FIVE STAR REVIEW

I'm thrilled to announce that there is a lovely Five Star (or five cups) review by of Sharon's last book 'Kiss Of death' at Coffee Time Romance.  Her book also received the covetted 'Coffee Time Reviewer Recommended  Award

(This is the second time she has won this award for one of her books!)

You can read her review here:

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/kissofdeathbysharondnovan.html

Author Roast & Toast: Tribute to Sharon

Author Roast & Toast: Tribute to Sharon: On 11th April, 2012, God in his great wisdom, decided to take our dear friend and sister hostess, Sharon Donovan to join the other angel...

We love you Sharon

A year ago today the world lost a shining star and many of us lost a dear friend. The angels now sing with our sister Sharon and must be enthralled by her story telling as she 'paints pictures with words;' Now she can see again and take in all the beauties of Heaven., and her legacy to us is her lovely romantic suspense stories and her Inspirational tales. We posted a tribute to Sharon on The Author Roast and Toast, the 'fun' blog she helped run with Mary Ricksen, Patsy Palmer and myself (later joined by Mac Crowne). There is a link to that tribute in the sidebar, and in the meantime, I would like to reproduce an  essay written by Sharon's niece, Kendal McCulley.  I think it is beautiful and a wonderful tribute..

 If there’s one person in this world who has taught me so much and influenced me on a positive level, it’s my aunt and godmother, Sharon Donovan. She has lived nothing less than an inspiring life in which she still continues to impress those all around her, especially me! I can only hope to be half as successful as she has been, while managing to overcome nearly impossible obstacles. 

At the young age of twelve, Sharon was presented with disturbing news that was sure to affect anybody’s life. She was told that, by the age of twenty-five, she would lose her sight. The cause of this (tragedy) was diabetes, which had been diagnosed at the age of six. In her late teens and early twenties, Aunt Sharon became involved in art classes and demonstrated true talents at painting. When the day came, though, that she could no longer see the canvas in front of her, she had no choice but to give up her dreams of painting. However, this did not discourage her. When painting was no longer an option, she turned to a new outlet: writing. Now, nearly thirty years later, Sharon has put so much time and effort into writing and has become the author of three published novels, and countless short stories. 

As if suffering from diabetes and blindness wasn’t enough, last month Sharon suffered a major heart attack and a stroke as well. The chance of a complete recovery was pretty slim, but my family never doubted her ability to over these obstacles. Sure enough, she did. Though much has changed and she will have to be more careful than ever, Sharon found the strength to make it through. In her heart, I believe she knows she still has much more writing to do, and I believe that her writing will only improve. Not only has Sharon handled these situations well, but in the years between, she has gone through numerous surgeries, therapy, and countless doctor appointments. I truly believe that my Aunt Sharon’s story is amazing and one that could anyone could look up to. 

Sharon’s strengths and perseverance have influenced me in so many ways and have made me see things in a new light. First of all, one of her clearest, most admirable qualities is determination. Not only has she decided to live her life to the fullest, but she always strives to help others in the process. I can go to my aunt for help with anything, and I know that she’d be there for me. She also taught me to have faith and strength. Without these things, I now know it is impossible to survive any sort of challenge in life. To reach goals, we must believe in ourselves and she has inspired me to do just that for my future. My aunt has given me even more reason to want to be as educated and successful as possible. Finally, one of the most important things I have learned from her is not to take anything in life for granted because it could literally be gone in a second. 

I am so thankful to have the opportunities that I’ve had in my life. Even more importantly, I’m extremely blessed to have Sharon Donovan not only as my aunt, but my godmother. I’ve learned to see life in a new perspective and appreciate all things that have come my way when I strive to achieve, while at the same time staying motivated to be successful.

Kendal McCaulley

This was written by Sharon's niece. It got her accepted into one of the colleges she applied to. She loved her Aunt dearly. And what a great role model she had in Sharon!

Preditors and Editors

You may remember Sharon's first story starring 'Oliver', entitled 'Charade Of Hearts'  won the P & R short story section last year. She was thrilled even though she was so sick in hospital. I think it really boosted her spirits.  'Kiss Of Death', also starring Oliver, didn't do quite so well, coming in third, but that's still a great achievement.  I hope Sharon is smiling in Heaven to know her stories are still being read and loved.

