Tracey Alvarez's Blog, page 11
September 18, 2014
Fall Into Romance Blog Hop
Hi!
Welcome to my blog which is taking part in the Fall into Romance Blog Hop! Check out the Romance Blog Hops website here.
In September the Northern Hemisphere sends their kids off to school and snuggles in with a hot cup of coffee (that’d be me). Here in New Zealand, September heralds the start of spring,with woolly lambs frolicking in green paddocks and daffodils raising their pretty yellow heads. But since this is a fall blog hop, I’m going to pretend we’re heading into the colder seasons.
Some of the best ways to enjoy fall in Aotearoa (the beautiful Maori name for New Zealand, which literally means ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’) are coffee with friends, or curling up by the fire with a good book. How about teasing your kids when they cheat at scrabble, or more adult teasing with your sexy neighbor after he takes you on a shopping trip to the city? In my latest book, the second Due South contemporary romance set on Stewart Island, a wild and beautiful island about 30 km off the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, my heroine, Kezia Murphy, has a teasing encounter with her neighbor Ben on a fall afternoon…
Excerpt from Melting Into You (Due South Book 2):
Kezia dropped the shopping bags with the day’s spoils in her kitchen corner, and the girls disappeared into Zoe’s bedroom. Ben had helped them disembark on the wharf and returned his boat to its mooring spot, while she walked with the girls to her place to get them out of the cold.
With the kitchen warm and welcoming, bliss oozed through her veins as she stuffed her feet into comfy slippers. After tying an apron around her waist, she stoked up the wood burner and unpacked her groceries. While Russell’s grocery store in town provided the basic necessities, no one turned down the opportunity to load up on luxuries when they visited a mainland supermarket.
A knock sounded at the back door.
Her fingers clutched tight around the last jar as she slipped it into the pantry. “Come on in.”
She wiped her palms down her apron. Ridiculous—the man had been in her home many times. Granted, she was often out when Ben came by to see his sister, but still…
Ben kicked off his black sneakers and strode barefoot into the kitchen, a knot of shopping bags clutched in each hand. He placed them alongside hers in the corner. “The girls okay?”
“In Zoe’s room with a board game.”
“That’s good. Sorry I took so long.” He wandered over to her wood burner and cranked open the door.
Such a guy. Drawn to fiddle with anything on fire, as if it were his Neanderthal duty.
“Fire’s going well. It’s warm in here.”
He wrestled his fleece hoodie up and over his head. His tee shirt crackled and rose with static, exposing muscle-ripped abs. A dusting of black hair traced a line south of his stomach and disappeared beneath his faded jeans. Her gaze slipped lower—oh yes, much lower. Down below his waistband to the faded denim cupping him so intimately.
OhgoodLordhavemercy.
It really was a lot warmer in here now.
Kezia crossed to the row of cabinets beside the stove and retrieved a glass with shaky fingers. She filled it with water, ignoring the rustle of Ben’s clothing being adjusted as she sipped.
“Sexy slippers you’ve got there, Kez.” His voice, low and intimate, came from almost directly behind her. “They suit you.”
A little water got sucked up her nose and she coughed. Kezia took another calmer sip, narrowly avoiding a coughing fit, and looked down. The grey slippers, shaped into the 3D face of Shrek’s Donkey, were hardly a turn on. Not that she wanted to turn him on. Ben was a friend, well…kind of friend—more like a friendly acquaintance.
Then why had she changed her clothes five times that morning? If she’d gone to Invercargill with Ford, Oban’s mechanic, or Kip, Due South’s barman—men she also considered friendly acquaintances—she would’ve tossed on the first outfit in her wardrobe.
Idiota woman. Vanity, that was all.
Blushing and choking was a normal feminine reaction to an attractive male while wearing cartoon slippers. The glass rattled against her teeth, and she returned it to the counter before she hurt herself.
“Are you calling me a donkey, Ben Harland?”
His grin revved her pulse rate. “Now Ms. Murphy, would I do that?”
He moved out of her personal space and helped himself to a glass. “I know how ruthless you can be when crossed.”
