The Beach is a Magical Place by Susan Sands

I spent a week at Perdido Key on the Florida Gulf Coast last week. There's something about changing locations from that of a landlocked position to the coast. The salty air, the white sand, and the water--just the sight and sound of it bring instant relaxation. Well, after the packing, the prepping at home for being away, and the six-hour drive. After all that.

We had great weather and ate fresh seafood nearly every day. The key lime pie was awesome! I was at the beach for two days by myself before my daughter and her friend joined me. I'm almost never home alone, and I was able to finish my second Louisiana book during that time. I turned it in a month early, which never happens, so I've created a month to begin a new project. 

I'm home for a week, then I'll head to Fripp Island, SC for a "research trip" with a dear writing friend to work on my new book. Fripp is a barrier island that serves as a wildlife and bird sanctuary. I plan to include some of the island's ecological concerns in my novel as part of the storyline. It's a place I love and where I've visited many times. 

I hope everyone is enjoying summer and getting out to do the things you love!

Susan Sands

A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS

I'm so pleased to be here and to introduce my brand new series from Tule Publishing--Four Irish Brothers Winery. The Flaherty brothers, Sean, Brendan, Conor, and Aidan have inherited their family's historic winery in the picturesque town of River's Edge, Indiana, from their recently deceased father. The first book, A SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS is Conor Flaherty's story. I hope you enjoy meeting the Flaherty brothers and find some sweet romantic moments with them. 

Winemaker and single father Conor Flaherty is determined to make this Christmas holiday special for his daughter even though his family’s winery, Four Irish Brothers, is facing some challenges.
High-octane Chicago attorney Samantha Hayes is looking forward to some delicious food, fine wine, small town charm, and a break from her hectic big city life when she agrees to do a favor for her boss and help his younger brother with a lawsuit that’s been slapped on his family’s historic winery in River’s Edge. She’s not expecting that her sexy new client will have a smile that will melt her heart and remind her that there’s more to life than work.
Sam falls hard for Conor, his daughter and the small, friendly town, but can she trust her instincts and risk her heart? Sam hasn’t seen a lot of happy-ever-afters in her life, but Conor and the magic of Christmas make her want to believe.

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today-bestselling author of romantic fiction for women in their prime. Yeah, women still fall in love and have sex, even after 45! Imagine! She is a wife, a mom, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother. Nan has been a copyeditor and proofreader for over 25 years, and currently works on romantic fiction titles for a variety of clients, including Avon Books, St. Martin’s Press, Kensington Books, Tule Publishing, and Entangled Publishing, as well as for many indie authors.

Although she loves her life as an editor, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten, a love story between the most sophisticated person she knew at the time, her older sister (who was in high school and had a driver’s license!), and a member of Herman’s Hermits. If you remember who they are, you are Nan’s audience! Her latest novel, A Small Town Christmas, which is the first book in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series from Tule Publishing, releases on October 29, 2018.

Visit Nan’s website at www.nanreinhardt.com, where you’ll find links to all her books as well as blogs about writing, being a Baby Boomer, and aging gracefully…mostly. Nan also blogs regularly at Word Wranglers, sharing the spotlight with five other romance authors and is a frequent contributor the RWA Contemporary Romance blog, and she contributes to the Romance University blog where she writes as Editor Nan.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornanreinhardt

Twitter: @NanReinhardt

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Talk to Nan at: nan@nanreinhardt.com

Susan Sands: Happy 4th of July and Cover Reveal!

A fellow writer and I are in pajamas at dusk in a resort forty-five minutes

Christmas, Alabama

from home on 4th of July weekend. Our kids are home with their fathers. Mine can take care of themselves because they are plenty old enough, but my friend has four children under the age of six, God bless her. Her husband is the man.

We got a great room rate through a friend of a friend (thanks, friend). We are desperately making words that will finish our books before deadline. Summer deadlines are the toughest, it seems. Everything in the summer is less structured and it's easier to disrupt the writing schedule.

