Friday, September 30, 2011

SARAH GRIMM IS HERE!!

I have Sarah Grimm and you don't! Neener, neener, NEE-NER! Can you tell I'm excited? That's because I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of After Midnight, and I CANNOT tell you how great this book is. YOU'VE GOTTA READ IT! And in case you think I'm a little biased because Sarah and I are friends (that's right people, go ahead and bask in your jealousy) keep reading, because I'm not the only one who feels this way about her incredible story.

Without further ado, I give you the talented, AWARD WINNING, Sarah Grimm...


 
I thought long and hard about today’s post. In all honesty, blog topics have never been my strong suit. Then I went about cleaning out my email inbox, choosing which messages to keep and which to delete, when I spotted a few that made me smile. I mean SMILE – as in corners of my mouth darn near touched my ears.

Yeah, like that.

Why? I’m glad you asked. As an author, I have favorite parts of my stories, scenes that are important to me because I felt I ‘got it just right’ or because I had an emotional response to the scene as I was writing it.  Then, once book is completed, I send it out into the world and prepare for readers to either love or hate it.

What happens to a man when
He spills his heart on a page and
He watches words flow away then
His feelings lie on the page alone
There waiting

Sorry. Lost myself in song for a minute. But that’s a totally different blog….

Back to my cheeky grin. Go ahead, scroll up and check out that smile again, I’ll wait. Done? Great!

A few weeks ago I began sending After Midnight out for review. While I was at it, I also gave away a few eARC copies on Twitter, my blog and to a few friends. And those emails?  Well, they were some of the very first reader reactions:

“Holy SHIT!”

Sorry. I had to throw that one in as it makes me laugh hysterically every time I read it. The reader went on to say:

“Oh my GGGGOOOODDD! I'm loving this book, Sarah. I love the conflict you set up here. With Izzy and the piano...and now no matter what he does, Noah screwed up!”

Hmmm, I wonder if I can give you a look at what this reader was referring to without giving too much away…

His need to touch her, to comfort was so overwhelming, he reached for her, only to have her jerk away. She turned to face him after shifting out of his reach. Her eyes were shadowed. Overflowing with pain.

His stomach clutched. “Why did you do it? Why play if you knew how this was going to affect you?”

“It’s what you wanted,” she replied simply. “You’ve made that pretty clear right from the beginning.”

He opened his mouth, but with nothing to say in his defense, closed it again. There was no denying the truth of her words. He hadn’t kept his desire for her to play again a secret. It had been his goal from the beginning. At least until he realized what he was asking of her. By then, it was too late.

Another email said:

The first chapter grabs you and doesn’t let go…

And

Just finished After Midnight. Wow. I gave Not Without Risk a 5. If I could, I’d give After Midnight a 5 plus, plus, plus.

*insert another large grin here*

These are the type of comments every author longs to receive. Seriously, we really do spill our hearts onto the page, just like 3 Doors Down sings. Receiving positive feedback just makes it all worthwhile. Sure, I understand I can’t please everybody – there’s just no way – but when I hear back from the people who are pleased with something I’ve written = nirvana.
I’ve been having a tough week (long story, doesn’t matter) and I was having trouble concentrating today. I knew I should be writing, but I just couldn’t focus. So I sat down and opened After Midnight. Well, it’s after midnight and I’m finished. I couldn’t stop! It’s wonderful! Once I started reading I had to finish it! I can’t wait until Dom’s story.

This one has multiple points to smile about, but one that mirrored the previous email:

This story really touched me. I will anxiously be awaiting the next installment. You’ve got me totally hooked on the characters and I CAN’T WAIT to find out what happens with Dominic.

I admit, I experienced a strong connection with Dominic when I wrote him. Strong enough I decided he needed his own book and happily-ever-after, which I am currently writing.  So now, because readers seem to have connected with him as much as me, and because it’s one of AJ’s favorite scenes from After Midnight - she’s been so damn good to me how could I refuse – I leave you today with a look at Dominic.

The instant Dominic strolled through the double doors, Isabeau felt a strange sense of déjà vu. He smiled in greeting as he eased onto his stool, but for the second day in a row, the usual glint was missing from his eyes.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, automatically wiping a cloth across the bar before placing a napkin before him.

He sighed while he spun the napkin with his fingers. “I could use a beer right about now, Isabeau.”

“Sure.” She turned to the cooler, retrieved a bottle and removed its cap. Hands unsteady, she settled the bottle atop the napkin. “I thought you would look a little happier than yesterday. Noah’s doing better, isn’t he?”

“Noah’s fine,” he replied, then took a long swallow of beer.

She breathed a sigh of relief and filled two more orders. It was only two o’clock, and already they were at half capacity. She got the feeling it was going to be a long, busy night, and she didn’t need the extra strain that worrying about Noah would bring. While she waited for Dominic to say more, she did a quick survey of the patrons, making certain that no one appeared to need anything.

Assured that she could take the time to talk, she glanced at Clint. He nodded at her, his signal that he would watch things, then went back to his own conversation with a customer.

She took up her customary position directly across from Dominic. “Spit it out, Dom, you’re beginning to worry me.”

“We need your help.”

She couldn’t begin to imagine what he was talking about. “What kind of help?”

His intense blue eyes locked onto her as he took another drink. Apprehension filled her. “Help with the demo.”

“How could I possibly help with the demo?”

As he turned his head, she followed his gaze to the opposite side of the bar where two businessmen stood talking, ties loosened, shirtsleeves rolled up. They’d been here for thirty minutes and both were on their second beer. But she knew it wasn’t the men Dom was focused on. It was the upright piano against the wall at their back.

The tight clenching of her stomach was automatic and instinctive. “No,” she said softly, adamantly.

As he reached for her hand where it rested atop the bar, she snatched it away and straightened. He didn’t need to know that she was shaking. That her stomach had soured and bile was already working its way up the back of her throat.

“We need you, Isabeau. Without you, our chance of getting this contract…it won’t happen.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” This couldn’t be happening. Even more painful for her to consider, it couldn’t be a coincidence. “Did Noah put you up to this?”

“He said you’d think that.”

“He was right.” Her heart crawled into her throat. The knot in her stomach tightened. “You go back there and tell him his ruse won’t work. Try again.”

Dominic’s eyes held hers, but he didn’t move. Didn’t slide off the stool and out the door now that she’d figured out the game, and called an end to it.

A customer walked up to the bar to place an order, providing her with the perfect distraction. She leaned in to catch the man’s order.

Dom still didn’t move.

Pulled down a pitcher and started to fill it.

Nope.

Was it possible he was telling the truth?

Momentarily distracted, she turned her attention back to Dominic. She noted his body language, the lack of spark in his eyes and the thin set of his mouth. The dread inside her built.

The pitcher overflowed, causing beer to flood the drip tray beneath it and spill down the front of her jeans. She cursed under her breath and grabbed for the cloth at her right. Eyes burning, she swiped at the mess, but only succeeded in making it worse.

“Let me do it.”

Clint’s voice, directly beside her, caused her to startle. She looked at his hand outstretched before him then the concern in his eyes. He’d obviously picked up on the fact that she was upset.

“Go get cleaned up,” he said, taking the cloth from her. “Take a break.”

She needed a break.

Turning, she headed for the kitchen and the staircase to the apartment. On her way, she stopped alongside Dominic. She dragged in a jagged breath. “It is a ruse, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a ruse,” he replied softly. “We need you.”

~*~

 
Sometimes the moment that changes everything comes After Midnight


Thirteen years—that's how long Isabeau Montgomery has been living a lie. After an automobile accident took her mother's life, Izzy hid herself away, surviving the only way she knew how. Now she is happy in her carefully reconstructed life. That is until he walks through the door of her bar...

Black Phoenix singer/front man Noah Clark came to Long Island City with a goal--one that doesn't include an instant, electric attraction to the dark-haired beauty behind the bar. Coaxing her into his bed won't be easy, but he can't get her pale, haunted eyes nor her skill on the piano out of his head.

Can Noah help Isabeau overcome the past? Or will her need to protect her secret force her back into hiding and destroy their chance at happiness?


 
Sarah Grimm is an award winning author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two sons and three miniature schnauzers. Between mom's taxi service, parts runs, and answering the phone for the family marine repair business, Sarah can be found curled in her favorite chair, crafting her next novel.
Find Sarah here:

Friday, September 23, 2011

Tattered Pages Welcomes Author Jesse V. Coffey with her Latest Release!

Stephan Cameron is impetuous and lusty; William Cameron is measured and romantic. Only one thing can divide the brothers--an attraction to the Lady Jessica Chynoweth, a flirty redhead who seems to have eyes for both--and Baron Joseph Turnbull besides. Only one thing can bring them together again--bringing the murderer of their father to justice. If it doesn't kill them first, they will! 

First, I'd like to thank AJ for hosting me today. My name is Jesse V. Coffey and I'm here to promote my latest release, The Brothers Cameron: An Opportunity for Resentment—officially out for the public as of September 15th by Edin Road Press. It's available through my publisher, as well as Amazon's Kindle bookstore and iTunes/iBookstore. It will be available through Barnes & Noble's Nook bookstore, Sony's bookstore, and others at the end of the month.

