Two August Releases !!

Two Ways To Win !!

Behind Door Two and Jessie, Book 2 in the Georgia Hearts series

Jeweled Flash Drive

In Jessie, she's a romance writer. The Jeweled Flash Drive is something she would need and use.

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Jessie

Book 2 in the Georgia Hearts series

Blurb:

Widowed, Jessica Templeton-Harris, writes romances and does emergency infant care for the county. Newborn Missy Alexander has one living relative, her Uncle, Daniel Alexander, confirmed bachelor and DEA agent working undercover in South America.

When he asks Jess for help in adopting Missy, can she say no to the man who has stolen her heart or the child she has grown to love?

Below is an excerpt:

His presence on her porch didn’t make her feel threaten, but neither did it bring a sense of calm. His body screamed Rambo, but his overall demeanor was more like Jason Bourne. It was just his shear size that intimidated. He was easily twice her size and weight and probably able to bench press her if he wanted to. She straightened her spine.

“Man-oh-man,” she muttered softly. “If his face and arms are any indication, this guy doesn’t have an ounce of extra fat on his body.” The printed t-shirt that proclaimed his love of country music was stretched across his broad chest, but just as impressive were his shoulders and biceps that the shirt was trying to strangle.

“Oh my,” she murmured again. What could he want? She wasn’t convinced it was safe to open the door, but it helped a bit to ease her mind just knowing she had the recently-installed clear-glass storm door. At least now she could open the front door and still have a solid, locked barrier between her and the man who was reaching out to ring the bell again.

“Oh, no! The baby.” Jess quickly unlocked the heavy oak door and pulled it halfway open, not surprised to see that the man was considerably larger than the viewer led her to believe. She allowed her gaze a quick trip from his greasy hair down to his dirty, scuffed cowboy boots. His deep tan made it obvious that he worked outdoors…and mercy alive, whatever he did, it kept him in great physical condition.

Her gaze darted back to his face when he cleared his throat. She felt her neck growing warm. He had caught her staring…well, actually it had been a bit more like ogling, but surely he was used to women staring at him.

“Sorry. Um, may I help you?” She had never been fond of paybacks, but that was exactly what he was giving her. She forced herself to remain still while the bluest eyes she’d ever seen slid from the ponytail on the crown of her head down to the ragged-edged, cut-off denims that stopped too many inches above her knees. After hovering for a moment, his gaze dropped to her bare feet where it lingered. His eyes opened a bit wider and his eyebrows arched just a fraction, but a frown tugged her brows downward when a smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

She had never worried about putting on shoes just to answer her door, but the Neanderthal on her front porch was laughing at her hot pink, polished toenails. She cleared her throat, much like he had, but he ignored her and allowed his eyes to make a lazy journey back up to connect with hers. Her face was burning. She had never felt so under-dressed in her life.

Available on:  Amazon Smashwords

Behind Door Two

Blurb:

After her parents and twin sister are killed, Cecilia Drummond won’t believe she could be next. Detective Lance Brodin must keep her alive, but will she cooperate? She gives up her dream and takes over the family business, refusing to back down or hide. Lance works to keep her alive and she works to find out who’s stealing from the company. Can they live long enough to find love?

Below is an excerpt:

Flying had always been as natural as swimming or horseback riding...until now.

What would it feel like to suddenly realize your plane was going to crash? Does your life really flash before your eyes like they say?

Cecilia Drummond shifted in the confines of her first-class seat, glancing out the tiny portal to reassure herself that the plane was still in the clouds …and level.

Would she panic and scream as it plummeted 34,000 feet to crash in a rural field or a crowded city street? No, she was sure she wouldn’t be a screamer, but just the thought made her heart rate spike as she wiped her suddenly damp palms on the cocktail napkin. Cecilia leaned slightly forward to lift heavy black hair from her damp neck, berating herself for not taking an extra couple minutes to twist it up into a clip before closing her condo door for the last time.

She sighed with relief to see the woman on her right was still asleep. Embarrassing displays of emotion didn’t count if no one saw them. Yeah, right.

Cecilia willed herself to relax, her head resting back against the seat. With her eyes closed, she took a few slow, deep breaths, counting as she exhaled. Her mind wouldn’t rest, wouldn’t stop conjuring up useless questions—questions that she could not possibly know the answer to unless she experienced the moment. Like, would she be calm and stoic? No, calm was too much to imagine. Sure, she’d panic, but behind it she was sure there would be anger. She would be pissed.

Available on: Amazon Smashwords

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SATURDAY BOOK REVIEW !!

                                           HEART SURGEON, HERO...HUSBAND? 


In a few short days...February 1st to be exact...Mills & Boon will be releasing Susan Carlisle's debut medical romance, and you won't want to miss it.

Hannah Quinn and Scott McIntyre had been an item years earlier, but both moved on.  Now Hannah is a single mother and is being told that her son, Jake, desperately need a heart transplant.  Imagine the shock when she learns that Dr. McIntyre is the surgeon who can save her son's life.  Hannah loved Scott a long time ago, but he let her down...and she's not sure she can trust him again...especially with her son's life.  And what about her own heart?

Scott never forgot the woman he fell lin love with...nor can he allow himself to rekindle the feelings that once consumed him.  He walked away from Hannah once because he had seen what being married to a surgeon did to his mother and his family.  His father had always put his patients first and Scott knew he was the same as his father...that he wouldn't have enough left for a family because of his demanding career.  But he can't resist the pull Hannah still has on him...and he finds himself falling in love with her all over again.

As a dedicated surgeon, his patients come first, but he finds that even though Jake isn't his child, he's stepping over a professional line and allowing the child to become too important to him.  He can't let Hannah down.  At least he can give her back her son, even if he can't...or won't allow himself...to give her his own heart.

Susan wove a lot of very interesting heart-transplant details into her story...details she knows from first-hand experience since her own son had a heart-transplant over twenty years ago.  Her story kept me reading...and pulling for the couple to break through the walls each had built around their heart.

For a debut novel, Susan Carlisle came out of the gate with a force to be reckoned with.  I look forward to more of her stories in the future...and a little birdie told me that there will be at least three in the near future.  I highly recommend Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband?

Just click on the link and you can pre-order Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband?

Help Me Welcome, SUSAN CARLISLE !

 Susan Carlisle's love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in math in the sixth grade.  Not allowed to watch TV until she brought the grade up, she filled her time with books and became a voracious romance reader.  She has "keepers" on the shelf to prove it.  Because she loved the genre so much, she decided to try her hand at creating her own romantic world. She still loves a good happily-ever-after story.

When not writing, Susan doubles as a high school substitute teacher--she has been doing this for sixteen years.  She lives in Georgia with her husband of twenty-eight years and has four grown children.  She loves castles, traveling, cross-stitching, hats, James Bond and hearing from her readers. Facebook

I had the pleasure of recently spending some writing time with Susan and had the opportunity to sit down and learn all the little secrets that I'm sharing with you today.  So, sit back, relax and get to know a few fun facts about Susan.

1)  When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I started talking about writing a book 27 years ago, but didn't get serious about it until 2002. That first book will never make it to a shelf. 

2)  Ah, Susan, I'm sure all writers have at least one of those early stories that we will never show anyone.  So, tell us briefly about your journey to publication w/ Mills and Boon? 

A friend told me that Mills and Boon was looking for authors and encouraged me to submit. I still had to write the book. I did, submitted but had to request it back because of my nonfiction book that was coming out. With it out, I met the senior editor at a conference and told her that the book would be on her desk when she got home. The full manuscript was requested and revisions suggested. Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband? came out five years after I wrote it.

3)  Wow. That's a long time to keep a dream alive.  Congratulations.  Now, we'd all like to know where you get your inspiration for your stories?

Every where. In things people say, the news, TV, my life.

4) So you have one non-fiction book out and now this new medical romance with Mills & Boon.  What can we look forward to in the future?

More medical romances for sure. I have been offered a three-book deal. So I'll be writing like the wind.  I also have some feelers out on a nonfiction.

 

5)  Wow!  A three-book contract is fabulous!  Congratulations!  So, now lets get down to the characters of your books.  Define your favorite Alpha Hero.   Who is your inspiration for him?

 I like a strong hero who knows his own mind and will make a decision. He'll protect his woman, but appreciates it when she stands up to him. My hero always has soft spot for older people, animals and kids. My guys tend to be tall and hunky but that isn't a must. I don't know that I have a real inspiration. Most of my guys are a merry  mixture of many people. 

6)  I must say that the guy on your cover makes me sigh.  A strong male being tender to a baby.  Perfect.  So that brings us to your heroines.  Do you pattern them after yourself or someone you know---or maybe someone you'd love to be?  Does your family live in fear of showing up in your books?

Of course my heroines have some of me in them but not enough that anyone would really notice. I'm pretty spunky and will take on a fight and my heroines do share that trait. I'm not too dumb to live so I do make sure my heroines aren't either. All the quys in my life think they are in my books--they aren't, but I can't convince them of that.  

