Author Archive

Guest Post

Guest Post: “My Top Five OTPs on TV” by Jess Anastasi

When it comes to screen time, I’m not a huge movie person. I don’t mind going to see the occasional blockbuster or book I’ve read turned into film, but movies generally aren’t my thing. TV shows, however, well that’s a different story. I have a serious obsession with a number of TV shows, and like many fans, I tune in week after week to see how my favorite couple are going. In the interest of relevance, I’ve decided that today’s top five will only feature couples in current TV shows… if I included series that have finished or were cancelled, we could be here all week!

This post will contain spoilers, so if you see a series mentioned and you’re not up to date, you might want to skip ahead.

So, without further ado and in no particular order…

Clarke and Bellamy — The 100

I have been a devoted Bellarke shipper from almost episode one. I didn’t read the books until I was waiting for season 2 to start and desperate for a fix, so I had no idea that in the books, Clarke and Bellamy are actually a couple. A quick browse through tumblr will show you that the Clexa (Clarke and Lexa) shippers and Bellarke shippers have had quite a rivalry going. For a while, the Clexa shippers were claiming victory because Clarke and Lexa spent some of season 3 very much together. But with Lexa’s death, the Bellarke warcry got louder, and now many rabid fans are waiting for Clarke and Bellamy to finally get together in season 4.

But all that aside, Clarke and Bellamy are an interesting couple. At first, they didn’t like each other. Bellamy thought Clarke was a stuck-up do-gooder, and mockingly called her Princess (which has now become an endearment, though I think it’s been a while since he called her that) and Clarke thought Bellamy was an egotistical jerk. They were undoubtedly both leadership material for the 100 teens sent to the ground, which was why the animosity came up, because they had different ideas of how things should be done. But as things got harder, the ground became more dangerous and they got to know one another, they soon realized how strong they could be together and forged a deep connection, which is obvious when they share long, lingering looks and brief but meaningful touches… the kind of stuff that shippers live for and then spend weeks and months dissecting.

 

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Essential Beginnings Kennedy Layne
Q&A

Q&A: Tessa Bailey of WORKED UP

Tessa Bailey, author of some of our favorite Contemporary Romance novels, is here with some amazing answers to our little Q&A! (Seriously, it’s like we’re in the room nerding out over movies with her). Check out our interview below and don’t miss her latest book, Worked Up, out now!

FAVORITE MOVIES:

What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?

Safety Not Guaranteed

The Princess Bride

Say Anything

Jerry Maguire

Silver Lining’s Playbook

 

Describe your favorite scene from each one (you can include a Youtube clip if you want as well).

The ending of Safety Not Guaranteed is the most magical, original thing ever and I won’t ruin in. Suffice it to say, I cried and cheered in my living room. The scene in Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise says, “You complete me,” has been parodied so many times, it has lost its magic. But if you go back with a fresh perspective and watch that scene again, I guarantee you will sob. It’s one of the best grovels on film—ever. EVER. Oh God, the scene between Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Lining’s Playbook after the dance contest—honest and beautiful. I can’t even type about it without tearing up.

 

Did you have any of these scenes in mind when writing scenes from your latest release?

No, I wouldn’t say I ever have a movie’s ending in mind, but the theme of hero (or heroine) winning back the love of their life with a well-worded speech is definitely there!

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Exclusive Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt: Kari Lynn Dell’s RECKLESS IN TEXAS

Got the Monday fatigue? We’ve got just what you need (Nice. Didn’t even need to try rhyming!). Here’s a heart-pumping exclusive excerpt of Kari Lynn Dell‘s Reckless in Texas, out now!

Joe signed his name in savage, illegible slashes, passed the program back to the girl, then stepped down the fence into the shade of the bucking chutes to watch the last couple of bareback riders. A skinny guy from Waxahachie settled onto the back of a buckskin they’d named Thumper, for good reason. The stocky gelding pounded the ground like it had insulted his mama. That kid better be stronger than he looked, or this wasn’t going to end well.

The cowboy cocked his arm back and nodded. He spurred the hell out of Thumper clear to the end of the chute gate, then the horse jammed his front feet in the dirt and jacked the kid up onto the rigging. The next lunge whipped his shoulders back and his head slammed off Thumper’s butt. He went limp, knocked out cold. Joe sprang away from the chute, racing toward the middle of the arena as Violet and Cole spurred into action.

