Roxy Wilson's Blog, page 14
September 5, 2013
#BookSpotlight – Secret Delights – Yvette Hines
Blurb:
Gabrielle Reston has had more than her share of sorrow in her life—from her parent’s passing to the unexpected loss of her husband. The only reason she has for smiling is her little boy. A move to a new city has brought a change of scenery, new job and a great apartment to raise her son; she doesn’t need anything else. A man in her life would just bring heartache and possibly more grief for her child. Then she meets Sloane Cale, the new kindergarten teacher and everything changes.
Sloane has his hands full at school when a fellow teacher becomes ill and her class is divided and he ends up with more students. When he notices one child is having a hard time making friends, he decides a parent-teacher conference is in order. The moment Gabrielle sways her full hips into his classroom he knows he’s in trouble. The conservative parochial school where he works has several strict rules—no illicit fraternizing with student’s parents is a big one.
However, when the attraction between them is explosive and all-consuming can it be worth the risk for them both?
Excerpt:
Sexy as hell. But, he looked as if he should be coaching on a football field instead of cramped behind a too small table teaching kindergarten children.
Short, thick black waves ran over his scalp and complemented the wide angles of his face as he leaned his head back, holding up a pencil like a microphone and belting out the lead in to the last line.
“…I know, I know, I kno—”
I must have made a sound because he broke off his lyrics and turned toward me. The full impact of his sea green gaze caused my breath to stop, my core to tighten and my knees to tremble and threaten to buckle.
“Sorry, it’s my after school release.” Setting the pencil down, he rose and clicked a button on his computer, plunging the room into silence. Standing to his full height, he moved toward the door.
Taking a quick breath, I worked to pull myself together. This man was my son’s teacher not a stud on the street to ogle. But, good Lord, he had to be six-two and built like a safety, lean but wide in the shoulders.
I stepped forward and forced a smile on my quivering lips.
“I’m Mr. Cale. You must be Mrs. Strayer.” He held his hand out as he approached me, but I didn’t miss the once over her gave my body. When his gaze met mine again, there was glow of appreciation that lit his gorgeous green eyes even more.
Slipping my hand into his made me feel even smaller as his long, strong fingers enveloped mine. The warmth from the contact spread up my arm and felt like a caress through my body, making me stifle a sigh. I was five-seven, not short for a woman, but not tall either. Raised around my brother, I was used to feeling dwarfed, but standing before this man, I felt oddly protected. “Actually, it’s Ms. Reston-Strayer.”
He continued to hold my hand and stare at me as if assessing my features.
I had to draw my gaze from his face before I did something foolish. Looking down at our hands, still clasped, I gave mine a slight tug.
“Oh, forgive me.” He released me quickly. “Come in, please.” Waving me to one of the small chairs on the other side of the half-moon table, he followed behind me.
Once I was seated, he claimed his seat. Still looking awkward, he had to sit with his knees bent and his thighs spread wide to work in the tight space.
I quickly told myself not to look down the V of his legs. The last thing I wanted was my son’s teacher to think I was a sex-depraved horn-dog, which was exactly how I felt with my body going haywire around him. To keep the temptation away, I gazed around the room. Unlike the barren, cold hallway, Mr. Cale’s classroom was lively and wallpapered with posters, drawings, paintings and sloppy pre-school script. I liked the man already. On a professional level, I reminded myself.
Buy Links:
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: African American romance, contemporary romance, erotic romance, interracial romance, rubenesque romance, short story, Yvette Hines
September 4, 2013
AUTHORS: 9 Ways To Get Information Into A Character's Hands
Reblogged from Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Content editing doesn't have to involve changing major aspects of your plot (though it can.) Sometimes, it just involves making sure a character learns a bit of information in a more logical manner.
I was reminded of that this morning editing "The Esclavan Abductions," my NaNoWriMo novel from last year.
I got to a section where the villain pretty much spouts off lots of valuable info to his enemy while they're fighting.
Author & Book Spotlight – Eve Vaughn – Finding Divine
Join me in welcoming my guest, Author Eve Vaughn, to my blog. I’ve read several books she’s written, but my absolute favorites are Rivals for Love, A Night to Remember, All Worked Up, Hostile Takeover and Whatever He Wants. Her latest bestseller, however, is Finding Divine.
Eve will tell us who are the people in her life that keep her grounded and what most people don’t know about her. Of course, she’ll also tell us about her latest release, Finding Divine.
Let’s get started.
Eve, I’m delighted to have you here. Can you tell us how you decided to become an author?
Thanks for having me. ☺I’ve always loved writing. When I was a kid, I would create a lot of stories in my mind and act them out. I had a pretty vivid imagination. When I was a teenager, I put my thoughts to paper and dreamed of one day having my work published. I finally got the courage to submit my work some years later and haven’t stopped since.
