Mari Carr's Blog, page 59

Book Signing today

2013 GIANT BOOK FAIR

This year’s giant book fair at the Romantic Times Convention will take place on Saturday, May 4th from 11am – 2pm. The location is at the Sheraton Kansas City Crown Center, 2345 McGee Street, Kansas City, Mo., 64180.

For those bringing collectibles and “keeper” books, they have a system to separate these books for you, so as not to mistake them for new books! You can purchase a $5 ticket at the door to attend just the book fair.

I will be there and I would love to meet you. If you’re in the Kansas City area, I hope you’ll stop by!

Going to Kansas City

This week I’m attending the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. There are two events that are open to the public. If you’re a KC local, I’d love to meet you!

2013 RT Booklovers Convention • May 1 – May 5  

Kansas City, MO, at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center

 DAY PASSES ARE AVAILABLE!

On Thursday, May 2 from 4 – 6 pm, there will be an ebook expo with more than 300 e-book and small press authors and many graphic novel authors. RT recommends that you download any QR Code Reader from iTunes since many authors will have a QR (Quick Response) Code on their promo materials. With this QR Reader you can scan the code on your mobile device and go right to the book you want to purchase. You can buy your E-Book, Indie Publisher and Graphic Novel Expo ticket at the door for $5. The location is at the Sheraton Kansas City Crown Center, 2345 McGee Street, Kansas City, Mo., 64180. Tickets can be purchased on site and we suggest you arrive at 3:30 pm.

FOR THOSE WHO *CANNOT* ATTEND THE EXPO IN PERSON

Join in the virtual EXPO event!

THIS YEAR THE RT EXPO IS GOING GLOBAL! ARe is the official bookseller for RT’s Expo and this year they are making the book lover event global so that everyone from home can participate. Join in the fun by visiting this page on May 2 from 4pm to 6pm and attend the virtual event! Just click on any author’s name and it will take you to her unique author page on All Romance e-Books website where you can begin purchasing. If you do not already have an account with ARe, you should set one up before the EXPO begins to make your purchasing easy on the day of the event.

2013 GIANT BOOK FAIR

This year’s giant book fair will take place on Saturday, May 4th from 11am – 2pm.

For those bringing collectibles and “keeper” books, they have a system to separate these books for you, so as not to mistake them for new books! You can purchase a $5 ticket at the door to attend just the book fair.

I hope to see you in Kansas City!

The Promise Harbor Wedding

Well, I know that this place is full of amazing romance readers since this is Mari Carr’s blog!  Thanks so much for inviting me, Mari!  We’ve been having a lot of fun talking about the Promise Harbor Wedding Series created by me and three of my best writing buddies, Kelly Jamieson, Meg Benjamin and Sydney Somers.

We’ve gotten a lot of questions about how we did it, how it came to be, how we worked together… and I finally broke it down into a recipe of sorts.  Here’s how it all happened…

Creating the Promise Harbor Wedding Series

Ingredients:

Four romance authors who like each other and like each other’s books and who are just creative and crazy enough to try something like this


One enthusiastic editor


One chat room


Wine (and four glasses.  Big glasses.  And the rule that if you refill the glass before it gets completely empty it still counts as one glass)


A story idea about a set of siblings who own a restaurant together


Four laptop computers


One Adele song

Directions:  

Put the four romance authors together in the chat room.  Add the story idea about the restaurant.  Leave them for three hours, adding wine whenever the levels get too low.

After three hours, separate the authors and add one to each of the computers.

Add the Adele song.

Let sit for one week.

Combine the four authors and their laptops again in the chat room with the story idea and wine.  Remove the story idea about the restaurant.  Add a wedding story idea.

Again, separate authors and computers, each with ¼ of the story idea.

Let simmer for one week.

Add multiple e-mails (to taste) to enhance the story idea.

Bring all back together in chat room.  As the story idea thickens, be careful about adding more wine—you don’t want it to get thin.

Add characters and plot points as needed to get the concoction to the right consistency.

Remove from chat room and again separate into fourths.

Let sit for three months.

Place each fourth in its own container.  Each should completely fill its container and have a similar texture and maintain some similar tastes, but each will have a distinct look and flavor.

Present to editor.

Add and subtract additional flavors and spices as she suggests.

Stir final mixtures, then package, applying gift tags designed by Amazing Cover Artist.

Serving size:  One each of four books, taken every two weeks from March 19th to April 30th.

Recommended for all romance reader diets.

Into even the best-planned wedding a little chaos must fall…

Join the residents of Promise Harbor, Massachusetts for the wedding of the season! Or, at least, for the most entertaining wedding of the season.

