Posted by: Author | May 18, 2013

BLOG HOP! Contemporary Romance

EDITED TO ADD WINNERS: Lindsay won the book and BN100 won the ceramic dish. Thanks to all for playing along.

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This weekend is a blog hop for the Sweet Cravings and Secret Cravings Publishing authors here (or click the picture above). I have two contemporary romances with them. Surf Break is a story set on the beach in my hometown and Venetian Masks is a novel set in Venice, Italy and Bangkok Thailand. My page at Sweet Cravings is here.

Surfing seems to be a theme with me since I have three stories where the heroine is a surfer. For a chance to win an e-copy of Surf Break, tell me what your favorite water sport is and why. It can even just be lounging by the pool with an umbrella drink because that is fun, isn’t it?
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tourist attractions: Venice at the sunset

I also seem to like Italy since I have two books based in that lovely country. For a chance to win a ceramic Italian dip bowl and dipper, let me know, if you could spend a weekend anywhere in Italy where you would go and with whom.

I’ll draw the two winners on Monday, May 20th at 8 am Central. Check back to see if you won. Good luck!

I also will donate all proceeds of sales of my books this weekend at my publisher’s site to my local animal shelter in honor of my own shelter cat, Hobbes.innocnet

Posted by: Author | May 17, 2013

Friday Fact – May 17, 2013- William Howard Taft

There are three branches of the government of the United States. The executive, the judicial and the legislative. Each has equal powers and there’s a system of checks and balances in place to make sure none exceed their authority.

Only one person has ever been the head of both the judicial and the executive branches. He served as the twenty-seventh President of the United States from 1909 to 1913. He was the tenth Chief Justice of the U S Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930.

Next time you play trivia and the question comes up about who was the only President to sit on the Supreme Court, you have the correct answer.

He was also the first president to buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Before being President, at various times, he served as Solicitor General of the United States, Governor-General of the Philippines, a Federal Appeals Court Judge and Secretary of War. He had quite a varied career, didn’t he?

Posted by: Author | May 16, 2013

Another Great New Book- Jamie Salisbury, Guest

Jamie Salisbury has a new book out and it’s hot, hot, hot. It’s so hot I need to say it in Spanish! Caliente!! She was kind enough to share some excerpts with us. I gave you two of them but the third was so caliente, I couldn’t post it here with my PG13 rating cap. You’ll have to buy the book for that part. Thanks for sharing with us today, Jamie. RockntheBoss_MED

Rockin’ the Boss blurb
The adventure begins…
Max Frazier may be a stunningly handsome international rock star, but he has other hidden talents from his past. Talents the authorities want him to use. Talents Max thought of as one hit wonders and wanted to keep in his past.
His smokin’ hot employer, Ashleigh Thomas, is unaware of his past with the S.A.S. Recently widowed, she yearns to bring the entertainment agency she and her late husband owned out of ruins, with Max’s help. Together they embark on a once in a lifetime deal for Max.
Will their mutual attraction for the other turn to fire, or will it burn to ashes once Ashleigh learns the truth? As she and Max find themselves helping the authorities bring in a figure from Ashleigh’s past…will love trump evil?

