Osiyo~
I know you’re jealous. Admit it. š I’m the lucky one today and I am verra thrilled to be the caboose of the multi-blog scavenger hunt for sister TWRP debut author (and Iām proud to say, my friend!), Mackenzie Crowneās Gift of the Realm. Weāre doing an interview and she’s here to tell you more about why you will want to read this bookābesides that enchanting and haunting cover and the scrumptious Colin! So letās get this ranch jumping! Ā Please give a Ranch welcome to Mac Crowne!Ā *indicates the screen door in a grand gesture…gawks…at…*
Donovan OāBrian Quinn be me name.
Calisa:Ā Wha-? Wait a minute…
Donovan:Ā Iām pleased to make yer acquaintance. The lovely Calisa was kind enough to invite me to visit today, to tell ye about me book. Gift of the Realm, itās called. Oh, I didnāt do the actual writing of the thing. Mackenzie Crowne had that honor, but the story is mine. Iām the star, ye see.
Calisa: Uh-huh⦠*glances around for the hidden camera then back at the dog talking? toĀ her* Hello? *a talking dog! pinches her arm and winces* Am I being Punk’d? I thought Mac was supposed to be here today. Where’s Ashton? Oh, well. Who am I to turn away a talking dog? Welcome to the ranch, Donovan, was it?
Donovan: I know what ye be thinkingā. A dog? Really? Dogs donāt type and they certainly donāt blog.
Calisa: Of course you know āwhat I be thinking.ā I just expressed that. What I want to know isā¦how?
Donovan: Well now, Iām here to tell ye, if ye hadnāt noticed already, an ordinary dog Iām not. An Irish wolfhound I be, living in the world of folklore and fairies in the mystical village of Dunhaven, Ireland, where strange and wonderful happenings are the norm. My people are Halflings, ye see. Ye might have heard of them. Keely and Colin Quinn be their names.
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Calisa: Actually, I haveā Ooh! That’s beautiful! I’ve always dreamed of going to Ireland and seeing a cliff like this one. *sighs*
Mac: Donovan!
*Calisa jumps from her reverie*
Donovan: *Yelp* Oh, Mac! Ye frightened a full seven years off me life. I didnāt see ye there. Tis the author herself, me friends. Say hello, Mac.
Calisa:Ā Mac, what a pleasant surprise to see you! *eyeballs Donovan suspiciously*
Mac: Hello, everyone, nice to meet you. What are you up to, Donovan? Sorry, Calisa. I hope heās not bothering you.
Calisa: Not atā
Donovan: I like that! Invited, I was. Calisa and I are having a wee visit. The lass smells of sweet, cinnamon candy, donāt ye know. I like that in a human.
Calisa: I didnāt actually know it was going to be Donovan, Mac. But since heās here⦠He does say such kind, flattering things about me. š And I do enjoy spicy cinnamon now and againā¦which Donovan noticed. Flatteryā¦
Mac: Yes, she is a sweetheart. *winks at Calisa* A wee visit, huh?
Calisa:Ā I donāt mind, really. And you are a sweet darlin, Mac. And he was about to tell me some of his story which Iād love to hear! Iām sure my Ranch guests are all ears, as well. I mean, how often does one have a chance to *chat* with a talking Irish dog?
Donovan: Aye. Iām sharing a bit of our story with the lads and lasses whoāve popped in for a visit. Itās a fine tale yeāve woven, even if it tis a romance.
Mac: Keely and Colin donāt seem to mind Gift of the Realm is a romance.
Calisa:Ā My guests and I LOVE romance! *bobs head back and forth between Mac and Donovan wondering if either are really listening to her*
Donovan: Hah! Humans, even those with fairie blood running through their veins, are silly with it when they find their one true mate. But I didnāt say I minded. After all, itās a tale full of curses and fairies, and an ancient ring of stones. And then of course, thereās me. Who doesnāt love a tale includinā a charminā Irish wolfhound?
Calisa: *raises hand, whispers* I do.
Mac: Iām not sure Keely would use the word charming. Not when you have a habit of digging up her lilacs.
Donovan:Ā Ah, that. Well, Iām a dog, aināt I? Itās what we do. And Keely doesnāt mind so much, not when her black wolf has a paw in that bit of mischief, more often than not.
Mac: Hmmm. *grins* She does have a soft spot for that Halfling of hers.
Donovan: And isnāt that how it should be, I ask ye? No matter. She canāt stay mad at me. Not for long, anyway. I helped her solve the mystery of the ring, after all.
Mac: Yes, you did, but you donāt want to share too much with your new friends here. Youāll spoil the story for them.
Donovan: Aye. Ye have a point. Still, we might tease them with a bit of our tail. An excerpt, I believe itās called. Ye have one, donāt ye? And are ye still running yer scavenger hunt contest, over at yer own web home? The one where me friends have a chance at winning a free copy of Gift of the Realm and a $25 Amazon card?
*Calisaās ears perk at this idea*
Mac: I do have an excerpt, and the Virtual Scavenger Hunt runs through today.
Donovan: And Iām thinkinā ye should give away a free copy of our story right here, to one of the lovely Calisaās friends.
Mac: Thatās an excellent idea, Donovan. Iām glad you thought of it.
Calisa: *claps hands and hops in joy*
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Donovan: Then what are ye waiting for? Give me friends the chains, so they can find out more about meā¦I mean, yer book.
Mac: I think you mean the links.
Calisa:Ā *snickers*
Donovan: *snort* Dog, remember?
Mac: *laughs* Here are the excerpt and the links. And donāt stay too long. Youāre scheduled for a grooming today.
