Friday, June 22, 2012

Veil of Pearls Release Party - Week 4


 Welcome to the fourth week of  the Veil of Pearls pre-release party!!! 

  Last week's winners are Vanessa Johnson and J:-)mi (CTF Devourer). Congratulations, ladies!!  And thanks to all who entered. You have two more weeks to win and I have four more books to give away, so don't give up yet! 

Last week I posted an excerpt from the book, and based on what you learned about the heroine, Adalia, you had to guess what she would say next.
“I daresay, Miss.”  The light-haired man called after her. “How can you say such a thing? You hardly know me.”
“I know your type.” She shot over her shoulder and took a cautious step onto the bridge, which didn’t appear very sturdy now that she was up close. The wood creaked beneath her shoe.
“And what type is that?” His voice grew closer behind her. 

C. Adalia faced him. “The type who plays idly while men and women are enslaved to do your work.”


 Over half of you guessed the right answer!!! But if you didn't, don't be too down, it was a very hard choice. This week, I'm posting another excerpt and based on what you know about the hero, Morgan, you must choose what he would say next.  (Your answer does not affect your eligibility to win.)

In this scene, Adalia has just left church and is waiting for her employer to escort her home. She sees Morgan and is trying to avoid him. 

She didn’t see him coming until the tips of his boots slid up to the toes of her shoes. She knew it was him before she lifted her gaze. She knew because her skin tingled and her heart vaulted.
When she did meet his eyes, he gave her that boyish grin that did not aid her attempt to squelch his effect on her. Dressed in tight pantaloons of broadcloth, a fine cashmere waistcoat trimmed in gold, high boots and a black overcoat, he presented quite the gallant.
“Why were you staring at me, Sir?”
He leaned toward her ear, his warm breath wafting over her cheek. “Because you are beautiful, Miss.” He smelled of exotic spices.
Her stomach fluttered. She stepped back, trying to regain her senses. “There are plenty of other comely ladies present.” She pointed toward one particularly stunning blonde who glared at them from afar—Miss Emerald Middleton, if she remembered her name. “Please do me the favor of casting your vain flatteries elsewhere.”
“I meant no offense.” The humor left his voice, and the odd longing she’d seen before filled his eyes. Over his shoulder she saw the elderly couple and the little girl who’d sat with him in church climbing into a fancy carriage.
“Your parents are leaving.”
 “I’m staying in town.” He lifted one brow as if that should mean something to her.
When she didn’t respond, the devilish twinkle in his eyes dissolved beneath a hollow melancholy. She shrugged off the sympathy it invoked. No doubt it was but another of his tricks to enslave an innocent woman’s heart.
It wouldn’t work with her. She thrust out her chin. “I haven’t seen you at church before.”
“I don’t normally attend St. Michael’s, though now that I know where to find you, I’m sensing a call to deeper spirituality.”
She narrowed her eyes. “The only thing you are sensing is your own carnal nature.”
“Ouch. Milady wounds me deeply.” He pressed a hand over his heart.
“Is everything a joke to you?”
“No.” He sobered. “I find no humor in receiving no response to my many calls upon your home.”
“No doubt you expect me to dash to your side every time you drop off your calling card?”
His green eyes flashed. A breeze loosened a strand of hair from his queue and dangled it over his impervious jaw.


A. “Yes, now that you mention it, I do,” he said with a grin.
B.  "No. A simple response would suffice."
C.  "Hardly." He tugged on his cravat. "Not unless you find me completely irresistible."
D.  The twinkle left his eyes. "Every time you do not, I fear a piece of my heart chips away."


So what does Morgan say next??  Make your best guess, leave a comment with your email and I'll announce the two winners next Friday!  Good luck to everyone!
Have a great weekend!!

49 comments:

  1. D for me :)
    luving the interplay...
    faithhopecherrytea at*gmail.*com
    and excited for the launch! ConGrats MaryLu!

