Sugar Creek wins the National Readers' Choice Award

Toni is thrilled to announce that Sugar Creek won the 2010 National Readers' Choice Award in the Single Title category. The award was presented by the Oklahoma RWA and presented at the RWA National Conference in New York City at the end of June. Toni had a fun and busy RWA conference this year, signing at multiple book signings (thanks to all the readers who stopped by to say hello), participating in a workshop panel, and enjoying New York City in style, including attending Avon's party at the Central Park boathouse. You can hear more about Toni's conference experiences and view pictures at her Facebook page.

Another conference highlight for Toni was presenting the award for Best Romance Novella at the RITA ceremony - the Oscars of the romance world. You can see Toni's presentation of the award to Virgina Kantra in this video:

Also enjoy this video Toni made at conference with some of her small-town author friends:

Now that conference is over, Toni is back writing Destiny book five. Holly Lane, book four, is right around the corner, so watch for more information on it coming soon.

Happy Holidays from Toni Blake

While the rest of you have been decking halls and trimming trees, I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on Destiny Book 4, HOLLY LANE. And just in case the title didn’t tip you off, it’s a Christmas story – which I’m super excited about! Think snowbound cabin, hot chocolate, sleigh rides, and lots of snuggling (and more, of course!) next to the fireplace. HOLLY LANE will be out next November, in plenty of time for holiday reading, so mark your calendars. (Or just sign up for my book release announcements. : ) ) In addition to working on HOLLY LANE, I’ve been busy in lots of other ways lately, too. I have squeezed in a little tree trimming, along with some holiday baking, get-togethers with friends, and even a couple of booksignings. In mid-November, I met up with good friend Lori Armstrong/Lorelei James for a signing in Lexington, Kentucky. And earlier this month, I took part in a large group holiday-themed booksigning in Cincinnati, where I got to catch up with author buddy Lori Foster among others.

Of course, the REALLY big news is that Destiny Book 3, WHISPER FALLS, comes out on December 28, so the countdown is officially on. And though it will be a few days too late for stocking stuffing, it’ll be right on time for all those bookstore gift cards you’ll be getting for Christmas! : ) To add to the countdown fun, on December 16 I’ll be starting “The 12 Days of WHISPER FALLS” on my Facebook page, where each day right up to the book’s release I’ll be sharing tidbits or fun facts about Tessa and Lucky’s story. So if you haven’t already clicked the Like button on my page, now’s the time! Tessa’s story is near and dear to my heart, and Lucky is probably the baddest bad boy I’ve ever written, so I’m thrilled the time has come for this book to hit the shelves.

Meanwhile, I thank you all for your interest in my books and I wish you all a very happy holiday season! Merry Christmas, and may Santa leave lots of books in your stocking!

Win a Whisper Falls e-ARC!

We have four e-ARCs of Whisper Falls up for grabs  - that's four people who'll get a sneak preview of Toni's baddest bad boy yet! How can you enter? Any or all of the ways below – spread the word on multiple social networking sites to earn multiple entries and more chances to win one of the four e-ARCs.

1. Read the Whisper Falls excerpt, and email the answer to the following question to toniblakecontests@gmail.com: What is written across Tessa's tank top?

2. Tweet or retweet this post on Twitter. Be sure to include #WhisperFalls in your tweet.

3. Share this note on your Facebook profile. Just hit the Share button to add this note to your own profile, then leave a comment on Toni’s page letting us know you’ve shared it.

4. Like this post on Goodreads. All you have to do is click the “Like” link at the bottom of the post.

There you have it. Enter up to four times and increase your odds of winning. The contest closes Thursday, November 11 at 9:00 p.m. EST and winners will be announced Friday, November 12. Please keep in mind that advance copies are meant to build early buzz for the book, and it’s best if winners are able to read the book in advance of its release (the e-ARCs expire on release day) and post a review somewhere online – Amazon, B&N, Borders, Goodreads, a blog or messageboard, or any social networking site. These advance copies are available in digital format only, and require the reader to register a free account with NetGalley to claim.

Read more about Whisper Falls, which releases December 28, 2010.