Nicole Helm's Blog, page 4

Flight Delay Excerpt #2

One week until FLIGHT DELAY releases! I am so not ready for it to be May, but here’s another excerpt.

—

He scooted his chair a little closer. This time when he touched her, he took her hand in his, his fingertips brushing across the top of her hand before curling around until her hand was trapped in both of his.

She wasn’t sure if it was because this was her unrequited love of forever or if it was because it had been such a long time since anyone had touched her with that kind of…promise, but she felt it everywhere. A warmth, a buzzing flowing through her body. A shot of pure arousal. At least a little on purpose on his part.

“You look beautiful tonight.” He said it with such earnestness, his hazel eyes holding her gaze steady. She couldn’t have doubted him if he was a compulsive liar.

“Thanks,” she replied, unable to care that her voice was breathy and unsteady.

“Not that you don’t any other time. You always do.” He frowned, dragging his thumbs along the bumps of her knuckles. “But I like your hair down like this.” This time he looked down at their joined hands. “Or up. Doesn’t matter.” He dropped her hand and let out a mirthless laugh. “Christ, shut me up.”

It was, by far, the cutest thing she’d ever seen. The fact he could be sitting there nervously complimenting her after everything. God, it was enough to make her believe in miracles. “Flirting skills a little rusty, huh?”

He shook his head, leaning back in the folding chair. “Rusty implies I was once any good at this kind of thing, which I wasn’t. I think the only flirting I’ve ever done is when I was fourteen and Sue came up to me and told me to walk her home from school and I said yes.”

“You haven’t honed your skills post-divorce?” Which was about as smooth as his compliments. A completely see-through attempt at finding out if he’d been involved with anyone since leaving California.

“I’ve been pretty busy honing my parenting and business-owning skills. There hasn’t been a lot of time or opportunity for honing anything else. Especially in a town the size of a postage stamp.” He took his plastic cup, which she knew now held soda instead of beer. Because of her. It was embarrassing and sweet and awkward and kind all rolled up into one big thing she didn’t want to think about right now.

“Have you…been honing?”

She bit her lip to keep from grinning. “Ah, no, I’ve been pretty busy scraping my way up from rock bottom.”

—

(Samhain) (Amazon) (BN) (iBooks) (Kobo)

 

Filed under: excerpts, Samhain

Flight Delay Excerpt #1

So FLIGHT DELAY releases in TWO weeks. This has probably been the release that’s snuck up on me the most. It’s been done for a while, and I’ve been working on so much other stuff.

Still, I am so excited about it. I had originally planned for Em’s story to come second in the FLIGHT series, we do see a lot of Em in FLIGHT RISK after all, but Lawson and Katie’s story was so clear in my head. And it’s a story I’m so proud of. It’s a lot about family and forgiveness–of others, of ourselves. It’s about building something good out of a lot of bad somethings. Those are my favorite stories to tell.

If you haven’t read FLIGHT RISK, you don’t need to to follow along. All the books in this series stand alone.

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite scenes from the book, and there are pre-order links at the bottom if you’re so inclined!

EXCERPT:

But when she opened the fridge, the first thing that caught her eye was a case of beer. It was open. Before she’d registered the action, a can was cold in her palm, her fingers gripped around it tight enough she could feel the slight give of aluminum.

Someone entered, and Katie winced when Lawson’s voice interrupted the silence.

“A little early for a beer, don’t you think?”

Katie stared hard at the blue and silver of the can, remembered her conclusion from a few days ago. Let it go. Admit everything. “Never too early for an alcoholic.” The words were shaky, not nearly as unaffected as she’d hoped. “A recovering one anyway,” she added lamely. What did recovering matter to him?

The silence throbbed with tension and…fear? Something. Something dark and painful.

God, just one sip would numb some of that.

And ruin everything she was trying to regain.

Though he didn’t speak, the sound of footsteps moved closer. His forearm came into view and he took the beer without production.

When she convinced herself to look at him, he was pulling the carton of beer out of the fridge. He dropped her can in it and stepped back into the dining area, resting the case on the bright red counter.

Unable to stay upright any longer, Katie moved into the dining area and took a seat at one of the old, scarred tables.

