Jerica MacMillan's Blog, page 5
May 9, 2016
Summer Fling Sale Blitz!
Summer Fling
Players of Marycliff University Book 1
Jerica MacMillan
New Adult Romance
Blurb
One summer is all they have …
A chance encounter at a party brings Lance and Abby together.
Lance just graduated and has a summer internship. His parents expect him to come back to Texas to work in the family business at the end of the summer. He likes to have fun and doesn’t want to be tied down too soon. Until he meets Abby.
Abby still has two years left of college and a mom who keeps her anchored near the town where she grew up. She is cautious in relationships, not letting people close. But Lance’s persistence wears down her defenses. Knowing Lance is leaving, Abby tells herself it’s just a summer fling.
Will that be enough to keep her from falling in love?
Add to Goodreads
Sale Blitz Price $.99!
(Normally $3.99)
iBooks
Amazon
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Excerpt
When the check came, Abby reached for her bag to pay for their meal. She figured that she could at least pay for dinner to thank Lance for driving her around all over today. She reached for the little vinyl folder, only to have it snatched out from under her hand.
Abby held out her hand to Lance. “What are you doing? Give me that.”
Lance leaned to the side so he could pull his wallet out of his pocket. He placed his card in the folder and set it on the corner of the table next to him out of Abby’s reach. “No.”
Abby leaned across the table trying to reach it anyway. The tips of her fingers made contact and she scrabbled at it, trying to get enough of a grip to pull it toward her. Lance placed his hand flat on top of it, ensuring that she couldn’t move it at all.
Abby sat back trying to figure out what he was doing. He watched her with a bland expression, his hand still resting on the little black folder. “Lance, please give me the check. I’d like to pay for dinner.”
Lance quirked an eyebrow at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I appreciate the polite request, Abby, but I’m afraid the answer is no.”
Abby narrowed her eyes at the humor fighting for control of his face. “I’m serious. I’m paying. You drove me to my mom’s house, waited outside without complaining, ran errands with me, and now you’re going to get home late because of all of it. At least let me buy you dinner.”
Lance tilted his head to one side like he was considering what she said. “Hmmm, you make an interesting point.”
“Yes, I do. Now give me the damn check.”
He clucked his tongue at her. “Language, Abby. Language.” The grin he’d been mostly holding back took over his face now.
Abby balled her hand into a fist in her lap, restraining the urge to walk to his side of the table, slap him, and yank the little folder out from under his hand. “Fine. I’m going to pay you back for my meal at least.” Her voice was tight with frustration.
Lance chuckled. He leaned forward, one arm on the table. “Abby, I’m glad you called me. I like spending time with you. Remember? I even asked you for another date. This was it. You said thank you and you let me take you to dinner. That’s repayment enough.”
Abby inhaled sharply through her nose. “Lance, I—“
“Abby, stop arguing with me and just let me buy you dinner. You don’t have much choice at this point anyway.” He was still smiling at her.
Abby slumped back against her chair in defeat. Lance was calling this a date. That would make this their third date at least. She tried to suppress the fluttery feeling in her stomach that she got when he said he liked spending time with her. It was the same feeling she got every time he touched her.
“Why do you keep asking me out anyway? You’re Lance Kane, right?”
His smile faded, and his expression turned a little wary. “Yeah. I’m Lance Kane. Why do you think I keep asking you out? I told you I like spending time with you. Why else would I ask you out?”
Abby leaned forward now, pressing her point. “But Lance Kane doesn’t go out with a girl more than twice.” She motioned with her finger back and forth between them. “What’s the deal here, then? If you’re calling this a date, that makes three.”
Lance leaned back now, the smile completely gone from his face. “By my count it’s four.”
Abby’s eyes widened. “You count bullying me into having pie with you as a date?”
Lance shrugged. “I invited you, you said yes, and I paid. Sounds pretty date-like to me.”
“But, you didn’t … we didn’t …”
Lance leaned forward again and lowered his voice, his eyes fastened on hers. “We didn’t … what? Kiss? We could have but you ran away before I got the chance.”
Other Books In This Series
Sleeping with your roommate is a bad idea, right?
Megan Davidson is scrambling to find a new place after Abby, her roommate and best friend decides to move in with her boyfriend Lance. With just a week until classes start, the open spot left in Lance’s old house looks like her best option. She moves in with Matt and Chris, shameless flirts and notorious players.
Chris Watkins first met Megan at their Fourth of July party over the summer, and he’s wanted her ever since. She’s now tantalizingly close, and he doesn’t want to keep his hands to himself, even if its the worst idea ever. Chris doesn’t do relationships, but once with Megan just isn’t enough.
With ground rules in place, it seems like everything’s working out fine. But will Chris’s history catch up to him and ruin everything?
Get it on preorder for $0.99!
About Jerica MacMillan
Jerica MacMillan is a lifelong reader and lover of romance. Nothing beats escaping into a book and watching people fall in love, overcome obstacles, and find their happily ever after. She was recently named a semi finalist in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write 2015 contest.
Jerica is living her happily ever after in North Idaho with her husband and two children. She spends her days building with blocks, admiring preschooler artwork, and writing while her baby naps in the sling. Join her Book Club at www.JericaMacMillan.com and get a free book!
Find Jerica on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
The post Summer Fling Sale Blitz! appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
April 18, 2016
Check Out the Cover for Convenient Fall!
Convenient Fall
Players of Marycliff University Book 2
Jerica MacMillan
New Adult Romance
Release Date: May 16, 2016
Blurb
Sleeping with your roommate is a bad idea, right?
Megan Davidson is scrambling to find a new place after Abby, her roommate and best friend decides to move in with her boyfriend Lance. With just a week until classes start, the open spot left in Lance’s old house looks like her best option. She moves in with Matt and Chris, shameless flirts and notorious players.
Chris Schwartz first met Megan at their Fourth of July party over the summer, and he’s wanted her ever since. She’s now tantalizingly close, and he doesn’t want to keep his hands to himself, even if its the worst idea ever. Chris doesn’t do relationships, but once with Megan just isn’t enough.
With ground rules in place, it seems like everything’s working out fine. But will Chris’s history catch up to him and ruin everything?
Add to Goodreads
Special Preorder Price $.99
iBooks
Amazon US/UK/AU
B&N
Kobo
Excerpt
With his head closer to her level she started shouting at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you? How dare you interrupt my dancing and then drag me out here!” She slapped him on the cheek next. That stung. “Don’t you ever manhandle me like that again!”
He straightened up, rubbing his cheek. “You done?”
She tipped her head back to glare at him. Man, she was pissed. “I’m not sure. It depends on what stupid thing you do or say next. I might have to knee you in the balls.”
He grunted in response and ran a hand over his face to cover the smile that was fighting to get out. If she thought he’d let her get close enough to get his balls, she’d be in for a surprise.
She stared at him, waiting. After a minute she threw her hands up in exasperation. “Are you going to answer me? Or should I hit you some more until I feel better?”
“What was the question again?”
She took a step toward him, and he readied himself to block a strike to the groin. Instead, she got right up in his space and he could smell her shampoo. “I asked you what. The. Fuck. Your. Problem. Is.” She emphasized each word with a smack to the chest.
He grabbed her wrist, tired of being used as her personal punching bag. “Enough. I took it when you hit me earlier because I deserved it, but that’s enough.” He crowded into her personal space even more, bringing his body flush against hers. Her head was tipped back, her eyes wide, her lips parted. He wanted to kiss her. He’d been wanting to kiss her for months now. And he wanted her more now than he’d ever wanted anyone before. “As for what my problem is, you’re my problem.”
At his words, the pissed off expression took over her face again. “What the hell does that mean? I haven’t done anything to you!”
“Fuck, Megan. I can’t stand watching you dance with all these other guys, seeing them put their hands all over you, groping you. And you seem to like it. Are you out fucking around while Matt and I are gone? Having parties at our house so you’re not home alone?”
She gasped and her nostrils flared. He caught her hand before it made contact with his other cheek. She struggled against his grip, but he didn’t let go.
“How dare you? You have no right to accuse me of anything! You’re the biggest manwhore I know! You fuck any chick that you have your eye on and dump her the minute you’re done! How dare you of all people say that to me?”
She was struggling against him, so he put her arms behind her back, wrapping his arms around her middle, keeping her pressed against him, trapping one of her legs with both of his so she couldn’t make good on her threat to knee him in the balls. Her tone was laced with venom, and he almost recoiled from the bite. Except he was getting more pissed off too. He was a manwhore?
But Megan wasn’t done. “And it’s none of your fucking business if I’m fucking anyone. You’re my roommate, and a shitty one at that. I don’t need you scaring off guys who I just want to dance with.”
“That asshole wanted more than just a dance.”
“You think I’m too stupid to know that? Just because he wants more doesn’t mean I’m going to give it up.”
“What do you mean I’m a shitty roommate?”
She laughed at him. “You barely say two words at a time to Matt or me. You’re rude and standoffish.”
She started struggling again. With the way he held her, her breasts were pushed against his chest and they rubbed back and forth with her movements. He could feel his body start to react. “Matt told me to back off and leave you alone, so I did.” He spit out the words through gritted teeth.
Megan stopped struggling and looked up at him, eyes wide. “Why would he do that?”
He thrust his now hard cock against her belly. “You really don’t know the answer to that question?”
Megan’s eyes grew even wider, and he couldn’t be sure in the dim light, but he thought her cheeks went a little pink. Who knew Megan could be made to blush? Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and it was all Chris could do not to groan. “Why would …? What …? I don’t understand.”
In answer to her inarticulate questions, Chris pulled her closer and crushed his mouth to hers. She stiffened at first, but relaxed into him, opening for him when he began questing with his tongue. Her lips were soft, and he could taste the beer from the party. He wondered a little how much she’d had. She didn’t seem drunk.
When he pulled back, she was staring up at him, looking a little dazed. He released her, letting her step back. She brought a hand to her mouth, never taking her eyes from his. Her pupils were dilated, her eyes hooded. He felt smug that he’d managed to take her from pissed off to aroused with one kiss. Or maybe, like him, she’d already been aroused from their fighting. He reached for her free hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
Other Books In This Series
A chance encounter at a party brings Lance and Abby together.
Lance just graduated and has a summer internship. His parents expect him to come back to Texas to work in the family business at the end of the summer. He likes to have fun and doesn’t want to be tied down too soon. Until he meets Abby.
Abby still has two years left of college and a mom who keeps her anchored near the town where she grew up. She is cautious in relationships, not letting people close. But Lance’s persistence wears down her defenses. Knowing Lance is leaving, Abby tells herself it’s just a summer fling.
Will that be enough to keep her from falling in love?
iBooks Amazon US/UK/AU B&N Kobo
About Jerica MacMillan
Jerica MacMillan is a lifelong reader and lover of romance. Nothing beats escaping into a book and watching people fall in love, overcome obstacles, and find their happily ever after. She was recently named a semi finalist in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write 2015 contest.
Jerica is living her happily ever after in North Idaho with her husband and two children. She spends her days building with blocks, admiring preschooler artwork, and writing while her baby naps in the sling. Join her Book Club at www.JericaMacMillan.com and get a free book!
Find Jerica on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
The post Check Out the Cover for Convenient Fall! appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
February 27, 2016
My Self-Editing Process
Here’s my latest YouTube video. I’m in the first round of self-editing my latest manuscript and I talk a little about what that entails here:
The post My Self-Editing Process appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
February 12, 2016
Check Out My YouTube Channel
I decided to start making a little video diary of my writing and publishing process and to let you guys get to know me a little better. I made my first one this week. You get to see my office where I do most of my writing. Check it out!
The post Check Out My YouTube Channel appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
February 5, 2016
Recommended Reads: Blair Babylon
Normally I recommend one book, but I just can’t limit myself this time. I’ve read three of Blair Babylon’s series now, and I loved them all.
So, what should you read first?
I’d say start with Rae Falling. It’s a free first book, but you can get the whole series for 3.99. Here’s the official blurb for the boxed set:
How could one wild quickie with a hot guy against a wall at a party change everything so fast?
All Rae wanted was to open a clinic for autistic kids. To do a little good in this world. To help some kids who were trapped in darkness and fear.
But a statistics class tripped her up. She is losing her scholarship, which means that she’s leaving college to go back to her poverty-stricken hometown. It’s too late for grants. Too late for loans. No job exists that can pay for college tuition. She’s finished, and she has to go back to her family and their repressive beliefs that she thought she was better than she ought to be for trying to go to college, anyway.
She has three weeks of freedom left. Her friends tell her that there is a job that could help her, the place where they work, where she might be able to make enough cash for tuition because they do.
So they take her to an upscale party to meet the guy who runs it, and they tell her all about their boss: his cold, calculating gaze, how he can see through anyone, how no one even knows his real name, and how he might be a psychopath.
But Rae doesn’t meet their mysterious boss. She meets The Blond Hottie who tells her that his name is Wulf. He’s even taller than Rae, probably six feet-four, with a strong jaw and dark sapphire blue eyes, and an athlete’s build.
If you had three weeks of college freedom left before you went home to your fundamentalist family, what would you do?
Rae shoves The Blond Hottie up against a wall in dark bedroom, and then all Hell does break loose.
This Complete Boxed Set of Billionaires in Disguise: Rae contains all nine original episodes.
The characters are well developed and relatable. The writing draws you in and hangs onto you, keeping you involved until the end.
I actually read the Billionaires in Disguise series out of order, and started with Georgie and Xan’s story in Every Breath You Take. I was hooked by the end of the first book (which is free) and went and bought the rest of them, devouring them all in a few days. Georgie and Xan are probably my favorite because they’re musicians, and Xan’s a violinist. In a former life, I was a violinist, too. Blair Babylon’s description of music and musicians is so spot on. Plus, Xan has synesthesia, which makes for an interesting twist (one of several). Definitely worth checking out.
Then I read Rae and Wulf’s story, followed by Lizzy’s story (Rae, Georgie, and Lizzy are suitemates at Southwestern University). Lizzy’s was the hardest to read because of some of the subject matter (abusive relationships), but I knew some of how it would turn out because of already having read Georgie’s story. It was nice to get the details filled in, though.
Long story short, all three series are definitely worth reading. Give them a read and let me know what you think in the comments!
The post Recommended Reads: Blair Babylon appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
January 16, 2016
Rebound Envy Cover Contest—Vote Now!
My next book, Rebound Envy, will be available on January 26. Before then, I need to nail down a cover. Since you guys were all so helpful with Summer Fling, I thought I’d ask for your help again. Pick your favorite and tell me in the comments.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Just as a reminder, here’s the cover for Rebound Therapy. I want them to go together since they’re in the same series.
The post Rebound Envy Cover Contest—Vote Now! appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
January 14, 2016
Recommended Read: Underneath It All by Kate Canterbary
I just looked around and realized it’s been over a month of radio silence around here. Let’s just say that December was busy with a variety of projects, plus the usual seasonal activities with out-of-town family visiting, sledding to do, and snowmen to build. Then the whole family came down with the worst cold in America starting New Year’s Eve. I actually managed to do quite a bit of work before it caught me. The baby wouldn’t let me put him down for anything, and I do most of my work with him wrapped and sleeping on me. Sick babies take lots of naps. But, eventually I got dragged under and spent the better part of a week drowning in my own snot (TMI? Sorry). I’m still coughing and sniffling more than normal, but mostly back to my usual self, and have even managed to crawl back into the writing cave for the first time in weeks.
I have been doing lots of reading. One of my recent discoveries is today’s
Recommended Read
Here’s the official blurb:
One hot architect. One naughty schoolteacher. One crazy night that changes everything.
If I had known I’d have a hot architect balls deep inside of me before the end of the weekend, I’d have made time for a pedicure. Also, a little chat about not losing my shit at all the wrong moments.
Hindsight was a bitch, and karma…well, I didn’t know her story yet.
Meet Lauren Halsted.
It’s all the little things—the action plans, the long-kept promises—that started falling apart when my life slipped into controlled chaos.
After I fell ass-over-elbow into Matthew Walsh’s arms.
I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to run screaming or rip his pants off, and most days I wanted a little of both. If I was being honest with myself, it was rip his pants off, ride him like a workhorse, and then run screaming.
Meet Matthew Walsh.
A rebellious streak ran through Lauren Halsted. It was fierce and unrelentingly beautiful, and woven through too many good girl layers to count, and she wasn’t letting anyone tell her what to do.
Unless, of course, she was naked.
She wasn’t looking for me and I sure as shit wasn’t looking for her, but we found each other anyway and now we were locked in a battle of wills, waiting for the other to blink.
Sometimes the universe conspires to bring people together. Other times, it throws them down a flight of stairs and leaves them in a bruised and bloodied heap.
The actual experience of reading it was even better than the blurb. The characters are well written and draw you in, even the secondary characters. Of course, I think almost all of the secondary characters get their own story at some point, so it makes sense to have them well-rounded from the beginning. Still. They’re great.
And the steamy scenes melt the page. So good.
I managed to get this as a freebie, but it is so worth more than the measly $.99 that it’s available for (it’s also free in Kindle Unlimited). I haven’t read the rest of the books in the series yet, but I fully intend to. Soon.
Have you read Underneath It All yet? What are you waiting for? What good books have you read lately? Even though my TBR list is probably longer than what I could read in a lifetime, I’m always adding more.
Other News
I made mention above about some other projects. One is an app that I’m writing for called Sequel. It’s not available yet, but should be sometime in the first quarter of 2016. It’s a cool thing and I’m excited about it. I’ll definitely let you guys know when you can check it out.
Rebound Envy, the second novella in my Rebound series will be available on January 26, 2016. If you’re a member of my book club, you’ll get an advanced copy, so keep your eyes peeled for that. This weekend I’ll be looking for opinions on the cover for that. That’ll go up on Saturday. Please take the time to come weigh in with your opinion. The more the merrier!
The post Recommended Read: Underneath It All by Kate Canterbary appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
November 30, 2015
Summer Fling—Free for Three Days!
Summer Fling is on free promo November 30–December 2.
Make sure you get your copy and tell your friends. Advanced readers have fallen in love with it. Check out the reviews on Goodreads.
As part of the launch for Summer Fling, I’m doing a giveaway of a signed paperback copy. To enter, leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads (or both!) and email a link to your review to contact (at) jericamacmillan.com by December 6, 2015. I’ll pick the winner via random drawing on December 7.
Book Club Updates
In other news, I’ve decided to start my own book club. To participate, all you have to do is sign up here. You’ll get a list of 10 free books that I recommend. (If you’re already getting my emails and didn’t get that list, email me and let me know. I’ll send it to you.)
I’ve always wanted to be part of a book club to be able to talk to other people about books that I love and get recommendations for other books. Most book clubs assign a book, which feels too much like homework for my liking. I graduated a long time ago and I don’t feel like doing homework again. So, my book club is going to be a place where we can just share what we’ve been reading and make recommendations for each other.
I’ll be doing broadcasts on Periscope starting in December. If you join my book club you can help me pick when to do the broadcast (so you can participate) and what books to talk about. Members will receive emails alerting them ahead of time to when I plan to do the broadcast. If you miss it, don’t worry, I’ll post the video here on my blog. You just won’t get to chat with me live.
I’m excited about doing this. I love books. I love reading them. I love writing them. And I’m looking forward to getting to talk about books with all of you.
The post Summer Fling—Free for Three Days! appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
November 25, 2015
Summer Fling Cover – The Winner!
Option 1 is the winner!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. It was an enlightening process.
I know a lot of people also liked Option 3, which had the couple silhouetted against a sunset. I agree with the sentiment that it does capture the “summer” aspect, but Option 1 had significantly more votes.
Summer Fling is now available on Amazon. It will be going on free promo for three days starting Monday, November 30. If you’re signed up for my Book Club, you’ll get an email with the link directly to your inbox first thing on Monday.
The post Summer Fling Cover – The Winner! appeared first on Jerica MacMillan.
November 17, 2015
Summer Fling Cover Contest—Vote Now!
And it isn’t going to let up any time soon.
I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which means I’m supposed to crank out 50,000 words by November 30. That’s an average of 1,667 words per day, which seems doable. Except that keeping up that pace is challenging. This is my first time doing this particular challenge. It’s been eye opening on many levels.
On top of that, I’m getting my next book ready for release. Summer Fling officially launches on November 30. That means it’ll be free for three days as part of the launch. Yay! The last couple weeks has been a whirlwind of editing and final corrections. But that part is done. Hooray!
The next item on the agenda is finalizing the cover and blurb. For that I’m asking for a little help from all of you.
You get to vote on the cover!
Voting is simple. Leave a comment telling me which cover is your favorite. There are four to choose from. You can also tell me you like the image from one cover and the font from another.
The winning cover will be revealed next week. I’ll also be announcing a review contest, so stay tuned!
Without further ado, here are the four cover choices (click to enlarge):
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Voting closes Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 11:59 pm.
Curious about my other titles? Check them out here.
Want more? Like my Facebook page!
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