New interview with author Rachel Brimble

Romance author Rachel Brimble joins me today. We’re chatting about her new romantic suspense, If I Want You.

During her virtual book tour, Rachel will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had seven books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and an eighth coming in Feb 2018. She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical Press.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Welcome, Rachel. Please share a little bit about your current release.

If I Want You is the first single title romantic suspense I have written for a while and I’m so excited for its release! It’s a little darker than I’ve written before but the sexual tension and mutual respect that simmers between the hero and heroine meant I had to ‘beef up’ the suspense to level things out. It revolves around a child abduction that provokes memories the heroine would rather forget about her own childhood kidnapping. She is on a mission to save the abducted little girl and has the perfect hero on hand to help her.

What inspired you to write this book?
I am a huge fan of crime novels as well as TV dramas where there is some kind of suspense or mystery interwoven into the plot. I have wanted to write something more crime-related for a while, but I also wanted to write a relationship running through the main plot. The idea for If I Want You came from me tapping into the worst thing that could happen to my family and all the emotions that come with it.

Excerpt from If I Want You:
Sensing her discomfort, he stopped and leaned against the bureau. God, did he frighten her? Surely not, or she wouldn’t be here. Or did she sense his attraction toward her and would do all she could to deflect it? He didn’t doubt for one minute his eyes gave away his appreciation whenever he looked at her.

He lifted the can to his lips. “So, what have you been thinking about?”

She tapped a peach-painted nail on the bureau. “This.”

“The bureau?”

“Principal White’s bureau.”

He frowned. “How did you know it was hers?”

“She mentioned you were working on a bureau for her when I was in the school office. I assumed this is it.”

“It is.”

“Good, because that makes it all the easier for me to give you your first assignment.”

“You want me to talk to her.”

She smiled, took a few tentative steps closer to him. “Got it in one, Watson.”

He smiled, pleased to see genuine mischief shining in her eyes. “I’m Watson?”

“Yep.”

“So that makes you Holmes. Not sure I like being anyone’s sidekick.”

Another couple of steps closer until no more than a couple of feet separated them. She met his eyes and his heart kicked. Her V-neck shirt was just the right side of professional. Yet, the way it revealed her collarbones and hugged her full breasts made him want to reach out and pull her into his arms, kiss her, taste her…

“You’re staring, Watson.”

He blinked and snapped his gaze from her breasts, rare heat hitting his face. “Sorry. You look nice.”

“Thanks.” She raised her eyebrows and nodded toward his chest. “So do you.”

He smiled. “Why don’t we go inside? It’s way too hot out here.”

What exciting story are you working on next?
I am currently revising another romantic suspense which I hope will be the start of a brand new series as well as working on the first draft of a new Edward romance which I am absolutely loving right now. I think it might even my best work so far, but we’ll see how it turns out!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When my first book was published back in 2007 – I think it’s very hard to for a writer or novelist to accept that’s what they are until they hold a published body of work in their hands. Of course, you’re a writer as soon as you put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I’m lucky enough to write full-time and never take that luxury for granted. I work as hard as I would in any other job. During the week, I work from 8.30am to 5.30pm with two dog walks and a short lunch break in between. At the weekend, I try not to work at all but find that impossible when I have deadline looming.

Things were a lot harder when my daughters were young, but they’re now 18 and 16 and don’t really pay a lot of attention to what mum is doing, lol!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t think I have any writing quirks as such – although you might say it’s a quirk that I turn into a savage animal when I CAN’T write!

 
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Write – I always wrote stories for myself and my friends and then around the age of 11, I decided the only ‘real’ writing was journalism. Unfortunately, life took an unexpected turn and I had to go out to work at 16. I worked in a bank for 10 years before staying home to raise my daughters. When the youngest started school full-time, I had a ‘now or never’ moment and sat down to start my first novel. Searching for Sophie was published 18 months later.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I am a social media nut so if you want to know what I’m up to work wise and personally, but sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram etc.

Links:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Facebook Street Team - Rachel's Readers | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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!

