Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 56

Writers tussling over the same guy

I love how different pictures can inspire writers in different ways.

Case in point, one uber gorgeous Eduardo Verastegui.




The pic above inspired Liz Fielding's sexy sheikh in our AN ORDINARY GIRL AND A SHEIKH anthology.




The pic below inspired my shipping magnate masquerading on a South Pacific cruise, Zac McCoy, in TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED.





Personally?  I'd take them both!

Another cover quote squeeee!

Anjali Banerjee writes beautiful books. I have her IMAGINARY MEN and INVISIBLE LIVES on my keeper shelf.  Then I met her on Facebook and we started chatting about books, deadlines and life in general and she's as lovely as her books.




When I asked her for a cover quote for BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD, she was only too happy to read for me.  Here's what she said:




"A delightful romp through the colorful cities of Mumbai and New York, Busted in Bollywood is a hilarious romantic comedy of secrets, lies, and the triumph of true love."










I'm blown away that two authors I love to read have blurbed my book.



And we both have fab Susan Wiggs quotes on our covers!



Thanks Anjali, I have HAUNTING JASMINE on my TBR pile, can't wait to dive in.

RELEASE DAY: Sex, Gossip & Rock & Roll

Today one of my personal favourite books I've written hits shelves in the USA.



Yes, it's release day for SEX, GOSSIP & ROCK & ROLL .



Here's a snippet:



Quelling the urge to turn and run, she frowned. "You're not dressed."



"You noticed."

Her heart leaped at the wicked glint in his eyes and she slapped it down.

"Because if the towel's a problem, I could lose it—"

"I'll give you five minutes."

"Or what?"

As he leaned forward, a tantalising blend of expensive toiletries and freshly showered male washed over her, undermining her anger.

The guy was a player. He flirted for a living. So why was she tempted to broach the short distance between them, bury her nose in the crook of his neck and inhale deeply.

"Just do it," she said, annoyed by the slightest quiver in her voice. "We have to hit the road."

"Your loss."

He shrugged and turned away as she gaped at his insolence. Not that it stopped her watching him stride across the room, the thick white bath sheet draped provocatively low on his hips, clinging to his butt with every tempting step.

The man was a menace.

Whatever she'd expected, this wasn't it.

Luca Petrelli in the flesh was a lot more disarming, a lot more charming, than she'd expected. And the fact she hadn't had a date in ages went a long way to explaining why her hormones were shimmying along behind him, tugging at that damn towel.

He paused at the bathroom door and she quickly glanced up. Not quick enough if his smug grin was any indication.

"You've misjudged me."

"How's that?"

"You don't think I have what it takes to be a rock star?"

He pointed to the towel and smirked. "You should see my tat."



I love Luca (and that pic of semi naked Matthew Mc a few days ago? Yep, he inspired Luca!)

An Ordinary Girl & a Sheikh

Release day for AN ORDINARY GIRL AND A SHEIKH, a reprint of my sole sheikh, THE DESERT PRINCE'S PROPOSAL.



The fact I'm in an anthology with Liz Fielding and Barbara McMahon?  Cue fangirl moment!



I could wax lyrical about my desert prince, but in this case, a pic paints a thousand words...



Yes, this man was the inspiration behind Prince Samman.

Need I say more?



You can grab this By Request anthology here.

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY: Busted in Bollywood

Here's another Six Sentence snippet from BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD.










           "Yes, yes, very exciting. The young
man who delivered it was very handsome, very big, great body, make good
husband." She clapped her hands like a hyperactive child while I resisted the
urge to clap my hands over her ears in a swift judo chop.

            I
didn't want a husband, least of all one who delivered letters reeking of Brut
33.

            Choosing
silence as the best defense against Anjali at her matchmaking worst, I tore
open the envelope and reeled back as the overpowering stench shot straight up
my nostrils. Even if this guy was Will Shakespeare and Dan Brown rolled into
one, I couldn't tolerate longer than a quick scan of his prose before I fainted
from the fumes.




Check out other interesting SSS here.

Romancing the Naked Hero

We interrupt WEEKEND BOOK CLUB transmission this week to bring you naked men instead.



Yes, that's right.



Today I'm thrilled to be part of the the new ROMANCING THE NAKED HERO blog.



As the tagline says, 'A Goddess's Work is Never Done...' and that's what we're going to bring you daily...naked men.



Okay, maybe not naked men all the time, but we're going to strip down heroes, discover what makes them tick, along with a lot of other fab blog goodness.



You can check out the regular bloggers (including moi!) in the sidebar.

If you're a writer, you can also find loads of great archetype information in the header.



So come along and help us in the arduous job of Romancing the Naked Hero.



