Nicole Helm's Blog, page 2

Newsletter Stuffs!

One of the things I really like doing in my newsletter is offering some free content along with the monthly updates on what’s coming next. Thus far, it’s been kind of willy nilly, but I’ve decided on a schedule for the free reads for the remainder of the year.

April- September

This��serialized short will take place at the Millertown Farmers’ Market, will give you a glimpse of Mia and Dell’s (All I Have) Battle of the Sexes from an outsiders point of view. (Don’t worry–no spoilers!) It will also feature its own little romance.

October-January 2016

This serialized short will introduce Blue Valley, Montana, the setting for my 2016 cowboy series. Much like the Farmers’ Market short, this will give a glimpse into the setting, and the characters who will make up the series, while featuring a small, satisfying romance of its own. Book One, REBEL COWBOY, will release January 5th, 2016.

If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my newsletter by clicking here! It goes out the 24th of every month, and will (for the rest of the year) always include a short piece of new content, plus information on releases, sales, etc.

Happy Reading!

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Montana Born Brides 2015: Cover Reveal

I’m so excited to be a part of Tule Publishing’s Montana Born Brides continuity this spring! My novella, Bride by Mistake, is sandwiched between some fantastic books, and look at these gorgeous covers!

Bride by Mistake��will release May 18th, and I’ll update its page with preorder links as they come available.

The preorder for The Fairy Tale Bride by Scarlet Wilson is already up HERE! And the remaining books will follow in the next few weeks.

You can also learn more about each book at each author’s website:

Scarlet Wilson��(May 4th)

Dani Collins��(May 11th)

Maisey Yates��(May 25th)

Rachael Johns��(June 1st)

Kat Latham��(June 8th)

While all the books are linked by people working as vendors for the nightmare celebrity wedding that hits Marietta, Bride by Mistake and Finally His Bride by Maisey Yates also share some overlapping characters/storylines. My heroine and Maisey’s hero are sister and brother, and my hero is Maisey’s hero’s best friend and business partner–or at least he��was.��It’s possible Maisey and I enjoyed making our heroes punch each other. :)

I don’t have an official blurb yet for Bride by Mistake, but here’s the UNOFFICIAL:

Wedding fever has hit the��town of Marietta…and her groom is marrying someone else!

Kaitlin Shuller is having the worst day ever. The man of her dreams is making vows to another woman. Her heart is broken, and all her carefully laid plans destroyed. Enter Beckett Larson, her older brother’s best friend and a very good bad decision.

Beckett has spent his life trying to outrun his bad reputation, but everyone already thinks the worst of him, so when Kaitlin offers herself to him–virginity and all–he just can’t say no.

But one night together has permanent consequences, and this time Beckett knows he can’t run. He’s determined to make Kaitlin his bride…even if he has to seduce her down the aisle.

And an excerpt!

Chapter One

���It looks beautiful, Kaitlin. You���ve outdone yourself.���

Kaitlin Shuller blinked back tears while forcing herself to smile. ���Thank you,��� she croaked. She had been managing not to cry in front of him for weeks now, why should the actual day be any different?

But he was in his suit, and she was in her dress.

The man she had loved since the third grade, standing in a tuxedo, surrounded by altar flowers she���d put together herself. Beautiful white hydrangeas, unfurling white lilies, the deep green of the filler twirled and pinned artfully���if she did say so herself. Subtle and rustic burlap accent to the giant urn.

It was country chic perfection, no floral detail left ignored. The church looked and smelled like a magazine spread and high-end greenhouse brought to life.

All for her sister���s wedding to Carter.

Kaitlin had been so certain she���d come to terms with this, but right here, right now, there were no terms. Only pain.

She���d built her life around him. Since she���d been ten, Carter Finley McArthur had been meant for her. She���d been sure of it. Planned everything in her life with the utmost confidence it would be suitable for a McArthur, suitable for the future doctor, suitable for all the good they would do. Together.

