Welcome Guest Blogger Natale Stenzel

stenzel_picMUST THE SHOES ALSO BE CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE?

No man will ever understand the pain of childbirth (unless medical science advances beyond what he should wish); a scuffed favorite shoe (okay, maybe); or nail polish remover making contact with an exposed cuticle (owowowowowowie!). That’s just how it is. Biology and eons of socializing. Sucks for us as women. But we can make it suck worse for them *eg*.

Okay, seriously, and perhaps less feloniously, let’s talk shoes. Not my shoes. Not your shoes. Daphne’s shoes. Daphne is fictional, but I like Daphne and I hope others like Daphne, too. She’s the heroine in my latest release, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE (Dorchester Love Spell ~ Feb. 24, 2009), and life really sucks for her in a way that most just cannot understand. You see, she has a plan that’s been in the making for as long as she can remember. Freedom. The woman just wants to take control of her life at last.

As an only child of feuding and exiled Druids—the dethroned king and queen of the weirdo cult, in her opinion—all she wants is to start a life far away. She wants to work and live among normal people who live in blissful ignorance of the existence of magic-wielding Druids, shape-shifting pucas, and temperamental faeries. And guess what? At long last, she has that new accounting job, that sleek new apartment, that new and utterly normal life lined up and waiting for her all the way on the other side of the continent. And she bought herself a new pair of shoes to go with her new life. Now, the stenzel_rock_coverwoman’s no spendthrift or name-brand fashionista. She’s just an ordinary girl who usually wears sensible, low-heeled pumps to her sensible job in her sensible life. But these…well, these were those red-hot, patent leather, nosebleed-high heels that encourage even a mild-mannered woman to cop an attitude and live a life worthy of wearing them.

Dream shoes.  More importantly, freedom shoes. And now—right now—she’s wearing them…

I guess I don’t need to tell you that all of this was destined to blow up in her face—and all over her beautifully shod feet. A stray thunk with no ordinary cornerstone and suddenly Daphne’s a non-practicing but hereditary Druid wielding puca powers and trying to suppress a lifetime’s worth of rage. Life gets a little messy. Not only do the Druids not let her leave town now that she’s wielding undisciplined shape-shifting and mind control powers—a virtual powder keg just waiting for a stray spark to incite flaming chaos—but now those precious shoes are ruined, just like her plans are. Can’t you feel it? The frustrated rage?  Well, Daphne feels it and she’s going to make darn sure that enigmatic nature spirit Tremayne pays at least a little for it as well. You see, he’s the guy charged with helping her learn how to control her powers or, failing that, destroying her in order to protect everyone else.

Tremayne, however, understands on a soul-deep level her need for freedom. That, plus growing feelings for her—and a little thing like her being the key to his own future—might save her hide as well as his. Those shoes, however, are another matter.

So tell me. Do you have anything like Daphne’s freedom shoes? Or just a favorite pair? How have you celebrated a new direction or milestone in your life? I’m easy. Leave a comment. In celebration of my recent release, I’m giving away to one lucky commenter a free copy of either PANDORA’S BOX (Dorchester Love Spell, Feb. 2008) or THE DRUID MADE ME DO IT (Dorchester Love Spell, August 2008). Both are prequels to BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE. Winner gets to pick.

(Thanks for having me here today, Cindy!)

***

You’re welcome! You heard the lady, folks. Leave a comment to enter to win one of Natale’s prequels to BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE. Entries accepted until midnight Pacific Standard time.

To read Natale’s bio, plus the back cover copy and a fantastic 4.5 Star review from Romantic Times for BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HEART PLACE, please see yesterday’s post (arranged, quite cleverly, right below this one).

To learn more about Natale and her books, please visit her website.

By Cindy

I'm irritated because my posts won't publish.

45 comments

  1. Natale, I love the title and the premise! It sounds like a fun, fast-moving book.

    I own a pair of shoes like that but don’t go places I can wear them. Usually I wear comfortable shoes and clothes.

  2. Hi Natale,

    Welcome to the blog. I have tricky feet (by that I mean they feel sore quickly), so my fav shoes are usually expensive. The more comfortable, the better, so by expensive I don’t mean fashionable. I love fashionable shoes, but my feet pay the price.

    To celebrate the first time I signed with an agent, well, I guess I was planning to buy it anyway, but I used the event as my excuse, I bought a 3-foot tall resin statue of a gothic French maid named Emma. She holds a little tray, and we use her in our living room like a side table when we have extra guests.