The best bit?  As a special launch prize, we're giving away a kindle!



Come visit!

It all starts with an idea

Most of my book ideas have come to me in a flash.



Maybe a spark of an idea from a magazine article, an expression of a movie-star captured in a photo, a first line of dialogue or a hint of 'what-if?'



Alexandra Sokoloff has a fantastic post on how to get the ideas flowing.



Writers out there, how do your stories come to be?

Susan Wiggs cover quote for Busted in Bollywood

I'd like to thank everyone for sharing in the excitement of my cover reveal earlier this week.  I had such a ball that day!



Now, I'd like to unveil the cover with the fab author quote...by Susan Wiggs, whose books I adore!



Susan is gracious and lovely and giving of her time.

When I emailed her a few months ago asking for a cover quote for Busted in Bollywood, she didn't hesitate in saying yes.

Then when I met her at the RWAus conference in August, she was just as lovely and warm as I imagined.



I'm beyond thrilled she took the time to read BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD and that she enjoyed it.



This fangirl is floating... :)

BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD: Excerpt

After unveiling the cover for BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD yesterday, thought it might be nice to give you an excerpt today.



Here's Shari starting her first day tour in Mumbai:






            As Buddy tested his Angry Birds skills—people
were like the game app. birds, seemingly flinging themselves at our car—I
swallowed a curse. Oblivious to my morbid fear of inadvertently killing one of
the many pedestrians jamming the sidewalks and spilling onto the road, Anjali
stared at my hands, where I clutched at the worn leather.

            "That's
a lovely ring." She pointed at the ruby. "From someone special?"

            "No."
I released my grip on the seat to twist the ring around, wishing I didn't love
it so much. Definitely not from someone special.

            She
didn't probe, her curiosity snagged by my watch. The gold link and diamond TAG
had been a gift to myself with my first paycheck at Tate's law firm, a splurge
I'd justified at the time by saying I needed to look the part at an upmarket
practice, when in reality I'd wanted to impress the boss who'd already made a
pass at me during the first two weeks.

            "That
a gift, too?"

            Jeez,
who was she, the jewelry police?

            "A
gift to myself."

            Needing
a change of topic fast, I pointed out the window. "That's the third cinema
we've passed in a few blocks."

            She
craned her neck for a better look. "Nothing unusual. We're the movie capital of
India, so there's a multiplex cinema on every street."

            She
had to be exaggerating, but as Buddy weaved in and out of the road chaos, I
spotted five more.

            "Personally,
I prefer cable." Anjali rummaged around in her giant handbag and pulled out a TV
Soap magazine. "Hundreds of channels, better viewing."

            She
flicked it open to a double page spread of buffed guys with bare chests and
brooding expressions. Not bad, if you liked that fake chiseled look. By the
twinkle in Anjali's eye as she shoved the magazine my way, she did. "Bill
Spencer is my favorite."

            Clueless,
I shrugged.

            Horrified,
she stabbed at a photo of a dark-haired, dark-eyed Adonis with rippling pecs
and a serious six-pack. "Don Diamont. You've never heard of him? Young and
the Restless? Dollar Bill Spencer in Bold and the Beautiful?"

            "Uh,
no, I'm more of a rom-com gal."

            Shaking
her head, she snapped the magazine shut and thrust it into her bag, casting me a
disbelieving glare. "I'm thinking Amrita did you a favor sending you here."

            I
didn't want to ask, but there was something cutesy and lovable about Anjali,
and I couldn't resist. "Why, Auntie?"

            "So
I can educate you."

            I
stifled a snort. "About soap operas?"

            "About
men." She rattled her bag for emphasis. "These are the men you must
aspire to. Handsome, tall, broad shoulders, rich."

            "Fictional,"
I muttered, earning a click of her tongue.

            She
crossed her arms, hugging the bag and magazine to her ample chest. "You'll see.
Once you ditch Anu's son, we can concentrate on finding you another boy."

            I
refrained from adding, "I want a man." No point encouraging her.

BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD cover reveal!

Here it is!

The long-awaited cover reveal for BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD.




After countless hours of hard work by the team at Entangled Publishing, and many mock-ups (which are just as gorgeous as this one!) this is the final cover.




Fab author cover quote will be inserted where the tagline is when this book launches December 6th.




Thanks to Liz Pelletier & Heather Howland for not sleeping nights in the production of my cover!

And thanks to the bookbloggers who are co-currently revealing this cover:




Shelley Watters

Katrina Whittaker

Kerrin Hearfield

Fiona Lowe

Liz Fielding

Marg Bates

Nas Dean

Entangled in Romance




I'll be revealing some great news about this book in the next few days so stay tuned!