Today I am so pleased to welcome Heidi Cullinan to Joyfully Jay. Heidi has come to talk to us about her latest release, Sleigh Ride (which I totally loved). She has brought Arthur along to answer some questions!  She has also brought along two great giveaways!  Please join me in giving Heidi a big welcome!
Arthur’s Guest Post and AMA
Hey there. This is Arthur Anderson, from Logan, Minnesota. You might know me from Heidi Cullinan’s novels, Let It Snow where I was a secondary character, and her most recent release, Sleigh Ride, which is my story. I know I’m biased, but let me in on a secret: mine is better, because it’s a lot steamier. Gabriel is pretty hot when he unkinks.
I’m here today, and the next couple days, to answer your questions in the comments here at Joyfully Jay. Anything you want to ask me, knock yourself out. That’s what the AMA is for. I’ve never done one, but Gabriel showed me a whole bunch on the Internet. You ask, I answer. He’s doing his on December first at Under the Covers Book Blog, but I’ll tell you this, no way in hell he’ll answer anything. He’ll be polite about it, but I can think of a lot of topics he’s going to skitter away from. Might be fun to try to find them, though.
Me, I’m an open book. I do open books now, too. I used to always say I wasn’t much of a reader, but Gabriel has taught me the right librarian can always find something you’re passionate about. I love hockey. I love hunting, and that’s gotten more fun now that I have Gabriel to feed my venison too. I like a little bit of leather, lotta bitta kink. Love my family, hoping to start one of my own before too long. I live in a cabin in the woods with the man I’m going to live happily ever after with.
I know how you readers are. You always have questions. So ask me anything. I’ll answer all the way through November 21.
Here’s all the book information, in case you need to catch up for the conversation.
Blurb
Book Two of the Minnesota Christmas Series
The way to a man’s heart is on a sleigh.
Arthur Anderson doesn’t want anything to do with love and romance, and he certainly doesn’t want to play Santa in his mother’s library fundraising scheme. He knows full well what she really wants is to hook him up with the town’s lanky, prissy librarian.
It’s clear Gabriel Higgins doesn’t want him, either—as a Santa, as a boyfriend, as anyone at all. But when Arthur’s efforts to wiggle out of the fundraiser lead to getting to know the man behind the storytime idol, he can’t help but be charmed. The least he can do is be neighborly and help Gabriel find a few local friends.
As their fiery arguments strike hotter sparks, two men who insist they don’t date wind up doing an awful lot of dating. And it looks like the sleigh they both tried not to board could send them jingling all the way to happily ever after.
Warning: Contains a feisty librarian, a boorish bear, small town politics, deer sausage, and a boy who wants a doll.
Buy links: Samhain, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, iTunes
Book Page for Let It Snow (book one in the series)
Bio
Heidi Cullinan has always loved a good love story, provided it has a happy ending. She enjoys writing across many genres but loves above all to write happy, romantic endings for LGBT characters because there just aren’t enough of those stories out there. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, knitting, listening to music, and watching television with her husband and teenaged daughter. Heidi is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights and is proud to be from the first Midwestern state with full marriage equality. Find out more about Heidi, including her social networks, at www.heidicullinan.com.
Giveaway
Heidi has brought along two great giveaways for us today! Â
First, she is giving away an ebook copy of Sleigh Ride to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. Â And if you have any questions for Arthur, be sure to leave them as well. Â The contest ends on Friday, November 21st at 11:59 pm EST.
Heidi also has a Rafflecopter giveaway going on for her tour. Â You can enter by following the link below. Â
Rafflecopter giveaway
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
- If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. Â Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
This book sounds great. Count me in, please
thank you for this lovely post. Can’t wait to read this new book!! Count me in, please and thank you 🙂
Really enjoyed the first book in the series and looking forward to this one. Please include me in the contest. Thanks.Â
I’ve read several of Heidi’s books and would love to read this one. Please include me in the giveaway.
Both books in the series sound great. Thanks for the giveaway.
You can ask me a question too, if you don’t have one for Arthur.
So nice to hear from Arthur!  My question is what is your favorite leather item?  (for Arthur, but Heidi can answer too if she wants.  🙂
Thanks for the contest! Â I am looking forward to reading Sleigh Ride. Â Loved Let it Snow last Christmastime.
