Heidi Rice's Blog, page 8

Psst... Jamie Dornan, The 50 Shades Movie AND a Book Giveaway.

Want to know my top ten reasons why Jamie Dornan is the PERFICK casting for Christian Grey in 50 Shades of Grey: The Movie?

Answer: YES.... Then head on over to the Pink Heart Society today where I have gotten ahold of the coveted Male on Monday post specifically to enlighten people on that very subject.

Answer: NO, I couldn't give a toss about 50 Shades or who plays Christian Grey in the movie... Then head on over to the PHS anyway because I'm giving away a copy of Beach Bar Baby to one lucky commentator.

Bribery works. See you there.

Happy Launch Day, Brenda Novak & Sekrit Projects!

Beach Bar Baby est Arrivé!

Whoopee! Beach Bar Baby launches today in North America and the UK and Ireland in Harlequin KISS and Mills & Boon Modern Tempted...

In case you don't know what I'm banging on about this is the final installment in my Brothers and Sisters series... With strong links to Cupcakes and Killer Heels (Ruby and Cal from that book have supporting roles in this one). Beach Bar Baby tells the story of cupcake baker Ella Radley who goes to Bermuda on a holiday of a lifetime - which is turning out to be anything but - until she has a wild fling with studly local boat captain Cooper Delaney on her last night on the island...

Here's a little snippet to whet your appetite, which takes place just as Coop and Ella are getting really well acquainted...

He turned up the lamp, giving the modest hut a golden glow. Walking to the open deck, he closed two large shutters and then slid the screen door across, cocooning them in together against the Caribbean night. Only the sparkle of moonlight and the sound of surf and chirping insects seeped through the slats.'Don't want to risk getting our butts bitten off my mosquitos,' he said, crossing the short distance back to her.She laughed, the rough stubble on his jaw ticklish against her neck as he gripped her hips and nuzzled the sensitive skin beneath her ear. 'Especially such a cute butt,' he added, giving the butt in question an appreciative squeeze.She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his jeans, to caress the tight muscles of the backside she had admired that morning in wet denim. ‘I can totally get behind that sentiment.’He chuckled, warm, callused palms sneaking under her camisole to glide up to her ribcage and send a series of tremors through her body.‘Flattery will get you everywhere,’ he said. Before placing his mouth on hers at last.Releasing his bum, she lifted arms lethargic with lust and draped them over his broad shoulders, driving her fingers into the soft curls at his nape, she let him devour her. He angled his hips and the thick ridge in his pants rubbed against her belly.Oh yes, I want this so much. To be taken, to take. She wanted to let her body do the asking and have his answer, in the primordial mating ritual of two animals in need of an endorphin fix. The fact that she liked him, that he seemed a genuinely nice guy, didn’t hurt. But right here, right now, as the building firestorm made the pulsing ache in her sex unbearable, and her nipples tighten into hard, swollen nubs, all she really cared about was satisfying the driving hunger.

If you want more details on where to buy it check out the book's page on my website. Also watch this space as I will be giving away some copies on various blogs in the next few weeks. Then again....

Beach Bar Baby on the Block at Brenda Novak Online Auction

If you want to buy a copy and do something amazing for Diabetes Research... I've also got some signed Larger Print copies of BBB up for grabs at Brenda Novak's Online Auction. So get your bids on NOW! Here and Here. OR if you want Beach Bar Baby in a 2-in-1 with Charlotte Phillips fabulous The Plus-One Agreement you can bid Here or Here.

Cosmo #2 Hits Ed's Desk & New Projects!
In other news my 2nd Cosmo (working title: 10 Rules to Sex-Up a Blind Date ) a tale of sex, lies and Twitter etiquette has winged its way to my editor... So I'm getting cracking on a super sekrit project which I hope will be quite a surprise for readers when I can announce it!

Beach Bar Baby Giveaway for NA readers!

Windswept in ConnemaraSo after a fabulous week in Ireland at a wonderfully inspirational writers retreat in Connemara (where I am so setting a book!), I got back to find a great big box of my new Harlequin KISS release Beach Bar Baby... So what's a girl to do but set up a Goodreads Giveaway? For North American readers no less?

The book's out now on the Harlequin site, and released country-wide on May 1st. For more deets and a sneak peek check out my website here.

Now as KISS is only available on digital at the moment, these paperbacks are the rarer Larger Print version (ie don't read the sexy bits on the bus cos that guy next to you will so be able to read it over your shoulder... Just sayin' - unless of course he's a total hunk and you want him to read it over your shoulder!) I've got two copies to giveaway, so enter before 21st April to be in with a chance of nabbing one.



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Goodreads Book Giveaway Beach Bar Baby by Heidi Rice Giveaway ends April 21, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Beach Bar Baby.. Goodreads Giveaway for UK readers!