I've been writing pretty much most of my life—since grade school, actually. I was born with a vivid imagination, which has been both blessing and curse. I would tell myself stories at night, to put myself to sleep. They were long involved fantasies that usually (and typically) cast myself as the heroine who saved those in trouble, was rescued by Prince Charming (usually whatever actor or musician I had a severe crush on at the moment), and lived a fabulous life. Many times, I would relive those fantasies over the course of many nights, altering tiny details as I did. The story played out, I would fall asleep, happy and content.

Two things finally dawned on me as I got older. The first was that life was never going to be like my fantasies. Prince Charming didn't exist, no one ever broke out into song or felt the same sense of romanticism that I did, and the foibles of human nature meant that no one was ever going to mistake me for a heroine in any reality.

The second thing was that if I couldn't make the real world like my dream world, then I'd create my dream world as I wanted it. And rather than fantasize about it in my head, I'd write it down. Fortunately, by that time, I'd met my friend Ann. I had a partner—she introduced me to rock and roll, gorgeous rockers with amazing talents that we could both drool over. And I introduced her to writing them down. We entertained each other for more years than I care to count, writing those fantasies for each other.

And thus began my "love affair" with the romance novel.

I have to admit, though, that reading romances of the time period really put me off the genre. They were formulaic, clichéd, and built around the premise of "boy meets girl, both hate each other on sight, boy forces sex on girl who then falls deeply in love with said sexual assailant, misfortune draws them together, they fall in love forever." I won't even go into the obvious problem with that, but suffice it to say, all you had to do was change the names, move the setting, and it was the same story, book after book after book. But I still loved a really good romantic story.

It wasn't until about six years ago, when I was introduced to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and then Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series that I realized that modern day romance novels went far and beyond the clichéd gothic and bodice ripping stories of old. My heart rejoiced to find stories that had substance, that weren't put out with a cookie cutter script. There were real men who had faults and problems but still remained heroic and honest. Women who didn't have heaving bosoms or were waiting for Prince Charming to sweep in and save the day. Why, these women actually did some saving on their own.

Sex was real; no more euphemistic names for body parts or acts of passion. A cock was called a cock! A vagina was a vagina or a pussy. And honey, how they loved and had sex. No more teasing, but real and honest emotions and it felt so good.

And my favorite part was no more hiding in the closet, either. I could come right out and admit that I loved these stories and I wasn't alone. That's the part I really love. That all of these books and stories were being snapped up by men and women, and these authors were loud and proud. That did it for me.

The Brothers Cameron: An Opportunity for Resentment was, quite literally, the second book I'd ever written. But it was certainly written from those stories of my youth, those fantasies in my bed at night before I fell asleep. Those divine brothers, Stephan and William, and the adventure. Those two handsome and sexy men and their loves. I practically purred as I wrote it. I'm purring now, actually; because I'm finishing up the outlines for the second and third books in the trilogy. So many adventures to have. So much angst. So much love and love making.

Interested yet? I hope you'll read it. I hope you enjoy it. And I hope it helps you find those fantasies in your head.

Jesse V Coffey, who also writes as J. W. Coffey and Meggie Chase, is the author of short story collection Illusions & Reality (J. W. Coffey) and new release The Brothers Cameron: An Opportunity for Resentment. She write a literary column and a writing column for the Lexington KY affiliate of Examiner.com, as well as a National Indie Romance Novel column. She also is the on air hostess of Edin Road Radio, an internet radio show that introduces new authors reading excerpts from their work. She is a member of ASCAP and the Erotic Authors Association.

Here's where you can reach Jesse!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Tattered Pages Welcomes Author Lilly Gayle!

Lilly, I can't tell you what a thrill it is for me to have you as my guest! For all the blog readers out there, hang onto your hats! Lilly has been tearing up the historical romance genre with some fantastic releases!



Thanks for having me on your blog today and letting me talk about writing and my new release. Actually, I’m about to have another new release. Wholesale Husband, an American Rose historical from The Wild Rose Press  is set to release 9/28/11 but it’s already listed as an upcoming release on TWRP’s website. http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=4631

In June, Slightly Tarnished my English Rose historical from The Wild Rose Press was released.  http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=4516  So, it’s been a great summer. I’m just a bit overwhelmed trying to promote two books within such a short timeframe. But I really shouldn’t complain. This dream was a long time coming!

I first wanted to write back in junior high, but life soon got in the way and I forgot about my dream. Or, so I had thought. But after my children were born, I started thinking about my writing dreams to the point that my husband bought a computer and told me to stop dreaming and start writing.  