Paddles. I’ve used several kinds, but this is the one I like the best. http://www.rakuten.com/prod/leather-paddle-round-w-holes-blk/246952382.html?listingId=264985123&sclid=pla_google_MooLuxe&adid=29963&gclid=CL6l29LYgsICFasRMwod_RMAkA
Don’t ask Heidi what her favorite leather item is. She’ll say shoes. So boring.
Hey! I don’t know why her picture is coming up here, when I went out of my way to use a different login! Oh well.
There. Now I can be me.
The paddle is even on a sale. Â
Shoes can be fun too! (especially on sale :-))
I’m a hockey fanatic myself, so it’s good to know that about you, Arthur! I’m curious…do you think hockey players would have an easier transition into BDSM (due to the gear, punishing practices, coach/player dynamic, whatever) than other people?
Huh, never thought of that. I suppose maybe, but I think the lifestyle is more in your head than in the gear. I’ve never found it worked out one way or another, that what somebody did during the day colored what they wanted at night or in the playroom.
Amazing book and giveaway 🙂 Thank you and count me in, pleaseeee
It’s that time of the year again Christmas Books! Can’t wait to read this one.
I really enjoyed Let It Snow and I’m looking forward to reading Sleigh Ride.
Question for Arthur – Did Frankie and Marcus help polish you up to catch Gabriel?
Question for Heidi – You recently mixed the characters (Ed & Laurie) from Dance With Me into the Love Lessons series, any possibly of any characters from Minnesota Christmas series merging into another series?
Yes! That was the ballroom dancing couple who came up and gave lessons during the activities. Mom wants them to come up again this next year. This year for me, what you’ll read next year. Time in book world is too weird to keep straight.
Ha, I did pick up on that with the ballroom dancing! Love Ed and Laurie!
I’ve toyed with the idea of having the Minnesota people guest star in each other’s books, yes. I have this idea of a short/novella called Date Night where they all end up in the same space, but that’s about as far as it’s gone.
Ed and Laurie are in Lonely Hearts, Love Lessons #3, and they’re pretty fun. Not big roles, but if you’re fans of them, I suspect you’ll be pleased.
Those Lonely Hearts editing teasers you’ve been posting are killing me (I can’t wait for this book) and I would definitely read Date Night.
Looks a really good read, thank you for giving away a copy!
What a wonderful holday surprise….a new Heidi Cullinan book! YAY!!! Thanks for the chance at great prize(s).
My questions:
Arthur — Which NHL team is your favorite? and which current NHL player flips all your switches?
Heidi – Are there any plans to do anymore books that cross series’?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
hugs from your fan,
jo
johannasnodgrass(at)yahoo(dot)com
See above for the answer to that question in detail! Short answer is yes.
thank you!
OBVIOUSLY I root for Minnesota Wild.Â
As for who flips my switches, I take you mean who I’d want to fuck. With the stipulation this is entirely theoretical so I don’t get kicked out of the house tonight, I’d say from my team I’d do Zach Parise. http://wild.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8470610
National…I dunno. From this list, which I don’t entirely agree with, (http://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/hockey-players-who-are-hot-as-puck) I’d do 3, 5, 12, 18, 20, 21, 22. Priority to 20 and 22. THEORETICALLY. If they actually showed up on my door, I’d politely decline. And get it on video to show Gabriel how noble I was.
Dont be snarky Arthur darling! It wasn’t obviously Minn….I lived in Wash,DC and was not a Capitals or Redskins fan….Behave yourself. *grin with a wink*
I totally agree with #22….*sigh* and if I were you, I would, definitely, get that “turn down” on video for your SO Gabriel. *big old grin*
Thank you for your time!!!
I’m a Sharks girl, but the Sharks and Wild have had so many trades over the years that I feel qualified to comment. Zach is darling, of course, though my all-time Wild crush is also my all-time Sharks crush, Torrey Mitchell. (I always ‘ship him in my head with his BFF and fellow former Shark/Wild roomie Devin Setoguchi, even though the NHL has separated them. Sigh.) As for the current Wild roster, I have five words for you: CHARLIE COYLE DOING HOT YOGA.
http://video.wild.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=486346
(Go to the 5:00 mark, the 5:30 mark if you’re impatient for the shirtless sweaty stuff. Sigh. Why did the Sharks trade him again?)
Okay. That I’d watch.
Not 7? He is yummy!
Way too pretty for me. He’d probably look good on his knees, though.
Mmm hmmm
I absolutely love Heidi’s work. I look forward to reading Sleigh Ride.
