Diane Alberts's Blog, page 27
July 30, 2013
This is me on release day…
I try not to panic or worry or stress–but then I fail and run away from the internet. LOL
**
But, hey, I have a new book out! Feel free to check it out. 
Blurb:
Even the best-laid plans can go awry.
Single-mom Kiersten Worth knows a bottle of champagne and night of hot, no-strings-attached sex is the perfect solution to her jilted bride blues…and Garrett Kelly, long-time friend and her teenaged son’s sexy basketball coach, is just the stud for the job.
Garrett wants more from the elusive temptress than a casual affair, but he never expects it to come in the form of an unexpected pregnancy. When he proposes an unorthodox solution—move in and raise their baby together—Kiersten has to decide whether to let down her guard and open her heart to the man who secretly loved her for years, or risk losing his tender embrace for good.
Buy links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo
**Thanks, emotionreply.com!
July 29, 2013
Love Junkies presents: Escaping Me by Elizabeth Lee!
Title: Escaping Me
Author: Elizabeth Lee
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Synopsis:
All she wants to do is forget. Forget the memory of walking in on her boyfriend in the middle of, well, another girl. Forget how she had her entire life planned out. And forget about being perfect all the time. Unfortunately, she is Whitney Vandaveer, and despite the fact that she has moved to the middle of nowhere—she can’t.
He’s always known he would never be more than nothing. No job, no money, no future. Cole Pritchett has accepted the fact that he will always be the screw up, and he is okay with it. Until he meets her.
Here’s the thing they quickly find out—sometimes we all need a little help escaping who we think we are.
And because she’s a fellow Love Junkie, Elizabeth Lee has provided us with an exclusive excerpt and been kind enough to answer some questions about her latest novel!
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
I hold my head back and walk toward the delivery truck. Cole’s eyes are down on the clipboard he is holding in his hands as he double-checks what he has to take off the truck.
“You’re a little late to take me up on the drink offer,” I tease as I cross the gravel drive toward him, shuffling my flip-flops against the rocks. I am hoping that maybe he is a morning person and will be in a better mood than the last time I saw him. No such luck. He looks up at me quickly, adjusting the bill of his hat to shade his face, and then back down at his clipboard. Not even the hint of a grin on his lips. Wow. His expression is as cold as it was last night when he walked away from me. He shakes his head, albeit subtly, but to me it is like a flashing neon sign that says, “Go away.”
He sets the clipboard down on the hood of the truck, his eyes never once drifting back to mine. Instead, he turns his back and walks behind the truck. He lowers the gate and pulls the pallet lift, loaded up with whatever it was my mom ordered. As he lowers the lift to the ground, he keeps his focus on what he is doing. It is painfully obvious that he is avoiding looking at me. Maybe I should have looked in the mirror again? I thought my fitted pink t-shirt and black cotton shorts were cute pajamas. Maybe I was wrong. Do I look that horrible this morning?
“Just put it outside the barn doors over there,” I say between clenched teeth. Who the hell does this guy think he is? Never in my life have I been so callously ignored. I glance over my shoulder at my mother and Mallory, who are still watching from the kitchen window. I roll my eyes at them and turn back to see if Mr. Personality has finished what he came here to do. As infuriating as this situation is becoming, I can’t help but notice how fantastic his ass looks in his jeans. The worn denim hangs from his narrow waist perfectly—not cowboy tight and not gangster loose. The gray t-shirt that is stretched across his back reads Wilson Lumber Yard with their catchy slogan underneath—“We Got Wood”. I fight back a giggle. At least someone has a sense of humor. He unloads the pallet and has the lift back in the truck, all while managing to completely not acknowledge my existence.
“I’ll just go ahead and sign for this so you can be on your way,” I say as he climbs out of the back of the truck. This time, the icy tone of my voice catches his attention. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk to the front of the truck. “I’d hate to keep you from the obviously more important things you would rather be doing.” Leaning over the hood, I pull a pen from the holder on the top of the clipboard. My frustration with his attitude is made perfectly clear as I furiously click the plunger on the top of the pen. My eyes are busy scanning for the space I am supposed to sign when a sudden shadow is cast over my shoulder. I can feel his breath on my neck and his body resting behind mine. It must be the nature of the position we are in because I have to fight the urge to back into him. To feel his hard body against my backside. My skin is on fire and my brain immediately tries to reason that it is anger as opposed to something else.
“Do you mind?” I snap, turning to tell him to back off. But he doesn’t. Instead, he places his hands on the truck, catching me between his muscled forearms and pinning me between his delicious body and the truck. Even under the bill of that hat he is always wearing, I can see his shaded eyes narrow in on mine. It isn’t with contempt or agitation—it is something else. Yes. He is looking at me like he wants to tear my clothes off, and I would let him.
He closes the distance between us. Here we are, chest to chest. The air around me instantly thickens, making it nearly impossible to breathe. His eyes go to mine and then to my lips, the same way they did at the bar. He takes in a shallow breath, and I can tell he is having a hard time breathing, too. I’m not sure if I should duck out from under him and run or throw myself against him. I’ve never been so intimidated or so turned on in my life. It is infuriating. He licks one corner of his lips and I think for sure he is going to kiss me. Seconds tick and he still hasn’t moved. Is he waiting for me to give him the okay? Does he really want to kiss me? I raise my chin slightly and let my eyes close. I hold my breath, waiting for his lip to fall on mine, and forget every reason I should be mad at him for. That is until he utters three words that manage to remind me.
“No signature required.”
INTERVIEW
What inspired you to write Escaping Me?
I’m fascinated by the idea that two people can from two different worlds and find love. Whitney and Cole couldn’t be more different, but something about them works so well together. It’s a balancing act.
If your book had a theme song, what would it be?
Beat this Summer by Brad Paisley
Who or what typically gets your creative juices flowing?
It’s really hard to pick one thing. Sometimes its a photograph or a great song and sometimes things just pop in my head.
Where have your most recent story ideas come from?
I’m working on something now that takes place in hotel. The idea came from… wait for it… a recent hotel stay. I wanted to know what was going on behind closed doors that guests weren’t privy to.
What type of research did you do for this novel?
For Escaping Me, much like with Shattered, I drew on my life in a small town. I’ve always said, if what I’m writing about didn’t happen to me it happened to someone I know. I guess that’s one of the perks of knowing everything about everyone.
Do you have any rituals or routines you follow when writing or preparing to write a novel?
I usually take over my husband’s “man cave” and shut the door. Maybe it’s something about all the Chicago Bears memorabilia that gets my creative juices flowing or maybe it’s that fact that I’m completely alone. I not one of those writers that can go to coffee shop or restaurant and just write. I need my privacy. 
What’s your ideal writing set up? Time of day/night? Location? Snacks?
Anytime I can be by myself. I don’t have a specific time of day. Sometimes it’s at noon, sometimes it’s at midnight. I most definitely will have coffee – hot or iced.
Worst writing distraction?
Emails from Caisey Quinn, Anna Cruise or Rachel Brookes. They always turn into lengthy discussions. I think it comes from the fact that we all share a brain.
What can readers look forward to from you in the future?
Besides my “hotel” WIP, I’m fleshing out Mallory’s story. She is such fun and free spirit, but she definitely has some demons she’s dealing with. Also, she needs the right kind of guy to make her see how worthy of love she is. He is shaping up to be someone I think a lot of readers are going to swoon over.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to write and/or publish a book?
RESEARCH. It’s not just about writing a book. I asked a lot of questions and read a lot of material about self-publishing before I hit that upload button. In concept, it seems as simple as typing out a manuscript and putting it out, but there is so much more that goes into “making it”. I’m still learning. Which is a good thing. You can never have too much knowledge on this subject.
* Speed Round*
Guilty Pleasure: Dateline reruns and One Direction
Can’t Live Without: Coffee
#1 on Bucket List: Have a slumber party with my fellow Love Junkies
Celebrity Crush: Justin Timberlake, but you all know this already.
