Osiyo~ Just a quick reminder that Kendel Flaum of Henery Press is still hanging around taking questions for this month’s Wednesday Wrap-up. You can find Kendel here https://calisarhose.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/wednesday-wrap-up-what-is-hp-lets-ask-the-publisher/ Stop in and ask her your publishing questions or specific ones about Henery Press. In the meantime, I’m still on tour with […]
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Calisa Rhose welcomes Alicia Dean on Friday FanFare! #mfrwauthor #fridayfanfare #ruined
Friday Fanfare Welcomes:
Alicia Dean – Ruined: Martini Club 4 – The 1920s
How did the writer’s journey begin for you?
I’ve wanted to write all my life, and I wrote my first romance at age 11. I put writing aside when I married and raised my three children, but in 2001, I took a writing class with Mel Odom, and my inspiration and drive was renewed. I published my first novel in 2007, and I now have 24 published works.
BIO
Award-winning, multi-published author Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 11, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who happened to share the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. She is a freelance editor in addition to being an editor for The Wild Rose Press.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Tell us three things about you-the writer-readers wouldn’t typically know.
- I always use celebrities as the model/inspiration on which to base my main characters.
- My first few drafts are always a hellacious mess, and it takes several passes to polish my work before it’s ready to share.
- Each time I begin a story, and several times while I’m writing it, I am racked with self-doubt and I often struggle to get even a sentence down, let alone an entire scene.
It all began when…
When my three writer friends and I, who gather each week at the Martini Lounge in Edmond, Oklahoma, decided to write stories centered around a place like the ML.
Where did you get the premise for this book?
I knew that each of our heroines were running from something in England, and I decided my girl was running from a lecherous Earl. My mind went to the irony of her escaping his lechery, only to end up a prostitute.
What stands out about this story that made writing it different for you?
Mainly that it was in the 1920s. I had never written anything other than contemporary (well, about the same time, I wrote a 1957 short story, but other than that, all my books are contemporary). I really had a blast researching the time period. I love the colorful terminology, the spirit of independence and change, and the creative ways people managed to skirt the whole prohibition thing.
Were there any difficult challenges or special subject matter you came across while writing this book?
It was difficult to not only write my heroine as British, but to keep the 1920s feel and accuracy. I ran across some fascinating stories during my research, a few of them ended up in the book.
What about this book would make us want to read it more than others of similar taste?
I think the uniqueness of my heroine being a prostitute would be compelling. But, also, the fact that I wrote this as part of a series with my three writer friend, and it’s fun to see how our stories are separate, yet interconnect from time to time.
What do you want readers to take away from this book?
I want them to feel as though they stepped back in time and were thoroughly entertained.
Tell us about the finished book. Is there anything special we might not know after reading it?
I used Robert Redford as my inspiration for Vince Taggart, and I used an actress unknown to me, Jamie Alexander, who seemed perfect for Eliza. When I finished the story, I was kind of sad it ended. I really loved visiting that time period, and I wanted to do more.
Blurb:
She vowed she’d be no man’s doxy, but fate had other plans…
After the Earl of Goodwin attempts to force himself on her, housemaid Eliza Gilbert flees England for New York, hoping to build a better life. But the land of opportunity proves as harsh as the London docks, and she finds herself in a situation more dreadful than the one she escaped.
When Vince Taggart ’s childhood friend disappears, he heads to New York in search of her and meets Eliza, a woman with a less than honorable reputation. Inexplicably captivated, Vince can’t force himself to stay away, especially when he learns Eliza may be the key to finding his missing friend.
Ruined Excerpt:
The ballroom was magnificent. Sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling like diamonds dripping from the sky. Grecian columns with golden draperies strung between them bordered the entire room. Paul Whiteman’s orchestra was performing on a platform stage set within a rectangular alcove at the western end of the room. Meggie would be joining them soon. What a fabulous opportunity for her. All her dreams were coming true.
Why her, and not me? Why can’t my dreams come true?
She nearly gasped in horror at the unbidden thought. Her cheeks warmed with shame. How could she be envious of Meggie? She deserved every happiness in the world. Just because Eliza had made poor decisions and ruined her life, it didn’t mean she couldn’t be happy for her friends. She blinked back tears. She was happy for her friends. Really, she was.
She clutched a champagne flute in her damp palms, praying she could get through the evening without being forced on a ‘date.’ Across the enormous dance floor, Oscar stood conversing with two men. Please don’t let either of them choose me…
***
Where can readers find you and your books?
Website: www.aliciadean.com/
Blog: www.aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008364070487
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean
Is there anything else you want to share or add?
The four of us have a fun blog where we post every Sunday, and all four books are currently on sale for 99 cents. You can find the blog and the books on Amazon here:
www.martiniclub4.wordpress.com/
Please check out and ‘like’ our Facebook page:
The entire series can be found at this link on Amazon:
There you have it. Check out Ruined by Alicia Dean!
Thank you for visiting the Ranch.
Calisa Rhose presents ~ UnCover Monday ~ April #MFRWauthor #CoverLove
![A2Z-BADGE-000 [2015] - Life is Good](https://calisarhose.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/a2z-badge-000-2015-life-is-good.jpg?w=300&h=300){kind=icon}
Osiyo~
Since I’m doing the Blogging A to Z Challenge this month, I’m going to make this month’s UnCover Monday part of the challenge.
is for~
Enjoyable books and Excellent covers!
So, here’s a brilliant UnCover Monday post for April. Talk about diamonds, these babies glitter and shine!
Enjoy awesome cover art and the super authors, publishers and artists who made them possible for you to gaze upon this month and each month. It would be great if you leave a comment letting everyone know what you think about them and maybe even check out a few author links to meet those behind the books. Or just say hi. Don’t forget to tell your friends to stop by so they can appreciate some greatness too!
UnCover Mondays on The Ranch!!! This feature is only to highlight the authors and artists (though if you see one you want to buy I’m sure the authors won’t mind 😆 ). Enjoy this months’ covers to ogle and explore. If there is one provided, you can follow the artist links by clicking on the name, if there’s an artist link provided, to learn more about the amazing creators of these beautiful covers. If I have it, I link the cover to the artist, otherwise, it’s linked to the author. I think they deserve fair mention since they helped create the book! I wish everyone a fabulous new year in 2014!
