Welcome to My Author Blog
Welcome to February’s edition of Insecure Writers Support Group, the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. Hop on board at Alex’s blog!
How was your January? I had to replace my furnace/AC/water heater and let’s just say I’m relieved I don’t have to survive on my measly author income after getting that bill. Luckily the system died when we had unseasonably warm temperatures in Ohio.
Are you ready for Singles Awareness Day on February 14th?
February Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?
Positive change: A greater appreciation for well-written books.
Negative change: Less enjoyment of many books. Before starting as a writer, I didn’t notice misspellings (like blond/blonde) or excessive verbiage. In the past, I skipped over cliches and telling instead of showing. Now those errors disgust me.
I feel fortunate fellow authors had the patience to read my debut novel, considering all my fledgling writer mistakes. I just re-edited With Good Behavior and chopped off 33,000 words, yahoo! The manuscript is with my publisher for a copy edit before we re-release it.
Speaking of revising, my website is over six years old and in need of an overhaul. Any web designers you’d recommend?
Thank you to this month’s co-hosts:
I’m so pleased to have my critique partner, NICKI ELSON, here to tell you about her new book! I adored this book (see my 5 star review.) Thank you to author Darcia Helle for this f’in blog post idea. Take it away, Nicki:
Thank you, Jen, for having me over to celebrate the release of WHEN IT HITS YOU (a new edition of the novel formerly known as Vibrizzio). Reacquiring my rights to this story allowed me to re-brand with an emphasis on the love story. I’m so excited to have it join its sister books in The It Series: WHEN IT HOOKS YOU and WHEN IT HOLDS YOU.
For today’s post, Jen gave me ten F-words to relate to one of my characters. I chose Lyssa Bates, the lead in WHEN IT HITS YOU.
1. Frightful – She dumps a shocking amount of cream in her coffee.
2. Favorable – She’s the kind of friend who’ll whisk your drunken ass away from embarrassment.
3. Flamboyant – She gets saucy on the dance floor with the sexy cousin of the groom.
4. Factual – She’s’ a youngest child.
5. Fanatical – She becomes a little too attached to her battery-operated boyfriend.
6. Feisty – Her first line of defense: sarcasm. Lots of sarcasm.
7. Formidable – She’ll rise to a challenge, whether it’s taking the lead in the boardroom or rocking “the lawnmower” on the dance floor.
8. False – She pulls on a fake smile when her mother and sister get under her skin.
9. Fierce – She’s not afraid to call people out…unless one of those people is her mother or sister.
10. Frustrating – She can’t see herself the way Hayden does.
Lyssa Bates doesn’t need a man. The twenty-six-year-old financial analyst is more than fulfilled by her career, friends, and a ready supply of double-A batteries. Her relationship with Hayden King is purely professional—and that’s how she intends to keep it. But accidental kisses in Dallas, all-nighters in Chicago, and hot tub confessions in Baltimore mess with her head and shake her resistance. Especially when he turns his charms full on her.
Why is it that whenever you’re not looking for love, that’s exactly when it hits you? ~Lyssa
Happy New Year! Time for January’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
Join us! Sign up at creator Alex Cavanaugh’s website.
How’s your writing? I decided to re-edit my debut novel, With Good Behavior. It’s taking me a long time because it’s so bad! Adverb abuse abounds.
JANUARY 4TH QUESTION: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?
Welcome to the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop! Thanks to Mary from Book Hounds for hosting.
I for one am excited the days will get longer after Winter Solstice. The short daylight is my least favorite part of winter. But I love cozying up in fleece and sipping hot drinks.
I’m giving away a $10 gift card and a Jennifer Lane ebook of the winner’s choice. I write sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. Check out college volleyball romance BLOCKED for only $.99.
Enter on the Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hop over to these blogs to win stuff!
Thomas McHugh is fighting for our country, across the globe and decades before Fallen Billow was even born. So there’s no way they’re soul mates. There’s no way he can be desperate to see her, hold her, kiss her. Except there is.
Is it a dream when he inks his name on her skin? Is it a delusion when she puts her hands on his face and says she loves him? Nothing has ever felt more real.
Fate has etched paths for Thomas and Fallen that even time cannot touch. A Purple Heart proclaims Thomas’ valor and bravery. And his death. But Fallen dares to dream of the impossible. She wants Thomas to stay. Just stay.
A tribute to all who have served our country, this novel honors the impossible beauty of love and the endless power of hope. Come open your heart and celebrate the many facets of bravery with Fallen and Thomas.
“I don’t want to be adorable. I want to be impossible.”
“How do you mean?” He kissed her forehead.
“I want to be impossible for you to forget, impossible for you to keep your hands off of.” She leaned up for a kiss.
“You’re my impossible then. Have no fear.” He tenderly reminded her he was her impossible, too, with his lips.
She put her hand against his stomach and snuggled in. “This is my spot. Right here. With you—it’s home.”
