Lisa Fox's Blog, page 52
November 12, 2015
Musings of a Champagne Addict
Join me over at Channillo for my bimonthly journal series, MUSINGS OF A CHAMPAGNE ADDICT!
Image by SARA BROOKES
Filed under: Writing Tagged: Channillo, Journal, Lisa Fox, Musings of a Champagne Addict
November 11, 2015
Veteran’s Day
Today is a wonderful day to donate a Tweet or Facebook post to the WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT and show your support for this very worthy charity. You can do that (totally free!) right here: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/online-advocacy-center.aspx
Filed under: Holiday Tagged: Veteran's Day, Wounded Warrior Project
November 10, 2015
A Kiss in the Dark Excerpt!
An Excerpt From: A KISS IN THE DARK, Book 3 of the Midnight Kiss Series
Copyright © LISA FOX, 2015
All Rights Reserved, Harper Impulse, a Division of HarperCollins Publishers
Grace looked at Ryan and sipped her coffee. Suddenly the pressure was on. He had to make the right impression, but now that Kat was gone, the funky feeling in his gut was insanely distracting. He would be willing to wager a considerable amount of money that she was just as interested as he was. It was loud and clear in the tension in the air between them. But he couldn’t act on it. Couldn’t even consider it. She was his client.
“So, okay,” he said, fumbling a bit. What did he need to know? He looked her over again. Was she free tonight? How did she feel about shameless, hot, animal sex? He took a deep breath and bit down on the inside of his cheek as hard as he could. “Let’s start with the basics. What kind of pages would you like your website to have?”
“Hmm,” she said, thinking it over. “A page for my books for sure. A bio, a contact page, maybe news and appearances? That can be one page.” She tapped her index finger against her lip and his gaze fixed on her mouth. She was turning him inside out and she didn’t even know it. “I think that’s it.”
He struggled to keep his face professionally plain. “Do you have a fun kind of page? Or a blog? We’ve found that authors who give readers a little something extra get a lot more traffic and repeat hits.”
She curled her upper lip, obviously not liking the idea. “I don’t have time to constantly update things like that. I have a tight schedule.”
Ryan nodded. “I understand. I could do the updating for you, but the information would have to come from you. Quirky things that you’ve come across while researching, free reads, giveaways. These things really help traffic. It gives people something beyond the basic, ‘here’s my book, buy my book, please’ kind of thing.”
She blew air out of her nose. “That does make sense. I’ll have to think about it and get back to you.”
“Great,” Ryan said. “Make me a list and we’ll build something from there.”
“Have you done this before?” she asked. “You sound like you know what people want.”
“No,” Ryan admitted. “You’ll be my first author.” He did not allow himself to fully contemplate the possibilities and implications of that statement. “But Sharpe Designs has a lot of authors for clients, in all different genres. We know what works.”
Her smile turned playful, flirtatious. “How’d you get that black eye? An unsatisfied client?”
He laughed. “No, I box.” He rubbed his stubbly cheek and the flare of pain was a welcome distraction. “I’m usually more put together than this. Sorry. I was in a tournament last night.”
She leaned across the table toward him, offering him an outstanding view of her plump cleavage. “Did you win?”
His mouth went bone dry, and he quickly lifted his gaze up to her face. “I did.”
“You must be pretty good.”
“I’m very good.”
“But not the best?”
He grinned. “I don’t like to brag.”
She responded with a slow curve of her lush lips. How was he going to get this woman into his bed? That had to happen. Because he wanted her a whole lot.
Her cell phone vibrated, and she jumped. The way she scrambled for it made him think she was expecting an important call. Or maybe dreading one. Her face was tight and tense as she looked at the screen, and then she visibly relaxed. Whatever it was, she decided not to answer it now and tucked the phone back in her purse.
“Sorry,” she said, looking back up at him. She took a deep breath, let it out. “I actually need to get going. Is there anything more I can tell you? I have to get my words in for the day.”
