Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 36
August 23, 2012
Romance by the Sea
Romance By The Sea
A Feast of Words for Romance Readers and Writers
September 8th 2012
Half of all fiction novels are love stories – let's talk about why.
Meet some of Australia’s best loved romance authors, including Stephanie Laurens,
Keri Arthur, Anne Gracie, Marion Lennox, Fiona Lowe, Sarah Mayberry, Lilian Darcy,
Carol Marinelli and M.J. Scott, plus Jennifer Kloester, biographer to the fabulous
Georgette Heyer.
This is a fundraiser for Cottage by the Sea, a children’s charity which offers fantastic
seaside programs for disadvantaged children, giving them an experience of a lifetime.
Take a look at why we’d love you to support us in supporting them.
www.cottagebythesea.com.au
Cost is $100 ($70 of which will be receipted as a tax deductible
donation to Cottage by the Sea). Price includes a delicious, light
lunch at the historic Queenscliff Hotel, insights into the lives and
loves of your favourite authors, and readings and signings at
venues all over town. If you’d like to make a weekend of it, there’ll
be a pay‐as‐you‐go dinner on Saturday night. We’ll have more
signings on Sunday morning, with authors again available to mingle
and chat, plus an opportunity to tour Cottage by the Sea .
Gather your fellow romantics and come and play. Bookings at:
www.romancebythesea.net or Ph. 03 5258 3645 (10am‐5pm SeaviewGallery,Qcliff)
Sept 8th 10a.m.‐5p.m. Queenscliff Hotel, Gellibrand St, Queenscliff, Vic
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August 22, 2012
COVER REVEAL: Riva is back!
Yeah, Mills and Boon RIVA is back in the UK and check out the brand spanking new covers!
GIRL IN A VINTAGE DRESS will be re-released in October this year (you can pre-order at a discount here.)
So...what do you think?
GIRL IN A VINTAGE DRESS will be re-released in October this year (you can pre-order at a discount here.)
So...what do you think?
August 20, 2012
Reading and rating
A huge thanks to everyone who has read and rated NOT THE MARRYING KIND while I've been away on the fabulous Gold Coast.
You've helped push the book to the top 10 bestselling series romances on Amazon and over 100 people have rated it on Goodreads.
HUGE thanks because every rating, review and 'LIKE' helps.
I'm eternally grateful. :-)
GUEST BLOGGER: Christine Bell
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Today I'd like to welcome Christine Bell.
She's a fellow Entangled Publishing Indulgence author and her book has just released!
Over to you Christine...
First, I want to thank Nicola for having me
today! Very excited to be here because I’m a huge fan of her work. In fact,
that’s a great segue-way into my post today. On my blog tour for Wife for Hire, I’ve been focusing on indulgences.
Not just the Entangled line of books featuring to-die-for alpha heroes and
intelligent, fun and spunky heroines, but also other kinds of indulgences that
make what can be a sometimes dreary day a little brighter. On this stop at casa
de Marsh, I thought I’d talk to you about one of my favorite and long lasting
indulgences: the romance novel.
Growing up, I was a voracious reader. Like
as in I would read ANYthing I could get my hands on, and in the late seventies,
that was a strange collection of materials. There were encyclopedias (yes, the
real kind that a door to door salesman came and sold to my mother. Funk &
Wagnall, if I recall), and my older sister’s book report selections (I read Of
Mice and Men at age 6, but the subtleties were lost on me. I do recall crying
when Lennie loved that puppy too hard, though), there were short stories
collections (of which I always enjoyed the twisted ones like The Lottery and
The Most Dangerous Game) and the magazines my mother used to get with the
cloying perfume samples that made me dizzy. We had the Scholastic Book club
pamphlet that came from school every month, and my mother would scrape together
what she could to get me some, it but never went far enough for my liking. We
also had a small library at my grammar school but they couldn’t keep up with
me, not to mention that this whole “publishing passels of books specifically
for the enjoyment of children” concept hadn’t really taken hold yet. So it was
with breathless excitement that I waited for my thirteenth birthday. The day my
mother told me I could go to her best friend (and our across the street
neighbor) Jeannie’s house and try one of her Harlequin Romance novels.
Jeannie (we called her Bean) had…ALL of
them. I kid you not, her entire basement was floor to ceiling bookshelves,
lined back to back and contained EVERY Harlequin Romance novel written to that
point. She brought me down the stairs and set me loose, with the promise that,
if I returned the books I borrowed to their proper place, I could take more the
next time. That day changed my whole life. For the first time in my life, I had
*enough* books. I didn’t have to “slow down” or re-read those same dog-eared
copies. I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Bean kept me in books
through high school, until I went away to college. But even after I moved away
from home and wound up knee deep in academic reading, I would finish my work
and lay awake with a flashlight under my blanket reading romance novels. Today,
I have a Kindle instead of a paperback, and a book-light instead of a
flashlight, and I don’t always read romance, but when I want to escape and
indulge, laugh or cry, it’s my go-to genre. Lucky for me there are a lot more
publishers who recognize the power of a romance novel now, so I never run out of things to read. Single
title, category, novellas, historical romance, steampunk romance, paranormal
romance, the list goes on and on. All thanks to Bean (who I dedicated my own
first romance novel to in 2010. Love and miss you, Beanward).
Here is the blurb for my Entangled
Indulgence, Wife for Hire:
He needs a wife for three weeks…
Owen Phipps is out for revenge. His mission? To expose the
man who stole his sister’s money and dignity. All he needs is a “wife” who can
play along. Too bad his last best hope is an actress who tries to mace him with
perfume when he offers her the role of a lifetime.
Lindy Knight is a real sap. She loves too hard, feels too
deep, and often finds herself saying yes when she should be saying “Let me
think about it.” She can’t believe her good fortune when Owen offers her more
than enough money to hold off foreclosure until she can find a job. Three weeks
at a resort, money she desperately needs, and she gets to help bring a criminal
to justice? Score.
It seems easy enough until the first time a couples bonding
game turns intimate, and they realize how dangerous their mutual attraction
could be. Can they keep their hands to themselves long enough to find the
evidence Owen needs? Or are the close quarters more temptation than they can
handle?
Please check out the Entangled website here for an
extended excerpt of Wife for Hire, and readers, stick around to comment,
because, to celebrate the release of my new Entangled Indulgence, I’m offering to indulge
YOU!
One commenter on this post will win a $10 Barnes & Noble or Amazon
gift card, so she (or he!) can buy a couple (or, if you buy from the Entangled
Indulgence line, a few because they’re only $2.99!) new books.
AND
I’m also running a Let Me Indulge You
contest. If Wife for Hire gets onto
the Amazon OR Barnes & Noble top 500 list by September 18th, I will be
giving away a $250 gift card to the salon or spa of one lucky winner’s choice.
Sign into Rafflecopter below and every comment from my blog tour will be
counted as an entry. Follow my whole blog tour? EACH comment = another entry!
Extra entries will also be given for tweeting or posting the link to the book on your Facebook page:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/shar...
So now to you, blog readers! Do tell. What’s
your favorite indulgence? How did you get into reading romance?
Today I'd like to welcome Christine Bell.
She's a fellow Entangled Publishing Indulgence author and her book has just released!
Over to you Christine...
First, I want to thank Nicola for having me
today! Very excited to be here because I’m a huge fan of her work. In fact,
that’s a great segue-way into my post today. On my blog tour for Wife for Hire, I’ve been focusing on indulgences.
Not just the Entangled line of books featuring to-die-for alpha heroes and
intelligent, fun and spunky heroines, but also other kinds of indulgences that
make what can be a sometimes dreary day a little brighter. On this stop at casa
de Marsh, I thought I’d talk to you about one of my favorite and long lasting
indulgences: the romance novel.
Growing up, I was a voracious reader. Like
as in I would read ANYthing I could get my hands on, and in the late seventies,
that was a strange collection of materials. There were encyclopedias (yes, the
real kind that a door to door salesman came and sold to my mother. Funk &
Wagnall, if I recall), and my older sister’s book report selections (I read Of
Mice and Men at age 6, but the subtleties were lost on me. I do recall crying
when Lennie loved that puppy too hard, though), there were short stories
collections (of which I always enjoyed the twisted ones like The Lottery and
The Most Dangerous Game) and the magazines my mother used to get with the
cloying perfume samples that made me dizzy. We had the Scholastic Book club
pamphlet that came from school every month, and my mother would scrape together
what she could to get me some, it but never went far enough for my liking. We
also had a small library at my grammar school but they couldn’t keep up with
me, not to mention that this whole “publishing passels of books specifically
for the enjoyment of children” concept hadn’t really taken hold yet. So it was
with breathless excitement that I waited for my thirteenth birthday. The day my
mother told me I could go to her best friend (and our across the street
neighbor) Jeannie’s house and try one of her Harlequin Romance novels.
Jeannie (we called her Bean) had…ALL of
them. I kid you not, her entire basement was floor to ceiling bookshelves,
lined back to back and contained EVERY Harlequin Romance novel written to that
point. She brought me down the stairs and set me loose, with the promise that,
if I returned the books I borrowed to their proper place, I could take more the
next time. That day changed my whole life. For the first time in my life, I had
*enough* books. I didn’t have to “slow down” or re-read those same dog-eared
copies. I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Bean kept me in books
through high school, until I went away to college. But even after I moved away
from home and wound up knee deep in academic reading, I would finish my work
and lay awake with a flashlight under my blanket reading romance novels. Today,
I have a Kindle instead of a paperback, and a book-light instead of a
flashlight, and I don’t always read romance, but when I want to escape and
indulge, laugh or cry, it’s my go-to genre. Lucky for me there are a lot more
publishers who recognize the power of a romance novel now, so I never run out of things to read. Single
title, category, novellas, historical romance, steampunk romance, paranormal
romance, the list goes on and on. All thanks to Bean (who I dedicated my own
first romance novel to in 2010. Love and miss you, Beanward).
Here is the blurb for my Entangled
Indulgence, Wife for Hire:
He needs a wife for three weeks…
Owen Phipps is out for revenge. His mission? To expose the
man who stole his sister’s money and dignity. All he needs is a “wife” who can
play along. Too bad his last best hope is an actress who tries to mace him with
perfume when he offers her the role of a lifetime.
Lindy Knight is a real sap. She loves too hard, feels too
deep, and often finds herself saying yes when she should be saying “Let me
think about it.” She can’t believe her good fortune when Owen offers her more
than enough money to hold off foreclosure until she can find a job. Three weeks
at a resort, money she desperately needs, and she gets to help bring a criminal
to justice? Score.
It seems easy enough until the first time a couples bonding
game turns intimate, and they realize how dangerous their mutual attraction
could be. Can they keep their hands to themselves long enough to find the
evidence Owen needs? Or are the close quarters more temptation than they can
handle?
Please check out the Entangled website here for an
extended excerpt of Wife for Hire, and readers, stick around to comment,
because, to celebrate the release of my new Entangled Indulgence, I’m offering to indulge
YOU!
One commenter on this post will win a $10 Barnes & Noble or Amazon
gift card, so she (or he!) can buy a couple (or, if you buy from the Entangled
Indulgence line, a few because they’re only $2.99!) new books.
AND
I’m also running a Let Me Indulge You
contest. If Wife for Hire gets onto
the Amazon OR Barnes & Noble top 500 list by September 18th, I will be
giving away a $250 gift card to the salon or spa of one lucky winner’s choice.
Sign into Rafflecopter below and every comment from my blog tour will be
counted as an entry. Follow my whole blog tour? EACH comment = another entry!
Extra entries will also be given for tweeting or posting the link to the book on your Facebook page:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/shar...
So now to you, blog readers! Do tell. What’s
your favorite indulgence? How did you get into reading romance?
August 17, 2012
And the winner is...
Tonight, I'll be attending the Romance Writers of Australia annual awards dinner, where the winners of the prestigious RBY will be announced.
This is my first nomination and I'm a bundle of excited nerves!
BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD has a long history and I'm thrilled it is now in the running for Romantic Book of the Year in the 'romantic elements' category.
To check out the list of finalists (and the gorgeous trophy!) see here
Whether I bring home one of those stunning trophies in my suitcase or not, I'm ecstatic to be a finalist with a book that means so much.
Thanks to all the wonderful readers who judged!
August 15, 2012
Passionate Book Divas
The Divorce Diva is visiting PASSIONATE BOOK DIVAS.
Check out my interview with the Divas today and their review of NOT THE MARRYING KIND tomorrow.
August 12, 2012
Gold Coast, here I come!
In case you were wondering where I'll be this week, it's here...on the sunny Gold Coast in southern Queensland.
It's winter at the moment (and absolutely freezing in Melbourne!) When I checked the Surfer's Paradise temperatures for this week, they ranged from 23-27 degrees Celsius. Heatwave!
I'm looking forward to some much needed sun and R&R. And catching up with my fab author buddies at the RWAus conference next weekend.
It's going to be a blast!
As for that RBY nomination...well, let's just say while I'm not expecting to win, I still have butterflies in my tummy!
August 11, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday: NOT THE MARRYING KIND
This week's snippet from NOT THE MARRYING KIND follows Beck and Poppy's wedding reception.
Poppy needs some space, Beck follows her along the Vegas Strip.
He's asking the hard questions she doesn't want to answer, namely how 'real' she wants this fake marriage to be.
“I hate you,” she muttered, indecision pinching
the corners of her lush mouth. “But I have to give you
points for being up front about what you want.”
“What do you want?”
She hesitated an eternity, gnawing on her bottom
lip, before her challenging gaze met his.
“You.”
Check out more Six Sunday snippets here
August 9, 2012
Keeping up to date
I received a lovely email last night from a new-to-me reader who'd read and loved NOT THE MARRYING KIND, asking for the sequel ASAP and could I email her when it released.
So a heads up, if you want to keep in the loop with new releases, special competitions, etc...please sign up for my newsletter (in the sidebar of this blog.)
I send out 2 a year so I promise not to inundate you!
And here's another happy reader over at STOREYBOOK REVIEWS today (I've had 5 star reviews before but never 5 paws!)
So a heads up, if you want to keep in the loop with new releases, special competitions, etc...please sign up for my newsletter (in the sidebar of this blog.)
I send out 2 a year so I promise not to inundate you!
And here's another happy reader over at STOREYBOOK REVIEWS today (I've had 5 star reviews before but never 5 paws!)
August 6, 2012
The Readiacs
Another copy of NOT THE MARRYING KIND is up for grabs today over at THE READIACS where they posted this fab review:
If you love romantic comedies, like I do, you’ll want to scoop this one up ASAP!
Poppy is a female lead who I can get behind. Sassy, sexy and gives it to Beck as good as she gets it. Neither is looking for marriage or even love, which makes the novel that much more endearing. Her job as a divorce planner doesn’t exactly give the impression of a girl looking for her Prince Charming and her Happily Ever After….
Until billionaire Beck waltzes into her life and sparks fly, and kaboom, their witty banter, off the charts chemistry and romantic situations leads where neither of them wanted. Love.
All in all this was a delightful romance that keeps you laughing out loud and satisfied through the end.
Thanks Nina!
To win a copy, pop on over and leave a comment.
If you love romantic comedies, like I do, you’ll want to scoop this one up ASAP!
Poppy is a female lead who I can get behind. Sassy, sexy and gives it to Beck as good as she gets it. Neither is looking for marriage or even love, which makes the novel that much more endearing. Her job as a divorce planner doesn’t exactly give the impression of a girl looking for her Prince Charming and her Happily Ever After….
Until billionaire Beck waltzes into her life and sparks fly, and kaboom, their witty banter, off the charts chemistry and romantic situations leads where neither of them wanted. Love.
All in all this was a delightful romance that keeps you laughing out loud and satisfied through the end.
Thanks Nina!
To win a copy, pop on over and leave a comment.
