Rebecca Crowley's Blog, page 6
October 11, 2013
here come the holidays
Today is my last day in the States after a brilliant three weeks spent getting married (!) and taking a road-trip honeymoon from Kansas to California. A full recap entry is forthcoming, but in order to cheer myself up ahead of the 40ish hours of travel awaiting me tomorrow – and in honor of the Christmas decorations I saw for sale in Topeka’s Cracker Barrel restaurant last night – I thought this was the perfect time to reveal the cover for Hero’s Homecoming, my military holiday novella!
So without further ado:
Releasing from Carina Press on 21 November
I’m so proud of this novella, which is significantly darker and more angsty than The Striker’s Chance, and I’m hopeful readers will love it as much as I do. It’s available now for pre-order on its own from Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes & Noble or as half of the Gifts of Honor anthology alongside the inimitable Stacy Gail!
September 24, 2013
coffee grounds at the cafe
I’m sort of in two places at once today – I’m in Kansas, preparing for my wedding, and I’m at the Contemporary Romance Cafe probably alienating all my readers by enthusing about my love of gritty, masculine literary fiction. I even share some far-out excerpts!
http://contemporaryromancecafe.com/true-grit/
September 18, 2013
facing my critics
I’ve always been an academic overachiever, and until The Striker’s Chance released a little over two weeks ago I would’ve taken a B and a B- very, very badly. But when they’re given by romance-reviewing powerhouses Smexy Books and Dear Author, those letters make me giddy!
From Mandi at Smexy Books: “When they do finally make it to the bedroom it made sense and didn’t feel rushed. They have good chemistry together as Holly really gets to know the real Kepler. I like this author’s voice. Looking forward to more.”
(I also made it into Mandi’s USA Today column!)
From Jayne at Dear Author: “I love the transition for Kepler from last chance, to team leader, to inspiration for kids. I can see him settling into his new leadership roles and the maturation that follows. His love for the game and determination to play his best shines through.”
Amidst the pre-wedding chaos on the work and home fronts, it’s indescribably awesome to see my characters resonating with readers and garnering the (qualified!) accolades they totally deserve. Plus each review shows me ways to improve as a writer and illuminates facets of my story I never thought about, so selfishly I love to see them rolling in, good, bad, and otherwise!
September 12, 2013
visiting the minxes
Things are hectic this end as I scramble to finish edits for my March release with Samhain (fyi y’all, the cover is amazing) and get the manuscript for its sequel to the same editor before I leave for my wedding – oh, yeah, and that wedding shindig takes up some time too! Happily I completed this interview for the lovely Minxes of Romance in a less busy period – check it out!
http://minxesofromance.blogspot.com/2013/09/author-spotlight-rebecca-crowley.html
September 6, 2013
more blog hopping
Release week for The Striker’s Chance is winding down, although being without power at our house for 30+ hours certainly kept things lively! Electricity workers are on strike here in Johannesburg and I had the uniquely South African experience of filling my house with lit candles and paraffin lanterns. In the words of Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond, “TIA.”
The lights are back on now and so is the blog hop, with a guest post on Delilah Devlin’s fabulous site. Check it out and happy Friday!
http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/2013/09/06/guest-blogger-rebecca-crowley/
September 4, 2013
guest post – Kathy Bosman
I’m so excited to welcome South African author Kathy Bosman to the blog today – and be sure not to miss her great giveaway at the bottom of the page!
Today is my first stop for my first ever proper blog tour. I’m giving away a $10 Amazon voucher and five swag bags for the whole tour. I’m going to be posting a different slant to my book every post so it’s not going to be boring. We’re going to have fun. If you want to enter the giveaway, go to the Rafflecoptertable at the bottom of the page.
Dragonfly Moments was published with Decadent Publishing in May this year. The book was first written in 2010 (then called Tessa’s Choice) and was so different to what it is now. By the time it reached publishing stage, I’d learned so much about writing after having worked with editors in my previous books and with the wonderful Decadent editor. I have a sludge pile on my computer of books I wrote but have never published. Of course I never will – shudder, shudder. You could call those my study courses because really every bit of writing is learning. Tessa’s Choice kept on calling me though. I couldn’t ignore the story of a love from long ago coming back into Tessa’s life so I rewrote the book.
Tessa had a serious crush on her best friend’s boyfriend when she was just out of school. They had a friendship but nothing more. She loved him so much that she sent him a letter after she moved to college professing her undying love for him.
Little does she realise how much that letter opens up feelings Ryan had ignored towards Tessa. He keeps the letter but only contacts her seven years later when she’s opened up her own art gallery in Nelson Mandela Square.
Ryan is disappointed to discover that Tessa is already in a serious relationship. He doesn’t know how obsessed she’s become in starting her own family. But her relationship starts to crumble and Ryan helps her with her art and business. He’s just the friend she needs at the moment but can she risk her life dreams to allow her heart to love him again?
–
“You’re making a mistake, Ryan. Coming in here and trying to bring up the past. It’s too late now. I’m committed to Mark and have found a life for myself. You never wanted me then. You loved Annie.”
“I didn’t love her. I loved you. And you promised forever….”
His voice was resigned, and then he winked at her as if to dispel the tension. It did no such thing.
The letter at the back of the sketch had promised she would love him forever, hadn’t it? She had believed she would never love anyone as much as Ryan and that he showed her what true love was.
“You never love
d me.” She dropped her gaze onto her lap. “We were just good friends.”
Pushing up her chin to pretend that her heart wasn’t zinging with emotion, she started to walk toward the one wall to adjust a painting. He grabbed her hand. She tried to pull away, but he firmly pulled her close.
Heat and energy radiated off him and his manly scent encompassed her. Even his breath was a sweetness she wanted to drink in. She took in the shape of his face, his mouth which drooped slightly to the left, his skewed jaw line and the prominent cheek bones. His eyebrows were dark and perfectly shaped, and he had such long eyelashes. Yanking her burning hand away, she made sure her back was facing him.
“I was blind to the true treasure. All the time when I was going out with Annie, I really wanted you, but I couldn’t do that to her—dump her for her best friend. I’ve loved you for years, Tess. I’ve been trying to find you. No other woman has measured up, and I’ve had several relationships. And you’ve become so beautiful.”
She faced him, her mouth partially open, devoid of words. He’d loved her? Why didn’t he tell her then before it was too late?
His gaze followed her from head to foot, and heat branded her face while a spark ignited her body.
“But I wasn’t then. You thought I was ugly. You must have because Annie was so beautiful and you never looked at me.”
“I did. Besides the kohl and black clothes, you were adorable, especially in your pajamas.”
Tessa wasn’t usually one to blush easily, but fire lapped up her whole face and neck. “But the way you used to look at Annie. She had the most stunning legs. Long and muscular.”
Ryan smiled. “You have better legs than Annie.”
She pulled back. For a moment, he had her in a trance. Maybe she should leave Mark and pursue this. Jump right in. No, of course not. Who was Ryan now, anyway? She hardly knew him. He could disappear again. Mark cared for her and he was the perfect match to build a family. That’s all she needed.
–
Dragonfly Moments is available now from Decadent Publishing, Amazon, Amazon UK, ARe, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.
Kathy loved reading and writing from early childhood, but her dream to write books was put aside until her kids were small, and she had little mental stimulation. The writing became a passion as well as her love for romance. She hasn’t looked back since writing her first romance novel in 2007. She homeschools her three children so in between deciphering algebraic problems for her teenage son (with little success), conducting science experiments, and tackling piles of laundry and dishes, she miraculously finds time to write books and read many others for fun.
Connect with Kathy Bosman online at her website, Facebook page or Twitter.
Click here for a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 3, 2013
blog hopper
Release week excitement continues as I guest-post on a couple of fabulous blogs this week! I’m talking about reconciling romance and feminism at RR@H:
And I’m detailing my journey to publication at Carina Press:
http://carinapress.com/blog/2013/09/word-counts-and-wedding-bells/
I’m really proud of both these blog posts so take a look and leave a comment if the mood strikes, and be sure to come back to this lilttle ol’ blog tomorrow for a giveaway!
September 2, 2013
release day excerpt at the cafe
Release thus far has been beyond fabulous. In addition to an amazing outpouring of support from friends and my fellow Carina Press authors, The Striker’s Chance got 4 out of 5 stars from the inimitable Mandi Schreiner at Smexy Books!
A sexy excerpt from the novel is now live at the Contemporary Romance Cafe, so head on over to check it out! Or you can cruise by my awesome buddy Steph’s blog to see her photographic evidence of release day and link back to another excerpt. As for me, I’m home from work and thinking it might be time for a covert adult beverage!
release day!
It’s finally here – release day for my debut The Striker’s Chance!
I have a guest post scheduled today at the Contemporary Romance Cafe, so check back for an update a bit later. I’ll also be at RR@H Novel Thoughts and Carina Press tomorrow and on Delilah Devlin’s blog on Friday, with a giveaway in between, so stay tuned!
And if you haven’t already gotten your copy, you can find full and updated links to buy The Striker’s Chance – including the audiobook, which still blows my mind – on the Books page!
August 27, 2013
the haven’t-done list
I’m over at the Contemporary Romance Cafe today, blogging about all the stuff I’m, er, not working on. Stop by and have a look: http://contemporaryromancecafe.com/the-havent-done-list/