Something Not Many People Know about You: My friends call me Liz
Theme Song of Your Life: There are way too many to name.
Embarrassing Turn on: I can’t think of one! I know… I’m lame.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When I’m not writing or playing the part of wife and mother, you can find me dancing back-up for Beyonce, singing back-up for Miranda, or sunning myself on the beach with a drink in hand. Here’s the thing about being born and raised in a small town—you have a very vivid imagination! Now, I channel it all to create stories where the girl always ends up with the right guy, first kisses are magical, and a happy ending is just that!
FIND HER ONLINE
Twitter: www.twitter.com/elwrites
This has been a presentation of The Love Junkies: Authors Addicted to Romance
PLAY ME is out!!!
That’s right, the third book in the Take A Chance series is out!! Kiersten and Garrett are all over the web today, visiting all sorts of places with various excerpts and teasers, but here’s the details about PLAY ME!
To celebrate, I’m giving away a $10 gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble! Enter below to win!
Buy links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo
First, the cover. Nice, huh?
Next, the blurb:
Even the best-laid plans can go awry.
Single-mom Kiersten Worth knows a bottle of champagne and night of hot, no-strings-attached sex is the perfect solution to her jilted bride blues…and Garrett Kelly, long-time friend and her teenaged son’s sexy basketball coach, is just the stud for the job.
Garrett wants more from the elusive temptress than a casual affair, but he never expects it to come in the form of an unexpected pregnancy. When he proposes an unorthodox solution—move in and raise their baby together—Kiersten has to decide whether to let down her guard and open her heart to the man who secretly loved her for years, or risk losing his tender embrace for good.
And finally…the excerpt!
Three months, two weeks, one day, and nineteen hours.
That’s how long it had been since Garrett walked away from Kiersten. She barely even spoke to him anymore, other than a soft hello as they passed on the court after practices. It was probably better that way. Anything more than a brief encounter hurt too much. He’d spent most of his life pretending not to care about her. Pretending he was fine without her. But now that he’d had one night in her arms, he knew he wasn’t.
And he wanted her more than he could ever possibly describe.
Oh well. Tough shit. He wasn’t going to get her on his terms. And he wouldn’t accept hers.
He needed a drink. Or three.
He unlocked the door to his apartment and froze. Pots clanged in the kitchen. Dropping his gym bag to the carpet, he walked around the corner. Only his buddy Mike had a copy of his key, and that was just in case of an emergency or if he somehow lost his own set. But why would Mike let himself in and then cook? To the best of his knowledge, Mike didn’t even know how to cook.
“Mike?” he called out.
“Uh, no,” Kiersten replied. “It’s me.”
He tensed and walked slowly into his kitchen, his heart beating rapidly in his ears. “How did you get in here?”
She flushed. “I asked Mike for the key. Told him I needed something for Chris to practice at home.” She waved a hand. “He didn’t question me, thank God. My story was weak.”
He studied her. “Why are you here? You could have just knocked.”
“I was worried you wouldn’t let me in,” she said softly, averting her eyes. “So I took matters into my own hands.”
“And the dinner?”
“A way to try to make up for what I did. It’s pathetic and not big enough, I know, but I had to do something.”
He raised his brows. “You could give me space, like I asked. Why cook for me? What do you want?”
She looked at him. “I thought you might like to eat some food. Last time I checked, you were human.”
“It’s been over three months since we talked or hung out.” He crossed his arms over his chest, not sure what her sudden reemergence in his life meant. What game did she play? “And last time I checked, we weren’t really on speaking terms. Yet here you are. Cooking me dinner.”
“Yep.” She set down the spoon she was stirring the sauce with, shoulders tight as she leaned on the counter. “Pretty much.”
He looked away from her and swallowed hard. Did she realize how much it hurt him just to see her face or to hear her voice? Probably not, since he’d been the only idiot who had wanted more. Every woman paled in comparison to her. No matter how hard he tried to move on, to be attracted to another woman, there was only one person on his mind. Kiersten. But if she was here…
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Have you changed your mind about us?”
She paled and he cursed himself for jumping to foolish, optimistic conclusions. “I—no, not yet. But—”
“Then you need to leave,” he said. He raised his head and met her eyes, unwilling to back down. “I haven’t changed my mind, either. I need space.”
“It’s been three months. Isn’t that enough space?”
“No.” He drew in a ragged breath. “It’s not. Now please leave.”
She bit her lip. “No.”
“Yes.” He stalked toward her, picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and headed for the door. He tired not to remember that the last time he’d carried her like this, they’d been going up to her bedroom. “If you won’t walk out on your own, then I’ll carry you out.”
She punched his back and squirmed. “Let me down. We need to talk.”
“The time for talking is over. I need distance right now. Eventually we can be friends again. But for now?” He opened the door, set her in the hallway, and closed the door in her face. “Please go home.”
He turned away and stomped into the kitchen. Damn it, he wasn’t doing this anymore. He may have played the part of the lovesick friend for months—hell, years—now, but he was done with being a benchwarmer she pulled out when it suited her mood.
From now on, it needed to be a starting position for him…or nothing at all.
Shutting off the stove, he picked up the pot and peeked inside. She’d made his favorite meal. Cheese ravioli. Vodka sauce bubbled away in a different pot and he could smell the garlic bread in the oven.
“Listen, Garrett, we need to talk,” Kiersten said.
Garrett jumped and faced her with a glare. “What are you doing in here—again?”
“I have a key.” She waved a gold key under his nose, her nose tilted up in the air stubbornly. “And I know how to open a door on my own. I’ve been doing it since I was three.”
“Congratulations.” He snatched the key out of her hand and reached for her, determined to put her right back where he had left her. “But you need to go. I’m serious.”
She jumped out of his reach and sprinted behind the relative safety of his favorite chair. “Not until you listen to me. Sit down and shut up for a second, will you?”
He pursued her, ready to stick her back out in the hallway, sans key this time. “All I asked for was a break. Can’t you respect that?”
He bolted around the chair, reaching for her arm. Her eyes widened and she darted to the side when he feinted left and ran right, hoping to fool her into his arms. “I can’t leave until we talk,” she replied.
“Why not?” he asked in exasperation, holding his hands up. “What could possibly be so damn important?”
She blinked at him, wringing her hands. “I’m pregnant.”
Hmm…and how about some photo teasers?!
PLAY ME Release Day Blitz–Win a $10 gift card!
I’m at a LOT of blogs today, shouting out loud and clear all about my newest release, PLAY ME! It’s the third book in the Take a Chance series, and it features a woman who’s scared to love and the man who just won’t give up on her.
At all the stops below, there is one of three photo/quote teasers, and one of two exclusive excerpts! As if that’s not enough to make you click, I’m also giving away a $10 gift card to those who enter! You even get to choose which store you want it to be from–Amazon or Barnes and Noble!
So get clicking, and start winning!
Approximately 120 pages.
Take a Chance #3.
Blurb:
Even the best-laid plans can go awry.
Single-mom Kiersten Worth knows a bottle of champagne and night of hot, no-strings-attached sex is the perfect solution to her jilted bride blues…and Garrett Kelly, long-time friend and her teenaged son’s sexy basketball coach, is just the stud for the job.
Garrett wants more from the elusive temptress than a casual affair, but he never expects it to come in the form of an unexpected pregnancy. When he proposes an unorthodox solution—move in and raise their baby together—Kiersten has to decide whether to let down her guard and open her heart to the man who secretly loved her for years, or risk losing his tender embrace for good.
Buy links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo
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July 26, 2013
July 25, 2013
July 23, 2013
July 19, 2013
Happy Friday from this…
…hunky, tatted guy in a vest and tie. I don’t know what it is about tattooed men in fancy-ish clothes…but it does things to me. Plus he could be, like, half my heroes. Ha!
Thanks for sharing, selbean!
