Lisa Chalmers's Blog, page 11

Lovestruck Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog post for the Lovestruck Giveaway Blog Hop. I’m giving away three copies of my debut paranormal romance IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES

 

What I love about my hero Josh in this one is that he’s deeply in love with the heroine, but there’s really just one problem – he’s suddenly a ghost. After a horrible accident, he finds himself on the other side, desperate to fight his way back to Avery and their unborn child. Easier said than done, the panel he’s pleading his case in front of is cold and unfeeling, the lone woman on the panel seems to hate him and his guide, Gabriel, seems more interested in helping Josh adjust to his new life then helping him return.

Things I love about Josh, well he’s willing to rock the boat when necessary. Break rules when he has to. And he’ll do anything he can for Avery.

 

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Summer of Love Blog Hop

 

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog post for the Summer of Love Blog Hop! So glad to have you stop by. I’m giving away three copies of my debut paranormal romance IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES

One of my favorite summer destinations is one I unfortunately don’t get to go to often enough – the beach! Is there really anything better then being near the water on a really hot day? Nothing like the feeling of walking barefoot on the hot sand, finding the perfect spot and just relaxing. A good book, a drink or two, a little music and snacks and I’m pretty well a happy camper.

Since I’m nowhere near a really good beach anymore, I try to make the most out of the backyard. I’ve got a good little area underneath one of the big old pine trees, it’s branches are cut a good ten or more feet high so it makes a great canopy. There’s cedar chips on the ground which makes it nice and soft to walk on, and there’s two comfortable chairs underneath, with a table between, perfect to rest a cold pink lemonade on. It’s not the beach, but it’s a nice spot to get a lot of reading done Plus I’m surrounded by beautiful flowers and the occasional wild rabbit hopping through trying to steal a strawberry or two or nibble on some flower leaves.

What’s your favorite summer destination or reading spot? Are you lucky enough to be near a great beach? Go ahead and make me jealous. That could be why a lot of my characters love the beach. I get to live vicariously through them.

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Organized? Not so much

I already know I’m not the most organized person out there. My desk is littered in brightly colored post-it notes from my last marathon writing session in July. Unfortunately, those are staying put until I get through the revisions my editor sent me last week, as some of them apply to that book. The others go with the book trailer for the book, ISBN numbers, word counts and various other fun writerly stuff.

One day I will be more organized.

But not right now. Between juggling that, review requests, blog hop blog posts (I signed up for how many? eeks lol) sending out emails to the winners, working on getting my twitter going again, trying to figure out why the playlist won’t play off the one twitter feed and the biggest pain of all – dealing with my right sprained index finger. The same finger I sprained last month I managed to hurt again this week. Wouldn’t be bad if I wasn’t a rightie, and it wasn’t the mouse finger. Every time I go to click with the middle finger, the index one automatically moves with it. Yeah, fun. Not so much.

Typing? Not bad with four fingers. I can kind of adapt to that pretty easily. But I use the mouse way more than I ever imagined.

And I can add more fun to it. At some point last week or was it the week before? Anyway, the computer decided it hated every keyboard I had. My ergo. The original that came with it. The ones I borrowed from my dad. Didn’t like a single one. Wouldn’t type a letter or a number. Finally rebooted and got it working, all well and good. I’m using a small wired keyboard at the moment, but the computer likes to randomly switch it to Canadian French. Which, is very delightful because it switches things around. Question marks become E with a little thing over top. Question marks turn to something else. It’s a mess. And why I’m not touching the edits until I can trust it won’t go haywire

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Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop. 
Over fifty authors and bloggers have joined together to give you the chance to win an awesome bundle of books as well as read some great posts. Be sure to go to each blog  and comment with your email to up your chances of winning. Each comment counts as an entry! Our lovely bloggers are also offering individual prizes so be sure to check them out.

Three lucky commenters on my blog will each win an e-book copy of my paranormal romance
IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES



What do I like most about summer? Since I’m Canadian and live where it might as well be dubbed land of the snow for a good six months of the year, summer is the time of actual warmth and real sunshine. A chance to go outside, soak up some rays with a good book, or two, or three and relax It’s no coincidence either that I set most of my books in warmer climates, Tampa, Florida; Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas. Anything that inspires warm thoughts is good enough for me!

My characters on the otherhand, they don’t tend to be the relaxing type. The summer and the heat can make them even a little more highstrung. Take for example, Arabella Hayes, vengeance demon and heroine of my upcoming release DARK INTENT. The summer heat is enough to make anyone edgy, but moreso when a deadly demon is hot on her trail.

