The last book in the Fitzgerald House series is out. It's hard to believe the series ended up being six books. I thought I would tell you how this book started. It was a trip with my sisters--to Savannah.
For almost thirty years, my sisters and I have taken a sister trip. We take a long weekend. Our mother used to come with us and we miss her still. We have gone to spas, taken a cruise to the Bahamas, seen lots of cities and even gone to Toronto. And for the last twenty years, we designate a social director and the location is secret! You are required to release clues and the other sisters spend lots of email time trying to guess our location.
I've always wanted to see Savannah, so when my year rolled around and the ticket prices to Atlanta were reasonable, I planned a trip to Savannah. We also went down to Tybee Island and kayaked in the salt marshes.
We stayed in the beautiful historic district The squares are amazing. And so are the old mansions. And the idea for the series was born. Four sisters trying to turn their crumbling family mansion into a B&B. And I sold SOUTHERN COMFORTS. But the editor requested that I cut one of the sisters. So I did.
But I always wanted to have four sisters in the series -- because --- I'm one of four sisters. So the 6th book is a secret 4th sister. Carolina. She has the same father as the Fitzgerald sister and grew up on Tybee Island. Her mother had an affair with the Fitzgerald's father and expected him to divorce his wife. But that never happened.
Here's a little blurb.
A lonely, illegitimate singer will do anything to comfort
her terminally ill mother, even steal. But stealing is the last straw for the
honor-seeking FBI agent she loves.
It was really fun writing from the perspective of someone who doesn't love the Fitzgerald family on sight.
You can buy the eBook right now -- and the Paperback is available on Tuesday, March 6th.
My birthday was last week during the RWA conference. On that morning, there was a knock on the hotel room door. Early! I was still in my robe.
My kids had sent me a bottle of champagne and orange juice -- for mimosas! They are so great!
So this week it's a double celebration, my birthday and the release of UNDERCOVER WITH THE HEIRESS. And since this is my 5th book, I’m giving away a Kindle Fire. Get Lost in a Story Blog commenters will get one entry in the contest—but you need to answer the question. If you want an extra chance at winning, join my newsletter. If you are already a member of my newsletter community, let me know in the comments. If you want to join--click here.
The
eBook released on Tuesday. If you love paperbacks – you’ll get the book on
August 8th.
Here are the order links. AmazonB&NGoogle PlayKOBO
I really had fun with Courtney and Kaden and I hope you
enjoy their journey to happily-ever-after. You might remember Courtney—she’s
Gray’s sister and in the previous books, she wasn’t very nice. It was a blast
redeeming her. In UNDERCOVER WITH THE HEIRESS, you’ll also learn what really happened
to Issy, Nathan’s four-year-old daughter.
Early reviews have been so nice. And I thank everyone who
takes the time to go to either Amazon, Goodreads or B&N to post reviews.
They are the lifeblood of an author.
Here’s a Teaser –
Courtney slapped a hand on his chest. “What are you doing?”
“If I have to explain—” Kaden’s half smile was just this side of
cocky “—I’m losing my touch.”
His hand covered her fingers and a final step put his body flush
with hers.
Her breath caught in her chest and her fingers clenched his hand
like it was a lifeline. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually let
a man kiss her. It wasn’t part of her game. Her gaze locked on his pulse
fluttering in his neck.
With his palm he angled her head.
She wanted to stare at the floor, at the wall, at anything but his
eyes. They seared her like the blue flames of a gas fire—too hot to touch, but
oh, so pretty to look at. “Maybe we—”
His mouth covered hers. Firm lips possessed her mouth, controlled
it. His tongue stroked hers. Sweet. Strong. Heaven.
Everything hard of Kaden was pressed against everything soft of
her. She cupped his magnificent butt and groaned. He pulled up her leg and
wrapped it around his hip. OMG. His hand stroked a fire up and down
her back.
“Yeah,” he whispered, his breath hot in her ear.
“What are we doing now?” Josh called as he exited the bathroom.
She stumbled away from Kaden. What was she doing?
She was responsible for the kids.
Courtney isn’t comfortable at Fitzgerald House. She doesn’t know
the rules and when she arrives, she has no friends. Eventually, she’s accepted
into the Fitzgerald House family.H
Have you ever felt like you were a fish out
of water? Tell us what happened?
My fish out of water story? It was the first time I’d ever
attended Midwest Fiction Writers, my local Romance Writers of America chapter. During
the business meeting, everyone introduced themselves, said what genre they
wrote and then mentioned what they were working on. My problem? I didn’t know
what genre I wrote. And half the people there, were already published. I’m sure
glad I wasn’t too embarrassed to come back to the next meeting.
Again --- comment for a chance to win an Kindle Fire Tablet. And don't forget to leave your email address. You can also enter the contest on my Facebook
page. The contest will run through August 15th.
I'm excited to welcome back Sarah Andre one of my Golden Heart sisters. Thanks for joining the crew today and celebrating the release of - CAPTURING THE QUEEN--Book 2 in the Damaged Heroes series. This is another great title, Sarah. And one more congratulations on the awesome honor of being a 2017 RITA Finalist for Book 1 in the series -- TALL, DARK and DAMAGED. And you talked about it here on the GLIAS Blog.
Don't forget to comment below. Sarah is giving away a digital or signed
paperback copy of Capturing the Queen.
MEET SARAH ANDRE
Sarah Andre is a
2017 RITA® finalist, which is Romance Writers of America highest award of
distinction. Sarah’s novels include: Capturing the Queen (2017), Tall, Dark and Damaged (2016) Locked,
Loaded and Lying (2015), plus a short story in an anthology, From
Florida with Love(2016.) She lives in serene Southwest FL with her
husband and two naughty Pomeranians. When she’s not writing, Sarah is
either reading romance or suspense novels, exercising to rude alternative rock
music or coloring. Yes, you heard right. She’s all over those coloring books
for adults.
Let's hear a little bit about CAPTURING THE QUEEN.
THE STORY BLURB
Restoration artist Sean Quinn
is perfectly content spending his downtime devouring classical
literature, while keeping his OCD and fourth-degree black belt under
wraps. But when his FBI agent brother coerces him into
investigating stolen artifacts, Sean becomes the target of a ruthless smuggling
ring that funds terrorists.
Gretch Allen, a beautiful
man-magnet, hides a world of hurt under her icy exterior. When Sean rescues
her from a stalker, she discovers her co-worker has an alpha-hot
fire burning beneath his geeky exterior.As barriers
between them begin crumbling, however, she accidentally places herself in much more
extremist danger.
Unable to stop the unraveling
events from turning deadly,Sean must
conjure his inner hero to save his city and capture the heart of the queen.
Nan: Love the trailer.
READ A LITTLE, BUY THE BOOK
Gretch kicked her
leg around and sat up. Her heel struck the pavement with a sharp click. “Why
were you at Teeny’s Martinis last night?”
Sean lowered the
mug to the table, turning it in microscopic increments until the café logo
faced him squarely. “I overheard you tell Hannah where you were going.” He
traced the logo with his thumbnail. “Thought I’d check it out. Buy you a
drink.”
“Then why didn’t
you?”
He paused, because
he’d braced for: “I’d have to be awfully
drunk to accept a drink from you.” No way would he tell her he’d lost his
nerve, bumped into the other woman slinking his way out the backdoor, and ended
up agreeing to her lewd proposition. “Turns out I’m not into that scene.” Any of it. But because Gretch hadn’t
battered him with the sentence he’d expected, he added, “So…would you’ve had a
drink with me?”
She didn’t answer.
Sean glanced at the patrons, the bustling square, the long shadows easing
toward their table, while she cocked her head and examined her nails. He
retraced the logo, jiggling his knee. Her silence strained every muscle in him,
stretched him like some medieval torture rack. Five more seconds and he’d beg
for mercy.
“You’re a nice
guy,” Gretch finally said in that awful kind
tone his brothers’ girlfriends used. He braced for The Adjectives. Weird. Strange.
Peculiar… She rested her arms halfway across the table, fingers splayed, still
looking at them instead of him. “I was so sure I couldn’t tolerate any man this
afternoon without going ballistic, but you’re…different.”
Hope rose.
Different wasn’t bad! “Maybe we can—”
A faint smile
appeared on her face, and his vocal chords seized. Hope swan-dived off
Kilimanjaro, the free fall stealing his oxygen.
“You’d never
survive me, Sean.”
The nerd panicking
within wholeheartedly believed her. The fourth-degree black belt took
exception. “You hardly know me.”
“I date a certain
kind of guy for a certain kind of reason.” She reached over and twisted the mug
in his hands so the logo slanted at an unacceptable sixty-two degree angle.
Immediately his skin crawled with the need to right it, but she stuck her chin
in her hand and waited, like a cat watching a cornered mouse.
He folded his
arms. “What insurmountable feat does it take to be that guy?” His jiggling knee
made the table quake.