 Thanks to everyone who stopped by Sharon's  Blog and commented/took part in the Secret Santa Blog Hop. Sharon would have loved this!

The winner was picked by the 'Random Generator'

The winner of 'Kiss Of Death' is

HOLLY UNDERHILL
AND

The winner of the Kindle Fire HD is...Shannon Bereza! 

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks again for stopping by Sharon's Blog!

Secret Santa Blog Hop

Welcome to The Secret Santa Blog Hop.

Happy Christmas!

I'm posting this on behalf of my dear friend, Sharon Donovan, who as mentioned elsewhere on this blog, tragically passed away in April this year.

Sharon loved Christmas and all the legends and traditions associated with this special time of year. She would get so excited and because this amazing author was blind, she would ask me to  decorate her blog for her with Christmas graphics - and this was something I loved to do.

I miss her so much and this Christmas will be so hard for her family and friends without her.  However, Sharon left us all one last gift - her Christmas romantic suspense 'Kiss Of Death', published on 5th December.  This is a great story, starring her wonderful hunky 'Oliver', and takes place at Christmas, in New Orleans.

To be in the draw to win a copy of this edge of the seat suspense, just leave a comment below, making sure to give your email address, and for an entry into the Grand Prize Draw, answer this question -  what are the chilling words that feature in Camille Lafayette's dream? (*Hint* the answer is in the blurb in the post immediately below this one, 'Sharon's new cover unveiled', for Nov 14th) I do hope it doesn't refer to that hunky guy on the 'Secret Santa Bloghop' button!

You can purchase 'Kiss Of Death' HERE

Excerpt:

He flashed his badge and offered a cheeky smile. “Detective Oliver Sharoné, New Orleans P.D., Homicide. Are you Camille Lafayette?”

Lulled by the patois of Cajun French in his voice, Camille just stood there, mouth agape. Now that she could clearly see him, he had the most dazzling smile she’d ever seen.

“Ma’am?”

His lyrical voice was music to her ears. A rush of hormones surged through her, leaving her weak in the knees. Feeling a burning gush of desire, she forced herself to nod, running her tongue through a very dry mouth and pushing out the words. “Yes, I’m Camille Lafayette. Is there a problem, Detective?”

Thunder and lightning crashed and collided, wilder and wilder, echoing the primitive beat of her heart. Silhouetted by roiling thunderclouds, Detective Oliver Sharoné looked like a dark and dangerous warrior. Dizzy and lightheaded, feeling drunk with emotion, Camille was as highly charged as the electrical storm.

“May I come in for a moment, Ms. Lafayette? I would like to ask you a few questions in regard to a murder I’m investigating.”

Camille’s breath caught in her throat. A bolt of panic surged through her. Shaken by the impact, she stammered for words and said nothing. Her pulse fluttered wildly in the hollow of her throat. This sexy cop was about to turn her world upside down. 

Time to start hopping and winning some great prizes.

The blog hop features over 40 authors, all giving away an individual prize, but the grand prize is a 7″ Kindle Fire HD! To enter for Sharon's book, be sure to leave a comment here, including your email address so you can be contacted if you’re a winner. Comments will also put you in the running for the Grand Prize. To increase the odds of your winning the Grand Prize, you will receive additional entries if you follow this blog, leave a comment here, or answer my simple question at the end of this post

The hop runs from midnight Dec. 17^th  to midnight Dec, 19^th.

You get three entries at each blog stop. One for answering a question at each blog stop, one for following each blog and another for commenting.

After you are finished hopping you just send  an email to careydoucet@yahoo.com   saying which blogs you went to and what you did at each. You are not required to go to every blog to win but the more blogs you go to the better your chance of winning is. Please send it all in one email.  That's  just one email with all the hop info as follows:

Your name and email at the top. (You only need this once.)

For each blog -

Blog Name

Answer to Blog question

Did you follow?
Did you leave a comment?

You don't have to do all these but each one gets you an entry. 