The stability and assurance of the McArthur name was supposed to be hers. Instead, Sierra was marrying him.

He pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket. ���I came stocked,��� he said with a charming smile. ���I hear these things bring out tears in everyone, though I never thought you���d be the first victim.���

She stared at the square of cloth, only then realizing a tear had escaped. She never cried. Except at funerals and the occasional sad movie.

Kaitlin had never been known for being a sap. Driven. Determined. Organized. Charitable, when pushed, but never emotional. But she took the handkerchief because it was expected of her.

She had made a life out of discerning what people wanted from her and going after it wholeheartedly. She���d gone to school for accounting to suit her father, fell into floral design because it would please her mother. She���d done the flowers for Sierra and Carter���s wedding because it would make everyone she loved happy.

Except me.

She grasped Carter���s handkerchief, emotions she���d been banking down for six months swirling around her.

It should be me.

All Sierra had done since the day she���d been old enough to walk was cause trouble and follow the beat of her own internal drum. Sierra never cared about grades. She���d skipped school, missed homework assignments, failed tests. Sierra had been caught with beer in the ninth grade. She���d smoked all manner of things, and Sierra had definitely had lots and lots of sex.

Kaitlin had touched none of those things, all so sure she���d be rewarded for it.

She was no longer anywhere near sure.

���You���ve been such a great friend to us,��� Carter said with an affectionate pat of the shoulder. Bare because her sister had picked the bridesmaid dresses. Kaitlin would much prefer to be in a nun���s habit. Anything to keep his palm off her shoulder.

Skin to skin.

���I don���t know how you managed to pack it all in,��� he went on and on. She had no idea what to say to make him go away, and even if she had figured out some combination of words, no doubt she would have only squeaked.

This was it. End of the road. No terrible hope that Carter saw the error of his ways without hurting Sierra too too much.

They were getting married. He was going to be her brother-in-law. The man that had been a part of every sexual fantasy she���d ever woven. The man she���d idiotically, steadfastly saved herself for.

She caught a flash of a dark head at the back of the church, and when she recognized the face she couldn���t stop a grimace.

Okay, there was one other man who had starred in her sexual fantasies, but only her subconscious ones. Where she had no control. While real-life Kaitlin wanted the sturdy, charitable, Doctor Without Borders, her subconscious had a thing for ugh.

Regardless of her feelings for Beckett Larson, conscious or subconscious, he was her one and only escape. So, she���d take it.

���Beckett!���

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DABWAHA: Bribe Payment & Bribes Round Two

All I Have managed to eek out a win against the ever worthy opponent, Sarah M. Anderson, and her equally amazing book��Rodeo Dreams.��It was such a fun battle, and it came right down to the wire. Thank you to everyone who voted! And, I hope you’re not busy from midnight-noon Sunday March 22nd, because we’ve got another round to fight!

But FIRST–the pay up. I said I’d share a never-before-shared scene from the upcoming extended Superromance version of All I Have, AND with permission from my publisher I can share the upcoming cover a little early.

I have loved all my Harlequin covers. I loved the original of All I Have, but–this��this is just perfection. From them sitting on the couch together, to the adorable heart shirt, I am in absolute awe and love.

Now, for the scene. All I Have: extended Superromance edition, takes the original ALL I HAVE and adds about 20,000 words. It’s the same book in that it has the same sequence of events, but it also morphed into its own story. More build up to Mia and Del’s happily ever after��and a deeper look into the family issues that drive both of them. I can’t wait for July.

Never-Before-Shared All I Have: Extended Superromance Version scene

Mia pulled her truck into the parking lot at Orscheln and tried not to be irritated by all Dad���s sighing and grumbling. She drove too fast, braked too hard. The one and only place Dad ever criticized her.

Which was why, for the life of her, she couldn���t figure out why he didn���t drive himself. Or stay home.

