Carrie Ann Ryan's Blog, page 164

Busy Busy Busy

I'm busy beyond busy at the moment but I'm still here. I'm trying to finish HER LUCKY LOVE before I go to Colorado to see family on the 20th, so I'm in my writing cave. I don't think I'll be out of my writing cave until April or so....

I try to blog daily so we can interact and see what's going on, but sometimes I just can't do it. Sorry. I'm trying to find a way through this story and keep my happiness about it since I'm at the point in the book where I doubt myself and my ability.

Getting reviews in my emails saying that I need to stay away from lighter stuff and go back to the dark side doesn't help. Compound that with people emailing me saying I'm a sadist toward Bay just makes me want to curl in a ball. I don't go out and look for reviews, I actively stay away from it. But people are now emailing me their disgust so I need to take a step back and make sure I'm writing for me and my characters again.

I'm also not answering emails every day like I used to. I respond to the urgent ones, but sometimes, I can only go through my long lists of emails once a week. Sorry. I'm so so freaking busy, it's a little scary.

So I'm going back to writing right now, but I'll be around if you desperately need me.




Working on HER LUCKY LOVE and thought I'd share.

"He kissed her then. A soft, slow, emotion filled kiss that took her breath away. His lips lingered at the corner of her mouth, searching, needing. She leaned in, letting his tongue brush hers, the taste of coffee intertwined with that just Bray taste."

--Ally from HER LUCKY LOVE (Holiday, Montana book 4) Out March 2013

A Post from Rina from Santa's Executive

So I’m one of Santa’s elves. Yes, one of those. Aren’t you curious? I’m not the little ones from the movies and cards you see. Well, I’m short, but that’s beside the point.
I’m a card carrying elf, just not the perky one.
Fine, okay, so Justin thinks I’m perky. But I can have a bad day, you know. I’m allowed to not smile and giggle.
I hate giggling.
Justin hates it too, though he thinks when I do it it’s cute.
See what I have to live with with this man? But isn’t he cute?
Yes, I’m so freaking happy right now. I’m an elf, in love with Justin Cooper, and actually get to do something with my life that has nothing to do with wrapping.
*shudders*
I hate the wrapping department.




Santa’s Executive - Holiday, Montana Book 2 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.Find it On:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | KoboFind it in Print Here:eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Meet Justin and Rina from Santa's Executive

Name: Justin CooperAge: 34Book: Santa's ExecutiveProfession: School PrincipalHobby: Works with KidsGoal: To be forgivenName: Rina BrewerAge: 26Book: Santa's ExecutiveProfession: One of Santa's elves.Hobby: Baking. Yes, how ironic for an elf, right?Goal: To not have to work in the basement of the Workshop anymore. But anywhere but wrapping. *shudders* No wrapping for her!




Santa’s Executive - Holiday, Montana Book 2 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.Find it On:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | KoboFind it in Print Here:eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Snippet from Santa's Exectutive

Just thought I'd show a snippet from Santa's Executive that was fun to write!

“Oh, I'm interrupting,” Rina said from the doorway, her eyes wide. “I can go wait out in the car if you want, Justin.” There was something in her voice that made Justin pause. He looked back down at what she was seeing, and he silently cursed. Abby was bent over the table, cleaning up things, and he was bent right beside her, though from Rina's point of view, it probably looked a little more risqué. Crap.He quickly stood up and put on his coat. “No, were done.”“I see.”

Santa’s Executive - Holiday, Montana Book 2 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.Find it On:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | KoboFind it in Print Here:eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Pirate Post

*Note, this post isn't for those of you who have purchased books, borrowed from libraries, and are amazing readers. This is just an FYI post. Love you guys.* 


If you go to a site that isn't a publisher site, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, ARe, Kobo, and a select few others and download a book for free, you are STEALING.

YOU ARE A THIEF.

There is no other thing to say other than that. Not really. Most of you know what pirates are by now, but I'm still surprised to see people who don't realize what they've done is wrong.

Authors make their money by selling books. This is a business. This isn't a hobby for 99.999% of us. (Yes, I made up that number, deal with it. But it's still high.). We use what we make to pay for our homes, pay for college, put food on the table, make sure the lights work...you know the same thing you do with the money you make from your job.

What takes you three or so hours to read, takes an author 3-18 months to write.

You know this. But what you don't know is that if we lose our sales to people who download for free, we may not be able to write more.

It makes me sick when I look at my website and some of the "search" tags are "Carrie Ann Ryan PDF" or "Santa's Executive PDF". Just ugh.

We authors don't live in mansions. We're not rich. You may think we are. But no, we just write because we LOVE it. It's our job, our passion.

Many authors have been forced to stop series because of pirates. If sales are low when the illegal downloads are high, authors need to put the focus on something that will put food on the table.

Dust of My Wings is doing great for a first book, but not as good as my others. It also has the highest piracy of all of my books. This past weekend, there were more than 20,000 downloads on it on one site. Sorry, but that hurts my livelihood.

Now I'm in the sad position of wondering if I'm going to write the last six in the series. I want to. I know readers want to.

But thieves are making it hard to focus on it when my other books are doing better and have less illegal downloads.

I'm pretty sure I'm at least going to finish book 2, Her Warriors' Three Wishes, but we'll see about the rest.

It pisses me off, makes me sad...and just yeah.

You should read Yasmine Galenorn and Shiloh Walker's posts on this. They say it better than I can.

Shiloh Walker: http://www.shilohwalker.com/website/r...
Yasmine Galenorn Post 1: http://www.galenorn.com/Blog/2009/08/...
Yasmine Galenorn Post 2: http://www.galenorn.com/Blog/2010/10/...

Fresh Friday Reads: Week of 12.2.12

This week looks to be a week of holidays and some great stories in series I've been waiting for! Yes, one of them is mine. Shush, just enjoy it. LOL What have you read this week?

Santa's Executive - Carrie Ann Ryan

Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother. One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.

Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.

As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that this holiday is the coldest yet.

Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.

Entranced - Marie Harte

Jack Keiser hasn't had an easy time of it. After a disastrous mission for the government years ago, he's been wary of trusting his fellow agents. Or ex-agents, since they no longer work for the government but for him. Keeping them in line is a full time job, made harder by his own strangely developing talent. Jack has the ability to change his shape. He's a chameleon who can assume the appearance of anyone he's ever touched. Even among psychics he's an oddball.

Now Jack's in a bind. Heather Stallbridge, sister to his silent partner in the gym, has gone missing, and it's up to Jack to find her. His journey leads him into the German Alps and to a strange village with even stranger people. To top off an already bad situation, the moment Jack sees Heather, he experiences what feels like love at first sight. Their connection is irrefutable, but he can' t trust that it's real. And that doubt is a problem, because without working together, they'll never find a way to escape the killers in the mountains, or to discover the unexplainable love growing between them.

Under the Mistletoe - Jill Shalvis

JUST ONE MORE KISS

There's no place like home for the holidays. And the Lucky Harbor Bed & Breakfast is bursting with festive lights and good cheer. But for Mia, Christmas is turning out to be anything other than merry and bright. Her recent break-up with her boyfriend Nick has made her return bittersweet. But then a surprise arrives, when Nick follows her to town bearing gifts-and asking for forgiveness.

Nick grew up without a family of his own so he's overwhelmed by the love that Mia receives from all her relatives, gathered together to celebrate the season. Under their watchful eyes, Nick finds earning back her trust the hardest thing he's ever had to do. If he succeeds, he will receive the greatest gift of all, Mia's love for a lifetime.

The Best Thing - Jaci Burton

Tori Lewis had a perfect working relationship with Brody Kent, until a year ago, when a flaming hot kiss changed everything between them. With passion dancing a wicked tease around them, they have to decide which direction their relationship is going. But Tori doesn't want to risk losing her job and the only family she knows, while Brody wants to shake things up and make Tori his. Can he convince her he's worth the plunge into the unknown?









Fated - Carly Phillips

New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents a never-before-published novella set in a quaint upstate New York town—where Serendipity’s finest show exactly what they’re made of…

Kate Andews is the original rebound girl. But she has had enough and has vowed to never be someone’s second choice again. Unfortunately, her undeniably intense desire for Nick Mancini is testing her best laid plans because Kate has carried a torch for Nick since high school– but she’s always been permanently in the friend zone.

Lately, Nick has definitely noticed Kate. Unfortunately he can’t get her to take him seriously. He knows he’s made some stupid moves in the past but he’s determined to get Kate to act on their obvious and mutual attraction. However Kate’s stubborn and she’s been hurt before, which means Nick will have to pull out all the stops in order to convince her he’s not the same boy she used to know, and she’s not second best… she’s everything.

The Accidental Genie - Dakota Cassidy

She’s all bottled up.