Book blurb blitz tour stop for Seduction in Silver by Natalie Anderson

Today is a virtual book blurb blitz tour stop for the contemporary romance novel, Seduction in Silver, by Natalie Anderson.

Natalie will be awarding a digital copy of Breathe for Me (a backlist indie hot romance) and a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So, to be entered to win, leave a comment below. And to increase your chances of winning, visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Blurb for Seduction in Silver:

A limited engagement…

For two weeks Nina Breslin had passed an enticing stranger when catching the Baker Street Tube to go to work. So utterly sexy, and enticingly foreign, she figures he’s eons out of her league—until the day he makes an outrageous proposal.

 

Dr. Eduardo Ruiz needs a break from the heart-breaking reality of his job. So when he finally introduces himself to the vivacious woman he’s been admiring, he quickly realizes they could help each other with their sticky situations…and have great fun in the process.

They agree to an outrageous plan. For one night only, she’ll masquerade as his girlfriend to appease his overzealous family members, and he’ll accompany her to meet with her ex-fiancé’s friends, pretending to be her attentive lover. Can they play by their own rules, or will they succumb to the pull of seduction?

Excerpt from Seduction in Silver:

Her last objections fell away. Sensibility fell away. He was so close—he’d been the one to tilt her face to his. But she was the one who did it. She was the one who stood up on tiptoe and lifted her chin that bit higher so their lips touched.

She was his from first contact and from that moment he took control. His hands instantly framed her face, holding her still as his tongue teased her mouth open, quickly deepening the kiss. And she let him—unable to resist, the pleasure he gave was already too great. His thumbs softly caressed her earlobes. She shivered, softening against him. He moved—tucking her into a closer embrace, smoothing a firm hand down the length of her, pushing her tight into his heat as his mouth moved more demandingly against her own. She’d gotten a taste of his lean strength in the train this morning, and yes, as she’d feared, he scalded every cell that came in contact with him. And he did it again now.

But she liked the fire. Adored it. Was happy to melt and let him consume her completely. She wanted to be drawn right into the flames—wanted to feel like she could fly free in a way she’d never done before. She’d never felt anything like this from a simple kiss.

Though it wasn’t a simple kiss any more.

Author Bio and Links:

USA TODAY bestseller Natalie Anderson writes fun, frisky, feels-good contemporary romance for Entangled Publishing, Harlequin Mills & Boon, and independently. With over twenty-five books published and over two million sold, she's been a Romantic Times Award nominee and a finalist for the R*BY (Romantic Book of the Year).

She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand with her husband and four children.

Find out more at her website and be sure to sign up for her newsletter.

She's also on Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads.

Don't forget to leave a comment if you want a chance at the giveaways!

Interview with romance author Melissa McClone

Romance author Melissa McClone is our guest today. She's doing a virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her newest release Not-So-Perfect Princess.

Melissa is giving away a $20 Amazon gift certificate at the end of the tour to a lucky commentor. Details below.

Bio:
Melissa McClone writes for Harlequin Romance. Her November 2010 release Christmas Magic on the Mountain was a 2011 RITA® Finalist in the Contemporary Series Category.

She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in mechanical engineering, but quit her job to write romance novels. Writing happily ever afters is a lot more fun than analyzing jet engine performance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, four cats, and a dog named Chaos.

Welcome, Melissa. Please tell us about your current release.
Not-So-Perfect Princess is part of Harlequin Romance's Once Upon A Kiss miniseries. Each story is loosely based on a classic fairytale. I used the tale of Sleeping Beauty for mine. It's set on an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain. You'll find royalty, sailing and a cute stray kitten in the story! Here's the back cover blurb:

Dutiful Princess Julianna has a secret—she’s actually happiest makeup free, sailing with the sea breeze in her hair. Her attraction to rebel prince Alejandro is instant—but her intended is his brother, the proper but dull Enrique!

