Cali Cheer Mom

Meet an author Monday

2011-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Here we are, the last author blog hop at Cali Cheer Mom (don't forget I'm moving to my author blog beginning July 1st.)

Before we get to the hop, I'd like to remind you all of a very special project I'm participating in. I'm very proud to be a part of Omnific Publishing's Summer Lovin' Anthology. There are two anthologies releasing on July 5th: Summer Breeze and Heat Wave. If you click on the titles, you'll be directed to Omnific's website where you can see a small blurb for each of the books, as well as the participating authors. All proceeds from these two works will be going directly to Save The Ta-Tas foundation in support of breast cancer research.

If you've read any of my work you know I lean toward the shmexy side (rawr!) so you'll find my story, Starstruck in the Heat Wave anthology. I wrote this story a few years ago as a small break in between projects (EOS and Pleasures Untold.) It's sexy, silly and a lot of fun, and I hope readers enjoy it as much as I do.

Here's the blurb for the story:

Forced off the freeway with a blown tire, Amberly's day was off to a bad start. Tired of her boring, predictable life, all she wants is to get through her day and put the blind date she's been roped into for later that evening behind her. What she didn't account for was the tall, dark, sex-on-a-stick Good Samaritan who came to her rescue, or the cosmic explosion that would forever bind them together.

Tired of dating money-grubbing, plasticized garden tools, Tristan wants a girl who will love him for who he is and not his millions. What he doesn’t want is to waste another evening making nice with a blind date he’s not interested in. He never expects to find the woman of his dreams standing alongside a cornfield with a blown tire, or to end up chasing a fallen star that gives them both strange, supernatural powers.

Fiercely attracted to one another, Amberly and Tristan find they can keep their newly acquired superpowers in check as long as they’re together. The new lovers treat each other to an afternoon of passion neither will soon forget. After discovering his Sugar, Amberly, is in fact his blind date for later in the evening, Tristan pulls out all the stops in order to surprise the woman who has bewitched him body and soul.

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

Virtual book tour- Love, Capri Style by Lynn Reynolds

2011-06-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! Please join me in welcoming author Lynn Reynolds as she talks about her latest release, Love, Capri Style.

Capri – In My Mind, I’m Already There
Hello Lisa and friends! Thanks for having me at the Cali Cheer blog – and congratulations on your Top Pick at Night Owl Reviews for Obsessed, Lisa.

I’m Lynn Reynolds and my ebook, Love Capri Style, is (not surprisingly) set on the glamorous Mediterranean island of Capri. The first question people usually ask me is whether I’ve ever been there. Surprisingly, the answer is no. Even more surprisingly, many other writers have penned novels set in places they’ve never visited. Diana Gabaldon had never been to Scotland when she wrote Outlander, the book that launched a thousand Scottish Highland romance novels.

Like Ms. Gabaldon, I was motivated mostly by curiosity and desperation. I love to travel and I’ve always wanted to go to Capri but never managed to get there. Finally, I decided to send one of my characters there and live vicariously through her. The Internet was a fantastic tool for this project. I checked out tourism sites set up by the Italian government, but I also went to YouTube and found videos from people who’d vacationed on Capri. I checked out blogs people wrote about their favorite gelato shops in Capri. I interviewed a couple of friends who’ve been to Capri.

It really worked. In my mind, I’ve already been to Capri – and I hope readers will get the same feeling from my vivid descriptions of the island, its glamorous lifestyle and its food. Located on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, Capri has been a luxury resort since the time of the ancient Romans. Today, Capri is still a playground for the wealthy, and I tried to capture that feeling in my story about Amanda, a hapless magazine reporter covering a music festival on the island, and her whirlwind romance with its dashing sponsor, British playboy Eric Greyford.

You can’t set a story on an Italian island without including lots and lots of food and drink. Mine has saffron gnocchi, gelati and limoncello, all described in lush and delicious detail, thanks to consultations with a couple of well-traveled professional chef friends. In fact, writing this book was a great way to vacation in Italy without gaining an ounce. I’m hoping readers will enjoy my low-cost, low-cal tour of one of Italy’s most romantic settings as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Book blurb:

Amanda Jackson only took the job with Fame magazine to get closer to her estranged father, billionaire publisher Peter Tate. Instead of welcoming her, Dad sends her out of the country, to cover a music festival on the magnificent isle of Capri. There Amanda finds herself up close and personal with her dad’s leading competitor – dashing British playboy Eric Greyford. Can she get an exclusive on Eric’s hectic love life, or will she wind up as just another item on the gossip pages of his newspaper?

Excerpt:

Amanda turned her attention to the array of dishes spread out before them.
"What's this one?" She pointed her fork at some little yellow dumpling shapes.
"That, my dear, is saffron gnocchi with shaved truffles."
Amanda gaped at him, then let loose with a full, throaty laugh. "Wow, you pull out all the stops to impress a woman, don't you?"
"Only some women." He looked away again, at the tablecloth, as if he'd embarrassed himself.
Amanda pretended she hadn't heard him and concentrated her attention on the food. "That sounds decadent. I've got to have it."
The gnocchi melted in her mouth, leaving a savory tang on her tongue. Amanda gave a little shiver, her eyes flickering shut with sheer delight. The food, the starry sky above – even if she went home without a story and got fired, at least she'd always have the memory of this night and this dinner. With this man. When she opened her eyes, Eric's gaze burned into her own, his blue the cold, deep color of the ocean that lay beyond their little haven amongst the fairy lights. He stared at her with an intensity that made her feel naked and defenseless.
Oh, he would be fierce in bed. Maybe even a little rough, domineering. Sometimes being a control freak could be a good thing, though. Amanda struggled to swallow past a lump in her throat.
Eric leaned forward and spoke, his voice low and husky with restrained desire.
"I told you you're a woman of strong appetites. I intend to satisfy all of them."

About the author:

I’m a writer, a wife and a mom - although not necessarily in that order. I’m a city girl trapped in Green Acres.

In my other life as a journalist, my feature articles have appeared in major daily and weekly newspapers. Remember those? My short stories and poetry have been published in a few obscure literary mags that you've never heard of. At various times in my life, I've also been a child model, an actress, a stagehand, a secretary, a seller of ladies' lingerie and - in a brief fit of practicality, a computer programmer. My secret ambition is to be a wench at the Renaissance Faire.

I write romances because I truly do believe in Happily Ever After.

Visit my website at http://www.lynnreynolds.com
I'm on Facebook way too much of the time. Friend me there at https://www.facebook.com/authorlynnreynolds
I don't blog often, but I am a regular contributor to the PopCultureDivas blog at http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/
My own blog can be found at http://lynnreynolds.blogspot.com/

Giveaway:

In conjunction with Goddess Fish Promotions [www.goddessfish.com], Lynn is giving away some cool prizes as a part of her Love Capri Style summer blog tour. One lucky commenter on this tour will win a $15 Amazon gift card and a copy of Colbie Caillat’s CD Coco, featuring the songs “Capri” and “Bubbly.” For more detail about the tour click HERE. Be sure to leave a comment to be entered!

Meet an author Monday

2011-06-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

It's gonna be a scorcher here this week, with temps hitting the three digits. Finally! It finally feels like summer! The girls and I will be bathing in sunscreen, hitting the pool and catching some rays. Woohoo!

Don't forget, July 1st marks the start of my move over to my author blog and the Sizzling Summer Author Extravaganza. That's thirty one days of guests posts and giveaways from your favorite authors. Woot!

Curious to see who's participating? Find out here. And make sure to give me a follow while you are there!

Last, but certainly not least: I'm running a giveaway for people who sign up for my newsletter. Anyone who subscribes prior to July 31st is entered to win a free e-copy of my erotic suspense, Obsessed. Woot!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

Name Before the Masses tour with Sara Reinke

2011-06-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming author Sara Reinke to Cali Cheer Mom!

Let's get right to it!

Paranormal romance, particularly with vampires are hot right now. How do you keep your stories fresh and different from the rest?

I’m constantly brainstorming ideas. In my head, I’ve built a pretty intricate history for the origins of my vampires, and I use that as the foundation. I’m inspired by history in general, and enjoy discovering ways in which my vampires could have really come to develop and prosper as a separate, secreted race. In my new release, Dark Passages 2: Pilar & Elías, for example, readers are introduced to the Nahual—a new species of vampire who are separate from but similar to the Brethren. According to Mesoamerican folklore, a nahual was a witch capable of transforming into animal form in order to prey on human blood. In the story, they’re a race that has descended from the same creature from whom the Brethren originate as well (the Brethren called this the “Abomination;” among the Nahual, it’s called a “Wayob.”)

The Nahual are all of Central and Southern American descent, as I imagined their ancestors would have migrated from Europe by sneaking aboard Spanish ships to wherever the conquistadores traveled. I envision similar distinct races of vampires could have developed all over Europe, Asia, even Africa—any place this common ancestor might have been driven in search for blood. This gives me countless avenues to explore for future storylines, a virtually endless well of creative possibilities.

What is a typical writing day like for you?

I don’t think I have a “typical” day twice in a row, lol. I work full-time, go to nursing school at night, have a terrific husband, two kids, two cats, a dog…you know the drill. Writing for me is very much catch-as-catch-can because my schedule is so crazy, but I always make time for it whenever possible. I figured out a long time ago that writing stories is my true, singular passion, and I’d do it whether anyone reads them or not. I think when it’s in your heart, you can’t shake it, no matter what—so go with it.

Who is your favorite character from each of your new releases?

I’m torn because I love both Pilar and Elías from Dark Passages 2: Pilar & Elías, but for different reasons.

When writing Pilar, I wanted to present a strong, powerful, fierce woman, but one who could also be soft with the man who wins her heart. There are scenes in the book when Pilar is really violent; her rage and hatred keep her motivated and driven. But whenever Elías is around, she’s torn—because he brings out in her a vulnerability she doesn’t want or understand. She’s one of the Nahual, a vampire, and he’s human; their love is very much forbidden among her people.

For his part, Elías was wonderful to write because he’s so passionate about Pilar. He loves her and wants her—body, mind and soul, and he struggles to resist her because he thinks it’s the right thing to do by her. During the course of the book, he’s introduced to the world of the Nahual, and is forced to change his entire way of thinking about and looking at the world—and Pilar.

The coolest thing about Dark Passages 2: Pilar & Elías from a reader’s standpoint, I think, is that even though it’s Book 5 in The Brethren Series, because it introduces new characters and a new breed of vampires, readers can jump right in, even without having read the previous books, and not feel lost.

Readers will also find an “About the Brethren” page at www.sarareinke.com that fills them in on the series to date, and the different characters introduced so far, if they haven’t read any of the preceding titles. (You can also check out the hot promotional video for Dark Passages 2: Pilar & Elías at my website!)

Plus, for a limited time, readers can subscribe to my e-Newsletter and receive a FREE ebook copy of Dark Thirst, Book One in The Brethren Series. There’s no better way to be introduced to the world of the Brethren vampires than with the book that started it all!

BACK COVER BLURB:

Pilar Cadana has one thing on her mind: revenge against Pepe Cervantes, the vampire who murdered her father. But her plan to get close to him by working as a stripper in his nightclub backfires when she meets Elias Velasco, the police detective assigned to her father's case. Pilar has known tremendous heartache, sorrow and loss, but in Elias's arms, she feels safe enough to trust again...and even dare to love. But as the passion between them grows, so too does the danger -- because Pilar has dark secretes of her own. And while she's everything Elias wants, he may just prove to be everything Pilar needs.

EXCERPT:

Son of a bitch, Elías thought as he fought with the tie wrapped snugly around his wrists. After a furious moment’s effort, he worked the knots loose and freed himself. Scrambling to his feet, he hurried after Pilar, catching sight of her across the club as she hurried for the dressing room.

Son of a bitch, he thought again—as much referring to himself as his own frustration with the unexpected situation. God, how could everything that had been so perfect in one moment get so completely fucked up in the next? Pilar had been astride him, he’d watched her beautiful face soften, her brows lifting, her lips parting in a soft, sweet O as she’d approached climax—not a dream this time, not one of his fantasies, but real and warm and with him. And then, with one stupid, thoughtless utterance, he’d ruined everything. He’d driven her away.

I can explain, he’d told her. Yeah, he thought bitterly. Good luck with that one, Elías. What are you going to say? “I’ve been watching you dance for weeks now, Pilar, and I’ve fallen in love with you. Only thing is, one of the guys who killed your father and sexually assaulted you has been found laid out like day-old ham salad in the bayou, and the wheel base for the motorcycle your brother gave you matches one I found at the crime scene. So even though I think about you all the time, dream about you, wake up in the middle of the night reaching for you, that doesn’t change the fact that I think Valien might have used your bike to hunt Miguel Torres down and kill him.”

Yeah. He managed a coarse, humorless laugh. That should clear everything up.

“Wait,” he said, rushing to catch up and intercept her before she could get through the door and escape. He caught her elbow and she whirled, catlike, eyes wide. “Please.”

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped, wrenching herself loose.

“I’m sorry.” Holding up his hands, palms facing her, he said it again. “I’m sorry.”

“Forget it.” Turning on her heel, she marched toward the door again.

“Pilar.”

He said it quietly so that if anyone else happened to be in earshot, they wouldn’t overhear, but loudly enough so that she would. She froze in her tracks, her entire body stiffening.

She turned slowly to face him and he could tell from her face, her rigid posture, that she was thinking about bolting into the dressing room, hiding from him, not coming out until firmly convinced he was long gone and ancient history.

“Don’t you ever call me that again,” she seethed, almost inaudible, and God, the look of wounded, bewildered betrayal in her face nearly shattered him. “Do you hear me?”

“Please.” Elías kept his hands raised. “I just want to talk.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. “Yeah? That’s not what seemed to be on your mind a few minutes ago.”

“I know that,” he conceded, shamefaced. “And I’m sorry. With all my heart, Pilar, I’m sorry. I promise you—I swear to God that’s not why I came here today. I just…” His voice trailed off and he raked his fingers through his hair. I just lose my head whenever I see you. Madre de Dios, woman, you’re so beautiful and you were right there in front of me. I couldn’t think straight…couldn’t think at all!

“Yeah, and next you’ll tell me you didn’t like it, didn’t want it,” Pilar shot with a frown.

“God, no,” he said, blurting it out, taking himself as much by surprise as her by the frank admission. “I did like it,” he whispered, his brows lifting. “And I did want it…more than anything.” I want you more than anything, he added in his mind, pressing his lips together momentarily to stifle the words. More than you can know. “That’s why I couldn’t stop myself. Or you.”

His confession had visibly deflated her fury, at least for the moment. “Please,” he said. “Just hear me out.”

A heavy hand fell against his shoulder, a low voice with menacing intimacy in his ear. “Hands off the lady.”

Elías turned in start and found one of the club’s very large, very imposing security guards standing there, dressed in a white tuxedo shirt and cummerbund, both stretched tautly across the broad expanse of his chest.