Dark Intent excerpt:

She was about to cross a narrow alley when a leather covered arm reached out and pulled her inside. Instantly a hand covered her mouth, blocking out any sound that dared to escape muffled and barely recognizable. She struggled as best she could, channeling all her emotions into fighting off the attacker when she was spun around after delivering a swift pointed elbow to his ribs.

Ryder.

She stared wide-eyed at her would be attacker. “You son of a…” she looked at him rubbing his chest, no doubt trying to get circulation back. He was lucky she hadn’t managed to bring up a fireball or he’d really be in a world of hurt.

Before she could utter another word, she found herself pushed roughly against the brick wall. With his hand back over her mouth and his body pressing hers against the coarseness of the crumbling brick, she felt the urge to lift her knee to show him what exactly she thought of this little stunt. That is, until she heard the slinking sound further down the alley that didn’t quite sound human let alone demonic. Alarm filled her as she stared up at him, her body tense, becoming more rigid than a statue as the sound grew louder. What she’d give to be anywhere but there at that moment, her world, her life, anything, to be somewhere else. As if sensing her rising panic, his grip on her tightened. She ignored the jolt of electricity that even the slightest bit of contact with him created.

 

He was only slightly aware he was crushing her as he kept her pressed up against the hard brick wall but he’d heard definite movement. A sound he hadn’t been able to identify so he’d followed his instincts and thrown her against the wall, covering her body with his in an effort to protect her. Her soft seashell pink tongue darted out and licked the top of her dry lips, fear etched clearly in her eyes. “What?” she whispered, her eyes locked nervously on his own, like she couldn’t quite bring herself to look around him to see what could be there.

He knew the way he was acting, she was probably afraid it was Svatos himself.

For all he knew, it could have been. But he wanted to meld the two of them into the shadows, hoping the smoky quartz he carried in his pocket would help shield them from prying eyes. If it was a tracker who’d dropped in from above, they should be okay. It would take a cursory look around and then seeing nothing, if the crystal worked, take off again and try to pick up their trail outside on the streets.

His gaze locked on Arabella, alarm filled her eyes, asking a silent question, is that what I thought it was? He gave a small nod and immediately she tensed, her body more rigid than a statue. He concentrated on listening to the sound at the end of the alley, whatever it was seemed to be aware someone was listening as the movement had stilled to nonexistent. He couldn’t risk opening his senses, since it would be like sending a flare out into the air, giving off their location and putting them in deeper danger. He dropped his hand away from her mouth. “Shhh…” The sound was barely audible, but he needed Arabella to stay as silent, as still as possible to not draw any extra attention their way. The best thing to do was distract her. Maybe not holding her hostage against the wall would help her relax a little, he could see the vein in her neck jumping with the frantic rhythm of her heart beat.

His gaze locked on her lips again and he saw a question flash in her eyes as he dropped his head lower, his lips brushing teasingly against hers.

 

His lips were surprisingly soft but firm, as if he was desperate to keep her distracted and keep her from making the wrong move, which would actually be any move at that point. She was afraid to even breathe, that the small sound of her gasping for breath would alert whatever was at the end of the alley to their presence.

Every emotion began to fade away as she began to give herself over to the kiss, the feel of his lips, his hands on her back. Her hands fisted in his shirt, drawing him closer and closer as the kiss deepened—a move she wasn’t sure who started, but Booyah for whoever had. It was the first time she could ever say she found a man intoxicating, her eyes tightly shut as she felt him lift her off her feet, bracing her against the wall. She didn’t care that the hoodie she wore had ridden up in the back and that the coarse brick was rubbing against her skin. All she cared about was the man pressed deliciously close to her, the one who was ravaging her mouth with a passion she hadn’t known he’d possessed.

Vaguely she became aware he slowly lowered her back to the ground as he broke the kiss. Her lips felt deliciously swollen, slightly bruised even and she could taste a hint of the cinnamon gum he’d been chewing.

She wished he’d give her a moment to stand there, let the blood return to flowing through her entire body and not just certain parts of her anatomy. Her legs felt like jelly and she wasn’t sure she could maintain her body weight for a few more seconds. Evidently though, Ryder was far from a mind reader.

“What was that?”

*****

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Check out all the great blogs on the Love Lust & Lipstick Stains blog hop here:

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Summer Giveaway Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog for the Summer Giveaway Hop 2013. I’m giving away three ebook copies of my paranormal romance ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’.

There’s really nothing better in the summer than being outside with a good book, a nice cold drink and some good music playing (unless you’re the type who needs silence to read, then nix that last one). What would you say your favorite book or song of the summer is this year? Bookwise, I’ve really liked a couple young adult books, Anatomy of a Single Girl by Daria Snadowsky and Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. Musicwise, my love of boybands shows through with Backstreet Boys’ new songs Permanent Stain and In A World Like This. But Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines has been played a lot too

 

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New Release Spotlight – The Other Size by Zee Monodee

 

Title: The Other Side

Series: Book #1 in the Island Girls Trilogy

Author: Zee Monodee

Line: Ubuntu (geared to African Romance)

Publisher: Decadent Publishing, LLC

Release date: July 30, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Comedy/ Interracial Multicultural Romance/ Bollywood

Length: 272 pages

Heat Level: Sensual/ 2 flames

Blurb:

Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, the homeland of her parents, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.

But once there, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking…and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.

Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again. Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.

Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?

Available now at:

Decadent Publishing

Amazon (available at the discounted price of $2.99)

The book trailer features images of locations mentioned in the story. The second image, at 0.08, is of the Grand Baie beach, where Lara lives. At 0.58 is the Swami Vivekananda International Conventions Centre located inland in Pailles, that Zee used as the inspiration for the centre Lara manages in Grand Baie. 2.09 features the Coin de Mire Island, a visual that can be admired from the terrace of Eric’s residence in Cap Malheureux.

Excerpt:

Lost in her thoughts, she rounded a dead corner of the hall, slamming into someone’s side. Disoriented and dizzy with confusion at the jolting oomph of impact against a solid form, she stumbled, losing control over her legs. She saw the walls moving up rapidly, but a strong pair of hands grabbed her under the arms before the back of her head hit the floor.

“Bon sang, mademoiselle! Où courez-vous comme ça?” a rich, deep masculine voice asked on the sharp yet lilting accent of white Mauritian natives.

Where are you running to, miss? he’d asked, from what her rusty French could figure out.

Away from you. Something inside her acknowledged the danger before she could process his words. She knew that voice. Her head spun again, yet her mind was very alert.

Could it be…? No, it couldn’t. Her brain had to be playing tricks on her. The sound with its particular accent belonged to the very distant past. How was she hearing it at this moment? Had she fainted? That’s it. She wasn’t conscious, and since she’d probably worked herself to exhaustion, the condition had triggered all sorts of switches in her muddled consciousness.

The image of the man from the airport burned itself into her mind, and she gasped. No!

“Is everything okay?” The chuckle had gone from the tone, replaced by worry.

Solid strength still held her ribcage, the back of the hands warm and smooth where they touched her arms. The heat from them went to her head, churning all coherent thought into a jumble.

Her mind had to be playing a trick on her. He couldn’t be who she was imagining. When, after a few seconds, it didn’t appear like she’d come around, doubt invaded her heart.

Your eyes won’t betray you, they’ll see the truth.

She risked a glance up beneath her lashes. She had to be certain if this was real or not. To know this was all a trick of her imagination….

Lara encountered a tall form with broad shoulders outlined in a short-sleeved shirt. The lapels of the opened collar framed a strong jaw and a wide, full, and sensual mouth was set in a worried line above a square chin. A fine, straight nose sent faint shadows over his lips.

She had to gulp back the ominous lump wedged in her throat. Her heart beat a hammering throb in her chest, and her mouth went dry. Her suspicions looked dangerously close to being confirmed, and the nagging notion played havoc with her thoughts. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she found herself staring into a pair of blue irises. A blinding flash went through her head, plunging her heart to her knees. She’d recognize those irises anywhere. Deep-set, bright, and laughing eyes the colour of the deepest ocean. The heavy, golden locks brushing his forehead accentuated the frown knitting his eyebrows.

Locks that had somehow broken free from the thick, smoothed-back hair. She itched to sweep them back, to run the tips of her fingers along his smooth skin, like she used to in the past, onto the soft buzz of hair he used to keep so short….

Her mind went into a crazy spin, and all her senses reeled as everything became a vivid kaleidoscope of colours. Her stomach heaved, and her knees went weak as her body became limp. But the man’s strong grip was still on her, and he kept her steady on her feet.

“Are you okay? I think you better sit down here,” he said.

The voice made its way into her perception, and she couldn’t suppress the relief that flooded her. His voice had always had such power over her.

He still hasn’t recognised me.

She’d changed a lot in the past decade, and with her head still bent forward, her hair shielded her face. She wanted to escape. She wanted to close her eyes, and then open them to find it had all been a dream. Or a nightmare.

But this was real, and how long could she remain incognito? Lara swallowed painfully. Of all the people from her past, fate had had to choose that precise person to shove along her path.

All of this battled inside her mind as she allowed him to lead her to a sofa. After having lowered her into her seat with extreme care and gentleness, her saviour sat down next to her, turning to face her profile. The movement triggered the air to move around him, and the smell of his aftershave—fresh, spicy, and very elusive—filled her nostrils and made its way into her foggy mind.