    I no longer have that agent, but Emma still rocks!

  3. Hi Natale–
    I write paranormal chicklit, too (as yes unpubbed) and yours sounds like lots of fun!
    In the back of my closet I have an old pair of boots I never wear anymore (probably couldn’t even walk on them!) black leather with stiletto heels. But I can’t bear to toss them, either.
    And when I sold my first NF book (of 4) to Llewellyn, I celebrated by having an artist friend create a beautiful wallhanging of a goddess for over my bed.
    I wish you wonderful luck with the new book!

  4. Hi, Edie and thank you! I’ll admit I’m more of a casual girl myself. My dog doesn’t seem to care one way or the other what I wear (and if I wear nice shoes, he drags me across the lawn in them anyway). It is fun to dress up once in a while, though.

  5. Cindy, I have big baby feet that blister at the drop of the hat, so I hear you. Conferences generally leave me with band-aids all over them:P. I love your Emma, though — she sounds cool*g*.

  6. Love the premise, Nat. On my ‘to buy’ list! The only extravagant thing I’ve done is once I finished my first knight story, I bought a large knight print that I just realized I still haven’t unpacked! Yikes. Gotta put that on my ‘to do’ list! 🙂 My sincere best to you! *Hugs*

    Diana Cosby
    http://www.dianacosby.com
    His Captive/Alexander MacGruder
    His Woman/Duncan MacGruder – 4 star Romantic Times review
    Title TBA/Seathan MacGruder – Date TBA
    Title TBA/Patrik [Cleary] MacGruder – Date TBA

  8. Hi, Deborah, and thank you! Your boots sound really cool. If you’re not going to wear them, maybe they can be displayed in some artsy manner. (But maybe you shouldn’t listen to me either; many would giggle to hear me passing out fashion/design advice. Much giggling.) Your wallhanging sounds fantastic — and congrats on your NF sales!

  9. Natale, I was just emailing you, LOL. Yes, that comment did go to moderation, as did Diana Cosby’s, but I caught both before getting dressed to walk the dog.

    I approved both comments, and now that you’re logged in, you should be okay. In case others disappear, I won’t be back for at least an hour.

    Note to others other than Natale – if you leave a long signature file or a long list of some sort in your comment, it WILL go to moderation. WordPress doesn’t appear to like lists. So trim your sig files to prevent this from happening.

  10. Okay, okay, I’ll comment over here…

    The book sounds great! I have a pair of black heeled boots that I live in during the winter. Also some hot gold stilettos I bought for last year’s award ceremony…too bad I’ll never wear them again!

    ~Avery, rogue commenter

  15. Hi Natale,
    It’s Melissa. I e-mailed you when I found an autographed copy of DRUID in B&N – Va Beach.
    Your heroine and I want the same thing! My favorite shoes are my Converse inspired by The Who tennis shoes. They are made to look like a British flag. I also love my Doc Martins. Ive celebrated a milestone with diamonds. Can’t beat that, eh? *g* I’d love a copy of PANDORA.
    I found this contest through MySpace btw. 🙂

  16. I want to know tho, is there some sort of “rule” that shoes have to hurt your feet exponentially to their gorgeousness?

    I have a pair that I bought for National in Dallas two years ago and they are without a doubt the most beautiful heels I’ve ever owned. I wore them 2 hrs max. They’re sitting on a display shelf in my office. Pretty to look at, but torture!

    Natale, I finished reading Pandora’s Box not too long ago, and you were a “new to me” author. You instantly went on my auto-buy list. I have the next two right here in my TBR pile in line as my reward after a bunch of research reading. (Military stuff…so cheery. NOT!)

    I absolutely adore the way you blend sassy humor with deeper emotions. Most comedies make me laugh, but don’t touch me enough to be memorable, and that’s where you excell! I can’t wait to read the latest. 🙂

  17. Peoples,

    For some reason, a lot of the comments are going to moderation. No fault of yours, my WordPress is being remarkably finicky today. I will approve them as they come into my email, so if you don’t see your comment come up right away, have no fear, Natale will still see it after I approve it. And you will still be entered in the contest.

    So solly, no idea why perfectly innocuous comments like Mel K’s and Diana Duncan’s are going to moderation.

    Probably a druid’s doing.