I accepted an offer on my house after it was on the market for an entire year. The deal fell through due to the inspection report. That was a hit to the writing schedule. My dogs don't like when I sit and write for hours on end. They make their displeasure known by barking and misbehaving, causing writing-stoppage. Kids and husband. Well, they need clean underwear and food. No other explanation needed. So, here we are, making as many good words as possible while others eat bar-b-que and enjoy fireworks (my poor dogs hate fireworks).

If this post seems a little disjointed and frazzled, you should see me.

The great news is that I have a gorgeous cover for my lovely upcoming Christmas novel, Christmas, Alabama. As much a of mess as I am right now, I'm having a blast writing this story, which will be released by The Tule Publishing Group, October 5th (tentatively). I'm bringing all the characters from Ministry, Alabama together again for a snowy good time!

I hope everyone is enjoying summer so far!!

Susan Sands

Roxanne Snopek: The Joy of Communication

For many of us introverts, especially if we've been in "the cave" (ie: writing / reading / working alone for any length of time) social interactions can be daunting.

Talking. To real people. Where to begin? What to say? How to say it? To whom? Sometimes at parties, I feel like The Simple Dog, just wanting my own happy square of linoleum to stare at.

Let's face it, a lot can go wrong when I draw breath to speak. I detest the flavor of my own feet, and spend a lot of time considering my words before I let them out, but still end up with way too much toe-jam in my teeth.

There's what I say. There's what I *thought* I said. Then there's what I actually meant, and how I said it.

There's what you heard. And what you *thought* you heard. And what you thought I meant, and how you interpreted it.

If I squirm because I have to pee, you might see the squirm, think it means I'm not interested in you, turn away. I see you turn away and sink into myself, certain I've bored or hurt or offended you and do the only reasonable thing: hide in the bathroom for the rest of the evening.

I’ve discovered I often write characters who talk too much, sometimes without thinking. I love them for being brave enough to share themselves like this, even if it ends up going so badly wrong, before it ends up right. I feed them a lot of toe-jam before they succeed!

In CINDERELLA’S COWBOY, my shy heroine Cynthia Henley has a nervous stutter to overcome, and two gorgeous stepsisters, Maddie and DeeDee, who have the world by the tail and want to “fix” her. I adored watching Cynthia grow into herself!

And I can’t wait to show you what’s in store for her stepsisters. Maddie’s story, THE CHOCOLATE CURE, comes out in January 2017, with DeeDee’s THE CHOCOLATE COMEBACK releasing April 2017, as part of the Love at the Chocolate Shop series from Tule Publishing. This 12-book multi-author series begins in October and the first two books are available for preorder from iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/melt-my-heart-cowboy/id1136480600

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/a-thankful-heart/id1137789914 

I adore these covers and I think you’re going to love the stories inside as much as I do.

True communication is a never-ending challenge - and such a joy when it happens. I strive for it in Real Life, and in my books.

Who will you connect with today?

