Posts Tagged ‘contemporary erotic romance’

Shy Guys and Giveway

What is it about a shy guy that’s so appealing? Maybe we empathize. Who among us hasn’t felt awkward, afraid, even terrified, in the presence of someone we’d like to impress? Maybe when we encounter shy guys, with their hemming and hawing and shuffling feet, the sweet way their eyes skitter across our face, it brings out our inner nurturer. Or perhaps we sense that shy souls are more interesting than their more gregarious counterparts.

Mark Apostopolopos, the main character in my debut novel, Moving in Rhythm, suffers from pathological shyness. It’s a serious condition and in his case, means that he has a full blown panic attack in the presence of any man he finds attractive.  Imagine that when it counts most, your heart pounds, you hyperventilate, your mind goes numb and you can’t utter a single cohesive statement. It would put a serious crimp in your love life. Click here for the blurb or to read an excerpt.

I think what makes Mark so appealing to me, is that he works hard to get his life to make sense. Although he hasn’t told his family he’s gay (he thinks, what’s the point if he can’t manage a relationship?), he knows himself. He’s afraid all the time, and yet, when it’s important, he works through his fear as best he can. He’s a nice guy living with a terrible condition. It’s almost impossible not to root for him to find love.

Comment on this blog for a chance to win a copy of Moving in Rhythm. What do you find appealing (or unappealing) about shy guys?

Buy Moving in Rhythm from Carina

Connect with Dev:

Twitter: @DevBentham

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dev-Bentham/227931843928203

Webpage: www.devbentham.com

Dev Bentham lives in Northern Wisconsin where she spends long cold winters at her kitchen table dreaming of heart-warming romance and hot, passionate love.

Crush Angst and a Giveaway!

We’ve all had crushes, right? That one (or more) unattainable guy who you just couldn’t get off your mind? Mine was Kelly Something-or-other. Weird the things I remember. I can picture his face, his floppy hair and his ever present retainer, but for the life of me I can’t remember his last name. Anyhow that crush lasted about six months…right up until the moment he started dating my very best friend. *sigh* I tried to put on my brave face and be happy for her—for them—but I can’t deny that I was a wee bit jealous. What can I say? Being a high school freshman was hard.

Fast forward a year to another unattainable guy—this one Doug Something-or-other, a six foot tall Greek god with blond hair and a shy smile, another painful crush and yet another happy friend who winds up with my crush. And you can see a pattern beginning to form…

What’s a writer to do? Exercise that ghost of course. I put all that remembered anguish into my new book Wicked Weekend.

Why did Lauren Vaughn introduce her sister to the man she herself was crazy about? Now Lauren is watching the happy couple at their combined bachelor/bachelorette party—while Lauren sits all alone at the bar. Until she spots a hot stranger with the telltale black handkerchief in his pocket: the signal for “seeks no-strings affair with sexy submissive.” Lauren can’t take her eyes off him. So when he comes over, she kicks her inner good girl to the curb and follows Jamie Forman to his room, where he makes her scream with pleasure all night long.

But Jamie is a complicated man. He can’t handle how desperately he wants her in his bed—and his life. It’s up to Lauren to teach him how to make all night last forever.

Obviously I had to write it with a naughty twist ;) And my heroine finds a much better way to get over her crush angst.

Wicked Weekend is now available from Carina Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Do you have some crush angst to get off your chest? Let me know in the comments or just say hi and you’ll have a chance to win a free copy of Wicked Weekend. I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 19th.

Gillian Archer lives in Northern Nevada with her amazing husband and two goofy dogs. When she’s not writing (but probably should be) Gillian is usually reading, baking or walking her very spoiled dogs.

You can find her at her website, on Twitter or Facebook .

Dive Into iTunes, Climb Out With Tuscan Heat

The black hole of iTunes sucks me in every time I load it up. “I’m just going to look up that one song and get back to work,” I say, and two hours later I blink at the screen wondering why I just bought a love song sung in Chinese by Jackie Chan. (Seriously, it’s called “Jia Xiang de Long Yan Shu.” It’s kind of awesome.)

One night in early 2011, I got online and in this order, I purchased:

- Jonathan Coulton’s remake of “Baby Got Back”
- Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli’s remake of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
- Andrea Bocelli’s “Con Te Partiro”
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression That I Get”
- Husker Du’s “Too Far Down”
- Rodney Atkins’s “If You’re Going Through Hell”

At that point, I snapped out of it. It was a little insane, but not as insane as the night I bought six versions of “The Way You Look Tonight.” Anyway, “Con Te Partiro” lodged in my head like a tattoo on my brain.

