Jillian Jacobs's Blog, page 11

Loved by Britni Hill

Please welcome Britni Hill.

Loved Blurb:
Sun, sand, and sangria are what Megan wanted for spring break. Instead she’s getting linens, centerpieces, and dress fittings. The sister that outshines her constantly is getting married and she has to help with all the preparations. While their friends are enjoying the beach, Matt and Megan are heading to her hometown.
An overbearing mother. A disapproving father. A stuffy, perfectionist sister. A poorly attempted set up.
Matt’s doing everything he can to show her and them that she’s loved.

Buy links:

Hushed

Amazon: http://bitly.com/1zcLNOy

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1xuVoDS

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1nQdM4O

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1KeUwZm

Revealed

Amazon: http://bitly.com/1y8byUV

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1BqToOf

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1uF7W8q

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1maAsyn

(All books in the Western Palm series can be read as standalones but they do have intersecting timelines and some of the same characters and events.)

Social Media Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/britnihillauthor

Twitter: @thatbritnihill

Instagram: @thatbritnihill

Tsu: www.tsu.co/BritniHillAuthor

Website: www.britnihillbook.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/WFKE5
Bio: Britni Hill is the author of Tears in the Rubble and From the Rubble which were originally released by Rebel Ink Press in 2012. They have recently been re-released as a second edition. The first novel in her Western Palm series, Hushed, was released in March 2014 and followed up by Revealed in September. Britni is a licensed cosmetologist and an admitted book addict. She's been writing and reading since she learned how.  Britni’s inspirations come from the world around her. Her love of music, movies, art, and people watching spark her ideas and help give them shape. Britni loves using real life to shape realistic, engaging characters and stories.

Loving Josie Spotlight and Juicebox Dialogues Video

How does Loving Josie fit with the Torey Hope series?
Loving Josie was born in my head when readers begged for more from the series after Because of Beckett, A Torey Hope Novel Book 2. I tried to explain to them that there were no other characters to give a whole book to, but they convinced me that I could create some. Josie is a cousin that no one knew about and Kyle is an old high school friend of Jeremiah Jordan's. Both of them have had a series of events that lead them to Torey Hope.
Loving Josie is set in Torey Hope and involves the Morgan and Jordan families from the first two books in the series, but this story focuses on Josie and Kyle. It's in the same contemporary romance genre as the other books in my series, but this book has a bit of a paranormal/supernatural twist.
 
How many more books will there be in this series? When I started this journey, I had one goal and that was to write A book. While writing the first book, the second book was born in my head so I decided to write it as well. I was thrilled when readers loved the stories from Torey Hope. As I said above, I created Christmas in Torey Hope, A Novella and Loving Josie all because the readers and I weren't ready to leave Torey Hope behind. While I was writing Loving Josie, I found myself sad that the stories were truly over. One day, in the shower where all my best ideas are born, I thought about the future of Torey Hope and realized that the younger generation would eventually have stories as well. So, A Torey Hope Novel Series: The Later Years was born. To date, I have four more stories in this series planned in my head with a possibility of two others. Right now I'm about halfway through writing the first book in the continuation series. So, that's a long-winded answer to your question, but there are three books published to date, a new release on Jan 19, and at least four other books planned in the series. Eight books total, but 9-10 books isn't out of the question.
 
What is your 2015 release schedule? My goal for 2015 is to release the four books in The Later Years continuation. My rough plan right now is to have Decker released in February or March, but all releases are dependent upon how much writing I can get done while still teaching full time and being Mom. In addition, release goes out of my hands a bit when I turn the manuscript over for editing. But, February or March for Decker and then we'll see what happens from there. Sawyer, Zach, and Kendrick will have their stories in 2015 as well if I have my way.
 
One trait you share with your heroine in this book?
Josie Decker and I share some traits. Her history with her family is completely different than mine. However, she has a huge lack of self-confidence and that's something that I've dealt with over the years as well. I love that Josie and I sort of grew together; I was working on her story at the same time as I was really getting out there and meeting other authors and going to signings to meet readers. I found my confidence growing as I forced myself to meet strangers and to interact with the readers whom I love so dearly. Josie's lack of confidence stems from her past, but watching her grow and learn to love herself through this story was quite satisfying. LOVING JOSIE Excerpt:

