May 20, 2016 | Blog, Lorraine Heath, May 2016
Rae: First, if we were meeting at a coffee shop I’d be drinking a Latte with Coconut Milk :). What would you order?
Lorraine: Thank you so much for inviting me for coffee. If we were meeting at a coffee shop, I’d be drinking green tea with lots of sugar. I love the smell of coffee but have never developed a taste for it.
Rae: Thanks so much for hanging out with me today.
Lorraine: Thank you for the opportunity to get away from my work zone for a while. I’m looking forward to it.
Rae: Congratulations on your RITA nomination for Falling into Bed with a Duke. Super exciting and what an honor.
Lorraine: Thank you. It really is an honor, especially considering some of my fave authors and reads also finaled in my category, so there will be happiness no matter who wins.
Rae: For those who are not familiar with your Hellions of Havisham series can you tell us a little bit about it? Are you planning any more books in this series?
Lorraine: Several years ago, I was researching another book (A Matter of Temptation) when I read about Charles Dickens being involved in a railway accident and also losing a brother to a railway accident. When railways first got started, there were so many accidents. The stories stuck with me, and when I needed something to tie my new heroes together, I decided they would be connected by disaster. When the Duke of Ashebury and the Earl of Greyling, along with their wives, perish in a railway accident, their sons are sent to Havisham Hall where they become the wards of the Marquess of Marsden, who also has a son—Viscount Locksley. Since I wanted them to have an unusual upbringing, I decided the Marquess would be quite mad, in the way that Miss Havisham in Great Expectations was mad (Hence, Havisham Hall, my nod to Dickens). He lost his way when his wife died. So my lords are a little wary of love, having been raised by a man who lost the love of his life. The third book, The Viscount and the Vixen, will be released in December. Then in early 2017, I’ll close out the series with an e-novella that will tell the tale of Marsden and his great love. It’s tentatively entitled Making Merry With the Marquess.
Rae: Every time I read your stories I’m swept away with strong and daring heroines and the heroes. They are bold, sensual and usually have an element of mischief. Sometimes the heroes are just plain wicked ;). Do you have a favorite?
Lorraine: My favorite is usually the one I’m writing at the time, and that’s because the characters that I’m writing are what I need at the time. I will admit that it was difficult to let Ainsley, Rafe, or Rose go. But all my characters give me a challenge—in one way or another.
Rae: Was there one that gave you a challenge while their story developed?
Lorraine: My current hero, Edward, in The Earl Takes All, is pretending to be his twin brother, which on the surface can seem like a betrayal to his brother’s wife and yet he’s doing it out of love. The challenge was to make him sympathetic and to ensure readers could forgive him. I think writing any character carries that challenge—the reader has to like the characters and has to understand their motivations.
Rae: For those who have not read your books I find that fact that you’ve published in a few different genres exiting. Do you have a favorite? Does that present any challenges for you as a writer?
Lorraine: Historical is my first love. When I discovered the romance genre, I devoured historical novels. I have expanded my reading options to include all romance sub-genres as well as young adult. I haven’t had any challenges switching between historical and YA because I write historical in third person and YA in first, so there is a little switch in my head that turns on and off as I move between genres. For the most part, the YA is contemporary or paranormal; they’re just fun to write. I think because I read so broadly now that I’m more open to writing different things.
Rae: I love your Scoundrels and Scandalous Gentleman of St. James series, can we expect anymore? Your latest release is the second book in the Hellions of Havisham. What can we expect?
Lorraine: I do hope to write some more of the St. James characters as I have a whole generation waiting in the wings. I know some of their stories, and I’m looking forward to exploring them. Some of the characters will make cameo appearances in the second book in the Hellions of Havisham, The Earl Takes All. When I first began writing British-set stories, I was creating new secondary characters for each book/series and it finally occurred to me that I could just use existing characters so I wouldn’t have to keep coming up with so many names. It’s always fun to run across someone we’ve seen before.
Rae: When you research for these amazing reads are you able to travel to any exotic locations for research?
Lorraine: I did go to Scotland a couple of years ago with a group of writers. That was an amazing trip. I’m hoping to make it to London soon (I haven’t been since I was a kid). But for the most part, my research is done between the covers of nonfiction books.
Rae: Thanks again for hanging out! Time for another Latte 🙂
Lorraine: Thank you! I’m off to make another pot of tea.
Happy Reading Dear Readers.
Happy Writing Lorraine!
***** 8 Tantalizing Tidbits *****
1. What is a must read book and why? Wild at Heart by Patricia Gaffney, if you can find it. It’s the beautiful story of a man raised by wolves and the daughter of the professor who is studying him to determine if he possesses any humanity or if he’s as wild as the wilderness in which he was raised. I love this story. It’s on my keeper shelf.
