D

D
As many of you may know, our beloved sister hostess SHARON DONOVAN, tragically passed away on 11th April 2012. We who knew her, loved her, and were inspired by her courage and determination to face head on whatever life threw at her. When she could no longer see to paint she turned to writing and showed her amazing talent in the Inspirational Romance and Romantic Suspense genres, and her story 'Charade Of Hearts' was awarded the coveted Predators and Editors Award in January 2011.

This Blog was a source of great delight to her, she was one of the founder hostesses and she contributed to the fun and silliness in her own original way, and was kind enough to let her unique creation, the hunky butler 'Oliver' join us for our Friday romp and prepare 'virtual breakfast' for the guests on the following morning. It's beyond hard to have to go on without her, but we know that she would have been the first to insist that 'the show must go on.' She is, and will always be with us in spirit.
Sharon, dear friend, we will never forget you.
The Author Roast and Toast is part of the legacy you left us. Let's raise a Toast to you as well as all our guests.
***********************************************************

Friday, January 31, 2014

Passions Sacred Dance - Juli D. Revezzo's celebration in the Snow in Florida

                                         

The hostesses and their sidekicks pile out of the snow covered taxi cab  and rush to greet
JULI D REVEZZO, 
at the open door of the Florida Guest House where they are holding a party to celebrate her wonderful new release PASSION'S SACRED DANCE.

 She ushers them inside and they stamp the snow off their boots.


















"Snow in Florida," Mary enthuses, I can hardly believe it!"
"Juli's story takes place in present day Florida during one of our worst winters ever," Lilly tells them.

"I can't wait to read this," Mac says, "there are Irish warriers and ancient battles and legends, and the actual, final battle is only a few days away on February 2nd..."

"Shh, don't give the plot away," A J cautions, pausing for a moment in her incessant tapping on her i-phone.

"You must be cold.  We'll eat in a moment, but first let's have something to warm us all up," Juli says and rings a bell.

"That's a great idea," Melissa agrees.

Immediately The irresistable Oliver appears, with glasses of comforting hot Irish coffee for everyone. He opens the door into the dining room where there are tables laden with steaming Brigid's Broth, and slices of Irish Sunday teacake. 

 Lyn's eyes light up when she spots several flaggons of Mead.
Brigid's Broth
"Mmmmm - and did you know mead is known  as the'honeymoon drink'? she asks.





















A knock at the door sounds, and moments later, Oliver appears again and anounces two very special guests - the hero and Heroine of Juli's book, Stacy and Aaron.

The hostesses rise to greet the lovely Stacy, then they see Aaeron following closely behind.  There is a collective sigh and a thump as together they swoon and flop back onto the settee.  Juli - your hero is GORGEOUS!

While the hostesses recover, let's wish JULI D REVEZZO  huge success with PASSIONS OF THE SACRED DANCE and learn a little more about her wonderful new paranormal romance. Don't forget to watch the video at the end of this post as well - and PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT  if you wish to be put in the draw for a copy of her book.

Synopsis
The all important buy link: http://smarturl.it/xc5d


Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.



Excerpt.

Can you love a man without knowing who or what he is? Can there be love without trust? she wondered.

Been there, done that. Don’t want to do it again.

Good looks, bad temper. She had scars on her body to prove some handsome men couldn’t be trusted. She mentally shook her head to erase the memories flooding back and yet absently scrubbed her left foot against the old wound marring her right calf. “I’ve had some restless nights lately,” she said.

“I understand. Been there myself.” He tapped his temple. “Battles tend to stick, now and then.”

“Yeah. You should see some of the ones I’ve seen.”

Aaron’s brow rose.

She sniffed, but didn’t say more. “Are you ready to explain what that was about, yesterday?”
“I’m not sure to what you’re referring.”

How to put this? “The discussion you had with the lawyer?”

“Actually,” he said, “I rather hoped we could forget that nonsense ever happened.”


“Like I wish I could forget Janeus and Miller are offering for my place.” She waved a hand around the room. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, yesterday. Can you forgive me?”

“Forgive you for what?” Aaron wrapped his empty arm around her shoulders.

She suddenly couldn’t breathe steadily or remember where they were. She blinked and licked her lips, hoping for a kiss. Someone cleared a throat and Aaron pulled away. Stacy glanced at the student watching them.


“Come on,” Aaron said and tugged her toward the stairs. Did she see the student smile?

“Let’s see what your archivist might’ve found,” he urged.

Downstairs, Stacy chose a reading table and set her purse down. She cocked her head, reading the title of Aaron’s book as he set it beside her purse.


“Self-Mastery?” she read. “Don’t you know all about that?”


“It’s an ongoing struggle, no matter how advanced you are.”


“No matter how old?” she teased.


