Ally Blake's Blog, page 12

Revisions: Rewriting, Editing, Proof-reading...Oh My

Over at my website I've loaded a new "Writing Tips" page based upon the " Revisions: Rewriting, Editing, Proof-reading...Oh My !" workshop I took at the recent Romance Writers of Australia conference on the Gold Coast.

The workshop went on the premise that "writing is rewriting".   That rewriting begins from the moment you have the first idea.  Which is kind of daunting, but kind of exhilerating at the same time.
This picture is the view from my lecturn about five minutes before the talk began.   You'll see even my talk notes were covered in scrawled changes.  Revisions you might say ;).
You can find the workshop notes here .

RIVA's back! Now meet your new best friend, Kate from RIVA's "The Best Mistake of Her Life" by Aimee Carson

ebook & paperback out now!
Name: Kate Anderson
Age: 28
Occupation: In charge of fundraising for her politician husband. Now that she’s divorced, she’s at loose ends, and organizing her ten-year reunion is turning into a nightmare!
Vital Stats: sleek blond hair, blue eyes, stylish and sophisticated.  (As for her hero, Memphis James?  Light brown hair, whiskey-colored eyes, 6’ 1” with a whole lot of muscles!  Want more of Memphis - head to Natalie Anderons's blog!)
Who'd play her in the movie of her life: Katherine Heigl
Instant BFF or Gotta Earn Her Trust: Gotta earn her trust. Once you do, she’s yours for life.
Friends or Family: Raised in a powerful, political family, she was taught to always, always, put the family first.
Satin Teddy or Cotton Comfort : She prefers lace J
Shower or Bath :long, luxurious baths
What she doesn't want the hero to know: That she’s never completely recovered from theirone-night-stand while she was married to another man.
We'd be her friend because...  even though she’s made serious mistakes, she’s working hard to get her life back on track.
In her words…
Fingers wrapped around her wrist, Memphis took a step closer. "Do you remember what you said the last time we made love that night?"Kate's mouth went dry and her throat constricted, cutting off her breath. The heat of his palm was but a small reminder of the fire this man had the ability to create. It was several moments before she could answer. "No."His eyes told her he knew she was lying. "You need a little more practice telling the truth, ex-Mrs. Worthington," he said, his deep voice rumbling up her spine. His tone was infused with the insatiable need they'd shared so long ago.Along with a generous dose of frustration.Memphis had always come with a tangle of emotions that had been impossible to unravel—some of them good, some of them bad, but none of them had been lukewarmly felt. Right now intense desire and a rising anger of her own was making rational thought difficult.He was wrong for her. He'd always been wrong for her. "Memphis," she said, struggling to stay calm despite the lack of oxygen. "I'm not—"“You promised me the morning," he said smoothly.Her heart tripped in her chest. "That was a long time ago." She pulled her hand free and took a step backward, trying to distance herself from the memories and all she'd done with this man, to this man, and the consequences. "And during a turbulent time in my life."He went on as if she hadn't spoken, stepping in her direction even as she continued to back away. "And then I woke to find you gone."Guilt, her ever-present companion, reared its persistent head. "I was upset." She hated that her words came out weak. "And confused…"As if that explained everything she'd done. He continued to advance on her as she backed up, until her shoulders hit the door and there was no more room for retreat. "There," he said softly, his gaze deliberately provoking her. "That will keep the overly helpful clerk out until we're through.""We are through.""Angel Face," he said, his voice gruff. "I've finally figured out we're so far from done it isn't funny." Irritation drove her chin up. Memphis James might do what Memphis James wanted, but that didn't mean she had to be obliging. "There is nothing left—He took her hand and placed her palm over the bared scar beneath his navel, and the tiny muscles in her fingers twitched, desire paralyzing the rest of her. The heat and the hard planes of his abdomen were unyielding."Do you remember kissing me here?" he said.Her body flooded with fire. "Of course I do.""Do you remember where your mouth went next?"Her head swam with desire, and her protest came out as a weary groan."Memphis—""Kate." He braced a hand on the door by her head, the other sandwiching hers against his taut abdomen. She could barely breathe, and the process grew more difficult as he leaned in until she could see the dark chocolate flecks in the caramel color of his eyes, smell the intoxicatingly masculine scent of sandalwood. "I want one more kiss." And, as if knowing there'd be no consent, he simply took her mouth with his.
Now you can't stop there, right?   Grab your copy from Mills and Boon UK right now.
The book's about...  A fake date with her brother’s wild best friend… What could possibly go wrong? High-flying, high-profile, ex-prom queen and now ex-wife, Kate Anderson has her school reunion and she just can’t face it alone. Hot-shot stuntman, and her twin brother’s best friend, Memphis James is a dangerous option. Their breathtaking, sizzling hot chemistry makes him the perfect companion, but a far greater concern is their scorching shared past. Every turn Kate takes makes it seem like the wheels are falling off her once oh-so-sorted life. Should she flee the scene, or free-fall into the wildest fling of her life?
Find out more about Aimee's books on:www.aimeecarson.com
FacebookTwitterBuy THE BEST MISTAKE OF HER LIFE from Mills and Boon UK!
Through September and October, keep dropping by Natalie Anderson's blog for giveaways, sneak peeks at more great stories and the low down on RIVA's hottest heroes.And check out the awesome RIVA app on Facebook for more!

the wedding date - only from millsandboon.co.uk

For all of September, you can only get THE WEDDING DATE -
"I did need a pick-me-up the other day so downloaded THE WEDDING DATE - it was fabulous.  JUST what I needed...gorgeous couples with such great dialogue."Natalie Anderson, USA Today Bestselling author
"Hannah Gillespie is no pushover, she's feisty, which keeps their relationship interesting and creates great chemistry between these two characters, but you just know her heart is in trouble."Teresa @ Good Reads
"If you want a warm, feel-good read, you can't go past Ally Blake's category romances.   Her characters make you smile and her sassy voice make the pages fly by.   Some authors are auto-buys for me, Ally Blake is one of them." Nicola Marsh, USA Today Bestselling author

BUY THE WEDDING DATE FROM MILLSANDBOON.CO.UK

pink heart society

Head on over to the Pink Heart Society today to get the low down on the big RIVA relaunch!

Lots of fun links where to buy the books, to read more about the books, even win some books!

And don't forget to head to Natalie Anderson's blog on Tuesday for the second meet a RIVA hero post!  I wonder who's up this time....

FLIRTING WITH THE BOSS

One of my very favourite romance set-ups is a workplace romance.  I met my husband at work, which might have a little to do with that ;).

So I just that my HIRED: THE BOSS'S BRIDE is out now as part of a fabulous collection or workplace romances called AT HIS SERVICE: FLIRTING WITH THE BOSS .

And Veronica, the heroine in this story, is a flirt. God is she a flirt!  When she rocks up in her hot pink Corvette, in her skinny jeans, knee high boots and Rolling Stones T, poor Mitch Hanover, in his straight suits, and his neat back and sides, with his stuffy old antiques auction house so desperately in need of a rbeath of fresh air, doesn't stand a chance!

The funny thing about the cover is that this picture of George Clooney was never far from reach as I wrote this book.  Some serendity there methinks?!

Romantic Times said,"Ally Blake's Hired: The Boss's Bride is as breezy, sexy and warm hearted as its remarkable heroine, and its hero is pretty special too."  4 1/2 stars


FLIRTING WITH THE BOSS
Paperback :: collection eBook  :: single eBook :: Read more

