Wild Rose Press:

Painting The Roses Red
[The Flower Basket]
Kara Lynn Russell
Release Date: 5-16-2012

A Love of His Own
Linda LaRoque
Release Date: 5-16-2012

Six Thousand Days
Gabriella Lucas
Release Date: 5-16-2012

Santorini Sunset
Claire Croxton
Release Date: 5-18-2012

Crimson Sunrise
Crimson Series
J. A. Saare
Release date 5-18-2012

Thanks for hosting me at Coffee Time Romance today!  I’d love to share with you an excerpt of KARMA that shows the fun chemistry between Dare Barron and the woman of his dreams, Liza McKnight.  I hope you enjoy it!

“Change your grip!” Dare called to fourteen-year-old Charlie Skeets, “Skeeter” for short.

The fourteen-year-old choked up higher on the baseball bat and got into position, waiting for the next pitch.

Dare coached a youth league and this was the end of practice at the field near the lake on the edge of town. All he had left was Charlie’s at bat, a pep talk, and then Dare was out of here for the night.

Ten minutes later, he’d given each kid a summary of their strengths and weaknesses. When he finished, the kids scattered, some walking home together, a few lucky others picked up by their parents.

Dare put his spare equipment into the large duffel he kept in his trunk, hefted the bag over his shoulder, and headed for his car, a black metallic Ford Edge. He tossed the bag into the back and wiped his dusty hands together before slamming the trunk, then walked over to the water fountain and rinsed off his hands.

No sooner had he finished and turned to leave than he collided with a jogger on the sidewalk. He’d raised his hands to block contact and he realized he now braced his palms against a very feminine chest. Soft, round, full breasts molded to his hand.

His body registered that fact and reacted accordingly.

“Sorry,” he muttered, taking a deliberate step back.

“Me too. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” a familiar female voice said.

Startled, Dare glanced up to see Liza pulling the iPod buds out of her ears. “Liza.”

“You,” she said at the same time.

He met her gaze and she blinked, focusing her coffee brown eyes on him. Touching her had nearly knocked him on his ass and her gorgeous eyes almost completed the job. Then there were the damp handprints he’d left on her chest, which he couldn’t stop noticing.

He had to divert his focus or he’d be in big trouble.

“I do have a name other than you,” he reminded her in a teasing voice.

“Officer Barron.” She ducked her head after she spoke.

This shy female was distinctly different from the take-charge woman he was used to seeing at the police station, softer and more approachable.

Dare found himself drawn to her even more. “I meant, I have a first name.” And he wanted to hear her say it.

She lifted her gaze. “Dare.” Her expression was wary but with a hint of a smile on her lips, she teased him with a glimpse of those sexy dimples in her cheeks.

“Better.” He allowed himself to take in her running gear, a pair of black shorts with white piping, a black tank that did little to hide her breasts, and a worn pair of sneakers.

“Do you always jog in the evening?” The sun was setting and he’d prefer she didn’t run here at night.

“No. I usually run in the morning near my house, but I had an early meeting today so I put it off till later.”

He nodded, feeling better about her jog. “Well, then, lucky me. Are you okay? From our collision I mean?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. I should have been watching where I was going, but I was distracted.” A blush stained her cheeks, making him wonder what she’d been thinking about.

“So was I.” He was even more distracted now.

Silence descended and she shifted from foot to foot.

“Well, I should get going,” she murmured.

He paused and before he could think about it, he said, “I was just going to get a slice of pizza. Want to join me?”

Her eyes flickered in surprise.

She couldn’t be any more shocked than he was, since he was scheduled to have dinner at his brother’s house in an hour. But he wasn’t ready to let her go.

“Umm . . .” She seemed to struggle with the decision and he knew he’d bail on the family if it meant the chance to go out with her.

“I can’t tonight. I have to work. I need to put the final touches on a presentation I have in the morning.”

He nodded, understanding but still disappointed. “No problem.”

He wondered if he should take it as an outright rejection, then realized she hadn’t said I can’t. She’d said I can’t tonight.

“Maybe another time then.”

Her eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe he’d push the issue.

“Maybe,” she said softly.

His heart jump-started inside his chest and his thoughts immediately turned to what Cara had said about turning things around. He’d always judged Liza harshly, but now he’d treated her to the real Dare and she’d softened.

“Can I walk you anywhere?” he asked, reluctant to let her leave.

She shook her head. “My car’s parked by my office,” she said, pointing down the tree-lined street.

“Be careful.”

“Always,” she said and treated him to a full-fledged genuine smile.

As he watched her jog toward her office, he realized something had shifted between them. And suddenly it didn’t matter who her brother was or what he’d done, Dare needed to get to know Liza better.

N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips has written over 30 romance novels with contemporary characters and small town settings that today's readers identify with and enjoy.  She’s a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom to two daughters (16 and20!) and two crazy dogs (a 1 year old Havanese named Brady and a 4 year old wheaten terrier named Bailey).  In addition, she’s a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her readers.   Carly lives in Purchase, New York and would love for you to like and follow her on the ‘Net!

Find Carly on the web:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

First prize is a one-year subscription to the Romantic Times Book
Review. 

Second prize is a paperback copy of my vampire romance, "One More
Tomorrow." 

Third prize is a pdf copy of my romantic fantasy novella,
"Midnight  for Morgana."

Answers can be found at my website 

Send the answers to Mshirley1496@aol.com

1. In "Destined to Love" what war takes place in this historical romance?
2. Who is the hero of "Dream Weaver"?
3. In "Forbidden Love" what is Owen's occupation?
4. "Midnight for Morgana"--name the prince.
5. Name the kingdom in "Night Secrets."
6. In "Night Shadows" who loves Fianna for herself?
7. "Name the hero of "One More Tomorrow"
8. Who is the hero of "The Princess and the Curse"?
9. In "The Sacrifice" who has loved Briana for  years?

Contest runs through Sunday, May 20. Good luck!

We had a great time yesterday! Authors will be contacting their winners, but we wanted to let everyone know who won the CTR gift certificates and, of course, our grand prize winner of the Nook, donated by the lovely Grace Burrowes.

First, the three winners of the $5 GC

Diane Diamond

novellynice.blogspot.com/

bn100

Congratulations, ladies!!

Now, for our grand prize a Nook reader, drum roll please…Jess W. You lucky girl!

Winners, be sure to keep your eyes out for an email notifying you of your win. And everyone else, don't despair. Remember, the participating authors will be contacting their winners, so you all still have a chance at winning some of the great books being given away.

Catherine couldn't be here today, but she wanted to wish Coffee Time Romance a happy birthday! She is celebrating with us by giving away two copies of her most recent release.

A decorated hero, pararescueman Liam McCabe lives to serve. Six months ago, he and Rachel Flores met in the horrific aftermath of an earthquake in the Bahamas. They were tempted by an explosive attraction, yet parted ways. Still, Liam has thought about Rachel every day—and night—since.

Now, after ignoring all his phone calls for six months, Rachel has turned up on base with a wild story about a high-ranking military traitor. She claims no one but Liam can help her—and she won’t trust anyone else.

With nothing but her word and the testimony of a discharged military cop to go on, Liam would be insane to risk his career—even his life—to help this woman who left him in the dust.

Oh yeah, now that's a cover!

Catherine is giving away two print copies of this fabulous book. Leave a comment to be in the drawing.

Check out more of Catherine's books at her website.

NOTE: US AND CANADIAN ENTRIES ONLY.

Happy Anniversary, CTR! My career started the same year as Coffee Time–2004.

I've pretty much always wanted to be a romance author. When I was twelve, I wrote a report for class that said I aspired to be a romance novelist. Thankfully my teacher, a rather somber man, pulled me aside after class and told me to go for it. He said I had a gift with words and that I shouldn't lose sight of writing as a career. I can't remember his name now, but I'm so grateful for his support and kind words.

Still, I did lose sight of writing for a while. I graduated, started working, and eventually joined the military. When I returned to civilian life, I got married and had two children. It wasn't until October 2003 that I had a moment while my children were napping to think about what I was going to do once both my kids were in school all day. I wanted to go back to work and it seemed the perfect opportunity to start over again. I was reminded of my long ago dream to write and I sat down at my computer to get started.