Jeannie Carlyle is a caterer extraordinaire, more than ready to handle any challenge thrown at her. But when her client asks her to open up a rare bottle of gin for a party, Jeannie is shocked when a guy in poofy pants pops out and she gets sucked inside. Trapped in the bottle, Jeannie does the only thing she can think of and uses her cell phone to search the term “paranormal” and finds the number for OOPS—Out in the Open Paranormal Support.

Until he sets her free.

Werewolf Sloan Flaherty isn’t keen on dealing with distraught women, especially since his sister-in-law Marty basically forced him to man the OOPS phones. But when Jeannie calls in a panic, Sloan is the only one available to find Jeannie’s bottle. After giving it a good rub, Jeannie emerges dressed like a character from Arabian Nights and starts calling Sloan “Master.” Now, they need to figure out how to break their unwanted bond, before the wishes Jeannie can’t stop granting get them into more trouble than even the OOPS girls can handle…

An Isolated Range - Andrew Grey

Marty Green has two loves in life: horses and basketball. But suffering a stroke during his first college game throws a wrench in his plans. After months spent in the hospital, recuperating under the zealous care of his overprotective parents, Marty realizes he needs to be on his own, so when he’s offered a job at a ranch owned by his doctor's good friend, he takes it. 

When veterinary assistant Quinn Knepper sees Marty for the first time, his heart nearly stops. He's smitten, and Marty appears interested though shy. There are just two problems: Quinn's father wants him to hide his sexuality from the world, and Marty’s Wyoming Senator father is a homophobe with no idea his son is gay—which Quinn learns when the senator proposes an amendment banning gay marriage. 

Dealing with two unsupportive families is a heavy burden, but Quinn vows to make it work. Unfortunately, that may mean putting his life on hold while Marty overcomes his emotional isolation—unless, of course, Marty sacrifices his happiness to his father’s political ambition and ends the relationship before it gets started.

Snowbound in Nowhere - Andrew Grey

When a funeral calls his friend Martin away, sunbelt resident Chris is left alone in Martin’s cabin in the dead of winter—and in a blizzard to boot. When the power goes out, Chris thinks he’s going to freeze to death. Luckily, Horace drops in to check on him—and then runs out after a few kisses, leaving Chris upset and feeling used. Horace does come back with explanations, but is their time together keeping each other warm enough for them see they belong together? Or are these sudden emotions the product of being snowbound?

Books in the Wild Giveaway

We're doing a fun giveaway! I want to see my books in your hands! Or by your cat, your dog, your flower pot...you know...everywhere!

Email me your photo at carrieannryanwrites(at)gmail(dot)com by Dec 13th with a fun tagline and we'll have readers choose their favorite one! The winner will get a $10 gift card and a swag pack! I will be putting these on Facebook so be nice and beware!

Thank you sooo much!

A Post from Justin Cooper from Santa's Executive

A Post from Justin Cooper

You ever wonder what it’s like to be one of Santa’s helpers? Yeah, I didn’t think you did. But now look at me, one of Santa’s executives. Before all of this, I didn’t think Santa was real.I mean, sure, I knew witches and ghosts were real because I’ve seen them. Matt, my brother, is an ex ghost, while Jordan, his fiancée is a witch.So I knew the whole paranormal thing was real.But who knew about Santa?Well, apparently I should have known considering I’d met the guy when I was younger. But I was kind of unconscious at the time since I’d just been in an accident. But really, it wasn’t my fault.Okay, so I should have remembered something about a big dude in a red suit, but whatever.Now I’m Santa’s executive, complete with holiday magic. Thankfully I’m not alone. I got to meet my Rina, one of Santa’s elves.The very sexy kind.She helped me figure out how to do this whole Christmas thing. Plus, I got to be by her side.Now, we had a little issue with a  Christmas baddie, but we’re okay now.And I get to find my sexy elf under the mistletoe. What more do I need?—Justin Cooper


Santa’s Executive - Holiday, Montana Book 2 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.Find it On:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | KoboFind it in Print Here:eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Character Interview with Justin and Rina