There’s a heat level rating for covers, one through five scale, for your benefit. You should never see a 5* on the Ranch. If there’s anything else you’d like to know about covers being revealed here, please don’t hesitate to let me know. You can leave it either in a comment or by my contact page https://calisarhose.com/say-hey/ with what you’d like to know. 🙂
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Title: Rebellious: Martini Club 4 – The 1920’s Book 1
Author: Amanda McCabe
Weblink: www.ammandamccabe.com
Genre: Vintage Historical
Heat Level: 1- sweet- sensual kissing only
Publisher: MC Publishing.
Cover artist: Kelli McBride
Release date: February 26, 2015
Can an aristocratic lady melt the cold heart of a Russian gangster?
Lady Jessica Hatton fled her high-society London debutante life for one of investigative journalism in New York—only to be relegated to the fashion pages. Searching for a juicy story leads her to Club 501, the city’s most glamorous speakeasy—and its handsome, mysterious owner, Frank Markov. But his past of war and revolution puts their hearts—and their lives—in danger…
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Title: Ruined: Martini Club 4
– The 1920’s Book 2
Author: Alicia Dean
Weblink: www.aliciadean.com
Genre: Vintage Historical
Heat Level: 2- Sensual
Publisher: MC Publishing.
Cover artist: Steven Novak
Release date: February 26, 2015
She vowed she’d be no man’s doxy, but fate had other plans…
After the Earl of Goodwin attempts to force himself on her, housemaid Eliza Gilbert flees England for New York, hoping to build a better life. But the land of opportunity proves as harsh as the London docks, and she finds herself in a situation more dreadful than the one she escaped.
When Vince Taggart’s childhood friend disappears, he heads to New York in search of her and meets Eliza, a woman with a less than honorable reputation. Inexplicably captivated, Vince can’t force himself to stay away, especially when he learns Eliza may be the key to finding his missing friend.
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Title: Reckless: Martini Club 4
– The 1920’s Book 3
Author: Kathy L Wheeler
Weblink: www.kathylwheeler.com
Genre: Vintage Historical
Heat Level: 2- sensual
Publisher: MC Publishing.
Cover artist: Kelli McBride
Release date: February 26, 2015
Lady Margaret turned Lady Bootlegger…
Singer Margaret (Meggie) Montley needs money…fast. Her friend is in a dire situation with nowhere to turn. While Meggie is on the brink of stardom, it’s not soon enough to save her friend.
Harry Dempsey is out to avenge the deaths of his father and brother at the hands of a ruthless gangster. But trouble spirals out of control when Meggie Montley shows up the night he meets his nemesis to settle the score. Saving the impetuous woman from a crime lord might be easier than saving her from her own reckless behavior.
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Title: Runaway: Martini Club 4
– The 1920’s Book 4
Author: Krysta Scott
Facebook: www.facebook.com/krysta.scott
Genre: Vintage Historical
Heat Level: 1- sweet
Publisher: MC Publishing.
Cover artist: Steven Novak
Release date: February 26, 2015
Can she prove her innocence before more than her dreams are destroyed?
After escaping an arranged marriage, Lady Charlotte Leighton lands on a new shore, determined to realize her dream of opening her own bakery. But her plans are shattered when her former fiancé follows her to New York. Now, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom.
Haunted by a string of failures, Detective Felix Noble is determined to solve his latest case. But his efforts to find a murderer are jeopardized by a forbidden attraction to his number one suspect. While he’s certain Charlotte Leighton is keeping secrets, instinct tells him she’s not the murderess he first believed.
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Title: At His Command
Author: Ruth Kaufman
Weblink: www.ruthkaufman.com
Genre: Medieval Romance
Heat Level: 3.5
Publisher: Ruth Kaufman.
Cover artist: The Killion Group
Release date: January 14, 2015
Could she defy her king for love?
England 1453: King Henry VI sends Sir Nicholas Gray to protect the recently widowed Lady Amice Winfield from undesirable suitors. Though Nicholas intrigues her, she yearns to run Castle Rising without a man’s control.
Nicholas has no interest in marriage, but can’t deny he’s attracted to Amice. He’s surprised to finally find in Castle Rising a place he feels at home. A kiss sparks desire neither can ignore, yet serving opposing factions seeking to govern England threatens to pull them apart.
At court, the king and queen reject Amice’s pleas and choose a new husband for her, a highly-ranked lord who’ll provide connections and coin for the king’s depleted coffers that Nicholas cannot. How can she follow the king’s command when she’s a scribe for his rival? How can she marry another man when she’s falling in love with Nicholas?
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Title: Darkness Calling
Author: Laurie Olerich
Weblink: www.laurieolerich.com
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Laurie Olerich
Cover artist: Angela Bauer
Release date: March 5, 2015
ad infinitum: endlessly, forever, without limit
Finally freed from a century in purgatory, former-wild child Aisling just wants to raise her son and live as a normal human again. Her taste of freedom is cut short the moment her past comes to claim her.
Sean is sick and tired of his baby mama’s hateful attitude. Her mood swings give him whiplash, and he’s seriously thinking of strangling her. But when a brutal old enemy shows up to destroy everyone Sean loves, he discovers Aisling is hiding more than her feelings for him.
Joining forces to protect their son, Sean and Aisling set out on a journey that leads them from the city streets of Manhattan to the elegant hotels of Vienna to the final terrifying showdown in the bowels of Rome.
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Title: Hatchlings Curse,
Book 2 of the Dragshi Chronicles
Author: Helen B. Henderson
Weblink: www.helenhenderson-author.webs.com
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Heat Level: Three Flames
Publisher: High Eyrie Publications
Cover artist: Fantasia Frog Designs
Release date: November 26, 2014
Lord Branin is a dragshi, a human who can exchange bodies with a dragon. After millennia of waiting… and searching, Branin and his dragon counterpart, Llewlyn, have found their intended mates–the Lady Anastasia and her dragon soul twin, Jessian.
For the dragshi, the freedom of flight comes with a price. Now that he has found Anastasia, more than anything in the world, Branin wants to find a cure for the hatchling’s curse and end the childlessness of his kind. His hopes soar when Anastasia uncovers the location of First Rising, a hidden valley. But it comes cryptic references to mating flights and dark references about the deaths of suitors.
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Title: Shift Happens (A Carus Novel, Book 1)
Author: J.C. McKenzie
Weblink: www.jcmckenzie.ca
Heat Level: 3 flames. Spicy.
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Debbie Taylor
Release date: March 27, 2014
Andrea McNeilly’s job as a government agent is not asking questions, but then a routine assignment turns into a botched assassination of a Master Vampire’s human servant. Answers become a priority. Her search to discover the truth is riddled with obstacles, the largest being an oversized Werewolf who resembles a Norse god. Andy can’t afford the distraction he offers, because if she fails, she faces eternal enslavement.
