Monday, November 11, 2013

Book blurbs and an excerpt for the anthology "Swept Away for Christmas"

A three-fer in one today with story blurbs from the contemporary romance anthology, Swept Away for Christmas by MJ Fredrick, Tanya Michaels, and Trish Milburn.

The authors are going to award a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So, to be entered for a chance to win, leave a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too!


Blurb:
Christmas isn’t always snow-covered with a frosty chill in the air. Sometimes it’s sandy beaches with balmy breezes.

And sometimes we find love in the most unexpected places, a place like Starfish Shores.

Here Comes McBride
Shelby James has only truly loved one man — but Finn McBride broke her heart when emotional baggage from his past came between them. Now, Shelby is serving as maid of honor at a beach wedding where Finn is the best man. Will reuniting with Finn be a Christmas miracle, or the worst mistake she's ever made?

Two Hearts a Leaping
After a break-up with her high school sweetheart, Harley Blume retreats to her brother's home in Starfish Shores to lick her wounds and figure out what she's doing next. But her brother is in the Coast Guard reserves and heading out of town, leaving her in the care of Liam Channing, his best friend since they played college football together. She's never been able to keep her tongue in her mouth when good-looking, easy-going Liam is around. How is she going to find her way if she can't keep her balance?

Cruisin’ for a Kiss
When Avery Phillips loses her magazine job right before Christmas, she heads back home to Starfish Shores to spend the holidays with the grandparents who raised her. The plan is to hit the job search hard so that she has a new position when the New Year arrives. What isn’t part of the plan is heading up a remodeling effort at her family’s beach motel or falling for the man helping to save the business into which her grandparents put a lifetime of work. As Christmas draws closer, will Avery stick to the original plan to leave town again or take a chance with Luke Taylor and a new life she never expected?


Excerpt from Cruisin’ for a Kiss by Trish Milburn
If the last contractor didn’t present her with a more reasonable figure, she’d start all over tomorrow. Surely there was someone out there who’d be grateful enough for work this time of year to cut her a nice deal.

When the door opened, she glanced up expecting to see another middle-aged guy who’d gone a little soft around the middle. At a glance, she was going to guess there wasn’t anything soft about the man staring back at her. Tall, lean, dark blond hair and light eyes. It wasn’t until he shot her a hint of a grin that she remembered it wasn’t nice to stare at hot strangers.

Way to go, Phillips.

She resisted the urge to check her mouth for drool.

“You called about an estimate,” he said as he sauntered up to the front counter.

Hoping her legs supported her, Avery stood. “Yeah. We want to give the place a new but vintage look.” She broke eye contact and took her time rounding the counter so she could try to corral her suddenly raging hormones.

She led him to the area they used for continental breakfasts and told him about her idea for a soda fountain, black-and-white checked floor tiles and a pressed tin ceiling.

“I know all that might not be possible, but I’m just looking to get ballpark figures now.”

“I think we can work something out.”

Something about his voice seemed familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She allowed her gaze to stay focused on him a little too long as he wrote in a small notepad. He smiled, more fully this time, when he lifted his eyes to catch her watching.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

She was supposed to know him? Surely she would have remembered someone that good looking. Not only remembered but had wild, steamy dreams about him.

“I’m sorry.”

She expected him to give her his name, but he didn’t. No, he left her dangling on the hook, desperately searching her brain for the names of every man with whom she’d ever crossed paths. He looked about her age. A classmate? He acted like he had some sway with whether his company took the project or not, so maybe he was the owner? The names of all the companies she’d called the day before floated through her head until one clicked. Taylor Construction.

Surely not. It couldn’t be.

“Luke?”

“Bingo.”

This definitely wasn’t the Luke Taylor she remembered. The one she knew had been more on the nerdy end of the scale than the make-me-pant end. He hadn’t been ugly, but he’d rarely looked up from his books. And he’d lived behind glasses and worn clothes that were either forgettable or further proclaimed his geekitude. She’d expected him to grow up to be a medical researcher or rocket scientist, not a construction worker.


Author Bios and Links:

MJ Fredrick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first publishing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching elementary music, and diving into her own writing—traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.

She's a four-time Golden Heart Award finalist, and she won the 2009 Eppie Award with Hot Shot and the 2010 Eppie with Breaking Daylight. She was a 2012 Epic Award finalist with Don’t Look Back.

Connect with MJ: Website | Blog | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter 

Four-time RITA finalist Tanya Michaels is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than thirty books. Her stories incorporate the same elements she values in real life—community, family and a sense of humor. Her current releases include the popular Colorado Cades trilogy for Harlequin American Romance.

She lives in Atlanta, GA with a very patient husband as well as two kids and a dog who are plotting against her. When not writing, reading, or spending time with her family, Tanya watches entirely too much TV. She’s also made Twitter her virtual home. Join her there to hear about her life as a writer and the outrageous things her kids say.

Connect with Tanya: Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Trish Milburn is the author of contemporary romance for Harlequin American Romance, paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne, young adult fiction for Bell Bridge Books and indie publishes her romantic suspense, women’s fiction and other titles. She’s a two-time Golden Heart award winner, a fan of walks in the woods and road trips, and is a big geek girl, including being a dedicated Whovian and Browncoat.

Connect with Trish: Twitter | Facebook | Website

Readers, don't forget to leave a comment for a chance at the $50 gift card!




12 comments:

MJFredrick said...

Thanks so much for having us here today! This was the first time I've written with my best friend, and it was a blast!

elaing8 said...

All the stories sound great. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

Anonymous said...

Even though it's too early for Christmas, I like the idea of this!

vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com

Andra Lyn said...

Hi there! What was the hardest part about writing...to you at least???

andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

MJFredrick said...

Anonymous, lol, I know what you mean about being too early. We just figured, it takes some people awhile to read a book, and we'd rather get it out early than late. Andra Lyn, the hardest part for me is ALWAYS the end. Is it believable that my two characters overcame their conflict and can live happily ever after? An added challenge to this book was looking at the same fictional places through the eyes of my co-writers. Did we all imagine it the same way? I think that was hardest in mine and Tanya's stories, particularly, because her characters actually come to Liam's bar and interact with Harley.

Daisy said...

I also watch entirely too much TV. What are your favorite shows?
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

MJFredrick said...

Right now, I LOVE Arrow, Sleepy Hollow and Reign. What do you watch?

Chelsea B. said...

*Points up* Sleepy Hollow and Reign are the BEST! Two completely awesome new shows!

Thanks for sharing with us about the novel!

justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Natasha said...

I love Sleepy Hollow!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Sounds like a great read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

Beautiful Disaster said...

I like Reign, The Originals, and the Vampire Diaries.
I'm looking forward to reading these wonderful holiday stories. I'm counting down the days until I can decorate and listen to Christmas music all day :)

lorih824 at yahoo dot com

Mary Preston said...

You don't need snow for it to be Christmas.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Sandy said...

thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Great post and the stories sound perfect for the holidays

pharmx_2(at)hotmail(dot)com