On Monday we told you about blog tour in honour of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, part of Kady Cross‘s Steampunk Chronicles series. Today we’ll be revealing another exclusive quote from the book as well as a chance to win a copy, but first let’s get to the really exciting bit… As part of the tour, Harlequin Teen is offering an awesome grand prize: you could win the necklace used on The Girl in the Clockwork Collar! Enter to win at the Harlequin Teen Facebook page until Friday June 1.

The “Clockwork Collar” was created by Colleen, who sells her steampunk jewellery creations on Etsy as ClockworkZero. Colleen also answered a few questions for us about her work:

How did you get into designing jewelry, and more specifically, steampunk jewelry?

I’ve been making jewelry since I was a teenager in highschool. I read Steampunk back in the early 90′s and made some Victorian jewelry back then. It wasn’t very successful, but years later when the Steampunk movement got started, I already had materials. For me it is a way to combine my love of technology, literature, jewelry and creativity.

Have you designed for anyone else before? Other publishers, etc?

My work has appeared in WIRED Magazine, a Superbowl commercial, the Sante Fe Opera, Auxillary Magazine, Style-ology Magazine and others. I do a lot of commission pieces for photoshoots and for film or TV. These are so much fun but often they mean I’m dashing off to the post office to ship something down to LA for some “secret film project”.   Right now I’m working with a local artist producing sculpture.

What other covers from Harlequin TEEN has your work appeared or will be appearing?

I worked with Marie-Eve Trembley, a very tallented local stylist here in Toronto, providing some of the jewelry for the cover of The Girl in the Steel Corset so I was thrilled to work with her again on this cover. I used my trademark “chainmail” as a basis for this piece and worked with Marie-Eve to combine lace, pocket watch parts, clock parts for a really romantic creation.  Working with the Harlequin team has been truly inspiring!

Where can people go to look at/purchase your designs?

My Etsy store. I can never keep anything in stock these days!

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You can also follow ClockworkZero on Facebook, where she sometimes posts special events and giveaways, as well as occasional sneak peeks of jewellery before it goes up on Etsy. Thanks so much for the interview, Colleen!

Now onto today’s quote The Girl in the Clockwork Collar and giveaway!

Giveaway: We have one copy of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar to give away! To enter, leave a comment telling us which accessory you’d rather have: a non-lethal version of the Clockwork Collar, or Finley Jayne’s Steel Corset from The Girl in the Steel Corset?

Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on May 22. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on May 23. For full official rules, click here. UPDATE: the blog giveaway is now closed. Please check the comments for the winner announcement.

For a schedule of the entire Clockwork Collar tour, click here.

Good luck!

About The Girl in the Steel Corset:

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her “straynge band of mysfits” have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade—the dangerous device Jasper stole from him…for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei’s neck tightens. And tightens.

From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper’s elusive trail. And they’re about to discover how far they’ll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley Jayne will rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley…and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Sam, more machine than man, finds his moody heart tested by Irish lass Emily—whose own special abilities are no match for the darkness she discovers on the streets.

Now, to help those she’s come to care for so deeply, Finley Jayne must infiltrate a criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much….

Harlequin TEEN author Aimée Carter released her debut title, The Goddess Test, in May 2011. The much-anticipated second book in this series, Goddess Interrupted, followed in April 2012. If you plan to do any reading this summer, these two divine books are a must-add to your reading list.

What better way to relax than bringing out your inner goddess. To help, Aimée Carter will be taking you on a Goddess Interrupted summer blog tour, which includes summer wisdom and a goddess-worthy giveaway at every stop!

The giveaway includes:

• 1 copy of The Goddess Test
• 1 copy of Goddess Interrupted
• Goddess French tote bag
• Goddess sunscreen
• Goddess beach ball
• $5 iTunes gift card

Just check out that picture of the prize pack! Who wouldn’t want to win that swag and gear up for summer???

Plus, don’t miss the rest of the stops in the Goddess Interrupted tour for more chances to win great prizes and learn all about Aimée Carter’s modern reimagining of the Greek gods:

• Stop #1 – Monday, May 7 – A Good Addiction
• Stop #2 – Tuesday, May 8 –  I am A Reader, Not a Writer
• Stop #3 – Wednesday, May 9 –   I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
• Stop #4 – Thursday, May 10 – Confessions of a Total Bookaholic
• Stop #5 – Friday, May 11 – Books Complete Me
• Stop #6 – Saturday, May 12 – Katie’s Book Blog
• Stop #7 – Sunday, May 13 – Page Turners
• Stop #8 – Monday, May 14 –  I Read Banned Books
• Stop #9 – Tuesday May 15 –  Once Upon a Twilight
• Stop #10 – Wednesday, May 16 – Mundie Moms
• Stop #11 – Thursday, May 17 – Allison Can Read
• Stop #12 – Friday, May 18 – All things urban fantasy

Giveaway information: To enter today’s giveaway, please leave a comment telling us if you were a goddess or god, what power would you want to have? Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on May 10. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on May 11. For full official rules, click here. UPDATE: The contest is now closed and the winner is — TracyH!