“Or how youthful.” He spun the book so she could get a better look. “Would you like to read it?”


BIO
Juli D. Revezzo is a Florida girl, with a love of fantasy, science fiction, and Arthurian legend, so much so she gained a B.A. in English and American Literature. She loves writing stories with fantastical elements whether it be a full-on fantasy, or a story set in this world-slightly askew. She is an author of paranormal fantasy, and has been published in short form in Eternal Haunted Summer, Dark Things II: Cat Crimes (a charity anthology for cat related charities), Luna Station Quarterly, The Scribing Ibis: An Anthology of Pagan Fiction in Honor of Thoth, Crossing the River: An Anthology in Honor of Sacred Journeys, and Twisted Dreams Magazine. She recently released her debut paranormal romance novel, Passion’s Sacred Dance.
Come learn more about her at http://julidrevezzo.com


***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of Juli's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Kathryn's Winner is...


CALISSA RHOSE

Congratulations,Calissa, your prize is on its way. 


Thanks to Kathryn Knight for being such a wonderful a guest of honour, and to everyone who commented and made this Roast such fun.

The hostesses appear on-stage, holding hands, to take a bow
They hug each other and wave before leaving the stage.

"Just another Author Roast and Toast!"


Join us again on 31st January, when our Guest will be Julie Revezzo


Friday, January 24, 2014

Kathryn Knight's Gull Harbour party and Giveaway

“Can you see them coming? Your idea to have them come three hours late was terrific, that way they won’t have the chance to embarrass us, well me, in any way! Everyone will have had a few glasses of punch by the time they walk in and…well , it was just a brilliant idea.” Kathryn Knight grins as she nods to Rae Monet, her cover artist for Gull Harbor

She’s planned the whole thing to a 'T'. The hostesses of the Author Roast and Toast are not going to ruin Kathryn's chances of winning the coveted, You GottaRead Cover contest.


"How many of them are there? Three, seven, six, any idea?” Kathryn picks up her champagne punch and savours a sip of the bubbly decadence. She smiles at her book cover birthday cake and coffee ice cream, along with those yummy iced cupcakes shaped like ghosts, covered with rich buttery icing, and heart shaped cookies make her mouth water.


Streamers of lovely pastels, birthday hats, all the trimming of a wonderful party that had been going on for hours filled the huge living room in full swing. The important ceremonies already long over, so most of the guest would welcome the hostess’s and their quirks. 
One with the phone glued to her, one with feet the size of... never mind that now.

Oh, and Oliver! She eyes him as he winks across the room at her, his sensuous smile flashed her back to Rae. “Let them in and give them all a nice glass of wine, by the time they realize what happened people will all be leaving. And this time, one of the authors on this terrific roast, gets back at all those hostesses in one fell swoop - all in the nicest possible way, of course.

Kathryn strolls over and opens the front door, her face beaming with pride over her great cover. “Welcome ladies, to the Author Roast and Toast, you’ve done a wonderful job with the food and decorations, but why are you so late?”

To vote for Kathryn's cover,  it's just a click.  It's at 
You Gotta Read. (Number 13)
Title: Gull Harbor
Author: Kathryn Knight
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
                                                                  BUY LINK
BLURB
http://yougottaread.com/category/cover-contest/ 

SILVER LAKE BUY LINK ~GULL HARBOR BUY LINK
When Claire Linden’s job sends her to the sleepy town of Gull Harbor, she never expects to encounter her ex-boyfriend. As a medium, the prospect of tackling a haunted house is less daunting than seeing Max Baron again. Throughout their passionate college relationship, he promised to love her forever. Then, without explanation, he abandoned her on graduation day.

Max never intended to break Claire’s heart–a cruel ultimatum forced him to disappear from her life. While he’s shocked to find her in Gull Harbor, he isn’t surprised by the bitter resentment she feels for him…or the fiery attraction that remains between them.

Claire is determined to rid her temporary home of its aggressive ghost, but Max soon realizes she’s facing a danger beyond the paranormal. When Claire risks everything to help a desperate spirit, Max must race to save her–before another tragedy tears them apart forever.

Excerpt:


She shook her head vigorously. “I can’t spend your money to do my job. That makes no sense.”


“It’s not about that, Claire. It’s about keeping you safe.” He closed the distance between them, setting off alarm bells in the back of her mind.


Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath. “I realize you’re trying to help me, and I appreciate that. But what gives you the right to worry about my safety?”


“I don’t need the right.” He stood over her, and she took a step backwards, bumping up against his desk. His words shouldn’t have sounded menacing, but for some reason, they did. She nodded weakly.


“I am going to keep you safe, Claire,” he said, his eyes flashing. He reached out and stroked her arm.