His teasing shimmered over her, fanning the fine hairs on her arms to attention. It’d been a long time since a man teased her. A long time. “Ruthless, pah. Be nice, or I’ll change my mind about inviting you for dinner.”
Ben opened her fridge and poured a glass of milk. “Pity invite, huh?”
“You can’t survive on instant noodles.”
“I bought some tinned spaghetti and sausages.”
“Not a huge improvement.”
He slapped on an affronted expression, but his eyes gleamed. “Shaye and Mum are the only ones who can cook in our family. The rest of us get by and rely on their goodwill.”
“Or on others’ goodwill?”
Another wicked grin. “I’ve been told I’m charming company.”
He swallowed half his drink and swiped his tongue along his upper lip, removing a milk mustache. Why hadn’t she ever noticed his lips were so soft? How had she missed their perfect symmetry or the small crescent of a dimple in his cheek when he smiled? That one was easy—because Ben Harland rarely smiled at her.
Available from:
Amazon.com
Amazon.UK
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Hope you enjoyed this little excerpt – now go back to your fluffy socks and lazy days in front of the fire! And if you need a good book to read, Melting Into You is on sale for 99c for a limited time only.
***WIN***
Win a e-copy of either In Too Deep (Due South Book 1) or Melting Into You (Due South Book 2) by leaving me a comment, telling me what your favourite thing to do in Fall is. 
I’ll draw a winner on September 24th.
Tracey
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
September 12, 2014
#MySexySaturday Can’t Keep My Hands Off You…
Hi, and welcome to My Sexy Saturday – a fun blog hop where writers’ post either 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs from their published work or work in progress. Today’s theme is ‘characters who can never keep their hands off one another.’ My excerpt of 7 paragraphs today takes place in my contemporary romance #MeltingIntoYou. The hero, Ben, has just competed in Due South’s Manly Man of the Year contest and won the final round by getting down and dirty in a vertical bungy competition. Since he can’t keep his hands off Stewart Island’s feisty Italian schoolteacher, he decides to *spread the love*.
Here’s the blurb:
Big, sexy men who don’t relate well to kids need not apply…
Kezia Murphy plays her widow card well. When you don’t trust people not to let you down, it’s easier to not get involved—and getting involved with a man who makes her skin sizzle just by looking at him would be una pazzia—crazy! Four years ago while Kezia’s daughter, Zoe, battled leukaemia, a tragic accident stole her husband’s life. Starting over in the little town of Oban where she’s adopted into the close knit community on Stewart Island, Kezia and her daughter are all the family the other needs. Except Zoe yearns for more.
New Zealand’s worst candidate for instant fatherhood…
Ben doesn’t do gooey emotional stuff. He doesn’t do cosy home and family. And he sure isn’t the big teddy-bear Kezia Murphy, the woman he secretly fantasises about, thinks he is. So when Jade, his surprise eight-year-old daughter arrives on his doorstep, he’s a D-minus student struggling to pass a crash-course in parenting.
They’ll either melt or raze their lives to the ground…
When the sparks of attraction between Kezia and Ben fan into an inferno, Ben doesn’t know how much longer the layers of resistance around his heart can resist melting into the gooey mess he fears. The more he fights it the harder it is to make the choice that will destroy the family he now longs to claim.
Before Kezia could wriggle free, Ben gave one last tug. She lost her balance in the slippery mud and fell forward. He wrapped her in a bear-hug, scooping her off her feet and pressing every wet, muddy inch of his body into hers.
“You are going to pay for this, stronzo,” she hissed, her lips now level with his ear.
“I’m counting on it.”
He turned his face toward her and rubbed his nose—his green-face-painted and mud-covered nose—up her pretty flushed skin, from jaw to temple. She squirmed, her hips pressing against the fly of his jeans.
A carnal twinge struck him right in the groin and his dick twitched. Hard.
Kezia’s eyes popped wide. Shock and temper were not the emotions flashing across them.
Ben lowered her to the ground, put some cool air between his over-heated body and hers. Kept his smile fixed in place. All casual like. Actin’ all, nah, my heart’s not galloping like a racehorse, and honest to God, I wasn’t springing a boner.
Melting Into You is available for $2.99 from:
Amazon.com
Amazon.UK
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
And if you’re not sure what a vertical bungy is, check out this cute little YouTube clip!
Please use the list below to check out the other Sexy Saturday posts on the blog hop – and don’t forget to leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you!
Tracey
September 5, 2014
#MySexySaturday Summer Lovin’
Hi, and welcome to My Sexy Saturday – a fun blog hop where writers’ post either 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs from their published work or work in progress. Today’s theme is ‘Summer Fling’. My excerpt of 7 paragraphs today takes place after West and Piper have been had a midnight summer swim and he’s chasing her along a deserted beach. If you wanna find out what he does soon after he catches her, you can buy a copy of In Too Deep (which in August won Best First Book in the Romance Writers of New Zealand 2014 Koru Award for Excellence) at the retailers below.
Piper put on a burst of speed, streaking past the last of the rocks, flying over the beach, splashing through the tiny waves and suddenly laughing, laughing like a loon, at how incredible it felt to run down a deserted beach at midnight.
“I can do this all night, West. You won’t wear me out,” she yelled.
“Not trying to,” his mild voice came right behind her.
“Shit!” She lost her rhythm and stumbled to a fast march. “Don’t you ever get tired of scaring the hell out of me?”
“Can’t help my panther-like reflexes.” West loped alongside her. “And I like the view from back there.”
She bet her freezing ass he did. Piper slid a hand down to her butt to check the thin nylon hadn’t ridden up too high. So far, so good.
Her fast march slowed to a brisk walk, and then a stroll. He wasn’t going to be shaken off by her power-walking. She crossed her arms over her breasts in case West’s panther-like reflexes extended to superior night vision. Her night vision uncovered cords of muscle contracting in his upper arms as he moved, a bare, wet physique, which gleamed almost white in the monochromatic landscape, and board shorts clinging to the long line of his thighs. And Lord, he smelled good. Salty, a little sweaty, and with a boat-load of male pheromones on top of that. Good enough that she pinched her lower lip with her teeth to stop from leaning over and taking a bite.
Or single e-book is available:
Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
Please use the list below to check out the other Sexy Saturday posts on the blog hop – and don’t forget to leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you!
Tracey
August 25, 2014
Authors Supporting Authors Giveaways!
I’m happy to take part in this event hosted by The Book Enthusiast, both as an author and as a reader! I’ve had years of countless pleasure lost in books, and since I now know how much work goes into writing one (!!) I want to support other writers any way I can.
There’s some great prizes up on offer, plus an opportunity to discover some new ‘favorite’ authors!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 19, 2014
The “Oops I forgot to give a speech” Speech.
Last Saturday night I was at the Awards Dinner (a very posh affair) at the Romance Writers of New Zealand 2014 conference in Auckland. Nervously awaiting the results of the Koru Award of Excellence that my first book, IN TOO DEEP, had been nominated for, I had skipped most of my meal and downed a couple glasses of red wine instead. For a cheap drunk like me? Not the brightest idea. When *my* name was called as the winner for best First Book I nearly fell off my chair. Luckily I’d thought to wear low-heeled shoes so I didn’t fall flat on my face climbing onto the stage to get my gorgeous trophy and a huge hug from the amazing Marie Force. Clutching my trophy and rosette, I scuttled off the stage WITHOUT giving a little thank-you speech. So for what it’s worth, here it is – better late than never, huh?
I’d firstly like to thank my awesome husband who has supported my desire to write from waaaay back when we first started dating over twenty years ago. The man bought me my first computer to write on, so I say, how could I NOT marry him? Definitely a keeper. I’d also like to thank my two kids who would probably struggle to pick me out in a crowd some days, since they often only see the back of my head as I’m hunched over my laptop. Next in line are my two amazing critique partners, Julie-Ann Thomas and Amber A. Bardan – you ladies ROCK and keep me grounded and upbeat on days when I just want to have my entire cast eaten by Great Whites! Thanks to the RWNZ and it’s wonderful and generous members who so often have helped and inspired me. Lastly, I like to thank my parents, specifically my mum who passed away while I was writing IN TOO DEEP. Piper’s grief was a shadow of mine and letting her express her pain on the page healed a tiny bit of my soul in the process. I know you’re celebrating with me mum, so this one’s for you.
