M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 50

Eleven Fun Questions

 

The look on her face, lol!

Natalie Damschroder tagged me (boy, it's been a long time since I wrote that!) with 11 fun questions.

 

What foreign country would you most like to travel to that you haven't visited yet?

 

Since I've never been to ANY foreign country, I'd say Ireland. Or maybe Australia.    Yes, both English speaking.

2. Name your most coveted gadget—unlimited budget, and something you don't currently have.

Hmm, I've been pretty good about updating my gadgets this year. I'm mostly tempted by the Kindle Fire, though, I'd have to say.

3. Do you have brothers and sisters? How often do you get to see them?

2 brothers, and I see them about once a month, though they both live about 15 minutes away from me! One was working 2 jobs and the other is in a new job/new relationship, so they're as busy as I am.

4. How much of your own wish fulfillment is put into your books?

Every time you see a heroine with the Little Red Hen syndrome? That's me in my books. Every time a hero steps up to help her? That's my wish fulfillment. (Shall I include photos of baskets of laundry and stacks of dishes to illustrate?)

5. If you dug into your basement/attic/back closet/whatever storage space, what item would you find that would make you go "I WONDERED where that was!"?

Come to think of it, my AlphaSmart. I don't use it, but my grandmother did when she couldn't talk anymore. It still has "I Love You" typed on it. Well, damn. Now I need to look for that.

6. Have you ever had direct encounters with a wild animal? Describe the circumstances.

While sitting around a campfire in California in the middle of nowhere, we heard a mountain lion below us. I grabbed my son, who was then 5, and hauled him into the cabin while my father tried to convince my grandfather that yes, it had been a wild animal.

7. Who is your favorite non-famous musician/singer? If possible, provide a link to their music/website.

Of course I have to say my husband's band Pitchfork. They are pretty good, if you like country. (Fred's the guitar player on the right)

8. What's your favorite NFL team? Or professional team in general, if football isn't your thing.

Eh. Not a sports person. I have a Spurs shirt, and used to love the Bulls, but now I just don't pay attention. I do like to watch baseball, because it's a peaceful game, but I don't have a team.

9. What was the most fun job you ever had, besides your current one(s)?

Oddly, when I worked at Winn's, which was a five and dime. I worked in the fabric department, which meant I got first dibs on any fabric coming in. I would spend my entire shift getting inspired, and spent most of my paycheck on fabric. Some nights I'd go home and sew an outfit for the next day!

10. Are you living where you want to live? If not, where's the home of your heart?

I'll always live in Texas, but I might like a summer place on the beach somewhere.

11. What book are you reading right now?

Negligee Behavior by Shelli Stevens. Fun runaway bride story!

I'm tagging

Marianne Arkins

Trish Miburn

Elisabeth Crisp

Mary Curry

My eleven questions:

 

What movie do you watch when it's on TV, even if you own the DVD?
Coke or Pepsi?
Your ideal day off–all to yourself. Go.
Your favorite invention in the past ten years.
What US landmark would you most love to see?
Jewelry, or shoes?
If you could have any car, money no object, what would it be?
What's your favorite flower?
What room in your house would you love to have renovated?
Summer or winter?
What book are you reading now?

Welcome Indie Author Christy Hayes!

Christy and I have gotten to know each other on the Indie Romance loop, and I'm excited to introduce her to you!

Please comment for a chance to win her book!

What was the inspiration for this book? My latest release, The Sweetheart Hoax, is based on a character from Heart of Glass, architect Phil Williams. I loved his character in Heart of Glass and wanted to explore his story and help him find his Happy Ever After ending. I really enjoyed writing a book about Phil and his mousy receptionist-turned feisty nurse, Margot Manning.
What's next for you? I am thrilled to have a short story in the upcoming WG2E's All for Indies Valentine Anthology entitled Good Luck, Bad Timing, & When Harry Met Sally. I've also begun a still untitled work in progress that I'm quite excited about completing.
When you're procrastinating, what do you do? Check email, shop, talk on the phone.
How many books in your TBR pile? Too many to count. Buying books with my eReader is way too easy!
What's your biggest guilty pleasure? Reading—of course, but also ice cream!
Name 3 of your favorite things. Animate things are my family, friends, and dogs. Inanimate things are books, TV, and exercise. I'm pretty boring!
Where can readers find you? Readers can check out my books and find out a little about me at my website, http://www.christyhayes.com. I also blog every other Monday at http://www.womenunplugged.wordpress.com. I'm on Twitter @SeaHayes.

