I’ve had a rough couple of days with hip/back pain, which was diagnosed as sciatica on Friday. So, I’m needing to cheer myself up–and giveaways always do that! Here’s your chance to win an EXCLUSIVE HARDCOVER AUTOGRAPHED copy of TALON! (U.S. Residents only) There are multiple ways to win, so have some fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today, the FedEx truck pulled up and I was dumbfounded. We hadn’t ordered anything to my knowledge. But it had my hubby’s name on it. *shrug* So, I text him and tell him the box has arrived…and he texts back: OPEN THE BOX! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

And this is what I found:

The winner for this week’s COVER REVEAL giveaway (a copy of TRINITY and TALON) is: KATE HUDGENS! If I haven’t heard back from you by June 5, another winner will be chosen!

And once more…since I’m just completely in love with this amazing cover, here is the Raptor 6 cover!!

You might remember the “Help Me Find Dean Watters” campaign, where we hunted for a real veteran to grace the cover of Raptor 6. We indeed found a Special Forces veteran, nominated by his wife. They are a truly neat couple. When I talked to him, he said the only reason he’d was doing the cover was because, “my wife thinks it’d be cool.” Love a man dedicated to his country, his family, and God! Hooah!! 

(Names omitted for privacy and protection–please respect this. If you recognize the veteran, please do not mention his name. All comments will be moderated!)

Without further ado, here is the amazing and intense cover for Raptor 6, Quiet Professionals Book 1. 

His mission. His team.

Those elements are the laser-like focus of Captain Dean Watters’ life. When a threat is launched against both of them, Dean’s Special Forces training kicks into the highest gear possible. Failing to stop the hackers coming after the military’s super-computer isn’t an option.

Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. And a target. Her expertise in algorithm cryptology makes her an unwitting pawn in the hacker’s deadly game.

When Zahrah is captured, compromising the US military, Dean is forced to crack the box around his heart. A move that might come at the highest cost.

Now…the giveaway. One commenter will win copies of TRINITY and TALON!! You earn extra points by tweeting this amazing cover, sharing it on Pinterest, following me on Facebook, etc.! You *must* comment on the blog to even be eligible!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1.) Firethorn won the 2013 Selah Award (Fiction – Suspense) from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference with–get this–a PERFECT SCORE! At the award dinner, I was so blessed to have my in-laws and three of my children with me.

2.) Yesterday, I received word from the Faith, Hope, & Love Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award that TRINITY: MILITARY WAR DOG is a finalist in the Romantic Suspense category! I am over the moon with this for Trinity. I already consider it a win because this is putting MWDs in front of an even larger audience, and that was my goal with that book–to bring an awareness of a really cool element within the military establishment.

3.) I wanted to make a note here about the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. JANET BARNES was chosen as the winner, and I replied to her comment on the post, but there’s no way for me to contact her. If she does not reply by Sunday evening, I will choose a new winner for the 4-book giveaway of the Discarded Heroes! It’s so imperative when you enter a contest that you leave a way for the coordinator to contact you. Rafflecopter totally glitched out on me, so I had to do this by “hand.”

Thanks for celebrating with me and with Janet! I love doing giveaways, so make sure you stay tuned, here and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rapidfirefiction

About Once Upon A Prince:

The Royal Wedding Series Book One

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess—just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.
Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s a ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.
It’s the ultimate choice. His kingdom or her heart? God’s will or their own?

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/kFb0Y

Ronie’s Fast-Rope Review

 
Rachel Hauck weaves an fun, poignant tale with Once Upon A Prince. From my first peek at the cover (isn’t it gorgeous?!?), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. Hauck is talented in providing just the right blend of romance with a dash of intrigue in this modern-day Prince Charming story. The handsome Prince Nathaniel is thoughtful and deliberate, focused on his duties as a royal yet distracted by the struggling Susanna Truitt. The cast of supporting characters provide entertainment enough on their own, and left me both laughing and groaning (in fun) with them! I love that Susann has an ordinary career that she’s struggling to build and that Nathaniel is so determined to do right by his country. I really enjoyed this respite from the insanity of my life!

