Remember last month when I announced that writer-bud Misty and I were offering up a Reader Stimulus plan? Well! We have the official results!

Over 60 of you voted – thank you very much!

For the Heroine’s name:
Kara – 31 votes – WINNER!
CJ – 17 votes
Nikki – 14 votes

For the Hero’s name:
Blake – 35 votes – WINNER!
Zander – 13 votes
Finn – 14 votes

For the name of the story:
Secret Weapons – 36 votes – WINNER!
Weapons of Mass Destruction – 6 votes
For Love or Country – 11 votes
All’s Fair in Love and War – 9 votes

I even made cover art. Isn’t that cool? I think it’s cool.

And now for the other news. We promised you some goods if you entered. The winner of Misty’s I’d Rather Be In Paris is Joann Hali. The winner of my book, Take Me I’m Yours, is Nancy Haddock! Congrats, ladies!

The first issue of Secret Weapons went out in my newsletter in the wee hours of the morning. If you’re not on the mailing list, and you want to be just email me or enter your email address under the “Subscribe” section of the sidebar on the blog or my home page. That will sign you up automatically.

Hey, even we authors aren’t above giving our readers a Stimulus.

Fellow Samhain author, Misty Evans, and I have launched into a new endeavor and we need your help. Yes, you. Help us name our characters and our story! Now you’re probably scratching your head and saying to yourself, “How can I help two fun ladies name their characters and story?” I’ll tell you how. Get thee to our survey by clicking HERE:

http://tinyurl.com/c8gesy

and voting for your favorite name for our Hero, Heroine and Story Title. What’s in it for you? Oh, boy, do we have a treat for you! We’ll enter you into a drawing to win a copy of Misty’s I’d Rather Be In Paris or a copy of Take Me I’m Yours by yours truly. That’s two readers, twice the fun. Voting deadline is Midnight CST, May 31, 2009. So, you know, you have a while.

But wait! There’s more!

Once we have names and a title, we’ll begin writing the story and putting it into our newsletters for your reading pleasure. How about that? A free story PLUS you get the added enjoyment of knowing you helped us out. And you could win a free book in the process. Isn’t that fun? The only catch is, you have to be a subscriber to BOTH our newsletters to get the entire story. Sneaky, aren’t we? To sign up, send an email to Misty by clicking here or to me by clicking here with the subject NEWSLETTER SIGNUP.

Hope you’ll come play with us and get in on the fun. Because trust me when I say it’s going to be one heckuva story.

Come on… you KNOW you want to!

Here’s a little blurb about the story:

About our story:

Super Agent meets Super Hero. He can save the world, but can she save him?

Heroine is on a mission to stop her own government from building an army of clones. The only problem is this FBI agent’s on probation. No badge, no gun, no partner. Taking matters into her own hands, she goes undercover as a runway model during New York’s Fashion Week, and finds she can’t keep her eyes off the shoes or the sexy Armani-suit-wearing man who’s in a bit of trouble himself. She trips, breaks a heel, and falls face first…into his lap. Not only does she stumble onto one of the sexiest and most eligible bachelors in New York, she also stumbles onto one of the biggest undercover jobs of her career.

Hero is the typical New York bachelor on the surface, but he has a secret only one other person knows about. He and his buddy, a microbiologist, have discovered a cure for cancer-and it all lies in Hero’s genetic code. The mutation gives him the ability to regenerate quickly, giving him immortality. His secret, however, doesn’t remain a secret for long when his buddy is murdered in cold blood and the killers are now after him, intent on stealing the research-and his DNA-to build their own dark immortal army.

And the only one who can help him comes in a five-foot-ten package labeled Sex Goddess: Keep Out.

I’m slowly working my way through my TBR pile. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. So for today’s offering, I give you Witches Anonymous by Misty Evans.

Amy Atwood is ready to trade in her broomstick for the Good Life, swearing off her cheating demon-boyfriend, Lucifer, for all eternity. When she finds him in the arms of her sister, Amy joins Witches Anonymous, swearing an oath to herself never to use magic again. But Lucifer has other ideas. He wants Amy all to himself and No Man Shall Put Him Asunder. Even Adam incarnate.

Adam Foster is every witch’s hex dream. After all, who wouldn’t want a sexy fireman who comes galloping to the rescue? But Amy may have more than she bargained for when she learns the truth behind Adam’s appearance. Her timing for swearing off spell-casting couldn’t be worse as she realizes she’s faced with her possessed sister, a jealous Lucifer and a sexy Adam. Will Amy dust off her magic wand…or let fire and brimstone take over the world?

Witches Anonymous is a fun frolic. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop and finished it in one sitting. Amy is a character that’s hard to forget-she’s funny and fun. Misty Evans pens magical story full of mayhem and humor filled with snappy dialogue and, of course, fashion! It pained me as much as it did Amy when she found her closet full of shoes dumped haphazardly on the floor. I’m really looking forward to reading more of Misty’s work in the very near future.

You can get your own copy of Witches Anonymous at Samhain’s website by clicking here. And for more about Misty, check out her website here.

Today, I’m pleased to have my friend and fellow Fashionista, Misty Evans, guest blogging. She and I share a love of beautiful clothes and, well, writing! Misty has some fabulously fabulous books. Her latest, Witches Anonymous, recently hit Samhain’s Top 10 list!  So, won’t you take a moment to check out her books? You won’t regret it.

Oh, and, if you post a comment today you’ll be entered in a drawing to win your choice of one of Misty’s books. Comments must by posted by midnight CST. And to double your chances of winning, sign up for her newsletter by sending her an email (click the link)! Winner will be notified by email and posted on tomorrow’s blog. Enjoy!

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I fell in love with Confessions Of A Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella years ago, before everyone knew how to speak Prada or the term ‘shopaholic’ became a sought after title. When I began writing fiction myself, I discovered how fun it was to live out my fashion addiction vicariously through my characters. My real-life budget was slim; my characters, however, were living la vida fashionista.

Amy, in Witches Anonymous, sums up my alter ego perfectly with this statement, “I have only one vice in life-lust. I lust for sinful men, dark chocolate and designer shoes.” In Amy’s closet, you’ll find D&G as well Louboutin. She actually went to Paris for a special pair of Louboutins. You can read why and what kind of trouble they got her into here. Trust me, they were worth every penny and then some.

Zara, in I’d Rather Be In Paris, is tagged by fellow CIA employees as a pampered rich girl. While she hates being lumped into the Paris Hilton category, she isn’t about to give up her Prada lifestyle. A pivotal point between Zara and her partner, Lawson, comes when he helps her take off a very expensive Valentino dress before they enjoy a night together…

Zara thought about it for a moment, looking down at the folds of white silk covering her legs. It would be a shame to wreck such a wonderful dress, but…

“Forget the dress. I can replace it if necessary.”

A sensual smile danced on Lawson’s mouth, and he stepped toward her. “You had to think about it.”

She took a step back. “It is a Valentino.”

The next morning, she wakes to find the Valentino hanging on a nearby wardrobe. At that moment, Zara realizes that Lawson gets her, all because he hung up her dress.

In the story I’m writing now, my heroine Brigit isn’t into fashion. She shuns suits and designer labels and is most comfortable wearing Gap. I share her down-to-earth love of clean lines and colorful layers. Gap also fits my budget and my lifestyle with twin boys and a dog who needs lots of exercise. What I gave Brigit was a love of lipstick.

“Wicked Woman?” Truman walked back into the bedroom and held up several tubes of lipstick. “Drama Diva? Professional Pink? Brickhouse? Where on Earth do you find these crazy colors?”

“The Rimmel beauty counter.”

“Have you ever worn any of them?”

Not often. Mostly she bought them for their names. They made her believe that if she did wear them, they’d provide whatever their name promised.

Ah, yes, fashion labels can often provide whatever their name promises…shopaholic, pampered rich girl, or maybe, smart investor like Rebecca Bloomwood. Until my fashion budget grows, however, I’ll have to keep living la vida Fashionista through my fictional characters, but oh what fun I have with them!

 

Misty Evans is an award-winning, multi-published author of CIA thrillers and paranormal comedy. If you like your heroines well-dressed and your action fast-paced, check out her books at http://www.readmistyevans.com. You can also catch Misty living la vida fashionista at http://www.solestruckfashions.com where she writes a monthly fashion column.