Rebecca Goings's Blog, page 5

B3 Day Five – GUEST BLOG #6 – Misty Evans

I recently moved two twelve-year-old boys, one husband and my hundred-and-twenty-five pound dog across five states in three days. A challenge? Absolutely.

There were moans and groans and public rest areas that wouldn't allow dogs. And because of said dog, we had to spend a few nights in hotels that were more pet-friendly than people-friendly. I felt like I needed a biohazard suit to enter the bathrooms. There was entirely too much fast food and awful dog breath in the car the entire trip.

But we made it and began the job of unpacking in our new home, now in sunny SW Florida. The first morning after we arrived, the well lost its prime. No showers, no flushing toilets, no drinking water. Luckily, hubby found a local guy with the proper tools and experience to get us back up and running in a few hours. Much toilet flushing ensued.

Most of our new experiences so far have been good ones. The people here are fantastic and of course, the beach is to die for.A few days ago, though, hubby and I went to get our Florida drivers licenses. We had birth certificates, social security cards, proof of residence and our valid Illinois licenses that stated we were both safe drivers. Unfortunately, however, I didn't bring our marriage license. Never occurred to me I would need to prove I'm married, but from what the clerk told me, Homeland Security changed the rules and regulations in 2005, and the government now tracks women who take their husband's name via their driver's license.

Hubby and I married twenty-one years ago. The pastor at the church filled out a certificate from the county clerk, had our best man and maid of honor witness it, and away we went. However, I learned on my second trip to the local Florida driver's license station, that the form wasn't valid. The clerk printed off contact information for me about getting a certified marriage license from the state of Illinois. Only thing was, on the sheet she printed off, it clearly stated that the state would not give out certified copies. So I had to go to the county clerk's office where we were married. On their website, it states you must come to the clerk's office, fill out a form and show a picture ID. Hard for me to do since I was 1400 miles away.

So I couldn't legally prove I was married, and therefore couldn't get a Florida driver's license. Which meant, I couldn't open a bank account or register my car or volunteer at my kids' new school or a dozen other things that require proof of residency and legal status. Talk about a pain in the backside!

I was beyond pissed. How is it that a woman can't get a driver's license because she changed her name when she got married? What did that have to do with my ability to operate a car? Nothing. But Big Brother was bullying me anyway.

I'm no stranger to Homeland Security's quirks. For my CIA thrillers, I've researched and read a lot over the past few years about HS in order to be as accurate as possible. When I wrote the third Super Agent book, I even interviewed one of their employees. In theory, their goals are mostly admirable and necessary in these unnerving times. In reality, too many rules and regulations don't keep us safe. They only serve to harass normal, everyday citizens like me.

Luckily, the county clerk in Illinois worked everything out over the phone, and to Connie and her assistant, Karen, I'm eternally grateful. A few days after I called them with my tale of woe, I had a certified marriage license. Today I got my Florida driver's license.  Tomorrow, I'm sending a letter to President Obama. Not that it will do any good, but it will make me feel better.

There's certainly a need for many of the rules and regulations Homeland Security employs. But harassing a natural-born citizen who's never even had a speeding ticket and chose to take her husband's name when she married him twenty-one years ago is taking things too far. And no one should mess with a woman who's been in a car for three days straight, moving every possession she has, with kids and a dog that has chronic halitosis.

Especially when that woman writes CIA thrillers with characters from Homeland Security in them. To paraphrase my favorite bumper sticker: Be careful HS or you'll end up in my next novel – or maybe locked in an SUV with my dog for three days.

Misty Evans is the author of OPERATION SHEBA and the award-winning Super Agent Series. She likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. To learn more about Misty and her books, visit www.readMistyEvans.com or follow her on www.twitter.com/readmistyevans .

B3 Day Four – GUEST BLOG #5 – Evie Balos

Interview Answers for Rebecca Goings

Share one fun fact about Evie Balos:

I like adrenaline-filled adventures like rafting, go-carting and driving sports cars. I've had the rare treat of driving a Ferrari, albeit in a quiet neighborhood with a speed limit of 50KM.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

In my mid-teens, when I began seriously devoting time to reading fiction, but especially once I'd read several romance books. It felt like my calling.



What was your very first book?  Is it published or tucked away in a drawer?

The very first story I wrote consisted of about eighty hand-written pages—a harlequinesque romance—that ended up in the garbage bin because I felt it wasn't good enough. The idea was great, but I was quite young and too inexperienced to pull the storyline together.

Who are some of your favorite romance authors?

I have several, but at the top are Monica McCarty, Deborah MacGillivray, Sandra Hill, and Karen Marie Moning.

Tell us about your recent release.  Who are you published with?  (Don't forget buy links)

The Unnecessary Bodyguard is my debut release with Cobblestone Press. It's book one in the Dhampir Desire series. The half-vampire, half-human hero has always appealed to me; known as a dhampir in Balkan folklore. Jovan Markovic is that exotic dhampir in the story: rugged, good-looking, and a little tortured. His mission is to wipe out hostile vampire activity and run his own security company. He has little time for female pleasure, and avoids romantic relationships with humans because they don't understand the dark side of his life. Things take a different turn, though, when the heroine steps into the picture.