I hung on her words as I tried to piece together her past. Her gorgeous eyes were big and bright as she spoke and I felt a jolt in my stomach as I took in her flushed cheeks. Running my thumb across the inside of her wrist, I admired her delicate skin. Without thinking I pulled her wrist to my mouth and feathered a kiss across the skin there; her breath caught and our eyes met. I felt her pulse quicken under my thumb, “Last chance, Jo, are you sure you want to permanently ink your body?” I chose to ignore the heavy breathing and obvious sexual tension between us; I didn’t mean to cause that, I just had a gut reaction to seeing her like this and my mouth needed to touch her skin.
“Hey, are you okay?” I heard her voice just as her hand slipped into mine. I knew it was meant to be a friendly, caring gesture but the jolt of electricity it sent through my body to feel her skin on mine was just more than I could handle in the state I was in. I removed my hand from hers and moved away; what I longed to do was hug her to me, I wanted her closeness, I wanted her calming. But I shouldn’t want that; I couldn’t have that.
He leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine; his breathing increasing and his voice whispered in my ear, “Jose, if for one night, I could just forget it all, I’d take you in my arms and love on you until sunrise. My lips want to taste you. I want to feel your touch. I long to feel you wrapped around me. God, I hurt with wanting you.” He stopped speaking, as if he was too overcome to continue.
The man was perfection. Unattainable perfection.
Feel that? Feel how your body is straining to meet mine? Whatever you’ve believed about yourself in the past, let it all go and believe only what I tell you. Your body is alive for me and we’re going to have a damn good time finding out all about what your body wants from me and what mine wants from you
“That’s right, baby, I am yours… if we didn’t have an audience I’d show you just how much I’m yours.” I leaned down and kissed her a bit more possessively than I meant to.
I walked her to the full-length mirror on her closet door. “Look at yourself. Perfect. Beautiful. Mine.” I punctuated each word with a kiss to her neck.
you’re my light, my hope, my future. Before you, I looked toward the future and saw only blackness; now I look at the future and I see promise. A promise of you, of us. I had accepted that my life was to consist of just existing, but finding you brought me out of just existing to start living again. Thank you for that. Thank you for being you, for needing me, for saving me.” A.D Ellis was born and raised in a small farming town in southern Indiana. An avid reader from the time she learned to read, A.D. could often be found curled up somewhere with her nose in a book. Most of her friends and family were not such book enthusiasts, so A.D. got used to dealing with snickers and joking comments about her constant reading habits.
A.D. always dreamed of being a teacher. Graduating from Indiana State University in 1999 and earning a Master’s Degree from Indiana Wesleyan in 2003, she met her goal of entering the world of education. A.D. has been teaching in the inner city of Indianapolis, Indiana for 15 years. She spent the majority of her 15 years in fourth grade, but has now taken on the challenges of teaching 3rd and 4th grade alternative education students. A.D. loves teaching fractions, variables, probability, and graphing in Math. She loves almost all aspects of English Language Arts. Figurative language, theme, making predictions, drawing conclusions, inference, context clues, making writing come to life, A.D. loves it all! Her students don’t always share in that enthusiasm.
A.D. met her husband in college in 1996 and they married in June of 2000. She lives in a south side suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband and two school-aged children. When she’s not reading or writing with music blaring, she can be found shopping at thrift stores, reading to her children, and running.
A.D. began her writing journey in October 2013 and she is grateful for the friends and support she’s found along the way.
Please connect with A.D. Ellis on Facebook. www.facebook.com/adellisauthor
Find A.D.’s author page on Amazon at www.amazon.com/author/adellis

Welcome Sara Walter Ellwood

Gambling On A Secret
Book 1 of The Colton Gamblers….

In anticipation of the June release of Book 3: Gambling On A Dream, Kensington Publishing has put Book 1: Gambling On A Secret on sale!
***ON SALE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY FOR $0.99***

Gambling On A Secret Blurb:
When Charli bets everything on a secret, will she find the deck stacked against her?

Former runaway-turned heiress Charli Monroe is hiding her sordid past and planning a future in Colton, Texas. Attending the local college for a degree in social work, she intends to raise cattle on her newly purchased ranch, which she plans to open as a home for troubled teens. Only a few glitches—the Victorian mansion is crumbling, the barn needs a roof, and her oilman neighbor wants more than friendship. When she meets Dylan Quinn, Charli is willing to take a chance on the town drunk to help her rebuild the rundown ranch.

Dylan has his demons, too. The former Special Forces commander can’t get past his ex-wife’s betrayal and the botched mission that left him with much more than a bad limp. Certain the greedy oilman next door to Charli wants much more than just her heart, Dylan’s even willing to stop drinking in order to protect her.

When things get dangerous and secrets of the past are revealed, is he only looking out for his new employer, or is she the new start he so desperately needs?