2. What is one place that I should see if I visit your hometown? The fairgrounds. The county fair (I lived in the county seat) was the most exciting time of year. I grew up in a very small (pop. 10,000) town. The restaurant where I was a waitress when in high school is no longer there and the high school isn’t the one I attended. The drug store where I used to go for lunch (they had the best pimento cheese sandwiches) is no longer there. But the fairgrounds, the county fair in the fall, and its corresponding rodeo are still an important feature of the town.
3. Castles or Beaches? Beaches but castles are a close second.
4. If you had an all expenses paid trip anywhere in the world for research, where would you go? London
5. Binge watcher or weekly viewer? Which show(s)? Binge watcher (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Breaking Bad)
6. What’s your favorite TV show and why? Game of Thrones. So well done, such an interwoven story.
7. If you could pick a book you’ve read and make it into a movie, which book would it be (besides yours 🙂 )? Paint the Wind by Cathy Cash Spellman. It’s an epic tale and would probably do better as a mini-series.
8. What’s your favorite movie of all time and why? Casablanca. Because Rick, who starts out so hard and cynical, in the end is so noble.
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To find out who wins the 2016 RITA in each category head over to Romance Writers of America on July 16 at 8PM PT. Winners will be announced and be sure to follow #RITAGH and #RWA16 for all the news that night!
Bio:
Lorraine Heath always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals and computer code, but something was always missing. When she read a romance novel, she became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since, for both adult and young adult readers (as Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker and with her son as J. A. London). Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA’s RITA®. Her novels have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.
May 19, 2016 | Blog, M.J. Scott, May 2016
Rae: First, if we were meeting at a coffee shop I’d be drinking an iced Coffee as I’m ready for the summer 🙂 ! What would you order?
Lorraine: I don’t actually drink coffee (it makes me ill) so I’d go with a nice flavoured ice tea or an iced chocolate.
Rae: Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. Congratulations on your RITA nomination in the Paranormal Romance category for The Shattered Court. Super exciting and what an honor. Where were you when you got the call?
Lorraine: I was actually at home and I’d completely forgotten that it was RITA time. Aussies and New Zealanders get called early so that the people making the calls aren’t waking us up at 2am in the morning our time. So I was sitting at home on Good Friday, doing a bit of writing and I almost didn’t answer the phone because hardly anyone other than telemarketers calls me on my landline any more. But then I did because I thought maybe it was my mum. I was pretty surprised to hear an American accent on the end of the line. I remember saying Oh My God a lot and not much else. And then I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone until the US people started getting the calls, so I had to wait from about 11 am my time to about 1.30am the next morning. It was a very long day!
Rae: For those who are not familiar with your work can you tell us a little bit your books. You have multiple series in your backlist, what can we expect in those lines? What was the inspiration for The Shattered Court?
Lorraine: My books most often start with a character appearing in my head. I was thinking about new book possibilities and I got the image of Sophie, sitting in a room, feeling very fed up with her current life but unable to see a way out of it and thought “she’s interesting”. I wrote a chunk of the book quite a while ago but then had to move onto other things so it was good to finally come back to her and see what happened.
As M.J. I write dark romantic fantasy and urban fantasy. The Half-Light City series (which is finished) and The Shattered Court are dark romantic fantasy and my Wild Side series is urban fantasy with vampires and werewolves and an accountant heroine who gets dragged into that world.
The Half-Light City series has magic, Fae, vampires and werewolves and humans and is set in a city where the various races live in relative harmony due to a treaty between the races. Which then starts to break down and wild things result. Each book features a different hero and heroine but there’s an ongoing arc.
The Four Arts series (of which The Shattered Court is the first book) is about a world where humans can use four types of magic (but not all humans have magical abilities). The heroine is Sophia Kendall who is a lady in waiting in a royal court, who is about to reach the age where she’ll either come into her powers or not. At this stage I’m planning two more books and they’ll all have the same heroine/hero.
I also write contemporary romance as Melanie Scott. My current series is The New York Saints series about three best friends who buy the worst team in Major League Baseball.
Rae: With multiple series, is it easy to keep characters from crossing over?
Lorraine: Because my worlds are all different, I can keep them straight fairly easily. I do use different fonts to write fantasy versus contemporary just as a visual queue. Though I confess, I occasionally find myself typing the wrong name if I’m working on two different series at once but usually catch myself. Or worse, writing in first person when I should be writing in third.
Rae: Each book has fantastic covers – do you have a part in the design?
Lorraine: I’ve been really really lucky with my covers. My editor does ask me for ideas so I’ll send her pictures that I’ve used for inspiration etc but the art department and cover artists then come up with something completely awesome.
