Mollie Mathews's Blog, page 18
July 13, 2017
Bride of Gold and a change of season…
Bride of Gold and a change of season…
Summer is here for my friends on the other side of the globe, and for us down under it’s heavenly winter. No matter what your change of season if you’re looking for the perfect books to escape into, look no further. All my eBooks will fire the flames of desire, provide the perfect escape and bring a smile to your heart.
Give in to your enthusiasms this month with my Follow Your Passion collection, with 40% off all my eBooks you’ll be up all night! Feel the burning desire in your heart with 40% off and buy now.
Navigate to my author page on Amazon,—Author.to/MollieMathews. Choose your favorites, and enjoy straightaway—in less that two hours be on your way to vicariously living a romantic life.
Email me your receipt to go in the drawer to win a signed copy of Flight of Passion.
Be quick! Sale ends 20 July!
My Fabulous Arc Readers
Life can be short and there are so many great books to read. So, I feel especially blessed to have a fabulous group of BETA and ARC readers who so generously give their time and energy – and eagles eyes – to help improve my books. I have also learned that it is so important to check, check again and then again for pesky typos prior to releasing my books.
I would love it if you would consider being an arc reader for future books – I have a romance with a Sheikh and a female architect (working title, Claimed by the Sheikh; a violinist and a stressed-out, over-worked lawyer in Venice (Working title, Love in Venice) a somewhat comedic romance about a woman too afraid to date again who hides out in online forums after her husband’s betrayal (working title, Sex With Strangers) and a suspense in the wings.
In fact, the passion for completing my suspense novel was ‘rudely’ reawakened recently by a violent trespasser who found his way to my door recently. Read more about this, and how romance saved my life, here—http://www.cassandragaisford.com/how-writing-can-save-your-life-boost-your-resilience-and-empower-your-warrior-spirit/
I’m curious…what book-in-progress are you most excited about?
***FREE ROMANCE***
Would you love to read a beautiful love story set in New Zealand—for free, in return for an honest review?
SPOILER ALERT!
Following feedback from reviewers, and inspired by Nora Roberts commitment to writing the stories she feels most passionate about, this is a re-engineering of The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage. I’ve cut back on the backstory up front and made other changes. I hope you love the improvements.
What Sparked This Story Idea?
The idea for this story was sparked when I inherited a painting from my aunt—the sister that my father never knew existed. My father was abandoned by his mother into the care of a private boarding school when he was only four-years-old.
Needless to say, he grew into a very self-reliant man. When he was in his 70’s he received a letter from a woman in her 80’s telling him she was his half-sister, and requesting that they meet. They shared the same dad, but different mothers.They got along famously—but sadly she passed away a few years later, and soon afterward my father did too.
It struck me as incredibly sad that they had not met earlier. I wondered why my dad’s mother had never told him about his sister. I wondered why his father never told him either. Later, I began to notice and read similar stories of people, some famous, other’s not, who found out as adults, that the people they thought were their fathers or mothers, weren’t.
I began to think about all the secrets many families have. The lies they tell each other. And all the lost loves.
And I wondered, what if two people were attracted to each other but trust issues kept them apart? What if a painting had the power to bring them together, to shed healing light on the secrets of the past? And what if a painting had the power to rekindle lost love?
And I wondered, what would it take, in spite of fear, anger, and distrust, for a man and a woman drawn together by tragedy, to open their hearts to love. You’ll discover the answers in Bride of Gold. I hope you love this story is much as I loved writing it.
Change ahead…
I’ve asked my cover designer to refresh the image—feel free to send me piccies or suggestions of covers you think would work.
If you’d love a FREE copy of Bride of Gold (which was the title I originally chose (and yes, if you are one of the people who posted a review of The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage, the title was, in retrospect, misleading. Now, I proudly want to claim this book as an authentically New Zealand romance. I know so many of you love New Zealand authors and our beautiful country.
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Please message me your email address (Mollie@molliemathews.com) and I’ll send you a copy of Bride of Gold, book one in the Passion Down Under Series. It’s set in stunning Central Otago. Visit my FB page to see more piccies of my recent visit there. www.facebook.com/molliemathewsnz
#iamwriting #writerslife
#Romance #PassionDownUnderSeries #free
FEATURED READER OF THE MONTH
“Mollie – Your books are a great read for anyone, like me, with a passion for art and a love of mysteries embedded in a painting. Bride of Gold is light, fun, suspenseful and full of romantic longings – everything I love in a book. I also enjoyed the New Zealand setting and learning more about this beautiful country.”