A shiver ran through her, and she gripped the edge of the desk for support. “Okay,” she breathed. Every nerve in her body was calling for him. She closed her eyes as his hands moved up to cradle her head.


His mouth seized hers, and her lips responded urgently. She lost herself in the kiss, her fingers weaving themselves around his neck and tangling in his hair. His hands moved to her waist, and she gasped as he hoisted her up on the desk.

As a child, Kathryn Knight kept her parents on a constant quest to find enough reading material to last her through each week. An early fondness for books about horses later gave way to a lasting preference for both love stories and ghost stories; as a writer, the paranormal romance genre is a perfect fit. Silver Lake, Kathryn's first novel, released in August of 2012 from The Wild Rose Press and was a Finalist in the 2013 RomCon Reader's Crown Awards.  Her second novel, Gull Harbor, released in February of 2013 and remained on the Kindle Bestseller list for 19 consecutive weeks.  She is currently working on a YA paranormal romance. She lives in New England with her husband, her sons, and a number of rescued animals.  You can also connect with Kathryn here:
***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of Kathryn's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)

Friday, January 17, 2014

The Hostesses Day Off

So, what do the hostess do on their day off?
Mostly, we write...


Look for the hostesses on their personal blogs and/or websites and see what the ladies are doing today.

Melissa's blog and website are:

Mary's blog and website are:
Mac's blog and website are:

Lyn's blog and website are:

Lilly's blog and website are:
AJ's blog and websites are:


***GIVEAWAY***
Check out the Author Roast and Toast Next Week for a chance to win the guest author's book.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Journey into space with Victoria Pinder and 'The Zoastra Affair'

The six hostesses arrive by bus to a hanger at a secret location. The bus has no windows and there is a panel between the passenger section and the driver's front window so none of them know their location. None of the hostesses were allowed to bring their trusty familiars. None but AJ, who managed to sneak her Precious iphone aboard in her jean's pocket.

She beetles her brow. "Neither my GPS nor Google Maps is working. I can't get a location."

"We were told not to bring anything," Lilly says. "Anything would include your iphone, don't ya think, AJ?"

AJ hunches over her Precious. "I never leave home without my phone. You're just upset because you couldn't bring TT."


Lilly pouts. "I didn't want to bring TT."

"That's because Victoria said we're taking a trip and there's limited space," Lyn chimes in. "I'm sure Cuddles could have used his magical powers to shrink himself down to the size of...hmmm....I don't know, an iphone maybe?" She turns to glare at AJ. "But I was obeying the rules."

"Please!" Melissa scoffs. "I'm sure I could have brought Morena along had I wanted to. She could have just taken Vonnie's place. I mean, Morena can pass as human."

"And she takes up the space of a human," Mac argues. "Foster is a fairy. He's tiny. I could have easily brought him on board."

Mary tsks and waggles a finger at her five sister hostesses. "Ladies, I would have liked to have brought Nibbie as well. Unlike TT, she's a large demon dog and she would have protected us from the unknown we're about to face, but there is only so much room at the transport location. Only six people can transport with Victoria at a time and we need to stick together. Still, you ladies have to admit you are just as curious to know where we are as AJ. So, I'm glad she brought her phone."

"But she can't get a location," Melissa argues. "I think she's worn her poor 'Precious' out."

"She does live on that thing," Mac agrees. "I bet all her aps are worn out. She probably needs a new phone."

AJ gasps, holding her phone to her chest. "It's not my phone. It's this spooky hanger."

Just then, a panel slides open in the side of the dome-shaped hanger and Science Fiction Romance Author Victoria Pinder steps inside. She waves the bus out and then walks forward toward the hostesses as the panel slides shut, leaving the ladies encased inside the large, white and eerily silent dome.

"Spooky," Lilly whispers, stepping closer to Mary.

"Welcome, sister authors and hostesses of The Roast," Victoria says as she walks forward. "I am so happy to meet you all and I'm thrilled that you have agreed to let 'my people' transport us to the location of my Roast. You're all going to have a blast..." she giggles and flashes a secretive smile. "No pun intended," she says as she waves her hand toward the far wall and another panel slides upward revealing a full moon and a darkened night sky."


"We're going to the moon?" Melissa asks, quirking her brow.

"What does a full moon have to do with Victoria's book?" AJ says as she types on her phone's keyboard to find information on Victoria's book. A gasp escapes. "Oh. My!"

Lyn giddily claps her hands together. "Oh my indeed. This is going to be so exciting."



Victoria smiles and steps toward a console. "I hope you will all think so as we step onto the transporter platform and our molecules are blasted through space on ribbons of light through the worm holes. Look beyond the moon, Melissa." Victoria touches the panel, zooming past the moon and the rest of the planets. The blinking cursor zooms past Jupiter, beyond Saturn and Neptune, even beyond that arguable moon that was once a planet, Pluto. 


