Krista Ames's Blog, page 102
November 20, 2013
Author, author... Spotlight on Underneath It All by Cassandra Carr
...read all about it !!
UNDERNEATH IT ALLby
CASSANDRA CARR
Blurb:
Professional hockey player Rob D'Amico is confused when he's chosen to take part in a reading program for inner-city students. While athletes are role models, he tends toward the gregarious and playful side, rather than a studious bent.
Despite the lack of funding plaguing her inner-city district, every day kindergarten teacher Alaina Rossa ensures her students learn something to prepare them for life. At first she's unsure how a hockey player will help her achieve that goal.
When Rob visits Alaina's class for the first time, they welcome him with open arms, despite the lack of even the basic supplies for their education. He takes it upon himself to get the students what they need, sweeping Alaina up in the excitement.
As time goes by and she learns more about Rob, Alaina finds her heart opening to him. Is it possible her soul mate could be found in a world so different from her own? And for Rob, the last person he thought he'd find forever love with was an elementary school teacher wearing clothes permanently stained with finger paint. But when you're playing for keeps, sometimes you have to get a little dirty.
Buy links:
Amazon Amazon UK Smashwords
Author bio:
Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Sybarite Seductions/Twenty or Less Press, Decadent Publishing, Siren Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra is the co-founder of two successful group blogs, Romancing the Jock and Dirty Birdies, and participates in several others as a contributor. Currently Cassandra also serves as president of Western New York Romance Writers.
For more information about Cassandra, check out her website, "like" her Facebook fan page, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.
UNDERNEATH IT ALLby
CASSANDRA CARR
Blurb:Professional hockey player Rob D'Amico is confused when he's chosen to take part in a reading program for inner-city students. While athletes are role models, he tends toward the gregarious and playful side, rather than a studious bent.
Despite the lack of funding plaguing her inner-city district, every day kindergarten teacher Alaina Rossa ensures her students learn something to prepare them for life. At first she's unsure how a hockey player will help her achieve that goal.
When Rob visits Alaina's class for the first time, they welcome him with open arms, despite the lack of even the basic supplies for their education. He takes it upon himself to get the students what they need, sweeping Alaina up in the excitement.
As time goes by and she learns more about Rob, Alaina finds her heart opening to him. Is it possible her soul mate could be found in a world so different from her own? And for Rob, the last person he thought he'd find forever love with was an elementary school teacher wearing clothes permanently stained with finger paint. But when you're playing for keeps, sometimes you have to get a little dirty.
Buy links:
Amazon Amazon UK Smashwords
Author bio:
Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Sybarite Seductions/Twenty or Less Press, Decadent Publishing, Siren Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra is the co-founder of two successful group blogs, Romancing the Jock and Dirty Birdies, and participates in several others as a contributor. Currently Cassandra also serves as president of Western New York Romance Writers.
For more information about Cassandra, check out her website, "like" her Facebook fan page, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.
November 19, 2013
Author, author.... Cinderella Screwed Me Over by Cindi Madsen + Giveaway
...read all about it !!
Welcome, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure, I love music, dancing, and writing. I have three awesome kids and am really close to my family. I also drink a lot of Mountain Dew.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
Yes, little events here and there slip in, especially the funny or hard to believe.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Yes, Drew from Cinderella Screwed Me Over is a lot like my brother. The girl friends in my novels have some traits of my friends, and I steal good lines or moves from my husband, some from back when we first dating. Yep, watch out hanging out with me. Lol
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
No, I want to make sure that each book is different and has a different voice, so I try to keep different focuses and inspiration for each book.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
During the day—pretty much all day. If I’m on a tight deadline or really feeling it, I’ll sneak in a few more hours after the kids go to bed.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
Marketing doesn’t come easy to me. I know it’s necessary, but I’m a much bigger fan of meeting people and talking to them about everything and anything, not just my books.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I have the most fun on twitter, but I don’t really consider it marketing. Like I said, I prefer to chat with people who like similar books and music and talk about anything and everything.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
My first book was fully written, and Cinderella Screwed Me over was, too, because I wrote it before I had my first contract. But now I pitch ideas to my editor and contract to have it done by a certain date so we can pub it by a set date.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
I’ve written in a lot of genres, in YA and in adult, from to urban fantasy, to contemporary, to suspense. I’ve toyed with the idea of a sci-fi book, which is something I haven’t written in yet.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I picture myself in her place a lot because I want to make sure I get the emotions she’s feeling and make sure they get on paper. The heroes are a little trickier.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Ryan Gosling
2) Favorite vehicle – Dodge Challenger
3) Favorite way to relax – Movie & snacks
4) Favorite ice cream – Rocky Road with caramel and Oreos
5) Favorite outfit – Black top, jeans, killer heels.
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
The beach! I love the beach and hot weather.
Where can our readers find you??
Email: info@cindimadsen.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindiMadsen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindiMadsenBooks
Website/blog: http://www.cindimadsen.com
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Cindi-Madsen/e/B005UTG1Y0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1379542440&sr=8-2-ent
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1029223.Cindi_Madsen
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Cinderella Screwed Me Over
Cindi Madsen
Finding the one has never been sofun frustrating
.
Blurb:
Darby Quinn has a bone to pick with Cinderella. Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She's sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she's happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she's culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.
Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?
Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.
Buy Links: Amazon B&N Entangled Publishing iBooks
Excerpt:
I stepped off the treadmill, thinking about all I had to do that day. And came face-to-face
with Jake.
“I thought that was you,” he said.
I tugged the earphones out of my ears and blinked, hardly able to believe my eyes. He was wearing long mesh shorts and a T-shirt that stretched tight across his well-defined chest.
Last night after my date, when I’d had trouble falling asleep, I’d thought of all the things I should say to him the next time we ran into each other. But they’d abandoned me somewhere around the time I’d checked out his pecs.
“W-what are you doing here?” Smooth, Darby. Real smooth.
“Same thing as you,” he said. “Going for a run.”
I really wished I wasn’t so sweaty. My face was probably all red, too. “But… You don’t live here? In this building?”
One corner of Jake’s mouth twisted up. “It would be kind of strange for me to go running here if I didn’t live here.”
Heat filled my cheeks and I took another swig from my water bottle. Time for the apology. Then maybe I could stop feeling so guilty and get this guy off my mind. “Look, I’m sorry about the misunderstanding at the restaurant. I just thought you were one of those guys who tells everyone he owns the restaurant or runs the company or whatever to seem impressive. I thought that since I knew everyone, you were lying to try to impress me.”
There. I’d apologized. Now I could move past this guy and get back to my normal life.
“I was trying to impress you, but not with my job.” He tucked his thumbs into the
pockets of his shorts and shrugged. “I guess I need to work on my skills, because obviously my natural rugged charm wasn’t enough.” He flashed me a smile to punctuate his statement and I tried—and failed—not to let it melt me the tiniest bit.
“Oh, you were plenty charming. Just not enough to make up for being a liar. Which for all I know, you’re not, so again, sorry.”
“Do you always assume the worst in people?”
I crossed my arms. “Yes. That way I’m never disappointed. It saves a lot of time and trouble.”
His eyebrows shot up and his smile faded. It only lasted a moment, then the smile returned. “I guess there’s only one thing to do about that. Let’s go to dinner, and I’ll prove to you I’m not a liar.”
Is he seriously asking me out right now, while I’m all sweaty and makeup free? My gaze accidentally drifted to his toned chest and arms. My pulse quickened and the temperature in the room climbed even higher. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted.
I swallowed, forcing from my mind thoughts of how good he’d look shirtless, and reminding myself of the rules that had kept me heartbreak-free for a year. Guys like Nick, they were safe. The guy standing in front of me was the total opposite. “Sorry, but you’ve got two strikes against you already. You work at my favorite restaurant, and you live in my building. That’s just asking for trouble.”
Jake took a step closer. “Or maybe it’ll be convenient.”
“A girl does like to be called convenient.” My voice shook a little, thanks to his proximity. He was tall, too—in my sneakers, I barely came to his shoulder, which meant he’d still have a few inches on me in my highest heels. Forcing as much indifference into my expression as I could manage, I glanced at my watch. “I’ve got to go get some work done.”
Jake reached out and put his hand on my hip, just like he’d done the other night. My skin heated under his touch and my breath caught in my throat. Part of me was screaming, Just go for it, and the other part was yelling, Mayday, mayday, we’re going down!
“Just so you know,” he said, leaning close enough his chest bumped my arm, “I’m an expert on baseball, and two strikes isn’t enough to get out. You need three.”
I stared up into those startling blue eyes of his, and worked at keeping my voice steady. “I’m sure the third will come up soon.”
The wattage on his smile kicked up a couple extra notches. “I’ll see you around, Darby.”
Authors Bio:
Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA books All the Broken Pieces, Cipher, and Demons of the Sun and adult romances Falling for Her Fiancé, Act Like You Love Me, and Cinderella Screwed Me Over.
Website Facebook Twitter
******
One last thing before we let you leave us today! Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.
Well, as people on twitter know, I burn food a lot, but I also love nachos. I make this every super bowl because it’s like the best nacho cheese sauce ever, even though it’s technically soup.
1 envelope fajita mix 2 cans chicken broth
2 chicken breasts 1 can RoTel (I prefer the hot)
2 T vegetable oil 1 ½ C cubed Velveeta
½ C chopped onion (or ¼ C flakes) 1 C shredded Monterey Jack
¼ C butter 1 ½ C half& half
1/3 C flour ½ C shredded cheddar cheese
Prepare fajita mix according to package. Add chicken & marinate. Cook chicken in oil. In large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Cook, while stirring, for two minutes, till thickened. Add RoTel & cheeses. Cook & stir until cheese is melted. Stir in cream & chicken, then eat with tortilla chips.
******
Cindi is giving away a "Cinderella Prize Pack" during the blog tour. It includes a glass slipper keychain, a miniature crystal carriage, playing cards and the movie Ever After.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcome, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure, I love music, dancing, and writing. I have three awesome kids and am really close to my family. I also drink a lot of Mountain Dew.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
Yes, little events here and there slip in, especially the funny or hard to believe.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Yes, Drew from Cinderella Screwed Me Over is a lot like my brother. The girl friends in my novels have some traits of my friends, and I steal good lines or moves from my husband, some from back when we first dating. Yep, watch out hanging out with me. Lol
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
No, I want to make sure that each book is different and has a different voice, so I try to keep different focuses and inspiration for each book.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
During the day—pretty much all day. If I’m on a tight deadline or really feeling it, I’ll sneak in a few more hours after the kids go to bed.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
Marketing doesn’t come easy to me. I know it’s necessary, but I’m a much bigger fan of meeting people and talking to them about everything and anything, not just my books.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
I have the most fun on twitter, but I don’t really consider it marketing. Like I said, I prefer to chat with people who like similar books and music and talk about anything and everything.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
My first book was fully written, and Cinderella Screwed Me over was, too, because I wrote it before I had my first contract. But now I pitch ideas to my editor and contract to have it done by a certain date so we can pub it by a set date.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
I’ve written in a lot of genres, in YA and in adult, from to urban fantasy, to contemporary, to suspense. I’ve toyed with the idea of a sci-fi book, which is something I haven’t written in yet.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
I picture myself in her place a lot because I want to make sure I get the emotions she’s feeling and make sure they get on paper. The heroes are a little trickier.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Ryan Gosling
2) Favorite vehicle – Dodge Challenger
3) Favorite way to relax – Movie & snacks
4) Favorite ice cream – Rocky Road with caramel and Oreos
5) Favorite outfit – Black top, jeans, killer heels.
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
The beach! I love the beach and hot weather.
Where can our readers find you??
Email: info@cindimadsen.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindiMadsen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindiMadsenBooks
Website/blog: http://www.cindimadsen.com
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Cindi-Madsen/e/B005UTG1Y0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1379542440&sr=8-2-ent
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1029223.Cindi_Madsen
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Cinderella Screwed Me Over
Cindi Madsen
Finding the one has never been so
Blurb:
Darby Quinn has a bone to pick with Cinderella. Burned one too many times by ex-boyfriends, Darby has lost all belief in the happily-ever-after that the fairy-tale princess promised her. She's sworn off love, Prince Charmings, and happy endings and she's happy about it. Really. Or at least she was…until she met Jake, her gorgeous neighbor and the manager of her favorite restaurant. But Darby has rules about dating, ones she's culled from her years spent with so-called “princes,” and starting something with Jake would break all of them.Charming, fun, and unwilling to give up on her, Jake doesn’t fit any of the profiles Darby has created from her case studies of ex-princes-gone-bad. Finally presented with her own Prince Charming, can Darby take a chance on a happily-ever-after?
Full of wit and sarcastic humor, Cinderella Screwed Me Over proves that sometimes the perfect love, like a perfect pair of shoes, is just within your grasp.
Buy Links: Amazon B&N Entangled Publishing iBooks
Excerpt:
I stepped off the treadmill, thinking about all I had to do that day. And came face-to-face
with Jake.
“I thought that was you,” he said.
I tugged the earphones out of my ears and blinked, hardly able to believe my eyes. He was wearing long mesh shorts and a T-shirt that stretched tight across his well-defined chest.
Last night after my date, when I’d had trouble falling asleep, I’d thought of all the things I should say to him the next time we ran into each other. But they’d abandoned me somewhere around the time I’d checked out his pecs.
“W-what are you doing here?” Smooth, Darby. Real smooth.
“Same thing as you,” he said. “Going for a run.”
I really wished I wasn’t so sweaty. My face was probably all red, too. “But… You don’t live here? In this building?”
One corner of Jake’s mouth twisted up. “It would be kind of strange for me to go running here if I didn’t live here.”
Heat filled my cheeks and I took another swig from my water bottle. Time for the apology. Then maybe I could stop feeling so guilty and get this guy off my mind. “Look, I’m sorry about the misunderstanding at the restaurant. I just thought you were one of those guys who tells everyone he owns the restaurant or runs the company or whatever to seem impressive. I thought that since I knew everyone, you were lying to try to impress me.”
There. I’d apologized. Now I could move past this guy and get back to my normal life.
“I was trying to impress you, but not with my job.” He tucked his thumbs into the
pockets of his shorts and shrugged. “I guess I need to work on my skills, because obviously my natural rugged charm wasn’t enough.” He flashed me a smile to punctuate his statement and I tried—and failed—not to let it melt me the tiniest bit.
“Oh, you were plenty charming. Just not enough to make up for being a liar. Which for all I know, you’re not, so again, sorry.”
“Do you always assume the worst in people?”
I crossed my arms. “Yes. That way I’m never disappointed. It saves a lot of time and trouble.”
His eyebrows shot up and his smile faded. It only lasted a moment, then the smile returned. “I guess there’s only one thing to do about that. Let’s go to dinner, and I’ll prove to you I’m not a liar.”
Is he seriously asking me out right now, while I’m all sweaty and makeup free? My gaze accidentally drifted to his toned chest and arms. My pulse quickened and the temperature in the room climbed even higher. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted.
I swallowed, forcing from my mind thoughts of how good he’d look shirtless, and reminding myself of the rules that had kept me heartbreak-free for a year. Guys like Nick, they were safe. The guy standing in front of me was the total opposite. “Sorry, but you’ve got two strikes against you already. You work at my favorite restaurant, and you live in my building. That’s just asking for trouble.”
Jake took a step closer. “Or maybe it’ll be convenient.”
“A girl does like to be called convenient.” My voice shook a little, thanks to his proximity. He was tall, too—in my sneakers, I barely came to his shoulder, which meant he’d still have a few inches on me in my highest heels. Forcing as much indifference into my expression as I could manage, I glanced at my watch. “I’ve got to go get some work done.”
Jake reached out and put his hand on my hip, just like he’d done the other night. My skin heated under his touch and my breath caught in my throat. Part of me was screaming, Just go for it, and the other part was yelling, Mayday, mayday, we’re going down!
“Just so you know,” he said, leaning close enough his chest bumped my arm, “I’m an expert on baseball, and two strikes isn’t enough to get out. You need three.”
I stared up into those startling blue eyes of his, and worked at keeping my voice steady. “I’m sure the third will come up soon.”
The wattage on his smile kicked up a couple extra notches. “I’ll see you around, Darby.”
Authors Bio:
Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting, revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA books All the Broken Pieces, Cipher, and Demons of the Sun and adult romances Falling for Her Fiancé, Act Like You Love Me, and Cinderella Screwed Me Over.
Website Facebook Twitter
******
One last thing before we let you leave us today! Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.
Well, as people on twitter know, I burn food a lot, but I also love nachos. I make this every super bowl because it’s like the best nacho cheese sauce ever, even though it’s technically soup.
1 envelope fajita mix 2 cans chicken broth
2 chicken breasts 1 can RoTel (I prefer the hot)
2 T vegetable oil 1 ½ C cubed Velveeta
½ C chopped onion (or ¼ C flakes) 1 C shredded Monterey Jack
¼ C butter 1 ½ C half& half
1/3 C flour ½ C shredded cheddar cheese
Prepare fajita mix according to package. Add chicken & marinate. Cook chicken in oil. In large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Cook, while stirring, for two minutes, till thickened. Add RoTel & cheeses. Cook & stir until cheese is melted. Stir in cream & chicken, then eat with tortilla chips.
******
Cindi is giving away a "Cinderella Prize Pack" during the blog tour. It includes a glass slipper keychain, a miniature crystal carriage, playing cards and the movie Ever After.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 18, 2013
Author, author... Bethany-Kris
Read all about her !!!
Please welcome a guest post from Bethany-Kris
A Day in My Writing Life…
Very rarely do I ever get a full day of writing in. I am, after all, the mother of an almost four year old and an almost three year old. Both boys. Both hyperactive. Both seemingly part monkey and part human with way too much of me in their mischievous blue eyes.
So, my days plotted out from point to point as a writer never really works out well. I have to work it around these crazy children of mine and write when they say it is okay for me to write…or give me time, you know what I mean. Add in the fact that I work a full time job from eleven at night until seven in the morning, and I get to a point where I wonder how on earth I can crank out a story at all.
There are a few things I could not live without to make my writing happen. My laptop—it goes with me everywhere in the day around the house. I’ll jot down a sentence through breakfast, force out a couple of paragraphs while the kids are bathing, and hide on the couch while they’re zooming around the living room as I try to get all the dialogue out of my head while I still can. Secondly, my spouse. He’s a very understanding man when it comes to this artistic, crazy person I’ve somehow become in my efforts to be an author.
These two things make it all possible for me. I write between the breaks I get when my kiddos lay down for bed, hiding outside on my deck with coffee and cigarette—two vices I can’t live without—and just vomit words. I used to need quiet (before I had kids and just plain old loudness), but now I almost swear I need the noise to get anything done. Otherwise, my head is too quiet and I somehow can’t think.
I get a few short amount of time after my children lay down for the evening to when I have to leave for work that I am able to write, and I use that time to the best of my ability. Clothes will go unfolded. The dishwasher will not be unloaded. These characters have a story to tell, and I’m just the instrument they’re using to get it out.
And while I am at work, my mind isn’t at rest. My tote is full of papers that are covered back to front ni little jots of notes that I’ve stopped to scribble down throughout the night because hell, I might forget it come morning, or I’ll just be too busy to write it.
I’m always writing something…always, I just need to find the time. It’s crazy and hectic. I write what wants to be written when it says it has to be written. There’s no rhyme or reason to me, or how it all works, but it usually does.
Thanks for letting me stop by to ramble out my thoughts! *****
A Mile High by Bethany-Kris
Blurb:
Olivia wants a vacation, that’s all, but when the airline screws up her plans for a getaway to the beautiful Barbados, instead putting her on a new path that intertwines with the handsome, funny, and charming Sal, she can’t say no to his offer of joining the mile high club. Their meeting is explosive, attraction intense, and when the flight ends, Olivia is unwilling to part ways but unable to voice her wants. Still, fate is at work with its own plan, and where it finishes just might not be where it ends up.
There’s nothing quite like sex at a mile high.
Buy Links Evernight Publishing Amazon ARe Bookstrand Kobo Barnes & Noble Excerpt: “All right, give me another.” Sal contemplated for another moment, placing his empty glass to the attached table beside his seat. Arms crossed over that broad chest, arms flexing and muscles straining beneath the thin t-shirt. He shifted in his seat, the dark wash jeans he wore showcasing the thick bands hidden under that fabric as well. I had a feeling this man was no stranger to hard work. I couldn’t help but watch his movements, thoroughly enjoying the show in front of me and thanking whatever gods had decided to be my friends for the day that this was the flight I had somehow managed to get put on instead of some other one with less likeable, or good-looking, characters. Screw Barbados, this Newfoundland islander was better looking than anything I could have met there. And I had a few hours of him as my first-class partner, too. The plane had already begun its taxi to the runway, the two flight attendants at either ends of the plane talking over the speakers and giving the usual safety precautions and rundown. I blocked their droning out as Sal still sat silent, leaning over the side of his seat to look down the aisle at the woman who looked like Barbie in the flesh. Jealousy raged a war through my blood. There was no way in hell that woman looked better than I did. I cleared my throat again to get his attention. Giving me a sideways glance, he nodded at the flight attendant ten feet away. “Shit-picky.” Wine choked in my lungs. “Excuse me?” “That attendant up front, that’s how she looks. Shit-picky.” Unhinged giggles were muffled by my hand. “Does that mean like a plastic doll or something, because…” Trailing off, I snorted and shrugged, “…yeah, that’s the impression I got.” He looked confused. “No, she’s turning green up there, like she isn’t well or whatever.” Wondering what in the heck he was talking about, I turned around in my seat to look as well, but the plastic partition behind my seat meant for privacy blocked my view. Leaning over my seat to look down the aisle, I could plainly see the flight attendant from earlier was indeed turning a sickly shade, and the more she spoke, the worse she looked. “I think she’s…” I didn’t get to finish my sentence before the woman ripped off her headphones and disappeared behind the curtain that led to the front section of the plane. “…Sick,” I finished lamely. “Damn it, now we’re going to have to return back to the airport. This day couldn’t get any worse, I swear.” Sitting back in my seat, I unbuckled the belt just as the flight attendant who had been in the coach section rushed by our seats. “And I need to use the bathroom.” “Doubt it,” Sal put in quietly. “Pilot’s all ready to go, we’re away from the gates, and there’s another plane bussing in to take off behind us right now, probably. We’re taking off. Her friend will likely give her some Gravol, set her up in their little section there, and we’ll be on our way.” A quick, vague apology sounded over the plane’s announcement system, informing the passengers it would be another minute before takeoff. Given I had a bit of time to do whatever, I decided to use the bathroom. Excusing myself from our comfortable little cubby, I made my way through to the back of the plane, ignoring the questioning gazes of other passengers in coach who were likely wondering what had happened up in first class. In the panic-worthy, small as hell bathroom, I washed my face and hands, checking my face out in the mirror as a ding sounded above me. I looked up to see the seatbelt sign had appeared just as the pilot’s voice sounded over the speakers, asking everyone to buckle up and ready for takeoff. Making my way back to my seat as quickly as possible, I had just moved in to sit down—Sal drawing in his stretched out legs to let me through—as the plane jerked forward. I yelped under my breath, trying to catch myself but between the black, peep-toe pumps with a four-inch heel on my feet, and the sudden movement, I ended up on something warm…and hard. Something that breathed, chuckled, and touched me. Sal. My brown hair created a curtain over my face. Huffing a breath and blowing strands out of my line of vision, Sal laughed in my ear, rocking both our bodies. I felt his hands skim above my knees where the flimsy material of the skirt I wore had risen up. Gooseflesh pebbled at the motion and I tried hard not to shiver when fingers grasped tightly to my legs. “You okay?” he murmured. “Because I think you’re just fine.” I nodded, trying really hard not to be embarrassed. I didn’t want to show how turned on I was by his palms to my flesh and the suggestive tone to his words. “Yeah, just surprised. I’m so—” “Don’t be,” he interrupted, voice turning huskier than I expected. “Unless you plan on moving, that is.” Teeth cut into my bottom lip as I fought the urge to exhale harshly. “I have to. We’re just about to take off, right?” The dismissive sound he made under his breath didn’t help the lust raging through my senses. Those warm hands of his skimmed a little higher under my dress, making me groan quietly, grinding my backside shamelessly against his jeans when he whispered, “You ever join the mile-high club?”