There will be prizes at each stop and the grand prize is a Kindle Fire HD. which will be given away on the 20^th. Feel free to share with your friends. The contest is open to anyone in the US and Canada. Sorry about that but it is because of shipping and the fact that not everyone can use the Kindle service.

Go here for a full list of all the blogs taking part: http://tabithablake.blogspot.co.uk/p/secret-santa-blog-hop.html

Have fun and good luck!

Hywela Lyn: Release of Kiss Of Death by Sharon Donovan, and a very specal guest

Sharon's New Cover Unveiled

RELEASED 5TH DECEMBER - PURCHASE LINK

I'm thrilled to reveal the gorgeous cover by Kim Mendoza for Sharon's newest book 'Kiss Of Death', starring the gorgeous 'Oliver'.

Sharon was working on this  story before she tragically passed away in April 2012 following further heart problems and complications. Her editor, The Wild Rose Press's  Lori Graham has worked closely with her family and friends to get the finished story edited and published as part of the Wild Rose Press  'Red Christmas' series, and we are thrilled that after Lori's hard work,  it is now ready to be released on 5th December, just in time for Christmas, a wonderful gift for a friend or family member's Kindle or book reader - or for yourself.  Here's the 'Blurb' and I'll put the Purchase Link up here as soon as I have it.

BLURB:
Santa Must Die.The words in Camille Lafayette's dream are a chilling prelude of events to come. She sees herself as the killer, and when the murder is actually committed, she becomes the prime suspect.

When handsome Detective Oliver Sharone turns up at her New Orleans family home, he is searching for answers. The evidence against her seems damning. An image captured on the victim's camera resembles Camille, and the red feather mask worn by the murderer came from her shop.The instant chemistry between Camille and Oliver is an added complication, which grows deeper as they work together to discover the truth. It becomes a race against time to find the real murderer before he not only loses his heart completely, but the killer strikes again. And this time the victim could be Camille herself.

The winner of the contest is...

***CONGRATULATIONS***

Perfect Match was chosen for the Match Making company and Amelia Richard was the one picked for her vote. Congratulations Amelia, I know you're in for a fantastic read!

Watch for the cover for Sharon's book, soon.

News and an Exciting Contest

I've just received some wonderful news from Lori Graham, my late, dear friend Sharon's editor at The Wild Rose Press. I'll let her tell you herself:
Lyn



Sharon Donovan was one of Wild Rose’s authors. Unfortunately, she passed away this year but her characters live on. In fact, one of her stories has yet to come out. It is being finished now but we could use your help.
 

The story, a Crimson Rose, is set in New Orleans and features a dating service. I would like your help to name the match-making agency. Here are the possible names:

Fulfilling Wishes

Dreams Come True

Happily Ever After

Wishes Granted

Granting Wishes

Make Me a Match

The Perfect Match

Desired Endings

Search No More

Two Hearts

Eternal Bonds

Please send your vote in an email to 
lori (at) thewildrosepress.com, putting Matches in the subject line. In the email body, just type in the name you like. The one with the most votes will be featured in the story and then one of the people who chose that name will be picked at random to win a free download of the manuscript.

All entries must be to me by noon on August 9^th.

What a great way to honor Sharon’s memory and help out with her story.

Thanks!!

Lori

Lori Graham

Senior Editor, Crimson Rose

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

lori@thewildrosepress.com

Check out our new submission call
on our website - www.wildrosepress.com
Voted #1 Publisher by P&E Four Years in a Row!
Top Ten Finalist in Editing Category of P&E Four Years in a Row!

Trailer for 'Mask Of The Betrayer'

 Sadly, despite a tremendously brave fight and iron will and determination, our beloved Sharon passed away on Wednesday evening.  Many prayers had been said for her recovery, but it seems God in his wisdom decided her poor body had had enough, and Heaven needed a new angel.

I loved Sharon as a sister, even though we had never met. Ironically I was planning to fly out next month, and visit her with Mary Rickson, but it was not to be. My heart is full of tears, but also full of wonderful memories.  She will never be forgotten, and her wit, wisdom and love will live on forever in her books.

Obituary

On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, Sharon A. Donovan, 56, of Avalon, beloved daughter of James and Pearl Donovan of Avalon, beloved sister of Thomas (Priscilla) Donovan of Milwaukee, WI, and Mary Beth (Mark) McCauley of Mars; beloved aunt of Kendall and Connor, also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends. Sharon was very giving and loving, and a great inspiration to all.

She was an accomplished author and will be dearly missed. Friends received on Sunday from 1:00-3:00 p.m. and 6:00- 8:00 p.m. at the Lawrence T. Miller Funeral Home, Inc., 460 Lincoln Avenue, Bellevue. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Monday at 11:00 a.m. in the Church of the Assumption. Contributions may be made to the Diabetes Research Institute, 200 South Park Road, # 100, Hollywood, FL 33021. http://www.diabetesresearch.org/

If you would like to send flowers or find out more about her services, click here.

Get Well Soon Sharon

As stated in an earlier post,  Sharon was admitted to hospital for a second heart operation early in January.  She is making slow but steady progress and if you would like to leave her a message you can do so on this post, Thanks to everyone who has already left Sharon a message on earlier posts.  They are mean so much to her and I'm sure will aid in her recovery.  You can follow her progress in the sidebar, which I will try to update as I receive news from her family.

Please keep praying for our dear friend that she'll soon be on the mend and able to return home and start writing again!

Posted by:

Hywela Lyn

CHARADE OF HEARTS WINS BEST ROMANCE SHORT STORY 2011

CONGRATULATIONS SHARON!

Sharon's gripping romantic suspense novella, 'Charade Of Hearts' in the Wild Rose Press series 'Jewel Of The Night', starring 'Oliver' won the 'Preditors & Editors Readers' Poll 2011.

If you haven't read this yet, I can heartily recommend it, here's  the blurb and an excerpt:

While scuba diving off the coast of Diamond Head with her diving partner on a quest to find a family heirloom, underwater photographer Dominique St. John witnesses his brutal murder and photographs it, ensnaring her in a deadly jewel ring. Then when the investigating officer turns out to be her partner’s identical twin, a man she knew nothing about, her life becomes a Charade of Hearts.

Welcome to the world of greed, intrigue, deception and murder. At its core is a blue diamond worth millions.

As honest as his twin was corrupt, Honolulu Homicide Detective Oliver Carvalho must convince Dominique that her diving partner and best friend was a crook. In a race against time, Oliver must rescue her from a ruthless killer, but his biggest challenge proves to be Dominique herself. Her heart has been torn by betrayal and can only be redeemed with love.

(Pages 122) Sweet

Excerpt:

 

The fog in her head slowly cleared.

She was on assignment in Hawaii, photographing the shipwreck that had taken her mother’s life. While she’d been shooting pictures, Roberto had been scouring the ocean floor for her mother’s blue diamond, her birthright. By some miracle, Roberto had managed to find the necklace. Just as they were about to surface, a diver came out of nowhere and stabbed him. Her eyelids flew open in shocked horror.

“Roberto!” Dominique screamed, her voice a nasally squeak. “My diving partner? Is he here? Roberto Carvalho?”

The nurse’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, Ms. St. John. You were the only patient brought in by emergency helicopter. You’re at the Honolulu clinic.”

Dear God. Killer sharks had been thrashing toward Roberto, jaws chomping. The words came out in a strangled moan. “The owner of the charter? Is he here?”

The nurse shook her head. “But there is someone anxious to speak to you.”

And that’s when Dominique spotted him, framing the doorway to the small room. He’d survived the shark attack. His name caught in her throat. “Roberto! You’re alive! How…”

He strutted toward her, his narrow hips swaggering as he closed in on her, stirring her blood with a primal lust she had never felt. And those dark, broody eyes, so alive with passion, like fiery comets.

He loomed above her, his lips pinched into a thin line. “I’m sorry, Ms. St. John, but I am not Roberto. He flashed a badge. “I am Detective Oliver Carvalho, Honolulu PD, Homicide. Roberto Carvalho was my identical twin brother.”

PURCHASE HERE

Sharon continues to make slow but steady progress.  you can read updates in the sidebar on the right and if you would like to send a card or personal message, just email me at Lyn@hywelalyn.co.uk and I'll let you have the address you can send it to.

Thanks for your continued prayers.  They are making a difference