I suppose I could say I bought it because it appealed to the theater major still inside my skin. It’s a lush and romantic song, and well, theatrical. And sure, it’s in Italian, a language with which I am totally desperate to learn even though I’ve been stuck at the “dove il bagno” stage for two years.

The truth is I bought it because when I heard it, an entire book took form. The story thumped around in my skull until I got it down on paper. The song was in heavy rotation through most of the first draft and I never got tired of it, though my preschooler now hears the opening notes and says “Mama, pleeeeeeeeease play something else.” There was something about the lyrics (scroll down for the translation) that made me dream of travel and sex with handsome men and happily ever after on a motorcycle. The result of that dream is Tuscan Heat, and I sure hope you like it.

Will you share your worst iTunes binge or craziest MP3 purchase and keep me company here in the black hole? Ooh! Annie Lennox! You know, I’ve got a great idea for a book….

###


Tuscan Heat is Kathleen’s third book with Carina Press. Check out two brief excerpts from the first chapter over here on her website. Let her know what you thought of it on Facebook, Goodreads, or @KathleenDienne on Twitter.

All-or-Nothing Missions…

So, I know from my personal life what it’s like to face an all-or-nothing mission, where failure is absolutely NOT an option. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been living behind the eight ball these past few months (okay, years). Being the project manager of an $18-billion dollar Department of Defense contract for the fourth time, where the existence of an entire company and thousands of jobs are on the line, means there’s no room for error—and often a lot of sleepless nights.

For my heroine in IOU Sex, the stakes aren’t exactly that dire… Or maybe they are. For Fiona Carlisle has come to realize it’s time to stand up for herself, garner some much-deserved respect, AND prove she’s worthy of love and faithful devotion.

Fiona is shrouded in the age-old adage of not being able to see the forest for the trees. Being 25 and under immense pressure to live up to her parents’ expectations, which are vastly different than the expectations she’s set for herself, is challenging enough. Really, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t suffered a bit of an identity crisis after graduating high school or college. Do you? And while some people scoff at the phrase, “I need to find myself,” there’s a whole lot of value to it. Fiona is so close to knowing who she is, and yet so far away from the truth, because of her self-perceived/self-imposed limitations.

On the flipside of the coin is someone who knows EXACTLY who he’s supposed to be—and exactly what he wants. Michael Houston is a sexy-as-hell hero who learned from an early age that if he steps off the pristine, paved path and kicks up a little dust on some unmarked side street, he’ll live a richer, fuller life. Not everyone subscribes to that theory, of course, but what if you go right when you were “supposed” to go left? Who knows? You might end up with a different fate that suits you better.

At the tender age of 25, where was (or is, if you’re much younger than me!) your mindset? Was the world your oyster because you knew exactly what you wanted and were determined to achieve it? Were you dazed and confused, not sure what to do after college, like fight your way up the corporate ladder or plan for a family or backpack through Europe?

For most people, it’s true that, as we get older, we look back on our younger years and wonder if we chose the right paths. I’ve been fortunate enough not to have to wonder, because everything I predicted would happen to me in my life (and which is immortalized in my high school Senior Memories book) has somehow, miraculously happened. (Well, okay, with the exception of meeting Eddie Van Halen and having him fall hopelessly in love with me. *grin*)

For Fiona Carlisle and Michael Houston in IOU Sex, I found their paths naturally converged and all the questions they had about where they were supposed to be at that point in their lives fell by the wayside. Yet, they were still two extraordinarily different people—with completely different futures laid out for themselves—so how could they possibly gel in the long run?

Isn’t that question what makes for such an interesting quandary? If you know for sure what it is you want out of life and love… OR, if you have absolutely no idea… AND suddenly you’re faced with a possibility—a mere possibility—that you might be onto something good, what sort of risks would you be willing to take to see what might be?

That’s an all-or-nothing mission of the most soul-stirring kind. You can say it’s too much of a challenge to take a chance with someone, especially when they push you outside your comfort zone. Or you can step off the cliff and see where the wings of love carry you.

This is why I write romance books in the “off-season,” and this is why I am not only thrilled to be a Carina Press/Harlequin author, but also a shameless, avid reader of romance books!