  18. Hi, Melissa! Nice to ‘see’ you again*g*. I’m so glad you liked Druid — and thanks for lettine me know! I sure hope you wear the diamonds with the Converse tennies — Daphne would approve, I promise.

  19. Diana, will you marry me?*g* Thank you so much for all the kind words — they mean a lot. It’s so hard to gauge sometimes. Even if the story and characters work for me, they may not work for someone else. I’m glad Pandora’s Box hit the right spot. Hope you like the other two books as well!

    As for the ratio of gorgeousness to wearability, I think you’re right for the most part. I have a lot of shoes (so dh says, to my protest) but only wear a fraction of them. The prettiest ones can only stay on for an hour or two. But I will persist!

  20. Now, Cindy. High Druid Phil is a very efficient Druid. He’s a master of electronic convenience — and his footwear is incomparable. It’s possible that a faery or puca did it, however. They’re tricky that way.

  22. Natale, so sorry about the moderations! Everyone was having all those troubles with Yahoo and I was fine, and now my WP is wonky!!

    Okay, I’m blaming it on a puca.

  24. Natale, the books sound like a hoot. I have a great pair of Aerosoles black knee-high boots. They have about a 2 1/2 inch heel but they are big chunky heels, so no teetering. I can even dance in them!

  26. Thanks, Jessa! I’m thinking that boots you can dance in should be the standard of comfort in the same way jeans are considered a good fit only if you can sit in them without bursting an organ.

  28. All of her posts that aren’t complimenting ME in some manner aren’t making it through moderation.

    JK.

    I think Yahoo is still acting up. I’ve been fine until today, but my lists are sporadic, not receiving original posts, only replies, etc.

  29. Yes, Natale! I DO have a pair of shoes like that. I have several pair, in fact. When I put them on my sassy attitude surfaces. It’s amazing what the right pair of shoes can do for a woman. Watch out world!!

  30. Hi Nat! Great blog. OMG, do I have shoes like that – in three different colors. I love the way they make me feel when I’m wearing ’em. And I can honestly say I’ve nabbed a Tremayne or two in those heels. Guys will just never get it!! (The shoes, that is, other things … well, yeah! lol) I am definitely putting this on my To Buy List!!!

  31. Alynn, you’re so right. I was thinking that last night when I changed out of comfy clogs into these really cute, high-heeled suede ankle boots. Same jeans, same sweater, didn’t do anything else . . . yep.

  33. This sounds like such a fun story! Plus, you’ve been blessed by the amazing cover gods. WTG! You must have the Druids working for you. 🙂 I’ll definitely be on the lookout for this one.

    My standard foot fare – a very sexy pair of Saucony runners. 🙂

    Wow, that Cindy is such a goddess, which explains the wall hanging above her bed.

    Keep smiling!
    Gail, who is betting this post won’t head to moderation 🙂

  34. You won’t believe it, Gail. It did go to moderation!! I’m going insane. This has never happened to me before. Cyber-gremlins.

    Lucky thing I’m writing for the next couple of hours. I’ll check for more posts before I go to bed, too, and I’ll alert Natalie in the a.m. to come over and respond if need be.

    How aggravating. What if I weren’t home?

    Darn pucas!!

  36. Hi, Gail! Thank you! And isn’t he buff, though? I had a pair of Saucony runners and miss them. They were my favorite running shoes. The newer ones don’t fit me right, though:P. Oh, I know. They were too sexy for me *nods understanding at last*.

  40. Ok, your heroine sounds totally credible, and I’m feeling the red shoes! *g*
    I have a pair of those in black and navy – still looking for red to replace my old pair. :o(

    You’re at the top of my TBR stack, and thank you for the contest!

    Cheers,
    Kim

  42. I understand Cindy’s e-mailing the winner right now*eg*. Thanks, everyone, for participating! I had a great time! And thank you to my lovely hostess, Cindy. You throw a great cyber-party*g*.

  43. Yes, I have. Congratulations to Alynn! You’ve won the free copy of either PANDORA’S BOX or THE DRUID MADE ME DO IT. Please check your email inbox, and email me privately with the title of which book you’d like Natale to send you and also your mailing address.

    THANK YOU to Natale Stenzel for being such a gracious guest and putting up with all the moderations. You’re a peach.

    Thank you to everyone who dropped in. My next guest is historical romance author Christie Kelley, Tuesday, March 3rd. In fact, March is rounding out to be guest blogging month. I have four guests coming in March, so check in every week for another great blog and another book give-away.

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