Wick’s job is to monitor Andy, but he prefers more intimate activities, none of them G-Rated. His choices, however, are often not his own. His ability to help Andy is limited by his bond to the Master Vampire.
Facing many trials and challenges along her path to redemption, Andy learns the value of her freedom might be set too high.
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Title: The Bear Goddess, The Arcadia Series Book 1
Author: Kelley Heckart
Weblink: www.kelleyheckart.com
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Heat Level: 4-Hot
Publisher: Kelley Heckart
Cover artist: Louca
Release date: November 9, 2014
Forbidden love… Broken vows… Betrayal…
Callisto, daughter of the great Arcadian King Lycaon and the nymph Maia, has studied all her life to attain the high position of Bear Goddess among the nymphs of Artemis, taking a sacred vow of purity. But when she meets a mysterious man, her life changes forever.
Kasin is a prince among the fierce centaurs and one of few who can take human shape. A follower of Zeus, he is mystified to save a nymph’s life and even worse, to fall in love with an enemy of the centaurs. He is torn between his duty to his people and his love for Callisto.
When the nymphs capture Kasin for their next sacrifice, Callisto cannot allow him to die, but before she can help him escape, they are caught together and their secret connection exposed. Surrounded by armed guards, they manage a daring escape. On the run from the nymphs, danger and betrayal follow Kasin and Callisto. To survive, they must evade a god obsessed with having Callisto for himself as well as others who also want to keep them apart. Will their love for each other be enough to save them?
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Title: Tyburn
The Southwark Saga, Book 1
Author: Jessica Cale
Weblink: www.authorjessicacale.com
Genre: Historical Romance
Heat Level: 4- Hot
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Cover artist: Dar Albert
Release date: December 8th, 2014
Sally Green is about to die.
She sees Death in the streets. She can taste it in her gin. She can feel it in the very walls of the ramshackle brothel where she is kept to satisfy the perversions of the wealthy. She had come to London as a runaway in search of her Cavalier father. Instead, she found Wrath, a sadistic nobleman determined to use her to fulfill a sinister ambition. As the last of her friends are murdered one by one, survival hinges on escape.
Nick Virtue is a tutor with a secret. By night he operates as a highwayman, relieving nobles of their riches to further his brother’s criminal enterprise. It’s a difficult balance at the best of times, and any day that doesn’t end in a noose is a good one. Saving Sally means risking his reputation, and may end up costing him his life.
As a brutal attack throws them together, Sally finds she has been given a second chance. She is torn between the tutor and the highwayman, but she knows she can have neither. Love is an unwanted complication while Wrath haunts the streets. Nick holds the key to Wrath’s identity, and Sally will risk everything to bring him to justice.
Unless the gallows take her first.
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I want to thank all the authors who submit and make this a special place to share their work!
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To see YOUR cover here visit my UnCover Monday page for detailed instructions.
† Special Note: Some covers might suggest more heat than the actual content of that book. Please take note of the heat level rate on those.
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Calisa Rhose presents ~ UnCover Monday ~ February #MFRWauthor #CoverReveals
To satisfy your stare reflex urges–here’s a brilliant UnCover Monday post for Valentines Day! Enjoy awesome cover art and the super authors, publishers and artists who made them possible for you to gaze upon this month. It would be great if you leave a comment letting everyone know what you think about them and maybe even check out a few author links to meet those behind the books. Or just say hi. Don’t forget to tell your friends to stop by so they can appreciate some greatness too!
UnCover Mondays on The Ranch!!! This feature is only to highlight the authors (though if you see one you want to buy I’m sure the authors won’t mind 😆 ). Enjoy this months’ covers to ogle and explore. If there is one provided, you can follow the artist links by clicking on the name, or if there’s an artist link provided, to learn more about the amazing creators of these beautiful covers. I think they deserve fair mention since they helped create the book! As always, click the covers for author websites to find out more. I wish everyone a fabulous new year in 2014!
I’ve added a heat level rating for covers, one through five scale, for your benefit. If there’s anything else you’d like to know about covers being revealed here, please don’t hesitate to let me know. You can leave it either in a comment or by my contact page https://calisarhose.com/say-hey/ with what you’d like to know. 🙂
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Title: A Love Laid Bare
Author: Constance Hussey
Weblink: www.constancehussey.com
Genre: Historical romance
Heat Level: 2-Sensual
Publisher: Smashwords
Cover artist: Lex Valentine
Release date: November 1, 2014
Missing, presumed dead
Devastated after his young bride vanishes at sea only months after their wedding, Lord Halcombe is finally beginning to accept her loss when she suddenly reappears almost two years later—with a child she claims is his daughter. Where has she been, and why had she stayed away all this time? Hard questions he needs answered before he dares allow her back into his life. Torn between the pain she has caused him and the love he still feels for her, Halcombe is forced to decide both her fate and his. Just what was he to do about Frances?
Pregnant, penniless and trapped in a foreign country, Frances has but one goal—survival for herself and her daughter. Only after a perilous move to Portugal is she free to choose her destiny—return to the husband she still loves and who may have betrayed her, or build a new life far from England. Frances is no longer the naïve girl Lord Halcombe married. Can he accept the determined, self-reliant woman she is now?
Two strong-willed people must navigate a rocky path strewn with heartache and risk. Only if they can learn to put the past aside and build on the future will they succeed in creating the loving union they both desperately desire.
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Title: Beast Coast, #2,
A Carus Novel
Author: J.C. McKenzie
Weblink: www.jcmckenzie.ca
Heat Level: 3-Steamy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Debbie Taylor
Release date: January 8, 2014
Sometimes the greatest danger comes from within…
When Master Vampire Lucien Delgatto threatens her potential mate Wick’s life, Shape Shifter Andrea “Andy” McNeilly will employ a den of witches, a bedazzled thong, and her ability to shift into multiple animals to meet his demands. She plans to keep Wick safe—even if she’s not speaking to him.
Lucien’s unwelcomed control over Wick’s life has thrown Andy into a whirlwind of emotions. Though Wick vows to do whatever it takes to earn Andy’s forgiveness and win back her trust, it may be too late. This recent conflict awakens something within Andy, an animal she’s never learned to control. For hidden beneath all her forms is a beast whose anger and brutality rivals none.
And she’s pissed.
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Title: End of Lonely Street
AAuthor: Alicia Dean
Weblink: www.aliciadean.com
Genre: Vintage Romance
Heat Level: 1-Sweet
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Debbie Taylor
Release date: January 8, 2015
Can she let go of the past, before it destroys her future?
All Toby Lawson wanted was to go to college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and to be free of her alcoholic mother and the painful memories of finding her and the guy Toby loved kissing. But when her mother nearly burns the house down, Toby must put her dreams on hold and return home to care for her. The only time she isn’t lonely and miserable is when she’s listening to her heartthrob, Elvis Presley. His music takes her away, helps her escape from everything wrong in her life.
Noah Rivers has always loved Toby, but no matter what he says, and even though she knows her mother initiated the kiss, and that he didn’t kiss her back, she can‘t seem to get past what happened. He soon realizes that the true problem lies in Toby’s belief that she’s not good enough for him and in her fear that she will be just like her mother.
What will it take to prove to her that she deserves to be happy, and that he would give anything to be the man to make her dreams come true?
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Title: For All of Ever
Author: Sherry Ewing
Weblink: www.sherryewing.com
Genre: Historical Time Travel
Heat Level: 4- Hot
Publisher: Kingsburg Press
Cover artist: SelfPubBookCovers
Release date: November 20, 2014
Sometimes to find your future, you must look to the past…
Katherine Wakefield has dreamed and written of her knight in shining armor all her life. Never finding a man to measure up to the one of her imagination, she and her three closest friends take a dream vacation to England. Yet, strange things begin happening while visiting Bamburgh Castle, but how could they have known they’d find themselves thrown back more than eight hundred years into the past?
Riorden de Deveraux travels to Bamburgh answering the summons of King Henry II knowing his past life is about to catch up with him. But nothing prepares him for the beautiful vision of a strangely clad ghost who first appears in his chamber, let alone the fact he begins having a conversation with her.
Centuries are keeping them apart until Time gives them a chance at finding love. But there are obstacles threatening the fragile bit of hope that Riorden and Katherine can remain together. Will the past of one consume what their future may hold, or will Time take the decision from them and hurdle Katherine forward to where she truly belongs?
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Title: Magic and Steel,
A Legend from the Dragshi Chronicles
Author: Helen B. Henderson
Weblink: helenhenderson-author.webs.com
Genre: Fantasy
Heat Level: 2-Sensual
Publisher: High Eyrie Publications
Cover artist: Fantasia Frog Designs
Release date: October 30, 2014
The Lady Mairin Alidryer of the Dragshi searched the world for the one man who would be her mate. Like the true dragons, once their intended mate was found, the dragon shifters mated for life in this world and the one beyond. However, the man she left behind when she gained the freedom of flight refused to accept the truth—that she did not love him. Now the head of a band of raiders, he swore to have Mairin on her knees in front of him.
Only one man stands between the stalker and his target–Kedar. Bodyguard to the Lady Mairin, he dares not fail in his duty—or even worse, love her.
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Title: Off The Grid
Author: Karyn Good
Weblink: www.karyngood.com/blog
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 4-Hot
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Tina Lynn Stout
Release date: November 7, 2014
A committed doctor to Vancouver’s inner city, nothing fazes Sophie Monroe—until a pregnant teenager shows up at her clinic on Christmas Eve requesting sanctuary and claiming the baby’s father is one of the city’s most influential businessmen. Sophie is in over her head and thankful when aid shows up in the form of an attorney who’s a little too confident and a lot too sexy.
Family Law expert Caleb Quinn just wants a date, a chance to prove he isn’t the elitist jerk Sophie assumes. Helping deliver a baby is not what he has in mind. But before long protecting a traumatized teenager and her son become his first priority. Even if saving them pits him against the baby’s father, a childhood friend. A man who will do anything to keep his dark side private.
But justice never comes cheap. Will doing the right thing cost Sophie and Caleb their reputations? Or their lives?
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Title: Sean’s Sweetheart
Author: Allie Kincheloe
Weblink: www.alliekincheloe.com
Genre: contemporary romance
Heat Level: 3-Steamy
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Cover artist: Dawné Dominique
Release date: September 29, 2014
Sean has spent five years cleaning up his life. He’s shoved his past behind him and built a profitable business in the town’s most popular dance club. Falling in love with a college sophomore wasn’t in his plans. But, from the moment he rescued Talia, she brings out his every protective instinct. He tries to resist getting involved on a personal level. Talia’s persistence, however, is stronger than his will.
Despite just ending an abusive relationship, Talia finds an instant connection with a man unlike any she’s dated before. Older, tattooed, and totally inappropriate for her, Talia couldn’t keep Sean off her mind, especially once he calls her “sweetheart” in that deep drawl of his.
When Talia is in danger, they discover just how strong their relationship is. Can Sean and his sweetheart make things last when horrors from their pasts come back to haunt them and family seems determined to keep them apart?
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Title: Slightly Noble
Author: Lilly Gayle
Weblink: www.lillygayle.com
Genre: historic romance
Heat Level: 4-Hot
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Angela Anderson
Release date: February 2015
American privateer, Captain Jack isn’t really an American, but heir to a viscountcy. When his father dies, he leaves everything not entailed with the estate to his worthless cousin. Jack’s only hope of inheriting his mother’s ancestral home and honoring her dying wish is to marry and produce an heir before his thirty-fifth birthday—in five months. And he doesn’t have a single prospect.
Pregnant and unwed, Abigale Halsey is sent by her father to an Anglican convent until he can find a family to adopt his grandchild or a husband for his daughter. Abby has other plans, but they go awry when she goes into labor early and her rescuer, a pirate captain turned lord, insists on marrying her.
Is Jack too much like his jealous, unforgiving father? Can Abby overcome her fear of men and have a real marriage? Or will she never be anything more than the unwanted wife of a Slightly Noble Viscount?
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Title: The Heart of the Phoenix
Author: Barbara Bettis
Weblink: www.barbarabettis.blogspot.com
Genre: Historical
Heat Level: 4-Hot
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Debbie Taylor
Release date: September 3, 2014
Some call him a ruthless mercenary; she calls him the knight of her heart.
Memories
Lady Evelynn’s childhood hero is home—bitter, hard, tempting as sin. And haunted by secrets. A now-grown Evie offers friendship, but Sir Stephen’s cruel rejection crushes her, and she resolves to forget him. Yet when an unexpected war throws them together, she finds love isn’t so easy to dismiss. If only the king hadn’t betrothed her to another.
Can Be Cruel
Sir Stephen lives a double life while he seeks the treacherous outlaws who murdered his friends. Driven by revenge he thinks his heart is closed to love. His childhood shadow, Lady Evie, unexpectedly challenges that belief. He rebuffs her, but he can’t forget her, although he knows she’s to wed the king’s favorite.