The cowboy’s body flopped off the side of the horse, his weight pinning his gloved hand in the rigging. Thumper dragged him by one arm, boneless, defenseless, the horse’s rear hooves crashing down around his legs. Violet rode hard to the horse’s left side while Cole came up on the right to flip the catch on the flank strap so the buckskin would stop kicking. They thundered around the end of the arena, three abreast. Violet made a lunging grab and got hold of the back strap of the cowboy’s chaps, hauling up hard to lift his body out of harm’s way. Thank God he was a scrawny little shit, Joe thought as he sprinted to meet them.

Cole bailed onto Thumper’s neck the way a steer wrestler would jump a steer. He buried his feet in the dirt, his arm locked around the buckskin’s nose, his mass and strength too much for even the stout gelding.

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Sisters in Love Melissa Foster
Guest Post

Guest Post + GIVEAWAY: “Road Tripping With Romance” by Sara Humphreys

I’ve been a published author since 2010 and the market has become increasingly competitive. Writers are always looking for new and different ways to connect with readers and thanks to the Internet and social media, it has become easier to reach a large audience. However, since everyone is online the question then becomes; How do you rise above the noise?

Face to face events at book stores can be a fantastic way to connect with readers on a more personal level. But book signings can be hit or miss. Sometimes you sell out and have a huge crowd of people and other times, you’re lucky if your mom shows up. Unless you’re JR Ward, Nora Roberts, JK Rowling or insert-big-name-author-here, there probably isn’t a throng of fans waiting.

It’s always fun, and usually memorable, to connect with readers face to face and in many cases, hand-selling books can result in a devoted life-long reader. However, tackling these live events isn’t always easy. Sitting at a table in a bookstore, waiting and hoping that customers will want to chat with you about your books can be a challenging, pride-swallowing situation. I’ve found that sitting quietly and playing the waiting game is not the most effective way to have a successful signing. Most people won’t come up and ask a perfect stranger what they’re doing at the table. Perhaps they find it intimidating or they don’t realize that the person sitting there is selling and signing books that they wrote.

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Autumn Thorns Yasmine Galenorn
Q&A

Q&A: Mari Carr of SEDUCING THE BOSS

“Both. Ménage-style.” is officially one of my favorite answers to any either-or question I’ve ever encountered in my life, all thanks to Mari Carr! Don’t miss our Q&A with Mari below and check out her book, Seducing The Boss, out now!

FAVORITE MOVIES

What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?

I’m a HUGE fan of romantic comedies, so whenever I find myself sitting down to watch a movie at home, that’s where I go. My go-to, escape, don’t have to think for two hours, sigh contentedly at the end movies are Overboard (all-time favorite—don’t judge—lol), You’ve Got Mail, Love Actually, Forrest Gump, and then…just to throw in a ringer…I do Harry Potter marathons obsessively and more often than I should probably admit.

 

Describe your favorite scene from each one (you can include a Youtube clip if you want as well).
Overboard -

You’ve Got Mail -

Love Actually – The opening makes me cry every time!

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Guest Post

“Happiness is in the Heart of the Beholder” by Cassandra Chandler

I love books. I think everybody reading this probably does. One of my favorite things about reading is how intimately we can share in another person’s experiences, even if those people are fictional. It helps me relate to others—the real people I encounter in my life.

And of course, I love romances. Life is uncertain enough. I want to be assured that at least some of the characters in the stories I immerse myself in will have a “happily ever after”, no matter what shape it takes.

When I set out to write the first three Summer Park Psychics books, I wanted to reflect different choices that people can make that lead them to happiness—especially in love. Most of the books I’ve read—and written—take a kind of traditional approach, and these endings are often great and satisfying. There’s a vast array of options, though, and no one path will be right for everyone.

Maybe one couple would be happiest having a big wedding and tons of children, living out in the country with a bunch of pets. Another might like a smaller ceremony to recognize their commitment, choosing to elope or go to a Justice of the Peace. They might want plenty of children, too, but prefer to live in the city. Some people only want one child, or two, or none at all. Some want a legal union, others might be more comfortable with a spoken commitment just between them. I want to show this variety as often as possible in my stories.

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Q&A

Q&A: We Go on A SCANDALOUS ADVENTURE with Lillian Marek

We didn’t think it was possible to look at something more intriguing than the title for A Scandalous Adventure! Of course, then we took a glance at the Q&A from its author, the amazing Lillian Marek. Classic movies and more have us heaving genre-appropriately heavy sighs. Check out the Q&A below and pick up A Scandalous Adventure, out now!

FAVORITE MOVIES:

 

What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?

My favorite movies are all pretty old—I like to think of them as classics.

The Prisoner of Zenda (the 1937 version)

It Happened One Night

Singing in the Rain

The Princess Bride

The Uninvited (1944)

 

Describe your favorite scene from each one (you can include a Youtube clip if you want as well).