“This guy bothering you, Destiny?” the bouncer asked Pilar gruffly. “You want me to show him to the door?”

Because Elías suspected the man was using “show” in its loosest possible interpretation, he was grateful when Pilar shook her head.

“No, Joey. It’s okay.”

The bouncer, Joey, leveled his surly gaze at Elías for another moment, then growled, “Keep your hands to yourself. House rules.” Then with a reluctant glower—as if he’d been hoping for the chance to forcibly eject Elías from the building and thus highlighting what had otherwise been a boring day for bouncing—Joey turned and walked away.

“Here.” Pilar reached down and took the money Elías had given her out of her waistband. “Take this back. I don’t want it.”

He shook his head. “It’s yours.”

She locked gazes with him, stony and cold. Opening her fingers, she let it drop to the floor. “I don’t want it.”

“Wait.” She tried to leave again, turning away, but he caught her arm. This time, she didn’t try to fight her way free, but she awarded him a look that could have passed as a deadly weapon. “Please. I need to talk to you.”

“About what?” she asked, huffing out a put-upon sigh.

“Miguel Torres,” he said, leaning toward her, speaking softly again. He didn’t miss the startled intake of her breath or the way her gaze darted abruptly away, like that of a cornered animal surveying its options for escape.

“What about him?” she asked.

Stepping closer, tilting his head, Elías spoke softly into her ear. “He was found dead in the middle of Highway 1226 this morning, half-eaten by alligators.”

He felt a slight tremor work its way through her, whether a shiver at the revelation of Miguel’s discovery or at his proximity, his breath rustling her hair, he couldn’t be sure. Because in all the weeks he’d been coming to Melaza and all the times he’d watched—longing, envious—as Pilar had danced for other men, he’d never seen her perform for anyone as she had for him. More than just a dance, she’d moved against him, responded to him like a lover. Like she’d wanted him too.

“What…what’s that have to do with me?” she asked, close enough now so that when she glanced up at him, her cheek dragged lightly against his own, and when he moved in turn to meet her gaze, his mouth hovered just above hers, so close…

Madre de Dios, he thought, agonized, as he fought the impulse to lean in and kiss her. Mother of God.

“You tell me,” he breathed.

Her hands fell lightly against the front of his shirt; then she pushed him away. “Not here.”

“Pilar…”

Her brows narrowed. “I said not here.”

“Then tell me where. Tell me when.”

Again, her eyes swept nervously about. “I…I don’t know.” He reached for her, but she shook her head and backed away. “I’ll call your office. I’ll let you know.”

And with that, she was gone; with a sparkle of sequins and a flip of blonde hair, she hurried toward the dressing room, letting the door fall sharply shut behind her.

You can find more info about Sara at:

Home: http://www.sarareinke.com

Blog: http://sarareinke.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Sara-Reinke/100001807057213

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraReinke

Meet an author Monday

2011-06-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday peeps!

Before we get to today's hop, I wanted to give you a quick reminder about a few big things that are coming up soon.

First: As of July first I will be moving Cali Cheer Mom over to my author blog permanently. Yep, I'm moving! The scope of this blog has changed from what it once was, and it makes more sense to use my author site from this point forward as the majority of my blogging is about writing. (Oh yeah...I do have a small blog about my P90X journey. Feel free to take a peek here!)

Second, but no less important: July 1st marks the start of my Sizzling Summer Author Extravaganza. That's thirty one days of guests posts and giveaways from your favorite authors. Woot!

Curious to see who's participating? Find out here.

Last, but certainly not least: I'm running a giveaway for people who sign up for my newsletter. Anyone who subscribes prior to July 31st is entered to win a free e-copy of my erotic suspense, Obsessed. Yeah, baby! My newsletter will only go out a few times a year, so no worry about me clogging your inbox. Don't delay, sign up today! Hee hee...I made a rhyme :)

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

Virtual Book Tour-The Promise by Tory Richards

2011-06-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming author Tory Richards to Cali Cheer Mom!

Let's jump right in and talk about The Promise.

Was Ryan hesitant to keep his promise?

Definitely! Ryan is my hero in The Promise. He's a Marine who comes home for the holiday season for the first time in years, to keep a promise he made to his dying brother. And that is to take care of his wife Shannon, and their baby daughter.The problem? Ryan has been secretly in love with Shannon for years. Ever since he looked across his father's grave and met her eyes for the first time.

Guilt of loving and wanting Shannon prevents Ryan from wanting to keep his promise. He survived Iraq when his younger brother didn't; he blames himself for that. And he feels like he's betraying his brother. Every time he's near Shannon he wants her, and every time he gets closer to losing control and giving in to his desire. Ignoring her becomes impossible when it becomes obvious that she is attracted to him, too.

Only his mother knows how he feels. But fear that Shannon will hate him, or somehow blame him for what happened in Iraq, keeps Ryan from telling her the truth.

Blurb:

Shannon Hayes’ husband David was killed in Iraq nearly a year ago, and now she
must face her first holiday season without him. With a toddler in tow, she travels to the
Vermont farm where the rest of the family has gathered for the holidays. There she comes
face to face with the man who was with him when he died, and her destiny, his older
brother Ryan.

For the first time in years, Ryan returns home to keep a promise he made to David—
to take care of Shannon and their daughter. It’s a pledge Ryan is reluctant to keep
because he’s been secretly in love with Shannon since first setting eyes on her. Their
attraction to each other is instant, intense and soon the promise isn’t the only thing
between them.

Excerpt:

“Damn it to hell!” Ryan swore under his breath, after Shannon took off. The kitchen
door was still swinging back and forth and he could hear her running up the stairs. He
should have known she’d be there. After all, she was part of the family. And always
would be now that she had Alivia.

Why the hell had he come home? He knew the answer to that the minute the thought
materialized. Because of the vow he’d made to David. But that was only the half of it.

He dropped his fork, made a tight fist, anxious to hit someone. If flying shrapnel
hadn’t wounded him, and he didn’t have a leg on the mend he probably wouldn’t have
come back. He could have remained on base during the holidays. Only the thought of
staying there alone hadn’t been very appealing. And maybe deep down he’d wanted to
see Shannon again. Wanted to see if he still found her as attractive as he had the first time
he’d laid his eyes on her.

It was worse than he remembered. The years he’d remained away had been for
nothing, he could see that now. What he’d thought had diminished over time had sprung
to life the moment he’d opened the front door and fell headfirst into her cat-like eyes.
Every time he made the mistake of looking at her sensuous mouth all he wanted to do
was grab her and kiss her breathless.

Maybe he was being punished for all the lives he’d taken. Slowly being driven
insane by a woman he couldn’t have. Everyone had to pay penance for their sins but did
it have to come in the way of his dead brother’s wife? The only thing he could hope for
was that Shannon never realized how he felt. And the only way that could happen was to
stay the hell away from her.

Releasing an angry breath he got to his feet, taking his plate to the fridge, his appetite
gone now. He might as well get a shower and turn in, and pray for a night of relief. As he
limped through the house, he flipped off the lights, and grabbed his duffel bag before
heading up stairs. The heat from the shower would do his leg good.

His bedroom was the first one at the top of the stairs. It was only natural to open the
door without knocking. He had no reason to believe he’d find anyone in there. But as the
door swung open the first thing his gaze landed on was that his bed had been turned
down, the playpen and then the huge suitcase on the floor next to it.

The second thing he noticed was humming coming from the bathroom...

A little about Tory Richards…

Tory is a multi-published, best-selling author who was born in Maine but lives in Florida with three crazy cats. She likes to travel, preferably by cruise ship, and doesn’t like to fly but she will if she has to. She collects antiques and art, loves chocolate (who doesn’t?) and good coffee.

Tory has wanted to be a writer since she was a kid, but life got in the way of her dreams. A few years ago, with the support and encouragement of her family, she decided to get serious. Her romances are laced with humor and filled with suspense and sizzling sex.

Giveaway:

Tory will be giving away a $15 gift card to Bath & Body to one random commenter along the tour. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win!

Meet an author Monday

2011-06-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Hope you all had a fantabulous weekend. My family and I spent most of the weekend celebrating my youngest's eight birthday. The rain didn't hold anyone back, and she and most of her friends ended up in our pool yesterday during our big BBQ. Good times!

Okay then, enough about me. On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

Virtual book tour- Quintspinner by Dianne Greenlay

2011-05-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Good morning, peeps!

Please join me in welcoming author Dianne Greenlay, as she talks about her debut novel, Quintspinner.
Details about her giveaway at the end of the post! Enjoy!

Hello, and welcome, Dianne!

Hey Lisa, thanks for hosting me today! And congrats on your own tour for Obsessed. Book tours are a wonderful way to meet people and connect, aren't they? And speaking of sharing, here is more than you maybe wanted to know about my writing journey....

Who was your favorite character to write? I started off, being most in love with my protagonist, Tess. She is young, impetuous, and headstrong, in a time that it was dangerous for a woman to be so. I have two daughters and I wanted my story's main character to be someone that they could relate to. I also have four sons, and so shortly into the plot, a secondary character, William, became a fellow who had traits that I admire in my boys. (Equal representation keeps peace in the family, ya' know?). Mrs. Hanley worked her way into my heart as well - I didn't even know that she was going to be part of the adventure until she appeared, but once she did, I just had to keep her around. (My loyalties are fickle, I know.)

Likewise who was the most difficult? Spoiler alert!: Edward, Tess's dangerous fiance was the hardest to bring to life. I knew he was going to be the least trust-worthy and his evil qualities had to go undetected for quite a while, so hints at his real character were subtle, but like most evil characters, he's manipulative while he attempts to present himself in a more favorable light. Readers have told me that they were totally drawn in by his deceit.

What inspired you to write about pirates? I came across a search result of "women pirates" and found it intriguing. Before that, I was under the mistaken impression that women were not allowed on ships, let alone to be crew members. To some extent this was true - a woman on board a ship was often considered to be "bad luck" by superstitious sailors - but there are many documented cases of women having become renowned (and quite vicious) pirates through the ages. At first I was fascinated by the stories of Mary Read and Anne Bonny, two of the most famous pirates, but their stories have been told numerous times and the details of their lives have been argued over by thousands of people worldwide. One could never write a better story about them than what has already been done. In reading about them, I learned that life in the 1700's was very intense and often gruesome - great stuff for fiction.

Initially, I thought that I could write my own story, in the same time and place, and perhaps have my characters interact with Anne and Mary. My characters, however, had different ideas and took the story on adventures that had no time or room to include the famous ladies. Nevertheless, pirates, famous or not, seem to have a universal appeal to nearly everyone. An editor that I worked with suggested that I make my protagonist's age 16 to entice the YA audience as well as cross-over into adult. This seems to have worked well as Quintspinner has won Book Awards in both YA and Historical categores.

My pirates are not warm and fuzzy, like Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, but they are not the blood-spilling buccaneers of people's nightmares either. (Well, maybe not buckets of blood any way....) Once I was immersed in the story, I could actually see the sea battle going on in my mind, and after writing a scene of cannons blasting, (sniff, sniff) I thought my clothes even smelled a bit smoky. (How's that for getting into a story?) Maybe it was just the breakfast bacon I'd cooked....

Do you find writing in a historical setting a challenge? Ha ha! I had no idea of what I was getting into when I started. Writing in the historical genre is very time-consuming, not for the writing of the actual story, but for all of the research that must be done. Fortunately it didn't seem like an exceptional amount of work at the time, because I was enjoying learning about ships, sailing, and the down-and-dirty of day to day life back then. It's only in retrospect that I now realize that authors who write in other genres set in present day don't have to spend quite so much time just learning about their characters' lifestyles.

Readers are very smart and many have a wide knowledge base - the story will be ruined for them if there are glaring errors in the historical details, so the author has a responsibility, I think, to stay pretty close to the facts as we know them. That's not to say that a little bit of literary license can't be taken or (my personal favorite) embellishments done, but don't give eighteenth century historical characters machine guns and wrist watches! (Unless, of course, there's a time travel element... hmmm, and a pirate ship suddenly manifests in the middle of Central Park in New York City... Quick! Back to the keyboard, Matey! I feel a new book coming on!)

Blurb: In the year 1717, 16 year old Tess Willoughby witnesses a murder near a London marketplace and becomes the keeper of a legendary Spinner ring. Even so, she never imagines that she will find herself an unwilling passenger on a merchant ship bound for the pirate-infested waters of the West Indies and forcibly betrothed to the murderer. Longing to be with William, a young press-ganged sailor, but unable to escape her dangerous fiance's clutches, Tess struggles to survive in her new set of circumstances. During a pirate attack, she unravels the legacy of her strange Spinner ring and its power, realizing that her own life and those of everyone she loves, are in jeopardy. As a powerful hurricane overtakes the ship, a slim opportunity for her own escape presents itself, and she is forced to make the most chilling decision of her life.

Having won multiple Book Awards, (ReaderViews, ForeWord Connections, Creative Arts Council, Sask Book Award, Eric Hoffer Award) Quintspinner is a tale of pirates, secrets, betrayal, and romance on the seas of the West Indies, all bound together by a dash of ancient magic.

Excerpt 1:

The Crone's fingertips remained in light contact, feathering over the skin of Tess's birthmark. Her touch seemed to produce a soft buzz on Tess's neck. Pulsating warmth, not unpleasant, spread down her neck, but still Tess shrank from the woman's touch.

"Aye," the seer clucked to herself, "Her soul knows the Touch, it does." Again the green eyes shone from the dark recess of the hood as though lit from within. She peered closer at the birthmark. "Aye, a Spinner ye be, yet truly ... a Quintspinner," she exhaled in an awed whisper.

"A what?" Tess once again felt the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand up.

"Lass, ye bear the mark of the Source. A silhouette of the acorn, seed of the most powerful tree and lasting life form of this land in which ye were born. And it trails five seedlings below it." She held Tess in her stare. "Five spinners will seek ye in your lifetime. May ye live to harness their power." She grasped Tess's hand in her own.

"You're crazy, old woman! Let me go!" Tess pulled her hand back, but the woman held fast. Her grip was surprisingly strong and Tess's hand remained locked between the deformed digits; a bejewelled band of gold encircled one of the twisted fingers.

A sudden loud knock on the door made them both jump. A wisp of fear flickered in the Crone's eyes, and then it was gone, replaced by a look of grim expectancy. She freed Tess's hand and stared at the door. "Hide yourself so as not to be found!"

The knock swelled into a fierce pounding.

Dianne's Bio: Saving lives by day (physiotherapist, EMT) and spinning lies by night ( writer/author and playwright/director of Community Theatre), I live on the Canadian prairies with my husband in a lovely historical home that we share with a consortium of cats. Having raised a family of 6 kids ( and, amazingly, everyone lived through it!) , I have plenty of their escapades still fresh in my mind, to weave into my fiction. Whenever possible, I travel to exotic locales to research my novels and to seek out new adventures to fuel my already overactive imagination.

Links:

Web page www.diannegreenlay.com

blog http://www.writeonthewaytosomewhere.blogspot.com

Facebook Group http://on.fb.me/kFmjca

book trailer http://youtu.be/HPltUhH-b2w

available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters/Indigo

Giveaway details:

Dianne will be giving away a Quintspinner T-shirt and a $10 Amazon GC to one random commenter along her tour. The more you comment, the greater your chance of winning! For information regarding other tour stops, check out Goddess Fish Promotions.

Meet an author Monday

2011-05-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial day!

Before we get to the hop, I'd like to take a minute to give a special shout of thanks to all those in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe. You're heroes, truly the best of the best. Thank you!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

We have a winner!

2011-05-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

I'm happy to announce the winner of a signed copy of Eve Of Samhain is......

insert drumroll.....

........

........

Margaret!!! I will be emailing you shortly. You have three days to respond after which I will draw a new winner. Thanks for your participation, and congrats!!

Have a great day!!

Virtual Book Journey- Review- Dead Undead Or Somewhere In Between by J.A. Saare

2011-05-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.

She’s left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance, she’s managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her--until now.

The deliciously good-looking vampire Disco knows her secret, and when he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, she discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.

But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn’t their first stroll around the undead block.

My review:

The first book in J.A. Saare's Rhiannon's Law series, Dead Undead Or Somewhere In Between is a gritty, well-written, fast-paced story that hooks you from the first page and keeps you reading when you should be doing other things (chores, feeding your children, lol!)

The heroine, Rhiannon, is a necromancer who sees the "twice deceased"–– spirits of vampires who have been killed along with your regular garden variety type ghosts. As you can imagine, this special gift isn't all it's cracked up to be, and she's not exactly excited with her ability to see the recently deceased. The following is a quote straight from Rhiannon:

Necromancy—or as it is defined in the dictionary, divination by means of the spirits of the dead—is a bitch, and I hate the hell out of it. I see some pretty insane shit—whether I want to or not. Since the state a person dies in is the state they maintain in spirit, it’s a constant box of chocolates, and I don’t mean the momma always says kind either.

Death by heart attack—just another day at the office. Death by electrocution—not so bad. Death by car, head sliced neatly open with brain matter galore—beyond all concepts of nasty.

This brings me to Rhiannon's voice, which I just have to say I absolutely love. There's no simpering, waffling or whining from this heroine. Nope. Rhiannon is kick ass, knows who she is, what she wants and isn't afraid to let people know. Here's another quote of hers I just love:

My temper flared before I could bite it back. Erica wasn’t the only one with a big mouth. I was constantly in danger of writing checks my ass couldn’t cash, the bearer of a lifelong disease of potty mouth that no amount of soap in this world could properly cleanse.

The hero in this story is Disco, a super shmexy vampire on a mission to save his rapidly disappearing brethren. Hottie Boy is all kinds of yummy, and despite her dislike and fear of vamps, Rhiannon finds herself drawn to him. Honestly, I can't blame the girl. Disco is a big ball of goodness stuffed into a perfect package. He's handsome, strong, possesses a ton of power, yet exercises restraint where Rhiannon is concerned. Here's a quote that showcases this:

“I could be a crass bastard and dig around in that head of yours, just forgoing any manners and say to hell with the impropriety. But I won’t, because I want you to come to me, Rhiannon. One day, you will trust me enough to ease your burden on my ears, and when that day arrives, I will gladly listen.”

Here's another swoon-worthy quote that sent me tingling in all the right places:

“I just want to hold you,” he told me, his voice a smooth, soothing caress once again. “I’m going to hold you all night and keep your nightmares at bay. Close your eyes and think of somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. I’ll make sure you get there.”

Dead Undead Or Somewhere In Between is a fabulous read I highly recommend to any reader who enjoys adult paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Author J.A. Saare paints a wonderful picture of Rhiannon's world, using vivid descriptions, sharp wit and snappy dialog. Can't wait to read book two!

You can find more info about J.A. Saare here:

Author website
Goodreads
Twitter

You can purchase Dead Undead or Somewhere In Between:

Mundania Press
Amazon (Kindle)

Meet an author Monday

2011-05-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

I'm all kinds of giddy this morning. The hubby and I are taking the girls to see Glee Live tonight!! Woot!

Yes, we are total Gleeks. My two youngest even made signs to hold while we sing and dance, lol! Should be a lot of fun. I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best to snap a few pics to share with you all :)

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

Virtual Book Tour- Their Lady Gloriana by Starla Kaye

2011-05-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! Please join me in welcoming author Starla Kaye to Cali Cheer Mom as she talks about her latest work, Their Lady Gloriana. Along with her guest post, Starla will also be doing a giveaway! Details provided at the end of the post!

Thank you so much, Starla for joining me today. Let's talk a bit about Their Lady Goriana. Which character was the most challenging for you to write?

I enjoyed writing the stories of each of the three main characters: Thomas, Gloriana, and Rowan. Each of them had rough backgrounds and tough things to deal with at all times. Thomas had been married before, had a son he had rarely seen from a wife he hadn’t loved and who had cheated on him, and he has a male lover when his king orders him to marry Gloriana. Gloriana learns the same day that her abusive husband died, that she is being ordered to marry another equally hard warrior, who arrives with his first knight, a man she realizes Thomas is close to in many ways. Rowan has had lover after lover before finding Thomas, possibly losing Thomas, and discovering he is also drawn to Gloriana. Each of these characters was challenging to write about, but I will focus here on Thomas.

Thomas was the main hero of this story. He had never even thought about making love with another man, until circumstances changed for him and Rowan on the battlefield. Rowan is the only man who draws him and they have a special bond. Thomas is an honorable man and must do as his king has requested: take another wife that he doesn’t want and accept holding her valuable piece of land and castle. But he is torn. He must honor the marriage and find a way to live with his new wife. Yet there is Rowan, a man/lover he is not willing to give up. He didn’t expect to fall in love with Gloriana. He didn’t expect to be willing to share either of his lovers: Gloriana or Rowan.

There was so much more going on with Thomas than just the complicated relationship between him and Rowan and Gloriana. You will have to read the story to find out what drove him and what a special man he was in Their Lady Gloriana.

Author Bio: Starla Kaye has worn many hats professionally and as a writer. She works part-time with her husband (who believes he is the model example for each of her heroes, “yes, honey, of course you are”) in an accounting firm. A gerontologist by degree, she volunteers in the community with a very active group of senior adults, who provide her with story ideas for senior adult romances she occasionally likes to write for fun. She is a multi-published author on-line in e-book and Print-On-Demand book form, writing as both Starla Kaye and S. K. Fero for Black Velvet Seductions, Blushing Books, Decadent Publishing, and Red Rose Publishing.

Book blurb: Think medieval times when honorable men must do what is required of them. Thomas Lancaster, a widower with bad memories of marriage and a young son he barely knows, is a hardened knight loyal to his king. In reward for his efforts fighting in the Crusades, King Edward gives him Middlemound Castle to hold for the crown. But he must marry the beautiful young widow of the castle’s previous lord.

Lady Gloriana Stewart suffered brutally in her first marriage and has no desire to marry again. She has no choice and must protect her people and obey her king. All she wants is for her new husband to give her a baby. Thomas refuses to even consider it.

Complicating the situation is Sir Rowan Montgomery, Thomas’s first knight, friend, and lover. Complicating the problem even more, Gloriana has feelings for both her new husband and for Rowan.

Excerpt: Lady Gloriana could barely draw in a breath. Her life with Geoffrey had done this to her. He’d battled down her self-worth, her dreams of having a happy family, and her natural zest for life. She needed to find the strength to face this new marriage to this war-hardened warrior. She had to make him respect her. Most of all, she had to endure relations with him until he got her with child.

The great hall rang with the sounds of joyous reunions. She heard the deep tone of an unfamiliar voice. It rang with authority, with power, much like Geoffrey’s voice had. Yet something about it drew her instead of repelling her. Something about it called to her woman’s place and she felt warmth spreading there. The reaction surprised her.

Her focus moved to the raised dais. Two such different—and yet the same—men stood there drinking cups of ale. Neither smiled. Both seemed to study her.

Gerald guided her to the dais. “Lady Middlemound, my lord.” He nodded toward the two powerfully built men. “Lord Montrose, my lady. And Sir Montgomery, his first knight.”

“Thomas,” Lord Montrose said and stepped down in front of her. He towered over her by at least a foot. His breadth and brawn made her heart race. Yet she didn’t feel intimidated by him.

Then the other man stepped down. As she glanced up, he gave her a crooked smile. “And you may call me Rowan.”

She felt her heart race even more.

***

Thank you so much for joining me at Cali Cheer Mom today, Starla! I wish you much success with your latest release!

Now, onto the details for the giveaway. Starla has graciously agreed to give away a piece of Medieval-style jewelry to one random commenter along the tour. Woot! Leave a comment for a chance to win. Remember, the more you comment, the more chances you have to win. So, check out the other stops along the way! Additional tour info can be found here.

More info about the author and her books can be found:

Starla Kaye’s website: http://starlakaye.com
Black Velvet Seductions: http://www.blackvelvetseductions.com

Which is better: the chase or what comes after?

2011-05-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Hope you're all doing well. I woke up to the tinkly sound of rain drizzling its way down my gutters. The weather out here in California is a bit confused as of late. Someone needs to remind Mother Nature that it's mid May and the sun should be shining!

Now that my mini rant is over, I thought I'd talk about two important aspects of any romance novel: the chase, and what comes after (also typically known as HEA or happily ever after.)

If you're a fan or romance novels, and especially if you write romance, you know you have to give your characters a happily ever after. Whether it be at the end of the book, or if you're writing a series, at the end of book three, readers want to see the characters they've become so invested in happy and settled and with the one they love.

This brings me to my question for you today: which do you prefer, the chase or the happily ever after?

I love a good HEA just as much as the next person, but for me, you can't have a great HEA if the characters haven't had a good journey (chase.) I don't know about you, but I derive a great deal of pleasure in watching the hero and heroine play that back and forth dancing game of will they or won't they. I love screaming at the top of my lungs "kiss her already, dumbass!" and groaning in frustration when one of them does something really stupid that sets their relationship back a few paces.

So, to answer my own question, for me, while I love a good HEA it's the hero and heroines's journey that's most rewarding.

What about you?

Meet an author Monday

2011-05-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Aside from a freak hailstorm (we're talking huge pieces of ice, folks) not a lot happened in the Sanchez home, and that's okay by me. I'm officially diving into my new suspense project this week, so the quiet weekend was a bonus!

Before we get to the hop, I wanted to remind you all I'm giving away a signed copy of Eve Of Samhain in celebration of my one year pub anniversary. If you haven't entered yet, get at it! Entries are low right now, so your chances are good! Giveaway ends May 25th. You can find the link to the contest above :)

Also, don't forget about my upcoming author event.

This is a month long party, peeps! I'm talking guest posts, interviews, giveaways...woohoo! Details can be found at my author website here.

On to the hop!
Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Authors! The more you promote this hop, the more successful it will be. Tweet about it. Post a link on Facebook. Talk about it on your blogs. Let's get the word out!

Calen Virtual Tour- Rie McGaha

2011-05-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Morning, everyone!

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Rie McGaha, author of Calen, the first book in the My Soul To Keep trilogy.

Today, Rie is going to talk about how she incorporates different elements of Fantasy into her writing. Make sure to check out details at the bottom of the post regarding her giveaway!

It's All Just A Fantasy by Rie McGaha

Although I write romance, I also write in numerous sub-genres and often joke that I sometimes write all the genres in the same story. So it goes with the My Soul To Keep Trilogy. While this story is fantasy romance, it's also a time travel, paranormal, adventure with castles, unicorns, hunky Highlanders, witches, and an evil antagonist who is really, really evil. There are a lot of lighthearted moments, and the love scenes are sizzling hot.

I love writing a book like this because it allows me to create my own world that isn't subject to the natural laws of this world. I can create what I want, the way I want, and my characters can be the perfect hero and heroine, or the dastardly villain. Magic is possible, love is instant and lasting, and everyone lives happily ever after – or not. Whatever happens or doesn't happen is only limited by my imagination and ability to transfer those things from my mind to a document.

No matter what I write, whether a book is filled with suspense, or adventure, murder, or nightmares, it's all fantasy because it comes from a place in my mind that constantly hears the voices of characters I've yet to meet, plots I haven't written, and places I haven't visited. They eventually all come together to create the next fantasy world I'll visit and you have an invitation to come along.

* * * *

Rie McGaha is an author, editor, and reviewer. She has more than a dozen books to her credit, with the other two books of the My Soul To Keep Trilogy being released later this year. You can join Rie, GA Hauser, & Stormy Glenn at Blog Talk Radio, May 14, 2011 at 7 pm CST, followed by a group chat at Erotic Promo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eroticpromo/

GA Hauser – http://authorgahauser.com/

Stormy Glenn - http://stormyglenn.com/

Rie McGaha - http://www.riemcgaha.com/

About the author:

Rie McGaha was born and raised in northern California along the shores of Humboldt County where her grandmother often took her to dig for clams and watch the whales migrate. Being raised with the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, gave Rie a deep love for nature. She has resided in the Kiamichi Mountains of SE Oklahoma where she rescues animals. She is the mother of 12 and Nana of 33 (and counting).

Back cover blurb:

When Calen MacLeod begins having dreams of an ethereal beauty who beckons to him, he passes it off as just having an itch he hasn't scratched in a long time. But when he leaves on a journey to find her, following the directions she's given him in his dreams, he begins to doubt his sanity. And when he finds himself high in the Mackinaw Mountains in a secret fortress with unicorns and a pink and white castle, surrounded by women, each one more beautiful than the next, it's a fantasy no man would want to wake up from. But Arianna is the only woman for Calen.

The women of the Fortress have lived in peace, hidden away from the humans who tried to annihilate them all. But now a 500-year-old demon is out to destroy the women's matriarch, Ariella, and he'll stop at nothing to complete his mission. When Calen MacLeod shows up, he throws a wrench into Damon's plans. Never let it be said Damon isn't ready for anything, but when he kidnaps Arianna and takes her to modern day San Francisco, is he ready to meet Calen, who will stop at nothing to save his ladylove?

