Heidi Rice: Tempting New York Fairy Tales & a Giveaway

I'm popping over while in the midst of packing to head to the Romance Writers of America Conference in NYC to talk - rather aptly I think - about my first book for Tule Publishing, Tempting the Knight, which is part of a hot new quartet I've written alongside fabulous author mates Kelly Hunter, Amy Andrews and Lucy King called Fairy Tales of New York. 

All the stories revolve around an Irish-American pub in Brooklyn, four BFFs who once went to the same Catholic convent school in Upstate New York and are dark, sexy modern updates of classic fairytales.

My story is a seriously sexed-up riff on Rapunzel, featuring a runaway supermodel, a hard-working legal aid attorney and one hot Labor Weekend booty call on a housebarge in Brooklyn.

Here's the book blurb to whet your appetite:

Once upon a time, poor little rich girl Zelda Madison wanted someone to love her, until she discovered being a badass was much more fun.

Ten years after getting kicked out of convent school and torn away from her three best friends, Zelda has worked hard to clean up her act, but her wild streak has never been completely tamed and — one midnight swim on Manhattan Beach later — she’s suddenly in urgent need of a knight in shining armor…

Hard-working legal aid attorney Tyrone Sullivan is the last guy she should call. Not only does he hold a grudge when it comes to Zelda leading his little sister astray all those years ago, he’s also supremely pissed about having to rescue a runaway supermodel from a Brooklyn police station at two am. But when Ty reluctantly agrees to bust Zel out of her ivory tower and let her hide out on his house barge for a few days, she shows him the wild side he didn’t know he had.

Zel discovers there’s nothing hotter than tarnishing a good guy’s armor… Until he starts to steal her bad girl’s battered heart…

TtK can be read as a standalone book but I'd highly recommend reading the stories in order for the full HOT Fairytale Effect and because you will so want to read about Kelly's Ugly Duckling, Lucy's Beauty and the Beast and Amy's Cinderella getting their happy ever afters too.... Just sayin'

The Fairy Tales of New York series
Book 1: Pursued by the Rogue by Kelly Hunter
Book 2: Tempting the Knight by Heidi Rice
Book 3: Taming the Beast by Lucy King
Book 4: Seduced by the Baron by Amy Andrews

All four books are currently out on Kindle only, but will be available on all ebook platforms from October.

I'm giving away an epub copy to one lucky commentator below. I'll announce the winner in the comments when I'm back from NYC on Monday 27th July!

If you want to know more about the series check out our Facebook page.

Right, back to deciding which shoes to take to NYC... I may be a while.

Heidi x

CJ Carmichael: The joys of summer

August already—someone please stop winding that clock! Summer is special in Canada and Montana (the two places where I spend most of my time). Since we have such a long, cold winter, we cherish these long, warm days. Work slows down as we focus on enjoying the great outdoors, our friends, and our favorite outdoor activities.

This month I’ve had the pleasure of hosting four of my favorite writing friends at our Montana Cottage. From left to right we have: Megan Crane, Jane Porter, Lilian Darcy and Kelly Hunter. We took this time to unwind from the Romance Writers of American conference, and also to plan the stories we want to write in the coming year. The best talks and visits were held here on the dock, or on the deck off the house.

I also include reading as a favorite outdoor activity when it’s summer. What can be better than sipping a cool drink and enjoying a good book while you relax on your favorite lounge chair or hammock? Well, maybe if the book was free? And you had a man servant preparing you iced beverages of your choice?

Afraid I can’t offer you that man servant, but I do have a free book. J

Family Matters is a trilogy of stories about women and their children…and the men who love them. In the first story, for the sake of her child a single mother must face the father who disowned her, the ex-boyfriend who hurt her and the neighbor she’s always loved as she finds A Daughter’s Place. And you can download this book right now…for FREE. It’s available on Kindle, Nook, iBook and Kobo.

Get Your Free Download Here:

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1nPgmd1

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

Nook: http://bit.ly/1r3lid1

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1n88LV3

May I suggest a delicious huckleberry smoothie to go with your book? Just blend ½ cup coconut water, ½ cup frozen or fresh huckleberries, ½ banana along with some ice cubes. Yum!

Enjoy August friends…Free Time & Free Reads!

CJ Carmichael

http://cjcarmichael.com

Kelly Hunter: Tule Publishing Group launches Holiday imprint!

From the publishing group that gave us Montana Born Books and Southern Born Books comes a new imprint aimed at delivering a fun, smart, playful mix of women’s fiction, chick lit, and contemporary romance - perfect for beach reads and a feel-good escape by authors you've loved for years.

Holiday launched with the first ever eBook release of Jane Porter’s charming chick lit debut, The Frog Prince. Print copies are also available again for the first time in years.

Once upon a time, a lovely maiden from Fresno married the man of her dreams. After the honeymoon, she waited for the “happily ever after” part…until her Prince Charming turned into a toad.

Now Holly Bishop is about to write a new chapter in her life. She moves to San Francisco to become an event planner-only to find she is dealing with a gorgeous fairy godmother for a boss and corporate witches wicked enough to sabotage her future. Not to mention the egomaniacal frogs Holly finds lurking at the bottom of the dating pool. With no one to save her, will Holly slay the dragons herself and stand on her own for the very first time? Will the man behind the mask at her costume ball make her believe in love again? And will she risk giving up her dreams to become the heroine of her own story?

http://www.amazon.com/Frog-Prince-Jane-Porter-ebook/dp/B00J5VEQUK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1399083535&sr=1-1&keywords=the+frog+prince+jane+porter

Today we're celebrating our newest release, , Megan Crane’s gorgeously quirky time travel romance, I Love The 80s   

Jenna Jenkins was getting married to her long-term boyfriend, Adam, and she was sure her life was all coming together. Until Adam left her for a twenty-three-year-old yoga instructor. To ease the pain, Jenna threw herself into her teenage memories of the late, great Tommy Seer, killed when his car crashed off a bridge in 1987, when she was just twelve, and focusing on the man who has been - and always will be - the true love of her life, however worrying that may seem to her best friend, Aimee. 

One day, working late, or thinking about Tommy at her office after dark, a freak accident sends Jenna back to 1987. It's a few short months before Tommy will die and Jenna's job is apparently working as his assistant. But Tommy is not the guy she imagined. He's mean and rude and obnoxious. But he is still deliciously good-looking. When Tommy takes her into his confidence, she starts to see the real him beneath the image and finds herself more in love than ever. He suspects someone is trying to kill him - and she knows it won't be long before they succeed. Why is she here? Is she meant to save his life? But how can she without revealing the bizarre, unbelievable truth? 

http://www.amazon.com/Love-The-80s-Megan-Crane-ebook/dp/B00K4W5K04

Then in mid June, Holiday releases it's original romance series titled Honeymoon.   International bestselling authors Carol Marinelli, Ally Blake, Melissa McClone and Kelly Hunter get creative with what what a honeymoon is...and isn't...while sweeping you away somewhere special!

To stay updated, visit Tule’s Holiday website http://tuleholidaybooks.com/ and sign up for our newsletter.

Or find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/holidaybooks

Tell us where you'd love to go honeymooning - or where you did spend your honeymoon - for a chance to win a Tule tote bag filled with fun reads by Megan Crane, Jane Porter, Ally Blake and Kelly Hunter, a colorful insulated tumbler, a DVD copy of movie, Flirting with Forty, Kona chocolate bar, $5 Starbucks drink card, and Holiday reader goodies!

Happy reading,

Kelly Hunter

***Kelly's winner is Kathleen Higgins-Anderson!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details and we'll get the prize to you soon!***

Kelly Hunter: How (Not) To Manage Matchmaking Parents

The world becomes a tricky place when parents start taking an interest in the love life off their offspring. Good intentions abound. Awkward introductions become a regular occurrence. Parents think they know best! I grew up tall and gangly, and my lovely and very practical aunt, bless her, never stopped introducing me to tall, rich men with good teeth. To this day I don’t know where she found them, but I’m an aunt now and I wish I had her skill.

When it came to writing my latest heroine, I happily called on past experience when it came to matchmaking relatives. I gave heroine Ella Grace a father who was a long-time widower and who wanted nothing more than to see his beloved daughter happily married to a wealthy, well-bred cowboy… and then happily settled somewhere close by. And while Ella Grace isn’t allergic to this idea, she’s certainly not in any hurry to comply. For starters, she has some thoughts on the kind of man she wants as well.

When Ella’s father advertises in the local paper for a docile house-husband for her, Ella Grace responds with an ad of her own, pinned to the wall of the local saloon.

‘PERFECT LOVER WANTED’

Ella underlined the heading and started in on the specific skill set required.

‘Experienced, attentive, innovative—

‘Male,’ Jo added. ‘You’d better put down male.’

‘Experienced, attentive, innovative male bed mate required for hardworking cattle dynasty heiress with no time to meet a man and no desire for a husband of any kind, docile or otherwise. Should I ask for references?’

‘Yes. And you need to ask for a photo and a phone number as well. I know how this works.’

That’s the setup for What A Bride Wants, the opening story in the Montana Born Brides series. The covers are all gloriously romantic and make my author heart swell with joy. And we’re all hoping that the words inside make our readers happy too!

Leave a comment below to go in the draw to win What A Bride Wants in e-book. Let us know what kind of man your family members would choose for you! ;)

Kelly Hunter

*** Kelly's winner is Anne! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info.***

Exotic or Familiar? - Susanna Carr

I just read WIFE FOR A WEEK by Kelly Hunter. This Promotional Presents was a very fun read. One of the pleasant surprises about this book is that it was set in Hong Kong.

I don't think I've read a romance set in Hong Kong before, which is kind of shocking since a lot of romances promise exotic locales. Well, exotic for me. One of my life goals is to visit London, which sounds very cosmopolitan, dynamic, and unlike anything I've ever experienced. I've read so many romances set in London and I want to see it first hand.

But I think my favorite settings when it comes to romance are the sun-drenched islands. I live in the Pacific Northwest where it's usually cloudy and cold. Reading about these tropical paradises is a great way to escape the constant drizzling rain.

Yet there are times when I'm homesick for the Midwestern farm towns of my youth and I purposely look for a book that will remind me of those days. The familiarity of small town living comforts me, no matter how it looks outside my window. I'm so glad that romance publishers offer such an array of locales, so I can find exactly what I need depending on my mood.

Which setting do you usually prefer? The exotic or the familiar?

Susanna

http://www.susannacarr.com/