**
Excerpt from CINDERELLA’S COWBOY:
A pair of golden-green eyes stared out from between the bale of straw and the wall of Cynthia's office, then blinked, once.
“Mrrt.”
Doing business out of a barn might not be everyone's cup of tea but the cats were a perk. Especially when they were kittens.
     Cynthia hunkered down onto her hands and knees and nudged the china plate across the concrete floor. The scrawny creature swiveled his ears but held his ground. She was definitely making progress.
     She gestured to the slice of turkey with her ballpoint pen, then spoke into it, as if it were a microphone.
     "Tell me, Mr. Tiny Orange Feline, what makes DMC Solutions the best choice in today's business climate?"
A simple question, right? The kind of thing a media and communications specialist would be perfectly positioned to answer, right?
     She pointed the pen at the kitten. In a high, squeaky voice, she answered.
     "Cynthia Henley is poised, polished and perfectly presentable. She uses the right words, in the correct order and never ever embarrasses herself or others."    
She pointed the pen back at herself.
     "Thank you, Tiny Feline. We believe you to be biased by turkey-breast interference and thus unreliable, but we appreciate your kindness."
     The kitten stretched out his neck and snatched the turkey, just like the Marietta Weekly journalism intern who posted Cynthia's recent Interview of Shame on YouTube.
     The intern was long gone, but the paper's online Business Focus column had never had so much traffic.
If only she hadn't bumped into Chad Anders first. Coming face-to-face with one of her most embarrassing moments had awakened the monster that lay coiled inside her, ready to flick its forked tongue up her throat and spawn new, improved embarrassing moments.
I provide services my clients won't find elsewhere.
She'd meant to sound earnest but nervous hyperventilation made it come out like a spaghetti western madame offering up a room service special.
I'll do anything to muh-muh-meet their needs.
Why didn't someone stop her? Or shoot her?
Ha-ha. I muh-mean, not uh-uh-anything, anything. Ha-ha.
Bray like a donkey. That'll help.
DMC Solutions is uniquely puh-puh-positioned for today's buh-business cuh-cuh-cuh-climax.
Oh, the humanity.
**
https://www.amazon.com/Cinderellas-Cowboy-Montana-Home-Book-ebook/dp/B00WRP0DHG

Susan Sands: Writing in My Mind

I would love to say I've been super-productive these last weeks with my writing. But sadly, life has

Fripp Island, South Carolina

wrestled me to the ground and taken control in a way that hasn't left time for the muse, no matter how much I want to put words on the page. By the time I settle in for the evening, I tend to stare cross-eyed at the screen and begin to nod off.

Life, as in losing three hundred pages of edits due to "an unfortunate data loss" as describe by both Apple tech support and Microsoft Word for Mac tech support when referring to the corrupted file that was supposed to be autosaved instead. Life, as in getting fifteen years of stuff stuffed away to make my house "show-ready" for selling. Life, as in heading back to Louisiana and packing up my parents for their second move in three months. This time, they are moving to Georgia to be near me because my dad's Alzheimer's has become an aggressive beast that my mother can't begin to handle on her own, three states away, with no backup. Life, as in family vacation in South Carolina that has been planned, paid for, and highly anticipated for months. The day I return, my parents will arrive from Louisiana permanently.

So, the writing hasn't happened. But the ideas have been coming fast and furious. I've made notes on my phone when I'm not near my computer. I've plotted a whole new series in my head while I've been packing, traveling, and playing on the beach with my family. The fingers might be away from the keyboard, but my brain somehow has found its way to progress despite all the obstacles. I guess even when we shut down the flow of words on paper, they still manage to find an outlet, like a stubborn little flower that sprouts up through a crack in the cement. And I've had some pretty hot, dry cement to contend with lately, y'all.

Hopefully, by the time I get back in front of my computer, I'll be able to write like the wind. It shouldn't be long now.

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer!

Susan Sands

Eve Gaddy: I'm Just a Vessel

Those are words I'll never live down. When my kids were younger we went on a family vacation. I'm sure I was either working on a book or on deadline. We were talking about my process and how I know what the characters are going to say or do.

I said, "I'm just a vessel for my characters. They talk and I type."

They thought that was hilarious and still tease me about it. But it really is true. I struggle a lot until my characters take over. Sometimes they're very chatty, which is great. But often they have to have their words and thoughts dragged out of them.

I have all kinds of ways to convince my characters to talk. Sometimes I interview them. I don't ask them about their favorite color or first pet or their childhood unless it's important to my plot. Usually, I sit them down and start firing questions at them and don't let them leave until they've opened up. Questions like, what do you think about the heroine? Why are you resisting her? Why do you hate shrinks? What is it about medicine that first drew you to it? And the oft asked question especially of the heroes, Why are you being a jerk? Often, what comes out of the interview winds up in a scene. In fact, I think it always does. Not all of it, but the important part.