In the summer of 2004, Lori Foster held the Brava Novella Contest, in which the prize was publication with Kensington Books. I submitted an entry, was selected by Lori as a finalist, and ended up the Readers' Choice Winner with a publishing contract. Now, here it is eight years later, and my latest novel, Bared to You, is on both the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. I look back and wonder how it is that I ended up where I am now. It seems so surreal and I feel very blessed.

To celebrate eight wonderful years of doing what I love, I'll give away eight books to eight commenters–one book each. Winners choice of a Kindle or Nook copy of Bared to You OR a Kindle or Nook copy of A Caress of Wings (releasing June 5th).

Happy Anniversary, CTR! I'm so happy to have been part of the CTR family this past year, and I'm looking forward to many fabulous years ahead!

Looking back to CTR's first year, 2004 — or any year, for that matter — I always wind up thinking, "Time and again…" Why? Well, I'm a creature of habit who routinely needs a new adventure since I get bored pretty quickly with the status quo — but I need that routine to keep my butt grounded and productive. Otherwise, I'd spend all my time quite content in my own little worlds — and my kids would have starved before they reached their teen years So, for me, that expression "time and again" serves as a reminder that living this life where I love my routine is a great gift, not a bore at all.

In 2004, I was writing as a means to make myself happy, to collect my thoughts, to let those voices in my head out before they did neurological damage…;) This I'd been doing since I was nine years old.  Writing was a part of my daily routine. By the Fall of 2010, given the rise of e-publishing, I decided to send a manuscript out. That initial acceptance forever changed my routine: now I'm here today, my isolated, happy writing-for-myself gig more open and public with each contract. Me and promo getting along…who woulda thunk that even a year ago…!

What a whirlwind from July 2011 and my first release, UNSTRUNG, to November 2011 and the release of BENDING TYME,  to now, with the release on my third novella, SOUNDING THE DEPTHS, scheduled later this month — and my fourth, AFLAME IN CAMELOT, coming in July 2012! One of my closest friends, who believes I am much too hard on myself, bless him, often reminds me to look at my accomplishments when I look back in time rather than fret about whatever fell along the wayside. Time and again in the past, I've ignored his advice, but given how much fun I've been having since last July…well, today, I'm looking forward to even more cool stuff happenin' with these people in my head between now and July 2013!

Here's to looking at all that CTR has done for so many authors in the past — but, more importantly, here's to another upcoming year of great success and a helluva lot of fun getting there!

* * *

About SOUNDING THE DEPTHS

Ethan Gray, former sailor on a nuclear submarine with the Royal Navy, arrives in California to work on a technical paper with a military recruiter, an acquaintance who introduces him to the elusive Josh Bennett. Back in Cali a few weeks later to attend a five-day party, a commitment ceremony for two friends, one with whom he served in Iraq, Ethan again runs into one Joshua Bennett, an explosive ordnance expert in the United States Navy and veteran of two Iraq tours, just returned from a third year he volunteered to spend in Afghanistan: this, an unexpected decision he remains loath to discuss even with the few closest to him. While Ethan’s initial encounters with Josh leave the easy-going, confident British sailor in love for the first time, the tight control Josh maintains in his professional and personal lives leaves him reluctant to ever fall in love again. To win Josh, Ethan must help this man who captured his heart heal his own and leave his dark past behind him. With some persistent interference from Josh’s feisty twin sister Lana – and a specific gay-friendly phone app – can Ethan convince Josh to drop his defenses and let love in? Or is this British sailor out of his depth?

* * *

E-BOOK GIVE-A-WAY!

To celebrate CTR's Anniversary and the release of my sexy sailor story on 21 May with Total-E-Bound, I'm giving away a free pdf copy of SOUNDING THE DEPTHS to one reader who shares: what's one special — maybe unexpected! — accomplishment that's made you happy and proud since 2004?

* * *

Thanks for stopping by, all — and, once again, Happy Anniversary, CTR!

Maria-Claire

http://www.maria-clairepayne.com

If anyone knows about birthdays, it’s me.  As an author, I’ve had three of them.

Glynnis Campbell was born in 2000.  Sarah McKerrigan was born in 2004.  Kira Morgan was born in 2010.

My husband tells people he’s on his third wife.  Thankfully, Coffee Time Romance has always been there for me, no matter what my AKA!

Well, this year, Glynnis Campbell has killed off the other imposters and emerged from witness protection.  I’m celebrating my return in 2012 by e-publishing my very first historical romance trilogy, The Knights of de Ware: MY CHAMPION, MY WARRIOR, and MY HERO, and offering up a brand new Scottish medieval, PASSION’S EXILE!

Here’s the teaser:

The Canterbury Tales with a Scottish twist…Blade, a self-exiled mercenary haunted by his tragic past, meets Rose, an intrepid runaway bride seeking refuge as a nun.  Blade has 10 days to convince Rose she isn’t convent material.  Rose has 10 days to convince Blade he’s worthy of redemption.  Together they have 10 days to uncover two assassins, foil a gang of kidnappers, dodge a vindictive bridegroom, and fall in love.

As a special re-birthday present and to commemorate PASSION’S EXILE (book #10), I’m running a sweepstakes on my website through the end of May, giving away over $150 in prizes to 10 lucky winners!  Come to www.glynnis.net to enter.

So what exactly does the rebirth of Glynnis Campbell mean?  More books.  Different books.  Books of my heart.  And a more personal relationship with readers since I’ll be easy to find!

My website is www.glynnis.net.

My Facebook account is www.facebook.com/glynnis.campbell.

My Twitter is www.twitter.com/GlynnisCampbell.

No more hunting me down.  And my husband can go back to his first wife.

A Beautiful Journey of Memories Through The Pages

I want to start off by saying Happy Anniversary to Coffee Time Romance. Wow 8 years already. Time just ran away so fast.

For those of you who don’t know my, my name is Savannah Chase and I write erotic romance. *Waves hello*

I want to thank CTR for letting be a guest on their blog today. It is so wonderful to be here.

When Coffee Time Romance opened their doors I was still a lurking writer. Nobody knew my name or even that I existed. I was learning about myself and the path I’ve taken in my life, which was to write.  I’d never told anyone about my writing or how much I loved to express myself in the form of words and stories. It was my very own secret. I had no idea about publishing, or anything that existed in this bold new world. Honestly, I had no idea I could publish a book. I never gave it any thought about writing a book to have out there for the world to read. All I knew is that I wanted to write, to create and to weave stories about the things that inspired me and fed my crazy imagination. It was my way to flourish.

I took the plunge in 2007 and stepped out into the open. I discovered a whole world on the internet where I learned about publishing, learning the craft, sharing your work with others. My big leap out there was in the form of short stories that I’d written for a site that is no longer around. The site was called The Pink Chair Diaries. I will admit it was scary. I was terrified of showing myself and everyone something that I’ve written. To top it all off it was something in the form of erotic romance. People knew me as the shy quiet type who was far from writing stuff like erotic romance. They always say you should watch out for the quiet ones. That is so right. I was one of them and look at me now.

After that big step I continued to learn and grow and took another big leap and submitted something to a huge New York publisher. I laugh at it now because at that time I thought it was the single most brilliant thing I’d ever created. Oh boy. I was so very wrong. I cringe when I think back about sending the book out there, but it did teach me rejection and it pushed me to continue to learn and improve my craft. I wrote and studied. I took my writing to a whole new level.

When I resubmitted something again for publishing it was the book was Bid for Love. The publisher had accepted the work along with two other books. It was the happiest day of my life. I’d finally done it. I would be getting published. But that did not last long. Before things could really take off for me I was hit with a devastating blow. A blow that I never expected, especially so early in my career. My publisher was closing its doors. My book would be no more and the other two would not even see the light of day. We had managed to get as far as cover art. That was truly hard and something I survived. I didn’t give up. I think the whole experience made me stronger and kicked my butt into working even harder than before. As for my book, Bid for Love found a new home, Lyrical Press where it has been published since 2008. Special Delivery- one of the other books- also found a home with Ravenous Romance where it was published in the Men In Shorts: An Erotic Anthology. As for the third book, I decided to give it a overhaul and change the story in a whole new direction. Hopefully I will release it soon.

