7/31/2015

Live from NYC

STROLLING THROUGH THE
HARLEQUIN PARTY

Jan Schliesman & RaeAnne Thayne


Angi ~ Heather Graham ~ Jan

Shirley Jump ~ Angi ~ Lisa Wray with Harlequin

Allison Carroll ~ Jan
Melissa Cutler ~ Angi ~ Adrienne Giordano
So we walked into the hallway and this...picture happened.
Jan & Angi ~~ or ~~  JAN'GI

Lauren Canan
Adrienne Giordano

Pamela Hearon ~ Angi

IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT THE SHOES...

...OR THE DANCING
Anna Sugden ~ Liz Talley
Frances Housden ~ T.M. Clark

The Harlequin Pack

DON'T MISS THE OTHER TWO PARTS OF #LiveInNYC 

The Literacy Autographing
& Who You Meet in the Bar

7/30/2015

Get Lost in the Regency Era with Collette Cameron



Today I am pleased to interview Collette Cameron, bestselling author of Regency romances, some set in Scotland: the Castle Brides Series, Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, and Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper Series. Collette makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five mini-dachshunds. Mother to three and a self-proclaimed Cadbury Chocolate chocoholic, Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, trivia, and all things shabby chic or cobalt blue. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels.

Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, too many flowers, or too many books. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list. 

Collette is giving away a copy of her eBook, Virtue and Valor, book 1 in the Highlander Heather Romancing a Scot Series so leave a comment! 

The book: 

Bartholomew Yancy never expected to inherit an English earldom and had no intention of marrying. Now, the Earl of Ramsbury and last in his line, he’s obligated to resign his position as England’s War Secretary, find a wife, and produce an heir. Only one woman holds the least appeal: Isobel Ferguson, an exquisite Scotswoman. Brought to Scotland to mediate between feuding clans, he doggedly woos her. 

Disillusioned with men pursuing her for her attractiveness, rather than her unusual intellect, Isobel has all but abandoned any hope of finding a husband in the Highlands. Not only does she believe Yancy no different than her other suitors, he’s a notorious rake. She’s been told he’s practically betrothed. Therefore, his interest in her cannot possibly be honorable, and so she shuns his attentions.

When Isobel is mistakenly abducted by a band of rogue Scots, Yancy risks his life to rescues her. To salvage her compromised reputation, her brother and father insist she marry him. Yancy readily agrees, but Isobel—knowing full well she’s fated for spinsterhood by refusing his offer— won’t be coerced into marriage. 

Can love unite a reluctant earl and a disenchanted beauty?

The interview:

1. What sound or noise do you love?
There are two actually. 
I grew up along the northern Oregon coast, and to this day, I love the sound of the ocean’s waves as they come ashore and the cry of seagulls overhead.
Oh, and a winter storm at the beach, as long as I’m all toasty inside is fabulous too.
2. What was the first story you remember writing?
That’s easy!
Highlander’s Hope is the first story I ever wrote, though the published version is about half the size of the original manuscript.
I wasn’t one of those writers who started writing stories at a young age, always thinking someday I’d give getting a published a shot.
For years I’d toyed with the idea of maybe writing a book; if I ever got around to it, but I didn’t have a box under my bed or stuffed in a closet full of half-finished stories or poorly penned prose from my tormented teens!
3. What is your biggest vice?
You’re assuming I only have one?
Well, most people are going think it’s my love for Cadbury Milk Chocolate or my obsession with dachsies (both are barely under control) but they aren’t my biggest vice.
No, my biggest vice is I’m a workaholic. I rarely take even part of a day to do something that’s not in some way related to my writing, and when I do, then I’m scampering around like a caffeine-high hamster doing yard or house work.
Or starting another project, which will stress me out because I cannot stand unfinished things!
A bit too much info? 
4. What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
Catch up!
I have a list that I keep adding too as I write so that I don’t constantly interrupt my flow.  By the end of a book, I have a week’s worth of to-do items on my list.
I also celebrate by going out to dinner with my family, or actually sitting down and watching TV.
5. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
Both!
I love my coffee first thing in the morning, strong and hot! My favorite creamer is pumpkin spice, but *sigh* it’s only available seasonally.
Last year, hubby bought me 15 bottles to put in the freezer!
When there’s no pumpkin spice creamer available, I settle for crĆØme brulee.  
I’m also a fan of tea though, especially in the winter when I’m garbed in an over-sized sweater and it’s freezing outside.
Moroccan mint green tea is a favorite.
6. What would you say is your most interesting quirk?
That would be my sense of humor.
When people first meet me, they think I’m very serious. I’ve even been accused of being unapproachable or stuck-up. We introverts, get that sometimes.
I don’t know why people assume introverts don’t have wicked senses of humor, but this one does.
I’m not talking about a foul or dirty sense of humor, but I’m a funny person with a sharp wit, and a gift for quick come-backs.
I can’t even keep my humor out of my historical, though if I’m totally honest, a few people haven’t “gotten” it.
I’ve always suspected those few either had undies on that were several sizes to small, or they hadn’t consumed sufficient quantities of chocolate in the last week.
7. What has been your most rewarding publishing moment?
Ah, that would be when I held my first print book in my hand. I know many, many people prefer digital books, and I understand the convenience of eReaders, the storage issue of print books, and the difference in cost between the two. But . . . I love books.Actual books, I can hold and smell, and bury my nose in.

