Contest winner!!!

Drum roll please ... the winner is Jamie!! I'm so excited that Jamie won my contest (my hubby closed his eyes and pointed to a name on my list of entrants to make it completely random!) as she loved my first book, Soldier on Her Doorstep, and she has a real life soldier for a husband too :) Jamie's hubby served overseas not long after their wedding, so she definitely deserves a free book!!

Jamie, head to the contact page on my website and send me a message with your address ... I was going to giveaway a UK copy, but since you already have a US copy of my first one, I'll send you the matching one of the Army Ranger's Return ... they look much nicer side by side since they were designed together.

If you'd still like to win a copy of The Army Ranger's Return, help me get to 100 followers on Face Book. I only need another 17 people to "like" me, and then I'll give away another 5 copies. Or you can head to Amazon and buy a copy if you can't wait - it's officially available in the USA today.

Soraya xxoo

August

August is one of my favorite months of the year. Why? Well there's a few reasons!

•I sold my first book, Soldier on Her Doorstep, to Harlequin Romance at the very end of August last year, and I also signed with my agent Laura Bradford last August too.

•The Romance Writers of New Zealand conference is in August, and I love going. Unfortunately this year I will not be attending the entire weekend because I can't leave Baby Lane for that long, but I will be going to the fabulous Harlequin Author dinner :)

•August is also my mom's birthday, and we were actually out celebrating her birthday the night my editor called to buy my book!

And finally, my fifth book is due on August 23rd, almost on the anniversary of my first sale. I'm so proud to have sold four books in less than a year, and to have my fifth almost complete!

Don't forget to leave a comment here or on my facebook page to be in to win a copy of The Army Ranger's Return.

Soraya xxoo

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

I'm giving away a UK copy of The Army Ranger's Return - out in the UK now - to a lucky FaceBook or Twitter follower. Simply leave a comment on my FB page and I'll enter you in the draw!!

When I hit 100 followers I'm going to pick another FIVE winners too! So get your friends to "like' me on FaceBook or follow me on Twitter!!

Soraya xxoo

Snow!

I don't ever recall having this much snow in my hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. We have plenty of cold weather, but the snow is deep and thick - quite incredible really!!

Our dogs have been out playing together - but of course scurrying back inside to get warm once their paws get too cold. And our horses have had an extra grain feed and heaps of

hay to keep them happy, but they still look miserable. Not to mention our hens - they keep venturing out of their house and going back in looking like wet rats on legs!

Hope the weather is better at your place.

Soraya xxoo

Navy SEAL research!

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my job? I'm currently researching Navy SEALs for my next book, and I can't say it's hard work.

One thing I can say is that it's hard to find yummy pics on google images of Navy SEALs, but I found one kind of inspirational shot. But nothing beats watching/listening tot the You Tube clips of the Navy running cadence - very cool chanting. Made me feel all motivated just listening to them running and singing.

Back to Tom & Caitlin's story now for me ... Tom's the brother of my hero in my UK Feb/USA March 2012 book - Back in the Soldier's Arms. It's so nice writing linked books :)

Soraya xxoo

CataRomance Review

My first Cataromance review is up and I'm thrilled to say that it's fantastic! You can read all about it here.

Julie says:

"I was blown away by Soldier on Her Doorstep! An intensely emotional, highly affecting and beguiling tale of redemption, second chances and the healing power of love, Soldier on Her Doorstep will touch your heart and make you shed a tear. Soraya Lane is an immensely talented writer who makes you feel every single emotion which her characters are going through without resorting to cliché or melodrama. Instead, she writes with great understanding and sensibility about the pain, the sorrow and the heartbreaking consequences of grief.

Wonderfully written, intelligently told and packed with humanity and heart, Soldier on Her Doorstep is the sensational debut novel by a fabulous writer with a very bright future ahead of her: Soraya Lane!"

Talk about making my day!!! Now it's back to my cave to work on some revisions.

Soraya xxoo

RT Seal of Excellence!

Just received some exciting news ... Soldier on Her Doorstep was nominated for a Romantic Times Seal of Excellence this month! I'm so excited that they loved my story!

This is what they had to say:

Soraya Lane’s Soldier on her Doorstep is a wonderfully touching tale of redemption and healing. Lisa has come to terms with the loss of her military husband, however, when faced with a new love, she has a big choice to make. But, Alex is so wonderful and caring that he is hard to resist even if he is facing demons from his past. The author treats both of her characters as people and not caricatures, so while Lisa is a grieving widow and Alex an emotionally wounded soldier, there are many other layers to these complex characters.

I'm also giving away a copy of one of my books over at Minxes of Romance, so visit the site and leave a comment to be in to win!

Soraya xxoo

Want a giggle??

Check out this NZ Women's Weekly article on yours truly ... it was lots of fun! But just to clarify, I did not meet my husband in a sun-lit field and I did not write the opening blurb either!!

Soraya xxoo

Official Release Day!

Today is the official release day of my first published book in the USA! So if you're in America, keep an eye out for Soldier on Her Doorstep.

Choosing a favorite book is kind of like trying to choose a favorite child, but I have to confess that this book really does hold a special place in my heart.

Enjoy!

-Soraya xxoo

I'm on Facebook!

I finally created an author page on Facebook, so I'd love you to drop past and "like" me! Head to www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor.

Also, I'm blogging at the Minxes of Romance on the 13th of July and doing a book giveaway, as well as being interviewed over at Romantic Times on the same day! I'll be giving away a book there too, so swing by if you'd like a copy!

Soraya xxoo