Excerpt:

Calen dipped under the water to rinse and came up with a splash, and almost choked when he saw her standing at the water's edge, staring at him. Afraid to move a muscle, he feared she'd disappear if went toward her. He watched, mesmerized as she raised her hands and slipped the thin gown off her shoulders, letting it pool on the ground at her feet. He made a strangled sound as he drank in the sight of her nude body. Never had he seen anyone so beautiful. She took one slow, careful step at a time until she stood less than arm's length from him. Silent and still, he held his breath.
She reached out to him, placed her hand on his bare chest, and let her fingers slide beneath the water over his stomach. He placed his hand over hers and stepped into her. Reaching for her, he touched her silky hair, and let his fingers fall to her shoulders. She was so small, he thought as he looked down at her, the water that barely reached his ribcage rose to her chest, causing her breasts to float and making hard peaks of her nipples.
He grasped her around the waist and lifted her to him. Her hands laced around his neck, weaving through his hair as his mouth met hers and he drank. She opened to him with a sigh and wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands fisted in her hair, pulling her head back as he took the kiss deeper. The air sizzled and popped, the earth tilted, and the wind whipped the branches of the trees. Desire ripped through him, and he pressed her, demanded more from her, and she gave willingly.
His mouth bruised hers as their tongues mated, and his hands slid down her back, over her bottom, and he lifted her. The tip of his hardness pressed against her; with one movement he could be buried deep inside of her. A growl rose from his chest as he fought the urge to slam into her. He would not take her like this, not the first time. So he forced himself to break the kiss, to pull back, and sucked in a lung-full of air. She tilted her head as he looked into her eyes.
***

Details about the giveaway:

One randomly drawn commenter will win their choice of one book from Rie's backlist. Make sure to comment often to up your chances of winning! You can find information about other tour stops here.

You can find more info about Rie and her books at:
Rie McGaha.com

Huge author event coming this July!

2011-05-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Blogger is back! Hopefully for good. I'm backing up all my files, though, just in case!

In case you missed my post earlier this week, there are some big changes coming our way. I'm going to be slowing phasing out Cali Cheer Mom, and moving over to my author blog/website full time.

Why, you ask?

The answer is: it's time. The focus of this blog is no longer solely about cheer. My interests and focus has changed, and because the majority of my posts are book/publishing related, I think it's best to move to my author website.

I'm hosting a huge author event in July to mark the move and sincerely hope you will all follow and attend. You can find details about who's participating and when here.

The lovely and talented Brenda Pandos made me a beautiful button for the event.

Please feel free to snag the button and display it on your blog. The more people who know about the party the better!

Also, if you haven't yet subscribed to my newsletter, you might want to. I'll be giving away a special prize at the end of the author event to one of my subscribers :)

Make sure to stop by tomorrow and say hello to my special guest Rie McGaha as she talks about her newest release, Calen.

Have a great day!!

Writing in different genres

2011-05-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Hope you are all doing well. The sun is shining here in Tracy, and I'm filling pretty chipper despite my annoying allergies. Woohoo!

Let's talk about genres today, or more specifically, different sub-genres in the realm of romance. It's no secret I read a ton of paranormal romance. It's my favorite, and I devour books about vampires, ghosts, warlocks etc. like candy. So, when I started writing, it was no big surprise to me that I wrote within the paranormal sub-genre. It's what I like; it's what I know. Make no mistake, I do read other types of books and enjoy them immensely. But, paranormal...yeah, it's been my mainstay for quite a while.

So, if I love paranormal so much, why then did I decided to pen a romantic suspense for my third novel? Why not stick with the genre I'm so comfortable with?

For me, the answer was simple: I needed a breath of fresh air, and writing in a new genre provided exactly that. Everyone needs a break from the things they love every now and then. I love PB&J, but I certainly don't want to eat it morning, noon and night! (Well, when I was pregnant I did, lol!) Sometimes, breaking from the norm and venturing out into something new is just what we need to spark our creative juices and keep things exciting.

I think the same goes with reading. We can really enjoy one type of book, but if we don't venture out and try something new every now and then, we run the risk of burning out. I know the phrase "Variety is the spice of life" is cliched, but it's very true. Well, at least for me, anyway!

What do you think? Is it wise for authors to write in more than one sub-genre within romance? Should they stick to what they know best? Weigh in with a comment.

Don't forget- I'm giving away a signed copy of Eve Of Samhain in celebration of my one year pub anniversary. Click on the link above and enter!

Big changes are coming!

2011-05-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

I've got some big news for you. Don't worry, it's good!

Cali Cheer Mom is moving! That's right. On July first I will be exporting my posts to my author website- Lisa Sanchez Romance Author.

Why, you ask?

The answer is simple: When I started this blog a couple of years ago, I wasn't published and my attention was focused more on my girls and cheer. While I'm still a die-hard cheer mom, the focus of this blog has changed. I'm all about writing and books now, and those type of posts are best kept at my author website.

As I said above, the change won't happen until July 1st. I wanted to make sure you all have plenty of time to follow my author site. I don't want anyone left behind. I know change is difficult, so I won't hold it against you if you don't follow me after the move, but I certainly hope you do.

Dont forget to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of Eve Of Samhain. Contest ends May 25th!

Meet an Author Monday & a giveaway!!

2011-05-09T06:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

I can't believe it's May already. We've almost hit Summer, and it feels like the year has flown by!

Eve Of Samhain was published May 25th of last year, so as you can probably imagine, I'm feeling all kinds of sappy right now. To mark the one year anniversary of my debut novel I'm celebrating by giving away a signed copy of Eve of Samhain. Woot!

The giveaway details are as follows:

You must be a follower of this blog
You need to sign up for my newsletter here (this baby is only going out a few times a year)
You need to leave a comment with an email addy so you can be reached if you win

Giveaway will run through Midnight of May 25th, after which the winner will be drawn via a number generator at Random Org. US residents only please.

Thanks for making my first year as a published author awesome! Good luck!

Oh! Almost forgot! I'm hangin' out at Sugarbeat's Books today, talking about my favorite character in my erotic suspense novel, Obsessed. Make sure you stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win a $20 Amazon GC.

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Six Sentence Sunday- My first time!

2011-05-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

So, I'm a Six Sentence Sunday virgin! Well, I suppose since I'm posting this week I'm a virgin no more :)

I'm going to go ahead and post six sentences from my erotic suspense, Obsessed. I'm seriously in love with the hero, Nick and hope readers find him as shmexy as I do!

A little lead in to the following scene. Nick is numbing himself with booze at the local bar. The server who's waiting on him has her sights set on him, and he's not interested in the least.

Here goes:

At first glance, Shauna looked okay—tall, thin, and enhanced in all the right places. But when you looked deeper, the stress lines near her eyes were clearly visible, and her front teeth stuck out just a bit, suggesting her real line of work wasn’t slinging beer and cocktails.

Nick picked up his glass, swirling the amber liquid around before tossing it back in one fast gulp. “Sorry, babe. Still not interested.” The mere thought of another round of meaningless sex was about as appealing as a shit sandwich.

Yay! Hope you enjoyed the little blurb. Obsessed is available for purchase now through Loose Id.

Check out the other awesome sites that have posted six sentences here.

Comfort reads

2011-05-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning, and happy Saturday!

So, today I want to talk about comfort reads. You know what I'm talking about. That one special book (or several, lol!) that you go to when nothing else sounds good. That one feel good story that always puts a smile on your face.

I've got a couple of comfort reads I turn to when I've had a tough day. They are as follows:

Jamie and Claire's initial love story is one of my all time favorites. I've read this book at least 20 times and it never gets old.

I've had the paperback version of A Knight In Shining Armor on my bookshelf since I was in high school. It's worn, and the binding is falling apart from repeated readings.

A Kingdom of Dreams is another paperback I've held onto for what seems like forever. I've got a vivid memory of the first time I read this particular story. My oldest daughter was three and I read half the book while sitting on my front porch enjoying the nice weather.

What about you? What's your comfort read?

Happy Mother's Day vlog

2011-05-06T09:32:00.001-07:00

New feature at Cali Cheer Mom- Newsletter!

2011-05-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to make a quick post to let you know I'm starting up a newsletter. In it you will find information about my current and future projects, excerpts, deleted scenes, book recommendations etc.

I don't want to send this bad boy to anyone who doesn't want it, so you'll need to sign up to receive it. The link to the subscription form can be found in the right sidebar (which I've recently updated.)

You know you want to sign up! All the cool kids are doing it :)

(How's that for peer pressure?) Hahahaha!

Obsessed virtual tour day 4 + some major book pimpage

2011-05-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Song of the day- Lovers In Japan by Coldplay

I'm hangin' out at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews today, talking about my latest release, Obsessed. Stop by and leave a comment! I love to chat! Also, the more comments you leave along the blog tour, the more chances you have at winning a $20 Amazon GC. Woohoo!!

On to the book pimpage!

If you're anything like me, you have a well-meaning husband who isn't quite sure what to get you for Mother's Day. And while I'd be happy as a clam if he and the girls simply cleaned my house, what I secretly yearn for (aside from a massage and maybe a new handbag) are books!

Yep...here is where I encourage you to buy books for yourself for Mothers Day. And yes, I'm a total enabler :) Like steamy, suspenseful reads? Check out my erotic suspense, Obsessed. It's got an angsty, brooding hero with a dark past, a heroine with anxiety and an addiction problem, and a seriously twisted stalker.
Like paranormal romance? Then you should try my Hanaford Park series. Each book is a stand alone, and features faeries, demons, witches, warlocks and all kinds of creepy underworld baddies.

Eve of Samhain
Pleasures Untold

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Obsessed tour stop #3 Sizzling Releases

2011-05-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

I'm interviewed over at Sizzling Releases today! Curious about what type of beer I drink, or the nickname my friends and family have given me? Head on over and check it out. I've also posted a steamier excerpt from Obsessed. Think tattoos...naked chest...piercings...SWOON!

Obsessed tour stop #2

2011-05-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Dig by Incubus

In case you missed it, yesterday marked the beginning of my virtual book tour for Obsessed. Woot!
Today I'm over at Erotica For All, answering interview questions about the book, writing etc.

I'm giving away a $20 Amazon GC to one random commenter along the tour, so leave a comment! Not only will you give yourself a chance to win free stuff (free stuff=win) but you'll make me feel all warm and gooey inside. I love it when people leave me comments :)

Have a great day!!

Meet an Author Monday & Day One of the Obsessed virtual tour!

2011-05-02T06:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- Bad Romance by Lady Gaga (from the Obsessed playlist)

Today marks the start of the virtual book tour for my latest release, Obsessed. Woot! I'm over at Book Of Secrets today with an interview and your first chance to win a $20 Amazon GC. Comment often throughout the tour to up your chances of winning!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Obsessed virtual tour starts tomorrow!

2011-05-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, peeps!

Song of the day- Pretty Girl Rock Keri Hilson

Woot! So excited for tomorrow! In case you missed it, Obsessed is going on tour. Yeah, baby! Two weeks, ten stops, lots of fun interview questions and guest posts––should be a lot of fun.

Oh yeah! I'm also giving away a $20 Amazon GC to one random commenter along the tour, so leave lots of comments!

You can find information about where I'll be stopping here- Goddess Fish Promotions

Hope to see you along the way!

What do you find sexy?

2011-04-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Song of the day- Just Can't Get Enough by Black Eyed Peas

Only a few days left before Obsessed goes on tour! Woot! In keeping with this week's theme, I want to talk about heroes, and the different qualities and characteristics in them we find sexy.

For me, there's something immensely sexy about a bad boy. There. I said it. I like my fictional men bad––really bad! Add a set of rippling muscles, tattoos, a piercing or two and a I'm a happy girl. Give him a dark, tortured past, a few scars (emotional or otherwise) and I'm giddy.

Why would I be happy about a human pin cushion with excess baggage you ask?

Simple! Bad boys are usually tough nuts to crack (heh heh, I said nuts) and when they finally overcome whatever it is that's holding them back, keeping them from being the man they're supposed to be, their HEA is that much sweeter.

Nick Ackart is the hero in my erotic suspense, Obsessed. He's pierced, tatted, sports a shaved head and a filthy mouth. He's angsty, and shmexy and is running from a dark past filled with intense emotional pain. Watching his hard-as-nails/tough exterior soften throughout the story was immensely rewarding for me. I hope you all enjoy him as much as I do!

What about you? What characteristics/traits do you find sexy in a leading man?

Music that inspired Obsessed

2011-04-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

As I gear up for Obsessed's virtual tour, I thought I'd share with you some of the songs that inspired me as I wrote the story.

Without further ado, I give you the Obsessed playlist.

Angel by Akon
Lovers In Japan by Coldplay
Say (All I Need) by One Republic
Faithfully by Journey
Broken by Lifehouse
Trouble by Coldplay
Gravity by Sara Bareilles
If You Only Knew by Shinedown
Give It Up To Me by Shakira
Fever by Cascada
Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert
Obsessed by Mariah Carey
Carry Out (featuring Justin Timberlake) by Timbaland
Every Breath You Take by Sting and The Police
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
If We Ever Meet Again by Timbaland
Beautiful by Akon
Imma Be by Black Eyed Peas

Obsessed goes on tour next week!

2011-04-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Angel by Akon

Woot! In case you didn't know, I wrote an erotic suspense titled, Obsessed. Woot! It features a shmexy, tatted and oh-so-angsty hero, and a down-to-earth heroine who has been through hell and back.

And guess what? They're going on tour! Yeah, baby! May 2nd marks the beginning of a ten stop, virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions.

As I gear up for the tour, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite passages, and music that either inspired or remind me of the characters.

I'm going to start with a bit of music today. The song, Angel by Akon always reminds me of Nick. The first time he sees Halley he's stunned by her beauty. Yep, he experiences a case of "lust at first sight." They're kicking it in a bar, and though they never actually meet in this first scene, he knows instinctively that she's different from the rest of the women flitting through the place.

The following is the only "live" video I could find on Youtube. It's Akon's performance at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show :)

Writerly advice-Know your limits

2011-04-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Blackbird Glee Cast version

For today's post, I'm going to pass on a little writerly advice. And while I'm by no means an expert in the field (Ha! Far from it!) I recently learned a hard lesson regarding setting limits.

I'm fairly certain I've shared with you all before the fact that I write in bursts. I can sit down and pound out 20k in a week, and then not write anything for a month. My muse is happy working this way. But, for some unknown reason, every so often I get a bug up my ass and decide I need to be one of those authors who write every day.

I pushed myself with my last book, setting a goal of 1k a day for myself. Um...yeah...that didn't work out so well for me. When I pushed too hard, my muse took a vacation. When I eased up and took a few breaks, she roared back to life. Tired of the frustration, I took a hiatus half way through the manuscript and when I came back, the words literally flew onto the page. It was great! Why had I ever thought to stray from my successful formula?

The answer: self imposed pressure.

Yep. I'm not sure about other authors, but now that I have a couple of books out, I feel an enormous pressure to push forward and write, write, write. If I'm not working on something, I feel guilty. This, of course, is my own doing. No one is breathing down my neck, pushing me to shell out another manuscript in record time. I'm doing it to myself. As you can see from the picture below, I wasn't a happy camper.

This brings me to my hard lesson. I finished book three in my Hanaford Park series a short time ago and have been working on edits with my crit partners and awesome beta. I am, admittedly, burned out. Taylor's book took a lot out of me, and my well is dry, so to speak. And while I should have checked out, eased back and taken a break from writing to replenish my muse, I stubbornly pressed forward.

My poor crit partner. Bless her sweet, sweet soul. I sent her a short story I'd written a good while ago for a critique. Of course, before I sent it to her, I read through the thing, spent a couple days tweaking and editing and then sent it on its merry way.

