Thursday, June 19, 2014

Important News From Marie Harte (6/19/13)

Marie Harte Monthly Newsletter: June 2014
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Hello! I've picked up a lot of new subscribers to the newsletter thanks to a recent Fresh Fiction contest. Please know you are only here because you elected to be. I don't add the unwilling. LOL If at any time you want to leave, just scroll to the bottom and hit UNSUBSCRIBE and you're gone. No worries, no fuss. But please don't mark this as spam, because it will make problems for those who want to receive this newsletter.

Okay, with that out of the way, you guys will be getting hit with a few more newsletters than usual next month, only because I have a few new releases in July. Make that 3. Yeah, a lot! So I combined the June newsletter with a new release to save you some time. I'm also going to combine some info next month though so you'll only get 2 newsletters in July. Sorry about that. But I have new releases, two series ending (goodbye Wicked Warrens and Good to Go) and one heck of a book bundle to share.

Oh, and did I mention the contests?????  So here we go...
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News

  • The Troublemaker Next Door is the first of my McCauley Brothers series at Sourcebooks. It earned a Top Pick Gold rating--as high as they come!!--from RT Book Reviews. Get it in ebook and print--and in your local B&N!
  • A Major Seduction, the second in my Good to Go trilogy, features a rough and tumble Marine who falls head over heels for his little sister's best friend--the same girl who used to have a crush on him when younger. But now they're both all grown up. If you like military romances with sexy Marines, this is the book for you.
  • Next month look for several brand new releases. I apologize in advance for the multiples, but the timing just happens to settle in July. July 1st--Bending the Rules (the final Wicked Warrens story).  Then July 8th--A Major Distraction (Brad's story, the final Good to Go novella). And finally, July 21st--Mastered: 10 Tales of Sensual Surrender (a BDSM book bundle of stories from Opal Carew, Joey Hill, Carrie Ann Ryan, Kate Pearce, me--Marie Harte, and more amazing authors.) Don't miss out on our special .99 pricing. This is one book you don't want to miss!
 
 

Works in Progress

  • Wetwork, the last in my The Works series, for hopeful tie-in to the Mastered bundle coming in July. I'm working hard on it!
  • Served Sweet, the final book in my Best Revenge trilogy for Samhain. Look out for a baker with an axe, not a knife, to grind.
 

 

2014 Release Schedule (Hold onto your hats)

  • June 3--The Troublemaker Next Door (McCauley Brothers) and Love In Electric Blue (Westlake Enterprises) in print
  • June 17-- A Major Seduction (Good to Go)
  • July 1--Bending the Rules (Wicked Warrens)
  • July 8--A Major Distraction (Good to Go)
  • July 21--Mastered Bundle
  • August 5--How to Handle a Heartbreaker (McCauley Brothers)
  • August 12--Dark Fates anthology (Jackal's Measure--my story)
  • September--Best Revenge: Served Cold and Good To Go (electronic bundle)
  • October 6th--Ruining Mr. Perfect (McCauley Brothers)
  • November 4th--What To Do With a Bad Boy (McCauley Brothers)
  • December--Prey & Prejudice print release, Best Revenge: Served Hot and Good to Go (print bundle)
CONTEST
 
Sourcebooks is giving away print copies of The Troublemaker Next Door on my blog tour. Check out my remaining blog stops for a chance to win. Also, there are 5 copies of How to Handle a Heartbreaker available through a Goodreads contest. All you have to do to enter to win is follow the link and enter your information. They pick a random winner. Contest ends July 8th!  Good luck!
 
Coming Soon!

A Major Seduction

Book 2 in the Good to Go series
~

Release Date: June 17, 2014
ASIN: B00L1PWH9A

A Novella

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | ARe

BLURB
His little sister’s best friend has grown up…too much…for this Marine to handle—without a little discipline to keep her in check. 

Major Mike Cava has worked hard not to see Maria Thompson as anything but his baby sister’s best friend. Not an easy feat when Maria’s done her best to throw herself at him for years. Except in the two years since he’s seen her last, Maria has grown way up. Good God, she’s stunning. But now that he’s really seeing her, she isn’t seeing him.

Maria spent the past fourteen years mooning over a man who never saw her as anything but a little girl, and she’s done. Or so she tries fooling herself. She’s twenty-four years old, and it’s past time she grew up and over him. But now Mike’s giving her “those” looks. Oh, wow.

With the help of her best friend—Mike’s sister—she’ll prove she’s more than woman enough to handle him. His dominance, his kink in the bedroom, his huge, hot body. But just when she thinks they can make a go of it, he pulls back. She can’t do it anymore. Loving, being hurt, loving, being ignored. This time if Mike wants her, he’ll have to prove it. She’s done.


And he’s just realized he might have made the biggest mistake of his life in pushing her away…

 

EXCERPT

“I didn’t realize knitting was so exciting.” Mike stared from his sister to Maria and raised a brow. As usual, the man intimidated just by breathing. He stood heads above her, probably at six three or four. He wore jeans and a tight T-shirt. The breadth of his chest, the size of his biceps and thighs, and his amazing washboard abs gave him a power over Maria she should have found embarrassing.

When she could stop wheezing, she’d blush. She knew she would.

“You okay?” Mike frowned.

Olivia elbowed her in the side.

“Ow. Fine.” She coughed. “Er, just had something go down the wrong way,” Maria rasped and coughed again to give truth to the lie. “So what can we help you with, Mike? Looking for knitting needles? Yellow yarn? A fold-away cutting station?”

He laughed. “Yeah, right. I’ll get right on knitting as soon as I finish my needlepoint.”

Olivia leaned closer to Maria and confided, “He did make a latch hook Snoopy rug when he was little. He finished his before I did.”

“Hey. Mom made me.” Mike flushed.


God, he was hot. Maria cleared her throat. “So what can we do for you?"

He stared at her and frowned. Even his annoyance attracted her. So not fair. She concentrated on being done with him. Trying hard to forget her crush. Really trying.

“Mike?” Olivia prodded.

“Just wanted to see if her date went okay.”

“Oh?” Olivia exchanged a puzzled look with Maria.


Maria explained, “Bobby and I were walking on the beach and passed by Mike last night. I hadn’t even thought about it. It’s just so easy to park near the house and access the beach there.”

“Right.” Olivia had a crafty look Maria recognized. But she sounded blasé when she asked Mike, “So what now? She’s fine.”

He opened his mouth then closed it. His brows drew closer together. “So did he?”

“Did who what?” Maria asked, not sure what he wanted from her.

“Did Bobby ‘go down on you’ again?” he growled. “He was dying to, remember?”

Olivia gaped at him.

Maria didn’t know what to say.

“Well?” He put his hands on his trim hips, and his biceps looked like fleshy boulders.

Olivia turned to her with a huge grin on her face. “Did he?”

“Oh my God. No, he did not.” She turned and snapped at Mike, “Not that it’s any of your business. What the hell is your problem?”

All the tension seemed to deflate from him. “Oh. Good.”

“Good?” She didn’t know what to think. “Where the hell do you get off asking me about my sex life? I’m twenty-four years old, not twelve. Besides, I don’t ask you how many bimbos suck you off on a daily basis.”

“Whoa.” Olivia looked from her to him and held up her hands in surrender. “Easy, guys.”

“You want to know, just ask me.” This Mike she’d never before seen. And wow, she wanted to get to know this angry, sexy, forceful man like nobody’s business.

“Well, I don’t want to know. I’ll be in the back room.” Olivia escaped to the office and closed the door behind her, leaving Maria and Mike alone together.

“Go ahead. Ask.” Mike crossed his arms over his chest.

“I don’t want to know,” she said primly. “But if I want Bobby to eat me out, I’ll ask him. And fuck you very much if you don’t like it.”


He just stared at her. After a moment, he said, “Nice mouth, princess.”

“Whatever. Mike, get out.”

“Wait. What?”

“Buy something or get out. I’m running a business, not a charity. Seriously though, my love life is not your concern.” Not that it had been in middle or high school either, yet he’d still taken it upon himself to look out for her.

“It is.”

“Excuse me?”

An older lady took a step inside the store.

Mike turned around to see who’d entered, still glaring, and the woman turned around and left. He looked at Maria again and scowled. “You’re like my little sister.”

“I am not your sister. At. All. And you know, I’m glad.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re an asshole.” She let her festering anger free. “I can date or fuck whoever I please. You don’t like it, too bad.”

He stomped three steps to the counter and loomed over her. “I care about my sister. I care about you.”


Not the way I wish you would. “I’ve been living without you for a long time, Mike. My little-kid crush disappeared years ago. I have sex. I like sex. And I like men. There. Now you have the deets about my love life. Buy something or get out.”

He grabbed a ball of yarn and set it before him. “There. Look. I didn’t mean to piss you off. I’m just not used to you—”

“Not following you around like a puppy dog? Lapping up any stray form of affection? God, I was pathetic. But no more. I deserve a guy who wants me for me. Besides, you’re too old. You’re what, thirty-four?”

“Thirty-one,” he bit out.

“I’m twenty-four and in the prime of my life. I need to live a little, you know? Hell, you can barely handle me saying the word ‘fuck.’ Imagine me doing it.” She wiggled her brows, pleased beyond measure when his expression darkened and his gaze traveled from her mouth to her breasts and back up to her eyes.