���If you hate coming to town so much, you don���t have to come. I could always get whatever you need.���

���Have to ask Rick about this new vaccine.���

���You could do that on the phone. I bet Rick even has email.���

Dad harrumphed and got out of the truck. Mia trudged after him. Mostly, she loved spending time with Dad. He���d always been her biggest supporter, and one of the few people she felt understood her.

But going to Orscheln with Dad meant people didn���t get used to her as Mia Pruitt, serious farmer. They still saw the girl who had cried when all the chickens had been sold, or accidentally let all the kittens up for adoption out of their cage because she���d been trying to pet them.

Daughter of the town hermit, the man who refused to talk to anyone except Rick when he came in. Should another employee approach him, he���d turn and walk away. If Rick was out sick, Dad would hop in his truck and go home.

Oh, whom was she kidding? Even when she came in without Dad she was a Pruitt, and there was a lot of baggage that went with that.

But she could pretend when she was alone. Pretend she was your average twenty-six-year-old vegetable farmer. Or something.

���I���m going to���look at some plants. You go ahead inside.��� It was an excuse, a pathetic one at that, but maybe if she could pretend they hadn���t walked in together���

Mia stared gloomily at some pansies as Dad grunted and went inside. She was being kind of a crap daughter, and that made her feel guilty. Especially having been on the receiving end of the Go ahead inside, I���ll wait out here line more than once.

���Of all the gin joints in the world, she walked into mine.���

Mia closed her eyes. Apparently today was really going to make her feel as if she was sixteen again. She glanced over her shoulder at Dell. He had his beat-up Cardinals hat on, equally worn jeans and a black T-shirt that did unfair things to showcase the muscles of his arms.

If she was a cat, she���d hiss at him. Instead, she mustered her best fake smile. ���You���re wearing a shirt. What a novelty.���

���No shirt, no shoes, no service.��� He grinned and she hated that some part of her reacted to that grin. A weird flopping deep in her stomach, a floaty giddiness around her chest.

Yes, she was sixteen and still an idiot. ���You got the quote all wrong, by the way.���

���Huh?���

���It���s ���Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.��� If you���re going to quote something, it should at least be the right something.���

���I have no idea what you���re talking about.���

���Figures,��� she muttered, turning her attention back to the plants. She had no use for flowers. She lived in an apartment in town, and even if she lived at the farm, she���d certainly plant something she could sell the produce of.

Dell did not seem to take the hint, still standing uncomfortably behind her. Uncomfortably because���well. He made her uncomfortable. Because he was a butt, that���s why.

���Are you following me?��� she asked, trying to sound bored. Succeeding, too, if she did say so herself.

���It���s a small town, sugar.���

She would not be irritated by the cocky way he drawled sugar. She would also not be���other things at the way his voice was all gravelly and sure of himself. Not hot. Not even cute.

���And yet, how many times have I run into you here before? I do these errands every Tuesday morning.���

���Well, if you see me again, then you���ll know I���m following you. For today, it���s just an unfortunate coincidence.���

Unfortunate. Yeah. She certainly got no secret thrill out of seeing him outside the market. Please. She hoped to never see him outside the market. She didn���t even want to see him at the market.

���But, while we���re here, together, on this beautiful day, why don���t you tell me what you���ve got up your sleeve so you don���t embarrass yourself at the market Saturday?���

She glanced at him again, giving him a condescending look she���d been practicing in the mirror. ���First of all, we���re not together.���

���I���m standing here. You���re standing there right in touching distance. We���re talking. Together enough from where I���m at.���

���Why don���t you stand out of touching distance?��� Because words like touching made her even more uncomfortable than she already was. How could she pretend to be calm and collected when she had to think about���touching?

She had the petty desire to give him a little push, but that would be silly and childish���and probably put her in contact with muscles she���d prefer to only fantasize about.

Except, no fantasizing.

���I don���t know why you have reason to be so antagonistic with me, Mia. Fair competition and all that. Jealousy isn���t an attractive quality.���

She rolled her eyes. ���The day I worry about being attractive to you is the day I go brain-dead.��� Jitters multiplied in her stomach. This was getting���weird. ���Besides, if it���s fair competition, you don���t need to worry about what I���ve got up my sleeve.���

���I���m just trying to look out for you. You���ve built quite a new rep for yourself.���

She was not a violent person, but something about him made her visualize doing a lot of it. Unfortunately that also meant visualizing touching him. In a way that wasn���t all���violent. ���The day Dell Wainwright is looking out for my well-being is the day I start taking my shirt off at the market.���

His eyes drifted to her chest, an almost considering look on his face. She crossed her arms over herself, the heat of embarrassment mixing with a different kind of heat.

���Go away, Dell. I am trying to do actual work here. I���m guessing you wouldn���t know what that���s like.���

There was a beat of silence, a moment of triumph that she���d shut him up, and then a twist of���something not so nice in her stomach.

���Naw, I just sit around my farm twiddling my thumbs.��� He stepped away from her, a weird energy in the tense shoulders and the hard line of his mouth. ���See you `round, Pruitt.���

Mia frowned after him. She had no idea why she felt���kind of guilty and like a jerk. She hadn���t said anything too terrible to him, certainly not any worse than him calling her Queen of the Geeks.

So, the weird twist in her stomach was out of place, and Dell was out of place for making her feel it. She was about to stomp into the store, but Dad���s voice sounded from behind her.

���That boy bothering you?���

Mia snorted, couldn���t help it. She turned to Dad, who���d obviously come out of the feed exit. It was nice Dad felt protective, but she did not need to be protected. Or comforted. Not anymore. ���First of all, Dell Wainwright isn���t a boy any more than I���m a girl.���

Dad harrumphed.

���Second, I���m not��� That stuff doesn���t bother me anymore.��� Possibly because it wasn���t the same. Going toe-to-toe with Dell was less like being made fun of, being called names. It was more like battle. One she was more than equipped to fight.

It was weirdly invigorating. It made her feel capable and strong. If she could take on Mr. Prom King, she could take on anyone. If she could ignore the random bouts of misplaced guilt. Which she would.

She was going to take him on and win, and the more he poked at her, the more he���d find she didn���t roll over and hide anymore.

���Let���s go home.���

It was tempting. Tempting to put off what she���d come for so she wouldn���t have to run into Dell in the aisles, but not tempting enough to agree to.

���You can wait in the car if you want. But I have a few things that need picking up.��� Because she was not a wimp. Not anymore.

——–

Now for the Round TWO Bribes?

So, be sure to vote ALL I HAVE on Sunday March 22nd from MIDNIGHT (eastern) to NOON! It’s going to be a tough fight to get these farmers to the top!

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Vote All I Have in DABWAHA

If you’re looking at the subject line with a confused expression, thinking I’m spouting gibberish, you can find an explanation of what DABWAHA is Here. Basically it’s a March Madness style tournament put on by Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Dear Author.

When I was first expanding my romance reading beyond Nora Roberts years ago, these two sites were places I looked for recommendations, and there’s many a DABWAHA tournament that introduced me to some amazing authors and books. I’m pretty sure my Julie James and Karina Bliss and possibly even Sarah Mayberry gloms are directly related to DABWAHA.

So, it’s so cool that All I Have was nominated and slotted into a bracket. As a reader filling out brackets, I always do fairly dismally. But it’s fun. It’s fun to talk about books we love, cheer them on. It feels GOOD. I’m all about that!

vs.

All I Have is up against Sarah M. Anderson’s Rodeo Dreams.��Since Sarah and I are both Harlequin Superromance authors, Twitter hangers-outers, and graduates of the same college, we’ve been having fun “trash talking” and building up the Farmer v. Cowboy rivalry. For instance Sarah’s Lego Video and my (created by Maisey Yates & co) Pro-Farmer video.

All I Have and Rodeo Dreams will go up against each other midnight (eastern) Friday March 20th through noon (eastern) (SO–RIGHT NOW!). To vote ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO HERE AND PICK ONE! That’s it! No signing in! No accounts to make. Just click your vote and hit submit. Easy peasy.