“I think we’re good for now.” He wanted to see her again. Needed to see her again. And it was perfectly reasonable. It was for the site. Today was Thursday. He thought about the earliest he could have something done. He didn’t want to stress Kat out with a tight deadline. She had at least three other projects going on. “Can we meet again on Wednesday? I’ll have a solid working outline for you by then.”
She bit her lower lip, looked away. “Do we have to meet? Can’t we just do it through email?”
Ryan tried not to take it as hard as he did, but his heart sank as the rejection set in. “Whatever you’d like, Grace. It’s your site. We can do it however you want.” But please say you’ll meet me, that I’ll get to see you again.
Grace grimaced. “No, never mind, it’s okay. I can come in.” She gave him a beseeching look. “I just… I have tight deadlines and daily word counts that I have to meet. This is just a bad time.” She let out a long breath. “But I guess there never is a good time, is there? And I do want this done. Wednesday is fine. Is the afternoon all right?”
“The afternoon is excellent.” Technically, he could do everything by email. But he was selfish and far too happy to let any guilt ruin his good fortune. “How about four?”
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
She rose out of the chair, and Ryan held the door open for her as she exited the meeting room. He wanted to offer her his arm, not for support like with Kat, but because he wanted to be close to her, touch her in some way. He couldn’t get quite close enough to get a whiff of her perfume and he was intensely disappointed. He really did want to know what she smelled like.
She left the building, and he smiled to himself as he watched her disappear into the crowd on Spring Street. He was a little pained to see her go, but he would be seeing her again. They had a date. Well, an appointment. Whatever. He was seeing her again and that’s all that mattered.
Back at his desk, he sat down and cracked his knuckles. Before he could even begin her project, he had to do a little research on the author. He needed to get a sense of her books, her style, before he could know what was right for her. He tried not to feel like a creeper as he typed her name into Google. It was for work. It was what he would have done with any client. His personal interest had no place in it. The fact that he was thrilled when he saw that she was single meant nothing. She was just another client. He scrolled through the returns, picking up little tidbits about her professional life. She’d won quite a few awards and was part of a reading series last month at The New School. He opened a new tab, went to Amazon, and downloaded her first book to his tablet. He’d read that over the weekend. He went back to his search list and clicked on her Wiki page. It was time to get to know Grace Betancourt.
BUY LINKS :
Harper Impulse: http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/a-kiss-in-the-dark
Amazon: http://goo.gl/YKnkhx
Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/KmdKw7
B&N: http://goo.gl/8HWnJG
Google Play: http://goo.gl/lLWg5r
iTunes: http://goo.gl/5klqT9
Filed under: Writing Tagged: A Kiss in the Dark, Contemporary Romance, Lisa Fox, Midnight Kiss, New York City, Romance
November 9, 2015
November 8, 2015
Today’s Agenda
Get some work done!
Filed under: Hot Men Tagged: Lisa Fox Needs To Get Some Work Done, Sexy Men, Writing
November 7, 2015
November 6, 2015
November 5, 2015
Her Perfect Lips Excerpt!
Her Perfect Lips by Lisa Fox
Book Two of the Midnight Kiss Series, set in the dynamic world of ONE KISS …
An Excerpt From: HER PERFECT LIPS
Copyright © LISA FOX, 2014
All Rights Reserved, Harper Impulse, a Division of HarperCollins Publishers
Bourbon Street was just as she remembered—loud music and neon lights, frat boys in muscle shirts and girls in crop tops, the stench of beer and pine-scented antiseptic cleaner, the sidewalks littered with garbage and puke. Their little entourage stumbled into the first club they found, which had “Play That Funky Music” blaring from the speakers. Stacy shook her head. Some things truly never changed. Bars on Bourbon Street would play that song until some ultimate, catastrophic apocalypse finally managed to wipe the city out for good.