~ Lauri
Thank you all my readers who write to me through email. I treasure these messages and I read every letter that comes in. If you would like to send me a letter and possibly be my next featured reader you can email my guestbook at Mollie@molliemathews.com
Happy reading in July!
Much love
This is a photo of the view from my writing room in the glorious Bay of Islands. I feel so blessed to live and work in here—especially now ‘The Intruder” has gone! What beautiful winter light!
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P.S. Please feel free to forward this to any friends who might enjoy my books.
July 7, 2017
How writing can save your life, boost your resilience and empower your warrior-spirit
A few of you have asked about “the intruder.’ I’ve shared how writing romance saved my life on my non-fiction blog and thought I’d share with you here. We all know how wonderful it is to escape into a good romance, but who would have thought a great love story could save your life?
Here’s the post with a short summary of our terrifying encounter with a trespasser:
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Even if you’re not an aspiring writer there are loads of mindset strategies in The Prosperity for Authors Series to help you deal with life, build greater resilience and persevere with your dreams.
In fact, recently I put some of the strategies I share both in book two, Productivity Hacks: Do Less & Make More and the first book in this series, Developing a Millionaire Mindset, to good use after a terrifying encounter with a violent intruder.
Curiously, and thankfully, writing saved me—both before and after the aggressive trespass. I had woken around midnight and decided to check Amazon for one of my romances The Italian Billionaire’s Christmas Bride.
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I had only been in my writing room for five minutes when I heard a van come up the long drive on our semi-rural property in The Bay of Islands.
Immediately I sensed danger. I knew instinctively it was the stranger who had come to our door the prior evening pretending to be lost.
Now, he returned again. He drove toward the house with his lights off, determined to hide beneath the cover of darkness.
Strangely, the Kiwis, New Zealand’s native, flightless and nocturnal birds that roam our property screeched loudly—as though warning me.
I heard the intruder swear. Terrified, I ran to wake my partner—and counted my blessings that he is a very alpha male with a black belt.
A long night involving the police ensued. And for three days this man, who we later discovered had a violent past and mental health problems, continued to harass us —insisting we were hiding his wife and children.
It took some doing, but I refused to let him infect our lives, or impact my productivity any more than he had. Anger is such a destructive force—as is fear. The best coping mechanism I know is to channel potentially toxic emotions into something I love—writing.
So I picked up my pen.
As I write this chapter just days after the event even though I can still feel the fear, the anxiety, the terror—it is less now. This event triggered buried memories of previous traumas involving obsessive, controlling men with a propensity for violence.
However, I have successfully ‘counselled’ myself by writing and journaling my way through my emotions.
As Catherine Jones writes in her aptly named book, Heal Yourself With Writing, creativity is therapy. “Journaling is a creative inner dialogue with one’s Self,” she says. And she is right.
Rather than lose further productive time I wrote my way through my terror and cleared space to create.
Rather than say, “I’m too traumatized, too tired, too uninspired to write,” I wrote anyway.
I focused on my goal for the day—in this case, to finish the edits for the first book in this series, Developing a Millionaire Mindset.
And I bribed myself with the promise of chocolate when I had completed my task.
Writing is my joy. My passion. My great love. And nobody, I vowed, would rob me of that. I would stay drunk on writing, I affirmed so that reality could not destroy me.
In time, I know I will use this experience for scenes in my fiction books and perhaps even pen a self-empowerment book to help others who may have experienced similar trauma. And of course, I have used this truly frightening experience in my life to write this chapter.
The experience also reminded me that I should complete a half-finished manuscript, Keeper of My Heart—a romantic suspense about a woman running from a violent past and the handsome lawyer who protects her.
Mining for Gold
Is reality sucking the joy from your day? How can you stay drunk on writing?
This is an edited extract from The Prosperous Author: How to Make a Living With Your Writing (Book One: Developing a Millionaire Mindset by Cassandra Gaisford. ORDER THE EBOOK TODAY, SAVE and SEND YOUR ORDER CONFIRMATION AND RECEIVE YOUR FREE BONUS GIFTS—Click the Amazon link here getBook.at/TheProsperousAuthor
Develop A Millionaire Mindset Today!
#MillionaireMindset
June 16, 2017
Guess who won THE FLIGHT OF PASSION GOODREADS GIVEAWAY?
1820 people entered – 1 lucky person won.
Congratulations to Amira for winning a signed copy of my book Flight of Passion. I’m so excited that ‘she’ will be winging her way to Amira in Italy. I have ordered the print book and am waiting for it to come from Amazon. Then I will sign it and send it all the way from New Zealand to terzo di aquileia ud Friuli venezzia-Giulia, Italy.
Grab a free preview of Flight of Passion or order your own copy and enjoy today by clicking his link
getBook.at/FlightofPassion
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“”If you like a romance of the Romeo and Juliet ‘star-crossed’ lovers kind, get this book. Mollie spins a lovely tale set in exotic climes and lifts us out of our own reality while we travel a twisting journey with Oliver and Ruby.”
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May 12, 2017
New Release—Flight of Passion
Flight of passion and a change of season…
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Hello from New Zealand!
Happy May! It’s gorgeous Autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere and lucky you if you live on top of the world to be enjoying beautiful spring and heading into summer. I adore these transformational changes of seasons. The old makes way for the new and is always accompanied by a sweeping breath of fresh air.
So it’s not a surprise that with all this invigorating energy writing my new book has been a lot of fun! I flew into Flight of Passion with joy and love—and incredible productivity. And it’s paid off! I’ve been blessed by some outstanding help from advanced readers and amazed by the incredible feedback.
Flight of Passion is a rapturous tale of beauty, obsession and the transformational power of unconditional love. Here’s a little bit more about my new release:
Devastatingly handsome Oliver Hart is used to getting what he wants. Single, thirty-five and a committed bachelor, he plays by his own rules. On a personal quest to catch a rare, elusive and very valuable butterfly, he’s unwittingly distracted by a former flame, Ruby Diaz—a woman who callously abandoned him eight years earlier.
Deciding he wants to reclaim the beauty as his own, in his mind, it’s as good as done.
But Ruby is not his for the taking. Promised to the son of a wealthy landowner, she refuses to succumb to his charms. On a quest to save her family’s land, Ruby knows she must put duty first, and silence the passionate stirrings of her heart. But Oliver doesn’t make things easy for her. He’s not taking no for an answer.
Risking everything to help the woman he loves to gain her freedom, Oliver entangles himself in an emotional net that alters his life forever. Sacrificing his own selfish pursuit to help Ruby, he realizes that you may be able to own something, but you can never own someone—especially the women you love.
Have you ever wanted to be with someone who sent your heart soaring but threatens your sense of security? Someone who lifts you clear out of the water, but you’re not sure will be around to catch you when you fall head over heels in love? Or do you know what it’s like to sacrifice your own needs to put others first? Then you’ll love this heart-warming romance.
This is a standalone clean & wholesome romance novel. It’s also Book One in my new True Love series. It contains a guaranteed HEA and a tale of romance that will capture your heart. As an added gift, it also includes the first chapter of Mollie Mathews’ prior novel The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage and a sneak peek into Claimed by the Sheikh, absolutely FREE!
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Curl up with this beautiful romance. Get your copy now! The ebook is available at a special launch price of $2.99. Here is the universal link to Amazon: getBook.at/FlightofPassion
Here are some more of the 5-star reviews:
“Fast paced, heart-wrenching, completely unexpected twists, excellent storyline, and a hell of a good read.”
“This book is a carefully crafted, truly original story. Mollie’s wonderfully descriptive narrative paints a picture in which it is easy to lose oneself. A touching and heart-warming book, well worth a read.”
“I fell in love with Ruby and Oliver, they are so good for each other, but both are so filled with garbage that their families filled them with, that they can’t see what’s in front of them. And when they finally realize that diamonds don’t have a hold to what they had, they are about to lose it. The butterflies remind me of how ethereal life is and it is up to us to not waste it, but live the fullest and best we can.”
“If you like a romance of the Romeo and Juliet ‘starcrossed’ lovers kind, get this book. Mollie spins a lovely tale set in exotic climes and lifts us out of our own reality while we travel a twisting journey with Oliver and Ruby.”
#1 BESTSELLER ON AMAZON
Here’s some more evidence that in the end love and joy always win! At the time of writing this newsletter Flight of Passion is #1 in two categories for contemporary romance. No easy feat with so much competition.
The night prior to waking to this beautiful news I promised to give myself a break from the computer. But when I woke up I had a strong hunch….and I was rewarded! I never expected in my wildest dreams to get #1 in both categories! But I didn’t do it alone! So many people have helped me including the fabulous Beta and Advance readers who loved this book and have written glowing 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
Oh my gosh! Look how beautiful the cover for the print edition is.
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When I first saw it, it took my breath away.
MAY GIVEAWAY
WIN A PAPERBACK VERSION OF FLIGHT OF PASSION!
Follow this link for the Flight of Passion giveaway on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35075673-flight-of-passion. Be in with a chance to win 
May 8, 2017
Some interesting things you may not know about butterflies
Business owner and artist Hang Le creates dynamic images, cover designs, and branding for a diverse group of clients. With more than 10 years’ experience in film, theatre, and interior design, Hang Le makes every project personal and every book come alive. She certainly made the cover for Flight of Passion soar with dazzling vitality.
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Flight of Passion is a rapturous tale of beauty, obsession and the transformational power of unconditional love. You can learn more about this book here, or check out a sample and purchase a copy on Amazon here getBook.at/FlightofPassion
I’m so thankful to fellow romance writer Anna Campbell for recommending Hang Le to me. Anna writes historical romance and I have always loved Anna’s sizzlingly sensuous stories and her beautiful covers. Passion inspires passion.
One reviewer on Goodreads shared how she was intrigued by the fact the book could easily transfer to a historical era and how she loved learning about butterflies—as well as enjoying the love story.
I have written a Regency version of this romance—which I adore. I’ll have to finish that book. But for now…
Here are some interesting things you may not know about butterflies
Some can travel all the way from Canada to NZ.
Many live for only two days, others for several months, and some hibernate over winter to again reappear in the spring.
Male butterflies are more colorful than female butterflies.
They don’t just feed on flowers. Some prefer rotting and smelly things.
Butterflies don’t grow. Once they are born their size stays the same.
Many have warning colors and patterns to deter potential predators from wanting to eat them.
The wing patterns are made up of hundreds and thousands of tiny scales which under a powerful microscope look like roof tiles.
“I absolutely love, love butterflies and Mollie’s descriptive language made me see them as brilliantly colored as I imagined them to be!”
~ Goodreads 5-star review
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I’m excited to be offering readers a chance to WIN A FREE AUTOGRAPHED copy via my Goodreads giveaway which starts on the 13th of May and runs for a month. To enter and be in with a chance to win click here
Read the first three chapters for FREE https://www.instafreebie.com/free/qABqt
Much love
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P.S. Curl up with Flight of Passion today—available for immediate download and enjoyment on Amazon Kindle, navigate to here getBook.at/FlightofPassion
May 4, 2017
A new excerpt from Flight of Passion—just for you
FLIGHT OF PASSION
Book One of the True Love duet.
What happens when you come face-to-face with the person you always loved but can never have? Read to find out!
This is the first book in Mollie Mathews True Love series. Sign up to Mollie’s newsletter, receive the first three chapters of Flight of Passion for FREE, and be the first to know when this heart-wrenching love story can be yours—release date May 2017
We hope you enjoy this short excerpt from Flight of Passion—it’s just for you
NINE
Oliver wasn’t sure what prompted him. He wasn’t foolish enough to dance with danger. He hadn’t intended to take things this far. Normally his emotions were tightly controlled. But as he gazed into Ruby’s face instinct took over. He touched his tongue to his lips, narrowed his eyes, moved toward her, one thing in mind.
Her eyes widened and her soft, sensuous lips parted, staring at his mouth with uncertainty. A soft salmon blush settled upon her cheeks. Ruby’s body moved toward him involuntarily. Desirous, yearning, needy.
“I must go,” she said thickly, as though forcing herself to fight the physical magnetism he was exerting.
He leaned toward her. “You can’t help what you feel,” Oliver murmured in his low, seductive voice. “You want to taste me as much as I want to taste you.”
His face came closer, his eyes commanding hers with relentless purpose.
“Oliver…I…I can’t,” she stammered, pushing him gently as he approached.
His eyes narrowed sensuously as his gaze lingered on her throat, on her heaving breasts, on her trembling body, filled with passion—and with promise.
Ruby shrunk back, hard against the wall. He lifted an arm, placing his palm firmly on the wall near her ear.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, bringing his lips to within centimeters of hers.
He could feel the electrical charge that unified and ignited their bodies. He could hear the quickening gasps of breath.
He inhaled her familiar scent, savoring memories of the steamy sex they’d once enjoyed. Eight years later he could still smell her sweet musky essence after that night of lovemaking. He could still hear her moans of pleasure. He could still feel her body tense as ecstasy sent ripples through her body.
He wanted to turn back the hands of destiny, to reclaim the time lost to them. One minute he was leaning toward her, and the next he was lost in a tropical utopian dream. Soft, sensual, vibrant, surrounded by fragrant breezes and the feel of the warm earth beneath his bare feet.
Ruby let out a breathy sigh just before his lips touched hers. So softly, so gently, he wasn’t sure if it was real. He felt her body stiffen, then tremble as she folded into him.
He moaned as Ruby’s slender arms draped around his neck. His mouth sought hers with a slow deliberation that eased the throb of need deep within him. Gently he took her top lip in his mouth and softly sucked it, slowly savoring her taste. He opened his mouth to drink more of her intoxicating elixir. She opened for him, tasting of honey and paradise.
