Strong Heroines in Romance | Donna Grant
One of the things I love about the romance genre […]
Guest Post
Strong Heroines in Romance | Donna Grant
One of the things I love about the romance genre is how many strong heroines there are. Gone are the days of damsels in distress. The women of modern romance writers might be from ancient eras, Victorian times, futuristic or fantasy words, or from our own time, but they have one thing in common – they can take care of themselves.
Playlist
S.D. Grimm’s Writing Playlist | Phoenix Fire
About Phoenix Fire:
After spending her life in foster care, Ava has finally found home. But all it takes is a chance encounter with hot nerd Wyatt Wilcox for it to unravel.
Now, things are starting to change. First, the flashes of memories slowly creeping in. Memories of other lives, lives that Wyatt is somehow in. Then, the healing. Any cut? Gone.
But when Cade and Nick show up, claiming to be her brothers, things get even weirder. They tell her she’s a Phoenix, sent to protect the world from monsters—monsters she never knew existed. It’s a little hard to accept. Especially when they tell her she has to end the life of a Phoenix turned rogue, or Cade will die.
With Wyatt’s increasingly suspicious behavior, Ava’s determined to figure out what he’s hiding. Unless she can discover Wyatt’s secret in time and complete her Phoenix training, she’ll lose the life, love, and family she never thought she could have.
Now… onto the Phoenix Fire playlist!
I just wanted to say thank you to EverAfter Romance for having me on the blog today!! Y’all are awesome.
So I love music. I love how it elicits so many emotions and feelings. I love when lyrics and music line up in perfect harmony. And I have a ton of respect for song writers. Yes. I am one of those writers who listens to music while I write.
Guest Post
Flight of the White Wolf by Terry Spear
Stranded in the wilderness, these warring hearts will be forced to work together—or die together.
Gavin Summerfield—an arctic wolf shifter with a fear of flying—has to fly into the vast lakeland wilderness of northern Minnesota to track down his suspect—where his ability to shift will come in very handy. Imagine his chagrin when his pilot turns out to be the woman who tasered him last time they saw each other. Things are off to a rocky start…again.
Arctic wolf shifter Amelia White isn’t entirely displeased to see Gavin again, but priorities shift when their plane is sabotaged and goes down in the middle of nowhere. As their attraction grows, Amelia hopes Gavin doesn’t discover the secret she’s been keeping…she knows he could never forgive her…
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What makes the White Wolf Pack special?
Not only are the white wolf pack the first and only Artic wolf pack I’ve written about, they’re the only pack that is newly turned, none of them having been born as lupus garous. Both conditions—being Arctic wolves in the States (where they normally don’t live) and being newly turned wolves (which means trouble for them with shifting at the wrong times, particularly when the full moon appears)—can cause real conflict for them. It began when two of their PIs, all of them best of friends, went on a bear hunt and disappeared. Cameron and Gavin had to search for them, believing something bad happened to them. As PIs and best friends, they had to find them no matter what.
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Jewel Thieves, Heists & More with Tamara Morgan! | Seeking Mr. Wrong
SEEKING MR. WRONG by Tamara Morgan
I had a phone conversation with my editor the other day in which I was forced to admit that I am a Follower of All Rules. Sure, I write about jewel thieves and con men, and planning a heist is one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday night, but when it comes to real life, I’m kind of a stick-in-the-mud. I obey all traffic laws, return found wallets, and defer politely to authority. The closest I ever came to theft was accidentally not paying for a shirt from Target. (Spoiler alert: I went back in and paid for it.)
Which is why I love to let my jewel thief heroine in the driver’s seat when it comes time to sit down and write. She’s not afraid to break rules and play with what’s allowed. She’ll twist plots and charm her way in (and out!) of any tight situation. If you want to live large—and get away with it—she’s a much better source of information than I am.
Exclusive Excerpt
Exclusive Excerpt: The Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London!
Everybody’s talking about the hot new app reviewing New York’s most eligible bachelors. But why focus on prince charming when you can read the latest dirt on the lowest-ranked “Bad Bachelors”—NYC’s most notorious bad boys?
If one more person mentions Bad Bachelors to Reed McMahon, someone’s gonna get hurt. A PR whiz, Reed is known as an ‘image fixer’ but his womanizing ways have caught up with him. What he needs is a PR miracle of his own.
When Reed strolls into Darcy Greer’s workplace offering to help save the struggling library, she isn’t buying it. The prickly Brooklynite knows Reed is exactly the kind of guy she should avoid. But the library does need his help. As she reluctantly works with Reed, she realizes there’s more to a man than his reputation. Maybe, just maybe Bad Bachelor #1 is THE one for her.
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Darcy immediately tuned out as Brad dug into a very detailed account of how much effort he went to get a reservation at some fancy Manhattan restaurant. As an introvert and hater of both parties and small talk, she knew exactly the right spots to nod and give an interested mmm-hmm to give the appearance of listening.
But she let her eyes wander over to Reed.
He looked so different outside work. Not that she’d assumed he wore suits on the weekend or anything, but seeing him dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, his hair mussed from sitting under a baseball cap, was scarily appealing.
This outfit couldn’t hide the rock-hard muscles in his chest nor his washboard-flat stomach. Even the clingy sweats clued you in to what was underneath.
She reached for another chicken wing and bit into it. Maybe if she stuffed her face enough, she might be able to fill the void of dissatisfaction that’d been aching all week. But food wasn’t a replacement for sex…especially when she’d been woken up to the possibilities of how good sex could be.
How intimate and personal.
Q&A
Q&A with A.M. Rose! | Road to Eugenica
What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?
Romance movies are some of my favorites, and if I had to pick my top five they would have to be the ones I could watch over and over and never get tired of. While this isn’t a complete list here are a few of my favs:
Ever After
The Princess Bride
10 Things I Hate About You
She’s the Man
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
And not necessarily in that order.
What’s your favorite scene from each one?
This is almost as tough as picking out my favorite movies.
For Ever After it is a tie between this scene where Danielle has decided to go for a swim and Leonardo di Vinci nearly walks right into her because he’s wearing these shoes he invented that look like boats. She screams. He falls into the water. Which of course leads to her spending some time with the Prince. Their back and forth banter is charming and I get sucked in each time I watch it. “Why do you irritate me so?” “Why do you rise to the occasion?” – Love this!
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The First Romance Chris Cannon Ever Read | The Dating Debate
The first romance I read, which is still one of my favorites, is Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie. Here is the opening paragraph.
The man behind the cluttered desk looked like the devil, and Nell Dysart figured that was par for her course since she’d been going to hell for a year and a half anyway. Meeting Gabriel McKenna just meant she’d arrived.
I love Jennifer Crusie’s snarky, smart heroines with their relatable problems and the heroes they square off against. The banter is always great, and the way the characters react seems realistic. There’s no insta-love. Usually it’s more insta-irritation because the characters get under each other’s skin.
I love writing my own snarky banter, and I aspire to create quirky characters like Jennifer Crusie’s. She always gives her characters some real life hobby or interest, which makes them seem more real. I was curious about the Clarice Cliff pottery mentioned in Fast Women and did a little investigating, which lead to several purchases of Clarice Cliff, The Art of the Bizarre reproductions on ebay.
Guest Post
By a Charm and a Curse | Jaime Questell
Falling in Love at Le Grand’s Carnival Fantastic Isn’t Easy
In my novel, By a Charm and a Curse, Emmaline King is suffering from a curse that has petrified her skin, rendering her unable to feel anything except a brutal cold. One of the conditions of the curse is that she’s now tied to the carnival, unable to stray too far from its confines.
Benjamin Singer has traveled with and worked for the carnival since he was five years old. And though he knows better than most the benefits of the magic that keeps the carnival performers and workers safe and happy, he’s tired. But he and his best friend have a plan – they’re going to leave the carnival behind and strike out on their own.
It is the absolute worst time to fall in love.
Q&A
Q&A with Amber Hart | Wicked Charm
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What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?
I adore Sweet Home Alabama. I’m a sucker for southern allure and this movie is full of it. The accents. The sweet tea.The sprawling plantation houses. I love the main character—her spunk and how she grows into herself. She ends up accepting where her heart is meant to be, but not without digging her heals in and fighting it first. Aren’t we all a little like that sometimes?
Blue Crush is all about the waves and sun and beach, but also the unbreakable friendship of three women, and the unyielding determination to pick oneself up after falling. Sure one of the characters finds a man, but I really respect that her real love is surfing, the passion that fuels her.
Pride and Prejudice is an all time favorite of mine. The romance is swoon-worthy, and I can’t help but fall for a man with a rough exterior, but who’s really soft inside, and a woman with a fiery spirit.
I love that Twilight is all about firsts. First time at a new school. First time making lasting friends. First romance.
The Proposal is so incredibly funny. The characters, the unusual situation they get themselves into—needing to fake a marriage so that she can stay in the states—makes for a great real love story.
Describe your favorite scene from each one (you can include a Youtube clip if you want as well).
Sweet Home Alabama: “Well for starters, you can get your stubborn selfdown here and give me a divorce.” This part cracks me up. It shows her spunk and determination to head straight into her past with a will of lead.
Blue Crush: There’s a scene where she’s in the ocean, lying on a surfboard, facing a giant wave. Time seems to slow down. She knows this is it—the acumination of her fears and dreams. She has a choice. She can turn around…or face it. She jumps on her board and goes for it, not knowing what the outcome will be. Scared and hopeful. She risks it. To me, this is what it means to truly live. To head right into it bravely.
Q&A
Q&A with Molly E. Lee! | Love Between Enemies
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Step one? Make him believe they’re now friends.
Step two? Show him the time of his life at an epic graduation party.
Step three? Don’t fall for his tricks.
Step four? Absolutely, positively, do not kiss him again.
So what if he’s cute? (Okay, hot.) So what if he’s charming? (Heaven help her, tempting.) So what if he apologizes? (That has to be fake.) She knows the real Gordon. And no matter how much her heart begs her to stop, there’s no turning back.
Today we have Molly E. Lee, author of LOVE BETWEEN ENEMIES, on the blog to answer our burning romance questions! Let’s get started. Molly, what are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements? What’s your favorite scene from each one?
Deadpool
The love Wade has for Vanessa is amazing. This scene—this one look he gives her…I strive to write that look. He does this various times throughout the movie. He’s basically just being a total swoon-worthy anti-hero throughout it, and I have a weakness for sexy anti-heroes (I’m equally obsessed with Loki). Wade has one thing he values above all others (even immortality) and that is the woman he loves!
Last of the Mohicans
This is one of my favorite movies of all time (my adult series is Adventure Romance, so a lot of that can be related to movies like this). The relationship between these two characters is intense, undeniable, and totally sparking with chemistry! The added stakes of a volatile historical period only up the pace and flesh out the relationship! LOVE IT!
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 2
Seven years! It took seven years of friendship and fights and trails before Ron and Hermione finally succumbed to their love! LOL I love this scene! And they are a huge inspiration for any friends to lovers trope, much like book one in the Grad Night series—Love in the Friend Zone.
Wonder Woman
I’m in love with this movie, but one of my favorite things is the multiple times Steve steps aside so Diana can do her thing. He never falters to defer to her as the stronger of the two, and that is a huge step for a male lead. It makes his character totally endearing, and I absolutely try to convey that in my stories—writing male characters who are capable of handling strong, independent women. Zoey, in Love Between Enemies, is incredibly smart…so smart she intimidates most of her peers. Not Gordon. He is her match, even if they are always battling.
Crazy Stupid Love
I love this dynamic between these two characters. She puts him in his place, and he’s totally blown away by her. They make each other laugh and that is a quality I value in my books. The couple has to be able to laugh with each other and at each other!
FIVE BOOKS
If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what five books would they be, and why?
Harry Potter (especially if they created one massive tome with all seven books within one binding), and that’s because every time I read this series, I learn something new about craft, storytelling, character development, pace, etc. Also, it’s just an incredible story. One I never get tired of.
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. Derting is an instant click author for me—I don’t even need to see the blurb—but I’d pick The Body Finder because it was a book I picked up while my husband was deployed, and it offered me such a sense of escape and comfort in a high-stress time in my life.
House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday. I love the way he uses rich language and culture to breathe life into these pages.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sara J. Maas. Because I’m totally obsessed with this series right now, and I’ve already re-read this one twice. It’s just a great read and it offers an awesome escape.
On Writing by Stephen King. This is my absolute go-to when I need inspiration for writing or a brush-up on craft.
BOOK BOYFRIENDS
Who are your book boyfriends? What do you like about them? What characteristics do they share with the hero from your latest release?
Rhys from A Court of Thrones and Roses is my current Book Boyfriend. ☺ He’s confident, strong, compassionate, and challenging. I love male leads who are able to not only love their strong female counterparts, but push them when they need it. Gordon from Love Between Enemies is definitely not afraid to push Zoey when she needs a shove, and he’s also the first one to support her when she starts doubting herself.
FIRST ROMANCE (AKA My First Time):
What was the first romance novel you read?
Oh, this is so hard. I’m not 100% sure, but I do remember the first non-college assigned reading that got me back into the obsession of buying books like they were going out of style. All the heavy assignments killed that for me for a couple years because we were being tasked with reading nearly five to six books a week, plus the other class load. I loved it, but it ate away at my pleasure reading time. BUT—the first one I read once I had free time was Twilight.
What do you remember about it?
I remember reading it and thinking “wow, I’ve missed paranormal romance.” I’m pretty sure I read it in once sitting and was devastated I couldn’t immediately read the next one. It sent me to the bookstore, though, where I picked up three more young adult novels to devour.
What did you like most about it?
I liked the hot, broody immortal going after the totally awkward girl.
What did you like least about it?
That I had to wait so long for the next book 😉
Have you ever reread it? If you did, how do you feel about it now?
I have done a couple re-reads on the series. It’s always fun to go back and catch things you missed because you were trying to read it as fast as possible. I still feel the same way about it as I did then. I’m grateful that it got me back into focusing on reading just for me.
SNAPPY CHAT
Darcy or Wentworth?
Darcy
Christian or Gideon?
Gideon
Rochester or Heathcliff?
Rochester
Spock or Kirk?
Han Solo 😉
Sunrise or sunset?
Sunrise
Angst or humor?
Gah! Both! I NEED both! LOL
Tea or coffee?
Coffee
Wine or beer?
Wine
Cake or pie?
Cake
Scruff, beard, or clean-shaven?
Clean-shaven
Blue-collar or white collar?
Doesn’t matter as long as the person behind it is genuine
Jeans or a suit?
Jeans
Car or motorcycle?
Car
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Thank you so much for having me! It was so fun chatting with you!!
About Molly E. Lee:
Molly E. Lee is an author best known for her debut novel EDGE OF CHAOS, and as a mentor at Pitch Wars – a program which connects promising writers to established authors in the community. Molly writes New Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.
Find Molly online! Website | Twitter | Facebook | Author Street Team/Facebook Group | Instagram | Pinterest | Snapchat: mollyeleeauthor | Goodreads | Newsletter
About Love Between Enemies:
Zoey Handler is ready to put an end to her decade-long rivalry with Gordon Meyers. They’ve traded top spot between valedictorian and salutatorian for years, but all that’s over now. Right? But after a crazy graduation speech prank gets out of hand, suddenly their rivalry turns into all-out war. Time to make peace with a little friendly payback.
Step one? Make him believe they’re now friends.
Step two? Show him the time of his life at an epic graduation party.
Step three? Don’t fall for his tricks.
Step four? Absolutely, positively, do not kiss him again.
So what if he’s cute? (Okay, hot.) So what if he’s charming? (Heaven help her, tempting.) So what if he apologizes? (That has to be fake.) She knows the real Gordon. And no matter how much her heart begs her to stop, there’s no turning back.
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains one epic party, complete with every high-schoolers-gone-bad shenanigan, and two rivals who discover maybe they could be something much more…if only they’d stop fighting long enough to notice it.