Laura Simcox's Blog, page 3

Yay for swag!

I’m the type of author who can’t resist swag. I’ll grab a book mark, a key chain, a plastic cup (always handy) and when it came time for me to gather my OWN swag for my latest release, I had a great time. The best part? Customizing it! In my former life, I was very crafty indeed, because I worked as a costume designer. Costume design involves a lot of on-the-fly unique creativity, so it’s second nature to me. This past weekend I put together some of my own swag and I hope it’s fun and unique! If you love swag, too…please enter for a chance to win some. Follow my blog tour and enter for a chance to win some of my custom swag! Magnets, purse charm key chains, book marks, candy, even a whole party-in-a-basket could be yours.

Today I’m featured on Indie Authors, Books and More. Stop on by! It’s one click away, HERE

Put on your party hat and enter to win prizes!

Ivy: Gramma! What are you doing wearing that light up sweater? It’s not Christmas. It’s August 26th, for crap’s sake!

Colleen: I don’t give a #$#@!! what the date is. It’s a party and these are my party clothes. Now hand me that #$@# !! walker and help me out the door. We’re going on a blog tour.

Ivy Entwined, my contemporary romance from Entangled Edge, went live today!! So did my blog tour and I’d love your company at the party. Today I have two stops and guess what? You can enter to win different prizes at them. Take a stroll over to Pens and Peonies and check out not only my book, but other great books by a variety of authors. If you read across genres like I do, it will be well worth your time to stop by. Also check out my giveaway on Deal Sharing Aunt. Easy as pie to enter. Thanks!!

Cue the confetti and get ready to party!

Tomorrow is Monday and Mondays suck. But every once in awhile, that’s not true. I am going to have a fabulous day tomorrow because the first book in my ‘Something to Celebrate’ series from Entangled Publishing releases! Set in a small town called Celebration, Ivy Entwined is a romantic comedy that takes place during the snowy upstate, NY winter. SO….if you love Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years…and if you love funny romance…and if you’re hot as hell from the summer temperatures and can’t take it anymore…then crack open my new novel and take a reality break!

Click the book cover to get your copy from Amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone can use a virtual party no matter what time of year it is, so to kick off my release, I’m doing just that. Click on the pic below to get info about my blog tour. Have fun with me and enter to win some really CUTE prizes. You could get a huge ‘Celebration’ gift basket with party supplies. You could also win some swag bags stuffed with bookmarks, pens, purse charms and magnets! Did I mention chocolate? Yep, it will be in there, too.

Cobweb Removal

I haven’t posted in a long, long time.

While I’m well aware that there are probably a ton of blogs out there with that same opening sentence, it’s true for me, too. That doesn’t mean that I haven’t thought about it. Or even had something to say. I just didn’t do it. But I need to get back in the game, and I’ll do that with a recap.

My last post was in October, an interview with a fellow author. Since then, I have:

-Attended the Moonlight and Magnolias conference in Atlanta. It rocked. SO happy I went because:

-I got an agent. Who also rocks! She’s Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency and wow, am I lucky.

-Sold a two-book deal to Entangled Publishing for my wacky small town series, which has since been titled: Something to Celebrate. And oh, yeah, I’m celebrating. Details are on my website. Look—>  HERE.

-Sold a three book deal, which I’m dying to talk about because it’s going to be such a fun series. And as soon as my agent says ‘yep’ I’ll spill that info. Hint: What’s the tune playing when the President of the United States walks into a room? Got it in your head. Ohhh, me too!

-Currently, I’m furiously editing book one for Entangled. It’s called ‘Ivy Entwined’. (Right now, I’m the one entwined, but I love Ivy and she’s worth all the hard work.)

Anyway, that’s all my news. I’m lucky, thrilled and proud. And whenever I’m not tweeting, facebooking, goodreads-ing, pinterest-ing and writing, I’ll stop in here and attempt to be humorous. Look for some more fun interviews with other authors, too. I love doing those.

 

Happy Reading!

Laura

 

Romantic Poetry Alive!

When I was a sophomore in high school, I spent a lot of time staring out the window during my World Lit class. It wasn’t because I hated the subject, it was because I was bored. No, not what you’re thinking. I LOVED this class. I was bored because I’d already finished the in-class reading assignment. Rather than write the name of the guy I had a crush on a billion times in my notebook (too risky…he was three desks over!) I either stared out the window, or read ahead in my textbook. One particular day, I happened across ‘The Soldier’, a short, poignant, terribly romantic poem by Rupert Brooke. That day, I developed an instant crush on a dead British poet. The guy three desks over was promptly forgotten. I still have a bit of a crush on handsome, tragic Rupert to this day, but only in an ephemeral sense. I never thought of him as a romantic hero in his own story. I also never considered the fascinating question- What if this poet was immortal?