Here's a blurb:

Nina Bradley doesn't pay attention to her friend's premonition that she'll be attacked by a vampire. She discovers Daphne's assigned a dhampir bodyguard to her and clearly objects. Worse, she finds him terribly attractive, but he's half vampire. They don't suit. A good reason to stop fantasizing about him.

Jovan Markovic wants to keep things professional between him and his beautiful client, but his desire for her is spiraling out of control. He ought to assign someone else to the case, but he won't. He ought to use his lover to erase Nina from his mind, but he can't…

Link to publisher: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/bodyguard.htm

What can we expect from you in the future?

I'm working on book two in the Dhampir Desire series, which is the story of Jovan's brother, Milan. So another hot dhampir man on the way!

Ninjas, pirates, robots or zombies?  Why or why not?

I write stories that I can relate to, even on a subconscious level, which is why my paranormal series features a half-human hero. Also, robots and zombies don't rev up my hormones, lol. Now, pirates and ninjas are a possibility.

When is YOUR birthday? 

March 21st. A typical Aries.

Please share all your links where we can find you online!  (Facebook/Twitter/website/author loop)

Website: www.eviebalos.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EvieBalos

Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eviebalos/ (Really fun events planned!)

That's it!  Not too painful at all. Thanks for having me, Rebecca!

B3 Day Four – GUEST BLOG #4 – Allison Knight

TRYING TO WRITE A MEDIEVAL ROMANCE – OH YEH!

It always looked so easy. Just start writing, of course, that was after I had a story outline, the names of the characters and each character's personality chart finished consisting of personality, looks and personal history.

HA! I learned very quickly that writing about the medieval time period wasn't as simple as I thought. How could I write a good story without knowing something about how they lived? Or how did they travel? What did they eat? And the clothing. We get an idea of some of their costumes by the drawings and paints that remain – if you can find them. But a lot of information is not available. The different dyes they used are often just a guess on our part. For example, the color green was extremely complex dye. The right chemical to produce a brilliant green didn't make it into the mix until the Dutch chemists did their thing in the 17th century.

I discovered information on the 'net, but that same information gathered from one source is often contradicted by other sites. I've  spent hours and hours looking for one tiny bit of information. For example, how did people carry their food staples when they traveled?

We can only guess at some of the food they ate. We don't have any recipe books dating from that time period. In fact there are very few books from that time.

Over the years, I've found some interesting tidbits of information you don't hear about. You certainly don't read about it and the true facts never make it into the movies. If you probably thought people long ago lived in the cold, drafty, drab castles, well, yeh, they did – eventually. But did you know that the middle ages were warm, a lot warmer than now? In fact, the weather was so good their harvests were great, and they had lot of time to build all those castles. The workers could work much longer than in years later. And those castles. Did you know some had glass windows? Tiny little panes of glass which were usually wavy. They didn't have the great machines we have today, so all they could make were small panes and the glass tended to show all the imperfections. They also could make colored glass. Remember the leaded famous Rose window. Inside, the castles they had bright tapestries which have since those days lost their bright colors. The walls were white washed, and they did use carpets in the upper floors. Rushes, often sprinkled with crushed heather or lavender leaves or flowers and covered the floors on the lower level.

Information like this takes a long time to ferret out, but you can do it. You visit a lot of internet sites and double check your information, sometimes, triple check it because as I said, there is a lot of contradiction out there.  I have also collected a lot of books and my shelves are full of research books about kings and castles.

It also helps if you have a friend who has an interest in the same time period about which you are writing. I have such a friend and she's quick to help me find the kind of information I need. Recently, as I started my next medieval, I asked her for help with my villain. I needed someone from that time period who really was not a very nice person, but also someone who had no relatives. In other words, his line died either with him or shortly after him. She found a perfectly wonderful "bad" guy for me. Oh, he was extremely loyal to his king, but not to anyone else. I can use him and some of his nefarious actions in the next song book.

And it never hurts to tell people you deal with the kinds of trouble you might be having with your research. You never know when that special bit of help is around the corner. It just so happened that I mentioned some of my research problems to my computer savvy eye doctor. It seems his nephew has a degree in medieval literature, who he volunteered to my surprise and delight. Contact has been made and we'll see if he can answer some of my questions.  And yes, I do still have tons of questions. Even with the 'net, the books and my friend, I still have unanswered questions. But then that's part of the fun of writing about the medieval time period. Can you guess, I love to do the research?

Allison Knight

B3 Day Two – GUEST BLOG #3 – Mary Eason

Giveaway Details

Mary will be featuring all of her latest releases during this blog tour. At the end of the tour, Mary is giving away two special prizes:

1.            A $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com

2.            An e-book copy of any of her latest releases

Entering is simple: Leave a comment – or several comments as you track her progress on the tour (Mary and her blog hosts will get the word out and let you know where she'll be!). Each comment gives you a chance to win!

On December 30th, she'll randomly select three comments from visitors at any of the blogs she's visited, and award them the prizes!

Join in the fun as Mary lets the world know about latest romances.

Biography

Mary Eason grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her brothers and sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seem to come natural to her.

As a pre-teen, Mary discovered romance novels and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.

She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it's tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first romantic comedy and was hooked.

Today, Mary still lives in Texas, and still writes about romance. In fact, she can't think of anything else she'd rather do.

You can read more of Mary's work through the following publishers: New Concepts Publishing, Samhain Publishing, Champagne Books, The Wild Rose Press, Whiskey Creek Press, and White Rose Publishing. Or at her websites:

Blog: www.maryeason.blogspot.com

Website: www.maryeason.com

And be sure to send Mary an email and let her know what you think about her work. She loves hearing from fans.

Blurb for The Arms Of A Stranger (Today's featured book)

Everything Kate Bradshaw believed to be real about her marriage to her husband Alex slowly slipped away from her as the newspaper reports explained the sordid truth in black and white.  Their marriage and Alex's seduction had been nothing more than a lie, a means of accomplishing one thing–Alex's revenge against the man he believed responsible for killing his one true love—Kate's own father.

Excerpt – The Arms Of A Stranger:

Chapter One

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help you finish up here?  It won't kill me to skip one class, you know." Brandy Richards slung her backpack over her shoulder and eyed the stack of books that still needed putting away with concern.

"Thanks, but no way, Brandy.  You need this credit to graduate at the end of the year." Kate Edwards placed the last of the latest self-help books on the display next to the register and turned to her younger cousin.  "Besides, this is your last class before finals.  You can't afford to miss tonight.  Go to your class.  I'll finish up here."

Brandy had struggled with World History for weeks now, using every available minute to study.  Luckily, the bookstore was unusually quiet this time of year due to the pre-holiday slump.

"Okay, but promise you won't stay too late?  And don't forget to lock the doors at six this time.  You know how crazy this part of the city gets after the sun goes down."

"Yes, Mother." Kate smiled affectionately at her cousin's concern before shooing her in the direction of the door.  Of course, Brandy was right.  The downtown Austin business district transformed itself at night, from the bustling financial center of the city to a twenty-something's party haven.

Crowds of young people flocked to the bars and clubs along Sixth Street.

Brandy hesitated for another moment before giving in.  "Okay, I'm going but I'm calling the store when I get out of class and you'd better not still be here."

Kate had hired her cousin to help at the bookstore part-time after her parents' death, when Brandy seemed to be floundering.  It wasn't long before the girl excelled at the job.  With Kate's help, and thanks to Brandy's excellent GPA average, she'd been able to enroll at the University of Texas, Kate's alma mater.  After a few bumps that first year, Brandy was back on track and scheduled to graduate with a degree in business at the end of the fall semester.

"Go to class, Brandy, and stop worrying about me.  I'm a big girl.  I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, well it wouldn't hurt you to have some fun every now and then, you know.  When was the last time you didn't put in fourteen hours a day at this place?"

"Brandy," Kate warned.  She knew exactly where this conversation was going.  Brandy loved the single life.  She constantly invited Kate to go clubbing with her friends down on Sixth Street, but Kate always refused.  She'd put those days behind her after college.  When her last serious relationship ended in a bitter breakup, Kate decided she needed to take some time off from men as well.

"Well, you know it wouldn't hurt you to get laid."

"Brandy!" The last thing Kate wanted to get involved in right now was yet another discussion about her sex life, or more specifically her lack of sex life.  "Will you let me worry about my love life for once?  You just concentrate on passing that test so you can graduate and start working here full time, okay.  Then I won't need to work fourteen hour days."

"Whatever you say, Kate, but technically, you have to have a love life to worry about one," Brandy retorted.  She blew Kate a little kiss then made a hasty exit, before her cousin could manage even a single retort.

Kate shook her head.  Her cousin just refused to let up at times.  Brandy meant well, but she just didn't understand.  Kate picked up the last remaining stack of books—a group of romance novels and eyed the couple on the cover with scorn.

Yeah right.  If men like that existed in the real world, then women wouldn't need to read those novels.

If I could find a man like that, I'd give up my self-imposed exile and sleep with him in a heartbeat.

So far, she hadn't found anything resembling Prince Charming in the men she'd dated in the past, certainly not in Seth Mathews.

She'd been engaged to Seth for two months when she'd finally given in and had sex with him, which ultimately resulted in Kate's self-imposed exile from dating entirely.  After Seth got what he wanted from her, he'd quickly moved on to another woman.  Seth was a lousy excuse for a man.  And a cheat.  Not to mention terrible in bed.

But to Kate's credit, her judgment had been impaired by all the lies Seth was so good at feeding her.  She actually believed he meant it when he told her she was the only woman he ever wanted to make love with, until she'd discovered the truth.

Thank goodness, she had her career at Montgomery Books to fulfill her.  It was immensely challenging and she actually felt good about the work she was able to accomplish at the bookstore.  She didn't need a man to make her happy.  And if she did, she'd find the perfect man in one of those romance novels the store carried.  She could have all the pleasure without any of the pain.

Montgomery Books had been part of the Congress Avenue merchants for more than thirty years.  Kate had worked for Elise Montgomery throughout high school and college.  Once she graduated from the University of Texas, she'd begun managing the store after Elise's husband James passed away and the older woman decided to retire three years earlier.

Someday, Kate hoped to buy the store.  She wanted to wait until she'd saved enough money for a down payment.  With any luck, and if the business continued to grow, she'd have enough money to make an offer next year.

At twenty-five, Kate was proud of what she'd done with the store since becoming manager.  When she'd first started, the financial records were in the red.  Now, thanks to her insight, the business had been running in the black for over a year.

If only she could accomplish the same in her personal life.

She placed the remaining books on the cart and moved to the romance section.  With any luck, she'd finish by eight, and then she'd go home to her one true love: Earl, the little mutt Kate found digging in the garbage bin behind the store a few years back.  Earl turned out to be the best male companion she'd ever known.  He didn't care what she watched on TV and he didn't hog the covers.  As far as Kate was concerned, Earl was the perfect male specimen.

Kate grabbed a rubber band from the counter and twisted her shoulder-length, golden brown curls into a knot at the top of her head to keep them out of her eyes.  Retrieving the stepladder she used to reach the higher shelves from the storeroom, she slipped out of her three-inch pumps.

At five-foot two, Kate needed those three inches just to put her on equal ground with most people.  But they were terribly uncomfortable and downright dangerous when it came to climbing up and down a stepladder.

Once the last book was in place, Kate leaned back to survey her handiwork.  She prided herself in having each group of books lined up just right.  Her full attention was on the task at hand.  Kate didn't hear the little bell above the door at all.  She wasn't aware of anyone else being in the store until he spoke.

" … Whatever You Desire?" an incredibly sexy male voice asked with just a hint of amusement.

"I beg your pardon?" Kate spun around on the ladder, surprised to find the voice came attached to one unbelievably attractive male, who just happened to be standing next to the ladder.  Taken off guard, her bare foot slipped on the top rung.  Before she could steady herself, she was tumbling backwards and right into the arms of the owner of that very sexy voice.

"Hello there," he said with more than just a hint of amusement now.

The moment Kate's eyes collided with the most amazing ice-blue ones she'd ever seen, her breath caught in the back of her throat and answering him became impossible.  Two very strong, very capable arms held her close and not exactly in the "I've just met you" kind of way either, if the pressure of his hands were any indication.  One rested beneath her breast, while the other held her just above her knees.  A thousand different responses popped into her head but all she could think about was the cover of that blasted romance book.  Wasn't the hero holding the heroine in just the same manner?

Don't think about that now …

"I don't think I've ever had this type of an effect on a woman before." He grinned back at her.  "This must be a sign." The warmth in his eyes melted the ice away.

Left breathless by her plunge into shame and pretty much speechless by the man holding her a little too intimately, Kate took her moment of silence to get a better look at him.

He was stunning—gorgeous, well, if you could actually use those words to describe a male, and he was definitely all male.  His dark brown hair swept back from a smooth forehead.  He had the perfect nose, amazingly full lips that literally begged for kissing, and two matching dimples.

Kate couldn't keep from returning his contagious smile.  But when his arms tightened around her body, her smile disappeared completely.  Suddenly she became aware of her skirt slowly creeping up her thigh to reveal quite a bit of leg, which he'd clearly spotted as well.  Kate cursed the warm color spreading across her face, betraying her obvious embarrassment.

"A sign?" she repeated before her voice disappeared entirely when he tugged her skirt back down.

"Yes, don't you believe in signs?"

I do now! Kate thought but had the foresight not to say those things out loud.

As a young girl, Kate had once been a hopeless romantic.  She loved to read and devoured tons of those sappy old romance stories because they gave her hope.  Maybe there was such a thing as two people being happy in love.  Unfortunately, real life wasn't anything like those romance novels.  It was a hard lesson to learn, but one Kate knew by heart.

"Um, you can put me down now," she told the handsome man holding her.  His arms tightened around her in response.  She waited for him to let her go.  He didn't.

"Are you sure?  I mean, maybe you hurt yourself in the fall?"

Kate stared back at him as if he'd suddenly grown two heads.  But she did her best to keep her jaw dropping any further when his smile widened at her expression and the dimples made another appearance.

"Yes, I'm sure, but thank you.  I'm fine, really," she added when he still made no move to put her down.  "So, could you please put me down, Mr.—" She didn't even know his name and already her thoughts were heading in directions her self-imposed exile from men wouldn't allow.  It didn't help that he looked as if he'd just stepped off the cover of one of those romance novels.  Or out of bed …

"Alex.  Alex Bradshaw," he said slowly and waited for some response from her.  It was almost as if he expected her to recognize the name.  No, there was no way she'd ever met this man before.  She'd definitely remember him.  Maybe he was famous.  A movie star, perhaps.

"But you can call me Alex."

"Thank you…Alex." Kate found her voice again.  "That's very kind of you, but I'm fine." Reluctantly he set her on her feet but didn't let her go.  Instead, his hands circled her waist, inching her closer.  Kate didn't think about resisting, even when she realized he was going to kiss her.  Instinctively her hands moved up to his chest.

"Alex." The sound of his name dissolved into a tiny little whimper the second his lips touched hers for the first time.  Damn, could the man kiss or what?  Alex Bradshaw put all of her past boyfriend's to shame, and made her seriously rethink the whole, self-imposed exile thing.  No one ever kissed her the way Alex was right now.

His lips glided skillfully over hers, igniting a primitive response deep inside her being.  Kate never felt this way before.  Not even with Seth.  After her first initial moment of shock, she gave into instinct and kissed him back with abandon.  Her arms circled his neck, bringing their bodies closer.

For a moment, he was the one hesitating.  Kate opened her eyes to find him watching her carefully.  Something unnamed passed between them.  Kate shuddered at what she saw in his eyes, before closing hers.

His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her in place before his lips claimed hers once more, gently urging them apart.  Kate eagerly opened up to him.  He smiled against her lips at her response.  It was as seductive as his kiss.

"Alex." Kate fought against unfamiliar desires coursing through her body, melting her against him.  She tried to think beyond this moment.  After all, this man was a complete stranger to her.  She'd only met him and yet she'd allowed him to touch her in a way she'd long ago stopped believing in.

Shh," he whispered into her mouth, his hands slipping over the curves of her body, down to her hips, molding her intimately against him.  She could feel him holding back.  He was being careful with her.

This is crazy!  Kate couldn't believe she was behaving so recklessly.  If she didn't stop him soon, she wouldn't want to ever.  She forced her hands between their joined bodies and pushed against his chest.

Slowly Alex lifted his head, letting her go.  He wasn't smiling any longer.  The dark inferno blazing in his eyes made it hard to breathe, even harder to think clearly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stroking his thumb over her swollen lips.

Kate stared back at him wide-eyed.  Was he crazy?  Of course, she wasn't okay.  She wasn't sure what she felt at that moment, but okay certainly wasn't one of them.

"I'm sorry—I don't know what's wrong with me.  I have no idea why I did that." Her voice sounded breathless and uncertain.  She stopped talking and shook her head.

"Well, technically I think we both did that," he told her gently then smiled when she looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.  "And it's like I was saying.  It's a sign."

"Yeah, more like a sign I've been here way too long.  I must be tired, otherwise … " Kate stopped trying to defend her actions when she heard him laugh.  "I think I need to go home now." She smoothed a hand down her blouse and straightened her skirt before finding the nerve to look at him again.  "Is there actually something I can help you find?" God she was blushing again.  But did he have to have the most devilish grin?  As if he was reading much more into her innocent question.  "Because it is after closing time and—"

"Yes, you can.  You can tell me your name."

"I don't think so."

"Kate, is it?  Kate Edwards." He read her name off the gold nametag pinned to her blouse very slowly.  It sounded like a caress coming from those lips.

For a moment, something flashed within his eyes and he grew serious again.  Did he recognize her?  Kate shook her head again.  She was definitely tired.  They'd never met before.  She would remember meeting him.

"Yes."

"That's a very pretty name," he added and Kate tried not to react to his compliment.

"Thank you.  So now that you know my name—is there anything else, Mr.—" She searched her jumbled thoughts, trying to remember his last name.

"Bradshaw.  But you can call me Alex—remember?  And yes, there is.  You didn't answer my question."

"That's because you haven't asked me a question yet."

"No, but I was going to.  Before you fell into my arms and took away my train of thought."

Kate couldn't resist smiling at his open flirting.  The man was charming and an incredible kisser.  Not to mention quite possibly the sexiest man she'd ever met.

"Well, then I guess you don't need anything else from me," she said and immediately regretted the words when he chuckled softly.

"I didn't say that.  But I'm willing to take things slow, Kate Edwards.  So, Whatever You Desire," he repeated the same words that sent her tumbling into his arms minutes earlier.

"I beg your pardon?" Kate felt the hot color start at her toes and spread quickly through her body.

When Alex spotted her embarrassment he pointed to the paperback he held in his hand.  "Whatever You Desire?"

"Oh—the book!  Well, what about it?"

"Can you recommend it?" he teased her softly.  Even the simplest of words took on a much more alluring meaning when his eyes slid over her body.

"I don't know.  I don't read romance novels." Not anymore, anyway.

Kate bit back a smile at his fake shock.  She couldn't tell him there had once been a time when those little books fulfilled all of her teenage fantasies.

"You're kidding?  You don't believe in romance?"

Kate shook her head.  The undercurrent of sexual tension flaring between them still made it hard to concentrate on what he was saying.  "Do you?"

"I do now," he told her quietly with a solemn expression on his face.

"So then you'll definitely want to buy the book, I take it?  What with your newfound belief in romance and all," Kate added as a challenge just to see how far he might be willing to take this game.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of buying this entire line of romance books."

Kate's jaw dropped when he walked over to the section of paperback novels and selected ten different titles along with Whatever You Desire.

"You want to buy all of those books?" she asked incredulously.

"Absolutely." He walked over to the register and took out some bills.

"Will that be all, Mr.—," she began and quickly caught herself before he corrected her again.  "Alex?"

"Not at all," he added so seriously Kate wondered if maybe he might be preparing to buy out the whole romance section.

"Oh, is there something else you wanted?" She met his gaze and knew even before he said the words he was going to ask her out.  Just as she knew her self-imposed exile from men was about to be shattered into smithereens.

Purchase Link for The Arms Of A Stranger:

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/maryeasonbooks.html#INTHEARMSOFASTRANGER

Available in Electronic Formats – $4.50 Digital

An Interview with author Mary Eason

You're a prolific author, Mary, with books in many romance sub-genres. Do you have a favorite genre and why?

I do have a favorite genre. I started out reading romantic suspense novels written by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney as was quickly hooked on that subgenre.  But I love writing stories that are an emotional read and filled with characters that must overcome great conflicts.

Characters, setting, or plot. Which starts your story?

Usually the characters introduce themselves to me, followed shortly by the storyline or plot.

Is there a particular character from any of your books that resonates with you, even after you've sent him or her off to print?

Yes, in THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU WANT, (Samhain Publishing) the main character, Carrie Sinclair fits me to the letter.  She is a little stubborn, a little insecure, sometimes clueless, but in possession of a heart of gold.

What's one of the most surprising things you've learned about writing?

Just because you love your story doesn't mean the editor will or the reader for that matter.  Writing is hard work no matter how easy it seems.  It takes a lot of fortitude to survive in this business.

How about a movie? Is there one you'll sit through again and again?

I absolutely love Baby Boom with Diane Keaton and Chevy Chase's Funny Farm was hilarious.

Tell us a little about your current projects and what's inspiring you.

I've just finished editing a romantic suspense release through The Wild Rose Press entitled, Deadly Connection (working title). It's about Dr. Jordan Scott who is banking everything, including her life on finding out the truth behind her brother's murder, but she has no idea it will lead her straight to the man she trusted with everything. Can Jordan learn to trust again? And is Riley Donavan worth staying for?

In the upcoming months, I have another romance coming out through New Concepts Publishing which is a romantic comedy, entitle, Must Love Sidney. Also, I will have two new releases coming out from Whiskey Creek Press. The first will be in November, entitle Pieces Of A Family and the second in early 2011 entitle The Book Of Love, so I hope readers will keep an eye out for them as well.

How much do you read? Who is your favorite author?

I love reading. You'll always find a couple of books on my nightstand that I'm in the middle of reading. I read a variety of genres, but my favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. I adore Rita Herron and Lisa Gardner as well as Brenda Novak. These ladies are heroes in my book. My favorite book romantic comedy is Lolly Winston's, Good Grief.  I love that story.  I love the way the main character, Sophie deals with her grief.

Throughout your career, what has been your biggest disappointment? What has been your biggest success?

I think receiving a rejection letter for a writer is always the hardest thing to deal with. Through time, you develop a thick skin and learn to accept them and hopefully learn from them. But there are some rejection letters that are harder than others are.  My hardest one to accept was the novel that I'd put so much of myself into, THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU WANT. I cried for days over that one.  Needless to say, it found a home and at Samhain Publishing, so it all worked out nicely.

My biggest success comes from having someone tell me that they loved my work. That's a wonderful feeling. Almost better than seeing your name in print!

Do you hear from your reader's much? What do they say? What's the strangest thing you've ever heard from a reader?

Yes, quite often I'll hear from readers. I don't think I've ever had a bad comment from a reader.  The strangest thing I've ever heard was from one person who seemed a bit too obsessive about one of my main characters in one story.  But hey, could be worse right?

Describe a typical day in the life of Mary Eason.

I start my day out with reading emails and working on promotion. For a writer, promoting this is almost a full time job, but I try to limit my time of the internet to a couple of hours a day. Then I spend the rest of the day editing and working on my new projects. Usually I have several story ideas floating around in my head demanding my attention.

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work? That's if you have any time outside of work!

I'm starting to relearn playing the piano.  As a child, I grew up playing, but I've been away from it for almost twenty years…hum, I think I just gave my age away, anyway, I want to relearn it for me as well as my granddaughter who I'd like to teach how to play someday.  Also, my husband and I have a small cabin at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where we love to go during the summer months, when it's too hot to survive outside in Texas.

Do you like to cook? If I were coming to dinner at your house, what would you cook? That's before you kick me to the curb of course.

I do cook, but I'll be the first to tell you, I'm not the best cook in the world, but I do like to grill.  Being from Texas, I think I'd probably have to make you something like barbeque brisket or ribs. And no, I'd never kick you to the curb.  Although you might choose to run once, you've tasted my cooking.

Have you had any interesting day jobs on the way to your writing career? What's the oddest job you ever did?

I'd say my most interesting job was working at a pathology lab.

I ran into some interesting cases and definitely some interesting characters. Some may have even made it into a few stories of mine.

Thanks so much!

Mary Eason

Check out all of Mary Eason's great books at her website

www.maryeason.com

B3 Day One – GUEST BLOG #2 – Cindy K. Green

Christmas is coming early this year!

Happy Birthday Becka! I have a present for you and your readers too.

I'm having a Christmas contest starting in October and continuing into December. I'll have three winners. One October 30th. One November 30th and the last one December 21st.

To enter: view the book trailer for All I Want for Christmas and email me at contest@cindykgreen.com. In the email, list at least one gift that Kathryn received from her Secret Santa. Enter each month for a chance to win.

