Fun Post!! A great Christmas Story & Meet author...

Please help me welcome my friend, the very talented RITA GARCIA!
She has a wonderful series out --with a new installment coming in Jan. BUT in the meantime I think you'll enjoy this great Christmas story!
Christmas Future buy link.

Thanks for being here this weekend, Rita!!
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1. What is the most difficult for you to write: Characters, conflict, emotions?

 

Definitely conflict. My natural inclination is to write stories filled with optimism, and where everyone gets along and never a harsh word spoken. But that, of course, would be the makings of an unrealistic and extremely boring novel. Although, along with my Pollyannaish penchant, I also find a little mischievous pleasure in knowing where my characters go, trouble follows. 

2. Classic Novel you would like to see turned into a movie?

While not classics, I would love to see Lauraine Snelling’s novels, set in the fictional town of Blessing, come alive on the big screen. And I also immensely enjoyed Jan Karon’s Mitford series; her quirky and unusual characters would definitely make an entertaining movie script.

3. If you could time travel would you go forward or backward?

 

I really had fun writing my Christmas novella, which is set in the future. I loved imagining the progress of technology and how it might change our way of life. And the possibility of off-planet travel was beyond intriguing. But with all the changes and progress, I found it heartwarming that some things, like young love, remained the same. Finding Prince Charming still startles the pulse and ignites daydreams.

4. What is your favorite dessert/food?

 

God says he will never give us more than we can handle. Sometimes I wonder about this sweet tooth of mine. Cake, cookies, pie or chocolate—I love them all. Ah, but my favorite dessert is a luscious crème brûlée. Perhaps it’s a favorite because my husband and I are usually on vacation when we indulge in this particular delight.

 

5. Heels or Flats ?

Like most women I have my share of shoes: tennis shoes, strappy sandals, heels and a collection of boots. I must confess, however, I don’t have what some might call a shoe fetish. It’s quite the opposite: my preferred footwear is none. Barefootin’ it is sheer bliss. I love the feel of the soft carpet indoors or the cool green grass outside, but nothing compares with sitting on the beach and pushing my bare toes into warm grains of sand.

6. Tropical or European vacation? 

Blame it on the fact I grew up surfing and frolicking in the ocean—I love the beach. The ocean is one of the many reasons I adore living in Southern California. And Maui with its wonderful beaches is my favorite vacation spot. I’m thinking I need to be in Maui, barefoot on the beach eating a fabulous crème brûlée. **sigh**

Friday Fun: Meet Megan Kelly! + Give*Away!

Please help me welcome my friend and RWA chapter mate, the talented MEGAN KELLY!

Thank you for having me here, Jennifer.

I'm offering two items today to one commenter who will be drawn at random. 1) a .pdf version of either Holly & Ivey or Santa Dear (winner's choice) and 2) a hand-knit scarf resembling one featured in Holly & Ivey. There's a fun scene when this comes into play. I wanted to honor the story and give the readers a little something extra. (I'll need the winner's email and home addresses to award both items.)

Now, what do you want to know, Jennifer?

 Do you have critique partners?

Let me shout a resounding YES to this. My crit partners supported me through the writing of HOLLY & IVEY. They steered me back on the path, told me when I was being too cute or obscure, read fast and read through the holidays for me. I had extra helpers this time, including a beta reader.

One of my techie partners held my hand through the self-publishing part. Me, formatting and uploading? Pass the tequila!  Someone rushed me emergency chocolate. Others cheered from the sidelines. It takes a village for me to produce a book.
Tell us about your real life romance. I have the most supportive husband on the planet. He's grown used to my odd hours. In fact, he's often rising for work when I'm going to bed. Earlier this week, I told him my character was unexpectedly injured and it screwed up my entire idea for the next chapter--that now this really cool thing couldn't happen. He asked why and I said because my character sprained his ankle!  "Why did he sprain his ankle?" my DH asked. My response: "I don't know. I didn't plan for that to happen."  He nodded and said, "I understand."

And he does.

 Now, that's love.

 If you could time travel would you go forward or backward? No. [grinning]

I wouldn't go forward because I'd worry about messing with the time continuum. If I went backward, I wouldn't change things, but I'd spend time with my father who died when I was too young to appreciate him.
 If you could switch places with one of your characters would you? I don't think so. I've already been them, in a sense, when they emerged from my fingertips. My characters all find everlasting love, and I have that. (I'm sounding like a total dweeb, aren't I?)
 Tell us a little about your WIP. "Holly & Ivey: Christmas in Stilton" came about due to a publisher's call for a holiday story. Three friends helped me brainstorm it one night in a hotel. I believe wine was involved. Since I'd planned a vacation already which overlapped the deadline date, I chose to publish it myself instead of rushing the writing. I learned so much during the process, but it never would have come together so well without the help from my friends. As stated in disclaimers in the front of books: all screwed up parts are my fault (or words to that effect).

Thank you for having me, and thanks to everyone for reading along. Please visit my website at http://www.megankellybooks.com.

  

BLURB:

"HOLLY & IVEY: Christmas in Stilton"  Holly MacDonald rushes to the town she left as a child to prevent her friend from marrying an unfaithful groom. Her old buddy, Luke Ivey, is the best man and intends to stop her interference. She's no longer his tomboy pal, and he's no longer her nerdy sidekick. They fall for each other despite their different views on the wedding. But when "The Wedding March" fades and Christmas is over, will they stay together?

Holly & Ivey buy links: http://www.amazon.com/Holly-Ivey-Christmas-Stilton-ebook/dp/B00AFGKDU6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354246453&sr=1-1&keywords=holly+%26+Ivey

Holly & Ivey excerpt:

http://www.megankellybooks.com/excerpt_H&I_Megan_Kelly.pdf

Santa Dear buy links:

Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Santa-Dear-ebook/dp/B006LSLXOC/ref=sr_1_9?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323888317&sr=1-9

Nook  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/santa-dear-megan-kelly/1107967081?ean=9781618426543&itm=1&usri=santa%2Bdear

Apple (iProducts) https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/santa-dear/id488841113?mt=11

Santa Dear excerpt: http://www.megankellybooks.com/excerpt_Santa_Dear.pdf

Friday Fun - Meet Author Rachel Brimble!

Please help me welcome my friend and fellow Wild Rose Press author, RACHEL BRIMBLE! She's brought her recent release, THE ARRIVAL OF LILY CURTIS, a wonderful Regency Romance:)

You can find out more about Rachel and all her works at her  Website 

 But make sure to come on back and visit with us:)

Thanks for being here today, Rachel! You have to promise to come back and bring your next release.

1 - What is the most difficult for you to write: Characters, conflict, emotions?

Conflict definitely! I am having an absolute nightmare with the book I am revising at the moment. My agent is expecting it March 1^st and I am in a major panic. I thought I had everything it needed but on a third read through I realized about half way through, the hero and heroine both want the same thing. They could easily work together. Panic!!

 I have this same problem with every story I write – lack of reason for my hero and heroine not to be together. Arghh!!

2 - What music are you listening to lately?

My absolute favorite band to listen to right now is Lady Antebellum. Gorgeous sound, beautiful lyrics and amazing voices. What more could a girl ask for? Love ‘em! J

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

I always use a visual for my hero and heroine when writing, if only so I have a permanent record of their hero color etc. For the historical novella I submitted for consideration a few weeks ago, my hero was Dan Stevens (who plays Matthew Crawley in the fabulous Downton Abbey).

Here is the pic I used – perfect Victorian hero, I feel!

4 -  How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

Very unlikely – my imagination just not work that way. I very rarely meet someone or hear their story and think I have to write something about them or that. My inspiration often comes from articles I read in the newspaper, or an interesting real life fact from history…or most popular of all, the theme of an episode in a TV drama.

 The amount of stories kicked off by Grey’s Anatomy, Poirot, Eastenders or Rizzoli and Isles, you wouldn’t believe. Lol!

5 - Tell us a little about your WIP.

I am currently working on book 2 of what I hope will be a romantic suspense series. My agent is busy with book 1 and several houses have it under consideration and know it will be part of a three-part series. It is set in the fictional seaside town of Templeton Cove in South West England.

 It’s all very exciting as I haven’t released a romantic suspense in three years but these books came to me out of nowhere, begging to be written. I have everything crossed for their success!

6 - What is your favorite time of year?

I am my happiest in the sun BUT I also love the first taste of Autumn when I can go back to warm boots and a wool coat. Love that feeling! Summer is what I love though. I have a cabin at the bottom of my garden where I write with my Black Lab laying at the open door or I take my laptop onto the decking and feel the sun on my back.

 Bliss!! J

Rachel’s latest historical romance is The Arrival Of Lily Curtis, available now from The Wild Rose Press. Here’s the blurb:

At the mention of an arranged marriage, Elizabeth Caughley feels her life is over at the age of three and twenty….so she hatches an escape plan.  She will reinvent herself as a housemaid.  Overnight, Elizabeth becomes Lily…

Viscount Westrop wants nothing more than his legacy to be passed to his own son one day.  Even though he feels insurmountable pity for the unborn child already, he knows how much pain a broken promise can cause and will do what is right.  But with the arrival of his new housemaid, his plans are thrown into disarray.  Lily is funny, feisty and the most beautiful creature on earth – Andrew is thunderstruck.  But if anyone suspects how much he wants to ravish her and endlessly love her, Andrew’s lineage will be in peril.  And he cannot let that happen…

Buy Link:

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=4124

Links:

http://www.rachelbrimble.com/

http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/RachelBrimble

Holiday Reads and Giveaway!

WIN IT BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT!!!

Please help me welcome my friend and RWA Chapter Mate, Megan Kelly. She's brought her brand new -- and I mean so new you'll have to go to her website this week to get the BUY Link - SANTA DEAR!  

Here is Megan's website. Please check back tomorrow if you're not the lucky winner. http://www.megankellybooks.com

Thanks for being here today, Megan. This sounds like a great read!

Trish needs a man--but ONLY to play Santa for her five-year-old son.
Sam wants to build a family, but not with a woman after his money.
Tyler just wants a bike.

Does Santa have enough magic to fulfill the wishes of these three people?

Trish Howell finds a letter to Santa Claus from her five-year-old son, Tyler.  In it, Tyler mentions that Santa might "just be a story," like his dad, who passed away when Ty was one.  The doubt breaks Trish's heart but steels her resolve to reassure her son.  She'll hire a man to play Santa.  It will be neat and tidy, with no strings--unlike those her husband used in his manipulation of her time after time.  She's not looking to repeat that experience.
Sam Carrow is taking a break from his successful construction business to rehab a house for resale.  Meanwhile, he's living with his friends, Bart and Jenny, to escape the plaster dust and enjoy a family holiday, even though it's not his family.  He can't refuse to play Santa for Tyler, but Sam has no intention of getting mixed up with Trish, who admits she'd like a rich husband.  He's been burned by ambitious career women in his past, including his mom and almost-fiancee.  No way is he getting mixed up with another.
Trish's mother-in-law is threatening a custody battle over Tyler.  Trish has to be careful to give her no reason to charge her with being an unfit parent.  Fortunately, her business is supporting them well enough, and there's no man in her life to compromise her reputation.  Especially not the man using her friend Jenny as a housemaid, cook, laundress, and cleaning lady..
Santa has his hands full with this bunch.

EXCERPT:
"She doesn't need just the rich part, Sam. She needs someone to take care of her for a change. She's a really nice woman, if you'd just give her a chance."
"I'm not in the market for a gold-digger."
Laying a hand on his forearm, Jenny met his gaze and held it. "Not all women are like Sherry."
An image of his ex-girlfriend came unbidden to his mind. Sleek. Beautiful. Cold. Living together suited Sherry. She liked being seen at the places he'd taken her. Until he'd proposed.
She'd refused, stating that planning a wedding would sidetrack her from getting ahead in the corporation. She'd have been satisfied with continuing her relationship as it stood, but she needed to concentrate on her career.
Sam had declined and moved to Cloverdale.
He wouldn't get mixed up with another woman who put her career before her family, no matter if she was Jenny's best friend. His mother and Sherry had been lessons enough. He would find the ideal woman someday, but it wasn't Trish Howell.
"Tell her to look elsewhere for Santa and for a husband."


In unpublished form, this book won the GRW Maggie Award of Excellence.  This is my first self-published work, although I have four Harlequin Americans in digital form also. 
Website: www.megankellybooks.com