The barker at the door proudly announced that the club was now offering their world famous three-for-one happy hour. The vodka tonic Stacy ordered was served in a plastic cup the size of which was rarely seen outside of a 7-Eleven. It contained more alcohol than any human should probably ever consume in a single serving, and she was glad to see that in addition to the bad music, the drinking culture had not changed either.
She headed toward the back of the club, outside into the little courtyard area where the music was somewhat blunted and she was less likely to have a drink spilled over her. The others followed, people in the group talking amongst themselves and goggling at the drunken antics on the dance floor. Peter had fallen back to walk alongside Melanie, and they ambled slowly, their heads close together, taking softly. Stacy sighed. So much for the whole reason to participate in this journey. Not that she could blame him. Melanie was gorgeous. Still, the rejection stung. Not that it would’ve worked anyway. The distance between them would have eventually become a hassle.
She sipped her cocktail, watching the dance floor light up red, then blue, then green as the strobe light pulsed over the dancers. Once again, she had a choice and none of her options were all too appealing. She could go back to the hotel and try to find a new group of people to talk with, she could go to bed, or she could stay right where she was and basically drink alone.
“Let’s go someplace quieter,” Peter shouted over the music and everybody agreed.
She followed them back out onto Bourbon Street, seriously considering her next move. Should I stay or should I go now? She let the chorus play out in her head and in that one millisecond pause, a drunken man wearing only jeans shorts and plastic beads lunged at her from the crowd. She sidestepped around him and almost collided with a woman exiting Pat O’Briens. The woman squealed and Stacy veered off the sidewalk into the street. A group of tourists swept her away, forcing her backward along with them. She fought against the wave of bodies, but it was a losing battle. And then, out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her arm, a lifeline in the storm.
The tourists continued on their journey, but Stacy was held in place, firmly anchored by that strong grip. The hold on her arm was a little too familiar for a stranger and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to thank or berate her rescuer. She turned, and her breath caught when she recognized her savior. “Hello, Ten.”
“Hey, Stacy.”
He grinned and every single part of her tingled. He was as attractive as she remembered—tall and strong, with rich, chocolate-brown hair, and a twinkle of mischief in his startling green eyes. The years had changed him only slightly, taking away the softness of youth and adding hard ridges and planes to his handsome face. His hair was a little too long, and he had a two-day beard, but the scruffiness didn’t take away from his almost poetic good looks. And though she would never admit it out loud, just the way his thighs filled out his well-worn blue jeans sent a thread of wicked heat trickling down her spine. Ten was the stuff of all kinds of naughty fantasies, and a few of her favorite ones instantly flashed through her mind.
BUY LINKS:
Harper Impulse: http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/her-perfect-lips
Amazon: http://goo.gl/tEUlUn
Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/qw69Ma
B&N: http://goo.gl/K9Fd46
Filed under: Writing Tagged: Contemporary Romance, Her Perfect Lips, Kindle Sale, Lisa Fox, New Orleans, Romance, Sale
November 4, 2015
Far from Blind – Club Blind 2 – by S.J. Maylee
Far from Blind – Club Blind 2 – by S.J. Maylee
Book Description:
Candy Wilson has worked hard to build a life for herself from nothing to something she can be proud of but she can’t catch the eye of the one man who drives her wild with desire.
Brad Chambers has everything, always has, except the woman he loves. When a pitch black blind date at the exclusive Club Blind matches the pair together, Candy refuses to believe what she sees and throws up her protective barrier. It’s up to Brad to tear down her walls and get her to see the man who wants only her.
Be Warned: spanking and light BDSM
Where you can find Far from Blind
Amazon | Evernight | All Romance Ebooks | BookStrand
The first review is in!
5-stars from Liz’s Reading Life
“This story is another sizzling creation from SJ Maylee.”
Far from Blind Excerpt:
He closed the door behind them and the distinct click of a lock tumbling over echoed around the room. Maybe no showing yesterday was a mistake. If they’d had any chance at all, she’d blown it for sure. How could she expect him to trust her now? The air, thick with unsaid words, closed in around her.
