Leesa Bow's Blog, page 2
January 29, 2015
ARRA Finalist and Good News
Early January I was notified I made the list for the Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA) as a finalist in the Favourite New Author category for 2104.
And I am over the moon.
2014 was a big year for me as a debut author with Winning the Player releasing in April, Charming the Outback in September, and Jardine in December, featuring in the Love Addiction anthology.
Being part of the Love Addiction anthology was such a good experience along side seven other USA authors. (I am the only Aussie).
Jardine is my first novella and prequel to Caught Out. I have now finished writing Caught Out and hopefully will share more good news soon on a release date.
December 15, 2014
December 14, 2014
Jardine and Love Addiction New Release
I am so excited for the release of my book Jardine in the Love Addiction anthology featuring the following authors: Sarah Darlington, Violet Vaughn, Sydney Aaliyah Michelle, Jennifer Ann, Leesa Bow, Lilly Christine, Addison Kline, and Jen Greyson.
LOVE ADDICTION: a holiday anthology
Eight steamy stories of love and lust to melt your winter blues. Today’s hot new adult romance authors will hook you with a sexy ski instructor, a spicy Aussie, an infuriatingly-charming husband, a lusty lumberjack, a hunky romantic football player, a bad-boy protector, a smokin’ hot snowboarder and a hauntingly-handsome man with a secret.
Now Available! .99c for the boxed set!
Purchase here:
Amazon I Amazon CA I Amazon AU I Barnes and Noble I Kobo I iTunes I Goodreads
Join the Facebook Party: https://www.facebook.com/events/332132753633612/
More about the books included in the anthology…
#1: CRAVE by Violet Vaughn
Casey Cassidy gets what she wants.
Determined to get over Jason and find a man that wants a family, she moves to Breckenridge, Colorado.
Landing a job skiing every day, Casey finds Blaine Johnson - a wish come true. A hunky surfer turned ski instructor, he checks off every requirement on her list.
Except for the one she forgot to add.
Blaine has a secret. A secret so big it keeps intimacy smoldering, when Casey needs fire. No matter how hard she tries, the embers won’t ignite. Can she live without passion to get the family she craves?
When Jason comes to town, Casey questions everything she wished for. Their consuming love threatens to explode and ruin her dream. Will she have to choose between a family and the love of her life?
#2: ANOTHER NEW LIFE by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle
"I wanted him, but more than that, I didn’t want to disappear again. That scared me the most."
Miranda Preston is a walking contradiction. Beautiful on the outside, but, insecure, haunted and damaged on the inside. Despite these contradictions, she’s ready to start Another New Life.
When her talent wins her a piano scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, Miranda arrives on campus determined to experience everything college has to offer and to keep her secrets in the past where they belong.
An easy task, until the first guy who catches her eye happens to be someone she’s known all her life.
Eight years have passed since the last time Miranda and Troy saw each other. He reminds her of the best and worst times of her life, but she can’t think about one without dwelling on the other. As they grow closer, every day their attraction reminds them they are no longer kids.
The epic romantic love story that is Miranda and Troy seems to be destined for a happy ending, but Miranda knows it’s only a matter of time before her secret is discovered. A secret that will not only destroy their relationship, it will destroy Troy, too.
Can Miranda focus on her future with Troy while preventing her past from tearing them apart all over again?
#3: JARDINE by Leesa Bow (Book #1)
‘Nothing is worth losing you,’ he whispered.
‘You wouldn’t lose me. I’d be there to support you and help you reach your dreams.’ I smiled and ran my hand down his beautiful face.
At eighteen, Ava is sure she has found her soul mate in Jardine. Convincing their friends and family that what they have is more than just a crush, however, is an entirely different story. Jardine’s parents have his life mapped out with plans that don’t include Ava.
Their plans to get into med school and start their future together crumble when cricket sensation Jardine is selected to play for the Australian team, and expected to spend most of the year touring internationally. Ava knows since they agreed to follow their dreams, no matter the cost, she has to let Jardine go.
Ava also discovers a new inspiration to move on with her life. But can she keep it a secret from Jardine? If he discovers the truth, everything between them could be destroyed.
#4: KILL DEVIL HILLS by Sarah Darlington
“Sweet as hell. Unexpected. Reassuring. It was as if he wanted me to know, in his own particular Noah way, that he hadn’t forgotten about me.”
He’s twenty-four. She’s eighteen.
His life is exactly the way he’s always wanted it to be…stable.
She’s quite possibly the very definition of unstable.
Noah saved her.
Georgina never wanted to be saved.
