S.C. Mitchell's Blog, page 25

Thursday Threads – My Sexy Valentine

This week on Thursday Threads we feature a book I contributed to.

Just in time for ���Valentine’s Day ���, it’s My Sexy Valentine:

MY SEXY VALENTINE

Soul Mate Collection I

Contributing Authors: Cheryl Yeko, Sage Spelling, Lynn Cahoon, S.C. Mitchell, Tina Susedik, Char Chaffin

Romantic Anthology

Heat Level: Steamy

Blurb:

���Valentine���s Day Breakup��� by Cheryl Yeko

Finding her fianc�� in a clutch with the coat check girl sends Shelly straight into the arms of her Soul Mate.

���Inked Hearts��� by Sage Spelling

One night. No boundaries. Uninhibited passion.

Boycotting Valentine���s Day had been Piper���s preferred way of protecting her heart until she collided with bad-boy sexy-tattoo artist Dex. Driven with lust, Piper has her first one-night stand, but dreads morning and saying goodbye to the man who stirs her innermost desires.

���The Twelve Days of Valentines��� by Lynn Cahoon

As her home business grows, a specialty jam creator receives gifts from a secret admirer. When the news breaks, two men step up claiming to be the gifter. As the twelve days pass, can she figure out the clues and claim her Mr. Right?

���Valentine���s Day Canceled��� by S.C. Mitchell

When Thor���s son Magni, the new King of Asgaard, cancels Valentine���s day, Astrid knows something is drastically wrong. Can she make things right again and save the fertility festival?

���The Valentine���s Proposal��� by Tina Susedik

When a Valentine’s Day proposal doesn’t go the way she expected, librarian Janetta Simonson’s life changes in ways she���s never dreamed.

���I���ve Got A Heart-on For You��� by Char Chaffin

How hard can it be to stash three kids with an overnight babysitter, slip into something ridiculously decadent and skimpy, and do naughty things to each other by candlelight on Valentine���s Day?

Sex-deprived spouses Sam and Dell might be finding out pretty soon, and not in the way they���d hoped.

Buy Link:

http://www.amzn.com/B00SSFM1OC/

 

My next big thing(s)

Our regular Thursday Threads blog is on hiatus this week, so I’m taking this opportunity to look to the future.

Soul Mate Publishing was so thrilled with the early sales of The Blarmling Dilemma that they offered me a contract for the second book in the Hearts in Orbit series sight unseen. They encouraged me to put everything else on the back burner and get them the next book ASAP. So, that’s what I’m doing.

 

Volume 2 will be called Pirates of the Dark Nebula, and is tentatively scheduled for early June release. I’m about one fifth of the way through the first draft, so there’s lots to do, but I can tell you that this book will feature Phoebe’s sister Luna, and an under cover galactic marshal named Rik Mazer. I haven’t found an inspiration for Luna yet, but here’s what I’ve found for Rik:

He’s a little scruffier than my usual, clean-cut heroes, but he’s been really fun to write.

 

Of course the Blarmlings will be back. this time I’m giving Kertl the spotlight.

* * *

Also on tap, is a super secret project I’m working on with a couple of other romance writers. I can’t reveal anything about it, but stay tuned here for a fun announcement soon.

 

Release Day – My Sexy Valentine

Now available, just in time for Valentine’s Day:

Six Authors. Six wonderful stories:

���Valentine���s Day Breakup��� by Cheryl Yeko

Finding her fianc�� in a clutch with the coat check girl sends Shelly straight into the arms of her Soul Mate.

���Inked Hearts��� by Sage Spelling

One night. No boundaries. Uninhibited passion.

Boycotting Valentine���s Day had been Piper���s preferred way of protecting her heart until she collided with bad-boy sexy-tattoo artist Dex. Driven with lust, Piper has her first one-night stand, but dreads morning and saying goodbye to the man who stirs her innermost desires.