He still smells the same. Like a cool sea breeze wafting through the unique musk of a man’s warm skin.

Lara took a deep breath and gathered her courage. She would have to face him sooner or later. A part of her had always known she ran the risk of coming across him on the island. She’d preferred to hide from the probability, but she couldn’t run anymore.

So she lifted her head. A frown marred the wide forehead on the face she encountered. As devastatingly handsome as ever. Or maybe, even more than ever. His features were arresting, masculine, adult. No longer those of a teenager.

Her mouth went dry again, and her heart beat faster when the straight line of his lips broke into a large smile a few seconds later. His eyes lit up as well, and widened.

“I’ll be damned! Lara? Is it really you?” he asked, switching effortlessly to English.

She forced a smile and took a deep breath. “Hello, Eric. How are you?”

 

About the author :

Zee Monodee

Stories about love, life, relationships… in a melting-pot of culture

Zee is an author who grew up on a fence – on one side there was modernity and the global world, on the other there was culture and traditions. Putting up with the culture for half of her life, one day she decided she’d stand tall on her wall and dip toes every now and then into both sides of her non-conventional upbringing.

From this resolution spanned a world of adaptation and learning to live on said wall. The realization also came that many other young women of the world were on their own fence.

This particular position became her favorite when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing – her heroines all sit ‘on a fence’, whether cultural or societal, in today’s world or in times past, and face dilemmas about life and love.

Hailing from the multicultural island of Mauritius, Zee is a degree holder in Communications Science. She is a head-over-heels wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween son, best-buddy-stepmum to a teenage lad, an incompetent domestic goddess, eternal dreamer, and an absolute, shameless bookholic. When she isn’t penning more stories and/or managing the Ubuntu line at Decadent Publishing, you can bet you’ll find her with her nose in her tablet, ‘drinking in’ a good book.

 

WeWriWa Blog Hop

Taken from If Tomorrow Never Comes:

Josh was already in the kitchen when she walked in. Her eyes still held that familiar sleepiness to them, and he knew she wasn’t anywhere near fully awake. He reached his hand out to touch her as she passed by him to grab a glass from the cupboard. He watched in awe as his hand went right through her, a pins and needles feeling rushing up his arm.

“They’re on their way to tell her,” Gabriel said from across the room. He tilted his head and studied Avery for a moment as she went about her morning routine in the kitchen, completely unaware of the scrutiny she was under. She pulled the bag of whole wheat bread from the bread box and took out two slices, setting them in the toaster. “She’s very pretty.”

 

Please check out other writers 8 sentence excerpts by checking out the WeWriWa Blog Hop here

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Hot Paranormal Nights Blog Hop

 

Blog giveaway: three ebook copies of IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES

I love the paranormal, always have. There’s something so intriguing, so inspiring about the paranormal that draws my muse like crazy. Maybe it’s the freedom, the thought that anything really is possible in the paranormal. It’s literally if you can think it, dream it, it could happen. There really aren’t a lot of rules. From my early addiction to Buffy the movie (I spent years trying to track it down on VHS lol) then the TV series Buffy & Angel and Charmed to Celebrity Ghost Hunters, Rescue Mediums, and Most Haunted, I’ve spent a lot of hours absorbed in the different realms. I even got so into it, that I started taking parapsychology courses. And even learning to think logically about the bumps and taps in the night, still doesn’t quiet the muse from thinking what it could be making that unexpected noise.

My muse is pretty moody and won’t stick to just one paranormal genre at a time. I’ve written ghosts, angels, demons, witches and already had some ideas lurking in the back of my mind about a shapeshifter, which really I never, ever thought I’d write about. It’s even picky on whether its light, fun paranormal, dark and intense, or a more emotional read. One of the first paranormal ideas I ever wrote was IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES. I call it what happens if GHOST met IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (course I didn’t think of that till years after the first draft was done). Check out the trailer here:

 

After that I went to the darker side of things for my upcoming release DARK INTENT, a tale about a beautiful vengeance demon. And just this week, I finally got her best friend, another demon, to start telling me her story.

What about you, do you have a favorite realm when it comes to the paranormal or do you like pretty much anything and everything? Do you have a favorite show or book you always go back to?

 

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Hot Summer Romance Giveaway Blog Hop Winners

Hi everyone, thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented. Since I had almost 30 comments (didn’t expect so many) I decided to give way three copies of If Tomorrow Never Comes. Thanks to random.org, the winning commenters were #3 Karina, #17 Jennifer and #18 Eva. All three have been notified by email.

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Weekend Sale! :)

Happy weekend everyone! Save 50% off IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES at Smashwords http://bit.ly/15SJftW  use code MX96Q Ends Monday