He studied her face and she tried to read his mind. Tried to figure out what he was thinking. There’d been a time she’d been able to read his expressions, but she couldn’t read this one.

Not horror or disgust or disappointment. It was more blank than anything. Katie looked at her hands.

“You were drunk when you did those interviews?”

The question wasn’t what she expected. That he’d automatically connect her alcoholism to the pain she’d caused him was a shock. Oh, if only that was the only reason. “A lot of them. That’s not an excuse, though.”

“You don’t have to tell me that.” The pause all but echoed in the big empty room. “But I guess it explains some things.”

As Katie was working up the courage to look up from the table, to say something—anything—to change the subject, Law placed a can in front of her. This time, it wasn’t a beer.

“What’s this?” The red and silver can seemed foreign. Him offering something to her, even more so.

“A Coke. You like Coke.”

“I do.” She looked up at him, bowled over by such a simple gesture, but… After everything she’d done to him, a pop was like a freaking bar of gold. “Lawson.”

“I have to get back.” He grabbed the case of beer off the counter and marched out of the Canteen without another word.

——

Preorder Links! (In order of price from cheapest to most expensive!)

(Samhain) (Amazon) (BN) (iBooks)

Filed under: excerpts, romance, Samhain

Let’s Talk About June

I know, I know, it’s still the middle of April. Why on earth would I want to talk about June?

Books, of course!

First up, things have been moving along with the HarlequinE Contemporary Box Set, of which my book ALL I HAVE, will be a part. First up, the gorgeous, adorable PERFECT cover:

I love it. The colors, the field in the background, the PURPLE PLAID! Be still my heart.

I also received the covers that will be on the box set, along with some info about the other books in the set.

The other authors and I have begun to share our books with each other and we’ve got quite the variety! Rebecca’s got a ex-military maid & exotic dancer hero paired with a single mom. Maggie’s got a cop and New Year’s Eve (two things I, of course, enjoy). And Kristina brings us a world of celebrities! Then I bring the farmers, like I do. ;) A little something for everyone.

The Box Set releases June 2nd, and then in September the box set will no longer be on sale, but each title will be sold individually. So, you can either get four books for the price of one in June, or wait until September and buy them at full price.

—–

My other June release, TOO CLOSE TO RESIST, my first PRINT release (eee!) was reviewed in Romantic Times magazine. They gave it four stars and (among other things) said, “This is a well-written story with a unique plot.” Well-written and unique, yay!

—–

I would also feel remiss if I didn’t remind everyone FLIGHT DELAY releases May 7th. This is the second in my Flight series, but can be read as a stand alone. Keep in mind with Samhain titles, you can usually get the title cheaper from the Samhain website, the week of release. (For example it’s $4+ on Amazon and BN right now, but $3+ on the Samhain site right now).

Filed under: Harlequin, romance, Samhain, Too Close to Resist

April Round Up

Happy April, everyone! With Risky Return just released last week and four weeks until Flight Delay releases, plus lots of news to share, I thought it was time for a round up of info.

First up, if you go to my Amazon Author page, on the right hand sidebar there’s some orange text that says Stay Up To Date. Under that you can click to subscribe to get emails about new releases from me. I do this for a couple authors, and it only ever sends me info when they have a new release. If you’re interested in getting that kind of info, feel free to sign up!

First of all, there’s a blog tour going on for Risky Return right now. Here is the schedule of posts and at each stop, there is a place to enter a giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card.

As I mentioned above, Flight Delay comes out in FOUR WEEKS! I’m really excited for this book. I just love the Antiques in Flight world and I think Flight Delay is really sweet, and I think both books in this series are similar to the tone and feeling in my Superromances. There’s a review and an excerpt up at Fresh Fiction. And another excerpt is available on the Samhain site, if you click the excerpt tab. ALSO, if you preorder from the Samhain website, you can get Flight Delay for $3.85 instead of $4.24. That promotional price lasts through the first week of its release as well.

In Superromance news, Too Close to Resist will be in bookstores that carry Superromances in June! It’s also up on the Harlequin website, and if you buy from Harlequin, I believe you can get the book in May!