Watch the Trailer:

Meet Rachel:

 
Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of Carol Award winner “Sweet Caroline”, and RITA Finalist “Love Starts With Elle”, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, “The Songbird Novels”. She lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane plagued, central Florida with her husband and their ornery pets. Rachel earned a degree in Journalism from Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes football fan. She is the past President of American Christian Fiction Writers and now sits on the board as an Advisor.

Find out more about Rachel at: http://RachelHauck.com

Rachel Hauck is celebrating the release of Once Upon a Prince with a fun “Royal Wedding” Giveaway and connecting with readers at her May 28th Facebook Party.

One “royal” winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck
  

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 27th. Winner will be announced at the “Once Upon a Prince” Facebook Author Chat Party on May 28th. Connect with Rachel for an evening of book chat, wedding trivia, laughter, and more! Rachel will also be sharing a sneak peek at the next book in the series and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 28th!

GRAND PRIZE: Susan (seventysevensusieq)
RUNNERS-UP: Debbie Karlin and Marilyn (mfagern):

For the Ronie Kendig ~ Rapid-Fire Fiction 4-book Discarded Heroes series winner is Janet Barnes. I’m a little slow announcing the winner because I’m at a conference AND because of the “wonderful glitches I had with Rafflecopter. *sigh* After combining all the entries (what a bear), JANET BARNES was randomly chosen!

Janet Barnes says:

May 18, 2013 at 11:55 PM (Edit)

My brother! He was the CO at NAS Whiting Field and now he’s in the middle east serving our country. Paul’s a helicopter pilot for the Navy….and he leaves 5 kids/step-kids all under the age of 16 back here at home.
Reply

Thank you all and I’m very sorry for all the glitches. I’ve learned a lot this go round! Phew!

INTRO:  Welcome to the 2013 Summer Scavenger Hunt! This hunt (which begins at noon Mountain Daylight Time and not before) has 32 stops and runs 5/17-5/19/13. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 31 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the Rafflecopter form at Stop #32, you’ll be in the running for an iPad Mini (loaded with all our books), or one of two runner-up prizes—all 31 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn’t hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws. Ready? Here we go…

Anne Elisabeth Stengl

I’m super pleased to share with you readers the amazing Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I love that she doesn’t write your standard fare–Anne is a talented, award-winning author some serious fantasy novels! The night Anne won the Christy for NAMEOFBOOKStarflower, I was there–and was stunned to learn this incredible young woman is the first to win the Debut Author Christy for Starflower and then the following year win her category!

Anne’s Bio

If you haven’t heard of ANNE yet, then here’s a quick peak at her bio:

Anne Elisabeth is the award-winning author of the Tales of Goldstone Wood, a series of fantasy adventure novels told in the classic Fairy Tale style. She is married to the handsome man she met at fencing class and lives with him, a kindle of kitties, and one long-suffering dog in NC.

Today, Anne shares her unique angle on…

NEW FROM OLD:

Turning a Standard Storyline On Its Head

 by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

“I would write a book, but every time I think I’ve got a good idea, I find out that someone else has already done it!”
 
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this same sad plaint from wannabe novelists. But I’m not as sympathetic as I might be. Because you know what? Ultimately, it’s just another excuse.
 
There are no new ideas left in the writing world. Seriously, people! It’s all been done before. I recently taught a creative writing class at a local university in which I shocked my audience by explaining that everybody’s favorite Star Wars: A New Hope movie is just a retelling of Cinderella, packaged up with some new frills. It was actually kind of funny to watch the looks on the boys’ faces as I pieced together the connections for them: Cinderella = Luke Skywalker, Stepmother = Uncle Owen, Royal Ball = Flight School, Obiwan Kenobi = Fairy Godmother, Light-saber = glass slipper . . . and so on and so forth.
 
It’s a been-done story. We’ve seen it before. And then we’ve seen it again.
 
But that’s also why we love it so much!
 