Now it’s 2012 and to this date I’ve published ten plus books with multiple houses. Some are stand alone stories, and others are anthologies that I’ve been fortunate to be a part of. I still get nervous when I write a new book and send it out to my publisher or a new house. You never get use to rejection and there are always nerves. The anticipation and waiting for a reply is like a rollercoaster ride. You spend so much time creating and bringing a story to life that you might think is wonderful but someone might not agree.

I’ve learned a lot from the time I first stepped out till now. I’ve also taken many chances and steps in my writing career. Recently I’ve decided to dive into Indie/Self publishing world as well. My first try at putting something out on my own is a free short story called Lovers Moan.

I still continue to learn and grow even with the bumps that come and go.  This industry continues to advance at such a quick pace. You need to keep up and evolve not only as an author but as a person. When I look back at all of my books I can see where I was in my career at the time. Each book is like a memory, a photo album of the person I’ve come to be.

I’ve also been so fortunate and blessed to meet so many amazing authors and all in all book lovers. Coffee Time Romance has been an amazing part of my author journey. I look forward to the future and what it holds for me, and I hope that CTR will continue to be in my author career.

If you would love to find out more about my or my work you can visit me at

Official Site http://savannahchase.com/

Official Blog http://savannahchase.com/blog/

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/savannahchase

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/savannahchase

Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/SavannahChaseFanPage

I will be giving away an ebook copy of Unwrap Me to one lucky winner…

Good luck

Stay naughty,

Savannah

Congrats CTR on your 8th anniversary!! May you have many more to come!

My career was just getting going in '04, and I enjoyed many a review from Coffee Time. I was always pleased to see those steaming coffee cups!

For me, 2004 looked like this:  Two historical romances published at Leisure (one of which, The Pirate Next Door is available again, new and improved, and re-released by me just last month–see http://www.jennifersromances.com).

The books were doing okay for Leisure books, but I was making pittance (I mean  pittance. Seriously).

I noticed whenever I went to a conference that the ebook-first authors, particularly those at Ellora’s Cave, always seemed to be having a good time. Curious, I met some of the authors, learned all about EC, read some books, and decided I wanted to try writing for them.

The result was Tales of the Shareem: Rees, which was published under my Allyson James pseudonym early in 2005. Coffee Time reviewed it, many readers liked it, and it was a success! That encouraged me to keep writing the series, which I am still writing (Justin, book 8 came out in Feb on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, and print: see http://www.allysonjames.com).

Meanwhile, my print career started to take off and . . . time went by. I’m now the author of about forty books, have hit the New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists, have been nominated for and won RITA awards from RWA, and have published with Leisure (Dorchester), Berkley, and Ellora’s Cave.

Lately, I’ve done some independent publishing (though I’m still with Berkley and Ellora’s Cave), re-releasing an out of print mystery series (the Captain Lacey Regency mysteries http://www.gardnermysteries.com), books linked to Jennifer Ashley print series (e.g., Bodyguard, http://www.jennifersromances.com), more Shareem plus the Stormwalker series (http://www.allysonjames.com) and more to come! I’m having the best time indie pubbing!

So, I’ve come a long, long way since 2004. A good way. A lot happened in my personal life that wasn’t as good (losing my dad being the worst thing), but that’s the way life goes. Good and bad, happy and sad, all mixed together and hard to separate.

Congrats to Coffee Time for the long way they’ve come, and may you have another decade of success!

Now to the good part: Winning books! Reader’s choice! Tell me which book of mine you’d like to win, post a comment (telling me which book and why), and a winner will be picked (totally random).  Don’t know what I’ve written? A big, fat list of all my books (under all names) is here:

http://www.jennifersromances.com/NewSite/seriesorder.html

Jennifer Ashley

http://www.jennifersromances.com

aka Allyson James

http://www.allysonjames.com

aka Ashley Gardner

http://www.gardnermysteries.com

When Coffee Time Romance was just opening its doors in 2004, I was sitting in a Borders bookstore reading my very first chick lit/women's fiction/romance book – Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I couldn't remember the last time I read a book that wasn't considered required reading for college, but when my boyfriend started working at Borders, my love of books and reading was reawakened. It was Something Borrowed that threw the flood gates in my mind wide open again, followed by The Queens of Woodlawn Avenue by Regina Hale Sutherland, Invitation to Provence by Elizabeth Adler, Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson, and finally Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels. These titles hold a permanent place on my Kindle and I read these books twice a year.

But that was then… Since then, I started a book review blog called Fire Pages and have read books that are not considered required reading every day since 2004. However, when I thought about the "then and now" theme of this spectacular bash, I realized that I have not added to my personal "must reread" collection; I'm still holding on to the same "then" stash of titles. Well, that's what I'm doing now – allowing my personal collection to grow with me. And I'm giving away the first four books that I've added to my "must reread" collection who now hold a place on my Kindle with Brenda Jackson, B.J. Daniels, Elizabeth Adler, Regina Hale Sutherland, and Emily Giffin. Below you will find the titles and blurbs. Leave a comment to win one of these fantastic titles. These giveaways are U.S. only.

A Knight of Passion by Tarah Scott (Digital copy)

Lady Riana Ellis will risk the fires of Hell for those she loves. Can she let a man do the same for her?

As whore for the Duchess of Arundel, Lady Riana Ellis keeps her sister safe from the duke’s lascivious desires. But the duchess now demands that Riana murder the man already sent to her bed.

But the wrong knight arrives.

Time is running out. Riana has set into motion the downfall of the duke and duchess. If she and her sister don’t escape, they’ll be crushed when Arundel falls. To ensure her sister’s freedom, Riana must give the performance of her life and fool the man in her bed…and the woman watching them.

Sir Bryant Cullen determines to have the duchess’ whore. Her land is a prize, but it’s her secrets he wants. Once he knows what she knows, he will control one of the most powerful houses in Scotland. And she will be his.

But Riana waits for no man to save her, trusts no man-no matter how much he sets her body on fire. When Sir Bryant puts his life on the line for her, how will she stop his sacrifice?

Private Pleasures by Bertrice Small (Paperback Copy)

Don't get mad, get cable. Fiftyish, foolish Nora Buckley, devoted doormat to husband Jeff, just found out that the lout's leaving her for a younger woman. So what's she going to do without his footprints on her face? Gather round, female friends of suburban Ansley Court, and offer sage counsel on wising up, getting a lawyer, establishing credit in your own name, and other practical matters. Unfaithful husbands are a fact of life, and now that the kids have left home and the dog has died, it's time to get down and dirty with the mysterious interactive service for sex-starved women known as The Channel. Here, Nora meets Kyle, an imaginary stud whose supersize penis and indefatigable willingness to please don't remind her one bit of mean old Jeff. Strike a Faustian bargain with the cable company? Why not, says satisfied Nora. Let Jeff rot in hell, and pass the remote.

Rough Play by Christina Crooks (Paperback Copy)

After escaping her sexually dominant husband, dating coach Charlotte is ready to play it safe. But when her client, Gail, disappears after visiting a fetish-oriented club called Subspace, Charlotte must enter the erotic underworld to find out what happened to her.

Club owner Master Martin is willing to help Charlotte—as long as she agrees to a little role-playing. As Charlotte slowly surrenders to Martin's sensual enticements, she finds that her penchant for submission is more intense than ever. But at the same time, as her search for Gail leads her deep inside Subspace's catacombs, Charlotte fears it may already be too late to save Gail. . .or herself.

Your Boyfriend & Other Guys I've Kissed by Totally Tyler (Paperback Copy)

In the tradition of David Sedaris and Carrie Bradshaw, party boy blogger Totally Tyler hilariously navigates his way through the gay Atlanta dating scene – one lemon drop martini at a time. Sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, always poignant, Totally Tyler weaves triumphant and tragic tales of tail.

In this, his first collection of stories, Totally Tyler explores why they call it the Dirty South by dishing on the ones who got away, the ones who should’ve stayed away and why the Queen of the Queens (Madonna, of course) rules his world. Pour a cocktail, pull up a seat and buckle up – these bedtime stories promise to be bumpy rides.

Happy Birthday CTR & Happy Reading!

Zee
 

Hello everyone. My name is Natasha Blackthorne and I write erotic historical romances with an emotional, dramatic edge.

In 2004, I was still writing just for myself. It was a way to explore ideas and issues and to create a world of escapism and enjoyment for myself. In 2007, I began to take my writing seriously and apply myself to serious study of writing as a craft.

In the early spring of 2011, I felt ready to submit my first novella. That story was Grey’s Lady and it was accepted by Total-e-Bound in April 2011 with an expected publication date of August 8. Grey’s Lady is the first story in a series called Carte Blanche. The Carte Blanche Series set in post revolutionary America. It tells the stoires of  powerful gentlemen and their seductive mistresses. Unconventional relationships with fairy tale endings playing out against the dramatic settings of New York City and Philadelphia in the early years of the Republic.

 Grey's Lady explores the story of Beth and Grey, a beautiful but poor, working girl and a wealthy merchant prince. A very naughty carriage ride leads to something more…but will these two self-protective people take a chance on love? Or will their differences drive them apart?

Shortly after Grey's Lady was accepted, I signed a contract with Ellora's Cave to publish Waltz of Seduction. It became my first release on May 20, 2011.

Since my first two releases last spring, I have published four novel length erotic romances with Total-e-Bound:

Alex’s Angel, Carte Blanche Series Book Three, begins the story of Alex and Emily. Can a jaded, internally wounded gentleman find love with an innocent, idealistic artist?

Alex and Emily's story is continued in the sequel, Emily’s Seduction. Before Alex can share the dark, decadent secrets of his past, he has to show Emily what seduction really means.

A Measured Risk is the first book in Regency Risks Series and it tells the story of shy, bookish widow Lady Cranfield and the very virile, brave Lord Ruel. I would like to share an excerpt with you today from this story.

Suffolk, England
August 1819
 

 

To purchase A Measured Risk now, click banner:

 

Happy eighth anniversary to Coffee Time Romance! I am honored to be a part of this wonderful celebration. Over the past eight years, Coffee Time Romance has introduced me to incredible authors and reviewed some fabulous books.

For those of you that don't know me, I'm Sandy Wolters. I love to read and write books. My genre of choice is romance with a ghostly paranormal twist. I also have a blog called, Sandy's Spotlight, that I use to introduce new authors to avid readers as well as provide book reviews.

The past eight years has been an amazing journey for me but a tough one. Eight years ago, my mother was at the beginning of a long and difficult health battle. She was house bound for several years prior to her death. Both of us loved to escape in books, so we would read the same books and discuss them through tears and laughter and sometimes heated words for hours and hours. Reading was a way for both of us to get through those troublesome times.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become an author back then. It was nowhere on the radar at all. After mom's death, I was heartbroken and searching for something. I found myself unhappy in my career for the first time in my life and felt as though I were just stumbling through each day. I started daydreaming about people and places that I was unfamiliar with. These daydreams turned into nighttime dreams. I couldn't get away from these people! Finally, I decided to start writing their story down. When I was done, I was amazed at what I had in front of me. A novel. My very own novel.

Do you believe that loved ones can pass through the veil of death and help those of us struggling that are left behind? I do. My first novel, Maggie Mae, is about a woman that has lost her husband and can't move on with her life. Jimmy crosses that veil of death and sets a series of events in motion to help her move on. Sound familiar? LOL I feel down to my very soul that mom gave me this story and moved me in the direction of writing novels that we had once loved reading together so much.

To celebrate Coffee Time Romance's eighth anniversary, I will be giving a digital copy of one of my three books, Maggie Mae, Justice For Emily and A Brother's Love to three different people that leave a comment.

Maggie Mae is a steamy contemporary romance with a ghostly paranormal twist. This book contains adult sexual content.

July 4th 2005, Maggie's wedding day was the happiest day of her life, the most painful day of her life and the day she died three times.

Maggie lives as a recluse in the home that she and her dead husband, Jimmy, built together. It's all she has left of him. She has her friends, but has turned her back on the world and any possibility of spending her life with another man.

Five years after Jimmy's tragic death, Maggie's world is once again turned upside down when the last hold she has to her husband, their home, is destroyed. Maggie is thrown into the path of a man, the only man, that can bring her back to life. Elk Bend Chief of Police Michael Rogers is there to help her pick up the pieces and move on.

Rafferty, a close friend, has loved Maggie for years. He has been waiting for her to get over the loss of her husband and knows that in time she will be with him.

Rafferty has inserted himself into Maggie's life so deeply that she doesn't see his obsessive behavior. She doesn't realize that she has been stalked by Rafferty even before the death of her husband or the danger that Rafferty represents to her. Maggie is his and he will do whatever he has to in order to keep her.

Will Maggie be able to start a new life with Michael? Or will she be so consumed with the fear of losing him that she is paralyzed to move forward with her new life?

Will Rafferty have the power over Maggie to extinguish any feelings she has for Michael? Or will he destroy her trying to wrestle her away from her fate with another man?

This book will make the readers weep uncontrollably when they read about the tragic murder of Maggie's husband, Jimmy, and laugh with the interactions of Maggie and her friends. They will take a journey into the life of the characters that will make them escape and feel the wonder of love transcending death.

The Paranormal Romance Guild nominated Justice For Emily as one of 2011's best reads. Justice For Emily is a steamy romance/suspense with a ghostly paranormal twist. This book contains adult sexual content and violence.

Rachael Merchant is on a cross country trip running from the tragic images of her last case that are embedded deep in her soul. She is a City of Phoenix Homicide Detective that is trying to deal with the freak show her life has become.

Three days ago, she was sitting in a hospital room with a man that had just murdered his three small children because he was angry his wife had left him. After making the arrest, she let the perpetrator know that when he got out of prison she was coming after him. He would not be able to hide from her. She left the hospital, went back to work and quit on the spot.

After a great deal of persuading, her captain convinced her that an indefinite leave of absence was in order instead of quitting. She went home, packed her bags and jumped in the car. With no destination in mind, she just drove.

Rachael found herself on the side of the road, unsure of where she was and on the phone with her partner. All she wanted to do was run as fast and as far as she could from the image of those three small babies with bullets in their bodies.

Officer Patrick Sheehan pulls in front of Rachael while she is bent over the hood of her car looking at a map. He overhears the conversation between Rachael and her partner and thanks fate for dropping a homicide detective right in his lap. His good friend, Emily, was murdered just days ago and Patrick knows who killed her, her husband and his boss, the Chief of Police of Brownwood, Texas.

Boyd Campbell has taken extreme measures to cover up his wife's murder but Patrick is going to do everything in his power to put this monster away. He doesn't care what he has to do or say to get this cop to stay and work this case. He needs her help and she is just going to have to deal with it. She could just blame fate for bringing her here when he needed her expertise. After all, the only important thing at the moment is getting Justice For Emily.

A Brother's Love is a contemporary romance/suspense with a paranormal twist. This book contains violence.

FBI Special Agent Pilar Campos lives and works in a man’s world. She loves her job because the only interaction she has with people is pointing her gun at them and arresting them. She’s a smart ass with a temper and is not above breaking bones if someone disagrees with her. Needless to say, she doesn’t have many friends. She enjoys the fact that she inspires fear in her coworkers.

Pilar and her partner, Rick, have been executing surveillance on the Snowflake Militia Group for two years. Everything was going just fine with the twenty-seven million dollar operation until she was forced to shoot and kill Thorne Baker, the brother of Boone Baker, the self proclaimed leader of the militia group. Her life would never be the same.

Boone Baker initiated a one million dollar contract on Pilar’s life and would go to any length to avenge his brother’s death. Deputy Director Greg Olsen knows that he has to get his best agent into protective custody, but he also knows that she won’t go even if he orders her to. She’ll stay and fight to the end. The only reasonable action he can take is to hatch a plan to have her tucked away at a ranch in Northern Arizona owned by Amos Thomas, a man that dislikes people with as much if not more fervor than Pilar.