Rae: I love reading your blog – I hope readers check it out. (I’ll link to it 🙂 ) Are there any topics you enjoy?
Lorraine: I just like to blog about stuff I’m enjoying mostly. I tend to talk about books, movies/TV, music, art, girly things like make up, my stationery addiction and my adventures in cooking and other things that I stumble across that catch my eye or I think are cool. I figure there are other people out there who like the same sorts of things as me and I’m not focused enough to only talk about one thing on my blog all the time.
Rae: I read that you love to knit. What are you working on? Have you ever traveled to a knitting event in the states? (here is a link -https://www.knittinguniverse.com/STITCHES/) I used to travel to them and found it absolutely exciting. All of my favorite vendors in one location and immediate satisfaction taking the delicious yarns, books and trinkets home.
Lorraine: I haven’t been to one in the US but I’d love to one day. I have been to similar things in Australia but they’re on a much smaller scale (though also bad for the wallet). I am however lucky enough to be related to an indie yarn dyer, who enables my yarn addiction. I don’t have a project on the go right now but it’s starting to get cold and my mind is turning to yarn. I found a hole in one of my pairs of hand knitted socks recently (tragedy!) so might have to knit a new pair. I have to ration out my knitting time or I get sore hands which isn’t good for writing.
Rae: I’ve never attempted spinning but had a friend who used to all the time. I hear it can be very therapeutic.
Lorraine: Spinning is absolutely soothing. As long as it’s behaving. Actually that’s why I enjoy doing crafty things so much, I find they do shut up the writer part of my brain that is always thinking about a book and just let me be in the moment for an hour or two.
Rae: Writing with a day job and other commitments is a challenge, do you have a writing ritual or secret location to get the work done?
Lorraine: I mostly write at home. I’m not so good with the whole writing in cafe things, I get distracted. Unless I’m really in the flow of a book and it’s coming fast, in which case I’ll write anywhere and everywhere. I even keep a notepad in the shower. I do a bit of writing in my lunch breaks at the day job but because I work part time, my day job days tend to be fairly packed and sometime I just need to chill out and actually take a break. I make a soundtrack for each book and that helps tune me into the world wherever I am as long as I have some headphones.
Rae: Thank you so much for being here today.
***** 8 Tantalizing Tidbits *****
1. What is a must read book and why? Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Because great fantasy, a fabulous heroine, baking and both scary evil vampires and a scary good vampire. The only thing wrong with this book is that there isn’t a sequel (sorry, Robin, I know that’s a terrible thing to say to a writer).
2. What is one place that I should see if I visit your hometown? In Melbourne, I’d recommend just wandering around the main part of the CBD. Melbourne has lots of fascinating little laneways and arcades full of wonderful shops (and great coffee). Either that or I’m always a fan of wandering around museums and galleries when I go to new places and Melbourne has great examples of both.
3. Hard Rock or Classical? Favorite Band or Artist? I have fairly broad musical tastes. I played in the school band in high school so don’t mind a bit of classical or instrumental though I’m probably mostly a rock/pop gal. My all time favourite band is U2. My current favourite artist is definitely Taylor Swift. I think she’s a great storyteller as well as a very astute business woman at a very young age!
4. What are you afraid of? I’m deathly afraid of large hairy spiders (Which is a problem when you live in Australia). Luckily very few other critters worry me. I can handle little spiders but big ones freak me out. I blame watching the Doctor Who Planet of the Spiders episodes at a young and impressionable age. Huge invisible spiders that sat on your back and controlled you (my parents possibly shouldn’t have let me watch those episodes 😀 )
5. Binge watcher or weekly viewer? Which show(s)? I like a good binge watch because I don’t get heaps of TV time, so I like to save episodes up for a good couch and chill session. Also, I don’t have Foxtel which is the Australian equivalent of cable because it’s stupidly expensive here, so some shows I have to wait until they’re out on iTunes or DVD or come to free to air. But I will also watch by the week if something is an absolute favourite. Though I record those shows to and watch when I can. I love a lot of shows but currently on the top of the watch list are Grey’s Anatomy (I just cannot quit this show), Outlander, Person of Interest, Scandal and I’ve been slowly rewatching the X-Files. I recently binge watched Season 1 of The Affair, trying to watch season 2 more slowly.
6. What is one thing you can’t live without. Books! Or my cat. Or both.
7. If you could invite 5 people to dinner (not friends and family – that’s too easy) would you invite? Hmmmm…if they have to be alive then Neil Gaiman, David Attenborough, Chris Hemsworth, Kate Winslet and Taylor Swift. If they can be dead then I’d have to toss one of them out and invite Terry Pratchett.
