Summer Shorts!

Life is crazy busy these days and it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day juggle of all our responsibilities. Often we don’t have the luxury of an hour, or sometimes day, long reading binge. Then right when you’re at the best moment in the book, Especially when your brain is obsessing over what happened to the character in the book you were just reading.

Short stories are the perfect solution for those nights when you think “I’m going to start this book but just another chapter or two” and then it’s 2am and you have to get up in four hours knowing you’re going to get exhausted at work the next day.

It’s the instant gratification of being able to enjoy a story in the tub and be relaxed when you get out safe and secure in the knowledge that the characters are living their happily ever after.

As an author, I love building the rush between the characters exploring love at first sight or the moment when the character loose as a friend and realizes there is so more more to them than friendship. The challenge of making it realistic or at least plausible capturing that moment for my readers to experience. 

My newest release is tomorrow and I loved the theme of the short stories included in this anthology. Mature couples! Writing about a heroine I can personally relate to made this even more enjoyable. While you don't have to be in your 40's to enjoy these stories, they are a celebration of love at every point in our lives. 

Release Date June 27th!!

In the world of working women and glass ceilings, these heroines have kept their eye on the prize. Until now. The prize has suddenly shifted, and they're ready to break the rules, and get wild. From past loves, to forbidden strangers, these good girls are swooning for bad boys, and you're invited to join in.

From 12 NYT and USA Today bestselling authors, these tales of seduction will leave you panting for more...
Featuring stories from: Adaline Raine, Elizabeth Kirke, Ever Coming, Kate Richards, Katherine Deane, Kayleigh Malcolm, Krista Ames, Michele Ryan, Monica Corwin, Nicole Morgan, Tina Donahue, and TL Reeve

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MEANT TO BE – Kayleigh Malcolm

Cassandra Jakes’ career gave her more satisfaction than her ex ever did. Making time for relationships was pointless, because at her age, Mr Second Chance wouldn’t be an easy find. She’d kept her inner bad girl locked in a cage for so long, there was no easy way to change that now.  

Remy Moraes had a two week maximum on any relationship and enjoyed the fact that no one expected a commitment from him. Cassandra was the only woman who could have tempted him to stray from his eternal bachelordom, but she was too far out of his league.

When Remy interrupts Cassandra’s solo camping trip, the two of them fall into an erotic weekend of unbridled passion. Returning to the world of indoor plumbing, they both have a lot of baggage to unpack. Can they work out their differences and accept they were meant to be?

Excerpt:

Forest air tasted different, Cassandra inhaled deeply and smiled. It smelled better up here too. No car exhaust, city structures, rush hour, or gridlock. A 20 minute hike into the woods to her site had her almost light headed though. Especially since she did it twice in order to get most of her gear up to her site, the rest she left in the car. After only a couple of nasty swear words her tent was up and food stored away in the bear boxes, the last thing she wanted to do was to have any big fuzzies show up for a visit.

            Why didn’t she ever think of this sooner? The sun was setting over the mountains painting the sky in shades of purple and red. A perfect end to a beautiful day after spending the afternoon wandering along the marked trails, and enjoyed the simple beauty around her. 

The only smudge to the picture perfect sunset was a large black cloud formation in the sky adjacent to the vibrant shades. The weatherman hadn’t said anything about bad weather yesterday and she hadn’t double checked this morning. A little rain never hurt anyone. 

With a small fire going in the safety pit, she relaxed in her chair and read. Around her the forest was alive with sounds of little critters and hooting owls. There were already a couple chipmunks she’d bribed a return by tossing a handful of peanuts on the table for them.  She reached for her cell to call Jenny only to find it wasn’t in her pocket. Damn, she vaguely remembered tossing it on the passenger seat. That hike could wait till morning.