Away from the city, Pilar’s life is transformed. She finds peace at the ranch that she had never felt before. She has a special bond with the animals that transfixes even the most seasoned ranch hands. She learns to open herself to the people at the ranch and develops close bonds with them. She falls in love with Amos, who wants no part of a relationship. Unfortunately for Amos, Pilar knows how he thinks. He is, after all, just like her and that makes his actions predictable. Pilar knows just how to handle him.

Unable to locate the woman that killed his brother, Boone Baker goes to extreme measures to draw her out in the open. In one fell swoop, he will destroy her life as she knows it. Will she be strong enough to continue on, or will he get his wish and kill her?

Purchase Links:
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Happy anniversary Coffee Time Romance!

When sitting down to write a book, one of the first things I do during the world building process is roll up the characters. Until they have personalities, I can’t write them. Many of what makes them tick isn’t put into the book, but rather to help me get a sense of who they are and how they’ll react to different situations.

The human psyche fascinates me. I love watching people—how they react, how they talk, how they communicate or don’t communicate. Though, I do not have the temperament to be a psychologist, this fascination allows me to better understand my characters. Many times, I’ll have an idea of where I want a book to go, but for the most part I make my characters, set them into the world I’ve build for them and just let them react they way they would react. Occasionally, I throw hurtles at them, but they are always in control of the story.

Books can be written with either relationship centered or externally focused. Either way, there are many outside factors that come into play. It’s how those outside elements affect the characters and their developing relationship that I found so fun to write.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on creating characters? Readers, what’s the most memorable character you read and why? Authors, do you have any special tips or tricks for creating your characters?

About the Authors

Michelle M. Pillow and Mandy M. Roth are published romance authors.Their joint releases, Pleasure Cruise, Date with Destiny, and Pleasure Island have released from The Raven Books.

Michelle’s Links
Website, www.michellepillow.com
Blog, www.michellepillow.com/blog

Mandy’s Links
Website, www.mandyroth.com
Blog, www.mandyroth.com/blog

From the vantage point of someone who isn't all that young, 2004 doesn't seem all that long ago. And yet, in those eight years, my personal world has altered more than I'd have ever dreamed. Some of those changes haven't been great. In 2004, my mother and next-older brother were still vital parts of my life. Now they're gone, and I miss them deeply. Life continues, though, and in that same time span, my kids have gone from tweens to smart, functional young adults. (At least most of the time!) Soon, I'll be a grandmother.

In 2004 I worked as an environmental educator for a nature center, teaching kids about wildlife. Now I get to make things up from the comfort of my own family room. (THEN pictures are on the left, NOW on the right.)

In 2004, I'd written two books. One of them, a futuristic, was dreadful, and will never see the light of day. The other, a story called Curses about a witch and a werewolf in Michigan's Upper Penninsula, was…not so bad, but it had been rejected by the only New York publisher I could think of to send it to. Agents weren't even in my radar at this point. I'd joined my first critique group and the Detroit chapter of RWA. My mother didn't care for my woo-woo (paranormal) books, so I was working on my third romance, a contemporary western. I stuck my tongue firmly in my cheek and tossed in every category romance cliche I could find, and thus The Cowboy's Christmas Bride was born. (Both of these are still available at The Wild Rose Press.)

It would be another two years before both of these books sold, one to Triskelion Publishing (the less said about that the better) and one to The Wild Rose Press. That same year I also sold the 4th book I'd written, a paranormal called Dragon in the System to Ellora's Cave Publishing for their Blush line (then Cerridwen Press). About that same time, my knees and hips came to the conclusion that hiking for a living was no longer a viable option. In the following 5 years, I wrote and sold another 45 books and short stories in all sorts of romance genres, for a number of digital publishers, including Total-E-Bound, Resplendence Publishing, and Carina Press. I have more paranormal books than not, and more erotic than not, but the ones getting the most notice now are my mainstream-heat, steampunk romances, The Gaslight Chronicles from Carina Press. Book 3 in that series, Kilts & Kraken, comes out June 4 and is available for pre-order now on Kindle or Nook.

Coffee Time Romance has been there for me since the very beginning, and I want to wish the folks there a happy anniversary, and many, many more years of supporting the romance community! As a birthday gift, I'll give away a free download of any book from my backlist to one random commenter below.

Hello, Coffee Time Romance and Happy Birthday! As always, we're pleased to be here. For those who may not know us, we're Evan Trevane and Shawn M. Casey, the writing team of T. C. Archer.

So, where were we eight years ago? Wow.  We had written and sold our first short story the post WWII film noir romance.

The ninth victim in the Bicycle Chain murders is found dead on his living room floor grasping a paper bag containing a pickle.

Detective Jack Carter is working on the biggest murder case of his life. Which means, the last thing he needs is to find out that the one woman he has feelings for might be involved in the murders.

Vicky Peik knows things—and one of those things is that her boss, Detective Jack Carter, is in over his head. Vicky has stayed a step ahead of Jack in her private investigation. Only problem is, despite her ability to sense the killer, he has managed to stay a step ahead of her. Something’s wrong, and it’s closer to home than Jack can imagine. Can Vicky find the killer before things go too far, and Jack can’t get out?

We were only just starting our first novel and didn't publish our first romance until six years later in 2010.

Nothing can stop freelance thief Sasha Smirnov from saving her planet — except, Dirk, the gorgeous ambassador with polychrome eyes. Is it lust or designer pheromones? He is hot, too hot to resist — or forget. A single, sizzling kiss burns him into her memory, and her body, but she can't afford to stop for passion, let alone love.

Sasha needs to get as far away from Dirk as possible and take the classified data she stole with her. So she stows away on a ship outward bound, only to discover Dirk's the pilot. Now she can't get away from him, or the system, but he will let her into his bed…

Our next book followed a year later.

On a planet turned to ice, only a warm heart is worth dying for.

When Major Kelly Andres awakens to find Major Byron Grayson gone from the cave that has been their military base the last five months, she realizes he has disobeyed her orders. He's gone to activate the quantum disruptor that he hopes will draw enemy fire, enabling the Provisional Army to attack the enemy armada. It's a suicide mission. And Grayson knows it.

Kelly has no intention of letting Grayson die alone in the frozen wasteland that planet Onyx has become since the war began. She's determined to find him and bring him back to base, because when they die, she wants him in her bed.

Our first full length novel, the 2008 Daphne Du Maurier winner of single title romantic suspense,  was published two months later, just before Christmas last year.

Jesse Evans is the most wanted woman in the world. She must prove she didn't sell out the elite Special Ops team she sent into a Columbian village to rescue a little girl, or her sister dies. Only one man can save them both. But he isn't who Jesse thinks he is.

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Our release this year in February, the paranromal alternate history, and first the Phenom League

Former Chicago Detective Jordan Pierce put his life on hold in order to protect America's secret weapon against the Nazis, The Manhattan Project. But he can't protect himself as  his humanity is eaten away by a mysterious disease that destroys him, while at the same time makes him more powerful than any man he's ever known. Jordan finds out how much the disease has devoured his soul when he falls in love with the woman who might destroy America and tear apart his last shred of humanity.

The Phenom League (a mysterious organization that Jordan learns of and that another character, Ethel, is a member of) reminds me of the X-Men and Avengers—only better, and we have only just gotten started here. Fashionta–Booked Up Reviews

Our most recent release just last month was another erotic space opera from Loose Id

Enforcer Fontana Marks is on vacation undercover until she has to testify against the Track Cartel for crimes against the Galactic Coalition. But the cartel is hiding something, and Fontana intends to find out what–then make them pay for murdering Jenny, the young scientist Fontana failed to protect on a previous assignment.

The last thing Fontana intends to do while vacationing incognito on the fantasy resort Sagitariun is follow the advice of her superior. “Rest, recuperate, and find a man.”

But how can a woman resist a blond, blue-eyed, chisel-jawed, great-assed man streaking naked in public when he's obviously running from someone? And why can't she to get rid of the damned trench coat she stole to rescue him?

And finally–at least so far–our next super novel Full Throttle is due out from Etopia Press next month.

Gail ‘Jimmy’ James is the first female NASCAR mechanic. As if competing in a man’s world isn’t tough enough, her bombshell figure bellies her genius IQ.

Rising star NASCAR driver Rex Henderson is stunned to discover the pin-up girl working on his car is his new head mechanic, Rex intends to own and drive his own car, which costs millions up front. With his mother sick and his brother in financial trouble, he needs to win every race this year. Last season tanked because of a nasty break-up. No female is getting in his way this year—especially his gorgeous new mechanic.

Nothing Jimmy knew about Rex Henderson the driver prepared her for Rex Henderson the man. From his serious insistence she get the crew’s respect to his sophomoric come-ons, to mishaps and practical jokes, Rex keeps her off balance. But Jimmy has no time to dwell on her feelings as Rex wins race after race despite strange mechanical problems she discovers on his car. Whether sabotage or her inexperience, she must stay a step ahead of trouble if she’s to insure future wins—and safeguard her heart against the handsome race car driver.

During these years we've spent lots of time with Coffee Time Romance. They've been there with us from the beginning and we figure they'll be with us all the way. We love you, Coffee Time Romance!

We're giving away one digital copy of Chain Reaction and one digital copy of Trouble at the Hotel Baba Ghanoush. Leave a comment to be in the drawing for the book of your choice. Each book will go to two seperate winners. All winners are chosen via random number generator. 

Hi, everyone! I'm thrilled to be here at CTR and hope to see you all around today!

When I found out that CTR started in 2004, and that the theme of the blog part was Then and Now, I thought it was such a terrific coincidence. Why, you ask? Because my very first book was published in May 2004! Doctors On The Frontline wasn't only one of the most exciting things that had ever happened to me because it was my first published book, but because of the way I sold it! To my knowledge, I'd gotten the first ever face-to-face 'Call' when my editor told me they were buying my book personally, in my first conference ever, to boot! The poor lady didn't know what she was doing, when she took me to a deserted corridor in the hotel to break the news! Yes, you can imagine what happened next. I attacked her, plastered her to the wall and hugged her within an inch of her life!

And here I am today, in 2012 writing my 30th book for the fourth line I've written for (I've written for Medical Romance, Silhouette Bombshell, Harlequin Desire & Harlequin Nocturne) and also writing my first Single Title, book one in a new paranormal series steeped in Middle Eastern mythology.

It's been a journey filled with ups and downs, stumbles and restarts. The past eight years had also seen some huge and radical blows in my personal life as well as my whole country, but through it all, writing, no matter how hard it got, was my one sanity preserver. I don't know where or who I'd be if I didn't have my fictional world, and all the people who populate it and share it with me, from my characters, to my editors, fellow writers and fans.

All I can say is I'm grateful for writing and the world it has created around it. It's where I want to live for the rest of my life.

And now, for my latest news!

I have a new sheikh trilogy starting in Harlequin Desire! DESERT KNIGHTS starts in June 2012 with THE SHEIKH'S REDEMPTION (see cover) continues in September 2012 with THE SHEIKH'S CLAIM and concludes in December 2012 with THE SHEIKH'S DESTINY.

DESERT KNIGHTS is a connected to my previous trilogy, PRIDE OF ZOHAYD, with the heroes the half-brothers of the Aal Shalaan princes, Haidar and Jalal, with the third hero their once-best friend and now-nemesis Rashid Aal Munsoori! The Sheikh's Redemption

And here is an EXCERPT from THE SHEIKH’S REDEMPTION (June 2012)

“Invite me in, Roxanne.”
Her heart choked out another salvo of arrhythmia.
The electrifying invocation he made of his demand, of her name.
She swallowed, trying to extricate herself from his influence, damning him and herself for how effortless it was for him, what a struggle it was for her. “You…you want to come in?”
“No, I came to conduct our verbal duel on your doorstep.”
He moved and she surged, aborting what would have taken him over her threshold. “I couldn’t care less what you came to do. But said duel is done. Not so nice of you to drop by, Prince Aal Shalaan. Hope I don’t see you again.”
He resumed his former position, feet braced further apart, hands in pockets again. “Tsk. All those reports lauding your ability to deal with the most thorny situations and the most exasperating individuals must have been exaggerated.”
“No one had factored you in when they were gauging thorny exasperation. Even my super diplomacy powers have a limit.”
“Or maybe I’m just your kryptonite.” His smile was now the essence of patience. A hunter with unlimited time to set up his quarry’s downfall. “As much I enjoyed our opening skirmish out here, I would continue our battle in a more private setting. For your sake, really. You’re the one who lives here. Surely you don’t want your neighbors to witness our…escalations?”
“Since those won’t occur, there’s nothing for them to witness. Nothing but your departing back.” She started to shut the door.
The polished, maple surface met a palm with two-hundred-pound-plus of sinew, muscle and maleness behind its passive prevention.
His grin widened at her chagrin. “You know who I am, right?”
Her eyes widened. “You’re pulling rank?”
“You think I need the intimidation of my status to get my way? How boring and juvenile would that be?”
“If not referring to being the all-powerful Prince of Two Kingdoms, what the hell was that obnoxiousness-cum-threat about?”
“No threat. Just statement of fact. Take all the trappings away and who am I?”
The most magnificent male in history.
Out loud she seethed, “A huge pain?”
His chuckle, the look he gave her had all her hairs standing on end. “The son of the queen of bitches.”
She couldn’t agree more, about him, about his mother. But she hadn’t thought he would admit it.
She exhaled. “That you are.”
Unperturbed, even satisfied by her corroboration, his smile widened. “So you realize what I would do to gain my objectives? Or do you need a demonstration?”
She wrestled with the overwhelming urge to knee him.
Knowing glittered in his eyes, threatened to snap her control. “My sudden appearance rattled you. That got you defensive, and that made you angry. You only want me to go so you can regroup.”
One little kneeing. Surely it wouldn’t be too damaging. To her position.
She exhaled. “Go away, Haidar.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Why?”
Why? “You want the reasons alphabetized?”
“Just pull out a random one.”
“Because I want you to.”
“We already established that’s a false claim.”
“I have no interest in what you established, and no intention of arguing its merit.”
“Your prerogative. Mine is waiting until you give me a reason I can accept.”
“Who says you have to accept anything?”
He cocked his head, a thoughtful cast to his steel
This was so unfair. That he could talk now as superlatively as he did everything else. But she was no slouch in that department.
Before she could find anything to say, he said, “Repeat after me. ‘It’s all in the past and will you please come in, Haidar?’”
“It’s all in the past, and will you please go away, Haidar?”
He gave her one last brooding glance. Then he turned around.
He-he was…leaving?
She watched him walk away, got a more comprehensive load of his…assets as he receded. A being of such beauty and power and grace just looking at him had such longing clamping her chest.
He was yanking her chain. He couldn’t have decided to take her marching orders. Haidar didn’t give up. He didn’t know how.
Before he made the left that would take him out of sight, he stopped.
Her heart revved a jumble of beats. Would he…?
He turned, rung the bell of her farthest neighbor.
What the hell…?
Without stopping, he retraced his steps, stopped by the two other apartments, rang their bells, too.
Then he moved to the middle of the hall, semi-facing her, calmly sweeping his gaze across all doors.
Before his actions could sink in, one door opened. Then another did. The last followed in seconds.
Then her neighbors, and just her luck, the female component, stood staring at Haidar. Their wariness turned to amazement as recognition dawned.
Haidar let them marinate in it before he said, “Sorry for disturbing you, ladies. I wasn’t sure which apartment I wanted.”
Roxanne’s jaw dropped. Or dropped further. Where did that accent come from? He sounded like a redneck!
“Oh my God! You’re him!” Susan Gray, the forty-something CEO of the Azmaharian branch of a multi-national construction company babbled like a teenager, “You’re Prince Haidar Aal Shalaan!”
Haidar shook his regal head, making his mane undulate in a swish of silk, on purpose she was sure. “Oh, I’m just his doppelganger. I was paid five grand online by some lady who wants to act out her fantasy of dominating him. I usually come for less, but I charged extra since she wants to get real kinky. I was given this address, the floor, but not the number of the condo. So which of you has a thing for this Haidar guy?”
Her neighbors gaped at him, at each other, then finally, at her. She was the one in the bathrobe, after all.
Her brain, her every faculty were too zapped to function. But she had to. If she didn’t do something, that…that…madman would demolish her image. And his own.
She staggered out of her apartment, her perspiring bare feet making her advance on the polished marble precarious.
He watched her with feigned uncertainty. “Oh, it’s you?” His gaze swept her in what looked like earnest assessment. “Somehow thought you wouldn’t be a babe. So why can’t find guys to dominate the regular way? Hey…you’re not nuts, are you?”
He looked for confirmation from her neighbors as she stumbled the last step to him, grabbed him by the lapel of his jacket.
He pretended to ward her off. “Whoa, lady. The deal is degradation in private. Public displays will cost you extra.”
She winced at her neighbors, expending all her restraint on not thumping that huge lout. “Sorry, ladies. Haidar is an old friend, regretfully. I left him eight years ago without a sense of humor, but seems he’s contracted some prankster terminal disease. Seems he thinks this is the most fun way to say long time no see.”
She was dragging him toward her apartment while she talked, for the second time in her life wishing grounds yawned open and swallowed people. The other time had also involved him.
He resisted her, looked back at her neighbors imploringly. “I don’t know this dame. Is she dangerous?” She smacked him hard on the arm. “Hey! We agreed on domination not abuse!”
The son of a literal royal bitch was making it worse with every word out of his mouth.
Who was she kidding? It was irretrievable already. God.
She could think of nothing to say but “Shut up, Haidar.”
He looked down at her, eyes morphing from vapid porn-actor mode to a dozen devils’ cunning. “I’m a working dude, lady. Show me some respect. When I’m not on the clock, that is.”
Her neighbors’ expressions kept yoyo-ing from the verge of bursting into laughter, finding his prank hilarious, to wondering if their neighbor did have a kinky, or worse, side to her.
“You win, OK?” she grumbled for his ears only. “Now stop with the act, take your bows and let the ladies get on with their evening.”
He raised his voice for all to hear. “So you’ll pay extra if I start pretending I am this Haidar guy right now?”
“Ooh!” She shoved him ahead of her across her threshold.
This time he surrendered to her manhandling, clung to the edge of the door, addressed them over her head, “Do you mind checking up on me in an hour’s time?”
She shot her flabbergasted neighbors another dying of embarrassment glance, dragged him away from the door, slammed it.
Then she rounded on him.
His grin split his impossibly gorgeous face. “I did warn you. Next time, give in gracefully.”
 

Aaaaand we're back to our scheduled transmission…

You can find THE SHEIKH'S REDEMPTION on Amazon here http://tinyurl.com/7h659su and on eHarlequin here http://tinyurl.com/bnt6ouv

In other news also have a Nocturne CRAVINGS out in ebook format only, IMMORTAL, INSATIABLE, INDOMITABLE with my take on Norse mythology, and guess what… the hero serves our favorite god of mischief, Loki!

On Amazon here http://tinyurl.com/6w35zhl On eHarlequin here http://tinyurl.com/6r9ghtw

I've also self-pubbed my first book SHOCK THERAPY, for those who loved my Dr. Calista St. James Silhouette Bombshell series (and those who want to read high-octane medical thriller/Mission-Impossible Style action-adventure with explosively hot romance!) http://tinyurl.com/82khn9n

Also read the great reviews I got for them here http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/405461.Olivia_Gates

I'd love to hear your opinions on my books, or just about anything at all!

Oh, and btw, I'm giving away THREE copies of THE SHEIKH'S REDEMPTION (US residents only, sorry about that!!)

Let the questions and comments roll!

First, thanks for having me here at Coffee Time Romance! A very Happy Anniversary to you! I'm going to grab a mocha — nothing like a little chocolate fix to go with your coffee, right? What's your pleasure? *g*

In 2004, when CTR opened its doors, I was a junior in college. Romance novels served as a much-needed escape from organic chemistry lab write-ups and essays on the history of photography, but I hadn’t seriously considered writing one. Obviously, a lot can change in eight years!

Like my heroine, Olivia, in Tempting the Marquess, I am a list maker, so…

A (Somewhat Arbitrary) List of 8 Things That Have Changed

Since CTR Opened 8 Years Ago

1. I am no longer in college.
2. Not only am I no longer in college, I’ve finished graduate school and have a degree in library science.
3. I have written books. Yes, plural. And had them published. And people have read them. This continues to be completely, wonderfully mind-blowing.
4. Thanks to the review sites like CTR, I’m a much more open-minded romance reader. Back in college, I read historicals almost exclusively, and they were nearly all Regency-set. Now I love paranormal romance and contemporary romance too. There are certain themes and plot-lines I enjoy more than others though, so reviews definitely help steer me in the right direction.
5. In 2004, all my romances were in print. Now, I read about 90% e-books/10% print. I was reluctant to get an e-reader at first, but I am a Kindle convert. I love knowing I can take my “Keeper Shelf” with me wherever I go, and I’ve discovered great new (and new-to-me) authors by downloading really inexpensive or free e-books.
6. There’s this thing called Twitter. (I tweet as @sara_lindsey). Oh, and Facebook happened as well. (Okay, as a college student, I actually had access to Facebook when it started in 2004, but it wasn’t generally available until 2006.) The explosion of social media is a pretty big change…
7. Two words: Downton Abbey. How did I live before the Dowager Countess of Grantham came into my life, grumbling about week-ends and extolling her prize-winning roses?
8. Did I mention that I wrote books and had them published? And that people have read them? And– Oh, I did? Well, I’ll have another one out soon. A Rogue for All Seasons will be my third book about the Weston family. You can find out more about it and read an excerpt on my website.

In honor of CTR's anniversary, I'm giving away a signed copy (print) of my first book about the Westons, Promise Me Tonight. Lori from CTR gave it 5 cups, and I remember that this was actually the first review that I received for the book. I was on a family vacation when I got the email with the review, and I was so wired and happy, it was probably like I'd actually had those 5 cups of coffee… Sorry, fam!

What are some great books that you've found through online reviews that you might not have found otherwise, or that you might not have taken a chance on if the reviewers hadn't raved about them? 

Eight years ago, I’d just completed the rewrite of Moons’ Kiss, which meant I faced unknown territory:  query writing.  The articles I read online said that successful queries focused upon the protagonist and his/her journey, so already I had a problem.  Moons’ Kiss is the story of three men.  I thought I could pick one and tell his story, letting the other two tag along for the ride.

Wrong!

No matter how I told Kayarra’s story, Manerra and Aya crept in.  I tried telling only Manerra’s story:  the other two crept in. 

Hmmm.  Romance queries recount the lives of a hero and heroine.  If they could do it, I could do it with Manerra and Kayarra’s antagonism.

            Wrong!

            Without Aya’s decrees, Manerra wouldn’t have done some of the things he did, and Kayarra would have made different choices.

Meanwhile, agent and publisher rejections proved that each query version lacked some essential element that I didn’t know how to include given the conventional wisdom and advice.

Then, lying in bed one morning, I experienced an epiphany.

Reader complaints about Science Fiction often had to do with its characters:  how un- or under-developed they were.  That’s because SF deals primarily with ideas, and often one Big Idea.  Characters were, too often, pawns used to convey that Big Idea.

While Moons’ Kiss used fully developed characters, it was SF at its core.  Despite Manerra, Aya, and Kayarra’s choices and how quickly or slowly they learned, ultimately, the book was about the revelations that led to an understanding of the book’s Big Idea.  Finally, I knew how to write the query.

The first successful query used no character names.  That one worked for the ebook, but my print book editor needed a longer blurb for the book’s back cover.  I panicked anew.  In order to lengthen my blurb, I had to revisit Aya, Manerra, and Kayarra.  She rejected my first two versions.  “It needs to be longer,” she kept saying.  And, “It needs to raise questions in a reader’s mind.”  Frustrated, I plunged back in and finally . . . finally . . . by focusing on one character and his paragraph at a time, I came up with a blurb approved by three different readers.  And this time, it took me a week instead of eight years to figure it out.

From Moons’ Kiss by Kimberly K. Comeau:

Camp now alerted, the three women converged to meet him, Shurna and Yutrenta leaving the flock, Denassa angling from the fire pit.  Hurried walks became runs when they spotted the body crushing his knees.

