A Million Reasons to Love Cat Schield & Meddling with a Millionaire

No. 1. The author writes like a million bucks. I don’t think I read a trite cliché or a stale phrase in this whole book. I was hooked faster than a miner on a hunt for diamonds. From page one, the sexual tension and the conflict leapt off the page.

No. 2. Cat Schield creates fifteen carat characters. Just wait until you meet Emma Montgomery and Nathan Case. The chase is on when Emma defies her tycoon father and refuses to be taken care of, or just a business deal in the eyes of the man she marries. Nathan Case’s background and struggle to get where he is will have readers falling in love.

No. 3 The plot is pure gold. Emma Montgomery learns the value of a dollar as well as to value herself. Nathan Case is a sympathetic hero who learns you can’t put a price tag on love. I’ll wager my stock portfolio you’ll be cheering them on for a happily ever after.

Okay, okay. The Get Lost Crew tells me I can’t count… er… go to a million. But I would if I could. There’s just too many reasons not to love MEDDLING WITH A MILLIONAIRE.

First, let's start with a blurb:

No Man’s Bargaining Chip

Emma Montgomery wouldn’t be manipulated into marriage as part of Daddy’s business deal—even if he cut off access to her trust fund until she complied. The talented jewelry designer would just make her own way. Or go down trying. Too bad her intended groom--maverick businessman and former crush Nathan Case--made her stubborn stance so difficult. The heat of his touch had her nearly betraying herself at every turn. Resisting Nathan and regaining her money were the name of the game—but meddling with this millionaire might land her right back in his arms!

And then...let's get Cat Schield in on this lucrative deal and ask her some questions:

DONNELL: Cat, the Desire line suits you so well, and I love the high society books that come from this line. What attracted you to write for Desire (e.g. this lifestyle)? Do you write what you know? ;)

CAT: I love alpha heroes and enjoy pairing them with the perfect spunky heroine to drive them crazy. And of course, there’s a high level of sensuality. As for writing what I know, I have little experience with private jets or million-dollar homes, but the business settings come easy to me since I’ve spent most of my life working in corporate America and can draw from my experiences.

DONNELL: When I met Nathan’s brothers, I felt a series coming on. They’re not the most likable characters in the beginning, but you deviously set it up so I want to know all about them in future books. I was excited to learn you just sold book three. Tell us about book two, and what will happen in book three! I take it we’ll see more of the Case brothers?

CAT: When I originally started this book back in 2007 I wasn’t thinking in terms of a series so I didn’t work very hard to make Nathan’s half brothers sympathetic. But Max started to grow on me and I knew I needed to tell his story. And if Max got a story, well then Sebastian needed one, too.

I knew the least about eldest brother, Sebastian, and had no idea what to do with him. Then I decided his would be a boss/secretary story, but his assistant’s name was Missy which I didn’t think suited Sebastian. I had in mind for him a more sophisticated woman than this small town girl from west Texas, but then I realized their divergent backgrounds gave me the perfect conflict.

A Win-Win Proposition comes out in October 2011. While on business in Las Vegas, Sebastian gets to see his assistant in a whole new light and it has a very detrimental effect on his self-control.

Max’s book will come out in early 2012. It’s a reunion story with lots of twists and turns.

Finally, let’s make an investment in your readers and ask them a question.

WHY DO YOU THINK MILLIONAIRE/TYCOON STORIES ARE SO POPULAR?

The winner of today’s drawing will win, what else? MEDDLING WITH A MILLIONAIRE.

Cat Schield lives in Minnesota with her daughter and their Burmese cat. Winner of the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart® for series contemporary romance, when she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Harlequin Desire, she can be found sailing with friends on the St. Croix River or more exotic locales like the Caribbean and Europe.

Any time you want to visit with Cat, you can find her right here at Get Lost in a Story, or check out her webpage at http://catschield.com/ or Twitter or Facebook all listed on the home page of this blog. Be sure to stop by tomorrow as we continue our celebration of Cat's debut week. And as always Like us on Facebook & Twitter!

Cat's Release Week!

This week, it's all about Cat Schield and her debut novel, MEDDLING WITH A MILLIONAIRE!




Visit every day! Tell your friends. Buy Cat's book. Buy one for your friends! :)

Buy on Amazon:
Meddling with a Millionaire

Kindle Edition:
Meddling with a Millionaire (kindle)

Or buy it wherever you love to buy books. :)

Kate Carlisle

New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle worked in television production for many years before turning to writing. A lifelong fascination with the art and craft of bookbinding led her to write the Bibliophile Mysteries, featuring Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder. The latest bibliophile mystery, THE LIES THAT BIND, is available now.

Kate also writes romance for Harlequin Desire, and the third of her Duke brothers trilogy, HOW TO SEDUCE A BILLIONAIRE, will be out in August 2011. Visit her at katecarlisle.com or and at her group blog, romancebandits.blogspot.com/, where she blogs monthly.

Book restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright returns home to San Francisco to teach a bookbinding class. Unfortunately, the program director Layla Fontaine is a horrendous host who pitches fits and lords over her subordinates. But when Layla is found shot dead, Brooklyn is bound and determined to investigate-even as the killer tries to close the book on her for good.

Marriage and kids? Not for confirmed bachelor Cameron Duke. Then an affair with Julia Parrish changed everything. Once he discovered the pretty cupcake maker had borne him a son, Cameron's priorities did a complete turnaround. He would marry and give his child the Duke name. But he'd be keeping his heart.

A marriage of convenience? That wouldn't have been Julia's first choice. Yes, she had always craved Cameron, and becoming his wife could be sweet indeed. But once she said "I do," this new bride and mother realized she wanted more from her husband. She wanted love.

CAT: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

KATE: I worry. I look around and wonder what I’m forgetting. Can I really be finished? What did I leave out? Something crucial, no doubt. I write a book in such a whirlwind, especially as I reach the end, that the sudden calm is horribly disconcerting. Is it obvious that I’m a neurotic mess? But lovable. J

CAT: How often do you get lost in a story?

KATE: As often as possible. I love getting lost in a story! In fact, I’m desperate to get lost whenever I pick up a new book. You see, if I’m not sucked into the story by page ... hmm, let’s say page three, I can’t keep reading it. I’m easily distracted and the next thing I know, I’m picking up a different book and trying to get lost inside it! I enjoy reading excerpts online or picking up a book in the bookstore and reading the first few pages, because then I know for sure whether or not the story will take me away. I love to be carried away by a book.

CAT: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

KATE: No music. I prefer to have the news on in my living room when I’m writing in my office. The urgent, muted voices are soothing to me. Is that too terribly odd? Will my answers to these questions be studied in psychiatric hospitals some day? Honestly, I don’t know how to explain it except to say that having the news playing in the background makes me imagine I won’t miss anything important happening in the world. Yeah, that’s my explanation.

CAT: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why?

KATE: I would travel back to my college days and make some better choices. For instance, when I met that gorgeous lifeguard at Zuma Beach and drove up to Santa Cruz with him, I probably wouldn’t have given him my—oh, wait, did you mean, like, travel to regency England or something like that? No, I wouldn’t actually travel back to anyplace like regency England or medieval Scotland or wherever. I’d rather read about them in romance novels and not have to deal with, up close and personally, the lack of indoor plumbing or the fact that women had virtually no rights. Anyway, about that hunky lifeguard…

CAT: What’s your favorite kid joke?

KATE: I have two favorite kid jokes, and by “kid joke,” I assume you mean something really stupid and corny, and that’s just my style. So here goes: (#1) What is the definition of a farmer? That’s a man who is outstanding in his field. (#2) A three-legged dog walks into a saloon, looks around and says, “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.”

CAT: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

KATE: I would be a spy. A really good one.

CAT’S GOTTA ASK – KATE’S GOTTA ANSWER:

If you were a t-shirt, what color would you be and why?

KATE: I would be a tight black t-shirt because black is so slimming on a woman and so sexy on a man. Now that I think about it, if I really were a black t-shirt, I would want to belong to that sexy man and, you know, hug his body really closely in order to, you know, show off his awesome shoulders and amazing muscles and those strong arms and six-pack abs. And then he’d tuck me into his worn blue jeans and we’d go riding off on his Harley. So yeah, definitely a black t-shirt.

KATE’S QUESTION FOR VISITORS: I write both romance and mystery and I love to blend the two sometimes. What about you? Do you like mysteries with a romantic element? How about a little mystery or intrigue woven into a romance? What have you read lately that combines the two?

Giveaway –

In anticipation of my upcoming Harlequin Desire, HOW TO SEDUCE A BILLIONAIRE featuring the third Duke brother, Brandon Duke, I’d like to give away signed copies of the first two Duke Brothers books, THE MILLIONAIRE MEETS HIS MATCH and SWEET SURRENDER, BABY SURPRISE, to one random commenter today.**

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Barbara Dunlop

USA Today bestselling author Barbara Dunlop sold her first book to Harlequin in 2000.  She has since written 29 novels for a variety of Harlequin and Silhouette lines.  Barbara is a two time RITA Award finalist and a two time winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart.  Her next book, “The CEO’s Accidental Bride” will be released by Silhouette Desire in January 2011. 

