Heather Thurmeier's Blog, page 17

L is for Love!

What else would it be for? I’m a romantic at heart and I always will be. I write romance novels because I believe in happily ever afters. I LOVE getting to give my characters a happily ever after every time I write a story. I don’t like reading stories with sad endings and there’s no way I want to write one. I LOVE my characters. I’m way too attached to them to let something really bad happen to them. Sure they may go through a bit of tough times, but in the end, things are going to go their way, at least in love.

Here’s a little romantic excerpt from my book FALLING FOR YOU.

“You’re jealous of my ex-boyfriend. You’re jealous of that stupid kiss with him.” She didn’t have an ounce of uncertainty in her voice. Damn it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cassidy.”

“Oh no?” Cassidy sauntered toward him swinging her hips, her voice low and sexy. “So you didn’t mind when he grabbed me and pulled me into his arms and kissed me, hard on the lips?”

He flinched at the memory of Cassidy and Brad kissing. Every agonizing second of that kiss was burned into his brain, and he’d done nothing but compare that kiss to one he’d had with her only hours earlier. Which had she liked more? His anger toward Brad flooded back to him.

“You’re right,” he admitted bluntly, annoyed that Cassidy knew what he was really thinking—that he couldn’t hide his feelings from her. He hadn’t exactly been subtle, but he hadn’t thought he’d been obvious either.

Evan stood up from the bed, mere inches separating himself and Cassidy. She took a step backward, but he caught her arm, stopping her. Minutes earlier, he’d wanted nothing more than to be far, far away from her, but now he didn’t want her to go anywhere.

“I was jealous… No, I am jealous, because ever since I kissed you, I haven’t been able to think of anything else.” I’ve never had a kiss like that before.

Evan swept the back of his hand along Cassidy’s cheek and traced the line of her jaw until his hand stopped under her chin. He held her there, his gaze locked on the green eyes staring back at him.

“All this time, I’ve been fighting to stay away from you, trying to ignore the desperate urge I feel to kiss you.” He sighed, fighting for the right words. “That kiss—it was…amazing. Stopping was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long time.”

His thumb stroked her bottom lip. He wanted to kiss her again.

Don’t do it. Stop.

“I hated seeing you kiss Brad. It was as if someone decided to use my chest for batting practice.” He tried not to focus on her inviting mouth. “I couldn’t believe the same lips I’d just had the most intense pleasure of experiencing, were now smashed up against the surfer boy’s undeserving smart-assed mouth.”

A small gasp escaped her mouth as her lips parted. The urge to kiss her flared inside him, the desire she sparked in him overwhelming. “I acted like a jerk, and I’m sorry.” He didn’t want to feel this way about her. It went against his plans, but he couldn’t

help it. Cassidy was simply too much to resist.

“I’m sorry, too,” Cassidy whispered. “I only ever wanted one man to kiss me that day,

and it wasn’t the surfer boy. And, there’s only one I want to kiss me again.”

His mouth hovered above hers. “I’m going to assume you mean me.”

If you like what you read, you can grab your copy here:      AMAZON             NOOK               iTUNES

K is for Kids

It can be a real challenge to start a writing career when you have kids. Especially little kids who are still at home with you all the time. When I started

writing my first book (FALLING FOR YOU) my youngest was only just 2 and a half. I was only able to write a couple of house a week when she went to a preschool program and my older one was at school. Or when I left them both at home with hubs or a babysitter so I could sneak out to write at the local coffee shop for a bit.

Now that they’re older, it’s usually easier to get my writing done each week. They are both in school full time so I write while they are there. Then when they’re home, it’s time to be mom again. Most of the time the transition is pretty easy for me. But every now and then I’m in the middle of a great scene and I have to leave to get the kids from school. When I get them back home it’s really hard not to go back to my scene and keep writing. Sometimes I find myself trying to get those last few sentences or paragraphs down while also helping with homework, doing laundry or cooking dinner.

But I love my kids and I love to write, so I wouldn’t have it any other way!

J is for Jumping Jacks

Not really, but sort of. I hate doing Jumping Jacks. They are absolutely my most hated exercise. I would happily do almost any other kind of activity over doing a single set of jumping jacks. But every now and then, I’ll suffer through a series of jumping jacks even though I despise them. Why?? Because they are good for me.

Do you ever do anything you hate just because it’s good for you? Tell me about it in the comments!