Thanks for joining me this afternoon. To show my appreciate for your time and your devotion to Carina Press (and romance!), I’m running two contests. Visit my blog to enter to win a $50 Amazon.com gift card. Also, visit my alter ego’s blog for a chance to win a $25 Amazon.com gift card.

I love to hear from readers, either about my books or the topics I cover—the conversations are always insightful! Please feel free to email me at Calista@calistafox.com. Find news and more titles at www.calistafox.com.

Finally, I hope you’ll check out my very first Carina Press release, IOU Sex, on sale now!
IOU Sex
by Calista Fox
Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, Romance
On Sale Date: Aug 01, 2011
ePrice $2.99
OUR PRICE: $ 2.69
You save $0.30 (10%)

Perseverance

My first blog for my novella, Stroke of Midnight, and here I am, soaking in a tub of hot water with a face cloth over my eyes, trying to still my mind, and open up to ideas for what to say about the long and winding road to Carina Press and the exciting new opportunity I’ve been given.

A lot of readers see blogs, updates, feeds and tweets and check books off their lists to buy, read, share and borrow. There’s nothing quite as fun as discovering a new writer, digging up their backlist and reading each and every one of their books. I know this because I love it, too.

Messages from writers are often breezy pieces about how the characters came to life, how the scenes popped into their heads; the travel to locales was fun. Which makes it all seem effortless doesn’t it? Writers as a group are creative, clever, generally knowledgeable and curious about why people behave the way they do.

What they often don’t say is how long a struggle it was to develop their writing skills, how many setbacks they had, how their children went from diapers to driving before they sold (yeah, guess who that was). They won’t even tell you that they’ve considered decoupage with rejection letters on toilet seats as a stress reliever.

So, what brought me to Carina Press? Perseverance. These characters came to life for me a handful of years ago because of another novella. Jaye Sinns was very much in my mind while I was writing a story that ended with a couple heading to a high-end car auction. (Anyone who reads me knows I love me those automobiles!) Throwing Jaye at a playboy seemed like great fun because she was one tough single mother who’d worked hard at raising a son on her own. Jaye deserved a break and I was determined to give it to her.
The other thing that brought me to Carina Press with Stroke of Midnight is in my signature line below: Earthy, Irreverent . . . Lovestruck. Yes, that’s me, too. If there’s a way to lighten a mood, or point out the ridiculous or bring a little earthiness to a conversation, I’ll find it. As for being lovestruck well, my family’s chock full of real stories of first love reunions, late love blooming, and persistent (can we say 30 years later?)  loves.

I’ve never wanted to write anything but romance. I love it! Reading it, watching it, being in a real-life romance. I’m so very grateful that I have people who read mine.

What do we reach for when our worlds have gone dark, when we’re stressed or worried for a loved one? We reach for a book, that’s what. For me, there’s nothing as uplifting as a happy ending. I’m tickled I’m able to share the ones I write with you!

Now you know how I got here and more importantly, why I’m here, and why I’m so blessed to share the release of Stroke of Midnight with readers.

Life’s sweet! Enjoy it,

Bonnie Edwards

Earthy, Irreverent . . .  Lovestruck www.bonnieedwards.com where you’ll find excerpts, Twitter and Facebook links — please stop by, but take a fan!

What if…?

Married does not equal dead. Just because a woman has a husband doesn’t mean she packs her sexual fantasies in bubble wrap and shoves them in a box. There is nothing in those marriage vows that restricts your imagination. Fantasies are healthy. They keep the magic alive and give an outlet to all those wicked little thoughts that creep up during the day. It doesn’t mean you are going to be unfaithful, or even that you want to be unfaithful. It means you are human.

Maybe you have a secret obsession with Nathan Fillion’s butt. Maybe you lust after a certain singer who makes your panties melt. Maybe that rough-handed mechanic could rotate your tires juuuuuust right. That hottie on the subway? Pure mind-candy. That soccer-dad who coaches the opposing team who does wonderful things for those cotton shorts? Yummy.

Do you really think all those adult toy sites are selling vibrators ONLY to single women? Uh, no. And men, if you think your wife only has fantasies about you…*rolling on floor laughing* Yeah, right. Like you never look at Angelina Jolie and have things stand at attention. Does your wife feature in EVERY naughty thought that pops in your mind? Of course not. We know this and accept it. Human beings have a wonderful capacity to imagine.