7)  Since Mills & Boon medicals are predominantly featured in the European market, is there anything you have to keep in mind for that audience?  Certain words that you have to use that are different?  (for example, the "hood" of the car here is the "bonnet" in some countries)

Not really. Some of the words will be spelled a little differently but my editors are interested in American authors so they leave most of the other words as I have written them.

8)  Okay, now we're going to get to the really personal things in your life....your family.  How have they dealt with your current success?

Mostly they are fascinated and curious. And proud. I still do laundry, clean baths and dust, so some things will never change. 

9)  When your husband introduces you to someone, does he simply say you're his wife or does he describe you as a teacher or author?

If he remembers to introduce me, he says wife but if he thinks the person he is introducing me to is someone who would be interested in the fact I write, he mentions I'm an author.  

10)  What is your favorite time of day to write?

I'm a morning person but oddly I seem to write better around lunch and early afternoon. Weird, isn't it. 

11) To tag on to that last question, what is your favorite place to write?

I don't really have a favorite, but I do like to go to my mother's place on the lake and spend days writing. I always get a lot done when I go there.

12)  At what point will you consider that you're a successful writer?  (1 book published?  10?  NYT Bestseller?)

I want to be on the JamTron (huge TV) in the Auburn University football stadium. They only ask astronauts, super star sports people, or leaders in industry to be on there. I will have arrived to be seen there.  I would also feel successful if I had a book in the Library of Congress. Oh, of course the New York News list wouldn't go unnoticed.  

 13)  What advice would you give aspiring authors?  

Write, Write, Write and near give up. Rejection is just part of the process. Also, writing is hard work.

14)  Is there anything else you'd like to tell your readers and fans?

I'd love to hear from you. Read Heart Surgeon, Hero...Husband? and let me know what you think about it. 

Susan, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing with our readers about yourself and your new release from Mills & Boon.     

I hope everyone will drop back by this Saturday when I'll be reviewing Susan's book.                                                    

Susan's book will be released March 1, 2012, but can be advance-ordered now.

It's also available NOW for your Kindle!

Amazon 

SATURDAY BOOK REVIEW !!

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A MAD WOMAN

    by:  Stephanie Queen

This is a catchy title, but more so once you meet the two main characters.  Madeline, also known as Mad for short and Peter, also known as The Rock.

Book Blurb:

“Madeline Grace was always expected to do great things, but she discovers the price of destiny means running for governor--against a man who was once her lover.

In this world of politics, romance wins over cynicism and the good guys finish first. Not since JFK, has a political candidate used his wit and charm to such an advantage as Peter “the Rock”. On the other hand, there hasn’t been a woman so admired as a crusader against corrupt power since Joan of Arc… until “Mad” Madeline. Madeline is running for Governor of Massachusetts against Peter. Madeline and Peter were once in love—before she broke his heart.

In the midst of the campaign battle they re-ignite their volatile relationship, but on warring sides of the ticket, they can’t afford for the media to find out. As they fight each other for office they find they have an enemy in common. When their enemy drives up the stakes, Peter must decide if he’ll risk his career and fight with Madeline to overcome the political crisis. Madeline has to decide if she trusts Peter—and whether she still loves him.”

The author immediately drags the reader into the world of political campaign and makes the reader root for both sides of the ticket.  While I was reading, I wondered how she was going to allow both of her main characters to “win” when she wrote two such compelling candidates.  (Since I couldn’t imagine either of them losing) 

Well, the obvious would be for her to join him on the ticket as his Lieutenant Governor… at least in Peter’s mind, but Madeline will have none of that.  They differ on a lot of issues and she refuses to play second fiddle to a man…again.

There are twists and turns and even the secondary characters are compelling.  I could easily see a couple of them having their own story.  (Loved the Special Ops guys)

I was captured immediately and read straight through without stopping.  I didn’t want to put it down until I found out what was going to happen!

For me, the kiss of death or the two thumbs up depends on whether or not I love the characters enough to want to continue reading about them after the story ends.  In this case, I would love to read a sequel to Between A Rock and A Mad Woman. You owe it to yourself to buy and read this book.

Want a suggestion?  Right now you can get Between A Rock and a Mad Woman and her second book, Throwbacks, for $ .99 and I have to tell you...that's a bargain that a girl just can't pass up.  Oh, and after you read about Rock and Madeline, you'll want to read more stories written by Stephanie, so save yourself some time and go ahead and get Throwbacks while you're at Amazon and B&N.

 Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!