I is for Indie

Today is all about Indie (self) publishing! I’m an indie author as well as a traditional author. I like to dabble in both because each offers different benefits to my career as an author. It seems like the publishing industry is changing every single day and no one really knows where it will go next. I want to make sure I have as much longevity as possible so I can keep writing books, so I publish in many different ways.

Writers: Do you indie (self) publish or do you every plan to in the future?

Readers: Do you pay attention to whether or not a book is self-published or traditionally published before you buy it? Does it make any difference to you?

I have two indie (self) published books. The trickiest part of self-publishing is connecting with your readers and getting them to even find your books, let alone buy them. So since you could all be potential readers, here’s the blurbs for both of my books! They are available on Amazon!

Maia’s been banished to Earth from her place among the stars as the eldest sister of Pleiades… and all because Orion won’t stop chasing her around the universe. Now Maia has to find her way back to the stars with only the help of hunky astronautics scientist Zander while staying hidden from Orion.

Zander never expected the discovery of his lifetime to fall into his lap, but when Maia also falls into his bed, he knows there’s no way he can turn the goddess who has stolen his heart into a science project. With his best friend ready to sell him out for fame, her wannabe lover Orion chasing after her on Earth, and time running out fast, Zander must fight to keep Maia safe long enough to get her home.

If going home means losing Zander, is Maia ready to go back to the stars?

Buy from  AMAZON

 

 

Sunny California? Not so much. Amelia’s stuck at the office retreat in frickin’ Lake Tahoe with a grabby colleague who thinks he’s God’s gift to women. At least the workshop presenter is super hot… if only she can get him to take her from the bunny hill to the bedroom.

Amelia Brooks agrees to a weekend retreat in California, thinking it will be held in sunny Malibu only to find out she’s stuck in chilly Lake Tahoe for four long days–just what a girl from Minnesota wants to hear in the middle of winter. Now instead of wiggling her toes in the sand, her feet are squeezed into her new manufactured-by-Satan-himself-uncomfortable boots. If that’s not enough, Amelia’s obnoxious colleague William has decided this is the weekend they’ll finally be together and he won’t keep his thoughts–or his hands–to himself.

Amelia’s ready to kick off those boots and peel off her wooly sweater once she meets Nate Miller–the workshop’s hunky presenter. But Nate’s not ready to settle down. He’s seen his workshop buddies fall in love then fall out of the running for being promoted to the big city workshop circuit and he’s not about to let that happen to his life’s dream–until he gets involved with Amelia. Now he’s not so sure he can walk away at the end of the weekend with his heart intact and his promotion in hand.

Now Amelia’s got four days to stave off William’s persistent advances long enough to fall in love with Nate and possibly…learn to ski the bunny hill.

Buy from AMAZON 

H is for Holidays

Today is H day in the A-Z Challenge and I’m chatting about Holidays. My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love spending time with family, buying gifts for everyone, the treats, the music and even the decorations. If I had to pick a second favorite, it would have to be Easter. But only because of the chocolate bunnies, cream eggs and other various tasty treats.

What’s your favorite holiday?

G is for Girl’s Night Out

Girl’s Night, woot! Every now and then I need a night out with my girls. But for us, the nights are usually pretty low key. Sometimes it’s a book club meeting. Maybe it’s dinner out. Or if there’s some good man candy on the big screen, we may just take in a movie. Every time, I find it so hard to leave my kids, even though I know they are happy at home with dad. But when I get home later, I feel refreshed and relaxed!

In FALLING FOR YOU, Cassidy and Paige have an impromptu girl’s night in when tensions are high and they fear Paige is on the verge of going home. Here’s a little excerpt!

Cassidy and Paige walked into the kitchen. As Paige got comfortable on the stools beside the kitchen island, Cassidy found a bottle of champagne in the fridge and a couple of glasses. She filled them and handed one to Paige.

“Champagne? Does my humiliation make you feel like celebrating?”

“Don’t be silly, Paige. We’re going to celebrate this experience and our friendship, which we wouldn’t have had without coming here and sacrificing our dignity for the betterment of American television.”

Cassidy and Paige clinked their glasses and polished off the champagne in one shot. “How ’bout another?”

“You certainly know how to put a positive spin on things.”

“I know this is hard, Paige, but coming here was about more than just meeting Brad, right? It’s about the experience, too. Just because Brad is too stupid to see what an awesome girl you are, doesn’t mean the whole thing was a waste.”

“I guess you’re right. I just really wanted to fall in love, ya know?”