I tried writing children’s stories for a while since my daughters were three and five at the time. But I didn’t have the knack for it. Then I tried my at writing “what I know.” And I knew about radiology since I’m a technologist. But my medical romantic suspense read like a radiology text book with sex scenes. Lol! It will NEVER see the light of day. Even if I wanted to revise it, I couldn’t. It was written in Lotus Works and saved on a 5 ½ inch flexible floppy disc! Does anyone even remember those?

Years passed. I raised my children, joined RWA and my local chapter. And I continued to write in my spare time.  I also started submitting. And getting rejected. I went through three agents. Two were not legit the other just didn’t work out. And finally, thirteen years later, The Wild Rose Press contracted my first novel, Out of the Darkness, a paranormal vampire romance. It was published the next year and is still available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89_129&products_id=4039

Slightly Tarnished was actually my third manuscript. It once had an agent but after an ungodly number of rejections and gentle recommendations from some very kind editors, I revised and resubmitted. And TWRP published it.

Writing isn’t always fun, but if it’s something you love or feel compelled to do, then don’t give up. Keep writing. Learn the craft. Take writing courses. And hang out with other writers. It’s the best way to learn.

Just remember, despite the many new e-publishers, self-publishing groups, and tried and true traditional publishers, a book must still meet industry standards or it will never sell. And before a book can sell, someone has to publish it.

Computers, “snail” mail, and email submission make it easier than ever for a writer to submit multiple manuscripts to agents and editors, which increases the number of manuscripts in the slush piles.  So, each manuscript must be memorable. A writer needs a high concept, unique twist, or memorable characters to make his/her story stand out from the crowd. But more than anything, a writer needs a dream and the endurance and tenacity to see that dream through.
If you’re a struggling writer, don’t give up on your dream. If you are a reader and you love or recommend a book, kindly write a review. It means so much to an author.  But if you don’t like a book, please don’t trash it.  Remember what your mother told you? If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all? And remember, reading is subjective. Simply say, not my cup of tea or I prefer happy endings and move on.

You can check out book trailers for my three releases on my website. http://lillygayle.com
I also have a blog. Stop by and visit sometimes! http://lillygayleromance.blogspot.com

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Scorcher Blog Tour - Week Six

The Perfect Hero

Welcome to part six of my blog post on the Scorcher Blog Tour.
If you’re just joining us, you’re going to definitely want to catch up. Go here:

Wow, what a ride! That room was steamier than a hot shower!

Wait, we have a late arrival. MY hero is walking down the hallway. Compared to AJ, Arial, Amie, Lisa, and Sarah’s heroes, you would think the perfect hero was back in that room. Although my scorcher gals all have luscious heroes, I must confess...I have THE PERFECT HERO.

My hero is strong, intelligent, and fun. His hair is thick and dark, though is now peppered with grey...very distinguishing! His eyes are hazel, though tend to go light or dark, depending on his mood. His voice is deep and masculine. He has such a deep voice that it tends to scare people...just ask AJ, she quivers when she hears his voice on my answering machine (lol). My hero has a thin shadowed chin and moustache. His chest is lightly covered with thin, dark hair.

His arms...oh, his oh-so nice arms are well crafted. Our truck is the best shined vehicle in the neighbourhood. Mr. Miyagi (from The Karate Kid 1) would be very proud of my hero’s ‘wax on wax off’ abilities. He’s mastered the art, and his biceps are sculpted nicely from his hard work. Is it obvious that I’m an ‘arm’ gal?

My hero’s abs might not be ribbed, but they are formed. Summer is the hottest season for me for two reasons, the weather AND seeing my hero’s tanned upper body. Smoking hot! My hero is always in jeans...long legs, tight butt, and a perfect front package. I’d like some whipped topping on my hero, but there’s no time, because when things get rocking it’s heart-beating, breathtaking, and earth-quaking. Need I say more?

So, comparing my scorcher ladies answers with mine...yes, I’d have to admit, I do have The Perfect Hero. Sorry ladies, I don’t share.

I want to thank all my scorcher ladies for sharing their descriptions of their hero, and showing us just how naughty they are. We’ll have to tour again someday soon!

I hope everyone enjoyed the ride!

Before you go, answer my question below. AND don’t forget to comment on all of my six instalments of The Perfect Hero for a chance to win a PDF copy of Keeping Secrets. You MUST answer all six questions from each instalment to have your name included in the draw. The winner will then move on to the grand prize drawing of a $30 Amazon Gift Card.

Question 6: Share your final thoughts on my Perfect Hero blog post.


It’s all about the secrets in...Keeping Secrets

Buy links: