Ute Carbone's Blog, page 25

#Snippet Afterglow--Mitch and India

Because Afterglow was nominated for a RONE award this week, I've gone back and dug out one of my favorite snips from the story. Mitch and India have become friends--and maybe, just maybe, Mitch is looking for more

Here's the snippet--


“How’s Allie?” Mitch asked the next day when I went to pick up more shoes.“Hurt. Angry.”“I told her it was hard. I was pretty upset when my parentssplit.”“That was a long time ago.”“And you get over it. I was totally annihilated when mymarriage split, but I got past it. It’s been two years now.”“You were married? And divorced?”Mitch nodded as he opened the door to his storage room. “Yup. You’re in good company. I know what it’s like to be the walking wounded.”“What other secrets are you keeping from us, Dr. Tinker?”Mitch turned on the light and stood holding the pull string. “Not that many,” he said softly. “No more than your average guy. If you stick around, I’ll share a few with you.” He smiled, but there was a hint of something else in his eyes, concern maybe, or longing. It matched my feelings and that made me a little uncomfortable.“Like what, for instance?” I said, wanting to melt the discomfort away. It worked. The smile rose into his eyes . “I’ll tell one if you will,” he said.“I like gravy on my French fries,” I said.“Yummy. I sing along with my iPod when I’m alone.” “What kind of music?”“Springsteen, mostly. No fair, that’s two. You owe me one.”“The River is one of my favorite albums.”“And?” he raised his eyebrows, waiting.“Okay. I really like to finger paint. And sometimes after school I paint at a kid’s art easel.”“Landscapes or portraits?”“Portraits mostly. Your turn.”“I still watch Scooby Doo.”“Hallmark commercials make me cry.”“I had a huge crush on you when I was ten.” The room went very still and we stood there staring at each other. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”“No, it’s fine. It’s fine. You’re not ten anymore. Heck, I’m not thirty anymore.”
“I have changed considerably. You haven’t. Not really. Not that much.” He turned towards the shoes. “So, how many boxes do you think your trunk can hold?”
Find out more about Afterglow HERE
Reader voting for best contemporary, the category in which Afterglow was nominated, begins March 17  and runs through March 23.
You can vote HERE

Cover Reveal! All Things Returned

Cover artist Petra Kay has done it again. I'm still sighing happily with this, the cover for All Things Returned, the third part of Anton and Lenora, which is coming out on April 7. The cover sums up the relationship of Anton and Lenora, and the clipper ships are perfect.


All Things ReturnedSan FranciscoAnton and Lenora Boudreaux have settled into an idyllic cottage overlooking San Francisco Bay. They’ve left trouble behind them and found happily ever after—family, friends, and a business that has every expectation of being successful. Until the Willowsails into port.The captain of Willow, Jacob Lowell, is privy to secrets that threaten Lenora’s reputation and Anton’s life. When Anton sails to Seattle on a business enterprise, Jacob tries to blackmail Lenora, threatening to expose all he knows and forcing her to make decisions that will test her love of Anton and her life with him.
All Things Returned is the third book in the Anton and Lenora historical novella series. 

Five Stars for Sweet Lenora!

Sweet Lenora has received a five star rating from Reader's Favorite!

"With love at first sight, forbidden love, adventures on the ocean and in distant lands, unexpected events, characters that are unforgettable, the reader will enjoy a riveting story. The love story is one that piques the interest of most novel readers. Most readers can only fantasize about this kind of relationship and are thus drawn to it. Ute Carbone has skillfully captured readers' hearts, souls and minds through her emotional story telling."
Read the entire review HERE