RIVA's back! Now meet your new best friend, Lily from RIVA's "The Privileged and the Damned" by Kimberly Lang

eBook from millsandboon.co.ukName:   Lily Black
Age: 22
Occupation: Stable hand on the Marshall family estate.  (Find out all about the the one particular Marshall who catches Lily's eye at Natalie Anderson's blog!)
Vital Stats: Petite, black hair, brown eyes
Who'd play her in the movie of her life:  a young Sandra Bullock
Instant BFF or Gotta Earn Her Trust: Gotta earn her trust
Friends or Family: None. (Or at least none she’s willing to claim.)
Satin Teddy or Cotton Comfort :Cotton comfort
Shower or Bath: Shower.
What she doesn't want the hero to know:Anything about her or her past   
We'd be her friend because... She’s a fighter and a survivor who’s overcome so much.
In her words…  Lily wandered through her day unable to shake off the bemused fog. Or maybe it was a confused fog. Either way, she was having a hard time concentrating. She wished she could chalk the fog up to a slight concussion, but she knew she hadn’t hit her head all that hard. No, the fuzzy-brained feeling had Ethan Marshall written all over it. More specifically, Ethan Marshall’s kiss. Even now, hours later, she was still sighing over it like a teenage girl. As far as kisses in general went, Ethan got high marks for quality. Hell, her toes were still curled up in pleasure. And when he’d found a sensitive spot on her neck she hadn’t even known existed… Damn. It made the muscles in her thighs clench just remembering.Like she could forget it. Lily was having a hard time convincing herself that it really happened and wasn’t just some fantastical daydream kicked up by a knock to the head. Maybe it was some kind of reverse amnesia – instead of forgetting things, she was remembering things that didn’t actually happen.If so, it was one hell of a nice – and real-feeling – daydream. She could still feel the weight of his mouth, the tension humming through him. She could still taste him, and she’d never had a daydream of any sort have that level of detail.Ethan Marshall kissed her. That idea was just so ridiculous, though. Things like that just didn’t happen to someone like her. People like the Marshalls kissed people like them: rich, well-connected, well-bred, well-educated…She was none of those things. And it wasn’t like Ethan didn’t know that. She worked in his family’s stables, for God’s sake. It wouldn’t take a huge assumptive leap on his part to know she wasn’t in his social circle. Maybe in a movie, some princess or socialite might hide out in the working class, but this was real life. She was a Mississippi redneck who lived paycheck-to-paycheck. The only connections she had were to the kind of people who made shady, back-alley, cash-only deals and ended up on episodes of COPS wearing handcuffs. His father was a Senator; her father was a felon. His family tree boasted governors and CEOs; hers had nothing but ‘shine runners and horse thieves.Oh, and there was that small issue of her own record…Yeah, the Ethan Marshalls of the world didn’t kiss folks like Lily Black. At least not on purpose. Or more than once.
What's the book about:
Introducing The Marshalls…  A rich, powerful family that mixes business, politics… and pleasure.  If the US had a royal family —this would be it!
When wealth, power and politics cross paths with the criminal underworld… Ethan Marshall, grandson of a former senator, is handsome and charming – and he’s lusting after Lily Black! Working for the Marshalls as a stable manager, Lily has the ideal job for the first time in her life – she loves working with the horses on the beautiful Marshall estate. Whilst Lily’s attentions are soon drawn to the very fine Ethan, her past holds dark and criminal secrets…which could bring the Marshall family to its knees. The gorgeous playboy is determined to win her affections, but should Lily do the right thing by her family, or the right thing by the Marshalls?
This is the first book in the Marshall series. The other two are   The Power and the Glory  and  Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet. 
How about the author:  Kimberly Lang isn’t one of those people who always knew she wanted to be a writer. She actually wanted to be a ballerina, but puberty failed to deliver the required swan-like elegance. That dream scuttled, she went on to get her Master’s Degree in English – and she has the bartending skills to prove it. At her husband’s insistence, she quit teaching in 2007 to write full-time, and in May 2008, sold her first book to Harlequin’s London office. That book, The Secret Mistress Arrangement, debuted at number nine on the Borders Series Bestseller list and won the 2009 National Readers’ Choice Award for Best First Book.  Since then, Kimberly’s books have appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Borders, and Bookscan bestseller lists, and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. (And, yes, that’s really cool.)
She’s married to her college sweetheart, whom she affectionately (but appropriately) calls her Darling Geek, and is Mom to the most brilliant and beautiful child on the planet (aptly nicknamed Amazing Child). She started taking yoga-based fitness because she eats way too many jelly beans while writing, and became an instructor once she figured out that spending time with her butt over her head helped spark her creativity. More than one sticky plot point has been solved in the Down Dog position.  She has no hobbies because she doesn’t have time, but if she did, they’d include knitting, skiing and ballroom dancing, because they sound like they might be fun.

Kimberly also has a book out in North America right now!  Grab your copy of WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS... here.

Find out more about Kimberly's books on:www.BooksByKimberly.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.lang.520Twitter: @booksbykimberly.comBuy THE PRIVILEGED AND THE DAMNED from Mills and Boon UK!
Through September and October, keep dropping by Natalie Anderson's blog for giveaways, sneak peeks at more great stories and the low down on RIVA's hottest heroes.And check out the awesome RIVA app on Facebook for more!

RIVA's BACK!

Kimberly Lang is over at Natalie Anderson's blog today talking up the first of the new RIVA heroes.  And Ethan Marshall sounds just gorgeous!

Kimberly has a great giveaway up for grabs as well as some very nice vital stats on offer ;).  Find out yourself here.

And don't forget to come back here this Thursday for a sneak peek of Lily Black, the woman Ethan Marshal has in his sights...

RIVA IS BACK!

RIVA IS BACK!
Head on over to the Mills and Boon website today to grab your copies of these fun, flirty, sexy and stylish books!!! 
I promise, you'll thank me!

romance by the sea

Romance By The Sea A Feast of Words for Romance Readers and Writers September 8th 2012

Half of all fiction novels are love stories – let's talk about why. 
Meet some of Australia’s best loved romance authors, including Stephanie Laurens, Keri Arthur, Anne Gracie, Marion Lennox, Fiona Lowe, Sarah Mayberry, Lilian Darcy,Carol Marinelli and M.J. Scott, plus Jennifer Kloester, biographer to the fabulous Georgette Heyer.

This is a fundraiser for Cottage by the Sea, a children’s charity which offers fantastic seaside programs for disadvantaged children, giving them an experience of a lifetime. Take a look at why we’d love you to support us in supporting them.
www.cottagebythesea.com.au

Cost is $100 ($70 of which will be receipted as a tax deductible donation to Cottage by the Sea). Price includes a delicious, light lunch at the historic Queenscliff Hotel, insights into the lives and loves of your favourite authors, and readings and signings at venues all over town. If you’d like to make a weekend of it, there’ll be a pay‐as‐you‐go dinner on Saturday night. We’ll have more signings on Sunday morning, with authors again available to mingle and chat, plus an opportunity to tour Cottage by the Sea .

Gather your fellow romantics and come and play. Bookings at: www.romancebythesea.net or Ph. 03 5258 3645 (10am‐5pm Seaview Gallery,Queenscliff) 
Sept 8th 10am ‐ 5pm - Queenscliff Hotel, Gellibrand St, Queenscliff, Vic

I'm reading...Anne Perry

THE CATER STREET HANGMAN
I'd heard Anne Perry's name mentioned over the years as an author to try, and I would have tried her work sooner if I'd known quite how wonderful it was!

This is the first of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt stories - which give a little away as in this book Thomas and Charlotte first meet ;).

Great murder mystery, fabulously unique characters, gorgeous setting in Victorian London, and an extremely dry wit.  There is both a lightness of touch and a depth of style in this book.

It was first released in 1979 and you wouldn't know it for a second.  Delightful, exciting, and just great reading.  Adored it and I can assure you I'll be back for more!

THE BLURB:

While the Ellisons were out paying calls and drinking tea like proper Victorian ladies, a maid in their household was one of a number of young women garrotted to death.  Inspector Thomas Pitt investigates the scene and finds that no one is above suspicion.  As his intense questioning causes many a composed facade to crumble, Pitt finds himself drawn to the independently minded Charlotte Ellison.  Yet a romance between a society girl and so unsuitable a suitor was impossible in the midst of a murder investigation....


More about the author here.  Buy the book here.
Next I’m reading...Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig.


What are you reading?  Which book MUST I read this year?    Find the other books I've enjoyed in my "I'm reading..." series this year here!  Or join me at GoodReads.