Being the wonderful person that she is, my crit partner read through the piece with a fine toothed comb, and marked the hell out of the thing when really, she should have sent it packing back to me with a warning sign that said "Caution! Reading will cause severe eye pain and possible seizures!" Yep, it was a hot mess.

How had this happened? how could I have sent her something that wasn't ready? The answer is simple: I knew what my limits were and ignored them. I knew I was burned out, and I pushed forward anyway. The result was a story that packed a lot of potential, but was executed poorly.

In love with the idea for this particular tale, I took the next few days off from writing. I decorated eggs, went shopping, watched TV and lazed around my house. My girls were happy, my house looks a hell of a lot cleaner, and my muse? Yeah, she's totally back today. I sat down this morning, opened up my Word doc and tore through the story with reckless abandon. The words came fast and furious, and the plot holes I didn't see before became a thing of the past.

My advice is simple: know your limits. If you're burned out and tired. Take a break! Don't worry about what those other authors are doing. Worry about yourself. Make sure every word you put on the page is your best work, and if you feel yourself slipping, pull back, regroup and start again when you're feeling better. As you can see in my pic below, life becomes less stressful, and a whole lot happier :)

Have a great day!!!

Meet an Author Monday & Creating a compelling heroine

2011-04-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- Angel by Akon (This song always reminds me of Nick the first time he sees Halley in my latest work, Obsessed)

So, I struggled for a bit this morning, trying to decide what to blog about. I'm a bit tired from the holiday weekend, and feeling a tad burned out from life in general. My oldest daughter, who doesn't usually emerge from her cave until noon, shocked the hell out of me with her early appearance in my kitchen. Hungry for my mother's Jello salad, she descended upon my refrigerator like a half-sarved beast. I earned a frown after reminding her to save some of the Jello for the rest of us, and was treated to an eye-roll when she sat down next to me.

"I don't know what to blog about today," I said with a sigh.

With a shrug, she shoveled a large bite of food into her mouth, and after chewing said "Write about Jello."

Humph! Write about Jello. Some help she was. But then it hit me. I'm always blogging and talking about Alpha males and heroes, but I never talk about our favorite female leads. This is mostly, of course, because I'm all about the hot hero in any story, but still...I think it's time the heroines in our favorite stories get their due.

So how do we create heroines with layered personalities who are compelling, funny and make us want to root for them? How do we, as writers, make sure our leading ladies don't end up bland and common like Jello? (Sorry, mom, your Jello is fabu. I promise!)

Gone are the days of weak, damsel in distress heroines who wait for their hunky man to not only whisk them to safety, but sweep them off their feet as well. These days, our leading ladies need to kick ass and take names to get any respect. Our girls are not only strong, they're strong willed. They know what they want and often times have a mission/purpose. These iron women are fun to write, but how do we keep them fresh? How do we keep these tough girls from becoming one dimensional like their weaker counterparts? We all want a strong heroine who can tame her hero's beast, true, but if she's all badass all the time, well...IMO, she's not any better than her whimpering cousin, Mary Damsel Inwaiting.

So what's the solution to crafting a well rounded heroine? Think of her as an onion (this always reminds me of Shrek and his "Ogres have layers speech.) Shrek was right though. People have layers to their personalities, and it's the gradual peeling away of those layers throughout the book that makes us want to turn the page. Much like an onion, our kick-ass leading lady has a tough, crunchy exterior she uses to protect herself and those around her. But when you strip away that outer layer, you quickly discover a vulnerability, a softer, hidden interior that, as you keep peeling morphs into something completely different from what you originally started with.

Give your gal a flaw, whether it be physical or emotional. Give her a dark past, something that haunts her, something she needs to overcome. Give her room to grow along with her leading man, let her stumble, and heck, maybe even let her fall. Because it's that bumpy journey we crave as readers. We want a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of will they or won't they, and oh please, please, just let them get together!

What do you think? What makes a compelling female lead for you?

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Obsessed receives its first reviews!

2011-04-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yay!!!

Obsessed received a 4.5 star rating from Sensual Reads! Check out the website here!

I'm also very proud of the 4.75 star rating Obsessed received from Night Owl Reviews. They made it a Top Pick. Woot!!

If you're looking for a shmexy weekend read with a tall, dark and tatted hero, then Obsessed should be right up your alley! Not to mention, it's Earth Day. Save some paper and load up that e-reader of yours.

Have a great weekend!

Glee- Sharing the love

2011-04-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

So, I've been feeling a bit burned out the past few days. It's no surprise what with the traveling I did at the beginning of the month, and the writing schedule I've been trying to keep. When life starts feeling like it's a bit too much, I check out from reality, and usually that involves marathon viewings of my favorite TV shows.

I spent a good portion of my day yesterday enjoying some of my favorite Glee episodes. If you're not watching this show, you are truly missing out. It's funny, and goofy, and sad at times and it never fails to put a smile on my face.

I'm a huge fan of musicals and I'm so impressed with the level of talent these actors have. I of course, have my favorites: Puck, Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel (yes, she's annoying but she's got an amazing voice!)

A Gleek to the core, I've got my phone loaded with my favorite songs, and the following is at the top of the list right now. Enjoy!

LOVE this next one. Love, love, love it!

Watch Glee? Have a favorite character? Leave a comment and share :)

Why do women love romance novels?

2011-04-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

I'm taking a detour from my usual Woohoo Wednesday post to talk about romance novels, and why we love to read/write them.

I can't tell you the amount of support and encouragement I've received once someone, friend or otherwise has learned I've written a novel. I get a lot of "Oh! How wonderful! I've always wanted to write a book. Good for you for going for it." These small affirmations are wonderful and I appreciate them greatly. Unfortunately, I've experienced a few different reactions as well that I find thoroughly disheartening. "You wrote a book? Awesome? What kind? Romance huh...hmmm..."

Honestly, I'd really like to know why there isn't more respect for my favorite genre? According to RWA- the genre generated 1.36 billion in sales in 2009. With the current market and rise in ebooks, sales are off the charts.

I snooped around this morning and did a web search looking for reasons (both valid and ridiculous) as to why men (and some women) believe women read romance. I also polled some of my friends on FB, asking them their reasons for reading this particular genre.

Let's start off with some common misconceptions about romance novels themselves/why women read them:

Women like to read romance because they are porn in print (my hubby, who knows I both read and write romance likes to tease me with this one.)
Not smart enough or too lazy to read any other type of fiction
The sex in the books is the only sex the woman is coming in contact with ie. she's desperate
Romance novels create unrealistic expectations in the women who read them, and the men in their lives will never live up to those expectations, therefore the books are harmful/destructive to their relationships

Here are some of the answers I received when I polled my FB friends about why they enjoy romance:

Kristen, from My Bookish Fairytale said: "Ohh it's all of those steamy scenes for sure. Everyone say that they have a great sex life that is wild and romantic but in reality it's probably not true. That is what the Romance genre is for. All of those unrealistic amazing events that you wish were true."
Kaitlyn from Nocturnal Readings replied: "In the beginning of a relationship there is always that infatuation stage where you think the other person is absolutely perfect and you're head over heels in love. You lose some of that as your relationship shifts from that infatuation stage into real love. I love romance because it's nice to relive those moments of total adoration for a person, or in this case a fictional character lol. I also agree with Kristen. If anyone is more likely to think sex is unenjoyable, it's women. There are so many loving husbands and partners out there who when it comes to the bedroom are inattentive and concerned only with themselves. Women need some steamy lovin' too!"
Fellow author, Killian McRae answered with: "When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being wanted, so I read stories where children found a place they were destined to be. When I was a teen, I dreamed of being special and gifted, so I read stories where the hero saved the world. As a woman, I dream of being loved and treasured, and so I read stories where the heroine is the object of affection and adoration."

As for me, I read romance as a means of escape. My day is full of boring household chores, teenage drama and everything in between. I want to be swept away, I want to remember that delicious squirrelly feeling I had when my husband and I were first dating. All those feelings, all those emotions I crave are still inside me, they're just squashed beneath the bevy of responsibilities I have. Breaking from the rigors of daily life to enjoy a well written romance helps me decompress from my day-to-day stressors, allowing those squashed/dormant emotions and feelings to rise to the surface.

And seriously...who doesn't enjoy reading about someone's happily ever after? People love a good success story, they love to see someone rise above whatever hardship they're experiencing and succeed. Isn't that what a good romance is all about? A couple who can't be together for any number of reasons (money, family, disability, you name it) struggling to overcome the obstacle keeping them apart, and in the end, finding happiness together. I'm all for that kind of success story.

And yeah, if there's some good shmexin in it, all the better!

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and we'll chat!

Meet an Author Monday

2011-04-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Day three at RT

2011-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week. I'm still playing catch up from my time away from home. I hope to have my life and everything in it squared away and back to normal by next week. We'll see if that actually happens, lol!

Today I'm going to finish up my series of posts regarding my experience at RT. Woohoo!

Friday morning started with a mixer hosted by Kensington. Pastries and mimosas were served (yeah, baby!) and raffle tickets were handed out at the door. Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not very lucky. I don't usually win things. In fact, my bad luck tends to spread to others and most people avoid sitting next to me in Vegas (boo!) For this reason, it came as a huge shock when I won a gift basket full of books. Booyah, baby!!

After depositing my newly acquired books in my room, I joined Robin for the first session of the morning: Peeling Away The Layers Of Romantic Suspense. This panel consisted of: Gennita Low, Cherry Adair, Catherine Coulter and Caridad Piniero.

This particular session was the most informative of the week for me, and I came away with a good deal of notes. A few key points I took away were:

Start off with a cliffhanger chapter
You can have a sex scene during your action chapters. Just keep the shmexin short and staccato. The pacing of the sex should match the action. Full on "love scenes" won't match the pacing.
Make sure that your pacing gives the readers and characters a moment to breathe/plateau
Action shouldn't overwhelm the romance, but should compliment the emotional arc
If you can say something, rather than think it, say it. There shouldn't be a lot of introspection.
Watch your use of tags
The faster the pace, the more white space on the page
Get into the scene late and get out early

I came away from this session thoroughly impressed with Cherry Adair. She was personable and funny and had a wealth of information she was happy to share with everyone. In fact, it was because her personality was so fun, that I sought her out at the giant book faire on Saturday to purchase a book for her to sign.

The next session I attended was E-book: From Digital To Print. The panelists were: Lauren Dane, Megan Hart and Beth Williamson. I also found this particular session very informative. As an e-published author, I often wonder if the grass is greener on the other side (Big Six). These gals are published in both print and e-format and did a great job of sharing the ins and outs of both.

The last part of my day was probably the most nerve wracking of the week because it forced me to really step out of my comfort zone and talk to people. I'm of course talking about the Indie Book Expo. Robin, Killian and I all had tables with swag, books and various signage to pimp our latest works. The room was crowded, there were a ton of people and it was a fabulous time. I was lucky enough to sit next to Jayne Rylon, a multi-published author with Ellora's Cave and Samhain. She was sweet as pie and I can't wait to read some of her work!

The girls and I finished out our week at RT at the Vampire Ball. The entertainment was not so great, but the company at our table more than made up for it. I even got to take a pic with a werewolf. Woohoo!

Day two at RT 2011 (Pic heavy!)

2011-04-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Hope you all had a fabulous Monday. I'm gonna go ahead and jump right in with more of my experience at RT 2011. Here we go!

Getting up early on Thursday morning was a PITA! Having stayed up past midnight the night before (which is waaaay past this ol' ladies bedtime) I dragged a bit. Still, despite the tiredness I felt, I managed to attend the Mystery Chix and Private Dix morning mixer. Coffee and pastries were served, books were raffled and a host of amazing authors spoke. Good times!

Immediately after the mixer, Robin and I attended a session titled "Five Times A Night, Really? Getting Honest About Sex Scenes." Aside from a few interesting factoids (the average time the pencil remains inside the sharpener is about 7-10 minutes) I didn't gain a ton of information. The panel was funny, though, and I enjoyed the seminar.

True Lies was filmed at our hotel. Remember the elevator scene?

After a short break to recoup, we (Robin, Killian and I) headed over to the Fabulous Forties mixer. At first I thought the panel might relate to works regarding the 40's time period. Nope! This party was for fabulous women in their forties, woohoo! We all received a bag of books and played a trivia game with authors Lauren Dane, Sylvia Day, Megan Hart, Ann Aguirre and HelenKay Dimon. Here's a pic of Lauren Dane. She's super animated and cute, so it was hard to snap a pic where she wasn't moving.

I'm a fan girl as well as an author, so my next stop was at the Reader's Entertainment Hollywood Mixer. There were a large group of amazing authors present including one of my favorites, Kerrelyn Sparks. Cherry Adair was also present (I'm so impressed with her) but I'll get to her story tomorrow :) Everyone in attendance received a raffle ticket, and guess what? Yours truly won a bag of books and a T-shirt! Woot! Along with my prize I was asked to give an Oscar type award to my favorite author in the room. My award, of course, went to Kerrelyn Sparks. She gave me a big hug! Yay!!

Continuing on my quest for free books, I attended the RT Book Reviews awards ceremony. All of the biggies were in attendance, and it was great to see so many brilliant authors get recognized for their hard work.

The green bag was from the awards ceremony. I stuffed it with some of the other books I received and won. Crazy! Check out the loot I took out of the Goodie Room the first day-

Starving from lugging around a billion books, Robin and I headed over to the Samhain Steampunk Tea. This was a great event. Authors and readers alike dressed up in ornate costumes, and the food was delish. Shortly after filling our tummies, we headed upstairs to get ready for the Venetian Masquerade Ball. Check out some of the costumes!

Here I am with my Snookified hair :)

That's all for today! Stop by tomorrow for a continued look at my experience at RT. Take care!

Meet an author Monday, and a peek into my first experience at RT!

2011-04-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Before I jump into my weekly blog hop post, I thought I'd give you some insight into my experience at RT. I know I posted a couple of quickie blogs from my mobile app while I was away, but now that I'm home, I'd love to share with you in more detail. I'm thinking I'll do a daily breakdown of the event. We'll see how it goes, lol.

Wednesday was the first full day at the RT Booklovers Convention for me and convention roomies, friends and fellow authors, Killian McRae and Robin DeJarnett. After a quick breakfast of Costco muffins we hot-footed it to a 9:30 session for RT Convention Virgins. We were joined by a room full of RT newbies just like us, and entertained by the wonderful and very talented Sahara Kelly and Amanda McIntyre. It was there we learned we wouldn't be beaten or bloodied if we wanted to attend a different seminar from the one we'd originally signed up for, and that we should make sure to drink plenty of water.

I took a giant leap in session two from RT Virgin to I'll Have What She's Having: Teaching Harry How To Do Sally. This was a panel on erotica led by Sharon Page, Lauren Dane, Kate Pearce and Kayla Perrin. Some points I took away from this particular panel were to keep things real and current, and to not mistake quantity for quality. Shmexy times should be essential to the character's and story's growth, and should move the plot forward. If the sex scenes don't meet those requirements, there's no need for them.

