Lucy Monroe's Blog, page 41

Retreat Guest Blogger Meg Lacey

Hi everyone,  I’m Meg Lacey.

It’s a rainy day where I live, the perfect day to forget about everything and sit down with a good book and have a “Me” Day. I can hear some of you thinking, “Yeah, right, never going to happen! I have too much to do.” Work, family, school, etc.— believe me, I understand. As women, I think we come with guilt programmed into our DNA.

Take me for example. I don’t relax well. I wrote my first novel in the sixth grade, but my writing career didn't last. Instead I went into theatre before ending up in televison as a writer-producer for many years. Although I’m now writing fulltime, I still have tons of obligations that get in the way of taking a ‘Me’ day. But you know what? Lately, I’ve forcing myself to haul out my inner diva and say, “Screw it. I’m taking time for me!”  You need to do the same.

So today, or sometime soon make time for the Me in You. Forget the guilt and just go for it. Grab a glass of wine, a book and take a bubblebath, find a corner and indulge in yoga followed by dark chocolate, watch a sad movie and cry your eyes out, or do what I’m going to do today—go for a long walk in the rain. Before you go, though, I’d like to tell you about my paranormal romance series coming out from Imajinn Books, www.imajinnbooks.com,  on Sept. 30, 2012—“Tales of the Sparrow.”  The first book is “The Sparrow and The Hawk. “

“Tales of the Sparrow” is a humorous, paranormal romantic adventure series set in the future—a time when magic, myths, shapeshifters and other mystical creatures are possible because the veil between this world and the next had been stripped away.

In the first book, The Sparrow and The Hawk…

Buy the bookJillie Harte, code name the Sparrow, a documentary film maker is an agent for the NAS (Normal, Abnormal, Strange) Agency. Her assignment—find The Carmaletta Choker before it falls into the wrong hands and destroys the world. Franklin Doherty, and associates are suspected of having the choker; and they are definitely the wrong hands! To get close to Franklin,  Jillie is producing a film on “Decoration, Fashion and Accessories Throughout History,” featuring his antique collection. Her assignment is complicated by Griff Ryland, her new, hot cameraman, who is also looking for the necklace. Griff is an enigma. Is he friend or foe? And why is she so distracted by his "pure sex on a stick" appeal?

Like the Sparrow, Griff, aka the Hawk, needs to retrieve the choker. It disappeared from his dimension years before, and his job is to bring it back.  Since he can shapeshift into a hawk or a mountain lion at a moment’s notice, Griff feels certain of success.  But he doesn’t bargain for a sassy, sexy redhead—and for his overwhelming urge to settle their differences in bed.

Now Griff and Jillie must not only overcome the deadly dark forces who want the choker, but they must also face their developing relationship.

And they thought saving the world from evil and chaos was hard!!!!

 Excerpt:  The Sparrow and The Hawk

Jillie did another visual sweep of the lobby and met the gaze of a red-hot guy across the room. Jillie held her breath as the serious eye-yum moved toward her. The guy didn’t walk as much as he swaggered in that cocky, loose-limbed and fluid way that some great-looking men have programmed into their bones. He was tall and lean, with wheat-blond hair sporting a hint of a wave that fell almost to his shoulders, brilliant blue eyes, chiseled cheekbones and a strong jawbone. Still holding her gaze, the man smiled. His teeth were so strong and white that Jillie was tempted to reach for her sunglasses. He looked like a cover model for a man’s Western cologne. All he needed was a wild horse between his thighs, a wilder woman hanging onto him as if she’d never let him go, and a pulsating soundtrack. 
His smile broadened as he came close. “Hey,” he said. 
Jillie glanced over her shoulder to see whom he was addressing. 
“Hey,” he said again. 
Redirecting her gaze, Jillie was surprised to find him standing directly in front of her. Given her recent image of him on a horse, his “hey” sounded appropriate. 
“Hey, there.” His voice was deep and a bit raspy, intimate enough to make Jillie think of hot, sweaty sex. 
She frowned, wishing she could shut her eyes. Her nose started itching. Maybe she was allergic to so much male beauty.  His grin moved up a notch to more-blinding-than-the noonday-summer-sun. Jillie blinked. “You must really have a great dentist.” 
The guy looked confused for a moment. “Huh?”
“Forget it. Just a joke.” 
“Oh.” He hooked a thumb in his belt. “Are you Jillian Harte? I’m Griff Ryland.”
“Uh-huh.” 
“You know. Griff Ryland.”
Words formed in her mind as she felt the full power of his blue eyes, but given his questioning look, she didn’t think her verbal answer came out well.  She tried again, taking care to form each syllable. “No. I don’t know any Griff Ryland.”
He shrugged, “We’ve never met personally.  I thought Kenny might have said something, since I’ve already heard a lot about you.”
Jillie tilted her head, wondering where this was leading.  “I know Kenny Podansky. He works with me.”
“Not on this project. You get me instead.”
“Can I do anything I want with you

Let's Chat:
Leave me a comment below, I will be stopping by to chat with readers. 

Connect with Meg Lacey:
Website ~ Facebook ~ email

Retreat Guest Blogger Serena Zane

Visit Serena's WebsiteSerena Zane lives with her husband and son in the Northwest. She works hard, and plays hard, spending her free time studying the Middle Ages in a re-creationist organization called the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc (SCA).; as well as writing her novels.
Serena started writing at an early age with short stories, and poetry inspired by her mother, a strong independent woman who loves to help others, and writes as well. In 2009, Serena became a member of Romance Writer’s of America, and has been working on her craft with the wonderful members of the Olympia Chapter. Serena has written two Sweet Romance stories based around her experiences in the SCA, Moonlight in a Pickup Truck and Follow the Heart. 
Vampire mythos classic vs. modern
Over the centuries the mythos of the Vampire has both fascinated and disgusted us. Like a car accident, we just can't look away. The thought that something so beautiful could be so dangerous is almost irresistible for the human race. 
As a person, I have a love of all things paranormal: vampires, werewolves, witches, etc... As a writer, the history of each has taken on a sort of morbid fascination for me. Due to the fact that there are so many different legends that have been created about the Vampire, I took what I loved most about each and then added my own twist on the vampire vs. werewolf wars of legend. 
Zaniac vampires, as I like to call them, are created. In their own sub-culture, a priestess in Egyptian times fell in love with a young warrior. However, he spurned her affections, and as a curse she created the first vampire. Each vampire after that was created from this first 'original'. Zaniac vampires can shape-shift, fly, have heightened senses, mind-control, and telepathy. Silver can kill them. As is traditional, they cannot be exposed to sunlight, are effected adversely by Holy Water, and a good old fashioned stake will take them out. While they can 'fall in love' and do so intensely, there is no such thing as a 'lifemate' unlike in my favorite novels by Christine Feehan.  They do have a marriage ceremony that ties them for life and vampires do not believe in open relationships once married. Adultery is punished by death. However, before marriage, they are rather promiscuous. Zaniac vampires are immune to drugs, or disease, and are of course immortal. 
The legend I have created to make this my own is a twist on the old vampire vs. werewolf wars. In Zaniac history werewolves were held as slaves by the vampire race. Werewolf blood is like a drug for vampires, creating a sense of euphoria. It is highly addictive. The werewolves rebelled back in the Middle Ages and a great war was started creating a rift between the two species. In the Dark Warrior series, vampire Damon Blake falls for Nikki Adams, who is part-werewolf. This creates numerous issues that Zaniac's can experience throughout this ongoing series. My newest release, Bane, explores how old grudges and beliefs can effect one's life. 
Just for fun, I have included a comparison chart below of some of my favorite vampire legends. Check it out, and let me know what you think!
Vampire Mythos Comparison Chart
Authors Bram StrokerDracula Christine FeehanDark series Anne RiceThe Vampire Chronicles L.J. SmithVampire Diaries Stephanie MeyerTwilight Saga P.C. CastHouse of Night
Serena ZaneDark Warriors & Hunter Diaries series Pros






Shape-shift *Fog, bats *Any



*Any Invisibility * *


* * Compulsion * * * * * * * Telepathy
*

* * * Magical Abilities * *


* * Flying * * *


* Preternatural Speed * * * * * * * Cons or causes Death






Sunlight * * * *
* * Wooden Stakes * * * *

* Holy Water *
*


* Silver




* * Crosses *
*


* Decapitation * * * * * * * Fire * * * * * * * Starving * * * * * * * Dependent on Lifemate
*




Loss of Emotion
*
*


Sleeps in Coffin *
*



Sleeps in Ground
*



* Created *
* * * * * Born
*

* *

Retreat Guest Blogger Natalie Damschroder

Website  ~ blog
Facebook ~ TwitterNatalie carves her day up into a million small increments to accommodate her fiction schedule, freelance editing, day job as a chiropractic assistant, and the needs of her family, dominated by the Anti-Teenagers, who make all of the above really easy. When everything goes right, she gets to top off the day trying to guess the plot twists of her favorite TV shows before her husband does. 

Her latest release is Under the Moon, the first book in her Goddesses Rising trilogy. Heavy Metal, book 2, will be out in March 2013.


“Coerced” into Reading

I’m a voracious reader. There are always more titles in my to-be-read files (e-books) and on my to-be-read shelves (print books) than I could ever read, mainly because more good ones are released every week and I keep adding to them! Once when I was trying to be very good financially and not spend money on books, my TBR fell to about 20 books. I panicked. What if I got sick or something?! I’d be done in two days! Never letting that happen again.

So because I love to read and always have plenty of books, I’m selective about my choices. There are some genres I just never (okay, almost never) read, and if a book doesn’t sound like my cup of tea, it doesn’t matter how much other people rave about it. I don’t bother to check it out.

But there are exceptions. Once in a while, a book or series gets so much hype, or the right kind of hype, that I can’t help myself. Here are the biggest ones:

1. Harry Potter
I didn’t read these right away. I’d heard the fuss, and rolled my eyes at the extremists and naysayers, but none of that compelled me to try the books. After book 3 came out but before book 4 was released, my husband and I were taking a trip that would mean driving home in the middle of the night, getting home around 4:00 a.m. We wanted an audiobook to keep us awake. Alas, I fell asleep before Vernon Dursley made it to work that first morning, but I was hooked by the cat reading the street sign. I confess I’ve never actually read any of the books, but I’ve listened to Jim Dale’s fantastic performance well over a dozen times. My husband and kids are devoted fans, too.

Buy the book2. Twilight
I hadn’t even heard of this series when a parent asked me at the soccer field if Number One, then in middle school, was looking forward to the release of Eclipse. Her son was super-excited for it, and I was intrigued. What kind of books were so compelling that both boys and girls were reading them? I read the series through to the end, just to find out what happened, and it’s led to some good discussions with my girls. I was very proud of Number One when she shifted from Team Edward to Team Jacob. :)

3. Percy Jackson
Number Two was reading this series first. I’d been aware of it, but hadn’t had much interest. But she loved it so much, and was so into the revelations and twists that she pushed all the rest of us to read it so we could discuss. And all three of the rest of us fell in love, prodding each other to finish the next book so we could have our turn. This was the best experience for me out of the whole group, because my kids were at ages where their interests had begun to separate, and this brought us all together.

4. Hunger Games
I started this one. I decided to read it because it kept popping up in my Twitter feed. It wasn’t a type of story that interested me much, but people who share my taste in books were raving about the series. I ended up loving the overall story more than some of the actual writing, but again, we got the whole household involved, so much that my husband passionately expressed his casting views before the first movie came out.

When I started this blog post, my point was simply that it’s amusing that sometimes, despite my independent nature, I can be coerced into jumping on the bandwagon. But in writing it, I realized that the value wasn’t in joining people all over the world in a bit of entertainment, but in sharing the joy of that entertainment with people I love. How about that? :)

Let's Chat:
Have you ever found yourself coerced into reading something you wouldn’t normally? How did it turn out? (I’ll be back to respond to comments when I get home from my day job!)

Friday Morning Cuppa and Daily News!

Oh, so sad, this is our last morning cup of coffee (tea or hot cocoa) together this retreat.
It has been  fantastic waking up with you each morning.  Be sure to tell me your
favorite thing this retreat while we scroll through the agenda for the day.  Guest Bloggers (please remember that all times are Pacific Daylight Time)Natalie Damschroder 8:00 am
Serena Zane 10:00 amMeg Lacey 12:00 pmMonica Burns 2:00 pmMargaret Riley 4:00 pm

Hospitality Suite
There is no Hospitality Suite tonight, but pop on over to writer's space where
several authors from this week will be chatting live with readers.

Friday Night Activity at 6:00 pm
It has been a fantastic week!  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and were able to connect with several of your favorite authors.  We wanted to end our week with an opportunity to chat with you personally. Writerspace agreed to be our host this evening in a live author chat - several authors from this week will be chatting live.  
Cover Model Contest
Hurry time is almost out.  Don't forget to vote for your favorite cover model on my Facebook Fan page or on the Cover Model Contest board on Pinterest.  Voting will close today at midnight.  I will be tally votes and announcing the winner on Sunday with all the other prizes. 
Door Prize The Fangover (ARC copy) by Erin McCarthy and cowritten by Kathy Love
Daily Prizes (Prizes will be awarded throughout the day to registered participants - Each prize listed below is a separate gift, which means there will be as many winners for today as prizes listed.)

Subscription and an AdC cup by Loise Snead
25% off certificate from "For Every Home" by Meg LaceySigned copy of The Cruelest Cut (print) by Rick ReedNurtured in Purple (ebook) by Jude UrbanskiWorth the Risk (ebook) by Robin BielmanWinner choice of backlist (ebook) by Avril AshtonOceans Between Us (ebook) by Helen Scott TaylorUnbreak by Heart (ebook) by Helen Scott TaylorHot Number (ebook) by VK SykesDeception (print) by Kris KennedySigned copy of In the Dark (print) by PG ForteTalk Dirty to Me (ebook) by Tory RichardsPS I'm Pregnant (print) by Heidi RiceBodygurads in Bed (print) by Lucy Monroe

*All prize winners will be announced in a single post on Sunday!* No attendee shall be awarded more than 1 Blog Post Prize


And in other news....

What an amazing week!  I wanted to end our time together with a HUGE "Thank You!" to all my readers and welcome new readers.  It is because of you that I get to do what I love best.

Please watch my blog, website, facebook and twitter pages for upcoming releases and events.  My next reader event will be my annual Reader Fitness Challenge in February and my next release is Silver Bella in December.

Thursday Night Hospitality Suite

Welcome to Thursday's Hospitality Suite!  Hope you had a fun day chatting with our guest bloggers. Feel free to browse through the books and leave a comment for the authors.  Each author's name will link back to their personal website where you can get more great information and see what other books they've written.

Buy the bookNot the Marrying Kind
by Nicola Marsh


Diva Las Vegas!
When investors tarnish the King of Construction's reputation he's forced to prove his respectability… by finding a wife!

Beck Blackwood, desert bad-boy made good, will do whatever it takes to expand his construction company nationwide. Including blackmail a woman guaranteed to drive him crazy, into marriage.

LA party planner Poppy Collins is a woman on a mission: save her sister's sanity. Determined to keep business afloat, Poppy pitches for the divorce party of the century to Vegas hotshot Beck Blackwood, not expecting a proposal of a different kind.

Beck leaves Poppy no option. Marry him or her Divorce Diva Daily secret is out and her sister's business implodes. He holds a winning hand. However, Beck hasn't played the game with a defiant woman who has a few tricks of her own!

In the city of high stakes and high flyers, can the Divorce Diva and the construction king take a gamble on love and beat the odds?


Buy the bookBlood of the Demon
by Rosalie Lario


Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring upon the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, inter-dimensional bounty-hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.

Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her abilities to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List.

And no one wants her more than Mammon.

Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the  far deadlier, uncontrollable side—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist.

Buy the BookDangerous Ties
by Debra Parmley

Lillian's fiance convinces the townsfolk to exchange their gold for his worthless bank notes. When he disappears, every eye turns to Lillian. Even her cousin Carl insists she knows where the gold is. Carl is deeply indebted to Kingston, owner of the saloon and small town criminal. When Nick discovers Lillian she's strung up over a mine shaft and the rope is breaking. He saves her, tends to her wounds and teaches her to shoot. When his horse trading deal with Kingston goes bad, Lillian races to save Nick.

Fourth and Goal
by Jami Davenport

Buy the book
In a game played on and off the field, only one of them will emerge the winner.
Armed with an uncanny ability for evaluating football talent, a dogged determination to succeed in a man's world, and an empty bank account, Rachel McCormick agrees to help struggling wide receiver Derek Ramsey get his game back. Rachel believes Derek, her former best friend and lover, knows the truth behind the points-shaving scandal which ruined her father. She vows to expose the secret even if it destroys Derek in the process.

When Derek's coach suggests sex as an excellent tension reliever the night before a game, Rachel takes one for the team. The next day, Derek has the best performance of his not-so illustrious pro football career. As Derek and Rachel rack up nights in bed and other places, the team racks up wins on the field. Rachel is torn between her loyalty to her father and her growing affection for Derek.

Now it's fourth and goal, one second left on the clock. Their hearts are on the line. Do they trust each other enough to go for the long bomb or do they get dropped for a loss?


Buy the bookStar Prince
by Ashlynn Monroe


After a night of erotic delights with the sexy alien prince, will Tas be able to let him go?

Tasmin Robins has worked hard to earn her coveted diplomatic internship on the mysterious imperial world of Aurora. Driven and smart, though occasionally impulsive, Tas has a ten-year plan -- and it doesn't include love.

When Tasmin risks her life to save a stranger, she has no idea her sacrifice will leave her fate entwined with the most powerful man on Aurora -- DeMarcus Le'JeMur, Prince of the Stars and Ruler Of The Seven Kingdoms, ruler of the planets under Aurorian control.

After DeMarcus impulsively declares he owes Tasmin a life debt, she must convince the Imperial Council to grant them both their freedom. But after a night of erotic delights with the sexy alien, will she be able to let him go?


Touch of a Scoundrel
by Mia Marlowe
Buy the book

It's a matter of honor, duty… and desire…

Griffin Nash, Earl of Devonwood, wants to believe that he's seducing Miss Emmaline Farnsworth out of protectiveness for his young brother. After all, if his brother is convinced that the tantalizing professor's daughter is unworthy of his trust, perhaps Teddy will lose all interest in such an inappropriate choice for his station.

But in truth, something else motivates Devonwood: a scintillating vision he's had of a future tryst with the lovely Emmaline. A vision too realistic to be doubted--and too scaldingly passionate to be denied.
Yet Emmaline is not as easily tempted as Devonwood might have hoped--nor is she actually in pursuit of a wealthy husband. No, the real reason for her visit to the manor is something much more shocking… though being enticed by a dashing earl may prove to be a most welcome by-product of her schemes…

Retreat Guest Blogger Avril Ashton

[image error] l always wanted to have a sexy bio, one to reflect who I am, but after drawing a blank, l could only come up with: I eat cake and I read books…ooh, and I write ‘em too. No one liked it and after massive peer-pressure and pouting, I managed something more…suitable?

A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother  

Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.


In grade school I had the most gorgeous male teacher. Mr. Forrester. He was tall and muscular with the most blinding smile. At eleven/twelve I recognized his allure and basked in his attentions whenever it fell on me.

To this day, Mr. Forrester remains one of less than a handful of teachers in my life who stick out. But, while I remember his beauty, I remember more his encouragement with my writing.

Buy the bookI wasn’t an outgoing student. I preferred to sit in my classroom and read while everyone else played in the yard. I always had my head in a book and Mr. Forrester saw that and nurtured it. He compelled me to read aloud in class (the single most frightening experience of my childhood) and whenever someone needed help with reading, with spelling and writing, he offered my assistance.

I didn’t really care for that; I preferred being invisible, being all by my lonesome. Eyes on me isn’t a pleasant feeling, not in my book. Still, I did it, helped other kids with studying Spelling and English. I did it because Mr. Forrester asked it of me and I liked that he saw where my interest were.
Math was torture, but English was it for me.

I excelled at essays. Sailed through them with the greatest of ease. I loved writing them. One day Mr. Forrester asked me to write a short story for a fair the school was having. That terrified the crap out of me. Everyone would see it; other students, teachers and the public at large who’d be in attendance. I said no.

I was twelve.

Mr. Forrester sent a note home with me for my mother, explaining what he’d asked of me and my refusal. My mother thought I should do it, she felt I could. That I was good enough. Better even.

Those two people saw me. I felt that, I knew that, but putting myself out there for everyone else didn’t sit well. I was a bullied kid already for being too bookish, too poor, too not popular, I couldn’t take the ridicule of opening myself up, showing my heart. Because that was what writing was, showing my inner-most self.
In the end, with Mr. Forrester and my mother backing me, I wrote a short story, a nice suspense about Mr. Gomez and the mysterious footprints outside his house. Can’t remember how that story ended, but it was a hit and afterwards Mr. Forrester would pull me and my mother aside to discuss my future. I should tell stories, he told us. I’m good and passionate about writing.

Nice words to be sure, but life has a way of getting in the way of plans. It’s funny that way. Life happened to me and I gave up on the writing thing for more practical pursuits.

Now here I am.

Funny how life happens when we least expect it.



Let's Chat:
Leave me a comment below, I'll be stopping by to chat with readers.

Retreat Guest Blogger Ann Harrison

Connect with Ann
Website ~ Facebook ~ goodreadsAnn swears she was born with a book in her hand and has never put it down. A lifelong love of reading has finally culminated in achieving her dream of writing…and publication.

She lives in the middle of the desert in Australia in a small mining town with her own handsome hero of many years. Ann has always loved the ups and downs of life in small communities and she shares this with readers in her rural romances.




Which hat do you wear?I get asked this quite often because I write different genres and not everyone agrees that it is a good thing.
When I first started writing it was Young Adult. The books almost wrote themselves, they were bursting to get out and I often wonder why I waited so long to get started.

Only problem was, nobody except me liked them. Not in the publishing trade anyway.
'You have a great voice and we like your work but, no thanks.'

Witchling, Book one of Curse of Kin was put away and I bemoaned my unloved manuscript.

Not one to give up, I thought I would try my voice with Romance novels instead. No problem, two rural romances were soon ready for submission.

'Sorry, we like your voice but no thanks.'

I was ready to grab a tub of ice cream and sit in the corner by myself. If I couldn't write Young Adult or Romance, what was I going to do?

Lady luck was on my side. That and my never say die attitude.

Buy the book I found out why publishers were saying no and with a little help from a freelance editor, Annie Seaton, my first book Taming the Outback was ready to submit again.

How wonderful it was to start getting offers instead of rejections. Within two days I had three contracts sitting on my desk. I thought I had found my niche and my little heart was soothed. Taming the Outback is out now and Mistress for Magnus is out 29th September.

I couldn't help but wonder if there was any hope for my Young Adult books. I had put so much into them and had the first three books written. Me being me I refused to give up hope. I had them evaluated by an editor that does a lot of work in this genre and she loved them. I was a little bit staggered.

Should I write both, could I write both?

I gave it a lot of thought and talked it over with a few different people. Everyone has their own take on this. There are a lot of authors writing cross genres now and doing well. I subbed Witchling again and also book two in the series, Changling. Both are due out before Christmas.

There was one more genre I wanted to try. Erotic Romance. Nothing tacky or gross, just very sexy books. I liked reading them, why shouldn't I write them? Irish Seduction was subbed a couple of weeks ago and picked up.

I think that three hats is enough for now, don't you think?

Hang on, there is that story I started writing for my granddaughter. I wonder if I should finish that? That would be middle grade I think.

And then there is that one about the young boy that ...........

Let's Chat:

Retreat Guest Blogger Robin Covington

Website ~ Facebook
Twitter (@RobinCovington)On her fortieth birthday, Robin Covington decided that having a mid-life crisis and finding a boy-toy were far too tacky, so she delved a little deeper into the “bucket list” and pulled out the long-shelved dream of becoming an author. Now, she spends her time writing sizzling romance where the hero and heroine can’t keep their hands off each other.

She doesn’t miss the boy-toy at all.

Robin is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Washington Romance Writers, a faculty member at Romance University, a member of the Waterworld Mermaids, and a guest contributor to the Happy Ever After blog at USA Today.

Robin lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, brilliant children, and ginormous puppy.


The Best Friend’s Little Sister Romance – Why I love them

I just turned in “His Southern Temptation the sequel to “A Night of Southern Comfort” and the second book in the “Boys Are Back in Town” series.  I loved writing it (I loved finishing it even more – LOL!) and the main reason is because it was based on one of my favorite romance tropes – the best friend’s little sister.

This is what I love about this kind of story:
• Don’t tell me I can’t have it - In this type of romance the hero won’t act on his feelings for the heroine        (or vice versa) because it is forbidden, against the bro-code and off limits.  Maybe it’s the little devil on        my shoulder but I always want something more if I’m told I can’t have it and my characters are no        different.

• Secret sex is awesome – Yep, I said it.  The passion is already amazing because this is a romance novel
[image error] Buy the Bookso when you add to it the fact that they can’t tell anyone about the hot times between the sheets just makes it hotter.

• History is hot – Usually, in these types of stories the hero and heroine have a history.  Maybe they had a crush on each other or were together a long time ago. That long-time build-up, the slow burn leading to the current flare-up of passion is sexy.

• The stakes are high – In this kind of romance, two relationships are at stake: the         one between the hero and the heroine and the friendship between the hero and         the brother.  This dual conflict raises the stake and makes the book more         exciting.




Let's Chat:
Do you like the best friend’s little sister trope?  What about it makes it a fun read for you?

Retreat Guest Blogger Erin Nicholas

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
I've been reading romance since my mom first let me into her book cupboard when I was about fourteen. LaVyrle Spencer, Julie Garwood, Debbie Macomber... they took my 'happily ever after' ideas from animated princesses to real people in the real world.

I've been writing romance almost as long. Many a family car trip was spent with my head bent over a spiral notebook in the back seat. I'll confess that my very first attempts at fiction were fantasy and paranormals, influenced by my father's love of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the original Alice in Wonderland. If Harry Potter had been around, I'm sure he would have been on the bedtime story shelf as well.

But it wasn't long until I started writing about true love and that's where I've been ever since.

I'm so thrilled to be able to share these stories with you! I hope that they make you smile, sigh, maybe even choke up a little. Most of all, I hope that they help you believe in magical things like first kisses, the spark of passion, and the power of true love.


Just A Kiss
Thanks for having me to the party, Lucy!  You always have such fun stuff going on!

I was thinking about what I wanted to talk about today, and thinking about my upcoming release of Just A Kiss, the fifth book in my Bradford series and realized that with a book title like I had to spend some time talking about… kissing!

I think that the first kiss might just be my favorite part of a romance as a reader.  It’s for sure in my top five favorite parts.  It’s also one of my favorite parts to write.

That first kiss changes everything—it makes it a romance versus a friendship, it finally crosses that line that one or both people have drawn in the sand, it proves that at least some of what they’ve been feeling is good old-fashioned passion—and that they’re ready to act on it.  It changes the story… for the hero and heroine, and for the reader.

In my books, that first kiss sometimes comes in the first few pages, sometimes it’s a ways into the story.  Sometimes the guy initiates it (okay, in my books often the guy initiates it), sometimes the girl does.  Sometimes it happens without warning to either of them, sometimes it’s very intentional—for at least one of them.

But no matter what, it is always a big deal.

When I needed a title for the fifth book in the Bradford series, it took me about two seconds to come up with it.  Just A Kiss was the perfect title for this book—the hero and heroine have known each other forever, have been in love forever, actually.  In fact, they were once married.  As Kevin thinks in the book “it was just as kiss like Niagara Falls was just a waterfall”. It’s never been just a kiss between them and certainly isn’t now that they’re reunited—which is what made it so fun.

I love kisses, but especially those first kisses, so I also took a look back at all the first kisses in the series.  Here’s how they each happened:


Just Right, the Bradfords, book one

He just wanted to feel good. And he had an excellent idea about how to make that happen at the moment.
Ben grabbed Jessica by the upper arms, pulled her up onto her tiptoes and kissed her, eliciting as many gasps from the ER staff as when he’d hit Ted.
This felt so much better.
Hell, he was going to get suspended anyway. Might as well add sexual harassment to the list while he was at it.
Not that Jessica was responding like a woman being harassed. Her hands gripped his shoulders and she tipped her head to the right, making the fit of their mouths more absolute. She pressed her chest and hips against him, parting her lips for his tongue to invade the silky heat of her mouth.
In fact, the only reason Ben didn’t back her up against the nearest wall and make things really interesting was the security guards who showed up.


Just Like That, the Bradfords, book two

Sam moved in close, pressing Danika back until her shoulder blades hit the shelf. “Do you want me to show you?”
She met his eyes directly. “Yes,” she said softly.
He swore under his breath. Then he cupped the back of her head and pulled her up onto her tiptoes for a searing kiss. It wasn’t gentle or romantic. It was full-on, wet and hot, I-want-you-underneath-me-now.
And Danika returned it stroke for stroke, groan for groan.
He wanted her with a ferocity that shook him. He’d been with a lot of women. Women who weren’t shy about anything. He thought he was long past losing control.
It was now painfully clear that he’d been wrong.


Just My Type, the Bradfords, book three

She scooted her chair closer. “Mac, honestly. Have you ever thought of us together?”
“Sure. We’re together all the time at Sam’s, at the center and the hospital.” He still wasn’t making eye contact.
Sara touched his knee and he nearly jumped out of his chair again. She smiled. She was no dummy. She had a master’s degree in psychology and was a licensed social worker. She studied people. She’d watched the two people she knew best—her sister, Jessica, and her brother, Sam—fall in love with their spouses. She’d seen the effect that intense attraction had on people and how they acted until they admitted the attraction and did something about it.
“I’m talking about naked, you and me.”
“Of course not,” he answered quickly. Too quickly. He was scowling again. “You’re a kid, like a sister to me.”
He was lying. He had to be lying. Before she could think it out any further and potentially chicken out, Sara slid from her chair to Mac’s lap, cupped the back of his head in both hands and kissed him with all she had.

Mac realized he should have seen this coming. But a man could only be expected to be so intelligent when most of his brain cells were saying things like yes and take her and recalling all of the ways he had imagined her hands on him. And vice versa.


Just For Fun, the Bradfords, book four

Dooley took a deep breath. He was on vacation. For the first time in years. With the sexiest woman he’d ever met.
He was going to make the most of this.
He strode toward her, coming up on her side opposite of where she was looking.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, just before he sank his fingers into the glorious ginger hair at the base of her skull, tipped her head and kissed her.
She wasn’t surprised for more than three seconds. She dropped her purse, took the front of his T-shirt in both hands, rose on tiptoe and kissed him back.
It felt like he’d been waiting his entire life to kiss her, and he took advantage.


Just A Kiss, the Bradfords, book five

Buy the bookKevin moved around the kitchen island quickly, before he could think better of it, grasped her by the upper arms and pulled her up onto her tiptoes.
“Thank you, Eve.”
Then he kissed her.
It was a sweet, affectionate kiss for exactly five seconds.  Then it turned hot.  It was still plenty sweet though.  The candy store analogy fit even better when he fully tasted her, tongue on tongue, breath to breath.  Not like jelly beans.  They were hard and cold.  This was more like hot fudge.
He loved hot fudge.

The first four Bradford books are out now and Just A Kiss is coming October 30th!


Let's Chat:
Thanks for stopping by today and chatting!  Now it’s time to hear from you!  Share your favorite first kiss story—real life, book, movie, whatever!

Retreat Guest Blogger Jude Urbanski

Jude Urbanski (pen name for Judy Martin-Urban) writes women's fiction featuring strong inspirational romance elements. She invites you to stories of heroes and heroines who turn tragedy into triumph with help from God.
She has been writing in some fashion nearly all her life Jude says. Her mother wrote sweet romances in the 1930's, her daughters write, as do her grandchildren and several other family members. She created bedtime stories for her children and penned others for her grandchildren.

Jude was born in Tennessee but grew up in Indiana. She graduated from Indiana University with a Masters Degree in Nursing. After launching a family of three, she spent years in her beloved nursing career. While on faculty at Indiana University, she was voted teacher of the year, wrote an honors course in oncology nursing and her winning proposal took her to Saudi Arabia for workshops on Stress in Transcultural Nursing. She says, ''I thoroughly enjoyed being a nurse." You'll find her nurse practitioner experience in her latest novel.

First published in non fiction, Jude continues to write in this field also. She is a columnist for Maximum Living, a magazine focusing on spirituality and wellness for women. She has been a blogger for Ellechor Publishing, Hoosier Ink and her own blog. She wrote Health Notes, a column in her church newsletter, for six years.

She is a member of national and area chapters of American Christian Fiction Writers and the National League of American Pen Women. She is current president of her local branch of Pen Women and participates in a local critique group.J

Jude and her husband Conrad live in Indiana and share a blended family of eight children and 19 grandchildren, who live all over the United States


Dude Ranch Summer ~What I Did on my Summer Vacation

“Oh, come on, you two can do it! We’re going to.”

Such encouragement , or should I say, such gentle pressure, from dear friends is what found us working at a delightful Dude Ranch in beautiful Montana one summer. That experience is a memory not easily forgotten.
Realize, we were not your typical summer wranglers. You know, those perky college gals who look good in tight Levis and those fresh-faced lads who have cut their teeth on the saddle horn.

Far from it. In fact, some would have called our foursome, geezer guys and gals. Our friends had been guests at this fancy dude ranch for several years, but it was the first time ‘we professional types’ had done menial work like we did that summer. The guys handled outside work such as slopping the pigs, mending fences, cleaning stalls, and painting. I was dining room hostess, worked split shifts beginning at 6:00 am and ending at 9:00 to 10:00 pm, after evening socials. My counterpart cooked and cooked some more. If we weren’t serving or cooking, we helped clean cabins. We had roughly thirty two new guests each week and had to commit names to memory.

That summer was not for sissies, I can tell you. More than once, we senior citizens laughed and asked what we were doing there and why we weren’t back home playing golf or going to lunch. We broke sweat several times each day. We monitored for bears and forest fires.

But lest I lead you to believe we sorely commiserated all summer, let me tell you about the things taking our breaths away. To start with, the scenery itself was post-card perfect with majestic mountain views, peaceful lakes and crystal-clear, blue skies. The sprawling ranch  nestled in a green valley below Shadow Mountain, a place of spiritual quest for the Crow Indians who used to live in this place. The herd of magnificent horses skittering into the corals each morning reminded me of the old west. Guests were fanciful, interesting as well as sometimes unbelievable; the rich came from near and far. My huge horse Tom carried me along the trails to our Campfire Cookout.

Explorers Lewis and Clark had traveled through Livingston, Montana on their westward journey, camping at the rambunctious Yellowstone River, which flowed right through town. Of course, being the history buff I am, I relished this tidbit. Hollywood saw fit to add to the charm the little town, when Livingston became the location for several movies. I purchased a couple pieces of Montana Silversmith jewelry I absolutely cherish and they keep my summer memories alive.

Oh, another thing I did on this impressive summer adventure was to polish my first manuscript, later published. Life can be an odyssey.