I’m thrilled to interview Barbara Dunlop today.  As a new Desire author, I learned so much of my craft from reading Barbara’s wonderful stories.  No matter how distracting my surroundings, I always know when I pick up one of Barbara’s books, her characters will pull me into their lives with warm humor and passionate encounters.

THE CEO’S ACCIDENTAL BRIDE

There was no way multimillionaire Zach Harper would split his inheritance with a stranger. Even if she was his wife. What had supposedly been a prank Vegas wedding to Kaitlin Saville was very real. And now, according to his late grandmother's will, Zach's future was tied to Kaitlin…forever.

The CEO truly believed he could buy off his bride with a few million and a signed divorce decree. However, Kaitlin didn't want money. She wanted an opportunity only Zach could provide. So he offered her a job, vowing never to consummate their marriage. But some vows were meant to be broken.…

 

Exerpt:

CAT:  How often to you get lost in a story?

BARBARA:  I get lost every time I read a good story.  There’s nothing better than diving into a great book with fun, compelling characters.  And when you have to take a break from reading, it’s wonderful to know the book is waiting for you to pick it up again.  I particularly enjoy comedies.  Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Crusie, Jane Graves and Susan Elizabeth Phillips are some of my favorites.  Recently I’ve been reading Lisa Kleypas contemporaries.  They’re terrific!

CAT:  What’s the first book you remember reading? 

BARBARA:  As a young girl, I loved the “Little House” books.  As I grew into a teenager, I found myself gravitating toward books with strong romance plots.  I don’t think there were as many Young Adult romances back then.  But I’m sure I would have loved them.

CAT:  Where do you read and how often?

BARBARA:  Lately, I tend to read on airplanes.  I often save books by favorite authors for when I know I have a long flight coming up.  Nothing makes a day of traveling brighter than getting lost in a great story!

CAT:  What was the first story you remember writing?

BARBARA:  I wrote “How the Giraffe Got His Long Neck” when I was about eight years old.

CAT:  What’s your favorite movie of all time?

BARBARA:  It’s hard to pick out a single film.  I loved “The Last of the Mohicans”.  In a completely different genre, I thought “Charlie Wilson’s War” was fantastic.  But I’m also a huge sucker for a romantic comedy.  Most recently, I laughed out loud through “The Proposal”.  I’m a Sandra Bullock fan.  I also loved “While You Were Sleeping” and “Two Weeks Notice.”  Obviously, I could go on and on!

CAT:  Be honest, when reading 1st person...do you miss the hero’s POV?

BARBARA:  My personal preference is third person, in part because I do enjoy having the hero’s POV.  But a well-written first person story is also enjoyable.  I mentioned Lisa Kleypas in an earlier answer.  Her contemporaries are first person, and they’re incredibly engaging.

CAT:  What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

BARBARA:  Comedies are my all time favorite stories to get lost in.  Even though the Stephanie Plum series isn’t really a romance, I still buy them all and laugh my way through.  I like snappy dialogue, particularly great banter between a hero and heroine.  There’s something energizing about a witty, intelligent debate.

CAT:  If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

BARBARA:  In addition to being a writer, I’m also a Film Commissioner.  That means I get to work with a huge variety of filmmakers and support the careers of other artists.  It’s a great job.

CAT:  If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

BARBARA:  There’s a brilliant news commentator in Canada on the CBC, Rex Murphy.  I don’t know if I’d necessarily want to do a formal interview.  I’d rather have lunch with him and hear his views on world politics, or pretty much anything really.

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER

CAT:  If you were a t-shirt, what color would you be and why?

BARBARA:  I’d be dark purple, something different and mysterious, but not too flashy.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

The Silhouette Desire line often features powerful heroes and glitzy settings.  What are your favorite hero professions, billionaires, cowboys?  What are your favorite settings?

Barbara can be contacted through her web site www.barbaradunlop.com.

Thank you, Barbara for blogging with us today.

Please stop back Monday, January 10^th when Maureen McGowan hosts Middle Grade and YA author Eileen Cook.

Extra, Extra.... Cat's 2nd Sale

Forgive fireworks during the Christmas season, but this news is too big not to announce. One of the Get Lost Crew has sold another book! Cat Schield has sold her second book to Silhouette Desire. Currently titled, WINNING THE MILLIONAIRE, Cat's publication date is slated for January 2012. Congratulations!