8. What has surprised you the most about being published?

My unequivocal answer has to be the amazing support and encouragement of other authors.
I expected the industry to be a foray into hostility and cattiness, and I’ve found the opposite to be true.  Romance authors are amongst the most giving and generous people I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve made dozens and dozens of wonderful friends. 

Collette asks those commenting: 
Do you like feisty, unconditional heroines, or do they come across as bratty and spoiled sometimes?  
 
And now an excerpt from her story, Virtue and Valor:

“My lord?” Her tone indicated anything but respect and deference.
“I would be honored if you joined me in a game of chess, Miss Ferguson.”
Her pretty lips curled into a wide smile. “I had rather hoped you’d pick fencing. I would have enjoyed having a go at you with my sabre.”
“You fence?” A vision of her derriere in snug, white breeches sprang to mind. He really had become a lecher.
“After my parents allowed Adaira to learn, Seonaid and I insisted we have the same opportunity.” She turned and climbed the risers. The sway of her hips, even underneath the thick cloak, tantalized.
Isobel peered over her shoulder, a siren’s smile on her lips. “I suppose it’s only fair to tell you. I’ve never lost at chess.”
Confident little thing, wasn’t she?
Yancy released a hearty chuckle. He quite liked this unconventional morsel of womanliness. “Surely, when you first learned the game?”
“At seven.” Isobel shook her head and more silky strands spilled from the loose knot. She gave him a falsely honeyed smile.
“No. Not ever, my lord.”
She proceeded up the stairs, her voice floating back to him. “By the way, your lordship, if I win, I’m permitted to leave the keep without two escorts.”

Buy on Amazon. And keep up with Collette on her Website, her Blue Rose Romance blog, Facebook and Twitter.

7/29/2015

Mary Behre is back in Tidewater

ENERGIZED
Tidewater, Book #3
Berkley Publishing

A kiss between strangers draws both into unexpected danger and unforgettable desire…

She’s searching for a sign…

Hannah Halloran has always believed in her gift. The things she sees through her psychic touch have never led her wrong before. Not when they led her to an unforgettable night with a sexy marine at a bar. Not when she felt a need to leave her home and find the sisters she barely knows. And not now, when she is an unwilling witness to a brutal murder.

He’s ready to show her…

All Niall Graham wants is some peace. He’s recovering from the horrors of war, struggling to save his family’s restaurant, and desperate to forget Hannah, the beautiful woman who left him with memories of a mind-blowing night together and a bogus phone number. But a quiet life is hard to manage—especially when Hannah strides back into his restaurant with the news that a serial killer is on the loose and lurking closer than anyone could have guessed.

Buy the Book


MARY BEHRE is an award-winning author who loves stories with humor, suspense, a touch of the paranormal and above all else, a good romance. She tries not to take herself too seriously, often claiming as the lone female in a house full of males, she’s the undisputed queen. And even has the glittery tiara to prove it. When not writing, she enjoys reading, gluten-free baking, and hanging out at the beach with the most important men in her life, her family.

Her debut paranormal romance, SPIRITED (Tidewater Novel #1) was an award-winning manuscript before it sold to Berkley Sensation. The Tidewater Series is mix of humor, suspense, and a psychic love-connection. The first three stories are about three sisters separated years before in the foster care system. As they search for love, each other, and a way to live with their psychic abilities, they're tossed into the middle of mysteries that only their unique gifts can help solve.

THE ENERGIZED Q&A
ANGI: Ice cream or Cake?
MARY: Ice cream, definitely. And if we’re placing orders, I’d like two scoops of Pralines & Cream with extra caramel, whipped cream, and a cherry in a cup. :)

ANGI: Benedict Cumberbatch or Chris Pine?
MARY: Both. I’m a sucker for a smart man with blue eyes. Wait, I already have one of those. :)

ANGI: Veggies or a good dessert?
MARY: Is there such thing as a bad dessert? Dessert definitely.

ANGI: What’s your favorite meal?
MARY: Whatever meal comes with dessert. :)

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
MARY: Does Groot count? He’s more of a comic book/movie character. But what’s not to love about a giant talking tree who can make the world a better place while kicking bad guys’ butts?
ANGI: I. Am. Groot.

