Welcome Guest Author Dee Tenorio & GIVEAWAY

Cheeky Reads is excited to welcome author Dee Tenorio. Today, Dee is celebrating the release of her latest book All of You from Samhain Publishing. All of You features a set of twin brothers, so what better topic for Dee to talk to us about today. Make sure you enter to win the contest at the bottom of the post for a chance to win an ebook from Dee's backlist of titles!

Welcome Dee!

They Call Me...The Twin Whisperer

Actually, no one calls me that, but really, I wish they would. I'm getting tired of yelling, whispering once in a while would be nice.

Now, if you haven't met me before, my name is Dee. I'm a writer. I married a twin. I gave birth to twins. And I am now beginning my second series about twins, The Lonnigans. In fact, the first book, "All Of You", is out today from Samhain Publishing! Which is why I'm here today. Because if you've never known a twin...you might not realize what you could be getting into when you pick up this series. These Lonnigans aren't your regular Romance twins. But I'll get to that...

See, in my many years of twin experience, I've learned quite a few things about these unique sets of people, and I like to try to set the stereotypes back a little in my writing--thus those amazing Lonnigan differences--but I thought, hey, why not share a little of the knowledge? Help people do a little twin-whispering of their own.

So here it is, Dee's Five Facts About Twins Most People Get Wrong:

1) They are two separate people. I know, it's kind of obvious, but you'd be surprised how often folks think twins are interchangeable. They might often have moments of startling similarity in motion, tone and tastes, but believe me, they have such individual quirks and personality differences that if they had a different face, you'd never mistake them for members of a collective. So, if you know someone who's married to a twin, don't ask her if she ever gets confused. She doesn't. In fact, just the thought probably makes her gag. (I know it does me...no offense, BIL)

2) Not all twins are polar opposites. I see this a lot in romance and it kind of cracks me up. I'm sure there are night & day twins, but honestly, most siblings will share at least some common interests. Take my husband, for example. All of his siblings--including the twin--love Japanese animation and a deep love of movies. Blending likes and not-likes is a big miss when it comes to representing twins realistically.

3) Fraternal Twins are still twins. Honest, my next set of fictional twins are going to be fraternal, lol. Just to mess with people. My own twins are identical, but due to a really difficult birth, I had one baby natural and one baby c-section. (Yes, the suckage of that is epic). As a result, "Natural" baby has a different head and face shape from C-Section baby, giving people the idea they're fraternal. (Nope, they're not--they still confuse me from time to time, I rely on that slight difference to tell them apart) So, I hear a lot, "Oh, then they're not real twins." Ask their mother, they're twins. And they have a great many of the same similarities as Identicals. In fact, I may come up with a story just to explore that further. It's not the faces that make them twins. It's the togetherness.

4) Not all twins are psychic. You know, unless they're actually psychic. Granted, some kooky alikeness things happen (hubby and his twin tended to wear the same colors, though they woke and dressed in different places and times), but they're not open ended walkie-talkies. (Though, that would really come in handy.) The same can be said of very close regular siblings.

5) Raising twins isn't the same as having two kids, one right after another. It's not. Twin babies are on the run about 20 hours a day and they are at the same level of understanding and needs. If you've ever met a nine month old, you'll know he's already trying to walk and is sitting up and is on some kind of schedule. Not saying it's easy, but believe me, a kid who can sit and hold a bottle while the other gets nursed is a godsend in comparison to two--often smaller and premie, to boot--babies who need 24 hour care. So, if you ever get the urge to tell a twin parent that you know how they feel--which is run over and trampled and probably cranky--step away from the thought. Just offer the poor parent something to wake them up. They need it.

So what is it that makes these two romance heroes so unique? Well, I like to think they're a bit more real. They're close, but they also show a bit of the frustration that comes from knowing someone since conception. (You know, you love him, but you'd also like to choke him a little) The twin bond is a real thing, but for most twins, it's a love bond. A friend bond. And while there is something magical and mystical about that kind of connection, for most twin folks, it's just part of every day. And I wanted to bring you into that every day world as best I could.

Oh, and if I didn't mention, Lucas--the twin in the second Lonnigan novel, "All Or Nothing" (out in July!)--has his story running at exactly the same time! (Okay, so I got a little twinny there. Can you forgive me?)

So, just to make this fun, how about you all take part in my giveaway for today?

Head on over to my Website and check out the upcoming books section. See if you can find the names of both heroines for the Lonnigan series from the book blurbs and excerpts. Post the names here in the comments and you're entered to win a free ebook of your choice from any of my backlist! (Sorry, All Of You doesn't count. :) )

Dee