Excited to Announce a Giveaway of Trish Milburn's Latest!

Trish Milburn is my bff, and I've read JUST about everything she's written. (Usually before it's published, though I am a bit behind on her Harlequin Americans.)

But White Witch is one of my very FAVORITE Trish Milburn book. I remember when she wrote it, one summer in just a matter of weeks after a Buffy/Supernatural marathon. That book went on to win the 2007 Golden Heart and got her a lot of interest, but took FOREVER to find a home.

Well it has finally found a home with Bell Bridge Books and to celebrate, I'm giving away THREE copies. Just leave a comment here to be entered, either print of Kindle (last I checked, it's not on Nook yet.

Here's my review:

White Witch is a terrific paranormal YA about a young witch named Jax who flees her evil coven and hides in a small town in North Carolina. She has to use some magic to fit in, but has to be careful. All magic leaves a signature, and her coven would be able to trace her if she uses too much.

All she wants is to be a normal girl, so she glamours someone into registering her for high school. She's a fish out of water in so many ways, but finds a friend in oddball Toni, and falls for HS Hottie Keller, who turns out to be the worst guy in the world for her. But what fun would a romance be if he was any other kind?

White Witch is fast-paced, romantic and absolutely one of my favorite Trish Milburn books!

Here's the blurb:

Witchcraft Is Her Family's Business.No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. "Jax" Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her—the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax's barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she's attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He's a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax's only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he's ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

And here's the awesome cover!

Welcome to Bluestone: Bluestone Song

This weekend I uploaded the second book in my Bluestone trilogy, Bluestone Song. In Bluestone Homecoming, country singer Maddox Bradley is scheduled to play a concert in Bluestone and Beth Lapointe is a little freaked out. She'd had a romance with Maddox when they were teens and she didn't want him to see her stuck in pretty much the same circumstances she'd been in when he left her.

Maddox had been having trouble of his own. He's been sober now 2 years and hasn't been involved with anyone, hasn't been able to help anyone. But Beth clearly needs his help. Can he get her to accept it?

To celebrate the release, I'm offering a coupon for Bluestone Homecoming, the first book in the series, for $1.02 cents from Smashwords. (Don't ask why $1.02. That's 66% off, which is the max.) Anyway. Go here, use the code XF78W  and get lost in Bluestone!

When I was writing this book I listened to a lot of country music, trying to find Maddox's voice. I never did find exactly what he sounded like in my head, I found an album that had songs that I felt like he'd write. I listened to Wide Open by Jason Aldean about every day.

Here are some of the songs.

 

 

I made a board on Pinterest with my inspiration. The cool thing about this? No ink was used

Goals the Week of President's Day

We have an inservice tomorrow, which is fine, unless we have to work in groups. I hate when they make up move around to work in groups. At least we get to go out to lunch.

And I put out Bluestone Song this weekend. When I put up my first book last summer, it took days for it to load. Yesterday, Bluestone Song was up on Amazon in 2 hours! Barnes and Noble in 6!

This week:

 

Finish writing novella
Promote Bluestone Song
Finish reading LAST Rita book
Judge a Merritt entry
Format Bluestone Song for CreateSpace
Food Bank distribution
Blog for Trish's Healthy Writer blog
Inservice on President's Day
Be better about cooking, cleaning and exercising. I cooked once and didn't exercise at all last week.The cleaning I'm mostly keeping up with.

 

And the Winner of Kiss Me, Dancer is…

Mary Marvella Barfield! Mary, contact me at mfechter @ gmail .com with which format you prefer and I'll hook you up!

