Guest Blogger Caridad Pineiro!

It is my pleasure to welcome the award-winning Caridad Pineiro to Love, Lust and Laptops today! Not only is Caridad a prolific author, but she is also an example of one who gives back to her community. She is an inspiration to us all. Please read on as she tells us a bit about the organizations which have moved her and make sure you comment so you can be part of her giveaway. Welcome Caridad!

I want to thank Love, Lust and Laptops for inviting me to be with you today!  As a way to say thanks, we’re going to do a little giveaway at the end of the blog!

My friends at Love, Lust and Laptops have asked me to come by and chat about some of the events I’ve done for charity and why I do them.

There are lots of reasons actually why I do this.  For starters, Caridad means Charity in Spanish and Charity is actually my nickname.  Then there’s the fact that I wasn’t born in the U.S., but in Cuba.  I was privileged to be able to come to the States and have so many opportunities for a wonderful life.  Finally, there’s all the help that I got when I first started writing, from having a NY Times Bestselling author send my work to her publisher to consider, to all the wonderful friends at Liberty States Fiction Writers who have stuck with me through good times and bad.  Last but not least, my family.  They’re loving and lots of fun.

Because I’ve been blessed with so many good things, I feel as if I should help others in whatever ways that I can.

One of those ways is by using my books to help raise money for worthwhile causes.  Whether it’s to raise money for fellow authors or bloggers, or something like the Brenda Novak Auction for Diabetes Research (you can find my contributions by clicking here,  http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/AuctionHelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&DA=0&m=3&return=50&sort=1&st=1&_start=1)

I try to use my writing to help others.

Along the way, I hope that readers will not only support what I’m doing, but also have a good time with the stories I’ve written.  For example, readers who purchased THE CLAIMED helped me raise money for HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS, an organization that helps military families deal with the wounds of war.  THE CLAIMED is the second book in the SIN HUNTER series which is about a race of energy gatherers along the Jersey Shore.  I hope to release the next book in the series, THE SHATTERED, later this summer.

With THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE, my latest romantic suspense release, I donated funds from sales to the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief fund to help rebuild the damage that was done in the towns in my area.  Why that fund?  Well, THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE is set in a casino in Atlantic City so it seemed right.  I even wrote the storm into the story so people might have an idea about what people faced when the hurricane hit New Jersey.

I’m also proud to say that my daughter, who owns a surf and skate shop along the Shore, didn’t fall far from the tree.  When her shop was spared damage, she decided to donate a share of the sales from her shop to her town in order to help repair and rebuild.

I’m glad that she understands, as I do, that each and every one of us can make a difference.  I once heard a saying that went like this:  The smallest of acts is better than the biggest of intentions.

So, a lot of small acts by each of us can really make a difference!

What will I do next?  I’ll have to think about that, but for now, here’s the time for that giveaway!  Leave a comment and tell me what  small act you think you can do to make a difference.  I’ll pick one commenter to win a THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE T-shirt and a copy of the latest release in THE CALLING series – KISSED BY A VAMPIRE.

THE SHIFTER’S KISS – erotic paranormal romance novellaAfter almost losing his life in the line of duty, firefighter Victor Edwards turned to his true passion: the ocean, the one place he feels at peace. By day, he studies a magnificent shark. By night he is haunted by erotic dreams of a beautiful woman, filled with a longing he can’t understand.Nali is almost the last of her kind. She knows it’s dangerous to swim so close to shore, but she is drawn to the scarred man watching her and craves his touch on her human form. She can’t help revealing herself to help Victor when he’s injured—and offering herself to him for one week of pleasure. For she only has a few days before she must return to the sea…

http://www.amazon.com/The-Shifters-Kiss-ebook/dp/B00APEYBOC/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366982307&sr=1-2&keywords=caridad+pineiro

GHOST OF A CHANCE – paranormal romance mystery novellaTrue crime writer Tracy Gomez is unsure of what to make of the unusual invitation from New York City attorney Peter Angelo: A one million dollar prize to anyone who can solve the mystery of three deaths which had occurred nearly eighty years earlier. Tracy desperately needs the money to fix up the old inn she’s just inherited and solving the crime will also provide welcome publicity to help her sagging writing career. But accepting the invitation brings unexpected challenges, like spectral help during a séance and Tracy’s attraction to the sexy attorney monitoring the contest. Does Tracy only have a ghost of a chance to discover the secrets of the past or can she win a prize far better than a million dollars?
 
Peter Angelo’s father is dying and has only one last wish:  To find out if he is related to  State Senator Francis “Skippy” Ryan.  Eighty years earlier, Skippy was accused of murdering his wife and young daughter and then killing himself, but Peter’s father does not believe that’s what really happened on that long ago night and he wants to know the truth about his heritage.
 
To honor his father’s wishes, Peter assembles a cast of specialists to discover the truth about Skippy and the last night of his life.  But Peter hadn’t gambled on also discovering love during the extraordinary occurrences during the investigations.

http://www.amazon.com/GHOST-CHANCE-paranormal-novella-ebook/dp/B00AUGV89G/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366982307&sr=1-5&keywords=caridad+pineiro