            A bottle of Alsatian Gewürztraminer sat on the cooler, a partially filled glass next to it. She held her hotdog over the crackling flame, toasting it perfectly on all sides, a bun in her lap already with horseradish mayo on it. This was the life, no worrying about what her breath would smell like, or if she made a mess. It was going to be a perfect weekend.

            A flash lit up the sky above her, followed moments later by a deep roar of thunder. She loved thunderstorms and her earlier thought of crawling into her tent with some of her toys crossed her mind again. She wished she was brave enough to go at right here and now, there was the slim possibility that someone might stumble across her. Exhibitionism was not her thing, neither was voyeurism. Both embarrassed her and that had been one of the nails in the coffin her marriage had been buried in. Karl was willing to do anything anywhere. Getting caught by a stranger while playing with herself was an intriguing fantasy but not one she wanted to experience. Unless it was Rémy….no! Not Rémy. She could feel her cheeks burning and was certain the heat from the fire didn’t have anything to do with it. Rémy Moraes was a fantasy all on his own and one that would have to stay that way.

****

            Rémy was going to throttle Jenny Jakes and her mother Cassandra.  The former because the silly twit had run off and gotten herself married in Vegas of all places. No doubt she had some Elvis impersonator do it too. His daughter, Tiffany had filled him in on a few details. Flighty and irresponsible. Apparently Jenny’s boyfriend/now husband had his feet a bit more on the ground, but then after this latest stunt he was going to have to question that previous impression. If this was a grand gesture to win Jenny’s affections back, the man was an idiot.

            Anyone could have seen that Jenny had been pining for him. Moping around, bursting into tears at the slightest mention of him. As much as he loved Jenny, and considered her like another daughter, whenever she came by to cry on Tiffany’s shoulder, he’d beat a quick escape from the house.

            Contrary to his long time impression, apparently Cassandra was as flighty as her daughter. Taking off on a solo camping trip? What was she thinking? She wouldn’t know the difference between a hatchet and a hammer. No doubt almost chopped all her toes off by now trying to break a stump into kindling while wearing a pair of dainty strappy sandals on her delicate feet. That thought distracted him enough that he almost drifted into a tree. Damn, she had sexy calves too, terrible thing if she cut herself.  Shit! He snapped his attention back to the road steering his truck off the gravel shoulder. His wipers barely keeping up with the onslaught of rain pounding against his windshield.

            Goddamn, that woman always had that effect on him. Ever since highschool, when she’d been far too good of a girl for him to ever consider speaking to. She’d hugged the walls when she walked, her head in a book. A riot of black curls surrounded her pale skin, she’d never strayed far from her pack of silly twittering girlfriends. Even at that age he’d know she’d doing more with her life that he ever would. She had a seriousness about her and a drive to succeed he later found out was from her parents high expectations. She'd done well for herself and matured into an incredible woman.

            It wasn’t that she was a snob or anything. Cassandra Banks was a delicate hot house flower and he spent his days as a National Park Ranger. He loved his job, loved being outdoors and to get involved with someone more comfortable in a boardroom then in a forest wouldn’t be fair to either of them. But, here he was driving out into the middle of nowhere at ten at night to find a woman because she’s failed to ensure her phone had a signal. He’d do the same thing for anyone else who’d called him concerned about a family member. She’s not going to drown or get struck by lightning, be attacked by bears, starve, or die of exposure.

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A Day by the Falls #RTF17

One of my favourite parts of being an author is book signings. I love meeting new people, or meeting people for the first time after talking to them for months over FB. Life as an author is very solitary and often we don't get to meet the people who read our books, and I cherish every moment I get to spend with them. Readers take time out of their lives to come and see us and that isn't something I'd ever take for granted.

Reader events are an amazing opportunity to connect with fellow authors and readers all in the same spot. Here in Southern Ontario there aren't that many events for us, but over the last couple years more and more have popped up. A trend I hope will grow. Romancing the Falls was on May 20th in Niagara Falls and I was fortunate to be a part of it.