I realize when I think about it that my favorite scenes are not particularly romantic ones. Hmm.

 

The Prisoner of Zenda

In the climactic duel between Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., they trade cracks as they fight and Fairbanks leaps into the moat to escape at the end.

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Exclusive Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt: EVERY TIME WITH A HIGHLANDER by Gwyn Cready

Never before have we seen a title that was as delightful to read in different voices and intonations as it was to read an excerpt of! Check out this fantastic sneak peek of Every Time With a Highlander by Gwyn Cready, out now!

Peering from the shade of the massive copper beech on the banks of the sparkling Tweed, Lord Bridgewater’s feast set out on long, low tables under the shade of the nearby elms, Undine looked from guest to guest and lover to lover. She was, they said, a fortune-teller, and it was little challenge to read the thoughts on the faces of those she called her friends at the party—Abby Kerr, chieftess of Clan Kerr, and Abby’s steward, Duncan MacHarg, standing at opposite ends of the makeshift quoits court, hiding their infatuation about as well as a peacock hides its plumage, and soon-to-be shipowner Serafina Innes and her new husband, Gerard, innocently playing whist, though any careful observer could tell by the gleam in their eyes the prize at stake was far from innocent.

Hidden truths and visible lies. The world would be a very dangerous place if one believed in appearance.

“Sherry, ma’am?” the servant asked.

“Thank you. I believe I’ll stay with my ginger water.”

A sleek, tortoiseshell cat stole her way back into the party after being shooed away not once but twice by one of the estate’s fastidious servants. The cat added to her list of crimes by neatly snagging a half-eaten quail from the plate of Bishop Rothwell, the archbishop’s chief catch fart, who was speaking animatedly—and at yawn-inducing length—to those seated on the lawn near him of the plans to replace the draperies at his estate.

The brazen thief made her way, quail in mouth, under several tables to the copper beech, where she gave Undine an impatient look.

“I’m not moving,” Undine said firmly.

The cat stared, undeterred.

“Is there no other place to feast upon that?”

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Giveaway, Guest Post

Katie Ruggle on Kick-Ass Heroines and Sisterhood

As I was thinking about a topic for this blog post, I realized something. I talk a lot about heroes. I write a lot about heroes, about what makes a hero, how a hero expresses his love, why I have a little bit of extra adoration in my heart for a certain hero (George of Gone Too Deep).

But why, I asked myself, am I neglecting the heroines? I didn’t in the books. In my Search and Rescue series, I wrote each one almost exclusively from the heroine’s point of view, even when that was difficult (ahem…I’m looking at you, Daisy). The women were able to express their feelings and their motivations and their experiences directly, while readers got to know the heroes through the heroines’ eyes. My female characters also did a fair amount of ass-kicking, saving the heroes just as many times—if not more—than they themselves were saved.

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Exclusive Excerpt, Giveaway

Exclusive Excerpt + GIVEAWAY: AS RICH AS A ROGUE by Jade Lee

Read a Romance Month has us seriously reflecting on our book shelves. What is it about a good Regency Romance that we just can’t help going back to time and time again? Is it the high stakes, the drama, the surprisingly endless snark and banter? We can’t pick just one thing, but we do know that books like As Rich as a Rogue by Jade Lee have a magic way of pulling us in entirely! And lucky you, we’ve got an excerpt right here! As Rich as a Rogue is out right now!

Can’t wait to get it? Enter for a chance to win one of two copies below!

Intro from Jade Lee

Lord Whitly and Miss Mari Powel have history. Six years ago he gave her the nickname Wayward Welsh and that has dogged her so much that she can’t find a husband. Now the blighter has returned and is courting her when she can barely keep herself from scratching out his eyes. In this scene, she’s lost a wager to him and has to go riding with him. In true heroine fashion, she uses the time to demand an explanation for his actions.

“Why are you in Society if you have such a great disregard for it?” She spoke impetuously, trampling over his words in her rush to get the question out. He had such power to distract her that she feared losing track of it altogether if she did not say it quickly.

But once spoken, she began to regret her question. It was what she had wanted to know almost from the very beginning. Why was he here? Why did he accost her in Hyde Park that first day? Why did he seek her out at last night’s ball?

But the more the questions crowded in her mind, the more his expression made her doubt her own sanity. Or his. Because far from quietly considering her request, he stared at her in stunned surprise.

In the end, she had to prompt him to speak. “My lord?”

“Truly, Miss Powel, I cannot guess whether I am especially bad at this or if you are being willfully obtuse.”

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