 “Full of intrigue, tangled pasts, and raw emotions, this one is guaranteed to keep you turning pages from start to finish and then wishing for one more chapter!”
Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author.

Ms. Brown also named Gambling On A Secret as one of her favorite romance reads in 2012 in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today.

“HONESTLY this was a FABULOUS read. Gambling on a Secret is a gripping, entertaining and an absolutely delightful romantic read which is set in the town of Colton located in Texas. Sara Walter Ellwood has scored with this book. This has been one of my favourite reads for 2013…” Read the rest of this 5 Satin Pillow review at Satin Sheets Romance  

 Gambling On A Secret Excerpt:

Dylan regarded her for a long moment and cocked a brow. Damn, was he making fun of her? He looked her up and down. “Wouldn’t a woman like you be more comfortable getting manicures and massages in a Dallas spa, not worrying about cattle breeds and barn roofs? It’s no secret around town you’re the heiress to the Monroe Farm Equipment fortune, and you sold a huge ranch in Oklahoma your grandfather left you. Why on Earth did you buy a dump like this?”

Now he’d pissed her off. Charli might have more money than she’d ever dreamed of having. She might like to dress in designer clothes, but it was none of this jerk’s business which ranch she bought. Or why she wanted it. She had a business plan and a vision for the ranch; what else mattered? “I happen to like this place. It suits me better than the ranch I sold.”

“Is that so? Did you bring any equipment with you? A tractor, a planter, hay mower, baler, anything?”

He would bring up one of the stupidest things she’d done. Sighing, she admitted, “I sold the equipment with the ranch when I decided to leave Oklahoma. One more reason I need a manager.” Her cheeks burned. “When I sold the ranch after inheriting it, I didn’t intend to buy another.”

“Why did you buy another ranch?” He slid his gaze back to hers and peered at her as if he could read her every thought--but what had her swallowing hard was the spark of something hot in his eyes.

She tightened her arms in the hug she gave herself--a self-protecting, insecure gesture she’d acquired while she lived with her abusive lover in Las Vegas as a teenage runaway.

“Buying a ranch the size of this one isn’t something most folks just wake up and decide to do, Miss Monroe. A ten-thousand-acre spread takes commitment and dedication and is damned hard work.”

Yeah, she knew that.

He looked down at her multicolored Manolo Blahnik five-inch heeled slides. The ghost of a smile touched his lips again, but this time little crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes, which held a spark of interest she didn’t want.

Damn, he was good-looking. She squelched that notion like the roach she’d killed earlier in the house. Hadn’t her life with Ricardo taught her a handsome face meant nothing but trouble?

“I can’t imagine you stuffing those pampered and polished feet into rubber boots to muck around in the barn.”

Me, either. But she would if she had to.

She drew in a breath and dropped her arms to her sides. “I think we should get back to asking questions about you. When your sister called about my newspaper ad, she said you were exactly what I’m looking for.”

He shrugged again in a not-a-care-in-the-world way again. What was this guy’s problem? If she weren’t running out of time, she would tell him to leave. She couldn’t waste this year, which meant she had to get someone hired. And her prospects were limited.

“Can you do the job?”

“Affirmative.”

She waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn’t, she frowned. “Do you have any references?”

“I expected you to ask. Everything you need to know should be in here.”

She moved closer and took the folded sheet of paper he held out the window. After glancing at it, she wasn’t surprised it was a resume, but his listed experience had her heart beating a little faster. She looked up at him. “You have a degree in agricultural business from Texas A & M, started up your own ranch and served in the Army?”

He looked off in the distance. “I was in the service for thirteen years, three years in the Corps of Engineers, four in Airborne and the last six in Special Forces.” His jaw clenched, making his face the chiseled block of cold stone again. “And I know something about building. When I wasn’t deployed, I built the house and barn on my two-hundred acre ranch.”

“You don’t own the ranch now?”

“No. My ex-wife got it in our divorce settlement. I planned to get out of the Army after my last tour in Afghanistan and raise cattle. But things never happen the way we want them to.”

The bitterness of his tone had her stepping away. She shivered again and busied herself with looking at the resume. Whatever his ex-wife had done to him, it wasn’t good. “Your reference list is pretty skimpy.”

“The first name is my old commander, but I just got word he’s shipped out on a secret mission.”

Something wasn’t adding up. Either he was hiding something or his sister had lied about his experience. “Your sister said you worked on Oak Springs Ranch while in high school, but it’s not listed on your resume. Are you related to the owner, Leon Ferguson? You said your mother grew up there.”

