After the signing, Toni made it out to the Cincinnati Zoo’s Festival of Lights (pictured below). Between enjoying the light displays, animals, and general atmosphere, Toni managed to snap a picture of the reindeer Sophie saw in Holly Lane. You can keep up with Toni’s other winter adventures on her Facebook page.

Of course, the biggest adventure of the season has been having her first Christmas book! Holly Lane released October 25th and has already gone back for a second printing. Christmas has always been a special holiday for Toni, and she’s thrilled to be able to share some of her favorite holiday traditions along with another heartwarming Destiny tale. Holly Lane contains a Christmas cookie recipe that has been in her family for generations, and this and other recipes from the Destiny series are also available on Toni’s web site. Her site has also recently been updated with all-new lists of the songs used in her books – including some of her holiday favorites from Holly Lane – as playlists from Amazon.

2011 has been a banner year for Toni and the Destiny series – a USA Today review, Doubleday Bookclub feature, National Reader’s Choice Award, FIRST Magazine mention, and book tour, to name just a few of the highlights – so it’s hard to believe it’s already drawing to a close. But 2012 is set to bring more great things, including the release of Destiny book five, Willow Springs (July), which will bring long-awaited romance into Amy’s life.

Toni sends huge thanks to her readers for all their support this year and sends all best wishes to everyone for a delightful holiday season and a wonderful new year!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support Toni for the Fall…in Love Book Tour. Toni was thrilled to be able to celebrate the release of Holly Lane by meeting so many wonderful readers and having some really fun adventures with fellow tour authors Kerrylyn Sparks and Beverly Jenkins. You can read more about the tour on Toni’s Facebook page or check out photos in either her Facebook photo album or as part of the slideshow on her events page.

Toni is also excited to share that she’s mentioned in Robyn Carr’s newest Virgin River book, Bring Me Home for Christmas, as a favorite author of the book’s heroine. What a fun honor! Bring Me Home for Christmas recently hit the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, so huge congratulations to Robyn for her achievement and many thanks for the shout out! If you haven’t checked out Robyn’s wonderful Virgin River series, you should.

Toni was recently interviewed on camera by Morgan of RT Book Reviews. Check out the video interview for more information on  Toni’s writing background, Holly Lane, the Destiny series, and what’s coming next summer in Destiny Book 5, Willow Springs.

Finally, thanks to everyone who participated in the 12 Days of Holly Lane by joining in the fun on Toni’s Facebook page or sending an entry for the sweepstakes. We’re excited to announce that Sue P. is the winner of a set of signed Destiny books plus a Holly Lane T-shirt. Plus we drew two additional winners to receive a signed copy of Holly Lane: Debbie H. and Melanie A. Congrats and hope you enjoy the books! Thanks to everyone else who’s supported Toni and contributed to a successful release for Holly Lane!

Holly Lane

Holly Lane is available at numerous booksellers and retail outlets, including Amazon (both as a paperback and on Kindle), Barnes & Noble (paperback and Nookbook) and Book Depository, which offers free worldwide shipping.  Don’t see it at your local store? Be sure to ask someone to help you find or order it.

Reviewers are loving Holly Lane so far! Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “Blake balances cinematic imagery (a live reindeer in the backyard) with silliness (Adam in a reindeer suit inviting Sue Ann to play “reindeer games”) while tugging on readers’ heartstrings like a virtuoso harpist.” Romantic Times gave it 4 stars and said, “Blake does it again with a Christmas tale that will make your spirit joyful. It’s a compelling read with a little depth. The realistic characters make the story a treat and the small-town feel creates an intimate reading experience. You’ll be glad you took another trip to Destiny.” Read more of the early praise for Holly Lane.

Don’t forget to explore ToniBlake.com for extra tidbits about the book. Enjoy recipes from the books, character profiles, and places of interest on the Destiny Series pages, and keep checking back for news on the fifth book in the Destiny series, Willow Springs, due out July 2012.

Dinner With the Authors
Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 7:00 PM
Victor’s Casa Garcia
Fry Road
Houston, TX
Visit Katybooks.com for more information, call 281-578-7770 for tickets.