Tracey
August 12, 2014
Reintroducing…Lila’s Choice – Laura Brown
Laura Brown’s relaunching her book ‘Lila’s Choice’ with a fabulous new cover and a week-only bargain price of $0.99! Check it out (and don’t forget to enter her giveaway at the end!)
Never let your friends get involved in your personal life.
Lila and Nate learn this the hard way. They are the star-crossed lovers of Glendale High. For three years the students have waited for the two to get together. They begged Nate to put his past relationship behind him, and cringed when Lila started dating Bryce. Just your typical teenage romance, except they’re the teachers.
Lila, a guidance counselor with a sweet demeanor, has an answer for every problem, every problem but her own. A visit from childhood friend Bryce thrusts her calm world into turmoil, as emotions buried deep inside are dragged to the surface. He soon realizes what only a friend can notice and a lover regret, that Lila, unbeknownst to herself, is in love with Nate.
Nate has seen better days. He is a history teacher stuck living in the past. Depression has kept his love for Lila unspoken, his ego frail after being cheated on.
Now Lila and Nate’s coworkers must unleash a scheme and uncover Lila’s true feelings. In a school this nosey what better way to get fast results than to involve the student population? The students are all too eager to get involved.
If everything goes as planned Lila will have to choose between two men. If her friends fail they might destroy these three and ruin their friendship. No wonder the scheme is called Project Torture.
Laura Brown lives in Massachusetts with her quirky abnormal family. Laura and her three cats are “differently abled.” Laura is hard of hearing, her oldest cat is deaf and partially blind, and the other two cats have cerebellar hyplasia (they shake, and they don’t find it endearing). The “normal” members of her family include her husband, who has put up with her since high school, and her young son who enjoys “typing” on Mommy’s laptop and has agreed to take full blame for all spelling errors.
Blog: http://LauraBrownAuthor.com
Twitter: AuthorLBrown http://twitter.com/AuthorLBrown
Lila’s Choice on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1fPZ1Zg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LauraBrownAuthor
LILA Erickson watched with sluggish eyes while her margarita glass was refilled. Again. By her math this was her fifth cup. Maybe her sixth with the way the tan carpet rolled in shallow waves at her feet. She put a hand on the wooden coffee table. It kept floating, bringing her arm along for the ride. She placed her other hand on her head. The rolling stopped. Drats, it was her, not the apartment.
Her good friend and roommate, Ette, hummed as she filled two glasses. She ignored Lila’s hand plastered to her head and pushed the drink closer. “So…” she took a sip of her own margarita. “Bryce is coming for a visit?”
Lila groaned and pushed the cup away. This wasn’t a Saturday night drinking binge. This wasn’t helping Ette get over her latest fling. This was “get the counselor drunk so she’d spill her guts.” Lila wasn’t biting. Yet.
Desperate for a distraction, she became lost in the scene outside their apartment window. The yellow light of the parking lot illuminated a lone tree. The autumn leaves swayed in the light breeze—waves of green, yellow, and red, the latter reminiscent of Bryce’s hair. Her heart skipped a beat. She darted her eyes to the floor, choking on newfound desire. Like all things uncomfortable, she wanted to keep the meaning hidden deep inside. Thanks to Ette, the alcohol had already called her bluff. A shiver raced down her spine as she eyed her friend. Ette grinned over her glass.
Lila grabbed a pillow and thrust her head in. Bryce was her childhood friend, nothing more. They had been friends since kindergarten and stayed in touch after he moved away when they were ten.
“The cute redhead in the flesh, this should be good,” Ette drooled, already planning on her next conquest.
Lila dug her nails into the pillow.
Ette sensed Lila’s capitulation. “Why is this bad? I thought he was one of your best friends?”
“Oh, he is. But he was always just that—a friend. Now the door that leads to ‘other’ has opened and I can’t find the key.” Clutching onto the pillow, Lila’s nails dug into the fabric, threatening to poke holes.
“Sounds like someone has a crush on their childhood friend.”
“Yes.” Lila clasped a hand over her mouth, disbelieving her voice. “And that’s wrong.”