His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned into a tight line. “Leon is my mother’s stepbrother. While my grandfather was still alive and ran the ranch, I worked there until I joined the Army after he died. I chose not to mention it.”

But why? She didn’t press the matter. She wasn’t seriously considering him for the job anyway, was she?

She studied the resume again. “Brenda Dailey. Is this person off-limits, too? Or can I speak with her?”

“My ex-wife. I’d appreciate it if you don’t involve her. I put her on there because of the ranch.”

She looked up at him. “The divorce that bad, huh?”

Dylan shrugged and looked away. He gripped the top of the steering wheel hard enough to whiten his knuckles. “Suppose it’s no secret. Our divorce has only been final four months, and she married her baby-daddy the day after it became official. You figure it out.”

“Ouch. Okay, I won’t call your ex. Nevertheless, I’d like to see your house. Your sister mentioned you were a carpenter.” She glanced at the address of his former ranch. “Killeen’s south of here?”

He nodded. “It’s your two hours and tank of gas.”

“Thank you for stopping by. Your number’s on here. I’ll call you.”

“Thanks for your time, Miss Monroe. Good luck with this place.” He looked around at the buildings and over her before he turned the key in the ignition. The rusted bucket of bolts sputtered and the starter groaned before the engine turned over.

As he pulled away, she looked at the piece of paper in her shaky hand and studied his name at the top.

Damn, she’d hoped he was the one.

She crumpled the paper, and the memory of his weathered eyes, as dull and gray as her ranch buildings, came to her. What ghosts did he see when he closed them?

She opened her palm and stared at the wad of paper. Feeling haunted by the past was something she understood very well.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Google

 
BIO: Although Sara Walter Ellwood has long ago left the farm for the glamour of the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in West Central Pennsylvania to write her contemporary westerns. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for over 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia. Sara Walter Ellwood is a multi-published and international Amazon bestselling author of the anthology set Cowboy Up. She also publishes paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name Cera duBois.

Author links:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Also look for:

Book 2: Gambling On A Heart at Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Available now for preorder—Book 3: Gambling On A Dream at Amazon | Barnes and Noble  | Kobo

So Excited!

 As an author, reviews make me happy, finishing the perfect sentence brings satisfaction, clicking on publish is amazing, but when my cover artist, Shelby sends me these little diddies, I am so over the moon! I HAVE BUY BUTTONS.  And not just any buy buttons, ones especially made for me, author Jillian Jacobs.
Aren't they fantastic! If you are interested in having custom made buttons, comment below and I'll get you in contact with my gal.
www.shelbybertsch.com
SELL YOUR BRAND!!!

Ember's Center Blog tours

Ember's Center will have two blog tours:
An excerpt tour: January 26th-February 6th with Goddess Fish Promotions
Then February 9th-February 15th, I'll do a blog tour with Twinsie Talk. 
Both fabulous companies, can't wait for the tours to begin.

15 Authors-15 books- 1 Giveaway

Get stacked! 
15 Authors, 15 books, 1 stack of books by some breakout stars of 2014. Enter to win, December 22nd thru January 1st.



What’s up for the winning?

Insidious by Aleatha Romig One to Hold by Tia Louise Last Resort by Kate Roth Blue Falcon by Tia Catalina Heartless by Vanessa Marie Soundless Silence by M. Katherine Clark Good Karma by Donya Lynne Waking the Beast by Lacey Thorn Revealed by Britni Hill Embracing Destiny by Suzanne Purewal No Stranger by Anya Breton For Nicky by A.D. Ellis The Cheyenne Bride by J.J. Devine Intoxicated by Jeana E. Mann Ember’s Center by Jillian Jacobs a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Collaboration

My 2015 “Moose” Mantra- Author Collaboration
As a relatively new writer, I’ve relied on more seasoned authors to direct me down the right and WRITE road. To aid with this, I co-developed a local author sub-group called the Juicebox Dialogues. This group was created in order to share and promote author news. I would encourage every author to surround themselves with a crew of like-minded people. You’ll be amazed at free flow of information. Sometimes you just have questions, and knowing there are others who are willing to answer, relieves a lot of strain in an already overwhelming writer world. 
With that in mind, here are some of the focal points of our group that I feel can be of benefit.
Share news on all social media outlets. By SHARE, I mean, click that button. It’s very easy to do. 
Like each other’s posts- sometimes it’s the little things
Read each other’s books-sometimes it’s the big things. I get a thrill out of just knowing someone is reading my book. Like the content or not, at least they put forth the effort.
Post reviews- this should actually be Number #1
Include excerpts by other authors at the back of your books- I recently did this with an author friend, since we both write romantic suspense. 
Attend local author events even if you’re not signing. For example, book signings, writer conferences, and library events- BE PRESENT!
Critique 
Beta read
At book signing’s, with each book purchase, give the buyer additional swag from your author friends
 Combine advertising dollars, nationally and/or locally for traditional advertising, like Romantic Times or a local publication. 
For more expensive swag items split the cost with various authors, like mugs or cloth bags 
Host authors on your blog
Host brainstorming sessions
Volunteer within your RWA chapter
Like author pages on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, etc….
Write novellas together and/or package books together
Visit and comment on blog posts 
Share your experiences when you try something new, like a Bookbub ad or a new blogger
Develop and submit RWA Conference workshops together
Post photos from author events – show readers your camaraderie
Video blogging

What kinds of author collaborations have you done? Were they successful? What ways can we help each other as we move forward in this ever-changing world of romance writing? Do you already have a group of author friends? If so, what fun things do you do to support each other? 
If you’d like, please visit YouTube for some fun videos with my Juicebox Dialogues pals. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSqq5...
In 2015, my wish is that you’ll find a group of writers who share the same positive spirit. Collaborate today! 

The Science Channel as a Brainstorming Tool

Stripping Science.
As Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal writers there are no true boundaries. With our vivid imaginations, we can create a plethora of creatures and imaginary lands. But where do you get your inspiration? Imagine the story ideas you could develop from the wonders and mysteries of the universe, from science. 
In my first series, The Elementals, my villain is a being composed of dark matter. I stayed close enough to the parameters of physics, while at the same time adding in a little artistic license.
Here’s a pop quiz: What channel offers creative ideas in science? The Science Channel. 
Honestly, I don’t watch much TV, I’d rather read. However, when my husband has on shows like Strip the Cosmos and Through the Wormhole, I am riveted. Although, at the end of each show, I’m generally asking, WHAT?!?! With that in mind, I’d like to conduct a mini-brainstorming session.
Let’s strip down each show on the The Science Channel:
How the Universe Works: Combining expert opinion with extraordinary computer generated imagery; the fascinating series uses modern astronomy to reveal the inner workings of outer space.
Story ideas:
A couple meets at a physics conference and fall in love discussing the wonders of the universe. One gets chosen for a NASA project, but the other doesn’t. That’s not a black hole, but a dark moment.
A man takes the woman he loves to all the doctors, but finds no cure, so he transports them to an alternate universe.
What about a woman in love with a man who only exists every third day of the month in an alternate universe, created through a thin opening on earth, and she has to fight to meet with him each time?
Strip the Cosmos: Stunning CGI animation to strip planets, moons, black holes, stars and galaxies – layer by layer – to solve key mysteries surrounding the origin and destiny of the universe.
Story ideas:
What better place to research a book on relativistic time travel? 
Or a couple existing in two alternate universes- through the Many-Worlds theory. 
What if we had to survive a solar storm? Power surges, blackouts, fried communication satellites. Who would be the heroes?
Worlds Strangest: Explores the odd, the bizarre and the down-right peculiar.
Apparently, through some sort of scientific process, they’ve created this Spider silk skin, which is in fact fortified by spider silk protein. What if a squadron of soldiers had this skin as armor, wouldn’t it be fun to put them up against bad guys? Make them hero’s and heroines. What a great military paranormal idea. 
The Unexplained Files: An unabashed telling of some of the world's best and most baffling true stories.
Story ideas:
What if your hero had an unbelievable story, and couldn’t find love because everyone thought he was crazy, but then someone comes along with a similar story and together they find love. 
What about all those scientists throughout history who were scorned and laughed at over their theories, who loved them, and why? 
Red rain? Super creepy, what if the red rain was some alien species? 
Or sailors who went missing without a trace? Where did they go? 
Dark Matters: This series takes viewers inside the laboratory to profile strange science and expose some of history's most bizarre experiments.
Love the intro to this show, “dramatized stories that some people will find controversial and disturbing” 
Story Ideas:
What if there really were super soldiers, like Captain America, who would they love? Would they hide their gifts? How did they attain these powers? 
Or what about a story on an orphan who’d been used for some sort of brain washing or mind-control experiment? Who would help them find peace? 
Futurescape: A series unveiling incredible mind-blowing discoveries. Each episode explores a different event horizon that will critically alter life as we know it. Telepathy. Colonizing Space. Staying Forever Young. Robot Citizens. 
Story ideas:
What kind of contraptions will we attach to our bodies in the future? 
What kind of romantic relationships will we have? 
Will there be dating sites that pick the perfect partner, but those partners aren’t human, or are they?

So, for your next story, check out the wonders of The Science Channel and someday you just might be featured on, Prophets of Science Fiction. 
http://www.sciencechannel.com

Snowed In? Then Read Winter's Fire

Winter's Fire blurb-Army sniper Sam Winter is home from the war. But it wasn’t an act of heroism that got him medically discharged. After his team found out he was gay, they beat him so severely he could no longer perform his duties. Now, at his family’s horse farm in Kentucky, Sam faces not only an uncertain future, but his father’s condemnation and prejudice, as well. The one thing he is certain about is his feelings for his best friend, Cooper Brown, who Sam has secretly been attracted to since high school. For years, Cooper has harbored his own secret attraction toward Sam. Now that Sam is home for good, he’s ready to tell him how he feels.
When Coop and Sam finally reveal their secrets to one another, the bonds of friendship expand in ways neither thought possible. As his relationship with Coop grows stronger every day, Sam feels his life is finally on course, especially when he rediscovers his love for photography and envisions a new career behind the camera. But an infernal stable fire changes everything and forces shocking, long-hidden truths into the light, changing Sam’s life forever.

I've already ordered what is sure to be a top M/M read. Please welcome the very diverse author, Donya Lynne. 
What is one trait you share with your heroine in this book?
Since this is a m/m romance, there is no heroine, so I’ll have to use one of my heroes. I think I’m like Sam in that I’ve always been the oddball or the black sheep. I’ve never been one to follow a crowd. Instead, I do my own thing. While Sam struggles with his identity in this book, he realizes he’s the black sheep, too.
Sorry, I should have updated my questions. 
 
One thing you have learned as a writer this year?
One very powerful thing I learned this year—just recently, in fact—is that I function well within structure but completely crumble when I try to keep a schedule.
Last week, I completely revamped how I work. I created a structure where I do whatever I want from 6:00AM to 7:00AM, then devote 7:00-12:00 completely to writing. I have a word goal to achieve during that time. I don’t stop writing until I’ve hit that goal, and then I can use the remaining time to either continue writing or work on other tasks, such as editing or research. These five hours are also distraction-free. I shut down email, turn off my phone, and shut off all social media. I take noon to 2:00 to shower, eat lunch, and tend to my dogs, and then I’m back at it at 2:00PM. The afternoon is devoted to all things non-writing (book-related writing). Maybe I’ll write a blog post. Or perhaps I’ll work on research or plot/character notes for my next book so I’m ready to start writing it when I finish my current WIP. This time is also reserved for judging contest entries, updating my website, registering for copyrights, reading and answering email, reading messages in my yahoo groups, or whatever else needs to be done. But the writing comes first. Nothing else gets done until the word goal is met.
I find I am much more clear-headed now that I’ve instituted this structure. My writing is more inspired, too. And I’m not as stressed.
But the BEST part about my new structure is that I’m writing in two hours what it used to take me all day to write. Before, I allowed email, my phone, Facebook, and everything else to distract me. Now, I dedicate those five hours to me. The world can live without me until noon. And thank God for that. My productivity has doubled, maybe even tripled. I’m hitting my daily writing goal in less than two hours when it used to take me eight. And for only the fourth time since September 1, I wrote over 4500 words in one day without even trying…and I wasn’t even inspired when I did this. Can you imagine how many words I could have written had I been inspired?
I agree structure is important. Writing is a full-time job so laying out a schedule is a fantastic idea. 

One writer, you'd LOVE to have lunch with? 
Stephen King, because he pulls no punches and says it straight. I love that. But if I had to pick someone within my own genre, I would say Liliana Hart or Marie Force. Those ladies know what they’re doing. I’d love to have an hour or two to glean some of that wisdom.
You'll have a chance to meet Liliana Hart this year through IRWA. Woot!

