Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 198

It’s So Exciting and I Really Do Listen to My Readers! Contest! YAY!

I have been working for the last two weeks to put a book of mine that has been unavailable since the closing of my first publisher. I have re-edited it, added a little bit, and formatted it for Kindle. I have resized the cover because the original cover, which had been on Kindle originally, now had to be bigger.

Why did I do this? Because a reader asked for it. They needed the 4th book in the original series of Vampires in Manhattan to complete their collection.

The books in the series:

When Love Survives, Book 1

The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, Book 2

A Vampire for Christmas, Book 3

Vampire in the Basement, Book 4

Vampire King of New York is Book 1 in my 2nd series, Arnhem Knights of New York. Book 2 in that series is in production.

Did I say Vampire in the Basement? Yes, I did. It’s my comic romantic romp about the couple from When Love Survives going to Maine for their wedding with Gregor’s family and the broken heart of his sister who is a bunnyshifter. Of course, you know wedding drama! Oh, Yeah! Kindle is in process of publishing it.  It is almost live now but you can’t buy it yet.  Not yet. Not yet. But probably by the time you see this. YAY!

To celebrate this momentous occasion of the return to the light or the dark, depending on your perspective, I’m giving one lucky commenter, a free Kindle format ebook of Vampire in the Basement! All you have to say is why you would like this book and that you “love bunnyshifters” in the comment box. It is in Kindle version only at the moment, so the contest is only for this version. Open Worldwide. This contest ends on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015 at noon. Eastern Time.  Void where prohibited by law. Good luck, everyone!

For those that can’t wait, you can buy it at: www.amazon.com/Vampire-Basement-Vampires-Manhattan-Book-ebook/dp/B019978SIK/

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Specializing in Vampires and Rare Supernaturals

P.S. I’m working on another book to hopefully come out this year! It’s a secret!

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, light humor paranormal romance, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, shapeshifters, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire in the Basement, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, werewolves, When Love Survives, Writer's Life, Yule

Becoming Published, Part I by Stacy Hoff

I’m looking back on my road to publication. The (newly released) print edition of my second book, LAWFULLY YOURS, has made me nostalgic. And grateful. It’s been a very long emotional journey. How long? About twenty years!

LAWFULLY YOURS is the very first story I ever wrote. Yes, even before my first published book (DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES) was a thought in my wacky, quirky, crazy little head. LAWFULLY YOURS did not start out as a story, though.

I had written little vignettes based on my own life as a young female lawyer. The scenarios I wrote were made up for purposes of comedy. Not just to make other people laugh, but to make myself laugh, too. Being a lawyer, and especially a female one who looked about fifteen years old, life for me was tough. Not much laughter anywhere. Yet in an ironic twist, no one took me seriously, either.

The male-dominated field was tough to break into. I had no connections with whom to network since I came from out-of-state. I went through the motions (pun intended) of my legal life desperate for a mentor. I didn’t even find a friend in the field to whom I could ask questions. During this time I felt not only alone, but that I would never fit in.

I decided to take up writing as an emotional outlet. The humorous nature of the stories helped to lift my mood. The chance to be creative gave me a sense of freedom. I was happy again, like my days back in my college creative writing classes. Of course, like a bat, I only came “alive” at night. (Is there such a thing as a writing vampire?)

As my emotional search for positivity within the legal field continued, so did the relief I felt with every fictionalized word I threw onto a page. I found that my characters were taking the journey with me. I took solace in that. I finally had companions to share my professional struggles with, even if they were fictional. Regardless, they were alive and well to me.

What have you done to help you cope with a tough situation? How did you find your release?