It was time to take care of business and escape before she embarrassed herself. “This must be for you.” She held out the envelope.
“Thank you.” He took it from her and tore it open, revealing a piece of paper. His cheeks pulled into a little smile, then it disappeared. He maneuvered around his desk and sat. “Do you like me, Candy?”
“Of course I do.” She clasped her arms around her middle. The bigger question is what he thought of her before Club Blind and now.
“Then why didn’t you show last night?” He pressed his lips together and kept his gaze on her.
“To be honest…”
“That’s all I’ll ever expect from you.”
“I’ll give it to you straight. You don’t want a girl like me.” She blew out a breath as if it could help her raging pulse. Never in a million years would she have guessed she’d want a man to tell her she was wrong.
“Is that what you believe?”
“Yes.” She kept her focus on him. He gave nothing away. His expression didn’t change, only his fingers tapped on his desk which was irritatingly neat.
“Then we have a problem.” He stood. “We’d agreed to meet. I kept up my end.”
“And I didn’t.” She blew out a deep breath.
“Come here.”
She didn’t move. She didn’t take her next breath either.
He pointed to the ground in front of him. “Don’t make me ask twice.”
She jumped and then slipped around his desk. Damn, he really did smell good. No matter whether it was aftershave or him, the deep woodsy scent turned here on. Everything about Brad turned her on.
“Did I ask you to join me at Mistress Charlie’s yesterday?”
“Yes, but—”
“Do you believe I’m a liar?”
“No.”
“I don’t think you are either.” He tapped under her chin, lifting her focus back to him. “But I don’t believe you’re being honest with me right now and that’s a problem.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t show yesterday.”
“I appreciate the admission, but I can’t let the action and the attitude go unpunished.”
“What, are you going to spank me?” She chuckled.
“I think it’s time.” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear and his touch lingered along the side of her neck over her ugly mole. “Don’t you agree?”
“Agreed, Sir.” She leaned back on his desk. It was the only thing holding her up.
“Safeword?”
“Red.”
“Very good. Bend over my desk, please.”
“Right here?” She looked around his office. She didn’t find any windows to the hall, but his windows facing the next building were wide open. “You really are pissed.”
The corner of his lips lifted slightly. “The windows are treated. No one can see in here.”
“Oh.”
“You’re stalling.”
“Can you blame me?”
“You do know I’m an accountant, right?” He tugged on her hair. “We like to add.”
****
Praise for the first book in the Club Blind Series
In the Blind
The Romance Reviews “There is a good mix of heat woven into the storyline, perfect for an erotic romance. With the thrill and excitement of the sex club, the author has created the beginning of an interesting series.”
Night Owl Reviews “The beginning of the story leaves you wanting to know more. It has a unique premise. By the end of the first chapter, I was eager to finish the book…the author takes the reader on a wonderful journey”
Cocktails and Books “There was humor, some angst, romance, and of course, I already mentioned the incredible sex. You’ll be quite satisfied by the end. I know I sure was.”
****
S.J. MAYLEE BIO:
S.J. Maylee fell in love with storytelling at a young age and with it came a deep-seated desire for everyone to find their happily ever after. She’s finding the happy endings for her characters one steamy story at a time.
When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her caring for her garden, laughing with her two young sons, or dancing to her husband’s music. She’s a PMP (Project Management Professional), Nia instructor, and coffee addict.
As a writer she has a tendency to break hearts, but she always glues them back together.
Blog | Twitter | Facebook Page | Google+ | Pinterest | Goodreads | New Release Newsletter
WHERE YOU CAN FIND BOOKS BY S.J. MAYLEE:
Evernight Publishing | Amazon US CA UK| Barnes & Noble | Nook UK
All Romance eBooks | BookStrand | Smashwords | iTunes
Filed under: Guest Blogger Tagged: BDSM, Club Blind 2, Erotic Romance, Far from Blind, S.J. Maylee
