Breathless Press Fourth Anniversary
Breathless Press is an e-book publisher specializing in Romance and Erotic(a) stories.
Our mission statement is simple :
To provide the opportunity for readers to connect with romance authors through the purchasing of quality e-books at a low price. Starting in the summer of 2009, Breathless Press came into existence. Since then, we have been producing top end romance and erotic stories for valued readers to enjoy.
Niina : Welcome to For The Love of Reading, Carrie, I’m glad you could make it!
Carrie Pulkinen : Hi! Thanks so much for having me!
Niina : Okay I got to ask! Your last name is Finnish (and I’m Finnish), are we related? ;) Nah! What’s the story here?
Carrie : We might be! Ha ha. My dad's grandfather, Eino, immigrated to the US from Finland. They lived in Washington state. My dad's father moved to Texas for work, so that's why I live so far South. I think most Finns live up North. Usually only other Finnish people recognize where my name is from. Most people think it's Polish!
Niina : How dare they ;) Tell us little about your participation on this Breathless Press Fourth Anniversary blog tour?Carrie : I've been with BP for three of their four years, so I'm just making the rounds to help promote a fantastic publisher.
Niina : How long have you been writing, or have you always been writing?
Carrie : I've been published in fiction for about three years. I've always had a knack for writing, but fiction has been a more recent endeavor. I spent the first ten years of my professional life teaching journalism to high school students.
Niina : How did you come to pick your genre?
Carrie : I didn't pick the genre. The genre picked me! I just decided to try to write a novel one day, and a paranormal romance came out. The next book I wrote was another paranormal romance, and so was the next. I never said, "Hmm…I think I’m going to be a paranormal romance author." Those are just the kinds of stories that swim around in my brain, I suppose.
Niina : What's the best part about being an author? And what’s the worst?
Carrie : The best part is getting to be creative. I love making up people, worlds, and stories. If I don't like the way things are going, I can change them. Maybe I'm a bit of a control freak! The worst is probably writer's block. When I know how I want the story to go, but I just can't get the words out.
Niina : What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Carrie : That's a tough one. I guess I don't recognize anything as a quirk. Hmm… I do tend to think of my characters as real people, and most of the time they tell me how the story is going to go. I also don't plot. I just start writing and see where the story takes me.
Niina : What’s the best compliment you've received on your writing? And who complimented you?
Carrie : I sent Reawakened to my friend, Jeana. She reads all my books before I send them to a publisher. Her response was, "Could. Not. Put. It. Down." She read the book in two days. That was an awesome compliment!
Niina : Now to more personal questions! Which Disney Prince would you pick if you had to choose?
Carrie : Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. He's so dreamy!
Niina : LOL! Is there a natural wonder of the world you would like to visit?
Carrie : The Great Barrier Reef is amazing. I went there about ten years ago, but I was one of four adults in charge of 40 teenagers. It was a bit…hectic! I'd love to go back with my family some day.
Niina : What’s the number 1 thing you like to do when you are not writing?
Carrie : I’m a mom first, and an author second. When I’m not writing, I'm spending time with my two little girls.
Niina : Before we finish, here are some Quick Fire Questions:
Trees or Shops? Trees
Football or Nascar? Neither
Boots or Sexy heels? Boots
Shots or Wine? Wine
Movie: Popcorn or Hard candy? Popcorn
Date: Going on a picnic or Going to a winery? Winery
Scarier: Ghosts or Demons? Demons
Men: Alpha-male or Sexy nerds? Nerds
Men: Bad boys or Good guys? Good Guys
Dresses or pant suits? Dresses
Men in the bedroom: Dominating or Gentle? Dominating
Sexier: Man who can sing or man who can cook? Cook
Romance: Knights or Kings? Knights
Romance: Fallen Angels or Sexy Demons? Demons
Romance: Doctors or Cowboys? Doctors
Romance: Shifters or Vampires? Vampires
Sexier: Kisses or Licks? Kisses
Sexier : A guy holding your hand or touching your hair? Touching my hair
Sexier : Flimsy lingerie or Trench-coat only? lingerie
Romance or Erotic Romance? Erotic Romance
Niina : Thanks for visiting the For The Love of Reading, Carrie, come back any day!
Carrie : Thanks so much! It was fun!
"Guarding April is a hard day's work. But opening his heart to love her could be the end of life as he knows it.