8. If you could try any career for a day, what would it be? That’s a hard question. Writers tend to have magpie brains and get interested in all sorts of things. Either a musical theatre performer (if I magically go the voice to go with that) or a zookeeper. I’ve always liked reading about zookeepers or people who study animals. Actual considered becoming a vet at one point but I changed my mind.
Thanks again for hanging out! Time for another Iced-Coffee 🙂 Happy Reading Dear Readers.
Happy Writing M.J.!
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To find out who wins the 2016 RITA in each category head over to Romance Writers of America on July 16 at 8PM PT. Winners will be announced and be sure to follow #RITAGH and #RWA16 for all the news that night!
Author Info:
M.J Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate and fabric. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her website is www.mjscott.net.
May 17, 2016 | Blog, Jaci Burton, May 2016
Rae: First, if we were meeting at a coffee shop I’d be drinking an iced Coffee as I’m ready for the summer 🙂 ! What would you order?
Jaci: Since the weather has been getting progressively warmer here in Oklahoma, I’ll have a decaf iced coffee with a shot of vanilla. And now I really want one.
Rae: Thanks so much for hanging out with me today.
Jaci: Thanks for asking me!
Rae: Congratulations on your RITA nomination in the Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length for Love After All. Super exciting and what an honor. Where were you when you got the call?
Jaci: Thanks so much! I am so excited about this. This is my first book to final in the RITA Awards® and I can’t tell you what a shock it was to receive that phone call.
I was at my desk working when the phone rang. I knew RITA calls were going out that morning because my awesome best friend, author Shannon Stacey, and I have a ritual every year. We have virtual coffee together (she lives in New Hampshire and I live in Oklahoma, so real coffee together would be one heck of a road trip) and we wait for the finalists to get their calls. We love watching to see who finals. We also hope we’ll be one of those finalists. I’ve been entering the RITAs for as long as I’ve been eligible. Love After All was my 69th book so when the phone rang and the amazing Cynthia D’Alba was on the other end to tell me I finaled, it was a dream come true for me. I was incredibly thrilled to have Love After All final. It’s a book I am so proud of.
Rae: For those who are not familiar with your work can you tell us a little bit your books. You have multiple series, stand-alone and anthology reads in your backlist. Can we expect any more releases from your current series? Do you have any new series in the works that you can give us a tease? What was the inspiration for Love After All?
Jaci: I’ve been published since 2003 and I’ve written a lot of books that readers can find on my website. I’ve completed several series, and written in multiple genres. The current series I’m working on are my Play by Play sports romance series, and my Hope small town contemporary romance series. There are new releases coming up this year for both of these series. And yes, I do have a new series in the works, but that won’t be for a while yet.
For Love After All, both main characters had made appearances in my previous Hope books. I hadn’t originally intended to match up high school teacher Chelsea with bar owner Bash, but there was one scene they were in together in a previous book and sparks flew between them. That’s when I knew they were destined to be together. And I had the perfect storyline for them because Chelsea is a perfectionist who is very picky about men. And Bash? Let’s just say he’s not her idea of the perfect guy.
Rae: With multiple series and a bookshelf of standalone reads, is it easy to keep characters from crossing over?
Jaci: Each series stands separate and distinct. However, within each series, characters from previous books do make appearances in other books. I do like to give my readers glimpses into characters lives once they’ve had their happily ever after.
Rae: Each book has fantastic covers – do you have a part in the design?
Jaci: Thank you! I’ve been so fortunate to write for an amazing publisher who has an incredibly talented art department. They’ve done such wonderful work on my covers over the years.
I cover conference with my editor for each book and I’ll give a general idea about what I want on the cover, which tends to include the basic information on the characters, setting, etc. But to be honest, the art department knows what they’re doing, and they’re familiar enough with my series to deliver something fantastic every time. And they do!
Rae: Writing with a family and other commitments is a challenge, do you have a writing ritual or secret location to get the work done?
Jaci: I’m not much on rituals since every day presents different challenges. First thing in the morning is always coffee and taking care of the dogs. Then I’ll catch up on email and social media before I settle in to work.
Since I have a laptop, I’m free to move around, so I don’t have a specific location. Summer is my favorite time because I love to write out on the back patio. The dogs and I enjoy sitting outside, watching the birds and squirrels and rabbits. Okay, they watch the animals while I write. 😉
Rae: Thank you so much for being here today.
***** 8 Tantalizing Tidbits *****
1. What is a must read book and why? A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. I’ve read this book over and over again and it’s on my keeper shelf forever. I know the ending is somewhat controversial for some people, but for me, it’s a timeless romance. And hey, if nothing else, the ending is a great conversation starter.