Fortunately, my guest today pondered that question and the result was a unique paranormal romance novel. What’s more…it’s published and available to read now! ‘Immortal Love’ by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban comes to you from Crimson Romance. It was published on September 17 and you can grab a copy from Crimson’s site (see above) and many other places on the web, including the ever-popular Amazon.

Take a look and read about this book:

Meet Bécquer. He’s handsome, well-read, and can get you that book contract you always dreamed about. Never mind that he’s also an immortal and lives on human blood. Why would that matter? Your relationship is strictly business.

Or so you thought.

Until Bécquer’s life is threatened, and you discover that walking away is not an option, because he was hurt while protecting your son, because you are the only one who can save him now, because you care for him.

Welcome to Bécquer’s world.

Please, come inside. He’s waiting for you.

Well. Don’t mind if I do! I’d love to learn more about him and Carmen has graciously given some time to answer questions about her work.

Carmen, what makes your hero laugh?

My hero, Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, is a real nineteenth century Spanish writer. Apparently Becquer smiled often but rarely laughed. Which makes sense considering he was a romantic poet driven to dream to escape a not so pleasant reality.

He sounds a bit mysterious. I love that. Who is your favorite secondary character?

Federico Garcia Lorca. He is, as you may know, one of the most beloved and probably the most international of the twentieth century Spanish poets. I so love this character that in my first draft he took over the story at one point. At the insistence of two of my beta readers I cut that scene. But it is still one of my favorites.

If you are interested in learning about the real Lorca check this short introduction in my blog: CLICK HERE

I AM interested. I studied Lorca in grad school and had the pleasure of teaching one of his plays: ‘Blood Wedding’ in a theater class a few years ago. I’m relieved to know that in your novel he is immortal…because his…shall we say recorded death was not very pleasant!

What inspired you to choose the setting for your novel?

Immortal Love is set in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where I have lived for almost twenty years. Because there is a paranormal element to my story and I’m asking the reader to believe that my two favorite Spanish poets who have been dead for many, many years, are alive, I wanted to present a real setting to anchor them.

That is a beautiful setting. What are you writing now, Carmen?

My next project is to write the story of how Becquer became immortal. I am still gathering information about the times when Becquer was human. A time, the nineteenth century Spain, I didn’t know much about before I wrote Immortal Love.

Fantastic. I always love to know that there is more to come after reading a great novel.

Now, a couple of fantasy questions for Carmen. If you could invent anything, what would it be?

Time travel. Imagine the possibilities. Safe time travel, of course. “No killing my ancestor and kill myself in the process” kind of travel.

No killing needed when you create it yourself. And isn’t it fun to be the master of your own domain with fiction? What would you do with a million dollars?

Travel and write. And write about my travels. Did I say write.

Yes! Sounds ideal to me, especially the travel. There’s never enough time (or places) in my opinion. You’re pretty well traveled already, though. Readers…look at Carmen’s bio. She’s one accomplished woman.

Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban was born in Galicia (northern Spain) and went to college in Madrid, where she finished her Ph.D. in Biology. For the next ten years, she worked as a researcher both in Madrid and at the University of Davis in California.

Her Young Adult novel Two Moon Princess, (the story of a discontented medieval princess, eager to live life on her own terms, who lands in modern day California) was published in 2007 by Tanglewood Press.

Ginger Knowlton from Curtis Brown Ltd represents her YA novels.

Immortal Love, a paranormal romance, (Crimson Romance, September 17, 2012) follows the author’s adventures in search of a literary agent in a contemporary alternate world where the late Spanish poets Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Federico García Lorca are immortals. The Spanish version, Bécquer eterno, was included in the Exhibit, Bécquer tan Cerca… A través del Arte (Sevilla, May-June 2012).

Currently, she lives in Pennsylvania as a freelance writer, editor and translator.

You can visit her at her blog: http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/ or at her website: www.carmenferreiroesteban.com

For information about her writing/editing/translating services, please go to www.WriteEditPublish.com

Thanks very much for being my guest today, Carmen. I’m so glad I got to learn more about you and your work!

Readers, if you have questions or comments for our lovely featured author, please feel free to pop them in below.

Happy Reading!

Laura

Roman Romance!

Historical Romance is a great genre. When I think of it, here’s what first comes to mind: black gleaming carriages…ladies in frothy petticoats…gentlemen in tall boots…a lot of foggy London streets. Fun! And fairly typical- not that there’s anything wrong with that. But what about the other huge chunk of history that isn’t early Victorian England? What about ancient history? Romance can take place anywhere, anytime. And my guests today have proven that with their novels. Cary Morgan Frates and Deborah O’Neill Cordes, writing as “Morgan O’Neill” have penned the ‘Roman Time Travel Series’. So get ready to be sucked back into Ancient Rome, my friends! Cool, huh? Let’s take a look.

Morgan O’Neill says:

Published by Crimson Romance, our Roman time travel series takes our readers to dangerous and barbaric fifth century Rome. It begins with LOVE, ETERNALLY (released on July 2, 2012) and AFTER THE FALL (available on October 1), and culminates with the upcoming RETURN TO ME, which will debut on December 3. In RETURN TO ME, we wrap up the epic adventures of Gigi, Magnus, and our other characters. While staying within the confines of true history, some characters will find happiness, some fulfillment, and others will get their just deserts. Watch out Honorius!

BOOK ONE

A witch’s ancient curse propels talented flutist Gigi Perrin back to A.D. 408, to the court of the depraved Roman Emperor Honorius and his admirable sister, Princess Galla Placidia.

There, Gigi grapples with her disbelief about what has happened, and with the strange, new world of violent politics, social upheaval, and Visigoth barbarians straining at the very gates of an empire.

Through it all, she must struggle with her powerful attraction to a pagan senator and military commander, Quintus Magnus, a man exotically different from anyone she has ever known. On the brink of a dark and war-torn age, Gigi joins forces with Magnus, battling to save a princess and her people, and ultimately finding love amid the chaos, before the fall of Rome.

Sounds great, right? You can get a copy here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

BOOK TWO

After the Fall ratchets up the tension as time traveler Gigi Perrin and her husband, the Roman warrior Quintus Magnus, join forces with the Visigoth King Alaric to march on Rome. There waits Princess Galla Placidia, the admirable sister of the despicable Emperor Honorius. About to be forced into an arranged marriage by her brother, Placidia fears a bleak future, trapped in a loveless union.

In an attempt to save Rome from barbarian invasion, Placidia puts aside her troubles and meets with Alaric’s delegation, which includes Gigi and Magnus, and the king’s second-in-command, the Visigoth prince, Athaulf. The attraction between Placidia and Athaulf is instantaneous and overwhelming, but theirs is a forbidden love, destined to fail because of implacable politics and impending war.

Bound by a friendship that transcends time, Gigi and Placidia must do whatever they can to protect the men they love, after the fall of Rome.

Great! This book releases October 1st and is available for pre-order. All you have to do is click here: Amazon. Book Three, ‘Return to Me’ will be available December 3. I love it when I don’t have to wait years for sequels. And I love series. So I guess I’m lucky!

Deborah and Cary, aka Morgan O’Neill, took some time together to answer questions for me. I’m thrilled to learn more about them and their writing. Here goes!

(Meet Deborah, on the left and Cary, on the right.)

Ladies, what inspired you to choose the setting for your novels?

Mud wrestling was the ultimate decider; however, the inspiration for our Roman time travel series came from our love of the Hollywood sword and sandal epics, such as “Rome,” “Gladiator,” and “Spartacus.”

Love it! And so do many other people. There are a lot of  descriptive layers to play with in Ancient Rome, I would assume. Talk about fun writing.

I’m always curious about how writers use senses while crafting a novel. Music is especially interesting. If a song was playing at the start of your novel, what would it be?

Since we’re writing a series, we’ll do one for each novel. In the opening scene of LOVE, ETERNALLY, our hero Magnus fights for Rome against the barbarian Visigoths. The soundtrack from the film “Gladiator” would be the perfect accompaniment. In our second novel, AFTER THE FALL, Gigi come to grips with living in ancient Rome and is determined to make a wonderful life with Magnus. The song “Night and Day” by Cole Porter would be ideal.  In the third novel, RETURN TO ME, a recurring theme is one of yearning to find a way back to love, to safety, to wherever the heart calls home. The song “Somewhere” by Within Temptation would be an excellent choice.

That’s very intriguing. I can picture (and hear!) it all.

I always indulge in a bit of hero worship when I read romance novels, and I like to know what makes heroes tick. Check out what Morgan O’Neill has to say about theirs:

Our hero, Quintus Magnus, is a handsome Roman senator and military commander. A serious man with a tortured soul, he is not given to levity until he meets the love of his life, Gigi Perrin. As a twenty-first century American, she must learn Latin in order to communicate in ancient Rome. Her initial attempts butcher the language so badly Magnus can’t help but smile.