“Oh for God sakes. What’s so wrong about it? So you’ll flirt a little as you talk about days long past. Maybe he’ll flirt too?” Ette leaned forward in anticipation of the chase.
“I thought we were supposed to be helping you?”
Ette rolled over and ran a hand through her long blond hair. “It’s the same-old, same-old. Dating a week and the temperature ran cold. I’m out the door. I’ll drink,” she eyed her empty glass, “which it looks like I’m already up to. From here I’ll sulk in my room for a few days and then get all dolled up and go flirt shamelessly with some unsuspecting stranger.” She licked her lips in anticipation of yet another anonymous sexual encounter.
“Sounds like you’re going to be fine.”
Ette placed an arm around Lila. “Look, you love Bryce, he’s one in a million, and a friend of twenty years is hard to come by. You also know each other quite well. If the feelings are mutual, you can discover where this new path will take you. If not, you’ll still enjoy his weekly e-mails.”
Lila’s eyes drifted away from Ette. She couldn’t put twenty years on the line. She couldn’t risk ruining a friendship, no matter how good looking the pudgy boy had become.
Ette swirled the liquid around, watching her friend. “Do me a favor. Don’t turn into Nate on me.”
Lila stopped cold. She turned sharply to her friend. “What does that mean?”
“Seek out the opportunity in Bryce, don’t hide behind some shadow like Nate.”
“Nate isn’t hiding behind a shadow.” Lila blinked as Nate’s blue eyes came to mind. She shook her head. Great, now she was hallucinating eye colors. “He’s been hurt by a loved one.”
Ette stood up. “Here we go, defending Nate when I was proving a point.”
Lila sat dumbfounded, unable to wrap her head around what had happened.
August 8, 2014
#MySexySaturday West in his Budgie Smugglers…
Hi, and welcome to My Sexy Saturday – a fun blog hop where writers’ post either 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs from their published work or work in progress. Today’s theme is to show our characters knowing they’re sexy, and boy, does West from my first Due South contemporary romance, In Too Deep know he’s hot stuff! Here’s 7 paragraphs of West teasing the heroine, Piper.
West waded to the pool’s edge and climbed out. He grabbed his towel from a spectator chair, hung it around his neck and rubbed his hair. When he turned back, his gaze dropped to Piper’s long legs, once again encased in black denim. She wore her purple combat boots and a Warning: If we’re being chased by zombies I’m tripping you tee shirt, which made him want to laugh. Oh, she’d trip someone all right. Most likely him.
She kept her distance, making an effort to keep her eyes fixed above the waistband of his Lycra training shorts. His cock twitched as her hazel gaze darted down again. The opportunity to tease was too good to resist.
“Like what you see?” He pitched his voice low and the reward was a faint tint of rose on Piper’s cheekbones.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, but she met his gaze, affixing a smirk to her lips. “You must be very secure in your masculinity to parade around in those budgie smugglers.”
“Oh, I’m very secure.” He see-sawed the towel over his back. “And I’m happy to show you the rear view of my budgie smugglers—oh wait—you already saw it when you were checking out my ass.”
Instead of denying it, Piper barked out a belly laugh. “Oh puh-lease. Like I haven’t seen your skinny butt a dozen times before.”
“My butt is not skinny.”
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
Please use the list below to check out the other Sexy Saturday posts on the blog hop – and don’t forget to leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you!
August 1, 2014
#MySexySaturday Cuddling with West…
Hi, and welcome to My Sexy Saturday – a fun blog hop where writers’ post either 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs from their published work or work in progress. Today’s theme is to show our characters sexy love – how they fell in love. I thought I’d share a tender little 7 paragraphs from my first Due South contemporary romance, In Too Deep (Due South Book 1) after the hero, West, has made love to the heroine, Piper. He starts the scene earlier by lying to himself, thinking that he’s not a ‘cuddler’ that he doesn’t need the intimacy that comes when you’re falling in love with that special person.
“It’ll be dawn soon. I should go back to my room.” Piper’s leg brushed across his as she arched her back, preparing to pull away.
His hand that traced down her cheek made a rapid drop south, landing on her knee and pinning her in place. “Stay with me.”
