Sally Clements's Blog, page 4

And the winners are....

Congratulations to Donnalynn Lapointe and Crystal Young who are the winners of Runaway Groom from our awesome multi-author giveaway, those copies are presently winging their way to you!

The Super Duper December Giveaway!

Christmas is coming - and everyone is thinking about presents, so wouldn't it be nice to win some? I've banded together with a group of other authors in the Super Duper December Giveaway, where we are offering the chance for people to get there hands on loads of free stuff, starting today, and continuing for the next 2 weeks!

Enter to win 1 of the lovely Ebook and swag prizes listed below in the Rafflecopter. There are at least 46 different kind of books you can win! There are lots and lots of romantic, New Adult and steamy Ebooks, ranging from sweet and sassy, or a touch of paranormal, to spicy and erotic.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Release - Mile High

My new novella, Mile High has just been published on Amazon - Here's a little bit about it!

Out with the old...
Cori’s kicked her cheating boyfriend to the kerb, packed her bag, and boarded a flight to combine a sun drenched vacation with her boss’s wedding. On the agenda? Fun, relaxation, and maybe even a no-strings hot fling.
In with the new…
The fun starts even earlier than she'd anticipated - when she finds herself seated beside Kill Jackson on the flight to Tourmaline, she's more than happy to soothe his flight fears. He's funny, flirty and dangerously gorgeous. 
With a name like Kill, what could possibly go wrong?
The heat kicks up when they touch down and spend time together in the faded splendorof The Tourmaline Grand Hotel, but what will happen when Cori discovers Kill's real reason for being on the island? 
Sizzling sex, divided loyalties and weddings in jeopardy under the Mediterranean sun...

Writing this book was great fun, mainly because of the yummy hero....here's an excerpt...

A shadow blocked the sun streaming in from her left. Someone was in the aisle next to her seat. His face wasn’t visible as he lifted his bag into the overhead locker, so she took the opportunity to check out his body. Long legs encased in worn denim. Cowboy boots. A black cotton tee-shirt that rose up as he stretched, revealing a band of flat, perfectly defined abs. Man candy.
The stranger bent to edge into the seat next to hers. She looked into startling green eyes.
Wow.
He was beyond gorgeous. Thick black hair tumbled over his forehead, half-hiding his black brows. His cheekbones were pronounced, and below his straight nose was a scar that cut as low as his top lip.
“Hi.” He grinned and sat in the seat next to hers.
“Hi.” Her voice came out maiden-high, so she cleared her throat. Sweet heaven, this was going to be an interesting trip.
“Travelling alone?”
“Yes. You?”
He nodded. “In that case, we better get acquainted.” He proffered a tanned hand. “Kill Jackson.”
She felt her eyebrows rise. “Who’s Jackson, and what has he done to deserve that?”
His deep laugh did something funny to her insides.
“My name is Kill.”
“Seriously?”
“Well, no. It’s a nickname.” He leaned closer and whispered. “And bad as it is, it’s a lot better than my full name, so it’s what I go by.”
She wanted to know his full name immediately. “Killian?”
“Killian wouldn’t bother me. It’s considerably worse than that.” He fastened his seatbelt. “And no, I’m not going to answer any more guesses.”
 Want to know what Kill is short for? Read it, and find out! It's available now on Amazon... com/uk

How to do description well

I love reading, and my current fave is Karin Slaughter who writes tremendously good thrillers. When reading 'Criminal' last night, I was struck again and again by the freshness of her descriptions, so am posting some here to show how a master takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary....

The story begins with Kitty and Lucy who are both prostitutes.

Kitty took her place back in the line. She didn't look at any of the other girls. She just stared blankly into the street, waiting for the next car to roll up, waiting for the next man who would either give her a nod, or pass her by. It'd take two days, tops, for her eyes to develop the same dead look as the rest of the girls. What was going through her mind? Probably the same as Lucy, that familiar chant that rocked her to sleep every night: When-will-this-be-over? When-will-this-be-over? When-will-this-be-over?

Juice cleared his throat. He cut his eyes to the other girls, then zeroed back in on Lucy. "Keep going." His deep tone wedged a splinter of cold into her spine.

Lucy felt the crack of a tooth breaking. Her jaw twisted like a Hula Hoop.

Lucy stumbled into Jane, who pushed her away like a diseased dog.

Henry's cramped script was so familiar that it felt like a soft hand on her cheek.

Kindle Matchbook

There's something new launching in October from Amazon, which is called Kindle Matchbook. I received an email about it, and signed up straight away. Essentially, it's an offer that bundles print books and ebooks.

The idea is this. If you buy, or have bought in the past, a book in paperback from Amazon, you can buy the ebook equivalent for a discounted price - the discounted price being 2.99, 1.99, 99c or free.
The best part about this is the fact that it applies to books you've bought from Amazon at any stage... so if you want to grab your favourite paperback for your kindle, it will cost you no more than half the regular purchase price of the ebook.

I love this, and for my paperbacks (which vary in price from $7.20-$9.99) I've set their ebook equivalent Kindle Matchbook price for 99c.

A note for self publishing authors : The 99c price point for authors usually gives a 35% royalty rate, with the 70% royalty rate reserved for ebooks sold at 2.99 and up. On signing my print books up for Matchbook, it appears as though the royalty rate is closer to the 70% rate, which is the rate my ebooks qualify for at full price.

So - Kindle Matchbook launches in October - keep an eye out for it!

Looking forward to The Newsroom...

The second series of The Newsroom is going to be showing where I am soon, and I'm looking forward to it. I love the way Aaron Sorkin writes, he's so great at dialog and weaving all the different characters together. The plotlines are serious, and make me think. The challenges that the newsreaders face to report the actual news, rather than to compromise due to the demands of the station hierarchy are massive, and it's pretty difficult to anticipate where the storylines will go.

Of course, there's also the romance. Will and MacKenzie, ex lovers now working together, and my favourite, the star crossed Jim and Maggie. When series one ended, Maggie was in a relationship with Don (why?) and Jim was 'dating' Maggie's friend and flatmate, Lisa.

I particularly like this scene where Maggie has a rant about Sex In The City ....

Goodreads giveaway ending soon...

Enter here for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of Marrying Cade...

Results of the super multi-author rafflecopter!

The Rafflecopter competition is now closed and the winners have been picked. Thank you to everyone who entered!

 

Last Day of the super multi-author rafflecopter!

If you haven't already entered, do so now! Last Day, and some great prizes!


The Rafflecopter is two blog posts down....
In other news, Marrying Cade is still free, and so is Challenging Andie if you fancy some free reads from me and Amazon...

A Virgin Giveaway...

No. I'm not giving away a virgin, I'm having the very first giveaway for Marrying Cade!

Set on a Tuscan Island, Marrying Cade is one of my favourite books, which came out of it's previous contract, and was self-published by me just a month or so ago. It's also available in paperback.

Here's a teaser:

She straightened. Long chestnut hair shot with caramel lights was piled up on top of her head. A couple of tendrils had escaped to dust against the smooth, tanned skin of her cheek. Large sunglasses covered her eyes, and her full mouth formed a perfect bow. She locked the car and sashayed into the hotel, hips swaying in the tight blue cotton sheath. Cade breathed out the breath he’d been holding, shaken by the surge of arousal the mere sight of the woman had awoken. It had been too long since he’d had a female in his arms. It must be, if the mere look of a gorgeous woman had him this hot and bothered.
She must be meeting her lover. Women didn’t dress like that unless they were meeting a man. Cade glanced at his watch, wondering if he’d have to rescue Adam from the hotel’s owner, just as Adam arrived with plateful of antipasti. He wasn’t alone. The bombshell with the killer curves walked next to him, right up to the table. Cade pushed back the chair, and stood up.
“Hey, Cade. Our ride is here. I’ve persuaded her to join us for a drink and a snack before we go back to the house.” Adam eyed him carefully. “You remember Melo?”
Melo? Cade rubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw.
She slipped off her glasses, and stowed them in her bag.
Could this really be Rosa’s sister? The tall, boyish tomboy he’d spent the summer with, so many years ago? She’d been gangly, awkward. Barely in her teens. The woman who stood in front of him bore no comparison. So if you fancy a free read - Marrying Cade is available FREE on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and all the other Amazons now. And so is The Morning After - here are the links: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
Load up your kindle for free, and have a good weekend, everyone!