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?
MARY: He’s a Marine who’s honest, hard-working, and imperfect.

ANGI: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
MARY: Ooh, this is fun! Let’s see, “Come With Me Now” by the Kongos, “Love Me Again” by Jon Newman, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence, “Steal My Kisses” by Ben Harper, and “I’ve Seen a Little” by Alan Doyle.

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?
MARY: I read every chance I get, so that’s pretty much anywhere I can. :)

ANGI: What do you like best about ENERGIZED?
MARY: It was the most fun to write. That sounds kind of strange considering there’s a vicious murderer in the book, but the characters were so alive in my head that it made the whole process so much more enjoyable.

ANGI: What’s your favorite rerun on television?
MARY: I don’t have cable or satellite. So I don’t know what’s on TV these days. :) When streaming Netflix, I enjoy watching Miss Fischer’s Murder Mysteries. (A television show filmed in Australia.)

ANGI: Are you looking forward to any movie releases?
MARY: MINIONS!! Although, by the time this comes out, the movie will already be out and I will have probably seen it twice. :)

ANGI: What's your most favorite thing to do in your state?
MARY: Virginia is a diverse state. There’s an ocean on side and mountains on the other. I think my favorite activity in the Commonwealth is to spend time at the ocean.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?
MARY: Mr. Wickham is my favorite villain of all time. He’s such a scoundrel, so contemptuous for the time period (Pride & Prejudice) that it’s almost fun to hate him. He’s worse than a killer because he’s really a giant loser of his own making.

ANGI: Hiking Boots or Dancing Heels?
MARY: With the National RWA Conference on the brain, I’d have to say, dancing heels. :)

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?
MARY: Fun and incredibly busy.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: What is your best wish come true?
MARY’s GOTTA ANSWER: Walking into a book store and seeing my books on the shelf. It’s been more than a year since it first happened and I’m still giddy every time I find my book in the wild. 

FIND MARY
Contact   Website   Facebook  
Twitter  @MaryBehre  Goodreads   
Pintrest Previous GLIAS interviews

UP NEXT for MARY
FOCUSED (working title)

A gift of premonition, a killer with a talent for photography, and the lens is focused on the next target. But is the man she’s falling for, the killer or the one she needs to save?

PREVIOUS RELEASES by MARY
SPIRITED
Tidewater, book #1
Read a little, Buy the book



GUARDED
Tidewater, book #2
Read a little, Buy the book





HARMONIZED
Tidewater, novella #2.5
Read a little, Buy the book

UP NEXT ON GLIAS: Collette Cameron
Get Lost on GoodreadsFacebook
or @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories

MARY is giving away a prize pack including a signed copy of ENERGIZED. North America Readers 
Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MARY WANTS TO KNOW: If you could pick a paranormal ability but once you had it, you couldn’t turn it off, what what would you choose? (Remember, the characters call them crifts—cursed gifts—for a reason.)

7/28/2015

New from E.E. Burke: Fugitive Hearts

What would you sacrifice to give someone you love a second chance?

“Sheriff…I just killed my husband.”

Hotel owner Claire Daines is a respected member of the community. Until she shocks the entire town by rushing into a saloon wearing only her nightclothes and confessing to very inebriated lawman.

Is she a killer? Is she crazy? Or is she covering up something worse?

For years, Claire hushed up her husband’s dangerous condition to guard his reputation. When tragedy strikes, she puts her own life at risk when she vows to keep another terrible secret.


Sheriff Frank Garrity must get to the truth, although the tough, hard-drinking lawman hides his own secrets and would rather walk a lonely path than face his demons. But as Frank unravels Claire’s subterfuge and unlocks her heart, he’s torn between his desire to save her and his duty to bring her to justice.

