Lisa Worrall's Blog, page 20

RELEASE DAY! MONTY LOSES HIS HEAD (MARSHALL'S PARK #5)

BLURB:

Finn doesn't mind being the victim of the occasional practical joke. He's pulled more than enough of them in his time, so understands the need for balance. Which is why, when Monty's head goes missing and in its place is a ransom note demanding tickets to Marshall's Park and a personal tour of the zoo, he finds it as funny as the next man—until he realizes it's not a joke, and he may miss Kaylee's show and tell because of it.


Being Sherlock Holmes was not how he'd planned to spend his one weekend off a month, so why is he hiding in the bushes waiting for the kidnappers to collect their reward? Of course, he's certain the culprit is Chris, which is why he plans to make him pay in ways he hasn't even thought of yet. But when he sees the kidnapper for the first time, he's not sure what to do-because it's definitely not Chris.   
GET YOUR COPY HERE!

COVER REVEAL! BY DESIGN - RELEASE DATE 24 AUGUST 2013

THE KID COMES THROUGH!

I'm sure we all wonder what would happen if something happened to us at home, and the only people in the house with you are your kids. Obviously, if you fall you can still give out instructions, but what about if you actually lose consciousness, albeit for only a few minutes? Would the kids panic and forget all that you'd taught them about how to handle such an event? Or would they grab that phone and dial 999? Thankfully, most of us never get to find out the answer to that, and I was convinced I was going to remain blissfully ignorant on the subject... until yesterday...
I'd woken in the night feeling sick and had made that unenviable trip to the bathroom when the pain in my stomach started. It was around my belly button and I'd never felt anything like it. Of course, I just thought it was a bug and stumbled back to bed to vegetate and hope it was a one time thing. No such luck. A dozen times and six hours later the pain was so bad I actually passed out, right in front of my kids and they couldn't wake me up--although my son tried several interesting methods...
First he said he shouted at me a lot, shook me, slapped me about a bit, punched me in the head and then remembered a cartoon where a similar situation had been remedied by throwing cold water at the person, which he did and which, indeed, did work. But by this time I was completely not with it, unable to move without excruciating pain and wanting to die quite frankly. So the little trooper called an ambulance and his sister sat on the bed and held my hand, promising me everything would be okay.
Turns out I had an umbilical hernia and ended up on the surgery assessment unit, where a very nice surgeon named Justin prodded around and managed to reduce it. It was amazing, within a few minutes the pain was gone. I was incredibly sore, but more or less pain free and the nausea dissipated just as fast. I wanted to take him home with me! He said that I would still need keyhole surgery to repair the hernia, but at least I wasn't having surgery yesterday and will be waiting for the appointment instead.
That wasn't exactly how I'd planned to spend the second day of the Summer holidays, but I am incredibly proud of my kids. When the chips were down they held it together and although he did try to beat me up and drown me first, he did a very brave thing and is an absolute star!

Crazy Love, Hallelujah, Vision, Journey - they all lead to JASON MANNS!

Some of you may know the name, some of you may not. If you're a Supernatural fan, you definitely will, because his song, Vision, was featured in Season 4 of the show and he's a personal friend of Jensen's. Hell, that particular association may even be the reason you look up Jason's music in the first place - but it's not what'll keep you coming back - trust me, I speak from experience!

I am a huge fan of Jason's (and no, you at the back, it's nothing to do with the size of my arse). His voice and music touches you deeply and I challenge anyone to listen to him and not fall in love with his work.

I first met Jason at Asylum 3 in 2009 and was blown away by the music from his first studio album, Vision,
the title track of which is my favourite Jason song and the lyrics of which I have tattooed on my back.

Over the last four years I've seen him live numerous times, become his FB friend and relentlessly bugged him for a picture of his guitar, Lucy, so I could complete a special project. A project he seemed to like, subsequently signed and shows to everyone in the pub when I'm at his gigs. I'm sure my bra-strap wasn't on his brother Matt's bucket list, but he saw it all the same. And here he is signing said project at Asylum 6.




Vision was followed by Hallelujah: The Acoustic Album. And if you've never heard Jason's version of Hallelujah, you are in for a treat. The emotion his voice wrings out of the song is indescribable and it is by far my favourite version of the song, EVER! But don't just take my word for it, check it out yourself! This live youtube clip is of Jason singing Hallelujah in Bonn, Germany in 2010.


So... after Hallelujah we waited patiently for the next studio album, Soul,
which did not disappoint with beautiful songs such as the title track, Real World, He'll Walk Away and Never Let You Go. 
And now, his latest release, Move which I purchased last night in fact (because I have been remiss in keeping up with anything but scribbling stories for you all to read. It's okay, I apologised... he was cool about it... he knows I stalk him whenever possible so he's fine). Absolutely gorgeous, it's been playing over and over on my iTunes ever since and I urge you to go buy it, right this minute, if not sooner!
Not only is Jason a wonderful singer/songwriter, he's a really nice bloke - so listen to his music, click on the links to buy his albums over at his website Jason Manns and if you get the chance, go to one of his gigs - you won't regret it!
Oh, and he hugs better than Jensen and Jared combined... don't worry, they agreed when I told them ;)

SUNDAY SNIPPET...

So I don't bombard my pages with teasers, I thought I'd start a little Sunday Snippet to hopefully whet your appetite... and, yes, I know it's his head stuck on someone else's body, but come on...


This week's snippet comes from the prologue to Laurel Heights 2 (untitled)
The air in the gaudy motel room was thick with heat and anticipation, the only sound the over loud click of the handcuff slipping into its housing. He stood back and stared down at the man on the bed… Apollo he’d said in the club—of course it was… not that it mattered… why would it? All that mattered was the dim lighting casting shadows on Apollo’s naked body. Muscles and sinew picked out in tanned stark relief against the white sheets, hard as nails cock jutting proudly from a bed of trim black curls.“Are you ready?” He purred, his voice reverberating in his chest. He could barely contain his excitement. His gut churned with the heavenly anticipation of what was to come. Vibrating within his skin. He took a couple of calming breaths, willing himself to relax. He wanted to take his time, draw out the pleasure… stretch out the delicious release.“Please.” Apollo’s plea was a whimper from the back of his throat, the tendons standing out in his neck as he lifted his head to watch His every move.“Don’t worry, baby,” he said softly, curling his fingers around heated flesh, the pre-come wetting his palm and sending a frisson of excitement through him. “I’m gonna make you feel so good.” He lifted his other hand and felt the length in his hand wither. This was the best part… their sudden fear when they realised the glinting metal in his fingers was not part of the game… it was real. Almost the best part, he amended internally and raised the knife high over his head. 

SLIGHT DELAY ON MONTY #5

Guys I'm sorry and I know I'm pants - but what with the UK Meet last week and the UK HEAT this week, there is going to be a few days delay on Monty - it's not just my shoulders that have been fried, it's my brain too!

I could put it up on Saturday as I'd planned but what I have is not what I would be happy with you paying your money for - so give me a few more days so I can give you something worthy of your hard-earned coppers.

Thank you.
Lisa ♥

UK MEET WEEKEND - FUN, FABULOUS & FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC!

I spent last weekend 12-14 July with a group of people, some of whom I'd already met, others that I had only spoken to on Facebook. Can you guess where? Go on... just one guess... one teeny, tiny--oh for God's sake, look to the left!!! Well done you - I was at the UK Meet for LGBTQ Fiction, and a bloody good time was had by all.

The whole thing was organised by Charlie Cochrane, Josephine Myles, Clare London, Jamie Merrow and the lovely Liam. The hotel was great and the staff couldn't be more accommodating, keeping us all fed and watered (even if the waiter at lunch on the second day looked so hot that going down to the bar to get me a diet coke was obviously the last thing on earth he wanted to do, but toddled off anyway). And while we are on the subject of lunch! The food was gorgeous. When you go to these things and they say there is lunch, you expect a buffet but the hotel did us proud with hot food each day - sending some of us up for extra cheesecake (not mentioning any names Petronella Bond) They even managed to convince me on day two that rhubarb is not the root of all evil!

I drove down with Petronella Bond, an avid reader of m/m, five hours on the way down and 7.5 hours on the way back on the carpark known as the M25. I had been booked to attend the last three years running, but this was the first time I actually made it and I'm glad I did.

I met lots of authors I admire and will now be able to associate their names with a face, rather than just a book cover, lol. I also met the most important part of our genre--the readers!  Even signed a couple of autographs - felt a bit odd in a fabulous way - I'm used to standing in front of people waiting for their autographs, not signing them, but I must confess - I quite liked it, teehee.

Friday night's entertainment was brilliant. We all trotted down to Canal Street in Manchester to a bar/restaurant called Taurus. Again, beautiful food and wonderful company, getting to know the names and faces. I sat opposite a very nice lady Sue Brown and I were chatting to who I pointed at maniacally when she'd put her badge on, because she was an FB friend of mine!

Saturday we were in the Richmond Tearooms just up from Canal Street. It was like walking into Alice in Wonderland it was fabulous, if a little snug and hot, but we weren't silly, we grabbed the seats by the open window and refused to move! lol.

The panels were well thought out, informative and entertaining, giving both aspiring and established authors plenty of ideas on marketing, cover design, reviews and lots, lots more. I was a little apprehensive about attending, I won't mind admitting it, because having seen some of the authors there, I really am a very small fish in a big pond; but sitting in a room of like-minded people and listening to them describe the same trials and tribulations you have also encountered is invaluable. And hearing what the readers want was so helpful.

So well done to the Fabulous Five for all their hard work and everyone else involved and all I can say is "roll on next year!" I urge you all to keep your eyes peeled for details of next year's event in Bristol. Visit the BLOG, join the GOODREADS group or check out the WEBSITE to find out what's happening before it happens and hopefully I'll see you there!

BEAUTIFUL REVIEW FOR NANNY FOR NATE

 Recent Release Review: A Nanny for Nate by Lisa WorrallPosted by Pattycake on July 9, 2013 “It’s a good thing you give a much better argument in the Courtroom, ’cause I don’t think the na-na-na-NA-na stance would work on the jury.”
GENRE: M/M, family
RATING: 5 Sweet Peas! BLURB: A year after his husband is killed in a hit and run, the only thing keeping Parker Adams going is his work and their son, Nate. When his regular sitter moves away, he hires a live in nanny to give Nate more stability. Due to a mix up with the envelopes, it isn’t the young woman he was expecting. Opening the door and finding six feet six of Jake Walsh on the stoop fills Parker with panic. Not that Jake wasn’t perfect for the job; he was. A little too perfect. Which is why Parker had purposely decided to give the job to the other candidate. During his interview, Jake Walsh had awoken feelings in Parker that he had thought were gone forever. How was he going to cope with the man under his roof twenty-four-seven?Jake Walsh is a force of nature. Having worked at a day care until the tiny business folded, he’s looking for something more secure, but doesn’t expect to find it with his first interview. If he’s honest, he didn’t think he’d get it. Although he’d hit it off with Nate, Parker Adams was a whole different story. After the feeling they’d made an initial connection, Parker’s demeanor had changed and Jake had been left with the impression he didn’t have a chance-until the letter offering him the position dropped onto his doormat. Moving in with Parker and Nate seems like the perfect job, until he realises he’s not only fallen in love with Nate, but Parker, too, and that it’s nigh on impossible to compete with a ghost?PATTYCAKE’S OPINION: Lisa Worrall has written a beautiful and heartwarming story in A Nanny for Nate. The blurb covers the mere basics of the story but to really appreciate the eloquent tale, you really need to read it for yourself. This is a lovely character driven book witn a fantastic storyline and a great backstory that lays a solid foundation with a plot that flows like a smooth stream from the first page until the very last.The characters are so very three dimensional, with the same strengths, weaknesses, hopes, dreams, and fears as any person in what we call “real life”. Watching them struggle to break the shackles of the past in order to build a happy future, I can’t help but cry for their pain, and cheer for their happiness. The sex is passionate, tender, and definitely not smutty. The author’s writing style is passionate, eloquent, clear and takes a common story idea and gives it a fresh and original twist. The HEA ending comes after potential heartache, but is well worth the wait. I absolutely LOVE this book and would recommend it to everyone!! Title: A Nanny for Nate
Author: Lisa Worrall
Publisher: White Stiletto Press
Publication Date: June 29, 2013
Cover Art: Meredith Russell
Length: 103 pagesBUY LINKS: 

RE-RELEASE OF A NANNY FOR NATE!