Also, my second Superromance has a title and a release day. Too Friendly to Date is one of my favorite books I’ve written and it will be out in October! Friends to lovers, fake relationship, lots of jokes, a Joe Mauer poster. I’m working on line edits right now and I’m just so pleased with it.

Lastly, in HarlequinE news, my rival farmer book, All I Have, will be appearing in the HarlequinE Contemporary Box Set Volume 2, releasing June 2nd. It’s up for preorder on Amazon and BN (Just a heads up, it’s over a dollar cheaper at Amazon, BN may lower the price closer to release day). It will also be available on its own in September, but the box set really is the better deal. Four books for under four dollars!

Also, All I Am, the next book in my farmer’s market series, is tentatively scheduled to be part of the Harlequin E Contemporary Box Set Vol 3 in September, and it would also come out alone in December.

It’s going to be a full year of Nicole Helm books! Yay! Now, I need to get to work on getting some stuff settled for NEXT year!

Filed under: Harlequin, Samhain, What I'm Up To, writing

Risky Return Release

Well, it’s *finally* here. Book two in the Harrington Airfield series has released!

It’s been a year and a half since I submitted the first version of Risky Return to my editors. A lot of work, patience, (possibly a lot of tears) went into finally getting to this point. Celia and Ryan are out in the world! It’s a little hard to believe.

Here’s a list of places you can find Risky Return. (Keep in mind the special .99 price tag will last for two weeks before going to the normal price of 2.99.)

Goodreads: reviews, ratings, blurb.

Amazon: Buy link!

Barnes & Noble: Buy link!

Entangled Page: buy links, first chapter, blurb, etc

If you’re interested in learning more about Seven Night Stand, the first book in the series, click here.

Happy Reading!

Filed under: Entangled, Harrington Airfield Series, Seven Night Stand

Catching Up

March is barreling on offering what I freakishly enjoy: being so busy I can’t see straight.

So, let’s catch up!

First, Risky Return, the second in my Harrington Airfield series, will be out in 3 weeks (March 31). It’s up on goodreads right now if you want to add it to your shelves, and it’ll be showing up on vendors etc as it gets closer to release date. Also, I have a cover!

And if you’re a blogger/reviewer it’s up on Netgalley.

Speaking of covers, I got the cover to my first Harlequin Superromance! Too Close to Resist will be out in June, both in print (!) and digital.

It’s so sunshiny and pretty! TCTR has some darker elements to it, but it’s all about finding the good and happy (and love, of course!) in spite of the bad, and I think the cover gives off that vibe.

I also got the news that as long as edits go as they’re supposed to the next book in my Superromance series (currently untitled) will come out in October! I’ll make a page for that book as soon as I have a title for it. I’m currently working on revisions and loving this couple so hard.

Lastly, I registered for the RWA National Conference in San Antonio in July last week! Can’t wait to see friends, sign some books (!!!), and meet new people as well.

It’s been a crazy busy month (did I mention I still have a book to write and a Youngest Child turning 2?), and here’s to many more.

Filed under: Entangled, Harlequin, Harrington Airfield Series, Too Close to Resist, What I'm Up To

Dear Reader

Dear Reader,

I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember. While I always wanted to be a writer, it took about twenty-eight-ish years for me to believe it was possible and go for those publication dreams.

And now, here I am! It’s taken years and lots of rejections and hours and hours of hard work, and there’s still a lot of hard work ahead as I plan on doing this for a long time. Still, the fact I even have “readers” is amazing to me. I want you all to know how much I appreciate your time and interest.

While I am now a published author, I’m also a reader, and I try to keep my reader self in mind when I approach the “selling” part of my writing job. So, I thought I’d write this little “dear reader” letter to let you know where I stand when it comes to how I think you should read my books. (BIG HINT: However you want!)

I see a lot of promotion tactics that make me deeply uncomfortable, so let me say clearly right here that…

I will not…

-ask you to buy a book at any specific day or time.

-Gift a bunch of copies to people to download at a certain time in order to manipulate my Amazon rank.

-promise incentives in order to get to some particular rank on Amazon/BN.

-ask for reviews.

-react poorly to/argue with ANY reviews

-ask you to tell your friends about me.