SIGH. And I’m closing my eyes and picturing his senatorial toga…nice!….now his military look. Fancy brush helmet. Ooh. A breastplate. short tunic….a sword……ok. Bigger sigh!

I better leave Magnus alone so I don’t get overcome by the Gladiator Vapors. I’m not sure what that is, exactly, but it sounds pretty serious. Let’s talk about other characters.

Who is your favorite secondary character in your novel and why?

We have two secondary favorites, who were actual historical people, one who was good and the other oh-so-bad. Our favorite admirable character is the Roman princess, Galla Placidia. We meet her as an innocent teenager in the first novel of our series, LOVE, ETERNALLY. By the second novel, AFTER THE FALL, she is a grown woman, who has taken on the burdens of an empire and yearns to find true love, despite the emperor’s attempts to marry her off for political gain. This very emperor, her brother Honorius, is our favorite bad guy. He is the epitome of a debauched Roman ruler and a plague not only to Placidia, but also to our heroine, the time traveling flutist Gigi Perrin.

Again, intriguing! Hats off to you ladies for writing a genre romance series in such a wonderful setting.

What advice do you have for aspiring romance writers?

Write what you love to read. Don’t let the “powers that be” dictate what is popular and, to their mind, sellable. Don’t chase after current trends; they will have changed by the time your book is done. If you follow your heart, learn your trade, and pursue your dreams with tenacity, you will prevail. And always, always have chocolate within reach – and a bit of mud if you have a writing partner.

Wise words and positive advice. I’m a true believer in letting imagination fly.

To learn more about this fun writing team, please visit them here:

Morgan O’Neill website

PS: Their website is lovely and informative!

Thanks for joining me today, Morgan O’Neill. It’s been a pleasure.

Hey readers! Have comments or Ancient Rome trivia questions? Feel free to reply below.

Happy Reading, everyone.

Laura

Laura Simcox, Author of Summer Promises, is in the Tea Room

I’m over at Teatime Romance this fine Saturday. Come chat with me about pirates, sewing machines and romance novels!

Laura Simcox, Author of Summer Promises, is in the Tea Room.

While the toddlers are away, the moms are at play!

Good thing playing is working for me. Because like my title says, I’m at play. Today, though, is extra fun because I have a play date! Author Lola Karns is with me to chat about life and her new Crimson Romance release ‘Winter Fairy’. I love that title…makes me think of crystal snow flakes and unexpected beginnings. It also makes me pine for ‘real’ winter. I live in North Carolina now but grew up in the Midwest. I lived in Chicago for awhile. Did you know that Lola is from Chicago? Well, she is! Let’s find out more about Lola and her contemporary romance novel!

Recuperating ballerina Penelope Glazier can enchant the young girls in her Fairy Dreams class, but will her magic work on Carson Langley, the sexy but straight-laced single father of her most talented student?

Widowed doctor Carson Langley didn’t know what surprises him more at his six-year-old’s dance recital, that his reticent daughter is the star of the show or that the attractive teacher, Penelope Glazier, seems to have gotten through to his girl. Too bad she considers teaching a temporary job before she returns to her professional touring company. Even if he were willing to take a risk with his heart, he has to protect his daughter, Eloise.

Free-spirited Penelope Glazier doesn’t believe the stories she heard about Eloise. All she sees is a creative girl who needs some direction and she’s the perfect person to provide it while she recovers from a near catastrophic injury. After spending time with Eloise and her by-the-book father, she recognizes that despite their differences, they have a connection.

When Penelope lands a plum part will she dance out of Carson and Eloise’s life forever? Or will she take on her riskiest part ever?

Oh, fun! I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance with a ballerina heroine. Looking forward to it.

Here’s where you can get your own copy of ‘Winter Fairy’:

on Crimson Romance

on Amazon

on iTunes

So Lola, what inspired you to choose the setting for your novel?

I grew up in West-suburban Chicago.  I modeled the dance studio where Carson’s daughter Eloise takes Penelope’s dance class after the second floor studio in downtown Naperville where I took lessons.  The studio is no longer there but the Chicago suburban setting provided everything I needed to tell the story.

I can picture it! How do Carson and Penelope meet?

Carson first notices Penelope when he visits his daughter’s dance class for the first time.  Penelope has a little trouble with the stereo system and blasts Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 part iii at top volume. At the end of the class, he prepares to leave, but Penelope stops him and that’s when the magic begins.

That’s a great first meeting. Speaking of dance, read what Lola has to say about one of the crazy jobs of her past!

I’ve held a LOT of different jobs, but I’ll go with one of the wacky ones here.  I was a “professional party girl” for one night.  I have no idea what the real job title is, but I took a one night gig as a dancer for a rave.  I did this with a friend and we agreed to watch out for each other since it’s not exactly a low risk job.  We arrived at a warehouse shortly after dark, got some free fou-fou drinks and danced on top of a stack of folding tables.  Our job was to dance and make it look like the party was in full swing when the doors opened.  The party organizers asked me to join their crew, but I declined.  One night working a rave was fun, but I’m not a night after night party girl and never was.

Ugh, me either. But that’s a great ‘in my younger days’ story. I have a few them, too. I’m not a dancer (omg, I’m not) but I had to pretend once when I was on tour in ‘A Christmas Carol’. My costume was a huge forest green Victorian dress and I had to polka. I’m not the slimmest girl and I looked like a bouncing green grape. Much rather would have been at a rave like you!

I always want to know what makes heroes tick. What makes Carson laugh?

Part of Carson’s problem is that he forgot how to laugh.  He focuses so much on his daughter Eloise that he ignored his own needs.  That being said, Eloise makes him smile and when she laughs, he laughs, but even Eloise doesn’t laugh much.  Penelope changes that.

Yay for Penelope. I love a strong, giving heroine.

What are you writing now, Lola?

I’m revising a contemporary romance, tentatively called Heir for Hire, set in the world of corporate recreational sports. Think dodge ball.  I recently started a novel written in first person.  I’m curious how it will turn out so I better get cracking.

Sounds fun and I like the title. And (sigh) I need to get cracking on my next one, too. Somehow I haven’t invented that computer program that reads my thoughts and types them for me. What about you? What would you invent?

I could really use a robotic Lego sorter, one that would be able to identify the right shape, size and color of each piece necessary to complete given project.  Some days I spend hours sorting through the Lego bin for the smallest little pieces. It’s a pain in the back.

I know that back pain. Mine is from sorting through a bin of train tracks for the right connecter piece. It’s usually under the sofa, though. Having little boys is a blast! Speaking of…it’s almost preschool pick up time, so Lola and I have to go. But before we do, I’m sharing more about this fun lady and her work. Check it out!

Lola’s bio:

Having worked as a bartender, shipping clerk, secretary, concierge, document translator, purchasing supervisor, doctoral candidate (in history) and more as she moved through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey and Georgia, Lola Karns decided she needed a portable career. Remembering how often employers and college professors told her “You should be a writer,” she decided it was time to try.

Visit Lola. She’d love it!

her website

on Facebook

on Twitter

Thanks for stopping by, Lola! Always fun to chat with an author with whom I have things in common.

Happy Reading!

Laura

Debut Day!

I can’t remember not being able to read. That statement alone makes me lucky, I think. I had the benefit of a wonderful kindergarten teacher and two parents who shared a love of learning, especially reading. I come from nerd stock and couldn’t be prouder. I was a school nerd. Then I was a teacher nerd. I’ve always been a romance nerd and looking back, I realize that reading romance was more than just a pleasure or a casual hobby. It has been a stabilizing factor in my life.

There’s nothing wrong with picking up a book that has a guaranteed ending: Happily Ever After. It’s a joy to experience a romance unfold… knowing all the while that it leads to true love, no matter how dark the future looks for the lucky couple. I’m so thrilled to contribute my version of that and proud to announce that today I became a published romance author. Here’s my novel!

This book is available through Crimson Romance. You can grab it on Amazon.

My purpose in writing this book was first to share a love story…because so many have been shared with me. Secondly, I wanted to make people laugh. And finally I wanted to create an escape for readers. Escape is good…it’s necessary! I continue to escape into other writers’ worlds on a daily basis. If you decide to give my book a try, I hope I’ve succeeded in my intent. There will be more fun, romantic stories just this side of wacky in the future. I’d be proud for you to read them when they become available. For more info on what’s next, please visit my website.

Thanks and no matter what your pleasure…HAPPY READING!!!!

Laura

 

Meet Lady in Red: Laura Simcox

Reblogged from Ladies in Red:

See my smiling face? That's because I'm thrilled to be here introducing myself as a Crimson Romance author. My debut novel is 'Summer Promises'. It's the story of a young woman (Carly Foster) who has promised herself that her upcoming summer theater job will be a working vacation. No romance allowed. That is...until Asher Day walks into her world with a wink that melts her heart.

Read more… 835 more words

I'm on Ladies in Red today. It's fun! Stop by and say hey. :)