And Deadly
When his drive for vengeance leads to Evie’s kidnapping, Stephen must choose between retribution and the love he’s denied too long. Surely King John will see reason. Convict the murderers; convince the king. Simple. Until a startling revelation threatens everything.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: The Heist
Author: Adriana Kraft
Weblink: www.adrianakraft.com
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: 3- Steamy
Publisher: B&B Publishing
Cover artist: Dawné Dominique
Release date: July, 2014
A heist? A murder? It’s villain’s choice.
A special-order art theft? Tedious, but seamless – until small town museum director Kara Daniels calls in the experts. Furious her favorite trio of priceless impressionist paintings has been stolen from its traveling exhibit on her watch, Kara is determined to save not only the paintings, but her future in the art world. She’ll stop at nothing to entrap the thief.
Ted Springs knows the underbelly of the criminal world a little closer than he might like—but he’s turned it to good advantage, first as a police officer, and now as detective for the Upper Midwest Arts Council. His job? To guarantee the security of the valuable paintings in the Council’s traveling exhibits.
Heat sizzles when Ted and Kara collide—can they work together, before it’s too late?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I want to thank all the authors who submit and make this a special place to share their work!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
To see YOUR cover here visit my UnCover Monday page for detailed instructions.
† Special Note: Some covers might suggest more heat than the actual content of that book. Please take note of the heat level rate on those.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Calisa Rhose presents ~ End of Lonely Street by Alicia Dean – Plus an Awesome Giveaway #TWRP #MFRWAuthor #ElvisPresley
Osiyo~
I’m turning the round pen over to friend and fellow TWRP author, Alicia Dean to share her new release and much more. Who doesn’t love Elvis Presley? Mostly those of us from the 50s, 60s and 70s grew up listening to his smooth, sensual and sexy voice and swooned. I still can see my older sister planted in front of the radio, chin in hands, during one Christmas when I was eleven as Elvis sang White Christmas as if he were singing a love song just to her. She was a big fan. 🙂
I have one very dear friend who, having been born in the 40s, literally grew up listening to and watching Elvis and to this day she’s a huge fan. She could probably rival Alicia in that respect. I was there several years ago when my friend’s husband gifted her with a hand gun with Elvis’s likeness and signature engraved into the pearl handle! Even though I grew up with his heavenly Christmas and love songs, I’m not even close to the fangirldom as that of my talented guest, Alicia Dean.
She can take you inside that fangirl world, and does on her own blog. Have a question about this crooner? You might find an answer here. In the meantime, she’s written a book titled after one of Elvis’s most famous songs. I’ll be reading this one for sure!
Take it away, Alicia! 🙂
I’m excited to share my latest release from The Wild Rose Press on what would have been Elvis’ eightieth birthday. ‘End of Lonely Street’ is a Vintage Romance Short Story set in 1957, in the era when Elvis first burst on the scene. Like my heroine in the story, I am a diehard Elvis fan. (As you probably figured out, I took the title from a line in Heartbreak Hotel, which was Elvis’ first million selling record).
Check out End of Lonely Street and enter to win GREAT prizes…
GIVEAWAY: – Entries accepted from January 8, 2015 through noon on January 22, 2015
Three prizes –
Elvis Gift Basket including DVD, CD, plus more
$25 Amazon Gift Card
$10 Amazon Gift Card
First place winner has first choice, second place winner has second choice, third place winner receives remaining prize.
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B00QQO3BK0
Blurb:
Can she let go of the past, before it destroys her future?
All Toby Lawson wanted was to go to college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and to be free of her alcoholic mother and the painful memories of finding her and the guy Toby loved kissing. But when her mother nearly burns the house down, Toby must put her dreams on hold and return home to care for her. The only time she isn’t lonely and miserable is when she’s listening to her heartthrob, Elvis Presley. His music takes her away, helps her escape from everything wrong in her life.
Noah Rivers has always loved Toby, but no matter what he says, and even though she knows her mother initiated the kiss, and that he didn’t kiss her back, she can‘t seem to get past what happened. He soon realizes that the true problem lies in Toby’s belief that she’s not good enough for him and in her fear that she will be just like her mother.
What will it take to prove to her that she deserves to be happy, and that he would give anything to be the man to make her dreams come true?
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Mapleton, Tennessee, November, 1957
Toby Lawson closed her eyes and shut out all sounds of the diner, except for Elvis Presley’s voice. He was crooning about how she was the only one for him…no matter where he went or what he did… he’d spend his whole life loving her…
Rough hands landed on her waist and shattered the fantasy. She caught a whiff of hair tonic and too much cologne, and she snapped her eyes open. Wes Markham’s hateful face replaced the image of Elvis’ beautiful, crooked smile and smoldering blue eyes.
“Let me go.” She gritted her teeth, keeping her voice low. If her boss, Mr. Winstead, knew there was trouble on account of her, he’d explode. He’d barely let her have the job in the first place. Everyone in Mapleton knew the Lawson women were trouble.
Toby gripped his right wrist with one hand, tightening her hold on the utensils she held in the other. “I said let me go. Now!”
She shoved against him, but he didn’t budge.
He pulled her tighter. “Your momma’s a whole lot friendlier than you are. They say the apple don’t fall far from the tree, so how’s about you cut the pretense and we go someplace quiet? Winstead won’t miss you for a few minutes.”
Her cheeks heated. She didn’t dare look around. No doubt the customers were watching, listening. Elvis had stopped singing and everyone in the place could hear what he’d said about her mother. It wasn’t like they didn’t all know, though. Constance Lawson hadn’t exactly kept her escapades a secret.
Toby clenched her teeth and brandished the utensils. She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Release me this instant, or I swear, you’ll be pulling this steak knife out of your eyeball.”
He held her gaze for a split second, then gave a laugh that was somewhere between nervous and furious. “Sure, sure. Okay.” He released her and stepped back. “I was just foolin’ around anyway. I got better things to do with my time than waste it on a used up chick like you.”
Muffled laughter rose around her. Oh God, she could crawl into a hole.
“How about you apologize to the lady, then beat it?”
Toby whirled at the male voice. Noah Rivers stood behind her, looking handsome and sharp in his police uniform—even with his dark hair in the military buzz cut. Her knees weakened, and tingles swept over her skin. She swallowed against the sudden dryness in her throat. She’d heard he was back, but hadn’t seen him until now. And what a time to have a reunion.
***
*** 10% of all of Alicia Dean’s net royalties for End of Lonely Street will go to
The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation ( http://www.graceland.com/epcf/ ) ***
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Find Alicia here:
Website: http://aliciadean.com/
Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008364070487
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean
Geez… What a scene. 🙂 Be sure to do the Rafflecopter for your chance to win!
Thanks, Alicia. Many wishes for ultimate success with your release!
Dodadagohvi~
Calisa Rhose presents ~ Plotting made easy with Alicia Dean
Osiyo~
I’m turning the Round Pen over to a special guest and friend today.
An editor for The Wild Rose Press going on nine years now, as well as a freelance editor, Alicia Dean also has several (climbing toward ten) books published both trad and indie routes. She has a fine understanding for structurally writing a book to publishing standards. 😀 ). Now Alicia has breached another gorge to self publish a writing book.
Who doesn’t need all the help they can get? 🙂 So I was thrilled to give her the gold key today to tell you about Find the Magic– How to Plot a Story in 10 Easy Steps. A plotting craft book that I rushed to get the first day because…I don’t know how to plot. Yes, I’m a pantser. But we pantsers can learn to plot, too, can’t we?:) Now, I admit I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I am looking forward to and know I’ll come away with something I can use, maybe even a DUH moment or two.
Let’s give a big ranch welcome to award-winning author-editor, Alicia Dean!
How to write a novel?
That is the question. There are probably as many answers to that question as there are people who ask it. Wanting to write and actually doing it are two very different things. I am well acquainted with the sometimes grueling process of churning out a story. Over the years, I have tried many methods for creating and completing manuscripts, and have tweaked and honed it down to a workable (for me) process. Using specific examples from one of my own novels, Without Mercy, I share my method in this mini how to book. The first eight steps actually deal with plotting while the last two are designed to help expand your outline into a well-developed draft. There is no one, perfect way to create a story, but there will be a method, or methods that work for you. I’m not sure if this is the one, but it works for me. Only you can decide if it also works for you. Fingers crossed that it does!
Award winning author and editor, Alicia Dean, shares her process of creating a story, along with bonus tips in Find The Magic – How to Plot a Story in 10 Easy Steps.
*** ON SALE – 99¢ through November 15, 2014 ***
Kindle:
Nook:
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. In addition to being an author of more than twenty published works, Alicia is both a freelance editor and an editor for The Wild Rose Press, under the name, Ally Robertson, in their suspense line. Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Find Alicia here:
Website: http://aliciadean.com/
Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008364070487
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean
What are you waiting for? Go grab a copy before it goes off sale!
Dodadagohvi~
2013 in review ~ and a fun new contest
Osiyo~
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s time again for WordPress helper monkeys to regale us with the site stats for Pen of the Dreamer for 2013!
These fun monkeys prepared a year-end annual report for my website/blog. I love this feature! And I’m going to send a few gifts out to some special people who helped make this year a success. Read to the end and see if your name is listed. 🙂
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,200 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report.
For best overall post with responses:
Ally Robertson aka. Alicia Dean– for an excellent editor’s post and great comments in return! 74 comments with a grand total of 181 views and the highest comment count in 2013, which kicked off last January with a bang!
For most comments posted:
Mae Clair– 39
Liza O’Connor– 36
Kelly Moran– 34
Vonnie Davis– 29
Mackenzie Crowne– 25
I need all six of these lovelies to email me at calisa.rhose@gmail.com with your snail mail addresses!
I have a special *Thank You* gift for those who promoted the heck out of this blog or hosted awesome posts this past year that helped me get some fabulous results. 🙂
But I want more! 😆
In 2014 I’m going to run a year-long contest. Whoever generates the most commenter response for their guest post, and the top commenters for the whole year will win- beginning NOW. That means if you are a guest blogger or have your cover posted on UnCover Monday you need to rally people to visit and COMMENT! Viewers only will not count because views alone don’t raise the post to popularity, but comments can. You will be expected to promote the post in every venue and comment often on your post. Each post can be promoted for longer than your own day since this is a blog that has permalinks to share, but responses ON your day is what counts, that’s the date WP records. 😀 Plus, the more you comment, the more numbers you rack up toward winning that category too! 😀
You want to beat this years’ winning numbers so that means more visits per contestant. 🙂 I’m putting a minimum of 50 comments per entrant for the year, and it would be awesome sauce if bloggers can beat 74 comments for guest posters on that day. Maybe 100? More? Leave a comment here to get you started. It can be a new year’s resolution to WIN MY CONTEST!!!!!!!!!
Periodically throughout the year I’ll post a contest reminder because I know we all get busy and don’t always take time, or even have time, to visit and comment on a lot of blogs. We forget to keep up when life intervenes. When it’s over, I’ll pick the top two blogging guests and top four commenters. Winners will receive a goody bags or gift cards-not to mention awesome recognition if you are promoting yourself and/or a book. If you are a winner it will be announced on New Years Day 2015 with a link to you in recognition. Later this year I’ll post the prizes to motivate everyone. 🙂
I wish you all have a blessed New Year!
Dodadagohvi~
NOTE: This is a world wide contest. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary. Participants MUST be 18 years or older and winners may be asked to verify age. Prizes will only be mailed inside the US, and within 30 days of contest end. Winners outside the US will receive a GC* within 30 days of contest end. *Gift card amounts TBA, but will not be valued at less than one prize package.
Calisa Rhose ~ Check out the 2nd annual IDA winners
Osiyo~
I haven’t blogged on my own Ranch for a while so I wanted to do a special today. As a lot of you are now aware, the Oklahoma RWA chapter hosts the National Reader’s Choice Awards and just finished with our 22nd (?) year of this awesome contest where readers choose their favorite authors. Those lucky winners are awarded their prizes at RWA Nationals each summer. That contest is for print books only.
We thought ebooks were not getting the recognition they and those wonderful authors deserved, so we decided to do something about that. Last year OKRWA started a new contest called International Digital Award (IDA) and it was a rousing success. This year was also a great success but we need to get the word out to more epublished authors. I want to introduce you to this year’s winners and their books. Now you know I don’t usually host erotica on the Ranch, but I’m gonna for this event so I apologize up front to those who might be offended. But for the sake of being fair to all our winners, I will post ALL ebooks including that category.
So here we go with our FIRST PLACE WINNERS!