2. What is one place that I should see if I visit your hometown? The Blue Whale—it’s a landmark on Historic Route 66. It’s actually not much. But it’s cute and funky looking and hey, historic Route 66. Road trip!
3. Hard Rock or Classical? Favorite Band or Artist? Hard Rock. Favorite? That’s a hard one. I’d have to go with Queen. You can never go wrong with Freddy Mercury.
4. Tats or No Tats? If tats, how many and what did you choose for your first one? Tats. I have six. My fist one was a parrot because I had birds at the time.
5. Are you a binge watcher or weekly viewer? Which show(s)? Weekly viewer. I watch a LOT of television. Here’s a few: The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Agents of Shield, Jane The Virgin, Chicago Med, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Modern Family, Blackish, The Big Bang Theory, The Blacklist.
6. Do you love to cook or go out to eat? I do enjoy cooking, but if I had my choice I’d much rather have someone else cook for me, so I’m going to choose eating out. But to be perfectly honest, I’d rather have a personal chef to come to my house and cook for me. It’s like the best of both worlds, right?
7. Motorcycle or bicycle? Motorcycle – We have a Harley and we love to ride.
8. If you could try any career for a day, what would it be? A surgeon – I watch a lot of medical shows and I’m not squeamish. I could totally handle this!
Thanks again for hanging out! Time for another Iced-Coffee 🙂 Happy Reading Dear Readers.
Happy Writing Jaci!
EXCERPT:
Love After All (A Hope Novel)
Chelsea straightened. “So, thanks for breakfast. I should be going now.”
He walked into the kitchen and grasped her wrist, his fingers on one very fast racing pulse.
“What list, Chelsea?”
There was something about her that got to him in the most basic of ways. He dated a lot of women, and typically not for long. He’d known Chelsea for a lot of years, but she wasn’t the type of woman he went out with. First, he figured she was high maintenance, with her fancy clothes and her high heeled shoes and her ideas about men. They just didn’t mesh.
But there was chemistry between them—something he’d definitely been noticing a lot more in the past several months. And the way her pulse ticked up and her eyes dilated and the way she licked her lips whenever he got close?
Yeah, she noticed it, too.
Plus, she had a fiery personality, and he knew damn well that would translate to a spitfire in bed. He couldn’t deny he wouldn’t mind experiencing a little of the wildcat Chelsea in bed.
But he’d garnered enough from the conversations she’d had with her friends at the bar to know she was looking for a relationship. And that was the one thing he wasn’t at all interested in. He didn’t mind dating the same woman for a while, but he always made it clear he wasn’t into anything permanent. Being married once had taught him an awful lot about what not to do. He wasn’t ready for another round of bruised emotions and battered hearts. He was better off keeping things light and simple between him and women.
But Chelsea? He couldn’t seem to stop himself from teasing her. After all, they weren’t dating. They were just friends, and had been for a long time.
So when she didn’t answer his question, he had to press the issue.
“You were talking to my dog about your list. And the fact that I don’t meet the criteria.”
“I said no such thing. You misheard me. I was talking about my grocery list.”
Now he was really curious, because she sure as hell hadn’t been talking about him and food in the same sentence. “I don’t think so. You said I still have marks against me on your list, and you wouldn’t consider me anyway. So what list is this? The one you were making at the bar yesterday?”
She looked down at where he had hold of her wrist. He let her go, and she went into the living room to grab her purse.
He followed.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just start making things up. Like maybe you’re making up a list of men you’d like to help you make a baby.”
She stopped and turned to him, her eyes wide. “I do not need any man to help me make a baby.”
He scratched the side of his nose and slanted a grin at her. “Well, yeah, you kind of do.”
In answer, she rolled her eyes at him. “You know what I mean. I’m not trying to have a baby right now, Bash.”
“Then why don’t I qualify for your list?”
She huffed in a breath of frustration. “None of your business.”
“It is my business if my name is on it.”
“That’s just it. Your name is not on it. It could never be on it.”
He stepped in closer. “Yeah? And why’s that?”
“I’d prefer not to say.”
“So back to my idea about you finding a man to make a baby with…”
She gave him an exasperated look. “Bash.”
“I’m only trying to help, Chelsea. Not that I’m going to give you a baby, but I know a lot of guys . . .”
He liked seeing that fire in her eyes, the one that turned her emerald green eyes dark.
“This is ridiculous. But fine. You’re not on the list because you’re not my idea of the perfect man.”
His brows rose. “You made a list of the perfect man? You know the perfect guy doesn’t exist, right?”
“Of course he does.”
“You’ve met him.” He didn’t like the way his gut tightened at the thought.
“Not yet. And that’s the problem. But I know what I want, and I’ll know who he is when I do.”
