Liv Rancourt's Blog, page 27

Crashing The Congressman’s Wedding

Today my guest post is the amazingly talented Elley Arden. I don’t have my copy of her newest book yet, but her first book, Save My Soul, is a brilliant combination of quirky characters, witty dialogue, and love.

It’s hard to beat that combination!

LR: You haven’t been on my blog before, Elley, which is a huge oversight on my part! I loved baseball angle in Save My Soul, and am totally intrigued by the possibilities you bring to the world of politics and business in your upcoming release, Crashing the Congressman’s Wedding. What do you think is the most intriguing thing about Crashing, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

EA: People get caught up in the opinions and expectations of others, until who they are is determined by these outside forces. Both Alice and Justin have allowed the people in their lives to define their worth.  He ends up overinflated, and she ends up underinflated, so to speak. To be together, they need to find a way to be “even.”

Cool answer, Elley!

LR: I read in your bio that it took you ten years to finish your first novel, but “your journey to publication was just beginning.” Tell us more about that journey. How long did it take? Can you share a couple key things you learned along the way?

EA: I submitted that 10-year-old manuscript right out of the gate. My eyes were the only eyes that had seen it until a query resulted in a partial request from an agent. The agent responded with a rejection and feedback, including I needed to work on my “atmosphere”. I had no idea what atmosphere was. I read a few books on craft, took an online workshop, and started something new. I entered the very first So You Think You Can Write (Harlequin) with Save My Soul, found my critique partner, and weathered two more years of rejections before publication. Along the way, I learned it’s impossible to be objective about my own work—and really, why try to be? If I think it’s great but readers and reviewers don’t agree, then what I think is irrelevant. The key is trying to find the balancing point, a place where I’m proud and readers are happy with what I wrote.

LR: It looks like you’ve got a number of upcoming projects, including the Designing Love series and your installment in the Emerald Springs Legacy. Can you tell us a little about them? More importantly, are you ever going back to baseball?

EA: I am! Book Two in the Kemmons Brothers Baseball series will be released September 9. The hero, Grey, is a major league centerfielder. Early feedback on this book has been outrageously positive, so I’m anxious for its release. There will be a third book in the Kemmons Brothers Baseball series, too. In addition, I have a baseball-related short story and a single-title on the horizon. (I’ll post more about those on my website when I’m able to.)

As for Designing Love, the first book in the series, Baby by Design, might be my favorite book yet. The hero, Tony, is a motorcycle driving, tattooed, furniture upholsterer. Lol. How’s that for a spin? He’s the kind of guy who would rip the buttons off your blouse and then sew them back on.

The Emerald Springs Legacy will include my book, Chad’s Chance, the third book. Chad and his heroine Jen are a challenge, because they’re in their early twenties. I usually write my H&H ten years older. It’s fun, partly because of the impulsiveness of the younger age. And Jen is a brew master. What’s not to love about a woman dominating a traditionally male career?

LR: I know you have kids, so this may be a pointless question, but clutter or quiet? Describe your perfect writing situation.

EA: Quiet. Clutter drains my energy. My perfect writing situation is me at the lake with my laptop. That rarely happens, so the second-best scenario is me in an empty house with my laptop. This one happens a lot during the school year. J

LR: How do you juggle all your hats (spouse, parent, lacrosse cheerleader, housekeeper, writer)?

EA: I’m not a very good juggler. I neglect things in an attempt to do so. First, I neglect myself—I haven’t exercised since early December 2012. Second, I neglect my house. Laundry piles up. I don’t grocery shop for weeks.  At this point in my life, I have to be okay with that, because I’d rather be writing, cheering on my kids, laughing with my husband or hanging with my friends.

LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? I mean, besides watching baseball (hee!). Are you a closet marathon runner? Could you crochet a house-cozy if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on Antiques Roadshow?

EA: If I weren’t a writer, I’d be an interior decorator. I’m so known in my circle of friends for it that I’ve taken on some “work” in other people’s homes in return for payment in wine. (Wine is another hobby of mine.)

LR: Okay, so it’s Saturday and you’ve got two tickets to see your favorite sports team play. Which team is it, who do you give your second ticket to, and where do you go for dinner beforehand?