What helps to keep you grounded?
My family keeps me grounded. They motivate me, uplift me and get me through the times when I’m ready to pull my hair out. They are an awesome support system and I can’t imagine doing what I do without them.
What are some things most people don’t know about you?
I’m the self-proclaimed queen of useless information with all things 80’s being my specialty.
What message(s) you wish to convey in your books?
I don’t have a particular message in mind. But I do want to put out the kind of books that have characters people can identify with. The characters I try to write have real issues and flaws. They may not always be likable in the beginning of the story and maybe not by the end of it either but if people understand them by the end of the book, I’ve accomplished my goal.
What is your greatest learning experience as a writer?
I think my greatest learning experience as a writer is to stay humble and keep learning. I’ve been writing most of my life but I still learn new things to hone my craft. Writing is an ever evolving task so you never want to stop growing or else readers will get bored and what’s worse, you the writer will get bored and lose that passion. When you stop learning you stop growing.
If, for one moment in time, you were able to switch places with a character from one of your books, who would it be? Why?
None of them, they have way too many issues. LOL
At the risk of showing favoritism, who has been your favorite hero/heroine to write?
I gotta admit, I do like writing the Grimaldi Brothers because they’re these Alpha brothers, all with distinctive personalities but they love their women. I’ve been getting to know them again since I plan on expanding and re-releasing the first two stories in the series quite soon. All the other stories will eventually be reworked as well. I really look forward to this project.
Tell us about your latest release?
My latest release is a story called Finding Divine about two people who fall in love almost at first sight. Things are great between them until the heroine finds out the man she’s fallen for was involved in her brother’s death. The book deals with how they move past it or if they can move past it at all.
If this story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the hero and heroine?
Hmm, great question. Paul Walker and Naomie Harris. That’s just off the top of my head. I’ll probably change my mind by the time this interview comes out, lol.
So you’ve finished this story. What can readers expect from you next? When?
Right now I’m working on the re-release of the first two stories in my Blood Brothers series. I have a handful of sequel I’d like to tackle but which one I work on first depends on which characters “speak to me” the loudest. LOL
Eve, it was such fun getting to know you, but let’s step aside for a moment so we can spotlight Finding Divine.
Blurb:
A grieving sister…
Twelve years after the brutal murder of her brother, Jessica Smith still deeply mourns his loss. Afraid to branch out and take chances, she isolates herself from most of the world until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger changes everything.
A broken man…
One night gone wrong, changed Simon Lange’s life forever. The heavy burden of his guilt causes him to push people out of his life. But upon meeting the lovely Jessica, he’s determined to not let her get away.
A whirlwind romance…
With one look, Jessica and Simon fall in love and enter a passionate all consuming love affair. But when Jessica learns of Simon’s connection to her brother’s death, the devastating truth threatens to tear them apart.
To err is human. To forgive is divine. But will love be enough bring to heal two broken souls?
Excerpt:
“I meant no offense, and if you found my comment out of line, I apologize. I guess I always say the wrong thing around pretty ladies.”
That comment got her attention. Slowly she turned around, self- consciously touching her face. “Smooth,” she laughed nervously, “but empty compliments won’t fix my car.”
Another heart-stopping smile split his handsome face. “What makes you think it was an empty compliment? I try not to say things I don’t mean, and you’re quite lovely.”
She looked down at her feet, unable to meet his intense gaze. Jessica had received compliments from men before, and she looked enough like her mother to know she wasn’t unattractive. But men this good-looking usually dated women who looked like models, or possessed a rare exotic beauty, and she certainly didn’t fit that mold. Jessica wasn’t sure how to respond to him and decided it would be best to make her exit before she said something stupid. “I-I have to call a tow truck.”
Jessica dug into her pockets in search of a cell phone and when she couldn’t find it, she looked inside the car before she remembered she’d left it on the charger at home. It seemed luck wasn’t on her side today.
“Problems?” Tall, Blond and Sexy asked.
She turned to see he was grinning, as if her predicament amused him. “This isn’t funny. I’m beginning to think you’re a jinx.”
His smile immediately disappeared and his forehead creased, giving him a look of contrition. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you, I just can’t help it. I just can’t get over…well, I think you have gorgeous eyes.”
Buy Links:
Your Editor is Your Friend (Really)
Reblogged from Writers In The Storm Blog:
by Erin Brown
You’ve slaved for months, years—perhaps decades--to finish your manuscript. You’ve tackled all-nighters, tear-your-hair-out rewrites, grueling self-imposed deadlines. You’ve grappled with creative juices that either flowed until you were drunk with brilliant narrative or dried up to leave you parched, devoid of inspiration, sobbing onto your keyboard.
You get my drift. You’ve poured your heart and soul into this baby of yours.
