Carole Mortimer: July News

A belated Happy Independence Day on July 4th!

Three of our sons, plus one daughter-in-law, and granddaughter Aoife—or most of the asylum, as I like to call them—decided to come home to the Isle of Man for a week’s holiday the first week of July. July 5^th is Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man, and a national holiday. Although situated between England and Ireland, the Isle of Man is totally independent. The government here is called Tynwald, and Tynwald Day is a thousand-year-old ceremony which takes place at the village of St John’s, on a hill in the middle of the island. Islanders are allowed to place petitions in front of the representative of the government, and Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen is Lord of Man, rather than our queen. We all had a great time, and the weather stayed fine, which was a bonus.

End of June saw the start of my new contemporary romantic suspense series, Knight Security, with the release of Resisting Alexandre (Knight Security 0.5) and Defying Asher (Knight Security 1) both on June 30^th. Resisting Alexandre was previously published as Alexandre, in the anthology Royals & Rogues. The Knight Security series is a spin-off of the #1 bestselling Alpha series, so readers will meet some familiar characters from previous books in some of these stories. The 3^rd book in the series, Challenging Gabriel (Knight Security 2) is now available for pre-order from all ebook retailers, and will be released September 23^rd. 

The 5^th book in my bestselling and Top100 Regency Unlaced series, Desired by a Lord (Regency Unlaced 5), is now available for pre-order, and will be released on July 22^nd.

As always, the stories in my Knight Security, Regency Unlaced, and Alpha series, are more explicit in their language and sexual content than my other books. So beware, they’re hot!

Buy links for Defying Asher (Knight Security 1)

https://www.amazon.com/Defying-Asher-Knight-Security-1-ebook/dp/B01EZC7W9U/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1466718193&sr=8-7&keywords=carole+mortimer

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defying-asher-carole-mortimer/1123752673?ean=2940152999754

This book is also available on Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords

Buy Links for Resisting Alexandre (Knight Security 0.5):

https://www.amazon.com/Resisting-Alexandre-Knight-Security-0-5-ebook/dp/B01GTWR7QC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1466718373&sr=8-9&keywords=carole+mortimer

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/resisting+alexandre?_requestid=1000743

This book is also available on Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords.

Website: www.carolemortimer.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaroleMortimerAuthor

Email: contact@carolemortimer.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/@carole_mortimer

Newsletter: www.eepurl.com/2rfzz         

On the Move -- Anne McAllister

At our house we are up to our eyeballs, literally, in packing boxes.

We are in the throes of moving house from the one where we've lived for over forty years (at least during the school years) to a new home in Montana. We've been in and out of Montana for the past twenty-five, and before that I spent vacations there as a child because my mother was born in Montana and we still have family there.

So, once the grandkids started arriving in Montana -- and The Prof neared the age of retirement -- we decided it was time to make a move. It took nearly a decade, but hey, we don't jump at opporunities the second they appears.

Besides, now the Iowa grandkids are all pretty well-launched and will be visiting regularly, I'm sure. In fact some of them are actually coming with us next week (though they will be returning home eventually -- I think).

Anyway, it's a whole new chapter (book metaphor required, of course), and one that I'm looking forward to.  As I've done my share of writing about Montana -- and am currently in the final stages of my first Sons of Montana book for Tule -- it will be nice to look out my window and get inspiration instead of having to look at my photo albums and digital files for it!

But before I go I want to say how much I have loved living in Iowa.  My stepdad, who was raised here, could hardly wait to leave. I would never leave if it weren't for those grandkids.

As much as I love the mountains and the cowboys and the dry air, I love the history of river towns and the Northwest Territory and environs, and the best corn in the world (just had first of the year tonight for dinner) -- not to mention the best neighbors and friends whom I'm sorely going to miss.

I've spent two-thirds of my life here. It's where I reared my kids, started my career, raised my dogs -- and my one opinionated cat -- it's the place that I will always call home.  It gave me great joy, and I know when I come back, which I will certainly do at least once a year so those grandsons can continue to go to sports camp until they're too old, it will capture my heart all over again.

Thank you, Iowa. I love you.

Montana, here we come!