Part II of this post continues next week – December 18, 2015.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

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

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

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

AMAZON LINK FOR LAWFULLY YOURS by Stacy Hoff:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7U2WCC?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00U7U2WCC&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES by Stacy Hoff:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NFSMCYG?creativeASIN=B00NFSMCYG&linkCode=w00&linkId=6PCZIZBWKBWUSNHI&ref_=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR HOT SEDUCTION (box set contributors: Jamie K. Schmidt, Stacy Hoff, Holly Roberts, Theresa Hissong, Susan Griscom & Leia Shaw):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014RQX8GU?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B014RQX8GU&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR SEASON OF LOVE (Box set with Stacy Hoff):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X3ZAR3E?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00X3ZAR3E&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

 

Filed under: A writer's life, Characters, Emotions, Life, publishing, romance, Stacy Hoff, Writer's Life, Writing

Spread Love This Holiday Season by Heather Novak

Dear Friends,

It’s the holiday season, which means pretty lights, lots of glitter, and six-million “we’re engaged!” status updates on Facebook. People will fight about saying “Happy Holidays” vs “Merry Christmas” vs “Happy Hanukkah” (vs any of the other two dozen holidays celebrated between Halloween and Christmas), others will camp outside toy stores to “get the next big thing,” and still others will go into mountains of debt to make the holidays “extra special.” Someone will put nuts in the brownies, someone will set off the smoke alarm, and someone will feed the dog scraps of food under the table. 

I always sneak away to read when the going gets tough! I’m currently reading a New Adult holiday book for bookclub called My True Love Gave To Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins. It’s fabulous, you’re welcome. (Includes both Christmas and Hanukkah as well as M/F and M/M stories. I’d rate it PG for language.)

If you’re looking for more amazing Christmas reads, make sure to check out Jenny Hale (who I featured July 9th) and Kim Amos (who will be featured on next week’s blog)!

To all our readers: Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, and Happy Holidays!!
May you be surrounded by people you like and have enough pie (or wine) to deal with the people you don’t. May you have good books, good movies, and good music. May you feel loved every day of your life. And most of all, may you be healthy and happy. This is my wish for you.

Now, for your enjoyment, I present to you my Christmas card pictures from years past:

Nerf guns strengthen relationships. Trust me.

 

 

 

 

 

Snowman for sale. Some assembly required.

This is war!

Checkmate Santa.

Happy Whatever-Doesn’t-Offend-You.

Wishing You Laughter & Good Books,

Heather Novak

Bold. Bewitching. Breathtaking. 

Find me at:

Twitter: authorheathern

Facebook: authorheathernovak

Website: Heathernovak.net

Author of The Lynch Brothers Series

Be careful what you wish for…

Hunting Witch Hazel: February 2016

Threat of Raine: March 2016

Rosemary for Remembrance: April 2016

 

Filed under: romance

Make Me Brave

My vacation is at an end and I’ve come to a realization, I want to be brave. I know I’m not living in Oz and courage just can’t be granted at our demand. Truth is, I really do believe I am somewhat brave and that most of the time I hold back from the spontaneous or daring as I think about the repercussions of my actions for other people and not simply myself.

Life is not simple. Most of us realize that which is why we hold back, but what if you didn’t? What is truly at risk? Life is also short–a cliche I’ve come to see too clearly as I get older. We hold back in the present for a future That may or may not come for some of us. I see this everyday as I work in finance and discuss people’s retirements. I see people save only to spend it all on hospital bills. I also see people who squandered foolishly and now suffer as they try to hold down a stressful job into their late 70s and beyond.

So what did vacation teach me? It taught me I need a change. I make decisions now as I worry about where my children would end up if I left our comfortable lifestyle, but then I have to ask myself if teaching them just to go through the motions is the right route either. I don’t think so, but my bravery is coming in baby steps because they feel right for now. Perhaps a small change for a start. And then grow from there. What about you all? Ready to be brave and go for what you want? If you feel you are risking too much, ask yourself what you risk if you don’t change?

Happy writing this week!

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

USA Today and Booktrack by Mandy Rosko

Woot! So I’m still riding high on the wave of “Holy shit I’m a US Today Bestseller!” and now that I’m busy destroying all my savings to get the covers I want updated and box sets put together (To be fair, the cover artist was awesome and gave me a super unbeatable deal for the updates

But now I’m getting all geared up. The end of the year is upon us, and I’m just about finished with all the stuff I set out to do this year. I was going to read more and write more this year, and I can say that I definitely did both. I wrote a crap ton of books under both pen names combined, got a kickass title thanks to the nice ladies who let me in on their awesome box set project, and once I finish the YA book I’m reading, will have completed the goodreads challenge I set out to do :D

But I’m always impatient and want to do more! Because Audible is taking their good sweet time letting Canada in on the fun, I decided I’m going to give Booktrack a go.

Booktrack is a pretty interesting company, and some authors I really like have signed up for it, which takes away a lot of the fear. Anyway, it’s basically a soundtrack that follows along as you read using average reading times (and page turns I assume) to figure out where the person is in the story. This way, whenever there’s a romantic scene, romantic music will play. For a sad scene, sad music. I think it sounds awesome :D

I think it sounds cool, and since As Cold As Ice is released tomorrow, I’m putting up Burns Like Fire first. Can’t wait to see how it goes! Also, check out As Cold As Ice if you wanted to check out the third in this kick ass series.

http://goo.gl/vuZpo5

Cheers,

USA Today Bestseller Mandy Rosko

Mandyrosko.com

Filed under: romance

A Warm Fuzzy Paranormal-Scope

As parts of the world gets colder, we’re in need of soft warm clothes to keep out the chill, comfort food to make our insides all toasty, and loved ones to warm our hearts.

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:

Werewolves love being rubbed. You’re going to rub the right people the right way to your advantage.

Taurus:

Hobbits are making cookies, pies, and cakes. Guests are coming.

Gemini:

Bear shifters are scoping out new caves. Making a move may benefit you. Scoping things out will give you a clearer picture whether or not it’s the time.

Cancer:

Owl shifters soar on silent wings through the dark. Enjoy the solitude and the great scenery of the season.

Leo:

Gnomes have furry beards and they are ticklish. You are about to see a different side to someone.

Virgo:

Were puppies are delightful but a commitment. You may be facing a big decision in your life. Are you ready to commit?

Libra:

Faeries create warm fuzzy feelings with beautiful things. You are surrounded by beauty. One gift is yours.

Scorpio:

Were bunnies love to cuddle. Pay more attention to those you love. Spend time with them and laugh more.

Sagittarius:

Satyrs are dancing. They are all about the party. Plan one.

Capricorn:

Dragons are not all scaly. They have fur and love to be rubbed and cuddle. Sometime they are loud. Sometimes they just love loudly. Enjoy.

Aquarius:

Hobbits have furry feet. You don’t. Indulge in a pair of wonderful slippers. You deserve it.

Pisces:

There is warmth in a pack. Just because they may be werewolves doesn’t mean you can’t join in. Spend more time with those you hold dear.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Vampire King of New York available at Amazon Kindle and print, Barnes and Noble Nook and print and in Kobo

A Vampire for Christmas in Kindle

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

Ho, Ho, Ho! Have a Merry Christmas with Free Books!

Merry Christmas! The season for giving is here and I’m giving away books!

First of all, my Christmas novella, finally named A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe, releases this week! To celebrate, I’ll offer two free copies of it to be drawn from commenters who tell me that they’d like a copy. Winners will be announced next Sunday.

BLURB:

Is one kiss ever enough?

Jenny Crowley has been duped! At her eighteenth birthday celebration her parents announce that instead of having the London Season she’s dreamed of for years, Jenny has been betrothed from birth to Alexander Isley, son of family friends and heir to a title. A distraught Jenny refuses point-blank to marry Alec, and when her aunt offers to whisk her away to a Christmas house party, complete with many eligible young bachelors, Jenny jumps at the chance to enjoy a variety of entertainments, be courted, and perhaps fall in love.

Alec Isley is between a rock and a hard place. He desires a marriage with Jenny no more than she does, but when his family’s dire financial status is revealed, he follows Jenny to the house party in hopes of convincing her to marry him after all. When he discovers who else is courting her there, Alec is frantic to keep her from making a dreadful mistake. Struggling with new-found feelings for his childhood friend, can Alec convince her of his love in time to save her from being ruined under the mistletoe?

A Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe will release on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 on Amazon and Smashwords.

I’m also giving away three other books for FREE.

The first is my collection of Christmas short stories, All Wrapped Up, which is currently FREE on Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.

BLURB:

Four short stories, contemporary and historical, filled with romance at Christmas time:

The Present: A girl breaks the news to her sister’s boyfriend that he’s being dumped–two days before Christmas!

