All About the Writing

Humorously Ever After

I'm a guest at the Crimson Romance blog today, with a post about one of my favorite topics: romances with humor.

So stop by and leave a comment about your favorite laugh-out-loud romances. Well, besides mine of course!

It's Release Day!

I don't usually have exclamation marks in the title of my blog posts, but today is a special occasion. I Do. . . or Die has officially released. Pardon me while I swoon for a brief moment.

Okay, I'm back. (I've never been very good at swooning.)

Anyway, I'm excited about my book finally being available. It seems like I've been waiting forever, and now it seems like it got here incredibly fast.

I'll be visiting a lot of great blogs this week. Today I'm at RomCon, talking about weddings, and the unexpected glitches that occur. Please stop by and tell your stories. A lucky commenter will win a $5 Amazon gift card.

I'm sure I'll have lots more to say about the whole book release experience, but right now, it's time to celebrate! *throws coffee beans like confetti* Thanks for being a part of it.

Six Sentence Sunday: I Do. . .or Die #15

Tomorrow is release day for I Do. . .or Die! I might have to repeat that, just a few hundred times, so that notion will actually sink into my brain. But I promise to do it silently. While I'm squeeing inside my head, here's a snippet for you to read, another one where Shelby and Ryan are bantering back and forth:

I narrowed my eyes, trying to convince Ryan he should be worried about me seeking revenge on him. Not that it was true--unless “revenge” included pinning him down and smothering him with kisses until he threatened to arrest me.

I couldn’t look away from his mouth, wondering what he would taste like, and wondering if I would go crazy before I ever got a chance to find out.

“Oh, man,” he murmured, “I really shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Doing what?”

Ryan put his lips on mine.

Thanks again for stopping by. I've really enjoyed sharing these snippets with you. In fact, I've mentioned the Sixies in the Dedication! Hope you have a great Six Sentence Sunday.

Interviewed at Book Promo Central

Today I'm being interviewed at Book Promo Central.

You can find out about my favorite part of writing, and read more about I Do. . .or Die, including an excerpt. Hope to see you there!

TRR Year-End Splash: Lord Midnight

Welcome to everyone celebrating The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash!

2012 has been a fun year. I sold TWO of my books, one of which, I Do. . .or Die, is releasing on December 10th.

I've also made a lot of great friends this year through blog hops and events such as this. So I'm glad you've stopped by, and I hope I'll see you in all of the online places where I hang out.

Here's an excerpt of Lord Midnight, where the heroine Marisa and her brother Bernard are traveling to the home of her betrothed. Along the way, their carriage is stopped by a handsome highwayman:

His long blond locks fluttered, as if the light breeze found them as irresistible as Marisa did. His thigh-high leather boots, and the black cape which swirled around him, made her heart skip more than once. She glanced again at his face, to see amusement sparkling in his blue eyes. He tossed her an impudent wink.

Clearly he enjoyed her detailed perusal.

The highwayman executed a magnificent bow, never taking his eyes from hers.

Delighted, Marisa sank into a formal curtsey, as though they were ready to commence a stately minuet for the entertainment of the brigands surrounding them.

"Come, Mistress.” The highwayman extended his hand to her, and Marisa took it, glad for his assistance. Her knees wobbled more than she anticipated when she impetuously responded to his gallant gesture.

"Poppet, perhaps you should stand here with me."

Marisa glanced over her shoulder at Bernard, reading the unspoken warning in his expression. His mouth was pursed with annoyance rather than fear, so she dismissed his silent reprimand. She would not be dissuaded from her purpose.

"I should so hate to be deprived of her company," the highwayman said, his lips turned down in a mock pout. He kept her hands in his, the twinkle in his eyes demonstrating he felt no urgency to release her. Marisa was in no hurry either.

"I can scarce imagine you stopped our carriage merely to clasp my hands."

The highwayman smiled, bringing a great deal of bliss to Marisa's heart when his dimple reappeared. He touched one of her errant blonde curls, seemingly enchanted as he twirled it around a gloved finger. Marisa felt her heart speed up once more, and she was grateful the cool night air soothed the heat threatening to overtake her body.

"Had I but known what a jewel resided in this coach," the highwayman replied, his voice a caress.

Before she could respond, he turned her hand over, exposing the pale skin of her wrist above the kid glove. He raised it to his lips with infinite slowness.

Marisa's knees trembled, but she had yet to swoon in her short life. She did not intend to do so now, lest she miss the heady experience of being kissed by a knight of the road.

His eyes never left hers, daring her to call a halt to his audacious act. She returned his gaze, her breathing ragged, her feverish skin impatient for his touch. When his lips finally brushed against her, she closed her eyes and allowed the exhilaration to wash over her.

Why had she not been forced to wed a man such as this one? There would be no need for defiance or escape plots if her father had decreed this man was to be her husband.

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Blurb: Gabriel DeVault, a dashing highwayman, lives to avenge himself against the uncle who stole his title and tried to kill him as a child. One night's robbery yields unexpected riches when his uncle's spirited bride-to-be falls into Gabriel's arms. Now his plans for vengeance include seduction of the innocent miss, in the home that once was his own.

Marisa Dunsmore is blackmailed into wedding the cold and calculating Edmund DeVault, Lord Westbrook, to protect her beloved aunt. When her attempts to escape the upcoming marriage fail, she turns for help to the man she knows as Lord Midnight, entrusting him with her love, and her future.

Soon Gabriel must choose: saving the woman who stole his heart, or destroying the man who stole his life. 

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Lord Midnight is a nominee for Sizzling Read of the Year! Voting ends December 31st.

Back on Track: Cover Reveal Blog Train

Welcome to the official cover reveal for Back on Track. It's part of the Strangers on a Train series, which includes stories from Ruthie Knox, Meg Maguire, Serena Bell and Samantha Hunter.

This was such a fun story to write. The heroine, Allie, is telling lies about herself, pretending she doesn't know she's talking to a famous baseball pitcher. In fact, one of the biggest whoppers she tells the hero is that they used to date! All of this takes place on the Napa Wine Train, giving this couple plenty of great opportunities to fall for each other.

So I hope you enjoy the cover. Aren't those some amazing biceps?! I've also included a blurb below, which will tell a little more about the story.

Make sure you visit all five blogs, so you can see every one of the wonderful covers in this series. And don't forget to leave a comment on each blog, because that will increase your chance of winning a set of all five books.

Yes, ALL five books. Even better, there will be a total of five winners, one winner per blog.

The comment period ends on Friday, December 7th. Random winners will be picked Saturday, December 8th.

So head on over to the next stop:  Samantha Hunter has a wonderful cover for her book, Tight Quarters. She'll also have a link to Meg Maguire, the next stop on the blog train.

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What's a little lie between strangers?

Allie Whittaker is in a dating slump, too busy getting her fledgling marketing company off the ground to have a personal life. All that could change, though, if she can get baseball superstar Matt Kearns on the cover of a charity calendar. Except Matt won't even talk to her.

Matt is in a slump, worried his career might be over. A Napa Valley wine tour isn't enough to take his mind off his troubles--until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie.

Matt can't resist playing along, and soon the afternoon getaway becomes an interlude with lies, truths, and desire flowing as fast as the wine. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many...and they both realize they're playing for keeps.

Warning: A handsome hunk, a determined lady and a few glasses of wine. Throw in a little on-the-run action, and what more do you need to while away an afternoon? 

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Available for pre-order at Amazon and Amazon UK and Barnes & Noble and iTunes

Six Sentence Sunday: I Do. . .or Die #14

Eeek! December already! Although, I have to admit, this is one December I'm actually looking forward to, since I Do. . .or Die will be releasing in 8 short days.

It's already received a wonderful review, from Lexxie at Risque Reviews, who gave it 4.5 stars, which earns it a Top Pick designation. (Pardon me for a moment while I let loose a few million squees! Okay, I'm back to normal now.)

Anyway, for today's snippet. It's the aftermath of the shooting in Ryan's front yard, and his house is a hotbed of activity, with tons of police checking things out. Shelby is being seen to by a handsome young officer:

“Are you feeling okay, ma’am?”

I grimaced. “I was until you called me ma’am.”

The skin around his eyes crinkled in a way that probably melted lots of female hearts in this town, and I would have been one of them if my heart wasn’t already distracted by another pair of sexy eyes.

“Can I get you some water?”

“Only if it’s got whiskey in it too,” I said.

Thanks for coming by, and for your comments, which are like little mini-reviews that buoy my writing spirits. I'm really looking forward to everyone's Six Sentence Sunday snippets. I got a little behind last week, so I apologize. I'll be doubling up today! 

Also, Lord Midnight is one of the books in the running for Sizzling Read of the Year. There are also books by fellow Sixies Karen Bynum and Laura Kaye, so make sure you go vote!

P.S. Stop by tomorrow for a cover reveal of my Strangers on a Train novella from Samhain. There will be fun and prizes!

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