Hey all you folks in the UK, I have a Goodreads Giveaway of my brand new Modern Tempted Beach Bar Baby (not out til May). About a Bermuda Beach, a Bar hookup and well, you get the picture.

4 copies up for grabs. Enter Below... No worries if you're elsewhere I will do another one for international readers when I get my KISS copies.


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Goodreads Book Giveaway Beach Bar Baby by Heidi Rice Giveaway ends April 14, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win



 

Cosmo News and Movie News

YAY! Have just heard from my editor that the Cosmo team loved my partial and I am now under contract to write my 2nd Cosmo Red Hot Read. After all the hot fun I had writing 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man, I should have a blast writing 10 Rules to Sex-Up a Blind Date...

Here's my Pinterest board for the book, to give you some heft hints about what's in store.... But basically it involves a sex-starved London journalist with a secret Twitter habit, a super-studly American alpha wolf in geek's clothing and one super-hot blind date night in a luxury London hotel, and the mayhem that follows the morning after.

Apparently it's penciled in for release in October, so I need to get writing - and do much research on Channing Tatum and Chris Hemsworth who are vying to become my hero inspiration! (Damn this is a tough job.)





And if you want to catch a really fabulous (and totally off the wall) film experience, check out what I had to say about The Grand Budapest Hotel which is my Must Watch Friday pick for this month over at the Pink Heart Society today.

Introducing Beach Bar Baby... My next Harlequin KISS/Modern Tempted!

In the spirit of the season - Spring (in case you were wondering) - I've just added two new pages to my website. One for the fabulous short story collection from the authors of the RNA, Truly Madly Deeply - which includes a sneak peek of my offering The Fundamental Things - and one for my next Harlequin KISS/Modern Tempted book Beach Bar Baby.



I'm super excited about this story because it brings to a close my 'unofficial' Brothers and Sisters series of books which started with Rye and Maddy's story - Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger - way back in 2010 and finished last year with Zane and Iona's story - Too Close for Comfort... Or at least I thought it had concluded with Zane and Iona. But I kept having this niggling feeling that my Cupcakes and Killer Heels heroine Ruby Delisantro's best mate and business partner Ella needed her story told too. But I just couldn't figure out what it would be, until gorgeous boat captain and Bermuda beach bum Cooper Delaney popped into my head. And suddenly everything became clear - or rather smoking hot!

Anyway, the book's out in May/June and you can check out a sneak peek here. For details on all six of the books in the Brothers and Sisters series and how they're connected you can check out my backlist page here.

Truly Madly Deeply Launch Day... Time to Partay!

Hey all

Just joining in the fun today for the launch of the fan-tabulous 24 (or 35 if you're buying on digital) Short Story Collection Truly Madly Deeply featuring some of the rising stars and bestselling authors of the RNA (that includes me, just in case you were wondering).





We're over on the Truly Madly Deeply Facebook Page  or you can connect with us on Twitter @RNATweets with the hashtag #TrulyMadlyDeeply (obviously!) if you want to join us for lots of fun and frolics today (BTW I've already nabbed Jamie Dornan as my virtual date and he said Hell Yeah... so forget it if you wanted to ask him).


But I'm also blogging here about:

The Inspiration for The Fundamental Things
For pictorial inspiration you can check out my Pinterest page...

These are the lifts in question.... Sans Josh & AntonioBasically though, I got the original idea one day while at my other job working for a magazine as a film journalist. The magazine is based in some super swanky offices just behind the Tate Modern on London's South Bank. In fact the offices are so swanky they often get film crews there filming. Among some of the things to be shot there are Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and an episode of Spooks (yes WITH Richard Armitage in). Anyway, I've worked there as a freelancer for years and NEVER got to meet anyone famous. But I was uber-peed off a couple of years ago when I got into work to hear that Woody Allen was in the building shooting and he had with him Josh Brolin and Antonio Banderas... And some other tart who worked in the building had got stuck in the lift with Josh and Antonio for 20 minutes that morning... I mean, seriously? How fricking close do you need to get and NOT get to meet Josh Brolin and Antonio Banderas? Anyway, I pulled my disappointment - and my over imagination - out of the bag on that one when I came up with the premise for my story.

Then I started to ask the romance author's favourite question... What If?

What If... The guy you got stuck in the lift with wasn't a movie star, but your childhood sweetheart?

What If... You hadn't seen him in 22 years but you still hated his guts for a very good reason?

What If ... That reason wasn't as valid as you thought and finding out the truth might change your life/ and his in a very fundamental way?

If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a copy of Truly Madly Deeply with my story - and tons of other fabulous stories - in it. Then you could enter the Rafflecopter posted below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

So now it's time to PARTAY!!! 

Happy V-Day with a Sneaky Sneak Peek of my Truly Madly Deeply story

Happy Valentine's Day everyone...
Hope yours is full of love whether it comes from your other half, your kids, your BFF, your Facebook friends, your Mum and/or Dad, your cat, your dog, your golfish, your favourite chick-flick or your favourite romance novel. Because in the words of a particularly cheesy (but very appropriate for the purposes of this blog) song Love Is All Around so let's think outside the box and celebrate love wherever you find it this V-Day. You don't have to be hooked up to enjoy it, IMHO!!

And in the spirit of spreading the love for a price (because let's face it V-Day is a little bit about commercial exploitation too - hello card companies, thanks for that!) Here's a sneaky sneak peek of my short story in the fabulous Truly Madly Deeply RNA collection just out from M&B...


The Fundamental Things by Heidi Rice
Elizabeth Ryan and Lorenzo Kelly haven't seen each other for over 20 years, when they get stuck in a lift together for 20 life-changing minutes... 


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#TemptedToWrite, RWA2014, New Projects & Shirtless Cowboys!

As Mills and Boon's #TemptedtoWrite competition draws to a close on Twitter and FB (check out that hashtag to get involved in the conversation) this is a reminder to get your 10K word entry polished and entered by Monday 10th February... Just in time for Valentine's Day!


For more details have a look at Mills and Boon's Facebook Page, which is full of tips, hot tottie and tempting tasters of some of the entries, or to upload your entry go straight to the app here.

I'm one of the judges along with Charlotte Phillips and Joss Wood and I can't wait to read your stories! As a little tease I've written a special blog for all the Tempted to Write peeps at Books with Benefits on 10 Ways to Handle Being a Professional Writer (for when you get that all-important publishing contract)... Written in the spirit of my Cosmo Red Hot Read 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man (but without a gorgeous nekkid man in it, sorry!!)

In other news, I have signed up for the RWA Conference in San Antonio Texas in July, so if you're going to be there let me know. Love the conference, it's such a great gathering of career-orientated writers - and a great way to find out what's happening in the big ole world of romance publishing. Plus there's glamorous parties, book signings and, as we're in Texas, lots of shirtless cowboys... hopefully! maybe! pretty please!

And talking about writing, I am currently having a ball working on lots of proposals for possible new projects. Don't know yet which one I'm going to be writing next, but I'm really excited about all of them.

First off, I've got a possible new KISS continuity - with three other amazing authors - in the works, which, if it gets picked up, will be AWESOME.

Secondly I've submitted a new proposal for Cosmo Red Hot Reads, which is even hotter than my last one and is a tale of sex, lies, blind dates and Twitter etiquette!

And lastly, but I'm hoping not leastly, I'm developing an idea for a longer book set in London, Paris and the Smokey Mountains (at the moment)... But my lips are totally sealed on that one. So I don't jinx it! Having soooo much fun though writing outside the box.

Happy writing folks and have a great V-Day....

#TemptedToWrite, RWA & New Projects!

As Mills and Boon's #TemptedtoWrite competition draws to a close on Twitter and FB (check out that hashtag to get involved in the conversation) this is a reminder to get your 10K word entry polished and entered by Monday 10th February... Just in time for Valentine's Day!


For more details have a look at Mills and Boon's Facebook Page, which is full of tips, hot tottie and tempting tasters of some of the entries, or to upload your entry go straight to the app here.

I'm one of the judges along with Charlotte Phillips and Joss Wood and I can't wait to read your stories! As a little tease I've written a special blog for all the Tempted to Write peeps at Books with Benefits on 10 Ways to Handle Being a Professional Writer (for when you get that all-important publishing contract)... Written in the spirit of my Cosmo Red Hot Read 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man (but without a gorgeous nekkid man in it, sorry!!)

In other news, I have signed up for the RWA Conference in San Antonio Texas in July, so if you're going to be there let me know. Love the conference, it's such a great gathering of career-orientated writers - and a great way to find out what's happening in the big ole world of romance publishing. Plus there's glamorous parties, book signings and, as we're in Texas, lots of shirtless cowboys... hopefully! maybe! pretty please!

And talking about writing, I am currently having a ball working on lots of proposals for possible new projects. Don't know yet which one I'm going to be writing next, but I'm really excited about all of them.

First off, I've got a possible new KISS continuity - with three other amazing authors - in the works, which, if it gets picked up, will be AWESOME.

Secondly I've submitted a new proposal for Cosmo Red Hot Reads, which is even hotter than my last one and is a tale of sex, lies, dirty dates and Twitter etiquette!

And lastly, but I'm hoping not leastly, I'm developing an idea for a longer book set in London, Paris and the Smokey Mountains (at the moment)... But my lips are totally sealed on that one. So I don't jinx it!

Happy writing folks and have a great V-Day....