���The Twelve Days of Valentines��� by Lynn Cahoon

As her home business grows, a specialty jam creator receives gifts from a secret admirer. When the news breaks, two men step up claiming to be the gifter. As the twelve days pass, can she figure out the clues and claim her Mr. Right?

���Valentine���s Day Canceled��� by S.C. Mitchell

When Thor���s son Magni, the new King of Asgaard, cancels Valentine���s day, Astrid knows something is drastically wrong. Can she make things right again and save the fertility festival?

���The Valentine���s Proposal��� by Tina Susedik

When a Valentine’s Day proposal doesn’t go the way she expected, librarian Janetta Simonson’s life changes in ways she���s never dreamed.

���I���ve Got A Heart-on For You��� by Char Chaffin

How hard can it be to stash three kids with an overnight babysitter, slip into something ridiculously decadent and skimpy, and do naughty things to each other by candlelight on Valentine���s Day?

Sex-deprived spouses Sam and Dell might be finding out pretty soon, and not in the way they���d hoped.

 

Get your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Sexy-Valentine-Soul-Mate-Collection-ebook/dp/B00SSFM1OC/

Romance Weekly ��� Settings

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn���t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all���.. About our writing of course! Every week we���ll answer questions and after you���ve enjoyed the blog on this site we���ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!

RWW also has a website with its own blog, a newsletter, and can be found on Facebook, and Twitter (@LoveChatWrite).

 

I have the dubious honor of starting off this week���s blog tour, so welcome, welcome, welcome, however you found your way here.

This week Brenda Margriet asks: How do you choose the setting for your book? Does where you live inspire you? This can apply even to books set in paranormal worlds – what do you use from “real life”?

 

So, here we go:

How do you choose the setting for your book?

The short answer is: I don���t. My settings kind of choose me. I always start my stories with three elements. My hero, my heroine, and a situation. It���s really the situation that sets the scene. In Son of Thunder my starting scene was Jord Thorson driving his motorcycle up the rainbow bridge to Asgaard with Meghan on the back. Setting? The rainbow bridge. Earth on one side, Asgaard on the other. From there I build my world as the characters discover it. Settings just kind of happen.

Does where you live inspire you?

Only to a certain extent. In northern Wisconsin we have the advantage of 4 full seasons. I have no problem envisioning a hot summer day, brisk fall morning, or cold winter night. I���ve lived them. After my latest move, I also have the shore of Lake Michigan to inspire my settings.

In my newest series, Hearts in Orbit, I have a whole galaxy of planets to use as settings, and they can be just about anything from deep primal forest to ultra modern metropolis. So I can pull from the area around me, but I need to pump things up to the fantastic whenever possible. After all, no two planets are exactly alike.

This can apply even to books set in paranormal worlds – what do you use from “real life”?

Even in the most fantastic of settings, I think there needs to be an element of reality in the setting. My mind manages to conjure up some pretty crazy stuff, but I like to think that at the heart, it���s still based on a bit of reality. In my Demons Rising trilogy, I set many scenes in the local library. I used to work in a small town library, and used that building layout as my bases for setting the characters. Of course I added a secret basement level holding the Arcanist���s book collection, so don���t go looking for that when you stop into the Tomahawk Public Library. It isn���t there . . . or is it?

How does Collette Cameron set the scene in her wonderful Historical romances? Stop on over to Blue Rose Romance and find out.

And did you know Collette has a wonderful story in the new Gifts from the Heart anthology? Perfect for Valentine’s Day reading:

My Sexy Valentine

Six authors. Six stories of Valentine’s Day romance including mine, Valentine’s Day Canceled, the next installment of the Heavenly War series. Pre-order now and have it for Valentine’s day.

 

The link is up and ready for pre-order on amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Sexy-Valentine-Soul-Mate-Collection-ebook/dp/B00SSFM1OC/

Thursday Threads

Today on Thursday threads we highlight R. B. Austin‘s wonderful novel, Fallen Redemption:

 

Killing Fallen to save mankind is Cade���s redemption for murder and only one human���mouthwatering and absolutely forbidden���stands in his way.