The groom’s been left at the altar, the Maid of Honor is MIA, the Best Man is in handcuffs and the bride has been swept off her feet–literally.

There’s definitely love in the air, but things are going to get a little crazy before anyone gets to happily ever after.

Jilted, Promise Harbor Wedding book one, Kelly, Jamieson, March 19, 2013

Bolted, Promise Harbor Wedding book two, Meg, Benjamin, April 2, 2013

Busted, Promise Harbor Wedding book three, Sydney Somers, April 16, 2013

Hitched, Promise Harbor Wedding book four, Erin, Nicholas, April 30, 2013

www.PromiseHarborWedding.com

 

Quote of the Day

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein

Saturday Snippet

Today’s Saturday Snippet theme is author’s choice, so I thought I’d share an excerpt from my latest release, Misplaced Hands.

Misplaced Hands

Foreign Affairs, Book Four

A “life swap” with her Australian friend finds Harper on Farpoint Creek cattle station, resident teacher for the next two weeks. Having rarely left Chicago, she’s unprepared for so many things Down Under—not the least of which is an instant, and instantly intense, attraction to not one, but twoAussie cowboys. She’d promised herself an adventure, so when the handsome pair come calling, Harper dives in. Literally.

Stockmen Keith and Marc are head-over-heels in lust with the American teacher, though the attraction brings about some surprising revelations. Like how right it feels to share a woman. This woman. No jealousy between the lifelong mates, just a burning need to see to Harper’s pleasure. Together. And they happily do so—until an unsettling event unearths Harper’s own tragic revelation.

Between Harper’s inability to confide in the men, and her stay at Farpoint racing to an end, it seems inevitable the three lovers will be driven apart. Doesn’t it?

Inside Scoop: This story has a very brief, non-descriptive recollection of child abuse. Good thing Harper has two strong stockmen to chase away the bad memories.

Snippet:

A curious frown pulled at Annie’s eyebrows. “Have you met Blue and Thomo yet? Keith Munroe and Marc Thompson?”

A vice wrapped around Harper’s chest. She stared at Annie, her lips tingling. “I have,” she answered, modulating her voice. She didn’t want Annie to know that at just the mention of their names her head exploded with debauched fantasies. “On Saturday. They seem friendly.”

“We are friendly.”

Harper jumped at Marc Thompson’s deep voice, the pile of collage fodder on her lap sliding to her feet. She heard his chuckle. Heard Annie’s answering one. But for the life of her, she couldn’t look at him. Not yet. Not until she got the flame in her cheeks under control.

The sound of the floorboards creaking told her Marc had entered her small classroom. “G’day, Ms. Prince. How’s the book going?”

“The book is going well, thank you. Revised chapter four last night.” Annie’s answer was directed above Harper’s head. Which meant Marc was standing directly behind her.

Her heart beat harder and faster, hammering against the vice trying to compress her chest. Oh God.

“Still reckon you should dedicate it to me and Blue. We were the ones who told you to write it.”

Annie’s eyes twinkled. “If I recall correctly, Thomo, you told me to write ‘a book like that fifty shades of sex thing’, not a recount of growing up famous. And Blue told you to shut up and get back to work.”

The chuckle behind Harper was relaxed. Devilish. It made her pussy contract. “It was worth a shot. I’d read it.”

“Yes.” Annie’s smile turned into a smirk. “I bet you would. Now, do you mind telling us why you’re here? Can’t we American women take a break for a while from all the Aussie testosterone?”

Marc laughed again. “Nope. ’Fraid not.”

Annie cocked an eyebrow.

“Actually, you can have a break if you like, Ms. Prince.” Marc’s voice stroked over Harper’s fraying composure. “It’s Harper I’m here to collect.”

Annie looked at Harper, her expression naughty. “Really now? And what do you plan on doing to Harper once you collect her?”

“Ah, you know us testosterone-filled Aussie blokes when it comes to American women. Take her somewhere private and—”

“Enough, Thomo.” Annie held up a hand, shaking her head. “Just tell me, okay?”

“Swimming,” he answered. “In the eastern billabong.”

Harper’s heart leaped up into her throat. Swimming. She hadn’t packed a bathing suit. Oh God, why hadn’t she packed a bathing suit?

“That sounds like a fantastic idea,” Annie said. “And it’s my cue to get back to writing. Chapter four isn’t going to revise itself, you know.”

And before Harper could say a word, the other woman rose to her feet and walked past her, out the door. Leaving her alone with Marc.

“So?” His deep voice seemed to envelop her. “You keen for a dip?”

Stealing herself against the inevitable tummy clenching that came at the sight of him, she twisted in her seat.

The tummy clenching came. As she knew it would. How could it not, when he looked so goddamn sexy? His hat was still on his head, its brim throwing a shadow over his brilliant sapphire eyes. His hands were on his hips, accentuating the broad expanse of his chest and the lean tapering of his torso. He was, simply put, sex in denim.

And waiting for her to say something.

“Err…” Her brain went blank. What had he asked?

“Swim?” Marc prompted. “In the billabong? With Blue and I?”

“I don’t have a bathing suit,” she answered, her cheeks heating again. God, since when did she sound so pathetic and lame?

Marc’s white teeth flashed. “And you think Blue and I do?”

Harper’s belly didn’t just flip-flop. It flip-flopped, sank, knotted and fluttered.

Misplaced Hands is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Want more snippets?

Caris Roane

Eliza Gayle

McKenna Jeffries

http://shilohwalker.com/website

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin



Myla Jackson

Lauren Dane

Jody Wallace

Leah Braemel

Mandy M. Roth

Felicity Heaton

Selena Blake

Release and Contest!

Misplaced Hands releases TODAY! It’s the final book in the Foreign Affairs series and it might just be the hottest of the bunch!

Lexxie and I have been hosting a red hot dirty excerpts party this month where we shared super spicy snippets from each of our Foreign Affairs books.

And to sweeten the pot, we’ve made a contest of it. The game is simple. Just read the short excerpt from Misplaced Hands below and answer the question. Then boogie over to Lexxie’s blog to check out another excerpt and find a second question.

Each Wednesday, we’ve featured a different book from the series and asked two questions. TODAY…you can email your 8 answers to carmichm1@yahoo.com to be entered to win.

AND…what’s the prize? It’s an Ellora’s Cave box o’ fun! That’s right–there are all kinds of crazy Ellora’s Cave things (track pants, t-shirt, hats, keychain, post-its, deck of cards, etc) as well as two signed print books–one from Lexxie and another from Mari and a $25 gift card to Amazon. You must email the answers by May 5 to be entered to win!

The first three rounds are live (but it’s not too late to join the fun–just go back to the first blog and hop in now). Today we’re posting snippets from Misplaced Hands.

Foreign Affairs, Book Four

A “life swap” with her Australian friend finds Harper on Farpoint Creek cattle station, resident teacher for the next two weeks. Having rarely left Chicago, she’s unprepared for so many things Down Under—not the least of which is an instant, and instantly intense, attraction to not one, but twoAussie cowboys. She’d promised herself an adventure, so when the handsome pair come calling, Harper dives in. Literally.

Stockmen Keith and Marc are head-over-heels in lust with the American teacher, though the attraction brings about some surprising revelations. Like how right it feels to share a woman. This woman. No jealousy between the lifelong mates, just a burning need to see to Harper’s pleasure. Together. And they happily do so—until an unsettling event unearths Harper’s own tragic revelation.

Between Harper’s inability to confide in the men, and her stay at Farpoint racing to an end, it seems inevitable the three lovers will be driven apart. Doesn’t it?

Inside Scoop: This story has a very brief, non-descriptive recollection of child abuse. Good thing Harper has two strong stockmen to chase away the bad memories.

Misplaced Hands is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Excerpt:

The leaner of the two cowboys sauntered over to her. There was no other way to describe the way he walked. Like sinful temptation, mischievous charm and cocky indolence.

Low-slung faded jeans that had no hope of concealing the sizable bulge of his crotch hugged long, muscular legs. An equally faded chambray shirt wrapped a torso so perfectly proportioned—wide shoulders, flat stomach and narrow hips—that for a moment, Harper forgot how to breathe.

Her pulse kicked into overdrive and her mouth went dry. Her pussy, on the other hand, grew damp. Damp and tight.

Now that’s a cowboy.

“Thomo,” Ronnie muttered at her shoulder, turning his back on the approaching sex-god in denim and a hat. “Watch out, he’s the smooth-talker of the two.”

Thomo—surely that had to mean Marc Thompson—stopped but a foot away from her, his sapphire-blue gaze roaming over her from head to toe. He touched the tip of his index finger to the brim of his hat, his lips curling in a smile. “G’day, love. You must be the American.”

Harper oozed poised calm and aloof indifference. Well…tried to. It was goddamn hard when her heart was thumping fast in her throat and her nipples were pinching in her bra. Holy crap, she’d never seen such a sexy example of maleness. Everything about the cowboy radiated testosterone, pleasure and carnal delight. And his accent? Oh God, after listening to Ronnie talk for the last four hours, she’d figured she was over the Australian accent already, but it seemed not.

“Hello,” she croaked back, her mouth dry. Damn, was she flushing? “I am.”

The cowboy’s lips curled a little more, turning the smile into a very seductive grin. “Welcome to Farpoint. I hope Big Mac here has been treating you right so far?”

Harper nodded. It was the only thing she could do. That and stare with helpless lust at the man in the hat before her, reminding herself he was gay. That seemed so unfair. Who said God didn’t have a sense of humor, putting a man like this on the planet and then making him off limits for…

The wild mental tantrum faded out of Harper’s mind, her stare falling on the other cowboy she’d noticed earlier as he joined Marc.

She let out a soft gasp.

Christ, he was—

“G’day.” The cowboy stuck out his hand. Blue eyes twinkled beneath the brim of his hat. “I’m Keith Munroe, one of the hired hands here at Farpoint. Welcome to Australia, Ms. Shaw.”

If Harper didn’t love her brother so much, she’d curse him black and blue. She’d never been more aware of the fact she’d lived a very sheltered life until now. She wasn’t prepared for exposure to such raw manliness. If Marc Thompson was sinful temptation, mischievous charm and cocky flirtation wrapped in tight denim, Keith Munroe was potent strength, concentrated sexuality and rugged masculinity.

She stared at the cowboy, never more grateful for wearing sunglasses, even ones that cost her damn near a week’s pay.

He was broader in the chest than his companion and wider in the shoulders, but just as exquisite in his physique. His biceps strained against the cotton of his shirtsleeves, highlighting the sculptured form of his strength. The same potent power was barely concealed by tight jeans, the corded muscles of his thighs evident despite the material covering them.

Unable to stop herself, Harper slid her gaze to the cowboy’s groin. And jerked it up to his face again at the sight of a bulge as large as Marc’s, trapped beneath his jeans.

Oh…

Realizing Keith still stood waiting for her to shake his hand, she snagged it in both of hers, giving it a somewhat frantic shake. “H-hello.” Damn it, her voice was still croaky. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Keith laughed. “Nice to be met.”

Warm heat filled Harper’s cheeks at the greeting. She smiled at him, unable to tear her stare away. A lock of blond hair—tinged with faint copper-red—tumbled over his forehead from beneath his hat, brushing long, thick lashes a shade darker. His face was more tanned than Marc’s, a little more creased, but none the lacking for it, and he had a hawkish nose, adding to the air of absolute control and power the man exuded. A fine strawberry-blond stubble dusted a square jaw and chin, drawing her eye to the open collar of his shirt where a hint of a tattoo peeked out at her.

Men like this didn’t exist in Chicago. At least, if they did, she’d never met them.

7. Who does Ronnie claim is the smooth-talker of the two cowboys?

Quote of the Day

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Contest – Week Three

Lexxie and I are hosting a red hot dirty excerpts party this month where we are sharing super spicy snippets from each of our Foreign Affairs books.

And to sweeten the pot, we’ve making a contest of it. The game is simple. Just read the short excerpt from Misplaced Lessons below and answer the question. Then boogie over to Lexxie’s blog to check out another excerpt and find a second question.

Each Wednesday (April 3, 10, 17, 24), we’re featuring a different book from the series and two more questions. On April 24…you can email your 8 answers to carmichm1@yahoo.com to be entered to win.

AND…what’s the prize? It’s an Ellora’s Cave box o’ fun! That’s right–there are all kinds of crazy Ellora’s Cave things (track pants, t-shirt, hats, keychain, post-its, deck of cards, etc) as well as two signed print books–one from Lexxie and another from Mari and a $25 gift card to Amazon. You must email the answers by May 5 to be entered to win!

The first two rounds are live (and it’s not too late to join the fun–just go back to the first blog and hop in now). Today we’re posting snippets from Misplaced Lessons.

Foreign Affairs, Book Three

A forced-sex fantasy is one thing—waking to find a scruffy man binding you to a bed is quite another. Amy fights him, until she realizes her friend must have set up the sexy scenario. They’ve swapped lives, with Harper flying to Australia and lending her Chicago home to Amy. While she’s surprised Harper would go to such lengths to help her fulfill a fantasy, Amy figures…why not?

After days of nonstop travel, Andrew arrives at the home he shares with his sister, Harper, with sleep on his mind—until he finds a naked intruder in his bed. Subduing the beauty, he assumes she’s the blind date his pal had tried to set him up with. But would Mike actually sneak the woman into Andrew’s house? Seems so. And he’s not one to turn down such a gift.

By the time each has learned the other’s identity, Amy and Andrew have shared the most intense sexual experience of their lives. And they certainly don’t want to stop now.

Inside Scoop: This sexy life-swapping tale includes BDSM with a side of ménage.

A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Excerpt:

He smiled as he reached up to brush a stray tendril of hair away from her face. “We can slow down, but we’re not stopping. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want this too.”

She wanted to contradict him, explain that she was here to see Chicago, and that was it. But it was hard to deny his words when her body had begun to flush with arousal, her nipples going tight despite her better judgment. “This is going a little too fast for me.” She tugged against the bonds once more. Maybe if she weren’t so defenseless. “Would you untie me?”

He shook his head. “No. I love the way you look right now. Completely at my mercy. You know, breaking and entering is against the law. I should punish you.”

There was something about the way he said the word punish that made Amy go completely wet. She squeezed her legs together and tried to ignore the tingles in her pussy.

“I didn’t break in. I had a key.”

His grin grew at her admission. “Then maybe I should reprimand you for fighting me.” He touched the scratches she’d left on his face once more. She recalled the way his hard cock brushed against her hip as she struggled for her freedom. He’d enjoyed the rough play.

“You scared me. I wasn’t expecting you.”

He smiled, ran his fingers along her cheek in a way that was more friendly than sexual. “Yes, you were.”

Harper had warned her. Told her to expect it. She just hadn’t anticipated the surprise would be something so…so…shocking.

Exciting.

5. What law does he accuse her of breaking?

Show and Tell

For the past couple of months, I’ve been preparing for the RT Convention which is coming up in just a couple of weeks. Thought it might be fun to share some pics of the promotional things I’m taking with me. Most of these lovely things were designed by Valerie Tibbs.

Fix You/Second Chances postcards

New Bookmarks (front and back)

Ad for the conference issue of RT magazine

Some fun pins

Screaming Orgasm brochures!

 

Under the Lights

Part Two: Under the Lights – Available now!

A Scoundrels Short Story.

Just how hot does it get under the lights?

Becca Preston has been in love with Parker Banks for years. But she’s resigned herself to the fact her feelings can never be revealed. For one thing, he’s a huge Hollywood movie star and a lifetime spent living with her famous father has taught her actors aren’t exactly known for their fidelity.

But even more problematic is Parker’s dominance. Becca is used to calling the shots and Parker’s dark, commanding presence alarms her, leaves her frightened, confused…breathless.

Parker is most at ease onstage. So what better place than Scoundrels for him to capture his elusive beauty, Becca. Tonight, under the lights, he’s determined to set her body on fire, bring her darkest fantasies to life…and claim her heart once and for all.

This short story is part two of a trilogy of stories about Becca and Parker’s romance and it is connected to the Scoundrels series available now at Ellora’s Cave. For better enjoyment, it is suggested that you read Behind the Scenes before reading this book. Approximate word count is 6K words.

Excerpt:

Two men appeared through the mist provided by a fog machine. Becca had been right. They were drop-dead handsome, both dressed in black, muscle-hugging t-shirts and tight blue jeans. They wore baseball caps that cast their faces in shadow. No doubt that was part of the act.

This was the masturbation dream that caused her to come the hardest. This was the fantasy she’d revealed to Emma over drinks. She’d told her friend about three faceless men coming into her bedroom at night. Two would hold her down and play with her, while the third—the leader—ravished her and took her over and over.

Emma was recreating that fantasy now…for Becca. And three hundred nightclubbers. As Becca glanced around the stage, she had to admit Emma had nailed the illusory effects. The music, fog and lighting made it feel very much like she was still sleeping alone as her dreams came to life.

The one part of the story Becca had been a fool to reveal to Emma was that Parker was always the ravisher in her dreams. Now he was coming to fulfill the fantasy. He had threatened to capture her, to claim her, and as she watched the story begin to unfold, she realized just how much danger she was in.

The men crossed the stage slowly as women from the audience whistled and cheered them on. Becca had worked at Scoundrels for six years. She was no stranger to the erotic shows or the crowd’s responses. However, she’d never in her dizziest daydreams imagined herself performing in one.

She sat up in the bed, pressing her back against the headboard. As the men came nearer, she swallowed heavily, her heart racing in fear…and anticipation. They towered over her, both tall, broad, muscular. Christ. They were huge. Becca had never considered herself weak, but she was no match for these two.

Self-preservation kicked in as she recalled Parker’s words. He’d told her to fight.

Fine. Game on.

Under the Lights is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks.