Romance

Author Speed Dating – Alexandria Sure

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Alexandria Sure

 

15 Questions

1. If you could revisit any favorite period in your life for a day, in approximately which year would you be found and what would you be doing?

March 25, 1994 – I was living in Miami at the time. Friends kidnapped me, blindfolded me and drove me to the Keys for a huge celebration. It was the best day/weekend.

2. Sure, it’s like picking a favorite child, but which one or two of your titles do you secretly love just a little more than the others?

BEFORE HIM COMES ME.  Zara, the main character, came in such a vivid manner that it almost felt like we were connected. She was pushy to have me tell her story her way. I miss her.

3. Were you be glued to the screen during the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, did you catch the recaps, or did you ignore the games completely? Any favorite events?

Skipped!!  I dislike all things snowy. Ironically, I live in Michigan. and it’s nine degrees today and snowing.

4. Dogs or cats? Pedigree or mutts?

Dog all the way. Jack Russell Terrors. Rescue only!!!  #Adoptnotshop

5. How many books have you published and in how many genres and sub-genres?

I’ve released two books total … BEFORE HIM COMES ME and IN THE PURSUIT OF CHARITY. So far, I write New Adult – College. I’ve also completed two additional first drafts that are romance but not college-age.

6. Favorite female singer/rocker over 60: Tina Turner, Deborah Harry (Blondie), Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan or _________?

I’m a pretty big Stevie fan. Her lyrics gut me.

7. If you were marooned on a deserted island with plenty of food and water but with only one book to read and re-read, which title would you hope for?

GONE WITH THE WIND [by Margaret Mitchell]. First book, of my favorites, that popped into my mind.

8. What is the first thing you when you finish a book?

The very first thing I’ve done when completing a book is to text author Kasidy Blake. She is my biggest cheerleader. We happy dance together.

9. Which Disney princess (or prince) do you wish you were more like? And which one are you really most like?

Absolutely no clue to either question.

10. Who was the first person, besides your mom and dad, who told you that you could write?

Kasidy Blake. She was the very first person to read an excerpt of my first book. She is one of my rocks!

11. What are some of your non-writing talents that readers might find surprising? (Keep it PG please.)

Talents?  I’m learning to be crafty but I wouldn’t call it a talent.

12. Names some things that have changed in publishing since your first book was published.

I’m a newbie to the author stage so this is difficult to answer. The first thing to pop into my head … Amazon’s tools to upload ebooks. I’ve released two books, and it was completely different both times.

13. Have you ever, even for a moment, forgotten that one of your characters was…you know…fictional?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: I did write a story so close to my own relationship in college that I had to place the file in a drawer for several months. I needed time to determine if I was ready to release something so personal. The answer was YES and IN THE PURSUIT OF CHARITY became my second release.

14. Do you own at least one purse (or twenty) from a well-known fashion designer, or are you more the bag-to-carry-my-junk-in type?

I’m a Coach girl. Well, I was a Coach girl until they decided to re-brand and re-name themselves Tapestry. I am NOT a Tapestry kind of girl.

15. Offer a piece of advice to new writers that you wish someone had given to you at the beginning of your career.

I wish someone would have told me typing “The End” was only the beginning. I knew nothing about editing, formatting, marketing and selling. Actually, it’s probably better I didn’t know.

Better advice: Just don’t give up!! 

 

*** 

 

 

 

In the Pursuit of Charity

By Alexandria Sure

 

 

 

He expected her to recognize him.

He expected her to be seduced by his charms.

He expected her to fall for him.

Expectations are a funny thing …

 

When his parents named him Herbert Lincoln James, they already had expectations that Linc would attend an ivy league university and go into politics. Linc didn’t. As captain of his swim team, he was expected to win the big relay to carry his swim team to the state championship for the first time in decades. Linc didn’t. Society expected him to walk past her. He couldn’t.

 

She expected him to see through her.

She expected him to make her into a joke.

She expected him to be cruel.

Expectations are a funny thing …

 

***

IN THE PURSUIT OF CHARITY, a June 2017 release from Beaumont Tower Press, may be purchased through Amazon US, Amazon UK and Amazon CA. Also available on iBook and Kobo. Coming soon to Nook.

 

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About Alexandria

Alexandria Sure is from Michigan and adores her supportive family, her two rescue pups, and her mighty Spartans. Her coffee obsession leads her to writing in local coffee shops where characters come alive between salted caramel lattes and large cups of “cold brew extra cream two Splenda,” which are usually on the counter when she walks in because the baristas know her car. (Thanks, Biggby!)

When she is not writing, she spends a great deal of her time perfecting her craft. She is an active member of Capital City Writers Association and attends several writing conferences each year.

Sure’s first novel, BEFORE HIM COMES ME, is an unconventional romance of self-discovery, described by readers as “the first BDSM book with no sex.”

Learn more about Alexandria through her website, www.alexandriasure.com, and check her out on Facebook, Twitter, her YouTube channel, Instagram and Goodreads.

 

 

 

 

 

Author Speed Dating – Thea Devine

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Thea Devine

 

 

 

 

15 Questions

1. If you could revisit any favorite period in your life for a day, in approximately which year would you be found and what would you be doing?

The year I met John — 1964 — at a party; we were there with other dates, he brought his date home, came back to the party, and as he walked in the door, I walked right into his arms — and I stayed there for 52 years.

2. Sure, it’s like picking a favorite child, but which one or two of your titles do you secretly love just a little more than the others?

TEMPTED BY FIRE — my first Regency and how much I loved writing it:  the language, the propriety, the clothes.  It wasn’t just Jane Austen — you can fall in love with the Regency period all on its own.

3. Will you be glued to the screen during the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, will you catch the recaps, or will you ignore the games completely? Any favorite events?

I am glued.  Favorite events:  ice skating (all forms), snowboarding,  skiing … and all extreme versions.  I do none of these sports, but I can dream.

4. Dogs or cats? Pedigree or mutts?

I wasn’t raised with pets, and the first thing John said after we were married was, we’re getting a dog.  He’d always had dogs.  And then we found a kitty cat (our Kippy) in a dumpster, and we fell in love with cats.  And from then we always had both, and at least two of each.

5. How many books have you published and in how many genres and sub-genres?

Twenty-seven books and about a dozen novellas, all either erotic historicals or contemporaries.  My books were some of the first to be reviewed as erotic romance, even though there were constraints.  We had to use what I called “everyday household words” and still make our readers feel the experience.  And they did.

6. Favorite female singer/rocker over 60: Tina Turner, Deborah Harry (Blondie), Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan or _________?

Oh, Stevie Nicks for sure.  “Rumours” is one of my favorite albums and her voice — rich, indelible … love love love.

And Adele.  Don’t know if she’s over 60, but she’s 100% for me. [Editor’s Note: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is 29. 🙂 ]

7. If you were marooned on a deserted island with plenty of food and water but with only one book to read and re-read, which title would you hope for?

GONE WITH THE WIND,   [by Margaret Mitchell], which, for me, was a different book every age I reread it, including recently, with my sister-in-law.  It surprised me to no end how much more history there was  than romance.  And you know, when I was sixteen and first read it, I was swooning over the romance.

8. What is the first thing you do when you finish a book?

 Put it down and think about it.  If I really loved it, why?  If I didn’t, why not?  How would I do it differently? 

9. Which Disney princess (or prince) do you wish you were more like? And which one are you really most like?

You’ve got me here — I grew up with Cinderella and Snow White — one passive, one active. I’m afraid I wasn’t a princess-y kind of little girl.

10. Who was the first person, besides your mom and dad, who told you that you could write?

Nancy Drew.  I started writing because of Nancy Drew — I wanted to create stories like that and I don’t know or remember why.  It just seemed like something I wanted to do,  so I started writing.  Writing something coherent at age 8 or 9 was a reward in and of itself.  As for encouragement — I don’t remember anyone specific, except my dad who, when I was fourteen, bought me the most expensive typewriter on the market.  Nothing more needed to be said.

11. What are some of your non-writing talents that readers might find surprising? (Keep it PG please.)

I love to crochet. I’m left-handed and my right-handed mom tried in vain to teach me.  It turns out I crochet right.  I also play guitar (3 majors and a minor) right-handedly.  I’m a sixties folkie; John and I lived in Greenwich Village back then, which was the place to be for folk music. I had grown up listening to Burl Ives, Roy Acuff and other country stars of the era, because my mom loved that music AND she could yodel.  I wanted to, badly, but there are some things you just can’t inherit.  I also love to write lyrics, songs, poems and doggerel.  The last lyric I wrote was about John’s complaining he couldn’t tell if I was talking to him or to myself (which I do — a lot).

12. Names some things that have changed in publishing since your first book was published.

 Everything. 

13. Have you ever, even for a moment, forgotten that one of your characters was…you know…fictional?

No, but I sure fell in love with Nick Galligan in HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK and Doug Rawls in SEX, LIES AND SECRET LIVES.

14. Do you own at least one purse (or twenty) from a well-known fashion designer, or are you more the bag-to-carry-my-junk-in type?

I’m a big-bag-to-carry-my-junk kind of girl, which John facilitated by buying me a nice large and beautiful bag every year for Christmas.  He bought the designer names.  I shopped the thrift shop.

15. Offer a piece of advice to new writers that you wish someone had given to you at the beginning of your career.

Keep writing no matter what.  You have the most control over this.  And you’ll get better at it.  You’ll get to know when it’s too much and when it’s just right.  You’ll know when to gloss over and when to drop details, and many other subtleties that you’ll discover when you’re not looking. 

I’ve been an author for more than 30 years, and I’m still refining how I write.  When I look at old manuscripts, I can see vestiges of how I write now and how much I’ve learned.  You will too.

 

***

 

 

His Little Black Book

By Thea Devine

 

 

… He came in with two cups of coffee and handed her one, made exactly the sway she liked it.

She slanted a startled look at him, and in that moment, she saw what Delia had seen:  the bafflement, the resistance, the hunger, the restraint, the desperate wish that her choices hadn’t been so heedless.  She saw the difference between a hedonist who had only wanted to play the game by his rules for his ongoing pleasure, and a man whose sole goal was centered all on the woman he had chosen.

This thing between them had everything to do with her — what made her her, the mystery of her, and his need to know the things about her that complemented the opposite things in him.

The spark, the attraction had nothing to do with her body or sex, although there was that too.  She understood that the detective in him was really a romantic under the skin, and he wanted to believe.  He almost could believe because he wanted it so much.

But for his own moral peace, he had to push her away because any relationship for him wouldn’t be a cavalier display of power.

It scared her how much he knew, how much he saw. Whereas she knew virtually nothing about him — barring he was a voracious reader, he loved music, he made good coffee, and  he was neat, tenacious, irritating, sarcastic blunt, and on every level, exciting. Superficial things overlaying what was beneath.

But when she looked at him, she felt enfolded.  She saw cozy nights and shared lives;  she saw the kind of man a woman would want to marry…

And in that moment, she fell in love…

***

HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK, a 2006 release from Pocket Books, may be purchased through these retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.

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About Thea

Thea Devine‘s books defined erotic historical romance. She’s the USA Today bestselling author of 27  steamy historical and contemporary novels and a dozen novellas.  She was the recipient of RWA NYC’s “Lifetime Achievement Award”, and honored by Romantic Times for being a “Romance Pioneer”. Learn more about Thea through her website, www.theadevine.com, and connect with her on Facebook.

 

***

Bonus!!

Call Me Home 

(Thea’s Work in Progress) 

Oh damn.  The problem of Bobby Sainz had her all tense and on edge.  Jack Tierney had specifically asked her to deal with Bobby’s father since she’d known Bobby, he said, and she’d handled estate matters in New York.

She waved at a recent client, as she turned at the Corners.  Here, catty-cornered, were The Cup ‘n Sup, the post office, town hall and, in a lovely old house that backed the lake, the town library.

Marco Sainz’s house was in a prime ten minute walk-to-town location.

In no time it seemed, she stepped up onto the sun porch, pausing a minute to look at the lake, and then noting a battered truck parked on the shoulder of the road.  But there was always a battered truck parked somewhere on the roads around here, she thought as she opened the door.

Immediately the atmosphere felt charged.

Someone’s here …

She dug for her cell phone and left the door open as she moved slowly into the living room.  Nothing had been moved or changed, but something was different.  Or she was imagining things.

“Anyone here?”

She went into the kitchen.  Everything clean and pristine as before.  Into the larger of the two bedrooms – and she stopped.  Suitcases here, thrown carelessly on the bed,  a grocery bag on the floor.

Oh dear God …please, no …

“Hey!  Don’t move …”

A hard ruthless voice behind her, shocking her.  She whirled, her cell at the ready … “Bobby …?” Her heart stopped, her breath caught.  He was tall, muscular, and gorgeous.  Hard body, hard gray eyes, long hair threaded with gray falling into his eyes.  Hard voice, deep, rich, demanding,  “Who the hell are you?”

Carrie let out her breath.  He didn’t recognize her. Good.  He was more formidable than she’d imagined. with that hard scowl and an animal magnetism that subtly infused the air.  The pull was almost irresistible.

She resisted.  “Carrie Scott, Bobby.”

“Jeez …” He stared at her for a long moment.  “Carrie?” Not the Carrie he remembered, the one with the big blonde hair, tight skirts and barely buttoned blouses.  The Carrie with the crush that had nearly crushed him.

“Carrie Scott, Esquire,” she amended coolly to put a measurable distance between them.  Or was it a chasm, between the elite lawyer and the hard bitten military man?   “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Sainz.”  She held out her hand.

He brushed it aside, almost afraid to touch her.  “The hell.  What are you doing here?”  Carrie?  Really? With that long thick braid brushing her breast like a caress,  wearing jeans and sneakers? And silk?  Why the hell had that registered?

He barely heard her answer, he was so stunned..

“I check up on the house once a week.  I do that for all my absentee clients.  Where there’s renovation, there’s temptation.  And an empty house?  They take anything they can sell when they can get away with it …”

She stopped abruptly, aware he wasn’t listening.

They stared at each other for a long time. She was certain he was seeing what she saw:  their younger faces superimposed over the adult, and how much they’d changed and how much they were still the same.

Memories cascading suddenly — how she had been:  sassy, cocky, beautiful even then, intelligent, sure of herself, crazy crushed on Bobby Sainz.  Following him around, surreptitiously, she’d thought.  Dressing provocatively. Doing things to make him notice her.

Oh God.  Had it been like that?  Had she been like that?  She’d been so sure of herself.  Fifteen, for God’s sake.  Thought she knew it all …

And then, the morning at the lake.

Bobby broke his gaze first, and turned abruptly to stalk to the front door.

“Thanks.  Nice of you to drop by.”  Goddamn it, she was beautiful.  Still.

And she was his past as much as anything else in this town – which meant, despite that girlhood crush, she could be his worst enemy.

Carrie followed him slowly.  “I was your father’s lawyer, Bobby. We have things to discuss.  I’d like you to come to my office … at your convenience.”

He was standing by the door, tall, predatory, savage,  his anger potent and tangible, as if she were the one who’d stoked it up.

Maybe she had.  The past was never that far away, it seemed.  She did not like him in that moment. She saw then the hard reality of what the past twenty years had done to him.  He was an exile. There was no softness in him. But there never had been.  And there was nothing of the boy she’d crushed on so futilely.  This was another person from another place; he didn’t belong here.

“All you have to do is come to the office and sign some papers, Bobby.  You don’t even have to stay here.”

“Really?  Nice welcome home, Lawyer Carrie.  Chasing me out after I’ve barely just walked in the door?”  How could anyone be so beautiful and such an absolute bitch?  Nothing had changed in all these years. “Thanks for the drive-by.”

“I walked,” she said coldly.  “My hours are ten to four, the office is on Main, the green house by the One Stop.  Any time this afternoon would work.”

“I’ll be in touch.”  He slammed the door behind her, and she stood there, stone frozen for a long moment.

What just happened in there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Speed Dating – Roni Hall

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Roni Hall

15 Questions

 

1. If you could revisit any favorite period in your life for a day, in approximately which year would you be found and what would you be doing?

My wedding day. I’ve never felt such intense, overwhelming emotion as I did walking up the aisle…nervousness, anticipation, excitement and of course love. The icing on the cake… everyone that was important to me was there to share it.

2. Sure, it’s like picking a favorite child, but which one or two of your titles do you secretly love just a little more than the others?

LOL, that’s easy. MONTANA WILD, my only release. I am working on another as we speak.

3. Will you be glued to the screen during the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, will you catch the recaps, or will you ignore the games completely? Any favorite events?

I will be glued to the TV. I LOVE the Olympics. Downhill skiing is crazy, scary and exciting.

4. Dogs or cats? Pedigree or mutts?

Definitely dogs. I am extremely partial to Labs.

5. How many books have you published and in how many genres and sub-genres?

My debut novel is contemporary romance with a flair for adventure. I threw in some suspense too!

6. Favorite female singer/rocker over 60: Tina Turner, Deborah Harry (Blondie), Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan or _________?

So many to choose! Aretha Franklin.

7. If you were marooned on a deserted island with plenty of food and water but with only one book to read and re-read, which title would you hope for?

I would have to take two vastly different novels…GONE WITH THE WIND [by Margaret Mitchell] and THE STAND by Stephen King.

8. What is the first thing you do when you finish a book?

Crack open a special bottle of wine!

9. Which Disney princess (or prince) do you wish you were more like? And which one are you really most like?

I wish I was more like Belle (“Beauty and the Beast”) because she could see inner beauty. And which one are you really most like? Ariel [“The Little Mermaid“]. I am a water baby.

10. Who was the first person, besides your mom and dad, who told you that you could write?

My boss! I was rewriting a job classification and he was impressed with my manipulation of words to describe the position.

11. What are some of your non-writing talents that readers might find surprising? (Keep it PG please.)

Calligraphy, cooking, wine appreciation. I took some woodworking classes and have a renewed respect for all power tools!

12. Names some things that have changed in publishing since your first book was published.

When I was writing my debut novel, self-publishing was frowned upon. Now it is a respected, legitimate option!

13. Have you ever, even for a moment, forgotten that one of your characters was…you know…fictional?

Sure. When you spend so much time with your heroine, she becomes your bff!

14. Do you own at least one purse (or twenty) from a well-known fashion designer, or are you more the bag-to-carry-my-junk-in type?

I love bags…but they don’t have to be designer. I like them to be FUN with lots of compartments!

15. Offer a piece of advice to new writers that you wish someone had given to you at the beginning of your career.

Don’t quit. Don’t compare yourself to others. Stay true to YOUR voice.

 

Thanks Dana!

 

***

 

 

Montana Wild

By Roni Hall

 

 

Swept up into the sea of travelers at the airport, she focused her attention back to the present as she followed the human current through check-in and security gates. It wasn’t until she was buckled into her seat that she registered the panic present in the far corner of her mind. What am I doing? A sickening wave of nausea rose in her throat as clammy beads of sweat trickled down her face. What the hell am I doing? Get up. Get off the plane now. It’s not too late, go!

Dizzy with indecision, she reached for the buckle on her seatbelt as her alternate conscience spoke up. No, stay. Do I really want to go back to my cramped little studio and spend more time alone? Her fingers released the grip on her seatbelt and she closed her eyes, deliberately trying to relax the tense wires in every fiber of her body.

Uneasy thoughts lingered after her internal schizophrenic conversation and she tried to leave all doubts behind as the plane ascended. Finding it impossible to concentrate on reading, she tried to distract herself by striking up a conversation with the unlucky soul sitting next to her.

“Have you ever been to Montana?”

“Oh yes, my sister lives there and I try to visit her every few years. How about you?”

“No, I’ve never been. This’s my first time and I’m nervous,” Jamie admitted.

“It’s pretty enough, but it’s rough country. I couldn’t live there. What brings you?”

Well, I finally got enough backbone to break up with my abusive, criminal boyfriend Derrick three months ago, and then my best friend and only ally, Noah, left on tour. I have NO family since my father died an agonizing death from lung cancer ten years ago, resulting in my mother becoming depressed and committing suicide two years later. I was pathetic enough to attach myself to one of my patients and become a helpless spectator as death cruelly consumed him. Only days after his death, my only surviving relative and second mother died, leaving me a 31-year-old orphan. So you see, I’m a loser and terribly lonely. So when this man I’ve never met in person asked me to join him on an intriguing escape across the country, I accepted.

That was the whole enchilada she wanted to spew out to the sweet, unsuspecting gray-haired matron in seat 21A. Instead she answered succinctly, “Just visiting a friend.”

 

***

MONTANA WILD, Roni Hall’s debut novel and a 2016 release from Soul Mate Publishing, may be purchased through Amazon. An Audible version of the book may be purchased by following this link.

 

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About Roni

The summer after high school graduation, Roni worked two jobs to pay for nursing school. During the midnight shift as a waitress, a charismatic young man at the counter flirted with her for hours as he consumed seven cups of coffee.  Their first date was eventful enough to be a book itself! Thirty-nine years and two kids later, the love story continues. Just like her novels, life can’t be too simple and you must make it an adventurous ride!

Her favorite place to write is in her hammock at their small Michigan cottage where she literally dodges the feeding hummingbirds while being serenaded by the lake’s loons.  Besides writing, she loves Slow Rollin’ in Detroit and the combination of good food, better wine, and dear friends.  Learn more about Roni through her website, www.ronihall.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Email her here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Speed Dating – Betina Krahn

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Betina Krahn

 

15 Questions

1. If you could revisit any favorite period in your life for a day, in approximately which year would you be found and what would you be doing?

1989. My boys would be in elementary school, and I would be welcoming them home on an icy Minnesota afternoon with hot chocolate and cookies and big warm hugs!!  [sniff, sniff]

2. Sure, it’s like picking a favorite child, but which one or two of your titles do you secretly love just a little more than the others?

A GOOD DAY TO MARRY A DUKE. Seriously. I had such fun writing it.  And MY WARRIOR’S HEART, reissued by Bantam as THE ENCHANTMENT.  Vikings with a six-foot battle maiden.  What more can I say?

3. Will you be glued to the screen during the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, will you catch the recaps, or will you ignore the games completely? Any favorite events?

Not much into the Games these days, but I still love the figure skating—see it when I can.  Always my fave!

4. Dogs or cats? Pedigree or mutts?

Definitely dogs.  Rescue dogs… pedigree or not.  Goldens, especially.  Like my Gracie.

5. How many books have you published and in how many genres and sub-genres?

Yikes.  At least 30.  ::blush::  I lost count.  All historicals… except SOLDIER’S RESCUE, which was out last September with Harlequin Heartwarming.  That’s a contemporary.  All time periods: Medieval, Vikings, American Colonial, Elizabethan, Victorian…

6. Favorite female singer/rocker over 60: Tina Turner, Deborah Harry (Blondie), Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan or _________?

Probably Tina Turner.  Too bad Mama Cass [Elliot] and Janis Joplin aren’t with us… they’d be over 60 now.

7. If you were marooned on a deserted island with plenty of food and water but with only one book to read and re-read, which title would you hope for?

Only one? Honestly, a C.S. Lewis or the  HOLY BIBLE.  But if I could have two… Judith Merkle Riley’s A VISION OF LIGHT.  That book changed my outlook on women’s lives entirely.

8. What is the first thing you do when you finish a book?

Hug the hubs deliriously and then SLEEP.  Champagne comes later.

9. Which Disney princess (or prince) do you wish you were more like? And which one are you really most like?

Anna, from “Frozen.”  Plucky women are my stock and trade. But, I’m really more a Rapunzel [“Tangled”] … without the hair.

 10. Who was the first person, besides your mom and dad, who told you that you could write?

My crazy sister.  She was my very first reader.

11. What are some of your non-writing talents that readers might find surprising? (Keep it PG please.)

I can talk angry people down.  Not sure what kind of “talent” that is, but it’s pretty useful in the medical field.  My staff gets a hot one and it’s: “Get Betina!”

12. Names some things that have changed in publishing since your first book was published.

How much time have I got?  Independent wholesalers and bookstores have all but disappeared.  Publishers have consolidated into empires.  Everybody can (and does) publish on the Internet.  And, in general, books are so much better these days.

13. Have you ever, even for a moment, forgotten that one of your characters was…you know…fictional?

In the early days, my whole family talked about one of my heroines as if she were real.  Treasure.  I think the neighbors wondered if we had a kid we kept in a closet.

14. Do you own at least one purse (or twenty) from a well-known fashion designer, or are you more the bag-to-carry-my-junk-in type?

No great couture. I get a Dooney & Bourke or a Coach (usually as a gift), and I carry it until my sister says: “That thing looks like a feed bag.  An OLD feed bag.”

 

***

 

 

 

 

A Good Day to

Marry a Duke

By Betina Krahn

 

 

Looking into her reflection, she managed to settle two silk butterflies back into her hair and wrap the dangling threads of a third around some seed pearls in the flowers at her shoulder.  She must have groaned aloud, because her fashion critic laughed.  When she looked up, he stood nearby with a gold stickpin in hand.

“Try this.”  His grin raised both hackles and gooseflesh.

“I couldn’t possibly.”  She dropped her gaze and found the butterfly she’d applied hanging to one side, as if it had expired from the indignity of having to appear on that dog’s dinner of a dress.

“Well, I could,” he said, taking the butterflies from her and stabbing both through with the stickpin.  She watched in disbelief as he pulled out the fabric of her bodice, jabbed the pin through a flower, and threaded it through from behind.

When the butterflies were secured, his hand remained in audacious contact with her liberally exposed skin.  He ran the backs of his knuckles slowly around the neckline of her bodice.

She should be kicking him like a Missouri mule, should be giving him a painful lesson in how American girls dealt with “bounders.”  But, truth be told— tall, dark men with bad intentions had always been her weakness, and he was taller and darker than most and from what she could tell, his intentions were spectacularly bad.

Right now every muscle in her body was taut with expectation and her lips ached for contact of a sort she’d sworn to forego until she had spoken respectable vows.

“There,” he said with a wry smile, lowering his hand.  “If you can overlook the fact that those two appear to be mating, you’ll be fine.”

“Mating?”  Her eyes flew wide as she realized what he’d done.  “You, you—” She caught herself before she uttered a curse and drew a fiercely controlled breath instead.  “What is her name?  This mama you slunk in here like a polecat to avoid.”

His grin dimmed and he paused a moment, studying her.  She had caught him off-guard.

“A gentleman does not discuss the ladies in his life.”

“Is that so?” she said, lifting her chin as she headed for the door.  “Well, I’m sure I’ll recognize her when I see her.  She’ll be the one with the shotgun” –she raked him with a look— “and the horse-faced daughter.”

 

***

A GOOD DAY TO MARRY A DUKE, Book 1 in the Sin and Sensibility series and a November 2017 release from Zebra (Kensington Publishing Corp.), may be purchased through these and other retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and Kensington.

***

About Betina

 

Bestselling author Betina Krahn is the creator of dozens of satisfying “happily-ever-afters.”  Her many historical romances have received a coveted RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America, numerous reviewer’s choice and lifetime achievement awards and have appeared regularly on bestseller lists. . . including the USA Today and The New York Times.

Her books have been called “sexy” “warm” “witty” and even “wonderfully wise.”  But the description that pleases her most is “funny”. . . because she believes the only thing the world needs as much as it needs love, is laughter.

Learn more about Betina through her website, www.betinakrahn.com.

***

BONUS!

Useful Quotes from A Good Day To Marry A Duke

 

  • Truth be told, tall dark men with bad intentions had always been her weakness.  And he was taller and darker than most and, from what she could tell, his intentions were spectacularly bad.

 

  • “Careful, Miss Bumgarten. Such remarks might lead one to wonder how you came to be such an expert on men.”

It was a perfect opening.

“A body doesn’t have to have been bitten to recognize a snake.”

 

  • She had enjoyed it, damn it. Just like she knew she would.  She had reveled in it, right down to the way her toes curled in her boots.

And it danged-well couldn’t happen again.  Ever.

 

  • “You think I couldn’t make him happy.”

His laugh came from deep in his chest and had a knowing edge.

“Sweetness, you could make a fencepost happy.”

 

  • “It’s a church, Daisy,” he said leaning close. “I’m hardly apt to ravish you in the nave.”

“You didn’t seem to have any scruples about doing it in a library.”

“Nor”—he smiled wickedly—“did you.”

 

 

 

 

Author Speed Dating – Kathy Kalmar

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Kathy Kalmar

 

15 Questions

1. Name the best New Year’s Resolution you have ever broken, and how quickly did you fall off the wagon?

I made the resolution to stay away from my bad boy love. It lasted until the next time he called─about 5 minutes later.

2. Hottest “The Avengers” actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlet Johansson (Black Widow) or Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye)?

Robert Downey, Jr.: hubba hubba!

3. What are the highest and lowest moments you’ve had as a writer?

When an editor for Baby Talk magazine rejected “Discipline is part of loving too”, that was depressing. I guess yelling at your baby was a poor parenting strategy. When BEYOND THE BEACH was published, that was an all-time high! Oh yeah and my doctoral dissertation!! That made all the difference.

4. Please let us in on a few of your writing plans for the brand new year 2018. Any new books in the pipeline?

I plan to extend my Mountain Series which is set in the Great Smoky Mountains. MOUNTAIN SKYE, THE PREQUEL is going through first edits.  MOUNTAIN HOT and MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS are out. I’m playing around with a Cape Cod Series… we’ll see. I still have the Beach Series going – BACK TO THE BEACH, PROMISES ON THE BEACH.

 5. If you could only have one type of candy for the rest of your life, what treat would be satisfying your sweet tooth?

King-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my weakness. I am a raging chocoholic.

6. Which is your preferred writing location: home office with favorite music, coffee shop with white noise or library in total silence?

All of the above; but, I prefer my Smoky Mountain round house which burned up in the Chimney Tops 2 wildfire of 2016. We just approved the blueprints for our Comeback Chalet. Now, I write in the dining room looking out the backyard window pretending I’m in the mountains or Hawaii!

7. What’s the worst piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

“I think marrying Jim (1st husband) would be a struggle.” I wish she’d said it would be a catastrophe. But it’s given me tons to write about and the best children and grandchildren in the world. A struggle sounded so challenging, spicy and romantic. Geez.

8. In which sub-genres are you published, and what does the wide or narrow focus say about you?

Contemporary romance, inspirational, children’s , women’s, non-fiction education articles. It says I’m a Gemini.

9. Name two of your favorite authors, one living and one no longer with us. How have their books impacted your writing?

Catherine Marshall, TO LIVE AGAIN. It got me through my divorce. Inspirational. Helped my faith grow and develop.

Janet Evanovich and Elin Hilderbrand; one makes me laugh, the other takes me to Nantucket which I pretend is Cape Cod.

10. When you are starting a new book, what are some of the activities you do to get know your characters and develop your plot?

I take notes, snatches of thought, descriptions, lines, scenes that come to me. The characters come full-blown. The challenge is to show them being who they are not telling who they are.

11. Preferred winter activities: ice skating, ice fishing and anything involving snow or Couch Potato Olympics?

Hot tubbing is my competitive winter sport. So is summer hot tubbing, spring…

12. Which character from one of your books is most like or most radically different from your significant other?

Wolfe is an old…boyfriend… and I nailed but good him in PROMISES ON THE BEACH. All my heroes are…opps that would be telling.

13. What is your most ridiculous fear?

That I’ll live too long or not long enough-as if I have any say. Ridiculous.

14. What is your favorite social-media activity: watching cat or dog videos on Facebook, Tweeting #amwriting when you’re not or Snapchatting your face with kitty whiskers?

Kitty videos have me in stitches. Any animal shots that show love and kindness.

15. Who were some of the other authors who helped you on your writer’s journey, and how did they make a difference for you?

Kathleen Woodiwiss made me wordy and maybe horny. JoAnne Delmanico, wonderful island stories. Hers take me back to Cape Cod. I like Dean Koontz– master wordsmith.

 

***

 

 

Beyond the Beach 1

 

By Kathy Kalmar

 

She stood there a long time listening to the comforting sound of the surf. It was constant and reassuring balm to her aching, bruised heart. The divorce had taken its toll. Exhausted, she drifted into the bathroom and took a hot bubble bath. When she was done, she opened her garment bag, searching for her white gauze nightgown but finding seersucker instead! Her fingers flipped rapidly through the unfamiliar clothing. This garment bag held men’s clothing. Good grief.

In her need to put some distance between her and Chance, she must have grabbed his bag! She found his huge tee shirt. Wisely, she didn’t even try the boxers. That seemed futile and too risqué for her. Finding she had the opportunity to get inside some man’s pants – safely, no risk involved- she passed on it. She could make do with what she had in his bag, but he would have no such luck. He’d have to rough it in the buff. Hugging the shirt closer to her, knowing it had covered his body too, she drew in his scent. She sat on the chaise stretching out her bare legs. She giggled. If he could see me now. Strolling to the mini bar, she poured herself a drink and carried it to the lanai…

Meanwhile Chance thought Hope she likes surprises. Over-balancing he fell at her feet in a heap. Hell!  “We really have to stop meeting like this, you know.” he said from the floor.

Caren jerked, spilling the wine against her breasts. The red liquid spread making a large wet spot that made the thin white fabric cling. She recovered from her shock as she realized who it was. “Falling appears to be habit forming,” she agreed .”Ever think of knocking?”

 

***

BEYOND THE BEACH, Book 1 in the Beach Series and a January 2017 release, may be purchased through these retailers: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

***

About Kathy

Kathy Kalmar was born in Detroit, Michigan, and lives with her husband, Larry. She feels her life has gone something like a bad country song since her Smoky Mountain cabin retreat burned down, her girlie inside parts were removed and her beloved Bichon-Maltese mix dog, Valentino, died. She’s the mother of two adult children and Grammie to three. Love and family influence her writing. Like her heroines, she got her second chance to love when she married Larry in 1981. She writes non-fiction for teachers and parents and children’s fiction. She reads widely but prefers contemporary romances and enjoys writing them. She prefers to write in her Smoky Mountain cabin in Tennessee, which she is rebuilding after the 2016 Chimney Top Two fire. Although she enjoys reading, walking, and writing, she excels in hot tubbing, chocolate, and in sampling generous glasses of wine, preferably on Waikiki Beach. She enjoys mai tais and butterscotch moonshine too! Learn more about Kathy through her website, www.kathykalmar.com.

Author Speed Dating – Angel Smits

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Angel Smits

 

15 Questions

1. Name the best New Year’s Resolution you have ever broken, and how quickly did you fall off the wagon?

I’m really not much for resolutions.  I can’t think of any I’ve broken, since I’ve made so few.  Probably when I decided I wasn’t going to bite my nails anymore.  I wanted long pretty nails.  I did it.  I was fifteen, I think.

 2. Hottest “The Avengers” actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlet Johansson (Black Widow) or Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye)?

Thor!  The body.  The story—that voice!!  (Fans self)

3. What are the highest and lowest moments you’ve had as a writer?

The highest moment so far was when I won Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award.  Such glamour and fun!  An affirmation that I really needed.  The lowest…the announcement this past summer that the Harlequin Superromance line was closing.  I love Super!  (As a reader and a writer.)

4. Please let us in on a few of your writing plans for the brand new year 2018. Any new books in the pipeline?

I’m busy.  My last Superromance is ADDIE GETS HER MAN, which will be in June, #6 in the series.  It’s a bittersweet honor to be one of the final 4.  I’m working on a proposal for the next book I have contracted with Harlequin, though it won’t be a Super.  Love new things!  And I’ve just put out a book on Alzheimer’s care.  (My day job popping up!)  It’s part fiction and part fact.  It was really fun to write. 

5. If you could only have one type of candy for the rest of your life, what treat would be satisfying your sweet tooth?

Oh, man, that’s a tough one!  I love sugar in any form really—but honestly if there were no more M&Ms in the world, what would be the point of going on? 

6. Which is your preferred writing location: home office with favorite music, coffee shop with white noise or library in total silence?

For rough draft I do best with my little pink (yes, pink) laptop at a coffee shop near my house, my IPod playing the latest country tunes!  Editing I have to do on my big desktop.  Need the bigger screen.

7. What’s the worst piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

Technically it is the worst and the best.  Never quit on something you’ve committed to.  Definitely gives me drive to finish things—but sometimes I have a hard time letting go. 

8. In which sub-genres are you published, and what does the wide or narrow focus say about you?

My last few novels have been contemporary romance.  My Golden Heart was in the Single Title category.  But my first two books were paranormal romance.  I love ghosts and psychics! I think it says that I have a very weird and varied imagination.  Some might call it overactive…but I love it!  It’s never dull.

9. Name two of your favorite authors, one living and one no longer with us. How have their books impacted your writing?

Just two? There’s so many.  One of my favorite living authors is Jean Brashear.  Beautiful stories!  I get lost in them.  And the author I think who really impacted my writing early on was Emily Bronte.  I’ve read WUTHERING HEIGHTS multiple times.  Heathcliff!!   

10. When you are starting a new book, what are some of the activities you do to get know your characters and develop your plot?

I have a box where I’ve cut out pictures of people I think look interesting or like characters.  I’ll sit and go through the box, hopefully finding people who resonate with the people in my head.  I’m terrible about visualizing people.  I need the help! And I love to play with my characters.   

11. Preferred winter activities: ice skating, ice fishing and anything involving snow or Couch Potato Olympics?

I am most definitely the couch potato type.  I love to watch ice skating and even football sometimes, but from the comfy spot on my couch, with a cup of coffee, my fluffy blanket and a book—just in case!  

12. Which character from one of your books is most like or most radically different from your significant other?

My husband is SO alpha.  And the hero in my book, THE MARINE FINDS HIS FAMILY, is probably the one most like him.  But thinking about it now, I kinda think each one has a little bit of his characteristics.  Hey, I know what I like! 

13. What is your most ridiculous fear?

I do not like anything that slithers or crawls.  Snakes and spiders…ewww…  When we were first married we had cockroaches in one apartment, and I got up in the middle of the night once and turned on the bathroom light.  My poor husband woke up to his new wife’s blood curdling scream.  I’m not sure he’s forgiven me yet. 

14. What is your favorite social-media activity: watching cat or dog videos on Facebook, Tweeting #amwriting when you’re not or Snapchatting your face with kitty whiskers?

I LOVE Twitter.  It’s so fast and furious, but it’s really difficult to keep up with!  I just let it drag me along.  The challenge of putting everything into a few characters fascinates me.  It’s almost disappointing when they expand it.  Like they’re taking away the challenge.

15. Who were some of the other authors who helped you on your writer’s journey, and how did they make a difference for you?

If I started listing them, you wouldn’t have any more room on your blog for anyone else!  I’ve been lucky that so many writers have supported me, and guided me along the way.  Early on, people like Jasmine Cresswell, Pam McCutcheon and Heidi Betts inspired me by writing great stories as well as encouraging me to keep going.  Writing is fun, but when you turn to the publishing world—it can be rough.  Without support, I can see why people give up.  Believe me, there were times I’ve wanted to.  But it always seems like when I reach a point of feeling defeated, some story came along and reminded me why I write, and it’s back.  Or a writer friend will write or call and ask what I’m up to.  Their interest inspires mine.

Since writing for Superromance, I’ve gotten to know the women who are my “Super Sisters.”  They really have made me want to write better.  It’s not a competition, but I sure want to feel like I’m worthy of hanging with them. 

 

***

 

 

Last Chance

at the Someday Cafe

By Angel Smits

 

“Hunk alert,” Wendy called out in a pseudo whisper.

Tara wasn’t sure when the staff had started this ridiculous behavior.  Whenever a good-looking guy came by the restaurant, one of the waitresses would make this announcement.  She knew she should stop it, but with a brand-new staff, she was going to allow anything that helped them become a cohesive team.

“You really should see this guy.”  Wendy passed Tara and whispered in her ear.  “He’s perfect for you.”

Not only was her staff getting involved in the life of the diner, they’d started to make their feelings known about her life–specifically, her lack of a love life.  Love was in the air everywhere–and her staff thought she should join in.

“Not interested,” she said, focusing on the biscuit dough.  “Told you that already.”

“This one might make you change your mind.”  Wendy’s voice came out all sing-songy as she wiggled her eyebrows.  “You never know.”

Wendy disappeared out into the dining room as Lindy, the hostess, came in.  “You gotta see this guy,” Lindy said as she carried a stack of dishes to the sink.  The girl was a ditz at times, but she knew when to chip in and help.

“You girls need cooling off.”  Gabe lifted the water spray and sent a brief blast of water at Lindy, who squealed.

“All right.”  Tara needed to stop them now.  “Everyone get to work.”  Her voice was soft, though, so while they stilled the horseplay, the glances and snickers continued.

Shoving the tray of biscuits into the oven, she stepped back and dusted off her hands.

Suddenly, hands cupped her elbows, and she found her waitresses on either side of her, each taking an arm.  “Hey!”

“You’ll thank us later.”  Wendy laughed.

The laughing trio had to angle awkwardly through the swinging doors, and the thump of the doors falling back into place barely broke the din of the dining room.

Tara didn’t have to ask.  The man at the counter, on the end.  Blond short-cropped hair.  Broad, body-builder shoulders.  And muscles.  His arms were huge, stretching the fabric of his black T-shirt tight.  She didn’t dare look in the direction of his faded blue jeans.

“See?”  Wendy didn’t even bother to try and hide her pointing hand.

Tara froze.  And stared.  “Oh.  My,” she whispered and spun on her heel.  She scurried back into the kitchen before he could look up and see them all gawking at him.

But that man…  He was exactly what she’d normally be attracted to.  He was the opposite of her brothers, so different from her normal reality.

Which was why she’d turned around.  She’d made more than her fair share of bad choice in men.  She did not have time for any kind of relationship right now.  None whatsoever.  Not even a wishful one.

Even if those arms could make any girl feel safe.

 

***

LAST CHANCE AT THE SOMEDAY CAFE, Book 5 in the A Chair at the Hawkins Table series  and a November 2017 release from Harlequin Superromance, may be purchased through these retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Harlequin.

 

***

About Angel

Angel Smits shares a big yellow house, complete with gingerbread and a porch swing in Colorado with her husband, daughter and Maggie, the border collie mix.  Winning the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award was the highlight of her writing career—until her first Harlequin book hit the shelves.  Her social work background inspires her characters, while improv writing allows her to torture them.  It’s a rough job, but someone’s got to do it. Learn more about Angle through her website, www.angelsmits.com, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

Author Speed Dating – Carolyn Hector

by

I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Carolyn Hector

15 Questions

1. Name the best New Year’s Resolution you have ever broken, and how quickly did you fall off the wagon?

It depends on when the New Year’s Day begins because my Go-To resolution is to lose weight. Like if it’s on a Monday, I’m good for a week. If it falls pretty much any other day of the week I’m like, “I’ll start it Monday”.  

2. Hottest “The Avengers” actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlet Johansson (Black Widow) or Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye)?

Actor… Chris Hemsworth. Hottest Avenger…from this list… The Hulk. 1- he’s technically a POC… (green is a color) and 2- he’s smart.

3. What are the highest and lowest moments you’ve had as a writer?

The highest moment for me would be getting “the call” from my acquiring editor. I remember sitting in my office for an extra hour trying to fix my face after crying from excitement.

The lowest has been finding out that my line, Harlequin Kimani, is going to be dissolved in the next year. This is my home.

4. Please let us in on a few of your writing plans for the brand new year 2018. Any new books in the pipeline?

This year I’m still crowning my heroines with my Once Upon a Tiara series. June you will be able to read TEMPTING THE BEAUTY QUEEN and this winter I’m coming out with HER MISTLETOE BACHELOR.

5. If you could only have one type of candy for the rest of your life, what treat would be satisfying your sweet tooth?

TAKE 5. This candy bar hits all my cravings for salty, crunchy, peanut buttery, and chocolatey. 

6. Which is your preferred writing location: home office with favorite music, coffee shop with white noise or library in total silence?

I prefer to write at home, in recliner, with pillows propped up under my elbows and on my lap. I honestly write best with the television station on something that I have no interest in (usually when my husband is watching football) and I have my headphones on, listening to music.

7. What’s the worst piece of advice your mother ever gave you?

1st—I have 3 moms… and they’ve all given horrible advice/wisdom/words of comfort.

Adopted mother- You’ll get along better in life if you accept the fact the world doesn’t revolved around you.

Step-mom – he’s just picking on you because he likes you.

Bio-mom—sorry about your curves, you’re Italian and we’re just naturally big people.

8. In which sub-genres are you published, and what does the wide or narrow focus say about you?

I am published in/with contemporary romances. I like to write action-adventure kick-ass women romances, but so far I only have one book published in that area (Check out MR. AND MRS. ROSSI). I like to dabble with historical romances. I have one written, but it’s sitting on my digital shelf. All this says about me is I’m chicken @#^$^* to put myself out there in the world.

9. Name two of your favorite authors, one living and one no longer with us. How have their books impacted your writing?

My living favorite author… geez… I can’t pick just one. Can I cheat? First name—BrendaBeverlyRochelle—last name—JacksonJenkinsAlers. [Editor’s Note: For those who need a key, the answers would be Brenda Jackson, Beverly Jenkins and Rochelle Alers. :)]

No longer with us, Francis Ray.

I wouldn’t be published if it weren’t for these ladies. Back in the ’90s, I was so excited to find books with familiar faces on the cover. I mean, I’d been writing for years basically for myself (and my Barbies, but that’s a whole ‘nother story), but seeing them meant there was a demand for stories with POC (people of color… in case anyone wondered).

10. When you are starting a new book, what are some of the activities you do to get know your characters and develop your plot?

So for me… I have to cast my characters. Usually by the time I have story in my head, I’ve already seen the characters. If they’re an actor/actress or a model… I do the typical stalking research on them. I’ll follow them on IG or Twitter or binge watch everything they’ve acted in to get certain mannerisms. 

11. Preferred winter activities: ice skating, ice fishing and anything involving snow or Couch Potato Olympics?

I’m more of a gold medal Couch Potato. I take that back. I love to bake and cook when it’s cold.

12. Which character from one of your books is most like or most radically different from your significant other?

Most of my books are about beauty queens and the drama/non-drama between them. I’ve never been a beauty queen, but I would have to say I’m most like Waverly Leverve. Sometime my big mouth gets me in trouble.

13. What is your most ridiculous fear?

I fear that if I drive around with the windows rolled down, a bird is going to fly into my car and attack me.

14. What is your favorite social-media activity: watching cat or dog videos on Facebook, Tweeting #amwriting when you’re not or Snapchatting your face with kitty whiskers?

Promise not to judge me? I am still playing Candy Crush. I am years invested in this game. As of this date I am on level 2142. I have yet to break out my wallet for anything. It’s a habit for me…part of my writing routine when I am trying to work out a scene.

15. Who were some of the other authors who helped you on your writer’s journey, and how did they make a difference for you?

Brenda Jackson, Beverly Jenkins, and Rochelle Alers. Picture it, Romance Slam Jam-2001. I’d just won 2nd and 1st place for their aspiring writers contest. Brenda’s family told me to always keep writing no matter what. Beverly’s book saved my marriage (I just knew my husband never paid attention to me and he surprised me with her book… and this was way before going on line to Amazon and ordering a book. He made a big effort). Rochelle once told me to never make a story line out of a situation that could have easily been solved by a conversation… and that gave me the Ah-ha moment …plus, she impacted my life by writing my favorite hero… I loved him so much that I named my son after him (check out VOWS).

 

 ***

 

 

 

A Tiara Under the Tree

By Carolyn Hector

 

“Dominic Crowne?” Waverly breathed the man’s name and hoped to slow down the quickening pulse zipping through her veins. Since she’d seen him last, he’d shed the tailored suit and replaced it with jeans—a pair of well-fitted jeans—and a T-shirt. Tattoos covered his forearms. She tried not to stare too hard. He might as well have come with a neon sign that read DANGER. Excitement coursed through her veins.

Dominic leaned against the door frame with a pizza box propped within the crook of his arm and against his hip. A dangerous smile, accompanied with a quick wiggle of his brow, crossed his face. “You’re not Lexi.”

“This is her place,” Waverly explained. “Lexi is letting me crash here for a while.”

“Crash here for a while?” He frowned. “Is your place being painted or something?”

Waverly shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Are you volunteering or something?”

“Maybe the ‘something’ part,” Dominic licked his lips, and Waverly forgot about the howling in her stomach from a few minutes ago before pizza arrived. She stepped backward into the foyer of her apartment and caught a glimpse of her pink-tinted cheeks in the large, gold-framed mirror by the door.

Waverly cleared her throat. “So, do you normally walk the halls with pizzas?”

“Oh, my bad.” He shoved the pizza toward her. “You haven’t looked at yours yet, have you?”

“I was about to sit down.”

“Right after the crowning?” Dominic asked and pointed toward the top of her head.

Heat filled her cheeks. She cocked her head to the side, untangled the combs holding her tiara in place and released her unruly hair. “Sorry, I was just…”

Dominic held up his free hand. “It’s okay. You had that second cupcake today—it was worth celebrating, I understand.”

Waverly decided not to expose her greed and tell him she’d eaten a total of three cupcakes today. “Thanks.” She laughed lightly. “You said something about a pizza?”

As if remembering the food in his arms, Dominic blinked and inhaled deeply while he nodded. “The delivery guy mixed up the apartment numbers. My sister lives across the courtyard and she’s going to kill me if I don’t leave her any leftovers. She only bought the one, even after I’m here to do a favor for her.”

With widened eyes, Waverly bobbed her head from side to side. She took a step forward into the hallway and peered into the steaming-hot box for a peek of a double pepperoni pie. “I wonder what I got. What other pizza could there be?”

“Jesus, now more than ever I need to know your name,” Dominic groaned, pressing his hand against his chest. “At least I need to know your first name. Your last name isn’t necessary.”

She cocked her hand on her hip and laughed. “Why is my last name not necessary?”

“Because it’s about to change to mine.”

 

***

A TIARA UNDER THE TREE, part of the Once Upon a Tiara series and an October release from Harlequin Kimani Romance, may be purchased through these retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM!, KOBO, Harlequin, Google Play, iTunes, Walmart, IndieBound and Target.

 

 

***

 

About Carolyn

Carolyn Hector was destined to become a writer when she wrote scripts for her Barbies and passed them out to her friends prior to play dates. In 7th grade she wrote–what is now considered fan-fiction–story based on her disappointment of the ending to “Streets of Fire.” When she later watched “Romancing the Stone,” she finally knew what she wanted to be when she grew up–a Romance Writer!

She currently lives in Tallahassee, Florida, where there’s never a dull moment of college sports, politics, and Southern heat… aka… #BookFodder. A fan of ’80s Pop Culture, you can find Carolyn around town at a football/soccer/track/basketball game or PTO meeting for her five boys with her headphones on and a notebook hand.

Catch Carolyn on her blog, carolynhector.com, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

                             

Author Speed Dating – Shae Ross

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Shae Ross

 

16 Questions

1. If you celebrate, name a holiday food you would eat your weight in if you could do it guilt-free.

Green bean casserole. My brother and I used to hide the leftovers from each other in the back of the fridge!

2. Give the title of the first manuscript you ever wrote. How many years ago did you pen this masterpiece, and whatever happened to it?

CRUSADE. I wrote the first scenes of CRUSADE the summer between college and law school, which is to say, a long time ago! When I left my job to pursue writing, I had intended to publish CRUSADE, but in 2015 the new adult sub-genre was much more popular than medieval historical. Rather than finish CRUSADE, I let myself get distracted by Jett Trebuchet and Ryan Rose. I wrote their story in, PRETTY SMART GIRLS, LACE UP and sold it on my first pitch. I still plan to publish CRUSADE, someday soon. 

3. If you could keep only the possessions that would fit in one suitcase, and you were limited to two books – one you wrote and one by someone else – which titles would you tuck inside your bag? Explain your choices.

Gosh, what a question! It makes me sweat to think of only having two books. I would pick my third book, RUSH, because characters from my first two books appear in RUSH—that way I’d kind of have them all with me, right? As for the other title, it’s a tie between PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, by Jane Austen, and OUTLANDER, by Diana Gabaldon. (I’d give up at least one pair of shoes to add in a third book though!)

4. In the winter, would you rather be zipping through powdery snow on skis or a snowmobile or escaping to a sandy beach? Now how do you really spend most of your winter?

Hmmm. I’m not crazy about either. Cold weather sports set off warning signals in my mind. I like the beach, but I don’t like to sit still that long. My idea of dream land is wandering through a city that has historical sites to explore, great cafes, and shopping markets!

5. Which character in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”  is your favorite, and what does that say about you?

I haven’t watch RTRNR in so long, I can’t remember the personalities. If there’s a reindeer who’s slightly rebellious and bossy in a non-offensive sort of way (usually), who likes to sing and dress fancy, that’s me! 🙂

6. In which genres and sub-genres are you published, and which others do you plan to add to the list in the next two years?

I’m published in Contemporary, New Adult and Romantic Suspense. I’ll publish another Romantic Suspense next, then likely another New Adult. After that I’d like to publish my Historical and a Women’s Fiction book with strong romantic elements. I have all of these books in progress at various stages. It’s just a matter finding the time to finish!

7. If you could visit the studio and hang out with any visual artist, past or present, whose creative space would you be invading? Why?

I’d love to hang out with Nora Roberts for a day and see what her writing process is like.

8. Do you listen to music when you’re writing? If so, name some of the artists whose work you use to get you creative juices flowing.

YES! Music inspires me, and I love listening to music almost as much as I love reading and writing. I make playlists on Spotify and listen to mixes on Pandora. I’m more of a genre listener than a specific artist listener. Some of my favorites include Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Carla Bruni, Melody Gardot, and Madeleine Peyroux.

9. What are you reading now, and what is the best book you’ve read in a long time?

I’m reading MOLLY’S GAME, by Molly Bloom, and NO EXCUSES, by Brian Tracy. One of my favorite recent romance reads is BLUE-EYED DEVIL, by Lisa Kleypas.

10. What is your strategy for writing over the holidays?

On busy days, I still try to squeeze in three hours of writing. I like to write every day, and I’m incredibly irritated with myself when I don’t. I look at the week ahead and try to time block out writing sessions.

11. Name three things that are in your purse or pockets right now.

Biofreeze, for neck and shoulder relief, a permission slip for my son’s next field trip, and a can of cherry vanilla soda.

12. Do you write a synopsis before you write a book, and, if so, does your finished product look anything like that road map?

I do write a synopsis. The finished product follows the synopsis, but has a lot more twists and turns in the road.

 13. Are you a fan of reality TV, or could the current Bachelor marry every contestant on Cake Boss and then sing his lungs out on The Voice for all you care?

Yeah, not really a fan.  I much prefer drama, especially if there’s a romantic element or historical setting. Right now, I am loving, Good Behavior on TNT, The Crown on Netflix, and Knightfall, which just began on the History Channel.

14. What is your biggest dream for your writing career? The New York Times bestseller list? A movie deal? Your own island in the Caribbean? All of the above?

My biggest dream is to keep writing and continue to balance my other priorities effectively—time with my husband, kids, extended family and friends. The above mentioned honors would be thrilling, but none would feel like success unless the people I’ve signed up to  love, honor, and cherish are with me and they know that I’m with them. So far, so good!

15. What is your biggest hope for a reader when she opens one of your books?

I hope my readers experience what I want to experience when I read a book. I want to feel the characters’ emotions. I want to laugh, cry, think, learn something I didn’t know, be captivated by the hero and completely immersed in the story. Oh, and of course, I want the happy ending. Always.

16. Are you more a Times Square-ringing-in-the-New Year-type on New Year’s Eve, or will we find you at home, tucked into bed by nine o’clock?

My husband and I are pretty social. We enjoy going out as much as we love chilling with our neighbor pals at home, but we’ve never been big on going out on New Year’s Eve. We’ll be home.

 

***

 

 

 

 

Bottom of the Sky

By Shae Ross

 

 

He stops and flips upright in the middle of the moonlit river. His hands hold my waist as our feet cycle. “Why are we stopping?” I ask.

“So you can kiss me.”

His hands catch my ribcage lifting me as he tows me in.

My palms flatten against his slick, hard chest. “I make the rules, right?”

He shakes his head, and a wicked smile sprouts from the perfectly shaped lips. “This is no man’s land…the river is ruled by nature.”

His grin widens, ripping something open in my heart, and I think maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. He obviously needs the distraction and so do I.

I meet his kiss. His head slants over mine, and I open for him, sucking him in. Our bodies bob from the force of his treading feet, keeping both of us afloat. His hand slides to my back, slinging me in flush to his body. My breath jams in my throat when I feel him, thick and hard against my stomach, teasing the nerves gathered low in my belly.

“John…” I break the kiss and gasp a short breath. “I need to conserve some energy if I’m going to make it to the other side.”

He chuckles softly, twirling our bodies until we’re in the current again, but when I stroke to swim beside him, he glides underneath me, looping one of my hands over his shoulder and the other under his chest. I surf his back as he swims, resting my cheek on the wet strands of his hair, feeling the muscles of his chest moving under my fingertips with each stroke. Weightless and languid, water floods my limbs, caressing my bones. I’m floating through the Sky as if I’m on my way to heaven..

After several moments, John’s body shifts and his arm contracts. He’s caught the ladder to his dock, supporting our weight with one hand. He dips a shoulder and swings me in front of him. I point my toe and find a slippery rung. The ladder sinks as he steps onto the rung below mine, brushing my back with wet skin, gripping the rails and cocooning me with warmth.

Everything about this moment makes me want to stop and take it in.

I sway into him feeling his cheek brush my temple. He curves around me, dropping a hand to my stomach. I arch as it travels up and his knuckles graze my cleavage, prickling the sensitive skin. A voice inside echoes this isn’t me as his fingers continue upward, sliding to the side of my neck, but this is me with John.

“If you don’t want this, Gianna…” his voice sounds almost tortured. “Climb up.”

My toes curl, standing firm on the rung, submerged like anchors. His mouth lowers to the side of my neck, and I tilt giving him full access.

“If you don’t climb up now, I’ll keep touching you…”

 

***

BOTTOM OF THE SKY, a March 2017 release, may be purchased from Amazon.

 

***

About Shae

Shae Ross grew up in Ferndale, Michigan. She attended Michigan State University and continued her education at Detroit College of Law. Prior to 2014, she spent the majority of her career practicing corporate law and engaged in entrepreneurial ventures.

After having too many stressful days at the office, Shae began to pursue her dream of writing and signed a contract with Entangled Publishing. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes who deliver stories filled with sass, smarts and sizzle.

Learn more about Shae through her websites, www.shaeross.com, or through her Amazon Author Page or Goodreads. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, and join her newsletter here.

 

Author Speed Dating – Lonz Cook

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Lonz Cook

 

 

 

 

 

15 Questions

1. Are there any traditional Thanksgiving dishes that you can easily resist or dishes you refuse to even sample during your family’s holiday meal?

Well, a bean casserole will push me to any corner of the room. It’s simply because you never know what was added, and its dependent upon who made it. So not to be disrespectful, I run for the hills avoiding that dish.  

2. As a reader, name a few of your favorite books of all time. How have these books influenced your writing?

MILK IN MY COFFEE by Eric Jerome Dickey, RED STORM RISING by Tom Clancy and books by James Patterson, as well as books focused on social issues, have all influenced me.

I love how these authors tell a compelling story, grabbing you from the initial paragraph and capturing the imagination along the story. Then there’s the detail in suspense, Clancy and Patterson do this with a unique stroke of the pen. Both authors show enough before telling to ensure you’re a part of the scene and not simply an observer.

Dickey took me into relationships that I either experienced or was a bystander. He impressed me so much that I took pen to paper and became confident to do the same – share a true story through fiction.

3.Which Scooby Doo character are you most like? Bonus: How are you at solving mysteries?

I’d guess Shaggy [Rogers], the clumsy discoverer. I tend to focus on other things and slip upon key elements in solving mysteries. Or simply put, a fluke is my norm.

4. In which genres and sub-genres are you published, and which was the hardest and easiest to write?

Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. I had no idea I wrote in the genre when GOOD GUYS FINISH LAST was published. To me, it was a realistic and pure story of character and behavior. The love relationships in the story were essential, but the connection between family and friends were detrimental to the story. This was the easiest book because I had no idea what I was doing, and simply wrote what’s in my heart to share.

The most difficult book to write was CROSSED EXPECTATIONS. I had to dig deep into an area I didn’t like to explore nor remember. It’s a story of military challenges I endured, but not to the extent of mirrored events, just edges where you feel the agony of death through the journey. It was the memories I visited, the pains I shared, and the carnage I saw while in the Marines. Yet, it seems I put together a good novel.

5. If you could serve as a roadie for any band, past or present, for which group would be you be schlepping speakers and testing audio equipment?

I think I’m torn on this question. I’d think for R & B I’d consider The Commodores and yet for Jazz, I’d love to be with the Jazz Crusaders.

Both bands have a unique sound, and what an influence for music lovers around the world. It would have been a life-changing experience if I were fortunate enough to do so. 

6. If someone has never read one of your books, which title would you recommend she read first?

For the story line, I’d suggest my first novel, GOOD GUYS FINISH LAST because the story is raw, and it’s unfiltered. I get many readers coming back saying how pure and touching it is.

Besides, GOOD GUYS FINISH LAST is the first in the Sisters and Romance Series, followed by WHEN LOVE EVOLVES and CROSSED EXPECTATIONS.

7. As a shoe shopper, are you all about the shoe warehouse where more is better, a discriminating shopper of only designer brands or a devotee of comfort with little concern for fashion?

You know, men (some men) are just as particular about shoes. However, in my case, I choose comfort and style over designer brand.

My lesson was attending a formal event and having Italian made fashion shoes for 20 hours. Oh my goodness, that was worse than working in boots as a Marine during 96 hours of operation.

Comfort any day 😊!

8. Favorite octogenarian actor: Robert Redford, Judi Dench, Diahann Carroll or Morgan Freeman?

Morgan Freeman – Class act and impressive with his story to fame.

9. Which one of your own fictional heroes would you have taken home if you could?

Not home, but surely to hang out as a best friend. Rodney the Marketing Genius!

10. What would you choose as your super power, and what would you do with it?

I’d have to choose anything that impacts the mind. I think reading minds and influencing decisions would be the super power I’d love having. Let’s say I’d at least increase human understanding and encourage love across all humankind.

11. In 10 words or less, give your best advice to aspiring writers.

Study the craft and write your heart’s desire. Be unique.

12. Sitcom in reruns: Seinfeld or Friends?

Seinfeld – it addressed lot of social issues.

13. What would you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a writer? What have you done to become a better storyteller?

My strength is creating characters who are common in behavior, where readers get to acknowledge similar actions that they either perform or know someone who has.

My weakness is finding the right balance in show and tell. There are times I tell too much and not show enough or show more than needed before telling the story.

Improving is understanding how to get the point across when telling enough to include the imagination of the reader. I’m advancing on that combination with each book I author.

14. Preferred activity in the fall: outside at the apple orchard or a leaf tour while inside a warm car?

I love watching football. I’m a sports fan of the game and enjoy attending professional and college-level events.

I grew up in the game especially when being younger. Emerson Boozer (NFL running back for NY Jets) was from my neighborhood and would play with us kids when he was home. That got me hooked. I’ve played, coached, and supported the game ever since.

15. Name your favorite compliment you ever received from a reader or reviewer.

You are as good a writer as those who inspire you. Keep writing and don’t stop using your voice.  It’s a matter of time before you’re discovered.

***

 

A Cyber Affair

By Lonz Cook

 

Chapter 1

Though she had held video chats with Manny over the span of three months, Tiffany wasn’t certain if they would be physically attracted to each other. She realized that looks could be deceiving: what’s viewed on screen isn’t always what appears in person. She wanted the excitement, the candlelight dinners, the slow dance amongst a disappearing crowd, and to feel her heart race at his gentle touch on her lower back. Tiffany imagined every moment Manny as they had been described in their many conversations.

It was a male passenger’s voice two seats over, the rolling tongue and spicy mellow tone of his soft delivery, which caressed her ears and reminded her of Manny. Her imagination walked the runway of sensuality over the fantasy about Latin lovers. Thoughts about them managed to sweep her into a frenzy: of how their passion and focus could raise a woman’s awareness with every affectionate touch, of their rhythmic movements and suave demeanors, and of their romantic language, designed to match the pace of their victim’s heart with a cadence of mystical influences. The thought of Manny made her soul quiver.

She stared out of the window at the ground as the plane taxied to the runway and leaned back for the takeoff. Tiffany thought about her reasons for going and how she had arrived to this point of no return.

She reached for her backpack and pulled out her computer. Tiffany looked out of the window again before she opened the laptop, booted up, and scanned Manny’s very first email. He had written: ‘…I read your profile and find you interesting…’ Next, she opened a more recent email: ‘…I’m going to kiss you all over, from head to toe. We’ll share ourselves, like we talked about last night.’  Her heart fluttered.  They had exchanged flirtatious banters during many conversations. ‘I can’t wait to share our first-morning kiss.’

Tiffany clicked on Manny’s profile picture and smiled as his appearance gave her a tingle, a twinge, and caused her heart to race. His body, shirtless and sporting swim trunks, was that of a masculine man built with abs of steel and a V-span torso. His arms were defined, and looked perfect for making a woman feel secure and comfortable whenever he held her. Tiffany released a sigh when she looked at his dark eyes, perfect mouth, and caramel skin. She imagined feeling his chiseled cheek next to hers.

Tiffany read one more email and Skype conversation before closing the laptop. She then sat back and imagined their first kiss. Her body felt excited while her mind settled on her decision to invest herself in the coming days.

Tiffany reminisced about the night she had received Manny’s first email. It was months earlier and the season was cold and wet, a typical winter. Tiffany looked at the flight attendants who were passing out goodies from their cart and raised her hand to get their attention.

***

A CYBER AFFAIR, a June 2016 release from Elevation Book Publishing, LLC, may be purchased through these retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.

 

***

About Lonz

From warrior to romance.  Lonz Cook is a Marine Corps veteran of 20 years and the author of numerous romance novels. He’s a screenwriter, an Adjunct Professor of Management, and a technology specialist.  Stay in touch with Lonz through his website, www.lonzcook.net, and his blog or through Facebook and  Twitter.

Author Speed Dating – Sylvia Hubbard

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I love discovering new authors, so I wanted my blog to be a place where readers and my author pals could come together. Only we like to do this Speed-Dating style. Check out a new author and her work here every Wednesday, and if the spark is there, you’ll have a match.

This week’s guest: Sylvia Hubbard

 

 

 

15 Questions

1. Are there any traditional Thanksgiving dishes that you can easily resist or dishes you refuse to even sample during your family’s holiday meal?

If there is the stuffing, I can’t resist. I’ll get a plate right by itself of stuffing, and then I even bring extra containers because I’m ghetto like that. (And proud of it.) What I won’t eat… chitterlings. Not in a infinity will those things ever touch my lips.

2. As a reader, name a few of your favorite books of all time. How have these books influenced your writing?

DESPERATION, by Stephen King; SECRET FIRE, by Johanna Lindsey; and BELLE AND THE BEAU, by Beverly Jenkins. My all out favorite is PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by the Godmother of Romance, Jane Austen.

 3.Which Scooby Doo character are you most like? Bonus: How are you at solving mysteries?

I’d be Fred, the leader of the group. I don’t think I’d be as cool, but I’d definitely be the leader and be able to put together all the clues. I’m pretty good at solving the crimes, but I don’t count myself as smart as Velma.

4. In which genres and sub-genres are you published, and which was the hardest and easiest to write?

I’m published in Romance Suspense. The sub-genres would be psychological, crime, drama, contemporary and erotic. The hardest is contemporary straight romance. I love the characters just falling in love, but then I get bored and always have a really saggy sappy middle. I’m so tempted to throw a murder or drama in there, but I fight it and finish the book.

5. If you could serve as a roadie for any band, past or present, for which group would be you be schlepping speakers and testing audio equipment?

Jill Scott. Omg, her music makes me want to write love scenes until the cows come home. And I know she’s not a band, but she’s really the only one I’d be a roadie for just so I could go to her concerts over and over again.

 6. If someone has never read one of your books, which title would you recommend she read first?

DARK FAÇADE. I seriously think that would definitely get you to understand how I make sin look good. And you’ll meet other characters that pop up in other books and really get an understanding you’re not in for a regular read.

 7. As a shoe shopper, are you all about the shoe warehouse where more is better, a discriminating shopper of only designer brands or a devotee of comfort with little concern for fashion?

I was raised by my father. He wasn’t much of a shopper for anything except when we went into the hardware store. We spent hours in there, but everything else it was in and out. I’m just a devote of comfort with little concern for fashion. If it fits, it’s comfortable and I look decent in it, I’m wearing it.

8. Favorite octogenarian actor: Robert Redford, Judi Dench, Diahann Carroll or Morgan Freeman?

Oddly enough, I’ve had a crush on Robert Redford since “The Sting” That was the movie that made me fall in love with deceit, con artists and sweet talkers.

9. Which one of your own fictional heroes would you have taken home if you could?

Lethal Heart, if I could.

10. What would you choose as your super power, and what would you do with it?

Infinite Wisdom. EVERYTHING!

11. In 10 words or less, give your best advice to aspiring writers.

Don’t stop, get it, get it.

12. Sitcom in reruns: Seinfeld or Friends?

Seinfield.

13. What would you consider your strengths and weaknesses as a writer? What have you done to become a better storyteller?

My strengths are my abilities to weave erotic romance around a crime suspense. My weakness is procrastination. It takes me forever to sit in a chair and get it done. To become a better storyteller, I study my craft every year by taking a class or reading a book.

14. Preferred activity in the fall: outside at the apple orchard or a leaf tour while inside a warm car?

I love to see it snow, but I really hate being outside in the cold. I will tour leaves and Christmas light displays all within the warmth of my car in a heartbeat, with a warm cup of Starbucks Macchiato extra whip and caramel.

15. Name your favorite compliment you ever received from a reader or reviewer.

“I burned dinner for two nights in a row because I couldn’t put your book down. My husband was angry but I didn’t care. I just needed to know what was going to happen next.” That was so the sweetest. That came from a reader who had picked up HIS SUBSTITUTE WIFE…MY SISTER.

 

***

 

 

 

 

Beautiful

By Sylvia Hubbard

 

Running to the bus stop, she missed the first bus and groaned, knowing she was going to have to wait for the second one.

“Psst,” someone hissed behind her.

She looked and gasped at the Lincoln, which was parked perpendicular on the side of the abandoned buildings. Turning around quickly, she pretended she hadn’t heard a thing.

In the past, Nikki told her Detroit was strange and to be careful.

“Psst,” the driver said again.

Madison tried to fight not looking, but being able to see the driver close up was what she had longed for.

Her curiosity won out. She turned to him and took in his features as she warily walked up to the car.

He was handsome. Too handsome.

“I shouldn’t talk to strangers,” she said sternly.

The stranger cajoled, reaching out to touch her sleeve innocently. “What’s the harm in talking?” His hand moved down to her hand and rubbed on her knuckles.

He was touching her. Were his eyes bad? She wondered. She looked down at her hand where his fingers rubbed against her fingers. “N-No, harm, I guess.”

“How old are you?” he inquired.

Looking back at his face, she answered. “Twenty-eight. Umm, my birthday’s coming up next week.”

She didn’t know why she told this stranger personal information, but she hadn’t told anyone about her birthday coming up, and rambling through her nervousness with a cute guy looking at her so closely made her less anxious.

He licked his thick bottom lip slowly. “Really?” he sounded fascinated by that information. “You on your way to school or work?”

Too nervous to talk, she only nodded.

He chuckled. It was a sensual sound that made her ear drums tingle. “Which one, little girl?”

“S-School… College,” she said trying to correct herself and not seem so nervous.

He gently started to massage her hand. His touch felt like warm electricity. “I could give you a ride,” he offered.

***

BEAUTIFUL, a July 2017 release, may be purchased through these retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and Smashwords.

***

About Sylvia

Detroit Author & Founder of Motown Writers Network, Sylvia Hubbard has published over 40 books in suspense romance. As a happily divorced mother of three, Ms. Hubbard has received numerous awards and recognition for her work. An avid blogger, Ms. Hubbard has had five #1 Best Sellers on Amazon. Her current work is called BEAUTIFUL, and she has two more books coming out before the end of 2017. Learn more about Sylvia through her website, www.sylviahubbard.com, and through these social-media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram , YouTube, Periscope, Snapchat and Goodreads.