EA: Oh man, this is dangerous question. I don’t want to hurt any feelings. Lol. The first part of the question is easy. Which team? The Pirates. I’m going to assume my husband is off that night, so I can bring him—and he can actually sit with me—because he’s my favorite person in the whole world. And, we would go to dinner across the street at Soho beforehand. (Love that place!)

Thanks so much for having me, Liv!

No problem. Thanks for being here!

Elley Arden is a born and bred Pennsylvanian who has lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. She drinks wine like it’s water (a slight exaggeration), prefers a night at the ballpark to a night on the town, and believes almond English toffee is the key to happiness.

Elley has been reading romance novels since she was a sixteen-year-old babysitter, sneaking Judith McNaught and Danielle Steele novels off the bookshelves of the women who employed her. She started her first manuscript when she was twenty-five, writing during babies’ naps. A total of three children and ten years later, the manuscript was complete. Little did she know, her journey to publication was only beginning…

Elley writes provocative contemporary romances for Crimson Romance.

To learn more about Elley, check out her website & blog…or Facebook…or Twitter…

#WANAFriday Fun!

So this week’s #WANAFriday prompt has a Friday Funnies theme. At first I thought, “This’ll be easy. I have children, an unending source of raw material.” But you know what? Neither kid said anything funny this week. (Unless you count my daughter, who turned up her nose at the beginning of The X Files pilot, then begged me to watch more episodes with her.)

Teenagers!

Never fear, my dear Rancourtesans! The internet will rescue us. After stumbling around a bit, I settled on a creepy/funny theme. It’s captured nicely in this brief Twitter exchange. There’s the ick factor, the amusement factor, and the ‘writers are weird’ factor.

See what you think…

A woman at the bus stop appeared to have a hand hanging out of her messenger bag. #disturbia

— Liv Rancourt (@LivRancourt) July 17, 2013

 

@LivRancourt Is it wrong that I would immediately be jotting down a story idea on whatever paper I could find in my purse???

— Becky Flade (@BeckyFlade) July 17, 2013

Because all the good bits end up on the page, right? I can generally count on Becky for a quick come-back, and in fact at times end up laughing till I snort at our Facebook and Twitter exchanges. I can’t wait to see what my tweet inspires her to write. Maybe she’ll come be a guest here on the blog to promote it…

Now, to take things a step further, here’s a short little video I found on YouTube…

Now it’s your turn. What’s the creepiest funny thing or the funniest creepy thing that’s every happened to you? Leave a comment and we’ll all get weirded out together.

Peace,

Liv

Oh, and after you leave a comment here, check out some of the other #WANAFriday posts…

Rabia Gale – Friday Funnies

Ellen Gregory – Hungry Cat

Janice Hall Heck – A Little Catertainment (and Pink Panther)

Tami Clayton – A Monkey, A Helicopter, and a Cup of Tea

Kim Griffin – Much Like My Husband

Believeable Bad Girls, Loveable Good Girls

Apparently I don’t live in the modern world, because I’ve never really watched much reality television. Heather Thurmeier’s TV Romance series might change all that. Today she’s here talking about character development, or how to take the series Bad Girl and make her a star!

Lost Without You is the final book in my reality TV romance series. Throughout the series, there’s been one character we all love to hate: Zoe Oliver. But in this book, Zoe isn’t just another secondary character. This time she’s the star! As soon as I picked her to get her own book, I knew I was going to have my hands full.

How was I going to get my readers to go from hating Zoe to loving her?

It took some thinking, strategy, re-writes and edits to make it happen, but it did. I hope my readers, especially those who’ve followed Zoe through the series, will fall in love with her, root for her, cry with her, and feel satisfied with how the series ends.

So here are my very unofficial tips for creating believable bad girls who turn into loveable good girls:

1.      Everyone has a history, what’s hers? Give your character depth to help make them more real. Maybe she has personality traits that are a result of her past experiences.

2.      Give us hints along the way. Even in Falling for You, there are hints to Zoe’s real identity. If you went back and read the book again, knowing the truth about Zoe, would you see them now?

3.      Show some sort of vulnerability early on so that readers know there is more to her than you’re initially sharing. Even thought she’s the bad girl everyone loves to hate, we need to like her just a teeny tiny bit too.

4.      Don’t tell the entire story right away. Sprinkle it in as you go. Maybe the reader learns a little through her thoughts before she shares it openly through dialogue.

5.      Don’t make your bad girl bad just because. Give her a reason for her actions.

6.      Make it believable. Anything can be true for your character, as long as you back it up with feelings, thoughts, experiences and appropriate reactions.

7.      Make your readers root for her to succeed. Everyone loves the underdog. Find a way to change your reader’s mind so they will cheer for her to win in the end.

8.      Don’t overdue it. Don’t pile on one thing after another in the hopes that something will resonate with you readers. Figure out the core problem/experience/trauma/emotional response that makes your bad girl bad, and go with it. Add layers to give the problem more dimension, but do it with an light touch. Sometimes less is more and subtlety is often key.

9.      Mix and match emotions and responses to events in the story as they happen. No one is all good or all bad all the time. When the events in the book take place, let your character respond to them naturally, good or bad.

Don’t make mountains where there should be molehills. Is you bad girl’s problem really bad enough to make her responses legitimate? You better hope so or your readers will call you on it!

Thank you so much for having me today!

~Heather Thurmeier

And thank you, Heather, for sharing your hard earned wisdom. You’re welcome to come back any time!

“Heather Thurmeier’s hunky heroes and feisty heroines will have you laughing out loud, falling in love … and coming back for more!” ~ Carly Phillips, NY Times Bestselling Author

“Heather Thurmeier writes sweet, funny romances that capture your heart!” –NYT and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Probst

Website: http://heatherthurmeier.com

Facebook: HeatherThurmeierAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hthurmeier

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5211580.Heather_Thurmeier

 

Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders and a reality TV junkie. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now lives in New York with her husband and kids where she’s become some kind of odd Canuck-Yankee hybrid. When she’s not busy taking care of the kids and pets, Heather’s writing her next romance, which will probably be filled with sassy heroines, sexy heroes that make your heart pound, laugh out loud moments and always a happily ever after. You can find out more about Heather and her books by checking out her website at: http://heatherthurmeier.com.

 

 

LOST WITHOUT YOU blurb:

 

Zoe Oliver never wanted to be on another reality TV show . . . until Chip Cormack made an offer too good to refuse. He’s guaranteed her a payday this time and a chance to redeem herself in America’s eyes. But Zoe worries she won’t be able to focus as her desire for Chip grows and her strength to resist him weakens. When she learns she’ll be roughing it in the woods with Chip and without luxuries like indoor plumbing and electricity, she’s instantly on edge, feeling naked and terrified that her scars will be exposed and her secrets revealed. When Zoe’s past turns up on the show, she fears she’ll lose not only the life she’s sacrificed everything else to have, but also the affections of the only man she’s ever trusted with her heart.

Lost Without You is available from Amazon and other fine ebook retailers.

Excerpt…

“I’m gonna cook you up something real nice, baby. It’ll be like our first date, out here, in the wild… It might even make you want to get a little wild yourself.” He walked off with a wink and she burst out laughing, climbing down from the tree stump she’d been perched on while hosting. He was too much.

“Do girls actually fall for lines like that where you come from?” she asked him.

He turned back toward her. “Their panties certainly do.”

Zoe felt her cheeks burn at his words as he walked off into the woods after the rest of

his team. Her panties weren’t dropping for him because of one meal…or for any other reason actually. Maybe Rick was more of a player than she’d realized when she’d started her “harmless” flirting with him.

She glanced over to where Chip stood, well within hearing range of that little conversation. He looked as if he was studying a production clipboard, but if the expression on his face was any indication, he was rather pissed at a production note.

More likely, he’d just heard Rick’s comments too. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed more turned off by them than even she was.

“Everything okay, Chip?” she asked, hoping she sounded casual.

“Fine. Why?” he asked, not meeting her gaze.

“You seem a little annoyed at your clipboard.”

“I’m fine, Zoe. Nothing to worry about, just a little hiccup in the production schedule to work out on the fly.” He scribbled a few notes in the margin then handed it back to one of the assistants. He pushed his hands into his pockets as if they were hanging out, waiting for a movie to start instead of standing in the middle of the woods waiting for teams to return.

Maybe he hadn’t overheard Rick’s comments. Or maybe he had and he didn’t care if she flirted with a contestant. Hell, he would probably encourage it. He’d probably say it was good for ratings for Zoe to hook up with Rick, what with the drama and spectacle it would certainly cause.

“While we have a second, I should point out that I do think it would be best not to fraternize with the contestants so much,” he said, turning to face her straight on and finally meeting her gaze. “You do remember how that all worked out for Cassidy on The One, don’t you?”

Was that a threat?

“Of course I do. I was there for your big scandalous reveal at the finale.”

“Then you should already know that a crewmember getting involved with a cast member usually isn’t the best idea.”

“Well that’s good, because I have no intentions of shacking up with Rick. It’s a little harmless flirting.”

Chip crossed his arms. If she wasn’t mistaken, he almost looked a little jealous. Maybe there was more behind his warning than he let on.

“So talking about your panties is nothing to you then? Just casual, everyday flirting to you? Good to know.”

“I wasn’t talking about my panties, he was.”

“Well that makes all the difference, now doesn’t it?”

Zoe felt her pulse race as she took a step closer to Chip. “Listen, I don’t know what’s gotten your panties all in a bunch, but mine are fine—” Her voice strained as the heat passing between them spiked at the mention of her panties.

Her chest heaved as she struggled to talk around her hitched breathing.

Focus!

She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. “And I don’t plan on dropping them for anyone any time soon. Got it?” she finished, her voice stronger than it had been but still rather pathetic and unconvincing.

He smiled, letting his gaze flicker down to the area in danger of “droppage” for a moment before meeting her eyes again. “Now that sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one,” he said quietly.

She suddenly felt the panties in question moisten under his gaze.

Cover Reveal: Jaded Touch

 

Three is tormented by the branding scars on her back, broken memories of her fallen creator, and the looming consequences of her secret friendship with Sychar – a male of her kind – a high crime in her world of serpentine guardians.
Then along comes Jack – the human train engineer she saves in an explosion. His touch weakens both her knees and her sense of duty. Now Three must choose between her immortal duties, her forbidden friendship, and her human lover.

With every choice comes a cost, but not every cost is hers to pay…

JADED TOUCH – the second Vesper Novella – comes out August 6th in Kindle and Paperback! It is the standalone sequel to GILDED DESTINY and features new characters, steamy romance, and the dark atmosphere of the Vesper series.

If you haven’t checked out Gilded Destiny yet, it’s available on Amazon here:

Add JADED TOUCH to your to-read shelf on Goodreads and stay up-to-date with what everyone is saying about Jack and Three!

Also, please stalk the author on Twitter @NolaSarina and follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorNolaSarina to hear all about the launch week Giveaway basket with some cool autographed prizes for all Vesper readers!

Cover Reveal: Cloaked In Fur

Available August 5, 2013!

Cloaked in Fur

As a moonwulf, Daciana never expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, she never imagined that she’d abandon her pack, endanger everyone around her, and break the worst rule possible. But she did.

A rogue werewolf is killing Daciana’s friends, and she sets on capturing the creature.  She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the beast. The police and her boyfriend, Inspector Connell Lonescu, are starting to question her involvement in the murders, which is endangering the pack’s secret existence. But when the pack alpha kidnaps Connell, revealing the awful truth about the creature and its connection to the pack, Daciana must choose between saving the man she loves and saving her pack family from certain death.

 Paranormal Suspense With Strong Romance

Publisher: Crimson Romance

About The Author

T.F. Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she’s always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.

 

Author Links

Website www.tfwalsh.com

Twitter www.twitter.com/TFWalsh

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/TF-Walsh-Author/399540826795103?ref=hl

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/tfwalsh/

Goodreadshttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18132518-cloaked-in-fur

 

Get Lucky!

So here’s today’s WANAFriday blog prompt: Post your favorite recipe and perhaps a story to go with it.

Yeah, that’s an awesome prompt, except that I’m really not much of a cook, and don’t have what you would call a favorite recipe.  (Where’s Noni when I need her?) I read through the other WANAFriday posts, hoping for a little inspiration, and came away hungry but without any clever ideas for my own post.

Hmm…

Don’t get me wrong. I love to eat, and I enjoy spending time in the kitchen creating stuff. I just don’t have established Go-To, no-fail recipes. I tend to make it up as I go along, checking Pinterest, AllRecipes.com, or The Bible (The Joy of Cooking) when I need a little help. Either that or I call Noni, ply her with cocktails, and let her go at it.

Heh.

Something I have been thinking about, however, is what makes a good novel, and the example I came up with is actually not a book at all. It’s a song – the new one by DaftPunk called “Get Lucky”. The video is embedded below so you can check it out. I think it’s going to go down as The Summer Song for 2013, but the first time I heard it, all I could think was that I’d heard it somewhere before.

The song takes familiar elements and mixes them up to create something new. The bass line came straight out of the disco, which makes sense because one of their collaborators was Nile Rogers, former frontman for Chic. The jangly guitar reminds me of something Prince used to do, although he likely borrowed it from someone else. And the subject matter – we’re up all night to get lucky – doesn’t break any new ground, either.

The voxbox effect sounds kinda like Cameo, and the whole thing is as catchy as they come. That said, no one has done it exactly this way before. The melody line doesn’t go where I expect it to, particularly the lines  leading into the chorus, “We’ve come too far/To give up who we are/Let’s raise the bar/And our cups to the stars”. The way the chorus is divided (She’s up all night to the sun/He’s up all night to get some/She’s up all night for good fun/He’s up all night to get lucky) cracks me up, because the lady in question is all about fun in the sun, while the guy is getting some and getting lucky.

Of course, on the repeat all the pronouns change to “We”, which makes things a little less gender-biased.

So is this a recipe? I think it is. Take several helpings of the familiar, then twist them just enough to make it fresh. It works in songwriting, and it works in fiction, too. Every great novel has its roots in what came before. While Game Of Thrones is it’s own distinctive creation, George RR Martin gets called The American Tolkien for a reason. Likewise, Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca is a brilliant 20th century take on Jane Eyre.

What do you guys think? Is there a recipe for creative success? Can you name the antecedents of your favorite novel, or one you’ve written, for that matter? I know these are heavy questions for a Friday, but hit ‘play’ on the video below and see what you come up with.

Peace,

Liv

And when you’re done contemplating creativity, check out the other WANAFriday posts. There’s some truly yummy stuff here!

Ellen Gregory – Recipe for Chocolate Pudding

Janice Heck – Chocolate Dream Desert

Kim Griffin – Meatballs and What?

Cora Ramos – Recipe for Murder

 

Six Historical Tales Vol 2 Cover Reveal

Rayne’s got a new book out!

There, see? That alone should get you excited. Rayne Hall has been my guest here before, and was gracious enough to include my work in several of her Ten Tales anthologies. She’s written, edited and published numerous books and short story anthologies, and also teaches writing classes.

Both covers for her Six Historical Tales anthologies were created by Nadica Boskovska, who agreed to be interviewed for today’s blog post. Nadica has made several covers for Rayne, as well as a number of other authors, and I hope you enjoy reading more about her work (especially those of you who might be looking for a cover artist for your own work – her contact info is near the end of the post).

CLICK ME…
…to get to my Amazon page…

LR: In getting ready for this interview, I saw you listed as illustrator for a number of lovely book covers in addition to those you’ve done for Rayne. How long have you been illustrating book covers, and how did you get your start?

NB: I’ve been painting professionally for few years. But I actually discovered the love for painting in my early childhood and it simply kept on growing during the years. Painting has always been present in my life, at first as a hobby and now as a job.

LR: Your work has a feminine feel. Is that something you try to do, or is it a happy bi-product?

NB: It’s not something I try to achieve intentionally. It has to be my personal style, developed through the years.

LR: What was your inspiration for the Historical Tales covers?

NB: Rayne Hall is such a great author and a sheer pleasure to work with. It’s impossible not to get inspired from her words and descriptions. The moment she tells me what the book is about and how she would like the cover to look like, I already have the image in my head and after that it’s all about painting it and making the necessary alterations along the way.

LR: If I’m a new client, what should I expect from you? Describe the process you go through for developing a piece of cover art.

NB: I’ve been working with many authors who were publishing their first book and shared their feelings of pressure and nervousness, regarding the cover. Probably it’s how every author feels like and it’s my job to deliver what they expect from me and not to disappoint them.

That’s why I always take time to have an interview with the client, to get the necessary information about the style of the book, the characters and the places that are mentioned in the book, as well as some excerpts that they feel are important and they want to share with me. Once we go through every detail I prepare the sketch. If it needs some corrections, we make them and after that comes the most interesting part, the painting.

LR: What would be your dream job?

NB: I have been working behind the desk in a big company and now that I have experienced working on my own, I can surely say that right now I have my dream job. Painting is something that makes me truly happy and I don’t think I’ll ever give up on it.

LR: Do you do other types of design, in addition to creating cover art?

NB: Yes, I do. Making cover art came completely spontaneous. Previously I was working with traditional media (oil painting and aquarelle) and with digital media – creating fantasy illustrations, fashion designs, action heroes, absolutely everything! I do it now too, of course. If a client needs an illustration of their character, or a landscape picture, I’m always here to help.

LR: Where can we find other examples of your work? Are you open to new clients, and if so, how should they contact you?

NB: My illustrations can be seen on my online gallery on DeviantART:

http://theswanmaiden.deviantart.com/

For those who want to contact me, I’m always available and they can send me a private note on my DeviantART page, or contact me via email on this address: envont@yahoo.com

Thanks Nadica. You do really good work!

And to see some of the other things Rayne has written, check out her Amazon Author’s Page.

Six Historical Tales Volume 2 is available from Amazon & Kobo

Six Historical Tales Vol 1 is available from Amazon and Kobo.

Why Red? Why Remodel? Why Make Resolutions?

Those are all very good questions. You see, last January in my New Year’s Resolution post, I was very clear about one thing.

Solid surface countertop.

In the midst of all the pontificating, I laid down one absolute: sometime this year, we’d remodel the kitchen, getting rid of the God-awful 4×4 tile that’s been in the house since 1948. It’s July now, a good seven months since that post. Are you curious as to how much we’ve accomplished?

Nada.

Zilch.

No more nothing.

We had some unanticipated drama this spring that slowed things down considerably, but none-the-less, I counted it as a huge step the other night when the husband and I sat down to watch This Old House and he said we could use the technique they demonstrated on our own kitchen cabinets. At least we were talking about it.

It’s not going to be a ‘call the architect – reconfigure the whole main floor’ type of project, just a little tweaking. We’ll be moving things around and opening up the space. Part of the problem though, is that even minor changes would likely require replacing one of my very favorite things.

No, not the dog, the floor. (Aha, she says! The theme for this week’s #WANAFriday post is “the color red”, and my very favorite red thing is the linoleum floor in my kitchen.) We installed it maybe ten years ago, it’s still in beautiful condition, and I hate the idea of getting rid of it.

On the other hand, I hate the countertop even more.

At this point, I’d call it a win if by December 2013 I’m looking at countertop samples. Nothing fancy – just a chunk of Corian or maybe some granite. The husband says he wants poured concrete. AWESOME! Whatever!! Find an article in Fine Homebuilding and tape the pictures to the wall. I don’t care how minor, I just gotta see SOMETHING that gives me hope.

I promise I’ll take “before” pictures, and then do a before-and-after post, so you can see how truly abysmal it is. (Jesus, and coming up with all these adjectives is so motivating! I might just head to the Home Depot today.) In the meantime, enjoy Burnsie’s soulful gaze – and the beautiful scarlet floor that will someday be just a memory…

Oh, and if you have any tips for surviving a kitchen remodel, drop them in the comments!

Peace,

Liv

Oh, and here’s the list of other #WANAFriday blog posts. Check them out!

Ellen Gregory

Kim Griffin

Let’s Party!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll admit I might not have made this post if it weren’t for SongPop. See, this morning they introduced a new game called “Party In The USA”, where all the songs are American-themed. I played through it a couple times and figured me n’ Grooveshark could create a pretty cool playlist for your enjoyment. And here it is! I called it “America The Awesome”, and it includes artists as diverse as Green Day,Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, and David Byrne. I hope you enjoy it, and that all of you fabulous Rancourtesans who celebrate the 4th of July have a whole lot of fun tonight! And that you’re safe, of course. No blowing off body parts! You’re all pretty just as you are!

Peace,

Liv

America the Awesome! by Amy Caldwell on Grooveshark

Sunday Snippet: King Stud Celebration

Yesterday I strapped myself to the laptop and finished the first draft of King Stud. It needs a bit of work before it’ll even be ready for beta readers, but typing that last word and hitting ‘save’ felt really good. To celebrate, I figured I’d post another snippet (previous King Stud snippets are here, here, here, here, & here). This bit is from Chapter 3 – Danielle has decided dating her best friend’s younger brother is a BAD idea, especially since he’s fairly hung up on his ex-girlfriend. Ryan’s still working on her house, though, and his presence regularly tests her resolve…

The view from Grandmother’s house (or Perkins Lane, in Seattle). Photo borrowed from seattlestairwaywalks.com/blog

Right about the time she started to wonder what was keeping him, a clattering crash followed by muffled curses broke up the evening peace. She jumped up and popped out the front door, to find Ryan on the porch, bent from the waist and clutching his right shoulder. A stack of two by sixes were fanned out across the front steps like a deck of cards spread for someone to cut.

“Are you okay?” Stupid question, Danielle. “I mean, what happened?”

Ryan tipped his face up and squinted at her. “Missed my step.”

“Come in the house.” She went to his good side and helped him straighten up. He shook her off and headed through the door, holding his right arm close to his body.

“I just wrenched it good. It’ll be okay,” he said, flexing and extending the fingers on his right hand.

“Let me help you take your jacket off.” Danielle kept her voice low and calm, without leaving room for argument. She moved her laptop out of the way so he could sit in the wing chair and he allowed her to pull off his coat. “We should put some ice on it.”

He tried to lift his arm. It reached shoulder height when a muttered “shit” told her that’s all he could do. “There’s a cold pack in the first aid kit in the back of the truck. Here are my keys.”

By the time she got back with the first aid kit, Ryan had pulled off his sweatshirt and was down to a faded blue tee with a Mariner’s slogan on the back. He had tugged the neckline down and turned his head as far as possible, his mouth twisted just a bit further, trying to see over his shoulder.

“Take your shirt off so I can make sure you’re not bleeding,” she said, then helped him pull the tee over his head. Even in the limited lamp light, a deep pink, fist-sized scuff mark was visible on the downhill side of his shoulder, with tiny beads of blood forming along the far edge and a deep purple blotch at the center.

He tried to lift his arm again and cursed, though this time he raised it above his ear. “Give me the cold pack.”

She handed it to him and he slapped it over the bruise, hissing when it hit his skin. “You didn’t have to set a trap to get me to take my shirt off,” he said with the hint of a chuckle in his voice.

“What?” Danielle squawked.

“Don’t deny it.” He shifted the cold pack a little, his grin turning sly.

She sat back on her heels and crossed her arms. “I need to get that porch light fixed.”

“Tell your contractor.”

“Um…” She accidentally let her eyes drift across his chest. Danger. Broad and buffed, it was all she could do to keep her tongue in her mouth.

Abdominal muscles formed perfect bricks, biceps swelled dangerously, and his chest was covered with a perfect scattering of dark curly hair. A quick glance at his eyes showed her he knew exactly what was going on in her head. That quick glance lengthened.

Not mine.

She looked off across the room. “You should maybe put your shirt back on. It’s cold in here.”

“That’s right, Princess. Show’s over.”

Ignoring his smirk, she reached over and helped ease the tee shirt over his injured side, then held the cold pack in place so he could get his other arm through the sleeve. When he reached up to claim the pack, his hand covered hers. For a brief moment she couldn’t move, then she shifted away, confused about his intention. Instead of snatching her hand back to the safety of her own lap, she rested it on the taut muscles at the back of his neck. He smelled a little like sawdust, like a guy who’d been working hard, and his raw masculinity made her want to curl around him like a kitten. Next to him, she’d be safe.

Except for all the reasons she couldn’t get close.

She finally gave in to the urge to touch him, dropping into work mode because it was easier than relationship mode. Like a good nurse, she started pressing her thumbs along the bands of stress running up from his shoulders. He leaned forward with a soft sigh, giving her better access. “Tight,” she muttered.

“Been a long couple days.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“The usual.”

She let her elbows bend so she could get more force behind her knuckles as she ran them up and over the tops of his shoulders. “I hope this job isn’t adding to it.”

“This job,” he said, letting his head hang loosely as she stroked him, his voice a sexy rumble, “is the only thing keeping me sane right now.”

~~~

Now, I can’t promise this’ll be the last King Stud excerpt, but with a bit of luck (and some more time spent strapped to the computer), I’ll be posting a cover reveal and release day news and…keeping my eyes on the prize!

Thanks for checking out my little celebration. What about you? How do you celebrate when you hit a milestone? And if you’re interested in doing a little beta reading, let me know!

Liv