My hero in my current book--yes, I'm on deadline and in deadline dementia--is an emergency room doctor. He's also a horse whisperer. He refuses to say he's a horse whisperer, instead he merely 'has a knack with horses' or he simply 'soothes them and calms them down.' I knew there was a reason for his denial of something that's quite clear to everyone else, but he wouldn't tell me until yesterday. I would have appreciated knowing this earlier, but the dang characters won't be pushed. They'll talk when they're ready and they don't really care if I have a deadline.

Don't get me wrong. I really like it when the characters come alive for me. But why are they so stubborn about doing things in their own good time?

You can find out all about my horse whisperer/ER doc in the upcoming Love Me, Cowgirl, part of the 2016 Copper Mountain Rodeo series from Tule Publishing. It should be out some time this fall. This hero, Sean Gallagher, is the brother of another doctor in Marietta, Dr. Jack Gallagher from Sing Me Back Home. Sean's heroine, Honey Jordan, is a cowgirl who is a competitive barrel racer. I don't have the cover yet but I'll post it when I do.

Catch me on the web at www.facebook.com/evegaddyauthor or www.evegaddy.net . If you'd like to hear more about my releases, here's a link to sign up for my newsletter: www.eepurl.com/boxz6f

Resolutions for a Writer’s Retreat by Joanne Walsh

I am feeling so excited—and lucky!  Next weekend, I leave for a mini-retreat in Portugal with the writing group I belong to.  Four of us will spend a week in a villa by the Atlantic Ocean with the intention of write, write, writing.  For me, it’s a key event, because I’ll be starting work on my next novel for Tule Publishing, the first in a trilogy about three Greek millionaires (titles to be decided).

While this is definitely a welcome break from everyday routines, a chance to focus without the usual interruptions, I am mindful that being in such a lovely location could bring distractions of its own! As Brits who live with a fair bit of rain and grey skies, just being in the sunshine will cause us to go slightly crazy and just want to sit (or lie) and soak it up.  Then there is the food, the wine, the pretty places nearby to visit and walks on the beach…

So, the group has agreed that each morning over breakfast we will discuss a daily timetable, where some downtime is allowed, but our novels will take priority.  I know we will also spend time talking about writing too, which personally I find really stimulating; it’ll be great to have other heads on hand to help brainstorm plot and character directions.  But I shan’t forget to raise a glass of Vinho Verde to you all while I’m there!

Nothing Like a Small Town - Susan Sands

I've been back home in my tiny Louisiana hometown helping my parents move from a place they've lived for forty-one years.

You can imagine how entrenched one gets after such a stretch of time. I grew up on that piece of property--we moved there when I was eight years old. I can only imagine how my parents felt tearing it all apart and uprooting everything, even if they only moved a mile away to my grandmother's home.  We didn't hire a moving company, as I would have in Atlanta. Nope. We had pickup trucks (multiple) with trailers attached. We had neighbors and family. We cooked gumbo and picked up fried chicken. We caravanned and made many trips from the old house to the "new" one. People showed up to help without being asked, and it was heartwarming. They worked from early morning until after dark for two solid days, and it makes me tear up at the dedication to helping a fellow neighbor in need for no payment besides a true appreciation. It was back-breaking and there's still a ton of unpacking left to do, but what a testament to small-town life that others would give up their weekend in the service of my family. I'm incredibly humbled.

I write about such things in my books because it's where I'm from. But I've lived so far away for many years, and my life hardly resembles the one where I grew up. Coming home again was good. It's been hard work, but good. How nice to be reminded of such kindness up close and in person.

I write for the Southern Born line at the Tule Publishing Group, and yes, I am Southern born.

I hope everyone has an amazing week and feels as blessed as I have these past couple days, no matter where you're from.

Susan Sands

Check out my small town Southern romantic women's fiction novels, Again, Alabama, and Love, Alabama, (April 13, 2016)

e-mail snsands@gmail.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/susannsandsauthor

Twitter: @SusanNoelSands

Blog:  Sweet Home Alpharetta at: http://susansands.com

Katherine Garbera: The Valentine Gamble

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I mean who doesn't love a day that celebrates love.  From my earliest memories my Mom always made the holiday about love not about dates or having a date so I've never been upset if I didn't have a date on Valentine's Day.  She used to leave notes and presents on our beds (I have two sisters) and then we'd make a special dinner together to celebrate.

Not everyone thinks of Valentine's Day the same way.  But I have a calorie free treat for you this Valentine's Day.

The Valentine Gamble co-written with my good buddy Eve Gaddy.

Here's the blurb:

Johnny Gamble isn’t afraid of anything.  Except Fiona Lannigan’s effect on him.  It’s not just that she sees through his love ‘em and leave ‘em ways, she’s also his partner in Whiskey River’s most prestigious law firm.  He believes she deserves better than him until they “matched” at the annual Valentine’s Day dance and the night turns into one of the most romantic of his life.  Convincing him that he’s found a woman he doesn’t want to leave.

Fiona is all for a good time with Johnny.  There have been sparks between them from the beginning, but more than one night between the sheets isn’t in the cards. Or so she thinks, until Johnny turns on the romance.

Can Johnny convince Fiona that this is one Valentine’s Gamble worth taking?

Tell me your favorite thing about love to be entered to win a Cheryl's Cookie Card and e-book of The Valentine Gamble.  I'll announce the winner on next month's blog.

Kathy :)

CJ Carmichael: So Many Books... So Little Time

When I was a kid growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan (think North Dakota, only less cutting-edge) it seemed I couldn’t get my hands on enough books. Our one-room school house (think Little House on the Prairie meets Lord of the Flies) received a rotating number of books every month from the local school library system. But I always plowed through those before the month was over. As a results I re-read my favorites many times over.

Those days are long over. Now it seems I am flooded with books. Every time I go on Facebook or Twitter, or visit Amazon, Kobo or Audible, I see dozens of books I’d love to read. And don’t get me started about Goodreads! Or bookstores!

The most amazing thing of all, is that having identified a book that interests me, I can have it purchased and downloaded to my Kobo, Kindle or iPad within five minutes (or less)!

Buying books is easy, fun…and addictive. But time to read them is increasingly scarce.

So…how to decide what to read next? For me I usually circulate among the following:

·        The monthly  reads chosen by the “Happy Bookers” my Calgary reading group

·        New releases from my favorite authors

·        New releases getting a lot of “buzz” on Goodreads, Publisher’s Weekly, or the Globe & Mail (think New York Times, Canadian style)

·        Older books I always meant to read…sometime

·        Classic titles I haven’t yet gotten around to

 

What about you? How do you decide which book you’re going to read next? Do you, for instance, pick up titles you see discussed on Facebook or Twitter? Do you receive author newsletters and buy a lot of books from those? Or do you subscribe to discount newsletters like Book Bub or ENT? And hey, does anyone browse actual book stores anymore?!? I do. Witness this photo taken in Portland this summer...

I really want to hear from you on this! To prove it, I have a lovely mug and totebag which I will be sending to one randomly chosen person who comments below with their top 3 ways of picking their next read. If your name is chosen you need to contact me with your mailing address (via Facebook or my website) so I can send you your prize! (Just follow the links under my name.)

Oh, and while I have your attention, why not enter my website contest for a grab bag of 10 books? (If you win you won’t have to worry about what to read next for a long time!)

Happy Reading!

C. J. Carmichael

C. J. Carmichael Website

C. J. Carmichael on Facebook

Kathleen O'Brien: Amalfi Night Billionaires

I’m up late tonight, because I’m in the middle of revisions for my upcoming Tule novella, THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET.  It’s part of a really exciting new series, HOT AMALFI NIGHTS, which kicks off today with Katherine Garbera’s hot and fabulous novella, THE BILLIONAIRE’S TEMPTATION. Go check it out…you won’t regret it! J

My book won’t be available until September 14^th, and I’m glad, because I want that time to polish the story.  Believe it or not, I really love doing revisions.  When I write the first draft of a book, I’m always stressed and anxious.  Is my planned plot going to work?  Are the people likeable?  Will the story be long enough, short enough, correctly paced, satisfying in its happily-ever-after?

Then, when I reach The End, I turn the manuscript over to the editor and take a step back.  Over the next few days or weeks, depending on the schedule, I work on another project, or refill my creative well by doing the non-writing things I love, while the editor does the thinking.

By the time she returns the manuscript to me with her comments and suggestions, I’m feeling renewed, and far less frazzled, because now it’s not just me sitting here worrying myself to death.  Now I’m part of a team, and for all of us the only goal is to make my book as good as it can be.

I’ve written about forty-five books, over many years, and every single editor I’ve been lucky enough to work with, both at Harlequin and at Tule, has been fantastic.  These professionals have, every one, been warm, sensitive, brilliantly analytical and wholeheartedly in my corner. 

People often ask me whether it’s hard to be edited.  One friend even wondered whether it might “hurt.”  I understand the question, but the answer is unequivocally NO. 

Sure, it can be disappointing to roll up your sleeves and go back to work when you would have liked to binge-watch Downton Abbey instead.  And occasionally it’s embarrassing, sometimes, if I have to face that I’ve missed the mark, that something I imagined would be funny simply wasn’t, or that something I hoped would be sexy was actually kind of blah. 

But it never hurts. 

How could it?  We’re all on the same team, remember, all shooting for the same goal.  And knowing the editor is there to catch me if I fall gives me the confidence and freedom to try those high-wire tricks I might not dare alone.

The truth is, no writer can ever possibly tell how her words will come across to someone else.  I know what I meant to communicate.  But did I?  Only a fresh pair of eyes can tell me what actually came across to the reader.  And only a seasoned professional editor can tell me how to bridge that gap, how to flesh out the conflict or pick up the pace, how to build sympathy for my hero or recover those little plot points I misplaced along the way.

So as I return to polishing THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET, a big, sloppy thank you kiss goes out to my editors for helping me be the best writer I can be.  And a big thank you to my readers, too.  Because you’re the goal we’re shooting for.  If you like it, we all win!

I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one randomly chosen poster today, so I hope you’ll stop by and tell me how you feel about getting feedback and notes on your work.  Do you love it?  Hate it?  What makes the difference for you?

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

C. J.’s Summer Reading List

Salutations and Happy Independence Day to my American readers and friends. I’m going to be spending the fourth at our cottage in Montana with my daughter Tessa and her friend Ella. I wish we could look forward to some fireworks over Flathead Lake but conditions have been so dry lately, that those sorts of celebrations are being discouraged.

The good news is...we can still read! In the hot summer months one of my favorite indulgences is to dive into a fast paced book and just keep reading until it’s done. With July off to a good start, I thought it would be fun to share the top three books on this year’s summer reading list.

For Reading When It’s Just Too Hot To Move:

The Silent Girls by Eric Rickstad

The chills in this book will keep you from overheating on those very hot summer days. I am about two thirds in and can’t wait to finish! It’s a very captivating mystery with some pretty cool characters. The gun-toting, venison-eating hero captures your heart when you learn he raised his niece as his own after his sister’s murder.

For Reading On A Rainy Summer Morning:

It’s You by Jane Porter

Don’t let rain clouds dampen your day. Just make a cup of tea, crawl under your quilt, and snuggle down for a read that will touch your heart and make you think about who really are the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ in this world. I gulped this one down in just three days!

For Reading In Your Beach Chair:

A Week At The Lake by Wendy Wax

I don’t have my copy of this one yet, but I love the cover and I’m a fan of Wendy Wax, so I don’t see how I can go wrong. When I’m done here I may go pick another title from Tule Publishing. They have so many excellent books out this summer with the most delicious-looking covers!

Tell me—what will you be reading this summer? I need some more books to add to my list and I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Hope you enjoy your summer!

C.J. Carmichael

Website | Facebook

Susan Sands: What Makes a Villain?

I’m sitting at the beach contemplating my next villain. What makes a villain? Are they mostly evil, mentally damaged, or just want what they can’t have? How badly must they behave to be villainous enough? Can they change?

In my debut novel, AGAIN, ALABAMA, my hero and heroine were kept apart for ten or so years by many factors, not the least of which was a traitorous best friend, who is referred to as “crazy” several time throughout the book. I’d like to think there’s a fine line when writing that delineates our nutty characters from our mentally unbalanced ones. My gal was crazy mean and ended up going off the deep end, which got her killed eventually. I treated her as a villain, but also as a person who’d lost control. After her death, it dawned on the affected characters that she’d been sick, and they, in turn, demonstrated compassion and understanding for her because they finally realized that what she’d lived with had really been mental illness—even though her actions had destroyed lives, especially her own.

I tried to be careful how I portrayed my villainess. She became a mother, whose out-of-control emotions had negative lasting effects on her daughter, husband and everyone around her.

Believe it or not, my story would be considered a fun, Southern summer read!

Thanks to Lee for hosting me on her wonderful blog today! I love to connect with readers!!

She’s back in Alabama—again.

Scorned television chef, Cammie Laroux, is dragged back to small-town Alabama to help her mom recover from surgery, sort through family drama and rescue her family’s event planning business after a humiliating, very public career debacle. Her sneaky siblings have failed to mention that Grey Harrison, the love of her life and the reason she left town, is also back home. Now a widower with a young daughter, he is currently renovating her childhood home.

Grey has spent ten years dreaming of a reunion with Cammie, whom he’s never stopped loving even though he annihilated her heart in an unforgivable way with her best friend.  When they are finally face to face, the sparks and emotions are off the charts, but even a master architect and carpenter like Grey faces a near impossible challenge to rebuild his relationship with Cammie.

 As Cammie finds herself forgetting all the reasons she can’t trust Grey or love again, Grey is determined to use all his skills to persuade Cammie to stay with him in Alabama forever.

Susan Sands grew up in a real life Southern Footloose town in Northwest Louisiana, complete with her senior class hosting the first ever prom in the history of their tiny public school with half the town chaperoning. Is it any wonder she writes Southern small town stories full of porch swings, fun and romance?

Susan lives in Alpharetta, Georgia surrounded by her husband, three young adult kiddos and lots of material for her next book.

Find me at:

Facebook Author Page:  https://www.facebook.com/susannsandsauthor

Twitter:  @SusanNoelSands

Blog:  Sweet Home Alpharetta at susansands.com

Susan Sands

Madeline Ash: Character Interview - Her Secret Prince

Today we’re chatting with Prince Jebediah and his new wife, Dee, as they reflect on their lives following the events in Her Secret Prince.

You are the couple of the moment, the fairytale romance on everyone’s minds! Do tell us how you two met.

JED: I moved around a lot as a kid. At sixteen, my mum moved us to San Francisco. I met Dee at school and we became friends.

DEE: You mean I was your only friend. He wasn’t interested in being social, because his mum was probably going to make him move again. But for some reason, he liked me and I fell in love with him pretty fast. I mean, look at him, who wouldn’t? All dark hair and shadowy stares, my God, he still makes me weak. Anyway, he was too shy to make a move, so I did, right before he disappeared. My heart held out for him for the next ten years.

That’s so romantic. So Jed, is it true – you had no idea you were royalty until recently?

JED: Not a clue. My true lineage was kept from me throughout my childhood. It wasn’t until my father made contact with me recently that I found out. I was stunned.

DEE: Yet it made sense. Beneath his quiet words and confused soul-chasing, there’s always been a kind of…presence, you know? People look at him when he walks into a room. They listen when he talks – and he doesn’t talk loudly. He’s measured and compassionate, and if ever there was a secret prince in the making, it makes complete sense that it was Jed.

Aw, absolutely! And Dee, you lived in Los Angeles before you moved to the castle here in Leguarday?

DEE: That’s right. I had a poky apartment that I loved to death – about the size of my wardrobe here. I spent my days working on screenplays in a café around the corner. It was a simple life, a bit lonely, but I miss it sometimes.

Yes, it must be very different here. One final cheeky question – we heard that you two are very active lovers and are making your way through the castle one room at a time. Can you tell us whether that’s true?

JED: No comment.

DEE: Oh yeah, we’re almost half way! Thanks for having us!

Thanks for chatting to us! If you’d like to know more about Prince Jebediah and Dee’s love story, Her Secret Prince is available on Amazon now.

~~

Thanks for having me on the blog today, Lee! It’s been fun interviewing my own characters post-story!

Best, 

Madeline

The Crock Pot Novel by Kim Boykin

Crock pot novel? Yeah, Caught Up in You was a slow cooker all right. I started this Tule novella last summer before RWA, excited about the storyline and the characters. Ready to dive into the it every morning, almost desperate to escape real life.

The desperation started when my husband was put on paid leave because of a dispute over commissions with his employers. After writing full-time at home for years. Alone. Just me and the dogs. I suddenly had a "buddy" who wanted to go to lunch and who also wanted me to be his assistant,  his IT guy, and staff of 75 employees he was missing. He had no idea what I've been doing all these years and would get on the phone with his colleagues and marvel,

"Yeah, she works all the time. Yeah. Writing. I had no idea."

Suddenly, all those tongue in cheek Facebook posts about authors killing folks and burying the bodies, or in this case, body in the backyard made perfect sense to me. So, to avoid committing multiple felonies, I kept throwing myself back into this Southern Born story about a second chance at first love.

I wrote and I wrote and I wrote, but the story never wanted to end, or maybe I never wanted the story to end. For whatever reason, I just couldn't finish it. So, I put it aside and started and finished my Christmas novella. No problem. Wrote my Berkley novel in less than two months.

And life sorted itself out. Turned out it was a good thing my husband had all that time off. His mom was put in hospice in January and passed away July 30. He got to spend a lot of time with her and was there to say goodbye instead of being on a plane somewhere far away when she passed. August 1, he went to work at his new company and got out of my house so that I don't have to murder him for interrupting me every five seconds. And lo and behold, when I pulled out Caught Up in You again, I could actually see the ending that I'm sure was there all along.

Caught Up in You is another fun romp in Magnolia Bay with the Six Chicks. I love this story. It was a long time coming, but it was definitely worth the wait.

CAUGHT 

UP inYOU

Available 4/21/15

After attending her baby sister’s destination wedding, Shelby Worthington decides she’s ready to do some husband hunting of her own. The only problem? She’s still insanely attracted to Declan Enright, her high school and college crush. He’s now a wildly successful painter who’s temporarily back in Magnolia Bay, but Declan should be Shelby’s last choice for possible husband material.  He didn’t earn the reputation of runaway groom for nothing…

Declan has worked hard to make his mark on the New York art scene and has succeeded at everything he’s ever done…except love. But Declan has come back to the Bay to change that and care for his dying father, even if he’s still never forgiven Declan for leaving the family business. Shelby is determined to steer clear, but while her lips keep saying no, her heart is pounding out yes each time she and Declan are together.  While she can’t deny her attraction, Shelby’s convinced that Declan’s track record means he will break her heart. Or has Declan changed for good, and made love worth the risk?