Claire Robyns

Read all about it

2012-01-22T18:59:00.000Z

I'll be doing the odd guest post (some with giveaways) around the web on The Devil of Jedburgh over the coming weeks, so I thought I'd keep a handy list here for anyone interested in reading different aspects around the book. I'll update this post as my scheduled blogs go live.

For now...

Breaking the Rules at RomancingThePast

Read a good book lately?

2012-01-16T18:11:00.000Z

Or several?

AAR's 16th Annual Reader Poll starts today if you want to have your say and vote for your favorite books of 2011 in a number of great categories.

Here's the link: http://www.likesbooks.com/ballotannualpoll2011.html

The Devil of Jedburgh has a cover!!

2011-11-29T20:24:00.000Z

Raised on rumours of The Devil of Jedburgh, Breghan McAllen doesn't want an arranged marriage to the beast. The arrogant border laird is not the romantic, sophisticated husband Breghan dreams of—despite the heat he stirs within her.

In need of an heir, Arran has finally agreed to take a wife, but when he sees Breghan's fragile beauty, he's furious. He will not risk the life of another maiden by getting her with child. Lust prompts him to offer a compromise: necessary precautions, and handfasting for a year and a day, after which Breghan will be free.

For a chance to control her own future, Breghan makes a deal with the Devil. Passion quickly turns to love, but Arran still has no intention of keeping the lass, or making her a mother. He loves her too much to lose her.

But when a treasonous plot threatens queen and country, Breghan has to prove only she is woman enough to stand by his side.

Thank you, Millennium Promotions, for this stunning cover.

The Devil of Jedburgh releases 12 Feb 2012

Researching Fiction on Fiction

2011-10-03T20:38:00.000+01:00

Our reading experience would be incredibly boring if writers only wrote what they knew. There may be the odd cop, neurosurgeon or serial killer who may be a dab hand at writing, but not enough to keep us reading on the edge of our seats on a permanent basis. Which means, most writers write what they don't know. Which means a whole lot of research.

And I've been thinking...

With my historical stories, I take research seriously. I tend to devour biographies of the period, read historical anals that have most fortunately been digitised in these times, and get my teeth into all sorts of other research material.

But with contemporaries, is it another matter? Now, it's all very well if you can go and live with the wolves for a year or have the time and clout to shadow a detective around for a year (Castle, I'm looking at you). I don't know of too many authors who have that kind of time, and I don't know of too many businesses that have a 'Bring your writer acquaintance in for the day' programs.

Which makes it kind of hard for the average writer to get real life experience. Of course, there's all kinds of serious research that can still be done, but it's just so much more fun to watch TV for research. So what if they get it wrong? Their millions of viewers don't seem to mind.

I somehow doubt any viable police force will allow a writer the kind of access to the offices, inside info and crime scenes that Richard Castle has on Castle.

I somehow doubt that many police forces rely on medical examiners to actually solve their case for them (Body of Proof) each and every time.

And I somehow doubt than many hospitals are as dysfunctional as Grey's Anatomy.

But that's just it... I somehow doubt, but I don't really, really know. And to be honest, I don't really care. Most of the shows would be boring as hell if they were realistic.

Which brings me back to the hot pickle question on my mind today. Do we want more realism in our books than we're prepared to laugh off in TV?

Release Day for Second-Guessing Fate

2011-09-26T10:00:00.020+01:00

It's finally here. My romantic comedy, Second-Guessing Fate, releases today! I hope you'll stop by a while, check out the gorgeous cover, read the blurb and the first couple of chapters I've linked to in the excerpt.

Can she outwit fate?

Gemma is on a collision course with heartbreak. At least, according to the fortune-teller her best friend drags her to see. Gemma doesn't believe a word of it, but when other predictions start to come true, she begins to suspect that gorgeous, gray-eyed Nick is the man foretold to break her heart before she can find her soul mate. Too bad she's never met a man she's wanted more, because now she has to get him to dump her before she falls too hard.

Nick has plans of his own. He's ready to settle down with Ms. Right, and everything points to the beautiful Gemma. He's determined to prove to her that he's the perfect boyfriend—even if she does seem to be trying her best to scare him off…

Read an excerpt

Available from most places where ebooks are sold, including

Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books on Board

The Party is Over...

2011-09-24T10:30:00.001+01:00

Thank you to everyone who came along to join in the fun and share your stories and preferences on heros and themes.

And so, without further ado, the party bags go to....

1) Shadow : You've won Second-Guessing Fate eBook + $20 (or £20 if in UK) Amazon gift voucher.

2) Rachael Johns : You've won Second-Guessing Fate eBook + $15 (or £15 if in UK) Amazon gift voucher.

3) Gina Rossi : You've won Second-Guessing Fate eBook

Please email me so I can send your prize and don't forget to specify your preference of ebook format and whether you're in the UK or USA for those who've won gift vouchers.
You can email me at... claire.robyns @ googlemail.com (without the spaces)

Pre-Launch Party! Fun! Giveaway!

2011-09-21T10:00:00.007+01:00

Second-Guessing Fate releases on Monday and I've decided it's not too early to start celebrating with some giveaways. Let's party!!

I'm giving away 3 party bags:

1) Second-Guessing Fate eBook + $20 (or £20 if in UK) Amazon gift voucher so you can splash out on your favourite authors.

2) Second-Guessing Fate eBook + $15 (or £15 if in UK) Amazon gift voucher.

3) Second-Guessing Fate eBook

Can She Outwit Fate?

Party Games:
What's your favorite theme/trope in romance? eg Reunited lovers
Tall, Dark and Dangerous OR Blue-eyed Boy Nextdoor? Or something else entirely?
Truth and Dare: d. Think back to your first ever hand-holding boyfriend without giggling hysterically.
t. Who dumped who and can you remember why?

The giveway will be open until Saturday 24th morning (GMT) when winners will be announced. To participate, please just leave a comment (you don't have to play along with the party games) and don't forget to check back on Saturday to see if you've won - it's not always possible to track you down through your profile

I'm versatile. Really, no lies...

2011-09-17T18:40:00.000+01:00

I even got an award for it :) And, okay, I prolly don't deserve it (make that a definite) but I'm delighted to recieve the Versatile Blogger Award from MC Rogerson Thank you!!

See? Isn't it nice and shiny and fun?

Now, to earn my reward, here's what I have to do:
1) Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2) Share 7 things about yourself.
3) Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it

Hmmm, 7 things about me...
1) I was born and grew up in South Africa, and managed to live in 3 of the 4 provinces there. I now live in the UK and have managed to live in 4 of the counties here - so far.

2) I have twin boys who take shifts to drive me crazy 24 hours a day, lol. I know I can't take all the credit for their existence, but they're my greatest achievement.

3) If there was ever an apocalypse, I'd stock up on chocolate. It's high on energy and contains the 5 basic food groups required for healthy survival. Seriously. You can trust me, I'm a writer.

4) I hate the cold. It seeps straight into my bones and kills my will to live. Snow is pretty, when viewed through the window of a log cabin with a roaring fire.

5) My husband proposed by secretly tossing the ring into the deep end of the pool and suggesting we go for a swim. It was the middle of winter. Did I? See point #4. He eventually had to explain why we had to go for a swim (right now!) and then I jumped right in :)

6) I'm petrified of spiders. There's no logic involved, I just am. If you wanted to keep me locked in a room, all you'd have to do is place one tiny spider between me and the door and you're set.

7) I'm a tech geek by day and a romance writer by night

And now for my reward, I get to pass the Versatile Blogger Award on to some awesome bloggers:

Judy Croome
Rebecca Emin
Maggie Fechner (Mommy's Always Write)
Wendy Soliman
Liz (Home is Where the Cat Is)
Lucy V Morgan

This, That and Kindles

2011-09-15T18:06:00.000+01:00

I had a good ol' laugh today at work. We have these interior swing doors that are surprisingly heavy to push. Anyhows, as I was about to swing through one, a colleague rushes up behind me to do the gentlemanly thing, he reaches past me to push the door open, and pushes, and pushes... I finally helped the poor guy out (and thanked him anyways) and wondered what he was hiding in those sleeves if it wasn't biceps!

Then I got home to find one of our kindles damaged, the screen streaked and blank and not turning on. Considering 2 of our kindles belong to 11 yr old boys, I guess it was only a matter of time. I've just phoned Amazon support and they wanted to know if it had gotten wet (no), if it had been dropped (no) or if pressure had been placed on the screen (um, 11 yr old boy, very likely, and I admitted to them that it was possible some tough love had been going on). No problem, without further ado, a brand new kindle is on it's way to me and I just have to return the damaged kindle within 40 days.

I know Amazon is our favourite big bad bear, but with customer support like that in a country where most other companies don't know the meaning of 'friendly support' , Amazon once again has my vote. In this instance, they really deserve this shout out. Thank you!!!

Do we judge characters too harshly?

2011-09-05T20:50:00.000+01:00

I haven't people-watched for many years (this used to be favourite pasttime of mine). Last week we took the kids for a day out at Siam Park, a waterpark fashioned after Sun City's Valley of the Waves. So, the boys are now old enough to go about on their own, and I pulled up a deck chair at a bend along the river rapids... this is a long river/canal that snakes around the water park with various features at different intervals.

I enjoyed a couple of the water rides, but a large portion on my day was spent watching couples come by on their double-tubes and I was amazed at the different reactions. On the bend, spa-like jets bubbled from beneath. Reactions varied from giggles to squeals of 'Oh, God, this is divine' to shouts of 'Ugh, what's that!' and then those few with total bland expressions who didn't react whatsoever.

The flow of water on the bend pushed the tubes into the rocks. Usually, on the double-tubes, the women sit in front with their guys behind them. Some girls pulled their legs in, squealing, content to let the guy guide them to safety. Others took charge and kicked out a foot to push themselves away from the rocks. Some guys took the initiative, paddling furiously to steer clear of the rocks. Other guys were dozing, jerked awake at the last minute (by their other half's squeals) and helped out. Yet others did absolutely nothing. And some of the girls did nothing as well, and the tube went crashing into the rocks.

Fiction is fiction, yet it's supposed to reflect reallity to a certain extent, especially where characterisation is concerned. And all this people-gazing brought home to me that there are so many different personalities in the world, and yes, some of them really are too stupid to live.

And so, maybe, there is a place out there for all kinds of heros and heroines and not just the kick-ass, take charge, independant ones.

Read an excerpt from Second-Guessing Fate

2011-09-02T23:33:00.006+01:00

Chapter One

     “It’s no longer about Wolford nylons and Agent Provocateur thongs, Gemma honey.” Helen arched a brow at her before turning her eyes back to the road. “It’s all about informed decision making.”
     “I can’t believe I let you drag me along.”
     “You agreed last night,” she said quickly, obviously afraid Gemma was about to dig her rubber soles in and back out.
     Wise woman.
     “Agree is a very strong term,” stalled Gemma.
     “What word would you use?” Helen shot her another look, the kind she probably used on her class during a pop quiz.
     “Decimate and coerce.”
     “That’s two.”
     “You fed me straight vodkas and then coerced me into this outrageous scheme. I was in no state to take responsibility for my mind.”
     “Was that before or after you grabbed my arm and hissed, ‘My biological clock is spinning, Helly, it’s spinning down like a bloody stopwatch on Viagra’?”
     “That’s my mother’s fault.”
     “I’m sensing a theme here.”
     “They raised me on good old-fashioned values—”
     “Your parents were workaholics.” Helen gave her such a long frown, they nearly sideswiped a heavy-duty truck off the bridge as they crossed over into Brooklyn.
     “Precisely.” Gemma was too accustomed to her friend’s driving to be overtly concerned with the near-miss. “So what’s up with them taking early retirement?”
     “Oh, honey, is this still about them buying that farmhouse in Tuscany instead of moving back out here?”
     “It’s a vineyard. That’s all Tuscany is, vineyards and potholed roads and a whole lot of nothing. And she tootled her fingers at me,” snapped Gemma in disgust. “When I pointed out that most people moved closer to their children when they retire and asked how she thought she’d have any kind of relationship with her grandchildren one day, she tootled her fingers at me. ‘We’ll pass that hurdle if it ever comes to it,’ she said. If…!”
     “She’s going through a post-midlife crisis. She retired to a country whose national pastime is four-hour siestas. The woman worked her life away and now she wants to make up for it double-time, instant grandchildren and all.”
     “Tootling. You forget the tootling and big fat IF.”
     “She was the editor-in-chief for Glossy Gals for twenty-odd years.” Helen cut a teetering left down a narrow street of broad-leaved trees and brownstones. “If there’s one thing your mother probably knows, it’s the inner workings of a modern city girl. Emotional blackmail became redundant in the nineties, but nothing makes a glossy gal charge for the finish line faster than suggesting she might not have what it takes to win.”
     “I wasn’t aware it was a race.”
     “Of course it’s a race, honey, a race to grab a man before the best ones are either taken or damaged. You had a late start, thanks to Simon.”
     “Simon was over five years ago,” groaned Gemma.
     “Simon may be history, but the bastard ate up most of your twenties. He promised you forever and did a one-eighty halfway up the aisle.”
     “Technically,” Gemma corrected with a smile, “he sent a text the night before.”
     “From Helsinki! You may have developed a stiff upper lip from all those years in London, but I don’t buy in to this crap about a stiff upper heart.” Her words were harsh, but Helen’s voice was butter-soft. “I haven’t even met the lowlife scum and I hate him more than you ever allowed yourself to.”
     “What was I supposed to do? Hold a grudge against the poor man because he changed his mind?” She’d done the next best thing. She’d put the Atlantic between herself and all that heartbreak. What happened in London, stays in London. A knee-jerk reaction, yes, but look how well it had turned out. “Simon and my wasted twenties are not the problem.”
     Sure, the pickings might have gotten slimmer now that she’d hit her thirties, but that didn’t mean she was desperate. That also didn’t mean some ancient woman with a fake turban, crooked nose and glass ball could do anything about it.
     “Thank God you realize there is a problem.”
     “It goes like this. You got me drunk and took advantage of my vulnerability.”
     Helen zipped into a parking space at full speed and slammed the brakes.
     “Jimmie Johnson called,” moaned Gemma as she unplucked her forehead from the dashboard and snapped loose the seat belt that had left a rubber burn at her shoulder. “He needs his mojo back for the Cup.”
     “Come on, grumpy, we’ve got a date with fate.”
     Gemma opened the passenger door and stepped out, gazing up at the imposing brown-brick block of loft apartments. “So, how much do fortune-tellers make these days? Oh right, that’d be a hundred dollars per half hour.”
     “You can’t put a price on love.”
     Gemma decided against asking if that price was tax deductible as she followed through a double set of glass-paneled doors, her sneakers and Helen’s Jimmy Choos reduced to anonymity on the plush wool carpet. If—and that was a big if—she was going to consider any of this mumbo jumbo seriously for a second, the question burning her back pocket was the future of Perfect Parties.
     Not that she had anything against finding love. Just like she had nothing against stilettos. But try wearing five-inch heels for twelve hours straight while rushing between a walk-in refrigerator and three rows of industrial ovens in a converted warehouse.
     Gemma hung back as Helen went up to the young man behind a state-of-the-art granite counter. The foyer was almost barren in that minimalist way that shouted dollar signs louder than a dozen antiques and Picasso-dotted walls. A black marble information board looming above the counter listed the residents.
With their occupations.
     Doctors, opticians, physiologists, psychologists... “Huh?”
     “What?” Helen handed over a pass card.
     Gemma clipped the card to her collar. “This is not a residential building, is it?”
     “Madame Hooch only takes clients at her office.”
     “Of course. With a name like that, who would’ve expected an ancient hook-nosed woman and a rusted caravan parked in a field of daisies?” Gemma muttered as they made their way to the elevator shaft. “Not me, that’s for sure.”
     Madame Hooch kept a suite of rooms on the third floor. Helen was ushered into Madame’s inner sanctuary first by a middle-aged assistant wearing gray slacks and a starched white top, who quickly returned to offer Gemma a cup of herbal tea.
     “A coffee would be great,” countered Gemma with a smile.
     “I’m afraid Madame Hooch doesn’t approve of artificial stimulants.”
     Madame Assistant went to perch behind her desk and Gemma flopped onto a nearby couch. She rested her head against the stuffed cushion, closed her eyes and thought of all the Starbucks coffees she could buy for a hundred dollars.
     Well, her father was always telling her to look toward the future and visualize her potential. He’d probably even approve of her paying someone else to do it for her. He was the ultimate champion of delegation.

     She’d never admit it to Helen, but by the time it was her turn to be ushered into Madame Hooch’s sanctuary, her inner skeptic had fled to a shadowed corner and her blood hummed ever so slightly. If Madame Hooch saw big things ahead for Perfect Parties, she could consider financing and expand. And if Madame wanted to throw a gorgeous man into the mix, Gemma wasn’t about to complain. How long had it been, anyway, since she’d last had a hot date?
     Twenty-five minutes later, Gemma had been dumped.
     She stared across the narrow desk at Madame Hooch, who was indeed ancient, with snow-white hair pulled into a tight bun—although her nose was arrow-straight. “Wait just a darn minute. I haven’t even met the guy yet and he dumps me?”
     “Eez a bad, bad time,” agreed Madame Hooch in her sorrowful tone. “Eet is—how you say—big achy heart.” She placed the Jack of Spades so it overlapped the King of Clubs and shook her head. “Eez a big love and the man, ah, he eez dark and so handsome, but—” she wagged a finger at Gemma, “—eez no good for you. He break your heart.”
     Gemma glanced from the deck of very normal-looking playing cards to the shelf behind Madame Hooch where an opaque glass egg nested on a bed of black velvet. “Maybe we should see what your crystal ball thinks?”
     With no indication that she’d heard, Madame Hooch turned over the next card. “Eez not all bad, no?”
     Apparently not. There was the inheritance she’d supposedly come into. Would be nice to know what that was and where it was hiding. Not to mention which family member had gone and died recently without her noticing. Then there was the big promotion. Funny, considering she was her own boss. All the standard rubbish and nothing, nothing at all about the prospects of Perfect Parties.
     “Aah,” exclaimed Madame Hooch suddenly, “now eez very good.”
     “You see something about Perfect Parties?” asked Gemma, eager again.
     Madame Hooch tapped a new card, the Nine of Hearts, and beamed a wrinkled smile at Gemma. “First the big breaky heart and then you find soul mate. How you say—tears before happy, no?” She turned another card, then deftly slid her hand over it and stood. “Time eez up. Goodbye.”
     “But what about that card?” asked Gemma suspiciously.
     “No card,” insisted Madame Hooch. “We finished.”
     “We’re not finished until you tell me what that Joker means.”
     “There eez no Joker.” Madame Hooch swept the cards into a stack and slipped them into her jacket pocket. “You come again soon. Goodbye now.”
     Gemma briefly considered tackling the woman to the ground and rooting through her pockets. If only Madame Hooch were fifty years younger.

