Sara Daniel's Blog, page 65

Happy 1st Anniversary Musa Publishing!

[image error] Wow! So much can happen in one year. It certainly has for me, and I know it has for Musa Publishing, as well.  Exactly one year ago Musa opened their doors. About six weeks prior, I started hearing about this new publisher that had signed the amazing bestselling authors Sharon DeVita and Cindi Myers. I went to their website, read their publishing story, submission guidelines and sample contract and decided to submit too.

Within two weeks, I was a Musa author. My first book with them (Mr. Forever) didn't come out until December, but I was a part of the company almost an entire month before the launch. Not only did I witness the excitement firsthand. The directors and other authors made me a part of it because at Musa we really are one big family.

While waiting for my first book to come out for Musa, I sold my first book ever on proposal to them (The Wiccan Haus: A Man Worth Fighting For). When I signed that contract, I knew my publishing dreams had come true, and I was a professional working author.

Throughout the spring and summer, I wrote two short stories for Musa, sold another Wiccan Haus book on proposal and signed with two other publishers. I'm living my dream, and I have the fabulous directors at  Musa Publishing (Celina, Kelly, Kerry and Dominique) to thank for it!

I will be giving away one of my Musa backlist titles ( Mr. Forever or The Wiccan Haus: A Man Worth Fighting For) or upcoming titles (Zane's Art, The Wiccan Haus: Psychic Lies, or Wyatt's Guilt) to two random people who leave comments. Visit Musa Publishing or the books heading on my blog to read a blurb about each story.  Thank you for allowing me to share my story.  Every time you comment on each blog, you are entered to win the grand blog hop prize of a Kindle Fire!!!!!!!!

[image error]
Return to blog hop here

Passionate Cooks!

Love romance? Love food? Love freebies? Have I got the perfect gift for you! Passionate Cooks: Free Recipes from Today's Hottest Romance Authors is available for free from All Romance beginning October 1st. Download it to check out my recipe for "The Scone Sorceress's Almond-Poppy Seed Scones," rumored to inspire love, devotion, and instant marriage proposals from anyone you feed them to. (So, share wisely!)Lots of delicious recipes from over 150 other romance authors are also included. I know I'm going to find some new favorites dishes, as well as new favorite authors!

Sensational Secondary Characters Blog Hop

I am thrilled to participate in this blog hop because I LOVE secondary characters, especially those quirky, funny characters who "help" the hero and heroine on their journey to happily-ever-after. At least in my case, these characters, who usually have good intentions, complicate the hero and heroine's journeys, testing their mettle and ultimately making them grow into stronger, better people that we want to cheer for.

My new release Construction Beauty Queen is filled with quirky secondary characters who have a common goal--to drive my heroine out of town.  Barney from the convenience store tries to accomplish this by offering Veronica one of his trademark (inedible) welcome gifts.  "Nonsense," he tells her when she attempts to graciously decline. "You're malnourished. You need donuts."

The Wiccan Haus series from Musa Publishing is full of quirky continuing characters that populate the island. My favorite happens to be Myron who works the front desk in the Wiccan Haus resort, is continuously wearing the wrong name tag, and receives psychic answers from a seemingly ordinary deck of playing cards. At times she uses these answers to nudge the hero and heroine together, and at other times she deliberately withholds information, forcing them to look inside themselves to figure out the answers.

Two characters who completely stole the show in my book Mr. Forever were the heroine's brilliant, eccentric and insecure sister Penelope and the hero's brother Ethan, a suave lady's man.  I loved their secondary story line so much that I wrote an epilogue to  Mr. Forever  to show them getting their happily-ever-after. Offered last December as a free holiday read, I will give away a copy of Penelope's Pleasures to everyone who leaves a comment telling me their favorite secondary character and what book (or movie or TV show) he or she is from. Please indicate your preferred e-book format (Kindle, Nook or pdf) and include an email address for me to send to.

Return to blog hop here

Construction Beauty Queen Release Day

These past two months I have been editing like a mad woman (if, indeed, mad women edit!), and I can now show the proof that I've been working my, ur, "butt joints" off. (Yeah, you'll have to read the book to get that reference.)

I am now officially an Entangled author with the brand new Bliss Imprint that launched last month with Sugar Rush by Rachel Astor, Lucky Break by Kelly Vitollo and Three River Ranch by Roxanne Snopek.

