Maggie Wells's Blog, page 27

Teaser Tuesday – A Heartwarming Christmas!

Hi, everyone. It’s great to be here today! But how can it be November already? Thanksgiving isn’t far away now and then the Christmas season begins. I can feel time racing toward the holidays, but I haven’t even thought about turkey or gift shopping yet!

 

In the meantime, however, I’m thrilled to report that A Heartwarming Christmas has made the USA Today Bestseller List!!

 

This holiday season, warm your heart with 12 wholesome holiday romances from 12 Harlequin Heartwarming writers who are USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors.

There are four connected anthologies in A Heartwarming Christmas. That means each set of three novellas shares characters and storylines all set in Christmas Town, a location introduced in the 2014 Harlequin Heartwarming release, Christmas, Actually. This year’s A Heartwarming Christmas will bring you laughter, tears, and happily-ever-afters (no cliffhangers), for more than 1200 pages. Foreword by small town lover and New York Times bestseller Kristan Higgins.

 

In my novella, “His Christmas Gift,” Cara Crawford, who runs a tree lot, doesn’t want to have Christmas this year. But park ranger Brady Sullivan has other ideas. And determination is his middle name.

 

After a scandal years ago ended Brady’s dream to play in the NFL, he left Christmas Town. Now twelve years later, he’s back to clear the record. Unfortunately, his estranged family is nowhere to be found. And Cara, the sister of the woman whose life Brady supposedly destroyed years ago, still blames him for what happened then.

 

It’s up to Brady to tell Cara too the truth at last. Can he convince her he was innocent all along? And win not only Cara’s trust—but also, this time, her love?

 

Here’s a brief excerpt from the story:

 

A sharp rap at her front door made Cara almost drop her cup.

Who could be here this late at night?

“Delivery,” Brady said in her doorway. “Got your tree for you. A rescue.” He shouldered his way inside with a gorgeous, bushy seven-foot scotch pine.

“Do you know what time it is?” Cara asked.

“Time to pretty up this baby. Go get your decorations.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re pushy?”

“You need pushy.”

Cara glanced at her teacup on the table. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. She didn’t really want him to.

“You wait any longer,” he said, “Christmas will be over.”

And Brady would be gone. She had to remember that as well as the heartache he’d caused her sister years ago.

Yet Cara couldn’t deny they had fun while Brady set the tree in its stand then helped her hang ornaments—so many she’d loved in years past—and, finally, sprinkled the pine with old-fashioned tinsel.

Before she knew it, he’d playfully tossed a few strands at her hair. His laughter warmed her heart and Cara couldn’t help but join in. She had no choice but to return the favor until they both looked as glittery as the tree.

“You actually like this,” she said, feeling breathless. “Some men don’t. My father never put the lights on our tree without having a meltdown.”

“Christmas has always been my favorite time of year.” He grinned. “Snow, presents, wreaths and candles…family all around. What’s not to like?”

Cara wondered why Brady was staying then at the Pine Tree Inn instead of at his parents’ home, but she hesitated to ask and break the mood they’d shared. And Brady had stopped laughing. The moment hung between them like the silver star he’d fastened to the top of the tree. With a slightly shaky hand, he reached out to pull a piece of tinsel from her hair, his touch lingering.

“I like you all…sparkly,” he murmured, his voice husky. “I like you, Cara.”

 

The whole set of 12 novellas is for sale now at the incredible price of $.99! Get your copy today before the price goes up. Buy Links for A Heartwarming Christmas:

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TDjGEK

iTunes: http://apple.co/1OkXsV9

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CEnSA7

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1J0Qg08

B&N: http://bit.ly/1LaVnNT

 

Bio: Leigh Riker can’t imagine anything better than to curl up with a good romance novel to read—unless it is to write one! She loves being a Harlequin Heartwarming author. When not working, she likes to garden, play the piano, and travel. At home in the Southeast, with her Maine Coon cat perched on her desk for inspiration, she is at work on her new HW novel, Lost and Found Family, to be published in April 2016.

For more, here’s where to find her:

Website: http://www.leighriker.com

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lbrwriter/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@lbrwriter

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LeighRikerAuthor

Views – 43

Monday Mayhem – Here I Go Again!

Yep, I’m doing it again. This time, I plan to finish LOVE AND ROCKETS (Coastal Heat #3) and start RANSOMED HEART, which will be book 2 in a new series I’m working on.

So yeah…see you in December!

Just kidding. I’ll see you next week.

Have a great Monday!

Oh, and in case you missed it:

Sorry. I just love it so.

Views – 41

Weekend Writing Warrior – 11/1/15

Hey, gang! Thanks for coming by again!

I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. October was totally overwhelming, but mostly in a good way. I’ll get to that in a bit. Now, here’s another taste of LOVE AND ROCKETS (Coastal Heat #3 – October 2016).

This is the story of a rocket scientist who falls in love with a hardworking single mom and her brainy daughter. Here, his conversation with young Grace is interrupted by her mother.

****

“What’s going on here?”

The question sliced through the middle of their conversation like a light saber. Jake jerked upright as Grace scrambled out of her chair. He looked up to find a woman with short dark hair glaring down at him. It took a full thirty seconds for his brain to compute that the woman breaking up the party was none other than Darla Kennet, one of the regular waitresses at The Pit barbecue joint and a former St. Pat’s Academy student.

“Oh. Hey, Darla,” he said, coming to his feet like the well-brought-up man that he was, “I didn’t know you worked here too.”

“She moonlights for catering companies at night,” Grace supplied helpfully.

But the tiny woman across from him was obviously not in the mood for friendly conversation. She crossed her arms over her chest and sneered at him. “Perhaps I can get a discount for your wedding.”

****

That’s it for this week. I hope you’re liking the story so far. I received a couple bits of good news in the last couple of weeks. The first is…look at the gorgeous cover they gave me for FLIP THIS LOVE (Coastal Heat #2~April 2016)!!!! I think it captures Harley and Laney’s cat-and-mouse relationship perfectly.

Nothing draws a magnate like a steel magnolia…

 

Harley Cade is back in town—and the former bad boy is downright irresistible now that he’s donned a hard hat and set to work restoring the South’s finest homes to their former grandeur. While wealth may have gained Harley entry into high society, it’s going to take a lot more than a fat bank account to win the lovely Laney Tarrington. 

 

Laney isn’t open to giving the self-made magnate a second chance—no matter how much she needs him. With her family fortune gone, Laney finally has to stand on her own two feet. The last person she’d ever lean on is Harley, the man who left her behind with nothing more than memories of the passion they once shared….

 

With the attraction still burning hot between them, Harley isn’t above seduction—or secretly buying Laney’s bankrupted family’s estate. After all, he no longer has to prove himself to anyone, least of all the daughter of Mobile, Alabama’s most prestigious family. But will pride keep Harley from gaining the biggest prize of all—a place in Laney’s heart?

The second, I can’t share with you just yet, but hopefully next week. Let’s just say I’m super-excited about it!!!

That’s all from me this week. Be sure to check out all of this weekend’s Weekend Writing Warrior posts!

Views – 44

Fangirl Fridays!

Got a crush? It’s okay to spill it here. Fictional boyfriends battling it out for your affections in your dreams? Talk movies, TV shows, books, or even video games. Do tell! Anything goes on Fangirl Fridays!

Views – 28

Whatcha Reading?

Tell me…whatcha reading?

Views – 26

Teaser Tuesday – Jen Crane is back!

A Dangerous Secret

In fiery redhead Stella Stonewall’s new world magic and shape-shifters are everyday life. Scales, sorcery, shifters—no big. Stella has learned she’s not only descended of dragons, but of powerful skin changers. She struggles to keep this rare form a secret, even from her closest friends.