Rockin’ the Boss excerpts

#1
Then, his voice and demeanor took a more serious tone. “Then there was your marriage to Richard and his sudden death.”
I carefully placed my fork back on the plate and stared at him, shocked that he would bring up Richard. We had been together for close to fifteen years. It had been obvious to everyone except me that he had married me exclusively for the money and connections that my family brought. What he had not expected was Papa insisting on a pre-nuptial agreement.
Richard made the best of the knowledge that he would get nothing if he ever chose to leave. As soon as we married, sex was non-existent between us. He had a steady stream of mistresses and thought little of parading them in front of me. The agency had been his idea, as he had loved the lifestyle and fame it brought. His life had ended as he had lived—hard, fast, and mysterious.
I took a bite of salad and did not react immediately. “I was surprised when you moved to Atlanta.” As I changed the subject, my tone made it clear to Max that Richard was an issue I did not wish to discuss.
“I wanted to be closer to the new team you put together. Manhattan can be so over-rated and expensive. California I love, but it’s even further away. But I do like the climate and the opportunities. Atlanta intrigued me. What made you move here?” The sides of his mouth curled up as though he already knew the answer.
What’s he up to? “Atlanta is special. My mother’s from the area, and I spent a lot of time here growing up.”
“Ah-ha!” he boomed, as he grinned at me. “Now I know why your parent’s named you Ashleigh. It’s so Atlanta, so Southern, so Gone with the Wind.”
“Better than the alternative I suppose.”
“What would that be?”
“My father wanted to name me Coco after Coco Chanel, which might have worked in France, but here I don’t know. At least fun can be had with Ashleigh. You know, the Gone with the Wind melodrama.” I replied as we left the table and headed into the living room. “Would you like coffee, Max, or perhaps something stronger?”
“A brandy sounds great, love,” his accent thicker than earlier.
The change did not go unnoticed as I left to fetch the liquor. I returned with two snifters and handed one to him. He seated himself back on the sofa as I walked around to a chair where I could gaze at him from a safe distance.
“I thought, if you are in agreement, we’d stay at a condo that belongs to a girlfriend of mine. She travels extensively. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to let us use her place.”
“That sounds fine. When do you want to leave?” His deep brown stare roamed over my body, a grin curving his luscious lips.
I shifted in my seat, trying desperately not to notice. “Day after tomorrow suit you?”

#2

Inside the apartment, Max poured us both a brandy as we sat next to each other on the overstuffed sofa. “Ashleigh, I need to tell you something.”
Suddenly, I could feel something in the air. “What Max?” I know what’s coming. Perhaps not the words, but the context of what he was about to say.
He leaned closer and took my hand. “I know at this phase of our lives, we’re both beyond the game playing we did when we were in our twenties. I’m attracted to you, Ashleigh…a lot. I want to make love to you. Very much so.”
He kept his focus on my face and squeezed my hand. I stared into his eyes. I felt a modest smile form as it crossed my lips, and I squeezed back. “I would like that too.”
Placing his snifter on the table beside me, Max leaned over and softly kissed my lips before possessing them with his. His tongue probed and licked before he parted them, searching and exploring my mouth. When our tongues met, it was like sparks ignited and a fire ensued. The endless tangle left us both breathless.
When we broke apart, he took the glass still in my hand and placed it next to his. He stood, guided me to my feet, and without another word, led me down the hall to the bedroom.

Rockin’ the Boss Purchase Links

Secret Cravings
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance Ebooks
Bookstrand http://www.bookstrand.com/rockin-the-boss

Jamie’s Bio:
Pensive mature woman looking through out the window
Jamie Salisbury cannot imagine a time when she did not write. A skill that has served her well throughout her diversified professional career that encompassed public relations in and around the entertainment industry, photography, editing, and special event planning.
An avid reader of history, biographies, and romance it’s only natural that she prefers to write romances with characters said to be “so authentic they spring forth from the page and shake the reader’s hand.” No stranger to life threatening situations Jamie pulls from life experience when she creates her stories. Such as when her family had to escape Chile when she was a teen because of the unstable political climate.
Finding herself unable to walk great distances as a result of several foot surgeries, she started writing once again as a way to pass the time. With the completion of her first novel Perpetual Love she dove head first into the eBook and digital publishing paradigm. She couldn’t be happier with her decision to grab the publishing industry by the shoulders and force it to pay attention to all she has to offer.

How to contact Jamie:

Blog: http://www.jamiesalisburyauthor.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.jamiesalisbury.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Salisbury-Womans-Fiction-Author/202978499741542Romance Novel Center: http://www.romancenovelcenter.com/jamiesalisbury
Twitter: @JamieRSalisbury

Posted by: Author | May 15, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

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Posted by: Author | May 14, 2013

Special Guest, Lacie Nation

I have a special guest today, Lacie Nation. She was kind enough to answer some questions about her new release, Gravity Beach. Welcome Lacie.

JILLIAN: The name Gravity Beach intrigues me. What inspired the name? Describe the beach itself.

LACIE: The song Gravity was played on repeat during the writing process. There is a little beach in South Carolina called Folly Beach. It was my muse when creating the backdrop in this story. I wanted it to have that down home feel, but I wanted to create my own little world as well. So, I created the town of Gravity Beach.

JILLIAN: When David was away from his child, where did she stay? Did they use technology to keep in touch- such as Skype?

LACIE: They did use skype as well as email and the phone when he was able to. Madison stayed with his parents while he was deployed.