“Really.” He sat on the edge of the sofa. “Show me your list.”
“I don’t think so.” She wrapped her arm tighter around her bag, as if he were going to wrench it away from her. Obviously, whatever was on Chelsea’s list was important to her. That made him eager to see it.
“No, really. Maybe I can help. Show me your list.”
She hesitated, but finally dug into her purse and pulled out her notebook, flipping the pages, then gave him a hard stare. “You cannot laugh.”
“I promise I won’t laugh.”
She thrust the notebook at him.
He scanned the list, the corners of his mouth ticking up.
“Bash.”
He held up his hand. “I’m not laughing. But yeah, I can see why I’m not the man for you.” He handed the notebook back to her and met her gaze. “I’m divorced, I work at night, I love sports, and you’ve already met one of my crazy ex-girlfriends. Though she’s not my fault. She was normal when I met her.”
Chelsea arched a brow.
“Hey, I don’t set out to date crazy women. I like them unemotional and uncomplicated.”
That won him an even harder stare.
“Maybe I’m not making myself clear enough.”
“Obviously not.”
He figured the best way out of that one was to leave the crazy-ex-girlfriend topic alone. “As far as the rest of your list, I’m a beer-and-burgers kind of guy. I spend all my time at a bar, I’m definitely not a suit guy, and my perfect weekend getaway is camping. And while I like kids, I’m not ready to have any yet. Plus, I apparently just adopted one of those yippy little dogs.”
She crossed her arms and nodded. “Exactly my point. We have nothing in common. Nothing at all.”
He stood and approached her. “You’re right. Nothing in common.”
They were standing only inches apart, and damn, she smelled good. Like a cinnamon roll and fiery brandy or something. Hot and spicy—and he suddenly wanted a taste of her. If he were honest with himself, and he always tried to be, he’d wanted a taste of Chelsea for a long time now.
She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth, and he felt the tight pull in his groin, the fierce rush of desire that had nothing to do with a list and everything to do with basic chemistry.
*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED******
Jaci Burton has generously donated ONE autographed copy of Love After All.
Answer the following question in the comments to be eligible to win – Would you ever make a list of “requirements” for finding your soulmate?
Contest ends on 5/19/16 at 11:59 PM
One winner will be randomly selected. Winner must comment within 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be randomly selected.
Contest open to US/International.
Good luck to all!
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To find out who wins the 2016 RITA in each category head over to Romance Writers of America on July 16 at 8PM PT. Winners will be announced and be sure to follow #RITAGH and #RWA16 for all the news that night!
Author Info:
The author of the USA Today and New York Times bestselling Play by Play and Hope series, Jaci Burton has written over 70 books since she first started writing full time in 2001. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and dogs. A lover of sports, Jaci can often tell what season it is by what sport is being played. She watches entirely too much television, which she considers “book research”. When she isn’t on deadline, Jaci can be found at her local casino, trying to become a millionaire (so far, no luck). She’s a total romantic and loves a story with a happily ever after, which you’ll find in all her books. You can find out more about Jaci at her website at jaciburton.com, on Twitter at @jaciburton, on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuthorJaciBurton, and on Instagram at instagram.com/jaciburton
May 16, 2016 | Blog, Heidi Rice, May 2016
Congratulations to Mary Preston, winner of the Coffee With Heidi Rice giveaway.
You’ve won an e-book copy of Daring the Bad Boy by Heidi Rice.
Mary, you have 24 hours to comment or another winner will be selected.
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May 16, 2016 | Blog, Lauren Blakely, May 2016
Lauren’s sexiest couple ever, Julia and Clay, are back!
That’s right! Fans asked and Lauren is delivering!
The one question Lauren has received regularly in the last two years since the publication of ONE MORE NIGHT, the final novel in the Julia and Clay story in the Seductive Nights series, is “Can you please tell us what Julia and Clay are up to now?”
A WILDLY SEDUCTIVE NIGHT is the answer to that reader request!
Lauren’s hottest and most passionate couple ever, Julia and Clay, return in this brand new novella! Set a few years after the end of ONE MORE NIGHT, this new novella answers the question of what if your fantasy becomes your reality?
What if all your nights were seductive?
What if your life with that sexy, handsome man turned into one deliciously dirty fairytale?
Cocktails, dirty talk and one fantastically filthy fairytale in a brand new novella for Lauren Blakely’s sexiest couple ever, Julia and Clay, in A Wildly Seductive Night.
Come inside the world of Seductive Nights for a glimpse at a dirty, naughty, seductive happily ever after in A WILDLY SEDUCTIVE NIGHT on June 14th!
And be sure to check out the new look for the Julia and Clay books in the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SEDUCTIVE NIGHTS SERIES…
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT
AFTER THIS NIGHT
ONE MORE NIGHT
If you’re new to the Julia and Clay books, you can find NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, AFTER THIS NIGHT, and ONE MORE NIGHT here.
ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:
Since self-publishing her debut romance novel CAUGHT UP IN US three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1 million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that’s full of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California with her family. With ten New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than forty times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as standalone romantic comedies like BIG ROCK and MISTER O, which were both instant New York Times Bestsellers. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter at laurenblakely.com/newsletter.
May 12, 2016 | Blog, Heidi Rice, May 2016
Rae: First, if we were meeting at a coffee shop I’d be drinking a Latte with Coconut Milk and a drizzle of caramel:) What would you order?
Heidi: Being extremely boring I’d probably order a plain old latte – or maybe a peppermint tea if I’m feeling particularly virtuous (but TBH I’m very rarely virtuous).
Rae: Thanks so much for hanging out with me today.
Heidi: Thanks for asking me.
Rae: Congratulations on your RITA nomination in the Contemporary Romance: Short category for Tempting the Knight. Super exciting and what an honor. Where were you when you got the call?
Heidi: Thanks so much for the congratulations Rae, I’m absolutely thrilled to bits… As it was around 2pm in the UK when they did the calls from Houston, I was sitting at my kitchen table chomping on a cheese and pickle sandwich for my lunch… Which I very nearly choked on when I picked up the phone and Alyssa Day introduced herself!
Rae: For those who are not familiar with your work can you tell us a little bit your books, they take place in some pretty cool places! By the way – the covers are fab! What was the inspiration for Tempting the Knight? How many books can we expect from the Fairy Tales of New York series? What can we expect from your next release?
Heidi: Tule covers are totally fab aren’t they… So my books, basically I write hot, funny contemporary romance mostly for Harlequin (originally in Kiss and Presents Extra), but I’ve also done stories for Tule and Entangled.
The inspiration for Tempting the Knight was two fold: First off, Amy Andrews contacted me about doing a continuity series together again. She came up with the idea of doing four contemporary riffs on classic fairy tales, we invited Kelly Hunter and Lucy King to join us and then – after over 2000 emails brainstorming ideas – I came up with the idea of a runaway supermodel Rapunzel with spectacular hair getting busted out of her ivory tower (metaphorically speaking) when she hides out on a legal aid attorney’s house barge in Brooklyn for the Labor Day Weekend… The inspiration for the house barge setting though came from an Air BnB road trip I did with my best mate in October 2013… We actually stayed on that house barge, moored in a marina off Knapp St, it was so cool and funky and unexpected I knew I would have to set a story there.
The Fairy Tales of New York are actually four hot new makeovers of The Ugly Duckling, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella which revolve around an Irish-American pub in Brooklyn. The four heroines are BFFs who were split up at convent school after an incident with some stolen altar wine and the stories cover the eventful year a decade later when they bond all over again and find love… Amy Andrews’ barmaid heroine Faith (our Cinders) also happens to have several hunky older brothers – one of whom came in handy as my hero! Here’s the run down:
Book 1: Pursued by the Rogue by Kelly Hunter
Book 2: Tempting the Knight by moi
Book 3: Taming the Beast by Lucy King
Book 4: Seduced by the Baron by Amy Andrews
The books all work as stand alone novels, but reading them together will enhance the pleasure (I promise).
Out next, I hope to have my first classic Harlequin Presents – about a tortured taciturn self-made New York billionaire and the ex-wife who gatecrashes his solo sailing holiday to the Caribbean when she discovers their divorce was never finalized – but I’ve only just finished it, so the release date/title etc is yet to be confirmed.
Rae: A quick little plug – readers should run to Amazon right now, 
Tempting the Knight (The Fairy Tales of New York Series Book 2) is $2.99 on Amazon and your books in the Harlequin Kiss line are just $1.99 each. A few perfectly priced books to start your collection dear readers or add to it! 🙂
Heidi: Cool!
Rae: I read on your blog that you went to the London Book Fair, for those of us here in the states can you tell us a little bit about that?
Heidi: It’s this completely mental publishing event that takes place in a huge Victorian building in West London called Olympia. All the major International publishers and agents are there busy buying and pitching books over three days, but they also do some really interesting seminars for writers who want to know more about the business end of publishing… It’s the first time I’ve been even though I live in London and have been a published author for nearly ten years. Have to say it was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Rather idiotically, I had no real concept of what an insanely HUGE and complex business publishing is until I went!
Rae: Can you tell us when and where you will be in the upcoming months?