What will you win? A pdf copy of my best selling historical western from Champagne Books, The Heart Never Lies, as well as some Bath & Body Works goodies and a special chocolate treat—specifically the kind of chocolate my heroine in All I Want for Christmas craves each and every day. If you already own The Heart Never Lies, I'll send you a copy of the sequel, Listen to Your Heart, when it releases in January.

Everyone loves to get a present, but what would you do if you had no idea who the gift was from and the only clue you had was a printed note with a thoughtful saying and signed Secret Santa?

I love Christmas and even if I didn't, I have a six year old who wouldn't allow me to Bah-Humbug it up. We're fairly traditional and have a lot of fun during the season. I took that idea of families and traditions when I came to write All I Want for Christmas. I asked myself that 'What If?' question. What if a person with a lot of family issues (who happens to hate Christmas) suddenly begins to receive gifts from a mysterious Secret Santa?

Voila! A story is born.

All I Want for Christmas is a fun, Christmas story with a message too. Discover The True Spirit of Christmas. And that spirit is different for different people. It's not just about the season but about the whole year round. Sounds sappy I know. My heroine

has to overcome some things from her past in order to become a well-adjusted person (if that's possible) and find joy in life again.

What about the Romance?

Let's not forget the lovin'! I love the best friend romance. You don't have to build up the time that the characters need to get to know one another before they realize this is love. The foundation is already there. They just need the veil removed so they can see this friend in a new light and then PRESTO it hits them like a pile of bricks. I Love Him/Her!

In All I Want for Christmas, we have a writing partner team from a small magazine. Kathryn hates Christmas and Nick loves it. I suppose you could say they are opposites. What I tell readers about these characters is to think Clark Kent and Lois Lane (from the '90's TV show—Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain). He's the easy-going, mild-mannered type with the ability to tease and stand and be strong when need be. And she's ambitious, head-strong and passionate. For some reason, they just work and they always have. Within this friendship, the heroine feels an amount of safety unlike she has ever felt even as a child at home.

Blurb:

Best Friends or True Love? Only Santa Knows.

Kathryn Graham hates Christmas. She hates the snow, the decorations, the whole nine yards. Nick Pringle on the other hand can't get enough of the season. He may be her best friend and fellow writer at Redburn Weekly Magazine, but sometimes his exuberance gets on her very last nerve. Now they've been assigned to cover the orphan toy drive story. It's just a puff piece not the serious journalism Kathryn hopes for, but maybe—as Nick says—there are no old stories just new angles.

Nick Pringle has been in love with Kathryn practically since the day they met. When he realizes that she's lost her Christmas spirit, he figures he's just the guy to help her find it again. He enacts a plan to send her anonymous gifts from Secret Santa, but will any of this really make a difference in her? Will she ever see him as anything more than her smart-aleck partner even after their passionate kisses? Then again maybe he'll get what he wants for Christmas after all.

Excerpt:

Halfway through the film, Nick's fingers brushed over Kathryn's wrist and a surge whipped through her like an electrical charge. His hand ended up on her knee, and he leaned over close to her ear. "You have any more of those Milkduds?"

"Huh?" Oh, candy. He just wanted more snacks. Well, of course, what other reason would he have for touching her like that?

"Here," she whispered and held out the container to him.

His face remained close to hers, his warm hand still molded to the shape of her knee. She accidentally moved in too close and her forehead bumped his cheek. Looking up at him, Kathryn saw he wasn't smiling. His eyes had grown serious and all thoughts of candy dissipated. His attention dropped to her mouth and suddenly Kathryn couldn't swallow. Could he possibly be considering kissing her? Just then, he turned his attention back to the movie and lifted his hand from her knee.

An unexplainable inclination took over as Kathryn pushed his hand back to her knee. His face whipped back to her. Questions filled his features. His chest moved up and then down. He smoothed his hand over her pants from her knee to her thigh and back again. Her skin pebbled under the material at his touch. This was soon followed by heat tingling from her stomach to the tips of her toes.

She leaned in towards him and he met her halfway. And just like that their lips met. Giddiness spun through Kathryn's head with sparks tingling her skin. The kiss was light and sweet yet searing all at once. Lucidity began to return to her the next moment. What was she doing? Oh, right, she was kissing Nick Pringle. She was kissing a co-worker. Worse yet, she was making out with her best friend. What was she thinking? She had to stop and yet it was the last thing she wanted to do.

The whole idea was ludicrous. An outrageous act and yet somehow her body's sole response was that it wanted more. Whoa! Had it been that long since she'd had a date? Time to reign in those annoying hormones which threatened to take over her sanity.

She broke off the kiss and rested her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart speeding at the rate of a train. A train wreck is more like it. Ay-yi-yi! How was she going to get herself out of this one?

Available Now at Champagne Books or on Amazon.

Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense, Young Adult and Historical romance. No matter what she writes, she always throws in a bit of humor and fun. Find out more about Cindy and her books at www.cindykgreen.com and http://cindykgreen.blogspot.com/. To join her newsletter email her at newsletters@cindykgreen.com, and she will send you out all four parts of her FREE READ serial, "Valentine's Challenge."

