Ally Blake's Blog, page 22

I'm reading...Fiona Harper

SWEPT OFF HER STILETTOS
Iam a big fan of Fiona Harper's work.  Herrich detail, her humour, her smarts.  AlsoFiona's books are always full to the brim with oodles of context whichin short romantic fiction is a hard thing to achieve.
SWEPTOFF HER STILETTOS is an absolute gem. Written in the first person it presents Coreen, a woman who is so intoall things vintage she's like a walking cheesecake poster.   She has a plethora of puppy dog suitorspanting in her hip-swinging wake.  Butthere's one man who's never fallen under her spell.  Enter her best friend Adam.
SWEPT OFF HER STILETTOS by Fiona Harper is luxuriant, colourful, atmospheric, and above all romantic.
More about the author here.  Buy the book here.
Next I'm reading... MAYBE THIS TIME by Jennifer Crusie.  What are you reading? Which book MUST I readthis year?

ebook of the month... the working title

First published June 2007
eBook out now! BILLIONAIRE ON HER DOORSTEP ::  ebook

The working title:The working title of BILLIONAIRE ON HER DOORSTEP was Sunsets Over Sorrento, and as my working titles tend to be, it summed up the emotion, the tone, the feel of the story in one short hit.

Sorrento is a beach town I visited a plenty during the ten years I lived in Melbourne.   Visited and loved to absolute bits.  Its peaceful, elegant, with great food, gorgeous little shops, and some of the most opulent real estate in the country.  My heroine, Maggie Bryce, is a portrait painter who gets stuck trying to paint those darned sunsets in an effort to reinvent herself.  Who knew all she needed was gorgeous Tom Campbell to love her for her to realise she was fine just the way she was.


The title nearly stuck too!  Their Sorrento Sunset was very close to nearly the final title, until the powers that be became concerned that  readers might mistake it for an Italian story rather than one set in a big rambling ramshackle house on the Mornington Peninsula bluff south of Melbourne.

The excerpt:
Herstomach took a small happy trip as she experienced the thrill that came with seeingsomeone making a connection with one of her paintings.
'It'sreally growing on me,' he said.  'Yep,this one's going to look just right on the wall in my john.'
Maggiecoughed out a laugh.  It was so withoutwarning that her stomach kind of clenched. The sensation wasn't in any way uncomfortable but it made her feel offkilter all the same.  She crossed herarms low over her belly.
'If you'reeven thinking about putting this painting on your toilet wall, Tom Campbell,the deal's off.'
'Fine,' hesaid.  'Okay.  Though more people would get to enjoy itthere than anywhere else in my house.'
He turnedto face her so quickly she hoped he didn't realise she had been staring at himrather than the subject of their conversation. She glanced away quickly, but not in time not to notice the solid creaseappear above the corner of his mouth.
'I'm kindof glad my agent won't get to see this one,' she admitted.
'You havean agent?'
She facedhim fully and glared.  'I thought we haddecided you thought I was talented.'
Helaughed, his eyes creasing, every part of him seeming to overflow withamusement.  Beneath her crossed arms itnow felt as though her stomach had flipped all the way over.
'Sorry,'he said, his eyes dancing, 'of course we had. That came out wrong.  It's justthat we get painters out here all the time. In summer they line the beaches painting beach huts and sunsets over Sorrento.  But I just never knew anybody personally who'dactually sold anything.'
Maggieshrugged.  'Well now you do.'
Buy the eBook.  Buy for Kindle.  Buy from iTunes.  More about the book.

my favourite...romantic moments on tv...cheers

Season One, Episode Twenty-Two:   Show Down Part II

The moment Sam and Diane finally got together.
SAM: You are the nuttiest, thestupidest, the phoniest DIANE: You Sam Malone are themost arrogant self centered, son of a b...
SAM & DIANE: (together) SHUTUP!
SAM: Shut your fat mouth!
DIANE: Make me
SAM: Make you.. My God I'm, I'mgonna, I'm GONNA BOUNCE YOU OFF EVERY WALL IN THIS OFFICE!!
DIANE: Try it and you'll bewalking funny tomorrow... Or should I say funnier.
SAM: You know, You know I alwayswanted to pop you one!
Maybe this is my lucky day, huh?
DIANE: You disgust me! I hateyou!
SAM: Are you as turned on as Iam?
DIANE: More! (They kiss)


What's your favourite romantic TV moment?