There were so many authors there and as a reader a great many of them I wanted to fangirl over :) but sadly I didn't have enough time to visit them all. I missed out on hugging some of my friends too, there was so much going on all day. Major huge props to the volunteers at the event. They were constantly running around checking on all the authors, delivering candy and water which I thought was so incredibly thoughtful. There was a delivery of chocolate covered licorice which I freaking loved! I ate mine...and then my husband's when he wasn't looking. When I confessed my indiscretion to Marianne Maguire, she gave me hers to cover for me. LoL It might have worked...except I ended up eating that one too.

The entire day rushed by like a whirlwind. My cheeks were hurting at one point from all the laughter and smiles. I connected with a bunch of new friends who I'm looking forward to getting to know better. My table neighbors were Shannyn Leah and Marianne Maguire. Amazing women who I loaded onto my Kobo as soon as I could.

 Freya organized a cookbook of author donated recipes and silent auction was held to support the local food bank. There was over $1400. raised, which I think is amazing! This time of year food donations really start to slump and there are so many families that will benefit from this.

Dinner that night was delish and I'm sure the speed I stuffed my face made it obvious! (I was so hungry, I could've chewed the ears off a gundark.) A photo booth was set up which is always a lot of fun. There was Karaoke and there was some damn talented women up there singing along. Also Cassia Brightmore was filmed for a Q&A production.

Personally, I know how good an event was by how inspired I am to get back to my books afterwards. To give you a bit of an indication how I feel...Currently I have 3 books open under this page, that I'm currently working on. Yup, THREE. My muse is stoked and nattering away in my ear and I can't wait to get these books finished. 💗💗💗

Ignite Your Soul is coming up in September in London, Ontario. I hope to see you there!

When the bough breaks - Musings on deadlines and other mayhem

All was going well in my little world. Things seemed to be under control, and then… I looked at a calendar. Panic kicked in, along with the tearing of hair, flailing of limbs, and a fair bit of cursing. How did it get to be May already? I had ages left to finish this book. I had a month to prepare for a major software upgrade at work. There was a plan, dammit!

As you may have guessed, as so often happens, my plan didn’t survive contact with reality. I was out on a limb, and that sucker broke, sending me into freefall.

The software upgrade at my day job devolved into chaos and frustration as the work piled up and the promised technical support and training failed to appear. My desk currently looks a tsunami of paper hit it. There are teetering piles of documents, a plethora of sticky notes, and a desktop Zen garden that currently has a frowny face raked into the sand (I didn’t do it.)

As a result of the situation at work, my muse went AWOL. Not really a surprise, she’s a delicate creature prone to fits of whimsy at the best of times. I spend a fair amount of my time cajoling her out of hiding with cookies and long hours spent looking through stock photos staring at pictures of hot guys. (We romance authors like to call this ‘seeking inspiration.’)

My next book, Three of a Kind, will be finished on time with or without the help of my muse. (If she stays gone, that means more cookies for me!) To make it all work, a few things have gone out the window in the last few weeks. Housework went first, and then carefully planned meals. I’m eating take-out in front of my computer most nights, or dining on chips, dips and whatever unlikely combinations of food I can find in the cupboards. I’m even drinking Soylent these days. (No, it’s not made from people…Apparently, it’s vegan!)

So, my condo is a mess, my diet is that of a teenage boy, and my new motto for everything is “I’ll deal with that after the book is finished.” If this is adulting done right, then I would like a refund, please. This isn’t what I was promised in the brochure. Staying up late, eating what I wanted, when I wanted, and wearing pj’s while the sun is still up all sounded a lot more fun than they really are. On the plus side, there is wine. (and when this book is done, there will also be tequila!)

Despite the chaos, stress, and occasional deadline-induced nightmare (and here I thought those would stop after college.) I am grateful. I’m living my dream of being a writer and sharing my stories with the world. My life is messy, magical mayhem, and I wouldn’t change a thing. (Except maybe the nightmares where I show up naked and running late for imaginary appointments. Really, those could go.)

As for my muse, I indulged in a little procrasti-baking at nine o’clock last night and whipped up a batch of chocolate shortbread cookies. The fickle creature showed up by the time they were out of the oven. Now if only I could figure out a way to summon cleaning fairies, I’d be set. Do you think they’d show up for brownies?

Greetings from the West Coast by @SHayesRomance

Hi!

I’m Susan Hayes, and I’m one of the new authors invited to join the Romance Eh, blog this year. I’ve lived my whole life on B.C.’s west coast, and most of that time I’ve called Victoria my home. Yes, I’m an islander, born and raised. We’re a unique breed, considered a little quirky even by west coast standards. Part of that uniqueness comes from the fact we live in one of the only parts of this vast country that doesn’t experience a true Canadian winter.

Snowfall warnings here are likely to incite citywide panic, and at the first sight of actual flurries, the city shuts its collective doors and flees for the safety of our homes. That’s what’s going on today, as I write this blog. There’s a chance of flurries in the forecast, and as a result, the city has gone quiet. Everyone is staring up at the clouds, waiting for the first dreaded flake to appear.

This was the view from my parent’s window on Christmas Day. Technically, it was a white Christmas by Victoria standards. (If you look closely, there are a few patches of white in all that green…really!)

Christmas quail - No, we didn't show them what we did to the turkey...

While everyone else in town was preparing for snow, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my new book, Wild Card, Book #3 in my sci-fi romance series, The Drift. *cue trumpets and dancers cavorting in celebration.* I write across a few genres, including contemporary and fantasy, but deep down I know my favourites are science fiction and paranormal romances. Just, don’t tell the other genres, I don’t want to hurt their feelings!

According my dad, it’s all my mom’s fault that I am a geek. She had me watching the original Star Trek before my eyes could even focus properly, and the year Star Wars came out, the only Halloween costume I wanted was Princess Leia. I grew up watching and reading everything I could about alternative worlds and possible futures where magic was real, and a princess could still be a badass with a laser gun. These days, I get to tell my own stories, and one of the many things I’ve carried with me is a love of strong heroines. Women from all walks of life who aren’t afraid to do what needs to be done instead of waiting for the hero (or in some cases, heroes) to save them.

If you’d like to check out one of my heroines: Double Down,  Book one of the Drift Series is free right now: 

Free Book

See you next month, and until then, stay warm, be happy, and take time to read!

Happy reading,

Susan

http://susanhayes.ca

Susan lives on Vancouver Island, off the Canadian west coast where the waters are patrolled by orcas and the sighting of snowflakes leads to citywide panic. She’s jumped out of perfectly good airplanes on purpose and accidently swum with sharks on the Great Barrier Reef.

If the world ends, she plans to survive as the spunky, comedic sidekick to the heroes of the new world, because she’s too short and out of shape to make it on her own for long.

Winter Blahs...

I hate winter ...which is funny since I should be somewhat used to it as a Canadian right? And one who has lived in Canada for *cough* 39 *cough* years.

I still hate it. Yuck. There are baby pictures of me in a snowsuit, crying. It's true.

I recently did 23andMe genealogy tests and I'm a mix of Fennoscandian (Viking basically) & English on my mother's side and Algonquin/Cree and French on my father's side. He's from way, way, up in northern Ontario ...like where the road ends.

Genetically speaking, I was made for winter.

I really hate winter.

However, I love me some Canadian summers. My CP is from Jamaica and she thinks our lakes are too cold in the summer. Even when it's stifling out, she thinks I was nuts launching myself into Lake Huron or Erie. Okay, I admit Lake Superior is cold, but once the numbness goes away it's quite pleasant. LOL

When I went on the Great Canadian Road Trip a couple years ago through the prairies and to Alberta, I fell in love with the west. I said to my husband, I would move here in a heartbeat. I love it.

Then he reminded me about winter. Drat.

I also, in a sad twist of fate, love the north. I'm obsessed with the north. In fact my debut book with Harlequin was set in the winter in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

I write about winter, but I still get the serious winter blahs.

I might also be the only Canadian who doesn't skate, but really you don't want to see an almost six foot woman who is dressed like Randy from a Christmas Story (because I don't like the cold) falling down on hard ice and crying much like Randy did from that same movie.



So like a smart, sunlight deprived, winter complainer I try and write stories set in the south during the winter. Last winter, I got to travel (in my mind only sadly) to Miami, Florida with my newest release Alejandro's Sexy Secret.

There is a method to my madness. My winter books get written in the summer on blistering hot days and my sunny books in the winter, when it's -40 and the wind is howling like some kind of demented banshee and end up sounding a bit like Burgess Meredith from Grumpy Old Men when people come and knock on my door. Actually, the below scene is pretty accurate to me in the winter, fair warning.



Well, I may not be made for winter, but I sure as heck love being a Canadian!

How do you fight winter blahs? Or summer blahs? I know some people prefer winter over summer. I want to know.

Born and raised just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Amy fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams.

After the birth of her second child, Amy was lucky enough to realize her life long dream of becoming a romance author. When she's not furiously typing away at her computer, she's a mom to three wonderful children who use her as a personal taxi and chef.

@ruttanamy
www.amyruttan.com

Bound4Ireland - How to piece the past and present all together by Tricia Daniels (@TDanielsAuthor)

Ireland October 2016

If you missed my last blog post on how the Bound4Ireland story came to be written, you may want to go back to last month and give it a read first. This segment might make more sense... or no sense at all. You may decide I'm completely crazy. lol

Let's continue... The message: It's time to let love in.

It's true. A failed marriage left me feeling about as low as a girl can feel. In my mind I had been a horrible wife, rotten mother and disappointment as a daughter. For survival purposes only, I locked it all down. Stopped feeling. Kept everyone at a distance. It was just easier. Now my struggle had become being haunted by my past life and dealing with my current one. That was a previous post as well. lol

I'm not going to lie, there were times I would wake from these dreams, (or memories if you choose to believe,) crying.  I never really figured out if it was because I remembered how it felt to be loved so completely... or if it was because I was afraid that I'd never find that love in this life. Maybe, just maybe that was part of the message. To remember that I am worthy of love.

I've already confessed that I'm not a literary genius. In fact, for the most part spelling and grammar despise me. Writing down my thoughts and dreams became more therapeutic then I could have ever imagined. A friend convinced me that it was a story that I needed to share. I had two concerns. Since I was only writing for myself, my story was pretty much a 191K word, single paragraph. Secondly, how do I write this story so that people would want to read it? I pieced together my thoughts and dreams and it all started to come together. Past life and current life started to make sense.

Some random things about the story that you should know. 1. A few characters in this story are based on real people in my life. 2. The extent of the abuse our heroin suffers is fiction, her ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) is not. 3. This is not a historical romance. It's a modern day story about two soulmates drawn to each other in this life. The dream sequences in the story are the actual dreams (or memories according to the psychic) that I've had about two people in love, a long time ago, in a land far away.  Ireland.

Next month, I'll introduce you to the main heroin, Olivia James. Sometimes we write a little too much of ourselves into our characters. lol

Intrigued? The Bound4Ireland collection is now available in one ebook with a bonus short story. Right now you can preorder it for the low price of $2.99 USD on Amazon for a limited time. That's the entire eseries plus the Valentines short story for the cost of just one ebook. Don't wait.... This is the perfect series to read before the Holidays. You'll just have to trust me on that one. No Spoilers. lol

Bound4Ireland Collection on Amazon
Bound4Ireland Collection on Smashwords

Until next time!  Live your life so that it's a story worth telling... Even if you encounter a few non-believers. Choose to believe in love...