Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 156

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Published on February 03, 2017 21:01

Ding! Round 2! By Stacy Hoff

The bell has been dinged—it’s Round Two. Not for boxing, but for writing. Specifically my upcoming new release, BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS, which is book 1 of my brand new contemporary romance series. I got my “round two” manuscript edits back from my publisher last week, and I just completed all the changes they wanted. I made my corrections as fast as I could, banning “free time” from my life as if it were the plague.

Now that I finally got all my edits done, the galley can be prepared. (For all the non-authors reading this blog, a “galley” is full mock-up of the book.) Once I have the galley, I can send out to book bloggers and reviewers, in advance of release day.

Getting BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS prepared ASAP for voracious readers has been a crazy whirlwind. Last minute manuscript details making me bonkers. Even the title of the book has changed during the past few days. The cover art altered, too. All loose ends must be nailed down quick—release day is right around the corner—March 22, 2017!

For an author, publishing a book means completing a series of phases. First, writing the manuscript. Then revising it, polishing it, submitting it, signing the contract, round one edits, round two edits, and then galley review. After that, promotion. Followed by release day.

These steps sound so easy, yet each one requires a substantial amount of time.

Because my “Round two” edits are now done, I’ve got this book almost ready for release. It’s one more step in my manuscript’s journey. And, because I’m the author, my own personal journey.

Each book I write is another notch in my creative belt. I’m hoping for a lot more notches in the future, including completion of this new series. But first let me get BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS completely done and out the door. Once I see it on Amazon, the fat lady will have finally sung.

Man, I’ll be listening hard for her.

Do you have big tasks that take place in phases?

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

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

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorStacyHoff

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

JOCKEYING FOR YOU print version http://amzn.to/2eanq2o

JOCKEYING FOR YOU Kindle version http://amzn.to/2c8Hi5t

DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC print version http://amzn.to/2cubwCf

DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC kindle version http://amzn.to/1KjfP9V

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES print version http://amzn.to/2dXO1zV

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES Kindle version http://amzn.to/1YEseie

LAWFULLY YOURS print version http://amzn.to/2e6Ug8k

LAWFULLY YOURS Kindle version http://amzn.to/1Ky5CZm

SEASON OF LOVE http://amzn.to/1NsByfu

Filed under: A writer's life, New Release, Promotion, Publications, publishing, Stacy Hoff

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Published on February 02, 2017 21:00

No More Shadows

Good morning, and Happy Groundhog Day. Ah, I almost forgot what today is until someone reminded me. I’m sure we’re all quite familiar with the tradition and folklore surrounding the day. Can you believe we’ve been calling up on the wisdom of Punxsutawney Phil and his predecessors since 1887? Wow!

[image error]In all seriousness, though, it got me to thinking about fearing my own shadow. 2016 wasn’t a stellar year in many ways. I know many others who thought the same thing. As 2017 got under way, though, I vowed to make it the best year yet, to buckle up and aim for the stars.

See, much like Punxsutawney Phil I’ve been spending too much time fearing the shadows of my life. How can we achieve our dreams if we’re constantly looking behind us, waiting for the next shadow skulking around the corner?

Well, we can’t.

So, as we brace ourselves to hear how brave Phil did when he ventured out of the safety of his home and braved the flashing media lights and loud onlookers (and his SHADOW–geez, we set this little guy up for failure, right?), I’m going to hold my breath and cheer him on. It’s not about another six weeks of winter or an early spring. It’s about facing our fears, staring it in the face and running straight through it to chase our dreams.

Here’s to a great Groundhog Day. May we all embrace our inner Phil and say “no more shadows.”

Filed under: Cara Carnes, courage, Guest Blog, romance

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Published on February 01, 2017 21:10

Seeing Change

We all have limits in life. There are the limits we set as to how much we will spend or how much we can eat. Then there are the limits we can push, like our tolerances to certain foods or alcohol. But there are some limits that push back on us–those things we are exposed to that leave us changed.

I recently listened to a snippet on NPR about child marriage and girls who have become captives of Boko Haram. The information was based on research and investigation by Stephanie Sinclair. Her New York Times article can be found here should you be interested in reading it. I realized in hearing about and reading about some of the horrors these girls experience that I have my limits too. It isn’t the first time I have heard about something that literally makes me sick to my stomach.

A few years ago, I felt the same revulsion watching the Whistleblower which stars Rachel Weisz. It was a great movie, but the doors it opened and the way it changed how I see the world is a way I wished never existed. It’s not to say I had never heard of human trafficking before, but I certainly had never really thought about it deeply nor imagined what those involved experienced.

The thing is that once a door is open, a limit pushed, we can never turn back. We are changed-sometimes irreparably so-by war, corruption, greed, hate, anger. Sometimes these things damage us physically, mentally and/or emotionally and understandably we raise our barriers and tighten our limits. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the awful truth that these things exist in our world. We can pretend they don’t exist to save our sanity but that doesn’t really make it all go away.

So what do we do? we can’t change what we are blind to. Once we accept the truth, our power to impact change grows. From there, it is up to each of us.

May your writing be productive this week!

Filed under: A writer's life, romance, Toni Kelly

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Published on January 31, 2017 21:00

Wild Wolf’s Wife by Mandy Rosko

I can’t remember if I spoke about these books, but I’m fairly excited for them so I’m going to talk about them anyway!

I’m not sure if these are serials or not. Someone asked me, and I wasn’t sure. I’ve heard multiple definitions, so if anyone here knows the real definition of a serial, feel free to pass that information along

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Published on January 31, 2017 13:04

We’re All Mad Here Paranormal-Scope

I love a good tea party, don’t you? This week the shades of Alice struck me and gave me a somewhat different viewpoint! Giggles.

While I am not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets, I am intimately linked to the paranormal in the world in many ways. So are you.

The paranormal-scope is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to guide your life by.

The week for:

Aries:

The Walrus and the Carpenter don’t regret eating the oysters. Neither should you. Eat healthy and have more fun in your life.

Taurus:

Alice fell down a hole but made the best of it. Each new door is a new opportunity. There are a lot of doors.

Gemini:

The smile of the Cheshire Cat is amazing. So is yours. Use it more and win new friends.

Cancer:

The Caterpillar is wise but has a smoking habit. Lay off the hookah and eat more greens.

Leo:

Everyone is jealous of the Queen of Hearts except you. Avoid explosive personalities that don’t see or value the people around them. You know what to value in others.

Virgo:

If the Hatter offers you some tea, accept. Tea parties can be a calming and whimsical experience. Revel in fun.

Libra:

The Dormouse values sleep. Have you been getting enough? Build some nap time into your schedule to rejuvenate.

Scorpio:

Being a slave to time can make anyone as jumpy as the White Rabbit. Do be punctual but go off the clock after work and feel the freedom.

Sagittarius:

The March Hare is silly. Enjoy the humor of others. Laughing is healthy.

Capricorn:

The Mock Turtle had an extensive education. Pursue knowledge through trips to new places or classes.

Aquarius:

Bill the Lizard is a devoted and handy friend. Spend more time with your friends. Plan an event!

Pisces:

The Knave of Hearts may have stolen some tarts. Time to make more tarts and other delicious creations! Get out your recipes.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

NEW: Vampire Princess of New York, Arnhem Knights of New York, Book 2 available in Kindle!

Vampire King of New York, Arnhem Knights of New York, Book 1 available in Kindle and Print and Barnes and Noble Print

Vampire in the Basement, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 4 available in Kindle.

Poseidon’s Catch (mythology romance) available in Kindle.

Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room (steampunk romance) available in Kindle.

A Vampire for Christmas,Vampires in Manhattan, Book 3 available in Kindle.

The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 2 available in Kindle and Print and Barnes and Noble Print

When Love , Vampires in Manhattan Book 1 available in Kindle and Print, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.

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Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Weekly Paranormal-Scope, Yule

https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Kisses-Virginia-Nelson-ebook/dp/B01M8GBOTZ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485644794&sr=8-2&keywords=bloody+kisses

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Published on January 29, 2017 21:00

Mermaids Don’t Have Butts By Ripley Proserpina

I love shifter books. Bear shifters, lion shifters, werewolves, dragons. I love ‘em.