Growing up, Noah Clark was passed from one relative to the next until he finally ended up living with his abusive, alcoholic uncle in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Thanks in part to the unwavering love and support of his best friend, Ellie Turner, Noah survived those years, escaped his uncle, and grew into the man he is today. Now he runs his own business and lives a pretty normal, no-nonsense life—one where he maintains a high level of control.
Georgina is Ellie’s younger sister. Four months ago, Noah saved Georgie’s life, but he thought that was where his involvement with his friend’s sister would end. Now Georgie has returned home from the recovery facility her parents sent her away to and Noah, still haunted by the night that connects them, can’t stop himself from continuously trying to protect this girl he barely knows. But is he willing to give up all of the control he’s worked so hard to build in his life and risk everything for her? Even more importantly, would she do the same for him?
#5: CANDI FOR CHRISTMAS by Lilly Christine
McGreers Special Christmas Edition, McGreers #7
"He hadn’t taken his eyes from hers.
They were the blue-grey of the sky now. Sunlight sparked against them.His lips were close, then they met hers.
When she kissed him back, it felt like she was melting inside, melting into Shane McGreer.”
Fresh-faced intern Candi Bamberger flies to Beaver Creek, Colorado to scope out the action, but not the kind smokin’ snowboard star Shane McGreer has in mind! Shane shows her amazing moves, and not just in the half-pipe. He’s fallen hard, but Candi’s in deep freeze. Will he warm her up in time for a McGreer Ranch Christmas Eve?
#6: DOWN TO YOU by Addison Kline
"Here it is. Here is all I have to give. Everything in my life comes down to you."~Brant Edgemont
Holly Edgemont used to love celebrating Christmas, that is, until her whole world was turned upside down by an unexpected divorce from her college sweetheart Brant. This year, not only is she divorced, but the kids are going out of state with her ex Brant, leaving her utterly alone. Holly’s party-girl friend Sloane tries to break her out of her frump by dragging her along to holiday parties where Holly meets cute and available Chris. But when Holly realizes that she still has feelings for Brant, she has a decision to make: Learn to trust her long time love who broke her heart, or move on for good.
Brant Edgemont is a divorced father of three, and hopelessly in love with his ex-wife, Holly. He made the biggest mistake of his life walking out two years ago. Despite his pleas to reconnect, Holly still resists him. Is it too late to rekindle their love? Or will Holly move on for good, leaving Brant himself heartbroken and alone? Down To You is not just a romantic love story. It is a story of familial love, friendship, betrayal, redemption, and the magic that can happen at Christmas time when friends and family join together.
#7: ADAM’S LIST by Jennifer Ann
"We’ve entered dangerous territory. You can’t kiss someone with so much emotion if you’re preparing to walk away."
She’s ready to give up on life, hiding her depression with sarcasm and booze. He’s got a secret and quit college, with few friends to lean on. When they discover each other, the sexual attraction is undeniable. So why does it seem impossible for them to be together?
Everyone wanted to be Jewels Peterson in high school. Naturally beautiful, exceptionally smart, talented cheerleader, life of the party, and with an All-American boyfriend to boot. One regrettable choice and fatal accident later, and Jewels found herself unceremoniously knocked off her pedestal. Now she’s in college, going through the motions, but not really living.
Adam Murphy is easy-going, charming, considerate, and crazy good looking; he’s exactly the kind of guy Jewels pictures herself being happy with. But Jewels is already involved with someone, and Adam makes it known that he’s guarding a dark secret, one that makes him the wrong guy for her. Trumped by the promise of an innocent friendship, Jewels is forced to ignore her overwhelming hunger for Adam.
After Jewels unknowingly helps Adam create a bucket list, they embark on the adventure of a lifetime that pushes their platonic relationship to its limits. But does she want to be with Adam without knowing the truth behind the skeletons in his closet, or is being with him just another pointless thing in her life?
#8: SNOWED UNDER by Jen Greyson
Passionate Hippie + Hot Lumberjack = Enough heat to melt the fiercest Alaskan snow storm.
Cassidy catches a plane to Alaska to meet celebrity and friend, Jeremy Wren, to tackle her biggest environmental protest to date. But when she gets there, Jeremy’s flaked again and now she has to take on the Goliath, Whetman Logging, by herself.
But lumberjack, Teague Whetman isn’t who she expected. He’s sexy and nerdy and nothing like his old man—the Whetman behind the monster that she’s come to destroy. Determined to see her protest through, she handcuffs herself to his saw and shuts down the operation…right as a late-Spring storm rolls in.
Hammered by the snow, the little town of Bear Ridge shuts down, including the airport and Cassidy’s way out. Left with no other option, and with the storm turning deadly, Teague takes her to his place…
Will Teague and Cassidy be able to keep each other at arm’s length, or will the softly falling snow, candlelight, and their intense attraction be too much to resist?
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November 30, 2014
Put Your Bats Out
Such a great article
November 26, 2014
Cupcakes
I’m over at Louise Reynolds blog today talking about cupcakes, Charming the Outback, and my new release Jardine.
November 21, 2014
What Winning Means to Me
Leisl Leighton is a fellow Destiny author and currently has two books out Dark Moon, and Killing Me Softly.
To read, what winning means to me, you can check out Leisl’s blog and read about her books as well.
It is my pleasure to have Leesa Bow on my blog tonight. I first met Leesa on Facebook when she sold her first book, Winning the Player, with Destiny. She struck me as one of those people who are never caught without a smile, someone who is positive about life and their place in it, and in the time that I’ve come to know her, I haven’t been proved wrong. I had the pleasure of meeting her face to face at the RWA conference in Sydney this year and she is one of the loveliest people you are likely to meet – incredibly warm and very generous with her time and efforts to help all her friends and other writers. She has helped me out with a lot of promotional opportunities and it’s a pleasure to be able to give her the opportunity to meet new people here.
It seemed appropriate, with this winning attitude (and given she writes about sports stars and their need to win in their personal and professional lives) that Leesa talk to us today about what winning means to her.
Take it away, Leesa.
Thanks for having me Leisl! My name is Leesa Bow and I write new adult contemporary romance with a sport theme.
The term winning has always fascinated me. Winning is ingrained into our DNA and our mere existence comes from our ancestors overcoming huge obstacles to survive. People see winning in life in so many forms, not only the winning in sport, which is the central theme in the stories I like to write. From politics to horse racing, sport and celebrations, even an individual achieving a single goal, the power of success drives us to move forward.
But it isn’t just that. Often on social media I see captions of Winning with a picture of someone doing something simple. People are appreciating the smaller things in life without having to rely on an adrenaline rush for success. To me, enjoying life is about winning. I married a football player and witnessed the highs and lows of professional sports players, appreciated the success after months of intense physical work but when my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, winning took a whole different meaning.
To beat cancer is winning.
To have life is winning.
To give life is winning.
Celebrating happiness is winning.
Sharing the happiness of winning is good for the soul. Sharing creates more than one winner. People love to win and feel they matter, and that they make a difference. When we feel good about ourselves we open our hearts to love. Writing about love makes me happy so I guess writing romance makes me an absolute winner!
So let me tell you about the fun stories I write. My books are about second chance love and the sports hero whose tough exterior is weakened by love.
Winning the Player is about love catching up to you no matter how far you run. The sport theme is football and basketball. Charming the Outback is a second chance love story set in rural Australia, with a mild football theme. Jardine is book one in my cricket series. It is a young romance about first time love, and I am madly writing the sequel, Caught Out so not to leave readers disappointed.
Jardine will be released on December 15, 2014.
Blurb:
At eighteen, Ava is sure she has found her soul mate in Jardine. Convincing their friends and family that what they have is more than just a crush, however, is an entirely different story. Jardine’s parents have his life mapped out with plans that don’t include Ava.
Their plans to get into med school and start their future together crumble when cricket sensation, Jardine, is selected to play for the Australian team and expected to spend most of the year touring internationally. Ava knows since they agreed to follow their dreams, no matter the cost, she has to let Jardine go.
Ava also discovers a new inspiration to move on with her life. But can she keep it a secret from Jardine? If he discovers the truth, everything between them could be destroyed.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23375169-jardine
Winning with my books is being able to share my stories with readers, and knowing that they enjoy them raises the successful bar. I liken it to a premiership sporting team, and the supporters getting just as much enjoyment with the added feeling of accomplishment as that of the winning team.
Thanks for reading and a big thank you to Leisl for having me!
It was a pleasure, Leesa. And thanks for telling us about what winning means to you. You can find out more about Leesa’s books at www.leesabow.com
You can buy her books at:
WINNING THE PLAYER
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/Winningtheplayer
Amazon AUS: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00J3KF4T0
iTunes: http://bit.ly/WTy7wB
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/winning-the-player
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1s02wpT
CHARMING THE OUTBACK
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/Charmingtheoutback
Amazon AUS: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00LNSTXJW
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1oiUqpa
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1rW5WGK
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/charming-the-outback-1
Here are Leisl’s books:
DARK MOON
KILLING ME SOFTLY
You can find out more about Leisl at:
November 16, 2014
MEET THE CHARACTER BLOG HOP
I have been asked by the lovely Justine Lewis to introduce you to one of the characters in my new release, JARDINE.
Justine and I are both Destiny authors. Her debut novel, The Secret Prince, was released on 4th November 2014 and available now at Amazon
You can also find Justine’s blog here http://justinelewisromance.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/meet-the-character-blog-hop/
So, here we go!
1. What is the name of your character in JARDINE?
Ava Walters
2. Is she fictional or a historic person?
Fictional!
3. When and where is the story set?
Present day. It is a contemporary romance, set in Adelaide, Australia.
4. What should we know about her?
Ava grew up as an only child. She dislikes taking risks and finds change difficult. Ava is smart, loyal, extremely unselfish and level headed.
She suffers some anxiety especially around exam time, and develops a nervous rash on her elbow.
5. What is the personal goal of the character?
To follow her dreams and at least not stop trying, even if she has to reassess her goals. Ava also has a personal goal of helping her boyfriend, Jardine achieve his goals even if it means sacrificing her own.
6. What is the blurb:
At eighteen, Ava is sure she has found her soul mate in Jardine. Convincing their friends and family that what they have is more than just a crush, however, is an entirely different story. Jardine’s parents have his life mapped out with plans that don’t include Ava.
Their plans to get into med school and start their future together crumble when cricket sensation Jardine is selected to play for the Australian team and expected to spend most of the year touring internationally. Ava knows since they agreed to follow their dreams, no matter the cost, she has to let Jardine go.
Ava also discovers a new inspiration to move on with her life. But can she keep it a secret from Jardine? If he discovers the truth, everything between them could be destroyed.
7. Is there a working title for this novel?
The novel is called Jardine and it is Book #1 in the series. It’s the prequel to Caught Out.
8. When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published?
Jardine will be released 15 December 2014 and is part of a box set with other new adult authors. The anthology is called Love Addiction.
It will be available from 10th December 2014 at Amazon and iTunes
What happens next? It’s a blog hop so head on over to blogs of these talented ladies and check out what they are posting about their characters around 23 November 2014.
SYNEY AALIYAH MICHELLE
Sydney Aaliyah Michelle is a New Adult Contemporary Romance writer, a voracious reader and movie fanatic who hails from Texas.
After surviving 5 1/2 years living in China, she had the courage to finally pursue her passion and become a writer.
Sydney has been blogging at sydneyaaliyah.com for three years, where she interviews people about their tattoos, discusses her favorite movie quotes, reviews books (New Adult & only the ones she loves) and journals about her writing and editing process.
Sydney’s currently has two self-published novels, Another New Life and Hope for Her (Hope Series Book #1). Hope for Him (Hope Series Book #2) will be available December 2014.
CONNECT WITH SYDNEY
Blog: sydneyaaliyah.com
KAITLYN STONE
They say for authors to write what they know. My novels are inspired by events in my own life. I truly relive my experiences twice through the lives of the characters I create. Not only do I relate to their thoughts and feelings, I have lived many of them.
When I sat down to write a love story inspired by my real-life first love as a tribute to our very own fairytale romance, I never thought a book would be the end result, but 80,000 words later that’s exactly what I had. I wanted to express in words what his love means to me and how it changed me as a person, never to see or experience life the same.
My goal was to capture the essence of true love through an intriguing story and create rich, life-like characters to speak of the emotions I felt when falling in love for the first time. One chapter turned into two, and those, plus twenty-two more became a book. Once I realized my goal of writing a book was going to come to fruition, I wished to share my story with the world, to inspire others to believe in true love and happily-ever-after’s. Choosing our milestone anniversary as its publication date, I planned to self-publish my completed novel for my husband’s gift. What better way to tell the man of your dreams how much you truly love him, then sharing it with the world.
I admit I have always gravitated toward love stories and happily-ever-after’s, forever chasing the first love dragon. There’s nothing like the witty banter between characters, fueling their physical attraction, and the anticipation of their first kiss. Add in the push and pull from the couple’s sexual tension and the world trying to tear them apart, and you have a recipe for an exciting, steamy romance. Place the couple in interesting locations, living adventures most only dream of and the journey propels you forward through the pages. Sprinkle in danger for both the hero and heroine to combat and the courage and strength of the characters shine through.
Because I’m not a writer by training, I worked with writing critique groups to fine tune my manuscript before the planned release date of summer, 2014. As a fluke, not expecting any response, I submitted my completed manuscript to a publishing house, and a week later I was offered a contract.
CONNECT WITH KAITLYN
Webpage: http://www.kaitlynstone.com/
November 15, 2014
COVER REVEAL FOR LOVE ADDICTION ANTHOLOGY
I’m so excited for the cover reveal of the anthology my book Jardine will be a part of…
LOVE ADDICTION: a holiday anthology
8 moving stories of love and lust to melt away your winter blues.
Coming December 15th!
November 10, 2014
Get into Bed with Leesa Bow (Author Interview)
Check out my interview with Keira at Love Romance Passion