With a touch like a butterfly, he kissed her eyelids, then softly brushed her cheeks with his lips. He held her neck gently in his hands, caressed the tips of her earlobes with his lips, blew soft kisses in her ear.
Ruby’s whole being vibrated in wild response to his. He sensed she was utterly helpless to stop him doing anything he wanted with her.
His hands slid under her silky dress, stroking the smooth skin of her back. He pressed her closer until he felt the pounding beat of her heart against his chest.
The sounds of the music rising, rhythmic humming and people chattering as they partied below could barely be heard over the roar of longing in his heart.
They remained close as though frozen in a moment. He closed his eyes and marveled at how wonderful it was to be with her again. Her kisses quenched his thirst, watered the dry, barren, parched wasteland of his life.
Her sensual touch provided a welcome tonic for the boring monotony of soulless encounters.
He felt the flutter of the cool air on his face, streaming through the vents, heard the faint sound of a musician, acoustic guitar in hand, strumming songs of love. And lost himself in mindless enchantment. Then, he felt a shove to his chest.
“Stealing a kiss may not be immoral in your mind, but you and I both know you don’t give a damn about who you hurt, or whose life you ruin,” she said, projecting the guilt and anger she felt at her own weakness onto him, as she opened the door and fled.
“You can’t lie to yourself, not for long,” he said, his voice a dark prophecy, chasing after her as she fled.
“Forget it. Forget me. Forget us,” she cried.
END OF EXCERPT
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April 11, 2017
What I’m working on…excerpt Flight of Passion
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Her whole body tingled with an electric awareness as he took his place beside her. Ruby wanted to look at his face, wanted to see if the desire was still in his eyes; but she no longer dared.
He was too close, too dangerously near if she was to keep some semblance of control. She had been insanely mad to come to him. Sanity insisted that she give him no more encouragement.
His richly tanned hands gently slid back the doors of one of the cabinets. Strong hands, with long, supple fingers curled around the edges of an ebony rimmed tray, topped with protective glass and eased it free.
With the delicateness of a parent placing his baby in its crib, Oliver placed the tray on a highly polished antique Chinese desk. A heady scent of beeswax and Camphor crystals filled the room as he lifted the glass.
Ruby stood absolutely still, her gaze inescapably fixed on the most dazzlingly beautiful kaleidoscope of butterflies she had ever seen.
Shots of lipstick pink, morphed into purples and trailed out to rich raw umber browns. Lustrous blues, tinged with effervescent orange-reds jostled for attention with dazzling emerald greens, splashed with electric violets, charming her eyes with their captivating colors.
Ruby felt short of breath, her heart rate quickening as her hungry eyes devoured the pulsating chocolate box of colors.
“You’re looking at some of the most exotic, tropical butterflies in the world, “ Oliver told her with pride.
‘They’re beautiful!’ she cried. Her face flushed with excitement, her mouth felt dry with a thirst that could not be quenched.
‘Flying flowers,’ he said, clearly relishing in her visceral reaction.
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This is an excerpt from my new book Flight of Passion.
Have you ever wanted to be with someone who sent your heart soaring but threatens your sense of security? Someone who lifts you clear out of the water, but you’re not sure will be around to catch you when you fall head over heels in love? Flight of Passion is a rapturous tale of beauty, obsession and the transformational power of unconditional love.
Coming soon! If you loved this brief excerpt and would love to read more you can download the first few chapters of Flight of Passion for FREE here – https://www.instafreebie.com/free/qABqt
I hope you love it as much an I’m enjoying writing it for you
Love Mollie
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March 27, 2017
I love you. I’m sorry.
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I received a review recently which really shocked me. Thankfully some readers were kind enough to contact me directly instead of posting a review on Amazon.
But then my heart sunk again. Because I had the book professionally edited and proofread I was sure somehow an advance copy of an unedited version of The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage was landing in my readers laps.
So I uploaded my ‘edited’ version to Amazon again to other book sellers again and emailed links to people who had contacted me.
Only it wasn’t edited correctly at all!
The person who did the proof-reading did the best she could at the time—I’ve since learned she had so much going on in her personal life, and I am so grateful for the help she did give me.
But, a few people emailed me directly and were even kind of enough to point out the errors were still there.
Thank you Lesley for sending me a list of errors (twice) so I could begin to correct them. And also for your email (below) letting me know you have posted a review.
Have left review on Amazon UK and US (link to latter: https://www.amazon.com/review/RGTVFJKRN8F6C/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm) these will show as verified purchase. To the review left on Goodreads, iBooks UK and B&N I have added a sentence to say that I have advised the author of some editing issues.