April May Carter, a twenty-nine-year-old small town high school teacher, dreams of finding a man to whisk her away from the Hicksville she's stuck in. She wants it all—the husband, the house, the kids, the car. But her dreams of living the perfect life are shattered during a school shooting.
Damian is supposed to keep April safe. He's an angel, but you wouldn't guess that judging from his attitude. A tragic event in his past has left him so bitter and resentful that he won't let anyone get close. But the moment, Damian sees April, he's blindsided by the beauty. She awakens a part of his soul he thought had long ago burned out.
April should hate him, but she sees through his abrasive exterior and finds the compassionate, loving man beneath. Can Damian let go of his past, accept his responsibilities, and let her love him? Or will he spend the rest of his existence alone and miserable?"
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Grand Prize: 1 Kindle Fire
Third Prize: $10.00 Gift Card for Breathless Press
Fourth Prize: 10 x $5.00 Gift Cards for Breathless Press (individual gift cards, 1 per person)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Remember to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! The tour dates can be found here: HERE!
Sitting across the table from the most beautiful Angel in Heaven was like a dream. He knew about her desire to travel, and bringing her here was the perfect setting for their first official date.
Her smile brightened the entire room, and her eyes sparkled as she admired the architecture. "When was this place built? It's incredible."
"Around the twelfth century. It's beautiful, isn't it? And it really hasn't changed much since then."
"You were here when this was built?"
He shrugged. "Sure. I told you, I'm as old as dirt."
She giggled until she was gasping for air. Her laugh was like beautiful melody in his ears.
"Wow. I'm on a date with a geezer. How gross."
"Well, maybe I shouldn't be robbing the cradle. Isn't there a law about that?" He winked, and they both laughed.
"I am not a child, mister. I'm more woman than you could handle."
"Mmm...We'll see about that. You ready to get out of here? See the sights?"
"I'd love to."
He savored one last bite of his meal, and then led her out into the street. They ambled, hand-in-hand, through a courtyard and down three blocks of cobblestone. The Leaning Tower of Pisa stood just across the street, and he paused to watch her reaction.
But she wasn't looking at the tower; she was gazing up at him. Her eyes were more beautiful than the Italian countryside, and he forgot all about the sights of the city. He forgot about everything else in the world when he leaned down to kiss her.Her lips were so soft, her taste so sweet, his head spun. He shouldn't have been kissing her. He needed to take it slowly, but he didn't care. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was having April in his arms.
She slid her hands over his shoulders and pulled him closer. He could have drowned in her essence right there on the sidewalk. The need to be with her surged through his body, and he had to pull away before he took her to his bedroom and made love to her all day.
He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and tried to find his voice. But what could he say?
"Yeah, it was."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. "We should do it more often."
"Sounds good to me."
"Oh my gosh! It's the Leaning Tower of Pisa."
He chuckled. "Yeah. That's what I brought you here to see. Want to get a closer look?"
"Uh, yeah."
They darted across the busy street and walked up the path to the tower. She put her hand over her heart as she admired the structure.
"It's amazing that the foundation shifted so much for it to lean like that. But it still stands. They just don't make 'em like that anymore." She grinned and tousled his hair. "But I bet you remember when it stood straight."
He felt the heat rush to his cheeks, though he didn't know why he was embarrassed. He shrugged and kicked at the dirt with his foot. "Yeah. I guess I remember. But it's no big deal. A thousand years from now, we'll be looking at present day skyscrapers and saying, 'Remember when'."
"True. But I bet skyscrapers won't be around a thousand years from now."
"Wanna put money on it?"
She flashed a mischievous grin. "Okay. I'll give you a trillion dollars if they're still standing in a thousand years."
"You're on."
"But that means you'll still have to be speaking to me. No more games."He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "You don't have to worry about that."
They spent the rest of the afternoon lazily roaming the city. They strolled along the river bank and settled on a patch of grass in a secluded spot to watch the sunset. If only Angels had the ability to freeze time; he could have lived in that moment forever.
With his arms wrapped around her, she snuggled into his side and sighed. "Thank you for this. The whole day, you, everything. It was perfect."
He closed his eyes and inhaled her sweet scent. The day really was perfect. She was perfect, and he didn't want it to end.
My Blog: http://carrie-pulkinen.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carrie.pulkinen
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