Denassa arrived first.  She reached toward the man-thing, then gasped and jerked back.  Her reaction made him realize that she, too, had been fooled by the white clothing.  Then Yutrenta and Shurna arrived, Shurna grabbing the shuren's cheek strap while Yutrenta laid hands on the man-thing.

Yutrenta's, "What happened?" overrode Denassa's, "What is that?"

Manerra dropped the reins and swung a leg over the shuren's croup.  He intended to dismount while the women were distracted, but Shurna's, "You're hurt!" dashed that hope.  He turned toward Shurna, who stared at the gap where the knife had cut his robes.  Too much dried blood stiffened the fabric to belittle the injury.

"Manerra!"

All attention jerked toward that horror-filled cry.  Aya ran toward them.  He slowed to a rapid walk only after his attention locked onto Manerra’s face.

"Shon regis," Manerra answered, his throat clamping down so hard on the formal title that it emerged as little more than a whisper.

"Take the shuren to the tent," Yutrenta ordered Shurna.  A stained cloth fluttered from Yutrenta's hand.  She had removed the head bandage in the few moments Manerra's attention had been diverted.

The shuren stepped forward, blocking Manerra’s view of his brother.  He started to follow, but Aya's, "Manerra, wait!" stopped him.  He obediently waited while Aya approached, helpless to control the hope and resentment that shredded his emotions.  More than anything, he wanted assurance that Aya's fear for his safety came from love and not from an obligatory duty to safeguard Acrahh's son.

"Remove your robes."

That order came before Aya stopped walking.  It was a parent's order to a child, or a husband's order to his wife, not one of respect between men.  Manerra blushed hotly and started toward the tent.

Aya grabbed Manerra’s shoulder.

Manerra yelled, twisted in Aya's grip and went to his knees, tear-blinded, left arm cradled in the right.

"Manerra!" Aya dropped to his knees beside him and began tugging the cords that laced the front of his travel robe.  Manerra tried to twist away, which only got him a terse, "Stop!"

Denassa was suddenly on her knees in front of him, gripping his arm and demanding, "What's wrong?" then untying the laces of the dress robe Aya's efforts uncovered.

"I got hit by a rock," he confessed before their combined efforts succeeded in uncovering the bruise.

"Thrown by that one?" Aya jerked his head in the direction of the retreating shuren.

"No.  The man-thing was to have been their supper."

Aya stopped unlacing his travel robe.

"Manteen?" Denassa gasped.

"How many?" Aya's voice went cold.  Manerra resisted an urge to look into Aya’s face, not wanting to see his disapproval.  He was shecaren.  There was no other.  His death could plunge the nation into a power struggle that the janquer might not be able to contain.  He'd heard it all.  He didn't want to hear it again.  He had trained in weaponry for . . . the efficient butcher of cacti?  As a topic for conversation?

"Seven."

Aya pulled the dress robe off his shoulder just then, so Manerra did not know whether Denassa's gasp came in response to the number or the injury.  Manerra did not crane his neck to look at the bruise.  It was enough that he knew its ache.  He flinched when Denassa reached for his shoulder, but she only lifted his veil off his neck.

"That was an irresponsible risk."

Manerra stood up so quickly that Denassa's fingernails scraped his chest.  "Damn it, Aya!"  He stumbled back a step, choked into silence by a flood of protests that wouldn't sort themselves.  The single, blasphemous curse hung between them like a wall; Tackta's legacy–a thing Aya despised.

Manerra slammed the air with his fist. "I knew they were hunters. I'm not so stupid that I challenged them on the ground.  I thought that thing," he stabbed a finger toward the tent, "was Thurrang.  Don’t you tell me to wear the mantle of stewardship?  Today, I did.  But even when I do what you want, I'm wrong."  He took half a step toward Aya, rocked from heel to ball, then whirled and headed toward the tent.  Why had he returned?  Why couldn't he have kept going?

Because no man would harbor a shecaren without strong persuasion.

Why did Tackta not kill me when he had the chance?

Manerra, run!

With his mother's scream ringing in memory, Manerra veered away from the trap the tent represented.  How old was he then?  Three sun years?  Four?  Regardless, he had needed no second urging.  He singed his hand on the hot rock behind which he'd crouched in his haste to comply.  Terror was his goad, fed as much by Matera's hysteria as by knowledge of Tackta's intentions should he be caught.  But an unexpected awareness that the desert toward which he ran was a danger he couldn't survive made him stumble, and a fist closed upon the fabric covering his shoulder.  He twisted and bit like a snake and Tackta released him with a curse.

"No!" Matera jumped on Tackta's back trying to stop him.  "No!"  But Tackta shook her off like so much of a nuisance and his foot in her face ended her interference.

Manerra watched, too terrified to scream.  He bolted, while tears distorted the desert growth.  He only wished Tackta to follow him and leave his mother alone.  There was no real hope of escape.  There never was.  His legs were too short and Tackta's, too long.  Tackta caught the back of his robe and hit him close-fisted when he slued about.  Manerra remembered Tackta's grunts as he swung and the acrid stench of Tackta’s sweat, but not the pain of the blows.

After the beating, Tackta staggered away, leaving him curled on his side with his face in the sand.  Matera crept to him and with a tentative hand, wiped blood-adhered sand from his brow and cheek.  Her expression, her blood, terrified him.  He sniffled and she lifted him from the ground, clutched him to her breast and rocked–without words and without tears–as if shock were communication and empathy enough.  Only then did he feel pain:  an excruciating hurt.

Do you have questions about my writing journey, Moons’ Kiss, or something personal?  I’ll be giving away a copy of Moons’ Kiss to two people who comment on this post.  I look forward to talking with you!

Eight years ago, I had not started to write. I did not own a lap top, I did not know what a blog was. Nobody in my extended family owned a cell phone, I had no idea what high speed was.

My,  how things change.

The first order of business on the way to a writing career was to get Beloved Offspring (then sixteen years old) behind the wheel. For this purpose I bought a Toyota Tundra pick up truck. They have great crash test statistics and can pull a small horse trailer. Perfect, I thought—until the kid tried to learn to parallel park a half ton truck.

She’s in a Prius now, and I’m driving that truck and loving it. I drove the truck cross country to various international horse shows with my daughter riding shot gun. That truck has gotten lost in the Big Horn Mountains (unbelievable alpine flowers there), and taken me to court for more child welfare cases than I can count. It took me to visit Darling Daughter when she lived in Seattle, and it has taken me to see her now that she’s attending school in Denver.

The next order of business on the way to a writing career was to acquire a lap top. For this purpose, I started managing licensed dressage horse shows, because a lap top all those years ago could easily cost $3000. (And we call those the good old days?) The horse shows were hard work, fun, and a way to contribute to a sport where I had no ambition to excel as a competitor. I still own a horse, I ditched the show management when the writing began to go somewhere.

And, if one is going to pursue the status of published author, one really ought to write.

The writing started probably five or six years ago, purely for my own enjoyment. My house has no television, no DVD player and I do not understand what TIVO is. For recreation, I read romance novels, same as I have been doing for forty years. When the absence of a child underfoot and a certain competence on the job came together (I’ve been doing child welfare law for about twenty years), it occurred to me that….

I could write a book.

So I did. I wrote about twenty of them in just a few years, and what fun I did have. One book piled in on top of another, then another, and each book gave me ideas for spin offs and sequels and prequels. One fine day after my brother had been nagging me for a couple of years to attempt publication, I joined RWA and signed up for the local chapter’s retreat. This would have been in 2009.

I met an editor at the retreat, she liked my stuff, and “The Heir” came out in December 2010. In the past eighteen months, Sourcebooks, Inc., has published five books for me, the most recent being this month’s release of “Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal.” Sourcebooks plans to issue about another fifteen titles for me in the next few years.

Life now is wonderful, sweet and very busy—I hope the next eight years provide me a lot more of same!

What about you? Have your last eight years been eventful, placid, a mixed bag? Where do you want to be eight years from now? We’re giving away signed copies of my most recent release, “Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal,” to commenters.