Winter's Fire Excerpt:
Around four o’clock, the sound of an engine brought his gaze around, and he took off his brown cowboy hat as Cooper’s truck broke the ridge of the hill that kept the back of his property hidden from the road.
Sam leaned on the post hole digger and palmed sweat off his forehead.
“What are you doing here?” Coop got out of the cab and set his own hat on his head. He wore only a white T-shirt and faded jeans over dusty cowboy boots. The front of his shirt was smudged with dirt. Looked like Cooper had been working hard today, too.
“What’s it look like I’m doing? I’m working.” Sam trudged to the bed of his truck and filled a plastic cup with water.
“Yeah, well, you were supposed to be working at your dad’s today, from what I understand.”
“Fuck him.” But he knew there’d be hell to pay when he got home.
“He wasn’t happy when he asked me where you were and I told him I hadn’t seen you.”
“Like I said, fuck him.” Sam returned to gouging out an earthen hole with the post hole digger. “I’ve got other things to do. I don’t have time to do the shit work my dad wants to throw on my shoulders.” He grunted as he slammed the digger into the soil.
But his dad had him by the short and curlies. He couldn’t avoid working for him forever. Until Sam figured out what he was going to do to make his own way, he was stuck. He had nowhere else to go, no way to make money, and no prospects for either. Maybe he would have to go back to college. But then that would keep him under his father’s thumb for even longer as he worked on a degree. But a degree in what? No matter where Sam’s mind took him for answers, more questions—more obstacles—popped up.
“Need a hand with that?”
Sam looked up to find Cooper standing beside him. He’d been so consumed by his thoughts that he hadn’t even heard Coop approach.
Coop reached for the post hole digger. “I think you’ve killed this one already.” A crooked grin spread over Coop’s mouth.
Sam looked down at the mangled hole he’d chopped out of the dirt. “Yeah. I guess I got a little carried away.” He took a step back and let Coop take over.
Coop’s biceps and triceps cut into the underside of his skin as he plunged the digger into the hole and worked the soil, making the muscles on the backs of his shoulders and down his torso ripple like those of a lean predator tackling its prey.
“You seem pretty pissed off at your dad.” Coop glanced at him as he pulled up a load of dirt and tossed it aside. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” Because talking about it would involve revealing why he and his dad were more at odds with one another than usual, and he wasn’t ready for that. At the moment, he just wanted to watch Coop work, because…yeah…he liked watching him. Liked the way his jeans clung to the curves of his ass and thighs as his muscles flexed.
As Coop circled the hole and kept digging, Sam noticed a small, frayed patch in the denim just below his crotch. It was big enough to reveal a touch of skin.
Sam licked his lips and cleared his throat as he poured himself another cup of water. As he drank, he glanced toward Cob’s Creek gurgling between the trees in an effort to distract his mind from the naughty thoughts threatening to consume him.
 
Buy links:
Amazon: amzn.to/1xWLw1Q

Barnes and Noble: bit.ly/1wHF3eB

Kobo: bit.ly/1C4iEbV

Smashwords: bit.ly/1AtIaGi

All Romance ebooks: bit.ly/1wHEDVi


NOTE: For purchases made by December 31, a free erotic m/m short story will be included. After December 31, the freebie will only be available in the print book anticipated to come out sometime next summer.
Bio:
Donya Lynne is the author of the award winning All the King's Men Series and a member of Romance Writers of America. Making her home in a wooded suburb north of Indianapolis with her husband, Donya has lived in Indiana most of her life and knew at a young age that she was destined to be a writer. She started writing poetry in grade school and won her first short story contest in fourth grade. In junior high, she began writing romantic stories for her friends, and by her sophomore year, they had dubbed her Most Likely to Become a Romance Novelist. In 2012, she made that dream come true by publishing her first two novels and two novellas. Her work has earned her two IPPYs, one gold and one silver, as well as two eLit Awards, also one gold and one silver. Donya has many more novels and novellas planned for years to come.

Saving the Beast with Lacey Thorn

Please welcome the very prolific, Lacey Thorn.
We're celebrating her latest release, Saving the Beast. 
 
As we head into 2015, what is one thing you have learned as a writer this year?  I learn new things every day. I think most of us do. If there is one certainty in this crazy world of writing, it is that everything changes! LOL

Very true, I've only been writing a short time and already, I've see some exciting changes. With that in mind, who is one writer, you'd LOVE to have lunch with? I’d love to have lunch with Lori Foster. She is my all time favorite author. I’ve read all of her books and will automatically buy any new book she releases!

Blurb: Saving the Beast
Awakening Pride, Book Four

A Primal Panther...
The injection of a feral virus surges through his veins, trapping him in the skin of his animal. He’s fighting for dominance, struggling not to lose himself to the beast. There’s only one thing that can save him, one person who can help set him free.
A Mate’s Love...
Diane left everything she knew behind to follow the Professor into the unknown. Now, she lives among people she never knew existed and fights daily to keep them alive and healthy. She’s felt a spark with Zane since the day he arrived, but his avoidance leaves her guessing. 
Mine...
As the virus rages, only the touch of a mate can rescue the man trapped inside, leading Diane down a path she feels ill-prepared to take. If she’s not his mate, Zane might just kill her. If she is, then she’s the only one with a chance at saving the beast.