RE-VAMPED, RE-WRITTEN AND WITH SCENES NOT IN THE ORIGINAL!

Blurb:
A year after his husband is killed in a hit and run, the only thing keeping Parker Adams going is his work and their son, Nate. When his regular sitter moves away, he hires a live in nanny to give Nate more stability. Due to a mix up with the envelopes, it isn't the young woman he was expecting. Opening the door and finding six feet six of Jake Walsh on the stoop fills Parker with panic. Not that Jake wasn't perfect for the job; he was. A little too perfect. Which is why Parker had purposely decided to give the job to the other candidate. During his interview, Jake Walsh had awoken feelings in Parker that he had thought were gone forever. How was he going to cope with the man under his roof twenty-four-seven?

Jake Walsh is a force of nature. Having worked at a day care until the tiny business folded, he's looking for something more secure, but doesn't expect to find it with his first interview. If he's honest, he didn't think he'd get it. Although he'd hit it off with Nate, Parker Adams was a whole different story. After the feeling they'd made an initial connection, Parker's demeanor had changed and Jake had been left with the impression he didn't have a chance-until the letter offering him the position dropped onto his doormat. Moving in with Parker and Nate seems like the perfect job, until he realises he's not only fallen in love with Nate, but Parker, too, and that it's nigh on impossible to compete with a ghost?