For the first time, Julianna’s irresistibly tempted. Before long, she’s spending her nights sailing with gorgeous Alejandro while the rest of the palace believes she’s sleeping. Soon she’ll have to choose—remain the perfect princess, or follow her heart and stop sleepwalking her way through life.…

What inspired you to write this book?
My heroine in this book has been a secondary character in two other stories—If the Ring Fits… (Silhouette Romance 4/00) and Expecting Royal Twins! (Harlequin Romance 2/11). If you notice the release dates, I had a big break between writing my next royalty themed story. But I've wanted to write Julianna's story for years, but I was so busy writing other stories I never had the time to write hers.

When I wrote a different royalty-themed story (Expecting Royal Twins!) it was the perfect opportunity to introduce Julianna to Harlequin readers. Before I could ask my editor if I could write her book next, I was offered a spot in the Once Upon a Kiss miniseries and could use Julianna as my heroine.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I'm having so much fun with my work-in-progress. I'm writing a Harlequin Romance (working title Goal…Wedding!) about a professional soccer player and a woman who her nephew's guardian while his parents, reservists in the military, are deployed overseas. The nephew's soccer team is what brings the hero and heroine together. Balls fly as well as sparks!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I considered myself a writer the first time I completed a 50K word manuscript. It was promptly (and thankfully) rejected. But I learned enough about the craft of writing as well as the romance genre to call myself a writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I'm a full-time mom so most of my writing happens when I'm waiting for one of them at a practice/activity or in the early morning/late evening when the kids are asleep. But I'm guessing if I add all those writing hours up each day, I could call myself a full-time writer, too.

I have a nifty word processor called an Alphasmart that I use for drafting. Using my Alphie really helps my daily word count! Also, I never find time to write. I make time to write. If I didn't do that, I'd never get anything done. With three kids and a bunch of pets, someone always needs me. Making time isn't easy. But I've cut out a lot of things I used to do. Now I watch only one television show a week. I also don't do a lot of socializing except for an occasional breakfast or lunch with a friend.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write the first three chapters of a story then I write the end of the book. I have to know where I'm going or I get stuck. The last chapter isn't always the same as what's published. I've tried not writing the end, but I can't move forward without it.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I think what I wanted to be changed depending on my age and the day! I do remembering wanting to be a doctor at one point. I talked about that seriously enough my dad thought I should volunteer as a Candy Striper to see if I liked working in medicine. It didn't take me long to realize I didn't want to be a doctor.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thanks for letting me visit with you today. It's been fun! If you have any questions for me, please post them in the comment section and I'll answer them.

Thank you, Melissa.

Readers, remember, Melissa is giving away a $20 Amazon gift certificate at the end of her tour. Leaving a comment below will enter you to win, but you can have more chances if you follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better chance of winning.

Review - A Rose at Midnight by Sylvie Kurtz

A Rose at Midnight is filled with strong musical descriptions that enhance this romantic and mysterious tale. “A familiar symphony of sensations arose,” Kurtz writes, “cellos of longing, saxophones of sensuality, trumpets of warning.”

The opening words, “feelings were for fools,” set the stage for successful pianist Daniel Moreau and the woman who has been on his mind for nine years, Christiane Lawrence. Daniel has not played the fool for nine years and he is determined not to start now just because Christi has entered his life again. She is unaware of the power she has to easily destroy him, and that makes her the most dangerous person in his life.

The female protagonist is strong in her love for her daughter and her desire to learn about her family history. She has learned through bittersweet experience to follow her head and not her heart, yet is quite aware how quickly her heart can overtake rational thought.

The setting is Quebec City at the approach of Mardi Gras. The city is filled with life and fun and celebration. Christi is joyful at her vacation far from her Texas home, happy to discover her roots through an old family friend. This vacation is meant to help her recover from a recent tragic loss. She is grateful for the attentiveness of her host and oblivious to the darkness that cloaks her. As Daniel re-enters her life, Christi quickly discovers how strong, and deadly, family ties can be.

A Rose at Midnight is refreshing in its ability to pull readers into another time and place. Sylvie Kurtz piques our interest early and raises the intrigue slowly and gently until it peaks at crescendo. Then the story eases down to a soft pianissimo that leaves us feeling satisfied.

Title: A Rose at Midnight
Author: Sylvie Kurtz
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 0-373-22822-8
Pages: 256
Price: $4.99