Sing A Christmas Carol: An awkward situation develops when a guy is sent to fire a girl singer from his choir.

The Kissing Tree: Two children discover a secret place on Christmas Day.

‘Tis the Season: A Christmas dinner announcement shatters a girl’s dream of a magical social season.

“Like eating romance M & Ms”

 

The second is my contemporary Christmas short story, An Almost Perfect Christmas. It is FREE at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and ARe.

BLURB:

Is love enough to make their Christmas perfect?

As Pam Kimball and her computer geek boyfriend, Roger Ware, prepare to celebrate their first Christmas together, Pam is having doubts about their relationship.  Roger can barely stop working at his new software business long enough to join her under the tree. And when he does, her present to him backfires, bringing their lovemaking plans to a crashing halt. So when Roger announces his plans to leave after Christmas to visit his family have changed and he won’t be back for New Year’s Eve, Pam fears the worst. Does the man she loves really care for her, or might a break-up be her present this Christmas Eve? Will there be enough magic in the air to turn this disastrous Christmas into a perfect one?

And the third is Betrothal, the first book of my medieval series, Time Enough to Love. That one is also FREE at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and ARe.

BLURB:

Lady Alyse de Courcy has fallen in love with Lord Braeton, a nobleman in King Edward III’s court and a man to whom she has barely spoken. Fate, however, has decreed her betrothal to his best friend, Sir Geoffrey Longford—a handsome and imposing knight, yet hardly the man she wants to wed.

When Sir Geoffrey is bound in betrothal by his father, he could not have expected the beautiful stranger to win his heart the moment they meet. Nevertheless, the fascinating Lady Alyse has done exactly that, and his feelings for her only grow as he learns more of her gentle yet spirited nature. But Alyse’s infatuation with his friend casts doubt on whether she can ever return his regard and their wedding day is fast approaching…

Will he have time enough to win her love?

I hope you enjoy your Christmas presents! Merry Christmas to all!

 

Filed under: Historical romance, Holiday reads, Holidays, Jenna Jaxon, Promotion

Holiday Shopping with Romance Author D.R. Grady

Nights of Passion is excited to welcome Paranormal Romance Author D.R. Grady, here with her newest novel!

D.R. Grady lives with her husband near Hershey, PA. She adores chocolate, laughing, collecting bags, books, and shoes, and adores writing stories that resonate with others.

Website: www.drgradybooks.com

Twitter: @drgradybooks https://twitter.com/drgradybooks

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007HR0ULS

Facebook Page: D.R. Grady https://www.facebook.com/drgradybooks

Google+: D.R. Gradybooks   https://plus.google.com/u/0/114138197846185543554/posts

Buy link: http://amznly.com/2c6

The Dragon Chronicles Book 2: Shifting

Blurb:

Dr. Keely Bennett, a healer at Paranym University, can’t shift.

Her mate, Hugh Blackwolfe doesn’t mind—but his pack sure does. Hugh is the strongest alpha on the east coast and the pack’s single females challenge Keely, forcing her to find a shifter willing to meet and win this challenge for her, so that she and Hugh can mate.

Keely’s dragon best friend, Lindy, with her controller and mate, Alex, also struggle with shifting. They must learn the nuances of how Lindy shifts, and soon.

After several random attacks, and with an unknown enemy gunning for all of them, time may be running out. As if Keely doesn’t already feel unworthy, the dragon appears to be calling everyone but her to her team of allies.

Excerpt:

“I can smell your fear.” Hugh Blackwolfe stated this as though they were taking a stroll through the park-like setting of Paranym, a school for higher education.

Keely Bennett, his mate, suppressed a snort, but didn’t manage to quell the sigh. “Of course I’m afraid. I’m meeting your pack for the first time.”

Her insides quivered like a not-quite-set salve.

“This isn’t the first time. You came in September to ascertain whether Allie was ready to attend school a year early.” Sunlight glimmered off the brown highlights in his short, black hair.

“True. The few people we met were nice.” Those individuals had treated her as the healer and professor she was. Back then, she wasn’t their alpha’s mate.

Three minutes into the trip and she was sweating while her sinking heart kept trying to kick her stomach.

“My pack is friendly.” He slanted her a look as he signaled to enter the highway.

Of course his pack was friendly. To him. “They have to be pleasant to you. You’re the alpha.”

“You’re my mate.”

“Exactly.” She nodded once, briskly. That pretty much summed up the problem.

His forehead creased. “I don’t understand. You’re my mate. They will be gracious to you.” The last part he growled.

So naive.

D.R. Grady fun fact: I can’t buy physical books anymore because we’ve run out of room! (Definite book hoarder here–digital books keep my secret.) (:

Thank you, D.R. Grady for joining us on Nights of Passion. Everyone, don’t forget to check out her book at: http://amznly.com/2c6  or http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Chronicles-Book-Shifting-ebook/dp/B018OJZDUA/ It’s a great gift for yourself or a friend.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

Vampire King of New York

A Vampire for Christmas

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

 

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Characters, D.R. Grady, dragon Shifters, dragons, holiday shopping, Max Vander Meer, meet the author, Norse, Nothing is Impossible!, paranormal, paranormal romance, Promotion, romance, romance novels, shapeshifters, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Dragon Chronicles Book 2: Shifting, vampire books, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Yule

Forty-Five and Lovin’ It! by Stacy Hoff

This week I celebrated my 45th birthday. I feel like I’ve reached a milestone. I wanted to take a moment to celebrate all the precious things about my “ripe old” age:

I have the confidence to know what I’m good at, and be proud.
I have the confidence to know what I’m terrible at, and not care.
I can speak up when I need to.
I can stop myself from speaking out when doing so would be inappropriate (albeit tempting).
I know what, and who, is important in my life.
I know negativity is something I need to ignore.
I am old enough to finally have some wisdom.
I am old enough to finally have arthritis.
I am old enough to know I should never stop trying, and to never give up.
I am old enough to know that each day is a gift.

Happy birthday to me! It sounds like I have lots to celebrate! Yea!

What things are you celebrating?

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

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

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

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

AMAZON LINK FOR DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES by Stacy Hoff:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NFSMCYG?creativeASIN=B00NFSMCYG&linkCode=w00&linkId=6PCZIZBWKBWUSNHI&ref_=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR LAWFULLY YOURS by Stacy Hoff:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7U2WCC?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00U7U2WCC&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR HOT SEDUCTION (box set contributors: Jamie K. Schmidt, Stacy Hoff, Holly Roberts, Theresa Hissong, Susan Griscom & Leia Shaw):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014RQX8GU?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B014RQX8GU&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

AMAZON LINK FOR SEASON OF LOVE (Box set with Stacy Hoff):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X3ZAR3E?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00X3ZAR3E&linkCode=xm2&tag=stacyhoffcom-20

Filed under: Stacy Hoff, Writer's Life

My 24 Hour Book Cover Photoshoot by Heather Novak

It started out innocently enough —

“Let’s meet at my parents’ house! They’re out of town, have a killer backyard and good ceilings,  and my little brother will be there, which equals free labor!” 

I hired an amazing photographer, Lindee Robinson, a fabulous model, Jeanette, who is as smart and kind as she is stunning, and one of my best friends, Tori, to do makeup. On Saturday, November 21, we were set up to shoot the covers for Hunting Witch Hazel and Rosemary For Remembrance, books one and three in my Lynch Brothers Series. 

Then the weather forecast came in. Michigan was due for its first major snowstorm this year. Weather apps, radio, and social media were spouting off figures like 3-6″ or 8-12″ of snow. Assuming they were overestimating as usual, we went ahead with the shoot. To quote Lindee and my conversation that morning, “if we start being afraid of winter now, it’s going to be a long year!”

Famous. Last. Words.

The shoot went fabulous! The benefit of working with a photographer and model who know each other well is, well, obvious. Jeanette anticipated what she needed to do. Nothing looks “posed” or “forced.” And the snow that was lightly falling? Absolutely beautiful.

Let me back up a bit to give you some history. I was part of an indie-published anthology called Falling Hard with some of my favorite writers. My story, Hunting Witch Hazel, is getting rebranded and rereleased in February, followed by books two and three in the series in March and April. 

Books one and three deal with twins, so lucky me, I only had to use one model! I contacted Lindee Robinson photography a few months ago to set up the shoot, and we instantly connected. She’s worked with some amazing authors and I’m privileged to add my name to the list. We met a week before the shoot to talk covers and design and I absolutely love what we came up with! I can’t wait to share it with you.

Okay, back to shoot day. We were up and running by 12:30pm. The storm wasn’t supposed to get bad until after 5:00pm, so we had plenty of time! Or so we thought.

Make up went on, umbrellas went up, hot cocoa was made, and we got to work.

My little brother had a blast taking behind-the-scenes photos! 

Siblings that do photoshoots together…get trapped in snowstorms together?

The bro would like me to let everyone know that he doesn’t typically “pop his collar,” he’s just cold and isn’t wearing a scarf…

We wrapped at 5:00pm and hustled out the door. Tori left before us, having borrowed a truck for the trip, and sent a warning text that the roads were getting really bad. So like normal Michiganders during the first snow storm, we took the warning with a grain of salt. 

Lindee and Jeanette drove together and were headed to my side of town. They left about ten minutes before I did. I quickly shuffled out after cleaning up and headed in the same direction that Lindee and Jeanette went.

Here’s the rub…my folks are surrounded by hills. To get to the main road, you have to go down a steep hill and back up a winding hill. You can see where this is going, can’t you?

As soon as I turned to go down the hill, a car coming up the hill started flashing their lights at me. It was only then that I realized that they weren’t moving. I hit the brakes and skidded to the side of the road, swinging sideways 

A cold sweat broke over me.

I looked around me and it was a car wasteland. A dozen cars were stranded in between the hills, unable to beat out the snow and ice. And I was caught on the precipice. Somehow, my small Focus became The Little Focus That Could and made it back up the hill by doing the most stressful U-Turn of my life. 

The cops came by right after and blocked the road, officially closing it and trying to figure out how to get the cars situated. In the midst of the chaos, Lindee and Jeanette called. They were one of the cars stranded in between the hills. They parked the car along the side of the road, grabbed their gear, and we helped them make it the half mile back to the house. 

It was 6:30pm. With my parents gone, there wasn’t a lot of food in the house. Thankfully, we had a late lunch and snacks from the shoot. We sat around and munched on a vegetable and cheese tray for hours. I’m so thankful that my little brother, Matt, is awesome and that Jeanette, Lindee, and me get along famously. I had a copy of the anthology with me, so Jeanette got to read more about her character, which was really fun.

Tori (who had gotten home safely!) had left me a birthday present, makeup and skin care, because she loves me! This meant, I had face wash, makeup remover, and face serum. My little brother found extra toothbrushes, and we had fresh sheets for the guest rooms. (I got to sleep in a little race car bed that was exactly my height!)

At 7:00am, I woke to find Jeanette and Matt shoveling the heavy, wet snow. I even broke my “I don’t shovel” vow and went out to help them. 

We let the sun rise and warm the pavement then packed up my car and Matt’s truck to go dig out Lindee. A foot of snow and ice had melted with the morning sun, leaving behind easily navigated roads and what felt like exaggerated stories of the night before. 

 It was sad to say goodbye, but holy cow I couldn’t wait to crawl into my own bed. I know that we are much closer now that we would have been otherwise. These women (and Matt) helped bring my books to life, and I can’t thank them enough. 

I have the photoshoot for book 2 scheduled on December 12…so far, there’s no snow in the forecast.

That, my friends, is how my five hour photoshoot turned into a twenty-four hour photoshoot. 

December 3rd is known for:

National Roof Over Your Head Day!

Be thankful today for all the things that keep you safe and warm during snow storms.

Wishing You Laughter & Good Books,

Heather Novak

Bold. Bewitching. Breathtaking. 

Find me at:

Twitter: authorheathern

Facebook: authorheathernovak

Website: Heathernovak.net

Author of The Lynch Brothers Series

Be careful what you wish for…

Hunting Witch Hazel: February 2016

Threat of Raine: March 2016

Rosemary for Remembrance: April 2016

 

 

Filed under: romance