Friday, June 1, 2012

Minder Contest

To celebrate the release of Minder, I'll be running a month long contest. The winner  gets:
A set of butterfly pins--on right
A Starbucks gift certificate
A book dedication
and
A download of Minder
To enter: Just leave a coment mentioning Minder and  include your email addie.

 Blurb:

Among the northern tribes there is a legend passed down from generation to generation about shape-shifting Minders—guardians of the innocents—and how they came to be. 
It is said that nowadays only a handful of Minders exist, hunted to near extinction by a fearsome beast. Of the remaining Minders, only one wears a garnet-studded collar, the symbol of protection and royalty.  
Even when my aunt told me the story, and handed me an ancient garnet-studded band, I had no idea the tale applied to me.
After all, it’s only a legend…

Excerpt:

We left Bayforks about five o’clock and once again cut through the forest. A Monarch butterfly fluttered over my head for a moment then flew away.
We were almost home when a deer leaped across our path.
“Oh look.” My aunt pointed at the tawny blur.
I’d already seen it. My butt twitched and quick as a cat I gave chase. I couldn’t believe my speed. I bounded easily over a fallen log. My blood hummed with joy. I chased the deer for a quarter of a mile through the winding forest then leaped. As I reached out to grab its flank, the deer kicked out with small hooves that caught me square in the stomach.
“Oof.” I flew through the air and landed on my butt, jolted back to reality.
“Oh crap. Not again.” I drew up my knees and put my head in my hands. What’s wrong with me? I began to shake.      
I heard racing footsteps but I was too embarrassed to look up. Aunt knelt beside me and put her arms around me. Her subtle fragrance enveloped me as she laid her cheek next to mine and rocked me as best she could. Her racing heart belied her calm manner. “It’s okay, Rora.”
“How can you say that, Aunt? I just chased a deer,” I mumbled.
To my surprise she laughed. “Not your usual reaction, I grant you. Come on, let’s get cleaned up. We can talk over dinner.”
I winced and grabbed my stomach as I rose.
“Are you all right?”
Before I could respond she raised my shirt. Goose bumps rose as the wind blasted my bare skin. I looked down. Two hoof prints stood out red against my toned abs. “I’ll be black and blue by tomorrow,” I grumbled even though I have no one to blame but myself.

Available at:

 

25 comments:

joye said...

Minder seems like a good one to have on my TBR list.
JWisley@aol.com

Julia Rachel Barrett said...

Nice, Sandra. Going to tweet it!

Sandra Cox said...

Thanks. Joyce. I love being on TBRs:)

Ah, thank you, Ms. Julia. Appreciate it.

HM Prévost said...

Sounds like a great premise for a novel! helene_prevost at live dot com.

Hywela Lyn said...

Congratulations on your latest book Sandra - and what a great contest!

I'm looking forward to featuring 'Minder' as part of your Blog Tour, on the 21st!

Lyn (Hywela Lyn) x

Conda Douglas said...

Wonderful giveaway and I was hooked on the idea of reading Minder right from the cover, then I read the excerpt and even more so.

conda_d at yahoo.com

Sandra Cox said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sandra Cox said...

Thanks, Helene:) Appreciate you stopping by.

Ooh, fun, Lyn.

Thanks so much, Conda. Always good to hear:) Charlotte Volneck is the cover artist. I think she did a great job.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. . .I think I might like to read Minder now. (which is the point of an excerpt, eh?)


cowlady1990@yahoo.com

Sandra Cox said...

Glad to hear it.Thank you:)

Liz S. said...

Thanks for the giveaway. The excerpt was enticing.

lizsemkiu@gmail.com

Sandra Cox said...

Glad you like it. Thanks for entering the contest, Liz.

lag123 said...

Love the excerpt!

lag110 at mchsi dot com

books4me said...

Is Minders part of a series? If so, how many do you plan? I love the excerpt and seeing a past of a main character!

books4me67 at ymail dot com

Anonymous said...

Interesting excerpt. Thanks for the generous giveaway. Big responsibility to be given the garnet studded collar. It is a good thing that her aunt is with her. Lovely website with the rose colored glittery flowers and turquise butterflies.

Jbst
strive4bst at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Minder rules!

blacksnake@mchsi.com

Mz. T said...

Hi Sandra,

The excerpt really grabbed my attention. Can't wait to read Minder.

tbanj1@gmail.com

Shadow said...

Minder sounds like a great book! I love the cover! Very eye catching. I love shapeshifter books. There my weakness! I cant wait to read this one! Sounds so dang good! Thank you for sharing and for the awesome giveaway! Its very much appreciated!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

Deb PelletierC said...

I'll have to check out Minder. I saw my first butterfly of the year. I love to watch them dance among the flowers.
r.d1@myfairpoint.net

bn100 said...

I enjoyed the excerpt and cover of Minder. It sounds good.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sandra Cox said...

Glad you think so, Liz. Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks, lag. Appreciate that.

Books, my muse hasn't made up her mind on whether it will be a series yet or not. I like series too:) Vampire and Amulet are series. Its fun working with familiar characters.

Thanks, black snake:)

Thank you, JBST. And you're so right about the collar:)

Appreciate that, Mz. T.

Thank you, Shadow:) I love shapeshifters too.

Thanks, Renald. Butterflies rule.

Thanks BN. I love my cover artist.

Anonymous said...

Minder looks good, and it certainly seems a different concept. BTW, I appreciate that you seem to love cats, butterflies and moths, just like I do!

jmcgaugh(at)semo(dot)edu

Sandra Cox said...

J: Cool! yup, I've got 5 cats and work with rescue. Moths and butterflies rule.

Linda said...

Congratulations on the release of Minder. Sounds very interesting. Cant wait to read it. Great cover. Butterflies are a favorite of mine too. Thanks for running the contest.

linda.towle@gmail.com

Sandra Cox said...

Thank you, Linda. Appreciate it. Yes, I love the cover too. Butterflies fascinate me.