B3 Day One – GUEST BLOG – Ashley Barnard

It's All About the Previews

by Ashley J. Barnard

I've had a lot of people ask me why I write fantasy, especially since it's not my favorite genre to read. There are several reasons: I love magic, I'm too lazy to do research so I make up my own history, and anything can happen. But I think the biggest reason I write fantasy is because that genre makes for the best previews in my head.

I'm a movie trailer fiend. Keep me away from Internet Movie Database or I'll just spend all afternoon clicking on trailers. Oftentimes, the previews before a movie are my favorite part, so I am never late to the theater. I love the marriage between suspenseful, stirring images and amazing music (Inception, anyone?). Sometimes I can barely get a handle on the level of emotions a good preview can stir up, and will often be moved to tears. Fortunately for me, my husband is the same way. He wanted to buy 300 on DVD just so he could watch the trailer over and over again. We click together really well that way.

So it only makes sense, for a preview whore, that when I'm listening to some great choral music or Hans Zimmer, I let loose a rampage of images from my own books. And here's where the fantasy works beautifully: I've got pirates and ships, raven-haired beauties in stunning gowns, rapier-wielding heroes, horses riding into battle, and sacred ceremonies. This is not, by the way, a voluntary exercise. I cannot resist conjuring these images any more than I can resist hugging my daughter or eating white chocolate. It's quite the occupational hazard; I can drive many miles listening to Choral Cinema and not remember a single detail of my drive. It's just that my books look so damn good set in slow motion with that music playing. While someday I hope to be a Serious Literary Writer, I'm just not sure if I can get excited enough if there's no suspense or adventure to set to music in my head. For instance, as much as I'm enjoying Jonathan Franzen's writing style in Freedom right now, it's just not good preview material.

I've had the most fun creating mental previews for Shadow Fox, my fantasy novel making its debut this week. While it has plenty of fantastical elements, it also contains a lot of contemporary scenes. With a dark, gothic song I can picture my hero's psychological torment with his brooding guitar playing, and build suspense with motorcycle rides through cobblestone streets. Then as the song crescendos I can switch to the fantasy world where there are duels, devastating kisses, close rescues and bloody battles.

My biggest dream is to see Shadow Fox on the big screen. If it's done well, someone will have to carry me out on a pillow because I'll just be a big blob of jello. More than anything, I just hope whoever does the movie trailer does it justice. I've only seen it in my head 1,063,028 times.

www.ashleyjbarnard.com

Becka's Birthday Bash – You're Invited!

Don't forget, October 4th – 8th, B3 will be held on this website with guest blogs, my author loop with excerpts and contests, Facebook with fun and games, and Twitter for fun facts and tomfoolery (love that word!)

The list of authors just keeps growing!  Here's your list of participating awesomeness:

Rebecca Goings

Donica Covey

Ashley Barnard

Evie Balos

Misty Evans

Michael Davis

Cindy Green

Allison Knight

Christine Bell

Mary Eason

D. Renee Bagby

Julie Eberhart Painter

Scarlett Parrish

Lauren Gallagher

L.A. Witt

Here are the links you need:

http://www.RebeccaGoings.com

http://www.twitter.com/rebeccagoings

http://www.twitter.com/beckasboys

http://groups.google.com/group/themagicofromance

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beckas-Birthday-Bash/162012010482786

Authors!  There is still time to sign up!  Email me at rebeccagoings AT gmail DOT com for this FREE PROMO event.  This is going to be so much FUN!  I know I'm giving away LOADS of books and prizes.  I can only IMAGINE what my fellow authors are going to do…

Readers!  Don't miss this!  Free excerpts, free stuff!  Free FUN!

See you next week!

~~Becka

Sex in Romance – eBooks Have Ruined Me

Okay, okay, dramatic, I know, but hear me out.

I've been saturated in the eBook world for years now, long before the Kindle was even a glimmer in Amazon's eye.  As an author, I firmly believe one must continue reading, not only to study how other authors tell their stories, but to refuel one's own worn-out muse.  Nothing helps me get back into my writing like reading a good book.

Recently, I picked up a book I hadn't planned on buying, but it's by one of my favorite authors, so I was excited...

B3 – Becka's Birthday Bash the First Week of October!

EVERYONE!!  You're invited to my Birthday Bash the first week of October, the 4th – 8th.  Where is this party?  EVERYWHERE I haunt!  This very website, my author loop, Twitter, and Facebook.  How can you participate?  Many different ways.

Authors:  contact me for guest blogs/interviews/blog tours.  You can post excerpts, reviews, shout-outs, and promo in my author loop, hold contests for any of your books, and have the chance to get your name in front of my audience and that of my other...

10 Weeks Since My Arthroscopy

I had my second follow-up appointment with the hand surgeon 2 weeks ago.  I forgot to blog the event due to all the other Awesome Stuff that was going on with book releases and my blog tour for MARK OF THE B*E*A*S*T*.  Therefore, I thought I would take a moment to give you an update on what's going on with my wrist these days.

This is my tenth week post-op.  My wrist is still somewhat ouchy when I flex it forward and back.  It still clicks when I move it from side to side.  Here's the short...