming by!

      Delete
  20. Yes, I had one childhood nemesis: my next-door neighbour. No, we are not friends today. However, her parents invite me into their home (and vice-versa) and we've visited there a few times in recent years, and I exchange newsletters/Christmas cards with her parents too. I consider her parents good friends of mine (and my daughter).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laney4. Mine was my next door neighbor, too! (As, I suppose it is with Derick and Emma, though in those days, next door might be a couple of miles away!).

      Delete
  21. Hello Lovely Ladies! *waving*

    First off I need to let you know how much I enjoyed reading SWEET ENEMY, a wonderful book! Who ever wins this book will be a very lucky person. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on SWEET DECEPTION. You just keep writing and I'll keep buying! :-)

    I am counting myself as a lucky one because I was always able to get along with anyone and everyone. When I was younger no problem making friends, same now that I'm older, easy-peasy for me. Maybe it's becaus I have a big-mouth and tend to yack way too much!! LOL!!

    P.S. ~ please do not enter me in giveaway. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Dalila! Thank you SO much. I'm thrilled you enjoyed Sweet Enemy :) I hope you enjoy Sweet Deception just as much! It's faster and darker, but still a wonderful story, I think!

      What a wonderful gift, to get along. I'm sure it is due to your winning personality ;)

      Delete
  22. No, I didn't.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Congrats Heather on the new release! I'm so looking forward to reading this book as I loved Sweet Enemy!!! No childhood nemesis... kinda feel like I missed out though :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi erin! Thanks so much. No, you didn't miss out... ;)

      Delete
  24. congrats!

    i don't have a lot of friends when i was a kid. i kinda a close kid. such a sad thing..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi sienny - thanks! That is a little sad, but honestly, aside from my cousins, I don't have any friends from those days still in my life. I am very grateful for the friends I've made since :)

      Delete
  25. I didn't have a long term nemesis, but I can still remember one girl in grammar school who would come after me on the playground & dig her fingernails into my arm - ouch! I often wonder what kids like that are like when they grow up - probably still bullies.
    I'm curious about these books - intigueing idea having the heroines have skills & interests primarily attached to males - especially in that time frame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Di -- ouch is right! Hopefully she grew up to be a lovely and gracious woman :)

      When I sat down to write, I knew my stories would have scientists in them...and any that I'd read, the man always got to be the "professor" type. I wanted my heroines to get to have the fun! It's been a ball writing them :)

      Delete
  26. Heather, congrats on your new book! I still haven't read SE and need to do so. Note to self: get busy and get reading!

    I do have a childhood nemesis and I haven't seen her since 6th grade and really never care to do so. She was always making rude and snobby comments, but never physically did any harm. She was just downright mean and ugly in her demeanor. I stayed out of her way and that usually worked.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Deb! Thanks so much :) I hope you enjoy Sweet Enemy (and Sweet Deception, of course!). I would definitely say SD is a bit more intense, as the mystery is fresh (whereas in SE, the mystery is an old one being peeled back layer after layer), but I love them both!

      It is amazing to me how mean kids can be. :(

      Delete
  27. I did have a nemisis. She was horrible. She did not become mean until 3rd grade. The sad thing was we were friends and playmates in 1st grade. She was like that all through school. I have seen her since. We are not friends. I am still bitter at her being mean. I saw her a couple of years ago and she was being super nice and said we should get together. I did not call her to hang out. Like I said I am still bitter.
    Heather is a new autho for me. I love to read and always looking for new books and authors to check out. Thanks for the giveawayh.
    Christinebails@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for being with us today, Heather. Best wishes for Sweet Deception!

    ReplyDelete
  29. There was a girl when I was in 5th grade that I still think of in a bad light. I don't remember why. I moved away from that school many years ago and never kept in touch with anyone from there.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Luckily no! Of course I do have friends who love to bring up the good ole days (translation embarrassing moments you would love to forget!) :P

    ReplyDelete
  31. LOL... my oldest sister... forever saying... I didn't get to do that when I was her age.... now we're really close ..
    Nice giveaway for us fans.. we're looking forward to more of your work...

    ReplyDelete
  32. Do sisters count? I have 4 and my older sister and I always fought. Now she's very odd and quirky and the rest of us wonder is she came from the same parents.

    ReplyDelete
  33. My chilhood nemesis was a boy that was a bully. We never became friends and he passed away from drug use years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Yes, I had a childhood nemesis through middle school. I don't know what happened to her but I hope she got what she had coming. She was just plain mean.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I've had a few nemeses, but fortunately not too many. I'm not really friends with any of them for we've all scattered to the winds, though I accidentally accepted a few as FB friends.

    ReplyDelete