Maybe it can be boiled down to that. I won’t ask you for anything, readers. As someone who has saved up money to buy favorite books, checked books out from the library, borrowed/lent books to friends, I can’t feel right about asking you for anything. Because reading isn’t a job and you have no responsibility to the author. You owe me nothing (except maybe obtaining the book legally, and really that’s not something you owe me). The fact that you’re reading my book is enough.

But what about you? What do I owe you?

1. The best book I can write.

2. Updated information on my website regarding my books and upcoming releases.

That’s it. I also try to make myself accessible to readers. I’m on Twitter a lot. I’m on Facebook, and I answer emails. I truly enjoy interacting with readers and do as much as I’m comfortable with doing.

Sometimes I’ll do giveaways. I almost always tweet/Facebook news, covers, sales, etc. I’ll share blog posts and talk about books I’ve read (including books I’ve read by authors who are friends, but I will try to make those connections clear). I’m not perfect and I’m sure I’ll make mistakes, but this is my comfort zone, and when it comes to “promotion” and “marketing”, I’m good with staying smack dab in the middle of comfort.

In the end this is what I promise, because it is what I value. If other authors feel differently, it’s certainly their prerogative and I wish them no ill will (as long as they aren’t being raving jerk faces).

Happy Reading!

Filed under: Uncategorized

The Writing Process Blog Chain

The lovely Jackie Ashenden tagged me in “The Writing Process Blog Chain” where each author answers four questions about their writing process.

The questions and my answers are below, along with the people (okay person) I’m tagging.

(PS Jackie has TWO releases tomorrow. HAVING HER, which I’ve read and is amazing. Dark and sexy, Jackie just has such a way with creating these real, complicated people. Also, BILLION DOLLAR BACHELOR, which I plan on reading ASAP)

What am I working on?

Right now I’m working under two deadlines. First, is my second Superromance tentatively titled TOO TEMPTING TO IGNORE. It’s a friends-to-lovers, fake relationship story and though I’m currently stuck in the dreaded middle, I’m really enjoying writing it. This will come out at the end of this year.

I’m also intermittently working on my second HarlequinE book, ALL I AM. If you follow me on Twitter you may have heard about my wounded veteran, virgin, organic dog treat maker hero. Poor guy is a bit of a mess, luckily the heroine will help him out in a lot of different departments.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Hm, that’s a hard question because at its core, romance is all about love. I am drawn to rural settings, realistic-feeling conflicts, sarcastic humor, and heroines in a-typical jobs. I’m not sure any of those things on their own make it different, but altogether I do think it gives me a distinct kind of voice.

Why do I write what I do?

I came to reading romance kind of late in the game, though I was always drawn to love stories. Still, when my college roommate handed me a Nora Roberts book, I knew this was what I wanted to write. Contemporary romance, the kind that it feels like it could happen to you. As a reader, I halve never gotten tired of that feeling, so it’s something I love to do as a writer too.

In the be, the characters I write are people I know and understand. I believe love has immense power, and it’s important. So, I can’t imagine writing anything else.

How does my writing process work?

It depends a little bit on the situation. Now that I’m published and agented, I can write on proposal. This means I start with a synopsis and first three chapters. Then usually I either go on submission or wait for editorial approval depending on the book/publisher/situation.

Once I have the okay to write a particular manuscript, I just write. I usually have a word count or a deadline, and I do my best to write every day. I write linearly, chapter by chapter, although sometimes within a chapter I might skip around if I have some dialogue I want to get down. I only plot if I’m stuck, and even then it’s fairly vague plotting. “These are the main things that need to happen.” Once I’ve finished, I set it aside and work on something else to get my mind off it. I’ll come back to it for a read through, fixing or adding anything needed. Then it’s off to the editor!

—

Now, I’m supposed to tag three authors to participate and post the questions and their answers to their blog next week (2/17), but I’m always useless at tagging people. Jamie Wesley, you’re it, and if you’re an author who wants to participate, consider yourself tagged!

Filed under: writing

Superromance News

Happy Saturday, all! I’m up way too early thanks to children, but I have a few bits of news to share.