Photos:
1) mine
2) copyright 2011, J Kennedy, used with permission
3) mine

Summer Reading

When I was in school I have to say I never minded those summer reading lists that some of my teacher's used to furnish us.  Actually, I loved it when my kids got them to.  It was an excuse to read, which is sometimes what I need.  I love reading but somehow sitting quietly in the corner lost in my own little world sometimes needed and needs justification.

When I was in school I read so much that my mom really feared I'd never leave her house.  She used to come up with challenges to get my nose out of a book.  She loved that I read, I don't want you to think that she was discouraging me to read, but I used to set my alarm early so I could read and then I'd read at the breakfast table, in the car to school, while I was waiting for classes to start, between classes (ok, I'll admit I even used to read with the book on my lap during some classes, which might explain why I still don't really get science!) and then I'd read on the way to swim practice, read on the way home and read after dinner.  Her concern was real!

So when I had the summer reading list I didn't have to justify to mom that I was reading.  She took my sisters and to the store and she used to buy all the books on the list and then as a family we'd read them over the summer.  It was great.

What I really loved about the summer reading list was that it had books that I wouldn't have normally chosen to read.  So this summer I'm making a reading list for myself that's not as romance heavy.

Here are a few of the books on my list:

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe  
This is a series of letters written by a young woman who went to London to nanny in the 80s.  The BBC made a TV series out of it that was really good so now I want to read the book.

Midnight Crossroad (Midnight Texas #1) by Charlaine Harris
I love the Sookie Sackhouse series and heard that this series has cameos from some of her characters so I thought I'd give it a try.

The Trials of Apollo The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
My son is a huge Rick Riordan fan and we have always both read the books and then discussed them, which I love!

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 & 2 by J.K. Rowling
My daughter loves Harry Potter.  It was the book that made her into a voracious reader.  She has been dying to see what happened in the play and frankly, I have too.  We all pre-ordered a copy because we don't like to wait to read it!

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
I read about this book around Christmas last year but haven't had a chance to read it.  I like Mindy Kaling so I think I'll enjoy her book. :)

I'd love to have some recommendations from you! What's on your summer reading list?  Have you read any of the books on my list?

Get a free download of Melting Mr Frosty's Heart

Those of you who've been with me for a while will know I have a bit of a thing for ice cream. Three books - Tempted By Trouble, Anything But Vanilla and Vettori's Damsel in Distress - have charted the romances of the three Amery sisters who founded the ice cream events business "Scoop!".

Often one book will lead to a spin-off - great characters cannot be left dangling while the main event sweeps on to its inevitable conclusion.

Two such characters were that magician with ice cream, Ria (Knickerbocker Gloria, herself) and uptight millionaire with a passion for opera, Graeme Laing.

Sorrel Amery's parting gift to him was to tell him that Ria loved the opera. Great Uncle Basil's response was that she would "shake the creases out of his pants".

Melting Mr Frosty's Heart is a short story that catches up with the moment when Graeme, much against his better judgement, decides to ask her to join him in his box at Covent Garden.

Will she say yes? Do opposites ever attract? And what happens to his pants?

This short story will be on sale at the beginning of August for just .99c. (I know - Amazon converts that to 99p in the UK which is just wrong but if you download from Smashwords you'll get the US price wherever you are in the world).

Or you could sign up for my newsletter and get it free a whole week before it goes on sale. That's right, My newsletter subscribers will be getting a secret link to my website where they can read it free.

It's a gift to my wonderful readers, some of whom have been reading my newsletter from the first issue. Total treasures. If you want to join them - sign up here.

Oh, and in case you're not already thoroughly tempted, here is the cover.

Addison Fox: A Puzzle

I spent time with my parents over the 4th of July weekend and we worked on a puzzle together. They’d started it the week before so by the time I arrived the frame was up and some of the center image was coming together. Throughout a few days, we continued to work the middle pieces, coming in and out of the dining room as the mood struck.

I’m deeply fortunate to have a wonderful relationship with both of my parents – we talk easily and are always discussing something – but the conversation as we put the puzzle together was different somehow. My father told stories about my grandmother and how she had a series of rules when they did puzzles.

• You must frame the puzzle first
• You must work on the puzzle to be part of putting in the last few pieces
• You must put the pieces into sections on the table that seem to correspond with where they go

It was silly talk but it gave me a memory I didn’t have and further framed up (pun intended!!) an aspect of my grandmother I didn’t know. (She’d probably have been horrified that I got to work on the puzzle a week after it had begun!!)