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to two young boys, two cats, and two dogs. Between the children, her full time job, the animal farm her house has turned into, and a spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something…when she can find the time.
Author Links
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Please welcome a guest post from Bethany-Kris
A Day in My Writing Life…
Very rarely do I ever get a full day of writing in. I am, after all, the mother of an almost four year old and an almost three year old. Both boys. Both hyperactive. Both seemingly part monkey and part human with way too much of me in their mischievous blue eyes.
So, my days plotted out from point to point as a writer never really works out well. I have to work it around these crazy children of mine and write when they say it is okay for me to write…or give me time, you know what I mean. Add in the fact that I work a full time job from eleven at night until seven in the morning, and I get to a point where I wonder how on earth I can crank out a story at all.
There are a few things I could not live without to make my writing happen. My laptop—it goes with me everywhere in the day around the house. I’ll jot down a sentence through breakfast, force out a couple of paragraphs while the kids are bathing, and hide on the couch while they’re zooming around the living room as I try to get all the dialogue out of my head while I still can. Secondly, my spouse. He’s a very understanding man when it comes to this artistic, crazy person I’ve somehow become in my efforts to be an author.
These two things make it all possible for me. I write between the breaks I get when my kiddos lay down for bed, hiding outside on my deck with coffee and cigarette—two vices I can’t live without—and just vomit words. I used to need quiet (before I had kids and just plain old loudness), but now I almost swear I need the noise to get anything done. Otherwise, my head is too quiet and I somehow can’t think.
I get a few short amount of time after my children lay down for the evening to when I have to leave for work that I am able to write, and I use that time to the best of my ability. Clothes will go unfolded. The dishwasher will not be unloaded. These characters have a story to tell, and I’m just the instrument they’re using to get it out.
And while I am at work, my mind isn’t at rest. My tote is full of papers that are covered back to front ni little jots of notes that I’ve stopped to scribble down throughout the night because hell, I might forget it come morning, or I’ll just be too busy to write it.
I’m always writing something…always, I just need to find the time. It’s crazy and hectic. I write what wants to be written when it says it has to be written. There’s no rhyme or reason to me, or how it all works, but it usually does.
Thanks for letting me stop by to ramble out my thoughts! *****
A Mile High by Bethany-Kris
Blurb:Olivia wants a vacation, that’s all, but when the airline screws up her plans for a getaway to the beautiful Barbados, instead putting her on a new path that intertwines with the handsome, funny, and charming Sal, she can’t say no to his offer of joining the mile high club. Their meeting is explosive, attraction intense, and when the flight ends, Olivia is unwilling to part ways but unable to voice her wants. Still, fate is at work with its own plan, and where it finishes just might not be where it ends up.
There’s nothing quite like sex at a mile high.
Buy Links Evernight Publishing Amazon ARe Bookstrand Kobo Barnes & Noble Excerpt: “All right, give me another.” Sal contemplated for another moment, placing his empty glass to the attached table beside his seat. Arms crossed over that broad chest, arms flexing and muscles straining beneath the thin t-shirt. He shifted in his seat, the dark wash jeans he wore showcasing the thick bands hidden under that fabric as well. I had a feeling this man was no stranger to hard work. I couldn’t help but watch his movements, thoroughly enjoying the show in front of me and thanking whatever gods had decided to be my friends for the day that this was the flight I had somehow managed to get put on instead of some other one with less likeable, or good-looking, characters. Screw Barbados, this Newfoundland islander was better looking than anything I could have met there. And I had a few hours of him as my first-class partner, too. The plane had already begun its taxi to the runway, the two flight attendants at either ends of the plane talking over the speakers and giving the usual safety precautions and rundown. I blocked their droning out as Sal still sat silent, leaning over the side of his seat to look down the aisle at the woman who looked like Barbie in the flesh. Jealousy raged a war through my blood. There was no way in hell that woman looked better than I did. I cleared my throat again to get his attention. Giving me a sideways glance, he nodded at the flight attendant ten feet away. “Shit-picky.” Wine choked in my lungs. “Excuse me?” “That attendant up front, that’s how she looks. Shit-picky.” Unhinged giggles were muffled by my hand. “Does that mean like a plastic doll or something, because…” Trailing off, I snorted and shrugged, “…yeah, that’s the impression I got.” He looked confused. “No, she’s turning green up there, like she isn’t well or whatever.” Wondering what in the heck he was talking about, I turned around in my seat to look as well, but the plastic partition behind my seat meant for privacy blocked my view. Leaning over my seat to look down the aisle, I could plainly see the flight attendant from earlier was indeed turning a sickly shade, and the more she spoke, the worse she looked. “I think she’s…” I didn’t get to finish my sentence before the woman ripped off her headphones and disappeared behind the curtain that led to the front section of the plane. “…Sick,” I finished lamely. “Damn it, now we’re going to have to return back to the airport. This day couldn’t get any worse, I swear.” Sitting back in my seat, I unbuckled the belt just as the flight attendant who had been in the coach section rushed by our seats. “And I need to use the bathroom.” “Doubt it,” Sal put in quietly. “Pilot’s all ready to go, we’re away from the gates, and there’s another plane bussing in to take off behind us right now, probably. We’re taking off. Her friend will likely give her some Gravol, set her up in their little section there, and we’ll be on our way.” A quick, vague apology sounded over the plane’s announcement system, informing the passengers it would be another minute before takeoff. Given I had a bit of time to do whatever, I decided to use the bathroom. Excusing myself from our comfortable little cubby, I made my way through to the back of the plane, ignoring the questioning gazes of other passengers in coach who were likely wondering what had happened up in first class. In the panic-worthy, small as hell bathroom, I washed my face and hands, checking my face out in the mirror as a ding sounded above me. I looked up to see the seatbelt sign had appeared just as the pilot’s voice sounded over the speakers, asking everyone to buckle up and ready for takeoff. Making my way back to my seat as quickly as possible, I had just moved in to sit down—Sal drawing in his stretched out legs to let me through—as the plane jerked forward. I yelped under my breath, trying to catch myself but between the black, peep-toe pumps with a four-inch heel on my feet, and the sudden movement, I ended up on something warm…and hard. Something that breathed, chuckled, and touched me. Sal. My brown hair created a curtain over my face. Huffing a breath and blowing strands out of my line of vision, Sal laughed in my ear, rocking both our bodies. I felt his hands skim above my knees where the flimsy material of the skirt I wore had risen up. Gooseflesh pebbled at the motion and I tried hard not to shiver when fingers grasped tightly to my legs. “You okay?” he murmured. “Because I think you’re just fine.” I nodded, trying really hard not to be embarrassed. I didn’t want to show how turned on I was by his palms to my flesh and the suggestive tone to his words. “Yeah, just surprised. I’m so—” “Don’t be,” he interrupted, voice turning huskier than I expected. “Unless you plan on moving, that is.” Teeth cut into my bottom lip as I fought the urge to exhale harshly. “I have to. We’re just about to take off, right?” The dismissive sound he made under his breath didn’t help the lust raging through my senses. Those warm hands of his skimmed a little higher under my dress, making me groan quietly, grinding my backside shamelessly against his jeans when he whispered, “You ever join the mile-high club?”
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to two young boys, two cats, and two dogs. Between the children, her full time job, the animal farm her house has turned into, and a spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something…when she can find the time.
Author Links
Facebook Twitter BlogSpot/website
November 13, 2013
Author, author... Tie Down My Heart by Linda Carroll-Bradd
...read all about her !!!
Today we have with us a great author and a fantastic person !!!
Today Linda Carroll-Bradd is sharing a guest post and her latest release, Tie Down My Heart.
History of The Rodeo
The major events in professional rodeo competition are an extension of the activities performed by cowboys who work with cattle. My guess is cowboys have been competing informally since the first group of vaqueros (when the southwestern part of the current day US was part of Mexico) herded cattle from one location to another. Undoubtedly, the competitions held in the 1820s and 1830s were among those on the same ranch and then this activity expanded to neighboring spreads.
But officially, after the Civil War ended, the competitions became more organized and the first official rodeo was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory in 1872. Sixteen years later in Prescott, Arizona Territory, the first professional rodeo that charged admission and awarded trophies was held. Rodeo events were incorporated into shows that traveled to the East coast and were featured in Madison Square Gardens. In the early years, the events included in a rodeo were not standardized. This changed with the emergence of rodeo associations starting in 1929.
Contemporary rodeos include events based on the working tasks of cowboys who herd and capture cattle for various purposes. Rough stock events include: calf roping, team roping, saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, bull riding and barrel racing.
Calf roping (also called tie-down roping, hence the title of my novella, Tie Down My Heart) is the oldest of the timed events. From horseback, the cowboy lassoes a running calf, the horse stops and keeps pressure on the rope while the cowboy runs to the calf, pulls it on its side and then uses a rawhide strip to tie 3 of its feet together.
Team roping involves two riders in capturing a running steer—one ropes the horns and the other lassoes the hind feet. (men and women can compete together)
Barrel racing is a timed event where a horse and rider gallop in a figure 8 around barrels without knocking over the barrels. (exclusively a women’s event at professional level)
Bronc riding can be done bareback with rider holding special rigging or with a specialized saddle. The rider must last 8 seconds and is judged on riding style.
Bull riding (sometimes called the wildest event) includes the same rigging as bareback bronc and the goal is to last 8 seconds. Because of the unpredictability of the bulls, rodeo clowns are present to divert attention away from a fallen competitor. Additional events connected with rodeos at the high school or collegiate level are goat tying, steer daubing, and pole bending.
Didi Pierpont needs an in-depth interview with a rodeo participant at the Northern Texas Regional Championships. Problem is, most of the entrants remember her from her beauty pageant days and don’t take her seriously. Right before a calf-roping event, she lines up an interview with a striking Native American cowboy. But the calf is uncooperative, and Chay Red Fox is wheeled out on a stretcher. What’s an ace reporter to do but volunteer to watch him for symptoms of a concussion?
Chay’s cocky attitude is his defense against the allure of this nosy, but so cute, reporter. He doesn’t think his soul can take another hit from a woman. But she hangs tighter than a bull rider, forcing him to question his determination to protect his privacy and his heart.
The more Didi learns about this intriguing man, the more her heart melts. Can she keep her journalistic distance, or will she succumb to the man who has her tied in knots?
Excerpt: First hurdle crossed. Didi stepped through the doorway and walked along the row of curtained spaces. Just like the fitting rooms in her favorite specialty shops. Except for the brownish grit underfoot. A shudder ran through her. She’d be leaving her boots outside on the hotel room balcony tonight.Hmmm. As she walked, she noticed the majority of the curtains were open, displaying small, empty cubicles. Somehow, she’d thought she’d find a central room with competitors hanging around and she could have her choice of subjects. Not the case. At the very end, she spotted a partially closed curtain and her heart sped up.Under the curtain was a pair of scuffed tan boots topped with worn jeans. Stopping short of the cubicle, she angled her position until she could look into the mirror and catch a glimpse of a well-muscled chest. Closer inspection revealed a small patch of black hair between his tanned pecs, bisected by a long scar. The white line started on the man’s breastbone and disappeared under the bandage he was busy wrapping around his ribs.Ooh, that injury must have hurt. Her hand moved to the skin above her camisole and rubbed, as if to erase the mark from the man’s bronze skin. Wonder what caused that type of cut?“Like what you’re gawking at?”His raspy voice made her gasp and stiffen her stance. Her gaze shot to the mirror and met narrowed, dark eyes under twin black slashes of frowning eyebrows. “Pardon my rudeness. I haven’t seen a scar quite like that.”“Must not have been around many bull riders.”“I used to live with a couple, but they were unscathed.” Her gaze went back to his chest, and her stomach tumbled at the thought of either JJ or Garland suffering through a similar injury.An eyebrow quirked, and he pulled open the curtain. “Lived with a couple? Angel, this is getting interesting.”“Oh, not what you’re thinking.” Her cheeks flamed. “They’re my older brothers—dull as dishwater.” She sucked in a breath and extended her hand. “Didi Pierpont from the Dallas County Gazette. I’m working on a piece about individuals who compete at rodeos and would love to interview you.”“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” His fingers touched the brim of his hat before his calloused hand enclosed hers and shook. “I’ll pass on the interview.”For an instant, her shoulders sagged until she pulled on the natural persistence that her daddy claimed was strengthened by years of beauty-pageant competition. “Now, don’t be hasty. A bit of press is always good for a rodeo-rider’s career. I saw those posters on my way in. The association spent a chunk of change to promote those riders.” She studied his face and thought she recognized him as a bronc rider. “A good story could boost ticket sales for the next event.”“Those posters aren’t new. Do you even know who I am?” He settled his hat more firmly on his head, then squared his stance and crossed both arms over his muscled chest.Which only pumped his biceps into rounded bulges that she fought to ignore. The man’s body was honed and chiseled with no sign of fat anywhere. “If I know, do I get the interview?”“Depends.”“On what?” Her gaze narrowed on the smirk that threatened his lips.“Dunno.” A shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I leave my options open.”
Buy Links: DecadentPublishing Amazon
About the Author:After years spent in the administrative support field, Linda decided to exercise another part of her brain and write a novel. She loved reading romance and figured that’s what she’d write. Easier said than done. After years of workshops and RWA chapter meetings, she finally saw her manuscripts place in contests. Twelve years after her first writing class, she sold a confession story. From that point on, she couldn’t be stopped and is always pleased when her sweet contemporary and historical stories find homes. With interests as widespread as baking, crocheting, watching dog agility matches, and reading thrillers by Swedish authors, Linda is the mother to 4 adult children and grandmother to 2 granddaughters. She currently lives in the southern California Mountains with her husband of 34 years and their two spoiled dogs.
Author Links: Website Blog Facebook Goodreads Twitter
Giveaway: 1st Prize Winner of a $20 Amazon GC2nd Prize Winner of a Silver Charm of Cowboy Boots
Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Today we have with us a great author and a fantastic person !!!
Today Linda Carroll-Bradd is sharing a guest post and her latest release, Tie Down My Heart.
History of The Rodeo
The major events in professional rodeo competition are an extension of the activities performed by cowboys who work with cattle. My guess is cowboys have been competing informally since the first group of vaqueros (when the southwestern part of the current day US was part of Mexico) herded cattle from one location to another. Undoubtedly, the competitions held in the 1820s and 1830s were among those on the same ranch and then this activity expanded to neighboring spreads.
But officially, after the Civil War ended, the competitions became more organized and the first official rodeo was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory in 1872. Sixteen years later in Prescott, Arizona Territory, the first professional rodeo that charged admission and awarded trophies was held. Rodeo events were incorporated into shows that traveled to the East coast and were featured in Madison Square Gardens. In the early years, the events included in a rodeo were not standardized. This changed with the emergence of rodeo associations starting in 1929.
Contemporary rodeos include events based on the working tasks of cowboys who herd and capture cattle for various purposes. Rough stock events include: calf roping, team roping, saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, bull riding and barrel racing.
Calf roping (also called tie-down roping, hence the title of my novella, Tie Down My Heart) is the oldest of the timed events. From horseback, the cowboy lassoes a running calf, the horse stops and keeps pressure on the rope while the cowboy runs to the calf, pulls it on its side and then uses a rawhide strip to tie 3 of its feet together.
Team roping involves two riders in capturing a running steer—one ropes the horns and the other lassoes the hind feet. (men and women can compete together)
Barrel racing is a timed event where a horse and rider gallop in a figure 8 around barrels without knocking over the barrels. (exclusively a women’s event at professional level)
Bronc riding can be done bareback with rider holding special rigging or with a specialized saddle. The rider must last 8 seconds and is judged on riding style.
Bull riding (sometimes called the wildest event) includes the same rigging as bareback bronc and the goal is to last 8 seconds. Because of the unpredictability of the bulls, rodeo clowns are present to divert attention away from a fallen competitor. Additional events connected with rodeos at the high school or collegiate level are goat tying, steer daubing, and pole bending.
Didi Pierpont needs an in-depth interview with a rodeo participant at the Northern Texas Regional Championships. Problem is, most of the entrants remember her from her beauty pageant days and don’t take her seriously. Right before a calf-roping event, she lines up an interview with a striking Native American cowboy. But the calf is uncooperative, and Chay Red Fox is wheeled out on a stretcher. What’s an ace reporter to do but volunteer to watch him for symptoms of a concussion? Chay’s cocky attitude is his defense against the allure of this nosy, but so cute, reporter. He doesn’t think his soul can take another hit from a woman. But she hangs tighter than a bull rider, forcing him to question his determination to protect his privacy and his heart.
The more Didi learns about this intriguing man, the more her heart melts. Can she keep her journalistic distance, or will she succumb to the man who has her tied in knots?
Excerpt: First hurdle crossed. Didi stepped through the doorway and walked along the row of curtained spaces. Just like the fitting rooms in her favorite specialty shops. Except for the brownish grit underfoot. A shudder ran through her. She’d be leaving her boots outside on the hotel room balcony tonight.Hmmm. As she walked, she noticed the majority of the curtains were open, displaying small, empty cubicles. Somehow, she’d thought she’d find a central room with competitors hanging around and she could have her choice of subjects. Not the case. At the very end, she spotted a partially closed curtain and her heart sped up.Under the curtain was a pair of scuffed tan boots topped with worn jeans. Stopping short of the cubicle, she angled her position until she could look into the mirror and catch a glimpse of a well-muscled chest. Closer inspection revealed a small patch of black hair between his tanned pecs, bisected by a long scar. The white line started on the man’s breastbone and disappeared under the bandage he was busy wrapping around his ribs.Ooh, that injury must have hurt. Her hand moved to the skin above her camisole and rubbed, as if to erase the mark from the man’s bronze skin. Wonder what caused that type of cut?“Like what you’re gawking at?”His raspy voice made her gasp and stiffen her stance. Her gaze shot to the mirror and met narrowed, dark eyes under twin black slashes of frowning eyebrows. “Pardon my rudeness. I haven’t seen a scar quite like that.”“Must not have been around many bull riders.”“I used to live with a couple, but they were unscathed.” Her gaze went back to his chest, and her stomach tumbled at the thought of either JJ or Garland suffering through a similar injury.An eyebrow quirked, and he pulled open the curtain. “Lived with a couple? Angel, this is getting interesting.”“Oh, not what you’re thinking.” Her cheeks flamed. “They’re my older brothers—dull as dishwater.” She sucked in a breath and extended her hand. “Didi Pierpont from the Dallas County Gazette. I’m working on a piece about individuals who compete at rodeos and would love to interview you.”“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” His fingers touched the brim of his hat before his calloused hand enclosed hers and shook. “I’ll pass on the interview.”For an instant, her shoulders sagged until she pulled on the natural persistence that her daddy claimed was strengthened by years of beauty-pageant competition. “Now, don’t be hasty. A bit of press is always good for a rodeo-rider’s career. I saw those posters on my way in. The association spent a chunk of change to promote those riders.” She studied his face and thought she recognized him as a bronc rider. “A good story could boost ticket sales for the next event.”“Those posters aren’t new. Do you even know who I am?” He settled his hat more firmly on his head, then squared his stance and crossed both arms over his muscled chest.Which only pumped his biceps into rounded bulges that she fought to ignore. The man’s body was honed and chiseled with no sign of fat anywhere. “If I know, do I get the interview?”“Depends.”“On what?” Her gaze narrowed on the smirk that threatened his lips.“Dunno.” A shoulder lifted in a shrug. “I leave my options open.”
Buy Links: DecadentPublishing Amazon
About the Author:After years spent in the administrative support field, Linda decided to exercise another part of her brain and write a novel. She loved reading romance and figured that’s what she’d write. Easier said than done. After years of workshops and RWA chapter meetings, she finally saw her manuscripts place in contests. Twelve years after her first writing class, she sold a confession story. From that point on, she couldn’t be stopped and is always pleased when her sweet contemporary and historical stories find homes. With interests as widespread as baking, crocheting, watching dog agility matches, and reading thrillers by Swedish authors, Linda is the mother to 4 adult children and grandmother to 2 granddaughters. She currently lives in the southern California Mountains with her husband of 34 years and their two spoiled dogs.
Author Links: Website Blog Facebook Goodreads Twitter
Giveaway: 1st Prize Winner of a $20 Amazon GC2nd Prize Winner of a Silver Charm of Cowboy Boots
Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 12, 2013
Author, author... Malicious Mischief by Marianne Harden + giveaway !!
...read all about her !!
Welcome Marianne, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m Marianne Harden, a romantic mystery writer, as well as a California beach bum turned Washington State tree-hugger, world traveler, mother of two, stepmother to two more, devoted wife, aspiring artist, Starbucks aficionado, thrift store scavenger, gym rat.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
Goodness, no! If I lived Rylie’s life, I wouldn’t get out of bed. I torture the poor girl. I swamp her with tricky affairs of the heart and make her storm right into them. Then the wind changes and I hurl her into a disaster that I, thank God, have never experienced. I’m wicked like that.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Twice I used real people as inspiration, and twice I had to change them before the book went to print. Their spot-on depiction rushed straight at me and ran into with my conscience. I hadn’t meant to capture them so dead right. Certainly, it was because I knew them well, even though decades had passed since our last meeting. And as with most things that bring a sense of relief, my decision had been a good one, as I reconnected with one of them on Facebook recently. Someday I’ll fess up and we’ll both laugh about it. That said, I’m still glad I changed the character. He was a pisser.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
I happily and unhappily find inspiration all over the place. A costumed crowd becomes a murder scene, a shopping cart a weapon, a sun-speckled forest a spot for a little ‘luv’, or even a doctor’s office turns into a clue finding adventure. It’s almost too easy to find yourself working every moment, day and night, as I’ve also had dreams that inspired scenes or dialogue.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed? Fluid writing is so hit or miss that I seem to write all day waiting for those special moments to strike. I never feel as if I write enough words each day, and I never like what I write at the time. Be that as it may, writing feels most fruitful in the afternoon. Maybe because it’s closer to cocktails and dinner. I offer no protests when my foodie husband whips up a meal and cracks opens a bottle of wine. I’m a simple woman.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
Kill me now. Childbirth was easier. I’m a people person, but pushing myself on others comes with all the discomfort and awkwardness as begging with a tin cup. Despite that, I love interacting with friends and soon-to-be-friends on social media. It’s the pimping of my wares that sticks in my craw.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
No surprise here, it's the two major players: Twitter & Facebook.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
I don’t like to waste time writing what publishers don’t think they can sell. Because of that, a story may begin and end with a partial and synopsis. But what the heck, there are many more plots just waiting for a chance to spring to life.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
Steampunk. It blows me away, and writing a Steampunk romantic mystery series would be the bomb. I love the period, the extravagant science, the clothes, and the way they talk. But most of all I love the idea of writing something—anything Dickensian.
'Oh! For God's sake let me go!' cried Oliver; 'let me run away and die in the fields. I will never come near London; never, never! Oh! pray have mercy on me, and do not make me steal. For the love of all the bright Angels that rest in Heaven, have mercy upon me!'
For me, it doesn’t get any better than Charles Dickens.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
Sometimes when I look into my eyes in the mirror, I see a bit of Rylie, mostly in her indecisiveness and reluctance to hurt her Granddad. Her story, of course, both past and present, differs from mine. However, we both have a tendency to go along with what others want for us rather than forging ahead on our own, though Rylie grows more of a backbone than I’ve ever managed to do.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Harrison Ford
2) Favorite vehicle – Vintage Volkswagen Beetle convertible
3) Favorite way to relax – Wine, lots of wine!
4) Favorite ice cream – Black Licorice
5) Favorite outfit – Fleece pajamas
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Cornwall, England
Where can our readers find you??
Email: harden.marianne4@gmail.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/MarianneHarden
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarianneHarden
Website/blog: http://www.marianneharden.com/Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marianne-Harden/e/B00CH7QU26/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6572367.Marianne_Harden
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
MALICIOUS MISCHIEF
a fun, flirty romantic mystery. And the first of many Rylie Keyes mysteries.
Blurb: Is it strange to have the unemployment office on speed dial? Not for twenty-four-year-old college dropout Rylie Keyes. However, her current job at a small retirement home is worlds more important than all her past gigs. Fact is, if she loses this job, she’ll fail to stop the forced sale of her grandfather’s home, a modest lakeside bungalow that has been in the family for ages. But to keep her job she needs to figure out the truth behind the death of a senior citizen found murdered in her care.
The victim was thought to be a penniless man with a silly grudge against Rylie. However, his enemies will do whatever it takes to keep their part in his murder secret.
Forced to dust off the PI training she must keep hidden from her ex-detective grandfather, Rylie has to juggle the attentions of two very sexy, very different cops who both arouse and fluster her at the same time. And as she trudges through the case, she has no idea that along the way she just might win, or lose, a little piece of her heart.
http://www.entangledpublishing.com/malicious-mischief/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16129273-malicious-mischief
Excerpt:
I managed to look down. Froze. Zach’s jacket had somehow twisted to the front, leaving my butt out in the open. I started to tug it back into place, spied a huge pool of blood nearby, and keeled over. Splat.“Isn’t that somethin’, you’re wearing a pink thong.” Cokey Bill’s voice sounded distant. “Doris won’t wear one, on account of her incontinence.”Dizzily, I struggled to my knees, staggered a little, then righted with a hand to one of the orange boxes for support. “Mr. Oley—we need to get—help. Doris needs—help.”“Ah, that’s the sweetest thing, you moving over like that. I got a nice view now.”I lapsed into a moment of stillness, hand to my heart. I had a strong feeling nothing could be done for Doris, so I wanted to give Cokey Bill a moment with his wife.“Rare and beautiful thing, a nice ass,” he said.Omigod! “Are you kidding me? You pervert. You’re looking at my butt!”“I’m a simple man,” he said.“You should be ashamed—” I broke off when his eyes went glassy. “Mr. Oley, are you all right?”He sunk lower in his seat, grinned, and sagged against the steering wheel, making the horn blare with his pointy nose.I couldn’t move, couldn’t blink. This wasn’t happening.Solo popped his head inside the open passenger door. “Holy crap!”“Where have you been?” I managed.“Watching some bunnies in the bushes.” He looked from Cokey Bill to Doris and back to me. “What did you do, whisper them to death?”“No!” I said, gulping air. “Check his pulse.” Then I closed my eyes to the blood and straddled Doris to do my best with CPR. It didn’t matter that I thought it was useless, I couldn’t give up on her or Cokey Bill. A minute later, I eyed Solo. “How’s he doing?”He shook his head, shoulders slumped. “Dead.”The blood left my face, I felt it go, drip by bloody drip. “You sure?”He nodded. “Pretty darn.”I dragged my eyes off Cokey Bill and went back to work on Doris. The shock and effort made me woozier. My panting and the footsteps outside sounded as one. When the truck’s rear doors flew open, my heart skipped a beat.“Holy Mother Mary!” Zach said.Fish and guts streamed out in a silver wave. Zach leaped back. I grabbed for something, anything, but my hands were slimy. The truck’s sharp angle made it worse. I missed a hand strap, but fisted some of Doris’s shirt. She wasn’t moving, probably caught on something. I heard a ripping noise. Ack! She was on the loose.A jaunty slippery-slide over the rear bumper whipped me higher than a bucking horse. We bounced onto the pavement, bounced again. It turned out Doris was kind of springy. Even so, we went splat, a bouncy splat that whipped me onto my back, my knees heavenward, and my arms above my head. I opened one eye, peered up at Zach; his eyes were steely.
“I can explain.”
Reviews:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/736173579
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/733545048
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/736870046
One last thing before we let you leave us today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.
A Pacific Northwest Favorite: Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients
· 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/2 lemon, juiced
· 1 cup white sugar, or to taste
· 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
· 1 tablespoon butter, melted
· 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
· 4 teaspoons baking powder
· 6 tablespoons white sugar
· 5 tablespoons butter
· 1 cup milk
· 2 teaspoons sugar
· 1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. This can store in the refrigerator for 2 days.
* * * * * *
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Marianne, thanks so much for visiting with us today! Your book sounds delightful and I always love a good mystery :)I do have to say that i'm especially excited for the Blueberry Cobbler. That's one fruit that's a favorite in our house!!
Readers, thanks so much for stopping by and make sure you get your copy of Malicious Mischief !!
Until next time, happy reading !
Krista
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Welcome Marianne, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m Marianne Harden, a romantic mystery writer, as well as a California beach bum turned Washington State tree-hugger, world traveler, mother of two, stepmother to two more, devoted wife, aspiring artist, Starbucks aficionado, thrift store scavenger, gym rat.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
Goodness, no! If I lived Rylie’s life, I wouldn’t get out of bed. I torture the poor girl. I swamp her with tricky affairs of the heart and make her storm right into them. Then the wind changes and I hurl her into a disaster that I, thank God, have never experienced. I’m wicked like that.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
Twice I used real people as inspiration, and twice I had to change them before the book went to print. Their spot-on depiction rushed straight at me and ran into with my conscience. I hadn’t meant to capture them so dead right. Certainly, it was because I knew them well, even though decades had passed since our last meeting. And as with most things that bring a sense of relief, my decision had been a good one, as I reconnected with one of them on Facebook recently. Someday I’ll fess up and we’ll both laugh about it. That said, I’m still glad I changed the character. He was a pisser.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
I happily and unhappily find inspiration all over the place. A costumed crowd becomes a murder scene, a shopping cart a weapon, a sun-speckled forest a spot for a little ‘luv’, or even a doctor’s office turns into a clue finding adventure. It’s almost too easy to find yourself working every moment, day and night, as I’ve also had dreams that inspired scenes or dialogue.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed? Fluid writing is so hit or miss that I seem to write all day waiting for those special moments to strike. I never feel as if I write enough words each day, and I never like what I write at the time. Be that as it may, writing feels most fruitful in the afternoon. Maybe because it’s closer to cocktails and dinner. I offer no protests when my foodie husband whips up a meal and cracks opens a bottle of wine. I’m a simple woman.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
Kill me now. Childbirth was easier. I’m a people person, but pushing myself on others comes with all the discomfort and awkwardness as begging with a tin cup. Despite that, I love interacting with friends and soon-to-be-friends on social media. It’s the pimping of my wares that sticks in my craw.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
No surprise here, it's the two major players: Twitter & Facebook.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
I don’t like to waste time writing what publishers don’t think they can sell. Because of that, a story may begin and end with a partial and synopsis. But what the heck, there are many more plots just waiting for a chance to spring to life.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
Steampunk. It blows me away, and writing a Steampunk romantic mystery series would be the bomb. I love the period, the extravagant science, the clothes, and the way they talk. But most of all I love the idea of writing something—anything Dickensian.
'Oh! For God's sake let me go!' cried Oliver; 'let me run away and die in the fields. I will never come near London; never, never! Oh! pray have mercy on me, and do not make me steal. For the love of all the bright Angels that rest in Heaven, have mercy upon me!'
For me, it doesn’t get any better than Charles Dickens.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
Sometimes when I look into my eyes in the mirror, I see a bit of Rylie, mostly in her indecisiveness and reluctance to hurt her Granddad. Her story, of course, both past and present, differs from mine. However, we both have a tendency to go along with what others want for us rather than forging ahead on our own, though Rylie grows more of a backbone than I’ve ever managed to do.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Harrison Ford
2) Favorite vehicle – Vintage Volkswagen Beetle convertible
3) Favorite way to relax – Wine, lots of wine!
4) Favorite ice cream – Black Licorice
5) Favorite outfit – Fleece pajamas
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Cornwall, England
Where can our readers find you??
Email: harden.marianne4@gmail.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/MarianneHarden
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarianneHarden
Website/blog: http://www.marianneharden.com/Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marianne-Harden/e/B00CH7QU26/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6572367.Marianne_Harden
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
MALICIOUS MISCHIEF
a fun, flirty romantic mystery. And the first of many Rylie Keyes mysteries.
Blurb: Is it strange to have the unemployment office on speed dial? Not for twenty-four-year-old college dropout Rylie Keyes. However, her current job at a small retirement home is worlds more important than all her past gigs. Fact is, if she loses this job, she’ll fail to stop the forced sale of her grandfather’s home, a modest lakeside bungalow that has been in the family for ages. But to keep her job she needs to figure out the truth behind the death of a senior citizen found murdered in her care.
The victim was thought to be a penniless man with a silly grudge against Rylie. However, his enemies will do whatever it takes to keep their part in his murder secret.
Forced to dust off the PI training she must keep hidden from her ex-detective grandfather, Rylie has to juggle the attentions of two very sexy, very different cops who both arouse and fluster her at the same time. And as she trudges through the case, she has no idea that along the way she just might win, or lose, a little piece of her heart.
http://www.entangledpublishing.com/malicious-mischief/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16129273-malicious-mischief
Excerpt:
I managed to look down. Froze. Zach’s jacket had somehow twisted to the front, leaving my butt out in the open. I started to tug it back into place, spied a huge pool of blood nearby, and keeled over. Splat.“Isn’t that somethin’, you’re wearing a pink thong.” Cokey Bill’s voice sounded distant. “Doris won’t wear one, on account of her incontinence.”Dizzily, I struggled to my knees, staggered a little, then righted with a hand to one of the orange boxes for support. “Mr. Oley—we need to get—help. Doris needs—help.”“Ah, that’s the sweetest thing, you moving over like that. I got a nice view now.”I lapsed into a moment of stillness, hand to my heart. I had a strong feeling nothing could be done for Doris, so I wanted to give Cokey Bill a moment with his wife.“Rare and beautiful thing, a nice ass,” he said.Omigod! “Are you kidding me? You pervert. You’re looking at my butt!”“I’m a simple man,” he said.“You should be ashamed—” I broke off when his eyes went glassy. “Mr. Oley, are you all right?”He sunk lower in his seat, grinned, and sagged against the steering wheel, making the horn blare with his pointy nose.I couldn’t move, couldn’t blink. This wasn’t happening.Solo popped his head inside the open passenger door. “Holy crap!”“Where have you been?” I managed.“Watching some bunnies in the bushes.” He looked from Cokey Bill to Doris and back to me. “What did you do, whisper them to death?”“No!” I said, gulping air. “Check his pulse.” Then I closed my eyes to the blood and straddled Doris to do my best with CPR. It didn’t matter that I thought it was useless, I couldn’t give up on her or Cokey Bill. A minute later, I eyed Solo. “How’s he doing?”He shook his head, shoulders slumped. “Dead.”The blood left my face, I felt it go, drip by bloody drip. “You sure?”He nodded. “Pretty darn.”I dragged my eyes off Cokey Bill and went back to work on Doris. The shock and effort made me woozier. My panting and the footsteps outside sounded as one. When the truck’s rear doors flew open, my heart skipped a beat.“Holy Mother Mary!” Zach said.Fish and guts streamed out in a silver wave. Zach leaped back. I grabbed for something, anything, but my hands were slimy. The truck’s sharp angle made it worse. I missed a hand strap, but fisted some of Doris’s shirt. She wasn’t moving, probably caught on something. I heard a ripping noise. Ack! She was on the loose.A jaunty slippery-slide over the rear bumper whipped me higher than a bucking horse. We bounced onto the pavement, bounced again. It turned out Doris was kind of springy. Even so, we went splat, a bouncy splat that whipped me onto my back, my knees heavenward, and my arms above my head. I opened one eye, peered up at Zach; his eyes were steely.
“I can explain.”
Reviews:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/736173579
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/733545048
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/736870046
One last thing before we let you leave us today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.
A Pacific Northwest Favorite: Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients
· 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1/2 lemon, juiced
· 1 cup white sugar, or to taste
· 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
· 1 tablespoon butter, melted
· 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
· 4 teaspoons baking powder
· 6 tablespoons white sugar
· 5 tablespoons butter
· 1 cup milk
· 2 teaspoons sugar
· 1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. This can store in the refrigerator for 2 days.
* * * * * *
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Marianne, thanks so much for visiting with us today! Your book sounds delightful and I always love a good mystery :)I do have to say that i'm especially excited for the Blueberry Cobbler. That's one fruit that's a favorite in our house!!
Readers, thanks so much for stopping by and make sure you get your copy of Malicious Mischief !!
Until next time, happy reading !
Krista
November 5, 2013
Author, author... Stolen Time by Angela Rae Harris & Giveaway
...read all about her !!
Running just a tad behind today but we're thrilled that we have the talented Angela Rae Harris here to share a bit about herself!!
Welcome Angela, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you for having me! I am a work-at-home mother of two, a five year old girl and a two year old boy. I live in Northern Utah currently, but call the small town of Price in Central Utah my hometown. I love to be outdoors and anything to do with an ocean.
Do real life events find their way into your stories?
I think there are real life situations in my stories. In Stolen Time, Keaira has a traumatic experience that changed her life. She has to find the strength in herself to move on from that and live her life on her own terms. On the other hand, the reason I love to read and write is to leave the worries and the stress of real life behind, to enjoy seeing a new world unfold. I want the same for my readers.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
I would say most of my secondary characters are based on real people in my life. The history teacher in the beginning of Stolen Time is basically my high school history teacher. It was my way of leaving a little tribute to him and saying thank you.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
Finding an inspiration for my stories is easy for me. I see it in the people I meet, the songs I listen to and even the things my five year old says. It is always different. After I start writing the characters pretty much take it from there. They tell the story after I come up with the idea.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
Writing on a schedule is difficult for me. I have a part job and I’m a full time mom. Usually nap time is my writing time. This time of year is hunting season though, and my husband is an avid hunter. That means after the kids go to bed I’ll be writing until midnight or so. I love to write when the house is quiet.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
This is my debut. I’m new to it, but I’m enjoying it. I believe in soft marketing, reserving time and energy I have at the end of the day for writing the second book in The Time Series, Present Thought.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
Facebook and twitter are the big ones right now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring though. That is why keeping your website and blog up-to-date is important. Facebooks will come and go but your website is yours forever.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
I sent the manuscript for Present Thought, the second book in the series, into Tri-Destiny Publishing and was offered a contract. However, they felt something was missing and it would give me the opportunity to grow as a writer if I wrote a prequel. I pitched Stolen Time to them. They asked me to write it and here we are ten months later.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
Writing in the New Adult genre is where I’ve always wanted to be. I like to try new things though. I do think that writing science fiction would be fun and I have outlined a contemporary romance based on a dear friend’s battle with cancer.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
This is a great question! I don’t really see myself as my heroine. She is much stronger than I am. Sometimes I think that she represents a part of me, the part that would do anything for those that they love. I would think all mothers feel that way though.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Robert Downey Jr.
2) Favorite vehicle – Such a hard question for me! I really love old trucks, like a ’37 Chevy.
3) Favorite way to relax – Curl up on the coach watching a movie with my husband.
4) Favorite ice cream – Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Brownie
5) Favorite outfit – My favorite shoes – brown felt boots with a line of fringe down the side. If I wear these, whatever else I’m wearing becomes my favorite outfit.
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
I love that I have mountains where I live now. The only thing that would make Utah better would be a beach. New Zealand would be the perfect place for me. It has a large mountain range and a beautiful ocean. I’d even take just a few weeks there. J
Where can our readers find you?? Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorARHarris
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAngela.Harris
Website/blog: www.angelaraeharris.com
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Thank you! Stolen Time is a New Adult/Urban Fantasy novella that was released on October 22nd.
Tragedy has made Keaira wise beyond her twenty years. Forced to work for the General, a commanding man who blackmailed his way into her life, she was ordered to study self-defense and master knife throwing. In the hidden community of Shifters, falcons are considered weak, a fact which may ultimately save her life. To escape his cruelty, she will need to call upon her quick-witted falcon side, but the General has other plans – ones which involve his only son, Carson. When unexpected feelings form between Keaira and Carson, the General quickly moves his pieces into place, launching his quest to take over the world. If she wants to survive, Keaira must stay one step ahead in the General’s deadly game and discover his weaknesses. Even if it means risking her life and the lives of those she cares about most. With war on the horizon, sides are being drawn. Deadly secrets must be exposed. Time is running out for Keaira and all of mankind. Buy Links: Amazon B&N
* * * * * *
One last thing before we let you leave us today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.
I am not a very good cook. In fact, my husband makes dinner at our house. I do, however, love to bake. Mostly deserts. My favorite this time of year is Peach Cobbler:
You’ll need:
½ cup of butter
½ cup of flour
½ cup of sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup of milk
3 cups of PEELED sliced peaches
½ teaspoon of vanilla
½ cup of sugar (for later)
2 small bowls and a 9X9 baking dish
Slice and peel peaches (I think it is easier to cut them into slices then take the skin off each slice) leave a small bowl. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and pour it evenly into the 9X9 baking dish. Blend flour, sugar, baking powder and milk together in a small bowl. Pour over butter in the baking dish. Add vanilla to sliced peaches; carefully stir peaches around to evenly spread the vanilla. Pour peaches over the flour mix in the baking dish. Sprinkle ½ cup of sugar over the peaches. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
* * * * *
Don't forget the giveaway :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Running just a tad behind today but we're thrilled that we have the talented Angela Rae Harris here to share a bit about herself!!
Welcome Angela, so great to have you here with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you for having me! I am a work-at-home mother of two, a five year old girl and a two year old boy. I live in Northern Utah currently, but call the small town of Price in Central Utah my hometown. I love to be outdoors and anything to do with an ocean.Do real life events find their way into your stories?
I think there are real life situations in my stories. In Stolen Time, Keaira has a traumatic experience that changed her life. She has to find the strength in herself to move on from that and live her life on her own terms. On the other hand, the reason I love to read and write is to leave the worries and the stress of real life behind, to enjoy seeing a new world unfold. I want the same for my readers.
Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?
I would say most of my secondary characters are based on real people in my life. The history teacher in the beginning of Stolen Time is basically my high school history teacher. It was my way of leaving a little tribute to him and saying thank you.
Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?
Finding an inspiration for my stories is easy for me. I see it in the people I meet, the songs I listen to and even the things my five year old says. It is always different. After I start writing the characters pretty much take it from there. They tell the story after I come up with the idea.
When do you write? Early morning? During the day sometime or all day? After the kids go to bed?
Writing on a schedule is difficult for me. I have a part job and I’m a full time mom. Usually nap time is my writing time. This time of year is hunting season though, and my husband is an avid hunter. That means after the kids go to bed I’ll be writing until midnight or so. I love to write when the house is quiet.
How do you feel about marketing your book?
This is my debut. I’m new to it, but I’m enjoying it. I believe in soft marketing, reserving time and energy I have at the end of the day for writing the second book in The Time Series, Present Thought.
What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?
Facebook and twitter are the big ones right now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring though. That is why keeping your website and blog up-to-date is important. Facebooks will come and go but your website is yours forever.
Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?
I sent the manuscript for Present Thought, the second book in the series, into Tri-Destiny Publishing and was offered a contract. However, they felt something was missing and it would give me the opportunity to grow as a writer if I wrote a prequel. I pitched Stolen Time to them. They asked me to write it and here we are ten months later.
Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing? If so, what is it?
Writing in the New Adult genre is where I’ve always wanted to be. I like to try new things though. I do think that writing science fiction would be fun and I have outlined a contemporary romance based on a dear friend’s battle with cancer.
Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?
This is a great question! I don’t really see myself as my heroine. She is much stronger than I am. Sometimes I think that she represents a part of me, the part that would do anything for those that they love. I would think all mothers feel that way though.
Just for fun, I have a few personal questions,
Favorite 5
1) Favorite Male Actor - Robert Downey Jr.
2) Favorite vehicle – Such a hard question for me! I really love old trucks, like a ’37 Chevy.
3) Favorite way to relax – Curl up on the coach watching a movie with my husband.
4) Favorite ice cream – Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Brownie
5) Favorite outfit – My favorite shoes – brown felt boots with a line of fringe down the side. If I wear these, whatever else I’m wearing becomes my favorite outfit.
