The Start of Something -- Anne McAllister

Last year right about this time, I published a book called Last Year's Bride.  In it was the first cowboy hero I'd written in a dozen years.  I missed them badly. Turns out at least one missed me.  Once I opened the flood gates, Montana cowboy Cole McCullough -- not known for his loquaciousness -- never shut up.

His story was one of several in Tule Publishing's Great Wedding Giveaway set in and around fictional Marietta, Montana.

All the books had something to do with Marietta's hundredth anniversary of the first Marietta Wedding Giveaway back in the town's heyday.  It was great fun to write about the town and its people some of whom actually got speaking parts in Cole's book.

One was Jane Weiss, the head of the Chamber of Commerce.  My heroine, television director, Nell, had business dealings with her as Nell and her boss realized their plan to shoot a couple of episodes of the reality TV show, The Compatibility Game, on a ranch near Marietta.  Cole's family's ranch, as it happens.

And Cole and Nell have a history ... one that they needed the book to get sorted out.

While they were doing it, Jane was busy, too. I had no idea she had her own story line. And I particularly didn't imagine who her hero was going to be!  Characters surprise you when you least expect it.

I'm thinking I might give Jane and her hero a chance to share their own story later this year. But right now I'm dealing with a character who was only mentioned in Last Year's Bride, Cole's older brother, Clint.

Clint was so far off the page as to be virtually non-existent then. He'd left Montana years before and he'd never looked back.  Certainly he'd never planned on coming back.

Now he's pacing around my office, muttering and trying to pick up the pieces of his life.

And he isn't the only one.  It's a regular mad house in here.

There's a friend of his, Quinn, whose own life is going to get shaken up around Christmas time.  And a couple more of their pals -- Adam and Shea -- who are by turns nervously cracking their knuckles and demanding that Clint and Shea hurry up and sort their lives out so they can have a turn.

I've never dealt with such an impatient -- and, frankly, just a little unruly -- bunch of heroes before. They knew each other in college.  A dozen years later their lives have gone in very different directions.  Now they are back in Montana. Well, one, Adam just pointed out that he'd never left. (See? They even read over my shoulder!)  Anyway, they're here now, one way or another trying to turn around their lives -- and the legacy of the ranch at Hard Broke Creek.

I had no idea all this was going to come out of Last Year's Bride -- but I'm super happy that it has.  I love these guys -- when I'm not wanting to bang their heads together.

If you haven't read Last Year's Bride, it's available now. Later this week (by Saturday, I'm told) it's going to be FREE  until June 18th.

So if you already have a copy, bless your heart. If you don't, grab it now or when it's free.  If you like it, tell your friends and they can grab it while it's FREE!

And keep an eye out for those Men of Hard Broke Creek who will begin turning up this fall.  Clint's first, then Quinn, then Adam and finally Shea -- if he can be patient that long or if I don't kill him first!  I'll keep you posted.

Trish Morey: The Lighter Side of Romance

What I love about romance is that it comes in so many delicious flavours. From sweet to spicy, angsty to flirty, contemporary to historical to futuristic to paranormal to everything in between. I love the sheer breadth and depth that romance affords both readers and writers.

When I write my Harlequin Presents, the stories generally veer toward the angsty. Big conflicts. Strong alpha heroes and frequently vulnerable, if gutsy on the inside, heroines. I love those stories. But my other love is romantic comedy, and there isn’t a huge amount of scope inside your average Presents for comedy. Wit, yes. A wry smile, absolutely. A cutting retort from your heroine that makes your hero’s ears bleed and your reader punch the air with her fist, sure. But laugh out loud comedy? No. It would be wrong.