Throughout the weekend we discussed the silly and the mundane but we also discussed the serious. A friend’s been going through the after effects of a stroke and we discussed that and the corresponding life changes that come with it.

In short – the time we spent in front of that puzzle was concentrated together time. There weren’t any distractions, it was just us. Our time with the puzzle created new memories together, and it added to the rich store of history I have about my loved ones.

Thanks for joining me today!
XO,
Addison



Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in New York and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest release, THE ROYAL SPY’S REDEMPTION, from Harlequin Romantic Suspense is on shelves now. You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com

Roxanne Snopek: Favorite Quotes About LOVE

Lately, I’ve been running across pithy sayings about love and romance. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

I know that over a quarter-century of loving and being loved by the same man has given me strength and courage I’d have never, ever thought possible. Of course, they also say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? ;)

As Rita Rudner says:

But what does love look like? Here’s what my character Pamela told Dane in The Millionaire Daddy Project:

As this one from The Princess Bride illustrates, love involves sacrifice and service. Westley will do anything for his beloved Highness, and when he says “as you wish” he’s really saying “I love you.”

http://youtu.be/gbX1U1tx9aw

This, from psychologist Eric Fromm, always makes me think of how love makes us both strong… and vulnerable… and strong again.

And finally, another comment from Dane, when he finally realizes he is in love. (SIGH!)

Now, go share this with someone you love. And to show my love, I’ve got a $5 Amazon gift card(or other e-book vendor of your choice) for one lucky person. Leave a comment here before July 7 to be entered.

The Millionaire Daddy Project is available at:

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Daddy-Project-Men-Zodiac-ebook/dp/B00W1E16BU/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-millionaire-daddy-project-roxanne-snopek/1121725503

Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/the-millionaire-daddy-project-entangled-indulgence

iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/millionaire-daddy-project/id985126036

GooglePlay https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Roxanne_Snopek_The_Millionaire_Daddy_Project_Entan?id=qVoXCAAAQBAJ&hl=en

CJ Carmichael: Traveler or Homebody?

Do you love to travel or are you a homebody? I can never decide which I am. My husband and I just spent two weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We had a lot of craic (fun) as we explored the cities and countryside on a wonderful bus tour that swept up from Dublin to Belfast, then along the west side of the country through Derry, Galway, Killarney and Waterford. We enjoyed Irish beer and whisky, tried beef Guiness stew and fish and chips. And thanks to our awesome tour guide, learned a lot of Irish history at the same time.

Yet, coming home just feels so good, and these days I feel particularly fortunate to be a citizen of a relatively peaceful and tolerant country like Canada. This July 1^st marks the 149^th anniversary of Canada becoming a self-governing dominion. After my immersion in over two thousand years of Ireland’s history, this seems so incredibly young!

Whether you’re Canadian, or not, I’d like to invite you to celebrate our anniversary too—and what better way than by introducing yourself to a sample of Canadian romance authors? A group of us—masterminded by Lauren Hawkeye—have put together a boxed set of 19 stories. You can receive Oh! Canada for free, provided you sign up to receive all of our newsletters. Of course, you are free to later unsubscribe from any of the newsletters you don’t enjoy.

And now I would be remiss if I didn’t also wish all my lovely American readers a Happy Fourth of July! One of the awesome things about being Canadian is enjoying the friendly relationship our countries have had for so many years.

Happy Reading Friends!

Cheers from C.J.

C. J. Carmichael

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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

Sunday Driving

By Joanne Rock

I took a long car ride with my husband today. We haven’t done that in a long time. Well, we did drive from Florida to upstate New York a few weeks ago, but I don’t count that since that was more of a car endurance marathon than a car “ride.” This afternoon we drove an hour away to have lunch and enjoy the Adirondack scenery, stopping at a local lake to check out the houses and admire the views while we were at it. So fun.

We used to do things like that long ago. You remember those creative dates when money is more scarce? You take a long ride and get an ice cream cone, or drive out to some scenic spot to hike a trail or have a picnic. Simple pleasures.

I remember an uncle who took my cousin and I on long car trips around an Adirondack lake when we were girls. We used to really look forward to the outing, only to realize midway through the lake was HUGE and we were clearly never getting home. But now, I understand the concept of Sunday driving more. The point isn’t to set a land-speed record. It’s to see something new and enjoy a place from the comfort of your own car while your favorite music plays.