Contemporary Novel
Playing the Game by Stephanie Queen – Publisher: Self-Published
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Contemporary Short
Those Violet Eyes by Vonnie Davis – Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
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Erotic Novel
Sharing Hailey by Samantha Ann King – Publisher: Carina Press
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Erotic Short
Snow White and Her Seven Lovers by Jenna Ives – Publisher: Self-Published
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Historical Novel
Angel’s Assassin by Laurel O’Donnell – Publisher: O’Donnell Books (Self-Published)
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Historical Short
Tumbleweed Letters by Vonnie Davis – Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
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Inspirational Novel
A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman – Publisher: Ten Talents Press
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Inspirational Short
First Place (TIE):
The Key to Charlotte by E.A. West – Publisher: White Rose Publishing (An Imprint of Pelican Books)
AND
Operation Breathless by Marianne Evans – Publisher: White Rose Publishing (An Imprint of Pelican Books)
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Paranormal Novel
First Place (TIE):
Rogues Pawn by Jeffe Kennedy – Publisher: Carina Press
AND
Chain Reaction The Phenom League by T.C. Archer – Publisher: Broken Arm Publishing
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Paranormal Short
Blood Moon by Silver James – Publisher: Silver James Books: Self-Published
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Suspense Novel:
Death Offerings (The Northland Crime Chronicles Book 2) by Alicia Dean – Publisher: Self-Published
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Suspense Short:
Skinbound (Tales of the Scrimshaw Doll) by Anna Kittrell – Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
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Young Adult (Combined Novels and Shorts)
The Captive Heiress by Blair Bancroft – Publisher: Kone Enterprises (Self-Published)
Happy CONGRATULATIONS to all our winners! Please help celebrate by Liking, Tweeting and Facebooking this post to show these talented writers how happy we are for them.
If you’d like to be one of these lucky people next year I invite you to go to the IDA website and find out how. It’s really easy! I’ll make it easier by giving you the golden link: http://okrwa.com/contests/international-digital-awards/rules-faqs/ 😆 We at OKRWA look forward to *seeing* you at next year’s sign-up.
If you can’t enter the contest, have no fear! You are ever so welcome to sign-up and be one of our treasured judges! Here’s the golden link for judging: http://okrwa.com/contests/international-digital-awards/judging-information/ 😀
Most of all, THANK YOU for visiting this post and showing our winners some Ranch love!
Dodadagohvi~
Friday FanFare with Alicia Dean
Osiyo~
It’s that time again…
Friday Fanfare!!!!
I have the talented multi-published author of creep galore with me in the round pen with a “sweet treat” for you! I’ll
badger her and she’ll, hopefully, reciprocate! 😀
Let’s jump right in. Alicia, please tell us…
It all began when…
A group of writer friends were discussing releasing an anthology of Valentine stories. It fell through, but the idea for Cupid’s Beau had started to form, so I wrote the story and released it as a stand-alone. I thought for Valentine’s Day the story should be sweet, so I strayed from my usual creepy murder and mayhem.
Tell us three things about you readers wouldn’t typically know, and can you share your author bio with us?
1) When I first start a story, and for a good part of the process, I flounder. The story feels like it will never come together. Fortunately, it eventually does.
2) In most of my stories, I use celebrities as models for my main characters.
3) I have three novels I’ve started and haven’t finished, but I hope to get back to them at some point.
Bio:
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma and is the mother of three grown children. Alicia loves creating spine-chilling stories that keep readers on the edge of their seats. She’s a huge Elvis Presley fan, and loves MLB and the NFL. If you look closely, you’ll see a reference to one or all three in pretty much everything she writes. If she could, she would divide all her time between writing, watching her favorite television shows-such as Dexter, Vampire Diaries, Justified, and True Blood-and reading her favorite authors…Stephen King, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Lisa Gardner to name a few.
Where did you get the premise for this book?
Well, it was a challenge to come up with something that would be purely a romance. I thought it would be interesting to create a story where the heroine was a Cupid. Having her fall in love with the man she was supposed to help fall in love seemed like a good conflict.
What stands out about this story that makes it different for you?
Definitely the fact that it’s sweet and humorous. Not my usual fare. I was pleased with the way it turned out and I enjoyed writing it much more than I expected.
Were there any difficult challenges or special subject matter you came across while writing this book?
I was concerned about it coming off as cheesy and it was a challenge to keep that from happening. I hope I succeeded.
What about this book would make us want to read it?
Ivy, my heroine, is funny and sweet. Watching her navigate life on earth and deal with her confusing impulses is, hopefully, entertaining.
What do you want readers to take away from this book?
The warm fuzzies, LOL. There’s nothing life changing about the story, but I would like to provide readers a few hours of feel good escape from their daily lives.
Finally- tell us about the finished book. Anything we might not know?
I had a lot of help from some of my writer friends in creating this story. Ammanda McCabe suggested that I have Aphrodite be the leader, the person who oversees the Cupids. That was a fun touch. Anna Kittrell was not only a beta reader for me, but she thought of the title and gave me an idea for one of the plot points that worked out really well. Another writer friend, Jessica Ferguson, also beta read for me. Their efforts helped to make the story better than I could have done on my own.
Blurb:
Ivy Pierce is a Cupid who prides herself on doing her job well. Except when it comes to a certain human male, Grant Crawford. Although she doesn’t understand why, each time she’s supposed to shoot her arrow into his heart, her stomach hurts, her chest hurts, and she feels….sad. Cupids are never sad.
Humans who are not looking for love only get three chances to find it. And after Ivy sabotages Grant’s last chance, her boss, Aphrodite, sends her to earth to right her wrong. She has until Valentine’s Day to help him find his soul mate.
But the more she’s around him, the more she wants him for herself, even though she knows that can never be. A Cupid and a human? Unheard of.
As V-Day draws closer, can she sacrifice her own happiness to help the man she loves find his?
Excerpt
The young girl at the hostess stand favored Ivy with a friendly smile. “One for lunch?”
“No, no thank you. I’m here to see Grant Crawford.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. But he’ll want to see me. I’m sure of it. Tell him Ivy Pierce is here to make his dreams come true.”
The girl’s smile faltered. “To make his—”
“Yes, that’s right. Dreams come true.”
The girl quickly schooled her features. “One moment please.”
Ivy tapped her foot as she waited. What had she been thinking? Where she came up with that line, she had no idea. It had just occurred to her out of the blue. The likelihood of Grant Crawford being enticed by such a sentiment was doubtful. He was a practical, down to Earth man with no time for love, let alone flights of fancy.
That’s why her chin almost hit the ground when Grant Crawford came through the door from the restaurant into the foyer. If she thought he looked good from the clouds, oh my. He wore black slacks and a dove gray shirt and black tie without a jacket. His eyes were even darker brown up close. Her stomach quivered, and her fingers went numb.
“Make my dreams come true?” he barked, shattering her fantasy. His sensual lips were bracketed by lines of annoyance instead of his adorable dimple. “What kind of nonsense is this?”