“I know. But you can’t fall in love unless it’s the right guy, and maybe Brad isn’t him. I bet Mr. Right is out there now, shaking his head at the TV, wondering how Brad could be so stupid to let you go and thanking his lucky stars he’ll get a chance with you.”

“I hope you’re right,” Paige said, emptying her second glass in one last gulp of champagne. “Maybe I’ll take a refill up to my room to help me pack.”

“Who said anything about packing? You don’t know you’re going home.”

“Call it a hunch or intuition or whatever. But I feel like I’m definitely going home.” Paige sighed and put her head in her hands. “Honestly, I’m ready to go home. I don’t think my ego can stand another round in the bottom three.”

“You want help packing?”

“Sure, if you don’t have anything better to do.”

Spending quality time kissing Evan was out of the question since he was still acting pissy toward her. Hanging out with Paige sounded exactly like what she needed right now. Cassidy grabbed the bottle of champagne. “It could be a long night of packing. We might need refreshments.”

“Good thinking.” Paige grabbed it from her hand and took a drink right from the bottle before leaving the kitchen and heading up to her room.

Want to grab your copy?                AMAZON           NOOK            iTUNES

Do you ever head out for a girl’s/boy’s night out?

F is for Favorites!

Saturday is the best day of the week. I dare say it’s my favorite day of the week, which leads me to today’s topic. FAVORITES! So here is my list of favorites. And I’d love to hear yours. Just leave them in the comments!

Favorite:

Coffee: black with sugar
Fancy coffee: Peppermint mocha
Color: Sparkly purple
TV show: Reality TV! Especially The Amazing Race, Survivor, The Bachelor/ette
Movie: Tommy Boy, Armageddon, 40 Year Old Virgin… to name a few
Treat: Anything chocolate but especially brownies
Alcoholic beverage: Frozen Strawberry Lime Margarita
Season: Summer
Sport: To play? None. To watch on TV? Boxing.
Animal: Horses

So what are some of your favorites?

 

E is for Ereader

Welcome to the E day of the A-Z Challenge. Today I’m talking about ereaders! A few years ago, I was initially a little hesitant to use one. I thought they looked really cool, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up my paper books. And then I got my first kindle…

I can’t tell you how much I love my kindle!! Actually, I love all of my kindles. I sort of have a kindle obsession. A new one comes out and I just have to have it. I have/had a second generation, keyboard, touch and now a paperwhite. The paperwhite is by far my favorite of all time! It’s heaven.

Now when I read paper books, I find them annoying. I have to hold them with both hands. I have to turn on a light so I can read the words. I can’t increase the text size!! Ugh. Torture.

So what do you read on? Do you love your ereader or are you still a paper book lover? If you’re in the market for a new ebook or paper book, I’ve got you covered! Check out my author page on Amazon and take a look around!

D is for Dystopian

So I write romance. But you knew that, right? If you don’t know that, check out my amazon page to find the links to all of my books!

However, I LOVE to read dystopian books when I read just for fun, which in my world is every single day. It’s not the only genre I read, but it is definitely one of my all-time favorites and something I am totally addicted to right now. Give me a dystopian series and I’m even happier! Except when all the books in the series aren’t out yet. I can’t tell you how many third-in-series books I’m waiting for!

In an attempt to share the love and the addiction, here’s my Top Ten List of Dystopian faves, in no particular order:

The Hunger Games Trilogy
The Maze Runner Trilogy
Legend Series
Under the Never Sky Series
The Selection Trilogy
Divergent Trilogy
Matched Trilogy
Enclave Series
The Uglies Series
The Forest of Hands and Teeth Series

What about you? What genre are you totally addicted to right now? And what are your top recommends in that genre?

Be sure to check out a few of the other amazing blogs/websites involved in the A-Z Challenge!

 

C is for Change

It never fails, Spring hits and all I can think about is cleaning up our living space and making everything newer/cleaner/better! This year is especially true because we are considering moving. We’ve been de-cluttering every weekend and the house is starting to look amazing! We’ve reorganized things, packed things away in storage, and completely given our living spaces a new life.

Most recently, we changed out master bedroom from something that looked very Mexican Fiesta-ish with bright orange walls with an orange/blue/green bedspread to something that looks much calmer, tranquil and beachy with blues/whites/creams and tans. We kept the orange walls but added new beachy accents. I love the transformation!

Something as simple as beachy candles in sand with some blue/green sea glass makes me so much happier in my bedroom! I love feeling like I’m on vacation.

 

Have you made any big changes this Spring?