Construction Beauty Queen by Sara Daniel

Chicago socialite Veronica Jamison is determined to shake off her sheltered lifestyle and overbearing parents. She heads to her grandfather’s small town of Kortville, ready to roll up her sleeves and work for the family construction business. She’ll prove her worth, even if it means answering to the company’s ruggedly handsome co-owner, Matt.

Matt Shaw just wants to run his business, spend time with the niece he’s raising on his own, and give back to the townspeople who have stood by him. Managing a spoiled-rotten princess he knows he’ll never be good enough for? Not part of his plan. But as he gets to know Veronica, he learns there’s more to her than her beautiful looks and designer clothes. She’s got a heart as rich as her background.

With the quirky townspeople rallying against Veronica inheriting her grandfather’s business, it’s up to Matt to try to drive her out of town. But how can he, when instead she’s driving her way into his heart?

Currently, Construction Beauty Queen is available on Amazon and coming soon to Barnes and Noble. You can also check out fellow Bliss release author Ophelia London's Playing at Love. Enjoy!

YA Authors: Get Your Pitch On

Attention YA Authors: Workshops for Get Your Pitch On will start on October 1, but you can send your pitches through now to secure your spot with a host blog. I'm one of the host blogs!!

There is no date deadline for the workshops. Each blog has allocated a set number of pitches that they can host and once those spots are full then no more submissions will be taken.

Important Rule: If you want to participate in a workshop, you must be prepared to comment on at least one other pitch.

How to submit: Email your draft pitch to pitchonws@gmail.com and include PitchOnWS and the title of the manuscript in the subject line. Pitches must follow the formatting as specified for the Get Your Pitch On contest. If you missed if before check out this post here and you can see the list of blogs participating here.

Draft pitches will be evenly distributed between host blogs.

Check out this post on YAtopia for more details on formatting and submitting your pitch.  Good luck!

18 and Over Giveaway Hop

This blog hop coincides perfectly with this week's release of my sexiest story to date, More Than a Fantasy.

Regina’s fantasies about her hot marketing assistant, Gabriel, are interfering with her focus at work. In desperation, she turns to Madame Eve to give her a one-night stand with a man who looks just like him. When the Gabriel arrives in her hotel room, she must choose between walking away and playing out her daydreams with the real thing. Their one night becomes a wrestling match for control as Regina strives to keep the upper hand. But Gabriel is just as determined to show her how to work together for business and for pleasure. As passion trumps protocol, their one night stand quickly becomes much more than a fantasy.

Excerpt:
The balcony door slid open. The trim, broad-shouldered backside of a man with Gabriel’s basic frame entered. He was dressed in jeans and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. Her fingers tingled at the prospect of touching his hard, muscled body and claiming it for the night.

The man secured the glass door then rotated toward her. Backlit by the setting sun, he had the same profile as Gabriel. Perhaps his hair was a tad darker, but she could overlook that. The lack of dimples was more disappointing.

He strolled toward her, blocking the sunset and bringing his gorgeous blond curls into the full view of the overhead lights. A charismatic smile lit up his brown eyes, denting tiny grooves on each of his cheeks. “Regina.”

No. Not possible. Not funny, either. She hadn’t wanted the Gabriel. She wanted a fake, one with no career ambitions and a staggeringly low IQ. She’d spelled out her wants on the matchmaking form. “How did you get in here?”

“I checked in, same as you.”

Her mental agenda said she should be heavy petting her way to a blowjob. It did not include arguing semantics with her assistant or a potential sexual harassment suit.

She had to get him out of here before he ruined the match Madame Eve had set up. No matter how much the other guy looked like him, the more time she spent with Gabriel, the less she wanted anyone else in his place. “Where’s the man who’s supposed to be here?”

“I’m him.”

Desire hit her hard. Everything she wanted was in her reach. And as far away as ever.

To be entered to win a copy of one of my backlist titles, leave a comment telling me what kind of man tickles your fantasies. For extra Brownie points, like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and follow my blog here. I'll pick one random winner. Make sure to include your email address, which book you'd prefer ( Mr. Forever or A Man Worth Fighting For ) and your preferred file type (Kindle, Nook or pdf) in your comments. Contest is open internationally.

Return to blog hop hereHosted by Bitten by Paranormal Romance with co-host paranormal romance author Gabrielle Bisset.