"We're going beyond this solar system ladies...Beyond the moons of Jupiter and I'm bringing the Guinness. This, my friends, is a Space Party. Now, if you would please step forward and onto the transporter platform."







With another tap on the console, Victoria and the hostesses are  molecularly transported to the far-reaches of space before reappearing seconds later aboard an alien space craft. They are not on the bridge of some galactic war ship, but have been transported to a holiday deck. One whole wall is made of glass revealing stars and a not-so distant planet that looks nothing like earth. The other three walls are oddly alien as is the creature who greets them.

Thanks to Alexander Winston for his Original artwork (Before the hostesses crept in!)

Then a handsome man steps through a portal and into the room. "Greetings. My name is Cross. Welcome aboard the 'Millennium Falcon'."


Lilly's mouth gapes and Mac nearly drools. 

"Oh, my." Mary leans forward, as if her hands are itching to touch Cross's wide shoulders and fondle one of his tightly encased biceps.

A gorgeous woman steps forward, holding her hands out to encompass a feast that suddenly appears before them. "Please, make yourselves at home. There is plenty of Rael for everyone....you may know it as chicken and spicy rice. And there are other foods as well. Lovely, tasty dishes from many planets. "

Cross raises his hand, beckoning someone from the shadows, and Oliver steps forward decked out in a tight-fitting, sexy space getup made of some metallic material that has all the hostesses agog. He holds up a tray filled with bubbly champagne and dark beer.


Victoria snags a glass and raises it high. "Cheers!"


Lyn steps forward and snags a glass of bubbly. "Everyone grab a glass. It's time to celebrate Victoria's latest release,  The Zoastra Affair."

The Zoastra Affair
by Victoria Pinder
Published by Soul Mate Publishing

Science Fiction Romance

Heat Level: Steamy

Length: 258 pages
Available HERE

Blurb:

A hundred years from now, Earth has trading partners with alien beings, mostly humanoid. However, going into space brought forth an unknown enemy who attacks Earth at will.

The Zoastra is part of the Earthseekers, an organization originally designed to go into space. Its new mission is to find Earth’s enemies.

Ariel is stuck on a Victorian planet and steals Grace’s body and life to get off the planet. Grace must get her body back before Ariel bonds with Grace’s husband, Peter. Then there is Cross, the man on a mission to find those who killed his family. Ariel is attracted to Cross, but she’s stolen someone’s life.


Excerpt:

I’m going to have to steal someone else’s body to get out of here.
“Ariel, are you listening?”
Ariel Transcender stared dumbfounded at the mother superior of her prison, a/k/a Aulnale School for Orphans. “Yes, mistress.”
She had no idea what happened, though she pasted a fake simpering smile of appreciation on her face. Ms. Rochelle walked away.
A few minutes later, Ariel looked out the window again, tuning out Rochelle’s mind numbing lecture on what was proper behavior when near a man. The boarding home on this planet gave the stupidest lectures of the galaxy. Her lips curled into a sneer. Women were not excited to be bound to men.
Could I do this to someone else? Do I have any other choice?
Lenchena, the teenage girl who’d stolen her adult body and taken off on Ariel’s ship, needed to be found. And Ariel refused to listen to the daily drivel about always listening to a man.
About the Author:
Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.

During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.

When she woke up to what she wanted, the dream of writing became so obvious. She dreams of writing professionally, where her barista can make her coffee and a walk on the beach, can motivate her tales. Contemporary romances are just fun to write. She’s always thinking whose getting hurt and whose story is next on the list to fall in love. Victoria’s love of writing has kept her centered and focused through her many phases, and she’s motivated to write many stories.

Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA, and in Savvy Authors.

Visit Victoria online at:

Authors Website:  http://www.victoriapinder.com
Tumblr:    victoriapinder.tumblr.com 


The Zoastra Affair by Victoria Pinder is a science-fiction romance adventure that features body stealing, planet hopping and aliens. Yes, please! The video is short and milks every second for its full opportunity to pull you in with the upbeat slightly techno soundtrack, the brisk script and the images of hunky guys with guns. I loved how you got a real sense of the high stakes of the book and the intricate character dynamic from this trailer.

See for yourself below!



Victoria Pinder 
Always Imagining Life

***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of Vicki's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST

AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST
authorroast@btinternet.com
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE OUR GUEST? DO YOU WANT TO PROMOTE YOUR NEW RELEASE OR EVEN AN OLDER ONE?IF YOU FANCY BEING GUEST OF HONOUR AT ONE OF OUR PARTIES JUST EMAIL US AT THE ADDRESS in 'OLIVER'S RULES'!(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A 'G' RATED BLOG SO NOTHING HIGHER THAN THIS RATING, PLEASE.)