Excerpt:
Nate looked out of his bedroom window again. He felt as though he was going to throw up, mainly because he knew Pop was going to be mad, and he would probably be grounded for the rest of his life. He grabbed his cell phone off his desk and quickly scrolled through his contacts for Marcus, not that it took very long since he only had three other numbers stored in the little phone book: Pop, Uncle Clay, and Grandma."Hey, what's up?" Marcus' voice sounded tinny as it bounced off towers and networks before it reached Nate's ear. "Has he killed you yet?""No," Nate snapped. "I'm scared. Jake's gonna be here any minute, and Pop's gonna figure it out!""Nathaniel," Marcus used his whole name with all the sarcastic confidence of a nearly-ten-year-old. "He's just gonna to think he put the letters in the wrong envelopes. He'll think he's the one who made the mistake. He's never gonna guess it was you.""Us!" Nate insisted."Hey, I didn't do nothing," Marcus said, his tone innocent. "All I did was tell you how to steam open the envelope. You're the one who swapped the letters.""What if he tries to make Jake leave?" Nate peeked through the chink in his curtains and searched the street yet again."Don't you know anything?" "Huh?""If he does, just cry like a baby," Marcus retorted. "Works every time."*"Nate!" Parker yelled up the stairs. "Come on, buddy! Your Cheerios are getting cold!" He stood in front of the ornate mirror hanging on the wall next to the front door and attempted to tie the navy silk tie looped around his neck. Sliding it beneath his collar, he had just managed to get the knot straight when the doorbell rang, making him jerk his hand to the side and nearly garrote himself. "Shit," he cursed beneath his breath and padded the few extra steps down the hall to answer it, throwing up a mental thanks to the patron Saint of Nannies that it was Melanie's first day. "Mel—" Parker froze. "You're not Melanie," he said lamely."Not last time I checked," Jake said with a smile. Parker frowned, noticing the suitcase and huge sports bag at Jake's feet. "Um… what are you doing here?""Your letter said to start on the twenty-fourth," Jake replied, picking up his bag. He hesitated, a frown creasing his forehead. "It is the twenty-fourth today, isn't it?""Yes, yes, it is, but—" Parker didn't get to finish his sentence as Jake shoved the bag into his hands, then bent to pick up the suitcase."Great. For a minute I thought I'd got my dates mixed up." Jake grinned as he squeezed past Parker and peered down the hall. "Kitchen this way?""Yes, but—" Parker huffed in frustration as he turned to stare at Jake's retreating back. What the hell was going on? "Jake, wait." He nudged the door closed with his foot and followed Jake into the kitchen. The shock of finding Jake on his doorstep had begun to wear off, and his tone was firm as he slipped into lawyer mode. His gaze narrowed when he found Jake making himself at home and pouring himself a cup of coffee from the pot Parker had made earlier. "What are you doing here?""Reporting for duty." Jake put down the cup and the coffee pot then pulled out an envelope from his back pocket. "Like you told me to."Parker dropped the bag onto the kitchen floor and took the envelope, his frown deepening as he read the letter he pulled from inside it. Shit! He'd offered Melanie the job. He'd narrowed it down to Jake and Melanie and sent a letter of apology to Jake and the two other contenders, then a letter to Melanie confirming he was offering her the job. What the fuck was Jake doing with Melanie's letter? He'd tried to be cool and addressed the letter itself to 'congratulations' instead of heading it up with Melanie's name. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. He must have accidentally put the confirmation letter in the envelope addressed to Jake. Shit! Holy shit! Double fucking shit!"Parker? Is there something wrong?"Jake's voice broke through his panicked haze and Parker looked up from the letter. He managed to get out, "Jake—" before a tornado loosely disguised as Nate flew into the kitchen and practically climbed Jake like a tree."Holy moley," Jake huffed, his strong arms coming around Nate to stop them both falling to the floor."Jake! I told Pop you were my favorite!" Nate yelled, hugging the big man fiercely. He wriggled out of Jake's arms and threw himself into Parker's, knocking the letter from his hands. "Thank you, thank you! Can Jake take me to the park after school? I promise I'll do my homework."Parker's stomach sank into his shoes. Shit!How could he send Jake away now without letting Nate down—again? He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Nate this excited. What was he going to say? That Jake couldn't stay because the thought of having him actually living under the same roof was making his belly fizz and tingle in a way that both filled him with anticipation and fear? Yeah, definitely the way to go, genius. Parker hugged Nate tightly and swallowed. What choice did he have? "Well," he said, "That's up to Jake, buddy, but it's okay with me—if it's okay with him." Nate planted an exuberant kiss on Parker's cheek and scrambled out of his arms to throw himself on the chair in front of his Cheerios. "Sounds like a plan," Jake replied, smiling brightly. "When you've finished your cereal we can make our first trip to school. You ever ridden in a jeep?"
Parker watched Jake and Nate settle into aimless chatter as if they'd known each other forever. He tried his best to answer the smile Jake sent him over Nate's head with one of his own, hoping it didn't look as false as it felt. Giving Jake a brief nod, he walked back down the hall to straighten his tie in the hall mirror, staring at his reflection with a sense of foreboding. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes had darkened, and his pulse raced in his chest—and that was after ten minutes with the guy. This was nevergoing to work. He sighed heavily and scrubbed his hand across his face. "I could really use some help about now, babe," he mumbled softly, not that he needed to ask, he knew exactly what Darren would say. He could see him now, blond head tilted, wicked gleam in his blue eyes at Parker's discomfort, his English accent thick with humor as he said something incredibly helpful along the lines of, "I'm going to enjoy this!"
GET YOUR COPY HERE!

RELEASE DAY - MEETING MONTY'S PARENTS (MARSHALL'S PARK #4)

BLURB:


Meeting the new boyfriend's parents is always a little daunting, but for Aiden it's like stepping into the unknown. He's never actually met a boyfriends' family before, and that's the way he likes it. His own parents threw him out when he announced not only was he raising the child he had with his best friend, but that he was also gay. The thought of their standing at the Country Club being tarnished by the shame he had brought down upon them, being more than his mother could bear.

Finn, of course, reassures Aiden that his family will love him, that they're good people - well he would, wouldn't he? Adding that even if they hated Aiden, they'd have to tolerate him to keep Kaylee, didn't help to ease his panic.

Will Aiden be proved wrong? Or will a series of mishaps and misunderstandings make him wish he'd stayed at home?
GET YOUR COPY AT AMAZON OR ARe NOW!