Today, I rediscovered the joy of tooling around on a sunny day for a good joy ride. We stopped for lunch, walked around a little lake, chatted with local shopkeepers, priced homes we’ll never buy because we like looking at houses, and ran our fingers over a fast moving stream to see how cold the water from the mountains can be. (Answer: very!!)

It was fun and I highly recommend It for your next cheap date. Make sure you have good tunes too, because old songs always remind you of something from the past that will be fun to share. This summer, I’m committed to enjoying the slow spin of the days rather than hurtling headlong through the season. Sunday driving is a good start.

***Do you ever hop in the car “just because” or do you get fidgety if you don’t have a destination in mind? How about as a teen? Did you head out with your friends just for the freedom of it? Chat with me today on the boards and I’ll give one random poster a copy of my latest release, SECRET BABY SCANDAL. 

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

The Music Behind: Protecting the Quarterback

If you've followed me much on social media - or visited my house or ridden with me in a car or...you get the picture - then you know music plays a big part in both my writing and my life.

Music plays from the time we get up in the morning until we turn in for the night - country, pop, R&B, showtunes, jazz...it can all be heard in our house at one time or another.

The same is true for my writing. Depending on the stage of my books, I'll listen to different types of music. Lately, I've been in a country music phase - Dierks Bentley, Chase Rice, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert...those are a few of my favorites. Some songs are purely for fun (think Drunk on a Plane or Somewhere on a Beach by Dierks Bentley), some are for atmosphere (think Take Your Time by Sam Hunt).

The playlist for my latest Harlequin Superromance was especially eclectic - I listened to the Muzak version of old showtunes during the drafting phase (I'm not sure why, the channel on my DirecTV channel just spoke to me), but the actual playlist was definitely country-heavy.

Here's a peek inside the playlist I created for Protecting the Quarterback:

I'm Just a Girl by Deana Carter
Tattoos on This Town by Jason Aldean
Bourbon in Kentucky by Dierks Bentley
American Honey by Lady Antebellum
Beer with the Boys by Chase Rice
Broken by Lifehouse
Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
Cruisin' by Smokey Robinson
Don't Write Me Off by Hugh Grant

That's a just a peek inside. Some of these were favorites before I wrote this book, but they're all on my favorites list now.

What about you? Do you have a favorite song right now?

Kristina Knight's latest release, Protecting the Quarterback, releases May 1 from Harlequin Superromance: 

This is more than just a game … to her

Sports broadcaster Brooks Smith has always been more involved with the game than the players. But after she shares the spotlight at an awards ceremony with tabloid sensation Jonas Nash, one night of letting her guard down around the infamous quarterback spirals into many heated days and nights together when she gets assigned to the story of the year…

The hottest player in professional football is hiding a secret that could end his career for good. Now Brooks is caught on the sidelines between the job she loves and the man she is falling in love with.

Amazon  B&N  KOBO  iBooks  Harlequin

You can find out more the book and Kristina on her website, and feel free to stalk follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

Joanne Walsh: The Write Stuff

Despite the fact that Portugal has had the wettest, coldest spring on record, my writers’ retreat there went well.  Perhaps the weather was a blessing, as we weren’t lured out to the poolside or onto the beach. Instead, we huddled up in sweaters and fleeces, lit the log fire and hit our laptops (except for my friend who writes the first draft of her novels by hand).

In fact, the rhythms and habits of my fellow writers were really interesting to observe.  The hand-writer was the most prolific, maybe because she had less opportunity to go back and re-write and correct?  Another retreater would start writing in her pyjamas as soon as she got up because that was when she felt at her freshest and most inspired.  Another lady we had to install in a room of her own, as she likes to read out loud while she’s writing—it works because she does great dialogue.  As for me, I would write in twenty to thirty-minute bursts, followed by a few minutes’ timeout in the villa’s pretty garden (when the rain allowed), where I would noodle over tricky emotions or plot developments that I was wrestling with in my head.

The best bit was in the evenings when we settled down after dinner and read out what we’d written that day to receive feedback.  I really wish I had could have this on a daily basis—together with that amazing view over the Atlantic!

Deanna's World: Author Showcase: Liz Fielding

I'm having a day out with Deanna today. Do come and say hello!



Deanna's World: Author Showcase: Liz Fielding: I can't begin to tell you how excited I am today. Wanna know why? Because Liz Fielding is on the bloggity. LIZ freakin' FIELDING!!! ...

Barbara Ankrum: Laguna Beach is Calling!

Laguna Beach is one of those places that you never forget, once you’ve been there. Tucked between Los Angeles and San Diego on the beautiful Pacific Coast, it’s a small, beachy community that has—over the years—become a must-visit every summer for Southern Californians. With its perfect waves, tide pools and touristy festivals, my family made this trip every summer. In fact, my mother-in-law had a second home in Laguna Niguel, on the cliffs above the beach and that was our price-is-right vacation for many happy years. I finished many a book manuscript there, too, all by myself.
When we first went there, thirty-something years ago (e-hem!) there were still bare hillsides not covered in red tile roofs and there was parking on the Main Street. Now, it’s a little more crowded. But no matter.  Laguna’s charm is constant and most of us are willing to brave the parking issues to loll on the beaches there.

My husband and I recently moved out of California to the mid-west, and leaving Laguna behind is one of our big regrets. So when I was invited by the lovely Kaira Rouda, author of the Laguna Nights series, to write a novella for her Laguna Beach Kindle World Series, I leapt at the chance.  RECKLESS IN LAGUNA (debuting July 7th on Amazon) gave me the opportunity to visit that awesome town in my imagination again, since I won’t make it there this summer.

The place rushed into my senses as I started to write this book: the sound of the ocean, the crimson bougainvillea spilling over every portico and blue lilies of the Nile swaying on every walkway—in short, my sense memories of the way the whole town makes me feel crashed in on me like a wave.  (A friendly, hip-deep kind of wave.)

Laguna Beach is home town for my two protagonists: Nio Reyes (the brother of Trey Reyes from my The Canadays of Montana series) the gardener’s son and who disappeared from Laguna without a word ten years ago, only to return successful, and Becca Howard, the rich girl who loved him, whose family has lost it all.  It’s a second chance at love story.  These two who were ripped apart under mysterious circumstances, are coming back together for one hot summer weekend in Laguna Beach for a friend’s wedding. Though their circumstances have changed, their feelings for each other lie just under the turbulent surfaces of their complicated lives. Can Nio make things right after breaking her heart? Will revealing the truth about what really happened finally heal both their hearts?

Here’s a little snippet of  RECKLESS IN LAGUNA for you:

Becca backed up against the restroom sink, bumping her hip, then edged toward the wall. “Nio. Wh-what are you doing in here?”
“What’s it look like? Talk to me, Becca. What’s going on?”
She straightened. “I’m fine. Nothing’s going on. You shouldn’t be in here.”
He locked the door behind him.
“Nio—”
“They can wait a minute. Don’t tell me you’re fine. You’re not. I can see that.” He took a few steps toward her, then stopped when she flinched. He held his palms up. “You’re crying.”
“No. No I’m not.” The words came out in a half-sob. Horrifyingly, snot squirted out of her nose and she clapped a hand over her face. 
A sympathetic grin twisted his mouth and he tugged a paper towel from the dispenser, handing it to her. “That’s snot exactly true, is it?” 
“Oh, God.” Against her will, she laughed and blew her nose. “How positively mortifying.”
“It was kinda charming, actually,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. 
Just that, his small touch, sent a paroxysm of longing through her. Damn him! Remember your vow to swear off men. Especially this one! She glared up at him past the paper towel. “Don’t be nice to me. It goes against everything I believe about you.”
 “Well, that is a problem,” he agreed. “I guess I need to redeem myself somehow. Let me drive you home.”
 “You forget, my fiancé is right outside those doors.” Ex. My ex-fiancé.
“Yeah.” Nio glanced back in that direction. “You don’t really want him to drive you home, do you?”
Fresh out of lies for the night, she sniffed and shook her head. She really, really didn’t.
“That’s what I thought. So splash some cold water on that beautiful face of yours and let’s get out of here.” 
 “It won’t look right. I can’t leave with you.” She swayed against the sink, feeling lightheaded. “And I definitely shouldn’t leave with you. I’m a little bit drunk, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“That’s why I’m driving. For right now, what do you say we put aside our past and whatever you feel about me and let me help you? No strings. I’ll just take you home.”
Home. The thought of prowling around that empty place tonight until she fell asleep did not appeal. In fact, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do less.
“I—” she began, turning back to the mirror, “I don’t want to go home. Will you take me somewhere else?” 
He blinked. “Name it.”
“Anywhere. Where’s your car?”
“Parking lot.”
She considered, then did the exact opposite of what good sense dictated. “Give me five minutes.”
“Done.”

* * *

I hope you’ll join me on July 7, 2016 for the launch of RECKLESS IN LAGUNA. Because, hey, it never hurts to spend a little bit of your summer in Laguna Beach!

Where’s your favorite go-to place in summer? I’d love to hear. One lucky commenter will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Liz Fielding on Newsletters!

 I'm blogging about marketing today. If you're thinking of starting one you might find it useful.



neetsmarketing : Liz Fielding on Newsletters!:



I've known Liz Fielding online since I first joined Twitter in 2011, and was thrilled when she accepted my invitation to write a po...

How Not to Write Yourself into a Corner by Jenny Gardiner

I've been crunching to finish A Court Gesture, book 8 in my It's Reigning Men royal contemporary romance series, but I thought you might be interested in my process (or lack thereof) when I am figuring out my books. So Here's some insight into how I wrote my latest release, It’s Getting Hot in Heir, book seven in the series.

This is the first series that I’ve written, and now that I’m this far into it I've realized that I need to be a little more careful so that I don’t find myself writing myself into a corner…Which happened a handful of times with this book.

The hero/heroine of this book were in previous books—the hero, Edouardo, started out as a bit player in book two, Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow. He was a bit gruff, far too overprotective of his sister and family, maybe gruff to the point of surly. But the more I incorporated him into the backstory of other stories (I think he reared his ugly head, in a funny way, in Shame of Thrones), the more I wanted to figure him out. By the way, by the time I was writing this book, I wished I could have changed his name, though, because spelling Edouardo correctly realllllly got to be a pain ;-).

In my last book, Throne for a Loop, I introduced our heroine, Gabriella, as a secondary character who’d recently returned to Monaforte, the small European principality in which the books mostly take place. So I wasn’t too sure about what to do about Gabriella, either (in Throne for a Loop, I had her having some unfortunate experiences with the men in her life that led to some even more unfortunate stress eating, but that was about it). So I impulsively decided to throw those two together and see what happened.

Well…did I mention Edouardo can be a bit of a crank? And really, he just had some issues he had to figure out, so I had to dig into his psyche a bit and try to help him get his act together a little bit. And in the process of that, find time for the two of them to develop a relationship, while enabling her to figure out her deal (we all have them, don’t we?! I’m still trying to figure out my deal LOL), and—and this was what really got me into murky water—having to coordinate it with events from previous books and then having characters from other books making little guest appearances and having to be sure I’ve got them doing the right things at the right time for the time frame that this book is in, also keeping in mind that I have some novellas I still want to write with some events like a royal wedding (or two!) and a royal baby (or two!) and not creating conflicting information about timing with those events.

Which meant book seven found me counting on my fingers a lot (figuring what year or month or season other things had occurred in so that I was sure I wasn’t messing that up). Alas, I’m really bad at counting, even on my fingers, so hopefully I didn’t blow it too conspicuously! And hopefully I don’t have too many Edouardo’s spelled wrong (sometimes I spelled him I think “Edouaordo” in an earlier book, but that was even harder to write). Plus I like the chance to “nickname” a name, and it was hard to do that with his name. I kind of did just for a joke at one point in the book, just because I knew it would make him mad.

But…it was sort of good therapy for me to have to deal with some additional computation along with those emotional problems with my story because it helped me garner a little more insight into the motivations of both of these characters, which I hoped I convey successfully in the telling of their story.

I did certainly learn, however, to start choosing easier names to type for future characters ;-).

Thanks again for having me visit!!! You’re always such a great supporter and I’m really grateful to you for it!

It's Getting Hot in Heir

You can get it here: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, GooglePlay, Nook

Here's the cover for my latest I'm working on---what do you think? It's available for pre-order here:   iBooks   Kindle Kobo

Oh and for a limited time I've got an awesome free book for you if you sign up for my newsletter: Something in the Heir, book 1 of the It's Reigning Men series! Sign up here  and you'll be first to hear about deals and giveaways.

    

           

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