 

Cade committed himself to saving lives before he learned the full consequences of his life-altering decision. It wasn���t until he was tending his sick wife that he learned the enormity of what he���d done and he was unable to save her from the monster he had become. Consumed with guilt and praying for absolution, he threw himself into killing every Fallen he could find to save the humans he���d sworn to protect. But then Emma, deliciously mortal and completely forbidden, swept into his world, stirring an overpowering desire. Now he���s not only fighting soulless creatures, but also his inner cravings, trying to maintain his distance and continue on his path to forgiveness. He won���t lose control again and lose another love.

 

Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Redemption-Trihune-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00E49OQ12/

 

Romance Weekly ��� Great Beginnings

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn���t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all���.. About our writing of course! Every week we���ll answer questions and after you���ve enjoyed the blog on this site we���ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!

RWW also has a website with its own blog, have a newsletter, and can be found on Facebook, and Twitter (@LoveChatWrite).

Welcome. If you���re joining me from J.R.Richardson���s blog, or if you are starting your blog hop here, welcome.����

Have you read her amazing novel, Cursed be the Wicked? What are you waiting for?

�� This week were talking about great beginnings. Sarah Hegger gave us this challenge:

 

A great opening line draws the reader in, makes them want to know more and compels them to read further. Share a great opening line, can be a classic or a more recent novel, tell us why you like it and then share the opening line to your newest WIP.

 

The opening line sets the tone of the whole book, and it���s probably the hardest line to write (at least before you hit that wall that is the second line).

 

Call me Ishmael ��� Moby-Dick

 

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. – Pride and Prejudice

 

It was a dark and stormy night ��� Paul Clifford (Okay, maybe not so much)

 

Anyway, when I think of great first lines, I always think of:

Rukbat, in the Sagittarian sector, was a golden G-type star.

If you recognize that line, then you are acquainted with an author who is probably my biggest influence, Anne McCaffrey.

That line appeared, though it was not the first line, in the introduction of her first Pern novel. In Dragonflight, it was actually the first line of the second paragraph. Thereafter, however, it became the opening line of the introduction of every one of the following Pern novels.

I have fond memories of purchasing every one of her amazing Pern stories and opening to that introduction. It read virtually the same in every book, yet I read each and every introduction before diving into the story, because here this amazing author set the stage, and drew me back into her wonderful world.

 

And now, here���s the opening line (still open for editing) of my latest Hearts in Orbit book, Pirates of the Dark Nebula (Coming this summer from Soul Mate Publishing):

Impossible!

Yup, that���s it. One word.

 

Kind of underwhelming isn���t it. Sorry, I���m no Anne McCaffrey.

 

But I���ll bet Collette Cameron has a great opening line for you. Stop on over to Blue Rose Romance and check it out.

 

And also check out Triumph and Treasure, The first book in her new series, Highland Heather Romancing a Scot.

 

World premier – The Blarmling Dilemma video trailer

Enjoy:

 

Dragonstar Designs did an incredible job.

Thanks Roni ���

 

And a special thank you to Brittney Mitchell for her incredible original song. ������

Thursday Threads

Our Thursday Threads feature returns today with my good friend Tina Susedik and her novel Riding for Love:

 

Riding for Love

Romantic Mystery

Sensuous

As a child, Tina always had stories floating around in her head, but had no idea those stories could be put down in book form. One day her brother (yes, her brother) introduced her to Kathleen Woodiwiss��� The Flame and the Flower. Tina was hooked and a love of reading and eventually writing romance began. She is also a non-fiction writer with six history books in print. She also has two children’s books that were recently released.

 

Tina has been married for over forty years and lives in Wisconsin. After careers in accounting and teaching (not necessarily at the same time), she found her career in writing is what fulfills her the most. When not writing, she loves camping, hiking, photography, reading and playing with her five grandchildren.

 

She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

 

 

Blurb:

Eve Dayton, owner of a riding ranch, rose above her childhood past and overcame the emotional damage her boyfriend caused when he married another woman. When someone starts sabotaging her ranch, Eve is desperate to find the culprit before she loses everything. Is it a coincidence or is the return of Denton Johanson tied to the mystery?

 

Divorced Denton Johanson returns to his hometown to help convict the embezzling controller of the family business. When he runs into Eve, he realizes his feelings for her are still strong enough to try and win her back. His fear of horses won���t get in the way of his goal and decides the only way to be near her is to take riding lessons from her. Can he convince her that his love is real and he is not behind the mystery surrounding the ranch?

 

Excerpt:

 

���Darn. I���m late.��� Eve grabbed her mug of coffee and the clipboard with her notes for the day. ���I���m never late. Ever. This is what happens when you let a man get under your skin.��� She jogged across the driveway to the barn. The clients weren���t due for another half an hour, but she wanted to meet with Tom early to go over her notes once more to make sure the horses matched the riders.

 

Her steps slowed as she entered the barn. Tom was talking to one of the employees at the other end of the barn. Since he didn���t immediately notice her, she took her time walking through the building, making sure the tack was all in place according to horse, helmets and riding sticks hung in order of size, horses back in their stalls from the field, and no stray horse droppings or straw littered the barn floor.

 

As she passed the row of licenses showing their employees were qualified as riding instructors, and she and Tom owners, he turned and waved her over.

 

���So how did your evening go last night, sweetheart? You danced quite a bit with Denton.���

 

���Yeah.��� She batted her eyes at her friend. ���You didn���t have anything to do with it would you, honeybunch?���

 

Tom laughed, threw an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a hug. ���Ah, busted.��� He kissed her forehead. ���He���s not so bad, you know, Eve. He���s made some mistakes, and I believe he sincerely regrets them. But if he does anything to hurt you again, he���ll find himself lying in a pile of manure, face first.���

 

Eve grimaced at the image. ���Well, I hate to say you���re right, but I did have a good time. I forgot how easy it is to talk to him. Besides, he can���t hurt me if I don���t let him.��� She slid the clipboard from under her arm and started flipping through pages. ���That doesn���t mean I���m still not mad at him. It���s going to take more than a few dances to get me into his good graces.���

 

���Give him a run for his money?���

 

���Yeah,��� she muttered, glancing at her watch. ���Now, let���s compare notes before our subjects arrive.���

 

For the next few minutes they walked companionably through the barn looking at stock, comparing horse sizes, and temperaments to clients. The stable of twenty-five horses ranged from duns to piebalds to grays and Appaloosas and included a few ponies for younger riders. Eve loved them all.

 

 

���I���ll take the slowest, laziest one with the shortest legs,��� Denton said, interrupting Eve and Tom���s decision to pasture a smaller horse needing to be re-shod.

 

Eve nearly dropped the clipboard at the sound of Denton���s deep voice as she locked the stall door and tacked a note to the front for her staff. Keeping her back to him, she didn���t hide a smile at his nervous tone. By the time she faced him, the smile disappeared, but not the heat that had risen to her face.

 

���Mornin���, Dent,��� Tom said, stepping over to the next stall. ���I think old Della here will do fine for you.��� He ran a hand down the bay���s forelock, over the blaze markings to her nose and slipped a sugar cube into her mouth. ���Eve���s helped so many people learn to ride she���d teach me a few things, and I taught her to ride.���

 

Denton let out a breath of air and took a few steps closer to the stall. ���Good to know.���

 

���Don���t be misled, Dent,��� Eve said, following Tom���s hands down the horse���s face. ���Della may be getting on in years, but she���s a horse and horses can pull a few tricks on the unwary.��� Denton���s Adam���s apple slipped up and down as he swallowed a gulp. She pressed the clipboard to her chest. ���Don���t worry, since I���ll be training you, I won���t let anything happen.���

 

���To me or the horse?��� he asked.

 

���Good question,��� Eve answered over her shoulder as she sauntered away from the men.

 

***

Denton raked his fingers through his hair and suppressed a shudder.

���Scared you, didn���t she?���

���And you���re enjoying it, aren���t you?���

���Don���t worry, boy. She���s never let a customer get hurt. Yet.���

Denton breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn���t get hurt, not physically, anyway, he thought. His emotions were another matter. His heart tripped a little faster as he watched her walk through the barn.

The rest of the group began entering the building. Amazing how, in such a short time, a person learned to recognize someone, even by their black silhouette against the bright sun-lit entrance to the barn. The unmistakable buxom figure of Jackie was outlined in the door.

His breath left him and he quickly searched for a place to hide. After her seduction attempts at the dance, she was the last person he wanted to encounter. He still felt her body pressed against his, his arm muscles even a little sore from trying to stop her from performing the vertical bedroom tango publicly. The next woman to use his body in any way would be Eve, whether she knew it or not.

So desperate to be out of Jackie���s sight, he contemplated leaping over the gate into his horse���s stall and hiding behind her rump, then grabbing a shovel to start mucking out manure or take a hoof pick and clean out her hoofs. Before he could consider the wisdom of doing any of those things, Jackie spotted him.

He groaned. Everyone gathering at the end of the barn turned as she shrilled out his name. He moved toward her. If he moved fast enough, he���d get to the others and mingle, be able to hide among his compatriots, then shove her off on some other, more willing, male in the group.

Buy Links:

Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/riding-for-love/

http://www.amazon.com/Riding-for-Love-ebook/dp/B00CLJD31Q

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/riding-for-love-tina-susedik/1119333999?ean=9781619354289

Contact links:

Website: TinaSusedik.com

http://tinasusedik.wordpress.com./

Twitter: @tinasusedik

Facebook: Tina Susedik, Author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17908316-riding-for-love

Romance Weekly ��� TBR, the pile keeps growing.

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn���t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all���.. About our writing of course! Every week we���ll answer questions and after you���ve enjoyed the blog on this site we���ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!

Welcome. If you���re joining me from Xio Axelrod���s blog, or if you are starting your blog hop here, welcome.

Hey, Check out her amazing novella, The Calum:

 

This week Elizabeth Janette asks: What’s on your TBR pile?

 

 

Oh that ever growing pile of books To Be Read.

Two piles really, because there���s the physical, paper books lining my shelves, and the virtual pile of books on my iPad. They collect ever so much quicker than I can read them. Just trying to keep up with the production of the Romance Writers Weekly group (#LoveChatWrite), and my Soul Mate Author friends, can be daunting for a slow reader like me.

And, I���m so easily distracted lately that���SQUIRREL!!!

Where was I?

Oh yeah���

Well, as the great philosopher Popeye once said: ���I yam what I yam.���

 

So, here���s what I have lined up for the near future:

 

1. I���m currently half way through The Promised One, by C. D. Hersh.

2. After that I dive into the Advanced Reader Copy I just received, of Sarah Hegger���s Nobody���s Angel.

3. Lined up next, I just have to read Geek Groom, by Victoria Barbour (I loved her Geek God).

 

Any other current plans will probably be short circuited by someone���s new release, or a new distraction, but I do plan on revisiting some old friends in the coming months. Anne McCaffrey���s Pern, Tolkien���s Middle Earth, and Robert E. Howard���s Hyborian Age come to mind. And it���s been an age since I caught up on what Sherrilyn Kenyon and Nora Roberts have been putting out lately.

 

So, what���s on Mikki Cober���s TBR list? Click here to find out: http://www.mikkicober.blogspot.com/