Sloan Parker Blog

I’m thrilled to announce the winners of my 2nd Annual Happy Holidays Giveaway (original giveaway post is here).

There were over 100 entries which means there are 3 winners this year.

So here are the 3 random winners (selected using random.org) who will receive their choice of a $25 gift certificate from ARe, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Congratulations to…

SarahM

Tracey D

Rita S

I’ll be emailing the three of you shortly so you can verify which gift certificate you’d like to receive. If you don’t get the email within 24 hours, feel free to contact me.

Thank you all for stopping by the blog and entering the giveaway. I had such a great time reading your responses to what you love about romances. I loved hearing from people who are as into this genre as I am. You all rock!

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and romance-filled 2012!

All the very best,
Sloan

As a thank-you to my readers and all readers of the romance genre, I’m holding a giveaway for free gift certificates (winners’ choice between Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance eBooks).

Here’s how the giveaway works:

One random winner will be selected from all who comment on this post. Additionally, for every 50 entries another gift certificate will be given away (up to a maximum of 6 total winners). All winners will have their choice from the following options:

• Option 1: $25 gift certificate to amazon.com
• Option 2: $25 gift certificate to barnesandnoble.com
• Option 3: $25 gift certificate to allromanceebooks.com

Rules and instructions for the giveaway are listed below. Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST Sunday, January 1, 2012 or as soon as there are 250 entries (whichever comes first).

Instructions / Rules

• To enter, leave a comment on this blog post indicating that you’d like to enter and share what you love about reading romances.
• Be sure to include a valid email address in the email form field in order to be entered in the drawing. Your email address is for my use only (in order to contact the winners). It will NOT be published on the blog or used for marketing/promotional purposes.
• If for any reason you cannot leave a comment, email me and I’ll post your comment for you (that way everyone can see how many entries there are).
• Winners are randomly drawn from the total list of entries.
• One entry per person please.
• Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST Sunday, January 1, 2012 or as soon as there are 250 entries (whichever comes first).
• Winners will be announced on the blog and privately emailed within 48 hours after the giveaway ends.
• If I do not hear back from any winner with his or her selection within two weeks, I reserve the right to select another winner.

Feel free to share the link to this blog post. There’s also a direct link to the giveaway on my website.

Good luck to all who enter and thank you again for your love of reading!

Also, for those of you interested in my latest release, Take Me Home, a friends-to-lovers romance, check out Chris’s post at Stumbling Over Chaos for a chance to win an ebook of Take Me Home. (Thanks, Chris, for hosting the giveaway!)

Happy reading in 2012!

Much love and happiness to you all.
Sloan

Reminder: To enter the gift certificate giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post indicating that you’d like to enter and share what you love about reading romances.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog hop giveaway for all your interest in reading Take Me Home. And for the wonderful comments about my writing and the rainbow awards. I have the best readers!!

The winner of my blog hop giveaway is Sylwia. Congratulations, Sylwia! I’ve sent you an email.

Thanks again, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

Thanks to author Drea Becraft, a huge group of authors are participating in a blog hop giveaway. There are over 190 authors offering up prizes on their blogs. All the contests will start Friday, December 16, 2011 and will go until midnight Sunday, December 18, 2011. (Not sure, but that might be midnight EST). Just go to the blog hop page and click to each author’s blog to enter their giveaways.

For my contest, I’m giving away one e-book copy of TAKE ME HOME. The winner will be selected randomly from all who comment here on this post. Be sure to include your email address in the email form field so I can contact the winner.

Also, I was recently interviewed at Joyfully Jay, sharing more about the writing of Take Me Home. You can also enter there for another chance to win a copy of the book. Just leave a comment on the post for a chance to win. The giveaway closes Tuesday, December 20 at 11:59 pm EST.

Happy Holidays!

Edited to add: Thanks guys for all your interest in reading Take Me Home. And for the wonderful comments about my writing and the rainbow awards. I have the best readers!!

Thanks again, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.

I mentioned the other day there would be a few more chances to win a copy of TAKE ME HOME. The lovely Janna at Rarely Dusty Books invited me to do a guest blog today. I’m talking about the setting of the train in Take Me Home and how setting can be used to help shape the story and the characters.

Comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book on release day. The winner will be announced on December 13.

What are some of your favorite settings in a romance? I’d love to hear from you!

In the next two weeks there will be several chances to win an ebook copy of my upcoming release, Take Me Home.

The first is at my guest blog post at Babes in Boyland where I’m talking about Sex, Love & Danger. The giveaway closes on Tuesday, 12/6/2011 at 9PM CST.

Keep an eye on my blog for more chances to win.

Elisa Rolle is hosting an anniversary party on her blog today. Stop by to congratulate her and enter to win a free gift. There’s a huge list and it still looks like there are a lot of items left as of this posting.

Congratulations to Elisa for much success on her blog and a huge thanks for all she does for LGBT books.

Sorry I didn’t get anything posted yesterday. It was a crazy Monday, but a good kind of crazy. Today I’m going through the line edits for Take Me Home. Should be getting cover art in the next few weeks. I’ll share the art and a new excerpt as soon as I can. It’s getting closer!

I’m thrilled to share that part 3 of More Than Just a Good Book is now available. You can read the opening of it below. I’ve also updated the cover art based on tips I learned in a publishing class. A special thank-you to Connie and Rosie for critiquing the story.

If you check it out, I hope you enjoy this next installment of Mark and Scott’s story.

More Than Just a Good Book: Part Three

Mark had no words. He just stared down at Scott. He couldn’t help himself. Never had he met anyone this smart and sexy, so utterly inspiring. “You’re pretty cool, you know that?”

Scott met his stare. “Me?”

“Hell yeah, you.”

“Oh.” Scott searched Mark’s eyes. “Have you…” He looked away and shifted his ass between Mark’s thighs.

“What?”

Scott stilled and met his gaze again. “Have you done this a lot?”

“Done what?” Mark moved to lie on his side beside Scott again, and Scott followed until they were face-to-face. The intimacy of being in bed with a guy long after the sex washed over him. This was crazy. He was usually the one coming on strong. Now it was Scott, with his curiosity and quiet, nervous charm, who was the one slamming into Mark’s resolve to take this slow. To keep his emotions in check. Or else he’d push Scott too far too fast. He didn’t want to scare Scott off. He could come on strong, could be too intense for most guys.

Scott said, “Bring men home you barely know.”

“Sometimes.” None of them had been this interesting, this meaningful, not on a first date. He kept that to himself.

Scott’s brow furrowed, and then, in a swift move, he turned onto his back.

Shit. That look. Hurt? Confused? Mark didn’t want Scott to misunderstand. What they’d done at the library and again at his apartment was special—damn special. But yet again, he held back from saying too much. Not now. Not yet. He sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I’m not all about getting laid. It’s just sometimes I meet someone, and I bring him home.”

“Of course.” Scott sat up and turned away, his legs swinging off the side of the bed. “I get it. I mean, I know I’m weird. Not going out that much…not sleeping around…”

“That’s not weird.” He couldn’t hold back on all of it. “It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted anyone to stay in bed with me. Since I’ve wanted to talk with a guy.”

Scott turned and met Mark’s gaze. “But you’re talking to me.”

“Yeah. That’s the difference with you.”

Scott cocked his head to the side, not as animated as before, but he was still staring with an openness that called to Mark. “Difference?”

“I want to get to know you. I’d like to see you again.”

Scott pulled one leg onto the bed and turned toward him. “Yeah?”

Mark hesitated. This could be more than he’d let himself hope for with any man. More than he was ready to put himself on the line for. So far Scott was proving he was worth the chance. Even with only the possibility of four months. “Yeah.”

“That…that would be—” Scott stood. “I don’t know how to—I should go.” He glanced around the room, his head jerking side to side so quickly he’d give himself whiplash if he didn’t let up. “Where are my pants?”

Mark sat up. “Living room. Scott, what’s wrong?”

Read more

My latest short story “SWEPT AWAY” is now available to read at the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads. If you’re not a member you can also read it on my website or download a copy. (For those who are not members of the Goodreads group I recommend you check it out. It’s a great community for readers of m/m romance. Even if you don’t enjoy participating in book discussions there’s a lot of other entertaining and informative threads, even for lurkers, such as reading challenges, book giveaways, author release news, online retailer sales, and more.)

If you check out “SWEPT AWAY” I hope you enjoy it. It’s a romantic one dedicated to Sean who shared the photo and words that started Eddie and Mike’s story.

Blurb for Swept Away
The biggest case of Eddie’s career and nothing’s going right. He’s stuck in a stifling courtroom with the air conditioning on the fritz during the worst heat wave in years, and the judge has denied his latest motion. He just wants to spend a quiet night celebrating with his partner, Mike, on their fifteenth anniversary.

But Mike has a surprise in mind this year. A surprise that may be more than Eddie imagined possible.

Add it to your bookshelf

Thanks for checking it out.
Sloan

I have a cover for my new short story “Swept Away” (coming soon to Goodreads and sloanparker.com).

Blurb for Swept Away
The biggest case of Eddie’s career and nothing’s going right. He’s stuck in a stifling courtroom with the air conditioning on the fritz during the worst heat wave in years, and the judge has denied his latest motion. He just wants to spend a quiet night celebrating with his partner, Mike, on their fifteenth anniversary.

But Mike has a surprise in mind this year. A surprise that may be more than Eddie imagined possible.