 
When I sat down to write my newest novel, Dragonwitch, I found myself crippled for the first several months of drafting as I struggled to make it completely original. But when that didn’t work, I decided to take a step back and compile a handful of “been-done” storylines. In this case, storylines that I honestly thought were tired, used, and no longer interesting. These included:

1. The Chosen One
2. The arranged marriage
3. The magic sword (and I even went ahead and stuck mine in a stone, à la King Arthur)
4. The mysterious old man with secret knowledge
5. And the . . .

 
Well, actually, I don’t want to tell you about that last one! While it’s a very used theme that we’ve seen a dozen times before in fantasy fiction, it’s also still a surprise, and I’d hate to spoil it! (You’ll know it as soon as you read it though. Trust me.)
 
So I looked at my list of been-done tropes. And I thought to myself, “How could I do these differently?”
 
I didn’t try to come up with “original” storylines. What I did was bring my own perspective on old storylines. And suddenly I found my creativity opening up. After all, we love those old storylines because they truly are fun! They speak to us, to our individual understanding of universal themes. And there is always a new spin to be spun, a new angle to be tried.
 
Ultimately, there aren’t any new stories. But there are always new storytellers. Every writer has personal experiences, tastes, ideas which she/he brings into play. And those new ideas are what give new life to even the most tired storylines.
 
The more of yourself you pour into your work, the more life it will take on. And that’s when something exciting and–if I dare say it–something “original” begins to happen.
 

 
Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s upcoming release, Dragonwitch (Tales of Goldstone Wood)is a riveting fantasy filled with a prince, castles, powerful swords, and even more powerful heroes! It is available at bookstores or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Christian Book Distributors and elsewhere.

AND NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS:

 
Write down this clue: help us
 
Have it written down? Great! Now head on over to Anne Elisabeth Stengl’s blog, Stop #24 for the next clue! Thanks for stopping by!
 

 

 OPTIONAL: BONUS PRIZE!

AN ENTIRE SET of the Discarded Heroes! This is your chance to win FOUR books by yours truly, Ronie Kendig. You MUST comment to enter, and then you can earn extra points/entries by tweeting about this giveaway and if you LIKE the RapidFireFiction page on Facebook!

US entries ONLY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Because of a technical glitch, the above Rafflecopter portal closed, but all who comment will be in the draw!

Here is the image I’ve used while writing. It was posted on FB by Honor Them.

Here are the requirements:

1. Must live in Colorado; the closer to Woodland Park, the better (that’s where the cover designer is).
2. Must be a male, white Caucasian; very tanned (not Latino, African American or Middle Eastern)
3. Must be around 30 years old
4. Dark hair and brown eyes
5. The guy needs to have an intense/focused look or able to produce that for the photographer
6. Needs to be active duty or prior military

If you know of someone who might be interested, please have them send me their information, along with a photo. I cannot guarantee who will get chosen or how, but I’m passing candidates on to the brilliant cover designer! ronie [at] roniekendig [dot] com.

Friend and fellow writer from Down Under, IAN ACHESON (author of ANGELGUARD–really, you need to read it!) hosts TALON and me: http://ianacheson.com/introducing-trinity-talon-their-creator-ronie-kendig-and-a-giveaway/

Author TRISH PERRY hosts Talon & me at her blog: http://trishperry.blogspot.com/2013/05/ronie-kendig-and-free-books.html

Suspense author SUSAN SLEEMAN hosts a giveaway on her Suspense Zone blog: http://www.thesuspensezone.com/contests/current-contests/

And here is an interview with me (no giveaway). The host provide some refreshingly new questions, including what my superpower would be if I were a super hero! Fun times at More Than A  Review with Donna Feyen: http://www.morethanareview.com/an-interview-with-ronie-kendig/

Shannon Vannatter hosts me on the Romance blog–find out some interesting facts about me and my hubby, like who first said, “I love you!” :  http://shannonvannatter.com/ronie-kendig-romantic-real-life-interview-part-1-of-2/