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  2. This is quite a tidbit to chew on, love the scene. I would say next should be D.
    I would love to read this story-you give just enought to whet the appetite.
    thanks for sharing today.
    Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)

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  3. I'm going to guess B. It is the simplest answer. In spite of Adalia's remark about everything being a joke to him, Morgan doesn't seem all that silly and vain to me. He seems interested in being real and finding someone else like that. His life isn't as happy-go-lucky as Adalia might think it is, a lot of underlying pain. He might make a flirtacious reply, but I think he'd just go for direct. So B.

    csteward@gmsa.org

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  4. hummmmmm torn on two. but going with D. The twinkle left his eyes. "Every time you do not, I fear a piece of my heart chips away."

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

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  5. Friday, June 22nd,
    "Morning, MaryLu."
    First off -- "Congratulations" to last week's winners: Vanessa J and CTF Devourer ! Good job !
    (Well, at least I guessed the correct answer to last week's quiz question.)
    As to this week's quiz: although "all" the answers sound correct, I am going to guess "B". Reason being -- just before Morgan answers Adalia, he has already turned to a more 'serious tone', and the joking seems left behind for now. D sounds totally reasonable too ... but I believe my final answer will be "B". Yupp, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it !
    Thanks again for yet another chance to try and win the book, MaryLu.
    You have a great weekend too, and, wishing that to all the fans.
    Take care, and, God Bless,
    In Him, Brenda Hurley
    brennie7@hotmail.com

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  6. This is so hard!!! Okay, I believe C sounds most like him.

    C is my answer.

    katelynmwhitley@yahoo.com

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  7. These excerpts are certainly raising the anticipation level for this book. Can't wait to read it! My answer is "D".

    aimmesser@yahoo.com

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  8. Ooh! This is a hard one! I'm going to go with C I think.

    ecriggs1990(at)aol(dot)com

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  9. I'm going to guess D. Love the character's personalities already!

    sunshine6892 at hotmail dot com

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  10. Good morning, MaryLu,
    I think the answer is "B". The point where he sobers up when she asks if everything is a joke to him, makes me believe he's getting tired of playing games and is ready to pursue a serious courtship with Adalia. :)

    bookwarp(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. Congrats to the winners and thanks MaryLu for another chance to win your book! I am getting more and more eager to read this with every trivia question :)
    I'd have to go with B. No. A simple response would suffice.
    LOVE the dialogue in this story, the characters sound soooo real :)
    Have a great weekend and best wishes to the other entrants, blessings!
    Kara
    wman4jc@aol.com

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  12. I pick A. because it seems like something he'd say.

    kelseybabe@live.ca

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  13. I can't decide between d and b! But... I think I will go with B. thanks for this chance! Email:

    Katiegalyean (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  14. I love this scene! :) I'd say B, but C also seems possible.

    kate.danahy@gordon.edu

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  15. Congrats to Vanessa and CTF Devourer! Good job and enjoy the book!

    I love the dialog here! I cant wait to read Veil of Pearls! I can tell Im really going to like this story and these to characters together!

    This is a hard one though...ummm...I think I want to go with B-"No. A simple response would suffice." However, C is also very tempting to pick but I think B sounds most like him.

    Thank you for this chance to win a free copy of your book, MaryLu! It is very generous of you and a fun way to do it! I always look forward to the teasing month before the release!

    Hope you are having a wonderful summer and have a great weekend!! God Bless!

    Tori
    duemlings@hotmail.com

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  16. Oh, this one is hard. I will go with B, he seems to have dropped the charm and become serious. He's quite a hero, I don't know how Adalia can hold out too much longer!
    worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com

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  17. B!

    Thanks for the contest:D
    I've read your blog for a while, now, and I've enjoyed watching people win your contests. I've never commented before because the comment box usually makes my mind go blank.