Suddenly it seemed important he didn’t lose the little bubble of warmth surrounding them under the covers. Even the small gap she’d put between them was a chasm filled with dead air. He needed her, needed the skin on skin, her hair tickling his neck, the smell of apples from her shampoo. “Please.”
A chill prickled across his shoulders as he sensed her trying to gauge his expression in the dark. Piper inched back into the crook of his arms and her hand settled on his chest, one finger tracing consecutive circles on his skin. He tucked her even closer to his side and angled his face so he could inhale the scent of her hair again.
One by one her muscles relaxed, until she slumped bonelessly against him once more, her breasts mashed against his ribcage, the brush of her sex rubbing on his thigh when she moved. The pins and needles were totally worth it.
And when she started to make those soft, snorting sighs again he closed his eyes, a smile creasing his lips.
Turns out he was a cuddler after all.
Click here for the Second Chances Boxed set which has In Too Deep & 6 other Sweet & Sexy Romances for $0.99!!!
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
Please use the list below to check out the other Sexy Saturday posts on the blog hop – and don’t forget to leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you!
Tracey
July 25, 2014
#MySexySaturday The secret Ninja Strikes Again… :-)
Hi, and welcome to My Sexy Saturday – a fun blog hop where writers’ post either 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs from their published work or work in progress. Today I thought I’d share a playful little 7 paragraphs from my latest release, Melting Into You (Due South Book 2). Because not only should love be passionate and all-consuming and forever, it should be about having fun and laughing together too.
Kezia unbuckled her seatbelt and flicked her hair off her shoulders. “Think we’ll make it to the bedroom this time?”
“Not if the Secret Ninja catches you.”
“I like this game already.” She opened the door and clambered out, revealing a length of silky thigh as her dress slid up.
She had a four-second head start while he tried to figure out if she had panties on.
He flung himself after her, spinning her around and scooping her up over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. Listening to her swear at him in Italian—he assumed the words strung alongside his personal favorite, stronzo, were curse words—Ben copped a delightful grope of her bottom as she hammered her fists on his back.
Yep. No panties on his hot little captive.
“Put me down!”
You can buy a copy of Melting Into You here.
Tracey Alvarez lives in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where she’s yet to be buried under her to-be-read book pile by Wellington’s infamous wind—her Kindle’s a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy, she has two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.
Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, she’s the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories she writes. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes—Kiwi men, in other words.
When she’s not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, Tracey can be found reading sexy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars, or bribing her kids to take over the housework.
Please use the list below to check out the other Sexy Saturday posts on the blog hop – and don’t forget to leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you!
Tracey
June 25, 2014
What Stories Ring Your Bell?
What are your favorite ‘types’ of stories? What kind back cover blurb or front cover tagline will have you reaching for your wallet before you’ve even opened the book to the first page?
Here are a few of my gotta-have story lines:
Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic:
If the end of the world’s coming with a giant tsunami or a plague or a moaning herd of zombies, I’m in. Especially if there’s a kick-ass heroine and a sexy as hell hero…last two people on earth type of thing. Love it.
Heroine/Hero trapped together:
Whether they’re shipwrecked on a island or trapped in a cabin during the worst blizzard in modern history, I wanna be right there with them watching them duke it out.
All in the family:
Someone once said, “Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.” I love books and especially series with quirky characters, so many skeletons in the closet that it’s like a crazy-ass boneyard and you just know that the hero’s brother and the heroine’s BFF are going to spark off each other in the next book of the series.
On the run:
Hero and heroine must flee something/someone (preferably a diabolical villain) and travel on cross country adventures where they are forced into close proximity and there’s always an undertone of rampant paranoia of the villain closing in.
Fish out of water
Whether it’s a country girl trying to cope in the big city, or a big city guy thrown into the country, or people thrown back or forward in time, I love reading about their struggles – especially if you combine this trope with comedy.
Ugly Duckling
Something about the ugly duckling growing into a swan and getting sweet, sweet revenge appeals to me. Shades of Carrie, perhaps? I always did love Stephen King books.
Leave me a comment – I’d love to know what your favorite trope are! Bonus points if you name some examples in either books or movies…
Tracey
