Merry Christmas in July!

For the past two years, I've hosted a Christmas in July Facebook party. It was a fun way to interact with new people, introduce Marita, Angel, Charli and company and dig a little deeper into who they are and what makes them tick. As an added bonus, I made the Kindle copy of Chasing a Second Chance (the sequel to Casting the First Stone, which takes place in the weeks leading up to Christmas) free on July 25.

This year, I'm trying something different. For the next sixteen days, I'll be counting down to Christmas in July on Facebook and Twitter. Each day will bring a new message, game/survey, information about the characters and/or teasers for book 3, which is (still) in the works (and still untitled!)

Then, on July 25, I'll give away a goodie bag to someone who's been engaging with my posts. In addition, the Kindle copy of Chasing a Second Chance will once again be free from midnight PDT on July 25 to midnight PDT on July 26. If you have some ideas for what you'd like to see in that goodie bag (that I'm still putting together), leave me a comment below this post. All ideas are welcome, but the actual contents of the prize will be at the discretion of the goodie bag maker :-)

How will this work? To enter to win the giveaway goodie bag, follow me on Facebook and/or on Twitter (@L2Hess) or engage with any #ChristmasinJuly post. To engage, like or comment on any #ChristmasinJuly post on Facebook, and/or retweet it or reply to it on  Twitter. You can only follow me once, but each engagement or retweet of a #ChristmasinJuly post counts as an entry. Not sure if you're looking at an eligible post? Look for the graphic above and/or #ChristmasinJuly at the end of the post. Enter once or enter a lot -- the more you enter, the better your chances! And, even if you don't win, you can always collect a free copy of Chasing a Second Chance on July 25. Read it already? Consider gifting it to a friend. (It's free, after all!)

Since Bets is Marita's #1 partner in crime, it seemed only right to have her kick off day #1.

Bets has stood by Marita, no matter the escapade (although Bets is usually the escapade instigator!) Check out 6 Questions from the Porch Swing for Marita’s BFF to find out more about Bets.

Let's play!

Valentine's Day Freebies!

Kindle edition is free today!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Because I love my readers, I've got two freebies today. The first is Marita's take on the night she met Jim. The second is a free book: in honor of Valentine's Day, Chasing a Second Chance is free on  Kindle today.

Want some more outtakes and insights? Check out the night that Angel met Jim and Angel hugs her sweetheart. Or, take a quick quiz to see which Casting the First Stone/Chasing a Second Chance character you are.

Now, here's Marita. Happy Valentine's Day from me, Marita and the rest of the gang!

The night I met Jim started out like any other adventure with Bets. The two of us were experts at going where the boys were, but that night was first time Bets suggested that we go somewhere different -- somewhere with college boys. I was nervous, but excited. Honestly, I was just as bored with high school boys as Bets was but, without her, I wouldn't have had the nerve to go to that party.

We got there pretty early -- rookie mistake -- and I picked Jim out right away. He looked like a model out of those preppy catalogs some of my classmates liked and to say he was tall, dark and handsome was not an overstatement. I don't think of him that way now -- his personality has done more to decrease his attractiveness in my eyes than age ever could. If I'm honest, his looks get better with age, but I will forever see him through the gray-tinted lens of disillusionment. Even back then, I never saw him the way I suspect Angel does. He was cute and all, but he was never my knight in shining armor. He was just a guy.

He noticed us right away -- it was pretty hard not to notice two high school girls in a half-empty frat house. He got us drinks and introduced us to his roommate who, as it turned out, could match Bets smart comment for smart comment. When they went downstairs to play pool, Jim and I went to his room. Bets won $50 playing pool and made out with the fraternity president. Jim and I hung out in his room all night and I got pregnant with Charli.

By the time Bets and I left, the guys were playing beer pong and were pretty uninterested in us. On the way home, Bets and I talked about the night -- about how we'd expected it to be different from the usual high school parties, only it wasn't. We figured we'd never see those guys again, and neither of us was disappointed about that.

If only.