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Despite all my errors, thank you Lorraine for emailing me with the feedback below—(I know it was from your phone so I read between the spelling to your larger message of heart)
i loved reading this book its the most heartwarming book ive read in a llng time. i crked a lot bot im glad you had the great endin you had eith him standing with his newborn son ins his arms and telling alex he loved her thanks for the great read.
Rita, thank you for all your encouraging emails and for offering to be an advance reader of all my books and your offer to post reviews.
And to everyone else who has contacted me to say they would love to read an advance copy of Flight of Passion before it is released. Thank you.
Your incredible support sustains me
It would be easy to give up and succumb to feeling discouraged—especially after emailing you and saying I’d uploaded an error free file. I don’t trust myself to email you again with another version.
I want to make triple sure, and then triple sure again, that all the errors have been picked up I have unpublished “The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage.”
As with all things in life, it’s not the failing that counts, it’s integrating lessons learned, and putting added weight into your dreams. So here’s what I learned:
As an independent author responsibility lies with me
Don’t outsource responsibility for ensuring my books are edited error free
Check. Double check. Triple check—and repeat
Read my book out loud
When a proof-reader is engaged, have a fresh set of eyes look at the work
Edit and proof-read as I write, rather than leave it to the end of the book. 50,000 words (or more) are a lot to take in!
Providing readers with FREE books is wonderful—but can be expensive if external people like cover designers, proof-readers, story doctors and editors etc., are employed
Pay the experts—but make it as error free as I can first
Learn the art of editing, especially grammar—ask my way to success, or consider asking a friend (a retired teacher down the road may be just the help I need. I’d rather learn in person if I can.
Maintain a positive attitude. As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
Thank you again for not giving up on me.
P.S. My first book The Italian Billionaire’s Christmas Bride, set in Milan, and Fiji, went through a far more rigorous editing process—I worked with three editors and a bunch of advance readers before publishing. There’s another lesson there.
P.P.S I’ll get the correct version to you for FREE when I’m 100 % sure it’s perfect. And if you have read the book and enjoyed it I’d be ever so grateful if you’d post a review on Goodreads.
Thank you!
March 16, 2017
Love in New Zealand
So many of my readers are based in the US and dream of visiting New Zealand and the exotic Fijian Islands one day—but it’s just so far away.
The first two books of my romantic series were set in my home country against the beautiful backdrop of stunning Aotearoa and the tranquility of Fiji.
I loved writing these books, and I fed my inspiration by taking loads of photos and painting scenes as I wrote both The Italian Billionaire’s Christmas Bride, which is set in Auckland and Fiji, and the The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage, which is set in stunning Queenstown—with a wee dose of Milan, Italy.
To help you visualise the extraordinary beauty of a country I’m lucky enough to call home, and to see some of the things that inspired these love stories, here’s a few piccies—taken by me.
First, here’s a few images from Fiji—so much natural beauty, and only a two hour flight away from New Zealand!
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New Zealand’s Queenstown and Auckland, played a staring role in The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage. Here’s a couple of shots of some of the stunning scenery around this part of the country.
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And a few looking back across Auckland harbour, in New Zealand’s North Island, with The Sky Tower looming in the distance.
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If you’ve read The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage you’ll remember that scene where Alex finds out that man in the art gallery who’d taken her breath away the night before, is the mysterious buyer who holds the key to unraveling the secrets of her past. The ‘reveal’ takes place at the top of the Sky Tower. Here’s an excerpt from this scene, as Alex, who’s afraid of heights rides in the lift:
A bolt of awareness streaked down Alex’s backbone as sexual tension echoed in the silence around them. Excruciatingly aware of his amused stare, she locked her gaze on the elevator panel forcing herself to find it infinitely fascinating as every fiber of her body orbited in his direction.
No gaping. Didn’t the brute know that was elevator etiquette, she thought shocked at his directness and irritated by her humiliation?
She inhaled sharply and in an uncharacteristic move of boldness slowly, purposely, turned her head and surveyed him with one calm, detached glance.
At least that was what it was meant to be. Maddeningly, sage green eyes trapped hers, forcing her gaze to sensuous lips curved into a sardonic smile, as he leaned against the wall. Strong arms folded against his powerful chest as he faced her with the arrogant confidence of a non-conformist who found her mortal embarrassment amusing and cared nothing for rules. Clear and confident and incisive, his piercing gaze stirred an instant protective instinct, hammering home her acute vulnerability.
Damn, she thought helplessly, he is totally gorgeous. Alex’s heartbeat kicked up a gear even as her senses hummed, every cell detonating into life. Up close he was even taller and more warrior like than he’d appeared at the gallery. Long-legged, with shoulders that would be a credit to any Greek god he was 110% pure man. 1001% pure danger.
Gosh, what if he was the mysterious buyer, she thought for a reckless second? No impossible. He looked to be in his early-thirties, not old enough to be a man who had known her father and what had happened with his life over 20 years ago. This man would only have been a child then. He was far too young and far too casually dressed to be in possession of such a fortune. Heart contracting in her chest Alex ran a swift glance over his clothes. A rich chocolate hip-length leather jacket covered a V-neck navy cashmere jersey and white shirt hanging informally over ink colored designer jeans. Casual they may appear, but they were tailor made for brute strength, impeccably proportioned for his lean body and long, strong, muscled legs..
Her pulse hammered as the lift began to climb toward the restaurant 192 meters above the city. Don’t look down, a voice warned as the lift climbed higher. She fixed her gaze on a spot on the horizon, trying to block out the stranger’s unrelenting stare, made worse by his amused silence.
‘Allora, is your invisible friend afraid of heights?’ His unsmiling, icy calmness was in direct contrast to her uneasy emotions. The brute obviously had no empathy.
‘Afraid of heights? Nope,’ she lied, hoping he wouldn’t detect the fear sucking life from her voice. She hadn’t thought about the height thing when she’d impulsively picked the meeting venue. She wasn’t a planner. She was impetuous, impulsive. Stupid.
Why the hell hadn’t she thought it through? Whether it was a fierce determination to prove him wrong, or the mortification of already having made a fool of herself, she plastered on her most fearless, warrior-woman face and stepped over to the viewing glass inserted in the middle of the floor. Feel the fear and do it anyway, isn’t that what the self-help gurus advocated? Heck, it wasn’t as if she’d die.
I can do this she told herself, fixing the stranger with a defiant stare. Whether it was fear or the thrill of the crazed energy that sparked between them like wild-fire she didn’t know, but her head began to spin as she peered down into the abyss of the lift shaft. Her body tilted as the whole lift seemed to sway, pulling her in one lethal direction.
Gasping, she fought to control her legs. She squealed as she lost her balance. For one stark second she felt the undulating contour of every muscle in his hard torso on her back, and the strength of his arm across her breasts. Sparks like flints on graphite ignited between them as she clung to the man of steel and their bodies momentarily fused.
Although the heat storming her chest robbed her of breath, strength and wits, instinct kicked in. “Move back!” it snapped.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she mumbled mortified, her voice barely audible, as she sprung away from him as though his touch burned her.
I hope you enjoyed this wee peek into some of the inspiration for my books
Love
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The Gemstone Billionaires Boxed Set contains the first two books of AMAZON TODAY BEST-SELLING author Mollie Mathew’s romantic series set against the beautiful backdrop of stunning Aotearoa, New Zealand. If you like heartwarming, sexy and sweet romances with a touch of comedy, you’ll love sharing the journey with these authentic men and women longing to find their special soul with heart.
The first two Gemstone Billionaire books (over 500 pages) included in this bundle are:
The Italian Billionaire’s Christmas Bride
What if the person who is so, so, so wrong for you is really so, so, so right, but you’re too afraid to give love a chance?
Last Christmas, art therapist Issy Riley was jilted by her fiancé. This Christmas she’s running away. A week with a client on his private Fijian island promises to save her from cheating men and the London festive season. But when the client turns out to be a gorgeous and magnetic Italian billionaire, he threatens her resolve to never again trust her heart to the wrong man.
Milan fashion house leader and avowed bachelor Massimiliano Balforni has no intention of taking a vacation, despite his sister’s insistence that he subject himself to an art therapy retreat following a minor heart attack. With an important collection due, he intends to fire his therapist and work, instead. But the determined and striking Issy gives his heart palpitations of a far more dangerous kind.
The one thing Max and Issy agree on: they are as wrong for each other as wrong gets. He’s a workaholic playboy who believes emotion is a weakness. She’s a romantic who yearns for a happily ever after.
As the tropical heat soars, they discover that in this battle between work and play, resistance only fuels attraction—and sometimes two wrongs make a very passionate right.
Set in two beautiful paradises—Milano, Italy and the tropical Pacific islands of Fiji.
The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage
What if everything you believed was a lie?
When a lonely young American woman inherits a painting she discovers her whole life was a lie. Desperate for the truth, she goes in search of her true identity.
The painting is her only clue. But everyone is determined to keep its secret past repressed, including Vitaliano Rossi, the Italian gold tycoon, unnaturally suspicious of her motives, who wants the painting vanquished. How can she discover who she really is and convince him that his love means more to her than gold?
Three women. Three lives. And the lies that bind them. Why is everyone afraid of the truth?
Praise for The Gemstone Billionaires series!
“What a blinking good read—more please. I was hooked from page one.”
“Mollie is just such a good writer with enormous appeal in her story – an excellent read on a rainy day.”
“An enthralling read. Keeps me captivated from start to finish and leaves me wanting more.”
Escape into romance with this beautiful box set. The Gemstone Billionaires Box Set is a fun read with healthy doses of escapism.
February 10, 2017
Authentic Happiness: Love Is Where The Magic Is
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Love is where the magic is. When you love what you do with such a passion, you’d do it for free. This is your path with heart. You’ve heard the saying, ‘when you do what you love, you’ll never work again.’ It’s true. Work doesn’t feel like a slog, it feels energizing.
From Teacher to Romance Writer
As my friend and fellow author Annie Featherston, writing as Sophia James, shares below, when you combine your favorite skills with doing something you completely and utterly love, you come home to your true Self and find your place of bliss. The result? Contentment—and more often than not, producing something highly marketable.
“I’d taught for fifteen years and loved it. And then I didn’t.
It wasn’t the students or the workload. It wasn’t the noise or the constant worry of, ‘was I doing enough’ that pushed me out either.
I was a good teacher but underneath was a passion that I couldn’t ignore any longer. I wanted to be writer, a historical romance writer, and I was beginning to get offered some wonderful opportunities that did not meld with the structured teaching year and the constant pressure of it.
I felt like a juggler with a hundred balls in the air. I was teaching half time, taking tours to Europe with my husband to help him, running mentorship programs…. and writing.
Writing was my complete and utter love and yet it was always taking a secondary place. I wrote at night. I wrote in the weekends. I wrote when the kids were asleep. When I wrote I didn’t think of the time or the problems, all I saw was the joy and passion of it. I loved forming characters and thinking of stories. I lay in bed at night asking my protagonists questions and spent many hours trawling over history books to place them into a context.
I have a degree in history so it was as if all the things I had enjoyed were coming together at last. History and writing. I knew that at 54 I couldn’t be patient any longer.
I needed to be in a field that I felt fully aware in, that I loved beyond the weekly pay check and that filled my spirit with lightness.
I’d just won a New Zealand based competition for a completed romance and it was validation, I suppose. If I didn’t make the jump and do it now perhaps I never would. And if I never gave myself a chance I would feel bereft.
I penned my resignation letter and left to Australia to be a mentor on a five-day intensive scheme the Romance Writers of Australia were running. It was scary and hard but when I finished it successfully I remember standing alone in front of the mirror, a cold sore from exhaustion and worry on my lip, but my clenched fist punching the air in triumph.
To feel like that is to know you live.
When I got picked up by Harlequin Historical and published it felt like all the dreams I had hoped for so long were finally happening. I had visualized this. I had walked the lonely windy beaches of Gisborne and shouted my hopes for it into the wind. I had sat in the mall with three crying children in the car and written scenarios on the back of the supermarket docket because the story just wouldn’t wait until I got home.
If I had not been paid one cent for my writing I would still have done it somehow. But the strange thing is that money does follow passion, and suddenly I was making as much as I ever did in part time teaching.
Writing is hard work. A book does not come fully formed from thin air or dreams for me. But I’ve persevered and sat and written. I’ve made deadlines. I’ve written blogs. I have delved into social media and stood there with a smile on my face when the reviews have not been what I wanted.
But I have always believed in myself and my stories. I’ve kept going. I have never given up.
And I have loved my writing life, my freedom, the creativity, the possibilities.
If I had my time over I would have left my teaching career earlier. I would have been braver and less worried by all the sensible advice others were giving me. I should have listened to my heart and taken the jump into a lifestyle that is my perfect fit and even if I had never succeeded I would have known that at least I tried.”
I love Annie’s story of reinvention. So-called sensible advice is no replacement for the wisdom of your heart, your soul, your intuitive knowledge that certain choices are right for you. Her story inspired me to stop putting my dream of writing romance novels on hold. I read and listened to her regret that she hadn’t been braver and started earlier.
Yes, it’s true—love is where the magic is! Thanks to following my passion for love my stories are now in print.
After trying out a few fascinating careers I now live my dream job as a writer, combining business with wild pleasure, sending love letters out into the world.
The Italian Billionaire’s Christmas Bride
getBook.at/ChristmasBride
“The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage”
getBook.at/ScandalousMarriage
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