Heidi: Well, mostly I’m going to be at home in my study in London typing away like a lunatic as I’ve got so much work lined up. I’ve just sent off my first book for Harlequin Presents, so I’m working on an outline for the second book on the contract, while also working on a second longer book for Harlequin UK (my first ST book So Now You’re Back was released in February). And I’ve also got to find time in the next couple of months to create an online writing course on How to Write Hot Romance with the wonderful women at The Professional Writing Academy which we’re hoping to launch in September… On top of that I’m going to Italy in June with my DH and two sons for a week long holiday (while selflessly scouting out some great Presents locations) and then heading to the RWA conference in San Diego in July for the RITAs. Sheesh, I’m exhausted just typing all that stuff down… But also super excited.
***** 8 Tantalizing Tidbits *****
1. What is a must read book and why? Outlander because… Jamie Fraser.
2. What is one place that I should see if I visit your hometown? Wow, there are so many amazing things to do and see in London which is where I was born and still live.. But if I was you I’d avoid the West End like the plague (which is usually heaving and very overpriced these days) and head to Borough Market on the south end of London Bridge. You can get food from all over the world there (all of it delicious) and have a pint in an authentic London pub or go to the top of the Shard (the tallest building in Europe) and get a vertigo-inducing view of the whole city. Okay, that’s three places to see but they’re all very close together, honest…
3. Castles or Beaches? Beaches, especially on cold wintry days. Donegal in Ireland or The Pembroke Peninsula in Wales are particularly good for this as the beaches are beautiful and mostly deserted and even summer days can often be cold and wintry.
4. What is your guilty pleasure? Really? I can name only one? But I have so many. Guilty pleasures are my forte! Hmm, I guess yesterday it would be binge-watching episodes of Starz Outlander in bed while pretending not to hear my younger son ask when lunch was going to be ready. I believe the words ‘when you make it’ might have been said at some point. FYI he’s 18, so his guilty pleasure is obviously nagging his mum to do stuff he’s perfectly capable of doing himself.
5. What are you afraid of? Getting to the bottom of our laundry pile… If this ever happens it will almost certainly be the end of the world as we know it.
6. Organized or Free Floating? Free floating frequently off into the cosmos of social media (see what I mean about guilty pleasures??) with a desperate urge to be more organized.
7. Binge watcher or weekly viewer? Which shows? Binge watcher all the way. I so do not do deferred gratification. Shows-wise there are so many, but just for starters: Better Call Saul, The Night Manager, Poldark, Outlander (obviously), The Good Wife, Suits (Harvey Spector, I love you), Making of a Murderer (which made me shout at the TV, a lot), but there are many more..
8. If you could pick a book you’ve read and make it into a movie, which book would it be, besides yours 🙂 ? A good friend of mine called Iona Grey wrote an absolutely amazing novel called Letters to the Lost which won the UK’s Romantic Novel of the Year Award. It’s an incredibly moving love story, that spans two generations – a US airman and an unhappily married English woman during the Blitz and the runaway girl and the young heir hunter who find their letters in a derelict house in London in the modern day. I would love to see that movie, so much so I’ve already cast it in my head and Gabriel Macht is Dan Rosinsky, the US airman… BTW if this actually happens I will be expecting Iona to get me an invite onto the set. I hope you’re listening, Iona!
Thanks again for hanging out! Time for another Latte 🙂 Happy Reading Dear Readers.
Happy Writing Heidi
*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED******
Heidi Rice has generously donated ONE e-book copy of Daring the Bad Boy by Heidi Rice.
Answer the following question in the comments to be eligible to win: What book you’d like to see made into a movie or TV show?
Contest ends on 5/13/16 at 11:59 PM
One winner will be randomly selected. Winner must comment within 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be randomly selected.
Contest open to US/International.
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To find out who wins the 2016 RITA in each category head over to Romance Writers of America on July 16 at 8PM PT. Winners will be announced and be sure to follow #RITAGH and #RWA16 for all the news that night!
Bio:
Author Heidi Rice’s first love was watching movies so, not surprisingly, her first proper job was as a film journalist. But after spending years sneaking off to read romantic fiction when she was being paid to watch some crappy B-movie or other, she decided to try writing a novel of her own.
Her first book was published by Harlequin in 2007. Nine years and 20something published novels, novellas and short stories later,and she has nabbed three RITA nominations, had her work translated into over twenty languages, become a USA Today bestseller and sold over two million copies of her books worldwide.
As you can probably tell, she loves her job, because it involves sitting down at her computer each day and getting swept up in a world of high emotions, sensual excitement, funny flawed women, sexy tortured men and glamourous locations where laundry doesn’t exist …
She lives in London with her husband and two sons, and lots of other gorgeous men who are entirely in her imagination (unlike the laundry, unfortunately).