Chapter Two

     “And then she kicked me out,” finished Gemma as the elevator pinged open on the ground floor. “I should demand my money back.”
     “Madame Hooch didn’t kick you out,” protested Helen. “I don’t know what you’re mad about. You’re about to come into an inheritance and meet a gorgeous guy—”
     “Who dumps me.” Gemma stormed out the glass door. “And that inheritance thing has already happened, wouldn’t you know, without me being a single dime richer that I know about.”
     As she hit the sidewalk, a shiver crawled down her spine, setting the skin on her forearms tingling with goose bumps despite the late summer sun. Hopefully it was the last of Madame Hooch and her ridiculous predictions vacating her body as she left the building. But it felt as if the ice had wrapped around her bones and seeped into her veins.
     “Phsst.” Helen came up beside her. “I’m talking about the man who comes after that loser, honey. You know—” she tapped Gemma’s arm with a manicured nail, “—some people might appreciate the advance warning.”
     “Some people,” agreed Gemma succinctly, then turned on Helen with a growl. “Maybe those people who hadn’t been tossed out on their butt before learning what that Joker meant.”
     “Joker?” Helen glanced up from digging in her bag for the keys. “There’s not supposed to be any Jokers in her pack.”
     “If Madame Hooch bothered with real tarot cards, there wouldn’t be. But she doesn’t and there was.”
     At the car, Gemma crossed her arms, rubbing hard for warmth while she watched Helen staring at her car keys. “You okay?”
     “Yeah…fine.” Helen held out the keys. “Um, Gemma? Why don’t you drive us home?”
     “I don’t have a license to drive a stick shift.”
     “For goodness’ sake, you don’t need a special license.”
     “Which is exactly what’s so wrong with the system.” Gemma frowned. Helen wasn’t one to hand her keys over to anyone, not even to Frank, who had the keys to everything else, including her heart. “Want to tell me what’s really going on here?”
     “Madame Hooch saw a black cloud hanging over my car.”
     Gemma laughed. “Probably while she was leaning out the window to watch you park.”
     “This isn’t funny.” Helen pushed the keys into her hand. “I’ve been seeing Madame Hooch for years now and she’s never wrong.”
     What wasn’t funny, thought Gemma, was how much that Joker still irritated her. If you were going to run a fancy scam shop, at least do it right. “So what, then? You’re never going to drive again?”
     “Madame Hooch said the cloud should be gone by the end of the day.”
     Before she could help herself, Gemma’s eyes turned up to the pale, blue sky above the Beetle. She snapped her gaze downward, beeped open the car and climbed in at the passenger side. There was a principle at stake here, a point to be proven.
     A full five minutes later, Helen slumped in behind the wheel. “If anything happens, it’s your fault.”
     “I can live with that.”
     Helen turned the key and launched them into the stream of traffic to the sound of a hundred blaring horns.
     Gemma slammed her palms to the dashboard and bit down hard on her lip. “One day, you’re going to get us killed.”
     “If you’re so scared, maybe you should drive.” Helen turned wide green eyes on her and made a pouting face.
     “Helen! Will you please watch the—” road. Rubber sideswiping metal screeched straight up her brain, then the Beetle swerved back into its own lane.
     “Oh God, oh God, oh God…” Helen slammed the brakes and almost got another car up their backside. The blast of an angry horn got her moving, jerking the Beetle to the side of the road with a twitchy foot on the gas pedal.
     “You okay?” asked Gemma.
     Helen nodded. Her pallor was a few shades lighter than its usual olive.
     Gemma put her head back against the headrest and did a mental checkup.
     Breathing. Check.
     Eyesight. Check.
     Memory. Madame Hooch and her damn predictions! Check.
     “We’re fine.” She brought her head up and glanced over her shoulder to check on the car they’d swerved up against. The silver Audi Roadster had pulled into a long loading bay across the road and reversed until he was almost directly opposite them. The dent they’d carved into the bodywork fractured the sunlight that gleamed smoothly across the rest of the polished car. But the door was opening, that had to be good. “We’re fine.”
     As was the man climbing out from behind the wheel. More than fine. He was tall, make that around six-foot-two tall, with broad shoulders beneath a tailored navy-blue suit. Thick waves of midnight-black hair framed his face in rough, uneven sweeps. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes but the rest of that face was pure rugged charm.
     He put a hand across his brow as if to squint at them, then turned to hunker beside his car.
     She must have sighed, because a moment later Helen asked, “You like?”
     “What’s not to like?”
     “This could work.” Helen waved a laminated card between them. “Because I’ve just discovered that my insurance expired two months ago.”
     “Your insurance has expired?” repeated Gemma dully. “How the hell did you let that happen? Did you see that car he’s driving? It’ll cost a month’s rent just to get the damage assessed and that—” she nudged her chin toward the rear window of the car, “—that does not look like a man who’d go to some backstreet garage.”
     “I know.” Helen was nibbling her lower lip. “I’ll have to pay in installments.”
     “Why would he agree to that without ratting on you! Do you know what they do to you for driving without insurance?”
     “This is where you come in.” She unsnapped her seat belt and shifted to face Gemma. “You’re going to charm the pants off him until he forgets his name, let alone this little scrape. By the time you’re done, he’ll think the installments were his idea.”
     “I’m going to—little scrape—pants off—” Gemma sucked in a deep breath and started over. “You crashed into him. You go charm his pants off.”
     “Frank will kill me.”
     “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
     Helen fluttered her lashes until a tear popped out. “I knew this would happen. Madame Hooch warned me and you refused to listen.”
     “Madame Hooch caused this! If you’d been a little more focused on the road and a little less focused on her stupid—”
     “You promised if anything happened, you’d accept the blame.” She fluttered a little harder to make her eyes shine with tears. “I’ve been with Frank eight years now, I’m totally rusty on flirt and charm technique.”
     “It’s like riding a bicycle!” But Gemma felt her resolve softening. “Besides, you’ve got the sexy factor.”
     “You’ve got the cute appeal. Come on, Gemma, men take one look at you and sign up for the Protect Gemma Corps.”
     Gemma made a gagging motion in response.
     “I’m not asking you to get hitched, honey. It’s just a date.”
     “Hang on one darn minute. So, when you say charm the pants off, you mean offer sex in exchange for favors?”
     “Of course not. But the man’s going to want something in return for being so nice about this little incident.” Helen flung open the car door and stepped out. Before closing it behind her, she dipped her head back inside to give a radiant smile. “A date, honey. Sex optional.”
     Gemma scooted from her seat to join Helen by the front bumper of the yellow Beetle. Her gaze settled on the man across the street, still hunched beside his car and examining the damage. “But, what if he isn’t single?”
     “Can we please deal with one problem at a time?”
     The man pushed to his feet and looked straight at them.
     “Go on.” Helen prodded her in the arm.
     There was a gap in the traffic, but Gemma’s feet were glued to the asphalt. What was she supposed to say to him? Excuse me, sir, my friend over there’s going to need six months to pay off the damage, but I’ll make it up to you by allowing you to buy me dinner.
     No date, she decided. A little pants charming, a lot of apologizing, a sprinkle of begging if need be, but that was it!
     She took the next gap and darted across the road.
     The man slid his sunglasses up his forehead to reveal silver-gray eyes. He was still a few feet away, but enough male magnetism radiated off him to curl her toes and melt the frost that had set in after leaving Madame Hooch’s building. She misjudged her speed and distance and almost ended up in his arms.
     He reached out, caught her by the shoulders and gazed down into her eyes. “You’re okay? Feeling dizzy?”
     “No, I mean yes—yes, I’m okay, and no, I’m not dizzy.”
     “You’re British?” His grin fed to the tiny wrinkles at his eyes and parts of Gemma’s body gave a collective sigh.
     When he released her shoulders, she stood back and breathed some steel into her spine. What was the matter with her? And how the hell was she going to charm the pants off this man without losing her panties in the process? That wasn’t going to happen. She did not trade sex for favors.
     What had they been talking about? Oh, yeah… She shrugged and nodded. The long answer wasn’t exactly roadside chatter material. “I live here now.”
     A quick glance over her shoulder showed Helen leaning against her car with folded arms. Huh. Somewhere down the line, her friend was going to owe her big.
     Gemma pasted on an expression that, hopefully, contained the right balance of apology and wide-eyed innocence and walked around the man to assess the damage. Of the car, that was. His elegantly clad legs hinted at athletic muscles, long and streamlined but with enough bulk to fit his suit pants.
     “We should probably swap insurance details,” came a husky drawl.
     She zapped her eyes from his legs to the cracked paint of the horizontal dent that stretched the full width of the car door.
     Gemma stood up straighter and pushed out what little she had. Her finger trailed the dent as she looked up into his eyes. “Thank God it’s just a little—” she gulped hard as jagged metal snagged her finger, “—scratch.”
     Her eyes watered with the pain.
     He brought his hand up to brush beneath her one eye with the pad of his thumb, then the other, his gaze never leaving hers. “Please, there’s no need to cry.”
     “I’m sorry—” Her brain buzzed with this sudden turn. “It’s all a bit much. I can’t really think now. Did you say insurance? I suppose we… I’ve never had an accident before, this has never—”
     His thumb slid down her cheek and away. “You’re in shock.”
     “Yes! Yes, I’m in shock. Maybe I could take your number and give you a call later. When I-I’m no longer, um, in shock? If you get the damage assessed first and it’s not too bad, I could pay it off in installments rather than getting the insurance involved? I can barely afford the premiums as it is.”
     He looked at her, the silence stretching until she was convinced he’d conned onto her. Then a grin tucked up the left side of his mouth. “Tell you what, why don’t you have dinner with me tonight and we’ll sort everything out then.”
     Gemma widened her eyes on him. No. No…she’d already decided against this.

     Nick Delaney blotted out the gorgeous, lilting voice so he could think straight for a second. Staring into those wide hazel eyes was a damn distraction, but he seemed to have difficulty looking away. That little beauty mark on the wing of her left eyebrow moved with the changing expressions on her face—he wondered where it’d sit when he—
     Had he really just asked her out? Hot damn, he hadn’t just suggested that a strong arm and a nice dinner would make all her troubles magically disappear, had he? He didn’t do that kind of thing anymore. She wasn’t even his type, too blonde and too cute. Dead broke too, apparently. For a moment, he’d thought      she’d been faking those tears.
     His gaze rested on that lower lip of hers, then traveled up to the erotic beauty mark that had him reassessing his priorities yet again. “Why don’t we do the dinner tonight and forget about this unfortunate incident altogether?”
     “I’d love to have dinner with you.” The worry in her eyes cleared. “But I insist on covering the repair costs.”
     He shrugged. “As you said, it’s just a scratch. No need to tangle ourselves up in red tape or monthly payments. I’m Nick, by the way.”
     “Gemma.” Her accent softened the vowels and rolled the name off the tip of her tongue. She held out a hand and he took it, shaking firmly but not letting go when he should have.
     He couldn’t. He was drowning in her eyes and fighting off a thousand primal urges that had come on quicker than he could say, “Hot damn.” Nick didn’t have a single romantic bone in his body, he knew nothing about drowning in eyes and wasting time teasing his tongue around tantalizing beauty spots. Candice had made that clear to him when she’d slammed the door on her way out of his life last month.
     “You don’t understand the first thing about women!”
     “You never listen. You’re incapable of a two-way conversation.”
     “FYI, if you want something to drape over your bed at night and shove into the cupboard come morning, get yourself a quilted cover!”
     Then there was the coup de grâce. He’d been hanging out the window, his brain stupefied as he watched her climb into the cab, when she’d climbed back out to scream up at him. “You, Nicolas Delaney, are the missing link!”
     Yet, here he was. Drowning in hazel eyes and fighting off the urge to wrap this woman in his arms and promise her anything to wipe the tears from her eyes. There were other urges as well, ones that started low and didn’t make it up past his belt, but Nick had taken a long hard look at himself after Candice had left and was determined to reform his ways.
     Gemma slid her hand from his and smiled. “Tonight then?”
     He nodded.
     She’d already turned to leave when he remembered. “Wait.”
     She froze, then glanced over her shoulder.
     “Café Ital in Greenwich Village? Eight thirty?”
     “Oh.” She looked stumped, then added, “Café Ital, sure, see you there.”
     She crossed the road, leaving Nick staring after. What the hell was that?
     She wasn’t coming, that’s what. He didn’t need a psychic to know that he’d just been stood up in advance.

Published: 26 Sept 2011

Can She Outwit Fate?

Available from most places ebooks are sold, including
Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books On Board

Juggling Bananas

2011-08-29T18:00:00.001+01:00

Which seems more apt than oranges, considering I'm on an island that basically consists of a volcano and banana plantations and, as I've recently discovered, some really weird laws (it's illegal to swim in your pool after 8pm and you can only drive once you've turned 23)

I've got a heck load of online commitments, blog posts, etc for my September release, have just received edits for my February release and, somewhere inbetween, would like to keep the wip moving along. I know some authors have got this balance down just right, writing in the morning and edits in the afternoon and promo in the evening. Usually I'm good at multi-tasking, but generally not when it comes to writing, so this is going to be fun!

Not that I'm complaining, it's been my lifelong dream to have a wip wedged between a new release and edits on an upcoming release. Feels like I've got a career plan and that it's on track, now I just need to figure out how to execute it. Wish me luck :)

Dusting off the blog

2011-08-26T17:55:00.000+01:00

Yes, I'm still on vacation, but I've gone one week with extremely limited on-line time and while it was a great catchup with reality, I'm back and I'm participating in Rachael Harrie's Third Writer's Platform-Building Campaign.
This promises to be a great way to meet other bloggers with similar interests and build social media friendships and there's still time to join if you're interested.
This is the first time I've done anything like this, but I'm really looking forward to build my blog's awareness a little as well as interacting with others out there in the writing world.

Loading up my Kindle

2011-08-15T20:33:00.000+01:00

It's that time of the year again. We're off to Teneriffe on Friday for our summer vacation. That's two weeks of beach and sun, and two weeks of dedicated reading. Yummy!

So I'm loading up my kindle...

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelley
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Intertwined by Gena Showalter
Dead Iron: The Age of Steam by Devon Monk
Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis
Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe

That should get me through the first week :)

This is the first holiday where everyone in the family has a kindle. My kids read almost as much as I do, so now I'm off to have some fun with all the extra packing space in our suitcases

Keep it Complex, Simple

2011-08-10T19:17:00.000+01:00

I've been hung up on the plot for my contemporary wip. Thinking I was going off on a tangent and making it all too complex, I've spent the last few days mulling over ways to simplify motivations and the backstory between heroine and hero.
But today I had a breakthrough- by introducing 2 new levels of complexity, everything fell into place and sorted itself else. Just a reminder that living life is complex, tangents come at you out of the blue from all angles all the time... it's a lot harder trying to simplify our character's lives than making them real 3D people with all the fears, faults and chaos of life

Some Cover Loving

2011-08-03T18:39:00.000+01:00

for my @CarinaPress September release. Second Guessing Fate is a romantic comedy, so I love the flirty feeling...

Can She Outwit Fate?

Gemma is on a collision course with heartbreak. At least, according to the fortune-teller her best friend drags her to see. Gemma doesn't believe a word of it, but when other predictions start to come true, she begins to suspect that gorgeous, gray-eyed Nick is the man foretold to break her heart before she can find her soul mate.

Too bad she's never met a man she's wanted more, because now she has to get him to dump her before she falls too hard.

Nick has plans of his own. He's ready to settle down with Ms. Right, and everything points to the beautiful Gemma. He's determined to prove to her that he's the perfect boyfriend—even if she does seem to be trying her best to scare him off…

Regency Re-Enactment

2011-07-31T17:31:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we went to Battle Proms at Highclere Castle, residency of the Earl of Carnarvon. BTW this is also where Downton Abbey is filmed.

Battle Proms is a combination of the usual proms in the park (orchestral music and fireworks) combined with a re-enactment of the Regency era

and the Peninsula Wars (calvary and cannons)

I didn't have my notebook with me, but I drank in all the details and loved every second

Photographs courtesy of David Valentyne

Those Big Bad Border Boys

2011-07-22T17:32:00.000+01:00

We all love to hate to love us a bad boy... I'm blogging over at Romancing The Past today, please come visit

To Dream a Little Dream...

2011-07-12T18:16:00.000+01:00

Ever dreamt about seeing your book turned into a movie? Well, I haven't given it much thought, I reckon I've got a far way to go. Or at least, not consciously. But apparently my subconscious mind's been having a field day with it.
Last night I had such a vivid dream... I turned on the telly and there was the trailer to one of my upcoming books (hasn't even been released yet, lol). The trailer opened with my book cover (which I haven't got a clue about yet) but apparently some hidden part of me thinks it's going to be green. The entire cover. Different shades of pale green. Because my heroine is running out of a tunnel, the green lights from the tunnel behind her, carrying her shoes in her hands and looking ever so slightly bedraggled.

And this isn't your normal movie trailer with scene flashes, it was more like a partial, starting at the beginning and playing for the first couple of chapters. Helen Mirren was in it, laughing her head off about something, and my heroine was Jennifer Lopez for some wierd reason. And after a few minutes, the story veered off into something like a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding which has absolutely nothing to do with my book. And then my dream went to bits with everyone in the tv room suddenly talking at the top of their voices and me going into an endless loop of yelling at them to keep quite and rewinding so I could watch, repeat, repeat, repeat, wake up!

Hmm, bet a therapist would have a field day with this...

Dancing In The Shadows Of Love

2011-07-07T12:00:00.001+01:00

I'm delighted to have Judy Croome here, author of Dancing In The Shadows Of Love. This is one of my favourite books of 2011 and if you're looking for a read that explores the depths of love and friendships, then I'd definitely recommend this one for you.

Judy, tell us a little about yourself
I originally started writing romances and completed six full length romances. The last two both went through several rounds of editing with a major international romance publisher. One was finally turned down and, by the last set of edits for the second manuscript, I’d changed so much as a writer, that I made the decision to not pursue a career as a romance author. I just read them for relaxation now!
I still write about the human search for love, though, because Romantic Love is not the only type of love that exists. When I write now, I just approach the search for love from a different angle.

So what is Dancing in the Shadows of Love all about?

In the haunting “Dancing in the Shadows of Love,” three emotionally adrift women fight to heal their fractured worlds. Not everyone can be a hero. Or can they?

The story explores the sacrifices people make in the pursuit of a love that transcends everyday existence. Lulu’s quest, and that of Jamila and Zahra too, is to find the divine love that will fulfil their hopes and save their souls...if they can recognise the masks of those who seek to lead them astray.

You can watch the book trailer or read an interview with me about the book or read an interview with the cover artist Wenkidu or read chapter one. I’m also currently building a dedicated blog which will provide book club questions, discussions of themes and other interesting titbits about the story.

Any other books in the works?

I’m currently finishing up an anthology of short stories to be released in 2012. That’s called “The Weight of a Feather and other stories”. I’m also feeling a build-up of inner pressure to start my next full length novel, which I’ve been brooding on for some time (I don’t outline or plan – I brood!)

Do you have a nickname?

Do you remember Dumbo, the Flying Elephant? Walt Disney created this cute little elephant with these HUGE ears. I often drift off into a world of my own and then, when I come back, I realise I’ve missed out on some interesting conversation and say, “What did I miss? What did I miss?’ It can be irritating. One day a friend said that, when I sit up all round eyes and big ears flapping, I reminded him of Dumbo. I was called Dumbo for a long time after that!

When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

A bride! I was nuts about brides. Still am. And 2011 has been a feast of TV viewing for me with all the beautiful royal brides, especially South Africa’s own Charlene Whittstock who recently married Prince Albert of Monaco to become Princess Charlaine.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Right where I’m living now: Johannesburg, South Africa. Okay, perhaps I’d move to Stellenbosch in the Cape, so I can be near mountains and get out of the big city. But, South Africa is so vibrant, so full of hope and potential, it’s the only country I could ever imagine myself living in.

What was your favorite children's book?
Thomasina, by Paul Gallico. Thomasina was a cat, so there’s no real surprise there!

Judy Croome lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her short stories ‘Born Beneath a Balsamic Moon’ and ‘Heroes Day’ have been published in ITCH magazine. Other short fiction and poetry appeared in “Notes from Underground Anthology.”
“Dancing in the Shadows of Love” is available as both a print and eBook from Amazon.com, and as an eBook from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Let's Talk Books

2011-06-22T19:32:00.000+01:00

Coming up with a spew of historical favourites took less than a minute. Whittling that list down to my top ten took a whole lot longer...

I'm over at Romancing the Past chatting about favourite historical reads. Please come on over and chat.

It's FREE BOOK WEEK at Carina Press!!!

2011-06-20T18:03:00.001+01:00

Starting on June 20th, every weekday, all week, Carina is offering a spectacular title for free download. And when they say free, they mean ACTUALLY free. Not "sorta free", or "free with a $50 purchase" free, but actually, totally, no strings attached FREE! So, get thee to Carina press to download a free book every day! Here are the books being offered, and the links and promo codes for your free download:
Note for Kindle Users: Although Carina Press no longer has kindle format on the site, it's really easy to download a free copy of Calibre and convert from ePub to kindle format - a few extra steps but, hey, the books are free!!!

Monday's FREE BOOK is:
The Debutantes Dilemma by Elyse Mady
Just type in the promo code DEBUTANTEFREE at checkout

Tuesday's FREE BOOK is:
Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee
Just type in the promo code DEMONFREE at checkout

Wednesday's FREE BOOK is:
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Just type in the promo code TWISTEDFREE at checkout

Thursday's FREE BOOK is:
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Just type in the promo code GALAXYFREE at checkout

Friday's FREE BOOK is:
Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
Just type in the promo code FRIENDLYFREE at checkout

But wait, there's more! You can retweet and win! Follow @ChristineBell and @ElyseMady on Twitter and retweet any of their tweets that mention the hashtag #CarinaFree and you'll be entered to win the following fabulous prize pack:
An autographed print copy of "The Debutante's Dilemma" by Elyse Mady and an e-copy of her latest novel "Learning Curves"
Christine Bell's souped up RWA swag bag including Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale mug, magnet, romance trading cards and Carina Press coupon, and a bag of hershey kisses and any book off her backlist
A $25 Amazon Gift Card

Authors are responsible to their readers...

2011-06-16T21:19:00.000+01:00

...and not the other way round.

This is a controversial topic with regards to some issues, but I'm firmly glued to my seat on this one. Authors truly appreciate (and some of us desperately rely) on the wonderful way readers spread the word, but it is not the reader's responsibility to help us build and establish our careers.

I would never imply that an author should sell their soul with their book, but yes, I do believe that when a reader buys a book (and in some cases, many books) in a series, they're also buying into the promise of a satisfactory ending at some point and a reasonable expectation of the author finishing the series. The same can be said for TV series, but that's another topic all together.

Read an excerpt from Betrayed

2011-06-12T15:23:00.001+01:00

Krayne Johnstone

     Krayne Johnstone set one foot inside the vaulted hall of Stirling Castle and came to an abrupt halt. “The air reeks foul in this place.”

     “’Tis no wonder, with all the maggot-infested rats swarming aboot,” retorted his cousin Adam, referring to the Littils, Armstrongs and Maxwells amongst the barons summoned to Stirling.

     “I’d sooner skewer the lot than share a pot of ale.” Krayne knew he was not alone in sentiment. All clans present were tried and sworn enemies.

     Adam shoved an elbow in his side. “Keep yerself ta me and shut off that hot temper. I dinna like this anymore than ye, but I’ll nae ignore our King Jamie and have his wrath scatter the Johnstones ta the wind with nae name nor land nor goods ta call their own.”