Booksigning
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
7:00PM
Brook Park Branch Library
6155 Engle Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44142

Booksigning
Thursday, October 27, 2011
7:00PM
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
9455 Civic Centre Blvd
West Chester, OH 45069

Booksigning
Sunday, October 30, 2011
3:00PM
Schuler Books & Music
2820 Towne Centre Blvd
Lansing, MI 48912

As part of the celebration we’re also having a 12 Days of Holly Lane sweepstakes, in which we’ll offer a set of all four signed Destiny books and a Holly Lane T-shirt. To enter, just email your  name, mailing address and what you’re most looking forward to this holiday season to toniblakecontests@gmail.com. The sweepstakes will close Tuesday, October 25 at midnight EST, so remember to get your entries in before then!

The weather outside is frightful, but kisses by the fire are so delightful …

Sue Ann Simpkins is working hard to rebuild her life and find some holiday spirit. A weekend away from Destiny in a cabin on nearby Bear Lake seems like the perfect Christmas gift to herself—until her ex’s best friend, Adam Becker, shows up at the door, claiming the cabin is his! And if that’s not trouble enough, how had she never noticed how gorgeous he was?

Alone for the holidays and forced to play a reindeer at the local department store, Adam’s been feeling rather Scrooge-ish himself. But finding the smart, sexy woman he’s admired since elementary school waiting in the house he rented is helping to brighten his humbug mood. And when a sudden snowstorm strands them together in very close quarters, leading to one very hot night together, Adam soon realizes that what he really wants for Christmas is a second chance at love. Now all he has to do is convince Sue Ann…

Read an excerpt here.

Holly Lane has already received a glowing review from Publisher’s Weekly: “Blake balances cinematic imagery (a live reindeer in the backyard) with silliness (Adam in a reindeer suit inviting Sue Ann to play “reindeer games”) while tugging on readers’ heartstrings like a virtuoso harper.”

Holly Lane releases October 25, 2011 and is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Toni is thrilled to share that Whisper Falls is in the September 19 issue of First magazine. Whisper Falls is featured on page 110 as one of their editors’ reading picks. Editor Krista Winston calls it, “a story of getting what you really need from life rather than getting what you think you want”.

Find it now at your local checkout counter, and look for more information about the next book in the Destiny series, Holly Lane, coming soon.

Toni had a fun and busy RWA conference this year, signing at multiple book signings (thanks to all the readers who stopped by to say hello), participating in a workshop panel, and enjoying New York City in style, including attending Avon’s party at the Central Park boathouse. You can hear more about Toni’s conference experiences and view pictures at her Facebook page.

Another conference highlight for Toni was presenting the award for Best Romance Novella at the RITA ceremony – the Oscars of the romance world. You can see Toni’s presentation of the award to Virgina Kantra in this video:

Also enjoy this video Toni made at conference with some of her small-town author friends:

Now that conference is over, Toni is back writing Destiny book five. Holly Lane, book four, is right around the corner, so watch for more information on it coming soon.

One Reckless Summer: $2.99 on Kindle Nook

Whisper Falls: $2.99 on Kindle Nook

This is a great cap to an exciting and fun-filled couple of weeks for Toni. In May, she took a long-awaited trip to England. Highlights included staying in the same room in Thornberry Castle that once hosted Henry VIII and Anne Boelyn, and a sighting of the Queen. This past weekend, she was part of the Lori Foster Reader and Author Get Together, where she enjoyed catching up with reader and author friends. You can see pictures from both England and the Get Together on her Facebook page, and if you haven’t liked Toni’s page yet, be sure to do so to get all the latest updates about her activities and her books.

Toni also has a busy summer ahead. She’s be attending the RWA National Conference in New York City this summer, where Sugar Creek is up for a National Readers’ Choice Award and Toni will be part of the RITA Ceremony as a presenter in the Best Novella category. As part of the conference, Toni will also be participating in the 2011 Readers for Life Literacy Signing on Tuesday, June 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 at the New York Marriott Marquis in TImes Square. If you’re attending the conference or live in the area, be sure to stop by to say hello to Toni and the dozens of other authors participating.

The RWA National Conference has even more in store for Toni – she’s been asked to be a presenter at the RITA awards – the Oscars of the romance industry – in the Novella category. A huge fan of awards shows and red carpets, Toni is thrilled to be a part of this ceremony. Wait till you see her dress!

In other news for Sugar Creek, the Cover Cafe’s Annual Cover Contest takes place this month, and Sugar Creek‘s gorgeous cover is a nominee in the Contemporary category. There are a number of beautiful covers in the various categories, so get out there and vote for your favorites. The contest runs for the entire month of May and you have to vote in at least three categories for you vote to count. Thanks for your support!