JILLIAN: What’s the subject/grade that Jolie teaches?

LACIE: She teaches 5th grade. In Gravity Beach 5th graders don’t change classes, so she teaches her students everything.

JILLIAN: Tell us something about David’s backstory that is NOT in the book but was in your head as the writer.

LACIE: I do touch on it a little bit in the book, but despite David being uber hot, he hasn’t really been in a serious relationship. His relationship with Maddie’s mother was short lived because she took off and the two of them never loved each other.

JILLIAN: How do your heroine and hero take their coffee and what does that tell us about them?

LACIE: They take their coffee black. I feel like that tells us that they are no nonsense kind of people. They don’t beat around the bush, but get straight to the point.

BLURB:
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Jolie Baker had it all, amazing friends, a college degree, and a man she planned to spend the rest of her life with. When her love is killed in action, Jolie has to learn to live again. Three years after Ethan’s death, she moves to Gravity Beach to start a new life. At her new teaching job, one of her students is surprised when her father returns home from war. Jolie never imagined how important the returning solider and his daughter would become.
David Stokes wants nothing more than to raise his daughter, Madison, and give her the best life he can. Because Madison’s mother abandoned them, David is all she has. When he meets his little girl’s teacher on the beach, he is surprised by how much he wants to know her. David sees the pain in Jolie’s eyes, but will his love be enough to ease her tattered soul?

How to contact Lacie Nation:
www.SoulShakingRomance.comhttp://
www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/AuthorLacieNation

Remember, today is Tuesday Tales day and while I have a guest today and didn’t participate, there are some awesome tales to read over there. Check it out if you have a chance.
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Posted by: Author | May 11, 2013

A Weekend Mother’s Day Sale

Sweet Cravings Publishing, one of my publishers, is having a great sale this weekend (Friday-Sunday) for Mother’s Day. The code to use is mothers25 and it’s for 25% off all titles. Their sister site, Secret Cravings Publishing- the erotic arm, is having the same sale. Check either site out depending on what your craving is.

I have five stories over there. Here’s a link to my page.

Posted by: Author | May 10, 2013

Friday Facts- May 10, 2013- The Orient Express

I’ve been doing some research on luxury trains as I want to base my next 20th century historical novel on one. The quintessential one of course, is the Orient Express. Its first journey was in 1883. It left from Paris and traveled to Constantinople (which is Istanbul, Turkey now). The city is the gateway to the orient. It was on the trade path between Asia and Europe.

The train traveled through the alps, to Budapest and down through Bucharest to its destination. It was the height of luxury and good taste. Good food, great wine, and the wealthy made travel on it very popular with a certain class of people.

The train continued to travel this route for many years. It was very popular in the 1920s but it obviously had interruptions in service due to the various wars on the continent. It finally faded away in the 1970s.

A man named Sherwood brought it back to life by buying and restoring many of its carriages. In 1982, the newly refurbished Venice Simplon-Orient Express made its first trip- it went from London to Venice. You can actually still book passage on this grand train. Check it out here.

Of course, one of my favorite authors ever made this train even more famous with her novel, Murder on the Orient Express. Thanks Dame Agatha Christie for igniting the passion in this girl for train travel.

Posted by: Author | May 8, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

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Posted by: Author | May 7, 2013

Tuesday’s Tales

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I’ve joined a group called Tuesday’s Tales. It’s an awesome group of writers who write to a prompt each Tuesday to show their works in process or highlight their writing. This week is my first time participating and the prompt was the word laughter. Check out the other entries here.

The story I chose is the Christmas one I’ve been working on in the last few weeks. Here’s a snippet:

They left the room. Anna continued her hold on Matteo’s arm as if he’d thrown her one of those life rings from an ocean liner to rescue her from a trip overboard. The further they got from the ballroom, the more she wanted to bend down and pull off the offending shoe and hurl it. She came really close to doing so when they stepped on the escalator. The tip of the heel caught in the treads and she stumbled.

Luckily, Matteo had a good grip on her and kept her on her feet.

“Thanks.” Anna smiled up at him. “It would’ve been a disaster if I fell down this escalator. I’d never live it down and the members of the bar who haven’t met me yet would know me as that klutz lawyer.”

“I doubt that. They’d know you as a nice woman who sacrificed herself for sexy legs.”

“Huh?” She shook her head. Did he mean he thought she was sexy?