First up, I got the back cover copy for TOO CLOSE TO RESIST which is amazing. The people who write these truly have a skill I do not possess! So, what’s TOO CLOSE TO RESIST about?

Forced proximity, natural attraction

Moving in with her younger brother isn’t what free-spirited artist Grace McKnight imagined doing at age thirty. But under the circumstances, she knows it’s for the best. The complicating factor? Kyle Clark, her brother’s roommate and business partner—a.k.a. the most infuriatingly buttoned-up person Grace has ever met.

Living with Kyle causes as much friction as Grace expected. And plenty she didn’t. She and Kyle have more in common than she ever thought. Now, instead of pressing his buttons, she’d rather undo them. Only, getting closer to Kyle means discovering his darkest secrets, and convincing him—and herself—those secrets won’t tear them apart.

The rather undo his buttons part about killed me dead. Is it June yet?

And even MORE exciting news is that I got the call from my editor offering me a contract to write two more Superromances. The first will be connected to TOO CLOSE TO RESIST (the hero will be the aforementioned brother, and the heroine appears in TCTR as well), as for the second, well, I have until May to figure that out.

So, for the next few weeks I’ll be working on Jacob and Leah’s story. It’s got friends-to-lovers, a fake relationship, and hopefully will end up with some fun banter when all is said and done.

Filed under: Harlequin, publishing, romance

Welcome to 2014

Happy 2014, everyone! I hope your first six days of the year are going a little more smoothly than mine. The oh-so-fun, lingering respiratory thing everyone seems to be down with hit us hard right before the new year, and continues to outstay it’s welcome.

But! It’s the first week of 2014 and that means it’s time to buckle down and try to get some work done.

I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to blog on a schedule. This year, I’ll be blogging any time I have information to share (new sales, release dates, covers, blurbs, contests, a great read I’m recommending etc) but I won’t be posting every Monday (or most Mondays) like I did in 2013.

However, while I scale back on blogging, there’s still plenty of places to follow me. I’m not sure a day goes by I’m not on Twitter @NicoleTHelm, and I post almost daily on Facebook.

Since it *is* the beginning of the year, I thought I’d take a few moments to tell you about my 2014 releases. You’ll hear more about each throughout the year, but here’s a quick overview.

Risky Return: This is the second book in the Harrington Airfield Series. If you read Seven Night Stand, you’ve met Ryan, the hero. When he finds out he’s accidentally still married to his high school sweetheart, a now very famous actress, he knows he’s got the perfect opportunity to help out the reality show his brother (Nate) and his brother’s girlfriend (Vivvy) are trying to get picked up. This is a series that doesn’t have to be read in order, but the reality show concept is set up in Seven Night Stand. Risky Return will be published by Entangled Indulgence and is slated to come out in March, but all Entangled dates are always subject to change.

This book will also introduce the heroine of the third book, Second Go. This book is slated for fall of 2014, but again, that date is subject to change, as is the story since it hasn’t gone through any edits yet.

Flight Delay: This is the second book in the Antiques in Flight Series. If you read Flight Risk, you’ve met Lawson, the hero. The story takes place about six months after Flight Risk ends, with Lawson and his sons all settled into life at AIF, until his ex-best friend, Katie Potter, returns ready to make amends. This series can also be read out of order. Flight Delay will be published by Samhain Publishing in May.

Too Close to Resist: This book is my first Harlequin Superromance, which means it will be sold both digitally and in print! It also means I’m being published in the same line as some of my favorite authors, which is just amazing.  It’s also the longest book I’ve written. Too Close to Resist features a heroine with a bright tattoo, colorful hair and a painful past. And an uptight hero who can’t help but be undone by her. I’ll have the official back cover copy soon, and a cover in the next few months! Too Close To Resist releases in June!

All I Have (formerly known as All I’ve Got): This is my rival farmer book and it’s being published by the newly launched HarlequinE. I don’t have a release date yet, but it should be in 2014. There will also be a second book in this series (All I Am) that also revolves around a farmer’s market. If you check out All I Have’s page, you can get a sneak peek with an excerpt.

2014 is shaping up to be a busy year, and I can only hope things get busier!

Filed under: publishing, romance, What I'm Up To