Donovan: *growl* I thought to chat with me new friends a bit. There be dog lovers here, ye know. Iāll be gifting our book to one of them, after I hear what breed, other than Wolfhound, take their fancies. Iāll be along in me own good time.
Calisa: Erm⦠I love my Chihuahuas and cried when I had to find a new home for my beautiful Boxer⦠*eyes the cover of Macās book hungrily* Too bad hostesses canāt win. *pouts*
Mac: *waves at Calisa* Thanks, my friend. Donāt let him climb on the furniture. He sheds like crazy.
Calisa: Thatās ok, Mac. I have plenty of duct tape around here I use for my own four-legged hair balls. *waves Mac off*
Donovan: *snort*
Calisa: What? I use the tape to remove hair from the furniture! Oh… Just let the visitors read the excerpt… *rolls eyes*
Excerpt:

She tossed a thick stalk onto the small pile at her feet and set the claw at another. Her continued silence said she was done with him and expected him to go.
He abused her of that expectation by taking a seat at the small table beside the garden. He sat with his legs spread, elbows propped on his knees. Donovan lifted his head to stare at him, his dark brows puckered above darker eyes that seemed to plead with him to bring peace to the garden once more.
āI am your friend, Keely,ā Colin told her, āand Iād like to help if I can.ā
She paused at her chore, tilting her head to eye him suspiciously from beneath the brow of the hat. āWhy would you want to do that?ā
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. āWell, now, thereās a question. It turns out Iām not the sort of man who can ignore a mystery.ā
āThatās not the impression you gave yesterday.ā
āYesterday I was near to being speechless.ā A slow smile spread across his face as he decided how to break through her pique. āA man can be excused for being a bit rattled when sitting across from a lovely woman whoās just admitted to dreaming of him for the better part of a decade.ā
She fell back on her heels, her eyes widening. āI didnāt admit to dreaming of you, Quinn.ā She jabbed the claw in his direction. āI said you joined me in the dreams.ā
āYouād consider that a distinction, and yet you admit youāve been dreaming of me. I prefer my own interpretation.ā Confusion knit her brow, and he could see she wasnāt sure if she wanted to blast him for being an arrogant ass, or smile. He pressed the advantage. āIāve a clearer head this morning, darlinā. Iām here to offer my help.ā
She didnāt react to his use of the endearment, but he didnāt miss the flash of interest in her eyes at his offer of help. āHow, exactly, do you propose to do that?ā
āThese dreams we share.ā He paused, pleased to see a faint blush spreading color on her cheeks. āThey always take place at the Door?ā
She nodded.
āThe way I see it, youāve made Dunhaven your home, but youāve spent little time here. I, on the other hand, have lived the whole of my life in Dunhaven, except for the time I spent at university, and youāll not be holding that against me.ā
āI wonāt, huh?ā
He grinned. āNo, darlinā, you wonāt.ā
āHmm.ā She glanced away, fiddling with the tool clutched in her lap. He winked at Donovan, and gained a dog grin. Now they were getting somewhere.
Find Mac at: http://mackenziecrowne.com (The details of the Scavenger Hunt are there, as well as all the clues)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MacCrowne
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/MackenzieCrowne
Buy Links:
The Wild Rose Press Ā http://tinyurl.com/84agxz2
Amazon http://tinyurl.com/84mxmrj
What a great excerpt, Mac!!! And I really think I might print and frame that cover just so I can drool over it. Remember, black wolf shifter fan here. š Thank you so very much for the contest, Mac!
Donovanā¦it was wonderful, and interesting to meet you. Thanks for surprising me with your visit. What more can I say but, stay away from my lilacsādonāt lift that leg there! Go get your groom on. š
For everyone else, donāt forget to visit Macās cyber home- which is one you donāt want to miss, itās gorgeous! Leave a note in the ranch comment box telling Donovan your email and what your favorite dog breed is (except Wolfhounds- no buttering allowed on the ranch unless it’s by me!) for the chance at a FREE copy of Gift of the Realm!!!
Dodadagohvi~
And the winner is… Happy Holidays Blog Hop #CalisaRhose #winner
Jan 3
Posted by Calisa Rhose
Osiyo~
I’m so SQUEE-CITED to announce my Happy Holidays Blog Hop Winner!
Drum roll please–
Congratulations Marnie (barniebad)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Random.org chose #12 and that’s YOU!!!!!!!
I’ve sent you an email so if you don’t get it, check your spam folderĀ or contact me calisa(dot)rhose(at)gmail(dot)com with your format preference: Mobi, Epub or PDF, and an email to send to.
Unfortunately we didn’t get enough to gift two copies, but if you still want to read Risk Factors here’s where you can pick up a copy for under three dollars.
Kobo
iTunes
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kensington-Lyrical Press
I want to thank everyone who played and I hope you’ll return to visit often now that we’ve met. š
Happening now: I’m kicking off my “Comment to Win” contest so I hope you’ll join in with that. Details can be found on my January 1 post here:
https://calisarhose.com/2015/01/01/2014-blog-year-in-review-and-calisa-rhoses-2nd-annual-comment-to-win-contest-mfrwauthor-contest-justcomment/
Don’t miss Monday when I host another treasure trove of awesome covers for your viewing pleasure by what may turn out to be more new or new-to-you authors. You can find those right here on UnCover Monday for January on the 5th.
And just a side note- this exact post is my 400th for Pen of the Dreamer!!!!
Dodadagohvi~
Posted in Blog Hop, holiday, Pen of the Dreamer, Promotion
Comments Off on And the winner is… Happy Holidays Blog Hop #CalisaRhose #winner
Tags: 400th post, comment to win, happy holidays blog hop, Marnie, UnCover Monday, Winner