A Character Interview with Justin and Rina
Hi All! I’m sitting here with my character for my latest release, Santa’s Executive. Justin and Rina are an adorably cute couple…just don’t tell Justin that since he’s a little touchy.Justin: I heart that.Carrie Ann:  *coughs* Uh…sorry, totally didn’t know you were there.Justin: *blinks* Sure. Rina: *Laughs* oh, you’re a dork. But I love you anyway.Justin: I’m a dork? Really? Well, that’s just wrong. I thought I was your sexy ex bad boy? Oh, and I love you too.Rina: *blushes* Justin…Carrie Ann: Okay then…let’s get started. Though by the look of you two, you already have.  Okay, so tell me about your story.Justin: Didn’t you write it?Carrie Ann: *rolls eyes* Yes, but humor me. Tell the readers what your book is about.Justin: Christmas and all that comes with it.Rina: Oh, you’re a dork. Yes, I said it again. It’s about Justin’s new job as an executive and how I got to help him out. Oh, and how we fell in love.Carrie Ann: See? That’s all I wanted, Justin. Okay, do you like your new powers, Justin?Justin: They’re freaking weird, but I’m getting used to them. They were hard to control at first and I had a few scares, but Rina helped.Rina: It’s my job.Justin: *frames her face* It’s more than your job and you know it.Carrie Ann: Awww. Okay, now for some fun questions. Rina, if you found out Justin had a side job in Magic Mike, what would you do?Rina: Oh that sounds like a story idea!Carrie Ann: I know right? Now answer the question.Rina: Well, after I kicked his ass for dancing in front of all those women? See, elves can be territorial too. But I’d take him home and make sure he knew all those sexy moves were just for me.Justin: You know they already are. Plus, I don’t like the idea of dancing around in a string. Sorry.Carrie Ann: Well, us ladies can still imagine. Justin, what’s your favorite type of Christmas cookie? I know you love them since you’ve eaten about like 12 since we started.Justin: *coughs* Only 4, and you know why I eat them. As for my favorite? The soft sugar ones with the thick frosting.Carrie Ann: *mumbles must not eat cookies must not eat cookies* Okay, well, I love the two of you. You were so much fun to write and I hope everyone gets a chance to read Santa’s Executive!




Santa’s Executive - Holiday, Montana Book 2 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.Find it On:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | KoboFind it in Print Here:eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Release Party with Carrie Ann Ryan and Marie Harte!

Marie Harte and I are at it again! We love writing, reading, and giving things away, so here we are! I'm a huge fan of Marie's and freaking LOVE her PowerUp! series! She's a hoot and we're here to give away goodies.

ONE winner from either of our blogs will be chosen to win some prizes! 1) Amazon Gift Cards2) Print copy of the Dawn Endeavor Series.3) Print Copy of Charmed Spirits, Holiday Montana Book 14) Some swag!
Comment on both of our blogs to enter!  On my blog, you must answer this question:What is your favorite Holiday to read a romance about?You can find Marie's here.



Santa’s Executive - Holiday, Montana Book 2 Justin Cooper wasn’t always the straight-laced Holiday Elementary School principal. In his youth, he broke all the rules and enjoyed being the bad Cooper brother.  One Christmas Eve night he got a little too rowdy and things changed forever. Now the consequences of that fateful night have come back in full force and the myths of Christmas might be more real than he thought.Rina Brewer is one of Santa’s elves. Not the tiny cute little toy maker, but the sexy, petite, energy filled bombshell kind. She’s come to Holiday to aid Justin in his new role as Santa’s executive, but as soon as she sees the sexy ex-bad boy, she realizes the job may be more than she bargained for.As they work together to make this Christmas one to remember, an old foe has come to town to make sure that his holiday is the coldest yet.Warning: Contains a perky elf who dreams of something more, a Christmas myth who may be a baddie, and a sexy ex-bad boy who craves Christmas cookies…and a certain perky blonde.Find it On:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ARe | KoboFind it in Print Here:eStore | Amazon | Barnes & Noble ENTRANCED ~ a PowerUp! story

Jack Keiser hasn't had an easy time of it. After a disastrous mission for the government years ago, he's been wary of trusting his fellow agents. Or ex-agents, since they no longer work for the government but for him. Keeping them in line is a full time job, made harder by his own strangely developing talent. Jack has the ability to change his shape. He's a chameleon who can assume the appearance of anyone he's ever touched. Even among psychics he's an oddball.

Now Jack's in a bind. Heather Stallbridge, sister to his silent partner in the gym, has gone missing, and it's up to Jack to find her. His journey leads him into the German Alps and to a strange village with even stranger people. To top off an already bad situation, the moment Jack sees Heather, he experiences what feels like love at first sight. Their connection is irrefutable, but he can' t trust that it's real. And that doubt is a problem, because without working together, they'll never find a way to escape the killers in the mountains, or to discover the unexplainable love growing between them.


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