There are those marriages where one partner insists they never think about another person. I don’t believe that. I think in those cases they just aren’t comfortable sharing those fantasies. And that is okay. But in many marriages, a woman actually shares some of her fantasies with her husband. He shares his with her. They use those fantasies as foreplay, to make their sex life richer, help strengthen their marriage.

But what if… what if you told your husband a fantasy and discovered he had the same fantasy?

That is the premise for COMING CLEAN.

Vivi and Grant Michaelson are a normal married couple. They are in love with each other and neither wants to stray. They hold nothing back from each other, sharing property, checking accounts and their fantasies. Those fantasies help make their marriage stronger. Then Vivi tells Grant about a scorching ménage fantasy she has about his best friend Cade. And Grant admits to his own desires concerning Cade.

Quite the admission for a straight man, I must tell you.

Then Vivi has another What if thought. What if this shared-threesome-fantasy actually could come true?

Well, then you would have COMING CLEAN.

DIRTY LAUNDRY just got a whole lot dirtier….

Grant and Vivi Michaelson share everything in their marriage: love, commitment—and their wildest sexual desires. But their relationship is tested when Vivi admits she wants a threesome with Grant’s old friend Cade, proposing their annual trip to the lake as the perfect opportunity to fulfill her fantasy.

All three of them are aroused by the idea. Vivi and Cade have long felt a smoldering attraction to each other…and Grant and Cade have hidden an illicit desire for decades. Going through with the ménage will test their boundaries, reveal old secrets…and maybe tear them apart. After all, there might be room for Cade in bed, but is there room for a third in their marriage?

ADULT EXCERPT:

She snuggled up beside him, kissing his heaving chest. She swooped her long hair over her shoulder and propped her chin on her laced fingers. “Anything?”

With his eyes closed, he felt her stare rather than saw it. “Anything.”

He didn’t need his sight to know her cheeks colored when she turned her face away and said, “Never mind.”

“Come on, what?”

“I just…I don’t want you to get mad.”

The silky skin of her back slid under his palm. “I won’t.”

“Promise?” she asked. He nodded and she took a slow breath. “I was kind of…fantasizing.”

He cracked one eye and smiled. “Care to share it?”

A slight firming of her muscles tightened his stomach in anticipation. Vivi fingered his hair. “Okay, here goes…remember your promise. I was thinking about…a threesome…with two men.”

Grant cocked his head at her. “Was I one of them? Ouch!”

Vivi smoothed the lock of hair she’d just tugged. “Of course you were.”

“So who was the other guy? That actor that makes you drool?”

“Does it really matter?” Vivi nibbled her lip and looked away.

“Yeah, I want to know.” She wouldn’t turn her face toward him and her evasiveness piqued his curiosity. “Vivi, tell me.”

She brought her gaze back to his. “It was Cade.”

His bones turned to sheetrock. “Cade? Uh, what was he—I mean, what were we doing?”

“You’re mad.”

“No, I’m not. I’m just curious.”

“I was riding him. And kissing you.” Her fingers caressed his cheekbone, across his lips and over his Adam’s apple. “Just before I came on his cock, you moved behind me and—”

“Fucked your ass?” His voice growled deeper as the fantasy image burst into his mind. His spent balls began to tingle, blood rerouting to stiffen his softened cock.

“Uh, no.” Vivi tugged the sheet over her hip. “Although I might borrow that fantasy for later…after I’ve had a bit to drink. You bit me the way I like. I could feel your fingers on my clit, your teeth in my neck, and the pulse of Cade’s cock inside me. That’s like the ultimate high. I guess it’s hard for a man to understand but it was…wow.”

“I can imagine.” Something taboo, forbidden and tempting swelled in Grant’s chest. Her shared fantasy took on new life in his mind. A startling and vivid picture painted itself before his mind’s eye and his mouth took off without thought. “I have imagined it.”

Vivi sat up, leaning over him, a questioning look on her face. “You’ve fantasized about us with another man?”

“No.” Sudden fear held his tongue. Did he dare tell her what flashed in his head? It was the first time he’d ever let those words be fully thought out, let alone spoken. His hands buried in soft hair, hips thrusting toward the hot, tempting mouth sucking him. That hair morphs from auburn to blond, the lips around his cock sliding from feminine to masculine, the fingers cupping his balls shifting from slender and soft to callused and strong. “Promise you won’t get mad…or anything?”

“Promise.” She smiled.

“I…when you said…” Grant sucked in a deep breath and blurted it out. “I wonder what being with Cade would be like…me with Cade.”