I loved the first book in this series. My questions for Arthur: What book among those Gabriel has suggested is your favorite and why?
I really dig the Swamp Thing. Don’t know why, really. Good story, I guess. When Gabriel reads to me, I like Terry Pratchett because he does all the voices. Cracks me up.
These questions are for Heidi. Have you ever been on a sleigh ride? If so, was it for a special occassion/event and did that experience figure it’s way into this story?
penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com
I actually haven’t ever been on a sleigh ride, though I have been in a stagecoach. I’d totally take a sleigh ride, though!
This book sounds like fun and just right for a holiday read.
Arthur, we miss Zach here in NJ! Even as a Rangers Fan I loved to watch him! Â
So what’s your favorite play on ice??Â
jasdarts at hotmail dot com
Fake the shot and go in backhand.
Please count me in!!!
I’m about halfway through Sleigh Ride and I”m loving it. 🙂
Please count me in. Thanks!
Arthur, what was the most surprising thing you learned about Gabriel?
How much he cared about small towns. It shouldn’t be so surprising as he grew up in one, but…well, yeah. Since they were such asshats to him. Good surprise, and now that I know him better, not that shocking at all.
Arthur, have you ever had anyone ask you to do their taxes for them? (Arthur Anderson is a BIG tax corp out of Chicago.)
Would you? *wink*
I’d love to read your book as YOUR Gabriel is a man after my own heart as a librarian. Don’t worry, hands off!
Nobody’s ever asked me to do their taxes, and the answer would always be hell no.
You should read Gabriel. He’s something else.
Loved Let It Snow and I’m really looking forward to reading Sleigh Ride too!
Hi Arthur, have to admit I thought you scrubbed up really well. But as a carriage driving enthusiast I really enjoyed the repairing/restoring of the sleigh, and the description of learning to drive it. Did I misread or had you driven carriage horses before? And have you thought of a sideline in repairing/restoring carriages?
Oh, and since I now happily own this book, no need to put me in the draw, but thanks for a great read.
Christ, if I never work on one of them again it’ll be too soon.
Yeah, I did some driving when I was younger. Nothing big, just for fun–but carriage, never a sleigh. Mom had this idea I should drive her church group in a parade, so that’s why I learned.
Sounds like an interesting read. You being from Minnesota , the winters must be horrid at times. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and what one activity would you want to try there that can’t be done (or at the very least can’t be done well) anywhere else?
I’d like to go hiking in Canada. Maybe go ice fishing somewhere pretty. Go out with Paul and Marcus, leave Frankie and Gabriel back at the cabin reading and doing whatever they wanted to do. Gotta find somebody for Paul, though.
All right. I’m posting here so I have a hope of getting some sleep, because someone is yelling at me in my head.
Arthur would like me to apologize to you on his behalf, except mostly he’s saying I’m a jerk and I’m keeping him from answering your questions properly. You see, I didn’t watch any hockey or do much research to write him, which means when you ask questions I have to do the research on the spot. He insists I point out how much comic research I did and how much anime I’ve watched for the third Love Lessons book and how much research I always do yet did not for this aspect of his character. He says it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t in the story, that he deserved better, especially if I was going to put him on the spot like this.
So please, forgive the less than adequate hockey responses. You can still ask, but Arthur wants you to know he’d have so much more to say if I’d have done my homework. I did not, which means he’s muzzled in the back of my head and very grumpy at me. It’s not his fault at all, it’s all me. He’s very knowledgeable about all things hockey and in another universe would converse adeptly with you. Alas, he was saddled with me and has to make do.
I will remind him I set him up with a very nice happily ever after, so perhaps it’s not all rocks in his stew.
Now that we’ve had this very strange, borderline psychotic episode on a public blog, Arthur, I’m going to bed. Please, Arthur. Let me go to bed now.
Aw Arthur, give Heidi a break! Even if she can’t talk hockey, she did give you a very sexy man who lets you do lots of dirty things to him! So you are still coming out way ahead! 😉
What he’s sore about is all the hours I put in for anime on Lonely Hearts. Goofy dude.
This series is completely new to me so please, count me in:) Ty
Sounds great! Please, count me in:)
Heidi is an awesome writer so thank you for the chance to win a copy of this book:)
So looking forward to this book, would love to win a copy!
LOL at poor Heidi (or is it poor Arthur?) Hope you got some good sleep in anyway…
Already have the book and it is great. Lots of love to librarians everywhere!