September 2, 2013
#BookSpotlight – Rocking Her Curves (Asher and Trixie Book 1) – Aubrey Rose
Another rockstar romance from bestselling new adult romance author Aubrey Rose!
What’s your temptation?
Asher just broke up with his long-distance girlfriend. When he meets Trixie, he’s smitten by her curves – but she’s the lead singer for the opening band: strictly off-limits.
Trixie can’t help but be attracted to the tall, handsome skater who plays music with such passion. There’s no way that he would be interested in someone who isn’t a rail-thin model, would he? Anyway, she’s heard that he has a girlfriend: strictly off-limits.
When their paths collide – literally – they’re forced to look temptation in the face and ask themselves: What do I really want?
Excerpt:
“Ohhh,” she moaned, trying to encourage him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling away. She pulled him back into a deep kiss, her tongue thrusting into his mouth greedily.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want you to take me.”
Jack renewed his petting with a reinvigorated fervor. As he lay beside her, kissing her with gusto, she realized that he was waiting for her to make the next move. As always. It didn’t matter. She needed to relieve the ache inside of her. She sat up and pulled her dress off, and Jack followed suit, his shirt falling crumpled to the floor. He switched off the light so that the only hint of brightness came from the crack of the door out in the living room.
A sharp stab of frustration lanced through Trixie’s body. Why? Why did it always have to be dark? Always like this, with only a sliver of light playing over her body. She loved her body, loved the curves that led from her arms down to her hips. She loved the roundness of her ass when she craned her neck to peer over her shoulder into the mirror. Sometimes she would dance naked in the morning to the slow jazz songs that echoed through her body. Jazz was perfection, especially in the early hours when nobody else was awake in the world but her. Swaying in the reflection, she would wave her arms, swing her hips from side to side and pretend that she was a dancer in a burlesque troupe.
Now Jack moved in the darkness next to her, placing his hand on her chest, and she wished she could see his hand cupping the fullness of her breast, the tender soft skin and the faint border of darkness that separated her nipple from the skin around it. But no, no, it was always dark with him. If he was insecure about his own body, he never admitted it. He just preferred it this way, he said.
Fine. There was one positive aspect to the darkness, one benefit she found now that she had never known before. When Jack’s hand moved over her, she could pretend that it was someone else’s. She could pretend that she was spending the night with anybody, fantasize about any face in the dark of Jack’s room.
And there was only one person she wanted to spend the night with.
Unbidden, Asher’s face rose into her mind. She tried to push it aside but he kept returning. His bare chest, a sheen of sweat from skating.
Jack’s hands turned into his hands, the long fingers making their way across her body, hesitating. She grasped his arm and pulled him close. She could feel his hardness against her. Asher’s hardness. Asher’s body against hers. If she closed her eyes the fantasy became real.
Buy Links:
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Aubrey Rose, rock star romance
September 1, 2013
101 Book Marketing Ideas for Authors
Reblogged from The Blog of Linda Parkinson-Hardman:
101 Book Marketing Ideas for Authors is my way of trying to make sure I keep on track with my marketing activities. As an independent author and publisher it's often easy to forget or overlook some of the basic activities that could propel your book up the listings. This is going to be a work in progress, and when I complete a new idea I'll make sure that the link is added to this page.
Top Ten Suggestions for Promotional Book and Author Postcards
Reblogged from The Blog of Linda Parkinson-Hardman:
I've been around and about on the web for more years than I care to remember and I've been given lots of reasons why most people should abandon the real world and focus only on their online marketing. The reasoning is that you'll have a greater opportunity to find the people most likely to be interested in your products and services; to an extent this might be true, but it's no reason to ignore those people who:
Bad Pacing as A Content Issue: And How to Fix It
Reblogged from Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Today's topic is pacing your fiction, and editing bad pacing.
There are two main points I want to make about pacing:
You will never be able to truly judge your pacing. No author can. You'll notice obvious issues, but there is a strong chance that the "boring" sections in your novel will interest you. (You wrote them for a reason.) The answer?
August 31, 2013
Hiring a Professional Editor—Shrewd or Shameful?
Reblogged from Writers In The Storm Blog:
Just a quick reminder: Laura is teaching a class at Margie Lawson's Writers Academy for the month of September - Submissions that Sell! If you need help on your submission, check it out!
Now, here's Lori!
I typed The End and did a little happy dance in my office. I’d finished my manuscript and could hardly wait to query Agent X.
How to Make Use of Google+ as an Author
Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online:
.
Everyone wants to be listed high on Google’s search engine results. You write a blog post, tweet, update your website or add otherwise content to the web. Google bots, crawling the web, are coming across your post. The page is indexed within seconds. Google estimates the domain and pages’ overall authority, based on links.
Page rank depends on a few factors, such as the number of Web pages that link to your site, the frequency of keywords within your site and how long your site exists on the internet.
