Favorite Book...Favorite Child

Good Morning, Folks! I'm so glad you've decided to join me for the last day of my new book celebration! Today I want to share with you my favorite books of my own. Now, I think this would be like someone asking which is my favorite child. I don't have children but I imagine there are specific things to love with each child. (Parents, am I right?) So yes, I love all my books, but here are my choices:

Dance Away, Danger:

Sensible dance instructor Tessa Gage likes her life organized, risk-free and on her own terms. When her cop brother goes missing, his crooked partner tries to kill her, and a handsome stranger claims he’s come to protect her, she’s forced to leave her comfort zone. With more dance and business sense than survival skills and no idea who to trust, Tessa has no choice but to rely on this man who’d rather be anywhere but by her side.

When carefree carpenter Matt Rylan gets a late night call from an Army buddy who once saved his life, he finds himself where he never again wanted to be—responsible for someone else. Honor demands Matt cooperate, but he never expects his simple babysitting job to test the limits of his self-control. Nor does he expect it to explode into a race against time for his very freedom.

As Tessa and Matt get closer to the truth, and to each other, Tessa learns to step outside the safety of her world to help set the wheels of justice in motion. For Matt, supporting this courageous woman suddenly becomes everything to him.  Yet, his biggest challenge remains sharing his closed-off heart with her before the danger silences them both forever.

***This story was my first one I ever thought was good enough to get published. I'd worked on the story on and off for a couple of years and came close to getting a contract for it only to lose out in the end. (Until Fated Desires offered me a contract!) It was the culmination of all I'd learned as a writer.

 

Carry Me Home:

After six months in the city, Mary MacDougall returns to the Scottish Highlands to finalize her divorce. Because of a past tragedy, she doubts her husband Jamie can possibly love her with the same unbridled passion as before and insists ending the marriage is best for both of them. But Jamie has other ideas….

Jamie MacDougall has no intention of letting his bonnie lass go. At least not without a fight. Aye, they’ve suffered heartache, and she may be ready to call it quits, but he refuses to throw away the partnership they’ve built since they were children. Instead, he’ll remind her they were meant to be together, forever.

Can this marriage survive pride and grief to allow love to carry them home?

***This story was tough to write. An editor had asked me to write and of course I wanted to make a good impression. I had 4weeks to finish it (but it took 5 1/2 weeks) and the pain often had me wanting to cry. But I think my feeling so connected to the characters and the story is what made it as special as I believe it to be.

 

Liar, Liar

Unable to protect her mother from her father as a child, Devin McQueen has made it her mission as an adult to protect as many abused women and children as she can. The rare moments she’s not consumed with work as a victims’ advocate, she limits her involvements to safe, predictable men….until she meets bounty hunter Grady Cooper. He is big, bold, brash, and has no problem speaking his mind.

Growing up in a broken home, Grady realized early on that good deeds had a price.  To survive, he learned to weigh every decision by what he could gain. Unfortunately, the successful, solitary life he’s worked so hard to create spins out of control when demons from his past shake his confidence. His boss has given him one last chance—bring in Devin’s latest client quickly, and quietly and maybe he’ll still have a job. It didn’t sound unreasonable until he met Devin.

Suddenly, Grady must make a decision: save his career or follow his heart?

***Grady was soooooo much fun to write. He came into my brain based off one of my favorite movie characters and when I started really getting into this story he had no problem steering me in the direction he wanted to go. And Devin...wow, she is my first really kick-ass heroine. These characters were so perfect for each other, but getting them to realize that was fun, frightening and frustrating. With both the hero and heroine so tough (which was hard enough), finding their gentle sides was a challenge. They're definitely not perfect and they even annoyed me at times, but in the end we all kicked-arse.

 

My fourth favorite of my books is my current one, Chasing Gold. I can't even tell you how well this story flowed as I wrote it. I can't explain how writing a light-hearted adventure story (as opposed to a heavy suspense) felt, how it made me seriously excited to sit down and work on it. These characters, this plot gave me no trouble at all. 

 

Okay, people! Today is my last day with you. Remember I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card & some other treats to one commenter from this 4 day party. I'll choose a winner tomorrow morning & post the name in today's comments! In the meantime, come find me and my books!

Goodreads     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |      Website 

Blog     |     Email     |    Amazon

 

Are You Up For a Treasure Hunt?

Good morning! Welcome back to the celebration of my new treasure hunting book, Chasing Gold! Today I thought you might like a few peeks at the actual book. I'm sharing some one-liners with you and another excerpt. I hope you like them!

Holy mother. They were going to die over a treasure they couldn’t even find. (This is one of my favorites!)

I know what he hired you for, but I’m telling you you’re fired.

Simon was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to hang upside down as he rode the horse behind his fearless leader.

Okay, yes, he was cute in his own way...But she needed someone rugged, tough, ready to slay dragons with her.

Needing to steady herself, she reached out to his arms. Beneath her fingers were muscles she hadn’t noticed before.

His fingers sifting through the soft strands of her hair had stirred much more than his protective instincts.

Desire flared to life, the need for acceptance, a gentle touch, a physical connection.

In the depths of his eyes lay a kindness she’d dismissed before as weakness.

He made her feel cared for, special, like a lass from an era past, guarded by her knight...Oh hell, no.

Between the sound of his voice and the feel of his hands, slow tingles of warmth moved through her, straight to the apex of her thighs.

Sounds good, huh? How about this excerpt:

 

“Grace!” He reached out to her just as her heels slammed into something hard. Her feet slipped out from under her. Stumbling over a big-ass boulder, she fell, slamming her shoulder hard against the ground. Pain shot down her arm, up her neck. Closing her eyes, she rolled flat onto her backside. Twigs dug into her skin. Wet leaves covered her limbs.

 

When she opened her eyes, he stood with one foot on the boulder she’d tripped over and his forearms resting on his knees. “Are you all right?” A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest.

 

Her cheeks heated. No, she’d just made a fool of herself. Um, what had happened to her being the expert? 

She pushed herself up on her elbows. “I’m fine.”

 

Still laughing, he reached out to her. “Will you take my help?”

 

For a few seconds, she debated. But in the few days she’d known Simon Andrews, he’d been nothing but a gentleman.

 

Just wait. Most of the men in the business didn’t give her the time of day, arguing she couldn’t be as good a hunter as they were.

 

She would ignore the demons whispering in her brain. When she slid her hand into his, he pulled her up. Needing to steady herself, she reached out to his arms. Beneath her fingers were muscles she hadn’t noticed before. Thick ones, well hidden underneath his shirt.

 

“You didn’t hit your noggin, did you?” His palm drifted over the back of her head. Shivers rushed through her, having everything to do with the feel of him surrounding her. Pulling away, she locked gazes with him, the shocking blue depths of his eyes shining through his glasses. She glanced at his lips. How would they feel against her own?

 

Okay, that's all you get! I hope it intrigues you! And you can always buy it here:

Amazon     |     Decadent Publishing     |     Barnes & Noble
iTunes     |     Kobo     |     All Romance Ebooks

Now, don't forget my giveaway! Make a comment (or comments) on any of my 4 posts this weekend (Friday through Monday) and you'll be in the running for a $10 Amazon gift card & some other treats from me!

The Story Behind the Story

Welcome back! I'm so glad you decided to continue celebrating the release of my current book,

CHASING GOLD, with me!

Today I figured you'd like to hear the story of how it came to be.

Picture it. Last spring. I, of course, was working on a book. I was happily knee-deep in death, destruction, and love when a friend of mine emailed me and said she had an idea. She told me about a project of our mutual publisher, Decadent Publishing. They were giving people who contacted them a fairy tale and the writer had six months to create a romance adaptation of that fairy tale. My friend said I'd be good for this project. So what did I do? I immediately emailed Decadent and asked for a fairy tale. They gave me The Golden Goose, one I'd never heard of or read before.

Shortly after I read it, I started getting excited about it and what I could do with it. The idea of treasure hunting came to me almost immediately. But treasure hunting in the United States didn't appeal to me. Hey, what about in the Highlands of Scotland? Most of my books are set in contemporary Scotland so I asked if I could set it there. They said yes.

Now I was working on two other projects that had to be done first. They took a bit longer than I'd expected and I soon realized I wouldn't make my 6-month fairy tale deadline. I was pretty upset about it. I contacted the publisher, apologized and explained the situation. I mentioned if I had another month I could do it. They gave me 2. At that point, I realized CHASING GOLD was meant to be!

This story was difficult to start when I was trying to figure out how to adapt the original fairy tale into a romance, but once I decided on the setting and realized it would be an adventure story, the words and ideas came so fast I could hardly keep up with typing them! CHASING GOLD is one of my favorite stories of my own. I hope you'll give it a chance!

Amazon
Decadent Publishing
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
All Romance Ebooks

Also remember to comment on any one of my posts (or all f them!) this weekend, Friday through Monday, to be in the running for a $10 Amazon gift card and a couple other treats! I'll be choosing a winner Tuesday!

Happy Book Birthday!

Hi, folks! I'm soooooo excited to announce TODAY is the release of my next book, CHASING GOLD!

This story is so special to me for many reasons. I'll be sharing those with you later this weekend. Yes, that's right. You'll be able to share in my celebration all weekend! For today, I figured I'd share a little more information about the book with you:

Blurb:

Grace McKay spends most of her time alone trying to convince the world she’s strong enough and smart enough to become one of the best treasure hunters. According to the media, though, all she’s managed to prove is she’s a frigid, narrow-minded woman who doesn’t have a chance to succeed in her current hunt.

Simon Andrews is tired of being a glorified secretary for his family’s treasure hunting business.  As the youngest brother, he’s never had the chance to prove himself in the field, where his true interests lie.

 When Grace’s uncle hires Simon on a whim to assist her with the search for an ancient family heirloom, he comes up against a woman determined to accomplish her goal without his—or anyone’s—help. But Simon, although captivated by her passion for her quest and her beauty, will not relinquish his chance to prove both to the client and his brothers that he has the family gift for finding valuables where others have failed.

Grace, frigid? Simon is sure the media met the wrong woman. He’s in danger of bursting into flames every time they are alone together. As they get closer to finding the heirloom, though, their growing passion for one another may distract them from the very real danger that threatens their lives and their possible future together. Whatever that might mean.

Excerpt:

After sipping her tea, she picked up another piece of pastry. Midway to her mouth, she stopped. A tall, thin man, glasses clinging to the end of his nose, strode through the doorway and scanned the room. A loose-fitting, faded T-shirt covered his chest, and khaki shorts hung on his hips. Kind of thin and bony for her liking, although the soft shade of ginger hair with a hint of blond in it grabbed her attention. It reminded her of her favorite movie star. Both hands were inside his pockets.

With a crooked grin, he walked straight up to her table. “Grace McKay?”

“Yes. Can I help you?”            

He held out his long fingers. “I’m Simon Andrews.” He waited as if his name was supposed to mean something.

She didn’t shake his hand. “What can I do for you, Mr. Andrews?”

He lowered his arm. “Your uncle said you’d be helping me on my expedition here.” From his New England accent, he could only be American.

Uncle Thomas sent him? Of all the crappy things he’d done, this had to be the worst. Did he not believe in her enough to allow her to handle the job? She stood, gathering her papers. “My uncle was wrong. I don’t need any help with my expedition. Good-bye.” She shifted around him and started for the lobby. Studying her paperwork in her own room would suit her better.

“Ms. McKay, wait.” He grabbed her arm.

She froze. Every muscle tensed.

“I realize you want to help in the search, but your uncle hired me to—”

She tugged herself free. “I know what he hired you for, but I’m telling you, you’re fired.” As she stalked across the pub, many pairs of eyes stared at her, some wide in question, some narrowed. Who cared? She hadn’t done anything wrong.

“That’s not your call, sweetheart,” he said.

She jerked to a stop just inside the door and spun around, gritting her teeth. Andrews stood waiting, as cocky as could be, with his hands on his hips.

“First, I am not your sweetheart. Second, I don’t need a partner.”

Amazon
Decadent Publishing
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
All Romance Ebooks

OKAY, like I said in the beginning I'll be here all weekend sharing stories about CHASING GOLD and its creation. Also, I'll be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card and another treat or two to one commenter! So leave a comment today, tomorrow, Sunday or Monday (or one each day!) and YOU could be the winner! 

 

Alrighty! I'm off to celebrate with some friends. I'll see you tomorrow!