    I couldn't resist it this time;)

    crossandthistle at gmail dot com

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  18. I'm going with C. :-)

    safe_1227(at)bresnan(dot)net

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  19. Congratulations to last week's winners!
    I don't think the answer is C, but other than that, all of the choices seem like they could work!

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  20. Congratulations to the winners from last week! Hmmmm..... this week's is really hard! I think that, in a way, all of the answers work somehow.... I think I will stick with "D" though, but I think that most of the other choices seem to work! "A" might be my second guess, but I'm not sure! I love this scene, though, and can't wait to read more of it!!!!

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  21. Congratulations to the winners!
    MaryLu, this made me laugh. I love their banter. It's so entertaining. My brain is salivating, it's so hungry for this book!
    I can't guess! It's harder than last time.

    I'm going with A.

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  22. OOps.
    I did the same thing I did last time. I forgot my name. LOL.
    -Rebekkah xD

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  23. Vanessa H. JohnsonJune 22, 2012 at 2:38 PM

    MaryLu ~ I just cried my eyeballs out! I can not believe I won! What an honor!!! I KNOW without a doubt that I will absolutely love this book AND I WILL GO WITHOUT SLEEP AGAIN because I can't seem to put your books down! LOL

    Thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to win and also to play along with guessing the next line. It is fun and exciting...

    My guess this week is D...

    Have a great week everyone!!!

    Love ~
    Vanessa H. Johnson

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  24. I liked either A or C best. But I’m going to choose C. It seems to match up with the rest of their conversation. He sobers for a moment to respond, she says something that rankles him, and his reply at first sounds insulted, but then he steps back into a teasing, almost cocky sort of personality.
    Plus, I didn’t figure it was “B” since he already used the word “response” in his previous comment and using it again would be somewhat redundant. And I didn’t choose D, because why would there be a mention of his “eyes flashing” if immediately after it says “the twinkle left his eyes”? And though I did like A also, it was the mention of a grin that followed his eyes flashing, which kinda makes me think that he was a little annoyed (possibly since he’s not used to rejection?), and so a grin doesn’t seem to match up with that. But maybe I’m just over thinking it! Haha!
    But I loved the clip from your book! Thanks for sharing :) I can’t wait to read it.

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  25. Congrats to the winners! Thanks for a chance for ME to win!!
    I will say D..........just seems like correct one! lol
    jackie.smith[at]dishmail[dot]net

    Jackie S.

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  26. Hmmm, I think B, even with the redundancy. Somehow that seems to fit with his eyes "flash"ing. :) Can't wait to hear what the answer is! Loving this Veil of Pearls Month!

    biblioprincess15 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  27. The chemestry between the two absolutely inspiring. I must say that I love the romances where at first she does NOT like him. Or they both don't like each other and end up in situations together constantly and end up falling in love.
    When two characters find an unexpected romance with someone they would not have picked or imagined falling in love with, makes for a fun story. (Even if it's just one person of romance that is against the sparks flying to between themselves.)

    hannah-and-guitar@hotmail.com

    God bless! And thank you so much for the novel writing lessons you gave this winter, they were absolutely helpful. I felt ahead of what the creative writing class was trying to teach us, because you already taught me most of it. ;) lol (not that I didn't learn anything new from the class, because I did, but most of my new skills, if you will, was advice from you.)

    Again, God Bless!

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  28. Oh! haha! i, hannah-and-guitar@hotmail.com

    answer it as: C

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  29. Congratulations to the winners!
    I'm going to guess D.

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  30. Congrats to the winners!!

    Hi MaryLu! Gosh, talk about a tough pick! I could see him saying any of them! This whole conversation he's flip-flopped between cocky and glimpses of vulnerability. But I still think it's too soon for him to let down his whole mask, so I'm gonna 86 option D. I think he was slightly insulted by what Adalia said because his "green eyes flashed" so option B is too humble at the moment. So that leaves A and C...hmmm... I think tugging on his cravat in C would be a slightly nervous/unsure gesture and he seems full-on cocky at the moment, especially with his "impervious jaw" lol ;) So, I'm gonna say A, final answer!

    Gosh, you made my brain work too hard for 7am! ;) Just kidding, these are always fun AND we get a free excerpt in the deal, sweet! :) Thank you again for a chance to win!!

    Blessings,
    Amanda

    mrose608{at}gmail{dot}com

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  31. I'm thinking it's B. :)
    It seems to me that the joking has been put aside, and he is more serious now. "His green eyes flashed." seems to imply a wee bit of irritation maybe? A more serious, to the point answer seems to fit here.
    Anyway it is, I still can't wait to read the book! :)
    Thanks MaryLu!

    mcallister@bmts.com

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  32. Happy weekend MaryLu,

    Hmmmmmm, can we pick more than 1 answer:) becuase if we could i would say A and D. But if I had to go with one answer I would pick ...........A. Have a wonderful weekend.
    Rebecca
    Rebeccahartman07@yahoo.com

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  33. Wow! This is definitely a tough one...I was pretty sure about what Adelia said last week, but with this I have absolutely no idea! D almost seems to deep for the moment, as he was just joking around. A, B, and C, all seem reasonable though. I'm gonna have to go with A. Even before reading the options, I said almost that exact line in my head.
    Emily

    emily.wilts13@gmail.com

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  34. Haha wow.. trying to figure out whether he keeps it serious or back to lighthearted but when I first read it through A. was my first thought so that's what I'm going with.

    fancynoodle@yahoo.ca

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  35. I'm going to guess "D" -- his response is serious and disarming. Great excerpt, Marylu! I enjoyed it. :-)

    gwen[dot]gage[at]gmail[dot]com

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  36. Congrats to the winners!
    From their conversation thus far, I would say D.
    You are really making it hard to wait for the book, MaryLu! :) Good thing I have a lot of patience. HEHE

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  37. Maybe I am over-analyzing this, but I am debating between A and C. The rest of the scene he is more light-heartedly joking with her and the "grin" in answer A would play along with that. But then again, C is distracting because the last line of the passage mentions the details of his "eyes flash[ing]" and his hair coming "loose...from his queue" and that goes hand-in-hand with him tugging on his cravat. Hmm… Well, I eliminated B because it seems like he is almost defensive or slightly wounded by her comment, which doesn’t seem like him, especially in context with the rest of the scene. And D seems a little too dramatic to me. So, in the end, I am probably going to guess A. And now that I have very much over-analyzed this, I will quite possibly be wrong. :)
    Savannah (smrsis248@gmail.com)

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  38. Oh, this is a hard one! I think I will go with C. But I'm really not sure!
    Kim
    lonebanana(at)msn(dot)com

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  39. IF he is infatuated of course the answer is D.

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  40. I think I want to change my answer lol. I usually guess right but this one is tricky.
    When I first read the snippet and choices, I thought oh A sounds perfect! But then I doubted myself because it seemed since he sobered in his last comment that B would fit. And yeah now that I read it over C(yet funny) and D dont sound right either. Hehe this was fun!

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  41. Oh, yeah my email, sorry.
    duemlings@hotmail.com
    Even though you know it and have it already :) So yeah Im sticking with A. So fun! Cant wait to read it!

    Thanks again for this chance to win MaryLu ... will friday be our last chance to win?

    Tori

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  42. There seem to be so many contradictions to Morgan, all four answers seem viable options! In the circumstances he seems just a bit irritated, so I'm thinking he'd go with B.

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  43. I think D is most likely to be the answer because they seem to both have this connection and no doubt they want to be together

    Alyssagarcia96@gmail.com

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  44. I'm guessing B.

    notesofsilver at gmail dot com

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  45. I'm thinking A!

    Kimberly
    jesusfreak2_1999@yahoo.com

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  46. I'm thinking B :D

    apostolicgirl1@cox.net

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