I didn't glean much from the following marketing session I attended, though there was a rather amusing disagreement between the gal speaking and an audience member. The moderator commented she didn't believe book bloggers made a difference in sales for authors. I, of course, do not agree with this, and was happy to see I wasn't the only one. A spunky gal seated in the row behind me had some words for our well meaning speaker, and I have to say, I rather enjoyed the show.

Toward the end of the day, Robin and Killian joined me as I stopped by the spotlight on my newest publisher, Loose Id. I got to meet Treva Harte for the first time. Woot!

Our day ended with a Bollywood party hosted by Ellora's Cave. The ballroom was decorated beautifully, and we enjoyed a wonderful show consisting of some very talented, half-naked Bollywood dancers. Yay!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

I'm going on tour!!

2011-04-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, peeps!

Just a quick post today to let you know I'm going on tour! Woot!

Goddess Fish Promotions is hosting a virtual book tour for my latest release, Obsessed May 2nd-13th. Check out my cool banner!

I'll be doing a number of guest posts as well as interviews while promoting Obsessed, and would love it if you stopped by and said hello. I'll be giving away a $20 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky commenter. Woot!!!!

On the road again!

2011-04-09T10:16:00.001-07:00

Alas, my time at RT 11 has come to an end. My first experience with this conference was awesome. Great people, informative seminars, shmexy cover models and lots of dancing kept me busy and entertained.

Check out my pic with the werewolf at the Vampire Ball :-)

Hope you all had a wonderful week! Catch you on the flip side!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Mimosas and book baskets

2011-04-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Nothing like starting your day with a couple of mimosas, some yummy pastries and a gift basket filled with books from Kensington. Woot!

I've got another busy day today. My morning session is filled with discussions on romantic suspense, moving from digtal to print publishing, and an hour on mastering sexual tension. Meeeow!

It's been a real pleasure chatting with readers, reviewers and authors and I'm just blown away by how friendly everyone is. I even caught up with the very talented Erin Kellison who I met at the RWA conference last year. If you haven't read her stuff, get at it. She's good peeps!

This afternoon should be fun. Robin DeJarnett, Killian McRae and I will be signing books at the Expo. Ifyou are in the area, or at the conference, make sure to stop by and enter to win a free Kobo.Plus, we just love to chat!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday. Will do my best to try and take more pics. My darn phone keeps dying!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Hello From RT!

2011-04-07T10:04:00.001-07:00

Hey, peeps! I downloaded a free Blogger app on the Droid Market so I can try my hand at mobile blogging. We'll see how this works, lol!

So far, the conference has been a whirlwind. Lots of free books and swag, as well as interesting classes such as the one I'm sitting in now called "5 Times a Night, Really?"

The Elloras Cave Bollywood party was awesome, and I'm looking forward to this evenings Masquerade ball.

Hope you're all having a great week!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Happy release day to me!

2011-03-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Woot!

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

I'm so excited! Obsessed is now available for purchase through Loose Id! Yeah, baby!

Here's the back cover blurb:

The victim of both a brutal attempted rape and now a serial stalking, Halley Davis is broken, and desperate to glue the shattered pieces of her life back together. Tormented by a psychopath and battling a heavy dose of anxiety, sex and dating are the last things on Halley’s anxiety-ridden mind. That is, until she meets the man who rescued her from the hands of a would-be rapist. With a body made for sin, a wicked, sexy tattoo and an aura that screams “badass,” her rescuer not only calms the storm of terror raging inside her mind, he ignites a passion within her she’s never known before.

Tired of using meaningless sex to drown out the horrors of his past, Nick Ackart has sworn off women. In fact, if women were classified as meat, his ass is Vegan. Despite his determination to remain unattached, Nick is unable to stay away from the emerald-eyed beauty he rescued from a sadistic pervert. Immersed in a tangled web of sexual desire and deep emotion he was certain was long dead, he vows to protect Halley from the monster hounding her, even though he stands to lose his heart in the process.

Obsessed was a blast to write, and a nice change from my usual fare. The hero is tall, tatted and angsty and one of my favorites that I've written. Hope you all enjoy him!!

Obsessed is available at Loose Id now! Woot!

Meet an Author Monday!

2011-03-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

The next three weeks are going to be a whirlwind of cheer competitions, book signings, a conference and a book release. Welcome to the calm before the storm! Lol!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

I'm a proud, proud mama!

2011-03-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my vlog yesterday that my girls would be performing live this morning for Fox 40 news.

They did an awesome job, as did all the girls! We're so proud!

For those of you who aren't local, I'm posting video here for you to see. All three of my babies were lucky enough to participate. Taryn and Irelynn are the most visible in the videos as they are fliers, but you do see Kendall flipping around the screen, tumbling and jumping, lol.

In case you are wondering where to look, Taryn is in the center for the team that comes out first, and Irelynn is the little blond in a shoulder sit on the right for the pyramid during the second team that comes out.

Kendall is the tall brunette that waves her hand in front of her body before the first team starts jumping.

Vloggin' again!

2011-03-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

And because I am total fail, I wanted to give a special shout out here. The trading cards I showed you all in the video? They were made by the very talented Brenda Pandos, author of the Talisman series. If you haven't picked up her books, The Emerald Talisman and The Sapphire Talisman, you need to. Pronto!

Meet an Author Monday!

2011-03-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- Till The World Ends by Britney Spears

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I certainly enjoyed mine! Not only did I get to spend Friday night with some good friends at the theater watching Red Riding Hood, but my hubby, good man that he is, bought me three new books. Woot! There's nothing better than snuggling under a blanket with a good book when the weather is yucky, and boy has it ever been yucky out here! If you missed yesterday's vlog, make sure to check it out. I talk about what I've been reading and have some good book rec's.

Before we move onto the hop I wanted to talk a bit about tagging. And no, I'm not referring to those artsy menaces who spray paint their mark on the sides of buildings and private property. I'm talking about tagging books on Amazon.

What is tagging you ask? It's quite simple really. When you're perusing books on Amazon, if you're anything like me, you scroll down the page and read the reviews. Did you know, though, that by clicking the little tab that asks if the review was helpful to you, you're doing the author a huge favor?

Yep. It makes the reviews more accessible to others when surfing through.

Another thing that is a MAJOR help to authors is tagging. Beneath the reviews you'll often see different tags that people use when searching for specific genres etc. If you've left a review for a book, Amazon will automatically ask you to type in any tag you think might apply. By simply clicking these tags, you bump the books up in Amazon's search engine.

Pretty darn cool eh? You can totally help your favorite authors out for free, and all it takes is a few seconds of your time.

Okie doke. On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

What I've been reading vlog

2011-03-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, peeps! Happy Sunday!

One look at the hideous frame below and you'll know why I loathe my laptop's video camera. The crap thing sucks major @ss!! That being said, I didn't want to not share my video.

So, have at it, people. Enjoy yourself a good laugh, and maybe, while you're laughing at me, you'll find a new book to add to your tbr pile :)

Quiet week on the blog, busy week at home!

2011-03-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Song of the day- Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Hope you've all had a wonderful week. It's certainly been a busy one here in the Sanchez household. Lots of exciting news to share with you.

Let's start with the cheer stuff, shall we?

My girls competed in Sacramento this past weekend and DOMINATED. Yep, that's right. Irelynn and Taryn's Youth Gold (level 2) team took first place again, adding another win for their undefeated season. Yeah!
Taryn's Junior Red team(level 3) also took first place and hit a perfect routine. Woot! Because of their awesome performances, both teams won bids to the All Level World's competition in April. Yeah, baby! Very cool!

On the writing front, I finally completed the first draft of The Witching Hour, book 3 in the Hanaford Park series. I sent that bad boy out to my crit partners and my fabulous beta reader with the hopes they will tear it apart. I'm crazy, yes. I like editing. That's where the magic happens :D

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and dry!

Meet an Author Monday!

2011-03-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

In case you missed my post last night, IT"S HERE! My beautiful cover for my upcoming release, Obsessed, with Loose Id is here! Look how beautiful!

Squee! Not much longer now!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Finally able to share my happy news!

2011-03-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Woot! Check out the rockin' cover for my upcoming romantic suspense novel, Obsessed, releasing this Spring with Loose Id! It's amazing! I'm in love!

Valerie Tibbs is the cover artist and did a fantabulous job. It's shmexy and beautiful and just plain perfect! Squeee!!!!

I'm so excited for the release of this story. It's sooo different from my Hanaford Park series. For starters, it's told in 3rd person pov, and there's not a monster or vampire in sight! Lol! There's also a lot more shmexin'. Hot, hot, hot!

Can't wait to share it with all of you.

Quick update!

2011-03-10T15:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Quick post today to let you know I'm over at Larissa's Bookish Life, talking about time spent of the internet and social media. Good times!

Make sure to enter her giveaway for a chance to win copies of EOS and Pleasures Untold! Yeah, baby!

Read an ebook vlog + an excerpt from Pleasures Untold

2011-03-08T10:57:00.001-08:00

It's read an ebook week!

2011-03-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

How stinkin' cool is that? I LOVE it!

If you haven't purchased a copy of the first two books in my Hanaford Park series yet, what are you waiting for? Ebooks = instant gratification! Woot!

Check out the "where to find my books" link above and spice up your e-reader!

Meet an Author Monday!

2011-03-07T06:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- Trouble by Coldplay

Slow morning here in the Sanchez household. The girls competed yesterday and we've all got what I refer to as a "cheer hangover." We're tired, lol!

Unfortunately, we're not allowed to post videos from the comps any more (Major BOO!) so I'll have to make do with some pics. The girls did great, and had a good time, so I'm a happy mom :)

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

What I'm reading next

2011-03-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday, peeps!

Song of the day- Siren Song by Bat For Lashes

With the majority of the edits done on my upcoming romantic suspense novel, Obsessed, I've had a little extra time to read. And let me stress little, lol.

Over the past week I've been happily immersed in Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series. I just finished:

Great read! It took my a bit to warm up to Conrad, but then he stole my heart just like other heroes in this series. Bowen still remains my absolute fave.

Book I plan on starting this week are:

I've heard a lot of hype about Amanda Hocking recently and am really curious about her books. Can't wait to dive in.

What's on your tbr shelf this week?

Blood, Smoke And Mirrors blog tour

2011-03-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Song of the day- Beautiful by Akon

I'm so excited to welcome author Robyn Bachar to Cali Cheer Mom today! We're the third stop in Robyn's Blood, Smoke and Mirrors blog tour and I'm tickled to have her here with us. I know, as an author myself, I'm always curious about how other authors write, their process etc., so I asked Robyn to answer a few questions for us. Also, make sure to check out the details for her giveaway below!

Robyn Bachar

Every bad witch has a story...

http://robynbachar.com

Blood, Smoke and Mirrors,

Available now from Samhain Publishing

Are you a Plotter or a Panster?-

I'm a reformed pantser. I used to get writer's block about a third of the way through the story, without fail. Now I'm all about outlines, story maps, and GMC charts. I find that plotting is an enormous help when I hit a wall while writing. If I get stuck on a scene, having an outline lets me know what comes next, and I can skip it and come back to it later.

WhyRomance/Fantasy?-

I think that paranormal romance has flourished because readers enjoy the element of the fantastic it offers. It's a little something extra--a bad boy hero with attitude and fangs, or a heroine who can kick butt and throw fireballs, all wrapped up with the classic struggle of good versus evil. In my book Blood, Smoke and Mirrors the heroine Catherine Baker is a waitress and a witch. She has all the problems found in traditional romance, plus meddlesome faeries and bloodthirsty vampires.

Heroes: Alpha or Beta?-

Ooh, tough question. For me it depends on the hero. I enjoy alpha heroes to a point, especially in paranormal romance. Brooding vampire? Yes, please. But if he gets too demanding, I'm usually yelling at the heroine to kick him in the groin. (Sadly, the heroines never seem to listen.) I do love a good beta hero. Really I'm a sucker for any hero with a tortured past, alpha or beta.

Book blurb:

Even a bad witch deserves a second chance.
Wrongly accused of using her magic to harm, the closest Catherine Baker comes to helping others is serving their coffee. Life as an outcast is nothing new, thanks to her father’s reputation, but the injustice stings. Especially since the man she loved turned her in.
Now the man has the gall to show up and suggest she become the next Titania? She’d rather wipe that charming grin off his face with a pot of hot java to the groin.
Alexander Duquesne has never faltered in his duties as a guardian—until now. The lingering guilt over Cat’s exile and the recent death of his best friend have shaken his dedication. With the murder of the old Titania, the faerie realm teeters on the brink of chaos. His new orders: keep Cat alive at all costs.
Hunted by a powerful stranger intent on drawing her into an evil web, Cat reluctantly accepts Lex’s protection and the resurrected desire that comes along with it. Lex faces the fight of his life to keep her safe…and win her back. If they both survive.
Warning: This book contains one tough and snarky witch, one gorgeous guardian, explicit blood drinking, magician sex, gratuitous violence against vampires and troublemaking Shakespearean faeries.
Excerpt:

For the entertainment portion of our evening Lex bravely—or perhaps foolishly—decided to teach the faeries how to play Texas hold ’em poker. The only cards I own are Tarot cards, but he’d brought a deck of playing cards with him in his gym bag, and we used pretzels and chocolates as poker chips. The man displayed the patience of a saint as he tutored my cousins in the basics of the game—I’d learned it when we’d dated, though we’d bet clothing instead of snacks.
Tybalt was enthralled, but Portia was slow to warm to the idea until she figured out how to cheat by magically marking the cards. Poker ended soon after that, and we turned to the Game Show Network for entertainment. Few things are quite as entertaining as watching millennia-old frost faeries shout “No deal, Howie!” at your television screen.
It was a welcome break, and I could almost imagine this was a normal night of fun with my cousins. The addition of Lex didn’t hurt, but it added to the strangeness. He was acting like the Lex I remembered—funny, caring, charming. I wanted to stay angry with him, but having him stand steadfast by my side today made that difficult. He was there when I needed him, which felt weird after what had occurred between us in the past.
A little after midnight I kicked the faeries out and sent them home so Lex and I could get a good night’s sleep before our big day tomorrow. Not that I predicted being able to sleep with the cold dread that’d settled into my stomach, but I was willing to give it a try. I gathered up the empty drinking glasses and the bag of chips we’d devoured, and brought them into the kitchen. When I returned to the living room for the second round of mess, I found the lights had been switched off. Barely visible, Lex stood at the window, staring into the night as he held the curtains aside.
“You need to see this.”
“What is it?”
“Might want to put your shields up in case they try to take a shot at you,” he advised as I crossed the room. With a deep breath I put my shields in place, feeling the energy snap around me and then continue its new odd habit of stretching to include Lex.
“How are you doing that?” I looked up at him, confused.
“Doin’ what?”
“You keep getting through my shields.”
“Huh. Probably ’cause your subconscious knows I’m not going to harm you, so there’s no need to keep me out. Those vamps outside, on the other hand, they’re probably not here to play cards.” Lex pointed into the darkness, and I looked out the window.
“I don’t see anything.” Squinting, I pushed my glasses up on my nose and strained to see what he indicated. My eyes slowly adjusted to the rainy night. The streetlights had been doused, and this time it wasn’t my fault.
“There.” Stepping close to me, he gestured again. “Two in gangways across the street, one behind that oak tree.” Following Lex’s lead, I managed to spot three figures hiding in the shadows, and they were definitely not my neighbors.
“What are they doing?” I asked, my voice dropping to a tense whisper.
“Waitin’. They can’t get in, so they’re waitin’ for us to come out. Sooner or later they’ll get impatient and figure out a way to force their way in. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t tried to set your building on fire and smoke us out.”
“They can’t, I have a ward against that too. Fire here can’t grow any bigger than a stove burner.”
“Damn, you are good. Still, with those vultures outside it’s not safe here anymore, Cat. You’ll have to stay somewhere else from now on.” With his point made, he let the curtains fall back into place, plunging the room into darkness, with only the light from the kitchen to see by.
“You’re right,” I reluctantly agreed.
“You could come stay with me.”
“With you?” Surprised by the suggestion, I turned to look up at him. We were standing so close I could feel the heat of his body and the light brush of his breath against my face. Nervous, I took a deep breath and unintentionally inhaled the familiar, unique scent of him. My heartbeat drowned out the steady patter of rain against the windows. With an amazing display of willpower I resisted the urge to bolt, knowing I’d only trip over something (like the cats that were still standing guard over Lex) and break my neck. Instead I took a slow step backward. “Why, you think it’d be easier to babysit me on your own turf?”
“I’m not babysitting you. Really, I’m protecting them from you,” he teased. Grinning, he reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair that’d escaped from my braid back into place behind my ear.
“Thanks, that makes me feel so much better,” I joked, a blush heating my face.
“I try. But seriously, Cat, I’ll be here as long as you need me.” Lex looked down at me, seeming sincere, and I shook my head at him.
“Don’t, Lex. You’re only here on orders. You’ll be gone and on to the next as soon as this assignment is over.”
“What if I don’t want that?”
“What if I do? I’m all for the life-saving thing, but I don’t want you in my life again.”
“Are you sure of that?”
Scowling, I took a steadying breath and prepared to launch into an explanation of the myriad reasons why I wasn’t about to go through another round of heartbreak with him, but before I could speak he leaned down and brushed a kiss across my lips.
A warm tingling suffused my body as soon as our lips met, the sort of electric reaction I usually associate with casting magic, but much, much better. He was hesitant at first, probably afraid I’d slap him or zot him with a spell, but when I didn’t object he slowly began to deepen the kiss. My knees went weak as my good sense vanished, and I slipped my arms around him to steady myself. Lex held me close as he continued to kiss me, and I leaned into him. I’d forgotten how well we fit together. He sighed, as though my lips were delicious and he savored them.
“This is a bad idea,” I murmured.
“No, this is a good idea.” Lex nudged me back toward the couch, and I sat down in a less-than-graceful flop. Next he joined me and drew me into his arms.
“Oh yeah? How?” My hormones were obviously happy to see him, but I still had a little bit of brainpower left, enough to be skeptical of the situation.
“Because letting you go was a bad idea. I don’t want to make that mistake again.” His voice was low and strained, and I wished it wasn’t so dark so I could see his expression. I sighed, a mix of old pain and new uncertainty, but he kissed me again and I stopped arguing.
I relaxed into the embrace, returning the kiss passionately. I felt better instantly—safe, warm, desired. Lex stroked my braided hair and let his hand rest at the small of my back. I ran my own hands up and down his back, debating whether or not it would be a good idea to tug his shirt off, but then I felt him unhooking my bra. My pulse jumped, and my magic decided to take that opportunity to wreak havoc on a pair of unsuspecting table lamps. With an electric sizzle followed by two sharp pops the light bulbs flashed and exploded. Startled, we jumped apart, the mood broken. We stared at each other, and I felt a guilty blush heat my face.
“Cat—” he started, and I held a hand up to stop him before he could say anything further.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to get some new bulbs, and we’re going to pretend that never happened.”

Robyn is giving away a $20 GC to one randomly drawn commenter during her blog tour. Make sure to leave a comment and include your email! Pretty darn cool!

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! You can find more info about tour dates and stops here. Good luck!

Blog tour stops... woot!

2011-03-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Song of the day- On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez

Today's post is short and sweet. I updated the page buttons above to include a page with details about the Pleasures Untold blog tour. You'll find links to each of the blogs I visited. Woot!

I'm over at Forbidden Reviews today with a special blog post you won't want to miss. Very fun!! While you're there, enter to win an ebook set of both Eve Of Samhain and Pleasures Untold!

I also received a very nice review for Eve Of Samhain from Jessica over at Confessions Of A Bookaholic. Woot!!

Also, make sure you stop by tomorrow to check out the guest post by author Robyn Bachar. The print copy of her debut novel, Blood, Smoke And Mirrors just released through Samhain Publishing. Make sure to leave a comment as she's giving away a $20 Amazon GC to one random commenter on her blog tour.

Hope you all have a wonderful day! I'm about to try to put a serious dent in my WIP. Wish me luck! Mwah!

What I've been reading vlog

2011-03-01T09:50:00.001-08:00

Meet an Author Monday!

2011-02-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, peeps!
Song of the day- Coming Home by Diddy

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! The Sanchez family spent yesterday afternoon with good friends, and had a fantabulous time watching the Oscars, eating good food, and snarking on what the crazy folk in Hollywood were wearing. Good times!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Don't forget! Author Robyn Bachar will be doing a guest post on March 3rd as part of her Blood Smoke and Mirrors blog tour. Make sure to stop by and leave a comment!!

Have a fabulous day!

E-piracy hurts!

2011-02-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Song of the day- Gravity by Sarah Bareilles

I've posted a few times with regard to this topic, and unfortunately felt the need to bring it to light once more as a good author friend of mine is struggling with this big time.

E-piracy hurts authors. It's as simple as that. When someone takes one of our ebooks, uploads it onto a server somewhere and shares it with the world it takes away from our sales. I'm not a greedy person by any means. However, I do live in California, and if you've been watching the news you'll know my state is going through a tough economic crisis. People are losing their homes, can't feed themselves, don't have jobs...the list goes on.

My guess is that the people who are illegally sharing ebooks are most likely thinking "how will sharing a $4.99 ebook effect her? That's pocket change. Besides, the people I'm sharing with would never have purchased the book anyway."

Pocket change adds up people. I've got a glass jar on my counter that I throw loose change into regularly. That shit adds up. And as for the illegal downloaders not purchasing the book anyway, my response is "how would you know?" Maybe they wouldn't. But, then again, maybe they would have. I'll never know, though, as you've provided them with a free copy.

The very talented author, Jennifer DeLucy has also written a blog post about this troubling topic here.

I fully agree with Jen when she says we need to speak out when we see illegal downloading on the net. Point a finger, leave the person a message or send them an email and let these people know piracy is wrong.

Rant over, lol!!!

Enjoy your Friday, peeps!

Freak awesome video!

2011-02-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

Real quick post here to share an awesome video my Twitter buddies Michelle and Marissa from Novel On The Run showed me just a bit ago.

Katy Perry rocks my socks to begin with, BUT...hot frat boys dancing along to her is waaaay better!

Review- Vamps and the City (Love At Stake #2)

2011-02-24T06:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Song of the day- Blow by Ke$ha

Goodreads blurb:

Who says a vamp can't have it all?

Darcy Newhart thought it was a stroke of genius – the first–ever reality TV show where mortals vie with vampires for the title of The Sexiest Man on Earth. As the show's director, Darcy's career would be on track again. And she can finally have a life apart from the vampire harem. Okay, so she's still technically dead, but two out of three's not bad. Now she just has to make sure that a mortal doesn't win. If only she wasn't so distracted by a super–sexy and live contestant named Austin...

But Darcy doesn't know the worst of it. Austin Erickson is actually a vampire slayer! And he's got his eye on the show's leggy blond director. Only problem is, he's never wanted any woman – living or dead – as badly. But if he wins her heart, will he lose his soul? And if it means an eternity of hot, passionate loving with Darcy, does that really matter anyway?

My review:

Two words: Austin Erickson.

Swoon!

Book two in the Love At Stake series picks up where we left off in How To Marry A Millionaire Vampire. The CIA Stake Out team headed by Sean Whelan, is on the warpath, taking out good vamps along with the bad in their search for Sean's daughter Shanna.

Enter Austin Erickson. He's a hunky spy with some serious psychic mojo. Boyfriend can enter anyone's mind (both vamp and human) and read/manipulate thoughts. He's also got some kick ass telekineses going on. Sean's number one operative and the best man for the job, Austin goes undercover in a new vampire reality TV show, The Sexiest Man Alive. His mission: to get info on the whereabouts of Sean's daughter and compile intel with which to bring the vamps down. But then he meets Darcy Newhart, and his world is turned upside down. Austin is forced to take a good, hard look at his beliefs. Maybe all vamps weren't bad.

Darcy Newhart is a young vamp. Just four years into her vampire existence, she's bottle fed and a virgin when it comes to biting humans. Like the rest of her friends (the good vamps) she doesn't believe in harming humans and drinks synthetic blood. Turned against her will, she doesn't care for her life as a vampire and longs for daylight, warm sun and sandy beaches. Producer for the new vamp reality show, The Sexiest man Alive, Darcy's finds her job hanging in the balance when she falls for Adam (Austin) one of the sexy contestants who she refers to as "The Sun God Apollo."

When I read the blurb for this book I wasn't sure if I would like it. I'm usually all about the hero and was looking forward to reading about one of the Scottish warriors like Conner or Angus. I'm happy to say that any reluctance I had in reading this story flew out the window in the first few pages. Darcy and Austin drew me in right away and I loved their story.

I particularly enjoyed the small moments we got to spend with the harem ladies. Stuck in different eras dependent on when they were turned, their odd speech and mannerisms provided endless laughter throughout the story.

Can't wait to read the next installment!

My rating: 4 stars!

It's Woohoo Wednesday time!

2011-02-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Grenade by Bruno Mars

Woohoo Wednesday is a weekly post where I talk about things I'm thankful for, things I'm looking forward to, as well as any think awesome that's happened over the past week. No Hump Day blues here!

Let's jump right in! This week I'm thankful for:

Readers! Without readers I wouldn't have a job. I wouldn't get to live out my dream and do what I love. I want to give a big shout of thanks to all those who have shown me such wonderful support these past couple of weeks with the release of Pleasures Untold. You guys rock! Thank you!
I'm especially proud of my youngest daughter, Irelynn. She's been struggling with her Rowley math facts (it's a timed test) and she finally passed her final test yesterday. Woot! Baby girl came home with a Happy Gram from her teacher and a fat smile on her face. WTG, baby!
My new pedi! Sounds silly, but I don't get out much these days. Well, at least not to do anything fun for myself. If I'm not home writing or cleaning, I'm shuffling the girls around, so the little break I had this morning was just what the doctor ordered. Good times! And pretty toes, lol!

Just a quick heads up: If you didn't notice when you first arrived, I've listed some dates at the top of this blog post. The Pleasures Untold blog tour is making several stops this week. Check out the different blogs, leave a comment and enter some of the giveaways!

Lastly, I'm excited to be attending my good friend and talented author, Kristin Miller's book signing this Saturday. Her signing is at 10am in Manteca at the Main Street Cafe. She'll be reading from her romantic suspense, Dark Tide Rising, signing books and answering questions. If you are in the area you won't want to miss!

Pleasures Untold blog tour stops at My 5 Monkeys today!

2011-02-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Woot!

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Born This Way by Lady Gaga (Yes, I know I used this song last week. I love it!)

Make sure to stop by My 5 Monkeys today. Julie's posted her review of Pleasures Untold and is hosting a giveaway! Leave a comment to be entered!

Don't forget! There are still a few other blogs where you can enter for a chance to win the first 2 books in the Hanaford Park series. Free books, people. FREE!

Tour stop locations with open giveaway are as follows:

Nocturnal Readings- Ends Friday
Ramblings Of a Book Bitch- Ends 2/24
Writings Of A Wicked Book Addict- Ends 2/23

Let's show these awesome bloggers some love and leave them a comment. It takes just a few moments of your time and you'll have multiple chances to win FREE books :D

Let me repeat...FREE books. Hahahahahah! Get at it, peeps!

Meet an Author Monday!

2011-02-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- Coming Home by Diddy Dirty Money and Skylar Grey

In case you missed the memo, there's a blog tour going on for Pleasures Untold! That's right! Along with reviews, many of the bloggers are giving away free copies of both Eve Of Samhain and Pleasures Untold. Pretty cool!

Giveaway at Writings Of A Wicked Book Addict is open until 2/23
Giveaway at Ramblings Of A Book Bitch is open until 2/23 UK time
Giveawat at Nocturnal Readings Open until 2/25
Stop by, leave a comment for a chance to win, and show them some love! Good luck!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Review-How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love At Stake #1)

2011-02-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday, peeps!

It's been a while since I've posted a review. Happy to be getting in to the swing of things again with this book!

Blurb taken from Goodreads:

So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop–sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her...

My review:

I'm a huge fan of Kerrelyn Sparks. I won a signed copy of The Undead Next Door (book 4) a few years ago and fell in love with her engaging characters and witty voice. Having read books 4-6 out of order, I decided it was time to pick up the first few and dive into her world again from the beginning.

I'm so glad I did!

In How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire we're introduced to Roman Dragonesti, a five hundred plus year old vamp who is tired of his life. Blessed with the gift of pure genius, he has founded Romatech, a world renowned company that provides synthetic blood. His goal in creating the artificial blood is to prevent the need for vamps to "kill for their meals" and in turn make the world a safer place for both vamps and humans alike. Roman is an all around good guy with a serious case of self hatred. Once a monk, he believes he is an abomination and that God has turned from him. After a disastrous relationship with a mortal woman years ago, he's sworn off relationships with the fairer sex, believing himself a demon. How could someone love a demon? Along with some darker elements, the book sports a lighthearted tone that had me laughing on several occasions. In fact, a humorous situation including a VANNA doll (Vampire Artificial Nutritional Needs Appliance) leaves him missing a fang and in need of a mortal dentist.

Cue Shanna Whelan. She's a sassy dentist with a serious problem. Girlfriend is deathly afraid of the sight of blood. After witnessing a mass killing that was meant to take her out, she enters the witness protection program in the hopes of regaining her life while eluding the Russian mob who's after her. Roman breaks the monotony of her new life when he shows up late one evening asking her to implant his missing fang back into his mouth. Believing he's a loony who wants her to implant a "wolf tooth" into his mouth, she tells him to take a hike. He does as she asks, but takes her with him when the Russian mob shows up moments later to kill her.