     Jamie’s fancy tables and polished silver flagons were more likely to be scattered, thought Krayne as a ruckus broke out between Johnnie Armstrong of Kilnockie and Sir Alexander Irvine.

     Fists came out and clans bounded together. No one dared to draw their sword. Pristine stewards drew up tight against the wall, clutching ledger books to their chests and gaping in horror. Jamie’s court was overrun with English, relics from his days in captivity and tagalongs that had followed his queen, Joan of Beaumont. They were a dour lot and unappreciative of the jolly Scottish ways.

     Krayne folded his arms and put his back to the wall, settling in to watch the brawl.

     King James I chose that moment to grace them with his presence. His flowing robes of crimson and ermine put shame to the travel-worn plaids of his hastily summoned barons. Tawny eyes, glowing a tiger’s fierce gold, appraised the scene and came to rest on the blood trickling from the Littil chief’s mouth. The fighting men froze midaction.

     “Go clean yourself, man,” he ordered, “afore I lose all patience.”

     Stewards scuttled from their corners, bodies untangled, and heads bowed down in shame.

     Jamie’s look scorched one baron to the next.

     “Right now he’s wishing he were back in England,” said Krayne in a low undertone.

     “Jamie might hanker aft the well-ordered court of King Henry,” muttered Adam from barely moving lips, “but ne’er forget he was a prisoner, a king denied his country.”

     “Well, he’s made up fer eighteen lost years of royal arrogance in the few months he’s been back.”

     The young king swept his gaze from one end of the receiving hall to the other, and then came to a rest on Adam Johnstone, chief of the Annandale Johnstones and his appointed warden of the West Marches.

     Jamie was not surprised to find the level-headed baron standing apart from the chaos. He nodded his gratification, then moved on to Krayne, Adam’s cousin and chosen heir to the chieftainship. Krayne was a laird in his own right, and stared him right back in the eye. Jamie couldn’t pull back from that penetrating gaze, feeling magnetised and trapped like a puny hare in the fierce show of loyalty and ancient-bred honour that radiated from the silvery grey stare of Wamphray’s laird.

     By St Andrew’s Holy Rood, now…now when I am the prey, I understand why they call him the Grey Wolf.

     Would that I, he sorely thought, command the honour of such a man.

     Knowing he could scarce claim one baron in his entire kingdom who would not openly plot and defy him, the king waved one arm across the room and recited his new parliamentary laws in a booming voice that echoed within the stone walls.

     “…that firm and sure peace… if any man presume to make war against another, he shall suffer the full penalties of the law… if any man presume to rebel against the king, he shall suffer pain of forfeiture of life, lands and goods… I will make the key keep the castle and the bracken bush keep the cow through all of Scotland…”

     “Christ’s truth,” muttered Krayne beneath his breath. “I’ve Johnstone ships full of wool decorating the Solway while Jamie herds us here for naught but another lecture.”

     Adam shut him up with a kick to the shin.

     “Throughout Scotland, from the highest crag to the lowest glen, from the Cheviot Hills to the MacDonald’s islands, my word will rule,” finished the king. “I will reward obedience and eradicate those who ignore my laws.”

     “Jamie is nae all bad,” Adam said much later as they trotted through the town of Stirling to join the ancient Roman Road.

     “Tell that ta Murdoch and Lennox.” Krayne spurred his horse faster as they left the cobbled streets behind.

     “Treason flows through their veins instead of blood. Jamie’s dungeon be exactly what the pair of them deserve.”

     “They’re still kin to the king,” noted Krayne dryly.

     Adam gave him a searching look. “’Twill serve a sharp reminder ta the rest of us.”

     “Ye have my word,” Krayne reassured his cousin. “I gave the order before I left Wamphray. No more moonlight riding fer my lads.”

     They rode hard for Annandale with their dozen moss-troopers at their back, stopping only once to rest the horses and then again at Moffat just as dawn was breaking. The parish of Johnstone bordered Wamphray, and the riders stayed together until the juncture of Wamphray Water with the Annan, where Adam rode west for Lochwood Tower and Krayne followed Wamphray Water home.

     On his approach, Old Giles raised the portcullis with a wary wave and Krayne galloped straight into the bailey…to find that all hell had broken loose.

Amber Jardin

     Amber fought against consciousness. She didn't want to be pulled from the sweet lull of darkness. Here, she didn’t have to struggle against walls crushing her lungs, horrid little monsters nibbling her flesh, nightmare visions of Stivin begging for help while she looked on helplessly.

     But she couldn’t stay. She was being dragged to the surface. Her lids opened sluggishly, then rounded wide and alert at the black-haired beast looming over her. Firelight glinted off steel and she would have screamed, but it felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat.

     “Dinna fear.” The oak-smoked burr eased the pitch of terror, enough so for her to recognise the beast as Krayne. He sheathed the blade and showed her the raven curl he’d hacked off. “I need this fer yer uncle.”

     Amber nodded, heart still throbbing against her ribcage, vaguely wondering if it was worth her time and effort to protest the futility of his actions once more. Then she became aware of her surroundings. “The pit… Where am I?”

     A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I thought ye might be more comfortable here.”

     Relief bought him a return smile, but it didn’t last. Although the shock was gradually ebbing, the piercing silver of his eyes kept her blood high. She pressed a hand to her chest in a protective gesture, and gasped. Her eyes dipped, then shot straight up to his and froze.

     Where was her gown?

     What had he done?

     “Nothing yet.” Krayne answered the accusation in her eyes with a gravel-hard voice, then promptly spun about and strode away.

     Nothing yet. A shadow crossed her heart and chilled her blood. He will be back, and he won’t find me lying half-naked in bed.

     Krayne Johnstone might have saved her from the hell pit, but she wasn’t that grateful.

     He stopped and turned beneath the open archway that led into the adjoining chamber.

     What now?

     He was just standing there, looking at her. His jaw was so tightly clenched, she imagined she could hear his teeth crunch. The wolf looked ready to pounce.

     Wiping a hand across her forehead, Amber made a brave show of crumpling before his eyes, managing to pull the fur over her as she slumped down on the bed.

     “Christ.” He hurried back.

     “I’m fine,” she whispered, rolling her head away so she didn’t have to meet his eyes. “Please leave me. I fear that black pit has sapped my strength.” She turned a little to peer at him from beneath half-lidded eyes.

     “Rest.” The word rumbled warmly with concern.

     She closed her eyes and concentrated to slow her breathing. Finally she heard him move, the padded footfalls of his leather soles fading to silence, then a squeak as a door opened. Amber gave it a few more moments, then rolled onto her front and up on her elbows, glancing this way and that, but ready to drop into feigned slumber at the slightest sound.

     The bold stamp on the room and superb, if sparse, furnishings told her she was in the laird’s bed. The thick pelt of an exotic brown bear covered the window. Various forest creatures had given their fur to warm the stone floor. The bed was made from birch rather than pine, stained a rich brown and stood high off the ground. A sturdy chair and writing table of the same stained birch completed the decor.

     She lifted herself onto her knees, assured that it was now safe. This was her chance to escape to Spedlin and rescue Stivin, because a lock of her hair wasn’t going to do the job. If the Johnstone brothers would just refrain from tossing her over their shoulders and into pits long enough to actually hear—

     “The laird said ta help wi’ yer bath.” A sullen voice broke into her thoughts.

     Amber started, her gaze flicking to the arched doorway to see a robust woman of about two score years standing there. A halo of red-orange frizz escaped the braid draped across her shoulder to frame a rounded, ruddy face. Too late, Amber realised that she’d never heard the outer door squeak closed.

     The idea of bathing was fairy dust to her weary body and battered spirit, and almost worth postponing her escape for, but Amber wasn’t smiling yet. At Spedlin, a bath was a wooden barrel sectioned off by a thin sheet strung across a kitchen corner. She’d tried it once, and that was once too many. The only baths she’d since enjoyed were courtesy of the frigid stream or a quick rub down in her chamber.

     Muttering, “I’ve nae the time ta sit abou’ repeatin’ myself aw day,” the woman shook her head and disappeared from sight.

     Amber threw off the covers and slid from the bed. She peeked behind the bear fur, but found only a series of arrow slits in the stone wall that were too narrow to squeeze through. The bed itself was pushed up against an oak door and, though she held little hope, Amber tested the knob. It turned, but the door was either locked or jammed. The only way out, it seemed, was through the archway.

     The adjacent chamber was a living area. Two padded stools were arranged around a chess table. A set of chairs with wide seats, carved backs and sturdy arms graced the hearth. There was another table for more general use, tapestries on the walls and woven rugs to walk upon.

     When Amber’s gaze reached the far wall, she found what she was looking for. An opening as large as a door led to a stone rampart that could only be part of the battlement wall. The large tapestry usually covering it had been looped up by two hooks on either side, allowing the dwindling daylight in.

     The round-faced serving woman was on her knees with her back to the room, sorting through items on a low shelf. Amber would have to wait, and was more than happy to take that bath while doing so.

     She walked deeper into the room, saw a large chest against one wall and a good-sized metal tub tucked away in an alcove. The air above the tub shimmered from the rising heat. A lightness stole over her mood at the prospect of a decent hot bath and imminent freedom.

     The woman came back with a length of Johnstone plaid and a small vial that released the aroma of sun-kissed roses when a few drops were added to the bath water.

     Amber smiled with delight, and the woman’s scowl deepened. Shrugging a shoulder, Amber removed her shift and stepped into the tub. Pleasure cascaded over her skin as she slipped low into the warm, fragrant water.

     Turning a friendly grin to where the woman stood with crossed arms, Amber asked, “What is your name?”

     Muddy brown eyes gave her a long, sour look. “Isla.”

     “Do I know you?” Amber said, wondering what she’d done to earn the obvious disfavour. “Do you know me?”

     “I ken ye fer a Jardin.”

     Amber raised an eyebrow, waiting for more, but apparently the explanation was complete. She’d assumed the feuds and hate to be a singularly male pastime, as was the case in Cornwall, where women were insulated from the realities of war and seldom, if ever, came face to face with the enemy. A silly assumption, she acknowledged, considering her current hostage status.

     Her fingers trailed drops of water over her thighs and abdomen as she mused on the ridiculous notion of an English lady being held captive by a close neighbour. But then again, neither could she entertain the picture of any gentleman she’d grown up with executing a raid—on the lord next door, no less. It wasn’t just uncivilised, it was…words failed her and the small smile of amusement vanished.

     She looked inward, and it became personal.

     For the first time, Amber saw her capture as more than a huge obstacle preventing her from saving Stivin. There was the pit, then the glint of steel so close to her throat. She’d assumed that no one had any reason to actually kill her…

     A frown worked her brow and she nibbled her lower lip. She was a pawn, dragged from her home to be disposed of as the Johnstones saw fit. It mattered not if she were innocent or guilty of the great betrayal. No one was listening, no one cared. She was a possession, valuable enough to protect—for now. These were Stivin’s kin, but they’d been Jardin enemies for a half-score years or more. What would happen once they realised she was worth less than a crippled horse? What would they do when William Jardin rejected their terms of exchange?

     “Leave me,” Amber ordered.

     “I have nae wish ta be here, but the laird—”

     “Asked you to help me,” she finished. Amber sat up straight and met the brown glare defiantly, wondering if the dour Isla honestly thought she wanted to be here. “Then help me to bathe in private.”

     Isla didn’t need telling twice. She made a show of huffing and grumbling beneath her breath on the way out.

     Amber hurriedly dried off and tugged her shift over her head. It had been sheer folly on her part to insist over and over again how worthless she was.

     What was I thinking?

     That they’d apologise for the inconvenience and send me back to Spedlin with a farewell pat on the shoulder?

     She found her gown crumpled on the floor beside the bed. The rip all the way down the front was a reminder of Johnstone hospitality and how little her honour and dignity meant to these people. She dressed as best she could, pinching the bodice over her breasts with trembling fingers while she guided her feet into scuffed slippers.

     The wind whipped the open flaps of her gown about as she stepped onto the rampart, the chill evening air cutting ruthlessly through her shift. Crouching low and close to the battlement wall, she ran, keeping a keen ear on the occasional shout and sound below lest it escalate to a raised alarm. The broody sky abetted the waning daylight and she was thankful for the cover.

     Soon the walk broke away from the tower house and she was in the narrow passage dug along the top of the crenulated wall that enclosed the bailey. Approximately midway along the length of the bailey, Amber stopped and leant far over the side of the wall. The curtain wall had to be at least five or six men tall. Beyond that, the thickly wooded bog looked sinister with long shadows and the spongy ground of sphagnum mosses.

     Amber experienced a moment of doubt about getting across the morass. Not that it mattered, she thought irritably, for in order to do that, she first needed to find a way down from this impossible height.

     As soon as she pulled back from the edge, a blur of raised voices carried on the breeze. She couldn’t make out what was being said, but the direction it came from and the loud confusion set her heart racing.

     She stilled.

     She couldn’t go down and she wasn’t going back.

     Her knees went hollow, cramped from excess energy at the thought of just standing where she was, a hare already snared and awaiting a predetermined fate.

Available from most places where ebooks are sold, including

Carina Press | Amazon | Barnes and Noble |

Books on Board

Betrayed is now available in audible at audible.com

In Reading This Week

2011-06-08T20:48:00.001+01:00

I've been a busy bookworm this week :)

Unlocked by Courtney Milan

This is my first CM read (and apparently her debut in self-publishing). This is novella, I read it in about 2 hrs, and loved every second of it. Years ago, the hero bullied the heroine - wasn't sure I could forgive him, but he totally redeems himself.

Isn't the cover lovely too?

South of Salem by Janni Nell

The lighter side of paranormal. This is the second book in the Allegra Fairweather series and I'm thoroughly enjoying these books. Can't wait to see if things get interesting with Casper (yes, he's a ghost)

Jimmy Coates: Killer by Joe Craig

Middle Grade
Since my boys each got their own kindle, we get some family reading fun and I get to (ahem) read-along with the kids. A few chapters in, this one looks okay. My 11yr olds are loving it!!!

Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey

Only a few chapters in, but already enjoying it as much as I did the first two. Very funny. Must admit, if I were Sean, I'd be freaked out (to the point of no turning back) with all those photoshopped photographs, lol

Edit, Edit, Edit

2011-05-31T17:47:00.000+01:00

I'm over at Judy Croome's blog today, chatting about the editing process. Please come on by and chat

Geo-Restrictions & Piracy

2011-05-30T18:03:00.000+01:00

I've never kept quiet about my frustrations on geo-restrictions. Yes, I do understand that there must be financial reasons behind everything, but that doesn't make me feel any better when I really want to read a book that's being buzzed about town and I can't get my hands on it for love or money.

However, the link between geo-restrictions and piracy that's being mentioned around the web of late makes me feel kind of iffy. There seems to be a sentiment that, while piracy is not condoned, it's *more* understandable if the readers cannot get hold of a legitimate copy due to geo-restrictions.

Really?

So, if your friend returns from a jaunt to Paris with the cutest little bag she bought at a boutique there, a bag you just have to have, you'd sell your soul for one just like that... BUT, it's not available at any local stores and you can't just up and hop over to Paris to get yourself one... is it okay to steal that bag from her?

No, not really.

I do actually understand the frustrations of readers. I'm a reader. I've gone on at length on the topic in previous posts. I even have an audible version of my own book that I've never been able to listen to because of geo-restrictions. But I've not once been tempted to go and download a pirate copy of it.

And then there's the other side of the argument. The author/publisher isn't actually losing a sale because the product wasn't available to buy. Does this justify piracy? Well, is it okay to steal something that you couldn't afford to buy? Because you're not costing the retailer a sale, you would never have bought it anyway. Huh.

Whew, I think that was just a mini-rant, but it's off my chest now :)

How much fact do you want in your historical fiction?

2011-05-22T18:39:00.000+01:00

I'm over at Romancing the Past today chatting about writing historical and blending fact in fiction. Please stop by and add your opinion

2011 Steampunk Reading List

2011-05-19T23:05:00.000+01:00

I've only been reading Steampunk for a couple of months, but I've got through quite a few already. I'm loving this genre and thought I'd share my list so far (I'm always looking for more to add)

Read in 2011
Soulless, Blameless, Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate) - Gail Carriger
The Iron Duke - Meljean Brook
Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices) - Cassandra Clare
Steam & Sorcery, Photographs & Phantoms - Cindy Spencer-Pape
Like Clockwork - Bonnie Dee
Badlands - Seleste deLaney

To Read and/or Coming Soon
Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate) - Gail Carriger
Leviathan, Behemoth - Scott Westerfield
Sapphique - Catherine Fisher
Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices) - Cassandra Clare
The Court of the Air - Stephen Hunt
Warrior (The Baldes of the Rose) - Zoe Archer
The Girl in the Steel Corset - Kady Cross
Cold Magic - Kate Elliot
The Twisted Tale of Stomry Gale - Christine Bell

Waiting for these to come to Kindle
The Strange Affair of the Spring Heeled Jack - Mark Hodder
BoneShaker - Cherie Priest
Clockwork Heart - Dru Pagliassotti
Immortal Engines - Philip Reeve

The Thin Line of Freedom

2011-05-11T17:38:00.000+01:00

Over the last few years, I've been reading a lot of YA Dystopian. There's something so appealing about a world gone mad, to all ages, I've even got my 11yr boys hooked now.

As varied as the characters and plots are, in general there appears to be one defining characterisation of the Dystopian model - loss of freedom. The government is in control, there are groups "inside" and "outside" the wall/fence and everyone's scared of the "outside" wildlings - until we find out that they're actually the good guys.

Now, I'm not complaining. I love the storyline, can't get enough. But this does seem to highlight that our biggest fear, our worst nightmare, is the loss of freedom ie A world gone mad must be a world in which free will has been lost.

The other side of the coin is what's been on my mind lately. So, okay, the governments always end up corrupt, go crazy and lose the plot and our hero/heroine has to break the people free from their control. But, in the beginning, before the story usually starts, the implication is that in order to survive whatever disaster struck earth, freedom and control had to be taken away from the masses, because the mass human population was not deemed capable of surviving/correcting the catastrophe if left to their own devices (read free will)

And that's the question on my mind, lol, although I have no answer for myself yet. Will humanity one day need a select few to 'save' us from ourselves, or will be all take up the responsibility?

How long should a Buy Excerpt be?

2011-05-02T19:40:00.001+01:00

Since I got my Kindle, I no longer buy books outright. Even autobuys get the 'Send Sample' treatment...the equivalent of my TBR list. The samples are all there on my Kindle, waiting for me to sample/buy/read at my leisure. I'm totally reckless, new authors, books I've never heard about, books I'm not sure I ever want to hear about, I 'Send Samples' of everything that catches my interest, because you never know...

Just before leaving on holiday, I sent 10 samples to my kindle in preparation for my vacation reading. Two of those were autobuy books I'd been waiting for, so the samples didn't make much difference either way to my purchase. But the other 8 were completely new to me authors, some there'd been some hype about but not enough for me to commit to, others I'd got from random blog lists of new releases. Of the samples, I bought 4 of the books, I deleted 3 of the samples without buying and 1 sample still remains on my kindle while I decide.

Being on holiday for 2 weeks with nothing more pressing to do than sunbathe and read, I had a lot of time on my hands. A lot of time for thinking. So I started thinking about these samples and why I hadn't bought some of them.

Of the 4 I bought, obviously the samples, whatever length, managed to grab me. Some were shorter than others, but there was enought to grab my interest enough for me to press the buy button. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed all those books.

Of the 2 I deleted, they were just not for me, neither the story nor the writing got to a point where I had to know what came next.

Of the other one I deleted and the one I'm still not sure of: I'm still not sure. I wanted to read more of the book, but wouldn't commit the money to buy without seeing a little more. If the sample had been longer, I might have been persuaded.

This made me curious, though, and I went back to the samples of the books I had bought to check the sample lengths. In two of the books I'd bought, I realised that if the samples had stopped earlier (round about where some of the other samples had stopped) I wouldn't have bought it, I'd not yet decided at that point. The longer samples definitely made the sale.

Well, this got me thinking about samples in general. Some books give a good couple of chapters, other only a couple of pages. (I'm not talking about novellas here) Why? As far as I'm concerned, you could give most of the book as a sample and I'll still go and buy just to read the last chapter to see how it ends. Few people have the time to waste reading books without finding out the ending - that's where most of the joy of the reading experience culminates.

Now sure, there are some books that start off well and go downhill by the middle, where the reader is lost, throwing the book (or kindle) against the wall in disgust and berating themselves for spending their money. But isn't it better in the end that these readers don't buy the book to start off with? Perhaps, if they'd had a chance to read a longer sample and ended up disappointed in the book and not buying it, they'd be more inclinded to try other books by that author, to give the author a second/third chance.

So, in conclusion, I really think that samples on the Buy pages should be a good couple of chapters, perhaps even up to 1/4 of the book. I, for one, would possibly end up buying many more new authors if this were so.

Portugal, Alphas and A Case of The Smarts

2011-04-12T16:00:00.002+01:00

Yonks ago, when streets were still wide enough for carriages and people actually used carriages, before the invention of the NetBook, I bought meself an AlphaSmart. Never heard of it? Here you are...

Yes! A floating keyboard! This thing runs for a year on a set of AA batteries and is so robust, you could throw it in the pool and it would probably learn to swim (don't try this at home, folks)

My poor alphasmart got discarded when I bought my NetBook (almost as many yonks ago) BUT last week the battery of my NetBook died and who knew? You cannot buy replacement batteries at any physical store, you have to get it online and await delivery.

With summer in the air, I love writing in randon places, under the apple tree, lying on the trampoline, you know how it goes. So, caught without a battery, I went to the garage and dug out my alphasmart from a box in a dark, dusty corner. Switched in on and, after 2 years, the thing switched on 2 bars of battery life and zooming to go. Aah, I'd really forgotten how much I love this little writer's tool.

Here's the reasons I'm going back to writing first drafts on my alphasmart (not good for editing, though)

(a) Only four lines of text shows up. I am a compulsive editor, I write two new lines and go back to edit the last 10 lines. The alphasmart forces one to just press on ahead in draft mode because it's practically impossible to do any decent editing on the small display

(b) No internet connection. No distractions.

(c) So robust, we're leaving for Portugal this week and my alphasmart just gets tossed into the suitcase without second thought.

(d) Battery life.... just goes on and on and on... love it!!!

And on that note, we're off to Portugal until the end of the month. Everyone have a great time here and I'll see you when I get back with some piccies to share

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-04-10T10:50:00.000+01:00

So, here's Breghan musing on life with Arran, from The Devil of Jedburgh...

   The two of them together were volatile and flipped each other’s mood at the turn of a word.
   Thank heavens he’s leaving in the morning and I have a few weeks grace before I have to worry about it.
   She closed her eyes to dream of a suitor who’d compose romantic poems in her name instead of roaring, who’d woo her with softly spoken promises instead of wicked innuendos, a man too sophisticated and elegant to overpower her with raw masculinity. But every vision she tried to conjure was eclipsed with the lean strength encased in those leather breeches Arran wore today. The way his golden hair fell across his face to hide the scar at his cheek but not the harsh nature chiselled in his jaw.
   The adventurous part of her thrilled at the dark desire he aroused while the sensible part warned there’d be no happy ending.

The Old, the Bad and the Useful

2011-04-04T16:02:00.000+01:00

This weekend, I was going through my archive of written books, chapters and scenes that never quite made it into the submission world and, in some cases, never made it past a couple of scenes. I was looking for a specific ballroom scene I knew I'd written and was wondering if I could use in my current wip.

What I came across was the first three chapters of a medieval scottish, written many, many years ago that was just so... bad. I can't even use the excuse that my voice has changed, matured beyond comfortable recognistion, etc this was just plain bad writing. To be kind, I'll consider it a learning experience that has led to better things. I must admit that I did read over it with a kind of fond, if cringing, nostalgia... imagine your thirtish something self going glancing over photos of your akward, teenage self :)

I did find my ballroom scene and something extra - that scene had two side characters I'd completely forgotten about and I have the perfect opening for their grand debut in my wip. I love this kind of find, the discovery that even back then when I was honing my craft and learning the ins and outs of writing and publishing, my imagination could still dream up a delightful character or two and place them in a horrid dilemma.

Still time to share in the Carina Press Historical giveaway

2011-03-29T12:02:00.000+01:00

I'm over at Romancing The Past today, where it's the last day to come chat about your favourite kind of hero and be in for a chance to win one of 6 Carina Press historicals. Looking forward to seeing you there :)

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-03-27T12:35:00.000+01:00

I'm back with another snippet from my medieval scottish romance, Devil of Jedburgh. Things are still not going that well between them :)

“Learn to hold your tongue,” whispered Arran near her ear. “Explanations are worse than bog lands, you step deeper into the muck with every misspent word.”

Breghan scowled up at him, not intending to say another word with her father staring them down. But then he went and did it, another damned shrug, so casual and unconcerned.
“Afraid of what I might reveal?” she challenged with mock sweetness. “I knew you were a devil and a boar and now I discover you are a coward too.”

PS There's a 6 eBook giveaway today and tomorrow at the Carina Press Historical Authors blog. Please stop by for a chance to win.

How to not make a sale

2011-03-24T11:13:00.000Z

Dear Mr Salesman,

You phoned to sell me a maintenance/insurance plan on a satellite box I purchased from your company. You kept me on the phone for 10 minutes, not allowing me to get a word in. And I'm polite, so I listened in silence, listened to you telling me how badly I need to take insurance out against the product your company sold me, how likely it is that the product will break down in the next year, how expensive it will be to replace ( I know, I already spent a fortune buying it in the first place), how unaffordable your call-out fees are to get a technician in to fix it when it breaks down.

At the end, I said I'd need to think about, need to speak to my husband about it. A tip, this is where you might have offered to send a brochure on more information, perhaps offered to call me back in a few days. Instead, this is what you did, you said, "Okay, I'll sign you up and send you the start-up pack. Don't worry, you won't start paying until the end of the month, and if you don't want it, just send us a letter to cancel before the end of the month."

You know what? I no longer need to think about it. I don't appreciate having to make the effort to write a cancellation letter, sign it, spend the money on a stamp to post it, just because you think a sale is forcing a product on someone and then leaving the onus on them to go to the effort of cancelling it because no, they never said they wanted it to begin with.

Now, I'm staring at my satellite box, wondering why I spent so much money on what, you've told me, is such a crappy product.

Yours Sincerely,
Not Impressed

Reading Series

2011-03-21T15:50:00.000Z

The highs and lows of reading series is that cliffhanger at the end of the book. Yeah, it's what keeps us hanging for the next book, but that's only out usually a year down the road, so it's also what usually blows my frustration levels right into the stratosphere. Connected books tend to end all nicely wrapped up, but series do (lately, this wasn't always the case) tend to end in the middle of a world-changing life-altering scene.

The reason I love reading series is simple: If I'm enjoying the world the author created, if I'm loving the people she filled it with, I never want it to end. Series allows us to connect and explore far beyond the depth of a single book.

The dilemna for me each time a new series catches my eye: start reading at once or wait until at least a couple of books have already been released or, worst case, waiting until the last book has been written before starting the series. I'm not going to miss what I don't know, so this is the easiest option. As a writer, however, I'm well aware that if no one buys the first books in a series, the publisher may well drop the series and that's that. So, with each new series, I twist and turn, pitting the anxiety of reading book #1 immediately against waiting and failing the author who needs that reader support - may the best anxiety win (or lose)

So, it's always nice for to come across a series that's well under way, that didn't spark my interest initially or that I perhaps didn't even know about. This weekend, the Chaos Walking trilogy was that series. I'd looked at a couple of years ago, but, while the storyline grabbed me, I was wary of the writing style. It flows mostly in a mad rush of thoughts going through people's head (I love the characterisation of the each animal talking!) and the way things are spelled differently eg direkshum (for direction) - this is all part of the worldbuilding, and obviously worked well because these books were a hit. But I hesitated, something put me off, and I put it out of my mind and ignored the series.

Until this weekend. I read the first book yesterday and, yes, it ends practically mid-sentence, lol, on the highest freaking cliff ever, but that's okay, the next two are already written and downloaded to my Kindle.

Here's to me, and here's to you

2011-03-17T13:44:00.002Z

St. Patrick was a gentleman, who thru strategy and stealth

Drove all the snakes from Ireland, Here's a toasting his health

But not too many lest you lose yourself and then

You forget the good St. Patrick and see those snakes again

I love St Patrick's Day, but maybe that's because I'm 3/4 Irish. How do I work that out?

Well, my husband is 1/2 Irish and I'm 1/2 of our couple, and 1/2 of 1/2 is 1/4

Our kids are 1/4 Irish, and we have two of them, so a 1/4 plus a 1/4 = 1/2
And 1/4 plus 1/2 makes me 3/4 IRISH.

Trust me, that is one hundred percent logical in Ireland, so...

Here's to me, and here's to you

And here's to love and laughter

I'll be true as long as you

And not one moment after

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S EVERYONE

If it's Monday...

2011-03-14T16:22:00.000Z

It means I've only 3 days left to get these edits done. Not sure why they're kicking me upside down, but am determined to put butt to chair and get past the 3/4 mark today.

And, if you like to read, you probably like voting on your favorites and commenting/ranting on everything else. This is your chance with DABWAHA Now, I know nothing about basketball, and the voting is structured according to tournament rules (or something like that, refer back to I know nothing about basketball) but you can check out how to play here and, thank goodness, you don't have to know anything about basketball to vote on your favorites, lol. Go on, have some fun.

In Reading this Week

2011-03-10T17:19:00.000Z

I'm reading two @CarinaPress titles this week and both steampunk, lol

BADLANDS
Unusual steampunk as it's set in America and has a warrior heroine whose first impression of the hero is of his wiry frame and that he's backbone is not strong enough for her... lol, hard to come back from that. BUT it's okay, because this is not really a romance (in my opinion) and the story was great, really enjoyed how different it was from the norm

STEAM & SORCERY
I admit, I bought this for the pretty cover... isn't it lovely? I really, really enjoyed this one (and this one is definitely a romance!!!) It came across a little like Mary Poppins in steampunk world, with a great cast of characters and mumckins and a perfect happy ending. And best of all, the next in the series releases next month, so not long to wait.

Gone but Not Forgotten

2011-03-04T12:26:00.001Z

Cancelled TV shows that you still pine for? I had to play along with this one (click on the image above to view other entries for the blogfest or participcate)

Popular shows that are cancelled because they didn't make big enough figures for the producers is a big beef, what happened to catering for all tastes? One of the greatest things about epublishing is the wider variety available to readers who want to read outside the block-busters...maybe in the future we'll start seeing smaller channels happy to continue giving us shows even when the ratings are uber phenomenal

My top 5...

#1 Friends: Yes, cheating slightly because at 10 seasons, this wasn't cancelled prematurely, but oh, how I do miss laughing alongside you.

#2 FireFly: I actually only heard about this series after it had been cancelled. For a long while, I resisted, refusing to be drawn in when I knew the story would end abruptly, but then a friend mentioned the movie Serenity to wrap up the loose ends and what the hell, one season is better than none, right? I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you along in the beginning when it mattered, but I just didn't know

#3 Dollhouse: Sensing a Josh Whedon theme here? I love this guy's work, Buffy was my all time favourite, although I did think that it ended at the right time.

#4 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: This cancellation was a huge suprise for me. The movies were such hits, I couldn't believe the series didn't pull in enough viewers, it was fantastic with just the right balance of action and emotion

#5 Battlestar Galactica: And, I've just realised that all but one of my fav cancelled shows are SyFy. I do actually watch across the board, but it seems like it's only the SyFy ones that cancel.

Around the blog in 7 days

2011-03-02T16:50:00.000Z

Time again to share some interesting links I've come across in the last week.

This latest app is really freaky Breakup App

When you hear authors talk about perseverance in this publishing business, this is what they're talking about. I enjoy Rachel Caine's books and never realised how often she had to re-invent herself to find success.

Need some help with Facebook and fan pages, Nathan Bransford's post is excellent

enjoy the rest of your week

Immortal Teenagers

2011-03-01T09:29:00.000Z

Kids back at school today and hubby travelling this week, so from full to empty house in the space of a heartbeat feels kind of *ghosty* Guess this means I can actually get some writing done again.

Meanwhile, I've just finished reading a book that had me up all night thinking about the Immortal Teenager (as the main protaganist) and whether this is a viable character. If the book is aimed at YA, then this teenager has to talk, walk, think and act like a teenager - but surely even if you look like an 18 year old, after hundreds of years of living you're not going to still be thinking and acting like a teenager! If you've been married, had kids, survived wars, married again, lived through famine, more kids, etc are you really going to pout and scuff your feet as you slump off in a huff when you don't get your way?

The book I just finished did not get this right, but as I said, I don't think it's possible to actually get this right - a lot of belief must be suspended in order to enjoy this kind of book. Pity, though, because I love the idea of the Immortal Teenager as a main character in a book.

I'm over at...

2011-02-27T12:56:00.000Z

Romancing the Past today talking about contraceptives and cesarean birth in the middle ages, so please stop by

Around the Blog in 7 days

2011-02-23T16:00:00.000Z

Don't forget to visit Carina Press today to download your February Free eBook Wednesday title.

Other interesting posts I came across this last week:

An in-depth interview with Carina Press editor Deborah Nemeth who talks about suspense and mysteries and what she's looking for.

Kindle gets page numbers from SmartBitches blog, still not sure if this upgrade will apply to Kindle 2 or only be available for the latest Kindle model

An interesting article on curvy heroines in fiction from the new site Heroes & Heartbreakers

Mad Hatter's Plot Hat

2011-02-21T11:00:00.000Z

Not to imply all authors are mad, but many of us stash away plot ideas for a rainy day. Sometimes it's a cookie jar stuffed with wild scratchings and other times a more ordered folder on our laptop. This stash is the box of chocolates we dip into when it's that time to sit down and start writing a brand new book.

My ideas generally come as characters rather than plots, I don't do much plotting up front from either way. I have a clear idea of the main characters, what drives them and, usually, they come to me in a turning-point scene. At this point, I have no idea whether this scene will start the story or be somewhere down the line. So, instead of a Plot Hat, I have a Scene Hat. I write a couple of pages of the scene (in some cases, up to a full chapter) to record the flavour of my characters, their speech, taste, feel, scent and attitude. As this scene is usually a turning-point, or at least vital to the story, recording this scene also lays the foundation for the story even though I don't jot down anything of the surrounding plot. Sometimes this changes between the initial idea and what I end up writing, sometimes I don't remember what I originally had in mind but the characters I've written speak to me and take me into their world regardless, and their story unfolds.

Why am I rambling about this now? LOL, I've just finished my current work in progress and it's that time again for me. I get to dive into my hat and see what characters and scene I catch for the start of a brand new journey

Digital Dice

2011-02-15T10:02:00.001Z

Another big digital conference, Tools of Change, is buzzing all over the web this week. It hasn't been long since the big houses came fully (some more than others) on the digital train, but it does seem that finally the consensus is that digital is at least part (some reckon 50% by 2014) of the publishing future.

With everything moving so quickly, with all the consensus from publishers and authors and the entire spectrum of publishing and digital experts, I don't really understand why we, the readers, still slam into so many walls when all we want is to read our favourite author.

I've had my ereader for just under a year now and there's no going back. I love the immediate access, I love being able to carry a hundred books with me in my bag and my entire family loved me a little extra the day I carted off my shedload of books to the charity shop and gave them back their house. So, maybe I've become a little obsessive, but I need a very good reason to buy a paperback print book instead of the ebook version and even then, probably not going to happen.

There are a couple of books I've had my eye on for a few months. These books are available in paperback here in the UK, they're available in paperback and ebook in USA. I've been waiting diligently for the ebook version to become available in the UK, I refuse to buy the paperbook and I'm not going to change my mind. I have now removed those books from my wish list and I'm feeling a little iffy about those authors and publishing houses right now, regardless of where the hold-up is and whose fault it is.

As a reader, I'm no longer interested in where the fault lies. Publisher, author and agent, get talking to each other and sort this out. You are losing readers.

What am I reading this week

2011-02-09T15:53:00.000Z

Don't forget to stop by CarinaPress for your free copy of Silver Bound, because it's February Free eBook Wednesday!! I've already got mine.

It's time for me to indulge in a little reading. I've had this one on my kindle for a while now (I haven't even taken one peep) waiting until I could savour and devour without interruption or guilt. I've absolutely loved Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, I'm quite sad this is the end.

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
Here I go, sliding on the kindle, navigating to the first chapter, the first line... Hope strengthens. Fear kills. Someone really smart told me that once... ta ta, see you on the other side

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-02-06T14:00:00.000Z

Again, from my current medieval scottish wip. This time, Breghan is trying to turn Arran off his intended bride, the one he's on his way to marry but has never met... she's not having much success, lol

“She has a vicious tongue that none can escape; everyone from kitchen servant to castle lord falls foul to her scathing rants.”

“If I canna keep her screams sweet in bed, I’ll keep her mouth busy elsewhere.”

Breghan was back to believing he’d buried six wives. He was clearly capable of using one up and then going on to the next. “Do you plan to spend any time out of bed at all?”
“If McAllen’s daughter is half as bad as you say, then no, at least not with my wife.”

Cross-Eyed Brain

2011-02-04T09:24:00.000Z

The last two days, I've been working on developmental edits for my light contemporary romance during the day and writing on my medieval scottish romance at night.
I don't usually multi-task in this way, but I'd thought I'd jazz things up a bit, add some spice to my writing life (sad, I know). I suspect this is going to end badly, badly as in a heroine sipping on a Starbucks latte in her medieval castle while a hero strolls down Manhattan dressed in nothing but leather boots and plaid.

Six Sentence Sunday

2011-01-30T13:00:00.007Z

This week, my six are from the story I'm currently working on, a new medieval romance. Breghan was raised on threats of Arran Kerr, the Beast of Roxburgh, and in this scene she begins to challenge him with everything she's always believed as fact.

“’Tis said you roam the bogs at night to prey upon the souls of restless children,” Breghan said daringly.
“Cross your heart, lass,” he returned,“the priests would have that only God and the devil may lay claim to a soul.”
She could see by the light in his eyes that he was more amused than angry and gave him back the source of that particular rumour. “The Kerrs fight left-handed because the devil rides heavy on their right shoulder.”
The gleam slowly faded from his eyes until he was looking at her with dark, mesmerising intensity. "Tell me," he said softly, taking her her hand in his and placing it on his right shoulder, "what does the devil feel like?"

How much Scots do you want...

2011-01-27T14:00:00.001Z

filling up that plaid and boots? I'm over at Romancing the Past today chatting about accents and that all-controversial Scottish burr. Come on over and add your opinon

The more you write, the more you write

2011-01-21T12:46:00.000Z

Which is true about almost everything in life. The more you smile, the more you find something to smile about (and nip those wrinkles in the bud while you're at it). The more you moan and groan, the more disgruntled you become. The more you discover, the more you realise how much is out there still waiting to be discovered.
And when you average 500 words a day, it takes blood and sweat to push that up to 2000 words. But suddenly, it's just as hard to write less.

Yeah, I'm feeling slightly philosophical today :)

Too dumb for TV

2011-01-18T10:30:00.000Z

I'm totally hooked on a couple of tv series shows. I love getting invested in the characters and never want to say goodbye. Usually, I wait for the latest season of dvd because it's all so organised and I can never guarentee a spot in front of the tv at a specific time and I hate missing an episode in a series. But since we got our super duper sky+ box and record a series at the click of a button and save to watch at my leisure, I got a little excited - no more would I be a year behind in all my series.

The sky+ part is simple, figuring out the tv schedules requires a diploma not yet invented. What's up with a season stopping halfway... I've been stalking this one for weeks, but who knows when the rest will finally air.

And then there's the series where season #1 catch-up runs alongside season #3... all very well, I'm recording and stocking up for a future marathon, but both season #1 and #3 ends and they never get around to season #2 ???

And my favourite, the episodes listed in the schedule with no season or episode number, this is like tv russial roulette.

So, either I'm too dumb for tv and should go back to dvds or there's a really big secret to this thing that no one's sharing (:

Fun with my WIP

2011-01-11T16:25:00.000Z

Here's the word cloud (thanks to wordle.net) of the medieval scottish romance I'm currently working on. It's almost done, so the word collection is fairly indictive of the entire story. No points for guessing the names of my main characters, but if you can connect the dots and deduce any spoiler material, I'd be most impressed, lol.

Smiles to jumpstart my new year

2011-01-10T14:00:00.000Z

Just done a weekend birthday sleepover for my twins (HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY, BOYS!!!) and survived on 0 hrs sleep last night. How I miss those days of my youth when sleep was an optional extra instead of a necessity.

As a (relatively) new author, I still get goofy about every small thing that comes along with my debut book and here's a few I found when I got around to surfing after the holidays...

(A) Heh, Betrayed finally made it onto the Carina Press popularity list (at #2) I had to cut and paste quickly before it slipped right off, lol. They say that the internet is forever, so here it is for the sake of prosperity

(B) I'm listed as an author at Fantastic Fiction. This is my one-stop goto site when looking for an author's backlist, etc, because they do an excellent job of organising series, etc and often more up to date than the author's webpage. So I'm really chuffed they found and added me!

(C) A great new review of Betrayed from The Bookish Snob who was *Totally Smitten* I loved that she just got it, the story, the characters, the emotion.

I think this is gonna be a smiley year :)

HELLO 2011

2011-01-04T19:34:00.000Z

Wishing everyone a great 2011, I can't believe we're into the second decade already. We celebrated the new year in Lanzerote with family and sun, lots of sun, and returned last night to minus degrees. I mean, the iced snow is still piled up in the Gatwick parking lots! I do have a soft golden glow on my skin, however, as a reminder that last week wasn't just a dream, lol.

Lanzerote is a volcano island and the scenery there is mesmerising. In places, the lanscape is black lunar from the churned up earth as the lava flowed down to the sea. The ash dunes are golden red and one could easily imagine you were walking on Mars. More than a few jokes passed between us about where Rover really went :)

Here's a few pics of my holiday season progress...

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2010-12-20T16:00:00.001Z

One the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

The twelve days of Christmas is between the 25th January (Christ's birth) and 6th January (Christ's baptism). All the way back to the 4th century, the celebrations included pagan beliefs such as the burning of the Yule log throughout - it was a bad omen of things to come in the new year if the log burnt out before the 12th day. Indeed, the period of 12 days mapped out originally bracketed a few pagan and raucous roman holidays which were certainly celebrated. It is believed that the the big day itself (25th) was a pagaon holiday and that Pope Julius I chose this day as Christmas day in order to replace pagan with christianity.

Often a Lord of Misrule was appointed during this celebration, turning the powers of the establishment upside down. A servant might be made lord of the manor and preside over revelries, even command the lord to do his bidding... naturally, that servant might take care in exactly how he commanded the lords and nobles, because it wouldn't be long before he was a mere servant again and subject to his lord's will and punishment.

Throughout these twelve days were celebrations of feastings and drinking and games and plays and silliness as well as more seriousn observations such as the lighting of the special mass candle each night and the sermons.

With the industrial revolutions, these 12 days were gradually lost due to increased pressure to work more days...welcome to the present world. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to take 12 days off each year for one long party?

What am I reading this week

2010-12-15T16:00:00.002Z

Strictly non-fiction this week and next. Right this minute, my heroine is making her way up to Queen Mary's court in Edinburgh, so it's time to freshen up on the facts and detail. Medieval history is often more exciting and fantastical than any fiction one could dream up, a twisted mix of intrigue, assissination plots, scandalous affairs and romance. Unfortunately, the romance seldom ends in happy-ever-after and even more so in the life of Queen Mary. Her great romance ended shortly after the honeymoon period, her husband Henry Darnley murdered by her powerful barons and Mary fleeing across the border to seek help from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth...yeah, that didn't end so well, either.

Of course, my heroine will get her happy-ever-after, but I've a few heart-breaking paces to put her through yet.

Besides a ton of other research, here's what I'm plowing through....

Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser
This tomb is over 700 pages and I've already read it front to back twice. Third time's the charm, as they say, although I doubt this will be my last read-through. Mary's world is just so fascinating and Fraser does a superb job of balancing political facts with scrumptous details of Mary as a young, vulnerable woman standing up to her power-hungry barons.

The Castles of Mary, Queen of Scots by Charles Mackie
Haven't started this yet, but hoping for a mind-tour of the various castles Mary either lived in or visited.

Mary, Queen of Scots by Jacob Abbot
Just to balance Mary's story out from another researcher's point of view.

HO HO HO

2010-12-08T13:50:00.000Z

Santa just arrived, our tree is bulging, and my feet are aching from a marathon shopping spree. I'm not much of a shopper, but I do love the wrapping and watching the pile grow underneath the tree.

This is our first santa-free year. My boys are 10 now, so I guess we had a pretty good running. For the last 2 years, they were a little under-decided - not trusting this whole Santa thing but worried that there'd be no prezzies if they stopped believing. This year they laugh and wink right along with us when we mention Santa. Another era gone in our household and I'll have to box the red suit until the grandchildren come along

So a big HO HO HO to everyone, the season of mulled wine, snow, fairy lights and prezzies is here

New blog on the block

2010-12-02T16:41:00.000Z

Some of us Carina Press Historical authors have launched a brand new blog Romancing the Past to discuss and share all things historical. Come check us out :)

While I was sleeping

2010-11-30T18:31:00.000Z

It's been a while since I've been TV shopping. Our last tv was inherited from a friend leaving the country for better/brighter voltage and our second tv was a one ton box. So, it was time... plasma, lcd, led, hd, 3d... what? 3D?? When did this happen? Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago when these were on display at one of those 'Science of the future' exhibs?
Not only is 3D here, but there's a dedicated sky 3D channel. If you can't appreciate my shock, you should know that our household still hadn't taken the step to HD. But this 3D thing? I wanted one!!!

"Certainly not," says hubby. "The kids watch way too much tv as it is. No ways are we all going to be sitting behind glasses in our own little worlds all night long."

No problem. I shoved a pair of 3D glasses on his face and forced him to watch 5 mins of Avatar in 3D

"Oh, okay," he says, "maybe we need to investigate this a little more."

And off we went to the next shop.

"What? Plasma?" gulps the shop assistant. "But what about the burn-in?"

"Burn-in?" I frown suspiciously. "Isn't that, like, last century's problem?"

Apparently not. So we came home with a very ordinary, rather large, HD tv, but listen up 3D tv, I know your're out there, you can't hide from me, one day soon...

What am I reading this week

2010-11-24T14:00:00.022Z

It's gonna be a white run up to Xmas, according to the weather man. Snow predicted this week, which means it's definitely time to cuddle close to the hearth with a good book.

What am I reading this week?

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices) by Cassandra Clare
My first venture into steampunk (at least, I think, still not quite sure of all the parameters that define steampunk - I know, and I call myself a writer!) Edited: So, apparently I still haven't read a steampunk. Into chapter 3 and really enjoying the story, but this is paranormal with the same world builing as her immortal instruments series, just different time period. The title made me think steampunk, lol

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Loved the Southern twang in this small town series.

What am I listening to this week?

Burned (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and Kristan Cast
This is my first audio book, loving it and trying to remain disciplined by only listening to it while I jog. The theory is that the deeper I get into the story, the longer I'll stay off the couch and on the road. I'll let you know how that turns out, lol

And also, fellow Carina Press Inez Kelly is throwing a Big Birthday Bash today and giving away a long, long list of books (including a copy of Betrayed) Always nice to go to a party where you're the one walking away with gifts :)

Breaking News

2010-11-17T16:00:00.001Z

Betrayed is now available in audio and you can listen to a sample at audibles. I love the narration, especially the Scottish brogue of my villian, lol. Unfortunately I could only listen to the sample, as for some weird reason the Carina Press audibles are geo-graphically limited to US right now. This is being looked into, because our titles are available world wide, and hopefully I'll soon be able to download Betrayed and hear what my hero sounds like as well.

Analsysis of a Romantic Superhero

2010-11-10T12:13:00.001Z

When the November squalls start to blow in, it's time for me to curl up in my armchair with my annual dose of Smallville's latest season on DVD. I admit, I'm a fan, but what really got me thinking this series is what makes a hero and is Clark Kent alias Superman a hero as well as being a superhero. Are the two synonymous or can you have one without the other?

And no, I can't believe I'm actually doing a post on superman, but there you have it! And where am I going with this?

Clark has two well known *weaknesses*, Kryptonite and what is often bandied about as too much compassion for the evil humans/aliens he comes up again and his refusal to take a life. The Kryptonite weakness is great, because no superhero can really be a genuine hero if they're infallible, right? Part of being a hero comes from acting in spite of the risks to yourself.

But what about his no-kill rule? As a romantic, how do I feel when he refuses to avenge his family honour? All in the name of fantasy, of course, in real life I'd be horrified at the notion. But in our fantasy world, don't we want the hero to have enough darkness in his soul in order to avenge things like honour? I think maybe I do. I hate Zod, he's going to destroy the world, and yet in that moment when he bloodied his own hands avenging Clark's family honour, I was more drawn to him than the actual 'hero' of the story. I turned the telly off, disappointed in my fav superhero and feeling he was more coward than hero...

After stewing this over for a few days, though, I realised that Clark could not be the superhero he was if he murdered cold-bloodedly. He could not take vengeance, he could not be touched by that darkness. I relaxed, smiled, and turned the telly on again and went to my happy place.

But this does make me wonder if that's why we don't have many superheros in romance. With all the paranormal fads raging, the superhero hasn't found a place. Is it because a true superhero can never really be a true romantic hero?

A blast of words

2010-11-02T13:09:00.000Z

I have only to look at the word counts racked up by people in my various writing groups to know why I don't participate in Nano. I'd be the horse that doesn't make it out the starting box!

On a good day, I'm happy to clock up 1.5k words, most days I'm delighted with 2 pages. I love the idea of completing a first draft in a month, probably because I love editing so much and there'd be so many juicy bits to dig into. Which is the root of my problem.

I can't skip scenes and my story staggers to a halt if there's something in an earlier chapter bothering me. I re-read from the start at least once a week, editing as I go before continuing to the new stuff. And if I'm writing a historical, I take long pauses in between for research. This used to drive me nuts and I tried to wean myself onto better, more productive habits, but I finally realised that creative streams are very much like the proverbial river, you don't get far when swimming against the natural flow.

On the brighter side, once I'm finally done, I really am done and there's not much left to edit--at least until my editor gets hold of it!

Happy Nano to everyone out there, I might not be particpating, but I'm cheering from the sidelines and swallowing down my awe.

After the Sale - Chapter Marketing

2010-10-25T14:28:00.000+01:00

I'm going to avoid the whole social media marketing topic other than to say (a) I'm still trying (and failing) to find the balance between family, work, writing and online socialising with a marketing slant and (b) I did the obligatory blog tour in my release month and I do think it was a success and (c) there are plenty of other writers out there who have this down pat and offer loads of excellent advice.

What I really wanted to talk about in this post was paid marketing, as in advertising. Not giving advice here, mind you, just a ramble of what I did, why, and my conclusions.

First up, I decided right at the start that I wasn't going to spend more on advertising than I could potentially earn from the sale of my debut e-book. The range of ebook sales is so up and down, and as this was my first release I had nothing to go on, so putting a number to this was impossible. I cut off my budget at about $130... that includes all my ads put together.

I participated in a treasure hunt (LASR) which had a minimal entrance fee, but I also donated a copy of Betrayed for their competition. This brought viewers to my blog, but from what I could see from the stats, these viewers came to get the URL link and didn't stay to browse or click through to any links for my book. Still, I hope my name lurked in their heads a little while longer, lol.

For the other ads, I had a dilemma with what buy-link to use. Taking the viewer directly to Carina Press means they're limited to shop there. I want them to shop there, because I get much higher royalties straight from Carina Press sales than from thirdparty vendors. But I do think many readers have their preferred choice of vendor, usually linked in with their e-reader, and could this be a stumbling block? My website, on the other hand, gives a quick on-hand blurb of the book (the ad is usually just a cover) in addition to a list of links to thirdparty vendors of their choice - but this requires an extra step in the buy loop. For the most part, I ended up directing viewers to my website - also for the reason so that I could monitor click throughs from the various sites.

My budget wasn't huge, so I was limited to cheaper advertising sites. Should I have aimed higher? Probably, and next time I'll splash out on at least one or two of the more expensive sites, if only for comparison. I don't have the data for comparions now, but common sense dictates that the more expensive sites have better click through rates - even the cheaper sites had excellent reading stats.

Monitoring click-through rates to my site, I noticed that the worst performance was my rotating banner ad. The site I used had unlimited ads in the rotation, which meant you could click for days without actually seeing your ad come up. Other sites put a limit on the number of ads in their rotation, and this probably has a much better success rate.

Static ads, especialy on the web site's main page, got the best click through rate. These are more expensive but well worth it. Still, I was looking at maybe 2-3 click throughs from that link per day. And also, to get these spaces, you have to plan ahead and get your booking in early, they fill up really fast and long in advance. I only started looking at advertising once my book was released, and got lucky on one site where they'd had a cancellation. Next time I will start booking these slots the second I have a release date.

Do I consider the poor click-through rates a failure? NO, not at all. As a reader of many of these online sites, I'm bombarded with cover ads and seldom click through myself unless something really jumps out at me or if I know the author and see they have a new release out. But as a debut author, I have to get my name out there, and the more times people see my name, my cover, the better for it to trigger something in their head when they're browsing through bookselling vendors for something to read. If this exposure sparks something in them to take a second look, I'm happy - of course this is not anything that can be monitored, but I do believe in paid advertising as a neccessity.

My publisher, Carina Press, also do a lot of their own marketing and advertising, and I was delighted to see my book in some of their bundled ads.

The sites I used for advertising were Long and Short Romance and Romance Junkies. I shied away from Smart Bitches and Dear Author because of their more expensive rates, but I'll definitely look at advertising on these sites next time round.

There are so many paid advertising opportunities out there, and my conclusion is that next time I'll make much greater use of them, selecting on or two expensive options and plenty of the cheaper options.

After the Sale - Chapter Reviews

2010-10-18T12:54:00.000+01:00

Probably one of the most emotional sides to the entire process - when it comes to reviews, rejection is no longer about an editor's personal taste, publishing schedules and/or a story that doesn't quite fit what they're looking for right now. Rejection here is direct from your readers, on a large scale and *bang* right there in the public eye for everyone to witness.

Still, a stinging review is a thousand times better than being ignored altogether. Betrayed got the full range, from avid excitement about this *new author* and lavish praise to *okay, loved some parts BUT...* to *yawn* and even a few *slaps across the knuckles*. The advice (and excellent it was indeed) from multi-pubbed authors is to by and large ignore the reviews and concentrate on writing. Hmm... as a debut author, this wasn't gonna happen despite my best intentions. A singing review blossomed rose petals in my breast and a scorcher blocked the sunlight from my day (LOL) But you know what I'm getting at, each review really affected me (and still does, as some are still coming in). It didn't matter than one reviewer swooned at my hero's brogue while another found it difficult to read - personal opinions, I know, you can't please everyone - but I still felt each and every one.

And still, to be totally honest, the worst review sting comes when you offer your book to a reviewer and they say 'No thanks, I'l pass on this one.'

Which brings to me the business of reviews. Being new to all this, I wasn't sure how much or little to do in this regard. Many review sites request a 3 month lead time in order to synchronise their review with your release date - this is difficult with an e-book because the publishing schedule is much faster than traditional and I, for one, only got my production copy of Betrayed about 6 weeks before it's release date. But, I was suprised to see that some of those reviewers got their review out on time anyway and another thing to keep in mind with e-books - the shelf life of your book is not as rigid as print copies and it doesn't really matter if that review comes out a few months after your release.

Carina Press uses NetGalley for reviews, this means that any reviewer can request your book directly from NetGalley if they're interested. This means a lot of unexpected reviews appearing and it also means a lot more coverage and a lot less work from me - I didn't have to go out and troll for each and every review.

But it also raises the question of whom to send your book to or not. Most of the smaller reviewers use NetGalley, but what if some don't? And it looks like some of the larger sites will also go to NetGalley now and then, but more often than not they're inundated with publishers sending them ARCs anyway. Also, there's the question of sending them an email to alert them to your new book coming as opposed to hoping they'll find you in the masses of other releases - a debut author can easily get lost here. I sent about two emails to these smaller sites, one reviewed Betrayed and the other hasn't--yet. Next time I do think I'll take a more aggressive approach.

I did send Betrayed out to about 7 of the larger review sites - some did my review in time for the release month and I'm still waiting on the others - they have a general policy that if they haven't reviewed your book in x months, then they're not going to - another waiting game, lol

For the rest, I relied on NetGalley and got some lovely reviews from that.

But there was another dilemma and that was the more acerbic review sites. These site don't hold back on pulling you work to ribbons and then shredding up the pieces. These sites also garner the most interest and even a bad review will reward you with loads of publicity. To send or not to send? I chose not to. It was a coward's approach and I'd the same again if I could go back in time. Not for my first book, but I'd seriously reconsider for consequent books when I've built up a little courage.

And there concludes my not so helpful ramblings on reviews. I think this is a very open area where every author must stick to what they feel comfortable with.

TGIF

2010-10-15T18:43:00.000+01:00

Not least of all because my boys finally get home tonight after a long, long week on a school trip in Wales. They should have arrived hours ago, but there were problems with the bus and now we're waiting, waiting, waiting...This is the first time they've been gone from home and the empty nest syndrone hit hard - an abrupt reminder that having only one set of twins means everything changes in a quick swoop, no easing in with a littlie still at home when the oldest flees the nest.

On other news, Angela James (executive editor for Carina Press) has kept us on tenderhooks for weeks now with big, big Carina Press news. You can read all about it here ... http://carinapress.com/blog/
It's really huge and, although I'm not directly affected because it's only aimed at Romantic Suspense and Mystery, it's great to see the muscle of Harlequin always has our backs... the fun never stops!

Enjoy the weekend

After the Sale - Chapter Edit, Edit & Edit Again

2010-10-05T13:25:00.000+01:00

For those of you who have received and R&R (revise and re-submit) and feel it's a rejection - DON'T. Betrayed was one of those. I revised according to the suggestions and concerns of my editor, re-subbed, and a few weeks later received that wonderful "Call" email from Carina Press.

My editor had seen something in my voice, a spark in my premise, something that grabbed her interest enough to commit to the hard work ahead... because Betrayed was far from perfect even after that first round of revisions and even after I'd been offered a contract. There was a second round, a third round, and yes, a fourth round, and after that the copy edits.

My initial draft of Betrayed was about 160k words, I'm sure my editor was extremely relieved that by the time I subbed to Carina Press, I'd dwindled that down to just over 100k... that's an awful lot of reading, careful edit-type reading and commenting and suggesting and fixing and debating back and forth with me over, five times over. My lovely editor even took the time to jot down joky notes that had me laughing out loud at times- I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing one...

I'd written (and no, sometimes I have no idea where these words come from, lol)
Before she opened her eyes and sucked his willpower dry with the green fire that seemed to burn from deep within her secret places.

My editor's comment:

Delete the “secret places” because readers may start seeing green pussy-fires J

I laughed so much, I ended up choking and had to cover my tracks when my 10 yr son wanted to know what was so funny.

There was not much time between the round of edits, sometimes as little as one week, and I must admit that the process consumed my time and thoughts. I admire authors who can juggle editing one book while continuing to work on their next. I tried that, but every time I sat down with my WIP, my thoughts would wander to the set of edits I'd just handed in, second-guessing the changes I'd made and wondering if it would be enough or whether more edits would be required. Not productive, but I don't bang myself up about it. This was all so new to me, new and exciting, and in a manner I'm glad I took the time to enjoy and worry over everything.

After the Sale - Prologue

2010-10-03T13:02:00.000+01:00

I've been wanting to do a series of posts on my experience post-sale and post-publication, specifically as a debut author. The leap from aspiring author to published author was both exhilirating and terrifying and I quickly realised that no one's experience is the same. When published authors are afraid to give specifics on what works and what doesn't work, in what path you should follow and what pit falls to avoid, it exactly because of that. There's plenty of wonderful advice out there, but it was quite frustrating to not have a set of easy peasy established rules to follow. Figuring it out as you go makes for many... maybe mistakes is the wrong word, so I'll just say 'things I'll try to do differently next time'.

The editing process, the time wasted, the marketing and review process... Writing I can do, but the rest was a steep learning curve and it's not surprising if I didn't get it right first time. Maybe by my 3,4,5 book I'll start getting the hang of it (if I ever get my next book finished, lol)

I'm no expert and there is some excellent advice out there -- this will just be ramblings of a debut author as she muddled through the murky waters

When assumptions go awry

2010-09-24T18:34:00.000+01:00

I usually keep a keen eye on books coming up that I want to read, and I used to pre-order the print books and stack them on my teetering TBR pile so they were there and ready for when the mood grabbed. Since my Kindle, however, I've gotten lazy... actually, one of the great joys of my kindle is that I don't have to buy in advance, a touch of the button gives me what I want, when I want, when the mood strike.

This week, all that went wrong. I've been eagerly awaiting the release of Mockingjay but didn't see the need to order a copy asap to wait for when I was ready. Last night at about 11pm, I had finished my commitments for the week and it was time to read. Joy oh Joy, at last I was about to find out what happens in the final Hunger Games book!
NOT.
Mockingjay, for some wierd and not wonderful reason, is not available to Kindle UK readers. Why not? Why, oh why not? I'm prepared to pay hardcover prices, but I was not prepared to have to order print copy and wait 3 days for delivery!
I understand publishers having reservations about ebooks, but if a book is globally available in print, why is it only available in certain countries as an ebook?

Lazerquest, traffic and other things that go bump in my head

2010-09-18T15:13:00.000+01:00

So, today was a typical Saturday, kids off to a Lazerquest party, me rushing them into the car and them groaning, "Aw, mum, we've still got a whole hour, we're gonna be way early again."

And we were.

But time and travel make my head go bump. How on earth does anyone ever co-ordinate travel to arrive at a place on time? If I leave with just the right amount of time planned, I hit a traffic jam and get there twenty minutes late. If I leave twenty minutes early, it's smooth sailing and I get there... twenty minutes early.

Okay, my head's sore now - I need a coffee and I need to start planning what time I should leave to go and collect them - because they hate it when I arrive too early and stand at the back of the party room, smiling my goofy smile at the fun they're having

PICS FROM FRANCE

2010-09-04T13:39:00.000+01:00

I can't believe we've been back two weeks already, my holiday to Brittany feels like months ago. I'm ready for another one! But we had a lovely time with all the family.

Saturday morning early, we caught the ferry across the channel and left the shores of Britian behind

We had the cutest,most gorgeous house in Guidel, right on the coast. It looks a little like a ginger bread house, doesn't it? deceptively small but large enough to fit the whole family in!

We swam... sort of

We ate... A LOT!

We saw the most magnificent fireworks display that reflected and resounded across the bay in a dazzle of senses

We did the cultural thing

We did the fishing thing

And then it was time to go home, with a small detour to check out the postcard-picture-perfect Mont Michel

Of course, we did a whole lot more and made a spectacle of ourselves up and down the French coast line. I raised a few eyebrows asking perfectly nice restauranteers if they have calamari on their menu - I think the French consider calamari the equivalent of bait.

We sent the boys off to a circus for 2 hours and hubby and I enjoyed a picnic for two on the beach - just a small practice run for kife in a few years time when our fold has left the nest. It didn't go too bad, not bad at all :)

So goodbye France, we'll back, maybe a little further south toward Bordeaux and a little closer to the sun!

'ALO 'ALO

2010-08-22T13:04:00.000+01:00

Just back from two blissful weeks in France. I slipped off quietly as we'd specifically hired a villa with wifi (or as the French say, wee-fee) access, so I was expecting to be on-line. The sleepy seaside village in France (Guidel) didn't seem to understand my concerns when we arrived to *broken* line. The first two days were panic and chaos, you should have seen our house. We had blackberries, laptops and Wii and no connection to the outside world. In our search, we arrived at a McDonalds about 20 miles away, and their wee-fee was down. At that point, I was wondering if some global catastrophe had struck, some evil internet chewer had taken over the world, lol.

By the third day, a strange calm settled on the house. We were no longer checking access on the hour, every hour, just in case. We started talking to each other, you know, small things like 'Good morning, sleep well?' The dark circles beneath our eyes faded slightly...

okay, okay, it's not normally so bad, but I did discover that there are many, many more hours in a day when one is not connected. We played cards, we swam, we strolled along the beach, we lazed in the sun for the few hours it appeared (my next French visit will be a lot further south, say Nice?) and by the second last day of the holiday when our wee-fee magically re-appeared, we barely noticed.

I'll be back later to post some pictures

Pesky Characters and when to dump them

2010-07-29T18:37:00.000+01:00

If you're a writer, or know a writer, you'll know that us writers hate to cut anything out. All that time spent on a gorgeously crafted scene? Every word, sentence and plot arc is a blood testament to my art. Right?
So, I've been nitpicking my last chapter over and over and over. Re-reading, editing, tightening... staring at the page for hours on end. I just couldn't seem to move on. The problem? There was this character, a delightful character with a walk-on role earlier in the book but with big plans for later. Round about the time I got stuck on that chapter.
Now, as wonderful as she was, as much time as I spent defining her personality, looks, objectives, entry and exit points, the problem is that she simply didn't contribute anything vital to the story. Worse? She kept on getting in the way.
Being stubborn as I am, it took me three weeks of moving forward a few words a day to make the decision. She had to go.
This wasn't easy. My stories are totally character based, I build the characters first and let them lead the plot. So, for me, dumping a character is akin to a meteorite crashlanding in my story and leaving a big 'ol crater right in the middle of it.
But I pulled on my big-girl boots and snipped her out. Amazingly, the chapter I was working on needed very minor changes to do this - which just goes to show how unneccesary she was. And suddenly I'm steaming ahead again - the storyis working again.
Maybe I'll miss her a few chapters down, maybe I'll regret dumping her, but so be it. If I'd dumped her 3 weeks ago, I'd be 3 weeks closer to the end of this book. A lesson hard-learned, but I don't consider it wasting time. Every book I write, I learn something new about the craft and about my personal writing.
Maybe next time I won't be stubborn quite so long - although I doubt it :)

Fear is a five letter word

2010-07-21T21:04:00.000+01:00

I've been resisting, truly, but apparently the strength and length of my willpower is 1 day. But seriously *shakes head* what is it about every small success or growth in the EBOOK market that immediately causes an outcry and vehement denial?

Once again Amazon mentions how well their digital devices and ebooks are doing and once again there's an outroar about how skewered their figures are and it cannot possibly be true. Close eyes. Dig head in ground. If we don't acknowledge it, then it isn't happening.

Now I have no idea how Amazon derives their figures and I'm not privy to details so I won't approve or disapprove their marketing ploys. But I do think, and this is personal opinion, that the publishing world is changing at a rapid pace and professionals in that field would be better off embracing it and changing business models with the times than denying it's happening.

Totally showing my age now, but I got into computer programming at around the time pcs had just started taking off in SA, and the doom and gloom forecasted smells and looks very much like what publishing is going through now. And you know what? Millions of people didn't get replaced by computers and millions of people didn't lose their jobs and the world didn't drop straight into hell. Jobs were created, dull and repitious chores were replaced by inspiring, creative tasks and everyone prospered and was happier. And the only people who got left behind were those refusing to embrace the new technology, for (almost) everyone else a spot was found.

Do I believe ebooks are taking over the world? LOL, certainly not, at least not until ereaders drop to a price that everyone can afford without cringing. But change is definitely in the air and it's all good. And yes, I will miss brick bookstores and I really hope they find a way to evolve and find their place, but I also believe the true death knoll of book stores is on-line retailing and not ebooks.

I'll still be reading all my favourite authors and I'll still be relying on all my favourite publishers to be my gate keeper and I'll still squee with joy if I one day land myself a NYC agent, and yes, I've pretty much committed myself to going green with ebooks.

and to go out on a lighter note, I came across the snippet about the recurring newspaper and thought it hilarious. Apparently the exact same newspaper template has been used in movies and tv shows for the last 15 years, and I never noticed. You can bet that every time I see someone reading a newspaper on tv now, I'll be checking it out... http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/06/04/lol-the-reoccurring-prop-newspaper/

Coming up for air...

2010-07-12T20:09:00.000+01:00

Feels as if the last couple of weeks sucked me down a black hole, but I'm finally seeing the sunlight.

And I've finally got an e-reader. After more than a year of reading ebooks on my netbook, I made a decision. Well, I was actually rooting for a nook, but Barnes & Noble customer service informed me they don't ship internationally, baaah! So I got a Kindle and I'm loving it! I was mostly relieved to find that I could still buy my drm-free books at other sites and upload them to Kindle effortlessly - this was a big fear for me. I've even gone and bought some drm books from Amazon. Mostly I only read a book once and then it goes to book-charity-heaven. If I want a book from one of my auto-keeper authors, then I'll buy elsewhere.

So, yes, Amazom might be the big bad wolf, but in some cases it's just so convenient and tempting and I'm glad I succumbed!

Introducing Rae Summers

2010-07-07T10:00:00.017+01:00

It's very exciting for me to have Rae Summers here, a fellow South African and a writing friend. Rae's debut book, Let's Misbehave, releases today from Wild Rose Press. I was priviledged to read this in raw form, and absolutely loved it.

Gabrielle is the quintessential Flapper, a wild child who turns her back on home and a resentful and unloving mother to become a nightclub singer. She wants nothing more from life than freedom and pleasure.

Sebastian is a dutiful son, following in his father’s footsteps and on the verge of marrying a suitable bride. But as the Twenties roar to their conclusion, he finds himself torn between duty and the urge to indulge his adventurous streak.

From the moment Gabrielle and Sebastian meet, the tension between them simmers. When he rescues her from a boorish suitor, Gabrielle discovers a kindred spirit beneath Sebastian's serious demeanour, and she sets out to seduce him into one last passionate fling before he settles for a loveless marriage.

But the fire that burns between them threatens to consume her. Will Gabrielle survive falling in love with the one man she cannot have?

Now available from Wild Rose Press

Want more? Want to see the trailer? Here you go!

Rae's first grade teacher was so seriously concerned by her day dreaming that she called her parents in for a conference. Fortunately, her parents staunchly defended Rae's right to daydream and these days she's able to prove their faith right by turning those day dreams into novels. She hopes her stories bring as much pleasure to her readers as they bring to her.

Rae Summers lives in South Africa where she works in television advertising, a line of work that is only glamorous on very rare occasions. When she isn't working or being mom to two young daughters, Rae can be found with her nose in a book.

Rae, can you tell us a little about the making of Let's Behave?

The characters for this story came into my head fully formed as I was driving home from work one day and singing along to the song 'Let's Misbehave' from De-Lovely (the biopic of composer Cole Porter). That song not only sparked the idea, but is also integral to the story - you'll have to read it to find out how. After that, the novella practically wrote itself in less than a week, the words pouring out of my fingers. It's taken considerably longer to get to publication.

Is there a character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?

My least favourite character in this story fortunately never made it onto the page, and that was Gabrielle's mother. There are hints of Gabrielle's unhappy childhood and her relationship with her mother, a hard, unloving woman jealous of her daughter, but she is already history by the time the story starts. I'd definitely ask her to the pub rather than to tea.

And how would he/she answer?

She'd refuse to come to such a den of iniquity, and Gabrielle and I would breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy ourselves instead

If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?

That would be a tough choice simply because I have so many stories floating around in my head that I wouldn't know which one to choose. One of the stories that's clamouring loudest right now is a light paranormal.

What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?

I'm putting the finishing touches on another novella set in the 1920s, this time set on the Amalfi coast of Italy, and I'm also rewriting a full length contemporary while I wait for a response on the partial I've already submitted. More immediately, I'm attending the RNA conference in Greenwich this weekend and expecting to come away more inspired than ever!

Thank you so much for this opportunity,

Rae Summers
http://raesummers.wordpress.com/

Thanks for stopping by Rae

Happy Release Day to BETRAYED

2010-07-05T14:00:00.015+01:00

It feels a little like Betrayed's 21st birthday today.

I nutured this book through draft mode and many rounds with my critique group to get it edited and polished. I worried when I sent Betrayed out on submission and I might have shed a tear or two when it came back rejected, I smiled when it came back with gracious comments and I squealed in excitement when Carina Press loved Betrayed and wanted to publish it.

I took a small step back, relinquising my possessive hold on every last word and comma I'd crafted during editorial revisions and line edits.

Now it's time for Betrayed to make its way out there in the wide world of readership. I've done all I could, it's time to let go and leave the rest up to Betrayed , although I'll always be around to hold Betrayed's hand whenever I'm needed.

On Tuesday, 6 July, I'll be doing an author spotlight on the Carina Press Blog. Please stop by for a visit.
There's bribery involved!
I'll be giving away a free copy of Betrayed :)

Betrayed releases today and is available right now from
Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
and most places where ebooks are sold.

Guest Author: Alice Gaines with Miss Foster's Folly

2010-06-26T14:00:00.001+01:00

I'm very happy to have a fellow Carina Press historical romance writer here today. Alice Gaines is a multi-published author and I'm looking forward to hearing more about Miss Foster's Folly.

Manhattan, 1886
Juliet Foster has just become the wealthiest spinster in town. Her domineering and thoroughly unpleasant father has died and left her millions. She's free to be her own woman and seek a life of adventure.
David Winslow, Marquess of Derrington, is in search of a wife who can break the Winslow Curse. Every second-generation heir inherits a restless, defiant nature that can only be tamed by a mate as independent and rebellious as himself.
Miss Juliet Foster is perfect—and eager for seduction. But when he wants more than a few nights of passion, Juliet runs like the devil's on her heels. Can the marquess convince her that marriage isn't a trap, but the greatest freedom of all?

Available now from Carina Press

And now, over to Alice

1) The making of Miss Foster’s Folly: What inspired this story?
Miss Foster’s Folly started out as an answer to a question that came up in my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. Someone asked, “What would be a good hook for a historical romance?” and I blurted out “A wealthy American spinster decides to sleep her way across Europe.” That went over well, so I thought I’d write the book.
2) The character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?
There are really only three disagreeable characters in the book -- Juliet’s brother and sister and one of Derrington’s former lovers who mainly lurks around a hat shop checking out Juliet, his current love interest. Juliet’s brother considers himself a titan of industry and wouldn’t give me the time of day. Juliet’s sister is a total airhead, and I wouldn’t give her the time of day. As to Derrington’s former lover, I guess I’d ask “Is he really that good in bed?”
3) And how would she answer?
Derrington’s lover would say, “Yes, he’s really that good in bed,” which would make me intensely jealous. And I made him up!
4) Why are you so excited about Carina Press?
Launches are always great. There’s huge enthusiasm among authors and editorial staff. Everything’s new and shiny, and everyone has great plans.

The most fun of signing with Carina was getting a great, new editor, Jessica Schulte. What an utter joy when an industry professional gets what you’ve tried to do and loves your book as much as you do. I’m always happy when I find Jessica in my inbox.
5) If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?
Probably out-and-out erotic romance. I’ve done a lot of that and love it. I’d also love to do some fantasy. I’ve only done one straight fantasy, and I’d love to do more work in that genre. I’d especially love to have Jessica’s help during the learning process.
What I’ve always wanted to write (and have done in some short pieces) is fantasy romance. I’m basically a romance writer and reader, but I also want to create my own worlds. I wish there were a greater market for fantasy romance.
6) What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?
There’s no one in Miss Foster’s Folly who needs his/her own story. Millie and the vicar are happily on the way toward their own wedding at the end of the book. Lady Harriet and Jack are off on their own explorations, but she’s old enough to be his mother, and he’s gay, so I don’t think I have a romance there. More like Auntie Mame
Maybe I’ll think up a fantasy romance and pitch it to Jessica…hmmm.
And now, for something completely different -- an excerpt:
One lone candle hardly lighted more than a foot or two in front of Juliet, but she’d come this far and wouldn’t give up before she reached her destination – the Marquis of Derrington’s bedchamber. She’d opened several doors only to find cold silence inside. Typical of him to put her as far away from him as he possibly could, but she’d find him, and when she did, she’d get what she wanted.

She tried another door and found another empty room, curse it. That left only one more before she’d have to double back and check them all again.

The moment she turned the knob, the sound of breathing told her she’d found him. The tone was deep and masculine, just like his speaking voice. Dark. Sinful. The mere fact that she’d found his bedroom sent a little thrill through her. She tiptoed inside and closed the door silently behind her.

Now that she’d come so close to her goal, she’d allow herself some anticipation of her victory. And, of her reward. Derrington was everything any woman could want in a first lover. Handsome, gentle, and oh, so talented with his hands and mouth. If any man could make her ready to accept the bulk of his cock inside her, this man could.

And he would. Now.

She crept to the bed. He’d set his candle on a table there, so she lit it with the one in her hand. That gave her a bit more light to study him, and she gasped. His arms and shoulders above the covers were naked. Did he sleep in the nude? He might have some type of pants covering his lower regions, but everyone – women and men – wore the same type of nightshirt.

Oh, my. Oh, my, my. She stood, drinking in his male beauty. Besides never having looked at so much male flesh before, she’d also never watched a man sleep. With his eyes closed and his features relaxed, he looked almost innocent. His chest rose and fell gently with his breaths, his lips parted as they had been when he’d kissed her the first time. Dark hair framed his face, and she carefully reached down to touch one lock. Warm silk against her fingertips.

He seemed a creature of myths and dreams, so entirely foreign to her experience he might have been another species. And yet, nature had made their bodies to fit together in the most basic way. Miraculous, really. She’d waited so many years for this – from the day she’d turned marriageable age until she’d grown too old to attract multiple offers and then to spinsterhood. This would be good. She’d will it so.

She’d find some way to please him, despite her lack of experience. Honestly, she shouldn’t care, as she wouldn’t stay in London once she’d known him. But, somehow it did matter for that she could do a good job of satisfying him. She didn’t have feelings for him. Not at all. Feelings complicated things. She’d have this one night with him. They’d both remember it for as long as they lived, and then, she’d exit his life for good and follow her own adventures.

Damn it all. Why was she worrying about something like this now when she’d gotten so close to what she wanted with every inch of her body?

He gave out a soft snort and rolled over, clutching his pillow against his chest and presenting the width of his back and the spread of his shoulders. Suddenly, he appeared huge, even though he stood only a few inches taller than she did. What did she know of men’s bodies? More important, what would she learn in the next minutes?

She set her candle next to his and took a steadying breath. She’d removed all her clothing except for her chemise, and that came off easily. It pooled around her feet on the floor, and she stepped out of it. The chill of the night air made her shiver, so she quickly lifted the covers and slipped into the bed. His body’s warmth clung to the sheets, surrounding her. He must have had a furnace in him to produce all the heat he put out.

And yes, he was completely naked. Her hip snuggled up against his bare bottom. How odd it felt to lie with him this way and yet how right. Even in marriage, she’d wear something to bed. Decency would require that he do the same if he was to sleep with her. No wife with any sense could bear to send a husband to another room if he felt like this next to her.

She ought to wake him up and get things going, but why rush this heaven? Maybe if she touched him softly, she could feel his flesh without waking him. She’d never get the chance again, at least, not with this man. Besides, she’d need to know her way around a male body if she was going to pretend to sophistication.

She started with his shoulder. Broad, strong, firm. His skin was softer than she’d expected of a man. Smooth and stretched over the muscle beneath. From there, she traced her palm over his shoulder blades and along the furrow down the center of his back. When she reached his buttock, she savored the firmness of it. She’d called his cock magnificent when, in truth, the word described all of him.

Suddenly, he turned over, and his arm flopped on top of her. She bit her lip before a cry escaped, but he roused. For a moment, his eyes opened but didn’t focus properly. Then, they closed again and he was everywhere on her. His weight pinned her to the mattress and his mouth captured hers. No niceties, just a savage kiss as if he’d devour her.

Finally. She’d come for this. She answered with her own mouth, although she could hardly keep up with the pace of his caresses. His hands moved over her, stroking her flesh, molding her body to fit against his own. Just the friction of their bodies was enough to ready her for the joining that would follow.

“Yes, David,” she whispered against his lips. “Yes, oh yes.”

“What?” He propped himself on his elbows and shook his head. Finally, his eyes came into focus. “Bloody hell, Juliet. What are you doing here?”

Thanks for stopping by, Alice :)
Alice’s website is http://www.alicegaines.blogspot.com/.
She loves to hear from readers at authoralicegaines@yahoo.com

Guest Author: Toni Anderson with Sea of Suspicion

2010-06-25T16:00:00.000+01:00

It's great to have another hot author from Carina Press here to tell us a little about herself and her latest release.

Marine biologist Susie Cooper traded her life in America for a dream job on the rugged Scottish coast. Now all she lacks is the right man to start a family with. After their first meeting, she knows sexy Detective Inspector Nick Archer isn’t what she’s looking for. He’s the type of guy whose idea of commitment is staying the whole night.
Nick has returned to St. Andrews for one reason only—to fulfill his vow to find his wife’s killer. Relentless in his twelve-year quest for justice, he has no problem using Susie to get close to his primary suspect: her boss. But the passion between them smolders, and as it ignites, Nick finds himself torn between his past and his present—with Susie.
When one of her boss’s students is murdered, Nick’s investigation draws Susie into a web of madness and betrayal. They will have to learn to trust each other if they’re going to catch a killer…and come out of this alive.

Sea of Suspicion is available right now from Carina Press

Toni, what inspired Sea of Suspicion?
SEA OF SUSPICION was inspired by the intense emotions you experience when you become a parent, combined with a bone-deep love of the area where the story is set. The east coast of Fife doesn’t get the same amount of press as the Highlands or Islands of Scotland and yet it is beautiful with its tiny fishing villages and ancient ruins. I needed to use this setting in a murder mystery J. And marine stations are filled with such an interesting mix of characters it was impossible not to use it.

Any rituals while writing? Trips to exotic islands in the name of research? Hiccups? Hair pulling?
My only ritual is putting my backside in the chair when the kids are at school and writing. I do listen to music when I write and create a specific soundtrack for each book to sink me straight into the mood of the story. I also drink copious amounts of tea J.
I did request a special tour of the Police Station in St. Andrews as I’d never had cause to visit it for nefarious reasons—I loved that. As for hair-pulling that goes without saying—I should be bald.
Why are you so excited about Carina Press?
I love their professionalism and the vast amount of experience they bring to such a new enterprise. Everything they have done so far has been of such high quality I can’t wait to see how the launch goes and to read some of the books!

If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?
Good question J. I’d probably go for something with a paranormal/fantasy twist. Or a straight mystery/police procedural. Tricky question.

What's next, Toni?
I just contracted my second title with Carina Press—STORM WARNING (working title) which is also set in Fife although predominantly down the coast in the fishing village of Anstruther. I think I pitched it as Medium crossed with Titanic without the latter’s tragic ending.

Sounds great, Toni. I absolutely love Scotland and it's wonderful to know we'll be getting some good stories set there for the next long while :)

Now a little bit more from Toni Anderson...

My first Romantic Suspense, HER SANCTUARY, was released in 2009 to some great reviews. I write about my travels on my blog and update on Twitter. Readers can sign up for my newsletter on my website, or friend me on Facebook. I’ve also set up a fan page for SEA OF SUSPICION with location photographs and anecdotes. Let me know what you think of it!

Thanks for letting me be here on your blog today, Claire. My book SEA OF SUSPICION is released by Carina Press on the 14th June, 2010 and I’m so excited! I’m a former marine biologist and conducted my Ph.D. at the Gatty Marine Laboratory in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland where SEA OF SUSPICION is set. I was born and raised in the U.K., but now live in Canada with my husband and two children. I set my stories in the stunning locations where I’ve been lucky enough to live and work—the blustery east coast of Scotland, the remote isolated mining communities of Northern Labrador, the rugged landscapes of the U.S. and the Red Center of Australia. I escape the long brutal Canadian winters by writing Romantic Mystery and Suspense stories.

Excerpt from Sea of Suspicion…
They turned into her drive and a security light flooded the gravel yard, revealing the beautiful old stone cottage flanked by patches of heather and herbs.

Home. Thank God.

Grabbing her purse, she shoved open the door before they’d stopped. Dormant wheat fields stretched behind the cottage, which bordered a golf course. Emily and Lily’s cottage topped a low rise three hundred yards away, tall hedges giving both houses seclusion and privacy.

Nick stood beside the car door, one foot on the sill, hands on the roof, looking delicious. His eyes darkened as they met hers. “Still want me to call a taxi?”

The air between them crackled with possibility, but Susie nodded. She wasn’t some easy lay for a stranger. She needed to believe she was worth more than that.

“Can I at least walk you to your door?”

Susie looked over to the French doors twenty yards away up three uneven stone slabs. Nick’s request was a baited trap, but he wasn’t that irresistible. She nodded.

Fog billowed along the lilac hedge that marked her property, enfolding them in a soft mystical silence. He fell into step beside her and handed her the key fob. She moved ahead up the steps, brushing an old lavender bush that released its fragrance through the night air. Fumbling, she dropped her keys and Nick bent to retrieve them before she had chance.

“Nice place,” he commented. “Secluded. Wouldn’t have to worry about upsetting the neighbors with loud music or screaming sex.”

Her skin sizzled and every sense felt electrified as if someone had plugged her in and flipped a switch. Her eyes widened, her chest tightened. This was dangerous. She was too aware of him, too interested in the idea of screaming sex, and too damn drunk to run as fast as she should.

And he knew it.

She pressed back against her door, her shoulder blades drawn up tight together. Nick slipped the key into the lock and took a step forward, bringing him close enough to touch if she so much as took a breath. So she didn’t. The lock clicked and he took a step back with a grave expression on his face.

“I’d kiss you goodnight if you didn’t look so scared,” he said softly.

“I’m not scared.”

“Good.” His eyes sparkled as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Mistake! Her mind screamed but it was too late. The breath whooshed out of her as he pressed the gentlest kiss to her lips—as fine a sensation as the stroke of a feather across sensitive skin. And the world stopped. Then every sense climbed to high alert as he took a half step closer, the bulk of his shoulders blocking the wind, and heat coming off his body like rays from the sun. He smelled spicy and male, the leather of his jacket creaking as he shifted his stance. He took her by surprise as he slipped one hand beneath her coat, resting it possessively on her hipbone. Startled, she opened her eyes.

But he kissed her again, this time less gently. Sliding his hand to the base of her spine, the burning impression of each finger pressing through the cotton of her T-shirt, brushing bare skin. His lips were teasing and coaxing, not what she expected from a man who screamed danger. Her palms braced against the muscles in his chest, but they weren’t exactly beating him off. He eased her toward him, enticed a trembling response from her body, but all of a sudden he jerked away and stuck his hand in his pocket.

“Bloody hell.” He pulled out a cell phone, adjusting it to read the display in the poor light. Swearing, he looked at her with an apology in his eyes. And regret. Because she was a sure thing. “I’ve got to go.”

“You’re on call?” Susie couldn’t believe the disappointment in her voice. Go! Please go.

His smile was a slash of white. “Criminals always know when I have a night off.” His eyes slid to her car. “Can I borrow your Mini?” He gripped the back of his neck, looking up at her from under heavy brows. “I’ll get it back to you before morning.”

“Take it.” Susie wouldn’t be accused of getting in the way of law and order, plus it would get him away from her faster. Next time she saw him she’d be sober and prepared. “I’m not planning on going anywhere tomorrow so there’s no rush to drop it off.”

She opened the front door, pulled the keys out of the lock and twisted off the ignition key from her octopus key fob.

“Here.” She threw it to him, not surprised when he snatched it out of the air without even moving his gaze. His intensity was unsettling.

“Susie…I’m sorry.”

She dashed inside and closed the door. Locked it. He could have her car, no problem. But he couldn’t have her. She wanted a relationship, a future, a family. Nick Archer was a lousy bet for anything except orgasms and heartbreak, and not even the orgasms were guaranteed.

A quick Update

2010-06-24T18:30:00.000+01:00

Sneaking in between all my wonderful author spotlights to give you a quick update on Betrayed.

It's almost time, Betrayed is up at NetGalley for reviewers and also on some e-shop sites for pre-order! I can't wait for 5 July when Betrayed goes live.

I'll be doing a series of author interviews and spotlights in the upcoming weeks. I've added a "Betrayed Goes on Tour" section to my side bar so you can keep up with where I am, if you wish to stop on by

Guest Author: Abby Wood with Consent to the Cowboy

2010-06-22T10:00:00.000+01:00

Howdie Abby :) I couldn't resist it!

It's great to have you here to answer some questions and tell us about your new Carina Press release, Consent to the Cowboy.

Surrounded by beer-swilling, skirt-chasing cowboys her whole life, barmaid Daphne Norris has no intention of ever settling for any of the men in her Podunk hometown. So when bronc rider Will Hanson sends shock waves to her core with just one glance from his striking green eyes, no one is more surprised than her.
But Will is no ordinary cowboy, and he can see that Daphne is no ordinary small-town girl. He can sense in Daphne the quiet strength and devotion needed to satisfy a man like him, a man who needs to be on top, in every aspect of his life.

Daphne hasn’t ever succumbed to her submissive desires before, and Will awakens her in ways she never imagined. While she’s not prepared to give him her heart, she agrees to Will’s offer of three days of intense pleasure, and then she’s walking. But Daphne falls hard and fast, and now she has a decision: return to a normal life, or give up everything for Will…

Consent to te Cowboy releases 28 June and available for pre-order from Carina Press
Over to Abby and some questions...

The making of Consent to the Cowboy What inspired this story?

Living on a hobby farm, in a rural area, the cowboy lifestyle that I read about in books is just normal life for me. It's no big deal to drive to the neighbor's house down the road and come back with a couple chickens and the recipe for their Granny's buttermilk biscuits. Delving into the book, I found myself using real life situations to make the story believable. The geese in the story? Yep, those are mine. The Kleptomaniac St. Bernard? Yep, mine again.

The character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?

Oh, I'd love to answer this question, but I'd give part of the book away by answering. I'll just say that the person I hate in the book isn't all bad. Inside every bad action, there is a good action waiting to come out. *cue the music* lol
Why are you so excited about Carina Press?
I think Carina Press is taking ebooks to a higher level. What impressed me the most is how much they support their authors. From personal telephone numbers, emails, to providing us with everything we need to promote our books and letting us know what is happening each step of the way.

If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?
Wow, let's see…I've also written books in the genres of paranormal, contemporary, fantasy, suspense. If I couldn't pick contemporary western, I'd have to go with suspense. No one has asked me that question before, and my answer even took me by surprise. I find suspense the hardest to write, but very fulfilling when you pull it off. It is definitely a challenge that I find appeals to me.

What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?
I'm in limbo right now. I've recently contracted four new books that I am beginning edits on, and working on another western when I can find any free time. These days I bounce from one project to the next, and heaven help me if I get a wonderful idea for a story. Lol

Thank you so much for having me here today, Claire.

The pleasure's all mine, Abby :)

You can connect with Abby at
Website: http://www.authorabbywood.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MsAbbyWood.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AbbyWoodFanPage

And here's a little excerpt...

Will moved around the front of the truck. She pulled on the door handle. His hand came out to hold the door from opening wide enough for her to exit the truck. “Stop. From now on when you’re with me, you never open your own door.”
She cocked a brow. “I think that died out about the time women burnt their bras and began to have sex out in the open.”

“I’ll repeat it once more. Never open your own door when I’m with you.” He pulled the door open, held out his hand and helped her step down from the truck. He gazed into her eyes. “It’s a simple request, okay?”

She stood in front of him, her face mere inches from his mouth. His hat shaded his face from the sun setting in the distance, but she recognized the seriousness etched into his brow.

“Okay.”

His lips curled up. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “That’s my good girl.”

With her hand in his, he pulled her around to the front of the house—a ranch house that exceeded any of Daphne’s preconceived notions of how well off he might be. It spread out across the land, forming a rather stately manor. It made the two-bedroom cottage she’d inherited from her mother look shabby and quaint. This house rose from the ground and meshed with its surrounding in a way that left her jaw slack and her eyes round.

“You live here alone?” She began her appraisal from the right side of the house and swung her head all the way along the length.

He chuckled. “Yes.”

“You’re not just an ordinary cowboy, are you?” She followed him up the steps and through the front door.

He shut the door behind them. “Nothing about me is ordinary.”

He’s right about that.

Inside, the decor revealed a whole other side to the bronc buster. Intricate dark wood furnishings lined the elaborate entryway. Black, shiny tile gave off a grand entrance to high ceilings and a very masculine house.

Daphne wandered past him into a living room. Cast in shadows, two floor lamps on dim emitted enough light to take in the leather couch and chairs. Saddles, antlers, and a barbed wire sculpture of a horse head filled the corners. Yep, a man’s castle if she ever saw one.

His fingers slipped inside her hand and he pulled her forward. “Come.” He led her to the corner of the couch. “Sit.” He deposited her on the sofa and strolled over to a mini bar in the corner of the room.

Behind the counter, he raised his gaze. “Relax, sweetheart.”

“I’m not nervous.” She lifted her chin.

Will poured a drink she didn’t recognize over ice, carried it to the couch and sat down. “Here you go.”

“What is it?” She held the glass under her nose and sniffed. A mew leaked out and she giggled. She sipped, afraid whatever alcohol he served would hit the back of her throat and burn. She might serve beer for a living, but she’d never developed a taste for the bitter stuff.

“Oh God, it tastes of caramel!” She raised the glass again and swallowed a bigger amount. “That sends tingles right through my body.”

He nodded. A pleased smile curved his lips. “Much better than beer, huh?”

“Oh God, yes.” She drank from her glass. “This is…this is simply wonderful.”

He leaned forward, his lips so close to her mouth. “You are simply wonderful.”

Her tongue wet her bottom lip. Positive he’d kiss her, she moved the glass and arched her neck. The drink swirled inside her tummy and created a ball of fire. It’d take one kiss from him to blow the fire into a million little pieces and send her jumping onto his lap.

Her eyelids lowered and she gazed at the way his full lips opened. Moist and tempting, the heat inside her pussy grew hotter and dampened her panties. A moan bubbled forth. His breath smelled sweet from the drink and fascination pushed her forward.

One little move and she’d capture his mouth and drink from the very lips that teased her dreams. She sized up the space between them, closed her eyes, and threw inhibitions to the wind.

Instead of coming into contact with his lips, she met thin air. She opened her eyes. He slouched back on the couch; his drink hovered in front of a smile that seconds ago tempted and teased.

“Not yet, sweetheart. We have a few things to talk about first.” He raised his glass and downed the rest of his drink.

Guest Author: Leah Braemel with Texas Tangle

2010-06-21T14:00:00.001+01:00

Welcome Leah, and thanks for stopping in to tell us a little more about your upcoming Carina Press release, Texas Tangle.

I love the name, it conjures up all sorts of things :)

Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an overdrawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.
Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.

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

Releases 28 June and available for pre-order from Carina Press

And now, over to Leah and a few tasty questions I've made her sweat over *evil grin*

The making of Texas Tangle: what inspired this story? Any rituals while writing?

I did take a trip – though it wasn’t to an island, it was fairly exotic to someone not used to prickly pears and roadrunners. Back in 2007 I visited one of my critique partners’ in Texas. She breeds Arabian horses so I got an inside look at everything from the personalities of her horses (and her pet donkey Gandalf) to the daily chores required to care for a farm all done in the “damned Texas heat.” She took me horseback riding; she participates in endurance races of 50 to 100 miles a weekend, but I settled for a ride around her back forty. I soaked up the experience, including listening to the speech patterns and noticing the differences between Texans and Canadians. How could I not be inspired in that setting?

While there was lots of hair pulling, I’m not quite needing a wig yet thankfully. Texas Tangle was originally supposed to be a novella, but the three characters, heroine Nikki, and the two heroes, Dillon and Brett, just wouldn’t shut up (talking to me or arguing with each other) which had me cursing them out quite a few times. Before I knew it—oh all right, it took a few months—Texas Tangle had far surpassed novella length and grown to a full length novel.
The character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?

Ooh, character that I love to hate – the ones (yes, that’s plural) that I love to hate never actually appear in the book, they’re all off stage. First off there’s Phil, Nikki’s deadbeat brother who has taken everything she owned, including the money from her bank account and sold it for anything he could get. Then there are her parents who are more concerned about Phil than her. But since you say “the worst” I’m thinking the one I’d have to sit down with would be Phil. I’d have to ask him “Did you not think about what you were doing to your sister? Are you going to pay her back, or at least apologize for what you did to her?” Oh, dear, I guess that’s two questions isn’t it? Oh, and did I mention I’d deliver both of them with a swat up the back of his head? Maybe with a baseball bat. I’d also possibly introduce my knee to his not-so-manly parts.

And how would he/her answer?

“She owes me.” He’d probably expect me to pay for his beer too. He’s got a big entitlement issue going. (Unfortunately, I’ve met some Phils in this world who just don’t “get it” and think everyone else should pay their way.)

Why are you so excited about Carina Press?

Because they’re part of Harlequin, which is a huge name in the romance publishing industry. To be associated with them is thrilling. I get to work with some amazingly talented and very driven people who want Carina to be the best. They’ve been totally professional and their editors (both Angela and Rhonda Stapleton, as well as the editor who did the line edits) pushed me hard; I know Texas Tangle is much stronger for it. Being part of the launch is exciting because Carina Press is drawing the attention of people who may not have seen my name or read my writing before. It’s also nerve-wracking because Carina Press is drawing the attention of people who may not have seen my name or read my writing before and who will be judging Carina based partly (or maybe in some cases wholly) upon Texas Tangle’s merits.

If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?

If you mean not romance, then I guess I’d be writing..hmmm...historical fiction. I’ve been puddling around with a story idea set in early 1800s Upper Canada. Trouble is I keep getting told that American publishers aren’t interested in locations outside of the US, and since my storyline would be during a time in Canada where the United States were the enemy...well, I’m guessing I’d be limited to submitting it to Canadian publishers.

If I could stay within the romance genre, just something other than contemporary western, well, I’ve got a contemporary non-western going with Samhain...I guess you want me to go further afield than that—as in not contemporary--don’t you? All right I guess I’d say I’d choose historical romance too.

What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?

I’m working on the next in a series I’ve got going with Samhain at the moment, but I’m outlining a couple stories to follow up on Texas Tangle. I’ve got a novella outlined that is the story of Dillon’s great-grandparents—in Texas Tangle there’s a scene where Dillon’s grandmother relates how her grandparents were in a permanent threesome. And I’ve got a couple other ideas for following Dillon’s brothers, but that’ll take some more planning. Not to mention, I still have to sell Carina on them.

Thanks for inviting me, Claire. Your interview was great and got me thinking -- especially that "character you hate" question.

You can read the entire first chapter online or pre-order Texas Tangle here.

If you want to know more about Leah's books, you can visit her website or her blog
You can also follow Leah on her Facebook Page or on Twitter

Guest Author: KS Augustin with In Enemy Hands

2010-06-17T14:00:00.003+01:00

Welcome KS, it's wonderful to have you here. In Enemy Hands is the first SF author I'm spotlighting from Carina Press and once again it's great to see the diversity of their titles.

Available now from Carina Press

The Republic had taken everything from Moon—her research partner, her privacy, her illusions. They thought they had her under control. They were wrong

Sirin, Moon's new research partner, is a chemically enhanced math genius whose memory is erased every two days. He's also a charming, fascinating man who is attracted to her anew after each memory loss cycle.
Escape from the regime that treats them like tools is impossible. There are too many walls around them, too many eyes watching. But when you've got nothing left to lose, running becomes the only option.

Kaz Augustin is a Malaysian-born writer of science-fiction, romance, and permutations of the two. Her website is at http://www.ksaugustin.com and she blogs at http://blog.ksaugustin.com You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter; just look for “ksaugustin”.

And now, over to KS...

Claire sent a wonderful list of questions to answer, so here are my contributions.
Claire: Let's talk about the making of IN ENEMY HANDS. What inspired this story? Any rituals while writing? Trips to exotic islands in the name of research? Hiccups? Hair pulling? You get the picture… :)

KS Augustin: I'm fascinated by memory and its basic unreliability but, at the same time, what would we be without it? What could we do without it? Those thoughts formed the genesis of the book's hero, Srin Flerovs. And, of course, once I had him pinned down, I realised I needed a strong capable woman he could both trust and love.

Unfortunately, while I'm still hoping for affordable inter-galactic flights, the only trip away I took for this book was inside my head. Maybe in the future sometime.... ;)

Claire: Do you have a character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?

KSA: Even worse than Consul Rosca Moises, who's just a ruthless political animal, the person I can best understand―yet have contempt for―is Hen Savic. He's the man who's kept Srin on a two-day memory cycle for twenty years. If I could speak with him directly, I'd ask whether he thought his actions were worth it.

Claire: And how would he answer?
KSA: Of course he'd say yes! It's all part of the banality of evil.

Claire: Why are you so excited about Carina Press?

KSA: Well, of course, because it's backed by Harlequin and they are a company full of very savvy and forward-thinking people. They make the trends so I'm very happy to be associated with them.

Claire: If your editor told you that, while he absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?
KSA: Oh, that's a tough one. Can't choose a sub-genre, huh? Probably a political thriller.

Claire: What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?
KSA: I have an exceedingly low boredom threshold, so something new. Not too new, it's still a science-fiction romance, but in a completely different universe.

COMPETITION: Kaz is giving away two copies of IN ENEMY HANDS at her blog, Fusion Despatches. To be in the draw, stop by and comment at the Competition post, telling her at which blog you read about her book. You have till 30 June

Guest Author: Dee Tenorio with Tempting the Enemy

2010-06-16T14:00:00.001+01:00

Hello Everyone! Claire was kind enough to let me hijack...er, borrow her blog for the day. :) Thanks so much, Claire!!

Well, I guess I should tell you who I am...and what I'm doing here, right? Well, my name is Dee Tenorio and like Claire, I'm a Carina Press author. :)

What I'm doing here is answering some fun questions Claire sent my way while telling you about my newest release, "Tempting The Enemy". :)

Ready? Here we go.

1) The making of "Tempting The Enemy". What inspired this story? Any rituals while writing? Trips to exotic islands in the name of research? Hiccups? Hair pulling? You get the picture…

Well, the story started with this strange little idea to write a story about a shifter. I wasn't really hot to do it because paranormals require so much world building and I'm not afraid to admit, this scared me. Then one of the victims started talking to me and I got sucked into the story. I promised myself it would be a short story. Little. A novella, even. Well, the characters had other ideas, lol. Sadly, this did not result in a trip up to Big Bear for research, but there was plenty of hair pulling as the story consumed my whole life for a few months. But when it was done, I knew it was special. I'm hoping you all have the same feeling too. :)

2) The character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?

Oh, that would be Verda-Rouge. Verda is a very powerful member of the Sibile, in the story, a group of magical mercenaries, if you will. She has this awesome power of controlling sound. She can whisper and knock down buildings if she wants. Verda is demanding, kind of vicious, and though you only see her for two scenes in the final product, she's seriously, deliciously hateful and it's all hidden behind a veneer of propriety. Something about the evilly uptight just gets me going, you know? Assuming she'd deign to sit with me, the one question I'd ask her is..."When you rule the world, what is it that you expect will happen?"
3) And how would he/her answer?

Honestly, I don't think Verda knows. She's power hungry and threatened by change. Not having anything left to conquer would be a very confusing time for her.

4) Why are you so excited about Carina Press?

Starting a new publishing company is an exciting venture. I'm working with my longtime editor and Carina is very author-conscious. That's always something to be excited about and I can't wait to see where this adventure takes us.

5) If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?

Well, I already write romantic comedies, dramas and light suspense. "Tempting The Enemy" is a step in a whole new direction for me and my editor is relieved because we actually had a similar conversation. She loves that my work is normally very internally conflicted. She wanted me to expand my external conflicts skills. I sent her "Tempting", which is a serial killer mystery with paranormal characters. It's chock full of external, lol. My editor was very happy and so am I. :)

6) What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?

Well, my next release is actually a contemporary erotic dramedy called "All Or Nothing", which is a sequel to my April release, "All Or Nothing". It's a really emotional story that I just love. Then a novella called "Shaken", about a divorcing couple trapped together in an elevator after an earthquake. But after that, I'm hoping to have a sequel to "Tempting" sometime in 2011. Cross your fingers!

Thanks so much for having me, Claire!!
Dee
If you'd like to know more about the book, please click the cover.
To learn more about Dee, please visit her website or Blog. She just loves company!

Thanks for stopping by Dee

Guest Author: Ann Bruce with Parker's Price

2010-06-15T14:00:00.001+01:00

Welcome, Ann, it's wonderful to have you here to tell us a little about your new release.

She was sexy, smart...and not for sale. But that won't stop him.

When Parker Quinn is forced to accept an outrageously high bid at a charity auction, she has no choice but to go out with the last man on earth she wants to spend time with. Dean Maxwell may be one of Manhattan's most eligible bachelors, but he's also the man who had an affair with her sister and abandoned her when she became pregnant with his child.

Dean doesn't know why Parker hates him so much, but he's determined to show Parker the type of man he really is. Whisking her away to a private island in the Bahamas for a sensual, sun-drenched week together, Dean leaves Parker's preconceptions shattered and her desires inflamed.

But even as their passion reaches irresistible heights, Parker has a decision to make. Can she allow herself to fall for the seductive magnate, or will family secrets and a dangerous ex tear them apart?

Available now from Carina Press

And now, over to Ann :)

PARKER'S PRICE by Ann Bruce or a Writer's Job Is to Embellish

At my high school, we used to raise money by holding slave auctions. Students, girls and guys, would volunteer themselves as slaves for a day and be sold to the highest bidder. A lot of the girls volunteered to be slaves knowing their boyfriends would be obligated to buy them. Me, I preferred to do the buying because there was too many people in high school who would've loved to humiliate me as payback for my smart mouth.

One year, at the end of an auction, someone ran up onto the makeshift stage and made a bid for me. I glared at him but he didn't take back the bid. I remember thinking that he probably wanted me to do his homework or some such nonsense because while he was--and still is--very, very cute, he wasn't gifted academically. When I said, "No way in hell," but in much nicer terms because teachers were present, he upped the bid. And I, rather ungraciously, gave in.

Turns out, he only wanted to see me take my hair down--and walk two steps behind him all day.

Many years later, I took that high school incident, wildly embellished it because that's what writers do, and turned it into Parker's Price, a contemporary romance that has "all the alpha-male goodness of a category romance combined with all the hands-on, sizzling attraction heat of an erotic romance" (Night Owl Reviews).

To celebrate my first contemporary romance, I'll give away an e-copy of Parker's Price to one commenter here.

If that's not enough, I'm also giving away three (3) $50 Amazon gift certificates on my blog, The Not-so-deep Thoughts.

Guest Author: Cindy Spencer Pape with Motor City Fae

2010-06-14T14:00:00.000+01:00

Welcome Cindy, it's great to have you stop by and share a little about your new Carina Press release and first book in a sizzling series: Urban Arcana.

Cindy is a multi-pubbed author in various genres of romance (I love that she always promises a happy ending, not matter the story or genre).

Available now from Carina Press

Detroit artist Meagan Kelly has had a strong sixth sense all her life, but that doesn’t mean the gorgeous stranger’s crazy story—that she’s a half-elf, half human heiress—is true. But Meagan can’t deny the evidence of her own eyes—he’s Fae. A tall, blond, handsome, pointy-eared elf—and a man she just can’t get enough of.

Ric Thornhill’s assignment just got a lot more complicated. The more time he spends with Meagan, the harder it is to see her as a political tool to prevent an all-out war between humans and Fae.

Now Meagan’s in a race to master her newly released powers in time to prevent the conflict, convince a jealous Queen not to strip Ric of his powers, and find out if she can build a life that straddles two worlds.

Okay, now on the fun stuff where we ask Cindy some probing questions :)

Cindy: First of all, I’d like to thank Claire for having me visit today.

Cindy: We’re talking today about my book, Motor City Fae, book 1 in my Urban Arcana series from Carina Press. It debuted last week, and I am thrilled that it is already getting rave reviews. So here goes. Claire, what would you like to know?

Claire: What inspired this story? Trips to exotic islands in the name of research? Hiccups? Hair pulling?

Cindy: I’ve always loved stories where an ordinary person finds herself in extraordinary situations. My whole family is very small, with heart-shaped faces and slightly pointed ears, so my husband has always teased me about being part elf. I grew up in Detroit and thought…hmmm, what if someone really did find out she was half elven… Unfortunately, this did not offer a lot in the way of exotic research trips. I wish I could have gone to Faerie and seen the queen’s palace. As far as hiccups, though, this book did have a really big one. It was the book I was working on the summer my mother and brother both passed away, and it was a long time before I could bring myself to get back to this story again—so it was written with a really big gap in the middle. I did have to go through in edits and update some technology a little!

Claire: What character in your book do you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask? And how would he/she answer?

Cindy: I think my favorite villain in this book is Fianna Meadows. You’ll have to watch in the next book of the series, Motor City Witch to find out why, though. To start with, she’s perfectly put-together, organized, very elegant, blonde, and beautiful—lots of things that I am not! If I had to sit down with her and ask a question, it would probably be “How can you walk in those heels?” and she would respond, “Generally, by putting one foot in front of the other. Why? How do you walk?”

Claire: Why are you so excited about Carina Press?

Cindy: Because I couldn’t resist the idea of the e-publishing business model with the power of Harelquin behind it. I think it’s the best combination in the publishing world, maybe ever.

Claire: If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?

Cindy: That’s easy. I write all over the place, so I’d ask, “Okay, so do you want the contemporary western, the steampunk, the historical, or the high fantasy? Seriously, each of these is a current WIP.

Claire: What's next? Next book in sequel or in the same genre or something totally new?

Cindy: Next up at Carina is Motor City Witch, book 2 in the Urban Arcana series, coming October 4. I also have a contemporary western erotic novella out later this week from one of my other publishers. You can check my website for that one if the genre piques your interest.

You can read the complete first chapter online here, and click here to find out more about how to purchase the book. You can find me on the web at
Website: http://www.cindyspencerpape.com/
Blog: http://cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CindySPape
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000270304390
Finally, as part of my blog tour promoting Motor City Fae, I’m running a contest. All you have to do is pop over to my website, go to the “contact Cindy” page, and tell me which blog you saw me on and answer the question of the day. At the end of June, I’ll be giving away a $20.00 gift card to your choice of Borders, B&N, or Amazon. You can enter once for each blog stop.

Today’s question is: Name Cindy’s favorite villain from MCF.

Guest Author: Janni Nell with Allegra Fairweather

2010-06-11T16:00:00.001+01:00

Welcome, Janni, thanks for stopping by to share your new Carina Press release with us. Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator will be available from Monday (14th June) at Carina Press, Amazon, B&N, ect. I can't wait!

Now over to Janni...

It’s a pleasure to be on Claire’s blog today to answer questions about my debut novel Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator.

Allegra Fairweather here. Paranormal investigator. Got problems with specters? Shapeshifters? I’m the woman to call. Just don’t call me a Ghostbuster. The last guy who did that ended up flat on his back with my boot at his throat.

With my 99.5% success rate, solving the mystery of a bleeding rose that has sprung up on the shores of Loch Furness should have been an easy gig. But already I’ve heard the shriek of the local banshee, discovered two bodies (and then lost two bodies), and had a near-death encounter with a three-hundred-year-old ghost. And perhaps most dangerous of all, the hot pub owner who hired me now wants to show me exactly what’s under his kilt.

Luckily, I’m ably assisted by my very own guardian angel. I’m grateful for his help—but he’s also drop-dead gorgeous. A bit distracting when I’ve got a mystery to solve, and the clock is ticking…

Release Date: 14 June 2010 Carina Press

And now on to some questions...

Janni, could you tell us what inspired Allegra Fairweather?
Wish fulfillment. I mean who wouldn’t love to have a hot guardian angel like Casper. He’s well over six foot tall, blond and built. Plus his soul mission in life – well death actually, since he’s an angel – is to protect Allegra Fairweather.

Do you have any rituals while writing?
Well I do like to start with a cup of coffee. Not that I need the caffeine or anything.

Okay, and because enquiring minds want to know, which character in your book do you love to hate?
It has to be Sir Alistair. Pompous, selfish, smug, the kind of man who gives the aristocracy a bad name. If I was forced to spend time with him I’d probably slap his face. But Allegra has something much better in store for him.

Why are you so excited about Carina Press?
It’s always thrilling to be involved in a new venture. There’s so much energy and talent behind the scenes. My editor, Elizabeth Bass, is a joy to work with. Then there are the stunning Carina covers and the wide variety of titles – something for everyone. Readers will have a ball.

If your editor told you that, while she loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre, which would you chose?
It would be an action adventure. Kind of a cross between Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone.

What’s next?
I’m hard at work on another Allegra Fairweather book. There are plenty of paranormal problems out there and Allegra is determined to solve them all. With a little help from Casper, of course.

Thanks, Claire, for inviting me on the blog today. And thanks to everyone who’s stopped by. It’s been great. Until we meet again… May your guardian angel watch over you.

It's a pleasure to have you here :)

Visit Janni’s website and blog.

Guest Author: Jenny Schwartz

2010-06-08T17:00:00.001+01:00

I'm delighted to have Jenny stop by here to share her new Carina Press release, The Price of Freedom, and answer some questions.

Duty will bring them together—and tear them apart!

As a guardian angel, Mischa must protect the one man who may be able to bring about lasting peace to the Middle East. As a djinni, Rafe must fulfil the wishes of a terrorist leader. Their duties colliding, Mischa and Rafe become foes, but the heat between them is undeniable.

When the terrorist learns that a guardian angel stands between him and his greatest wish, he orders his djinni to remove her. Taking creative license, Rafe spirits her away to his private oasis, where she will be unable to protect the peacemaker.

Beyond their mutual desire, they find common ground in honour and loneliness. Passion quickly grows into love. But it’s soon clear to Rafe that love cannot be bound, and Mischa must be true to her life’s purpose. Even if Rafe must sacrifice his own taste of freedom to grant hers…

The Price of Freedom is available June 14 from Carina Press.

Jenny, can you tell us a bit about the making of The Price of Freedom?

The best stories come from the tension between dreams and fears. I love the tradition of romantic Arabia--sheikhs, djinn, Scheherazade--but I grieve over the violence in the Middle East. The Price of Freedom grew out of this tension. I wanted to tell a story in which love triumphs over hate.

Of course, it wasn't that easy. When you have a determined angel and a stubborn djinni, the author stuck in the middle ends up screaming at the computer screen, "Why won't you behave?" I had an outline for the novella, but Mischa and Rafe insisted on conducting their romance their way. Fortunately, they're right, and their love story is both tender and sensuous.

The character in your book that you love to hate? If you had to pick just one (the worst) and invite her to tea or him to the pub for a drink, what's the one question you're dying to ask?

Umar Haya is the villain. He's a minor terrorist leader and a scrawny rat of a man. His fingers are stained with nicotine and his soul with hate. Even as I created him, my skin crawled. Still, there's an element of pity for him. If I could ask him one question it would be--why, having suffered yourself, do you choose to hate instead of heal?

And how would Haya answer?

"Hate is a way of surviving. It makes me strong. Those meddling peace-makers sicken me. What do they know of watching your family die?"

Why are you so excited about Carina Press?

Their philosophy is one I believe in utterly. "No great story should go untold!" I look forward to a wide range of stories from passionately committed authors.

If your editor told you that, while she absolutely loves your work, your next book had to be in another genre… which one would you choose?

The Price of Freedom is a paranormal romance novella. If I was staying in the field of romance and swapping sub-genres I'd definitely choose contemporary, although I have a 1920s story dying to be written.

If I had to leave the romance genre completely...I'd probably write a science fiction novel. To me, science fiction isn't just technology, it's the social change technology brings with it. I love thinking how society could be different.

What's next?

I'm writing another angel and djinni story, this time with an Australian setting. Back in the nineteenth century Afghan cameleers helped open up the Outback. I got to wondering whether one might have brought over a djinni, and if they did, what would that djinni be doing now? The result of these questions was Filip--gorgeous, sexy and wickedly Australian.

Thanks, Claire, for inviting me to your blog. I enjoyed your questions immensely.

You can contact Jenny at
http://www.authorjennyschwartz.com/
http://www.acquiring-magic.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/authorjennyschwartz
http://twitter.com/Jen2late

Guest Author: Carrie Lofty

2010-06-07T17:25:00.000+01:00

Well, the day has finally arrived. Carina Press has launched! I've waited so long to be able to say that in the past tense :) And I have Carrie Lofty visiting today with her new Carina Press release, Song of Seduction, that is available right now, fresh off the digital press.

Welcome, Carrie!

Tormented by guilt. Haunted by scandal. Freed by love.

Austria, 1804

Eight years ago, composer Arie De Voss claimed his late mentor's final symphony as his own and became an icon. But fame has a price: fear of discovery now poisons his attempts to compose a redemptive masterpiece. Until a new muse appears, intoxicating and inspiring him...

Mathilda Heidel renounced her own musical gift to marry, seeking a quiet life to escape the shame surrounding her birth. Sudden widowhood finds her tempted by song once more. An unexpected introduction to her idol, Arie De Voss, renews Mathilda's passion for the violin--and ignites a passion for the man himself.
But when lust and lies reach a crescendo, Arie will be forced to choose: love or truth?

The inspiration for Arie de Voss, the hero of my latest historical romance, SONG OF SEDUCTION came from two photographs:

The former is a picture of Gary Oldman in Immortal Beloved, where he played Ludwig van Beethoven. I loved that photo. (The movie...not so much.) The image of a man leaning over his piano, embracing it as he would a lover, resonated with me on several levels. It was sexy, artistic, sensitive, complex, and desperately in need of my in-depth exploration.

The latter is Hugh Jackman, who broods very handsomely. And there's always room for a little Hugh Jackman inspiration in any romance hero.

Now my friend Jenn, whose family is very Dutch, insists that Dutch men are not necessarily the most attractive bunch. I beg to differ and present the following picture of famous Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp:

This same friend spent a portion of her childhood in Michigan, where the DeVos family is huge. Richard DeVos, for example, founded Amway. Jenn is now banned form giving me "real life" advice while I'm in the midst of creation. Quit ruining the mood!

Let's go back to those lovely pictures and think heroic thoughts. Here's Arie:
"I have never been in love because my ambition overshadowed all." He released her hands in favor of the softness of her hair, without another thought about how reckless he had become. He swept soft, loosened tendrils away from her face. "With you, Tilda, I had no choice. Do you understand? I could fall in love or go mad from wanting you."

Jenn never mentioned how intensely adoring Dutch men could be. Or maybe that's just my take. No matter. Arie de Voss is hot, and so is SONG OF SEDUCTION, the story of his love affair with a widowed violin prodigy. I hope you go forth and enjoy the fruits of my imagination!

Thanks for stopping by, Carrie. It's always great to take a peek behind the scenes at what inspires a story and hero. You can visit Carrie at her website and you can find her book at the Carina Press e-store,

A little side note for my South African readers (thanks for the heads up, Leonie), straight from Carrie's site... I've also just signed a two-book deal with Pocket to write Victorian-set romances. The first, Flawless, is set in colonial South Africa, while the second, Shameless, will take place in Australia. Both will be arriving in early 2012.

So, I went along to ask Carrie to feed us a few tasty morsels of what we could look forward to and what inspired SA as a setting, and here we it is...

In late 2011 or early 2012, my first foray into Victorian historical romance will be published by Pocket. FLAWLESS tells the story of a self-made tycoon's daughter and her estranges husband, an English viscount. Together they have two years to make a Cape Colony diamond brokerage profitable or else forfeit her inheritance, which forces them to rely on one another and discover the true heart of their marriage. I initially wanted to do a series of romances set in international boomtowns: diamonds in South Africa, gold mines in the Klondike and Australia, etc. Although that inspiration eventually gave way to the series in its current incarnation--where each sibling is presented with a business challenge in order to earn an inheritance--FLAWLESS, set in Kimberley, is where it all begins.

Kimberley is a marvel to me. Such a rocket-fast launch toward wealth and power! It transformed from squatters' tents to becoming the first city in the Southern Hemisphere illuminated by electric light in only 16 years. Astonishing! I was drawn to the constant contrasts of wealth and squalor, colonists and those just passing through. Researching such a fascinating yet politically thorny history was quite a challenge, as was finding the right moment in its history to set a romance. I honestly believe it's my best story to date, and I can't wait for its release.

Thanks again, Carrie, it's wonderful to have you here.

Tomorrow Jenny Schwartz will be visiting to tell us bit about her release, The Price of Freedom

It's June, It's June, that lusty month of June

2010-06-06T21:58:00.000+01:00

Tonorrow morning I get to buy some of the Carina Press books I've been goggling for a while now! The launch is nearly, nearly here.
Is it too early to feel nostalgic?
Probably, but I do anyway.

I feel as if I've been on a rolleroaster ride since Carina Press offered me a contract for my medieval Scottsh romance, Betrayed, riding the build-up to release as they shared details of all the wonderful books coming out, as they kept us fully informed of every little detail as and when it happened.

As a writer, the process of editing and learning what really goes into getting a book ready for publication has been an invigorating experience. As a reader, the range of titles they're going to be putting out, everything from erotica to thrillers to speculative fiction, has been incredibly exciting.

There are a couple of excellent e-pubs around producing quality books, but I think what excites me about Carina Press is that they're not restricting their books to romance. This is a huge leap in the sphere of e-pubbing, and I believe the timing is spot on,.We're entering a digital decade and I wouldn't be surprised if a few other of the traditional publishing giants don't follow in Harlequin's footsteps and create e-publishing divisions.

Throughout this month, I'll be spotlighting a few of the Carina Press launch authors with their new releases, starting tomorrow with Carrie Lofty and her Song of Seduction. I hope you enjoy discovering what went on behind the scenes of these wonderful books as much as I have.

Friday Fun

2010-06-04T08:12:00.000+01:00

We're voting on our favourite type of hero over at South African Romance Writers today, so come join the fun and add your vote.

Meanwhile, you know where I'll be :)

Carina Press is coming!

2010-06-02T22:20:00.000+01:00

Where did the time go? I feel as though I've been waiting for eons, and now suddenly it's almost upon us. Carina Press launches on Monday, 7th June, and I've already got my list of favourites ready to buy.

Carina press also has it's own community on eHarlequin now, come Check It Out

Betrayed has a cover!

2010-05-20T23:07:00.000+01:00

I'm so excited to share this beautiful cover for Betrayed ~ coming 5 July 2010 from Carina Press.

Isn't it pretty? The artist is John Kicksee from KixbyDesign.

Two Feuding Families
Amber Jardin has no taste for the bitter feud started before her father’s banishment. But now that he’s passed, she’s had to return to Scotland and his barbaric people. After her bloodthirsty uncle kidnaps one of the family’s rivals, Amber is in turn captured by Krayne Johnstone, the enemy laird. Despite their enmity, their attraction is immediate—and unfortunate, as Amber has sworn to escape.

One Lusty Temptation
Krayne is amazed at the wildcat’s repeated attempts to flee. He should steel himself against her beguiling ways—yet with time, he is driven more witless with lust. When the ransom exchange fails and Krayne is left with Amber, he finds he cannot tolerate the thought of her with another man—and she cannot tolerate the thought of returning to her uncle’s home.

Will passion and love win out over mistrust and betrayal in time to prevent an all-out war?

Around the Blog in 7 days

2010-05-19T18:27:00.000+01:00

I thought I'd try to discipline myself into blogging more regularly by scheduling a Wednesday "Around the Blog in 7 days" post where I share some interesting bits I've picked up on during my excessive and endless hours of blog cruising during the preceding week.

If there's a romance reader inside you, you'll love this: Smart Bitches found a wierd romance novel cover and invited their commentators to describe the scene. Read the comments, I laughed so hard, I actually started crying.

And then the Minxes of Romance have got a brand new blog that promises to be a regular stop over for me.

Carina Press is gearing up to launch 7th June and have been spotlighting their launch authors this month. Pop over to the Carina Press blog to check out the last 20 days of posting, and there's more to come right up until launch day.

As a writer, I love to scour articles about successful writer's previous rejections. There's something strangely validating in realising how many authors were not an instant success from the first moment they decided to submit.

Enjoy!

Cyprus, The home of Aphrodite

2010-05-05T19:51:00.000+01:00

Well, if I were a Goddess, I'd also choose Cyprus for my own :)

We had a lovely (sunny!) time in Cyprus. Reading, swimming, reading, sun-bathing, reading, relaxing...

Two guesses where I am... Parasailing or sprawled on a lounger with my nose tucked in a book? But, wow, see how far people can walk out into the sea? The sea is so calm, I put to the test floating on my back without any effort. It works!

Went to see The Bath of Aphrodite. A small shaded pool within a cave...

Adonis's bath, on the other hand, is a large waterfall. Typical male! We tried to go there... navigated the death defying two mile gravel road wrapped around a cliff with the kids screaming at every corner, "We're going to die!" Couldn't turn around on the narrow road, otherwise we really would have died, and got to the bottom only to find them closing up for the day. Kids threatened legal action if we risked their lives again the next day, so never got to see Adonis's bath :)

Spent some more time on the beach. And yes, I'm wearing my bikini under the shorts and T-Shirt. Promise :)

And then we thought we'd better take in some culture, so visited the Tombs of the Kings

And then we found out we'd be spending an extra 9 days in Cyprus thanks to volanic ash shutting down European airspace.
Marooned on a mediterranean island!
What's a girl to do?

Go back to the beach of course!

The locals are so friendly. Once it became known we'd been stranded in Cyprus, they started bearing gifts. A bunch of vine leaves one day ~ I was too chicken to try and cook any traditional Cyprus dishes with the vine leaves, but the thought behind the deed was beautiful. Another day we found a huge bunch of bananas on our porch. Seriously, about 30 bananas on one bunch. Another day there were loquats (I think that's what the small yellow fruit is called)

Cats, Cats, Cats everywhere! Maybe it's something to do with the fact that Cyprus is an island, surrounded by a sea, filled with fish.

And then, unfortunately, it was time to go home. But not before another last trip to the beach

Carina Press Launches on 7 June 2010

2010-04-29T19:22:00.000+01:00

Carina Press has confirmed that all is ready and they will launch on 7th June. Starting tomorrow, they will host a series of launch author interviews with great giveaways each day on their website blog as well on their facebook and twitter. Check it out now to see a list of launch titles and dates. Exciting stuff!

During the month of June, I'll be hosting a blog tour here for some of the authors to tell us even more about their upcoming releases.