Guys. Has this been the longest week ever or WHAT? And it's RAINING. Bleh. I'd be fine if I didn't have to drive in it.

Something Different for Indie Wednesday–Alicia and Roy Street!

This is exciting–a twofer. I can't imagine writing with a partner. In some ways it would be easier, maybe, but in a lot of ways I think it would be harder.

Without further ado, here's Alicia and Roy Street. Remember to comment for a chance to win a copy of their book!

1) What was the inspiration for this book?

Kiss Me, Dancer was inspired by Alicia's love for dance, and Roy's love for dancers.

For our heroine we avoided a star dancer and instead chose a woman who, having failed to reach her dream, returns home to her small town and discovers a different kind of dream with the dance school she opens for local children. Of course, a smoking hot divorced dad comes along to complicate matters in a sexy way.

 

2) What's next for you?

Book Two of the Dance 'n' Luv series will be out in March. Touch Me and Tango features an unlikely romance between a ballroom dancer and a gardener.

 

3) When you're procrastinating, what do you do?

Alicia: I over-research as a way of avoiding the blank page. Or make yet another cup of coffee. And of course checking email, Facebook and Twitter.

Roy: I do workouts that just happen to go on way past what I'd planned.

 

4) How many books in your TBR pile?

Alicia: Roy keeps his minimal, but I'm the worst on this. I've got stacks of books all over the house plus a mile long Kindle queue. And it seems like every day I see another book I've just got to have.

 

5) What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

Alicia: Guilt? What's that? Hey, I do what I want and feel good about it.

Roy: This is where I'm supposed to allude to my favorite porn sites, right?

 

6) Name 3 of your favorite things.

Alicia: Classical music. Furry creatures. Good coffee.

Roy: Banana smoothies. Boxing gloves. See item # 5. 

 

7) Where can readers find you?

Our blog -  http://aliciastreet-roystreet.com/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/AliciaRoyStreet?sk=wall

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/AliciaStreet1

https://twitter.com/#!/RoyStreet4

 

First Kisses and Other Valentine's Day Stuff

First of all, Lyrical Press is having 50% off of all titles today, including Guarded Hearts and Something to Talk About.

Second of all, fellow Golden Heart finalist Laurie Kellogg is launching her first book, The Memory of You today with a party at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog. Go congratulate her!

Turns out Fred canceled band practice. His plan for tonight? Dinner at Sonic, driving around with the sunroof open and home to see Justified. I can live with that

Now, since my life is SO full of romance, I thought I'd share some first kisses from my books in honor of Valentine's Day.

Here's Leo and Trinity's first kiss from Bluestone Homecoming:

"Thanks for the ride." He leaned over and before she realized what he was doing, she turned toward him.

The kiss meant for her cheek caught half of her mouth, and she gasped in surprise. He drew back just a little as she wished for the floorboard to open up and let her escape with her humiliation. Instead, she was trapped as the look in his eyes shifted, became something else, something that sent a thrill of alarm and anticipation through her. He curved his hand around the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair, as he drew her forward and angled his lips over hers.

His lips were soft and dry as they brushed over hers once, twice, then settled over her mouth, taking advantage of her soft sigh. His thumb caressed her temple as his tongue teased the seam of her lips, dipping inside, filling her with the yeasty taste of beer and the warmth of him. She lifted her hands to his shoulders, then his jaw, her palm caressing the stubble there, before gliding back into the short hair at the back of his neck.

Her elbow hit the horn briefly, enough to jolt them both back into reality.

Brylie and Marcus's first kiss from Midnight Sun:

He crowded her against the wall as he brought his mouth down on hers, his lips firm and dry, his breath flavored with the shiraz. She quivered, waiting for the kiss to deepen. Instead, he brushed his mouth back and forth over her parted lips, then dipped his tongue between them. A needy sound tore from her throat as she slipped her hands up his arms to his shoulders—so hard—before curling around the back of his neck, her fingers playing over the short hair there. She angled her head to deepen the kiss as she pulled him closer.

Ethan and McKenna's first kiss from Guarded Hearts:

When he parked in front of her apartment building and walked around, his head bent against the rain, to open her door, she took a deep breath, rose as gracefully as she could, curved her hand around the back of his head and captured his mouth with hers.

He remained still for a moment, not long enough for her to wonder if she'd made a mistake. Then he took charge, wrapping his arms around her, cupping his hand over the back of her head, loosening her hair from its style so it tumbled against her sensitized skin. His lips were firm, like the rest of him, and demanding, his tongue stroking along her bottom lip and into her mouth. His breath came hot and heavy against her cheek. Raindrops fell from his skin to hers, and she marveled that she could feel the warmth of him in those drops.

Adrian and Mallory's first kiss from Beneath the Surface:

Adrian didn't wait for Toney and Jacob to tie the boat off before he leaped to the dock. He barely registered the vibration of the dock beneath his feet as he strode toward her.

"Adrian, I—"

He didn't let her finish. Damn, she was so pretty, even windblown, even with the flash of uncertainty he saw in her eyes. He took her face in his hands, stroked his thumb over her cheek and kissed her. Surprise had her tensing for a second, and he feared she might pull away. Instead, she relaxed, just a bit, and he came home.

She was as soft, as sexy as he remembered. Her taste hadn't changed, her mouth moved beneath his the same way, as if those three years had never passed. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, and hers rose to meet him, glided along his, so right, so right.

He rubbed her hair, regretting the calluses on his fingers that snagged on her hair, her skin. Her fingers closed on his bare shoulders, her nails digging in briefly before sliding under the straps of his shirt, and he was lost. Dropping his hands to her hips, he drew her against him.

Slowly, it came to him where they were, why they were standing here, and he lifted his head to smile. "You came back."

Noah and Ellie's first kiss from Something to Talk About:

Her breath shuddered out on a nervous laugh as he curved his fingers over her hips, drawing her slightly forward, his eyes on hers. A shiver ran though her and for a moment he thought she'd pull away as he eased closer. Her breath washed sweetly over his mouth, lemony. She'd been to Mrs. Merina's for lemonade.

He smiled and his nose brushed hers as his fingers tightened, just a bit, as he brushed her parted lips with his.

She made a small sound in the back of her throat as he slanted his mouth over hers, reining in his hunger to concentrate on the taste of her, the feel of her, the rhythm of her breath, of her heart. He wanted to absorb her, to savor her. Then her hands were on him, one sliding beneath his collar, her thumb playing at the placket of his shirt. Desire moved, thick and hot and, God help him, unfamiliar, through his veins. Her other hand skimmed the shoulder seam of his shirt, back and forth, cupping his shoulder a moment. Her touch heated his skin so he deepened the kiss and pulled her body against his. Her breath caught and she leaned forward, gliding her hand around his shoulders, leaning into him. Just as her hand crept up to play in his hair…

"Uncle Noah!"

Del and Liv's first kiss from Don't Look Back:

For the first time in a long time, he felt like a hero.

He cupped his hand around the back of her head, saw the surprise in her eyes before he leaned down and kissed her, hard.

He registered soft skin, pliant lips and peaches, registered the gentle whimper against his mouth, the squeeze of her hand on his arm.

Mistake. He drew back, his brain foggy, reflexes slow. He wanted nothing more than to dive back into that kiss, but he needed to – she needed him to – ensure the safety of his men.

She blinked as he released her, her own eyes cloudy, then clear as she pulled herself back to the issue at hand.

Kit and Trace's first kiss from Sunrise Over Texas:

mournful sound woke her later. Kit lifted her head to check her patient. His eyes were rolled back and he murmured something incomprehensible, over and over. She reached for the cloth, wet it again and smoothed it over his face, forehead, cheek, chin, and down to his throat. His eyes snapped into focus and this time she understood what he said as he cupped his hand around the back of her neck, threading his fingers through her hair.

"Angel," he whispered, and kissed her.

His mouth was hot and dry, and the sound he made when he parted his lips over hers was pure hunger. He slid his tongue over her lips and into her mouth, stroking gently as his other hand glided down her side to span the small of her back. His mouth was tender but thorough, his desire unmasked even as it coaxed hers.

Only then did she think to push him away, both hands against his broad chest, only the briefest thought of curling her hands through his hair and pressing against him, giving herself to the kiss, the pleasure of being held, touched, of being cherished.

Wow, I do a lot of heroine point of view on those first kisses, don't I? Lol!

Favorite (And Not-Favorite) Chick Flicks

Sooo….my husband has band practice tomorrow night. That's right. Valentine's Day. I think I'll survive by having a Hawaii 5-0 marathon. We don't usually do anything anyway, but on top of him calling me last week and letting me know we were having company in 24 hours (and he was, yes, at band practice and couldn't help me get ready) I'd say he owes me BIG.

On second thought, maybe I'll do a chick-flick marathon. This weekend, Teresa Medeiros listed her favorite and not favorite chick flicks. I agreed with some, but not others.

So, my favorites:

Two Weeks Notice. I absolutely love the development of the partnership between Sandra and Hugh's characters. I think Hugh is hella charming, and Sandra is the queen of rom-coms!

 

 

 

Bridget Jones. He likes her just as she is. Sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

Pride and Prejudice, if we're talking Mr. Darcy at all. And yes, I'll settle for Keira Knightly if time is tight.

 

 

 

 

Romancing the Stone. Duh.

 

 

 

 

 

Princess Bride. Also duh.

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping the Faith. Okay, this is a little weird, a priest, a rabbi and the girl they both fall for, but it's sweet and funny, and has Edward Norton.

 

 

 

 

Friends with Benefits. NOT recommended for those who are faint of heart, but it has areally sweet love story. I die when he takes her home. Die!

 

 

 

 

Catch and Release, but mostly because Timothy O is in it.

 

 

 

 

 

The Back-Up Plan. It has some silly moments, but is really sweet. J Lo meets the man of her dreams soon after being artificially inseminated, and he has to decide if he likes her enough to stick around. (Hint…he does!)

 

 

 

Tangled. Flynn Rider, bad boy, is reformed by a frying pan-weilding Rapunzel. Best. Animated movie. Ever.

 

 

 

 

 

My least favorites?

How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Guys. It was going GREAT. Then the screaming match onstage at the benefit completely ruined it.

 

 

 

 

Message in a Bottle. I stayed up late one night to watch and when the ending came? I nearly smashed my TV. Why, Nicholas Sparks? WHY???

 

 

 

 

My Best Friend's Wedding. I admit, I saw this once, but she's trying to break up a wedding DAYS before it happens? How selfish is that?

What chick flicks do you love? Hate? What ones did I forget?

Mending Fences–a Review

My friend Lucy Francis released her very first book last week, and I read it this weekend. This is like a Superromance in pace and length, with a bit of suspense blended in. Here's the review I wrote for Amazon, BN and Goodreads.

A man who's removed himself from society meets a woman with secrets of her own.

Curran Shaw is a CEO who made a spectacle of himself, dating starlets and being featured in tabloids, then he drops out of the public eye and moves to the mountains of Utah.

He encounters a mystery woman at a bar on Halloween. Both of them are masked, but she recognizes him. See, once upon a time she did a story on him. She doesn't let on, and leaves him with a kiss he can't get out of his head.

Months Victoria Linden is out riding when she encounters a bison tangled in a broken fence. She realizes the animal is tame and tries to help when Curran rides up. It's his bison, his land, and when the bison, called Peg Leg, is freed, Curran realizes she's the woman from the bar, the woman who kissed him.

She enters a cautious relationship with him but holds herself back. Not only is she hiding the fact that she was a reporter, knowing his reaction wouldn't be good, she's hiding some even more dangerous secrets.

I love the layers of this story–the way the secrets were revealed to the reader and the hero, and the way the secondary love story mirrors the main one. And I loved the gentle build of the romance. The characters grew together in a realistic yet romantic way.

All in all, a terrific debut!