Gretch laughed,
and the throaty sound washed over him, almost capturing his attention from the
mug that needed turning. Desperately.
“It’d take a
miracle.” She rose gracefully. “See you at work.”
Sean multi-tasked
dragging the cup into position, watching the smooth sway of her hips, and thinking
up a miracle. He inhaled until his lungs hurt. Amid the dominant aromas of
coffee and gas fumes, he could still catch her peppery scent.
She’d called him different. That was huge. His smile hurt
his cheeks.
SARAH: If I had a dime for every book I got lost in, I’d be as rich as JK
Rowling! Reading is my crack. I would prefer it over any other form of
entertainment. Unfortunately, since I’ve become a writer I rarely have
guiltless opportunities to sit for long periods of time and indulge in my
addiction.
Nan: Oh I would love to get paid to read!!
NAN:Cast
your book using fairy tale and/or cartoon characters.
SARAH: The premise is Beauty and the Geek. Sean and Gretch are co-workers;
he’s an introvert, lover of classical music and literature, and has annoying
OCD tendencies. She’s got a supermodel bod, an ex-personal trainer energy and a
short temper. The snark is off the charts between the two. They had bit parts
in Tall, Dark and Damaged and jumped
off the page whenever they were together. I had to see where it would go. I’m
really pleased with the result. Nan: What a great premise. Can't wait to read it.
NAN:What
will always make you smile, even on a bad day?
SARAH: Easy! My four-year-old Pomeranians, Bo and Taz, aka The Boyz.
I told the breeder I didn’t want males, but due to a mix up she only
had two littermate brothers left. I even considered taking the one I was
holding (Bo) and coming back another month (a 4-hour drive) for a girl, when
the other little pup skidded around the corner. One look at his naughty face
and I turned to my sister and said with love and loathing: “Oh, God, I have two
boys.”
Nan: LOL!
NAN:What’s the last show you binge watched?
SARAH: My husband and I just
finished watching a British cop series called Happy Valley. Intense plots, amazing dialogue- I highly recommend
it! We have two more episodes (still to air) of Better Call Saul, which is the prequel to Breaking Bad (which I haven’t seen.) We store a few episodes up at
a time, because in true binge form, one hour isn’t enough. I think it’s the
best show on television.
NAN:Benedict
Cumberbatch or Chris Pine?
SARAH: Oh, Benedict- that moody,
broody, lion’s face and those glinting blue eyes? (Fanning myself!) Don’t get
me wrong, I wouldn’t kick Chris Pine off my island, but when a beta’s
personality is so massive he becomes drool-worthy, that’s a deeper attraction
for me than a pretty face/hot bod combo.
Nan: I just watched Dr. Strange. Okay - I'm a fan. But I still love Chris Pine.
NAN'S GOTTA ASK:What
would you say is your most interesting quirk?
SARAH'S GOTTA ANSWER: The
split personality that emerges when I exercise. 😦
Any
other time I’m a fun, kind, considerate daydreamer. But the only way I can push
myself at the gym or on a running path is to turn into a snarling beast who
listens to deafeningly rude alternative rock and mouths all the swear words.
I’m
quite horrified, and would like to issue a blanket apology to anyone who’s seen
that other me.
Nan: That is so funny -- and I can relate.
UP NEXT
A
Savage Trick, Damaged Heroes, Book Three, hopefully June, 2018
Nan: Another great title.
PREVIOUS RELEASES
Tall,
Dark and Damaged, Damaged Heroes, Book One (2017 RWA RITA® finalist)
From
Florida with Love: An Anthology by SWFL Romance Writers
SARAH WANTS TO KNOW: Everyone’s got a little OCD in them.
(Confession: I only eat one food item on my plate at a time. All my potatoes
before I can eat meat…) What’s your odd quirk?
Sarah is giving away a digital or signed paperback copy of Capturing the Queen to one lucky commenter.iNG Make sure you leave your email address
For almost thirty years, my sisters and I have taken a sister trip. We take a long weekend. Our mother used to come with us and we miss her still. We have gone to spas, taken a cruise to the Bahamas, seen lots of cities and even gone to Toronto. And for the last twenty years, we designate a social director and the location is secret! You are required to release clues and the other sisters spend lots of email time trying to guess our location.
We stayed in the beautiful historic district The squares are amazing. And so are the old mansions. And the idea for the series was born. Four sisters trying to turn their crumbling family mansion into a B&B. And I sold SOUTHERN COMFORTS. But the editor requested that I cut one of the sisters. So I did.