And for a bonus: If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be? (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
I love that I have mountains where I live now. The only thing that would make Utah better would be a beach. New Zealand would be the perfect place for me. It has a large mountain range and a beautiful ocean. I’d even take just a few weeks there. J
Where can our readers find you?? Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorARHarris
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAngela.Harris
Website/blog: www.angelaraeharris.com
Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Thank you! Stolen Time is a New Adult/Urban Fantasy novella that was released on October 22nd.
Tragedy has made Keaira wise beyond her twenty years. Forced to work for the General, a commanding man who blackmailed his way into her life, she was ordered to study self-defense and master knife throwing. In the hidden community of Shifters, falcons are considered weak, a fact which may ultimately save her life. To escape his cruelty, she will need to call upon her quick-witted falcon side, but the General has other plans – ones which involve his only son, Carson. When unexpected feelings form between Keaira and Carson, the General quickly moves his pieces into place, launching his quest to take over the world. If she wants to survive, Keaira must stay one step ahead in the General’s deadly game and discover his weaknesses. Even if it means risking her life and the lives of those she cares about most. With war on the horizon, sides are being drawn. Deadly secrets must be exposed. Time is running out for Keaira and all of mankind. Buy Links: Amazon B&N * * * * * *
One last thing before we let you leave us today. Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.
I am not a very good cook. In fact, my husband makes dinner at our house. I do, however, love to bake. Mostly deserts. My favorite this time of year is Peach Cobbler:
You’ll need:
½ cup of butter
½ cup of flour
½ cup of sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup of milk
3 cups of PEELED sliced peaches
½ teaspoon of vanilla
½ cup of sugar (for later)
2 small bowls and a 9X9 baking dish
Slice and peel peaches (I think it is easier to cut them into slices then take the skin off each slice) leave a small bowl. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and pour it evenly into the 9X9 baking dish. Blend flour, sugar, baking powder and milk together in a small bowl. Pour over butter in the baking dish. Add vanilla to sliced peaches; carefully stir peaches around to evenly spread the vanilla. Pour peaches over the flour mix in the baking dish. Sprinkle ½ cup of sugar over the peaches. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
* * * * *
Don't forget the giveaway :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tasty Book Blast ~ Lacy by Krista Kedrick ~ FREEBIE DAYS
Today is the last day to get Lacy free !!
Lacy: The Doves of Primrose
By: Krista Kedrick
BlurbLacy Weston… or is it Campbell? Hell her husband took off so fast he may as well take his name with him. She is trying to run the historic family bed and breakfast out in the middle of the prairie while coping with her husband’s desertion, trying to keep up with
her two best friends and oh yeah, the movie production that has landed in the middle of The Dove House and taken over, bringing former rodeo champion, famous actor and Lacy’s old flame with it.The last thing Lacy needs…
Kyle McClintock is back in Primrose to shoot his latest western blockbuster and to see if the passion he and Lacy Weston had so many years ago could be reclaimed. Yes, he had ulterior motives when requesting his old hometown for the set, but he may get more than he bargained for. Strange happenings, hot tempers and Indian summer nights may prove too much for this cowboy.
Nobody ever said it was easy loving a Weston.
Trailer: http://youtu.be/D0F_JWgPHK4
Buy LinksAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lacy-The-Doves-Primrose-ebook/dp/B00DCWJC7U/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1371345625&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=lacy%2C+the+doves+of+primrose
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lacy-krista-kedrick/1115620900?ean=2940016709284
Author Info
Hi y’all! I’m Krista Kedrick and I’m a country loving writer. I write stories with the country way of life in mind. Yes, they have cowboys and cowgirls, ranches, tractors, dogs, children and your occasional bar room brawl, but in the end they are down home people who do the right thing and find a love more powerful and promising than your everyday story. Because that’s how we are. Everything is stronger, more passionate and long-lasting.I write from my home state of Nebraska while living my dream life (well, almost). I have an amazing husband, two of the cutest daughters on the prairie and a Basset Hound who teaches me the meaning of the word “patience”.
Kick back and enjoy my books about the country life-- but keep your boots off my coffee table.
Author Linkswww.kristakedrick.com www.confessionsofacountrywriter.com (video/audio blog) https://www.facebook.com/KristaKedrickFans https://twitter.com/KristaKedrick http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5106974.Krista_Kedrick
Link to Follow Tour:http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/08/now-booking-book-blast-for-doves-of.html
November 3, 2013
Author, author...Marry Me Guest Post & Giveaway
...read all about it !!
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Please welcome a guest post from Kristin Wallace
1-How I Got Here – This Author’s JourneyI was about 25 when I had the great epiphany that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Specifically…novel writing. I don’t know why this notion didn’t occur to me earlier. I’d always been a voracious reader (which I blame entirely on my mother). I didn’t just play Barbie’s…those dolls endured soap opera-like sagas. I’d actually started writing stories as far back as high school. But I never connected that with an actual career. I didn’t major in something useful like English or Journalism in college. Instead, I was a theatre major.After college I drifted for a long time, unsure what I wanted to do. Then this bolt of lightening struck and told me to be a writer. For the next few years I wrote and submitted….and I got absolutely nowhere. At the same time, I was still no closer to finding a career that would let me do important things…like buy food and pay rent. I needed something where I could write and be creative, but actually get paid.So, I stumbled on another career that I’d never considered…advertising. Specifically, I wanted to be an advertising copywriter. So, I put the writing dream aside and went back to school for the next 2 years. Then I started working. At some point I started writing again. That’s when I had another “great epiphany”. One afternoon I was sitting at my computer working on an outline for a new book and I literally stopped with my hands on the keyboard –and said to myself. “You’ve been doing this writing thing for 10 years and it hasn’t gone away…that has to mean something.”I knew I had to try again. I joined Romance Writers of America and my local chapter, Florida Romance Writers. I quickly discovered that I knew absolutely nothing about actual writing. I started to learn, though. One thing I learned is that the selling a book to an agent or editor starts with a pitch. You have to be able to describe your 300 page book in one paragraph or less. Imagine my surprise when I realized that wrestling large, complicated subjects into a line and a paragraph of copy was exactly what I did every day for my day job. I also got into the game at a time when publishing was undergoing a radical change. Authors were doing more and more marketing for themselves. Then the advent of epublishers and self-publishing exploded. Both of those avenues are all about marketing, and I’d spent the last decade of my life learning all the skills I would need to sell…myself. Of course, the awaited book contract still didn’t come right away. It took 6 more years and more “no’s” than I can count. But FINALLY…on May 10, 2013…I got a yes and sold my first book to Astraea Press.
Marry Me
By: Kristin Wallace
Blurb [image error] She'd vowed never to fall in love...
Julia Richardson is no fan of weddings. A lifetime of watching her parents treat relationships like the flavor of the month has taught her that love is for fools. Then she learns her former stepsister is having a crisis with her pregnancy. The crisis has Julia returning to the small Southern town – and the family – she’s been avoiding for years. Before she knows it, Julia’s been pressed into service running her former stepsister’s wedding planning business, Marry Me.
Julia doesn’t know a garter from a garden hose, but now she must navigate couples along the bumpy path down the aisle - despite wardrobe malfunctions, killer bees, and plenty of near disasters. In the midst of it all, Julia makes the most unexpected discovery of all…Love, with Seth Graham, the widowed local minister! Julia’s been running from love and everything spiritual for most of her life. It’s not until she finds the courage to stop running that she finds her own “I Do” moment.
Buy Links: Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Me-Kristin-Wallace-ebook/dp/B00G4UN1UQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382632992&sr=8-1&keywords=marry me kristin wallace Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marry-me-kristin-wallace/1117237787?ean=2940148391678 Astraea Press: http://astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=29172320
Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/09/now-booking-tasty-virtual-book-tour-for_5.html
Author Info [image error] Growing up Kristin devoured books like bags of Dove Dark Chocolate. Everything from Nancy Drew & Encyclopedia Brown to C.S. Lewis and the Sweet Valley High series. Later she discovered romance novels. It’s no surprise then that Kristin would one day try her hand at writing them. She writes inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with love, laughter and a leap of faith. In May 2013, Kristin sold her first novel, MARRY ME, to Astraea Press. Publication date to come! When she’s not writing her next novel, Kristin works as an advertising copywriter. She also enjoys singing in her church choir and playing flute in a community orchestra.
Author Linkshttp://authorkristinwallace.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/Kristin.L.Wallace?fref=ts
Excerpt - Opening
The past is like a revolving door, and if people aren’t careful it’ll come back and whop them in the backside. Hard.Like Julia Richardson’s just did.“Julia, we… Sarah needs you. It’s the baby.”Two sentences, barely audible, as her former stepsister’s husband fought to get the words out. Those two sentences had Julia behind the wheel in the dead of night, headed back to the small Southern town — and the family — she’d successfully avoided for fifteen years.She looked in the rearview mirror and spotted an errant, titian-colored curl sticking straight up. With a stifled groan, she mashed it down. Ah, humidity, such a lovely thing. The farther south she got, the more it curled. By the time she reached her destination she expected to look like a dead ringer for a certain redheaded, singing orphan. If said orphan was a full-figured Amazon with a bad attitude.By the time Julia drove past the quaintly painted sign, which proclaimed she was entering Covington Falls, Georgia — Covington for the founding family, Falls for the trickle of water which emptied into Lake Rice, the name of the other founding family — the sun was blazing. Surprisingly, she knew exactly where to go. Or maybe not so surprising since it didn’t look like much had changed in fifteen years. It still looked like a small and dainty cousin of Savannah.She turned down a tree-lined lane that could have doubled for a 50s television show and a moment later pulled into the driveway of Grace’s house. A white, two-story Colonial number with a wrap-around porch, complete with a swing. Rounding out this picture of all-American perfection was an honest to goodness white picket fence. Julia stared at the house, wondering what in the world she was doing here. She so didn’t belong in a place like this.Before she could back out of the driveway, the front door opened, and a woman stepped out onto the porch.Grace. Ex-stepmother #2. Mother of Sarah and the reason for the midnight run.Julia got out of the car unsure what kind of reception to expect. Before she knew it, Grace flew down the stairs with arms outstretched.A familiar scent of cookies and violets invaded her senses. Exactly the way an angel might smell, she imagined. When she ‘d been thirteen, and angry at the world, she hadn’t been able to hug Grace back. Now Julia did. Then didn’t want to let go.Grace pulled back, taking Julia’s face in her warm hands. “How I’ve missed you.”“You have?”She smiled. “You have no idea.”
Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 Amazon or B&N Gift Card)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
[image error]
Please welcome a guest post from Kristin Wallace
1-How I Got Here – This Author’s JourneyI was about 25 when I had the great epiphany that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Specifically…novel writing. I don’t know why this notion didn’t occur to me earlier. I’d always been a voracious reader (which I blame entirely on my mother). I didn’t just play Barbie’s…those dolls endured soap opera-like sagas. I’d actually started writing stories as far back as high school. But I never connected that with an actual career. I didn’t major in something useful like English or Journalism in college. Instead, I was a theatre major.After college I drifted for a long time, unsure what I wanted to do. Then this bolt of lightening struck and told me to be a writer. For the next few years I wrote and submitted….and I got absolutely nowhere. At the same time, I was still no closer to finding a career that would let me do important things…like buy food and pay rent. I needed something where I could write and be creative, but actually get paid.So, I stumbled on another career that I’d never considered…advertising. Specifically, I wanted to be an advertising copywriter. So, I put the writing dream aside and went back to school for the next 2 years. Then I started working. At some point I started writing again. That’s when I had another “great epiphany”. One afternoon I was sitting at my computer working on an outline for a new book and I literally stopped with my hands on the keyboard –and said to myself. “You’ve been doing this writing thing for 10 years and it hasn’t gone away…that has to mean something.”I knew I had to try again. I joined Romance Writers of America and my local chapter, Florida Romance Writers. I quickly discovered that I knew absolutely nothing about actual writing. I started to learn, though. One thing I learned is that the selling a book to an agent or editor starts with a pitch. You have to be able to describe your 300 page book in one paragraph or less. Imagine my surprise when I realized that wrestling large, complicated subjects into a line and a paragraph of copy was exactly what I did every day for my day job. I also got into the game at a time when publishing was undergoing a radical change. Authors were doing more and more marketing for themselves. Then the advent of epublishers and self-publishing exploded. Both of those avenues are all about marketing, and I’d spent the last decade of my life learning all the skills I would need to sell…myself. Of course, the awaited book contract still didn’t come right away. It took 6 more years and more “no’s” than I can count. But FINALLY…on May 10, 2013…I got a yes and sold my first book to Astraea Press.
Marry Me
By: Kristin Wallace
Blurb [image error] She'd vowed never to fall in love...
Julia Richardson is no fan of weddings. A lifetime of watching her parents treat relationships like the flavor of the month has taught her that love is for fools. Then she learns her former stepsister is having a crisis with her pregnancy. The crisis has Julia returning to the small Southern town – and the family – she’s been avoiding for years. Before she knows it, Julia’s been pressed into service running her former stepsister’s wedding planning business, Marry Me.
Julia doesn’t know a garter from a garden hose, but now she must navigate couples along the bumpy path down the aisle - despite wardrobe malfunctions, killer bees, and plenty of near disasters. In the midst of it all, Julia makes the most unexpected discovery of all…Love, with Seth Graham, the widowed local minister! Julia’s been running from love and everything spiritual for most of her life. It’s not until she finds the courage to stop running that she finds her own “I Do” moment.
Buy Links: Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Me-Kristin-Wallace-ebook/dp/B00G4UN1UQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382632992&sr=8-1&keywords=marry me kristin wallace Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marry-me-kristin-wallace/1117237787?ean=2940148391678 Astraea Press: http://astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/category=662245&id=29172320
Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/09/now-booking-tasty-virtual-book-tour-for_5.html
Author Info [image error] Growing up Kristin devoured books like bags of Dove Dark Chocolate. Everything from Nancy Drew & Encyclopedia Brown to C.S. Lewis and the Sweet Valley High series. Later she discovered romance novels. It’s no surprise then that Kristin would one day try her hand at writing them. She writes inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with love, laughter and a leap of faith. In May 2013, Kristin sold her first novel, MARRY ME, to Astraea Press. Publication date to come! When she’s not writing her next novel, Kristin works as an advertising copywriter. She also enjoys singing in her church choir and playing flute in a community orchestra.
Author Linkshttp://authorkristinwallace.wordpress.com/https://www.facebook.com/Kristin.L.Wallace?fref=ts
Excerpt - Opening
The past is like a revolving door, and if people aren’t careful it’ll come back and whop them in the backside. Hard.Like Julia Richardson’s just did.“Julia, we… Sarah needs you. It’s the baby.”Two sentences, barely audible, as her former stepsister’s husband fought to get the words out. Those two sentences had Julia behind the wheel in the dead of night, headed back to the small Southern town — and the family — she’d successfully avoided for fifteen years.She looked in the rearview mirror and spotted an errant, titian-colored curl sticking straight up. With a stifled groan, she mashed it down. Ah, humidity, such a lovely thing. The farther south she got, the more it curled. By the time she reached her destination she expected to look like a dead ringer for a certain redheaded, singing orphan. If said orphan was a full-figured Amazon with a bad attitude.By the time Julia drove past the quaintly painted sign, which proclaimed she was entering Covington Falls, Georgia — Covington for the founding family, Falls for the trickle of water which emptied into Lake Rice, the name of the other founding family — the sun was blazing. Surprisingly, she knew exactly where to go. Or maybe not so surprising since it didn’t look like much had changed in fifteen years. It still looked like a small and dainty cousin of Savannah.She turned down a tree-lined lane that could have doubled for a 50s television show and a moment later pulled into the driveway of Grace’s house. A white, two-story Colonial number with a wrap-around porch, complete with a swing. Rounding out this picture of all-American perfection was an honest to goodness white picket fence. Julia stared at the house, wondering what in the world she was doing here. She so didn’t belong in a place like this.Before she could back out of the driveway, the front door opened, and a woman stepped out onto the porch.Grace. Ex-stepmother #2. Mother of Sarah and the reason for the midnight run.Julia got out of the car unsure what kind of reception to expect. Before she knew it, Grace flew down the stairs with arms outstretched.A familiar scent of cookies and violets invaded her senses. Exactly the way an angel might smell, she imagined. When she ‘d been thirteen, and angry at the world, she hadn’t been able to hug Grace back. Now Julia did. Then didn’t want to let go.Grace pulled back, taking Julia’s face in her warm hands. “How I’ve missed you.”“You have?”She smiled. “You have no idea.”
Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 Amazon or B&N Gift Card)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Blitz ~ The Christmas Key
The Christmas KeyChacelyn Pierce
Blurb: Dumped before vacation, Shalaine Harper goes to Alaskan to drown out her sorrows on wine, watching Xander Christian films, and using a toasty fire to burn away the hurt. As one of Xander's biggest fans, fate deals her a strange hand when the Hollywood star is blown in before a snow storm.Xander Christian finds himself stuck in Alaska and the closest safe haven is a cabin occupied by a woman dealing with heartache. Since neither bear gifts, they'll have to find other means for sharing the holiday spirit.
Buy Links: AllRomanceEbooks Smashwords
Excerpt:Shalaine Harper swiveled in her office seat after making the last editorial note on the article she’d penned on the opening box-office hit, Tiding Sun. The A-list movie starred Xander Christian, the exotic Adonis who made any sane woman's panties drop when he licked those kissable lips. He caused heart palpitations for the millions of horny women across the globe. Though his movies as of late hadn't been his best work, she still gave him an A for effort.
Diehard fan that she was, Shalaine couldn't help but give him high marks on her movie reviews. Even if they deserved a lower grade, she couldn't bring herself to scribble anything lower than a B. Her eyes drifted to the hanging poster for Tiding Sun on her office wall. It was now her favorite face shot of Xander. His blue-green eyes captivated her first; they always did. It was no wonder teenage girls fantasized about him more than any famous teeny-bopper. Though she wasn't a teenage girl, she couldn't help but sigh like a lovesick puppy. Her mind recollected the steamy scene he'd had with Jess Gilmore in the hayloft. His raciest scene yet. The supporting actresses didn't know how good they had it, to kiss X. Chris and taste his mouth. Heaven. That's what it had to be like. Pure heaven. She tore her gaze way from the framed beauty and got back to work on making him look as good on paper as he did onscreen.
The Reviewer was a very prestigious magazine that focused on box-office hits and celebrities. They looked toward her to cover all X. Christian-related movie releases. Everyone in the office teased her and nicknamed her complimentary articles on him as Shalaine's X. Chris or Double-X articles. Adding a few more raunchy words into her reviews would lead many women into an orgasmic state and mean a quick firing on her part. She was just a few words shy of making it a XXX feature worthy of Playgirl Magazine. Might be worth it though.
Running out of time, Shalaine. Get the article done.
She looked at a photo on her desk for inspiration. It was a sketchy shot of Nathan and her in Cozumel. There was lots of sizzling sex in the air that week and to date, it was the best time they'd ever had together. Three years had gone by fast and she expected Nathan to pop the question any day now. Maybe he'd do it when they arrived at the small rental cottage in Alaska. Shalaine enjoyed their vacations together; it was the only time they could be uninterrupted. Since they rarely got to spend time together, it was a set plan for them to have quality time a few times year. While in Alaska, neither of them would let work dictate their schedules and they could work on their relationship. She glanced at the clock. Three more hours and she'd leave New York for a full week. Overjoyed didn't even cover it; she was stimulated.
Stimulated.
She jotted that word on a sticky note to fit into her article somewhere just as her office phone rang.
"Shalaine Harper," she said wistfully, thinking of snow, cabin sex with Nathan, and fire cuddles. She could almost smell the woodsy scents and hear the wildlife.
"Hey, Shay, it's me." Nathan's glum tone set off warning bells.
"What's up?" She tried to convey her good mood to him over the phone.
Three hours, baby, don't crumble on me now.
"I can't go to Alaska."
She lost her breath at his words. "What? Nathan, we've planned this trip for months! Go tell your boss to get over not seeing you for a week; it won't kill him." She threw her pen across the desk but reached for it again, needing something in her hand. He sighed and paused for a minute, leaving open air on both their lines.
"Non-refundable tickets, Nathan," she reminded him.
"I know, I know. Let me rephrase then…I can't go to Alaska with you." He mumbled the last part as if he had to muster the strength to get the words out.
A lot of things filled Shalaine's head at that very moment, none of them good, but in a small voice, all she could ask was, "Why?" "Because I can't do this anymore!"
"Do what, Nathan?" She tried not to grit her teeth, a bad habit she'd been trying to break. "What are you talking about? You can't do what?"
"Us! Seems like all you have time for is just our vacations. You're either at a big movie premier in L.A, an interview in some exotic destination I'll never see, or having drinks with movie stars. I can't…I just can't anymore. It's not the same as it used to be, plus…plus, I've met someone else. I want to spend my Christmas with her."
Authors Bio: A rocker by heart, Chacelyn Pierce is constantly ear plugged with heavy tunes blaring to stir up the phantom personalities that swarm her mind. It’s no surprise that she enjoys writing and reading to satiate her appetite for the male antagonist in a story. Married to a blatant redhead and mothering a diva, there is never a dull moment in the house. As a native Texan, she doesn't personally own a horse but follows the unwritten southern rule of knowing how to ride one. When she’s not testing the emotional capacity of her characters, she works as a dog groomer.Carpe Diem Amoris
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My Swapoween Treats
I've been blogging for a few years now and this year I did something completely new to me :)
While browsing blogs, I found a fun blog swap through Chaotic Goddess Swaps with a Halloween theme because I love Halloween !
So I signed up and they paired me with a fantastic partner, Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag. Just click on her blog name and it'll take you to the post she did to reveal the gifts I sent to her. Below are the gifts that she so graciously sent to me and that I LOVE!!!! She did such a great job.
We first have a purple glass jar entitled Graveyard Dust and it has a sealable lid with black and orange gumballs and there's also a jelly sucker, which I love :) In our numerous conversations back & forth she found out that I have 3 kids so while all the gifts are for and fitting to me, they also fit my kids to a T!
I can never have enough dish towels and I like this one so well, it may stay out year round :)
And as far as decorating, gel window clings are my favorite :)
Then without me telling Lauren, she picked 2 more things on my favorites list....
A Scooby Doo dvd (which is my favorite cartoon and my kids') and a cupcake kit (I love to bake !)I do have to say though the item that thrilled me the most is the book she picked for me.... How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper.
I only ever told her I like to read so her picking a book that would strike my interest? Well that's one in a million with as many books out on the market today.
Lauren, you are awesome and you did a great job picking things out for me ! I couldn't be more pleased :)
I wholeheartedly recommend Blog Swaps and the ladies at Chaotic Goddess Swaps do it up right !!!
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