“Yeah. I’m sure you know since you’ve been a woman for quite a while that tall heels make a woman’s legs look longer and more toned. Men sure know it. We notice those things.”

They’d arrived at the bottom of the moving stairs. She stepped off. “I’ve been a woman for quite a while?” She couldn’t help herself. His statement cracked her up. She burst into laughter.

“That really wasn’t a very suave line, was it?”

“No. It absolutely was not.” Anna was still laughing as they moved to the exit.

Outside, she turned to Matteo. “Thanks for helping me out back there and getting me away from Gina with that story about dinner. She and Renee forced me to come tonight and I really was ready to disappear. I owe you one.”

“How about really going to dinner with me then?”

“What part of my feet are killing me don’t you get? I’ve got to get these shoes off.”

“How about this? We order food and I pick it up. There are all kinds of places nearby.”

Posted by: Author | May 6, 2013

Guest, Candi Wall- Musetracks

Candi is super awesome and she’s been offering a cool service for a while that has helped a lot of writers.

As if the question ‘Wanna pitch to an agent or editor’ isn’t enough.

Hello! A huge thanks to all my wonderful hosts as I run all over cyberspace talking about Agent/Editor Shop at the Musetracks blog.

In this crazy world of easy access to information, it’s also easy to miss huge opportunities, or forget! Because I get so many comments that writers either forgot, or didn’t know Musetracks did pitch sessions, I asked a bunch of fellow writers, bloggers and readers to help me spread the word.
For those of you who don’t me, I’m Candi Wall, one of the authors who co-contribute to the Musetracks blog. Jennifer Bray-Weber, Marie-Claude Bourque, and Stacey Purcell are my super smart co-contributors and goodness knows where I’d be without them!

I’ve been hosting acquiring Agents at Musetracks for almost two years, and only recently, we decided to add editors as our guest. We’ve been lucky to have agents like Melissa Jeglinski, Jessica Alvarez, Mollie Glick, Becky Vinter, Kevan Lyon, Scott Eagan, Lois Winston, Jill Marsal, Michelle Grajkowski, Kimberley Cameron, Emmanuella Alspaugh (now Morgan), Laura Bradford, Jenny Bent, Sara Crowe, Weronika Janczuk and Stan Soper.
Our guest editors thus far have been Rhonda Penders w/ The Wild Rose Press, Jennifer Miller w/ Samhain Publishing, Debby Gilbert w/ Soul Mate Publishing, Beth Walker w/ Secret Cravings Publishing, and the editors at Books To Go Now have booked three dates in the future!

What we offer is a ‘Pitch Day’. I only take 30 pitches, and only the first thirty VIABLE pitches that come in on pitch day will be seen by the agent or editor. And I will warn you, I’m a stickler for following guidelines. If you don’t include exactly what is in the rules… I delete without prejudice. And I delete quite a few. (And yes, I receive plenty of hate mail.)

You can find us here:
Musetracks and there is a sidebar with Agent/Editor Shop dates and attending professionals
You can find the rules for pitching here:
Musetracks Agent/Editor Shop rules Please read them carefully!
I’ve also created a Yahoo group so writers can sign up to receive Agent/Editor Shop updates. I only send messages with agent/editor attendance updates, reminders of pitch dates, and any information about the contests we run on pitch day. Usually a giveaway or a chance to comment for the Top Pitch Slot. You can request to join here:
Editor/Agent Shop Newsletter Group
Easy as pie! We welcome every stage of writer and at Musetracks, we strive to help other writers, the way we were all helped when we first started out, and the way we are supported today.
Hope to see you all at a pitch day, and if not, feel free to pass the word along to others.
Happy reading and writing!
~Candi

A little about Candi:

Candi Wall is an author of contemporary romance, and YA.
Her début novel PRIMITIVE NIGHTS released from Samhain in Jan 2013, and STAY, the first in the Changing Tides series releases from Samhain on Aug 6th 2013.
She’s a mother of four (21,17,12,9), a rescuer of six (4 dogs & 2 cats), proud auntie of too many to count, a soon-to-be grandmother and great-auntie, a retired Cub Scout leader of 16 years, an avid animal lover/protector and ex-animal control officer. Oh yeah, and wife.
You can find her here:
www.candiwallbooks.com
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Facebook
Goodreads
Musetracks

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