“You mean like…as lovers?”

“Yeah.” He braced for her disapproval.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COMING CLEAN never felt so good… BUY NOW

For the full Dirty Laundry miniseries, check out COIN OPERATED and TALK DIRTY TO ME

Follow Inez Kelley on Twitter using ID @Inez_Kelley on Facebook at facebook.com/inez.kelley or check out her  author website at http://www.inezkelley.com/

Pick-Up lines and Talk Dirty to Me

Image and video hosting by TinyPic GINNY: Hello, Carina Readers! We know you are filthy dirty out there. Don’t blush, we’re dirty too! In fact, if you harness the power of two scarily filthy minds like ours you get one great result – the steamy, dreamy next installment of the Dirty Laundry Series “Talk Dirty To Me“.

INEZ: Either that or an extended stay in a quiet, restful place with nice young men in white coats and softly padded rooms. *looks at Ginny* Padding? Uhm, Ginny, did you get a new bra because those puppies are looking mighty perky there.

GINNY: Hush. You see, Inez Kelley and I (Ginny Glass for those of you who haven’t read COIN-OPERATED yet – and shame on you!) are co-authors of the new Dirty Laundry book. We panted…err…slaved over this one like mad women.

INEZ: Mad women? *snort* only if mad can be described as incredibly turned on by a fictitious English Professor with a silver tongue . And speaking of turned on…  That’s a nice shirt, Ginny. Can I talk you out of it?

GINNY: *sends Inez a dirty look*

INEZ: *blows Ginny a kiss*

GINNY: Anyway, we churned out pages so hot that they stuck together even in a word document. We came up with a smart (if reserved) heroine, Nora, and an equally brainy (if a little naughty) professor, Jarod.

INEZ: Basically, he wanted to bang her and she was skittish. Then he started falling for her and well, he had backed himself into a verbal corner by that point. *eyes Ginny* Will you marry me for just one night?

GINNY: Ahem… Nora thinks chemistry is all equation. Jarod wants to show her how triple X her X-chromosomes can get when mixed with a little good old fashioned dirty-talk.

INEZ: *wiggles eyebrows at Ginny* Chickie, if you want dirty talk, I could describe the hundred and one ways I’d make you scre—

GINNY: Stop that! *Smacks at Inez* I am trying to be professional here!

INEZ: A professional? Hawt damn, what do you charge by the hour? Do you take VISA?

GINNY: *ignoring Inez* Jarod’s a big talker – especially through the anonymity of a phone line. Sure, it’s a little white lie, but who’s it going to hurt? Nora’s lost something and Jarod’s going to help her find what she really needs.

INEZ: I got what you need right here, chickie-love.

GINNY: PUT THAT AWAY, WE’RE IN PUBLIC! *rolls her eyes*

As I was saying, in celebration of TALK DIRTY TO ME’s release and the awesomeness that is the Dirty Laundry Series, we’re having a contest! How do you enter? Simple. Tweet your BEST pick up line/dirty talk (funny, serious, whatever!) using the hashtag #DLWin and repost in this blog’s comment section. Contest will run until midnight.

INEZ: Oooh midnight, the witching hour… and I know you have the magic touch. Touch me, Ginny.

GINNY: I’m going to touch you with a paddle if you don’t stop!

INEZ: Promise? *bats eyelashes*

GINNY: AARRGG!!! Prizes are as follows:

1st place (BEST pick-up line/dirty talk) – A very naughty Dirty Laundry Basket. No details (because the surprise is half the fun!) but let’s just say that this basket is enough to get you softened, lathered and rinsed in shivery good ways! Batteries WILL be included! Goodies, along with a copy of TDTM and C/O in winner’s choice of formats.

2nd place – Copies of both TALK DIRTY TO ME and COIN-OPERATED in winner’s choice of formats

3rd place – Copy of TALK DIRTY TO ME in winner’s choice of formats

Inez and I will pick our favorites to win!

INEZ: Remember….TALK DIRTY TO ME… It’s not the size of the verbs, it’s how you use them.

GINNY: I cannot believe you would embarrass me like that. *cracks Inez on the ass* Just wait until I get you home!

INEZ: *bows head to hide grin* Yes, Mistress.

Inez Kelley is a multi-published author of various romance genres. You can visit her at her website http://inezkelley.com/ Follow Inez on twitter at @Inez_Kelley or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/inez.kelley

Ginny Glass writes everything romance related. Drop by http://www.ginnyglass.com and say Hi or follow her on Twitter at @ginnyglass or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorginnyglass

We hope you’ll also watch–and enjoy–our book trailer for Talk Dirty to Me!

Tangled Friendships (and plotlines)

As I wrote in this morning’s post, the original storyline for Texas Tangle was to be a novella between Nikki and Dillon. Originally Nikki was the only one with issues—the aftermath of a failed marriage and a brother who thought nothing of taking everything she owned. Dillon Barnett—well, Dillon I saw as someone with a great family, who hadn’t had to deal with heavy-duty issues. Someone who always had a smile on his face and everyone was his best buddy. Someone who would ride up on his white horse in his white pick-up and lend his neighbor a hand, whether they were man, woman, or donkey.

The sigh she’d been holding back escaped. “You know, your hat’s the wrong color.”

Frowning, he took off his Stetson and examined it, checking it both inside and out. “What d’ya mean? It looks fine to me.”

“It’s black. It should be white.” Lame, Nikki. Real lame.

“Why—oh, white hat. Good guy. I gotcha.” His puzzled expression remained. “Why am I a good guy? Because I stopped? Heck, I couldn’t have just driven by. What type of a person would that make me?”

“Like the half-dozen other drivers who left me standing here?”

After knocking the dust off his hat on his thigh, he resettled it on his head, covering the thick black hair she’d been fantasizing running her fingers through. The shadows thrown by the brim hid the liquid-chocolate eyes that turned her knees into putty. “Pretty girl standing all alone at the side of the road at night? You’re safer that they didn’t stop.”

But then the plans for the novella went by the wayside when Brett walked in and said howdy. The story got longer and the relationships entangled even more because despite Brett’s blond hair and blue eyes, he’s a very dark and broody character. And he has a history with Nikki that Dillon didn’t have.

Midnight had long since come and gone when Brett let himself into his apartment. His shoulders loosened, as did the knot that had formed in his gut. It was stupid. He’d already driven by the Double Bar and saw Dillon’s truck parked out front and knew there’d be no one here. Yet he’d expected to find Dillon waiting for him, even braced himself to have a knock-down-drag-out.

Not that he’d done anything wrong. Yet. He hadn’t kissed Nikki, though he’d been less than a nanosecond away from giving in to temptation. So Dillon had no reason to beat him up again. But he’d come so close.

It damned near killed him trying to pretend he didn’t want to drag Nikki up to his room and make love to her night after night. To pretend he didn’t need her cuddling him in the darkest hours of the night when the nightmares hit.

He diverted to the kitchen and grabbed a beer, then padded into the living room. Stretched out on the couch, he pillowed his head with his arm and settled back with a sigh, using the television as his nightlight. He flipped around the channels, but gave up on finding anything good, so he switched on the DVD player.

Instead of paying attention to whatever the hell crap movie was playing, his mind drifted back to his situation. He’d almost blown it today. Considering Nikki was very definitely in a relationship with Dillon this time, if he’d moved that half inch, if he’d given in to his fantasy, he’d have found himself cast from the Barnett family permanently. After Dillon had kicked his butt from here to kingdom come.

Okay, I admit I may have a small sadistic streak in me because it was fun making Dillon struggle for the first time in his life, to force him to realize that life wasn’t as easy for everyone as life had been for him. To punish him for taking Brett’s friendship for granted. Dillon had some growing up to do; he deserved to have to work for the love of a good woman and to keep  his best friend. Brett needed a lot of reassurance that he deserved a happy-ever-after (even though during one insomnia-induced what-the-heck-was-I-thinking night I wrote a scene killing Brett off—but that’s a story for another day—don’t worry, once I got a good night’s sleep, I cut the scene and made sure he had his happy ending.) And Nikki? Well, Nikki has to put up with both their issues, as well as all the other problems her own family has forced on her, and try to keep everyone happy, including herself. And we all know, that’s tough to do, because you can’t please everyone. So she has to get her priorities in order.

See? There was no way I could tell their story, and solve their issues in under thirty thousand words.

***

Growing up in rural Ontario, Leah Braemel learned to lose herself in the make-believe worlds she found in her mother’s books. At the age of seven, she realized she could write her own stories, and in her early teens she discovered her love of romances. Soon all her stories revolved around giving her heroes and heroines their Happy-Ever-After.

Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons, Leah is the only woman in a houseful of men—even their cat is male. Shoving her writing in the closet while she raised her family, she gained some varied and interesting insights while working with a security firm liaising with Toronto’s Emergency Task Force and bomb squad and later teaching computers to women escaping abusive relationships.

After a conversation with her eldest son about how he needed to follow his dreams, Leah decided she needed to follow her own advice and make her own dreams of becoming a writer come true. She was thrilled when her first sizzling romance was published in 2009.

If you want to read longer excerpts from Texas Tangle, you can visit Leah’s website or her blog. You can also find Leah on Facebook and Twitter.

**reminder: Commenting on an author’s blog entry/entries for the day will enter you to win a digital copy of their Carina Press title. One winner daily. Commenting on any of the Countdown entries will enter you into the big giveaway for a Carina Press promo prize pack. One winner at end of Countdown.**

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Since I announced Texas Tangle’s upcoming release, a lot of people have been asking where I got my inspiration for writing a western considering I live in Ontario. (I almost wrote Canada, but we do have cowboys out west.) Back in 2007 I had the opportunity to visit my critique partners who live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Sue invited me to stay at her place where I got an inside look at caring for her beloved Blue Arabian horses. And laughed at her interactions with her donkey Gandalf.  I loved the land with its prickly pear cactus and mesquite trees. I even saw a roadrunner, something that was straight out of cartoon territory to me. Sue introduced me to her father who took me out and taught me how to shoot five different types of guns ranging from a 9mm semi-automatic to a German Luger to an old fashioned Colt 45. (I even hit the bulls-eye a few times!) Then she took me horseback riding on one of her beautiful mares Cimmi. I loved it and knew at some point in the near future I’d end up writing a western.

Cut to two years later, the idea that I’d left on the shelves of my imagination decided it was tired of the dust-bunnies gnawing on its edges. So I pulled it off the shelf, stared at it a while from a couple different angles and decided the story needed to be told. I started with Sue’s horses since horses are typically part of a western. But I like to change the old standards. Instead of the hero being the cowboy, I made the heroine, Nikki, the horse breeder.  The hero would be the neighbor—along came sex-on-legs Dillon.  They’d gone to school together, maybe even eyed each other back in high school. But something had to happen to kick start them into giving in to their *cough*natural inclinations.

I must admit when I started writing Texas Tangle, it was supposed to be a novella. It was supposed to take place over a weekend—a light romp of two friends finally admitting they’re hot for each other but have held off on acting on their impulses until now.  Then Dillon’s best friend Brett walked into the middle of a scene. Where Dillon is a glass-isn’t-just-half-full, it’s-overflowing type guy, Brett is moody and tortured and has been in love with Nikki since he kissed her back in high school. Oh, boy!  Now there was a storyline demanding to be told.

As I re-read my 22,000 word first draft, I made notes: “bring Brett in sooner”, “expand Brett’s part here”, “explore what would happen when Dillon realizes…”, “Brett deserves a happy ending. Give him one!” Writing the tangled threads between the three characters firmly stomped the plans for a novella in the dirt. By the time I submitted it to Carina, Texas Tangle had tripled in size. When I finished the tweaks based on the excellent editing suggestions of Angela James and my new editor Rhonda Stapleton, the manuscript tipped the scales at over 72,000 words.  But I’m so glad I expanded Brett’s part in it, and that I explored what would happen when Dillon realized…well, you’ll have to read Texas Tangle to find out just what Dillon realized. And my novella? Well, they always say everything’s bigger in Texas. Guess Nikki and the boys proved their story, like Texas, was too big for a novella.

Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an overdrawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.

Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.

Society says Nikki must choose between the two men she loves. Is Nikki strong enough to break all the rules in order to find happiness?

I’ll be posting a short excerpt this afternoon, but if you just can’t wait, you can get a sneak peek by visiting my website or my blog (click on the Coming Soon link at the top of the posts). I can also be found over on Facebook, or chatting on Twitter.

**reminder: Commenting on an author’s blog entry/entries for the day will enter you to win a digital copy of their Carina Press title. One winner daily. Commenting on any of the Countdown entries will enter you into the big giveaway for a Carina Press promo prize pack. One winner at end of Countdown.**

Love is Unstoppable!

romance novel,author,Rebecca E. Grant,love,intrigue

When I was scouting out places to send LIBERTY STARR, Romance Writers of America emailed an update announcing Harlequin’s newest imprint, Carina Press. So, I submitted the manuscript to Carina. I typically mark my calendar with the timeframe each publisher indicates for a response so that I know when to expect a response. It helps me to just trust the process and write the next book instead of obsessing over when I’m going to hear from the publisher.

