Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway with Candis Terry

WELCOME TO THE BLOG TOUR:

Football? Christmas? And finding love during the holidays? Candis Terry's recent release, ANY GIVEN CHRISTMAS, combines all three. I am excited to welcome Candis to the blog today. Let's give her a huge Texas "Howdy!" and let her give us some pointers on how to survive the holidays with our families. I know that those of you who have crazy families may need some tips to make it through the holidays.

HOWDY CANDIS!!!

MEET CANDIS:

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!

Where To Find Candis: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter

GUEST POST:

"Tips for Surviving Christmas with Family" by Candis Terry

Every year I wonder how can a holiday that has so much potential to be warm and cozy, ends up being so wacky? I grew up thinkingChristmas was supposed to be like you saw in the movies. Perfect. Ha!Like Emma Hart, the heroine in ANY GIVEN CHRISTMAS, I’m an only child. And like Emma, I always wanted to be wrapped up in thewarmth of the family holiday. I married a man with five siblings. Somehow these tips helped me to survive.

Clark Griswold 101. In my new book the hero, Dean Silverthorne, notices that Emma decorates everything. Even her cat Oscar. I’m also a fiend with slinging the tinsel. I decorate every room in my house. Even the bathroom. However, over the years, I’ve discovered that if I (or you) don’t put the garland on the mantle, no one will notice. Hopefully.

Chaos Cuisine. In the past I’ve tried to get all the baking done ahead of time. Now I know that preparing the dough ahead of time and getting the family involved in the cookie cutting and decorating keeps everyone from complaining. Yeah, there’s a mess to clean up. But crazy Aunt Edna is used to wielding a broom, right?

Snarky McScrooge. Christmas is a time to forgive and forget. So grab a cup of hot buttered rum and give Uncle Elmer a kiss under the mistletoe even though you know at the Christmas dinner, he’s going to bring up that unmentionable subject. Again.

Raising my hot chocolate and wishing you all a very merry!
Thanks Candis for stopping by!

ANY GIVEN CHRISTMAS:

GENRE: Contemporary
PUBLISHER: Avon Impulse (November 22,2011)
ISBN:9780062105233

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.

Where To Buy: Kindle | Nook
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | My Review
Other Book in Series(click on cover for an excerpt):

available now

GIVEAWAY: One lucky winner from all stops of the tour will receive a $25 Amazon giftcard provided by HarperCollins and Candis. Here's how to increase your chances on winning that giftcard:

*Leave a comment with you email address (ninja style: yourname at gmail dot com)

*Follow the blog tour (links can be found below)

*Leave comments at all the stops

Easy peasy!

Winner will be announced here.


OTHER 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


A huge thank you to Candis for taking time to stop by the blog and to HarperCollins and Candis for the generous giveaway prize. Also, thank you to Marianne at Goddess Fish for forwarding the correspondence between Candis and I.