I don’t care if they’re aliens, or hybrids, or government creations, or cursed by a witch. But I have to wonder. Where were these books when I was growing up? I’m thinking about the late 90’s, early 2000’s. Do you know about a shifter book from that era? Let me know. Somehow, I was stuck with my mother’s cast-off Oprah Book Club’s about cheating husbands and cancer, when what I was yearning for was an alpha male bear shifter.

Now that I’m a grown-up (allegedly), and a writer-ish person, I can make up my own shifters, and one little untapped group is for me, the water shifter. A sea monster. A merman. Breathing underwater is one step away from flying. Oh! Which reminds me, I love a flying shifter. Are there any bird shifter books out there? Nalini Singh alludes to them in her Psy-Changeling series, but I haven’t seen a book where the main character is a bird.

Someone should write one.

Back to sea monsters. This Halloween, I was asked to be in a horror anthology. Alyssa Breck’s story was about a mummy, Saranna DeWylde wrote an amazing take on Frankenstein (with promises of an upcoming story about The Headless Horseman, swoon!), Rebecca Royce had a delicious vampire, Virginia Nelson had a ghost hunter and a demon, but I was stumped.

I had an idea about the legend of Jenny with the green ribbon. Remember her? She meets a boy, and wears a green ribbon around her neck. He wants her to take it off, she says, no. He marries her, she still says no, and on her death bed, instead of, oh, I don’t know, contemplating their life together, he asks her to take off her ribbon. She does and her head falls off. But even in a horror anthology, I need a happy ending so I passed. In all honesty, the story as it stands is perfection. It doesn’t need a retell.

Finally, I decided on a creature feature, swamp thing meets the creature of the black lagoon. But I didn’t want a girl hungry, crazed fish-man, I wanted a sexy scaled creature. I think it worked. Throw in a ballsy scientist and a sociopathic father, and voila! Horror story! It was a short story, a one-off, but as time passes I keep thinking of that undersea world, and wondering if maybe I should branch out, and see where the tide rolls me.

Below is an excerpt from my story: Missing Linc, found in the horror anthology Bloody Kisses.

In Linc’s world, when an Aegean was separated from his mate, they went mad. It began slowly, insidiously. It crept into their brain and tainted their thoughts so gradually the male didn’t realize he was crazed until he found his teeth buried in the neck of a human, dragging him beneath the water.

But Linc knew. He knew every day he was away from Edythe left him a little bit more unhinged, a bit more unstable. He’d lasted longer than any of them, fifteen years without his mate. It was the reason males were kept away from females for so long. Should they find each other before they were mature, the results were disastrous. It was also the reason why they kept away from humans. Rarely had an Aegean found their mate in the human world. Those pairings were the stuff of legends, but Linc always thought it was too much work. Living between worlds, struggling to understand their human mate…

Then he’d met Edythe, and he hadn’t cared. He was horrified at first. Not only was she human, but he’d found her when she was so young.

In the next moment, it hadn’t mattered.

If this was the person gifted to him by the gods, then he was blessed. He hadn’t been very old himself, just out of adolescence, but full of his own self-importance. He believed himself smarter and stronger than humans, and so he had no qualms approaching her. He walked out of the ocean, scales disappearing into his skin. She squatted next to a tide pool, her hands gripping her knees as she stared intently into the water.

Filed under: Bloody Kisses, Halloween, paranormal, paranormal romance, Rebecca Royce, Ripley Proserpina, romance, romance novels, vampires

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Published on January 28, 2017 21:00

Rainy Sexy Saturday Blog Hop & Excerpt from Vampire Princess of New York

This week the Sexy Saturday challenge was a “Sexy Rainy Afternoon.” That didn’t quite fit for me, so I found for you a sexy rainy morning from Vampire Princess of New York. King Max’s daughter Noblesse is in Paris with Donovan Dupre. They’ve been searching for the last resting place of her human mother, and they think they’ve found the cemetery, but the problem is the rain. The vampires of the catacombs have taken an unhealthy interest in the couple, and the rain will bring them out. Because of that they will have to change their plans which includes a romp in the shower.

This is limited to 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs.

*

“It’s a dark day and pouring rain. We shouldn’t be . . .”

She soaped up his chest. “I know it’s not the best conditions to be in a cemetery. It’s a shame that Laura isn’t here. She could use her Telkhine powers to dissolve the rain storm.”

“I called her. She said her powers don’t reach this far.”

“Is it supposed to rain all day?” Noble reached around his waist and soaped his rear.

Donovan laughed.

“Well,” she giggled, and he loved it when she giggled. “We could just stay here and amuse ourselves all day and night.”

He soaped her breasts playing particular attention…

To be continued in the book: https://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Princess-York-Arnhem-Knights-ebook/dp/B01LWXYX1G

*

Scroll down past my books to leave a comment and also to click on the link to the blog hop list of participating blogs. Enjoy!

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

NEW: Vampire Princess of New York, Arnhem Knights of New York, Book 2 available in Kindle!

Vampire King of New York, Arnhem Knights of New York, Book 1 available in Kindle and Print and Barnes and Noble Print

Vampire in the Basement, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 4 available in Kindle.

Poseidon’s Catch (mythology romance) available in Kindle.

Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room (steampunk romance) available in Kindle.

A Vampire for Christmas,Vampires in Manhattan, Book 3 available in Kindle.

The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 2 available in Kindle and Print and Barnes and Noble Print

When Love , Vampires in Manhattan Book 1 available in Kindle and Print, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.

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Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Weekly Paranormal-Scope, Yule

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Published on January 27, 2017 21:00

Announcing My New Series! by Stacy Hoff

[image error]On March 22nd, 2017, my newest novel, BUILDING LOVE IN VEGAS, will be released by Soul Mate Publishing, Inc.! BUILDING LOVE IN VEGAS will book 1 of my brand new series, BUILDING LOVE. (A blurb for BUILDING LOVE IN VEGAS is below.)

Each book in the series is a love story with a side-dish of family secrets, lies, and drama. All stories are centered around the hotel industry, and each story takes place in a different exotic locale. The shenanigans that ensue are very own version of a soap opera!

This series has been a ton of fun to write. Book 2, BUILDING LOVE IN THE CARIBBEAN, is already written, and is scheduled for release October, 2017. Now it’s time for me to pound the keyboard for book 3 in this series. I can’t wait to drive in!

Drama, anyone?

Cover reveal next week!

Book blurb for BUILDING LOVE IN VEGAS

Catherine “Cat” Warner has problems. The profits from her inns are down. The pressure from her parents is up. Her love life is non-existent. But Cat did manage to get the attention of tough, powerful, gorgeous hotel magnate Ty Orland. Unfortunately, his interest in her is for all the wrong reasons. Instead of wanting Cat, this debonair CEO only wants her land—a parcel he desperately needs for his next big development deal. Too bad, it’s not for sale. A people pleaser by nature, Cat knows to stand strong. If she caves in to the demands of this sexy, alluring man, it will be her own neck on the line.

Ty Orland has a lot of things going for him. Success. Power. Respect. Unfortunately, he’s also got an old chip on his shoulder and a new financial nightmare. His development deal is going down in flames—and fast. His only way out is if Cat sells him her strategically located parcel. But romancing the land from her is not easy when love gets in the way. The woman is as beautiful as she is beguiling. And Ty no longer knows which prize is more valuable.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

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

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorStacyHoff

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

JOCKEYING FOR YOU print version http://amzn.to/2eanq2o

JOCKEYING FOR YOU Kindle version http://amzn.to/2c8Hi5t

DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC print version http://amzn.to/2cubwCf

DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC kindle version http://amzn.to/1KjfP9V

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES print version http://amzn.to/2dXO1zV

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES Kindle version http://amzn.to/1YEseie

LAWFULLY YOURS print version http://amzn.to/2e6Ug8k

LAWFULLY YOURS Kindle version http://amzn.to/1Ky5CZm

SEASON OF LOVE http://amzn.to/1NsByfu

Filed under: New Release, publishing, romance, Stacy Hoff