One day a reminder popped up indicating I should be hearing from Carina Press any day. I remember so clearly that it was a Wednesday. The next day my phone rang. I was on a conference call, saw the number pop up, didn’t recognize it, and clicked ‘ignore’. My conference call ran about another 15-20 minutes and during that time I was distracted by little buzzers and strobe lights were going off in my head—what if that was a call from Carina Press?
Sure enough, I dialed into my voice mail and heard a woman’s voice say, “Rebecca, this is Angela James from Carina Press. I’m sorry I’m not getting you by phone. Instead, I’ll send you an email. I’d like to talk with you about LIBERTY STARR.”

I leaped out of my chair shrieking and then wondered… wait… she didn’t actually say she wanted to offer me a contract… she just said she wanted to talk about it.

As an unpublished writer in the romance genre, I wasn’t sure what the protocol was. Do I call her back or wait for her email? I checked my email. Nothing. I clicked the ‘check mail’ so many times over the next 10 minutes, I practically wore it out. Finally I couldn’t stand it and I hit the redial… and suddenly I was talking with Angela James.

When she said she was interested in publishing LIBERTY STARR, I lost all my verbal skills. I babbled incoherently, tried to stop, babbled some more, and was supremely relieved that after making me feel wonderful about my book, and very special as an author, Angela said she’d follow up with a detailed email. No talking necessary.

The celebrating began, and it’s still going on. I’m so thrilled to be a part of the Carina Press launch—to transition from romance writer (in secret) to romance author in the company of Carina Press and their impressive cadre of accomplished, focused, professional authors who love to create wonderful worlds for their readers. And to Jessica Schulte, my infinitely patient editor… the word “longboat” will forever have a new meaning for us, won’t it!

We each have something extraordinary to contribute to this world—something no one else
can do—and if we don’t do it, the world will never have it.
It will be lost forever.

Before I leave you I want to say a little more about why I write romance novels. It’s my personal belief that every human being is authentically unique. I also believe that we each have something extraordinary to contribute to this world—something no one else can do—and that if we don’t do it, the world will never have it. It will be lost forever. I’ve had any number of philosophical discussions with people about this and know many believe that if one person doesn’t do X, someone else will.

Very likely so. But it will be someone else who does it… and so it will be different.

For so much of my life, I’ve thought one of the most important things—perhaps the most important thing—is to be taken seriously—and that no matter how called I felt to write romances, it was not a serious undertaking.
I thought that, right up until one of my test readers sent me an email. In it she wrote:

“Your writing opened my mind and heart to new possibilities and opportunities. Your story delivered personal life messages to me. It reminded me to stop being so stubborn, to allow myself to be loved, to live with passion, and that it’s ok to open up my heart. You never know where it might take you.”

I burst into tears because in that moment, I knew that not only did I want to write romances, it was a very serious undertaking, and I was finally able to say out loud to others, “I. Write. Romances. They’re intimate, hot, tender, and where appropriate, not so tender. They’re filled with intrigue, laughter, hope and provide an opportunity to disappear into the sheer fantasy of the moment. To marvel at the miracle of love, and the way one human body folds into another.”

Every day I write about the human body and the human heart—how they respond to love, to desire, to joy, to pleasure, to sadness, to hope. It’s my belief that in today’s world where fear and obligation so often define our priorities, we ache to remember love—to remember what it felt like the first time the object of our desire reached out to brush the hair from our face—what it feels like to be so wholly in the moment, nothing else matters except the transcendental, extrasensory experience romance evokes. There’s nothing like it.

That’s what I try to give my readers. And each day I believe more firmly that love is unstoppable!

Love, love, love,
Rebecca E. Grant

Find me at:
Website: www.RebeccaEGrant.com
Blog: blog.RebeccaEGrant.com
Email: Rebecca@RebeccaEGrant.com
I’m also on Facebook and Twitter as Rebecca E Grant

Rebecca E. Grant,romance author,women's fiction author,creative nonfiction author,love is unstoppable

**reminder: Commenting on an author’s blog entry/entries for the day will enter you to win a digital copy of their Carina Press title. One winner daily. Commenting on any of the Countdown entries will enter you into the big giveaway for a Carina Press promo prize pack. One winner at end of Countdown.**