Wicked Pleasures Scavenger Hunt

[image error] Sponsored By:
Book & Trailer Showcase
and
Queentutt’s World of Escapism 
I'm excited to participate in my very first scavenger hunt blog hop with such awesome authors and prizes. I'm giving away a copy of Mr. Forever , my debut ebook, to one lucky winner who answers my Rafflecopter question correctly.
Mr. Forever: The discovery of a secret baby threatens Caleb's professional reputation. Falling for the woman who loves this baby would ruin him.
To win Mr. Forever, you need to answer a question about my brand new release that comes out this month from Decadent Publishing. More Than a Fantasy is part of the fun, sexy 1Night Stand line.
More Than a Fantasy: Regina’s fantasies about her hot marketing assistant Gabriel are interfering with her focus on her clients. In desperation, she turns to Madame Eve to give her a one-night stand with a man who looks just like him. She doesn’t expect to find Gabriel himself in her hotel room. He threatens to quit if she doesn’t give their night together a chance. Regina finds herself with nothing to lose by playing out her fantasies with the real man. However, her fantasies center on what she wants to do to him, and Gabriel has more than a few ideas of things he’d like to do to her. Regina wrestles to keep control and do things her way. But Gabriel is just as determined to show her how to work together for business and for pleasure.
Scavenger Hunt Question: Who does Regina turn to when her fantasies about her hot assistant interfere with her focus on her clients?

Hint: Read the blurb again!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anniversaries and Birthdays Galore!

Wondering what I did on my summer vacation?  You can find out on Saturday, August 18th at 2pm (EST) on Long and Short Reviews where I'm helping them celebrate their fifth anniversary.
August 18th also happens to be a special day to me because that's the day I was born. No presents please. Just sing obnoxiously loud, so I can hear you from where I'm holed up working on a super-exciting writing project!

More Than a Fantasy Cover Reveal

Are you ready?  This is my sexiest cover yet, and that makes sense because More Than a Fantasy is my sexiest book yet.  It's based on a one-night stand premise, and it's hot!


More Than a Fantasy:  Regina’s fantasies about her hot marketing assistant Gabriel are interfering with her focus on her clients. In desperation, she turns to Madame Eve to give her a one-night stand with a man who looks just like him. She doesn’t expect to find Gabriel himself in her hotel room. He threatens to quit if she doesn’t give their night together a chance. Regina finds herself with nothing to lose by playing out her fantasies with the real man. However, her fantasies center on what she wants to do to him, and Gabriel has more than a few ideas of things he’d like to do to her. Regina wrestles to keep control and do things her way. But Gabriel is just as determined to show her how to work together for business and for pleasure.

Coming September 15, 2012 in all ebook formats from Decadent Publishing 1Night Stand series.

Summer Vacation

Wonder why I've been neglecting this blog for two whole weeks?  I spent my summer vacation at the Wiccan Haus. Don't believe me? Look at these stunning pictures. Okay, I admit, they're not from the Wiccan Haus, that magical island only accessible by ferry boat. But they are from an island. It is only accessible by ferry boat. And I came back amazingly refreshed and relaxed.

I had the pleasure of visiting Mackinac Island this summer. The picture on the left is the natural feature Arch Rock. Below is the coast with its crystal clear water and beautiful colors. I have been staring at these pictures ever since I returned, mostly because I couldn't stay and stare at them in person nearly as long as I wanted to!

I admit I have Wiccan Haus on the brain. For the parts  of the summer when I wasn't hanging out with my toes in the water or mesmerized by the beautiful scenery, I was immersed in the Wiccan Haus world. My next Wiccan Haus book Psychic Lies will come out on October 26th.

But you don't have to wait that long for a book from me. My first Finally Ever After short story Zane's Art (also from Musa Publishing) will come out the week before on October 19th.

My huge news of the summer: I have signed with Entangled Publishing. They are launching their Bliss Imprint on August 25th. My novel (tentatively titled) Construction Beauty Queen will be released on September 25th as part of their line. I am so excited. This story is very close to my heart, and I promise to have more details soon!

Finally, my first upcoming release on September 15th is More Than A Fantasy, a one night stand short story that is part of Decadent Publishing's 1Night Stand series. I have an amazing, sexy cover that I will unveil tomorrow.  Stay tuned!