One of the fun parts of DABWAHA is the “bribes” authors come up with to try and win your votes.��As a reader, I always like the bribes that had to do with seeing extra content about the books nominated, so that’s the strategy I’m going to go with.

For the next twelve hours there will be lost of silliness and pro-farmer shenanigans on Twitter (@NicoleTHelm) and Facebook.

If you’re a romance reader, this competition is a fun one, and you’ll probably find some really excellent books to fill your shelves/e-readers with. I hope you’ll join me! (And vote for Mia & Dell!!!!)

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Falling for the New Guy is Out!

��Falling for the New Guy, the final installment of my Bluff City Series with Harlequin Superromance, is now out!

As I say in my “Dear Reader” letter in the beginning of the book, this series has all about how love can help us through the hard times. It’s not a cure all, but it’s the thing we lean on, and we learn to hold onto when things seem bleak.

I’ve been building this world in my head and on the page since 2012–before I knew who Marc was or that he’d get his own story.

But Leah’s quiet, stoic older brother of course had to get his own book, and a heroine who could get under that tough facade he likes to employ. Tess is certainly that, and so much more.

It’s not an easy road to happily ever after, but I hope you’ll find it a satisfying one. And if you haven’t read the first two books in the series, you can find out more about them here.

[Amazon] [BN] [Kobo] [iBooks] [Goodreads] [Harlequin]

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Update on the Farmer’s Market Series

I can FINALLY share the news on what’s happening with my Farmer’s Market series that began this year with the well-received All I Have. My publisher, Harlequin, has different lines they put books out under. All I Have was released under the HarlequinE line, and a second book was contracted and finished when I was informed HarlequinE was closing and the remainder of the books would not be put out.

Luckily, I had already been in talks with my Superromance editor about moving the series to one of Harlequin’s series print lines, and Superromance offered to move the entire series to its line. What this means for readers? All three books will move to Superromance, meaning longer books, digital AND print formats, but also longer time to wait for the next books in the series. So, some pros and cons!

All I Have will come out July 2015 with an extra 25,000-ish words. The core story didn’t change, mostly some scenes were added and a few events were slightly modified. You get to see more of Mia and Dell’s bickering in the beginning, and more of their relationship with their families (which many reviewers really loved already). Right now the shorter version is still available for purchase, but I’m not sure how much longer that will last once the pre-order for the extended version goes up early next year. If you’ve already read All I Have, it won’t be necessary to reread the extended version to understand the remainder of the series, but if you really enjoyed it the extra scenes might be fun. I know I had fun writing them! :) And, hey, if you haven’t read it, well, here you go!

All I Am the second book in the series will likely come out at the end of 2015 or beginning of 2016. This book is about Mia’s sister Cara, and her organic dog treat making, wounded soldier, virgin hero (always gives me a giggle to put all that together). I’m so excited for you to meet Wes. Then, there will be a THIRD farmer’s market story.

All I Want (title tentative) will give Dell’s brother Charlie a story. Something to do with a former bad girl tattooed goat farmer heroine. :) Oh, poor Charlie, he is certainly in for it. This book will come out in 2016.

I’ll update each books’ page with things like specific release dates, covers and what not once I have the information, and you can also keep up-to-date by liking my Facebook page or subscribing to my newsletter–both links in the sidebar! This will be my last post of 2014, and I look forward to a very exciting 2015. Happy holidays and New Year to you and yours!

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Too Friendly to Date is OUT!

Too Friendly to Date is officially available in print and digital!

(Harlequin) (GoodReads) (Amazon) (BN) (Kobo) (iBooks)

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Meanwhile, Elsewhere

Happy Monday! (I’m trying, I’m trying).

I have some elsewhere places to tell you about today.

First, my free serial on Harlequin.com starts today. Chapter One is live and each Monday another chapter will go live for the next few weeks. (8 chapters total).

Too Much to Handle is a Bluff City book (Too Close to Resist-#1, Too Friendly to Date-#2). You certainly don’t have to have read Too Close to Resist to follow along. But, if you have read, you’ll get some glimpses of characters you already know. Including our hero, Henry Peterson (MCs plumber)!

Jacob and Leah also make an appearance as Too Much to Handle takes place somewhat concurrently with my upcoming October release Too Friendly to Date.

You can comment on each individual chapter, you can join the discussion on the Harlequin message boards, or you can feel free to let me know what you think!

Second, if you missed my squeeing all over Twitter and Facebook, Smart Bitches, Trash Books gave All I Have an A in a simply hilarious review. All I Have is currently only 2.51 on Amazon and 2.99 on BN/elsewhere!

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Westward, Ho!

As I announced on Twitter and Facebook last night, I have some exciting news!

So, basically what this means is another series in print from me, this time moving a little west to the wilds of Montana instead of hanging out here in the US Midwest.

If you follow me on Facebook you saw my post last week about how the first book I ever wrote had a farmer hero, what a nice symmetry that was with All I Have being so well received. Well, my symmetry isn’t over (and, oh, do I love my symmetry).

The first book I ever finished to completion with the farmer hero became a series revolving around three brothers. The farmer was the first one I wrote, and the second one I wrote was about his brother who…moved to Montana to work on a ranch.

I dabbled in that Montana world for a while in my early writing career—almost always setting stories in small town Iowa or mountainous Montana, but eventually left Montana. When the amazing Maisey Yates suggested earlier this year that maybe cowboys weren’t all that far removed from the farmers and hermits I’d been writing, I (after a little hemming and hawing) decided she wasn’t wrong.

So, the Blue Valley series was created, and with the help of my awesome agent it was submitted, and thanks to the great people at Sourcebooks, offered on! And now here we are.

I don’t have the specifics of release dates or anything yet, of course, but I can tell you that the first book is about a disgraced hockey player seeking some quiet time at his grandparent’s deserted Montana ranch. He hires the heroine (the rancher in question) to teach him how to be a rancher. They argue. A lot. And there’s a llama.

If you like the banter in All I Have, the world building in my Antiques in Flight series, or the community feel to my Superromances, I think you’ll like these books too.

And of course, if you want a visual look at the Blue Valley world, Pinterest is your man.

(Blue Valley 1) (Blue Valley 2) (Blue Valley 3)

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New Start September

New month! New week! New goals. New book (kind of) and new back cover copy!

It’s September 1st and the start of a new week and I’m ready to make some CHANGES. Things got a little out of control this summer—schedules out of whack, immobilizing waiting, wayyyy too much eating. What better day to start getting things back on track than Monday the first?
 
In New(ish) book news…
 

 
ALL I HAVE is out as a solo title now. This is my rival farmer romance that takes place at a Missouri farmer’s market. If you purchased the HarelquinE Contemporary Box Set vol. 2 available from June through August, you have this book. You may even have read it! But, if you were waiting for it to be available alone–now’s your chance! 
 
In new back cover copy news…
 
ALL I AM is the second book in the series and follows Mia’s sister Cara. This book will be out on December 1 and I have BACK COVER COPY!

The best thing about Wes Stone’s job? The dogs don’t expect him to talk about his injuries, his time in Afghanistan or his lack of experience with women. The worst thing? His organic dog treat business is booming and he needs live-in-the-moment Cara Pruitt to help out.

Cara is a strictly short-term kind of gal. She juggles jobs—including helping out at her sister’s stand at the farmer’s market—men and careers because she can’t screw up if she’s not really trying.

When Cara learns just how inexperienced anti-social but sexy Wes is with women, she is happy to help him fix his pesky virginity problem. After all, when two people are as wrong for each other as they are, walking away from a no-strings fling should be easy…

No buy links/cover yet, but those will be revealed here as I am given them.

Also, watch this space for exciting news coming soon!

Filed under: Harlequin, What I'm Up To