Buy Links:
Resplendence Publishing:  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/720-978-1-60735-841-1--saving-the-beast-awakening-pride-book-four-by-lacey-thorn.html
 
All Romance E-books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-savingthebeastawakeningpridebookfour-1697150-340.html
 
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Interracial-Shifter-Romance-Awakening-ebook/dp/B00QVMHJ78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418318262&sr=8-1&keywords=saving+the+beast+lacey+thorn
 
Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-the-beast-lacey-thorn/1120890051?ean=2940149904914

Excerpt:
“Shhh,” Diane crooned, running her hands over the panther with no fear. His mate had found her courage, and it made his chest swell with pride. “I’m right here, Zane,” she whispered, nuzzling her nose into the beast’s fur. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere without you.”
He felt it the moment his beast found peace and stilled inside him. It was as if a switch flipped and all that had been holding Zane trapped within was gone. The fire in his blood still raged, but the animal was no longer fighting. The growl of the cat was replaced with the groan of the man as Zane shifted into his human skin for the first time since being hit with a needle in the basement storage room by Dillon, the young shifter who’d come with Lydia Blane. The man would pay for what he’d stolen from Zane and Diane—time for gentleness and seduction.
“Diane,” he grunted. He shuffled as much as his control would allow him. He was sprawled naked across her, his weight pinning her to the ground beneath him.
She moved, her hands frantically touching him. His face, his shoulders, his chest and down his sides. Soft fingers stroking fire across his skin and igniting lust already at explosive levels. It took every ounce of will he held to keep his hands planted beside her, holding his body mere inches from hers.
“You’re here,” she sobbed. “I was so worried about you. I thought you were gone. I thought I’d lost you before I even had you.”
He shoved up, pushing himself farther away from her. He was panting with the effort required. Then she grabbed him, capturing his shoulders and pulling him back down to her.
“Don’t go,” she begged softly, and her voice was ripe with fear. “Don’t leave me. I want to be your mate. I want everything. I want it all with you.”
Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? He was trying to give himself time to temper the beast. He wasn’t walking away. He couldn’t. Not with the sweet smell of her need filling his senses. He’d been searching for a gentleness that eluded him.
“Zane,” she pleaded and lifted up into him.
He felt the soft stroke of her tongue over his neck and any control he’d deluded himself into believing he might possess disappeared. She moaned against his skin and undulated beneath him. He felt the tight points of her nipples, felt the heat of her sex against his thigh and was lost. Need tore through him. He heard her gasp as their gazes finally collided and held and knew his eyes were glowing with the primal ferocity that roared in his body.
“Mine,” he growled, lowering his head and skimming his elongated canines over the soft skin of her throat.
She whimpered, but it wasn’t fear he smelled rolling off her. It was lust and need.
“Mine,” he told her again.
“Yes,” she groaned in agreement. “Yours. All yours.”
And she sealed her fate.
“I’m going to claim you, Diane. I’m going to strip you naked, spread your legs and fuck you until neither of us can move. I’m going to take you hard and fast. I’m going to take you slow and easy. I’m going to fuck you, make love to you then fuck you again. My cock will feel the slick walls of your pussy and the velvet smoothness of your lips. I’ll mark you in every way I can. God help us if this isn’t what you wanted because I can’t stop. The need for you sets my blood on fire even more than the fever does.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I want all of you, any way I can have you.”
“From this moment on, you belong to me and only me. No other man will ever touch you or I will tear him apart with my bare hands. Your joy will become my joy just as your pain will be my pain. Do you understand this?”
Diane nodded, but he sensed something, an uncertainty.
“What is it?” he demanded.
“I’m to be yours. What about you? Will you be mine?”
He smiled, letting her see the full brunt of what he felt on his face. “My dear, sweet mate, I’ve been yours since the moment I first laid eyes on you. I knew the first time I saw you that you were my mate. No other woman will ever hold me as you do.”


Lacey's BIO:  I’ve been an avid reader all my life but didn’t start writing until 2006. My first book released in Feb of 2007, and I recently published my 58th book! I’m a proud mom of three amazing kids who keep my life interesting. I understand how overwhelming things can be, especially the never ending to do list. I write to escape for a bit and invite you to join me! It’s your world...unlaced.
Author Links:
Website: http://lacythorn.com/
Blog:  http://unlacedwithlaceythorn.blogspot.com/
Facebook Author Page:  https://www.facebook.com/authorlaceythorn
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lacey-Thorn/399809106816513
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