To learn more about the series, visit The Goddess Test tab on Harlequin TEEN’s Facebook page — includes bonus scenes, background info and tons more exclusive content!

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Our monthly giveaway for April is all about series paranormal romance — you could win this month’s Harlequin Nocturne releases by Pamela Palmer and Michele Hauf! Keep reading to learn more about these two novels and how to enter today’s giveaway….

Warrior Rising by Pamela Palmer:

Single dad Harrison Rand craved vengeance only for the harm the evil Esri race had inflicted on his young daughter. But now that he found himself the sole guardian of the Esrian princess Ilaria, exacting his revenge wasn’t the simple task he’d thought it would be.

Because Ilaria—despite her cold beauty and royal entitlement—was like no Esri he’d encountered before. With a simple act of kindness, the princess made him question everything he thought he knew about her race. And to save his own from total annihilation, he needed her compassion and her power to seal the gates between their worlds forever. To save his soul, he found himself needing only her love.

The Werewolf’s Wife by Michele Hauf:

The legacy he must obey…
The child she must save…
The man who threatens to fulfill her every fantasy…
and break her heart.

Alpha wolf Ridge Addison left his wife in Las Vegas, vowing to put their one reckless night of passion behind him and return to his clan. Thirteen years later he needs a divorce so he can become pack leader. Yet he’s never forgotten the sensuous witch whose life he saved…or the knee-buckling kisses he still craves.

After they parted, Abigail tried banishing Ridge from her memory. Now her heart belongs only to her son. But when the boy is kidnapped, she knows she alone can’t save him. Though Abigail’s body still aches for Ridge, she’s willing to give him his freedom in exchange for his help. But who will shield her heart from the only man she’s ever let claim her, body and soul?

Giveaway information: To enter, please leave a comment telling us if you’re a Harlequin Nocturne reader — or if you won, would these be your first?

Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. We’ll be taking entries until 11:59 pm EST on Thursday, April 26. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on Friday, April 27. For full official rules, click here.

UPDATE: The Giveaway is now closed. Please check the comments for the winner announcement.

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We’ve got a TON of news today about New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa’s new series, Blood of Eden! It’s the official launch of BloodofEden.com and book trailer for the first novel, The Immortal Rules. Be sure to pay close attention to the book trailer, too, to unlock hidden content on the site….

Today also starts a blog tour with author Julie Kagawa to celebrate the upcoming release of The Immortal Rules! Harlequin’s Paranormal Romance blog is thrilled to be the first stop on the tour AND the place where you can enter to win the tour’s grand prize of a Kindle Touch with with a special Immortal Rules cover.

Keep reading for a message from Julie herself to kick things off, information about the blog tour schedule (which will have book giveaways at each stop), and the contest entry form. Good luck! ~Amy

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Hello, readers!

So, today is the start of a brand new blog tour for The Immortal Rules, and I couldn’t be more excited for it.  On the tour stops, we will follow protagonist Allison Sekemoto as she transforms from human to vampire and asks herself, what does it mean to be immortal, to be separate from the rules of the living?  We will also discover her world–New Covington, the Fringe, the wilderness beyond, and all the dangers that lurk therein.  We will glimpse the most terrifying aspect of this new reality–the rabids–and hope that we escape with our lives.  And we will meet some of the other characters of The Immortal Rules–Kanin, Zeke, Jebbadiah, Sarren–and see just how they fit into Allison’s life.

Someone once asked me if it was very different switching from writing about faeries to writing vampires, and I have to say yes, it most certainly was.  The Immortal Rules proved to be an even darker tale than Meghan’s story in The Iron King.  Allie’s world is filled with monsters, and each day is a fight for survival, but her greatest enemy isn’t the rabids or the vampires or even the humans who despise vampires and want her dead.  Her greatest enemy is herself.  Especially as she tries to cling to her humanity, to fight the Hunger within, to not become a monster.  This is her story.  I hope you will join us for the ride!

- Julie Kagawa

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Thanks for blogging us with today, Julie!

So where else will The Immortals Rules blog tour go next? Here’s the schedule below — and remember, each stop will have a unique look at a different aspect of the Blood of Eden series AND a giveaway!

• Tuesday, April 17 –  I Read Banned Books
• Wednesday, April 18 –   I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
• Thursday, April 19 –Supernatural Snark
• Friday, April 20 – Mundie Moms
• Saturday, April 21 – Books Complete Me
• Sunday, April 22 – I am a Reader, Not a Writer
• Monday, April 23 –  Reading Teen
• Tuesday April 24 – 4 stops to celebrate release day for The Immortal Rules! — Electrifying Reviews, Waste Paper Prose, Page Turners and Bookalicious
• Wednesday, April 25 – Tynga’s Reviews
• Thursday, April 26 – Once Upon a Twilight
• Friday, April 27 – All things urban fantasy
• Saturday, April 28 – Total bookaholic
• Sunday, April 29 – A good addition
• Monday, April 30 – Reading Angel
• Tuesday, May 1 – Taming the Bookshelf
• Wednesday, May 2 – Teens Read and Write

Now for OUR giveaway! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win a Kindle Touch with an Immortal Rules cover. You can also get additional entries by doing the following:

1. Add The Immortal Rules to you ‘to read’ on Goodreads (or if you’ve read it already, rate the book)
2. ‘Like’ Julie Kagawa on Facebook
3. ‘Like’ HarlequinTEEN on Facebook
4. Become a ‘fan’ of Julie on Goodreads
5. Follow @HarlequinTEEN on Twitter

Details: Open to residents of the US and Canada (excluding Quebec) only. Must be 13 years of age or older. Contest closes at 11:59 PM (EST) on May 2, 2012. Please read full contest rules here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A common question authors get asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” For me, it starts with a setting, an actual location that gives me the tone I’m looking for and then I take it from there. A pioneer cemetery. An abandoned amusement park. The offices of a software company. A private island. A rainy college campus. A secret, underground facility.  A damp cave. The third book in the Sweetblood series, Tempted By Blood, is no exception.

The premise of Tempted started because of a real location near my home in Washington State. In the book, I knew something terrible had happened to a group of teenagers, which sent the story events in motion. Arianna Wells hears about it on her secret blog, Paranormalish, and investigates. This brings her face-to-face with vampires, including Guardian Jackson Foss.

At first, I asked myself if the event could happen at a shopping mall? No, too boring and the tone wasn’t right. At a school? No, this isn’t a YA story. So I went online to search for creepy locations in Washington State and practically fell from my chair when I stumbled across what I’m calling The Devil’s Backbone. It was perfect!

It’s an actual old cemetery located deep in a forest on private property, so that’s why I can’t tell you the real name. After trekking a half-mile into the woods, rumor has it that there’s a cement slab on the far side of the graveyard. If you move it aside, you’ll see steps leading downward. When you turn around at the bottom, you’ll be looking straight into the mouth of Hell.

I got shivers when I read the actual stories of people who had snuck in and searched for these stairs. The accounts dated back several decades—teens (yes!) have been going there for years. If I had lived in the area growing up, my friends and I would definitely have gone there. My son has heard of the Devil’s Backbone, said everyone at school knows about it too (though he claims he’s never been there himself).

I contacted one of the people who’d posted online about having been to the cemetery several times, and he supplied me with a lot of details, including its precise location (it’s not on any map), where to park, and what to watch out for (the caretaker). He even offered to take me there so I could see it for myself, but he said we’d have to go after midnight. Although I declined at the time (what if he’s secretly an ax murderer?), I’m still thinking I may take him up on his offer someday. I’m dying to see it for myself.

If you’ve ever had a real paranormal experience at a location like this or anywhere else, Arianna would love to have you check out her blog Paranormalish. You can also email your story to her at Paranormalish(at)gmail(dot)com.

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Giveaway: Laurie has generously offered to give away a signed copy of Tempted by Blood to a random commenter! Open to residents of US and Canada only. To enter, leave a comment by 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, March 25. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on Monday, March 26. For full official rules, click here. UPDATED: the giveaway is now closed.

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Happy Friday! Today on Harlequin’s Paranormal Romance Blog, we’re giving you a chance to win a print copy of USA Today bestselling author Rachel Lee’s latest paranormal romance from Harlequin Nocturne. Fans of both vampires and werewolves, take note — Forever Claimed has both…

Since the death of his claimed mate, the only thing that’s kept Luc St. Just’s heart beating is his quest for vengeance. His contempt for rogue vampires runs deep. So when a mysterious woman is brutally attacked, Luc’s protective instincts—and his will to live—are suddenly reawakened….

As a werewolf who can’t shape-shift, Dani Makar wants only to lead a “normal” life. But when the magnetically seductive Luc risks his life to save hers, Dani is torn between everything she believes…and an unstoppable, soul-deep desire.

Fiercely drawn to each other, these two sworn enemies fall into a passionate alliance. But evil’s wrath cannot be underestimated, nor its ability to destroy….

Giveaway information: To enter to win Forever Claimed, tell us in the comments what you would rather be: a vampire or a werewolf? Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. We’ll be taking entries until 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, March 18. A winner will be chosen from the comments by random number draw and announced on Monday, March 19. For full official rules, click here.  UPDATE: the contest is now closed.

Good luck!

~Amy

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To celebrate the release of Allegiance by Cayla Kluver, book 2 of the Legacy Trilogy, Harlequin Teen is holding a blog tour with daily giveaways and a final grand prize of a Kindle Touch with an Allegiance cover art skin! See the blog tour schedule below for details, or click the blog tour badge above for more info.

As today’s stop on the tour, Harlequin’s Paranormal Romance blog is giving you a look at the two kingdoms featured in the Legacy trilogy — the Kingdom of Hytanica and the Empire of Cokyri (and click on the cool maps for larger images). We’d also like to hear which kingdom you’d rather live in, so please vote in our poll at the bottom of the kingdom descriptions or leave a comment

The Kingdom of Hytanica:

The Land: About 15,000 people live within the city; another 2,500 in the country. The countryside is split into farmland and forests, while the city is divided into the Market District and the Business District.

Royal Family and Line of Succession: Only men can rule.  A female heir can be crowned Queen but not ruler, and as such plays no part in the actual governing of the kingdom. 

Family and Social Life: The father is the undisputed head of the family. Girls are considered to be of courting age at fifteen, though marriage before the age of eighteen is generally discouraged.

Lavish parties that include food, drink and dancing are held in the Royal Ballroom. The people of Hytanica can also enjoy a number of feasts, festivals and tournaments.

Education: The traditional subjects for girls are etiquette, movement, household management, embroidery and music.  Most are also taught to read and write and do basic math.  At the age of 14, all boys enter the Military Academy for four years of training.

The Empire of Cokyri

The Land: Much of Cokyri is desert. The Empire’s wealth comes from mining jewels and precious metals, but the arid landscape means they must trade with other kingdoms for crops.

Cokyri is also a land of ingenuity and invention, with advancements that other kingdoms have yet to discover including advancements in weaponry, lighting and plumbing.

Rulers and Line of Succession: Cokyri has historically been ruled by an Empress who has both political and magical power.  These powers are passed to the Empress’s first-born daughter, but the Empress gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and divided their powers so Cokyri is currently ruled by the High Priestess and the Overlord.

Family Life: A woman chooses a man, and if he accepts, he is marked with a tattoo around his forearm. Fathers are not trusted to raise their children in Cokyri; rather, children are raised in a communal environment by their mothers and a group of maidens. Both women and men can own property and inherit wealth.  Many businesses are owned and run by women.

Education: Males and females receive very similar educations, including instruction in reading, writing, math, science, and history.  In addition, everyone is given military training beginning at a young age.

So now that you know a little about Hytanica and Cokyri, which place sounds the most desirable (though we think we know which most people will choose!):

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Follow the rest of the Allegiance blog tour!

• Monday, February 20th – YA Bibliophile
• Wednesday, February 22nd – For Those About To Read
• Friday, February 24th – Books With Bite
• Monday, February 27th – Harlequin Blog
• Tuesday, February 28th (Book Birthday!!) – Hippies Beauty & Books
• Wednesday, February 29th – Starting The Next Chapter
• Friday, March 2nd – A Cupcake and A Latte
• Monday, March 5th – Electrifying Reviews
• Wednesday, March 7th – Kindle Fever
• Friday, March 9th – Unabridged Andrea

Other stops on the tour feature a tournament between characters Lord Narian and Lord Steldor and Cokyri and Hytanica. For a chance to win the Grand Prize of a Kindle Touch, guess which Champion won the tournament at the last tour stop at Unabridged Andrea. Open to residents of USA and Canada. See full contest rules here.