From this point on Shanna, and the reader, embark on a roller coaster ride filled with sexy Scottish Vampires, evil Malcontents, vampire fusion cuisine (Blood Light and Chocolood) as well as a wonderful romance between Shanna and Roman. Both stubborn in nature, they fight their feelings through most of the book, making great strides only to fall back when an obstacle comes their way. Of course, love prevails and the their journey completes with a satisfying ending.

As I said above, Ms. Sparks has a wonderful sense of humor and I found myself chuckling throughout the majority of the book. Some of my favorite "LOL moments" were:

"Gregori though we could advertise her on the Digital Vampire Network. You'd have your choice of VANNA Brown, VANNA Black––"
"And this would be VANNA White?" Roman grimaced. "The legal department will love this."

"Jeez, it stinks in here. What is this place?"
"A cigar shop. I gather you don't smoke?"
"No. Do you?"
He smiled wryly. "Only if I'm out in the sun."

I think my favorite scene, though, might have been when Shanna was placing Roman's fang back in his mouth. His guards gave a blow by blow account of what was happening over the phone. Hysterical!

"She's returning the bird to the nest. I repeat, bird is in the nest."

Thoroughly enjoyable read. I plan on purchasing the next book and diving in right away.

My rating: 4 stars!!

Slang...it's what's for dinner!

2011-02-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Song of the day- Forget You by Cee Lo Green

I like slang.

There. I said it.

I'm an overgrown child who enjoys colorful language that often times doesn't make sense. And having a sixteen year old in the house? Yeah, that doesn't help matters any. Thing is, slang's not for everyone. It's an acquired taste for sure, and a subject where I believe there isn't a lot of middle ground. You either enjoy its use, or you loathe it.

Speaking for myself, I find it hilarious. I've got the Online Slang Dictionary bookmarked on my toolbar and visit it frequently. More often than not, I end up laughing over some ridiculous new word, and end up trolling through the site snickering like a child. Yes...I will repeat once again, I'm an overgrown child. I laugh at potty language and when someone gets smacked in the family jewels on TV or in a movie I can usually be found rolling on the floor with laughter. The TV show Wipeout? OMG...it gives me stitches in my side, I laugh so hard. Yeah, yeah...I've got problems, lol!

My current WIP is set in 1692 Salem Village. There wasn't a lot of slang usage back then. In fact, there wasn't any slang usage at all. As you can imagine, for someone like me who enjoys throwing out random curse words like "douchebag" and "asshat" this project has proven to be somewhat of a challenge. A GOOD challenge mind you. I think anytime writers can step out of their comfort zones and expand their horizons, it's a good thing.

I'm curious to know how you all feel about slang and its usage. Do you enjoy it? Do you cringe whenever you come across it? Feel free to share your thoughts!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Pleasures Untold blog tour stop #4

2011-02-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Song of the day- More by Usher

Today marks stop four in the Pleasures Untold blog tour. Woot! Head on over to Writings Of A Wicked Book Addict where you'll find a review and a giveaway! Leave a comment and enter to win one of two sets of the first two books in the Hanaford Park series.

Have a great day!!

Pleasures Untold blog tour stop #3

2011-02-15T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Woot! If you get a chance, stop by Twimom 227's blog, Now That's What I'm Talking About.

Twimom graciously took part in the Pleasures Untold blog tour and is giving away copies of both Eve Of Samhain and PU (Hee hee!) along with posting her review.

Stop by and leave her a comment, and while you're there, enter to win a chance for some free books!

Also, I've updated the page tabs at the top of the screen to include a page with links where you can find both of my books, should you feel inclined to purchase one :D

Have a great day!

Meet an Author Monday

2011-02-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Just a heads up with regard to our normal Meet an author post. I'm having the damndest time logging into Linky Tools. They went through an upgrade this past weekend, and I'm thinking this might have something to do with it. I'm going to continue to do my best to get this post up in a timely manner for you and for those who would like to participate.

Bear with me, please!

Oh! Happy Valentines day! Mwah!!!

Fade to black or In your face? Which do you prefer?

2011-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday, peeps!

Song of the day- Who Dat Girl by Flo Rida featuring Akon

I've been thinking about this post for quite some time now, and just haven't had the time to sit down and type it out.

The publishing world is a vast and wondrous place, full of a variety of stories and tales to tickle your fancy and fuel your escape from this reality to another. If you're anything like me, you're a romance junkie. Along with escape into another world, you enjoy the emotional roller coaster ride that comes along with a whirlwind romance.

Will they get together, or won't they? Is he going to kiss her? Gah! Just kiss her already! Good grief! She's into you! Go for it already! Sweep her off her feet!

I'll admit, those phrases are just a few of the many that travel through my head as I read. Much like my three girls, I'm a cheerleader for the characters I'm reading. I root them on, cheer when they take a step forward, and cringe when they suffer a misstep. And when my favorite characters finally come together, well...I'f the scene was written well, I've usually got a sappy smile plastered all over my face.

This brings me to the question at hand: which do you prefer, full out love scenes with heavy descriptions, or are you content with stories where the door is kept closed, leaving everything to your imagination? Let me preface this by saying that there is no right or wrong here. We're dealing with opinions here and personal preference, and my hope is that this will garner some good discussion, either here or with you and your friends at home.

Speaking for myself, I enjoy a good love scene. Growing up, reading many of my mother's hand me down romance novels, I was subjected to a lot of purple prose (quivering members, heaving bosoms, blushing femininity) you get the drift. And while I always cheered when the hero and heroine finally pulled their heads out of their asses and got together, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the love scenes.

Fast forward a great many years to the burgeoning success of the Twilight Saga. This series is probably one of my all time favorites, simply because I believe it does a great job conveying the feelings/drama etc that come along with new/first love. And while I reveled in the tension and emotion flowing up off the page, I, along with many others I'm guessing, was a bit disappointed with Bella and Edward's honeymoon scene. Yes, the series is YA, which made the fade to black scene appropriate, BUT, I won't lie. I still wanted to know what Eddie was like between the sheets.

Craving all things vampire, I stumbled into J.R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood world, and found exactly what I was looking for as far as heat level and description in a love scene. Her heroes are smokin' hot and so is their lovin'. No purple prose, no fade to black, and while descriptive, they aren't overly graphic (at least IMO, lol!) and in your face with frank/blunt language like erotica. (Let me also say I'm not putting down/bashing erotica in any way. I've read a few pieces and while what I've read was very well written with good plotting, as a whole, it's not my cup of tea.)

Does this mean I don't or won't enjoy a sweet love story? Heck no! There is a time and a place for everything. Some love stories call for gentle chaste kisses and some, well...some call for down and dirty nitty gritty. And aren't we lucky there's something out there for everyone?

What do you prefer? Weigh in with a comment!

Happy reading, peeps!

Happy Friday!!

2011-02-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Song of the day- Blow by Ke$ha

Short post today as the kiddos get out of school early and I have loads to accomplish. I came across this video on Facebook earlier, laughed so hard I nearly peed myself, and thought I'd share it here with all of you.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Hope you have a wonderful three day weekend!

Woohoo Wednesday!

2011-02-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Song of the day- P.Y.T. Glee cast version (Loved last night's episode!)

It's been a while since I posted a woohoo post, and I intend to remedy that today! Wednesdays tend to drag for a lot of us. It's the middle of the work week, the kids are bogged down with homework and if you're like me, you have laundry coming out your ears. The idea behind Woohoo Wednesday is to focus on the positive things going on in our lives. With that being said, let's get at it!

Things I'm thankful for/looking forward to:

RT Booklovers Convention. Squeee! I'm thankful and excited because I get to go!
My oldest is maintaining a grade point average that is above 3.0. Woot!
The sun has made an appearance for the past three days. Nothing like a little vitamin D to make you smile :)
The second book in my Hanaford Park series just released :) I'm all kinds of excited.

What about you? What are you thankful for? Weigh in with a comment!

Pleasures Untold now available!

2011-02-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Squeee!!

I'm feeling a little emotional today, sniff...sniff... Truly, I'm just so very thankful to be able to share my stories with all of you, and I hope you enjoy the second installment of the Hanaford Park series.

Here's the trailer in case you missed it:

You can find and purchase (if you so choose) a copy of Pleasures Untold at:

Omnific Publishing

Amazon (Kindle format should be up soon)

I don't know about you, but I enjoy free stuff, books especially, so stop by Goodreads and enter for a chance to win a free copy!

Meet an author Monday and a teaser

2011-02-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- Time Of My Life (Dirty Bit) by Black Eyed Peas

Woot! One more day until the release of Pleasures Untold! I'm excited, nervous, anxious and a little nauseated. Hahaha! I really hope you enjoy the characters and story as much as I do. I'm posting one final sneaky peak before the release, so here ya go!

Jess took a deep breath and sighed. “Do I have to spell everything out for you?” She pointed a finger toward the bar. “Xan...the sexy bartender vamp...the guy who just called you sweetheart...you want to have sexy times with him.”

What the...? My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Sexy times?” What the hell were sexy times? And sweetheart? Is that what he’s been calling me? Since when did vampires refer to humans as sweethearts? Happy Meals on feet, walking blood Popsicles, those were names I was used to. But sweetheart?

“Oh, my God,” she said and slapped her forehead. She sliced her hands through the air in frustration. Apparently, I was a dumbass. “Martha! Sex. The horizontal mambo. The wild monkey dance. You want to ride his disco stick.”

My head snapped back the moment the words disco and stick left her mouth. “What? I do not,” I shouted, doing my best to feign shock and disgust. I did want Xan. I wanted him badly. I just didn’t know what to do about it, and I sure as hell didn’t want my friends to know.

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Have a wonderful day!!!!!

Pleasures Untold teaser #3

2011-02-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

Song of the day- What's My Name? by Rihanna and Drake

Here's a little something to carry you through the weekend :) Not much longer now! Woot!

“Geez, Martha. What the hell?” Jessica said, looking slightly taken off guard. Both girls sat on the floor. Jess had her arm around Taylor who was sobbing quietly. Her efforts to console her weren’t resulting in the desired outcome, and it showed in the creases marring the space between her eyes.

I scanned the room, my muscles relaxing a bit when I saw they were alone with no immediate threat. “I heard Taylor scream and I got scared, so I came running. What’s wrong?”

Taylor looked up at me with red, puffy eyes and fell apart all over again. “They killed George! Oh, my God, Martha. They tore off his face. How could they do that?”

Alarmed at hearing someone’s face was torn from them, I looked at Jessica for an explanation, while running through a mental catalog of all the demons I could think of that were prone to tearing flesh. “What? Is this someone you know? What happened? Where? Talk!” The last thing we needed in our midst was a flesh-eating demon. My hands were full with rogue vampires and zombies.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Take care!

Pleasures Untold teaser #2

2011-02-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday, peeps!

Song of the day- Yeah 3x by Chris Brown (this song makes me want to dance every time I hear it)

With the release of Pleasures Untold less than a week away, I'm excited to continue to share some teasers with you.

That said, here's todays installment :) This snippet is from Martha's pov. Enjoy!

Looking over my right shoulder, my eyes found what they’d been searching for all night, and it wasn’t the missing girl. A pair of penetrating eyes locked onto mine, rendering me immobile and stealing my breath away. For a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the club. There he was in all his glory, standing motionless behind the bar, watching me. Gone was the playful demeanor he exhibited when we’d first met. The expression he wore now was deeply serious, bordering on severe, and yet, with his tanned skin, messy bed-hair and muscular build he was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

Pleasures Untold teaser

2011-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Who's That Chick by David Guetta featuring Rihanna (LOVE this song!)

Because the release if Pleasures Untold is just around the corner (a short 6 days) I'm forgoing my usual WooHoo Wednesday post and offering up a teaser instead. Nothing to spoilery, just something to wet your whistle while you wait :D

Yay!

So, without further ado, I give you teaser numero uno :)

The faint memory of my great-grandmother’s voice popped into my head. Close your mouth, Peanut, before you catch a fly. I slammed my jaw closed. Drooling over the hot bartender wouldn’t do me a damn bit of good. Guys like him didn’t go for girls like me.
The heavens broke out into song when he opened his mouth, and I was sure I’d never heard a more perfect voice.
“What can I get you to drink, beautiful?”
His tone was deep and rich, with a hint of an accent; Latin maybe, though I wasn’t sure and didn’t really care. I was sure, however, that I wanted him to speak again, regardless of what he said. He could recite the alphabet in Cantonese for all I cared, just so long as he spoke.

Woot!

If you get a chance, head on over to My Five Monkeys. Julie was kind enough to do an interview with me and I'm so grateful! Lots of fun!

Take care, everyone!

Pleasures Untold blog tour kickoff!

2011-02-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Song of the day- Wild Horses by The Sundays

7 more days! Woot! One more week until Pleasures Untold releases!

I'm a little excited. Can you tell?

Actually, I'm excited, nervous, and giddy all rolled into one shaky, quivering ball. And I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Today is particularly special as it's the kickoff for the Pleasures Untold blog tour. Over the course of February and some of March I'll be visiting different blogs to spread the goodness that is Martha and Xan. There will be giveaways, interviews and a whole lot of good times. Hope you can join me!

The tour kicks off today at Novels On The Run with an interview, a couple of reviews and a giveaway. These ladies are absolutely fabulous, and if you're not following them, I highly suggest you remedy that. Sweet, funny and very well read, their blog holds a mountain of information and is oh-so-pretty! I enjoy chatting with them and know you will too!

Take care, everyone!

Meet an author Monday!

2011-01-31T07:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, peeps!

Song of the day- More by Usher

As promised, today the authors participating in the hop will be showing you their workspace. Should be very interesting!

I'm a simple girl and am all about comfort. When I sit down to work, I plant myself in my large comfy recliner with my laptop. My Chi usually sits at my feet, or if she's feeling particularly snuggly, will situate herself on my thighs, right behind my laptop.

Check out those crazy alien eyes! ROFL!!!

On to the hop!

Authors! Have a book out? Are you under contract for publication? Make sure you join in the hop. This is a great way to network your blog and let readers know who you are!

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.
You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.
Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!
The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!
If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Pleasures Untold trailer!

2011-01-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

Hells to the yeah! One more week! I'm so excited!

Spirit Spectacular cheer competition!

2011-01-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday, peeps!

As I'm laid up on my couch with what I refer to as a "cheer hangover" I thought I'd share some pics and video from yesterday's very exciting, but very loooong competition.

Overall, the gym did very well, bringing home four first place trophies out of seven teams. We're so proud!
And, it just so happens that each of my girls are on one of the winning teams. As I'm sure you can imagine, they were all smiles yesterday!

Here are a few pics :)

Here are a few of the performances :)

First up is Youth Gold. They took home first!

Next up is Sr Blue (This is Kendall's crossover team) They took home first place along with an award for best choreography! My baby is in the middle :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Stay tuned for Meet An Author Monday tomorrow. We'll be sharing pics of our work space. Guess I better clean mine up, lol!!