"Romancing the Holiday" with Candis Terry {Any Given Christmas}: Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway Entry Stop!

Please welcome Candis Terry to AtM. Today's post is actually a two-for-one, as this is also a blog tour stop for Candis! Sooo ... not only do commenters get entered into the fabulous giveaway prize courtesy of Avon and Candis, but also entered into the "Romancing the Holiday" mini-event here on the blog!! :)

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Dean Silverthorne’s mother may be dead, but she still has matchmaking to do.

When an injury dashes NFL Quarterback Dean Silverthorne’s Super Bowl dreams, he heads back to Deer Lick, Montana with a chip on his wounded shoulder and more determined than ever to get back in the game. He loves his kooky family, but his trip home is nothing but a very brief Christmas visit.

His game plan didn’t include an instant attraction to Emma Hart, a feisty kindergarten teacher who seems to be the only person in Deer Lick not interested in the hometown hero. Or his dearly departed mom popping up with mistletoe in hand and meddling on the mind. Now Dean can’t help but wonder if there’s more to love than life between the goal posts.

~ Naughty or Nice ~

Thank you so much for having me as a part of Romancing the Holiday! In my new Avon Impulse release ANY GIVEN CHRISTMAS, I had the opportunity to celebrate the holidays vicariously through a couple whose mistletoe is a little askew.

Dean is an overly charming star NFL quarterback home for the holidays on a mission to heal the wounded shoulder that’s tossed him out of the running for the Super Bowl. He’s used to women falling all over him. Emma is a well-grounded teacher who’s not all that impressed with the hometown hero. And Dean just can’t figure out why he doesn’t put the twist in Emma’s candy cane. Here’s a quick excerpt from the book to demonstrate Dean’s wily ways.

Emma shook her head and glanced down at the snow-tipped toes of her boots. “What are you doing, Dean?”

“Just thought I’d come out and see how you were doing. New coat?” He touched her sleeve, thinking instead he’d like to run his hands up inside that coat and touch her warm skin. Touch her all over.

“It’s a Christmas gift to myself. And why would you care how I’m doing? You don’t like me.”

“It looks good on you.” He lifted the beer and took a drink. Smiling he lifted a finger off the bottle and pointed to her. “Want to bet?”

“Bet?”

“On whether I like you or not.”

“I don’t gamble.”

“Oh, come on. It would be fun. And the prize could be . . . if I win, you go out with me. If you win, I go out with you.”

“So, you would just win. No matter what.”

“Can’t blame a guy for trying to bend the odds in his favor.”

Obviously, Dean is willing to do whatever it takes—naughty or nice—to get what he wants in his Christmas stocking.

I know for most, the holiday season conjures up images of family, and sugarplums, and shiny wrapped presents. But for me, the romance writer, I just can’t help picturing the hot hero in my imagination unwrapping his heroine on a blanket in front of the fireplace with the twinkling of the Christmas tree lights in the background.

Happy holidays to everyone!

Author Bio:

Growing up in Southern California, I was too busy reading books, hanging out at the beach, or finding ways to have a good time that wouldn’t land me on restriction to even consider writing a book. Oddly enough, a college drama teacher (who politely discouraged my inept acting abilities) encouraged me to develop the A+ character bio I’d created into a complete story. Right. Years later, in the midst of a bleary-eyed all-nighter (rocking my newborn, that is), I picked up a romance novel and fell in love with more than just the infant in my arms.

The diversities in my life have enhanced (or twisted) my worldview. From working in a Hollywood recording studio to a graphic designer in marketing; from schmoozing with the likes of Charleton Heston and Motley Crüe to giving up my beach bum ways and making the move to an Idaho farm. I’ve designed costumes for 80’s heavy metal videos and scooped up road apples left on the parade route by my daughter’s rodeo queening horse.

Only one thing has remained constant: my passion for writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the security one finds in their own happily ever after. Though my stories are set in small towns, my wish is to give each of my characters a great big memorable love story rich with quirky characters, tons of fun, and a happy ending.

I’m married to a wonderful man who takes out the trash without being asked and who puts up with all my crazy ideas. To find inspiration, my family and I often grab our trailer and ATV and venture out to discover the off-road splendor of the Idaho wilderness. And when I need a fun dose of reality, I call upon my daughter and her little Mini-Me or one of our 3 furry troublemakers.
Life is good down on the farm!

http://candisterry.com/

Giveaway Details:

• Tour Stop Giveaway Details: Candis and Harper Collins will be giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter.

• Mini-Event Giveaway Details: Leave a comment on the post, or a question for Candis, to have your name thrown in the magical random.org hat, for a chance to win one of three books featured throughout the mini-event week. (Winner will receive their book of choice and it will either be shipped via the Book Depository, All Romance ebooks, or Amazon.)

• Extra Entry Options (Please leave in a separate comment):

• Follow Candis on Twitter.

• Follow Candis on Facebook.

• Tweet the contest (please leave the link of your tweet).

• Contest is open Internationally.

• Contest will run until 11/27 11:59 PM EST

• Winner will be randomly selected and notified via email.

Tour Stops:

November 21: I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
November 22: Among the Muses
November 23: Urban Girl Reader
November 23: REVIEW ONLY: Reviews by Molly
November 24: Romancing Rakes
November 25: Reader Girls