And connect with Cayla online at:

Cayla website: http://www.caylakluver.com

Cayla’s twitter: @CaylaKL or https://twitter.com/#!/CaylaKL

Cayla’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cayla-Kluver/49026582415

About Allegiance:

AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD QUEEN IN LOVE WITH THE ENEMY AS THEIR COUNTRIES PASS THE POINT OF NO RETURN…

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn’t truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica—until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn….

Edited: Today’s blog does not have a daily giveaway, but check the other stops on the tour for a chance to win a copies of Allegiance.

One of my favorite things about being a writer is being able to share things that I love with readers through the stories that I write.  Whether it’s interesting foods, fascinating locations or a bit of history, I delve into these things and more in each story to try and bring alive for you those things that I love.

That’s very true of Nocturnal Whispers, my February Nocturne Cravings release which weaves together at least three of those things – food, location and history – to bring you a very sexy erotic paranormal romance.  It also weaves in another something special I’ll take about later.

For the locations, I picked my all time favorite city, New York.  Even though I work in New York, I never cease to be amazed by all the different neighborhoods in the city, each with their own unique flavor.  I am also constantly surprised by how much there is to see and do in New York.  In Nocturnal Whispers, I combined my experiences of working in Midtown and visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to create the world in which the heroine, Kate Morton, lives and works.  I also added a bit of an homage to the British Museum since my family and I were lucky enough to visit the museum a few years ago and it really piqued my interest in Egyptian relics.

Which brings me to the history part of it!  If you haven’t guessed by the places I like to visit, namely museums, I love finding out about other cultures, whether past or present.  In this case, those visits to the Met and the British Museum had me thinking of all kinds of stories relating to the things I had seen, like the famous Rosetta Stone or the Temple of Dendur.

If you’re in New York, definitely go visit the Temple in the Met.  It was saved from destruction during construction of the Aswan dam and it was amazing to be able to see such a piece of history sitting in a New York museum!

Temple of Dendur Photo Credit:  Ronen Perry

As for the food, well, there are at least two sexy food scenes featuring goodies from a favorite restaurant – Tao.  I’ve been lucky to go there on at least one occasion and the food is fabulous, so why not share those experiences with you?

But besides the food and locations and the history, there is something very very special going on in Nocturnal Whispers because beyond all those elements and the very sexy scenes, Nocturnal Whispers is a story about the redemption of the hero, Lord Alec, and the power of his love for Kate.  It is a story that will have you rooting for the villainess because you will totally understand why the mummy is haunting Lord Alec.

I hope you’ll take the time to check out Nocturnal Whispers.  You can find out more about at www.caridad.com and also read an excerpt of it at http://www.caridad.com/books/erotic/nocturnal-whispers/.

Thanks for visiting!  I’ll be picking one lucky winner to get a copy of The Fifth Kingdom, my romantic suspense from Carina press, from everyone who leaves a comment on today’s blog.

Happy Valentine’s Day! We love sharing the love here at Harlequin, so we have a special giveaway in honor of the most romantic day of the year. One lucky commenter will win a set of 5 paranormal romance novels…including Gena Showalter’s next Lords of the Underworld novel, The Darkest Seduction, which will hit stores on February 28.

All five books in the prize pack are:

• Ghost Walk by Heather Graham
• Embraced by Blood by Laurie London
• Forever Vampire by Michele Hauf
• Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter
• The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter

To enter, please tell us which paranormal romance novel you think is the most romantic in the comments! (Edited to clarify: your answer doesn’t have to be one of these 5 books, whatever is your favorite )

Giveaway Rules: Open to US and Canada only. Contest closes on Monday, Feb. 20 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be chosen by random number generation and announced on February 21. For full official rules, click here.

Happy holidays from everyone here at Harlequin! While you’re getting ready to celebrate this weekend, we have a special treat up for grabs for one lucky winner: a Harlequin Teen Paranormal prize pack! Prize includes:

• An Intertwined T-shirt (size large)
• Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schulz
• Crave by Melissa Darnell
• Majix and The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees
• 3 Iron Queen buttons (1 for you, 2 to share )

If you’d like to win this awesome selection of goodies for yourself or a teen reader you know, just leave a comment telling us which paranormal book was your favorite read in 2011 (and it doesn’t have to be a Harlequin title ).

Giveaway Rules: Open to US and Canada only. Must be age of majority to win. Contest closes on Wednesday, December 28 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be chosen by random number generation and announced on December 29. For full official rules, click here.

UPDATE: The contest is now closed. Please check the comments to see if you’ve won