The YAmazing Race Has Officially Ended

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog during the YAmazing Race! I hope you had fun, discovered a ton of new books, and maybe won some prizes! Stay tuned for my next giveaway of an ARC of A Breath of Eyre some time in February.

The YAmazing Race Begins!

Welcome to my stop on the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes, a crazy whirlwind blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs featuring ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here: http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/ to start from the beginning and read the complete rules. Now on to the race!

A BREATH OF EYRE by Eve Marie Mont

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

If you can spare a moment from the race, please consider adding A Breath of Eyre to your GoodReads list and checking out my trailer. And feel free to leave a comment below saying hi!

Now you're ready to move on. Remember, you must complete ALL FIVE quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack. Click here: http://authoraghoward.blogspot.com/ to go to the next stop on the race! Good luck!

A Breath of Eyre ARC winner!

Congratulations to Joanne Renaud (suburbanbeatnik) for winning my A Breath of Eyre ARC giveaway. And thanks to everybody who entered!

Beginning on Monday, I'll be participating in the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes, a crazy whirlwind blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs featuring ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, click here: http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/ to start from the beginning and read the complete rules. But remember, the race doesn't begin until Monday, January 16 at noon. Hope to see you there!

New Year's ARC giveaway of A BREATH OF EYRE!

Today is January 3^rd, which means my book will be hitting shelves in less than three months, 83 days to be precise—yikes! It is absolutely terrifying to think of people actually reading this book to which I’ve given so much of my heart, time, and sweat. But I hope people fall in love with Emma, Gray, Michelle, and Owen as I have and enjoy spending time lost in the world of Jane Eyre. And I really hope people love the characters enough to pick up the sequel, A TOUCH OF SCARLET, which I have finally finished in draft form! While I had outlined the sequel for my editor this summer, this second book kept surprising me and taking me down unexpected paths, particularly as Emma travels into The Scarlet Letter this time—lots of secrets and scandal! Emma grows up so much in this book, and the relationships developed in A BREATH OF EYRE just get more complicated and meaningful. If the series sounds like your cup of tea, I’d love it if you would consider adding the books to your Goodreads list. 

SHAMELESS PROMOTION ALERT: A BREATH OF EYRE is also available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound. ;)

For those who haven’t read it yet, here is the official synopsis:
Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

To celebrate the new year, I am giving away one ARC of A BREATH OF EYRE, complete with bonus materials like the quiz: “Which literary heroine are you?” and a teaser chapter from A TOUCH OF SCARLET. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me one reason why you’re excited about 2012. Plus, you get:


 +1 entry for tweeting or posting on Facebook: New Year's ARC giveaway for @evemariemont's A BREATH OF EYRE: http://tinyurl.com/7lyuk9w
+1 entry for posting on your blog
+1 entry for following my blog


The giveaway is open internationally and will end Friday, January 13 at midnight EST. I will be giving away more ARCs in February and March, so stay tuned. Thanks so much for entering, and have a very happy and healthy new year!

A Few of My Favorite Things (about the holidays)

There are so many things I love about the holiday season, but today I’m taking my cue from Julie Andrews and talking about just a few of my favorite things. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Men in sweaters

Call me strange, but I love a man in a sweater. Then take a really manly man like Daniel Craig, and put him in a cardigan? Or a Henley with a scarf? Swoon! And only a precious few can rock the turtleneck. (Oh yes, Michael Fassbender, you are one.)

 

2.  A Muppet Christmas Carol

Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite Christmas tales, but the Muppets’ version of it is almost perfect in every way. I love that: a) Gonzo plays Charles Dickens; b) Statler and Waldorf play the Marley Brothers; c) Michael Caine seems born to play Scrooge; d) the screenplay uses some of the actual Dickens text; e) the movie is genuinely creepy at times, but it always keeps the classic Muppet sense of humor intact. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without this movie.

3. The smell of snow

My southern-born husband doesn’t believe me when I say I can smell snow, but the air gets this sharp chemical tang a few hours before a snowstorm, and every year I look forward to my first moment of snow detection. Call me Smilla.

4. Eggnog with nutmeg

Many people hate the stuff, but I readily admit to loving eggnog, especially spiked with a little rum and dusted with nutmeg. Try leaving that out for Santa this year!

5. Christmas wrapping

My husband and I have a tradition that makes wrapping the Christmas presents something to look forward to. We make ourselves a delicious holiday beverage (see above), crank up the Christmas tunes, and have our own personal wrap party. We spread out all the supplies on the dining room table and wrap and ribbon curl and Christmas label until not one naked present remains. Then we arrange all the gifts under our tree, turn down the lights, and admire our work.

6. The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping”

There are other Christmas songs I’d sooner classify as my favorites—Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” and pretty much any version of “Oh, Holy Night.” But nothing is more fun than hearing “Christmas Wrapping” while I’m driving to work, turning it up real loud, and rocking out like a Christmas fool. For your listening pleasure:

What are your favorite random joys of the season?

Here’s wishing you all a warm and wondrous holiday and a happy new year! See you in 2012!