Here's an excerpt

Upon reaching the oaken and etched-glass hotel door, Frank stopped. He searched for the handle with his fingers, and using the toe of his boot, managed to coax the door open without releasing the trembling woman in his arms.
Inside, half a dozen men milled about the lobby, situated between an ornate mahogany reception desk and a carpeted stairway leading to the second floor. Claire put her arms around his neck and hid her face in his shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured reassuringly. “I won’t leave you out here in your nightclothes. Where are your quarters?”
“Upstairs, in the back,” came the muffled reply.
The anxious guests converged on Frank about the time a clock started chiming.
“We heard a gunshot.”
Chime.
“There’s a dead man up there.”
Chime.
“Are you the sheriff?”
Chime.
“Thank you, I know. Yes.” Frank fired off short answers without slowing down to talk. He’d take Claire to her rooms and learn what happened first hand before he started interviewing anyone else. As he climbed the stairs, the chimes continued. Eleven. When he got a moment, he needed to jot down the time in the small notebook he carried in his pocket.
The woman in his arms still shook despite the air being warmer inside. Maybe it wasn’t from cold as much as from shock. If her husband had ended his life in front of her, that would explain her fragile state and bizarre behavior. He’d been acquainted with Claire Daines for the past two years, and in all that time he’d never seen her leave the hotel with so much as a hair out of place.
Her reclusive husband, on the other hand, could be a ghost for all Frank knew. Frederick Daines kept to his rooms, didn’t even go to church on Sundays. According to his wife, he suffered from war injuries and had trouble getting out. She took care of him without complaint while running a busy hotel and more recently raising an orphaned boy, Billy Frye.
“Where’s Billy?”
“In bed,” came her muffled reply.
Odd. Nobody else seemed to be.
Apprehensive guests peeked out of their rooms. They held lamps and candles aloft, the flickering light casting eerie shadows on their faces and the rose-patterned paper lining the hallway.
Frank cradled the trembling woman closer. Not because he felt any more protective toward Claire Daines than he would any other woman. He’d keep telling himself that until he believed it.
When he reached the back, a flickering light shone from a gas lamp on the wall. These rooms weren’t marked with numbers. Near the end of the hall, a door stood ajar. He hesitated, not wanting to take her inside if her husband lay dead in that room. “Is there somewhere else you can wait while I take a look inside?”
“Jail,” she murmured in a resigned tone.
He huffed with annoyance. “Stop talking about going to jail. You need a doc.”
“I’m not sick.”
“Is there a cure for hardheaded?”
Using his elbow, he nudged open the door. Cold air escaped the dark room and his nostrils flared at a charred odor. “Smells like something burned…”
Inside, Frank set his charge on her feet. She maintained a fixed stare. Reminded him of the expression he’d seen on the faces of young soldiers who’d gotten their first taste of war. Without thinking, he cupped his hand on her head and gently stroked her disheveled hair.
Desire buzzed through him. He’d never touched her before and had wondered what might happen if he did. Now he knew. Didn’t come as a surprise.
He drew his hand away. “I need to look around. Wait here.”
She didn’t speak but he got a nod.
The room was awful dark. He fumbled in his pocket for a pack of lucifers and struck one. A quick survey revealed singed curtains fluttering over a partially opened window. That explained the chill and the smell. Nearby, a candle lay on the wood floor in a puddle of water and some papers were strewn around, a few of them charred. Fortunately, someone had put out the fire before it took hold. A blaze could’ve burned down the wood-frame building in no time.
He retrieved the candle and, after a few matches, got the damp wick dry enough to light. Then wedged the taper into its stand and set it on the desk. That’s when he saw the body.
A man in his dressing robe lay sprawled face down on a floral carpet. Frank squatted by the still figure, detecting a faint scent of gunpowder and a sharper stench that indicated loss of bodily functions. No pulse, mottled skin, ice cold…
He rolled Daines over. The body remained flaccid, which meant he couldn’t have been dead for long—less than a few hours. Sightless eyes stared upward. Blood and powder burns stained his white nightshirt around a neat hole drilled in his chest. Whoever shot him had been close.
Frank’s heart commenced to pounding, every thudding beat resounded in his head, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. Had to be the effects of the whiskey he'd consumed because he’d seen more than his share of dead bodies and in much worse condition than this one. 
He drew a deep breath and released it. Forced his mind to focus. He couldn’t allow anything to cloud his thinking—not whiskey, not even his sympathy for the young widow. Frederick Daines had been shot through the heart. His wife just admitted to killing him. One question remained. 
Why?

E.E. Burke


Weave together rich historical detail, passionate romance, add a dash of suspense and you have books by E.E. Burke. Her chosen settings are the American West, and her current series takes place during the tumultuous era of America's steam railroads.
Her writing has earned accolades in regional and national contests, including the prestigious Golden Heart®. Over the years, she’s been a disc jockey, a journalist and an advertising executive, before finally getting around to living the dream...writing stories readers can get lost in.

#BestOfTheWest Heroes and Book Release Party


Tomorrow you can party with some of your favorite Western romance authors who are joining E.E. and co-host Angi Morgan to celebrate the release of Fugitive Hearts.

We'll be sharing about our favorite Western heroes, including the ones in our books, and there will be presents galore--FLASH giveaways every hour, along with fantastic drawings held by each author during their guest appearance. 

Here's the all-star line-up:
Kirsten Osbourne
B.J. Daniels
Becky Lower
Linda Broday
Cindy Nord
Kaki Warner
Beth Williamson
Kathleen Rice Adams
Rosanne Bittner

The fun starts at 11 a.m. and goes non-stop through 10 p.m. You're all invited. To RSVP, just comment here and I'll send you an invite. (I'll need your Facebook name).


You can earn extra points in my drawing just by coming to the event and bringing a friend. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway