Posts Tagged ‘Romantic Adventure’

What Level of Risk Will You Accept?

Natalie_Damschroder | April 18th, 2012

I always struggle to find blog topics, but as I was getting ready to face this blank page, I thought about my title (Acceptable Risks) and from there it was pretty easy. Risks. Acceptability. Duh. :)

We all take risks every day of our lives. We run across a busy street, hoping we’ve timed it correctly and the driver of the car bearing down on us isn’t adjusting his radio. We sniff the week-old ham salad, shrug, and make a sandwich. We step into the shower, or answer the phone, or buy something on the Internet. Most of us find those acceptable, right?

How about some bigger ones? Telling someone you care about them is a pretty big risk. I remember, back in college, it was near the end of a summer internship at a nature center. I’d been sharing a house with a couple of brothers and two other women. We were sitting around a fire outside, and I said something like, “I believe in telling people how you feel about them.” Dave got this panicked look on his face, until I laughed and said, “Not like that!” I knew I’d probably never see him again and wanted him to know how much I’d enjoyed working with him.

But telling someone you care about them as more than a friend is a much bigger risk, especially if you’re not leaving forever.

My biggest risk recently was two weeks ago, when I had LASIK surgery. I’d considered it for years. I went to my first seminar in 1999. Number Two was only a few months old. I still had pregnancy and breastfeeding vision fluctuations, so I wasn’t eligible for the surgery at that time. Convenient! I was a little freaked by the blade slicing the cornea flap, and the brush constantly renewing the moisture on the eyeball (they don’t do that anymore).

So when my mother died in 2003 and left me a small life insurance payout, I decided it was better to buy a laptop and pay some bills than to get my eyeballs sliced. I mean, I make my living with my eyes! The risks, even back then, were so minimal. But I couldn’t overcome my fear.

I’m not sure why I decided, a few months ago, that the risks were acceptable. I told my husband we should get LASIK so we could stop paying for contacts, glasses, and exams. He said “You first.” So I went for it! I went through six weeks of glasses hell (I wore rigid gas permeable contacts, which mold the cornea more than soft ones do, and I had to be out of them for that long). I went through hours and hours of tests and measurements. And last Thursday, I did it! (I put full details on my blog here if anyone is curious.)

The payoff has been tremendous. I’m writing this four days after my procedure and my eyesight is fantastic. I ceremoniously chucked my contacts and donated my glasses to the Lion’s Club. I bought new sunglasses, and have an intimate relationship with artificial tears. :) And I am so. freaking. happy.

What about you? What kind of physical or emotional risks have you taken lately? Were they worth it? What level of risk would you find unacceptable? (I have swag! Leave your e-mail in the comments or e-mail me at natalie AT nataliedamschroder DOT com and I’ll mail you a little something! [While supplies last.])

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Buy Now

When security expert Jason Templeton’s team is ambushed while protecting a weapons manufacturer vital to U.S. interests, he risks his life to save the man’s daughter…and loses. Unbeknownst to Jason, his mentor had been funding experimental medical procedures after losing his young wife. Using the untested drugs, Jason is brought back to life, stronger and faster than before, but also vulnerable in new ways. He’s determined to find the traitor in their midst, who is after the miracle drug.

That means protecting the brilliant scientist Lark Madrassa. Their attraction and compatibility are undeniable, but Jason tries to deny his growing feelings for her, thinking he is too damaged. When Lark’s father is kidnapped they have to rely on each other in a dangerous plot to uncover the double agent. Before, Jason always accepted the risks—but what about when the life of the woman he loves is on the line?

4 stars from RT Book Reviews!

“Non-stop action, pulse-elevating romance and a fast pace keep this book flowing smoothly. Damschroder definitely knows how to write one sexy, saucy, exhilarating tale.”—Diane Morasco

You can learn more about Natalie and her books at her website, eHarlequin, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook. She blogs with four other obsessed passionate Supernatural fans at Supernatural Sisters, with a number of fantastic romance authors at Everybody Needs a Little Romance, and just to hear herself talk at Indulge Yourself.

Text Copyright © 2012 by Natalie J. Damschroder. Cover Art Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

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Posted in Authors | 6 Comments »

How Ready Are You?

Dee_Adams | February 22nd, 2012

The last time I was here, I called it my virgin blog. I can safely say that not only did I lose my blog virginity with a bang, but I jumped right back in the blog sack pretty quickly. Getting my feet wet with a series of blogs has helped me come out of my shell. Oh, wait, I was never in a shell. LOL. So what can I talk about today since I bared my soul a handful of months ago with the release of Dangerous Race?

How about change? How many of you deal well with change? I’m pretty good at it, but that’s probably because I’ve worked in show business for so long. Change is inevitable in life, but in Hollywood it’s not only inevitable, it’s constant. Change can be really hard, but it does prepare you for the ever important facet of life that is always present… We have no control. Sure, we decide the little things in life, like I’ll take a turkey and cheese sub for lunch, but when it comes to the big decisions, the life changing ones, sometimes those decisions are simply out of our hands. And what happens when our life changes drastically? We have to cope, right? For some people, coping is easier than for others because some people simply are not good with change. Can you guess the most important part of change? (I’ll give you a hint.) Letting go. You have to let go of the past to enjoy your future. Gee… is there a couch anywhere around here? And can someone pass me a box of tissue?

But seriously, there is a reason I bring all this up. In Danger Zone, my heroine, Ellie, has to face immediate change and it scares her to death. She has no idea how to face her future. I couldn’t imagine that kind of fear so I’m glad I’ve worked in a business that’s prepared me for change.

Let me tell you, change is an acquired taste and not everyone is used to it, but everyone should learn to face it. What about you? Are you good with change or does it get the better of you?

(FYI – You can also find Dee J. over at Suzanne Brockmann’s countdown for her next release, Born to Darkness, due out March 20! Check out Suz’s FaceBook and website for the interview.)

Follow Dee J. on FaceBook and Twitter @deejadams. Visit her website at DeeJAdams.com.

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Posted in Carina Press | 20 Comments »

To Be, or Not To Be. . . A Virgin

Dee_Adams | September 7th, 2011

Hi everyone! Welcome to my virgin blog!
Crazy, right? It seems as though it took me almost as long to lose my blog virginity as it did to lose the real thing. TMI? Sorry. My point is this… I remember reading something a long time ago about someone not wanting to read stories about virgins because there were no virgins left in the world. C’mon… Really? Everyone has to lose it sometime and it doesn’t always have to be before the 20th year. Or 25th year for that matter. Or even later. The point is that women (and men) tend to feel pressured into losing it at one point or another.

Consider this… What if someone wanted to lose their virginity but was too afraid of exposing a secret? What if someone never imagined they’d ever lose their virginity so when the opportunity presented itself they jumped at it? (Yes, there is a pun intended there… But that doesn’t make it any less true.)

When I graduated high school, I seriously felt like the only virgin in my town. I know it wasn’t true, but everyone seemed to have more experience than me. And when I got to college…! Ha! I discovered – now living in the big city – that I was actually the last virgin (of my age) in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Holy smokes. I had to change that. Unfortunately, I did. Rather quickly.

All this leads to my character, Tracey Bradshaw, and the secret she’s hiding in Dangerous Race. Tracey is certain she’ll never loss her virginity because she can’t let anyone see the terrifying scar on her leg. But when the opportunity presents itself by way of a quick seduction and a dress that covers the scar, Tracey can’t wait to lose something she never thought she would. Does she regret it? You betcha. She never intends to fall in love with the man who seduces her and she knows no one else can ever take his place.

So what about you? If you had it to do over… would you lose your virginity the same way? Would you wait for the right person or a better time? (Sure, hindsight is a bitch, but maybe we can teach our kids the value of our mistakes.)

And that ends my virgin blog. I think I need a cigarette. (Just kidding. I don’t smoke. )

Dee J. Adams moved from El Paso, Texas to California to study acting. She worked in television and commercials for twenty years before discovering her first love was writing. She’s married to the love of her life and has one beautiful teenage daughter and two large mutts. You can follow her on FaceBook and Twitter.

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Posted in Authors, Books, Carina Press | 40 Comments »

Of Eggs and Emails

Natalie_Damschroder | March 29th, 2011

Inception

One evening, I was deep in thought as I did mindless tasks in the kitchen. You know how it is, when you sink into your own head and kind of lose connection to what’s going on around you? I was jerked out of this by a hissing squeal. My immediate thought was gas leak, but we don’t have gas! After a few seconds, I realized it was the eggs on the stove. I was hard-boiling them, and as the water heated, air escaped the shells or something, making the noise.

My brain doesn’t like mundanities, so it immediately started exploring the effect of hissing eggs on a paranoid mind. And Regan Miller was born—a woman so caught up in keeping her daughter safe that mundanity doesn’t exist.

The Call

I didn’t actually get a call, and the reason is a good cautionary tale for other writers. :) I knew I was getting close to the typical response time for Carina, and Angela was teasing on Twitter about making calls, after sending, like, 329 rejections. I didn’t get a rejection, and Carina Press was following me on Twitter. So I actually bated my breath and waited for the phone to ring.

It didn’t.

Angela tweeted that someone hadn’t included their phone number, so my friends inundated me with IMs asking if it could be me. “No way!” I insisted. “Of COURSE I included my phone number!” So I figured my rejection had just been lost. Or maybe I was going to get a revise and resubmit request. A few days went by, and I stopped bating my breath. And then…

I got an e-mail with the offer for Fight or Flight! I’d thought I was being clever and efficient putting my contact information in the header of my document. But apparently, viewing an attachment in Outlook doesn’t allow you to see this information. So I sabotaged myself, which was fine, because I hate the telephone and was actually dreading getting a phone call! LOL Luckily, the sabotage didn’t extend to them just writing me off as an idiot. :)

The Book

Fight or Flight is a slightly unusual romantic adventure, in that its two points of view are the heroine’s (Regan Miller) and her daughter’s (Kelsey Miller). You get to see Kelsey fall in love, but struggle with what that means when her mother’s fears turn out to be completely founded, and she drags her new love into danger. On Regan’s side, she battles instincts honed over 18 years of not trusting anyone with the need to accept help from someone who might be working for her enemy.

You can read an excerpt here or here, and buy Fight or Flight here.

You’re not too late to join in The Month of the Hero, the blog celebration I’ve done with MJ Fredrick, the author of the fantastic friends-to-lovers/road-trip romance, Road Signs (another Carina Press March release, available now). All month long, we’ve discussed heroic traits in some of our favorite fictional heroes, such as Dean from Supernatural or Raylan from Justified. Now we’re having a showdown to see what hero tops them all.

I’ll be hanging out here all day (and beyond!), so please comment with your own paranoia stories, or the heroic traits you love best (and the heroes who embody them), or stupid things you might have done to sabotage yourself. :)

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Natalie J. Damschroder writes romantic adventure because she loves high stakes and heroines who don’t ever need to be rescued (except from themselves). Check out her website or blog, follow her on Twitter, or friend her on Facebook or Goodreads. She can also be found posting every Monday at The GabWagon.

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Posted in Authors, Books | 3 Comments »