Lenora Brewer’s family owns the largest shipyard in Salem Massachusetts and Lenora, as her father’s only living child, is given free rein to learn the business. When Lenora’s father is killed in a carriage accident, her relatives arrange a marriage to a wealthy investor who is rumored to have beaten his first wife to death.            Lenora devises a scheme to stowaway on The Sweet Lenora, a ship named for her.  The last thing Anton Boudreaux needs is a naïve young woman stowing away on his ship. The dark and daring captain has secrets of his own to protect.             When Sweet Lenora encounters a dangerous storm off the coast of Brazil, Lenora and Anton find in each other the courage and tenacity to brave the elements. As their love for one another grows it becomes a force to be reckoned with—and it will be sorely tested.
Buy a copy of Sweet Lenora at :AmazonChampagne BooksBookStrand
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RONE nominees

The RONE awards are given by InDTale magazine each year for stories that are Indie or small-press published. This year, I'm honored to have two of my books nominated


Afterglow was nominated for best contemporary

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage.The book can be purchased at:Champagne BooksAmazon: 
ARE: 

To the Wind was nominated for best historical novella

The Journey ContinuesIn this sequel to Sweet Lenora, Anton and Lenora sail away from trouble in Rio de Janeiro only to encounter new problems. With only half a crew and a first mate that is hated and feared, they venture to San Francisco plagued by threats, mutiny,and illness. As they arrive at their destination, the ghosts of the past come back to haunt them and may prove to be the greatest menace of all. At each turn, the love they have forged is tested. Will it prevail?   

The book can be purchased at:AmazonChampagne BooksKobo

Coffee with Ally

I'm having coffee with Ally Shields today, chatting about my new book and life and such.

http://www.allyshields.com/1/post/201...?

At Romantic Reads

Dancing in the White Room is featured at Romantic Reads and Such today. There's still time to enter the rafflecopter !
http://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress...

#Snippet Dancing in the White Room--Bell's Return

Here's another quick peek at Dancing in the White Room. In this snip, Bell has come back from Alaska.



He looks as though the Alaska Mountains have leaned hard on him. His collarbone sticks out like a hanger for the T-shirt he wears. His eyes, usually bright enough to catch me up, sag heavy over deep lines.I’m gathered into him before I have the chance to say anything at all. He smells of sweat, I imagine how many hours he’s spent crumpled in an airplane seat. For a minute, I want all time to end here.He kisses my forehead, and I burrow into the hollow of his arm. We stand there for an endless amount of time.


For more about Dancing in the White Room, please visit my webpage, TMP, or Amazon. 

#SaturdaySnippet Bell's Accident from Dancing in the White Room.

I've got a few more excerpts from Dancing in the White Room to Share. In this one, Mallory remembers what happened the first time Bell tried a descent down the West Rib of Denali. He's gone to try again, and Mallory is upset that he would.  This is the reason why--

It’s been five years, and I can still hear Roddie’s voice. “We had to grapple him down. Copter’s won’t go that high. We’re shipping him off to Anchorage.” When I didn’t say anything, he added, “Hope I didn’t worry you, love.”After we hung up, I called the airlines and booked the first flight to Anchorage. They had Bell in a room by the time I got there. He looked like he’d been the loser in a prizefight. One eye was swollen shut, one hand bandaged because of frostbite on two fingers.I was trying at the time to unhinge an awful fear, the awful thought of Bell as fallible, as vulnerable. It sat in my head, reinforced by tape and bandages and the blistering on his face. It sat there and I couldn’t shake it. It still sits there, this heavy pulsing gravitational thought. When I think of Bell on Denali, this is the picture I get. Bell vulnerable. Bell fallible.


For more, please go check out Dancing in the White Room on my website

White Room stops at the Lusty Penquin

I'm talking with Lori Zalewski about skiing, writing, and life in general, over at the Lusty Penguin. There's still a chance to put your name into the hat for some free books! Okay, it's not a hat, it's a rafflecopter. But still, you gotta be in it to win it.
I love the name Lusty Penguin. If I ever opened a pub, I think this is what I would call it...

http://lustypenguin.com/dancing-white...

#Ski Addiction at Gemini Girls

The Dancing in the White Room blog tour stops at Gemini Girls today, where I talk about being addicted to skiing.  There's a contest to enter for some free books by yours truly!

http://www.geminigirls.com/dancing-in...