He swallowed before talking to the ceiling. “My heart was like a fist. Where I am? It’s not a place you plan to survive. I’ve been there for years, and it’s not about skill; it’s not even about luck. You get strapped into a machine, and fate’s driving. You can’t get out even if you want to. So you submit to it. You harden your soul. You get ready to die.”
He shifted, rolling on top of her. She sighed in contentment. Being beneath him made her feel safe and secure.
He kissed her lips, then the tip of her nose, before continuing. “But with you, it’s like my heart’s opening up, and I’m terrified to feel, after all this time. Yet I don’t have a choice. No matter where I am, I draw your face whenever I get a scrap of paper.”
He laughed a little. “We found a puppy, and I named it Fallen, just so I could say your name over and over. The guys think I’m crazy—such a strange name for a dog. But I don’t care. I’m gasping for you every moment I’m awake. And I’m making choices to keep me alive through the week.”
His eyes searched hers. “What if I’m not as tough as I was in the beginning? God, I hope no one is affected by my distraction with this. But in the end there’s you. Only you. Do what you have to to get back to me when you’re awake. You have to. I need you more than air, more than life right now. The softness of you, the tenderness in your eyes when you see me. I’m trying to force fate to throw me in your direction. To hurl me at you somehow. I don’t know if it will work. But I’m praying for it.”
Debra has now published the Seraphim Series, the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series, the Gynazule Series, The Revenger and Booty Camp Dating Service. Her novella, Late Night with Andres is special because 100% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. (So go get it right now, please!) For All The Evers is her latest romantic suspense.
You can find her at DebraAnastasia.com and on Twitter @Debra_Anastasia. But be prepared…
Piper helps some four-legged friends find the perfect home in the third book of the brand-new Piper Morgan series.
Piper is super excited to help out at Bark Street, a local animal shelter in town. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by adorable puppies and dogs all day? And when Piper sees Taffy, the cutest dog she has ever seen, Piper is determined to find a way to bring Taffy home. But it won’t be easy—especially when she finds out someone else wants to make Taffy a part of their family, too!
“Nicki Elson has become my MUST read new contemporary romance author! The sex is hot, but the emphasis is on emotions in this book. They really are made for each other.”
~The Romance Reviews
~.~.~
Virtual. That’s where she was supposed to stay—only in my online gaming life. I never intended to meet up with her in person. And I certainly hadn’t counted on her being who she is.
Cliff Walsh has dozens of hot, smart, and willing paramours in his video games. Who needs to look further? The twenty-eight year old attorney is done getting his heart smashed by real-life women who fit his perfect-mate checklist. From now on, he vows to keep his romances digital-only…until a certain redheaded gamer twists all his preconceptions and touches a place in his heart he didn’t know existed.
I always thought I knew what love would look like, but sometimes you don’t recognize it until the moment when it holds you. ~Cliff
~.~.~
Here’s my 5 star review:
When It Holds You by Nicki Elson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cliff Can Hold Me Anytime
Attorney Cliff Walsh is cute, funny, and smart. He’s also tired of women yanking his chain. Chain-Yankers such as tantalizing Trish (the heroine of When It Hooks You) lure him in but end up with other men. Cliff has no choice but to turn to the voluptuous virtual women found in video games.
One such woman, PlanetClaire, intrigues him. In the computer world, she has fiery red hair and alluring curves. Cliff and Claire partner together on screen to battle villains and solve riddles.
The riddles in this story are quite fun! For example, a serpent hisses, “All you have to do is correctly answer a riddle. For only the clever are allowed inssside” then proceeds:
It’s what you want above all things.
Some fulfill it with vows and rings.
For some it’s not an easy fit.
Some are content to sleep with it.
Hmm, what could “it” be? They say working together to achieve a common goal can forge a tight bond, and Cliff and Claire have a virtual blast together. They decide to take their chemistry offline and meet at a gaming convention. When Claire reveals her identity, MY JAW DROPPED!
Claire has some major self-esteem issues that stand in the way. But Cliff has many talents, including snuggling.
Too bad he can’t make it all better for Claire. I love that this book is from a male perspective. Cliff won my heart and I wanted to hug him when his romance woes continue.
Karen said, “I’ve seriously had to stop myself from offering you concealer stick to hide those dark shadows under your eyes. What did she do to you?”
“Nothing that hasn’t been done before.” He tapped the edge of the file he held onto his desk, eager for the conversation to end.
Aww. I’ll snuggle with you, Cliff. The characters feel real and the resolution of the story well-paced. And the humor of the series continues with comments like “That shit’s mine now” when Claire describes Cliff to Trish.
The It Series is fantastic! I encourage you to check out all three books: When it Hits You (coming in 2017), When it Hooks You, and When it Holds You (October, 2016).
View all my reviews
Nicki Elson writes spicy fiction with a sweet and dreamy center. She does other stuff, too…like obsess over Survivor and The Bachelor (and she’s not ashamed to admit it).
Writing fiction wasn’t something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she realized writing reports was by far her favorite part of her investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves creative writing into her life with her family in the Chicago suburbs.
Jennifer Lane Books 