Friday Fun: Meet author Mac Crowne!

Please help me welcome my friend, the talented MACKENZIE CROWNE! She's brought her SOON To Be released, GIFT OF THE REALM, a paranormal romance.
You can learn about Mac at http://macsmadmania.blogspot.com/
and I'm sure she'll let us all know the release date there too!

Thanks for being here today, Mac!

If you were going to cast the hero of your book, what actor would get the part?

So many choices. Hmmm, let’s see, Colin Quinn, who are you? I could go with Timothy Olyphant, just because I’ve loved him in his various roles. Of course, there is Russell Crowe, wowser, and Pierce Brosnan has always done it for me. Am I showing my age? But when I think of Quinn, I think of his smile.  Eric Dane would have to be it.

Do you believe in love at first sight or just lust at first sight?

You know, I’ve never really given it a lot of thought but I think lust at first sight is a precursor to love, don’t you? Okay, so you may not end up in love with all of those hotties out there who catch your eye, but that one? Oh yeah, my one definitely kicked up a little heat before love took hold.

What music are you listening to lately?

If you ask my boys they’ll tell you I find new music and play it to death before finding the next. My current favorite is the soundtrack to Burlesque. I’d never listened to Christina Aguilera before seeing the movie but, holy cow, can that girl sing. The movie is my current fave too, and hubby doesn’t mind my watching it over and over again, not with all the half naked burlesque singers doing their thing.

Tropical or European vacation?

Can’t I have both? I love the beach. Love it, love it, but I grew up in Boston and learned the value of seeping myself in history. My idea of the perfect vacation would be a Caribbean cruise followed by multiple sea days with stops in all those wonderful, ancient European ports. Of course, I’d want another swing through the Caribbean on the way home. Did I mention my friends call me Vacation Mac?

If you could switch places with one of your characters would you?

Hmmm, if I were to switch places with Keely O'Brian, my heroine in Gift of the Realm, I would suddenly be years younger. I’d be gorgeous, and as a Halfling, I’d have mystical gifts like the ability to zap myself from one place to another just by thinking. I’d live in an ancient cottage near the Irish coast, and a wicked-hot Halfling Irishman wouldn’t be able to resist me. That would be a yes! Of course I’d switch, and do so all the time! Isn’t that why we read and write after all?

What was the best advice you were given leading you to getting published?

Keep writing! Like everyone else, I received my share of form rejections, but I also received one early rejection that has always stuck with me. ‘While I can’t offer you a contract for this project, my advice is to keep writing,’ an editor told me. ‘You have a fun voice. Develop it. I look forward to seeing your name cross my desk again in the future.’ While I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant at the time, I kept writing and hopefully I’ve succeeded at following her advice.

I also have a question for visitors: In Gift of the Realm, Keely learns she is decedent from a fairie-human relationship, and as such she has magical gifts. Like her ability to zap herself anywhere by simply speaking a word, if you could have any magical gift, what would it be?

 

GIFT OF THE REALM ~ available spring ~ 2012
http://macsmadmania.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mackenzie-Crowne/167719346640372

Meet Author Kat Henry Doran & COOL Giveaway!!

Help me welcome author Kat Doran! She's brought her fantastic contemporary romance, MAD DOG and the ARCHANGEL, one I think you ladies who love a bad-boy hero will love! 


You can find out more about Kat and all her work at http://www.KatHenry.com
But come on back a visit with us for awhile:) Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a darling Cell Phone/iPad bag!


Thanks for being here today, Kat.

 

1.                    If I were to cast the hero of Mad Dog and the Archangel, I would want Lou Diamond Phillips. He's the only one who could play Rafe Archangeli, the Scourge of Summerville.

2.  People I meet or know run a high risk of ending up in my books. In my first full length novel, Captain Marvelous, I needed a head nurse in the ER and wanted a male nurse. He needed to be big all over with huge hands and a heart of mush. I used a cop I once worked with and adored; he later became the hero in Those Who Wait [a novella I wrote for Decadent Publishing, w/a Veronica Lynch]. I needed someone with a whippy sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye; Joe Murphy was perfect to play Keenan Rossi. On the negative side of the fence, a former boss became the heroine's snarky supervisor in Those Who Wait. I laughed my way through the two scenes that featured that bird. The former chief of police of the city where I've lived for the past 40 years became the COP for the three stories I wrote for the Class of 85 series, including Mad Dog and the Archangel.

3. Currently my two favorite actors are LievSchreiber and Daniel Craig. Total yummy both of them. Did you  them in Defiance? Wonderful. Toe crunch time.  

4.  I celebrated the release of my first book [Captain Marvelous] by getting rip roaring drunk. It was 2004, I was in Dallas at the RWA conference. My first book; my first time at RWA. 

5.  The music I'm currently listening to is governed by mood. If I'm having trouble in my love life, no one but Johnny Mathis does it for me. If I want to rock, it's Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. If I want to kick some ass it's the Eagles. If I'm feeling romantic, it's George Gershwin all the way. I'm trying to memorize the lyrics to “Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Americans for my current WIP. My grandchildren sing it with me, particularly the trumpet refrains of bump-bump-bump. I love the sound of their laughter and this song always does the trick.

.  6

I absolutely believe in love at first sight―but lust is a whole lot more fun, particularly in a book

7.  If I could trade places with any of my characters it would be Maggie McShane, the heroine in my second novel, Try Just Once More. I admire and respect her for the changes she's made in her life, including the summoning the courage to try just once more with hero Mike Brandt who is so sexy he makes my toenails curl. 

BLURB:   

Rafael Archangeli returns home to Summerville to bury an old friend, collect his inheritance, and then return to the only life he knows—conning wealthy women out of their money. In Rafe's world, money not only equals success, it goes a long way to obliterate the stigma of his past.

Grace Dunavan, former nun turned community activist, gave up worldly goods a long time ago with no regrets. But she's never known a man with the raw appeal of the Scourge of Summerville: Rafael Archangeli.

Their first meeting is like an errant strike of lightning, fierce and stunning in intensity, and takes both by surprise. Has Grace turned Rafe into a changed man? Or is he using his inheritance to pull off the biggest scam of his life?

EXCERPT:

          

            “The terms of the will demand the heirs be notified in person of the gifts, and stipulations pertaining to them, within one year of Mr. Thurgood's passing. You, Mr. Archangeli, are the first of the heirs to be found and notified.”

            After the night with Grace, topped off by the morning's revelation of her previous occupation, Rafe figured he'd best get his ass back to New York and put this stroll down memory lane behind him. “What is the inheritance?”

            Attorney Burke slid the file across the the desk at him. “The Thurgood Trust.”

            Rafe stared at the folder. A couple pieces of paper were worth getting his sister all nervous and jerky? “I don't understand.”

            “According to an audit completed just two days ago, it's worth nine hundred million dollars.”

            “So?”

            “Congratulations.” Burke's stony features belied the single word. “The Trust is yours.”

     If Rafe had been forced to come up with a last minute scam, this would top the list. “This isn't my first trip to the prom, Mr. Burke. In that I have better things to do with my time, thanks but no thanks.”

            The attorney's sigh was full and dramatic. Rafe had often used the same ploy. Easiest way to bring a mark over to the dark side is to act put upon. “When he learned his diagnosis was terminal, Mr. Thurgood decided to establish a charitable trust with the goal of meeting the needs of under-served populations in our community. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to manage the Trust.”

            Nine hundred million dollars.

LINKS:  my website: www.KatHenry.com

my blogsite:  www.WildWomanAuthor.blogspot.com

To purchase all my books, go to www.thewildrosepress.com and type in my name in the 'books by' box. 

Friday Fun - Meet author Victoria Gray!

Please help me welcome the talented, VICTORIA GRAY. She's brought her wonderful Civil War era story, SURRENDER TO YOUR TOUCH. (You ladies know how much I love that era!) Plus Victoria and I have the same taste in men ....Johnny Depp and Alex O'Loughlin. *sigh*

Victoria is going to give away 1 e-copy to a lucky winner, so be sure and leave your email with your comment.

You can find out all about Victoria at her website http://www.victoriagrayromance.com

Then come on back a visit with us:)

Thanks for being here today, Victoria !

Please tell us a little about your story, Surrender to Your Touch.

Will Reed is out to settle a brutal score. The disgraced Rebel officer's own men want him hanged, and an enemy has ordered him killed. Intent on clearing his name and evening the score with those who betrayed him, he begins with the woman he once loved—Union spy Kate Sinclair.

For years, Kate used seduction as a lure. She knew better than to let her heart get involved--until she fell in love with Will. Grieving his death, Kate's joy at discovering him alive shatters when she is confronted by a bitter, vengeful man—a man who'll stop at nothing to learn the truth of her betrayal. As danger pursues them, Kate fights to tear down the barriers Will has erected around his heart, but her most powerful weapon may ultimately destroy her—surrender.

What are your favorite foods?

Chocolate and white wine!

What’s your favorite romance movie?

Wow, that’s a tough one…there are so many great ones! I think it depends on my mood. For a lighthearted romance, Romancing the Stone is a classic …especially since the heroine is a romance novelist, and I adore Bridget Jones’ Diary…there is something super sexy about Colin Firth. If I’m in the mood for a brooding hero, Jane Eyre, is a great choice. Michael Fassbender was wonderfully smoldering in the latest version. The Notebook is a touching romance, and I adored Crazy Stupid Love…wonder if Ryan Gosling had anything to do with those choices?

Who’s your favorite actor?

Again, it’s hard to name just one. Russell Crowe is my absolute favorite…he is simply brilliant and so very hot! Robert Downey, Jr. is another actor at the top of my list these days. His portrayal of Sherlock Holmes is witty and very sexy. Ryan Gosling is terrific, and I adore Edward Norton. Oh, and I certainly can’t leave out Johnny Depp…those dark eyes get me every time!

Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.

I love football! I’m a total football fanatic…unfortunately, my team is now out of the playoffs (I’m a Steeler gal!), but now I can root for Drew Brees…wow, is he hot!!!

What’s your idea of a romantic evening?

A quiet dinner with my husband, followed by a moonlit walk and time in the hot tub with a glass of wine.

If you were going to cast your hero in a movie, which actor would you cast?

When I wrote Surrender To Your Touch, I had Alex O'Loughlin in the part. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and possesses the emotional intensity to play Will.

Where can readers find you on the web?

I hope readers will stop by my website and my blog, www.victoriagrayromance.com ; www.victoriagrayromance.blogspot.com.

I’d love for you to friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1819636616

and follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VictoriaGray115

What’s your idea of a romantic evening?

A quiet dinner with my husband, followed by a moonlit walk and time in the hot tub with a glass of wine.

Where can readers find your book?

Surrender to Your Touch is available from The Wild Rose Press (print- http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4652  and e-book - http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_135&products_id=4643

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/6rhtyos

Barnes and Noble - http://tinyurl.com/7l5e73b

And other great retailers!

Friday Fun- Meet Author Kristi Lea!

I'm so excited to host debut author, my friend and fellow RWA chapter mate, KRISTI LEA!  Kristi brought her brand new release, THE PARIS AFFAIR. (I love the cover, Kristi!)

You can find out more about Kristi at http://kristilea.com/WordPress/

 But come on back and be sure to leave a comment. Kristi is giving away a copy of THE PARIS AFFAIR to one lucky winner!

And Kristi wanted me to tell you she has to be at her day job but she will check in when possible. 

Thanks for being here, Kristi and congrats again on your debut!

****

Where is your favorite place to write?

I am supposed to answer “in my new home office” since we recently moved and I made a huge deal about claiming a room of my own because I’m a Real Writer now. But my true favorite place is Starbucks (it was my “home office” for the first several years of writing!). The smell of the coffee immediately gets the words flowing. Or maybe it’s the caffeine and sugar that does the trick…

Favorite romance movie?

The Princess Bride.  I have owned it in every format possible (book, VHS, DVD…). My sister quoted it in her toast for my wedding. I have even insisted that my children watch it with me. Makes me swoon every time.

Do you believe in love at first sight or just lust at first sight?
Somewhere in between. The day I first saw my future husband, I knew there was something important about the two of us. It wasn’t just lust (though he was cute!). But actual love, the kind that lasts through 10 years (and counting) of marriage plus kids plus life in general took a lot more than one quick glance to develop.

Tropical or European vacation?

Tropical. Give me a beach, an umbrella, and an electronic stack of books (i.e. a network connection plus my e-reader).

What did you do to celebrate when your first book was published?

I have had the strangest experience with the publication of my debut. We bought a new house this fall, and the same morning the movers were arriving for our furniture, my editor contacted me about buying my book. I was ecstatic. But there was no time to celebrate because we had way too much junk still to pack.

I spent the next three weeks with no internet access in the new house because the cable company was so backlogged. My fall was a blur full of boxes and unpacking and learning new commutes, plus the craziness that is the start of the kids’ school year. The book was important, but it was one of many important things I was dealing with. Release day itself was in the middle of the week, right before Christmas. I had an important meeting at the dayjob that day, so I couldn’t play hooky, and I think I made frozen chicken nuggets for dinner.

Thankfully I had vacation days between Christmas and New Years, and it finally sank in. I’m a published author. Squee!

(And now the real work begins…)

BUY LINK:

http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/the-paris-affair/

 

THE PARIS AFFAIR EXCERPT:

“I didn’t invite you in.”

He shrugged. “I’ll just walk you to your door. My mother would skin me alive if I left a woman alone on a dark city street.”

Claire glanced up and down her block, full of hulking warehouses. Some buildings, like hers, were being converted into loft apartments. The neighborhood was considered trendy by the few, transitional by the many. She walked past him, and headed for the brick archway that covered the street-side door. She could feel Helmut following her steps.

The door opened before Claire reached it, and her two downstairs neighbors walked out.

“Thanks.” She smiled, and went inside. Helmut followed, still just behind.

She passed the elevators and took the wide wooden stairs at a slight jog up to the third floor. Claire stopped to extract her keys from the bottom of her purse, and Helmut braced one arm against the wall beside her, his breathing much calmer than hers.

“You lead a merry chase,” he said.

“A little exercise never hurt anyone.”

She met Helmut’s gaze in the dimly lit hallway. In his darkened eyes, she recognized the same burning attraction she’d been flirting with all evening, but he held something back.

Claire’s fingers closed on her keys, and she tried to pull them out of the bag, but they snagged on the strap and tumbled from her grasp.

Almost before they hit the concrete floor, Helmut was on his knees at Claire’s feet, retrieving them. He stood slowly, his body a mere breath from hers. Though he didn’t so much as brush her clothing, her breasts tingled at the heat radiating from his chest. If her heart beat any harder, it would have smacked him in the face.

This close, Claire could see a faint touch of stubble darkening his squared jaw, her eyes level with his Adam’s apple, above the finely tailored dress shirt that fit closely to firmly muscled shoulders. He wore no tie, and the top button was undone, showing a small hint of tanned, supple skin. Claire’s knees went weak at the thought of unbuttoning that shirt and running her fingers across his chest.

She watched, dazed, as he reached his left arm around her, his sleeve brushing her waist, and fit her door key into the lock. He leaned his head down as he reached around her, until they stood almost cheek to cheek. Claire closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath tickling her neck, her ear.

It had been a long time since any man had seduced her so subtly. It had been a long time since any man had seduced her at all. After Frank, she had promised herself to avoid work-related relationships, and she had no time to meet men anywhere else. But from what she knew of Helmut, he didn’t do relationships. Heartbreaker. Cold-hearted snake. Hot-blooded man. One who might leave her bed and not dog her steps for years. That didn’t sound bad.

With a click, he turned the knob and pushed the massive wood door open.

“I will see you tomorrow,” he whispered, the baritone of his voice sending shivers down her spine.

Claire’s eyes flew open as he stepped away and cool air replaced the radiating heat of his body. She slumped against her open doorway and watched dumbly as he retreated back down the stairs.