A Bitter Betrayal

Stella turns to her mentor Rowan Gresham for help. The charming but enigmatic Gresham forms a plan to improve her troublesome public image. The problem? The plan revolves around betraying the only family she has left.

A Potential for Something Real

When Gresham’s motives come into question Stella must rely on the new friends she’s made at a college for magical shifters. The feral bunch helps set Stella’s inner beast free. As these friendships flourish, so does the magnetism she’s always felt toward fierce and noble Ewan Bristol. But it’s so strong it threatens to overwhelm her.

Can Stella afford to open her heart now, when her entire future’s at stake, or is it bolted shut for eternity?
​

Purchase Origin Exposed

Kindle: http://bit.ly/OEAmazonBuylink

B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/OEBNBuylink

iTunes: http://bit.ly/OEiBooksBuylink

Kobo: http://bit.ly/OEKoboBuylink

 

Find Jen Crane online

Website: JenCraneBooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JenCrane

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/JenCraneBooks

Twitter: @JenCraneBooks

Instagram: JenCraneBooks

Pinterest: JenCraneBooks

Views – 26

Monday Mayhem – holding on

I visited my mom this weekend. Though it makes me sad to see her struggling, it was just good to see her.

And to hold her hand.

Her skin is now thin and soft with age, but though I may have my daddy’s eyes, nose and mouth, these delicate digits are one thing I undoubtedly inherited from my mother.

They may be small, but their grip is mighty.

Views – 29

Weekend Writing Warrior – 10/25/15

Hey, all! I’m working on LOVE AND ROCKETS (Coastal Heat #3 – October 2016). I’ll be sharing some bits from this one as I work on it. This is the story of a rocket scientist who falls in love with a hardworking single mom and her brainy daughter.

****

Jake turned in a slow circle, scanning the room with eyes far more attuned to darkness than light. He almost skipped right over her. Would have, if she weren’t momentarily spotlighted in a shaft of light courtesy of the swinging door that led to the kitchen.

She had the entire solar system laid out on an abandoned table near the door, a big orange and yellow papier-mâché Sun at the center, the precisely be-ringed Saturn in its place between Jupiter and Uranus.

And she was a girl. A tall, slender girl with dark hair and the pale skin of a bookworm. He was always really bad at pinpointing ages, but if she’d made that replica of Saturn, as she claimed, she was most likely at the younger end of the middle school spectrum. Jake watched as she pulled a small grayish-brown ball out of her pocket and placed it on the very edge of the table.

Pluto.

He’d just proposed marriage to a fellow Pluto fan.

****

That’s it for this week. Be sure to check out all of this weekend’s Weekend Writing Warrior posts!

Don’t miss book #1 in the Coastal Heat series, Going Deep!

Going Deep – To the heart of the story.

Making Headlines

Brooke Hastings almost won a Pulitzer Prize for her hard-hitting reportage. Now she’s sitting on the story of a lifetime and wants to prove she’s not a one-hit-wonder. But in order to get the world to take notice, she’ll need the help of the one person she loves to hate—Brian Dalton.

Brian Dalton stumbled into celebrity when he landed a show on the Earth Channel. But the hunky marine biologist never forgot the serious, studious boy who left Mobile a decade before. Now back in Alabama, he’s looking for the quiet life he always wanted and hoping for a chance with the girl he always loved. When Brooke asks him to help expose some of the lingering effects of the Gulf oil disaster, Brian jumps at the chance to help preserve the place both call home…

All Romance ~ Amazon ~  Apple ~  B&N ~  Google ~  Kensington ~  Kobo

Views – 36

Fangirl Fridays!

Got a crush? It’s okay to spill it here. Fictional boyfriends battling it out for your affections in your dreams? Talk movies, TV shows, books, or even video games. Do tell! Anything goes on Fangirl Fridays!

Views – 25

Whatcha Reading?

Tell me…whatcha reading?

Views – 25