Holy shit. Mike Cava had just given her the proverbial eye-fuck!

“Imagine, hmm?”

Excited but not willing to be drawn into a conversation that would inevitably backfire and have him scurrying away, she shrugged off the discussion. “That’ll be four-nineteen.”

“Huh?”

“For the yarn.”


He reached into his pocket and slapped a five on the counter. “Keep the change.” He leaned closer still, until she could feel his breath on her lips. “Honey, you want to play footsie with your guy friends, fine. But keep that shit away from my sister.”

“Because she’s all virginal and pure? Please.” She laughed at him, knowing Olivia would find that funny as hell. The girl acted all prudish, but she liked sex as much as Maria did.

His eyes looked so dark she’d swear they were black. “Please, what?”

She felt as if she’d fallen under a spell. She wanted to look away but couldn’t even blink. He licked his lips, and she did the same. “What?”

“Please, Sir.” He reached his big hand forward and caressed her neck, and her entire body lit on fire.

“Sir?” she squeaked.

“Yeah, that’s what they call me unless they want a good spanking.” He gripped her chin with enough firmness to make his point.


 
And don't miss the final book in the Good to Go series,
releasing in July!

A MAJOR ATTRACTION (book 1)
A MAJOR DISTRACTION (book 3)


by Marie Harte

Copyright © 2014 Marie Harte
All rights reserved — Fated Desires Publishing

 
 

 
A MAJOR SEDUCTION
Marie Harte romance
Sexy stories to rock your world

Thursday's Featured Novel (6/19/13)

Straddling the Line

  (Play by Play #8)

by










18277064 



Trevor Shay has it all—a successful football and baseball career, and any woman he wants. But when he finds out his college mentor’s daughter is in trouble, he drops everything to come to her aid.

Haven Briscoe has finally landed a dream job as a sportscaster for a major network. But she hasn’t been able to move past the recent death of her beloved father, and it’s affecting her career. A plum assignment following the daily life of sports superstar Trevor Shay might be just the inspiration she needs…

Trevor will do anything to spark life back into Haven, including letting her into every aspect of his world. The chemistry between them flames higher than one of Trevor’s home runs and faster than his dashes to the end zone. But as they grow closer, Haven stumbles onto Trevor’s closely guarded secret, one he’s hidden his entire life. And despite his protests, now it’s Haven’s turn to put everything on hold to help Trevor. Will he let her in and trust her with a secret that could blow his professional and personal world apart?





Read an Excerpt

***This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected proof***
Copyright © 2014 Jaci Burton
One
“Haven’s in trouble.”
Those were words Trevor Shay never wanted to hear, especially not less than a year after the death of Haven’s dad, Bill.
Bill Briscoe had been more than just a dorm parent back in Trevor’s college days. He and his wife, Ginger, had been like substitute parents, especially to Trevor, who’d needed guidance more than the rest of them.
And now he sat in Ginger’s living room, in a house he’d once thought of as his second home.
Trevor had always counted on Ginger’s confidence, that smile and optimism that had assured him everything was going to be all right.
Now she just looked worried.
He picked up her hand. “What’s wrong?”
“She hasn’t been herself since Bill died. You know Haven. She’s always been upbeat, and she’d come to grips with the eventuality of Bill’s death.” Ginger took a deep breath. “As we all did.”
Trevor squeezed her hand.
“It wasn’t like we all didn’t know it was coming. Bill prepared us all for it, made sure we were ready. Never thinking of himself.”
He saw the tears welling in her eyes and wished he could take them away.
“I know, Miss Ginger. I know. I miss him, too.”
She grabbed a tissue. “He’d kick my butt if he saw me cryin’ over him. But Haven, she has a great life and an amazing future. She got a job with the network as a sports journalist.”
Trevor smiled. “I heard about that.”
“It’s an amazing opportunity for her. One she should be seizing. I told her that her father would be so proud of her.”
“He would.”
“Instead, what is she doing? She’s thinking about quitting the job and coming back here to live with me.”
Trevor leaned back and frowned. “Coming back here? Why?”
“I don’t know. She said something about getting a job at the local TV station instead.”
“Is that what she really wants?”
“I don’t think so.” Ginger leaned forward. “Trevor, I don’t know what to do. She hasn’t even given this new job a shot. I think she’s scared, and without her dad, she feels alone for the first time in her life.”
“She’s not alone, Miss Ginger. She has you.”
“I know that. And believe me, I don’t feel slighted in the least. I know Haven loves me. I also know she’s worried about me being here all alone. I don’t want her to make a mistake and screw up the best job she might ever have because of me, and because of her fear.”
She paused, took a breath. “I was hoping you could offer me some advice, tell me what I could say to her to make her stay in her job.”
Trevor thought about it a minute. “Let me see what I can do about that.”
“Thank you. I know you’re big in the sports world, and I don’t know if there’s anything you can do for her, but gosh, I’d sure appreciate anything. Anything at all.”
An idea formed in his head. He had the pull. He could get this done. And he’d do anything for Ginger, and to honor Bill’s memory. Haven needed help, and he sure as hell was in a position to help her.
He spent the day with Ginger, and honestly, it was great to see her again, to while away the hours talking about Bill, reminiscing about college life. Besides, she fixed him lunch, and he loved her home-cooked meals. Hours later as he sat on the plane on his way back to St. Louis for a game, Trevor already had the plan formulated. The media were constantly hounding him for a feature story on his life and career. After all, it wasn’t too many athletes who played multiple sports. At least not too many who played them well. He’d been closed off to the idea of it for a lot of reasons.
He leaned back in his seat and smiled.
Now it was Haven’s turn to shine. And he was just the person to make it happen.
Haven tried to muster up enough saliva to swallow as she pressed the button to return the phone call she’d missed from her boss.
She knew what was on the other end of that phone call.
Her ass was going to be fired, less than six weeks after she’d gotten the job of a lifetime.
It would have been much better if she could have resigned. It would have looked better on her résumé, but then again, what did she care? Her career in journalism was over anyway, right?
Never quit. Whatever you do, Haven, never give up on anything until you’re sure you’ve given it everything you have.
Her father’s words rang in her ears, guilt squeezing her stomach until nausea caused her fingers to pause on the call button of her phone.
It was too late to beg to keep her job. She’d already passed up multiple travel assignments, content to do the local ones, then sit in her apartment in New York, dwelling on how much she missed home, her mom.
Her dad.
This wasn’t the right career for her. She’d made a mistake accepting this job. She wasn’t cut out for the rigors of sports news—the travel, the insane schedule, the arrogant athletes.
What was she thinking? Her father hadn’t even been gone a year yet.
She couldn’t do it.
Be brave, Haven. You can do anything, be anything you want to be. Just be happy.
Tears pricked her eyes and she swiped them away as every conversation they’d had those last few weeks replayed in a reel over and over in her head.
Be happy.
She didn’t know how to be happy without hearing her father’s laugh, seeing his smiling face, being able to pick up the phone and talk to him every day.
Who was she going to go to when she needed advice?
She loved her mother, and in the ways of relationships and men and things like that, she had always gone to her mom.
But her dad—he’d been her buddy. She’d learned about sports from her father, had sat next to him and watched football, baseball, hockey, and every sport imaginable. He’d taught her balls and strikes in baseball and the difference between a post pattern and a shovel pass in football. They’d driven up to St. Louis together and taken in all the professional sports. She’d never been more content than to sit next to her dad and watch games with him.
She’d learned to love sports because of her dad.
She’d gone after this job because of him.
And now she was going to be fired because she hadn’t had the energy after his death to do this job she’d wanted for years. For that, she only had herself to blame.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” she said, then pushed the call button on her phone. It rang. She was hoping for voice mail.
“Haven. I’ve been waiting for you to call.”
She cringed as the loud and very no-nonsense voice of her boss, Chandler Adams, came on the line.
“Hi, Chandler. Sorry. I got tied up.”
“Well, untie yourself. I have a job for you.”
“A . . . job?” He wasn’t firing her?
“Yeah. You know Trevor Shay, right?”
“Trevor . . . yes, I know him.”
“Great. We’re going to do his bio. A whole feature on the life of Trevor Shay. Personal and professional. We’ve been after him for years to do this, and he kept putting us off, until now. He’s finally agreed to let us do the feature, and he’s asked for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah. Says you two go way back to college.”
“Uh . . . yes. I knew him in college.”
“Then it’s a damn good thing we hired you, Haven. Pack a bag. You’ll meet him at his place in St. Louis to get everything set up. Narrative and background first, and then we’ll get camera work involved later.”
Was she in some alternate universe? She hadn’t been fired. In fact, she’d just been assigned to interview one of the biggest stars in the sports world right now.
“Okay. Sure. Thanks, Chandler.”
“No, problem. I’ll e-mail you the specs on what we’re looking for from you on this, Haven. This assignment’s going to take a while, so clear your calendar.”
“Consider it done.”
When she hung up, she sat back and stared out the window of her very tiny apartment, stunned that she hadn’t been kicked out the door. She’d been mentally prepared, and as she stared at the boxes in her apartment, already half packed, set in her mind that she was going to head back to Oklahoma to be near her mother, her roots.
Where memories of her dad were.
Now she had to change her focus.
Why had she agreed to do this interview? This job wasn’t what she wanted to do anymore.
Was it?
She sat on the bed.
Follow your dreams, Haven.
She still heard her dad’s voice so clearly in her head. Maybe he was trying to tell her something. She didn’t know if this was her dream anymore, but she’d agreed to take this job.
With Trevor Shay, of all people. She hadn’t seen Trevor since her dad’s funeral. She wondered how he’d react knowing it was her doing this assignment.
He’d probably ignore her, just like he had in college.
No, wait. He’d specifically asked for her. He’d agreed to the interviews, so this time, she wouldn’t allow him to pretend she didn’t exist.
She got up and went to her closet to grab her suitcase.
Her and Trevor Shay. God, she’d had such a crush on him in college, back when she was tutoring him. All those nights they spent shoulder to shoulder, when she’d done her best to try to persuade him to focus on his books, when all she’d really wanted was for him to notice her as a woman.
He’d been more interested in trying to finagle a way to get her to do his homework.
Now she was going to be in the driver’s seat.
She stared out over the boxes, debating whether to unpack them.
She’d leave them, see how this assignment went. If it didn’t work out, if it didn’t light the fire under her after a few days, she’d call Chandler and tell him she was out.
But she’d give it a try. For her dad.







Jaci Burton

I'd like to say I always wanted to be a writer, but that's not the case. First I wanted to be a teacher. When I was a kid I used to play school in my friend's basement. She had actual school desks—and index cards. I'm a list maker, so those index cards rocked my world. Then later on, I wanted to be a nurse. My other friend had a stethoscope and a medical book. I had a thing for props, okay?
But during my early teen years my cousin and I—back in the day before the internet –would exchange scripts we'd written of a popular TV show. No, I won't tell you which TV show because then you'd know how old I really am. But it was a western with two gorgeous cowboy heroes and we were each in love with one of the main characters. I'd say that was my first foray into writing, and it got me hooked.






You can find Jaci on her website or on her facebook page. She loves to hear from her fans!





You can RSVP/BUY copies of Straddling The Line from these bookstores:





http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/power-debra-webb/1110504806?ean=9781455527564&itm=1&usri=9781455527564&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455527564?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455527564&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/power-3http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Faces-Evil-Debra-Webb/dp/0755396901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384505652&sr=8-1&keywords=debra+webb+power







https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/power/id523723518?mt=11









https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788796-power?ac=1







Release Date:
(July 2014)





My Rating:
4 Stars







My Review






RaeAnne Thayne author newsletter interview

RaeAnne Thayne



THE AUTHOR IS...THE AUTHOR IS...
Interview with RaeAnne Thayne
(by Molly O’Keefe, first published in
June’s THE AUTHOR IS... newsletter)

I met RaeAnne Thayne years ago. I stalked her at an RWA
conference because I’d been reading her Cold Creek books
 for Harlequin and just loved them.
The amount of warmth in her writing is incredibly compelling.
And I can tell you, she is just so lovely. Funny and warm and kind AND! A dancing machine.
Truly, clear the dance floor, RaeAnne is just here to dance.



WILD IRIS RIDGE
Kobo BooksiTunesAmazonBarnes and Noble


Your Hope’s Crossing Series for HQN starts with tragedy (a car crash) 
on top of a crime spree in the small town that effects the entire community.
It’s an amazing, if not risky, start to a series. What made you decide to start there?



The car accident was actually the pivotal idea for what was originally only a three-book series. Every community faces tragedy and loss at some point and I wanted to show the ripple effects of that, how some relationships are strengthened while others shatter. The series is really about healing, about moving forward through difficult things to find happiness again. In the series, I wanted to explore how the actions of a few people can devastate a community while still other actions can help everyone heal.


You are my hero of efficiency and productivity. You write a big juicy single title series for HQN and are STILL writing your long-going Cold Creek Series for Special Edition — tell me how you plan this out? How do you get this work done? Do you have word goals for the week? Month?



Oh, this makes me laugh, Molly. Most of the time I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water! I have slowed down a little. In 2012-2013, I wrote three single titles, a category and a novella. It was too much for me and I felt like the work and my family suffered.
I scaled my writing schedule back to two single titles and one Cold Creek title for Special Edition a year. I’ll be doing at least three more SE’s, simply because I love the format and the stories and feel a great loyalty to my SE readers, who have really supported this series and followed me when I started to write single titles.

As for my writing schedule, I try to write five to six days a week, around the school hours of my two sons who are still at home (I have an older daughter who has left the nest).

When I’m crazy on deadline, I will stop when they get home from school and then write again from the time they go to bed until I fall asleep at the computer. LOL! My boys are eleven and sixteen and the older one has multiple special needs and requires total care, so my writing schedule can be sporadic. Summer is my least productive time!
My daily writing goal is 10 pages when I’m in rough draft mode and 5-6 when I’m revising/ rewriting.



My favorite character of yours is Genevieve Beaumont from Christmas In Snowflake Canyon. She’s this spoiled rich girl who doesn’t have much confidence in herself — but she just puts her head down and works and eventually forces everyone — including herself — to see what she’s capable of. Can you tell me the inspiration for her?




I’m so happy you enjoyed Genevieve’s story! I never intended to write her book. I created her in the first book, BLACKBERRY SUMMER, because I needed a spoiled, difficult client to show the sweet, caring nature of the heroine of that book.
I thought that would be the end of it. Originally, as I mentioned, Hope’s Crossing was intended only as a trilogy but I had introduced all these secondary characters I fell in love with so I convinced Harlequin to let me write three more and then a bonus book ☺
(My June book, WILD IRIS RIDGE, is my last planned Hope’s Crossing book and I’m starting a new series, Haven Point, with my November title SNOW ANGEL COVE).
When I was coming up with the ideas for the second series of three books (CURRANT CREEK VALLEY, WILLOWLEAF LANE and CHRISTMAS IN SNOWFLAKE  CANYON) I knew I wanted to write Dylan Caine’s story, the war veteran who comes back to Hope’s Crossing to heal from his physical and emotional wounds.
When I was trying to figure out who his heroine would be, I couldn’t shake the idea that he and Genevieve needed each other. Sometimes the ideas just rush over you and all you can do is grab on and enjoy the ride.




What compelled you to create a spin off of the Hope’s Crossing series in another town rather than continue in Hope’s Crossing? What can you tell us about this town?



It’s always difficult for me to know when it’s time to move on from a series. I mulled that question for a long time — whether to write more Hope’s Crossing books or start something new.
I’ve been writing Hope’s Crossing since 2011. In conversations with my agent and editor,
we decided I could always return to Hope’s Crossing at some later point if ideas take me there,
but in the meantime, it would be creatively exciting to introduce a new community with new challenges, new personalities, new opportunities.
I didn’t want to start completely from scratch, however, so I decided to create a spinoff
using a character from a familiar family. The hero of SNOW ANGEL COVE is Aidan Caine,
yet another sibling of Charlotte, Dylan and Brendan Caine, previous characters in Hope’s Crossing. After suffering a life crisis, the tech genius invests in the struggling town of Haven Point, Idaho, on the banks of beautiful Lake Haven. I loved writing the first book and can’t WAIT to start the others
in the planned trilogy, after I finish the next Cold Creek book.





I have a TON of really great reader questions for you:
Mary Marcellino: How do you keep track of all of the details of your characters and the plot and the places, etc...?


This is so hard, especially when you write long-running series.
The 13th book in my Cowboys of Cold Creek series, THE CHRISTMAS RANCH, will be out in December and it’s a real challenge to remember who did what. I try to keep a series bible with
place names, character names, etc, but sometimes I have to re-read scenes out of previous books to remember eye color, hair, that sort of thing. If I can’t figure something out or don’t have time to re-read to find the answer, I will ask my readers on Facebook if they can remember the name of so-and-so’s mother or what color the dog in book two might be.
They have bailed me out more than a few times! My son-in-law had the great idea of creating a Wiki for my various series but I haven’t gotten around to that.




Mary Sullivan: Where do you start each book? Characters? Plot? Theme?


My book always start with the characters. I am very much a character-driven writer, in that I have to know who they are and what their issues are before I can work out the plot. I have a wonderful plot group that helps me fine tune my usually vague ideas.
As for theme, while I might start out with an abstract idea of what the theme for each book might be, that sometimes changes throughout the revision process.I have to admit, I don’t usually have a concrete idea of the theme until I finish the first draft and start picking it apart and filling in the gaps.




Blythe Gifford: How do you refill the well?



Excellent question! I’m afraid I don’t really have an original answer! I live in the stunning mountains of northern Utah and my favorite way to recharge is simply to take a walk in my beautiful surroundings, no matter the season or weather.
I love being with my family. I love to read and find so much inspiration in reading other great books (like yours and Molly’s!). I relax by watching television shows that bring me happiness — though I’m very picky and will often give up watching a show before it runs its course if it starts to bother me (like Justified. I love you, Raylan Givins, but I’m really tired of the dark despair in your part of Kentucky and all those people who started out fascinating but ended up with very few redeeming qualities and no character growth!).




I know when I’m asked about which books of mine I like the best, I usually lie and say all of them. Or the one I just released, or am currently working on. But I think the truth for all authors is that some books are a dream to write and some are a nightmare. 
Can you tell me which book of yours was the most pleasurable to write and which caused you the most trouble?


I will lie too and say all of them. Actually, if I’m being completely honest, WILD IRIS RIDGE
was the toughest book I’ve ever written.
While I adored the characters (both the main characters and the secondary characters who pop in and out!), my personal life while I was writing it was extremely stressful. Both of my parents died within five weeks of each other last fall. My father died in early November and my deadline was November 15.I was a month late turning the book in because of those circumstances, when writing at all was emotionally draining and difficult.
Most days, the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and write a happy ending when my heart was so sore but I had a deadline and several more stacked up after that and didn’t have time to take a break. While the writing process was tough, I did find peace and comfort in helping other people (even my fictional creations!) through tough times and I loved the finish product.
As so often happens, I think it’s some of my best work because I was able to filter some of my own raw emotions onto the page.

Most pleasurable to write ... hmmm. There are things I have loved about all 47 books I’ve written. Whenever I re-read one of my books for research or whatever, I am startled again that I really came up with this entire thing out of my own imagination. I really adored the book I just finished — SNOW ANGEL COVE is sweet and warm, filled with some familiar characters and many new friends.
Aidan Caine is a complicated, sexy, rather lonely tech geek and writing his story was a delight.




Fill In The Blank: THE AUTHOR IS...



...very, very honored that I’ve been given the chance to bring my readers a few hours of happiness. 
Thanks so much RaeAnne for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions. For those that would like to find out more about RaeAnne’s fabulous books 
check her out at:
http://www.raeannethayne.com/



**To sign up for Molly’s THE AUTHOR IS newsletter visit www.molly-okeefe.com.



www.RaeAnneThayne.com

Thursday, June 12, 2014

The BTS Red Carpet Review Awards!


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BTS Book Reviews eMag is proud to announce our first annual Red Carpet Review Awards for 2014.

The awards will honor the best in literary and genre fiction. The presentation of awards will be conducted at an upcoming convention in 2015.  Convention details will be released soon.









Readers Choice – Readers to vote on their favorite (one only) in each of the genres. Voting on all 4 & 5 star reviews in each genre.
Reviewers Choice – Reviewers choose their favorite book. Staff and BTS family will vote for top winner. Cover, blurb, review and overall presentation to be considered.
Awards for 2014 will end with the November/December 2014 issue of BTS Book Reviews magazine. Please note, we have a 2 month lead-time for our reviewers, this means your book must be submitted by September 1st, 2014 in order to fit the timeline requirements. Any qualified books reviewed after the November/December 2014 will be considered for the 2015 Red Carpet Review Awards.







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Awards:
The top winner of the Readers Choice category will receive the Red Carpet Review Award trophy.
The top winner of the Reviewers Choice and Readers Choice (most accumulated votes) will receive a free 2-page feature in eMag.
All other winners in the Readers Choice category will receive a one-page feature. We will also present a special feature in the magazine showcasing all the top winners, with author photos and the winning books.
Voting will start in October. The top 3 Finalists in each genre will be announced on the website by December. We hope the Finalists will consider attending the Presentation of Awards. Every Finalists at the ceremony will be presented with an Award Certificate.
Please submit your books for review consideration via our website. When your book is chosen for review, it will be published in the BTS Book Reviews eMagazine. Your book will automatically be nominated for a review if it receives a 4 or 5 star review.







If you don't know BTS check it out!





Christina Lee Cover Reveal!

 Christina Lee

 

Promise Me This

  (Between Breaths #4)

by










22077246 A new love will test the boundaries of passion between a privileged boy next door and the tattooed, blue-haired girl who helps him embrace his wild side...

Nate has developed quite a playboy reputation around campus. It's not that he doesn't respect or trust women; he doesn't trust himself. The men in Nate’s family are prone to abusive behavior—a dirty secret that Nate’s been running from his entire life—so Nate doesn't do relationships. But he can’t help himself around one girl…

Jessie is strong, independent, and works at a tattoo parlor. Nate can’t resist getting close to her, even if it’s strictly a friendship. But it doesn't take long for Nate to admit that what he wants with Jessie is more than just friendly.

With Jessie, he can be himself and explore what he’s always felt was a terrifying darkness inside him. Even when Nate begins to crave her in a way that both shocks and horrifies him, Jessie still wants to know every part of him. Testing their boundaries together will take a trust that could render them inseparable… or tear them apart.













https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzRA1Udp3bn56w_DHNtE2BFEWW_ohPR-EjpB9q7ilQ633Xq0z_CBZlzTBBzNC29F9PsdFMdTTHT3X7vq3LERw4nxlTiX6mVmSn7j1VKm78qDHZwOi4okEbLqFE4d2e7_Y8UQgLmMg_Z4/s1600/*


Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys. She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones  jewelry.







You can find Christina on her webpage or on her facebook page. She loves to hear from her fans!





You can buy/RSVP a copy of Promise Me This from these bookstores:






http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/power-debra-webb/1110504806?ean=9781455527564&itm=1&usri=9781455527564&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455527564?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455527564&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2







https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/power/id523723518?mt=11






https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788796-power?ac=1







PROMISE ME THIS, the fourth book in the Between Breaths Series 
releases on October 7th, 2014.





Monday, June 9, 2014

Sunday's Featured Novel (6/8/13)

Nauti Enchantress 

(Nauti #9)

by
 










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When Dawg Mackay made his four half-sisters part of his family, he vowed that he would care for and protect them with everything he had. But what happens now that the girls are all grown up? The Mackay girls are on the loose, and Somerset County will never be the same…

Lyrica Mackay has wanted tall, handsome Marine Graham Brock for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately, Graham only sees her as his friend Dawg Mackay’s “baby sister.” Or so she believes. The truth is, the fiery party girl stirs something in Graham no female ever has. But Graham, like everyone in Somerset County, knows that trouble stalks the Mackays like bears track honey, and when a Mackay runs as hot as Lyrica does, someone’s bound to get burned.

Then Graham discovers that Lyrica’s wild side is just a cover for a frightened and vulnerable woman who needs something true and genuine, something only Graham can offer. But surrendering his heart to Lyrica exposes them both to her shocking past—and a sinister secret that, once exposed, could destroy their only chance at happiness and shake the Mackay family to its core.









http://www.loraleigh.com/images/loraheadshot.jpg

Ms. Leigh dreams in bright, vivid images of the characters intent on taking over her writing life, and fights a constant battle to put them on the hard drive of her computer before they can disappear as fast as they appeared. Lora's family, and her writing life coexist, if not in harmony, in relative peace with each other.







You can find Lora Leigh on her website or on her facebook page, she loves to hear from her fans.












You can buy a copy of Nauti Enchantress from these bookstores:







http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/power-debra-webb/1110504806?ean=9781455527564&itm=1&usri=9781455527564&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455527564?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455527564&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/power-3http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Faces-Evil-Debra-Webb/dp/0755396901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384505652&sr=8-1&keywords=debra+webb+power







https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/power/id523723518?mt=11






https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788796-power?ac=1








Release Date: 
(June 3, 2014)










My Rating:
  5 Stars






My Review




Saturday's Featured Novel (6/7/13)

A Shiver of Light

  (Merry Gentry #9)

by









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I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. Legal name Meredith Gentry, because “Princess” looks so pretentious on a driver’s license. I was the first faerie princess born on American soil, but I wouldn't be the only one for much longer...

Merry Gentry, ex–private detective, now full-time princess, knew she was descended from fertility goddesses, but when she learned she was about to have triplets, she began to understand what that might mean. Infertility has plagued the high ranks of faerie for centuries. Now nobles of both courts of faerie are coming to court Merry and her men, at their home in exile in the Western Lands of Los Angeles, because they will do anything to have babies of their own.

Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, is a more dangerous problem. He tried to seduce Merry and, failing that, raped her. He’s using the human courts to sue for visitation rights, claiming that one of the babies is his. And though Merry knows she was already pregnant when he took her, she can’t prove it.

To save herself and her babies from Taranis she will use the most dangerous powers in all of faerie: a god of death, a warrior known as the Darkness, the Killing Frost, and a king of nightmares. They are her lovers, and her dearest loves, and they will face down the might of the high courts of faerie—while trying to keep the war from spreading to innocent humans in Los Angeles, who are in danger of becoming collateral damage.













Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print.






You can find Laurell on her website or on her facebook page. 
Are you an oober fan? Check out her web store!
Want FREE Laurell Hamilton wallpapers? Go here! 






You can buy a copy of A Shiver of Light from these bookstores:






http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/power-debra-webb/1110504806?ean=9781455527564&itm=1&usri=9781455527564&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10:1&r=1,%201http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455527564?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455527564&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/power-3http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Faces-Evil-Debra-Webb/dp/0755396901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384505652&sr=8-1&keywords=debra+webb+power







https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/power/id523723518?mt=11






https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15788796-power?ac=1








Release Date:
(June 3, 2014)






My Rating:
5 stars







My Review



Life's Too Frantic

So I haven't been around to blog since late November early December, I hope you all are doing well. I am keeping busy wi...