Buy links:
Website: www.AliciaDean.com
My newest release is now available; Liberty Awakened Isle of Fangs Book 1
Evil lurks beneath the surface in the beauty of the tropics…
After graduation from her small, Oklahoma high school, Liberty Delacort is looking forward to a fun-filled summer before college. But when the people she trusts the most betray her, and a letter arrives claiming her deceased father is still alive, she jumps at the chance to travel to an exotic island to meet him.
But her excitement is short-lived. Her father is dying, and he doesn’t want her around. And, in spite of its outward tranquility, the island is filled with danger and ominous secrets. The secrets soon begin to unravel, and she discovers she is a descendant of Van Helsing, the vampire hunter.
The one up side is her budding romance with the sweet and sexy Ryan Kelly. But even that is threatened when—in spite of her fear of him—she finds herself attracted to an insolent, formidable vampire. Her plan to stay away from him fails when she learns he is the only one with the ability to train her to fulfill her destiny—to save humans from a faction of vicious vampires.
Will her inexperience lead to her death—and the death of others—or will she rise to the challenge and realize her full potential as a Hunter?
These sound like two fab books, Alicia. Thanks for bringing them to share today and I wish you much success (not that you need it). 🙂
And speaking of fab–Alicia is offering a copy each of Cupid’s Beau and Liberty Awakened to two lucky winners, so drop a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL for a chance at one of these two books!!!!
Dodadagohvi~
I write contemporary and paranormal romance, with sensuality as the key ingredient and spice for kick.
Pen of The Dreamer 
2014 Blog Year in Review and Calisa Rhose’s 2nd annual COMMENT TO WIN! contest #MFRWAuthor #contest #justcomment
Jan 1
Posted by Calisa Rhose
Osiyo~ Cherokee for “Hello”
Another year has passed. Really?! Where did it go, I ask you? I’m sitting here wondering where in the world it went. That old adage Time Flies is so true for me this year! 😆
Some of you may remember I posted a contest last year, that you can review here:
https://calisarhose.com/2014/01/01/2013-in-review-and-a-fun-new-contest2013-in-review-or-how-i-roll/
Basically the contest rules stated that I will award gifts for the most commented on post in 2014 and the five top commenters on posts for the year, all winners determined according to the following WordPress annual report. Unexpectedly, it was my own Writing Plan For 2014-15 post the first week of January (here: https://calisarhose.com/2014/01/07/my-writing-plan-for-2014-2015-by-calisa-rhose/ ) that got the most comments this year…and I can give myself anything, any time–so it won’t count in the contest. LOL Because of this, I will gift the most commented on guest post author instead. 😀
Read on to see who WP monkeys and I have chosen for the winners’ circle in 2014!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
The most comments on a blog award goes to my guest and her post on January 23. This post follows several of my own with higher numbers, but which also don’t count. You can view her great post here: https://calisarhose.com/2014/01/23/calisa-rhose-presents-jm-stewart-with-her-knight-in-shining-leather
†With 19 total comments, JM Stewart’s talent for being an exemplary guest and an awesome comment responder is what made her my 2014 guest post winner.
The five super supporters for over all comments, chosen by WP monkeys this year are:
†1. Mae Clair – Rockin’ it with 23 comments
†2. Gemma Brocato – 15
†3. Alicia Dean – 13
†4. Jessi Gage – 12
†5. Cd Brennan – 10
Congratulations to all six of my winners!!! Here’s your rose wreath!
If you ladies will email me from here https://calisarhose.com/say-hey with your snail mail addresses I’ll get your prizes out to you by the end of February.
I have to admit the low numbers on all posts and lack of guest or personal posts is my fault this year. Many of you know I was forced to take three months off from anything writing related, which affected my blog, as well, unfortunately. I had also said I would post reminders throughout the year, which I failed to remember myself to do. 😦 My apologies for slipping.
This all just goes to prove a point though. We all know we can’t control how many views or comments any given post will get, or we’d top the charts each and every time we blogged. Right? Or can we?
We have to blog (whether personally or by inviting guests) to keep our names out there constantly. We have to visit other blogs as guests or commenters to keep our names/faces in those bloggers’ and commenters views so they will in turn visit our blog, and therefore, hopefully, comment. We HAVE to respond to commenters on our own/guests posts and interact with all who take even a nano second to say ‘hi’ to us, or our guests. If we don’t have time for visitors and other bloggers, how can we expect that same turn around for ourselves?
I guess, in a way, this year was a good, if unplanned, experiment. I involuntarily dropped my own activity on my and others’ blogs when I suffered a short burnout this summer, and look how the numbers dropped from last year. Take special notice of the “Attractions in 2013” and “Who Were They” sections comment numbers (the winners) compared to this year (the winners above).
https://calisarhose.com/2013/annual-report
So I want to thank these six for sticking by me the most during the low times and the high ones. Two of my winners were also on last year’s list! Congrats to Mae and Alicia aka Ally Robertson for your awesome support! I love and appreciate you all!!!!!! 😀
And now- we begin again for 2015! Who will be my winners next year? All you have to do is comment your fingers off all through the year so WordPress’s helper monkeys will notice you! Start with a comment today, this week, this year on this post! On past posts too, on any or ALL posts!!!!!!!!
JUST COMMENT TO WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck to everyone who chooses to play the 2015 Comment Contest! 🙂
Click image to visit the Timberlake Rose Rock Museum where I get my rocks. While there you can learn more about the rocks and the husband-wife sculptors who create these beauties. Beware- the store link doesn’t work, but I will go by and let the owners know as soon as I can.
I expect to keep up better myself this year and to actually post reminders at least quarterly throughout 2015. Later, maybe midyear, I’ll post a picture of the goodies I’ll offer this year’s winners’. They will include, among other items, my author-brand Oklahoma Rose Rock like this one (r) from my personal collection. They stand no more than two inches tall and are positively gorgeous!
**How did I do with my writing goals in 2014? What will I do different this next year? Look for my new “2015 Writing Goals” post coming soon!
Dodadagohvi~ Cherokee for “Until we meet again”
†Frame of Roses image around winners’ pics courtesy of Teeratas at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Posted in awards, Blogs, Contests, inspirations, Life As We Know It, Pen of the Dreamer
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Tags: 2014, 2015, Alicia Dean, Calisa Rhose, Cd Brennan, Comment to Win Contest, Frame of Roses image around winners' pics courtesy of Teeratas at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Roses frame- Teeratas, Gemma Brocato, giveaway, Jessi Gage, JM Stewart, Mae Clair, Pen of the Dreamer, winners