More of my favourites here.

I'm reading... Susan Elizabeth Phillips

AIN'T SHE SWEET
Ionce heard another author say they struggled for years to read this Susan Elizabeth Phillips bookbecause they couldn't imagine enjoying a book about a heroine named SugarBeth.  I know how they feel!  Every time I picked it up I thought, mmm, maybe later...
Ohmy god.  Really!!!  This is one of those rare books that I spentthe entire time thinking I WISH I'D WRITTEN THIS!!!  This with a heroine who was the most populargirl in town, stepping on anyone who got in her path along the way, who nowdown on her luck has to return home.  Anda hero so foppish he at first appears in a smoking jacket and slippers!  I tell you this because I do not want you tobe put off by these opening pictures.  Asthis book is magnificent. 
Thedialogue is biting.  The back stories andcharacter revelation unique, deep, heartbreaking, real and juicy.  The hero and heroine are nothing short offantastic.  So strong.  So stubborn. So  well matched.
AIN'T SHE SWEET by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is funny, smart, touching, raw and wonderful.  BUY IT TODAY!!!
More about the author here.  Buy the book here.
Next I'm reading... SWEPT OFF HER STILETTOS by Fiona Harper.  What are youreading?  Which book MUST I read thisyear?

The floods

With all the excitement living up to my oldest starting kinder in  little over a week, the one year anniversary of the Brisbane floods almost passed me by.

To think this time last year my street was half under water, our house the middle of an island of a dozen homes. My little family surviving in dry crackers and using baby formula as milk as our power had been off for days.

To all if you still struggling to piece your lives back together after losing so much my heart goes out to you and I wish you the best 2012 of any of us.

ebook of the month...the idea

First published June 2007BILLIONAIRE ON HER DOORSTEP ::  ebook
The idea:Iwas sitting on a train heading into Melbourne to do lunch with the MelbourneMobsters - a fabulous, witty, brilliant group of romance authors who lunch oncea month at a ridiculously posh hotel – when an image just popped into my head.
Aramshackle house perched perilously on the Sorrento bluff. A lean,paint-smattered woman standing at the window looking like the slightest breezemight blow her away.  And the gorgeoushandyman - with a toolbox, a Ute, and muscles to match – who has no idea whathe is about to stumble upon as he walks through her warped front door.
I thought I'd jot down some notes on my Alphie (AKA Alphasmart)  and 2000 words later my next book was born.
The excerpt: Tom duckedout of the way of a low hanging vine, watched his step for fear of turning anankle, and slowed as a magnificent ten-foot-high wood-carved double front doorloomed amidst a shower of hanging ferns. The right door was ajar, but guarded by a sizeable old red-brown houndwith a great big smiley-face charm with the word 'Smiley' written upon ithanging off his thick collar.
'Smiley,hey?' Tom said.
The doglifted its weary head and blinked at him, its floppy ears and sad expressionnot changing a lick to show that he felt any pleasure at the unexpected company.
Tomreached down and gave the poor old soul a rub on the head. 'Is the lady of thehouse about?' 
A suddencrashing noise followed by a seriously unladylikespray of words told Tom that the lady of the house certainly was about.
'Hello,'he called out, but he was met with silence as sudden as the previous verbalspray had been.  Not finding any evidenceof a doorbell, he stepped over the melancholic guard dog, and walked furtherinside the entrance to find himself face to face with a square stain on thewall, evidence that once upon a time a picture had hung there, a garden bench thathad a mildewed look about it as though it had been relegated from outsidecovered in a pile of unopened mail, and yet another fern living its sadbedraggled life in a bright new ceramic pot.
Anothercurse word, this one softer than the last, caught his hearing and he followedit like a beacon to find himself in a huge main room with sweeping woodenfloors in need of a good polish, lit bright by a series of uncurtained ceilingto floor French doors through which he had a thicket-shrouded view of the sunglinting off glorious Port Phillip Bay.
Imagespiled up in his mind of what he could do with this place if given half achance.  And the whole summer, and anopen cheque book, and his old team at his side, and a time machine to take himback ten years...  He shook his head toclear away the wool gathering within.
The room hewas in was empty.  No furniture.  No pictures on the walls.  Nothing. Well, nothing bar a twisting cream telephone cord snaking across themiddle of the room to the far wall where a large grey drop cloth, buckets ofpaint, several flat square structures draped in fabric, a rickety old tablewhich held numerous jars of coloured water and different sized paintbrushes,and an easel with a three-by-four foot canvas slathered in various shades ofblue.
And infront of it all wearing no shoes, paint-spattered jeans, a t-shirt that might haveat one time been white, and a navy bandanna covering most of her biscuit blondehair was the lady in question.
Tomcleared his throat and called out, 'Ms Bryce?'
She spunon her heel with such speed paint from her brush splattered across the all-bluecanvas.
Tomwinced.  It was red paint.
'Holy heck!'she blurted in a toned down version of the language from earlier.  Her voice was husky, her high cheekbones pink,and her pale grey eyes aglow.
Well what do you know? Tom thought.  Mylucky day.  For Lady Bryce was a knockout.  He wished his cousin Alex was there with himnow so he could poke him hard in the side and tell him, this is why you never say no to a damsel in distress.
Buy the eBook.  Buy for Kindle.  Buy from iTunes.  More about the book.

ebook of the month... billionaire on her doorstep

First published June 2007
ebook out now! BILLIONAIRE ON HER DOORSTEP ::  ebook

The book:
Gone are the days when Harlequin Mills and Boon books were only available for a short month on a bookshelf, as one of the great things about the epublishing boom is that a story once published is around forever.

In celebration, this month I'm starting a monthly look back at favourite books of mine which have now been published as ebooks!

First up is my tenth book, BILLIONAIRE ON HER DOORSTEP and over the next month I'll be chatting about stuff like where the idea came from, location, research (or lack thereof ;)), behind the scenes memories,  and hero and heroine inspiration.


So watch this space...

Buy the eBook.  Buy for Kindle.  Buy from iTunes.  More about the book.

my favourite...romantic moments on tv...Gilmore Girls

Season Five, Episode One: Written in the stars...

When Luke pulls out the horoscope Lorelai wrote for him day they first met...eight years before.
Luke: "Lorelai, this thing we're doing here, me and you, I just want you to know I'm in.  I'm all in."


What's your favourite romantic TV moment?

best romantic moments on tv...Gilmore Girls

Season Five, Episode One: Written in the stars...

When Luke pulls out the horoscope Lorelai wrote for him day they first met...eight years before.
Luke: "Lorelai, this thing we're doing here, me and you, I just want you to know I'm in.  I'm all in."


What's your favourite romantic TV moment?

I'm reading... Michael Connelly

THE BLACK ECHO
Myfirst Michael Connelly book was The Lincoln Lawyer – I'm a sucker for a bookwith a movie tie-in! – and I enjoyed it to bits.  Thought the movie was great to.  So I decided to go back to the beginning of another Connelly series, beginning with THE BLACK ECHO.
Thisis the first of 18 – yay what a backlist!!! – books about homicide detectiveHarry Bosch and I loved it.  ItsHollywood setting focuses more on the seedy side of life in that part of town,with minimal nods to the industry that made the place famous.
Setin the early nineties there are moments it could feel dated but instead itfeels atmospheric, giving you a glimpse of a time when homicide detectives hadto fight over typewriters in order to type up their reports.
[image error] Nothingbetter than an author with a huge backlist and after grabbing the next coupleof books in the Harry Bosch series for myself for Christmas ;), I'm sure you'llbe seeing his name pop up here over the next year!
More about the author here.  Buy the book here.
Next I'm reading... AIN'T SHE SWEET by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  What are youreading?  Which book MUST I read thisyear?