Nicole Simone's Blog, page 3

Eye Candy Friday - Hot Men on Motorcycles

   When I met my boyfriend for the first time, he was wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and his helmet dangled in his hands.  It was pretty much love at first sight. He reminded me of James Dean, my childhood crush. Yes, I was a weird child. Ever since that fateful day 5 years ago, a weakness for men and their motorcycles has formed.

Eye Candy Friday - Hot Men on Motorcyles

   When I met my boyfriend for the first time, he was wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and his helmet dangled in his hands.  It was pretty much love at first sight. He reminded me of James Dean, my childhood crush. Yes, I was a weird child. Ever since that fateful day 5 years ago, a weakness for men and their motorcycles has formed.  

Luke's POV When He First See's Marlene

When I wrote Love of a Rockstar, I envisioned the story through Marlene’s eyes. However, I always wondered what Luke thought when he saw the love of his love after 4 years of absence. The beauty of being a writer is that I can make that happen.  Here is Luke’s POV.
I stepped out of the limo into the frigid Seattle air.  It had been almost four years since I came home and to be honest, my nerves were on edge.  My fans screamed wildly as I gave them a quick wave and hustled inside for warmth.  The elaborate entryway of the hotel reminded me how far I’d come since the beginning of my career.  Back when I was a broke ass musician, I slept in the van along with the rest of my band mates. Then again, we partied more than we slept. Alcohol kept my nightmares at bay and my emotions numb. That was in the past though; now, I was a new man, ready to face the consequences of my actions. My gaze landed on the receptionist desk where my manager said Marlene worked. Sure enough, there was a woman at the counter who looked like her but her hair was different.  Shorter, blunt at the edges with side swept bangs.  As if the woman could feel my eyes on her, she glanced up.  I knew it was Marlene by the shocked expression on her face.  As if she was seeing a ghost.   Just to double check, I took a step closer. “M?” At the term of endearment, her tooth snagged her bottom lip and that was all I needed. My heart turned over in my chest as I looked at the woman who had haunted my dreams.  Her face was the same, still uniquely beautiful.  However, being a mother brought out an inner glow.  Like the first time I saw Marlene, it was as if I was staring at the sun. Happiness warmed my soul. It was obvious she didn’t feel the same.  Her wide-eyed stare turned into one of panic and my gut told me she was about to bolt.  Quickly, I strode over but it was too late. I held out my hand to stop her. “Wait,” I yelled. Marlene’s long leg’s sprinted toward the women’s restroom where she disappeared inside. I knew I should have told her I was in Seattle instead of surprising her. My manager clasped his hand on my shoulder. “What are you staring at?” He asked. My eyes willed for the door to open and for Marlene to re-e
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Love of a Rockstar Epilogue

The one constant critique readers had about Love of a Rockstar was that they felt like the ending was rushed. So without further ado, I present to you the Epilogue that will hopefully give you the closer you seek.
The smoke alarm blared in my ears as I scrambled over to the oven and pulled open the door.  A black cloud billowed out.              “Shit,” I cursed.               Grabbing a pair of oven mitts, I removed the cake pans and set them on the counter.  They were charred to a crisp, unsalvageable.  Luke advised me not to make our wedding cake on top of everything else but my stubborn nature didn’t see any other option.              “Mommy, is the world ending?” Nil, my daughter, yelled behind me.              Might as well be. My wedding was the day after next and there wasn’t a cake to speak of. Heaving a sigh, I turned around. Nil’s bangs were mushed to her forehead, sleep clouded her eyes and she had her pajama shirt on backwards. Was that my fault?             “No, it’s just the fire alarm, sweetie.” I answered.             “Did you burn another cake?”             Annoyance nipped at my conscience. My daughter meant no harm behind her words. Nonetheless, it didn’t help my stress.  The fire alarm cut off and blissful silence was restored.               “Yes, I burned another cake but not as badly as last time.” I said, referring to two days ago when the oven almost caught on fire.             Nil’s expression grew hopeful. “Can we still eat it?”             “Afraid not. It probably taste like old car rubber.”             She stuck her tongue out in disgust. With Luke on the tour the past few months, plans for the wedding and restaurant renovations of ‘Norma Jeans’ had fallen on my shoulders.  We wanted to elope to Paris but my mom threw a fit.  So instead, Luke and I were having a small ceremony at my parent’s house followed by a reception at our restaurant.  The understated diamond on my ring finger glinted under the kitchen lights.  All the stress in the world though, was worth marrying the love of my life.  Sometimes late at night, I lay awake and couldn’t believe Nil, Luke and I were a family again.  It was a dream come true.             The front door slammed shut followed by Camille’s voice. “I’m here.” She floated into the kitchen, weighted down with a thousand shopping bags. “You would be shocked how hard it is to find a craft store in this city.”             A colorful scarf was thrown around her neck, bringing out her emerald green eyes.  She looked tired but I’m guessing it wasn’t because of grad school. Her new boyfriend, the barista, was keeping her occupied in and out of bed lately.  Camille deposited the shopping bags onto the floor. Nil immediately ran over to see what treasures they held.  A squeal erupted from her lips when she found the confetti. I dumped the cake into the trashcan. “Thanks for finding everything. If it weren’t for you, everybody would go home empty handed tomorrow. “Of course, I’m just happy to be included.” I looked at her out of the corner of my eye and smiled. A couple of months ago, I found out Camille kept a life changing secret from me. While I said I forgave her, it took awhile for that trust to be rebuilt between us.  Since we were five years old, we hadn’t gone more than two days without communicating. So you could imagine how hard it was to go almost a full month without a daily check in. I reached out and squeezed her hand. “Me too. I missed you.” Camille slapped my hand away, pulling me into a hug instead.  I wound my arms around her waist and rested my head on her shoulder. “What was I thinking making my own wedding cake?” I mused out loud. She laughed. “You weren’t but don’t worry, Nil and I are here to help. Right Nil?” My daughter was too absorbed in the glitter to answer.  “Well I’m here to help, at least.” Camille continued. I stepped out of her embrace, feeling slightly less stressed than I was five minutes ago. “What do you suggest?” “Your love story isn’t conventional by any means. It’s honestly a miracle you guys ended up where you are now. Focus on that and work from there.” Camille was right…like always. Luke and I had the kid before the wedding, fell in love, out of love and than madly in love.  The dessert wasn’t important. What was important was to celebrate how far we had come as a couple. “Hey Nil.” Strands of gold were weaved into her hair. She looked like a deranged princess. “What do you think the dessert should be?” She tilted her head to the side. After a moment, her face lit up. “Ice cream sundaes. “ Camille and I shared a goofy grin at the idea. It was actually brilliant. An ice cream sundae bar was classy yet could be done last minute. I ran over and swung Nil into the air.  “I love you to infinity and beyond.” Later that night after I put Nil to sleep, I sat in bed reading a cheesy romance novel to focus my attention off my butterflies. One more day until I was going to be the wife of Luke Anderson, rock and roller and overall bad ass.  Girls everywhere would hate me. Scratch that. They already did.  It used to bother me but now I’m honored they take the time to talk about me as if I’m somebody important. Against my will, my eyelids grew heavy and I yawned. Setting my book aside, I snapped off the light. Snuggling under the covers, my last thought before I drifted off to sleep was Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough. I was more than ready to become Marlene Anderson.             The morning light streamed through the windows. I stretched my hands over my head and rolled over onto my side.              “Holy shit,” I screeched.             Luke was lying in our bed, fully clothed with a wicked smile painted on his face. “Hey baby.”             It had been a long 8 weeks since I last saw him.  His band did a worldwide tour without taking a single break.  I thought about visiting him but I didn’t want to disrupt Nils schedule. Skype was our lifesaver but it didn’t compare to seeing Luke in person.             “What are you doing here?” I asked.             “I couldn’t stay away from my bride to be a minute longer.”             Happiness overrode my shock as I launched myself into his arms. Burying my face into his neck, I breathed in his signature scent. “You’re here.”             “I will always be here,” He murmured.             Blissfully content, our limbs tangled together while we talked about everything and anything.  An hour or so later, Nil peeked her head into our bedroom. When she saw her father, she let out a scream that was pure happiness. “Daddy!” She jumped between us and sidled up next to Luke. I pulled the covers over our bodies as we spent the morning in bed as a family.  It was exactly how we were meant to be all along.

Eye Candy Friday - Hot Men with Puppies

My dream one day is to own a French bulldog named Frank.  He would be my best friend, loyal writing companion and number one source of entertainment.  However, since I live in an apartment building that doesn’t allow animals, I’ll have to shelf that dream until I move somewhere else.  In the meantime, I will stare longingly at puppies on Pinterest preferably with hot men by their side. 

Roller Coaster of Emotions+ 25% off Coupon on Smashwords

To say this past week was a roller coaster would be an understatement. Love of a Rockstar was released this past Tuesday to glowing and not so glowing reviews. Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t think about how the public would react to the plot line.  A young man leaves his pregnant girlfriend behind to pursue a life of rock and roll, only to show up again four years later to right his wrongs.  A select few couldn’t get over what Luke did, some thought he didn’t beg enough and a majority thought Marlene (the main character) was spineless. At first when I read these reviews I was heartbroken. In my eyes, these characters I wrote went on a journey to self-discovery, only to realize home is where the heart is.  But then after careful consideration, my heartbreak turned into joy.  Screaming at me, the author, because you thought the story didn’t go as planned means you got invested in the characters and what happened to them.  I love that! So let it out, vent your rage and move on. I don’t want to only focus on the negative though.  I had a large handful of people who really enjoyed Love of a Rockstar and fell in love with the story. In fact, quite a few asked if there would be a sequel.  To answer that question, not at this time but I am thinking about writing a bonus chapter that will hopefully give everybody the closure they need.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you times a million for picking up Love of a Rockstar. I’m stunned speechless my little pipe dream to one day become an author has come true! To show my appreciation, I have included a coupon on Smashwords for Love of a Rockstar.  Enter the code: WX83G and get 25 percent off. This promotion ends March 19th.

Eye Candy Friday - Men with Facial Hair

First off, let me say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the wonderful blogs out there who have reviewed my book this week.  I am still in a state of shock whenever I see Love of a Rockstar on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  It is truly a blessing.  Now let’s move on to the fun stuff. This week’s eye candy is all about facial hair. As much as I love a man with tattoo’s, there is nothing sexier than a five clock shadow.  Chime in on what type of guy you want to see next Friday in the comment’s below! Happy Valentines Day.

**Release Day Special*** Love of a Rockstar 99 cents Today Only!

 The first day of the Love of a Rockstar Book Tour was yesterday. There were bad reviews, good reviews and mediocre reviews.  Overall though, the word has been positive and I am frankly overjoyed people are reading my novel. Something I never thought would happen.  To show my appreciation and celebrate release day, I marked down Love of a Rockstar to 99 cents. Run out and get your copy because this special deal is today only! 

Start Your Weekend with Some Eye Candy

 If you couldn’t tell, I have a serious crush on men with tattoos.  They give off a badass vibe that makes my inner teenager squeal in delight.  I have never regretfully dated a guy with tattoos but it’s on my list of things to do. No pun intended.  In celebration of Love of a Rockstar releasing on Tuesday, I decided to put together a collage of eye candy, tattoo edition. However since gawking at half naked men is an awesome way to start your weekend, this might become a tradition .  Cheers!

Love of a Rockstar Now Available for Pre-order on Barnes and Noble

Four years ago, the plot line to Love of a Rockstar came to me out of the blue, six months ago I started to write it and today it is available for pre-order on Barnes and Noble. This book wouldn’t have been possible without the outstanding team behind me.  Lindsey for bringing out the true potential of Love of a Rockstar, JT Formatting, Ok Cover Design and Literati Author Services, you all rock my socks off!  If you don’t have a Nook, there is only one week left until release day and if you do, it would mean the world to me if you pre-ordered Love of a Rockstar for $2.99.  Happy dance starting in 1, 2, 3….. AHHH!