So when I was offered the opportunity to write something for Tule publishing, a story where I set the creative boundaries, I jumped at the chance. And so Second Chance Bride was born. And just to really shake things up, I started it in a brothel. Yup. A romance that begins in a brothel :)

And oh my, I had such fun with this story! I took my hapless heroine, Scarlett Buck (yup, why the hell not?) all the way from Marietta, Montana, and dropped her in the outback of Western Australia with no cash and a pressing need to get home. Luckily for her, she meets Mitch, but to find out what happens next, you’ll have to read the book.

But here’s a wee taster - Mitch and Scarlett are in Broome, and Mitch finds something in the closet...

She was just drying off when she heard him yell, “What the hell is that?”

Darn. She had a fair idea where he was and what he’d found and realized that maybe the gown hadn’t been quite as well hidden as she’d hoped. After all, there was at least a hundred yards of tulle in the skirt. But there were at least a dozen yards of closet too. Did he have to go open that particular one? 

Anyhow, no point admitting anything just yet. He was a man after all. Maybe he’d just found the ironing board. 

How do you like your romance? Dramatic? Sweet? Medical? Suspenseful? Or are you like me and like to mix it up a little and throw in a little romantic comedy (or something else) every now and then?

Leave a comment about your reading preferences and two lucky people will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card.

Happy reading,

Trishx


*** Trish's winners are Mary Preston and Bonnie! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info.***

Katherine Garbera: The Reluctant Bride

The Reluctant Bride was one of those stories that just sort of came to me all wrapped up.  I have never been impulsive at all so when I was kicking around ideas for the Great Wedding Giveaway, I thought what about someone who just said yes and got married.  But there’s not much conflict in that and for good fiction there has to be conflict. 

So I thought what if she said yes, got cold feet and ran.  Just that inkling was enough to make me start creating the characters.  Risa loves weddings and brides.  She’s a florist who’s been working in Vegas at a very posh wedding center. 

Monty is the kind of guy who never gives up so it doesn’t matter that Risa isn’t where he left her, he’ll find her and reclaim her. 

From there I had the fun of being in Marietta, MT again.  I just love the stories that have been set there and am always happy as a reader to go back there.  As a writer it’s like coming home.

Here’s a little except:

Stupid.

            She wasn’t sure about herself, but Monty; God knew she wished she had his confidence.  There was a marked difference in their reactions to tragedy.  He wanted to cram in as much life as he could…she wanted to hide and protect those she cared about.  His mouth moved over hers with the confidence and surety that she’d ever only experienced with him, and she knew that she wasn’t going to pull back and walk away.  Instead she slid her hand up his chest and curled her fingers around his warm neck,  burrowing between the warm downy collar and the man. 

            He was here because he wanted to be her man.

            Right now, it felt like he was, as his mouth moved over hers and sent shivers of desire coursing through her body.  It had been a long seven months apart.  She parted her lips and his tongue slipped inside her mouth and she sighed.

            He tasted just like she remembered.  It was silly when she tried to define Monty, but there was something spicy in his kisses and yet, at the same time, something that soothed the restlessness inside of her.  When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt like she’d found the home she’d always wanted.

            A safe place to land. But she wasn’t sure she believed in home any more.

            She’d always been a rambler.  And even this kiss wasn’t going to be enough to help her put all of her doubts and fears aside.  His tongue rubbed over hers, as his hands slipped lower to cup her buttocks and she stopped thinking.

            Stopped trying to analyze this and have it all make sense.

            Kisses weren’t supposed make sense, were they?  They were supposed to transport lovers to someplace magical and distant.

            And for her, his kisses did.

            His hands anchored her to the real world, and his mouth tempted and teased her to follow him.  To leave behind her worries on this dark deserted highway and focus on the one thing that was real: Monty.

            He plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth, and she felt the first stirrings of desire shivering through her nerves and pooling in the center of her body.  She tunneled her fingers through the silky hair at the back of his neck, twisting them to make him move his head the way she wanted.

            He did.  Increasing the pressure on her and deepening the kiss until she was aware only of Monty and his mouth, his arm around her hips which held her to him, and his hand which roamed up and down her back.  His touch was warm, even through the thickness of her coat. 

            She pulled her head back and, from her angle, could look down on his half-closed eyes.  This was the face she’d missed.  The expression that had haunted her dreams.  He was the man she thought she wanted to marry.  The man who she’d taken a leap of faith with  and said yes to.

            But then he opened his eyes and slowly let her slide down his body, before he stepped back, spreading his arms out to his sides.  He rubbed one hand over his jaw and his mouth and turned his back to her.

            She had no idea what he was thinking, but could venture a guess that it wasn’t very nice.

            Why should it be?

            She was playing a game in his eyes.  And she had no way of really making him see that her being lost and confused was just as disheartening from her point of view. 

            “Um…”

            “What?”  He glanced back over his shoulder.

            Yeah, what?  Time to take a break.  Run again…

            “Thanks for changing my tire.”

What about you?   Have you ever been impulsive and said yes and then thought better of it?  I’m the kind of gal who is stubborn so I wouldn’t run, I’d stand my ground and pretend that it was working out just the way I wanted it too!

I’m giving away a copy of all four previous Great Wedding Giveaway titles today as well to one lucky commenter.  


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

Sarah Mayberry: Small Moments

As I get older (and hopefully wiser) I have come to the realisation that it’s the small moments in life that make for contentment, joy and happiness, not the big, splashy ones. Weddings, awards, lottery wins…they’re all well and good, but for me it’s the small moments in the days and weeks that make my life rich and full of laughter and love. My husband doing his version of the moonwalk in the kitchen. My dog looking at me from under his eyelashes (yes, he has eyelashes, and they are diabolically long and gorgeous!). My Mum fumbling around with Skype and making me laugh so hard I nearly lose a lung. 

These are all small, insignificant, fleeting moments, but if you string enough of them together, I reckon you have a good chance at happiness. As a writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about the small moments in my hero and heroine’s relationship that will allow them to connect with each other and fall in love. I try to show that they “get” one another. That they enjoy one another. It’s not just about sex and lust and desire. It’s about connecting. Understanding. Kindness. Humour. I want my readers to believe in the relationship between my hero and heroine, to walk in their shoes as they get to know each other, and to yearn for their Happy Ever After.

My recent Super Romance, Her Kind of Trouble, has a small moment where the heroine, Vivian, helps the hero, Seth, blow up pink balloons to celebrate his infant daughter’s homecoming from the hospital. Seth’s gone to the trouble of sourcing the balloons, but he has no idea where to hang them to decorate his home. Fortunately for him, Vivian is a stylist, and she takes him in hand. It’s a small, very domestic moment, but he’s touched and grateful for her interest and skill and she’s moved by all the trouble and effort he’s gone to to celebrate his daughter’s homecoming. 

In my new novella for Montana Born Books, Almost a Bride, I took my hero and heroine paddle boarding on one of Montana’s amazing mountain lakes. The day is warm, and Tara and Reid share a picnic - and heartfelt conversation - on the shore of the lake. There are no flashy gowns, paparazzi, fast cars or billionaires in sight - just two people who like each other, enjoying a summer’s day. 

And in Satisfaction, my recently self published book, Maggie and Rafel lie in his bed after making love and discuss curricles and perch phaetons, inspired by the Georgette Heyer novel the hero has read because it’s one of the heroine’s favourite books. 

As I’m sure you’ll agree, none of these moments are going to set the world on fire - but they might just help two people understand each other. What about you? Do you crave the fireworks and dazzle of big displays? Or are you a small moments person, too, like me? Or do you prefer a mixture of both in your romance novels (and maybe your life?) Do tell! I’d love to hear your stories. 

I’ll be giving away e-book two sets of a copy each of Satisfaction and Almost a Bride  today - all you need to do is comment win. I’ll pop back in after a week to announce the winner, so stay posted!

*** Sarah's winner is Catherine Scott! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info.***